Thanks to all the people who told me to hurry up and update. This chapter
goes out to gray rain, who sent me a whole lot of great reviews. Sorry I
haven't updated in ages. I had exams to do and I was working on one of my
other fics.
If I owned anything out of TP do you think I would be sitting here?
QUEEN OF KNIVES.
CHAPTER 8: Memories Of Meetings.
Galux Phoenix.
Time for drastic measures.
The love of her life was just attacked by the one person who she wanted to kill the most. Daniel was on top of Golden's very long list of people she wanted to be pushing up daisies. She scowled at the ceiling as she lay awake in bed. She was confused, frustrated, and angry.
Very angry.
Her heart iced over at the thought of what Daniel would do to every person she had ever loved if he got his filthy little hands on them.
She heart started to freeze over when she was twelve, when she first went to the convent. Her parents had sent her to a convent in a small town a few miles away from the capital city of Corus only a month before her thirteenth birthday. She had met many people there: a couple of friends down at one of the local inns, and it was there when she found the part of Daniel that was almost pure evil hovering under the surface of innocence. That was when she became cold.
But then again, it was where Leo found her and took a young noble under his wing. And where she started to see Nathan in a whole new light.
It was when she was sitting in the garden of the convent in the middle of the night when a man sat down beside her. Many of the girls her age would then jump up and scream or would start to flirt with him, Alexandria of Kenton did neither.
She just sat there staring ahead. Leo was surprised that this young teenager would just sit there and stare straight ahead as if she was used to having strange -and most likely not too trustworthy- men coming and sitting by her in the middle of the night.
Then Alex surprised him even more by her first comment of the night. "You realise that you should work on walking more quietly over dry leaves? Anyone passing by could hear you if they tried."
"What do you mean?" Now he was just plain confused. This was one strangle girl.
"You walk loud. And is there any particular reason that you are sitting on a bench in the middle of a convent in the dead of the night?" she asked, changing the subject.
"I was looking for Alexandria of Kenton. I was thinking about offering her some real trailing." Leo noticed that she blinked once at the mention of her name.
"And what makes you think that she'll accept your offer?"
"The fact that you and I both know that what you want most is to be one of the best knife wielders in Tortall. I was given the job of looking out for you, I've seen the way you resented being noble, I also saw the practices you do in your room during the night. I also noticed the two knives under your sleaves and the two in the riding boots you are wearing." She smiled humourlessly for a moment before her face became still once more.
"It seems that you have spent at least the past week and a half spying on me after all. You really should work on being more quiet; try to stay on thicker branches when you're in trees." She stood up and smoothed out the pair of soft leather breeches she was wearing. "I will talk to you another time, Leo."
Leo sat there and looked flabbergasted. How in Mithros name did she knew who he was. The truth was, even if Leo didn't know it, that Alex had been down to one of the inn's near enough to the convent that she could walk there without collapsing for exhaustion, and without someone discovering she had disappeared. She had talked to some of the few people she trusted there and gave them a rough physical description of the man who had followed her for the past week.
"So, do you two know who he his?" instead of the good quality clothes she normally had, Alex was wearing poor fitting and filthy garments that she had borrowed off a friend for when she came down to the closer pubs and inns.
"I've heard his name is Leo, and he was sent by someone in Corus to watch over 'the possible Queen of Knives' if you know what that means," one of the two thieves she was talking to said. His name was Jacob, and he was quite tall and lanky for someone who was only fourteen years old.
The girl sitting next to him, Amelia, was his twin sister, and they looked exactly alike, right down to the last freckles on their noses. "I have no idea who the Queen of Knives is, but I heard that there was a prophecy about a wench with the legacy of much land and the love of a king, or something along those weird lines." Amelia gave a shrug and took a large gulp from her tankard.
"So that basically means the Queen of Knives will be born into a noble house and will fall in love with a king of some sorts?" Alex wondered.
"Something like that.," the twins answered in unison.
Alex sat there for a while. He mind was in a blur of thoughts. There were only two people in the country who were allowed to call themselves king. The Rogue and the king of Tortall. She was still there an hour later, frowning and the half full tankard of ale in front of her. She didn't understand it at all.
"Looks a lot like you've had a tough night." Her head snapped up at the sound of his voice. A smile spread across her features. "You faring ok up there?"
Alex looked at the young man who sat down opposite her. Bright blue eyes danced with laughter, dirty blond hair was wind tossed. "Hey, Nath. How long did it take for you to track me to here?" her tone of voice was slightly depressed.
Nathan frowned at her and covered one of her hands with his own. "You sure you're ok? You know I don't like to see my best friend unhappy, now. Tell me what's wrong."
"Not in here." She stood and led him outside so they wouldn't be overheard. "I can't take it much more, Nath!" she started to pace up and down in a small clearing out the back of the pub.
"What can't you take?" Now he was interested. It was rare for her to break out in a fit of anger or confusion.
"Being me! Why couldn't I have been born into a family like yours? A family that wouldn't send me off to some stupid convent or ban me from using knives of pick pocketing. Why did I have to end up with parents who want to shelter me from the real world. Who shelter me from my world. From all of my friends." Tears started to flow down her cheeks. She brushed them away hastily. "Why did I have to live in a life that I hated so much?"
"Then leave that life. Start a new one." Nathan took a couple of steps towards her. "Alex, if you don't like the life you're living, then leave it and start a new life. It makes sense doesn't it?"
She gave him a watery smile. "I guess."
"Then run away with me. We can go to Corus and join the Rogue there. We'll become one of the best thief team they've ever seen." He smiled gently down a few inches at her.
Alex was suddenly aware of just how close he really was to her. She could almost feel the tinge of pink spreading across her face. Why was she suddenly so nervous around him? He was her best friends and she'd known him for years, so why did her whole body tingle?
He didn't know why he did, he was just compelled to do so. He brushed a tear off her cheek before cupping her face in both hands. "I'm going to apologise."
She looked a bit confused. "For what?"
"This." Before she could say another word he swooped down and placed and soft kiss on her slightly parted lips. Nathan's hands slid down her arms until they rested on her hips, while hers rested on his fore arms. He deepened the kiss slowly. Alex melted into his arms. But hen her eyes flew open and she stiffened.
"No." she whispered softly. "It wouldn't work between us. Sorry." Alex turned and fled into the darkness of night. Nathan sighed as he let her go. Alex would see what was right when she wanted to. For someone with sharpened vision she was sure blind.
"I hope you know what you're doing, boy," Leo said from where he was leaning against the wall of the pub, next to the door.
"So do I, Leo. So do I." Nathan shot a glance at the older man. "Alex will come around when she feels she should. Always was like that."
"Tell me a bit about her." Nathan gave another sighed before her went back inside Leo on his tail, looking over the young man he knew would do great things with himself. How great he didn't really know.
~*~*~*
Golden snapped back to reality and started to blink at the bare ceiling of her room. He shoulders slumped as she realised that she couldn't go back to the way her life had been before Daniel started to terrorise it. She wished that Daniel would just disappear never to be seen again. But, she also knew that the only way she could live in peace would be if she killed Daniel and formally took the Queen of Knives position. "I wish life really were that simple," she whispered as she rolled over and slipped back into a dreamless sleep.
~*~*~*
I knew that it was lame and all but it was a necessary chapter in the plot line.
Alex- if she had one.
I do so have a plot line!
Alex- sure you do.
**kicks Alex out of computer room and locks that door** Please review and make me happy. That why I update more and chapters get a bit longer.
L8rz!
GalPhoe.
If I owned anything out of TP do you think I would be sitting here?
QUEEN OF KNIVES.
CHAPTER 8: Memories Of Meetings.
Galux Phoenix.
Time for drastic measures.
The love of her life was just attacked by the one person who she wanted to kill the most. Daniel was on top of Golden's very long list of people she wanted to be pushing up daisies. She scowled at the ceiling as she lay awake in bed. She was confused, frustrated, and angry.
Very angry.
Her heart iced over at the thought of what Daniel would do to every person she had ever loved if he got his filthy little hands on them.
She heart started to freeze over when she was twelve, when she first went to the convent. Her parents had sent her to a convent in a small town a few miles away from the capital city of Corus only a month before her thirteenth birthday. She had met many people there: a couple of friends down at one of the local inns, and it was there when she found the part of Daniel that was almost pure evil hovering under the surface of innocence. That was when she became cold.
But then again, it was where Leo found her and took a young noble under his wing. And where she started to see Nathan in a whole new light.
It was when she was sitting in the garden of the convent in the middle of the night when a man sat down beside her. Many of the girls her age would then jump up and scream or would start to flirt with him, Alexandria of Kenton did neither.
She just sat there staring ahead. Leo was surprised that this young teenager would just sit there and stare straight ahead as if she was used to having strange -and most likely not too trustworthy- men coming and sitting by her in the middle of the night.
Then Alex surprised him even more by her first comment of the night. "You realise that you should work on walking more quietly over dry leaves? Anyone passing by could hear you if they tried."
"What do you mean?" Now he was just plain confused. This was one strangle girl.
"You walk loud. And is there any particular reason that you are sitting on a bench in the middle of a convent in the dead of the night?" she asked, changing the subject.
"I was looking for Alexandria of Kenton. I was thinking about offering her some real trailing." Leo noticed that she blinked once at the mention of her name.
"And what makes you think that she'll accept your offer?"
"The fact that you and I both know that what you want most is to be one of the best knife wielders in Tortall. I was given the job of looking out for you, I've seen the way you resented being noble, I also saw the practices you do in your room during the night. I also noticed the two knives under your sleaves and the two in the riding boots you are wearing." She smiled humourlessly for a moment before her face became still once more.
"It seems that you have spent at least the past week and a half spying on me after all. You really should work on being more quiet; try to stay on thicker branches when you're in trees." She stood up and smoothed out the pair of soft leather breeches she was wearing. "I will talk to you another time, Leo."
Leo sat there and looked flabbergasted. How in Mithros name did she knew who he was. The truth was, even if Leo didn't know it, that Alex had been down to one of the inn's near enough to the convent that she could walk there without collapsing for exhaustion, and without someone discovering she had disappeared. She had talked to some of the few people she trusted there and gave them a rough physical description of the man who had followed her for the past week.
"So, do you two know who he his?" instead of the good quality clothes she normally had, Alex was wearing poor fitting and filthy garments that she had borrowed off a friend for when she came down to the closer pubs and inns.
"I've heard his name is Leo, and he was sent by someone in Corus to watch over 'the possible Queen of Knives' if you know what that means," one of the two thieves she was talking to said. His name was Jacob, and he was quite tall and lanky for someone who was only fourteen years old.
The girl sitting next to him, Amelia, was his twin sister, and they looked exactly alike, right down to the last freckles on their noses. "I have no idea who the Queen of Knives is, but I heard that there was a prophecy about a wench with the legacy of much land and the love of a king, or something along those weird lines." Amelia gave a shrug and took a large gulp from her tankard.
"So that basically means the Queen of Knives will be born into a noble house and will fall in love with a king of some sorts?" Alex wondered.
"Something like that.," the twins answered in unison.
Alex sat there for a while. He mind was in a blur of thoughts. There were only two people in the country who were allowed to call themselves king. The Rogue and the king of Tortall. She was still there an hour later, frowning and the half full tankard of ale in front of her. She didn't understand it at all.
"Looks a lot like you've had a tough night." Her head snapped up at the sound of his voice. A smile spread across her features. "You faring ok up there?"
Alex looked at the young man who sat down opposite her. Bright blue eyes danced with laughter, dirty blond hair was wind tossed. "Hey, Nath. How long did it take for you to track me to here?" her tone of voice was slightly depressed.
Nathan frowned at her and covered one of her hands with his own. "You sure you're ok? You know I don't like to see my best friend unhappy, now. Tell me what's wrong."
"Not in here." She stood and led him outside so they wouldn't be overheard. "I can't take it much more, Nath!" she started to pace up and down in a small clearing out the back of the pub.
"What can't you take?" Now he was interested. It was rare for her to break out in a fit of anger or confusion.
"Being me! Why couldn't I have been born into a family like yours? A family that wouldn't send me off to some stupid convent or ban me from using knives of pick pocketing. Why did I have to end up with parents who want to shelter me from the real world. Who shelter me from my world. From all of my friends." Tears started to flow down her cheeks. She brushed them away hastily. "Why did I have to live in a life that I hated so much?"
"Then leave that life. Start a new one." Nathan took a couple of steps towards her. "Alex, if you don't like the life you're living, then leave it and start a new life. It makes sense doesn't it?"
She gave him a watery smile. "I guess."
"Then run away with me. We can go to Corus and join the Rogue there. We'll become one of the best thief team they've ever seen." He smiled gently down a few inches at her.
Alex was suddenly aware of just how close he really was to her. She could almost feel the tinge of pink spreading across her face. Why was she suddenly so nervous around him? He was her best friends and she'd known him for years, so why did her whole body tingle?
He didn't know why he did, he was just compelled to do so. He brushed a tear off her cheek before cupping her face in both hands. "I'm going to apologise."
She looked a bit confused. "For what?"
"This." Before she could say another word he swooped down and placed and soft kiss on her slightly parted lips. Nathan's hands slid down her arms until they rested on her hips, while hers rested on his fore arms. He deepened the kiss slowly. Alex melted into his arms. But hen her eyes flew open and she stiffened.
"No." she whispered softly. "It wouldn't work between us. Sorry." Alex turned and fled into the darkness of night. Nathan sighed as he let her go. Alex would see what was right when she wanted to. For someone with sharpened vision she was sure blind.
"I hope you know what you're doing, boy," Leo said from where he was leaning against the wall of the pub, next to the door.
"So do I, Leo. So do I." Nathan shot a glance at the older man. "Alex will come around when she feels she should. Always was like that."
"Tell me a bit about her." Nathan gave another sighed before her went back inside Leo on his tail, looking over the young man he knew would do great things with himself. How great he didn't really know.
~*~*~*
Golden snapped back to reality and started to blink at the bare ceiling of her room. He shoulders slumped as she realised that she couldn't go back to the way her life had been before Daniel started to terrorise it. She wished that Daniel would just disappear never to be seen again. But, she also knew that the only way she could live in peace would be if she killed Daniel and formally took the Queen of Knives position. "I wish life really were that simple," she whispered as she rolled over and slipped back into a dreamless sleep.
~*~*~*
I knew that it was lame and all but it was a necessary chapter in the plot line.
Alex- if she had one.
I do so have a plot line!
Alex- sure you do.
**kicks Alex out of computer room and locks that door** Please review and make me happy. That why I update more and chapters get a bit longer.
L8rz!
GalPhoe.