A/n: Smiles wreathed around my face, thank you for reviewing, everyone!!!!! *dances around* whew, way too much mocha....my school has a coffee machine. YAY.

Disclaimer: I relinquish claim of Tortall, Scancra, vocabulary, people, etc. to Tamora Pierce and Cate Tiernan, from whom I derived the vocabulary term athame for Eos's special dagger. Read Sweep, it's an awesome series! Anyway...

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Reviewers (btw, this includes a reviewer from Magelet and Spy):

Wizardingdilemna: thank you *bows* and have fun reading this one ^ ^.

Paws 'n whiskers: The house is actually in the forest, sorry if I didn't clear that up. Yup, Shanie's brewing something quite evil. ;-D But you'll have to guess what it is, until I write it up. Giving you a hint: she's a bit nutty. Off the ledge. Loony. You know what I mean? Well, her devious mind should be like that unless something better occurs to me. Hmm....I'm definately going to keep Tristan and Darkan as rivals, but which one do you think should get Eos? Or should either get Eos? Yup, Maina is awesome. So far...hehe....lol, I feel the water's pain. Does water feel pain? No. Never mind...thank you for reviewing twice!! I feel so loved.

Rainfall: You know, come to think of it, Shanie's kind of like this girl at my school...*shudders* awful person. Anyway, Shanie's probably going to be very nasty for a while. Gotta luv Maina, she's the epitome of bubbling cheerfulness. Kind of. ^ ^ Btw: who should get Eos? Thank you for reviewing again!!!!!!! (I swear, I wouldn't be writing if you didn't review ;-D) Have fun reading!

Btw: Even though they didn't review this story *frowns* I still wanna thank LeopardDance, Les Yeux Violets, and demented-dreamer for reviewing Magelet and Spy more than twice :-D.

Btw2: I am SO sorry I haven't updated for weeks upon weeks...school is busy right now and I just started up with alot of extracurricular activities that make sure I can't write alot. *wince* Scoldings welcome, all. Reviews also welcome.

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Ch. 3:

"Eos." Darkan strode into her room, and in a split second the formerly sleepy Goddess Elect immediately turned around in a sharp motion, froze Darkan in place with her magic, and pressed two very magical, very lethal daggers to his neck. All in a second, like a viper striking. Then she breathed out, and eased the curving daggers, called athames, carefully off their two parallel positions on Darkan's slightly bleeding neck. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I've just been getting weird vibrations for a while now, and it's making me really jumpy." Darkan took a breath, and smiled at her. "It's alright. But I've been getting the same vibrations, and I think it's because you're in danger. So...I'm going to suggest something. To make you less...conspicuous and less likely to incur basic jealousy. Then we can go on to other things if you need it." Eos looked at him with suddenly ancient hazel eyes. "You're going to spell me."

"Yes. I'm going to reduce your features for a while, so women are less likely to dislike you. Just in case this is just some powerful woman that you've incured the wrath of because you're turning the heads of her husband or lover." Or both, he thought.

"Reduce my features. Disfigure me? Will I have...a nose? Human features?"

"Yes, yes, of course. But you're rather...pretty." Pretty like the Dominion Jewel is sort of known and has some power. He continued. "So we're going to put a glamor on you, make you seem gradually less beautiful until you're just a plain faced girl that won't be noticable anywhere. I've got the materials here, it's fairly easy to do."

~~~

Eos stared thoughtfully at Tristan. "Well...I suppose that could happen." They were 'taking a break' from their ordinary martial arts practicing and were currently in a Shang body lock. (For my naughty-minded readers, no, no, NO. Heavens no. I mean like fighting kind of body lock. Don't even go there.) Eos struggled to get out, but couldn't. "Yes, I think I could go to a ball again...in my next lifetime." Tristan gave her a pleading look, then got an obstinate look in his ice blue eyes. "Fine. Then we aren't getting off this floor until you do, and I ate breakfast before this. And know for sure that you didn't." He looked calmly at her, and the obstinate eye-look grew. Eos thought for a moment, and then kicked him really hard, struggling to get free. Not succeeding, thanks to Tristan simply using the full force of his weight to knock the breath out of her lungs.

Under the shade of Tristan's head, she saw two pairs of dainty feet come near them and a nice, pretty voice chime out, "Tristan Staghorn! Why, you haven't come to see me yet! And who is your companion?" Tristan stiffened on top of her, and slowly got up, revealing Eos' curious expression. Tristan completely reddened, then recovered and responded, "Maya! How are you and Daran?" He quickly stood up, and smiled at Maya. Eos smiled politely, and jabbed Tristan in the ribs. "And-and this is Eos, my fiancée. She's very fond of martial arts." The woman raised an eyebrow at Tristan. "Fiancée? I am surprised, my lord. But you have a tendency to break off engagements anyway, so..." She pouted, and slapped his arm lightly as she continued. "Just like when you broke off our engagement." Eos smiled, and pretended to cling to him possessively. "Really?"

Maya, obviously thinking she was a typical Scancran noblelady, tried to begin a verbal catfight as she responded. "Oh yes, we were in love for a long time. Runs along the countryside, dancing in each others' arms...it was so perfect." She sighed, and smiled softly at the look on Tristan's face. "But Tristan is uncomfortable. I'm sorry, I've been ignoring you for the entire time." In reality, Maya was so close to him she rubbed against him every time she breathed in and out. Eos started trembling, and Maya feigned wide eyed remorse. "Oh, I so sorry." Eos said in a strangled voice, "It's alright. Excuse me, I need to go-up-" She practically ran away from the pair.

Maya smiled at Tristan like a cat with a cornered mouse and moved to kiss him. "I missed you," she breathed. "Dayan is so boring, and you are so...lively. Strong." She ran her fingers teasingly down his tunic. Tristan looked at her with an hard look on her face. "Maya, I don't think this is a good idea. We can't do this anymore, I'm not who I was and you are married to Dayan with children now." Maya pouted playfully with bright red lips. "I don't see anything changed, you're just frightened that your plain faced bride to be is listening or got her feelings hurt. Scancran women are stronger than that, you of all people should know that."

Tristan pushed himself away from her wandering hands. "What is that supposed to mean?" Maya looked at him with an innocent look on her face. "My love, I was only referring to your many conquests in and out of Scancra. Do you honestly think all of them died of grief over you?" Tristan got an even more shuttered look on his face. "Good-bye, Maya. I don't expect to speak to you again about this." Maya looked airily at him, and watched him walk away. She sighed, and noticed Darkan. "Excellent."

~~~

That night, Eos noticed something odd going on with Darkan and Tristan during supper. It was the night that she had been officially presented as Tristan's betrothed, and because of that she had actually appeared in traditional Scancran female dress-which she hated because it was so...revealing.

The dress was thin silk, as befitted a lady of a high noble house. That was the only decent thing about it. The dress was tight and had a deep, deep neckline that almost touched the soft leather belt by inches. As Maina had rapidly and lengthily explained while the dressmaker sewed industriously, the nearly transparent silk wasn't to keep her warm. The midnight blue dress had long sleeves that flared out at the end to emphasize her slim arms and small hands; the lower part had two slits that revealed more than the skirt covered.

Thus Eos was unhappily put on display; however, having been told by Darkan and Tristan quite firmly that she had to, she had simply gritted her teeth and smiled. She shivered slightly, then frowned as she caught the deadly looks being exchanged by her two...companions. They weren't friends, and they weren't lovers, so they were companions for lack of a better word.

While Tristan had held her hand above her head with his, she had felt like a possession. A pretty bauble to be put away or used whenever the owner desired. And then she had felt the heat of Darkan's anger billowing out at her. After Tristan had kissed her lightly on the lips to the bawdy cheers and shouts that had been shouted to him, the two had been going at it all night.

Eos whispered in Tristan's ear, "Stop it. Now." Tristan took a second to look at her, and she was completely shocked at the deep emotion in his eyes. "No." Then he went back to conversing with his relatives and friends while Eos was left to sit there. Eos thought, 'Glacier. I am frozen in my position, I cannot move.' Unbidden, a smile lit up her face as a tiny thought attatched itself to her meditiation. 'And then I can punch Tristan.' Darkan looked at her, and smiled slowly. "So. Enjoying your betrothal night? You know all the ladies here are ready to gouge your eyes out."

"Be quiet, or die. It's bad enough you two evil lizards made me wear this-this-outrage. It makes me look like a courtesan woman. "

"Ladies aren't supposed to know who they are."

"That's why they're called Ladies. It's a superficial idealist model of society that some idiot thought up when he was obviously hallucinating." Eos raised a haughty eyebrow at Darkan. "And don't tell me that you beg to differ."

"I beg to differ." Darkan's eyes smoldered with held in laughter, and Eos smiled back for a tiny moment. Then Tristan looked back at the two, and hissed at Eos, "What are you doing? You're making me look like a fool." Eos's eyes widened with rage, and her eyes grew bright. Her eyes grew bright-not with tears, but with power. At that moment, the lord of the castle stood up. He grinned drunkenly, and slurred, "Tristan Staghorn is betrothed tonight, but I think we should see for ourselves how well the lady shall do for him!" Shanie appeared at his elbow, and whispered something to him. The lord nodded clumsily, and yelled, "Whoever can beat me in a wrestling match gets to kiss the bride!" Several men, who had been eyeing her disgustingly all night, set up a cheer that resounded through the hall as men yelled their approval of such an idea.

Eos completely stiffened. She looked straight at Shanie, and said loudly, "There is absolutely no way I am consenting to this." She turned while a silence fell through the hall, and made to walk out of the hall before it could get any worse. As Eos caught a look at Shanie's furious face and grinned, she was caught by Tristan's strong hand digging painfully into her arm. Tristan, in a loud voice, addressed the crowd. "My bride apologizes. I think she drank too much of my mead, lads." He forced a smiled as he turned the shell-shocked Eos around. He hissed to her, "You are being a stubborn child. Now sit down and don't do anything more foolish for the rest of the meal, do you hear me?"

"Bastard," she forced out. Tristan muttered a few words, and her magic also died suddenly. "If you ever defy me like that again, I'll put binding spells on you like I did in Carthak. I'll even bring the necklace back." Eos completely stiffened, and like a statue she revolved while struggling not to cry-or kill him. She said formally, "I apologize, my lord." Mechanically, she turned to her food while imagining different ways to gut Tristan with dull knives. The rest of the evening went smoothly, with Eos being a perfect...little...doll woman.

Later, as Eos walked gracefully up to her room, she heard footsteps behind her. She whirled around, and sent two balls of witchfire to bind the person. Holding her two athames, she slowly advanced toward the struggling figure when her witchfire exploded and hit her, causing her mind to reel as if she had downed several pints of strong drink. Eos stumbled, and sat down hard on the cold stone steps. However, she knew it could only be Darkan because Tristan, the only other one with that much power in the hall, was probably still cavorting with his chauvinistic, idiotic friends and probably a couple of servant girls.

Eos slowly sheathed the athames, and stood in the darkness. "Darkan?" A pair of arms enfolded her, and she clung to a hard body that she punched so many times and simply shook with her rage and withheld hurt. After a while, the arms relaxed a little and Eos thought with some confusion that Darkan had changed body shape. Then soft lips kissed her forehead, and traveled down her face. "I'm so sorry, Eos. I don't know what got into me." Eos froze as the lips hit hers, and hands began to caress her slowly. The lips deepened the kiss, and a tongue hesitantly explored her mouth while hands stroked with experienced care. Eos's eyes widened. This wasn't...couldn't....no....NO! Confused, angered, and frighteningly aroused, Eos kicked the figure hard between the legs hard and backed away. The figure gasped, "Oh god. This is going to hurt." And then moaned with nausea and pain as he collapsed on the stone steps. "Get away from me, Tristan. I'm not some pliable Scancran doll woman to be pushed around. Don't touch me, don't talk to me, and if you ever threaten binding spells on me again I will cut off your favorite body part." She ran away, hearing only the slight groans of her groom-to-be.

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Don't you just want to KILL Tristan? I hate doing this to Eos, but it needs to happen for my plot to unfold. But oh my god I want to MURDER him right now.

Btw, I would feel completely grateful if I got even one review, I know I've been more than awful about updating my story.