((Sorry that I took so long to update but I have been working on my other
stories as of late. Thanks for all the good advice Kim and if I rewrite
that one part about Kari with her fears I'll be sure to use your advice.))
Jacob was livid. No, Corin thought as she watched her brother, he wasn't livid, she had never seen him this mad before. Not even that one time when she and Kari had hid his sword and palace livery from him while he was a page. But he probably had plenty of good reason to be upset, in his own mind. After all Kari was Corin's twin and she felt the need to help more then any of those here did.
"Wipe that grin off of your face," Roald snapped from behind her. "You have no reason to be smiling and if I had half the sense that I should then you would be on your way back to Corus with Kel or Alanna or Buri or even Daine!"
Buri smiled back at the two of them and said, "But he won't you know." She winked at Corin and added, "After all, you are the twin of his bride-to- be."
Roald stuttered slightly but said nothing more his face was flaming red. Buri winked again and turned back to face the front, Corin hid a giggle. "What in the name of the Goddess do you think you are doing?!" an indignant voice called out from ahead of them suddenly.
"I'm teaching you a lesson about pointing that sword blade at me is what I'm doing," a male's voice said back. Corin winced; she knew both of those voices. "Now if you do not answer me, Lioness, then I am going to have to make you."
Corin dropped down from the saddle of the horse she was riding and bolted ahead to where the voices were. "Stop!" she cried when she saw Alanna being held up in the air by a tall, strong-looking man who had night black hair and emerald green eyes. At the moment those eyes were as full of anger as Alanna's were.
"Corin!" Alanna cried as she kicked the man in the stomach. "Make this man release me!"
The man turned and fixed his emerald eyes on Corin. Then a smile broke out on his face and he let Alanna fall to the ground where she gasped and rubbed at her throat. "Corin!" he cried as he happily wrapped her in an embrace. Laughing he kissed her and then held her at arm's length. "You are getting bigger I see!" he said as he looked her over. "Not practicing enough?"
With a small grin Corin's hand darted out and grabbed the man's wrist. His eyes widened and he let her drop. "I am practicing as much as ever, Zilkan," she told him. "I just also happen to be pregnant." She smiled at him sweetly and turned her death grip on his wrist into a soothing gesture. "Sorry that I had to hurt you like that."
Zilkan nodded and let her rub his wrist. With his other hand he swept her up and sat down on a log with her on his lap. "Now tell me, my pretty Lynx, are you married?" His voice was slightly worried and his eyes intense.
Corin nodded and said, "I am married Zilkan. I thought you heard that I was from Kari? Not to mention the fact that I told you where I was going when I left Shang." The man shook his head and sighed. Corin reached up and touched his face. "Hey, no one can be as good a friend to me as you were, okay my Panther?"
Alanna stood up and dusted off her bottom before she asked, "Corin do you know this big lummox?"
Corin looked over at Alanna, startled to find her still there. Her eyes went wide and she tried to jump up but Zilkan held her down. "I know him Alanna," she said. "His name is Zilkan and he is the Shang Panther." She seemed about to say more but she looked down at her stomach and bit her lip.
Alanna looked at Corin and then at Zilkan. Something connected in her mind and she felt a great swell of sympathy for the girl. "At least make him apologize," she said gently. "And then I'll go back, tell the others to make camp where they are, and give the two of you some time alone."
Corin only had to look at Zilkan for him to say, "I apologize for manhandling you, Lady Alanna. But I was so worried about Corin that I had to know if she was with you or not. The people back in Corus said that she had vanished at the same time that you left. Knowing her as I do I thought that meant that she had come along somehow even though she was not supposed too." Seeming satisfied Alanna turned and left.
Corin turned back to Zilkan who was still regarding her with that intent gaze that she used to love so much. "Zilkan," she said with a weak laugh. "Stop giving me that look!"
"As soon as you stop being so beautiful, my Lynx," he said. Corin breath caught in her throat as he leaned down and kissed her. Along with the kiss came a flood of memories that she had tried so hard to get rid of.
~Two Years Ago~
Corin broke away from kissing Zilkan and placed her head on his chest, crying softly. "I'm sorry," she told him. "I'm so sorry that this has to happen."
Zilkan made her look at him as he asked, "What has to happen?"
Corin refused to meet his eyes. "Mother has arranged a marriage for me," she told him in a shame-filled voice. "I have to leave tomorrow for Corus, I have to be married within two months."
Zilkan stumbled backwards, as though she had hit him hard. She might as well have, it could not have possibly hurt more then this did. His face was pale as a sheet and his eyes were a mix of haunted and grief-stricken. "No," he said, shaking his head. "You can't marry someone else. I love you!"
Corin bit her lip and tasted blood; she had bitten down far too hard. "I love you too Zilkan," she told him, moving forward so that her hand touched his face. "I will always love you, no one can take that away from me."
Zilkan glared down at her. "Then why are you leaving me?" he demanded. "Why are you going to marry a man whom you have never met and do not love?"
"Because mother and father told me that I had too," Corin explained. "As a noble's daughter I must marry who they say. A promise made at my birth also binds me as well as any trap ever could."
His emerald eyes that made Corin feel safe and warm now made her want to cry and run. They were so full of love and grief that it tore her apart. "Don't go," he begged her. "Please Corin for the love of me don't go! Stay here and marry me, your parents cannot make you marry anyone if you are already wed."
Corin made herself pull away from him. Tears were streaming as freely down her face as they were down his. She loved this man more then she did anyone else, even more then she loved Kari. "I have to leave Zilkan," she told him as she let her hand fall from his face. "I have to go and pack my bags."
The next morning as Corin rode out of Shang her heart was breaking. She had hoped, a small sliver of hope, that Zilkan would come and say good-bye. "But why should he?" she asked herself in a bitter voice. "You broke his heart because you always do what mother says."
"Wait!" someone yelled at her when she passed through the city gates. Her heart jumped into her throat as Zilkan ran up to her. She threw herself off the saddle into his arms and kissed him harder then she ever had. She was crying when he pulled away and there were tears standing in his eyes. Zilkan brushed back a lock of her red hair and smiled gently at her. "I could not let you leave without saying good-bye. I also have something for you." He began to fumble in his pockets and produced a small ring on a chain. He placed it around her neck. "I'll always love you," he told her. "And you will know it forever."
"I have something for you too," Corin told him. She pressed into his hand a ring that she had bought for him half a year ago. "Wear it around you neck in remembrance of me. I will always love you Zilkan, always." Then she kissed him again and swung herself into the saddle. Her hand reluctantly released his as she turned her back and galloped away, her heart clutched in the hand of a man she had left behind.
~*~*~*~*~*Present~*~*~*~*~*
When Zilkan pulled away Corin was breathing hard and her hand was in his night black hair. "I've missed you," he told her with a small smile.
"I've missed you too," Corin admitted. She fumbled with something about her neck and pulled out a golden chain on which hung a white gold ring with a well-cut diamond on it. "I always remember you," she said quietly. "And I still love you."
Zilkan pulled out the necklace he wore. It was made of yellow gold and had a slightly smaller diamond on it. "I always remember you," he said back. "And I still love you."
Kel's jaw dropped open as she watched the man Corin had called Zilkan kiss her again and again. And Corin actually allowed it! Then she heard the words they said and her heart practically broke with sympathy for the two. They loved each other more then anything and could not be because Corin had married the noble man her mother had picked out.
Kel turned her gaze away from the heartbreaking scene and went back to the camp. She would not tell Jacob what she had seen, he would probably attack the man and get himself hurt. She would, however, tell Alanna, Daine, and Buri. As women they would understand what was happening.
((I decided to make Corin important and stuck that little twist in there for the fun of it.))
Jacob was livid. No, Corin thought as she watched her brother, he wasn't livid, she had never seen him this mad before. Not even that one time when she and Kari had hid his sword and palace livery from him while he was a page. But he probably had plenty of good reason to be upset, in his own mind. After all Kari was Corin's twin and she felt the need to help more then any of those here did.
"Wipe that grin off of your face," Roald snapped from behind her. "You have no reason to be smiling and if I had half the sense that I should then you would be on your way back to Corus with Kel or Alanna or Buri or even Daine!"
Buri smiled back at the two of them and said, "But he won't you know." She winked at Corin and added, "After all, you are the twin of his bride-to- be."
Roald stuttered slightly but said nothing more his face was flaming red. Buri winked again and turned back to face the front, Corin hid a giggle. "What in the name of the Goddess do you think you are doing?!" an indignant voice called out from ahead of them suddenly.
"I'm teaching you a lesson about pointing that sword blade at me is what I'm doing," a male's voice said back. Corin winced; she knew both of those voices. "Now if you do not answer me, Lioness, then I am going to have to make you."
Corin dropped down from the saddle of the horse she was riding and bolted ahead to where the voices were. "Stop!" she cried when she saw Alanna being held up in the air by a tall, strong-looking man who had night black hair and emerald green eyes. At the moment those eyes were as full of anger as Alanna's were.
"Corin!" Alanna cried as she kicked the man in the stomach. "Make this man release me!"
The man turned and fixed his emerald eyes on Corin. Then a smile broke out on his face and he let Alanna fall to the ground where she gasped and rubbed at her throat. "Corin!" he cried as he happily wrapped her in an embrace. Laughing he kissed her and then held her at arm's length. "You are getting bigger I see!" he said as he looked her over. "Not practicing enough?"
With a small grin Corin's hand darted out and grabbed the man's wrist. His eyes widened and he let her drop. "I am practicing as much as ever, Zilkan," she told him. "I just also happen to be pregnant." She smiled at him sweetly and turned her death grip on his wrist into a soothing gesture. "Sorry that I had to hurt you like that."
Zilkan nodded and let her rub his wrist. With his other hand he swept her up and sat down on a log with her on his lap. "Now tell me, my pretty Lynx, are you married?" His voice was slightly worried and his eyes intense.
Corin nodded and said, "I am married Zilkan. I thought you heard that I was from Kari? Not to mention the fact that I told you where I was going when I left Shang." The man shook his head and sighed. Corin reached up and touched his face. "Hey, no one can be as good a friend to me as you were, okay my Panther?"
Alanna stood up and dusted off her bottom before she asked, "Corin do you know this big lummox?"
Corin looked over at Alanna, startled to find her still there. Her eyes went wide and she tried to jump up but Zilkan held her down. "I know him Alanna," she said. "His name is Zilkan and he is the Shang Panther." She seemed about to say more but she looked down at her stomach and bit her lip.
Alanna looked at Corin and then at Zilkan. Something connected in her mind and she felt a great swell of sympathy for the girl. "At least make him apologize," she said gently. "And then I'll go back, tell the others to make camp where they are, and give the two of you some time alone."
Corin only had to look at Zilkan for him to say, "I apologize for manhandling you, Lady Alanna. But I was so worried about Corin that I had to know if she was with you or not. The people back in Corus said that she had vanished at the same time that you left. Knowing her as I do I thought that meant that she had come along somehow even though she was not supposed too." Seeming satisfied Alanna turned and left.
Corin turned back to Zilkan who was still regarding her with that intent gaze that she used to love so much. "Zilkan," she said with a weak laugh. "Stop giving me that look!"
"As soon as you stop being so beautiful, my Lynx," he said. Corin breath caught in her throat as he leaned down and kissed her. Along with the kiss came a flood of memories that she had tried so hard to get rid of.
~Two Years Ago~
Corin broke away from kissing Zilkan and placed her head on his chest, crying softly. "I'm sorry," she told him. "I'm so sorry that this has to happen."
Zilkan made her look at him as he asked, "What has to happen?"
Corin refused to meet his eyes. "Mother has arranged a marriage for me," she told him in a shame-filled voice. "I have to leave tomorrow for Corus, I have to be married within two months."
Zilkan stumbled backwards, as though she had hit him hard. She might as well have, it could not have possibly hurt more then this did. His face was pale as a sheet and his eyes were a mix of haunted and grief-stricken. "No," he said, shaking his head. "You can't marry someone else. I love you!"
Corin bit her lip and tasted blood; she had bitten down far too hard. "I love you too Zilkan," she told him, moving forward so that her hand touched his face. "I will always love you, no one can take that away from me."
Zilkan glared down at her. "Then why are you leaving me?" he demanded. "Why are you going to marry a man whom you have never met and do not love?"
"Because mother and father told me that I had too," Corin explained. "As a noble's daughter I must marry who they say. A promise made at my birth also binds me as well as any trap ever could."
His emerald eyes that made Corin feel safe and warm now made her want to cry and run. They were so full of love and grief that it tore her apart. "Don't go," he begged her. "Please Corin for the love of me don't go! Stay here and marry me, your parents cannot make you marry anyone if you are already wed."
Corin made herself pull away from him. Tears were streaming as freely down her face as they were down his. She loved this man more then she did anyone else, even more then she loved Kari. "I have to leave Zilkan," she told him as she let her hand fall from his face. "I have to go and pack my bags."
The next morning as Corin rode out of Shang her heart was breaking. She had hoped, a small sliver of hope, that Zilkan would come and say good-bye. "But why should he?" she asked herself in a bitter voice. "You broke his heart because you always do what mother says."
"Wait!" someone yelled at her when she passed through the city gates. Her heart jumped into her throat as Zilkan ran up to her. She threw herself off the saddle into his arms and kissed him harder then she ever had. She was crying when he pulled away and there were tears standing in his eyes. Zilkan brushed back a lock of her red hair and smiled gently at her. "I could not let you leave without saying good-bye. I also have something for you." He began to fumble in his pockets and produced a small ring on a chain. He placed it around her neck. "I'll always love you," he told her. "And you will know it forever."
"I have something for you too," Corin told him. She pressed into his hand a ring that she had bought for him half a year ago. "Wear it around you neck in remembrance of me. I will always love you Zilkan, always." Then she kissed him again and swung herself into the saddle. Her hand reluctantly released his as she turned her back and galloped away, her heart clutched in the hand of a man she had left behind.
~*~*~*~*~*Present~*~*~*~*~*
When Zilkan pulled away Corin was breathing hard and her hand was in his night black hair. "I've missed you," he told her with a small smile.
"I've missed you too," Corin admitted. She fumbled with something about her neck and pulled out a golden chain on which hung a white gold ring with a well-cut diamond on it. "I always remember you," she said quietly. "And I still love you."
Zilkan pulled out the necklace he wore. It was made of yellow gold and had a slightly smaller diamond on it. "I always remember you," he said back. "And I still love you."
Kel's jaw dropped open as she watched the man Corin had called Zilkan kiss her again and again. And Corin actually allowed it! Then she heard the words they said and her heart practically broke with sympathy for the two. They loved each other more then anything and could not be because Corin had married the noble man her mother had picked out.
Kel turned her gaze away from the heartbreaking scene and went back to the camp. She would not tell Jacob what she had seen, he would probably attack the man and get himself hurt. She would, however, tell Alanna, Daine, and Buri. As women they would understand what was happening.
((I decided to make Corin important and stuck that little twist in there for the fun of it.))