Disclaimer: I do not own the Black Jewels Trilogy, or the characters. I only own Nathtae and Damara.
Angharad Gwyn: Thank you very much for your review. I'm new at this whole posting my stories online thing, so I will make sure to have spaces between the paragraphs in the future. I didn't realize how hard it would be to read without the spaces. Thanks for bringing that to my attention.
Garnet: Thank you for your review.
SapphireEyes: Updated especially for you : ) Thanks for your review.
Chapter 2
"Nathtae, tell me about your niece. You realize that she could descend to red if all goes well in her offering to the darkness," Dorothea said as she walked with Nathtae on the cobblestone path through her garden.
"Yes, she could, but even if she did I really wouldn't worry about her. Currently, she's only 10, but she's an odd child, but completely harmless, I'm sure. She never talks and reads all the time or practices Craft. She'd rather learn Craft from a book than from a tutor."
"Hmm...strange indeed. Nathtae, dear, you do realize what it comes down to, don't you?" She stopped and turned to her friend. "Your loyalty to me comes before family. And if this girl stands against me..." She splayed her hands and shrugged her shoulders in mock helplessness. "You know what I'll have to do."
"Of course. What I do, I do for my sister, not out of choice. You are free to do whatever is necessary," she said with a smile.
"I'm glad to hear that, Nathtae because I'd hate to have to do something about you too."
Nathtae nodded, expressionless, but Dorothea could feel her fear and that made the corners of her mouth curl up in an irrepressible smirk. As the sun rose high enough for the birds to begin their joyous songs, the two women return to the main castle for breakfast.
********
Damara woke with a jolt from a nightmare. She had dreamed about Daemon and saw all the pain in his golden eyes. Many years of pain. She watched as he fell to his knees in front of Dorothea and begged for her to make the pain stop. She woke up as he began to scream and plead. She shuddered.
She climbed out of bed walked to the bathroom to draw herself a bath that she hurriedly got in and out of, only staying in long enough to wash her hair and her body. She made sure to opal lock her room and paid attention to the lock so that she could feel if anyone of a higher jewel broke through it. She toweled dry and put on her slacks with a warm, slightly well-worn sweatshirt. Her aunt had said nothing about how she should dress for breakfast, and she hated dresses. She opened her door, taking the lock off, and looked both ways. The halls were deserted, except for one figure walking away from her aunt's room. A quick probe showed it to be Daemon.
*Hey, Daemon, wait up. I don't know how to get to the dining hall* she said on an opal thread, not wanting to vocally call to him, afraid of waking everyone up.
For a frightening instance he turned around with hard yellow eyes and his mouth curled into a snarl. Damara jerked back in surprise, but just as quickly as he had become angry, his expression changed to his typical face that revealed nothing. *Good morning, Damara*
"Good morning, Daemon," she sprinted to catch up with him as he stopped and waited for her. "Um...rough night?" she asked softly with kindness. She knew what went on in Dorothea's castle.
"Yeah, you could say that," he replied through gritted teeth.
Knowing she was treading on thin ice, she decided to change the topic. "I'm glad I ran into you. I don't know the way to the dining hall and I'm really hungry. Aunt Nathtae sent me to my room last night before I could get dessert. And it smelled good too!"
Daemon smiled a little. "I didn't get dessert either. I wanted to talk to you a little about Kartane."
Damara's forehead wrinkled in confusion, but she nodded for him to go on.
"He's more than creepy. He has a...perverse taste for young girls. You seem like good girl, and I don't want to see you get hurt. So just watch out, okay? Maybe your aunt will help."
Damara could tell that he tried to put it as gently as he could. "Thanks, Daemon. I will be careful. But as for my aunt, she doesn't care about me. Nobody really does. She's just raising me so she looks good and nice."
"Where's your mother?" he asked. As he saw her eyes go to the ground and begin to fill up with tears, he nodded in understanding. "Oh."
"She was killed. I think my aunt had somebody do it so she could be queen. Oh Daemon, I'm so scared. What if she does that to me? I could descend to red; I'm afraid she's going to kill me before I can. She's sapphire and doesn't like competition." She quickly covered her mouth, at once regreting her outburst.
Daemon paused, thinking. "I'm going to help look out for you here. Nothing bad will happen to you here."
"Hey Daemon...why are you doing this for me? I've heard a lot of things about you, and..."
"Like...I hate women, and that I'm a mean, powerful black jeweled warlord prince who holds a personal grudge against every women he meets."
"Um, yeah. Things like that," Damara said.
"I hate women like your aunt and Dorothea. Women who take everything and taint it, to bend it to their will until it breaks. I see good things for you. I don't want one of the few good, kind-hearted ones to be taken out. You have a chance to do so much." He looked into her eyes. "You can be a good, honest person and start to influence the future to make it just a little better."
She looked up at him and smiled. "I'll try...I guess."
He ruffled her hair. "That's all I ask. Let's go get some breakfast."
With a grin, Damara nodded and set off beside Daemon.
Angharad Gwyn: Thank you very much for your review. I'm new at this whole posting my stories online thing, so I will make sure to have spaces between the paragraphs in the future. I didn't realize how hard it would be to read without the spaces. Thanks for bringing that to my attention.
Garnet: Thank you for your review.
SapphireEyes: Updated especially for you : ) Thanks for your review.
Chapter 2
"Nathtae, tell me about your niece. You realize that she could descend to red if all goes well in her offering to the darkness," Dorothea said as she walked with Nathtae on the cobblestone path through her garden.
"Yes, she could, but even if she did I really wouldn't worry about her. Currently, she's only 10, but she's an odd child, but completely harmless, I'm sure. She never talks and reads all the time or practices Craft. She'd rather learn Craft from a book than from a tutor."
"Hmm...strange indeed. Nathtae, dear, you do realize what it comes down to, don't you?" She stopped and turned to her friend. "Your loyalty to me comes before family. And if this girl stands against me..." She splayed her hands and shrugged her shoulders in mock helplessness. "You know what I'll have to do."
"Of course. What I do, I do for my sister, not out of choice. You are free to do whatever is necessary," she said with a smile.
"I'm glad to hear that, Nathtae because I'd hate to have to do something about you too."
Nathtae nodded, expressionless, but Dorothea could feel her fear and that made the corners of her mouth curl up in an irrepressible smirk. As the sun rose high enough for the birds to begin their joyous songs, the two women return to the main castle for breakfast.
********
Damara woke with a jolt from a nightmare. She had dreamed about Daemon and saw all the pain in his golden eyes. Many years of pain. She watched as he fell to his knees in front of Dorothea and begged for her to make the pain stop. She woke up as he began to scream and plead. She shuddered.
She climbed out of bed walked to the bathroom to draw herself a bath that she hurriedly got in and out of, only staying in long enough to wash her hair and her body. She made sure to opal lock her room and paid attention to the lock so that she could feel if anyone of a higher jewel broke through it. She toweled dry and put on her slacks with a warm, slightly well-worn sweatshirt. Her aunt had said nothing about how she should dress for breakfast, and she hated dresses. She opened her door, taking the lock off, and looked both ways. The halls were deserted, except for one figure walking away from her aunt's room. A quick probe showed it to be Daemon.
*Hey, Daemon, wait up. I don't know how to get to the dining hall* she said on an opal thread, not wanting to vocally call to him, afraid of waking everyone up.
For a frightening instance he turned around with hard yellow eyes and his mouth curled into a snarl. Damara jerked back in surprise, but just as quickly as he had become angry, his expression changed to his typical face that revealed nothing. *Good morning, Damara*
"Good morning, Daemon," she sprinted to catch up with him as he stopped and waited for her. "Um...rough night?" she asked softly with kindness. She knew what went on in Dorothea's castle.
"Yeah, you could say that," he replied through gritted teeth.
Knowing she was treading on thin ice, she decided to change the topic. "I'm glad I ran into you. I don't know the way to the dining hall and I'm really hungry. Aunt Nathtae sent me to my room last night before I could get dessert. And it smelled good too!"
Daemon smiled a little. "I didn't get dessert either. I wanted to talk to you a little about Kartane."
Damara's forehead wrinkled in confusion, but she nodded for him to go on.
"He's more than creepy. He has a...perverse taste for young girls. You seem like good girl, and I don't want to see you get hurt. So just watch out, okay? Maybe your aunt will help."
Damara could tell that he tried to put it as gently as he could. "Thanks, Daemon. I will be careful. But as for my aunt, she doesn't care about me. Nobody really does. She's just raising me so she looks good and nice."
"Where's your mother?" he asked. As he saw her eyes go to the ground and begin to fill up with tears, he nodded in understanding. "Oh."
"She was killed. I think my aunt had somebody do it so she could be queen. Oh Daemon, I'm so scared. What if she does that to me? I could descend to red; I'm afraid she's going to kill me before I can. She's sapphire and doesn't like competition." She quickly covered her mouth, at once regreting her outburst.
Daemon paused, thinking. "I'm going to help look out for you here. Nothing bad will happen to you here."
"Hey Daemon...why are you doing this for me? I've heard a lot of things about you, and..."
"Like...I hate women, and that I'm a mean, powerful black jeweled warlord prince who holds a personal grudge against every women he meets."
"Um, yeah. Things like that," Damara said.
"I hate women like your aunt and Dorothea. Women who take everything and taint it, to bend it to their will until it breaks. I see good things for you. I don't want one of the few good, kind-hearted ones to be taken out. You have a chance to do so much." He looked into her eyes. "You can be a good, honest person and start to influence the future to make it just a little better."
She looked up at him and smiled. "I'll try...I guess."
He ruffled her hair. "That's all I ask. Let's go get some breakfast."
With a grin, Damara nodded and set off beside Daemon.