Chapter 11: Love and Friends
That morning at around two hours after dawn, Daine woke to smell breakfast cooking and Kitten on her chest; she was whistling and it took a moment for her to realize that Numair was yelling.
"Daine, are you awake? If you weren't I'm going to fuss at you Kit!"
Kitten whistled again and ran from the room. Daine laughed at the worried look she sent down the hall as she ran from the sound of footsteps coming. "Morning Numair." She greeted him as he walked in wearing tan breeches and a green tunic.
"Good Morning Daine. Dang Dragons, can't live with them, can't live without them. I of course had to volunteer to take those two in, sheesh." He shook his head and yelled, "SKYSONG! If you ever eat from the pan again I'll personally see to your muzzling! HA!"
He leaned down and kissed her gently, as she swung her legs out from under the covers. When they broke the kiss she stood up on the floor and stretched.
"I haven't slept that well in forever. You?" Daine asked.
"Same here; and I'm glad too. We have a two hour long ride ahead of us to Corus."
"I'll go grab some fruit and saddle Cloud and Spots. I know they'll be happy to see me."
"Are you emplieing that I was anything but overjoyed at finding you?" Numair asked sarcasticly and kissed her again.
"Of Course not. Not if the way I felt when I saw you is an example."
"I'm sure it was, now I'll go get the horses saddled and you go eat the bacon that I made especially for you; that's assuming that it hasn't been eaten already by a certain dragon." He said, and glared at Kit who burped and ran down the hall.
***
They were off an hour later, Zek on Daine's shoulder, Kitten on her saddle horn. When they were about ten minutes outside of Corus, Daine pulled a hood over her hair and face so that she would not be recognized.
***
Onua was in the stables cheaking the riders horses when Daine and Numair came in. She looked up, "I thought you weren't going to come back. And whose that, I thought you didn't have servants at the tower." She asked, pointing to Daine, and looking at her with a puzzled expression before shrugging and turning back to her chore.
"He doesn't keep servants, that's why everythings a mess." Daine said.
"Well then, who are you? You look familiar; how'd you get Cloud to let you ride her?"
"Why wouldn't she let me ride her?" Daine asked.
"Cloud never let anyone but Daine ride her, including me."
"I ask again; why wouldn't she let me ride her?" Daine repeated as she shrugged off her cloak's hood.
For a moment, Onua just stood there, with her mouth agape. Then she managed a whisper, "Daine? Numair, you better not be playing with my head because I am in no mood."
"It's me Onua, It is!" Daine cried as she rushed into Onua's arms.
"Oh I can't believe it! I was sure you were dead Daine, just sure. What about Anis, and the storm?"
"I don't know; one minute I'm sure I was drowning and about to die, the next I'm waking up on the beach with Numair nealing over me."
"Oh I don't care any more, although Jon threatened war on the Isles because of you're death, I expect that caused a stir. I missed you so much." Onua was trying to hide the tears that leaked from her eyes. "Have you told anyone else yet? Does Alanna or Jon or."
"No, we just got to Corus a few minutes ago. I need a healer; so claims the mage."
Onua pulled back and looked at Daine, "And he's right! You're all bruised and scraped! Come, let's let everyone know you aren't sleeping with the fishes and then we'll get you to a healer."
***
Onua led them all up through the barraks and toward the palace. Daine pulled the hood up and went in, followed by Kitten and Numair, Zek on her shoulder. They first went to Jon and Thayet's rooms. She knocked on the door and went in.
"Numair said he needed to see you about something and asked me where you were." Onua explained. Jon and Thayet were sitting at desks pilled with papers and quills. When Jon looked up he seemed puzzled by the young woman with the hood and Zek on her shoulder and Kitten sitting next to her on the floor.
"Yes, Numair what is it? When did you arrive? Who's that?"
"Well this young lady came to the tower and said she needed assistance and a healer and I told her to come here for that sort of service."
"Mmm, well, what's your name girl?"
"Gods man! I almost cause a war and you don't recognize me?"
Thayet looked over, "Wait, I know that voice, and as much as I hate to hope, It belongs to." She walked over and pushed Daine's hood from her head. Jon just stared and Thayet looked like she had seen a ghost.
"Numair, if you did this just to play with our minds I swear I'll lock you up so long."
"I assure you that this is no joke at all. And since when do you lock Numair up for joking. If you did that all the time he'd never get out!"
"I'd recognize that sense of humor any day! I'm so glad you're here Daine! Now how did you.?" Thayet asked.
"I haven't the foggiest idea, I surely didn't escape."
"We can ponder over that later. Numair where ever did she pop up?"
"I found her on the beach last night, washed up like so much driftwood. She needs to see a healer." He wrapped an arm around her waist and smiled down at her. Happiness shining on his features.
"We'll have a banquet tonight to celebrate!" Thayet exclaimed, looking to her husband who nodded his aproval. "I must go tell the cooks!"
"Have you told Alanna yet?"
Daine shook her head, "No, we were going to see her right after we saw you."
"Best hurry, she'll be cranky if you don't. And gods know we can't have that."
***
Daine and Numair hurried as they passed through the corridors that led to Alanna's rooms.
Numair knocked and poked his head into Alanna's study where she was doing sword exersised. She looked over at Numair's head, "What is it, and why are you at the palace in the first place?"
"I have a patient for you."
"Why can't they go to a regular palace." Her sentence was cut short by the appearance of Daine's head in the door.
"Mithros bless, it can't be, it just can't be!" She said as she rushed to pull the door open and stand back, dropping her sword with a clang.
"It can and it is Alanna!" Daine ran in and hugged the woman who stood before her with a perplexed look on her face.
"Gods, I never thought that I'd ever hear that voice again! Never did it sound so good!" Alanna tried to hide the tears that were pouring from her eyes. "How did you escape? After Anis took you I was sure you had drowned like she threatened."
Daine shook her head, "I don't know, I wish I did. But I'm afraid that I'm just as puzzled as anyone."
"We were going to declare war on the Copper Isles! Jon was livid."
"More specificly YOU were livid, Jon just agreed with your rantings." Numair smiled wryly.
Alanna gave him a withering look; she then pulled away from Daine and looked her over. "Oh goddess! You do need a healer! You look positively ragged." Alanna said matter-of-factly. "Go lay down in your rooms. I'll come as soon as I've gathered a few things."
Daine and Numair left and walked toward the rooms that they had been assigned to near the page's wing.
***
Daine went and lay down in her bed as instucted as Numair went to get something to eat for himself and Kitten. Alanna entered a minute later.
"I'm going to put you to sleep so that you won't feel anything. There's a lot of salt and dirt in your scratches and it might hurt when I clean them." Alanna lay her hand on Daine's forhead and Daine was promptly asleep.
Alanna started to take a closer look at her many cuts, scrapes, and gashes and frowned. There was a lot of dirt and salt in them. Some of the more serious cuts were already showing signs of infection. She sighed, this would take a while.
***
After Alanna was done cleaning Daine's cuts and scrapes, Numair came in.
"She will be okay?"
"Of course she will, Daine's a tough girl, and this is hardly serious." She looked at him briskly before packing her healer's bag. "I just find it tedious to have to clean out all her cuts. She'll likely sleep through tonight and part of tomarrow. Be gentle with her, I didn't think I'd need to heal all her bruises. They aren't serious and there's a lot of them. Try not to touch her right hip; there's a particularly bad bruise there and she flinches even though she's asleep." She smiled at the tall man sitting on the edge of the bed, absentmindedly stroking Daine's hair. "Good night."
Numair carefully climbed into bed next to Daine, heeding Alanna and keeping away from her right hip. When he saw it he could see why Daine flinched. It was black and purple with a green tinge and it was slightly swollen. He now remembered Daine flinching and favoring her left hip on the ride to Corus. He sighed. That would take a lot of magic to heal and even Duke Baird didn't have that much to spare. He supposed that they would be staying here until Daine could ride properly.
He then remembered what Jon had been disscussing with Thayet. Something about another Lady Knight. He sincerely hoped that there wasn't going to be another; Alanna by herself was bad enough.
That morning at around two hours after dawn, Daine woke to smell breakfast cooking and Kitten on her chest; she was whistling and it took a moment for her to realize that Numair was yelling.
"Daine, are you awake? If you weren't I'm going to fuss at you Kit!"
Kitten whistled again and ran from the room. Daine laughed at the worried look she sent down the hall as she ran from the sound of footsteps coming. "Morning Numair." She greeted him as he walked in wearing tan breeches and a green tunic.
"Good Morning Daine. Dang Dragons, can't live with them, can't live without them. I of course had to volunteer to take those two in, sheesh." He shook his head and yelled, "SKYSONG! If you ever eat from the pan again I'll personally see to your muzzling! HA!"
He leaned down and kissed her gently, as she swung her legs out from under the covers. When they broke the kiss she stood up on the floor and stretched.
"I haven't slept that well in forever. You?" Daine asked.
"Same here; and I'm glad too. We have a two hour long ride ahead of us to Corus."
"I'll go grab some fruit and saddle Cloud and Spots. I know they'll be happy to see me."
"Are you emplieing that I was anything but overjoyed at finding you?" Numair asked sarcasticly and kissed her again.
"Of Course not. Not if the way I felt when I saw you is an example."
"I'm sure it was, now I'll go get the horses saddled and you go eat the bacon that I made especially for you; that's assuming that it hasn't been eaten already by a certain dragon." He said, and glared at Kit who burped and ran down the hall.
***
They were off an hour later, Zek on Daine's shoulder, Kitten on her saddle horn. When they were about ten minutes outside of Corus, Daine pulled a hood over her hair and face so that she would not be recognized.
***
Onua was in the stables cheaking the riders horses when Daine and Numair came in. She looked up, "I thought you weren't going to come back. And whose that, I thought you didn't have servants at the tower." She asked, pointing to Daine, and looking at her with a puzzled expression before shrugging and turning back to her chore.
"He doesn't keep servants, that's why everythings a mess." Daine said.
"Well then, who are you? You look familiar; how'd you get Cloud to let you ride her?"
"Why wouldn't she let me ride her?" Daine asked.
"Cloud never let anyone but Daine ride her, including me."
"I ask again; why wouldn't she let me ride her?" Daine repeated as she shrugged off her cloak's hood.
For a moment, Onua just stood there, with her mouth agape. Then she managed a whisper, "Daine? Numair, you better not be playing with my head because I am in no mood."
"It's me Onua, It is!" Daine cried as she rushed into Onua's arms.
"Oh I can't believe it! I was sure you were dead Daine, just sure. What about Anis, and the storm?"
"I don't know; one minute I'm sure I was drowning and about to die, the next I'm waking up on the beach with Numair nealing over me."
"Oh I don't care any more, although Jon threatened war on the Isles because of you're death, I expect that caused a stir. I missed you so much." Onua was trying to hide the tears that leaked from her eyes. "Have you told anyone else yet? Does Alanna or Jon or."
"No, we just got to Corus a few minutes ago. I need a healer; so claims the mage."
Onua pulled back and looked at Daine, "And he's right! You're all bruised and scraped! Come, let's let everyone know you aren't sleeping with the fishes and then we'll get you to a healer."
***
Onua led them all up through the barraks and toward the palace. Daine pulled the hood up and went in, followed by Kitten and Numair, Zek on her shoulder. They first went to Jon and Thayet's rooms. She knocked on the door and went in.
"Numair said he needed to see you about something and asked me where you were." Onua explained. Jon and Thayet were sitting at desks pilled with papers and quills. When Jon looked up he seemed puzzled by the young woman with the hood and Zek on her shoulder and Kitten sitting next to her on the floor.
"Yes, Numair what is it? When did you arrive? Who's that?"
"Well this young lady came to the tower and said she needed assistance and a healer and I told her to come here for that sort of service."
"Mmm, well, what's your name girl?"
"Gods man! I almost cause a war and you don't recognize me?"
Thayet looked over, "Wait, I know that voice, and as much as I hate to hope, It belongs to." She walked over and pushed Daine's hood from her head. Jon just stared and Thayet looked like she had seen a ghost.
"Numair, if you did this just to play with our minds I swear I'll lock you up so long."
"I assure you that this is no joke at all. And since when do you lock Numair up for joking. If you did that all the time he'd never get out!"
"I'd recognize that sense of humor any day! I'm so glad you're here Daine! Now how did you.?" Thayet asked.
"I haven't the foggiest idea, I surely didn't escape."
"We can ponder over that later. Numair where ever did she pop up?"
"I found her on the beach last night, washed up like so much driftwood. She needs to see a healer." He wrapped an arm around her waist and smiled down at her. Happiness shining on his features.
"We'll have a banquet tonight to celebrate!" Thayet exclaimed, looking to her husband who nodded his aproval. "I must go tell the cooks!"
"Have you told Alanna yet?"
Daine shook her head, "No, we were going to see her right after we saw you."
"Best hurry, she'll be cranky if you don't. And gods know we can't have that."
***
Daine and Numair hurried as they passed through the corridors that led to Alanna's rooms.
Numair knocked and poked his head into Alanna's study where she was doing sword exersised. She looked over at Numair's head, "What is it, and why are you at the palace in the first place?"
"I have a patient for you."
"Why can't they go to a regular palace." Her sentence was cut short by the appearance of Daine's head in the door.
"Mithros bless, it can't be, it just can't be!" She said as she rushed to pull the door open and stand back, dropping her sword with a clang.
"It can and it is Alanna!" Daine ran in and hugged the woman who stood before her with a perplexed look on her face.
"Gods, I never thought that I'd ever hear that voice again! Never did it sound so good!" Alanna tried to hide the tears that were pouring from her eyes. "How did you escape? After Anis took you I was sure you had drowned like she threatened."
Daine shook her head, "I don't know, I wish I did. But I'm afraid that I'm just as puzzled as anyone."
"We were going to declare war on the Copper Isles! Jon was livid."
"More specificly YOU were livid, Jon just agreed with your rantings." Numair smiled wryly.
Alanna gave him a withering look; she then pulled away from Daine and looked her over. "Oh goddess! You do need a healer! You look positively ragged." Alanna said matter-of-factly. "Go lay down in your rooms. I'll come as soon as I've gathered a few things."
Daine and Numair left and walked toward the rooms that they had been assigned to near the page's wing.
***
Daine went and lay down in her bed as instucted as Numair went to get something to eat for himself and Kitten. Alanna entered a minute later.
"I'm going to put you to sleep so that you won't feel anything. There's a lot of salt and dirt in your scratches and it might hurt when I clean them." Alanna lay her hand on Daine's forhead and Daine was promptly asleep.
Alanna started to take a closer look at her many cuts, scrapes, and gashes and frowned. There was a lot of dirt and salt in them. Some of the more serious cuts were already showing signs of infection. She sighed, this would take a while.
***
After Alanna was done cleaning Daine's cuts and scrapes, Numair came in.
"She will be okay?"
"Of course she will, Daine's a tough girl, and this is hardly serious." She looked at him briskly before packing her healer's bag. "I just find it tedious to have to clean out all her cuts. She'll likely sleep through tonight and part of tomarrow. Be gentle with her, I didn't think I'd need to heal all her bruises. They aren't serious and there's a lot of them. Try not to touch her right hip; there's a particularly bad bruise there and she flinches even though she's asleep." She smiled at the tall man sitting on the edge of the bed, absentmindedly stroking Daine's hair. "Good night."
Numair carefully climbed into bed next to Daine, heeding Alanna and keeping away from her right hip. When he saw it he could see why Daine flinched. It was black and purple with a green tinge and it was slightly swollen. He now remembered Daine flinching and favoring her left hip on the ride to Corus. He sighed. That would take a lot of magic to heal and even Duke Baird didn't have that much to spare. He supposed that they would be staying here until Daine could ride properly.
He then remembered what Jon had been disscussing with Thayet. Something about another Lady Knight. He sincerely hoped that there wasn't going to be another; Alanna by herself was bad enough.