Disclaimer: All scenes, worlds, countries, names, characters, editors,
writing style, books, titles, etc. that belong to Tamora Pierce do not
belong to me and any similarities to other authors, stories, articles, etc.
are purely coincidental and non-intentional.
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Ch. 7:
Eos blinked at the sudden onslaught of bright sunlight. *What-where* Tristan walked in. "We're back in Carthak. Prepare yourself." He then turned to give her all the necessary items for a lady of good breeding in Ozorne's court. "You have an hour."
As Eos walked down the plank as Tanianne of Hialla again, Tristan walked down to her and touched her shoulder. "After this task your necklace will be deactivated. I've made arrangements for you to go with a Scancran ambassador. He will be arriving at the same time as several Tortallan ambassadors. Good luck." He then walked away again.
Later, walking with her "friends" again, Eos mused on Tristan's sudden change in personality. Suddenly Lady Charella turned to Eos and questioned, "Are you coming to the ball tonight? I hear Tristan Staghorn will choose his bride at that ball or the next, by imperial order." Eos replied, "Of course! I love dancing."
~At the ball~
When Eos entered the ornately decorated ballroom, several audible gasps could be heard throughout the room. Eos's "glorious" auburn hair had been left down and sprinkled with tiny crystals to accent her form-fitting silver and white gown. Her ballgown, with its thick white shoulder straps and shimmering gloves, enhanced her golden skin and thick lashed hazel eyes; the white gown was covered with an intricate crystal and gold snowflake pattern that offset her curves and slender body. Eos thought wryly, *Mari would have called me an Ice Princess or the Snow Fairy from her mythology books.* Suddenly immense guilt hit her-in these past weeks had she spared any thought for her dead siblings? Guilt ran through her. *While I became the perfect debutante, Mari and Tylan's bodies were probably floating in the sea, forgotten and unmourned.* Her face crumpled with grief as she quickly walked off for the heart of the garden. Memories flashed in her head while tears dripped from her eyes, of her early days with her mother in the garden, in the kitchen, playing with her old friends...then memories of Tylan walking, Mari singing while she pretended to make ice cakes and squealing during snowball fights.
Abruptly, she heard footsteps nearby and quickly fixed her face with a quick touch of magic on her ruined face paint. To her surprise, Lord Kaeron emerged from the low hanging branches. He bowed, and smiled at her. "What are you doing so far away from the ball? Your presence lit up the room." Eos actually blushed. "Thank you, Lord Kaeron." She then accepted his offered arm, then went inside with him. When they came in together, Eos noticed the whispers again. She whispered nervously, "My lord? I believe we've made a bad impression, so if you'll excuse me..."
Suddenly Tristan came up to the pair and icily demanded Eos for a second. He then grabbed her arm and literally dragged her to a secluded corner. "Are you trying to blow your cover??," he demanded. "What in the Divine Realms possessed you to do such a thing?" Eos only swayed in response. Tristan caught her quickly and shook her. "What's wrong?" Eos muttered, "Your stupid necklace transmits emotions three times as strong too." Tristan frowned. "I didn't design it for that...I even put safeguards so no mages could tamper with it." Eos racked her brain for possibilities while Tristan did the same. *He said mages...perhaps another spell got accidentally mixed with the necklace's? The only thing that's magicked on me right now is my face paint, and that's my magic.* Eos was suddenly reminded of her fight in Scancra. *Perhaps my knife is enchanted? I remember trying a battle spell, but it felt like it got pulled away by something. Maybe....perhaps the dagger took it and somehow amplified it. So that means...it must amplify magic that's around its wearer or something. And it's still in my magical spectrum!*
She quickly pulled the dagger from the magical spectrum. Tristan glanced piercingly at her. "Why-" Eos put a finger to her lips in a command for silence. "This dagger amplifies magic, I think. Having the dagger around me that entire time must ahve tampered with the necklace." Tristan nodded. "May I see it?" Eos carefully handed over the gilded dagger. Tristan read over the runes, then turned milk-white. "This-this dagger has been lost for centuries! It belonged to on of the heroes that survive the gods' test in the Divine Realms...he...magicked this dagger so that when its next true owner used it, only he," he glanced over at Eos, "or she would be able to use it. The true owner is described as not fitting in her own land, but being able to fit anywhere else. That must refer to your rather unusual features, magelet." Eos nodded. *What is a magelet?* "If I recall correctly, most Scancrans have blonde hair and blue eyes like mine, no?" Eos nodded again. "Go on."
"Like you said, the dagger can amplify destructive and protective spells, but battle related spells only. Makes sense, kitchen spells shouldn't be tampered with. But anyway...those it wounds it marks forever until the person dies, and when the true owner dies, the next owner will automatically selected by the dagger. The dagger is enchanted so that all but will know its secrets unless by the consent of the owner, and if the greatest enemy of the owner is alive beyond the owners death, the dagger tracks the person down and destroys that person as a last tribute to its user." Eos said quietly, "But I don't have a greatest enemy right now." Tristan smiled at her gratefully, but his first smile at her disappeared as Lord Kaeron found them.
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Ch. 7:
Eos blinked at the sudden onslaught of bright sunlight. *What-where* Tristan walked in. "We're back in Carthak. Prepare yourself." He then turned to give her all the necessary items for a lady of good breeding in Ozorne's court. "You have an hour."
As Eos walked down the plank as Tanianne of Hialla again, Tristan walked down to her and touched her shoulder. "After this task your necklace will be deactivated. I've made arrangements for you to go with a Scancran ambassador. He will be arriving at the same time as several Tortallan ambassadors. Good luck." He then walked away again.
Later, walking with her "friends" again, Eos mused on Tristan's sudden change in personality. Suddenly Lady Charella turned to Eos and questioned, "Are you coming to the ball tonight? I hear Tristan Staghorn will choose his bride at that ball or the next, by imperial order." Eos replied, "Of course! I love dancing."
~At the ball~
When Eos entered the ornately decorated ballroom, several audible gasps could be heard throughout the room. Eos's "glorious" auburn hair had been left down and sprinkled with tiny crystals to accent her form-fitting silver and white gown. Her ballgown, with its thick white shoulder straps and shimmering gloves, enhanced her golden skin and thick lashed hazel eyes; the white gown was covered with an intricate crystal and gold snowflake pattern that offset her curves and slender body. Eos thought wryly, *Mari would have called me an Ice Princess or the Snow Fairy from her mythology books.* Suddenly immense guilt hit her-in these past weeks had she spared any thought for her dead siblings? Guilt ran through her. *While I became the perfect debutante, Mari and Tylan's bodies were probably floating in the sea, forgotten and unmourned.* Her face crumpled with grief as she quickly walked off for the heart of the garden. Memories flashed in her head while tears dripped from her eyes, of her early days with her mother in the garden, in the kitchen, playing with her old friends...then memories of Tylan walking, Mari singing while she pretended to make ice cakes and squealing during snowball fights.
Abruptly, she heard footsteps nearby and quickly fixed her face with a quick touch of magic on her ruined face paint. To her surprise, Lord Kaeron emerged from the low hanging branches. He bowed, and smiled at her. "What are you doing so far away from the ball? Your presence lit up the room." Eos actually blushed. "Thank you, Lord Kaeron." She then accepted his offered arm, then went inside with him. When they came in together, Eos noticed the whispers again. She whispered nervously, "My lord? I believe we've made a bad impression, so if you'll excuse me..."
Suddenly Tristan came up to the pair and icily demanded Eos for a second. He then grabbed her arm and literally dragged her to a secluded corner. "Are you trying to blow your cover??," he demanded. "What in the Divine Realms possessed you to do such a thing?" Eos only swayed in response. Tristan caught her quickly and shook her. "What's wrong?" Eos muttered, "Your stupid necklace transmits emotions three times as strong too." Tristan frowned. "I didn't design it for that...I even put safeguards so no mages could tamper with it." Eos racked her brain for possibilities while Tristan did the same. *He said mages...perhaps another spell got accidentally mixed with the necklace's? The only thing that's magicked on me right now is my face paint, and that's my magic.* Eos was suddenly reminded of her fight in Scancra. *Perhaps my knife is enchanted? I remember trying a battle spell, but it felt like it got pulled away by something. Maybe....perhaps the dagger took it and somehow amplified it. So that means...it must amplify magic that's around its wearer or something. And it's still in my magical spectrum!*
She quickly pulled the dagger from the magical spectrum. Tristan glanced piercingly at her. "Why-" Eos put a finger to her lips in a command for silence. "This dagger amplifies magic, I think. Having the dagger around me that entire time must ahve tampered with the necklace." Tristan nodded. "May I see it?" Eos carefully handed over the gilded dagger. Tristan read over the runes, then turned milk-white. "This-this dagger has been lost for centuries! It belonged to on of the heroes that survive the gods' test in the Divine Realms...he...magicked this dagger so that when its next true owner used it, only he," he glanced over at Eos, "or she would be able to use it. The true owner is described as not fitting in her own land, but being able to fit anywhere else. That must refer to your rather unusual features, magelet." Eos nodded. *What is a magelet?* "If I recall correctly, most Scancrans have blonde hair and blue eyes like mine, no?" Eos nodded again. "Go on."
"Like you said, the dagger can amplify destructive and protective spells, but battle related spells only. Makes sense, kitchen spells shouldn't be tampered with. But anyway...those it wounds it marks forever until the person dies, and when the true owner dies, the next owner will automatically selected by the dagger. The dagger is enchanted so that all but will know its secrets unless by the consent of the owner, and if the greatest enemy of the owner is alive beyond the owners death, the dagger tracks the person down and destroys that person as a last tribute to its user." Eos said quietly, "But I don't have a greatest enemy right now." Tristan smiled at her gratefully, but his first smile at her disappeared as Lord Kaeron found them.