Disclaimer: do not own Black Jewels, do not own Black Jewels
* * * *
Shayna stormed through the corridors of the Hall. How dare her parents send her away after news like that. How dare they?! What she wanted to do was to find out exactly who this witch was who was supposed to kill her, and find out why. Now, being back at the Hall and with strict orders from both her parents and Saetan, who had been enlightened of the situation, there was no hope for any kind of investigating.
She turned a corner and nearly collided with the last two people she wanted to see right now. The twins grinned at her.
Shayna pushed past them. "Just leave me alone right now."
They turned around and each threw an arm around her shoulders. She growled, but they took no heed of it. They too were acting more and more like Lucivar every day.
"Back so soon?" Tristan asked cheerily. "Did you miss us that much?"
She growled again. "No, I was rather looking forward to being away from you two for an entire month. But I got sent back here."
"Why, what'd you do?" Tyler asked. Shayna could hear the grin in his voice.
"I haven't done anything yet. But according to my mother, I'm going to die."
The twins looked a little surprised, but they shook if off and tried to look unperturbed. "We're all going to die eventually. It's just a matter of when."
"Yeah, well, apparently I'm going to die somewhere in the near future," she snapped.
Tristan and Tyler stopped dead. "What?"
Shayna shook a little bit and looked at her friends. "I don't know. I don't even think Jaenelle knows. My mother wove a web, and in it-" Shayna stopped, too upset to continue.
For the first time in recorded history (it seemed to Shayna), neither of the twins pushed the issue. "Come on," Tyler said. "Let's go practice."
* * * *
Three hours later, exhausted nearly to unconsciousness, Tristan glared at his brother. "Good idea there Ty," he said to his brother, trying to harsh, but just sounding as fatigued as he was.
Tyler, sprawled on the ground near the practice circle, just looked at his twin. "Remind me never to do that again," he muttered.
"Which part? Sparring with her three matches in a row and losing all three times, or letting her use you for a throwing partner?"
Tyler moaned. "All of it."
Tristan was about to make a smart-ass reply when he heard footsteps behind him. He turned to find Arianna, Aaron and Kalush's daughter, walking toward them, grinning happily.
"So I hear you sparred Shayna," she said, still smiling.
Both boys glared at her.
She shrugged. "Hey, I didn't suggest to you that you spar her when she's mad. I never would have."
"Was there a point in you coming out or did you just want to laugh in our faces?" Tyler asked, trying to sound annoyed but coming out as just plain tired.
"No, there's actually a point in me coming out here. Me and Halla and everyone else want to do something for Shayna, since she's so upset by all this."
"Like what?"
Arianna shrugged. "We don't know. But we thought it'd be nice if we included you in the planning. You're the only ones not with us yet."
Tyler moaned again as he tried to sit up. "Can we have a little while?" he said as he slowly got to his feet. "I don't know about Tris, but I want to shower."
Arianna nodded, then turned away and muttered, "You need it."
"What?"
* * * *
Saetan sat at his desk at the Hall, looking out the window, unable to concentrate. He was supposed to be doing some paperwork for Dhemlan, as his son was awful at keeping up with it and the Queens in the Territory were getting antsy as they hadn't yet had their seasonal meetings with the Warlord Prince of Dhemlan.
But he couldn't concentrate. His thoughts were of a certain young witch who had been sent away from her Territory, and, for the first time, had been upset with her parents because of it. He could understand that. However, he could also understand the necessity of protecting her.
Which further infuriated her.
A knock came at Saetan's door. "Come," he said, snapping out of his reverie.
Shayna opened the door and stalked to his desk. Saetan tried to keep a serene expression on his face, but with the Dea al Mon witch staring him down, all he could do was look attentive.
"I want to go back home," she stated.
The High Lord cleared his throat. "I'm not in control of the situation, Shayna. And even if I was, I wouldn't send you back there. It's too dangerous."
"How is it too dangerous? No one even knows who this witch is!"
That wasn't entirely true, but Saetan wasn't about to tell her that the witch her parents believed was the witch from the web was now living in her house.
Instead, he replied carefully, "That's the point, Shayna. They don't know who it is. We want to keep you as safe as we can for as long as we can. And I most of all know that if you were allowed back, the first thing you'd do is go off looking for the witch."
Shayna sighed and plopped down in one of the chairs in front of Saetan's desk. "This is the first time I've ever actually wanted to go to my home territory. I've always felt like this was my home, with all my friends and family. I just want everyone to have confidence in my abilities. I want them to believe that I'm capable of taking care of myself."
"I know you can take care of yourself. I gave you most of your lessons! But let your parents handle this. They're getting help from their court and some from the Dark Court as well. This will all get figured out sooner or later." 'Let's hope sooner rather than later,' Saetan thought to himself.
Shayna was about to reply when Daemon strode through the door. "Okay, I know I asked you to take care of my paperwork, but could you please take care of my meetings with the Queens? At least the ones I have scheduled for today? I need to-" Daemon stopped short when he realized Shayna was there.
"Well I don't know about that, my fine young Prince. This is, after all, your Territory, and I'm sure as the Warlord Prince of Dhemlan you know more than I do about its state," Saetan said mildly.
"Can I go back to Dea al Mon, Uncle Daemon?" Shayna asked sweetly.
"Oh please, Father, you've been handling most of my paperwork for the past 18 years, you know more about my Territory than I ever will, and when the sun shines in Hell you can go back," Daemon finished, looking at Shayna.
She just shrugged and walked out of the room.
Saetan looked at his son. "You were saying?"
"I need to go to Dea al Mon. Chaosti needs some help with this thing, and I feel I should go. Jaenelle is going to stay here and try to talk to Shayna, but I have a feeling that nothing short of locking her in the Keep will keep Shayna here. Please, I'm coming back early tomorrow, and I only have three meetings scheduled today. I think they like you better anyway. I keep hearing rumors about my attitude being a little too forward and not polite enough." Daemon looked thoroughly confused.
Saetan laughed. "I can't imagine why," he muttered, then continued, "I'm holding you to that. You're not back here in twenty-four hours and I'm sending Shayna after you."
Daemon glared at his father.
* * * *
Shayna stormed through the corridors of the Hall. How dare her parents send her away after news like that. How dare they?! What she wanted to do was to find out exactly who this witch was who was supposed to kill her, and find out why. Now, being back at the Hall and with strict orders from both her parents and Saetan, who had been enlightened of the situation, there was no hope for any kind of investigating.
She turned a corner and nearly collided with the last two people she wanted to see right now. The twins grinned at her.
Shayna pushed past them. "Just leave me alone right now."
They turned around and each threw an arm around her shoulders. She growled, but they took no heed of it. They too were acting more and more like Lucivar every day.
"Back so soon?" Tristan asked cheerily. "Did you miss us that much?"
She growled again. "No, I was rather looking forward to being away from you two for an entire month. But I got sent back here."
"Why, what'd you do?" Tyler asked. Shayna could hear the grin in his voice.
"I haven't done anything yet. But according to my mother, I'm going to die."
The twins looked a little surprised, but they shook if off and tried to look unperturbed. "We're all going to die eventually. It's just a matter of when."
"Yeah, well, apparently I'm going to die somewhere in the near future," she snapped.
Tristan and Tyler stopped dead. "What?"
Shayna shook a little bit and looked at her friends. "I don't know. I don't even think Jaenelle knows. My mother wove a web, and in it-" Shayna stopped, too upset to continue.
For the first time in recorded history (it seemed to Shayna), neither of the twins pushed the issue. "Come on," Tyler said. "Let's go practice."
* * * *
Three hours later, exhausted nearly to unconsciousness, Tristan glared at his brother. "Good idea there Ty," he said to his brother, trying to harsh, but just sounding as fatigued as he was.
Tyler, sprawled on the ground near the practice circle, just looked at his twin. "Remind me never to do that again," he muttered.
"Which part? Sparring with her three matches in a row and losing all three times, or letting her use you for a throwing partner?"
Tyler moaned. "All of it."
Tristan was about to make a smart-ass reply when he heard footsteps behind him. He turned to find Arianna, Aaron and Kalush's daughter, walking toward them, grinning happily.
"So I hear you sparred Shayna," she said, still smiling.
Both boys glared at her.
She shrugged. "Hey, I didn't suggest to you that you spar her when she's mad. I never would have."
"Was there a point in you coming out or did you just want to laugh in our faces?" Tyler asked, trying to sound annoyed but coming out as just plain tired.
"No, there's actually a point in me coming out here. Me and Halla and everyone else want to do something for Shayna, since she's so upset by all this."
"Like what?"
Arianna shrugged. "We don't know. But we thought it'd be nice if we included you in the planning. You're the only ones not with us yet."
Tyler moaned again as he tried to sit up. "Can we have a little while?" he said as he slowly got to his feet. "I don't know about Tris, but I want to shower."
Arianna nodded, then turned away and muttered, "You need it."
"What?"
* * * *
Saetan sat at his desk at the Hall, looking out the window, unable to concentrate. He was supposed to be doing some paperwork for Dhemlan, as his son was awful at keeping up with it and the Queens in the Territory were getting antsy as they hadn't yet had their seasonal meetings with the Warlord Prince of Dhemlan.
But he couldn't concentrate. His thoughts were of a certain young witch who had been sent away from her Territory, and, for the first time, had been upset with her parents because of it. He could understand that. However, he could also understand the necessity of protecting her.
Which further infuriated her.
A knock came at Saetan's door. "Come," he said, snapping out of his reverie.
Shayna opened the door and stalked to his desk. Saetan tried to keep a serene expression on his face, but with the Dea al Mon witch staring him down, all he could do was look attentive.
"I want to go back home," she stated.
The High Lord cleared his throat. "I'm not in control of the situation, Shayna. And even if I was, I wouldn't send you back there. It's too dangerous."
"How is it too dangerous? No one even knows who this witch is!"
That wasn't entirely true, but Saetan wasn't about to tell her that the witch her parents believed was the witch from the web was now living in her house.
Instead, he replied carefully, "That's the point, Shayna. They don't know who it is. We want to keep you as safe as we can for as long as we can. And I most of all know that if you were allowed back, the first thing you'd do is go off looking for the witch."
Shayna sighed and plopped down in one of the chairs in front of Saetan's desk. "This is the first time I've ever actually wanted to go to my home territory. I've always felt like this was my home, with all my friends and family. I just want everyone to have confidence in my abilities. I want them to believe that I'm capable of taking care of myself."
"I know you can take care of yourself. I gave you most of your lessons! But let your parents handle this. They're getting help from their court and some from the Dark Court as well. This will all get figured out sooner or later." 'Let's hope sooner rather than later,' Saetan thought to himself.
Shayna was about to reply when Daemon strode through the door. "Okay, I know I asked you to take care of my paperwork, but could you please take care of my meetings with the Queens? At least the ones I have scheduled for today? I need to-" Daemon stopped short when he realized Shayna was there.
"Well I don't know about that, my fine young Prince. This is, after all, your Territory, and I'm sure as the Warlord Prince of Dhemlan you know more than I do about its state," Saetan said mildly.
"Can I go back to Dea al Mon, Uncle Daemon?" Shayna asked sweetly.
"Oh please, Father, you've been handling most of my paperwork for the past 18 years, you know more about my Territory than I ever will, and when the sun shines in Hell you can go back," Daemon finished, looking at Shayna.
She just shrugged and walked out of the room.
Saetan looked at his son. "You were saying?"
"I need to go to Dea al Mon. Chaosti needs some help with this thing, and I feel I should go. Jaenelle is going to stay here and try to talk to Shayna, but I have a feeling that nothing short of locking her in the Keep will keep Shayna here. Please, I'm coming back early tomorrow, and I only have three meetings scheduled today. I think they like you better anyway. I keep hearing rumors about my attitude being a little too forward and not polite enough." Daemon looked thoroughly confused.
Saetan laughed. "I can't imagine why," he muttered, then continued, "I'm holding you to that. You're not back here in twenty-four hours and I'm sending Shayna after you."
Daemon glared at his father.