Title: Lawbreaker's Eyes
Author: I_nv_u50
Rating: PG13
Disclaimer/Claimer: Characters so far are mine, but the world is Mercedes Lackey's.
Warning: Slash (m/m) ahead.
Author's Notes: Whoo!! Sorry it took so long to get out ^^ … at least when I did make myself sit down and start writing, it wrote itself!! :D I love chapters like that… they're so helpful. So thank Coan for finally getting his butt into gear and producing this chapter – or it wouldn't have been done until mid October XD
Look for your name twice if you reviewed both chapters 6 & 7
Chapter 6 Reviews:
colie ~ lol yeah!! Go boots!! Hmmm… I don't think my dad goes for the whole lesbian thing either… heh where are the stereotypes when you need them? XD lol yeah!! Go thaelin :D lol yeah… faolan's a sweetie :D I'm gonna write about his previous life soon… mwahaha!! My next series in due!! XD … well, sorta. If you disclude all those originals I have going on … (gulps guiltily) heh heh . lol residue? There's more than that to catch here XD but answers are in this chapter... hope you didn't wait too long XD
The Golden Dragon ~ That's all right! I'm incredibly ashamed for taking so long to update T.T lol sounds like fun ^^ although that 'closer to the sea every year' sounds a bit… fun XD yeah, Cyril comes back. Just… …. Yea, k, I'm not gonna give spoilers :D lol WB!! Thanks for reviewing, hope you do it again!! ^^
ola ~ lol things between thaelin and coan are complicated enough without Cyril's help XD heh ^^ … actually, I think I answered those questions last chapter… hmmm .
Cathryn M. Guthrie ~ lol cliffhangers are my prime pleasure in life XD … or not really, but that sounded sadistic, didn't it? XD
MajikzPawn ~ glad you're enjoying it ^^ I answered your question last chapter so… lol and I'll try to improve on the length, but you can only make the dumb muses write so much XD
psycho tabby cat ~ lol well, I hope you're liking it more now O.o; sorta…? Maybe? A little more? @.@ heh XD Coan's 18… unless, that is, do they have years? O.o; as in, like grades and stuff? O.o;; I can't remember T.T I'm such a bad valdemar fan T.T lol yeah. Man = many ( I think. Can't really remember O.o;;) heh nah, not really discouraged ^^ I'm still writing it, aint I? XD
Alex Lyons3 ~ heh ^^ thaelin's just special :D and he's coan's first human friend (well… sorta…) which just makes it kinda more obvious that he's the one it happens too… they aren't lifebonded, as such, but… well, I guess you'll just have to read this chapter to find out, won't you XD Thanks for reviewing, hope you do it again!! ^^
Kouryou Sanomi ~ lol sorry :D cliffhangers seem to be my specialty XD Thanks for reviewing, please do it again!! ^^
Chapter 7 Reviews:
Cathryn M. Guthrie ~ lol sorry for the wait ^^ I hope it's worth it XD Thanks for reviewing, please do it again!! ^^
psycho tabby cat ~ lol yea… neither can I…and then this trilogy is OVER baby!! XD and then I can get on with the next story, because I think I've fallen in love with faolan (er... it's a story of his past .) XD er… yea… read – ready (ie, are already ready to kill) uh… a bit of this, a little bit of that :D or six of one, half a dozen of the other… . I don't think that was in every point correct, but oh well ^^;; sorry for the wait ^^ Thanks for reviewing, hope you do it again!! ^^
ola ~ indeed there are XD yep ^^ you get to see him again… although not for a while yet . (hint hint XD) aww, thank you!! ^^ I'm glad you're enjoying it so much :D Thanks for reviewing, hope you do it gain!! ^^
Celtic-Mage ~ lol there might be a sweet, sappy, completely plot-unrelated brynn/kylan interlude eventually, yes :D I'm guessing somewhere between chapters 10 and 15, if I can persuade them to make an appearance… lol I'm happy to know that they're loved that much :D thanks for the compliment ^^ Thanks for reviewing, please do it again!! ^^
futagoakuma-tenshio2 ~ heh ^^ glad you like it ^^ Thanks for reviewing, please do it again!! ^^
colie ~ nyeh, that's okay ^^ at least you reviewed XD lol, yeah, kylan's a screw up :D but a lovable one, at that. And coan and thaelin make such a cute couple at times :D … and then the rest of the time you just want to shake them and tell them to kiss and get it over with already. Or well, not yet, but that time will come. Oh yes, that time will come. (glares at Coan and Thaelin, who grin back innocently) hmph. Think I should do an official muses thingy, like Curses? I'll call it: Drat: Foiled Again! … heh heh :D and lots of people will feature in it XD heh… I think I will, one day. Soon, probably, because those are easy to write. XD … anyway, sorry . Thanks for reviewing, hope you do it again!! ^^
Thanks for everyone who reviewed!! And I'd just like to point out that while er… yea… go read the extra An below or something when you're done reading this chapter XP
Read, enjoy, and please review!! ^^
Ja ne! ^^
Coan tentatively lifted an arm to try and put it behind his head, but got stuck half way, hissing in pain as the giant bruise that was his right arm began aching in a dull, and by now familiar way. The young man groaned with frustration.
:Faolan! Why did you let them do this? It –hurts– damnit!:
Faolan stuck his nose inquisitively in through the window. :Why were you trying to move anyway?:
"I can't feel my arm," muttered Coan, grudgingly admitting to himself that he should be content with the fact that he could now talk without wanting to die. "And I'm bored, besides."
:Picky, picky, picky. Why not do a little searching?:
"Like what?"
Faolan sent a brief mental shrug. :Dunno. Look for your new friend. Jes says he could do with some emotional support right about now.:
"Uh huh," Coan intoned with more sarcasm than belief. "And you honestly think I can pick out his upset emotions from the others that are all scrambled up in this place anyway?"
:You might as well give it a try. You're connected to him somehow now, little love. I can sense something different about you. Not bad… just different.:
"Like what?" Coan asked hastily, trying to twist his head towards the window before remembering that while his throat might have gotten better, his neck still hurt like the devil. "And what do you mean, 'I'm connected to him somehow'?"
But Faolan merely backed away. :I never was a Healer, little love. I can't tell you –how–, I can only tell you that you –have–. I don't think I can explain it unless you see yourself like I do, and we both know you don't.:
"I guess you're right," muttered Coan. And then, because he was bored, and had nothing better to do, and the fact that Faolan's news had interested him somewhat, he searched the jumbled emotions in the air around him, searching for something resembling Thaelin's.
And was neatly pulled off his metaphorical feet as something caught a hold of his searching 'hook' and yanked it directly to the Old Palace, straight into one of the smaller Council Room, if he thought his mental map was right. Almost more surprising was the fact that he knew it was Thaelin he was feeling, although the other emotions in the room were pretty upset and tightly wound as well. But Thaelin's were definitely the clearest – almost so emotionally loud that Coan could almost see the scene in his head.
He dropped the line with a gasp that was both mental and physical, realizing dimly that he was sweating.
"Faolan…" Coan croaked, his voice shaking. "What was that?"
There was a short mental silence. :Jes says Thaelin felt something then too. It distracted him.:
"Distracted him from what?" Coan asked absently, then ignored the question. "What was that?"
:I told you that you were connected to him somehow now. It was almost like looking for me, wasn't it?:
"Yea," mumbled Coan, half exhausted. "Except I can't search for you by emotion alone."
Faolan whickered a chuckle. :Heh. I always was good at shielding. The thing is… Well, I think I need to talk to Taver before I tell you.:
"Hang on a moment," Coan spluttered, battling with his painful body to try and sit up. "I deserve to know first! It's me that it's happening to, isn't it? Whatever it is! I should know first."
Faolan listened with the air of muted pride. :I'm so glad you're showing some backbone. Maybe this won't be so bad after all.:
"What?" Coan cried. "What's that supposed to mean!?"
Faolan bobbed his head cheerfully, not in the least affected or swayed over by the mental threats Coan was sending him. :Exactly what I said, little love! Now, if you excuse me, I need to go have an important chat with Taver, and see if he can make more sense of this. Meanwhile, you need to strengthen your barriers. You're absorbing all the other anger of everyone else in the Healing House.:
"It's what I do," muttered Coan, sulking a little and slumping back against his pillows.
:Don't sulk, Chosen. I'll tell you as soon as we've figured out –exactly– what happened to you.:
"Fine," Coan agreed reluctantly.
Faolan sent a mental hug and neatly stepped into the back of his mind, snuffling a pleasant 'goodbye' as he stepped away from the window as well.
Coan sniffed a little and lay back against his pillow again, idly counting the spots on the ceiling.
He was back to being bored.
Coan was woken up from a sleep that he hadn't realized he had fallen into by the inescapable presence waiting by his bed. It didn't feel familiar, so he opened his eyes and blinked at the visitor. Just as quickly, he decided this was a dream.
The figure by his bed was fluctuating between male and female, sometimes more obvious one than the other, but at all times definitely hazy and out of focus.
"Coan," s/he crooned softly.
Coan blinked, not quite ready to be scared yet, but already well on his way to being suspicious. "Yes?"
The person… thing smiled mistily. "I've found you…"
A tendril of fear crept up, and then Coan realized something was missing. Vague and faint, there was a press of emotions on the outside of his shields, but this person didn't have anything to read emotionally.
Didn't have anything to search for.
"Uh… who are you?" he tried to keep the fear from his voice.
"Me? I'm a friend of a friend…" the thing murmured. "Don't be afraid… Thaelin said it was safe to visit…"
Coan frowned thoughtfully. "Thaelin?"
"Yes… he said it would be all right to ask you some questions… Would you answer some for me, Coan?"
"No," Coan replied bluntly. It was the easy answer. Undoubtedly the correct one to make, morally, but it also made the thing pause in a manner that suggested that maybe Coan should have agreed.
"Would you reconsider, Coan? People are in danger – their only hope lies in whether you answer me or not."
Coan tried to call Faolan, but his Companion was still blocking him, no doubt thinking that Coan was trying to pry into some sort of secret… Coan couldn't remember right now, but he recalled that it had been important somehow… "Why don't you ask me, and I'll see if I can answer?" he returned cautiously, still trying to call Faolan.
"People depend on you, Coan. You need to answer truthfully…"
A glimmer of an idea occurred to Coan. "If I tell you answers, will you give me answers?"
The thing paused. "Maybe," it conceded slowly.
"All right."
"Which classes does Thaelin have?"
"Well, I know he has an orientation class, and an… Wait, didn't you say you were friends with him?"
"I am," the person reassured hastily, soothingly. "But I'm just making sure…"
"Why?"
"Because I'd like to visit him one day…"
"Who are you?"
"You owe me an answer first, Coan," the thing reminded gently. "Where does Thaelin sleep?"
Since it was basically common knowledge where the trainees slept, Coan attempted a nonchalant shrug. "In the Heraldic trainee rooms…"
"Ah…" the thing breathed out. "Thank you…"
"Wait," Coan called out, piqued and suddenly more suspicious and afraid than he had been a few moments earlier. "Who are you? Why did you want to know?"
"Just call me…" the thing breathed softly, fading into the mist…
"Just call me Cyril…"
Coan awoke with a start, his mind still clamoring for Faolan, with said Companion both annoyed and concerned, standing by the window again and trying to get Coan to calm down.
:Coan! Calm down! I'm here, I'm not blocking you anymore! What is it? Stop babbling and make some sense!:
Coan blinked at his Companion, shocked. "Faolan? What's wrong?"
Faolan snorted impatiently. :I take down my shields after my talk with Taver, and you're there asking for help and begging me to come save you. What was going on?:
Coan shot his Companion a confused look. "I don't know what you're talking about. Why would I be asking you for help in my sleep?"
Now Faolan gave him a concerned look. :I don't know, little love. Do you remember what your nightmare was about perhaps?:
Coan frowned thoughtfully for a few moments, before shaking his head slowly. "I remember a name of some sort, but nothing else…"
:Hmmm…: Faolan hummed inscrutably. :Well, since you seem to be all right, we can probably just forget about it. Let me know if it happens again though, would you? I wouldn't be able to stand it if anything else freaky happens to you.:
"What do you mean 'anything else freaky'?" Coan asked, before his memory kicked into gear again. "That's right! Thaelin! Did you talk to Taver? What did he say? What's wrong with me?"
:Nothing.: Faolan told him soothingly, calmly. :Nothing's –wrong– precisely, it's just… it's just peculiar. Taver says he doesn't think anything like this has happened before… He told Herald Astral our suspicions, and -:
"What suspicions?!" exclaimed Coan, fed up with all the sidestepping. "Lords above, just tell me what's wrong, or peculiar, or whatever; just tell me already!"
Faolan stared at him consideringly. :Er…:
Coan glared at his Companion. "Spill it," he told Faolan. "Or I won't-"
Before he could continue, someone knocked on the door quietly.
Coan glared at Faolan, who merely smirked at him mentally. "Don't think I'm going to let this go," he warned, and invited Thaelin in, somehow instinctively recognizing the tone of the younger boy's emotions.
"It was horrible," Thaelin told him dully, still speaking with his head buried in his hands, where it had been located pretty much since Thaelin had sat down. "Kylan almost threw a complete fit – they still don't trust him, you know – and Brynn kept trying to calm first Kyl and then one of the more offended Heralds down…"
Coan watched the black haired boy with something akin to sympathy, the 'peculiarity' put out of his mind at the moment. "It's all right though, isn't it?"
Thaelin shook his head slowly. "They weren't happy when neither of said anything about –" Thaelin trailed off, stopping completely before he lifted his head. "Why am I telling this to you anyway? You're an invalid, you have better things to think about!"
He was grinning again.
Coan shook his head and sighed. "Look, why don't you just drop the act? I already know you're unhappy about something."
Thaelin pulled a face at him. "Worrying and moping about it isn't going to help, I can promise you."
"I know that," Coan replied defensively, and was about to say something when he stopped and blinked, surprised. Since when had he began encouraging others – who weren't hurt – to tell him their problems? It was inconceivable, and yet, here he was, almost asking Thaelin to tell him – and Thaelin wasn't even hurt!
:Aww, my baby's growing up!: teased Faolan.
:Shut up, horse.: Coan returned sullenly. :Why do I feel like helping him? Why does he feel he can trust me so much? There –is– something connecting us now, isn't there? And you know what it is!:
:I wouldn't go that far.: cautioned Faolan. :I have more of an idea, yes, but none of us are certain.:
"None of you?" Coan said aloud unconsciously.
Thaelin blinked, and then grinned. "I think I'd better go if you're having an argument with your Companion. I'll come see you later, Coan." He hesitated, and then smiled again, although this one, Coan could feel, was genuine. "Thanks for listening. I don't know why I told you, but I feel better now."
Coan offered back a half smile. "I'm glad."
He waited until Thaelin had shut the door behind him before turning back to his argument with Faolan. "There. We're alone now, could you please tell me who else knows, and why they know when I don't?"
:The only ones who know are Taver, Herald Astral, Jesalis, and myself. And maybe the King.: Faolan said helpfully. :They are the only ones involved, and so they are the only ones who have to know at the moment.:
"How is Taver and Herald Astral involved?" Coan asked, somewhat sourly. He didn't like that other people knew when he didn't – and when it pertained to him to.
:Because, little love, nothing goes on in this kingdom without their knowledge of it in someway – or at least, their pursuing that knowledge, which is sometimes rather elusive.:
"You mean like Thaelin and Kylan's criminal gang?" Coan mumbled absently, intent on marveling at the Heraldic system. Really, it was fantastic! The things Heralds could do and know and find out! He was quite proud to have been Chosen, and almost said so to Faolan when Faolan just about blasted his mind apart with a hurried (and loud) inquiry.
:Coan! How did you know about that? Only a select few know about Kylan's past and Thaelin hasn't told –anyone– yet! Who told you!?:
"Told me about what?" Coan yelped, clutching his head. "And could you keep it down? That hurt!" He paused. "What about Thaelin?"
Faolan merely stared at him through the window, his blue eyes wide and surprised, his mind suddenly someplace else, rather than sharing Coan's.
After a moment of blank staring at each other, Faolan heaved a sigh. :Coan… All right, I told Taver that you knew about Thaelin and Kylan's past. And he says I can tell you now.:
"I don't know a thing about their past," Coan protested unthinkingly. "Except that Kylan murdered Herald Akseli, didn't he?" he stopped and blinked, his eyes going wide. "And if Thaelin and Kylan knew each other before coming here then –"
:Jesalis didn't choose a murderer.: Faolan told him blankly.
Coan waved that aside. "I know that! Thaelin wouldn't kill anyone on purpose! But –"
:Coan.: Faolan cut in. :Why do you know so much about Thaelin?:
Coan blinked and thought, suddenly confused and a little scared again. "I don't know…" he told his Companion slowly. "I just… know, somehow, I guess. I don't even know that I know…" he trailed off and stared at Faolan in sudden panic. "What's going on, Faolan?"
Faolan sighed again. :Jesalis and I have both examined you and Thaelin… and Taver will as well, as soon as you know what we think and when he can guarantee you won't have a collapse… But both Jesalis and I found out the same thing…:
"What?! Just tell me already!"
Faolan shook his head, somewhat nervously, somewhat puzzled. :You –do– share a bond with Thaelin now… And we think it activated that same day you touched him. It isn't a normal bond, both of you being what and who you are, and that combined with the sudden triggering and multiple other emotional ties that I won't go into detail about now… The thing is… your bond with Thaelin represents an extremely closer and more intimate version of the bond between two Companions. It –isn't– a lifebond – nothing like it, in fact. To put it simply, you 'Chose' each other.:
Extra AN: How's that for an unexpected plot twist? I never saw it coming, I can promise you that. Just to clarify: IT IS NOT A LIFEBOND! XD I suppose I can go into more detail about it in later chapters – in fact, I can predict I'm expected to – both by the muses and you =P … ah well. At least it'll be an interesting exploration thingy, huh? Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go strangle coan for putting this in when all I wanted was a simple, slightly stronger emotional attachment. I never asked for this! But now that it's what he's given me… I suppose it could work out well. Maybe O.o; keep an eye on the plot, cause it gets busier from here on in XD
Don't forget to review!!
Adios! ^^