A/N Chibi-Chingo, I hope that I am portraying the Tortallians in a more
sympathetic light. Because the reason I have been making them a little mean
is because they seemed too perfect to me, but you have pointed out that I
might be going too far in the opposite direction. Don't worry I really do
like Tortall. IvyDragon, you have pointed out another of my weaknesses,
when I talk I am impeccable about grammar, but I am a horrible speller (God
bless spell check) and I am terrible with commas. I tried to proof read
this time. Let's see if it makes a difference. Lily I'm glad you like the
way I did Liam. You will have to wait for the Alanna/Zira conflict though.
It will be in the next chapter. Thanks for the review Imaginatrix, here is
what comes next. Well everyone I hope you enjoy this installment and please
read and review. Reviews make me very happy.
Chap VII: Duke Nealan
As they were walking through the palace Tobit kept sending quick glances towards Zira. She was walking swiftly and the only way he could tell that she was hurt was by the way she held her injured wrist in one of her hands. He looked at her again.
"Zira," he said tentatively. She looked at him, eyes narrowed in anger. "I'm sorry."
"What!" Zira said in furiously, her usually cool demeanor was broken like her wrist and she was in no mood to be friendly or even proudly detached. "You're sorry, for what, the fact that you broke my wrist or the fact that you haven't been nice to me from the day I came here." Tobit looked at her then rubbed his temples with his fingertips. Had he been wrong about her?
"I'm sorry," he mumbled stupidly again. He couldn't think of anything else to say. They had reached the doors of the infirmary. Zira looked at him one last time, eyes begging for a friendly glance, but he didn't look up, and when he did her eyes had regained their cold and icy pride. The door of the infirmary closed behind her.
She found herself in a clean room with rows of beds on either side of her. She cleared her throat timidly, then with a steady voice,
"Hello," her voice echoed in the clean white room.
"I'm in the back," a voice drawled. Zira straighten up, and still holding her broken wrist walked down past the long rows of beds until she came to a desk. Leaning on it, back facing her, was a tall man reading a book. He turned and Zira was surprised to see how young he was, in his mid to late twenties she thought. He wasn't bad looking either, with his brown hair on end from his fingers running through it and bright penetrating green eyes. His eyes met hers and he smiled.
"So you're the Antithean princess," he said. She nodded and returned his smile. He put down the book and bowed to her in the Antithean style, arms out, head bowed down to his chest. Zira return the bow with a simple incline of her head, as princess the only person she needed to do more than that for was her father.
"You know our customs, sir," she said in amazement, her wrist forgotten. He nodded.
"I study many cultures, it is really fascinating to learn about the ways different customs react with each other. Is it true that Antitheos is the only country whose national religion is to worship one god?" he asked intrigued. Zira nodded.
"Yes, Eimar." Duke Nealan looked at her and smiled again.
"The Antithean culture is so amazing, writing originated there, correct? And the earliest know paintings and sculpture were discovered in the hills of Antitheos as well." He sighed. "I have always wanted to see them."
"I have. They are deep in caves and magically sealed so you can't light it with the gift, and any fire lit in it will go out," she said eagerly. "But my father can light it beautiful..." She covered her mouth with her hand, shocked; Duke Nealan looked at her quizzically. She had dropped her injured wrist and it hit the hard edge of the desk. She cried out. Duke Nealan jumped in surprised but then looked at her wrist.
"I am an idiot," he said hitting himself in the forehead. "You're hurt, that's why you came here." The fact that he could have forgotten such an obvious thing was so ridiculous that they both burst out laughing, It was the first time since the Antithean wars that Zira had laughed, and it felt good.
"Here let me take a look at that wrist for you," he said, and gentle lifted it in his hands. Green fire probed it carefully. Zira looked at him puzzled.
"Why are you so confused?" he asked.
"You were the Tortallian healer in the Antithean wars," she said cautiously. He nodded setting the tiny bones in her wrist back into their usual manner, and binding them together with his green fire. Her amber eyes opened wide. She gently removed her hand from his and putting her arms out wide she lower her chin to her chest. Duke Nealan stared at her.
"What have I done to deserve such an honor," he said a little awed by her solemn display of reverence.
"You healed both Tortallians and Antitheans without discrimination," she said her eyes never leaving his. "From the towers I saw green magic and after the wars some who we thought to be dead returned to us. They told us tales of the green mage, who healed everyone in need of healing. I must tell Shea you are here."
"Why?" he asked, taking her wrist again to complete the healing.
"You saved her father's life. She must thank you," she said, and smiled. "I also must thank you for what you did for my people." Duke Nealan silently fixed her wrist his mind in a whirl; the Antithean princess had bowed to him in the manner that she would to a king. He knew that this was no small thing, it was the greatest honor that she could bestow on anyone. He looked at her wrist.
"You have weak bones," he said after a pause. "This will break again."
"I know," she said. "I break bones often." Duke Nealan looked at her then winked.
"Don't tell the Stump, he definitely won't approve, but I'm going to strengthen your bones. Unless you object."
"You can do that?" Zira said excitedly. "Of course I don't object."
"Come back in your free time." Then he shook his head, "what am I saying you never have free time, but come back at some point in the week and I will do it. It takes a little time." Zira grinned and for a moment she looked like she was her age not years older, as she usually did.
"Thank you," she said. "Thank you." As she was leaving she turned back toward the Duke and asked, puzzled, "By the way who is the Stump?" He laughed.
"The Stump is Lord Wyldon." Zira smiled.
"It fits him," she said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Zira and Tobit returned to the practice fields all the pages were lined up in front of two figures, one was the stocky form of Lord Wyldon, but it was the other figure that all eyes were turned eagerly towards. Zira stiffened when she saw the red hair and the embroidered lioness on the back of the tunic. Tobit looked at her.
"Hurry up. The Lioness is here." Zira didn't move. "Don't you want to meet her? She is the first lady knight." Zira's eyes were filled with hatred, but she started walking again. Tobit looked at her, his eyes filled with confusion. He had thought that she would be excited to meet another lady knight but one glance at Zira told him that she did not idolize the Lioness as he had expected her to.
Chap VII: Duke Nealan
As they were walking through the palace Tobit kept sending quick glances towards Zira. She was walking swiftly and the only way he could tell that she was hurt was by the way she held her injured wrist in one of her hands. He looked at her again.
"Zira," he said tentatively. She looked at him, eyes narrowed in anger. "I'm sorry."
"What!" Zira said in furiously, her usually cool demeanor was broken like her wrist and she was in no mood to be friendly or even proudly detached. "You're sorry, for what, the fact that you broke my wrist or the fact that you haven't been nice to me from the day I came here." Tobit looked at her then rubbed his temples with his fingertips. Had he been wrong about her?
"I'm sorry," he mumbled stupidly again. He couldn't think of anything else to say. They had reached the doors of the infirmary. Zira looked at him one last time, eyes begging for a friendly glance, but he didn't look up, and when he did her eyes had regained their cold and icy pride. The door of the infirmary closed behind her.
She found herself in a clean room with rows of beds on either side of her. She cleared her throat timidly, then with a steady voice,
"Hello," her voice echoed in the clean white room.
"I'm in the back," a voice drawled. Zira straighten up, and still holding her broken wrist walked down past the long rows of beds until she came to a desk. Leaning on it, back facing her, was a tall man reading a book. He turned and Zira was surprised to see how young he was, in his mid to late twenties she thought. He wasn't bad looking either, with his brown hair on end from his fingers running through it and bright penetrating green eyes. His eyes met hers and he smiled.
"So you're the Antithean princess," he said. She nodded and returned his smile. He put down the book and bowed to her in the Antithean style, arms out, head bowed down to his chest. Zira return the bow with a simple incline of her head, as princess the only person she needed to do more than that for was her father.
"You know our customs, sir," she said in amazement, her wrist forgotten. He nodded.
"I study many cultures, it is really fascinating to learn about the ways different customs react with each other. Is it true that Antitheos is the only country whose national religion is to worship one god?" he asked intrigued. Zira nodded.
"Yes, Eimar." Duke Nealan looked at her and smiled again.
"The Antithean culture is so amazing, writing originated there, correct? And the earliest know paintings and sculpture were discovered in the hills of Antitheos as well." He sighed. "I have always wanted to see them."
"I have. They are deep in caves and magically sealed so you can't light it with the gift, and any fire lit in it will go out," she said eagerly. "But my father can light it beautiful..." She covered her mouth with her hand, shocked; Duke Nealan looked at her quizzically. She had dropped her injured wrist and it hit the hard edge of the desk. She cried out. Duke Nealan jumped in surprised but then looked at her wrist.
"I am an idiot," he said hitting himself in the forehead. "You're hurt, that's why you came here." The fact that he could have forgotten such an obvious thing was so ridiculous that they both burst out laughing, It was the first time since the Antithean wars that Zira had laughed, and it felt good.
"Here let me take a look at that wrist for you," he said, and gentle lifted it in his hands. Green fire probed it carefully. Zira looked at him puzzled.
"Why are you so confused?" he asked.
"You were the Tortallian healer in the Antithean wars," she said cautiously. He nodded setting the tiny bones in her wrist back into their usual manner, and binding them together with his green fire. Her amber eyes opened wide. She gently removed her hand from his and putting her arms out wide she lower her chin to her chest. Duke Nealan stared at her.
"What have I done to deserve such an honor," he said a little awed by her solemn display of reverence.
"You healed both Tortallians and Antitheans without discrimination," she said her eyes never leaving his. "From the towers I saw green magic and after the wars some who we thought to be dead returned to us. They told us tales of the green mage, who healed everyone in need of healing. I must tell Shea you are here."
"Why?" he asked, taking her wrist again to complete the healing.
"You saved her father's life. She must thank you," she said, and smiled. "I also must thank you for what you did for my people." Duke Nealan silently fixed her wrist his mind in a whirl; the Antithean princess had bowed to him in the manner that she would to a king. He knew that this was no small thing, it was the greatest honor that she could bestow on anyone. He looked at her wrist.
"You have weak bones," he said after a pause. "This will break again."
"I know," she said. "I break bones often." Duke Nealan looked at her then winked.
"Don't tell the Stump, he definitely won't approve, but I'm going to strengthen your bones. Unless you object."
"You can do that?" Zira said excitedly. "Of course I don't object."
"Come back in your free time." Then he shook his head, "what am I saying you never have free time, but come back at some point in the week and I will do it. It takes a little time." Zira grinned and for a moment she looked like she was her age not years older, as she usually did.
"Thank you," she said. "Thank you." As she was leaving she turned back toward the Duke and asked, puzzled, "By the way who is the Stump?" He laughed.
"The Stump is Lord Wyldon." Zira smiled.
"It fits him," she said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Zira and Tobit returned to the practice fields all the pages were lined up in front of two figures, one was the stocky form of Lord Wyldon, but it was the other figure that all eyes were turned eagerly towards. Zira stiffened when she saw the red hair and the embroidered lioness on the back of the tunic. Tobit looked at her.
"Hurry up. The Lioness is here." Zira didn't move. "Don't you want to meet her? She is the first lady knight." Zira's eyes were filled with hatred, but she started walking again. Tobit looked at her, his eyes filled with confusion. He had thought that she would be excited to meet another lady knight but one glance at Zira told him that she did not idolize the Lioness as he had expected her to.