Sparhawk glanced up from where he sat in the council table when the new Queen entered

and an eyebrow rose. Ehlana was still young, about thirty-six years old, but she just

wanted to be head of council. Danae didn't have to come.

Talen shrugged when the retired knight looked at him.

"I just wanted to know what was going on." Danae said, smiling sheepishly at her

mother.

Sitting down by her parents, she looked at her father to speak.

"Well, something is going on outside of the borders of Elenia. Tamuli is in turmoil again,

and there is civil war breaking out there, and we have absolutely no idea what is going

on. Hopefully we'll be able to know what is happening by next week." Sparhawk

frowned, "Only if God can bring the news to us sooner." And looked at Aphrael, his

daughter, pointedly. "Anyways, the Arcium border was recently attacked by Zemoch

people, but we don't have much knowledge on that either. And that is about all there is, I

believe."

"And that some people in the east of Elenia are protesting about the raising taxes." Added

a fat man from one of the seats.

Danae rolled her eyes, "Again?" she murmured. Rising, she nodded to them all, "Well,

that is all I needed to know and I appreciate you all informing me, but if you'll excuse

me, I'll be leaving. I have to do something about those taxes again it seems."

Then with Talen, he escorted her out.

"Where too?" He asked.

"To my rooms. I think I'll get drunk and pass out." She laughed.

"This isn't funny, Danae!" He replied, shocked, "This is all pretty serious stuff."

Rolling her eyes, she said, "I'm not a Goddess that can't deal with it later."

Frowning at her, he stated, "I think you're already drunk."

Raising an eyebrow, she stated, "We'll see about that, Talen."

When they reached her rooms, Talen opened the door for her, and when she went in, he

began to shut it but she demanded he come in. So he did. Inside of her sitting room, there

was a wine pitcher, which, unwillingly, Talen gave to his Queen. When he had finished

one cup of wine, she was halfway finished her second one. It was a few moments later

when she coughed in disgust of the wine, but finished her cup anyway.

Standing up, she took off her cape and went to her bedroom.

After a moment, she called, "Talen!"

Walking calmly to her room, he nearly stumbled in surprise when she nearly bumped into

him when she was heading out the door. Before he could back away, she circled her arms

around his neck and held him close. But Talen, all noble now because of his step

brothers, his step mother, and not to mention Yabathi, the new Styric teacher at the

chapterhouse, and, of course, the molding of his behavior from Berit.

"Are you okay Danae?" He asked gently.

Letting go of him, she hugged herself, and sighed, looking down.

Talen, all concerned, hugged her shoulders and pulled her a little close, "What is it

Danae?"

How could she tell him that the other Gods weren't helping her in finding out what was

going on in Tamuli, Arcium, and all the other places? How was she to tell him that she

had waited to be a woman since she had laid eyes upon him? Were these mortal feelings

she was getting? Or..... What was it that she felt for him?

Talen suddenly tilted her chin up and softly pressed his lips against hers.

When he began to pull away, she caught his lower lip in between her pearl white teeth,

then, softly and unmercifully, she sucked on it until he crushed her lips with his with a

moan. With his own teeth, he parted her lips, and when they opened, he slid his tongue

within her mouth. Tightly, she wrapped her arms around his neck, locking her hands in

his hair as she messaged his exploring tongue with her own. Feverishly, he grabbed her

hips and thrust them to his.

Breathless, they pulled away, but the wild look in Talen's brown eyes made her eyes

widen and a sly smile came to her lips. He leaned towards her once again, but suddenly

someone knocked on the main door, and slowly, Danae went past him to open the door. It

was her mother. Ehlana smiled at her daughter, "Are you alright?" She asked her

daughter, frowning and touching Danae's forehead.

"I-I'm fine mother. Why, do I look sick?"

"You're so flushed." Ehlana murmured as she walked in the door to see Talen standing

like the guard he was, staring out the window with his hands behind himself, and her

eyebrow rose.

"Oh," Danae, seeing her mother's expression, cleared her throat and said, "I-I guess I'm

flushed because Talen and I had a little wine because I insisted, uh, mother."

Ehlana nodded at her daughter, but Danae noted that she didn't believe her story.

Looking over his shoulder, Talen saw Ehlana looking at Danae, cleared his throat and

when she looked at him, he smiled at the former Queen and greeted her, and asked about

her health.

Ehlana answered the questions, then asked if he wouldn't mind if he stepped out the room

so she could speak with her daughter. Leaving the room, he silently shut the door.

Later that night, as Danae stood staring out the window, she called upon her Godly

powers and just calling upon them, she felt her heart race as she seemed to swoon in the

immortal peace she received from it. Closing her large eyes, she said in the Styric

language of the Gods, "Please, show me the future of this mortal life I am leading until I

am expected to die."

A sudden wave of feelings overwhelmed her, but when she opened her eyes, she saw

herself sitting on the throne alone, with a young man standing next to her. The young

man was not Talen, but the feeling she got from him was love for her. But the feeling she

got from herself was of sadness and wavering love only. And she saw chains on her

hands, as though she were a slave, and her throne had been mutated into that of a python.

Shivering as the vision passed, she closed her eyes, and then opened them once again.

"What is going on in the other countries?" She murmured.

A vision of sudden bloodshed, pain, and anger filled her. The Zemoches were busy

slaughtering the people of Tamuli again, but it was out of their own anger, and Arcium, it

was not the Zemoches that had attacked their border, it was Sync, one of the Younger

Gods of Styric, also known as the Snake God, he was leading armies against the Arcium

God, and his intentions weren't just to stop there.

Sighing, she released the power, and, still in her sapphire heavy gown, she left her room

and headed towards her father's room with Talen close at her heels from where he had

been waiting outside of her room, again. Before she could knock the door, Sephrenia

opened the door to Sparhawk's room grandly. With a raised eyebrow from Danae,

Sephrenia simply said, "I heard you coming."

Once inside the room, Danae took her father aside and told him everything about both

visions she had witnessed. Gravely, Sparhawk nodded. "What about this God? Are the

other Younger Gods doing anything about it?"

Quietly, she shrugged, "I don't know," she sullenly replied, "They wont speak with me."

"Why not?" He asked, concerned.

Shaking her head, she said, "They have forsaken me." Then she turned to Sephrenia; "I

want to go to bed now."

Sephrenia took the seventeen-year-olds arm and led her out of the room.

Talen went to follow, but Sparhawk stopped him, as he scribbled something on a sheet of

paper, "Hold on Talen." Then, folding the paper, he handed it to the young man, "Give

this to your brother Khalad. Now hurry."

Taking the note, he growled, "I'm not a page any longer, Sparhawk. I'm a knight."

Sarcastically, the retired knight replied, "Are you serious? I didn't know that." Then

seriously, he said, "Hurry on boy."

Storming out of the room and palace, he mounted Howda, his warhorse, and galloped out

of the palace grounds. Even in the streets, he galloped, merely moving his stallion out of

the way of women and children, but the men had to jump out of his way. Howda jumped

over barrels on the side of the street or other junk in his way, grunting in pleasure of the

surprised cries.

When two knights came forward to do the ritual before he could enter, they saw the

thunder of anger upon his face before he put his visor down hard. When he entered, he

heard one of the knights murmuring to the other, "He has the temper of Sir Sparhawk

now."

Even more angered, he went to Khalad's room. Now that Khalad was the head of this

chapterhouse, no one messed with him, except Talen who would get yelled at by his

mothers later on. The two middle aged knights standing guard at the door greeted him,

but he just grunted, "Is he in there?" He asked.

As one said yes, the other politely opened the door and called to Khalad, "Sir Talen has

come to meet you."

"Finally!" Khalad cried from within.

As the guards opened the door for the young man, Talen dangerously whispered,

"Finally?" And walked in. The knights quickly shut the door behind him, after seeing his

expression.

Khalad, at the sight of his stepbrother, laughed, "You look like Sparhawk!"

The neatly folded paper in his hand was then crunched up and tossed at Khalad, aiming

for his head. Khalad dodged it calmly. With a straight face, he seated himself calmly

again, then burst out laughing, and tears in his dark eyes.

"Have your pathetic note!" Talen growled, "I'm leaving."

Khalad cleared his throat, "Talen," He called, "Talen!" he yelled when the young man

didn't stop.

Looking over his shoulder, he asked, "What's your problem?"

"Mirtai's coming back from her vacation from the Pelosian people. So you wont have to

stick around Danae as much. Oh, and when she comes back, come here and report to me,

will you little brother?"

"Whatever." Talen replied, his eyes hardening. "Do you have anything else to say to me?"

Khalad grew serious, making Talen frown, as he quickly read the crumpled note, "How

does he know this stuff so soon?" He murmured to himself. Turning to his brother, and

standing up, he tossed the note in the fireplace where it quickly caught in flames, "Talen,

there will be war soon. Very soon. So guard the Queen with all your life."

Without a word, Talen left then hurried back to the palace.