Aether Winds

Chapter twenty-two- Ignoring Certain Others

By- IceWind

A/N:

This is my first fanfic for The Protector of the Small books by Tamora Pierce. The names, places, things, ect, all are credited to her. The word Aether goes to Juliet E. McKenna, but the way I use it and the gem idea is all mine. This fanfic is set in an alternate universe. I.E: Joren is NOT dead, Cleon and Kel are not together (hehe), and other incidents that have I messed up on and don't feel like making it exactly like the book. Please REVIEW *grins* and as long as its not flames on how Kel and Cleon should be together or something of that trivial nature, flames are fine. This story is PG-13 for anything that might come up lol.

IceWind: Ok, I'm going to start writing once more! *raises fist in air and looks like a dork*

Kaori: *snickers at her*

Raen: *looks up from his spot under a tree* Why don't you just start?

IceWind: *blinks, lowers fist, nods* ya!

Larzdinn: *gags on her drink* Woah, long review o.O;; Yay! Mwahahaha, procrastinate on your assignment! *sweatdrop* Ugh, I've been so… mushy that I NEED some action scenes now. Corn on the cob… MMMMmmmm…. You are full of conflicting emotions/ideas aren't you? *snickers* Don't worry, I'll try to get the chapters out. *suddenly shudders* Do you know the amount of guilt I'll be in if I make all you guys wait MONTHS? *giggles* And I did read your entire review, thanks for it!

DragonShimmer: *winks* Me and stop my cliffhangers? BLASPHAMY! *large sweatdrop and then snickers* I love opposites… *grins*

Krazy Kitty: Of course I'll tell you, I just don't think anyone is going to do it. O.o;;

Caitie: *points finger at you and shrieks* Lurker! Hehe. *bonks you on the head* ^^;; *shrieks* A MONTH! AHHH! *hides* Sequel… actually I was thinking about that! *smirks* But I also have 2 other Kel/Joren ideas stuck in my head…

Jarna Hill: Hmm… of course they'll be all right! *beams* If anything, Joren will blast evil people to pieces! (Kel is understandably tired lol) *hugs Raen and coos*

The Blind Assassin: Nude Joren… *gapes then suddenly blushes and turns around* I know what you mean, it was weird, but I really didn't know how to do everything. *smirks* Nude Joren in bed with me… *coughs*

Shivohnsongbreeze: MWAHAHAHA! I inspired someone! Yay! Me go read it when you put it up! ^^;;

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"Shit!" Joren cursed softly as he saw Kel waver slightly from the drain of transporting them back to Scanra. He could feel the weariness emanating from her body and so moved over to her, supporting her up roughly, arm jerking out his sword as he readied himself.

The horses looked uncomfortable in the close quarters, it was too cramped for them to be any help and if anything, they would hinder the coming fight. They tried to squeeze themselves into a tighter place so there was more room for Joren and Raen to fight. Arctic Wind nickered softly in worry as Demon Wind faced the door, shuffling in anticipation.

Raen himself bared his teeth as the footsteps grew louder, crouching down closer to the dungeon floor, body tensed and ready to spring as soon as the person opened the door. His ears were laid back in agitation, tail lashing around absentmindedly. He didn't even bother to speak to the others, his entire being focused on the approaching person and his need to protect the others… mainly his Mistress.

Kel was wavering slightly as she unsheathed her glaive with one hand, cursing silently at their bad luck to have to fight so early on after she just performed the spell to come back to this world. The amount of drain upon her, even if her power was at the greatest that day, was tremendous.

The sounds of footsteps came closer and closer until finally the door swung open suddenly and Darial strode in, looking at the multitudes of creatures without surprise and only mild interest, "Ah your all here then." His lips twitched as Joren's sword rested upon his throat and only raised a hand in defense, on the wrist dangled the ice blue gem that Kel had seen before.

Immediately Kel looked towards Joren and shook her head, saying incredulously towards Darial, "Your our contact?!" Immediately she felt foolish and gave a slight frown, watching Darial with an appraising eye, why didn't I figure this out earlier? I know that Darial has a gem like the elves do, I just forgot about it… But I thought he was on the King of Scanran's side! What is going on… Curtly she spoke, "Explain."

Joren kept the tip of his sword at the now discovered elf's throat, ice blue eyes narrowing lightly at Darial, even though he seemed to be their contact, one could not be sure. Beside him, Raen sniffed the air; the hizar's eyes intent. He padded around Darial and looked up at the Kalyrath horses, nodding with them when he finished.

"Finished hizar?" Darial looked down at Raen bemused, not daring to move his head any slightest way on threat that Joren would slit his throat. Cool green eyes stared at Kel as he dared a light smile, "Lady Mindelan, pleasure to see that your all right after you shifted to this world. As you guessed, I am your contact, Queen Arylanth contacted me via the psy tower and told me that you were coming back, do you know how irritating it is to keep others away from the cell the amount of time you were gone?" His manner was the same as always, crisp and cool, "What the queen failed to tell you was that I am here on a certain mission to help fight against the Great Evil, Scanra is part of that plan."

"Wait… you're an elf?! But what about your ears? And how did you get here?" Kel's voice was getting stronger by the minute, her surprise apparent, "And why did we end up in the dungeon again?!" Consternation layered her voice at her last sentence.

He gave a wry chuckle, wincing a bit as the tip of the sword pressed deeper towards his throat. Darial gave Joren a mild glare before answering Kel, "Simple illusion magic for my ears, and I am a trusted weapons master, I can go pretty much wherever I want. But considering your talking about how I got into this world… Arylanth gathered a lot of elves to transport me here; they were drained for days afterwards. I am their contact to this world and here to make sure that plan Trabalia goes according to schedule. In answer to your last question, to be able to shift from one point to another, you have to know the Shift sites beforehand, you only knew this one… and so you were transported here. Arylanth didn't inform you of another one because she wanted us to meet."

Kel gave a soft sigh, silently acknowledging that Darial was who he said he was and twisted her head around and looked towards Joren, saying lightly, "I think he's telling the truth." She desperately tried to fight the sensation of wanting to fall asleep, or at least unconscious, especially when she was being supported in Joren's warm arms.

Joren gave a slight nod in agreement, ignoring the fact that he was actually agreeing with Kel for once, "Fine then," he took his sword away from Darial's throat, asking coolly, "What time is it and how do we get away?" He felt Kel waver slightly and adjusted his grip, boosting her up more firmly.

Raen looked towards Darial steadily, Darial Earintath, advisor to the queen, I was wondering why we didn't see you in the castle The hizar flicked his tail and tilted his head arrogantly, Hmm, now what is plan Trabalia?

With a smirk down at Raen, the elf continued on answering the barrage of questions that were fired at him, "It is a couple of candle marks until dawn, if the queen did not tell you of the plan yet, I shall not either." Suddenly he looked at Kel and frowned, "I was planning to get all of you out by Lady Mindelan using her magic, Raen, you know how, teleporting. I had forgotten how tired she would be at the end… but that's where you come in," he gestured towards Joren, "Arylanth told me about your bond and you can use it to give Lady Mindelan enough power for her to transport you all out of here. I shall alert the guards half a candle mark after you leave and tell the king the truth of the matter, and before you ask, yes, the King of Scanra can be trusted." Done with his message he turned around and called over his shoulder as he walked out, "Good luck Mi'lady."

Humph, elves are forever arrogant

Joren felt a touch of a smile ghost on his lips at Demon Wind's comment, inwardly agreeing as he turned around and looked at Raen, "Well then, we're leaving now." He beckoned the horses to him and grabbed a hold of their reigns, "What do I do?" He cast a worried look towards Kel, hardly noticing that he was doing so in the first place.

The hizar seemed to stare at Joren for a moment before looking at his Mistress with plain worry in his dark blue eyes; I… shall help as well. Try to gather your energy and channel it towards my Mistress, didn't the elves in that room teach you that much?

Ignoring the rather half effort insult, Joren just sheathed his sword and gripped both horses reigns tightly, sending a stream of power into Kel. Raen gave a soft growl and his gem glowed a bright silver before loosing his power upon her.

She let loose a soft grunt as she struggled to combined the powers and transmute it so that she could use them as well, her white gem began to glow furiously and suddenly they disappeared, leaving by an empty dungeon cell.

~

As soon as they appeared in the middle of the throne room, with what looked like most of the important people and several knights in Tortall and in front of the king and queen, Kel blacked out. As she slid to the floor, Joren caught her and let go of the horse's reigns to hold her up, looking around at the full room with a instant arrogant look upon his face. At the sudden silence that filled the room, Joren forced himself to look at it from their perspective… and wondered why they weren't trying to kill them all yet.

The first person to speak, and it came to no surprise to Joren, was Neal, "What in Mithros name are you doing Stone?!" He seemed to ignore the fact that they popped up out of nowhere, there was some strange black creature by Joren's side, and that they seemed to be wearing strange clothing… all in favor of staring at Joren who had Kel in his arms.

Immediately Raen snarled deeply, ready to attack at a second's notice, his hackles were raised, long sharp teeth glinting in the mage lights. His ferocity caused several of the knights to draw their swords, which he countered by his gem suddenly glowing a deep silver, tired as he was, he was nowhere as severely drained as his Mistress. His mind-voice was deadly cold as it vibrated around the room, Touch one hair on my Mistress's or the boy's head and I will make sure that you die

Several people gasped as the hizar's voice was heard in their head and King Jonathan held up a hand saying calmly, "Put your weapons down… Joren of Stone Mountain, what is the meaning of this?" Beside him, Alanna looked upon the scene with acute interest, Numair and Daine looking avidly on the odd group.

Daine muttered softly to Numair, "I can't see inside the creatures head, nothing! Even with immortals I can sense some things, at least a presence, but with that creature…" She looked up at Numair, "Did you find out how they got here so quickly?" A soft trill by her side came to her attention and she glanced down at Sky Song who was staring at the hizar.

With a shake of his head, Numair gazed at Raen, his hands glowing black with blue streaks as he tensed, "No, none of them have the gift… at least I never thought they did. Even with the gift they wouldn't be able to transport themselves instantaneously."

Do you really think you can get passed my mental shields mage? I am Raen of the Eclipse Guardian pack! Bonded to my Mistress Keladry of Mindelan, princess of the Lorynthia elves! No mere human can defeat me There was unmistakably a sneer at the end of his tone, Raen's stance haughty. Suddenly he glanced at Numair, Try it human mage, and I'll make you eat it

Joren looked at Raen in a slightly stunned expression, before he said calmly, "Raen, Kel would not appreciate you threatening her…" he gave a sneer towards Neal, "friends." He may be bonded to the girl, but that doesn't mean that he was going to like her friends. He glanced down at Kel in his arms and heaved a soft sigh, shifting her slightly to make her more comfortable, if anyone ever told me that I'd carry Kel in my arms after she fainted -from something not even my fault- I'd try to kill the person after declaring them insane.

Neal, Cleon, and Owen all gaped at the scene before them. Okay, sure the black creature and clothes and popping up out of nowhere were surprising, but none of them rivaled to the fact that Joren was acting… tolerable. Well, admirably, he seemed to do it for Kel's benefit, but that's what was so surprising, out of all of them all, Joren had hated Kel the most. Now he's carrying her, calling her by her first name, and calling off the creature from her friend's! …Jeez, did he get hit on the head in Scanra?

Continuing on blithely, not aware of the other knight's thoughts, Joren spoke fluidly to King Jonathan and Queen Thayet, "We come baring… many, many things to tell you both." Understatement of the century. He gave a cool smile around the room, "But we'll discuss it in the morning, I don't understand why you are all up at this ghastly hour, but Kel and I…" he looked at the annoyed hizar and added, "Raen as well, are going to our room now." Joren gave a glance at the horses and spoke, "Demon Wind, Arctic Wind, I think that you can find yourselves into the stable… hmmm," he gave a glance around the room and settle his eyes on Cleon, smirking, "The jester can take you there."

As Cleon began to sputter out insults at Joren for his continuos quips at him being a jester, the two Kalyrath horses picked their way over calmly, standing near the human with something of an arrogant air. Demon Wind, with something of a crafty look, deliberately shoved Cleon hard with his nose, directing the knight towards the door. Arctic Wind followed at a statelier pace.

Silence reigned as Joren calmly walked out of the room, Raen at his heels and Kel in his arms. Everyone in the room seemed stunned by the man's sheer tenacity in speaking that way to some of the most decorated people in the realm. As the door shut behind them, silence continued on for several more moments, until a stunned Neal spoke up.

"Wait a minute, did he say our room?! What the hell happened in Scanra?" Neal gaped at the door, his expression incredulous. Suddenly a thought flashed through his mind and he bolted to the door, muttering to himself, "If he did anything to Kel, I'll kill him…"

Owen scrambled after Neal, calling out after him, "Wait Neal! He'll kill you! I'll be your back up!" Maybe it is a good thing that Cleon is in the stables or else he would have followed us as well… Owen shook his head slightly as his body disappeared from the other's sight.

Alanna looked at the door in slight confusion, finally turning to Jonathan, "Wait… weren't we going to have them brief us when they came back?" Her unique purple eyes looked distinctly amused, not really… well not too much, shocked and surprised. They all did live in Tortall of all places.

Suddenly Raoul's voice was heard, "Is it me, or did that… black creature, just say that Kel was a princess of elves? He was rubbing his chin lightly in thought, Buri standing next to him grinned slightly.

"How did they get here is what I want to know!" Numair's voice rang clearly in the room, his dark eyes lit by excitement; "I don't know anyone who can just appear out of nowhere! I wouldn't even think it was possible." By the way he was facing the door, it was clear he wanted to go and find out immediately.

Daine laid a light hand upon his arm, warm gray eyes looking at him amused while she shook her head slightly, "No, did you see Kel? She was totally exhausted… and besides, I'd like to know what that creature and the horses were, I've never seen animals so intelligent before… those that didn't come from the divine realms anyway." She grinned sheepishly, "I think it's best if we barrage them with questions in the morning. By the way Owen and Neal ran out of here… we might need Neal's father if Joren is annoyed."

Suddenly King Jonathan's voice was heard, since he was in the company of his most trusted friends, he had relaxed greatly, "Don't I get a say in this? I am the king!" He looked slightly disgruntled, though he gave his friends a small smile.

"You may be their king dear, but your nothing without your subjects," Thayet leaned over and gave him a light kiss on the cheek, winking at the rest in amusement.

~

Neal burst through Kel's door, being slightly winded from his run from the throne room to Joren's room, finding them not there, he had run to Kel's room next. Being the way he was, and not thinking that anything had changed between the two knights in the short amount of time they were in Scanra, he didn't think that he'd find them in a… compromising situation. To say the least, he was shocked when he found Joren in the process of taking off the still unconscious Kel's outer tunic. Owen, who had arrived shortly after him and had the good sense to go to Kel's room first, gaped at the sight while Neal yelled, "What the hell are you doing Stone?! Taking advantage of Kel now? And while she's unconscious?"

Joren gave an inaudible groan, glaring at the duo in the doorway, while finishing taking off the tunic and throwing it on a chair. Done with the task, he turned from them and arranged Kel comfortably on her bed, wishing that in ignoring them, they'd get the hint and leave. He muttered under his breath, "Stupid dog," as Jump left Kel's side to greet Neal and Owen.

"Well?!" Neal seemed to be incensed, Kel was his best friend and he did hate Joren with a passion unrivaled by none except maybe Cleon. Owen stood by his side silently, his perceptive eyes taking note of the rising, growling, Raen.

Baring his teeth at the impolite intruders, Raen growled softly at them, dark blue eyes narrowing, Leave this instant, your going to disturb my Mistress and she needs all the sleep she can get His hackles raised slowly, his glare nearly rivaling Joren's.

"Take the damn hint and leave," Joren got straightened in his spot by Kel's side and was fingering an ebony dagger with a glare on his face, "If I was trying to take advantage of her, Raen would have been in the process of attacking me. Now go." He turned away from them and back to Kel.

At the rising threat of the hizar's teeth in their throats, Owen tugged Neal back towards the hall, whispering fiercely in his ear, "Look, I believe Joren for once. I don't think even him would stoop as low as trying to... err… have his way with Kel while she's unconscious. Besides, that creature is going to attack if we don't leave." He gave Raen a nervous glance. At Neal's continued refusal to move from the room, Owen suddenly grabbed the back of his tunic and dragged him out. He called over his shoulder, "Eh, sorry Stone."

Neal's curses was audible for several more minutes as Owen continued to drag him down the hall. Raen shook his slender head lightly and trotted over to the door, pushing it closed with his nose. He gave Joren a cocky look as he padded back towards the side of the bed; Mistress has some weird friends

Joren silently agreed, though he would never admit it aloud, tucking Kel under the blanket while shedding his outer garments as well. "And here I thought you would like them," he stifled a yawn with a hand as he climbed into the bed as well, not thinking twice about what he was doing.

Just because Mistress likes them doesn't mean that I have to Raen's mind voice was slightly annoyed as he laid on the floor, Jump walking over and lying down near him. His dark blue eyes disappeared beneath ebony lids as he shut them.

A faint smile appeared on Joren's face as he picked up the feeling of contentment from Kel, another one of those things he would never admit to. He called out lazily as he felt Kel snuggle up beside him, "Right, right…" Falling rapidly asleep, he muttered as he closed his eyes, "Shut the mage lights off cat."

In reply, Raen's gem glowed lightly and the light suddenly disappeared, leaving them in a blanket of darkness, contentment in each heart.

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IceWind: *blinks and smiles* Done, done! ^^;; ooo, btw, I'm making a site… you guys can check it out, maybe leave a message in the guestbook? Hehe url= http://www.sphosting.com/whitewinds

Raen: *nods agreeably* Go check it out!

~

Facts:

Seibutsu Bond: A bond between a creature and a humanoid. It is less powerful then a life-bond yet it is strong none the less. The bonded can thought-speak to one another and they also feel the others emotions. If one of the bonded dies, the other feels a deep and wrenching pain in themselves, but they don't die also.

Seibutsu Items: These are the items that Raen and Kel got when the bonding was over. Kel had gotten a dagger and Raen a chain. If one of them breaks it symbolizes that one of the bonded has died.

Hizar: A highly intelligent species who are organized like wolf packs with a dominant male and female. All hizar are black and look like large cats, panther sized. They are lithe and graceful, all of them agile and fast. Each one has their own type of magic and that type, and power, is shown by the color of the gems on their forehead. When using their power the hizar's eyes turn that color. The types of gems are fire, water, earth, air, light, dark, ice, lightening, psy, and a silver unknown color. The alpha males must have the silver kinds of gems to lead; the alpha females can have any kind and are chosen by the males.

Jerogil: A type of creature in the world of Medea. They are usually peaceful animals and tend to stay away from others except their own kind. Their color range from black to a muddy gray and they have large eyes for seeing at night. Their tails are curved like a monkey's and can pick things up in that fashion. All over their body they have hard plates for armor, something not easily dented or broken through. Running along their backs is a series of sharp spikes.

Elves: They are tall human like creatures with pointed ears. They all live extremely long lives and each one has magic gems, such as the ones the hizars have, only their powers are stronger. They are a peace-loving race, but they will fight if they have to. They have one king and one queen, both who watch over their lands justly.

Soul Mates: Soul mates are extremely rare in any type of creature. Two people share one soul, literally. They can feel their beloved's emotions and in some occasions, talk to each other mind-to-mind. If one dies, the other dies also because half of their soul just died. You do not know you have a soul bond until you and another acknowledge your feelings for one another, you may go through your entire life without knowing that you have a soul bond. As soon as you acknowledge it, your souls connect and you cannot stay away from the other in a great distance for very long or else you get weak and might even die after an extended period.

Kalyrath Horses: These are extremely intelligent living beings with high stamina and running speed. These horses all have blue eyes, in varying shades, but it is all blue to symbol their purity. They chose their rider, and only one person is allowed to ride the kalyrath horse that is bonded to you unless you are soul mated to a person. Occasionally, there pops up a human/humanoid that can talk to their kalyrath horse, and the horse can talk to any of its kind up to a certain distance. Kalyrath horses are in-tune with their rider and it's rare for any none elf to bond with one since they usually only dwell in Elfin land. They are adept at fighting with their chosen and can be extremely protective depending upon their nature. It is said that they were a gift from the great mother goddess of the elves and they cannot be subvert by any dark magic for that reason.

Aether: The last element, the other nine elements are- fire, water, air, earth, psy, lightening, ice, dark and light. This element is the strongest by far and rare for hizars, extremely rare for elves. It controls all of the elements and its color is always silver for hizars and either a silver or white for elves. White is the most powerful, but none knows why. Aether is not an element known too much about, especially for the elves, all they could discern is that it has something to do with stars… The last elf to have this kind of gem died in a great battle, saving the world of Medea from certain doom.

~

My e-mail address is flyby311@hotmail.com and put Aether Winds, so I know what the e-mail is about. Anything you want to add/criticize/comment/whatever you guys just review it… please? Thanks for listening to me ramble for that you get a ice-cream. *hands person a ice-cream*

Raen and Kaori (hizar and rabblite) are MINE! GET IT? MINE!!! *they sweatdrop in the background* no stealing or else I'll blow you up! MWAHAHAHA! Also any other made up characters in the story are mine to, if you want to use any of them please ask before doing so, same goes for Raen and Kaori. ALSO, the poems that appear in the story are also mine (duh) I'll tell you if I use any that aren't. BYE NOW!