Ok. I finished the next chapter. I would really like to thank kathyasjoane for helping me with the editing.
Um, this isn't really a sad chapter, but well, ya it is. Say goodbye to Tortall for a while ladies and gentlemen. We won't be returning for a long time.
*****
Uncontrollable
By: Karigan Marie
Chapter: sweet sadness
*****
It got her mind off the real world, if nothing else. The book was really a work of imagination; humans with no magic and barely recognizing only one god, living into the night only because of the illumination provided to them by harnessed light and energy. She's picked the book up from one of the many far back corners of the library in hopes to occupy her time; Jade just wasn't used to being so completely idle. She turned a page in the book and read on, her mind only paying attention to half the words her eyes read. Her mind wandered easily these days, and it was all she could do not to think about things that she concluded better left unthought-of.
Two months had gone by since the attack on the castle, life had returned to normal, in routine, if not in mood. The Empress and what remained of her delegation was to return to Carthak in a week, and the castle would settle down for the remainder of the winter. Her life, what used to be her world was anything but returning to normal.
The relationship between her father and herself was strained to a point of casual smiles and unsure hugs. He spent most of his hours in his study, burying himself in work, more than likely to keep his mind from unpleasant thoughts. It was different, Jade supposed, than how he used to bury himself in his work. He'd always been so enraptured by magic, always been so completely engrossed by it, it nearly vexed her mother on several occasions. Jade scrunched her eyes to the book and concentrated harder, her mind was wandering again. 'A flick of a switch and the overhead lights would come on immediately, cords sending signals to each other almost instantly.' She slammed the book closed. Kitten, who was curled up next to the fire, lifted her long neck and head up to look at her. "What an incredibly boring life," she told the dragonet. "Who would want to live there?" Kitten fell back to sleep.
She leaned back into her chair and, with the tip of her foot, toyed with the underside of the table. She slumped down a bit, and sighed. She played with the cotton material of her dress. It really was quite ugly. It had long sleeves that were extremely loose, meant to hang and flow all the way down to her wrist, where there was no sleeve hem, which meant, if she wanted too, she could fold the sleeve up all she wanted. She thought better of it, didn't like the horrible cold draft on her arm, and in the end, it only made it uglier. It had a very simple neckline with no trimming and no decoration. The torso of the dress was tight but very conservative; and even for an eight-year-old girl, incredibly unflattering. Buttons littered the back; the maid had counted 35 small buttons. The dress then fell undramatically to her feet. There were no designs, no cuts to make it flow nicely, no trimmings. It's blackness making it all the more depressing to be in.
She was surprised then, when one of their suite's doors opened and Atune stepped out of her bedroom. She had on a very simple dark blue dress, her hair pulled back into a knot. The dress did nothing for her pale completion. That along with her blonde hair only served to make the dress stand out more clearly. Jade grumbled slightly, Atune's dress didn't make her look ugly, just tired. She sat up in her chair and looked towards her, eyes wide. Atune must have seen the desperate look of hope on Jade's face; she smiled softly and walked over. She stopped when she reached the edge of the table. "Are you reading something interesting?"
Jade's eyes widened at her in surprise. It had been the first time Atune had willingly started a conversation. She leaped on the opportunity. "Yes," She lied.
"What is it about?"
Jade stared at the book. "Umm…"
Atune smiled. "My mind wanders sometimes, too"
That caught her attention and she swallowed uneasily. "Are you all better?"
Atune's eyes, which had been tired and warn, seemed to fade slightly. "I'm getting better." She said in reassurance. She seemed at war with herself. She wanted to know something, but didn't want to ask. And that was strange, because Atune was never one to be shy.
"Atune?"
She breathed deeply and met Jade's eyes. "Yes?"
She didn't want to bring this up, knew Atune wouldn't like it; but she had to know, she needed to add it up in her head. "That…that man, the one that hurt you?"
Atune's entire body stiffened, her sky blue eyes turning icy with fear. She nodded stiffly.
Jade liked her lips, now completely healed, and cleared her throat. "Was he…was he the man that…that…" and the words caught in her throat and she felt her stomach clench painfully. "…that killed Mama, the one that I saw?"
Atune, maybe grateful that the conversation wasn't going to focus solely on her, sighed sadly. "Yes."
Jade looked down at her hands in thought, twisting it around in her head. Because there was something seriously bothering her, and she just wanted to get it off her chest, find out if her fears were grounded or not, because she didn't want to have to think about this all the time, too. And she figured, she'd just spill it, just say it and get it out, and Atune would tell her she'd heard wrong, that there was nothing to worry about. "He knew me."
"I know."
And that had not been what she wanted to hear. She had wanted a simple 'you heard wrong' to ease the nervousness. She hadn't expected to snap her head up at that simple affirmation and see the look of sadness on Atune's face. And Jade realized, that it hadn't just been bothering her, it had been bothering Atune as well. She started to tremble, because she couldn't hide it anymore. Couldn't sit there and ignore what had happened. She felt her own nails digging into he palms and when she looked down, she was not too surprised to see that the wooden chair she was sitting on seemed to be sprouting twigs. Hmm…interesting. The aside was only momentary as she looked back up at her tutor, who was looking into the distance, thinking. "Atune?"
And before Atune could meet her eyes, Jade looked down at her hands again, and an enormous amount of shame washed over her, because she knew what she was about to say would only make things more complicated. "I knew him, too."
*****
"You wanted to see me?" Atune said as she stepped through into Numair's study. The Empress had left a few days ago, and much of the work load had died down, giving Numair little time to occupy his rampant mind.
"Yes." Numair stood from his seat, his tall frame towering her, and she shrunk back unconsciously. He seemed a bit concerned at that. "Would you prefer to go somewhere a little less…constrained….to speak?"
"No." She held up her hand. "I'm fine."
He nodded. "I wanted to speak with you about something rather important."
"Yes. Certainly."
"I've spoken with his Excellency about my decision, and despite his dislike of the situation, he has given permission."
"Permission?"
"I am to leave Tortall, and go to Carthak. Jade is coming with me…we will not be returning, not for residency at least."
"…"
"I believe," he paused for a moment. "…this is for the best, for Jade and for myself. She is not
happy here, and quite frankly, neither am I."
The only sign of surprise on Atune was her wide staring eyes. "I am, of course, still loyal to Tortall, and
will continue to work through Carthak, since they are on sisterly terms." He picked up some sheets of parchment and
reached to hand them to her. She took
them with reluctant hands. "These are
for you."
She took them, keeping disbelieving eyes on him. "How is Jade taking this news?"
"She's not," was his simple answer. "I haven't told her yet. I will soon. "We leave in a month, when spring makes travel easier. I don't want her overexerting herself. She's never been outside of Corus before."
Finally, Atune looked down at the top parchment. Her eyebrows came together in confusion. "A Deed?"
"To my lands near Pirate's Swoop. The money coming in from the coal mines there will be more than enough for you and a family should you ever marry. His Highness, Prince Roald has offered you a position, here, at the palace. He would like you to tutor the young Prince. You may choose to live where you please, the lands are yours."
Atune looked disbelieving. She held up the parchments. "Lands?"
A ghost of a smile fell across his lips; it didn't sit well with his sunken eyes. "You are a lady, after all, Atune. You deserve more."
Atune, still in utter confusion looked from the parchment to him various times. She swallowed and licked her lips. "Where in Carthak will you go?"
"South of the Capital, a city called Kilbao. I spoke to the Empress before she left, and she, with the Emperor's consent, has offered me Regent Mage."
Atune's face scrunched up in slight annoyance. "You are to take Jade, away from her friends and family, away from all she's ever known, and take her somewhere far off and distant, where you are to be busy with your new position as regent mage, a demanding position, may I add, and leave her alone in the world?"
He was slightly taken aback, he hadn't expected her to be upset, and the uncertainty that seemed to follow her like a shadow lately was no where to be seen. Then his own face contorted into one of anger. "She won't be alone, Atune. I will be there, I am her family. She has no family here."
"Their Majesties care for her, Onua, the Baron, the Lioness, Amena, the Cassidy's, Eleni, Myles; the hall servants adore her, her friends Gregory, Sonya, Lily and Fastion, they all care for her! They would all miss her terribly, and she would miss them. She doesn't need to be taken away from all this, Numair, she needs to embrace it and be reassured by it. She needs to be with people she knows and trusts! How is she to heal if she cannot lean on anyone?"
"She has me!"
"She doesn't have you, Numair! She's lost you! Just as she's lost her mother!"
It was as if she'd gone and punched him in the face. His eyes widened and he took a step back. He hadn't been prepared to talk about this.
"You treat her as if she doesn't even exists, Numair! She looks to you every morning, hoping to see the father she once had, and is constantly disappointed. You think your relationship with her is all right. You think you ignore everyone else but her. But your not! The only one you're ignoring is her! You hurt her more and more everyday when you walk past her and lightly pat her on the head!" She spat out the words with unrestrained anger. "You think I don't see. You think I haven't noticed because I've been locked up in my room. But I do see. I see how she'll sit, with nothing to do for hours on end, waiting for you to come out of your study. When you finally do, she'll jump up to greet you and you'll kiss her on the forehead and walk away, no words, no smiles! I know you're in pain, Numair. I know I can't understand that pain. But I can understand what you're doing, intentional or not. You're killing her!" She took a deep breath to calm herself and looked to the floor.
He was leaning back onto his desk, his hands reaching behind him and gripping the edge with white knuckles to keep him standing. He was ready to collapse, his eyes staring hard and registering painful shock at her last words. "What do you suggest?" It was whispered hard and angry. "That I stay here; stay here where I can't live, where I have to sleep in the same bed she slept in. I'm leaving for that reason, Atune. I can't be a good father to Jade if I stay here. I can't. The memories are too much. And yes! She has friends here! Once that care and love her! But she also has people who hate and fear her unreasonably. These people hate her, Atune! They want to take her to the City of the God's and burn the evil out of her! Do I keep her here, where she will always be surrounded by them? Always live in fear of them?"
Atune sighed. He had a point, a good point at that, and she knew it. Truth be told, she had expected Numair and Daine to have left Corus years ago, but they had stayed, sure that Jade would be safe within the castle walls. Recent events proved otherwise.
Her shoulders sagged slightly and she peered back down at the documents in her hands. He was giving her his lands here in Tortall. She'd never been to his tower, but she had been told that the coal mines there produced a good amount of income and the place was well kept and managed. She was to have lands, something she would never have had in Scanra; not ever. She didn't even have to live at the tower if she didn't want too. She could just manage it from here, as Numair had done for so many years. And being offered the position of Royal Tutor; that was indeed a high honor, it would make her instructors at her old convent extremely proud. The fact that the King had already welcomed her to Tortall, albeit as a refugee, with a promise of fully recognizing her birth title, was almost too good to be true. She'd be set for life, no questions. She was being given so much, it was incredible.
She lifted her eyes to look at him, but instead, by some will of the Gods, they landed behind him, on a small painted portrait of Jade on her 8th birthday. It had been painted not to long ago. She looked back down at the documents and then smiled sadly. She reached her hand out with them, offering them back. "They are truly a wonderful gift, but I cannot accept them." Numair looked startled for a moment, and then reluctantly reached for them. "I cannot abandon Jade."
"Atune…"
"Would it be rude of me to ask you to take me with you?"
"What?" He was shocked.
"I love Jade, Numair. Daine was like a sister to me…I can't just leave Jade. Not now, not when she will need a friend."
He looked extremely reluctant. "You are already so far away from your home, Atune…"
"Scanra is not my home anymore, Numair. It has been nearly a year since I've heard from my family, I've accepted that lose. And really, this is not my home either. My home is Jade. Jade, Daine and you have been my home for almost three years now. I feel the pain just as you do."
Numair sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "You would come to Carthak with us?"
Atune smiled. "Of coarse I would."
*****
She stood in the pitch dark against her door looking at the mess she'd made. Night terrors of white ice so cold it sliced through her skin and blood dripping from lips whispering last words to her had chocked her awake. She'd opened her eyes and bolted into a sitting position only to be surprised when she pushed into a barrier of some sort. When she finally adjusted her eyes to the dark, she felt around and realized she'd grown vines all around and through her bed. She'd untangled herself and crawled out of bed. Kitten continued to sleep curled up in the mess of sheets at the bottom of the bed.
She wasn't sure what to do. Not to long ago, she would have gone to her parent's bed, but with her father being the way he was now, she was reluctant to go. So that had left Atune as an option. But, as Jade had discovered not to long ago, Atune now bolted her room door at night, something she hadn't done before. So it left her thinking she's just sit out the night, maybe sleep in the chair. That had lasted all of ten minutes. The cold draft in the room had started to cool her skin and Jade wasn't having any of that. So her reluctance to go to her father's room was overcome quickly enough. She peeked in and saw he lay on his stomach on top of the sheets. He was still completely dressed, boots and all, which told her he had probably worked until he could no longer stay awake. She tiptoed up to him, starting to get uncomfortable with the cold draft that was making her shiver. She needed to get warm soon or she'd scream. "Papa?"
She'd said it softly, so not to surprise him, but his head bolted up so quickly she squeaked and backed up. He blinked a few times in confusion and then looked at her. "Jade? What's the matter?"
She licked her lips and looked down at her hand which was pulling on the hem of her nightshirt. "Umm, I…I had a night terror and…and well, my bed's…there's vines through my bed now."
"Oh." He started to push himself up.
"Atune's room is locked; I can't go in there to sleep. Can I just sleep here with you?"
He seemed to think about it for a moment, and then nodded. He reached over and lifted her up, placing her on the other side of the bed, where her mother used to sleep. Jade froze as she sat there, running shaking fingers over the soft satin sheet, Numair pulling the bed sheets down. It was a desperate attempt, she knew the second the words came out of her mouth. But she had to try, because she missed him, missed him more than she missed her mother, because while her mother was gone forever, and Jade missed her with an intensity that made her want to die, she missed her father more because he was right in front of her, within arms reach, and she couldn't have him. "It's alright, you know."
She'd caught him off guard; he lifted his eyes to her. "What's alright, sweetling?"
And maybe it was that term of endearment that gave her the strength to tell him the truth, to tell him she understood; she wasn't angry with him, she'd accepted it. "I know you don't like looking at me." She peeked up from where her eyes were fixed. He didn't say a word, just stared at her with a look of amazement. She looked back down and finished. "I know I make you think of Mama and you don't like that." She heaved a great sigh and was glad she'd gotten it over with, told him he didn't have to feel bad about it anymore.
The silence was starting to worry her, he was just sitting there, staring hard at her, trying to figure something out it seemed. His mouth opened and closed a few times, and only cut off words seem to come out. "Yo…I…wh…." And then he clamped his mouth shut and his eyebrows drew together in serious concentration, before he set his shoulders and seemed to come back to himself. "Come here, Jade." She was about to lift her head up to ask what he meant, when strong hands placed under her arms lifted her up and pulled her up to her knees so that she was directly in front of his face. He was staring hard at her, his brows scrunched in determination, and his gaze held hers easily. And then he said something that made her rethink everything she'd though for the last six weeks. "Nothing in this realm could ever happen, nothing you have or will ever do, no one in this world, whether I love them or hate them, will ever make me stop loving you. And nothing in this realm will ever make me not want to look at you." With that he held her head with his hands and asked, "Do you understand me?"
"But…you never look at me anymore. You always walk away from me."
He closed his eyes and sighed. "I know. I'm sorry, Jade. I haven't been a good father lately. But you have to know, I do look at you, all the time. You just don't see me. I look at you when you sleep, mostly." He took a deep breath. "I've been afraid to look or talk to you while you're awake because I haven't been able to talk about what we need to talk about."
And then she understood, because she hadn't wanted to talk about it either. So, doing something that, though she wasn't aware of it, was much more mature than her age normally allowed, she decided to save him the pain of going first. "I miss her."
She said it as no more than a tiny whisper of admission, her face so incredibly sad it hurt to look at. Numair's face contorted in sorrow and understanding. "I know, sweetling." He ran his palm down her hair.
And to her horror, Jade felt tears sting the back of her eyes. In a tiny whimper lased with tears, she admitted, "I miss her so much, papa." She clamped down on her tears, but she felt herself trembling. She clenched her eyes shut and her chin trembled. And the next think she felt were her father's arms pulling her against his chest. She reached her small arms around him and held on for dear life, letting at least some of the pain drain out of her. He pulled her across his lap and cradled her tiny shivering form in his arms apologizing to her until she fell into a deep sleep, her head resting against his heart, unconsciously lulled by its steady rhythm. He was curiously amazed when tiny purple buds and tiny green leaves began to bloom out of his wooden headboard.
*****
"I really had hoped you'd reconsider leaving, Numair." King Jonathan walked down the resident corridors along side the taller man, clearly displeased.
Numair was reading through some final documents as he listened and walked. "It's necessary Jon, you should see that."
"I don't see that!" He sighed. "You're one of my most valuable Mages." He rolled his eyes. "I might as well stroke your ego and tell you the truth; you are my most valuable Mage."
Numair gave a lopsided grin and looked up at him. "I'm still your subject, Jon. I promise, should you ever need me, I will come and help. I just cannot live here, and neither can Jade."
"You both seemed to be doing much better lately. I was hoping that the memories wouldn't haunt you so, anymore. I'd thought they may have even started to comfort you."
"They are a comfort, at times. But more often than not, they aren't. Especially for Jade." They walked in silence as Numair finished the last few lines and nodded. He handed them to him. "These are all good to go. That should be the last of it." They stopped outside Numair's suite, its door open and various young servant boys ran in and out with luggage and books and other belongings.
The king turned to him. "Numair, I give you my word, Jade is safe here at the palace, I assure you."
"Like her mother?" It came out hard, but Numair sighed and looked suddenly worried. "I'm sorry Jon."
"It's alright, old friend."
"Look, they came and stormed the castle, they murdered her and others. Who ever he is, he knew were to find Daine. And now he knows Jade is here. He recognized her!" The last was said with desperation.
"Are you so sure?"
"Atune assures me it's true; I take her word as truth. And for some reason I can't explain, Jade recognized him as well." He seemed to be desperate for a small respite. "She's not safe here in Tortall. He didn't know she was here until they attacked. Now he knows. I don't think he'll just stay away."
"She's not safe here, in Tortall? But she is safe in Carthak?"
"I'll have guards and plenty of security measures there; with a promise from Kalasin of help should we ever need it." He looked into the room and sighed. "And while I seem to have sweeter memories of the palace, Jade has had too many foul ones. She needs to start over."
Jonathan nodded and sighed. "I see. I do hope one day you will return, Numair. With Jade. We all care for her; all want the best for her." After a moment of silence, Jon straightened and said in a commanding voice. "I want regular reports, Numair. I'm serious."
Numair gave a mocking look of shock. "You'd think I'd only been working for you for a few weeks by the sounds of that, you Majesty."
Jon laughed, and then quickly sobered. "I am serious. I want to know what is going on down there. You'll have better access to the rebel army. I want your full attention on that, understood?"
"Of course," Numair said seriously. They stepped into the now vastly empty suite.
*****
Atune stepped into Jade's room, her heavy traveling skirts and cloaks securely in place. The dark blue cotton dress matched her eyes beautifully. "Ready?"
Jade placed her last doll into a heavy traveling chest, reached back and swung the lid over, locking the bolts in place. She stood up straight and turned to her, uncrumpling her own traveling skirt. She nodded silently, a subdued expression upon her face, quite unusual for an eight-year-old. Atune inspected her. The dark green dress had been a present from Onua. In respect for the departed, tradition required Jade to be wearing dark colored conservative dresses of mourning for a full year after her mother's death. She'd had a limited supply not to long ago, consisting of formal dresses for parties. Atune and Onua had seen to it that she have a larger collection for the long year ahead. This one was made of heavy cotton, for traveling. It had snug long sleeves and a bodice that pointed in front and back. Its long skirts reached the ground and flowed surprisingly well. It was really quite a simple dress, only some pretty green ivy stitching decorating the waistline. It was very comfortable, perfect for traveling. Atune had pulled a portion of Jade's full curly locks back out of her face with a green ribbon. Onua had also supplied soft green traveling boots and soft green cloth gloves for Jade to match the dress.
Jade pulled on the pretty gloves as Atune fastened her small cloak in place, pulling her freshly washed hair from under the neckline, silently noticing the claw necklace tied around her neck. She turned her around to get a good look and smiled softly. Jade's color had dramatically lightened over the winter. With the added stress, she'd paled dramatically. Her normally dark tanned Carthaki skin was almost as pale as her own Scanran skin. Her locks of black hair were an impressive counter-shade to it. Jade looked, and Atune almost giggled at the thought, like a precious little porcelain doll. Atune smiled as Kitten, who sat in the corner waiting looked at Jade with a curious expression. "Did you say good-bye to the servants?" Jade nodded. "Onua?
"Last night."
"Their Majesties?"
"This morning."
"Amena?"
"She's coming to say goodbye."
"Anyone else?"
"No. I got everyone," she lied.
Atune nodded. "Good." She stood with a sigh. "Ready?"
"No."
An understanding smile. "Me neither." She took Jade's hand and they walked out of her room. A boy walked by. "Last chest is in there." He nodded. They walked to the entrance of the suite and turned one last time, Kitten now a soft melancholy blue.
Jade looked at the home she'd always known. In the corner, she imagined her father reaching for a book on the shelf as her mother played with Kitten on the cushioned seats; Atune sat at an imagined table, writing letters with a smile and Jade imagined herself and Amena on the floor, Amena desperately trying to teach her chess. She blinked and the images faded. She lowered her head and left with Atune holding her hand, memories fading with every step.
*****
The courtyard was extremely busy. Spring was finally arriving; and though it was still dramatically cold, the snow had melted and servants, guards, pages, squires, knights and even nobles walked around enjoying the fresh spring air. Atune walked with Jade in hand towards the front courtyard, Kitten bounding behind them. They reached the carriage and horses gathered for the trip and Jade looked around. There were four guards accompanying them to Port Legann where they would catch the boat to Carthak. Her father would ride his own tall horse for a good part of the journey, claiming he'd have enough time to sit around on the offal ship. A carriage for Atune and herself waited as did a storage cart for all the things they were taking with them to Carthak.
Some friends came to say good-bye, including Roaul and Onua, the Cassidy's and even Gregory, who was sporting yet another black-eye, came to say good-bye. Jade smiled softly at him, still completely depressed. "Thank you for coming to see me off, Gregory."
He'd grown over the last year or so, at least a foot. At age 10, it was becoming apparent he would be a tall person. He kicked at the ground with hands in pockets, clearly unhappy. "I hope you come back some day." He mumbled the words, making it near impossible for Jade to understand him.
"Maybe." She didn't really have a better answer. They stood there for a moment, and Jade bit her lip. "I'll miss you."
The next moment, quick as can be, Gregory leaned in to her and kissed her lips. It was quick and Jade hardly had time to register his warm lips before Gregory turned and ran for all he was worth back into the palace to continue his errands. She stood there, face red, eyes wide in surprise, stock still. She looked around, and sighed when it seemed no one had seen. This was something she didn't want to get teased about.
*****
Not to far away, Onua clapped Numair on the back, laughing at his facial expression. "You'll be beating them away with a horse's crop!" She laughed.
They'd seen the innocent and chased kiss Gregory had planted on Jade, and Numair had been utterly shocked. "If we weren't leaving," he grumbled irritably, "I'd have a chat with that boy." He continued adjusting his horse's stirrups. "She's too young for boys to be kissing her." Onua's smile widened and she snickered.
*****
They were ready to go, ready to leave Corus and their home. Jade turned and was surprised to almost run into Amena, who, in her everyday school tunic and breeches and heavy cloak, was slightly out of breath. "I'm sorry, Jade. I had to run up here from school."
"It's alright."
They stood in front of each other, silent for endless moments. Amena was first to break the silence. "Write to me every week?"
Jade looked up and, with half a grin, nodded. "As long as you promise to write back every week."
"Promise."
Again, silence reigned, and this time, it was Jade who broke the silence. "Best Friends?"
Amena looked up in surprise. After a moment of thought, she reached for her small dagger and, holding it carefully, made a long cut on her palm. Jade starred with mouth agape. Then, Amena took her hand, pulled off the green cloth glove, turned it around and looked up at her. With Jade's small nod, Amena again, carefully made a cut on Jade's hand. Jade grimaced slightly. Amena gave a great heaving sigh and held her hand up. Jade lifted her own hand and they both took hold of each other, blood mingling through their interlaced fingers. Both girls were slightly surprised to see a greenish glow tinge the dark red blood. Amena smiled confidently. "…for life." They both leaned forward and wrapped arms around each other with great force.
****
The coach driver took hold of Jade's hand and helped her step inside. It was dark and small, but the cushioned seats were comfortable enough. She sat next to the opposite door, peering out the small window. She could see straight out to the side walls, behind which were the horse pastures. She hadn't said good-bye to everyone here, despite what she had told Atune. She hadn't said good-bye to one very important person, but she couldn't bring herself to go and seek her out. Her mother had been buried almost three months ago in those pastures beyond the courtyard wall, and Jade hadn't gone once to her burial site. Atune was helped in then, and she sat across from Jade near the small door they had entered. "Just about ready to go."
Jade nodded, still peering out the window. Kitten bounded into the small compartment and jumped up onto the seat cushion next to Jade. She struggled around a few seconds before finally settling down, her long and slender head resting on her skirts. Jade ran a hand down the dragonet's body, stoking gently, her eyes still outside the window. The door closed and then they were slightly jerked around as the carriage began to move. A few moments later, they were out the palace main gates and going down Corus' main street towards the city's southern edge. Jade watched as familiar landmarks began to pass by, biting her lips in nervousness. Atune gazed at Jade with a sad smile of concern. "I'm sure you'll love Carthak, Jade." The only response the girl gave was a small nod. "You'll come back some day, don't worry." Jade sighed and they fell into silence once again.
Not to much a while later they reached the city gates, and Jade peered outside once again. She'd never been outside Corus, always had wanted to see more. Now she regretted ever wanting that. She wanted to go home. When they passed through the gates and reached a long stretch of road, the horseman sped up slightly, making the carriage rock more. Jade sighed and leaned back into the cushioned seat.
It came out as not even a whisper, just a breath, Atune never hearing a sound. It was sad and carried a note of regret. She closed her eyes and breathed a sigh. "Bye, Mama."
****
Ok. Review Review Review. Tell me what you think. Next chapter will be about arriving in Carthak!
Kar