This chapter is the beginning of a really close bond between Jade and Amena. This bond is really important throughout the rest of the stories. In addition, Jade's magic (whatever it is) gets its first real go here. Next chapter will most likely be up within a day or two because I'm already working on it.
Karigan
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The Uncontrollable
'Market place'
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It might have confused people if they knew. If they had any idea of just how much she understood about human nature, they might have been suspicious about even more. But she certainly didn't see anything bad in it. Why would she? Adults did the same thing – they observed and watched, learning from others. Children were no different – how else were they supposed to figure things out? So the simple fact that Jade was more observant than even above average intelligent adults did not register to anyone, not even herself. Who really knows why? The simple fact that Jade had figured out the benefits of observation long before other children was just that – a simple fact. So when she began to see Amena as something more than just an acquaintance, her natural impulse to observe the older girl kicked in.
The first thing she noticed about Amena was the blonde's dislike of silence. She would start talking right out of the clear blue sky if conversation took a pause more than 3 seconds. It almost seemed like a nervous habit. There was, however, a slight difference between Amena's talking tendencies and various other girl's chatter. When Amena talked, she made sure that everyone within a 50-foot radius would also join the conversation. The result of which was not really Amena talking and everyone listening, like with other girls; it was everyone talking and Amena contributing.
The next thing Jade noticed was Amena's rather intense protectiveness. Within a week of knowing each other, Amena would defend, violently if necessary, the small five-year old from even the smallest of threats. It was not just with Jade that Amena was protective. It extended to every aspect of the girl's life. She took great pride in her family and friends. Curiously, even at the young age of eight, Amena had developed a strange sense of nationalism. The King was the magnificent leader of Tortall that kept not only their cities but also the smallest of villages prosperous and protected.
Nevertheless, the most intriguing characteristic about Amena that had Jade's mind racing was the girl's sneakiness. Amena could get out of nearly any sticky situation with talk. And if she had too, as a last resort, could physically trick anyone Jade knew (except for uncle George…Amena was still cleaning the latrines for trying to trick him into leaving one of the work rooms so she could get her sneaky hands on some dyes she could use to color Milona's hair green). The odd part about Amena's cunningness was her absolute refusal to use it against any friends or family. She could not physically bring herself to trick those she cared for. Oh, she never lied; in fact, that was yet another interesting fact about Amena. Even in the middle of talking around someone, she would always be brutally honest, which only made her sneakiness even more amazing. She achieved it with complete honesty. There was much to be said about someone with such odd ideas of ethics.
"Jade, let's go!" yelled Amena from the horse stables. She ran past a group of stable hands and dashed through the haystacks. Turning she yelled again. "Move those legs Jade!"
"This isn't fair! You're the one who put the berry liquor in the Lioness' cup! Why am I running? And you have longer legs than I do. And you're older," puffed Jade from behind.
"That's not an excuse, Jade," laughed Amena. "Come on." They ran passed the training pages and into the entrance yard.
Jade panted roughly, falling onto a bench with a sigh. "I don't think we're going to get away with this one Amena."
"Nonsense," retorted Amena. "We just have to be invisible for a few hours." She looked around the entrance yards with critical eyes. "We're too easy to find here. We have to get off palace grounds."
Jade stared at her with mouth agape. "In the middle of the afternoon? We can't leave the castle without permission Amena. If Papa finds out I left palace grounds he'll have me pealing potatoes for a whole week. Do you know how long it takes for someone as little as me to peal potatoes?"
Amena smirked as she peaked over the benches. "You're almost six, Jade. I'm sure you can peel lots of potatoes." Looking towards the entrance, she paused for a moment before grabbing onto Jade's hand and tugging.
"Wha...," grunted Jade as she was tugged to her feet.
"Now's our chance!" breathed Amena. Sneaking around the side of the palace walls, she pulled Jade towards the entrance. Just as the guard was opening the doors for a group of riders to come in, the two girls snuck out. They didn't stop until they reached the end of the first street. Breathing heavily, they looked at each other and proceeded to break out into fits of laughter. "I can't believe it was that easy!" cried Amena.
Catching her breath, Jade warned, "If we get caught, we're both in big trouble."
"We sure are," laughed Amena. Jade laughed with her. "What do you want to do first?"
Jade's eyes grew large as saucers. "I have 5 silver nobles…we could go to the market place and get some treats…then go out to the forest."
Amena smiled. "Good idea. Let's go" Jade smiled as she trotted along after the 8 year old girl. Amena was one of the few girls she knew that didn't mind getting dirty. Amena wore breeches most of the time and her hair, more often than not, was pulled back in a tight braid.
She hadn't expected the Corrus market to be so full. She could hardly fit through the mass of people, and she was five. She felt the proximity of so many people in a way she hadn't ever before. It felt as if she was being surrounded and before she knew it, she felt herself begin to shake. Her blood began to run wildly through her system and she could almost feel the burning of her veins. She gripped Amena's hand and took deep breaths. Amena turned her head and looked at her questioningly. Jade smiled slightly and nodded. "Lots of people…" she said loudly over the noise of the crowd.
Amena nodded and pulled them through a group of men. "I think they sell candy apples over here." They stepped up to the wooden counter. Jade could hardly see over the edge. Amena pulled her hand away and reached into her pocket. She pulled out some coins and counted out what she needed. Jade pulled out her money and handed it over to Amena. Amena reached up and tried to get the woman's attention, but it didn't seem to be working. She jumped a little and yelled out "Excuse me" several times. After a few minutes, Amena set her face into a frown and looked down at Jade. "Stay here. I'm going to try and get her attention. I'll be right back. All right?"
Jade nodded. Amena pulled away and walked around the stand looking for something to stand on. Jade pushed herself back into the wooden corner and looked around. She had never seen so many people in her life. She'd been to the market with her mother before, but it had never been quite this crowded. She gulped as her blood picked up its pace once again. Her eyes scanned the crowds wildly, every so often looking at Amena a few feet away trying to get attention. She saw a man walk by that was nearly black in filth, then a woman who surely was wearing a wig…and was that…was that a dog or a cat? She wasn't sure.
She looked back for Amena and froze when she couldn't see her. "Amena?" she called. "Amena?" Suddenly, her blood took a leap from racing to pumping madly through her system. The intensity was so sever, she almost blacked out. "Amena?!" She looked around wildly. She took a step away from the wooded corner so she could see further. Without warning, a man jogged by knocking her to her knees. Jade began to shake violently. "AMENA!" She jumped to her feet and tried to get around the stand but was pushed back by several people. She diverted around them before realizing she couldn't get through. She tried another way and pushed though. When she looked up at the stand, she almost cried. This wasn't a candy apple stand…they were selling fish at this one. She turned around and tried to make her way back. This time she came upon a bread stand. The blood pounded mercilessly. Her voice cracked as she yelled out again, "AMENA!"
A couple of older boys ran by and knocked her off her feet roughly. She landed on her knees and hands and felt her head pound in fear. She felt the first traces of panic begin to take over her system. She was lost! Very lost! She backed up into a leg and jumped away. With wild eyes, she felt her throat clog up in terror. Then her eyes burned white hot. Screaming filled her ears as everyone suddenly began to run around. Absolute Panic filled her and she felt a small explosion within her.
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This was ridiculous. It really was. If she could just get that woman's attention, they could be out of this crowded hole sooner. Amena climbed up on top of a crate and tried to make herself taller. She was through being polite. "Excuse me!" she screeched at the old woman. The white haired witch turned and glared at her with a resounding, "What?"
"Two. Please. In a box." The woman glared at her but grabbed two caramel apples and placed them in a box. Snatching the money from Amena's hand, she told her in no uncertain words to learn some manners, to which Amena promptly stuck her tongue out too.
That's when she tripped. The crates tipped over, taking her with them. She landed behind them with a thud. The old woman crowed in laughter. Amena glared daggers before dragging herself up. Picking up the box, she dusted herself off and walked back to Jade.
"Jade?" called Amena. She looked around curiously. "Jade?" Amena looked around and felt ice cold fingers surround her. "Jade!" She looked around frantically. "Jade!" Where was she? This was not good. Jade was only five. She didn't know how to get back to the castle from here. She ran over to some boxes and climbed up them. Looking over the crowd, she yelled out, "JADE!"
All the sudden, the Pine tree that stood not 100 feet away in the middle of the market groaned so loudly, everyone in the market place stopped to stare. It's large branches slowly bent and stretched. Bright green light surrounded the tree as it continued to stretch itself. The crowd seemed mesmerized by the moving tree. Then, one of the branches snapped at the base from the movement. It fell to the ground with a loud thud, breaking everyone out of their stunned curiosity.
It started with one scream…then, all the people began to scream and cower away from the bewitched tree. Amena almost peed herself as she realized all the people were going to panic. "JAAADE!" she screeched over the heads of the now running people. Someone ran into the boxes she was standing on and she fell to the ground. Dragging herself up she pushed through the crowd, trying to find the small black haired girl. She froze when she felt the ground tremble underneath her. "What?"
She screeched as dry roots shot from the packed ground and tangled with whatever came in sight. Suddenly the screaming crowd roared in fear. A full out stampede followed. Amena ran through the crowd desperately trying to find Jade. The roots didn't seem to be attacking people, just…coming out of the ground. Green light surrounded them too. She was shoved around various times by screaming people. "Jade!"
She was on the verge of tears when she suddenly spotted a huddled form across the walk near a wood stand. She plunged through the crowd towards the form. A man was shoved to the ground in front of her and promptly trampled on. Amena's heart raced madly as she got closer to the curled up form. She noticed the little body shaking madly. She also noticed the dirt around her glowing bright green.
She threw herself to her knees, grabbed onto the forms shoulders and yelled, "Jade!"
Jade snapped her head up from between her knees in surprise. Amena nearly swallowed her won tongue when she saw Jade's face. The five-year-old's green eyes blazed madly. The deep rich green glowing so that almost no white could be seen. As if Jade suddenly recognized Amena, the glowing green died out and the normal brilliant green took over. Tears welled up in Jade's eyes and she through her arms around Amena.
Amena stood up with Jade attached to her. The corner they were in would last only a bit longer, she could hear the cracking of the wood stand that blocked the crowds from them. "We have to get out of here, Jade!" she yelled over the noise. She clutched Jade's hand in hers and said, "what ever happens, don't let go", before plunging into the crowd. They heard the wood splinter and give way behind them.
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I really had an hard time with this chapter…I'm not sure why…tell me what you think. Also, I will be starting an update mailing list. If you want to be on it give me your email address. I will send notification of update, any news, and probably even attach the chapter to it ( because fanfiction.net doesn't always post it as fast as I'd like.) REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!!