Disclaimer- The song lyrics in this chapter are "The Noose" By A Perfect
Circle off the Thirteenth Step. All rights belong to them.
AN- Everyone just has to get hat CD! Lol
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It was late evening and the normally deserted dock was awake with activity. A haze made it difficult to see even with magical lamps placed about. Numair, Daine, and Alanna quickly made their way up the platform. Numair could just make out the figure of the King and Queen through the mist and two other figures standing with them. Numair guessed they were Kaddar and Kharnia. Their pace quickened and within moments they had reached Jon and Thayet. Numair had been right. The two figures were Kaddar and Kharnia.
"Good to see you've got here so soon." Jon remarked as a way of recognizing their presence. Numair looked to Kaddar and shook his hand.
"It's good to see you." Numair said and Kaddar smiled. He was dressed suitably for Tortall's cooler climate. He wore breeches made of crocodile leather and a silk shirt dyed with shell fish to give it the royal purple color. His shirt also adorned gold buttons that matched the jewelry in his ears.
"I'm glad I can say the same." Kaddar said smiling. Then Kaddar motioned to Kharnia and made Numair unwillingly look at her. She was wearing an elegant blush-colored dress with silver cufflinks and a diamond broach adorned the bust of the dress. Numair looked into her eyes and seen a stormy emotion surface then die down as a smile spread across her soft features.
* (So glad to see you well Overcome and Completely silent now With heaven's help You cast your demons out) *
Numair looked into her brown eyes and sought out the woman he had lost fifteen years ago. When he didn't find her, he looked away, back to Daine who was watching their interactions intently. He took her hand in his and squeezed it reassuringly.
"So this is your new Fiancé?" Kharnia asked with a quivering voice. Numair looked to her and found tears in her eyes.
"What did you come here for?" Numair asked and Kharnia looked as if she'd been slapped.
"I wanted to talk to you." She whispered. "You have no idea what I've been through..." She said in a hitching voice. "No, I don't, but I would like to know what happened." He said and seen a glimmer of hope in her eyes. Numair ignored the emotion he saw there, but it just didn't seem right to him. As he thought about it nothing about her seemed right.
* (And not to pull your hallo down Around your neck And tug you off your cloud But I'm more than just a little curious How you're planning to go about making your amends To the dead, To the dead) *
"Lets head to the palace. It's getting chilly out here." Jon said and everyone murmured their agreement. The walk back to the palace was filled with diplomatic talk between Kaddar and Jonathan. Daine stayed close to Numair, taking in his warmth. They stayed in the rear. Jon, Kaddar, and Thayet lead the party to the palace. Once there, Jon invited everyone into the social room. It was a large room filled lavishly with furniture. Jon and Kaddar seated themselves in the middle of the room in the most expensive looking chairs to talk to each other, while Alanna, Thayet and Kharnia sat closer to the wall to talk and Daine and Numair sat near the opposite wall.
"What do you think about her?" Daine asked and Numair shook his head.
"Something's wrong, but I can't place my finger on it. She's different somehow." Numair said and Daine nodded. She squeezed his hand and smiled.
"I'm going to go back and check on Kit and get washed up." Daine said and Numair looked up at her quickly. "I want you to talk to Kharnia and find out what happened." Daine said and Numair nodded. He didn't want Daine to leave yet, but sat quietly and watched her depart from the room. Then he noticed Kharnia had watched her go as well. He watched with detachment as Kharnia excused herself from conversation and walked over to him. She sat down beside him and he felt uncomfortable with her closeness.
"Arram..."
"Numair." He said to cut her off. She took a breath and continued.
"Numair, the only reason I came here was to tell you what happened. And your treating me like I don't mean anything to you!" She said in a shaky voice.
"Kharnia, let us get this straight. I do want to know what happened, but you don't carry the same meaning to me as you did fifteen years ago." Numair said, relieved he had set his feelings for her straight. Kharnia looked stricken, but stayed quiet for a few minutes.
"Well, would you like my story then?" She asked trying to be pleasant.
"That's what you came here for isn't it?" Numair stated as he stared at her with dark emotionless eyes. Kharnia sighed and cleared her throat.
"The night everyone thought I died... I was abducted." Kharnia said and Numair raised his eyebrows.
"By whom?" He queried.
"Leiano." She stated and Numair's memory flashed.
"He was dead long before you died." He accused.
"He faked it with a simulacrum as he did mine." She said and Numair absorbed the information. 'It is quite possible' he thought. 'Back then I wasn't strong enough to make a simulacrum let alone recognize one.' He thought and looked to Kharnia who was staring intently at him. "He kept me imprisoned with spells. He had took me out of the country to Rhinissima. That's where he kept me all these years." She said sadly.
"What did he do to you?" Numair asked concerned. His emotions toward her were quickly changing.
"I was his sex slave..." Was all she said and Numair felt outraged.
* (You called your deeds as if their own Someone else's atrocious stories now You stand before me, before us all So glad to see you well) *
"How did you escape?" Numair asked.
"A stormwing killed him. I barely made it out alive." Was all she said. Numair nodded then suddenly felt uncomfortable and stood up.
"I'm going to go find Daine, maybe we'll talk tomorrow." Numair said politely and Kharnia smiled warmly.
"Maybe." She said softly, but in that moment Numair saw the swirls of dark emotion in her eyes. He turned and shook his head confused once more by her intentions.
* (And not to pull your halo down Around your neck And tug you to the ground But I'm more than a little curious How you're planning to go about making your amends To the dead, To the dead) *
Kharnia watched Numair leave the room and smiled to herself. 'I'm getting to him.' She thought menacingly. She gently let her fingers slide against her neck and feel the charm safely hidden under the silk of her dress. 'Soon I'll have him where I want him and my love will be breath once more.'
* (With your halo slipping down Your halo slipping Your halo slipping down Your halo slipping down But I'm more than just a little curious How you're planning to go about making your amends With your halo slipping down To choke you now)
********************************************** AN- I can't get the lyric formatting right... I've re-updated three times... If it's not right this time I give up! :( ***********************************************
CrAzYhOrSeGiRl88- hehehe, it was an evil ploy to get you to review twice, muhahaha.
Horsegurl21- Thanks! :)
Dottie- Thankies!
PrincessAlyssa16- hmmm.... Probably... of course Numair has to be alive to answer her!
FlamingKnight- Thanks! And I hope you like this ending too, lol.
Kit49- Thanks for reviewing! :)
R and R! :)
**********************************************
It was late evening and the normally deserted dock was awake with activity. A haze made it difficult to see even with magical lamps placed about. Numair, Daine, and Alanna quickly made their way up the platform. Numair could just make out the figure of the King and Queen through the mist and two other figures standing with them. Numair guessed they were Kaddar and Kharnia. Their pace quickened and within moments they had reached Jon and Thayet. Numair had been right. The two figures were Kaddar and Kharnia.
"Good to see you've got here so soon." Jon remarked as a way of recognizing their presence. Numair looked to Kaddar and shook his hand.
"It's good to see you." Numair said and Kaddar smiled. He was dressed suitably for Tortall's cooler climate. He wore breeches made of crocodile leather and a silk shirt dyed with shell fish to give it the royal purple color. His shirt also adorned gold buttons that matched the jewelry in his ears.
"I'm glad I can say the same." Kaddar said smiling. Then Kaddar motioned to Kharnia and made Numair unwillingly look at her. She was wearing an elegant blush-colored dress with silver cufflinks and a diamond broach adorned the bust of the dress. Numair looked into her eyes and seen a stormy emotion surface then die down as a smile spread across her soft features.
* (So glad to see you well Overcome and Completely silent now With heaven's help You cast your demons out) *
Numair looked into her brown eyes and sought out the woman he had lost fifteen years ago. When he didn't find her, he looked away, back to Daine who was watching their interactions intently. He took her hand in his and squeezed it reassuringly.
"So this is your new Fiancé?" Kharnia asked with a quivering voice. Numair looked to her and found tears in her eyes.
"What did you come here for?" Numair asked and Kharnia looked as if she'd been slapped.
"I wanted to talk to you." She whispered. "You have no idea what I've been through..." She said in a hitching voice. "No, I don't, but I would like to know what happened." He said and seen a glimmer of hope in her eyes. Numair ignored the emotion he saw there, but it just didn't seem right to him. As he thought about it nothing about her seemed right.
* (And not to pull your hallo down Around your neck And tug you off your cloud But I'm more than just a little curious How you're planning to go about making your amends To the dead, To the dead) *
"Lets head to the palace. It's getting chilly out here." Jon said and everyone murmured their agreement. The walk back to the palace was filled with diplomatic talk between Kaddar and Jonathan. Daine stayed close to Numair, taking in his warmth. They stayed in the rear. Jon, Kaddar, and Thayet lead the party to the palace. Once there, Jon invited everyone into the social room. It was a large room filled lavishly with furniture. Jon and Kaddar seated themselves in the middle of the room in the most expensive looking chairs to talk to each other, while Alanna, Thayet and Kharnia sat closer to the wall to talk and Daine and Numair sat near the opposite wall.
"What do you think about her?" Daine asked and Numair shook his head.
"Something's wrong, but I can't place my finger on it. She's different somehow." Numair said and Daine nodded. She squeezed his hand and smiled.
"I'm going to go back and check on Kit and get washed up." Daine said and Numair looked up at her quickly. "I want you to talk to Kharnia and find out what happened." Daine said and Numair nodded. He didn't want Daine to leave yet, but sat quietly and watched her depart from the room. Then he noticed Kharnia had watched her go as well. He watched with detachment as Kharnia excused herself from conversation and walked over to him. She sat down beside him and he felt uncomfortable with her closeness.
"Arram..."
"Numair." He said to cut her off. She took a breath and continued.
"Numair, the only reason I came here was to tell you what happened. And your treating me like I don't mean anything to you!" She said in a shaky voice.
"Kharnia, let us get this straight. I do want to know what happened, but you don't carry the same meaning to me as you did fifteen years ago." Numair said, relieved he had set his feelings for her straight. Kharnia looked stricken, but stayed quiet for a few minutes.
"Well, would you like my story then?" She asked trying to be pleasant.
"That's what you came here for isn't it?" Numair stated as he stared at her with dark emotionless eyes. Kharnia sighed and cleared her throat.
"The night everyone thought I died... I was abducted." Kharnia said and Numair raised his eyebrows.
"By whom?" He queried.
"Leiano." She stated and Numair's memory flashed.
"He was dead long before you died." He accused.
"He faked it with a simulacrum as he did mine." She said and Numair absorbed the information. 'It is quite possible' he thought. 'Back then I wasn't strong enough to make a simulacrum let alone recognize one.' He thought and looked to Kharnia who was staring intently at him. "He kept me imprisoned with spells. He had took me out of the country to Rhinissima. That's where he kept me all these years." She said sadly.
"What did he do to you?" Numair asked concerned. His emotions toward her were quickly changing.
"I was his sex slave..." Was all she said and Numair felt outraged.
* (You called your deeds as if their own Someone else's atrocious stories now You stand before me, before us all So glad to see you well) *
"How did you escape?" Numair asked.
"A stormwing killed him. I barely made it out alive." Was all she said. Numair nodded then suddenly felt uncomfortable and stood up.
"I'm going to go find Daine, maybe we'll talk tomorrow." Numair said politely and Kharnia smiled warmly.
"Maybe." She said softly, but in that moment Numair saw the swirls of dark emotion in her eyes. He turned and shook his head confused once more by her intentions.
* (And not to pull your halo down Around your neck And tug you to the ground But I'm more than a little curious How you're planning to go about making your amends To the dead, To the dead) *
Kharnia watched Numair leave the room and smiled to herself. 'I'm getting to him.' She thought menacingly. She gently let her fingers slide against her neck and feel the charm safely hidden under the silk of her dress. 'Soon I'll have him where I want him and my love will be breath once more.'
* (With your halo slipping down Your halo slipping Your halo slipping down Your halo slipping down But I'm more than just a little curious How you're planning to go about making your amends With your halo slipping down To choke you now)
********************************************** AN- I can't get the lyric formatting right... I've re-updated three times... If it's not right this time I give up! :( ***********************************************
CrAzYhOrSeGiRl88- hehehe, it was an evil ploy to get you to review twice, muhahaha.
Horsegurl21- Thanks! :)
Dottie- Thankies!
PrincessAlyssa16- hmmm.... Probably... of course Numair has to be alive to answer her!
FlamingKnight- Thanks! And I hope you like this ending too, lol.
Kit49- Thanks for reviewing! :)
R and R! :)