A/N Sorry about the wait. But this chappie is extra long, and a lot happens in it. For those who want me to update Amber Fire I'm afraid that you will have to wait a couple more days until I'm on vacation, because the teachers are loading on the work. Please read and review, and I hope enjoy.
Chapter VII: Strange Meetings
Alanna was restless. She stood up, and looked out of the window. The moonlight was bright; the convent gardens were calling her. She opened the windows wide to get air. The pull was stronger than ever. She climbed out the window, hanging full length from the sill, her feet scrabbling for the window lintel below. It was dangerous work, and she had only done it once before, but she was strong and steady, for the first time in her life she mentally thanked her dancing master. She made it down to the ground without any mishaps. Her bare feet felt cold in the almost spring air, she curled her toes under wishing that she had thought to bring shoes. She began to wander; the gardens were big, and wild in a cultivated sense. The moonlight bathed everything in a strange silvery light. She sat on one of the simple benches that the priestesses had made for meditation in the gardens, and shivered. She was beginning to wonder what had possessed her to take this moonlit stroll. Slowly she became aware of a soft shaky meow, and a little black and white kitten, the coloring that was often referred to as magpie, stumbled out of one of the shrubs. Alanna looked at it; it wasn't familiar to her. She knew all the convent cats. She lifted it gently, its weight was so slight, and Alanna saw that it was nothing but skin, and bones. She smiled down at it in her arms. It wasn't the least bit afraid, and was now producing a loud purr. She stroked it carefully. Its coat was matted with dry mud. She sat back down with it on the bench, and began to untangle its fur gently. It was asleep in a moment.
"It might be nice to have a pet to talk to," she thought with a tired smile. She raised her eyes from the kitten and scanned the garden again.
She saw someone. Every muscle in her body was on edge. If she were seen then the sisters would punish her harshly. The tall form was at the edge of the garden, and it was approaching Alanna's huddled form. Alanna began to sneeze, and the kitten woke up and indignantly looked into Alanna's eyes. She stared. The cat's eyes were as purple as her own.
"Great mother goddess," she whispered. She tore her eyes away from the cat's only to see the tall form approaching even faster. "Why did I come out tonight?" she asked herself, she could only sit there, though, her night gown glowing a dazzling white under the moon, while the hooded stranger came up to her and stood in front of her.
Alanna stood, knowing inside her that this was someone who deserved respect. The stranger pulled back her hood, and Alanna found herself looking into the green eyes of the most beautiful perfection she had ever seen in her entire life.
"My Daughter," the woman said her voice husky and sweet.
*~*~*
"Jadi it has been a long time hasn't it?" Mother Lokisk said with a smile. Her sister grinned back.
"Twelve years I believe," she said, pouring herself a glass of wine, and sitting opposite her sister. They were almost perfect mirrors of each other, but their faces and bodies also spoke of different experiences. Jadi's face was a tanned dark, lined with wrinkles from the sun. Her long steely grey hair fell down her back wildly, and the hand that held the glass was callused and powerful. Lokisk though was pale, and her wrinkles came from scholarly thought, and meditation. Her hair was clipped close to her scalp, and she squinted it the pale light because she was used to looking at the world through a veil. As High Priestess to the Great Mother Goddess she did not have much leisure time, and this showed in her trembling white fingers, and dark circles beneath her eyes. They were twins, but Lokisk looked years older, and even she had to admit it.
"So did you return just to reminisce, or are there darker forces at work?" Lokisk looked at her sister appraisingly. Jadi stood, and faced the fire. Lokisk could still see her face reflected in the copper grate. It distorted it disturbingly.
"Roger is rounding up the Shang," Jadi said quietly. "Those that don't join with him are killed." The Shang Gorgon rounded on her sister. "At least half have been taken, and killed. No Shang would join him, so they are tortured and killed. Our Dragon is organizing the remaining Shang into an army. We need sanctuary, though. Sister, I have come to beg you to take us in." The high priestess of the Great Mother Goddess met her twin's eyes.
"I have one condition." Jadi raised an eyebrow at this, but remained silent. "Train my girls in self-defense." For the first time in a month Jadi laughed. It was a deep bark of laughter.
"Train your court beauties in self-defense?! Those girls don't have enough sense between them to run away. What makes you think that they are capable of fighting? What would all their dear parents say?" It was Lokisk's turn to raise an eyebrow.
"You have never thought that my work was worth while. Have you sister?"
"Your work as high priestess is worth while enough, but you have been wasting your time and your talent on those brainless court flirts."
"My girls are trained in five languages, and in hiding the fact. They can read and write, and have been taught all of the modern sciences as well as the history of the realm. Also they are extremely proficient at mathematics, and all the gifted ones have been taught many spells which mean that they can magically defend themselves. But they need a way to physically defend themselves."
"This is foolishness, they wouldn't survive a day."
"I'm not asking you to turn them into Shang warriors. They just need to know enough so that if they are attacked they won't be helpless." Lokisk's voice was unyielding. Jadi shook her head.
"If I teach your beauties some basic punches and kicks, the Shang can use the convent as a base?"
"Of course," Lokisk replied with a little smile curling the corners of her lips. Jadi looked at her sister then held out her hand. Lokisk shook it firmly, realizing how much both of them had changed since their last meeting.
*~*~*
Gary left the throne room. Once a week King Roger called all the remaining courtiers to the great hall to swear their devotion to him. Gary always felt uncomfortable about it because knights were brought up to be honest, but he knew that Roger knew he wasn't loyal. The only reason, that Gary could see, that he was still alive is that Roger wanted to watch and see what he would do. This week though Gary was worried, Esanta wasn't beside Roger as she always was. He slipped into one of the secret passageways, and ran down to her apartments.
He reached the spy hole and looked in, Esanta was lying face down on her bed. Gary looked at her for a minute then whispered,
"Essy?" She sat up startled, her back was facing him, with blonde hair rippling over the silk robe.
"Gary?" she said tentatively, then hurriedly, "Go away. Gary please go away." She choked back a sod, and Gary saw that she was trembling.
"Essy what happened? Look at me."
"No, Gary, please." She waved her arm back towards him and the robe slid back revealing purple and blue bruises down her arm. Gary stared.
"Essy, if you don't turn around and talk to me, I swear by Mithros that I will go into that room." Esanta winced.
"Gary, no I can't let you." She heard the latch of the secret passage being lifted. She leapt off the bed and sprang to the hidden door. "Gary don't." Inside the passageway Gary had not gotten a clear view of her face. Slowly he felt the door open though, and Essy slipped in.
Her cheeks were black from bruises, and her lips were swollen from the beating. She had one black eye and the other eye was red from sobbing. Gary gently touched her cheek. Then he straightened; no man could do this, and go unpunished. He turned back towards the Throne Room, but Essy grabbed his arm.
"What in the Dark Realms do you intend to do? I didn't want you to see me for this very reason. If you go and challenge Roger now you will be dead and the resistance with you. Don't be an idiot. I'm fine. I have lived through worse beatings in my life, I will see worse one in the years to come. Men do not treat women like me gently. I will be fine, but he will kill me if you challenge him." Gary looked at her beautiful face, and realized how little he knew her, and how much he loved her.
"I can't let him get away with this," he said, but the argument was weak.
"He has gotten away with much worse. That is why you must live," she said quietly.
"She deserves so much better than this life," Gary thought as he brushed a strand of hair out of her face, and lifted her chin. For one breathless moment their eyes locked. Then gently he lowered his lips to hers. Esanta gave into the kiss, but her last thought was,
"This is foolishness."
A/T
Martina: Thanks for the review. I gave my one thought about the other side of the mirror in my review. It was that Alanna should get blamed for killing Jon.
CrazNM: I'm glad you like it! Also I'm glad you think that it is original! I'm a huge George fan, but I may be annoying and make her end up with someone else.
Orange Blossom: Thank you for enjoying the cliffie.
Anita: Thanks for the review.
Devilkitti8: Thanks for the review.
Mage Kitty: I'm glad you like it! Thanks for the review
Ok I want more than 6 reviews to update the next chappie, maybe around 10 (from 10 different people. So review! (please).
