A Meeting of Houses
Act VIII - Near Death
Jaelawyn Noble [ Jaelawyn@attbi.com ]
Disclaimer: Love 'em, dun own 'em.
Warnings:
Rating: R
Pairing: Lerant/Keladry, Roald/Shinkokami, Buri/Raoul
Summary: Kel is in an arranged marriage. Only, it's at the brink of the
war with Scanra. Kel is a Knight - and has to follow the king's orders. Will she
learn to love her future husband, as they fight together? Or is everything just
doomed to forever be something you cannot fight?
Archive:
Feedback: 'm a whore for it.
~
Yuki,
If I only knew what I did, what I said, wrong. I'd fix it a million times over,
but if I try to talk to you, you shut me out. Alanna recently came in. She
wanted me to the supply lists again. Oh no, here she comes; I'd better hide. You
know she loves to torture me with the slightest provocation. Right now you
probably think I deserve it.
- Neal
Yuki,
Things here at Fort Mimiatchi have been quiet recently, leaving almost-silence
in which I think of you - and all my other friends - but mostly you. I can't
seem to live without you. I love you so much. But you are forever shutting me
out. Why? Why? That's all I want to know... Why?
- Neal
Yuki,
I've been busy lately, they had me checking the supplies. We're not low yet, but
we'll reach there soon with how we've been wasting them. The rebellion isn't
adding much to the cause. I wish that these merchants would stop being so
voracious. After all, it is them that we're fighting for. We're trying to
protect them and all they want is for us to stop oppressing them! If you ask any
of us, we're not oppressing them! I'd better go, I hear a rider approaching.
It's my "job" to "greet" the messengers.
- Neal
Yuki,
Remember the rider I told you about? I just found out the news he brought. It's
all over camp. The letter was originally for the Lady [from, none other than the
King], but watch how fast news spreads around a camp of overly bored warriors.
Lord Wyldon, my old training master, is dead. Someone got lucky. He and Owen
were riding down to Cavall and a troupe of bandits attacked them. Owen's back up
in the palace, so you might have already heard this. I never liked him very
much, the Stump, but he was a great man. I wish his family peace...
- Neal
Yuki,
I know you'll never see these letters, so I'll tell you this now. If you're
never going to talk to me again, I wouldn't mind dying out here.
- Neal
Yuki,
I'm riding out at dawn to Northwatch. They need more knights and general
warriors there. Here it's been so calm that most of us have been gambling,
fighting amongst ourselves and giving the Lady a headache. After all, the
Scanrans won't come down this far their boarder. I never did tell you where the
Fort was located.
It's right near the River Drell on the corner of Galla, Scanra, and Tortall.
It seems to be small. No one even knows it's here, which doesn't surprise me at
all. Well - I'd better start packing up the only thing I have. Your fan...
- Neal
Yuki,
I'm up at Northwatch now. I've been seeing more action here, but I'm not very
sure that's a good thing. The carnage is unspeakable. There isn't a dead body in
this whole camp that hasn't been skinned, decapitated, or gutted out. Heads
appear on stakes on the Scanran side. Sometimes the heads of men are nailed to
our walls with knives in the middle of the night. The Scanrans don't just kill
people, they mutilate them. It's hard to sleep when you hear the screams of
those captured by Scanra. Once you're captured, you might as well kill yourself
right then and be done with it. No one gets back from that side alive.
- Neal
Yuki,
I can't believe how long it's been since I've been home. It's actually been a
little over three months. But it seems longer. I saw Lerant today. He seems well
enough, but I didn't talk to him. He's still hot at us about Kel. But he's
gotten himself a very good standing. Dom's been praising the way he's being calm
in battle. Wouldn't be surprised if Raoul leveled him up pretty soon.
- Neal
Yuki,
When I woke up this morning, I had an arrow in my arm. Needless to say I was
very awake when that happened. The Scanrans planned a night attack, and it
worked. Around seventeen men are dead. Twenty, including me and Lerant, are
wounded.
- Neal
Yuki,
I won't be able to write for a while. I'm going on an old-fashioned spying
detail, in which you spy without infiltrating the enemy, but by hiding and
listening. I hope I don't come back dead.
- Neal
~
Yuki folded up a long yellow and blue Northern silk dress. It was one that Keladry had talked her into getting last Midwinter. It was beautiful, and the look on Neal's face when she wore it was priceless. She looked at it and suddenly was torn between hatred and crying. She missed Neal with a passion. Only she knew she couldn't marry him.
"So, I'll come and see you in the Isles. Well...As soon as I get a chance! It'll be nice to go back" She began to pack away the little kokeshi[1] and makenki-neckos[2] that Yuki had brought with her. "D'you think Cricket will be okay with your leaving?" Yuki nodded silently. She hadn't spoken the entire time they had been packing nearly an hour. "So, Yuki, I can-"
"Keladry," Yuki cut her off quietly. "Stop trying to fill the silence. You want to know why I said 'no' to Neal."
"Well, I know... I think...," Kel stammered.
"I wouldn't be able to carry on the Queenscove name for him. And he's the only son left, so it's rather essential."
"Yuki... He's not the only son," Kel said softly and gently. Her two friends were at war with each other - yet both were pining away. It was obvious to her that the two loved each other. Both of their personalities were fitted for each other. The way they argued, it was like they were two ends of a circle. They both loved to fight and argue, to talk and flirt. They were made for each other. It broke Kel's already fragile heart to see her friends hurting when they both wanted each other.
"But... I though his brothers were killed in the Immortals War," Yuki murmured.
"His two eldest brothers were killed. He has about three or four more."
"Oh..." Yuki said unresponsively. "Well... The answer is still no. People in these eastern lands are judged far too often on their offspring. They look down on you for only one child."
"King Roald and Queen Lianne weren't judged on only having one child," Kel pointed out. "That child was King Jonathan."
"Nayuko... Please," Yuki whispered, using the Yamani name Kel had gotten when she was in the Islands. "The answer is no... It will remain no. Please do not try to change my mind..."
Nayuko looked exasperatedly at her friend. How could she convince Yuki that Neal wouldn't care? Children were not what was on his mind - only Yuki and the love he felt for her.
~
A few weeks later, Yuki was directing the servants to get ready to load her luggage onto a ship. She was finally getting out of Tortall... The land that reminded her so much of Neal it hurt to breathe. She knew that she couldn't escape life by running away. She had already written home, asking if they would be able to find someone to marry her... Yukimi doubted anyone would care to marry her.
"Yuki!" Kel cried, running into the room.
"Nayuko... I am leaving," Yuki said, looking away from the terror-struck person in front of her.
"YUKIMI NOH DAIOMORU!" Nayuko yelled at her. The Yamani was in shock. "Stop with your disgusting pride and LISTEN to me!"
Yuki was too shocked to do anything but stare at her friend. She realized that tears were coursing down Nayuko's face. "N... Nayuko... What's wrong? Is Lerant hurt?"
"No..." Kel said tightly. "Neal is. He's almost dead." Yukimi stared as Kel thrust a letter into her hand. While she read, Kel left the room. Yuki's face turned pale and she dropped the letter.
~
Yukimi noh Daiomoru -
Though Neal has been up here months already, he has gotten barely a scratch.
Since he is forever looking like a man without a heart and talks about you so
much many of the men have threatened to gag him, I feel you must know. During a
surprise attack, he was hurt.
I am not being melodramatic when I say badly. He's near dying, Yuki. He keeps
asking for you, in and out of delirium. I can only hope this (and him) reaches
you before it's too late. I don't think he'll last more than a week from now;
he's that bad. Please watch over him, Yukimi. He needs you now more than ever.
More than you will ever or could know.
Sincerely,
Lerant of Eldorne
Author: Uhm... Don't hurt me? Dun worry, people. I'll try and get the parts out quickly. *laughs evilly* I suspect you will all be killing me?
[1] - Little dolls that the Japanese people make. They're small, wooden, and
shaped like a Japanese person. Think chibis.
[2] - It's the Japanese term [makenski-neco] for lucky cat. Kel's little
lucky waving cats are called Makenshi-Necos.
[3] - C'mon! Kel has GOT to have some Yamani name. I'm very tempted to name
Lerant Tamahome or Hotohori.... *grins* Jae-Jae is obsessed with Fushigi
Yuugi. Hehehe.... ^-^
