Ch.6

Ok after much ado, here's the next chapter. I know it's a long time in coming but there were some circumstances I could not control (see previous chapter). Anyway, I've decided that I don't care whether or not you people review, I'm going to write anyway because I like to. Plus I do have a few readers that I know of who have been very supportive and positive about this piece. Still, if you are so inclined, please do review. Nothing brightens my day like signing on to the internet, opening the e- mail icon, and seeing "Review alert!" With my parents I need all the cheering I can get. However, you need to be patient with me. While I have a basic idea of where this story is going, I'm pretty much making everything up as I go. So, if the chapters are a little more spread apart than you'd like, blame it on that, vacations, and my parents. If I start getting more reviews I'll probably work harder to post more often (hint, hint, jab, jab) Anyway, to the story! Oops! I almost forgot to thank my reviewers, see below.

Numair's Daine: I'm so sorry it took so long! SSSOOOO SSSSOOORRRRYYYY!!!!

Sekhmet: WOW!………. *blush* You are so positive and encouraging. It's reviews like your's that makes me want to write! Thanx!

If I missed anybody it's probably due to the fact that during my punishment I was unable to check my e-mail, and my in-box will only hold so many e-mails so don't be offended! ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Elentari raced down the hall towards her rooms. Bursting through the door, she upset several of the cats that seemed so fond of her bed. Dashing to her desk, she quickly scooped up all the books and papers, shoving them in her bag, then raced out the door, slamming it behind her. She sprinted down the hall and narrowly missed running into one of the servants who was carrying a stack of towels. While the servant was unharmed, Elentari managed to upset the towels, sending them flying to the floor in a heap. She had barely the time to shout an apology as she hurried on, with the disgruntled servant shouting some very colorful curses after her.

Skidding to a halt in front of her philosophy classroom, Elentari took a moment to catch her breath, then walked briskly into the classroom. The bell rang just as she settled into her desk, heaving a sigh of relief she opened her bag and extracted her papers from the mess. Lenora gave her a quizzical glance, and Elentari gave her a look that clearly said "I'll tell you after class". Jay brandished his finger at her in mock sternness and began lecturing her on promptness. Elentari ruined it by jabbing him in the ribs, before turning her attention to her papers. She silently prayed that her written report on the poem assigned was in the mess of papers she had grabbed. Professor Rasha would lecture her for hours if she had forgotten it.

Thank the gods! It was there and unharmed, though slightly rumpled. Elentari hastily smoothed it out and shoved the rest of the papers back in her bag. She handed it in, then took out the epitome of poems they were studying, opening it with a sigh. Elentari usually loved class, she soaked up every bit of knowledge available to her as if it were a sponge, but today she just couldn't concentrate. The events of the previous hour kept coming back to her and a million thoughts were swirling through her head.

"Elentari………Elentari………ELENTARI!" shouted Professor Rasha.

Elentari's head snapped up, "Hmm? Oh sorry professor, what?" she asked a little startled. She had let her mind wander off and had not been paying attention. The professor must have been trying to get her attention because the entire class was looking at her. She sunk down in her seat slightly, blushing.

"Thank you for joining us," Professor Rasha said sarcastically, "I was just wondering if you could tell the class what the Orchid flower in the poem you were to read symbolizes. You did read the chapter, didn't you?"

"Er, yes, I read it," Elentari stammered, blushing a darker red, "the Orchid was a metaphor for power. Untapped power to be specific. It is wild and dangerous, ready to blossom at any second. The context of the metaphor leads me to believe that the Orchid specifically represents magic. After all these ancient writers were of a people who feared magic for it's destructive powers."

"Very good, you seem to understand the poem well, however I must implore you to concentrate during class so I don't have to shout myself hoarse next time I wish to ask you a question. Please see me after class." Professor Rasha replied.

Elentari blushed even fiercer. She was now a bright shade of scarlet. Jay and Lenora looked at her strangely, then turned their attention back to the lesson. Elentari forced herself, with much difficulty, to pay attention for the rest of class in case she was called on again to answer another question. Fortunately she wasn't called on, and so made it through the rest of class with no further incidents. When the bell rang she copied down the assigned report that was their homework and packed her stuff up, then held back from the rest of the group as the filed to the door at the front of the room. She approached the professor's desk cautiously. When the last student had left the professor turned to her.

"Is everything alright Elentari?" he asked, "You're not usually one to let your mind drift in class"

"Oh yes, I'm fine." she said quickly. When the professor looked at her skeptically she added, "I just didn't sleep well last night, that's all."

Though he didn't seem entirely convinced he said, "Alright, well be that as it may, you still weren't attentive in class, so I'm afraid I'm going to have to assign you extra homework, so I think a three page report on the uses of the Orchid flower metaphorically will do. It is to be turned in next week, good day."

Elentari mumbled a good-bye then left the classroom. Outside she was ambushed by her friends with questions.

"What did he say?"

"What's wrong with you?"

"Are you OK?"

"What did Liam say to you this morning?"

"Is something wrong?"

Elentari held up her hand for silence. They stopped talking immediately though they still stared at her with a mixture of interest and concern on their faces.

"Look, it's really too much to tell you know, but I'll tell you the whole story at lunch. There's nothing wrong, I was just preoccupied in class, trust me." She added when they looked doubtful.

They stopped questioning her, but kept shooting anxious glances at her as they walked to their next class, History of War. Once inside they took their seats with out talking and prepared for the day's lesson. Thankfully Elentari made it through the lesson without problems, and even managed to get a good amount of the homework done before the bell rang. She trailed behind Lenora and Jay who were discussing a point that had been discussed in the lesson.

Entering the dining hall she was hit by a wave of the usual noise that accompanied the room. Getting their meal, the trio made for their usual table. Elentari sat down and immediately set to devouring her bread. She looked up and found Jay and Lenora looking at her expectantly. Swallowing, she set down her bread with a sigh. She then embarked on the long story of her chat with Liam, relating to her friends everything that he had said about her family, nobility, and past, as well as the fact that she was graduating this year and would be setting out to find her family. When she had finished they stared at her with open mouths, their food untouched and forgotten.

"Wow," was all Lenora managed to say.

"Where will you be going?" asked Jay.

"Well, I figured that I would stick around for about a year, maybe travel around in the area. I want to take some more lessons so I think I'll hire a teacher." Replied Elentari, she had wondered the same thing to herself, but had worked it all out by now. "Plus, you know, Liam reckons that I'm a noble so I'm going to have to take some lessons to learn how to act and stuff, so when I find them I won't make a fool of myself. Then I'm gonna go to different countries looking for any information on my heritage. I was thinking I'd try Galla, Maren, and maybe Tyra, probably not Scanra, their a bit touchy right now, the Yamani Islands, Tortall, and Carthak. As a Shang member I'm supposed to be traveling and questing anyway, and I havn't really got a clue about my heritage so I'll just kind of have to learn as I go. Do you think that is a good idea?" she asked her friends, looking from Jay to Lenora questioningly.

Lenora was the first to speak. She seemed to snap out of a reverie, and snapped her mouth closed, gaining a stubborn look. "Of course that's a good idea, and I'm coming with you." She replied.

"Hey now, don't leave me out, I'm coming too!" interrupted Jay.

"Yes, we're coming of course," agreed Lenora.

Elentari stared at the two for a second in disbelief. "You can't!" she finally said, "You'll be Shang members as well! You have to quest too! And You don't want to be dragged about from country to country, and……." She trailed off seeing the amused, but determined looks on her friend's faces.

"Of course we're coming, don't be a dolt!" Jay said playfully, "We're your best friends and we're not going to leave you to toil alone and scared when you need us most, what kind of people do you think we are?

Elentari opened her mouth to protest again, but a part of her mind told her that she didn't really want to argue, that she wanted them to come. She closed her mouth and smiled, putting her hands up as if to admit defeat. Then resigned to eating her lunch, happily thinking that she would not have to part from her friends so soon.

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That's the end of this chapter, stay tuned to see what happens. The next couple of chapters are going to be kind of undetailed. I'm going to sort of skim over a couple of years that are a bit uneventful and just kind of give you an overview of what happens. There will be a few chapters after that with more of this quest for Elentari's family business, then some finding of her family, her new life, a love interest, some political intrigue, fighting/battles, and a big event she goes through with her new friends and allies. Then I'll wind it up give it a nice ending, but still leave room for some more stories to follow should I be so inclined to write them. However, this summer is busy with many vacations and very little if any time to write, so the story won't start picking up till school starts again and I'm home.