Chapter 19: Veins of Wisdom

A/N:  This is my royal-princes-have-emotional-breakdown chapter… fun shtuff… And more about Nera and Kendi, as requested ;)

Review Replies:

Lady Rhian- My faithful reader and reviewer ;) Hope you like this chapter and the next one…

Lisa- Hey sweetie! I'm so glad you reviewed, dear… You like them? YAY! Hehe… more chapters soon, keep reading… and here's what you asked for on Kendi and Nera… Much more about them soon, now that I FINALLY have some ideas for them…

Kendi frowned as she attempted to puzzle out the assignment her Knight Master had sent to her.  It was really strange… Usually Alanna tried her best to stump the young Squire with the most complicated political assignment possible.  There must be more behind this.  Kendi shrugged and looked at the light purple piece of paper once again, reading the lines over and over to herself:

          "Discover yourself.  Look deeply at who you are, and who everyone around you is.  When you think you know, try to find the connections beneath the surface.  This will be your only task until it is completed. - Alanna"

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          Jasson rounded the corner, an peered into Kendi's room.  For a week or so, she had been able to talk and read, but they wouldn't let her out of the room.  Jasson was careful to only come when she was asleep so that she wouldn't be able to detect his Gift healing her.  As he looked in, he saw her bent over a piece of light purple paper, thinking hard.  Her forehead was wrinkled, and there was a perfect crease between her eyes that he always wanted to kiss away.  Her lips where moving slowly, and he was entranced, watching them for a moment.  Her perfect dark eyes, and her body that looked so weak but he knew had so much strength.  Jasson rubbed his own forehead, and smoothed his hair back before retreating.  When he reached his rooms, he slumped into a chair and wondered how the situation had progressed so far.

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(A/N: This is going back in time to Lewen's overdose, I know it's confusing, but that's the way it works out.  Bear with me.)

          Nera happened to pass by Lewen's door, and decided to visit her old friend.  She knocked on the door and listened for his reply.  She didn't hear anything.

          "Lewen? Lewen?"

          Nera grew frantic.  She knew he was in there, but he wasn't answering.  She tested the knob, and realized it was locked.  She quickly performed a spell to open it, and burst in.  He wasn't in the antechamber, and she rushed to the bedroom.  She looked, and didn't see him at first, but she noticed a small spot of something by the bed, and she ran to the other side of the bed.  What she saw made her scream and want to faint. 

          "Oh, gods above, what did you do Lewen?"

          She bit down hard, repressing the urge to empty her stomach violently or pass out.  Instead, she knelt down, ignoring the blood seeping into her light gown, and cradled his head in her lap before beginning the Healing process.

          Five minutes later, her sister and mother burst into the room with Shinko, Thayet, and Alanna in tow.  All of the women stared as the young woman in a trance, bloody and gritty, as she held Lewen lovingly in her arms, Healing him.  Thayet bit back a gasp, and Shinko almost fell to the floor before Alanna caught her.  A few minutes later, Alanna laid her hand on the girl's shoulder, and provided more strength to the process she knew she couldn't interrupt.

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A/N: Sorry, that was shorter than it was supposed to be… sorry 'bout that… I'll post the next chapter in the next few days… hope this keeps you sated until then…

Next time: Nera and… Lewen???

Lily's memories of Haalen…