Disclaimer: I do not own Tamora Pierce or her characters. Sadly I only own
one of her books too.
Authors note: this is the second chapter of my first ever fan fiction so review PLEASE and give an honest opinion. This isn't the end-not yet.
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Kaddar looked out into the dark garden and smiled. Daine was sitting on his favourite seat. Still smiling he walked over to her. "Bit late to be out on your own isn't it Daine? He asked his friend. "No, I couldn't sleep" she replied "Me either" Kaddar said. He nodded his thanks as a seat was offered to him and sat down with a sigh. Silence reigned for a while before Daine broke the silence. "Did you come out here for a reason or are you just enjoying the dark?" Kaddar looked uncomfortable but replied anyway. "I need help with something and I thought you might be able to help me." Daine glanced at him and seeing that he was serious she said, "What's the problem?" The emperor, still looking uncomfortable, explained, "Well my council has decided that I should have married by now and have an heir. But my problem is that another man has already taken the woman I would like to marry. What should I do?" Daine blushed and was glad for the dark. She didn't like this sort of question! "You should choose another woman." Daine replied nervously knowing that she had just lied. She didn't like the direction of this conversation! "But this woman is perfect! I think you know who I'm speaking of by now Daine." She examined her feet as she said, "Varice? She would make a very lovely empress." Kaddar grinned "Yes she would but the woman I have in mind is even more perfect. You Daine," Daine looked at him shocked. "And it breaks my heart to see you in the arms of a man who is fourteen years older then you are." "But I love him." She protested, "What does age matter to love?" "Age matters to love because I am the same age as you are and I love you with all my heart." Daine wished once again that she had the power to simply vanish. She wished he hadn't said it! Daine was so stunned that she couldn't move. Before she knew what was happening Kaddar was kissing her mouth and she was too surprised to do anything about it! Kaddar kissed her so passionately that she almost forgot that he wasn't Numair! When Kaddar stopped kissing her she stood so quickly that she felt dizzy and ran as fast as she could to her room crying. When she got there she was glad to find that Numair was not there although Kitten was lying on one side of the bed asleep and protested with a shrill chirp when Daine threw herself onto her bed and was still crying when Alanna came in despite kittens best efforts to comfort her. "Daine have you seen -" she stopped mid sentence when she realised Daine was crying. "What's wrong?" she asked. Daine refused to take her face away from the pillow but said, "Nothing, nothing I'm fine." Alanna strode over to the bed and sat next to the younger woman after kitten had moved to make room for the knight. She pulled Daine's smoky-brown curls back so that she could see the side of Daine's tear blotched face. "Is it Numair? I can't find him." Daine shook her head violently then remembering the magical bond she had with Numair she jumped off her bed and raced to Kaddar's rooms with kitten and the lioness following.
When she was just down the hall she saw Numair in the doorway and Kaddar on the floor in front of him. Numair raised his hand, the black fire of his Gift billowing around it. "NUMAIR NO!" Daine yelled he didn't even turn. Daine ran to him hardly noticing that the lioness was right behind her. She reached Kaddars room and ducked past Numair to stand, out of breath, between the two men. "Numair leave be" she panted filling her tired voice with pleading. "I'm not hurt and it would be fair foolish to do anything rash." Numair was red as a beet with fury and refused to take his eyes off the shivering pile of gold rags on the floor. "Tell me why he deserves to live." He snarled as Alanna caught up, purple eyes wide with confusion. It was her who answered seeing that Daine was unable to. "Because he is the emperor of Carthak and we cannot afford to make him an enemy of Tortall." She said voice matter-of-fact. When Numair looked as if he was going to act any way kitten voiced a series of clucks and chirps until Numair closed his fist unwillingly, making his magic disappear from view. Daine took one look at the coldness in her lovers' eyes and tore back down the corridor and into her room to give way to uncontrollable tears once more.
*****
Numair was not in her room when Daine woke the next morning. Instead Alanna was sitting in a chair by the fire deep in thought. There was no sign of Kitten. Daine stumbled out of bed and almost tripped over the fold out bed that was on the floor. Evidently her older friend had spent the night in her room. Alanna looked up when she noticed that Daine was awake. "What happened?" she demanded as Daine gave up walking and sat on the floor. Dine looked at the lioness with pleading in her blue-grey eyes, "Please don't make me talk about it," she groaned. Alanna watched her for a moment before giving an exasperated sigh and storming out of the room. Daine began to cry once more and hadn't yet stopped when Numair peeked in through the door. Seeing that she was awake he walked in trying to make as little noise as possible. Daine saw him, stopped crying and turned her back to him. "Sweet?" he asked. When she didn't answer he asked the question that he wasn't sure he wanted an answer for. "Is this the end of us?" Daine still didn't answer. She wasn't sure she could be with a man who could be so cold and yet she didn't want to lose the loving caring man she had fallen in love with. She thought it was better to stay silent rather than give an answer she wasn't sure was right. After a while Numair got tired of waiting for an answer and said, "I'll understand if you want nothing to do with me. After last night I wouldn't blame you or anyone if you wanted me at the bottom of the ocean." Daine could feel the prickling in the corner of her eye that signalled she was about to cry. Numair sat beside her and moved a hand to her face to wipe away a tear that was trickling down her cheek. Daine felt his touch and moved away once more. Numair kept going. "I don't want this to be the end. I love you with all my life and all the love I could possibly posses. "Do you remember when we first kissed? We were in the divine realms and you had just fallen off a cliff. I felt as though I was in an oven. Hot sweetness sweeter than any sugar was racing from your lips through my body. I was tingling all over and I could hardly breath. Then I was unrealistically aware of all the places our bodies touched my palms on your back, your breasts against my chest, our thighs crushed together. I'd never in my life felt that way and that's the honest truth. When we were in the cave after you woke up when we had eaten you smiled at me and said that it would take more than falling off a cliff to keep you from me. I hope that you can remember that I am still the man you fell in love with. I also want you to know that it would take a lot more than falling off a hundred cliffs to keep me from you." Numair straightened his length and walked to the door. As he was leaving he turned and said, "I love you Daine, I always have and I always will to the day I die and beyond. Not even the dark god could stop my love for you." Daine sat still for a long time after he left. She didn't even know how much time had passed until Alanna returned with a tray full of food. It wasn't till then that Daine realised that she hadn't eaten since lunch the previous day. She was HUNGRY! "Why will you not tell me what happened?" the knight asked. "You have barely stopped crying since last night. You were even sobbing in your sleep! Numair won't come out of his room and is refusing any food or drink that we take to him. He has just now locked us out with magic saying that as long as you are unhappy he won't eat or drink a damn thing. What in the world happened last night to make you both so upset?" realising that there were more problems than she could imagine Daine finally gave in and told her friend what happened.
When she finished the lioness was so stunned that all she could manage was to stare at Daine, eyes wide. "Why don't you eat something, Daine?" Alanna asked when she could make her mouth form the words. "I'm not hungry thank-you." Daine said excusing the lie by telling herself that if she ate anything she would be sick. As Alanna stared Daine thought over everything. Then at last she made a decision and asked, "Where is Numair? I think I need to speak with him." Alanna replied, "he slept in my room last night saying that it would be a bad idea to have him in the same room with you for a few days." Daine said nothing. Instead she rose from the floor only to fall again because of cramps she hadn't realised she had till that moment. Alanna caught her and helped her to the door by which time Daines' cramps were gone. "Thank-you Alanna" Daine said when they reached the hall, "but I need to do this myself" Alanna nodded, picked up the food tray and went down the hall headed for the kitchen.
Daine somehow managed to get to Alanna's room and knock on the door. "Whoever it is go away," snapped a familiar voice, "I will not eat, drink or discuss anything with any one until I get an answer from Daine." Daine yelled back, "Well then you are a very selfish man." Daine heard several locks open and a muttered word before the door opened. Numair looked bad. His hair was mussed so badly that it looked as though he had been trying to pull it out. His eyes were red and puffy while his face was tear blotched. "Daine?" he said clearly astonished at the sight of her. It was then that she realised she didn't look much better than Numair herself. "Can I come in?" she asked. Numair blushed at the thought that he had told her to go away. "Of course you can." he said standing to the side to admit her into the room. Daine sat down by the window noticing that kitten was hiding under the bed. "Numair I have something important to say to you so please don't interrupt me." Numair's only reaction was to nod and sit on the bed. "I don't know what was going through your head last night and I don't want to know. You almost killed the emperor of Carthak just because he said he loved me, said that you were too old for me and because he kissed me. I wonder if any one could be so protective but I'm not willing to find out. I love you so much that it scares me sometimes and I don't know how to deal with that kind of fear. I have a good idea of how much you love me. I can see it in your eyes and I can feel it in our kisses. You kiss me so passionately that I could never doubt how much I'm loved. I just wanted to say that I love you with all my heart and if you feel that it is necessary we can make this the end but I've thought long and hard about this and I don't want to lose your love."
By the time she was finished Numair was staring at her and he looked as though he was too relieved to move. At last when he found his voice again he croaked, "You still want me?" Daine looked up at him and said, "If you still want me." Numair stood and walked to her covering the distance between them in two strides. Daine stood and he flung his arms around his waist, her arms went around his neck. Numair craned his head trying to look at her eyes. Before he knew it Daine was kissing him more fiercely and more passionately than he ever thought possible. He kissed her back. Both almost suffocated before they went up for air. Numair gave a strangled laugh and whisked Daine off to bed.
*****
"I hate boats." Alanna complained to Daine who was holding her hair, "I simply loathe boats." Daine grimaced as the knight began to retch again. Numair began to walk over the deck and decided better of it when he saw what Alanna was up to. They were boarded on the large ship that was bearing them home to Tortall. The rest of the people from Tortall as well as Kitten were below the deck. Alanna was on deck for an obvious reason as was Daine but Numair was up there for no particular reason. When Alanna stopped her retching and went to wash her mouth. Numair came over and took Daine's hand. Going down on one knee he looked up at his love. Daine looked down at him. Numair looked serious as he said, "Veralidaine Sarrasri we have been through so much together and we have known each other in all moods. I ask you now as your lover. Teacher, friend and protector: Will you Veralidaine Sarrasri allow me to show my affections through matrimony?" When Daine looked at him as though she hadn't the slightest idea what he had just said Numair put his words into simpler phrasing. "Will you marry me?" Daine was stunned. She began to shake her head in disbelief and saw that Numair thought she was saying "no". Quickly she knelt down and looked him in the eyes. She replied as well as she knew how, "Of course I will you dolt!" Numair laughed and they shared another passionate kiss before the lioness came out of the bathroom, leaned over the side and started to vomit again. Daine sighed and went back to holding the knights' hair.
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Author's note: it's a bit sloppy but it'll get better I promise! There's going to be a lot more laughs in the coming chapters. The third chapter is finished and I'm just putting finishing touches onto the fourth so they will be along shortly - don't you love Christmas holidays? I'm getting so much more writing done!
Authors note: this is the second chapter of my first ever fan fiction so review PLEASE and give an honest opinion. This isn't the end-not yet.
**********
Kaddar looked out into the dark garden and smiled. Daine was sitting on his favourite seat. Still smiling he walked over to her. "Bit late to be out on your own isn't it Daine? He asked his friend. "No, I couldn't sleep" she replied "Me either" Kaddar said. He nodded his thanks as a seat was offered to him and sat down with a sigh. Silence reigned for a while before Daine broke the silence. "Did you come out here for a reason or are you just enjoying the dark?" Kaddar looked uncomfortable but replied anyway. "I need help with something and I thought you might be able to help me." Daine glanced at him and seeing that he was serious she said, "What's the problem?" The emperor, still looking uncomfortable, explained, "Well my council has decided that I should have married by now and have an heir. But my problem is that another man has already taken the woman I would like to marry. What should I do?" Daine blushed and was glad for the dark. She didn't like this sort of question! "You should choose another woman." Daine replied nervously knowing that she had just lied. She didn't like the direction of this conversation! "But this woman is perfect! I think you know who I'm speaking of by now Daine." She examined her feet as she said, "Varice? She would make a very lovely empress." Kaddar grinned "Yes she would but the woman I have in mind is even more perfect. You Daine," Daine looked at him shocked. "And it breaks my heart to see you in the arms of a man who is fourteen years older then you are." "But I love him." She protested, "What does age matter to love?" "Age matters to love because I am the same age as you are and I love you with all my heart." Daine wished once again that she had the power to simply vanish. She wished he hadn't said it! Daine was so stunned that she couldn't move. Before she knew what was happening Kaddar was kissing her mouth and she was too surprised to do anything about it! Kaddar kissed her so passionately that she almost forgot that he wasn't Numair! When Kaddar stopped kissing her she stood so quickly that she felt dizzy and ran as fast as she could to her room crying. When she got there she was glad to find that Numair was not there although Kitten was lying on one side of the bed asleep and protested with a shrill chirp when Daine threw herself onto her bed and was still crying when Alanna came in despite kittens best efforts to comfort her. "Daine have you seen -" she stopped mid sentence when she realised Daine was crying. "What's wrong?" she asked. Daine refused to take her face away from the pillow but said, "Nothing, nothing I'm fine." Alanna strode over to the bed and sat next to the younger woman after kitten had moved to make room for the knight. She pulled Daine's smoky-brown curls back so that she could see the side of Daine's tear blotched face. "Is it Numair? I can't find him." Daine shook her head violently then remembering the magical bond she had with Numair she jumped off her bed and raced to Kaddar's rooms with kitten and the lioness following.
When she was just down the hall she saw Numair in the doorway and Kaddar on the floor in front of him. Numair raised his hand, the black fire of his Gift billowing around it. "NUMAIR NO!" Daine yelled he didn't even turn. Daine ran to him hardly noticing that the lioness was right behind her. She reached Kaddars room and ducked past Numair to stand, out of breath, between the two men. "Numair leave be" she panted filling her tired voice with pleading. "I'm not hurt and it would be fair foolish to do anything rash." Numair was red as a beet with fury and refused to take his eyes off the shivering pile of gold rags on the floor. "Tell me why he deserves to live." He snarled as Alanna caught up, purple eyes wide with confusion. It was her who answered seeing that Daine was unable to. "Because he is the emperor of Carthak and we cannot afford to make him an enemy of Tortall." She said voice matter-of-fact. When Numair looked as if he was going to act any way kitten voiced a series of clucks and chirps until Numair closed his fist unwillingly, making his magic disappear from view. Daine took one look at the coldness in her lovers' eyes and tore back down the corridor and into her room to give way to uncontrollable tears once more.
*****
Numair was not in her room when Daine woke the next morning. Instead Alanna was sitting in a chair by the fire deep in thought. There was no sign of Kitten. Daine stumbled out of bed and almost tripped over the fold out bed that was on the floor. Evidently her older friend had spent the night in her room. Alanna looked up when she noticed that Daine was awake. "What happened?" she demanded as Daine gave up walking and sat on the floor. Dine looked at the lioness with pleading in her blue-grey eyes, "Please don't make me talk about it," she groaned. Alanna watched her for a moment before giving an exasperated sigh and storming out of the room. Daine began to cry once more and hadn't yet stopped when Numair peeked in through the door. Seeing that she was awake he walked in trying to make as little noise as possible. Daine saw him, stopped crying and turned her back to him. "Sweet?" he asked. When she didn't answer he asked the question that he wasn't sure he wanted an answer for. "Is this the end of us?" Daine still didn't answer. She wasn't sure she could be with a man who could be so cold and yet she didn't want to lose the loving caring man she had fallen in love with. She thought it was better to stay silent rather than give an answer she wasn't sure was right. After a while Numair got tired of waiting for an answer and said, "I'll understand if you want nothing to do with me. After last night I wouldn't blame you or anyone if you wanted me at the bottom of the ocean." Daine could feel the prickling in the corner of her eye that signalled she was about to cry. Numair sat beside her and moved a hand to her face to wipe away a tear that was trickling down her cheek. Daine felt his touch and moved away once more. Numair kept going. "I don't want this to be the end. I love you with all my life and all the love I could possibly posses. "Do you remember when we first kissed? We were in the divine realms and you had just fallen off a cliff. I felt as though I was in an oven. Hot sweetness sweeter than any sugar was racing from your lips through my body. I was tingling all over and I could hardly breath. Then I was unrealistically aware of all the places our bodies touched my palms on your back, your breasts against my chest, our thighs crushed together. I'd never in my life felt that way and that's the honest truth. When we were in the cave after you woke up when we had eaten you smiled at me and said that it would take more than falling off a cliff to keep you from me. I hope that you can remember that I am still the man you fell in love with. I also want you to know that it would take a lot more than falling off a hundred cliffs to keep me from you." Numair straightened his length and walked to the door. As he was leaving he turned and said, "I love you Daine, I always have and I always will to the day I die and beyond. Not even the dark god could stop my love for you." Daine sat still for a long time after he left. She didn't even know how much time had passed until Alanna returned with a tray full of food. It wasn't till then that Daine realised that she hadn't eaten since lunch the previous day. She was HUNGRY! "Why will you not tell me what happened?" the knight asked. "You have barely stopped crying since last night. You were even sobbing in your sleep! Numair won't come out of his room and is refusing any food or drink that we take to him. He has just now locked us out with magic saying that as long as you are unhappy he won't eat or drink a damn thing. What in the world happened last night to make you both so upset?" realising that there were more problems than she could imagine Daine finally gave in and told her friend what happened.
When she finished the lioness was so stunned that all she could manage was to stare at Daine, eyes wide. "Why don't you eat something, Daine?" Alanna asked when she could make her mouth form the words. "I'm not hungry thank-you." Daine said excusing the lie by telling herself that if she ate anything she would be sick. As Alanna stared Daine thought over everything. Then at last she made a decision and asked, "Where is Numair? I think I need to speak with him." Alanna replied, "he slept in my room last night saying that it would be a bad idea to have him in the same room with you for a few days." Daine said nothing. Instead she rose from the floor only to fall again because of cramps she hadn't realised she had till that moment. Alanna caught her and helped her to the door by which time Daines' cramps were gone. "Thank-you Alanna" Daine said when they reached the hall, "but I need to do this myself" Alanna nodded, picked up the food tray and went down the hall headed for the kitchen.
Daine somehow managed to get to Alanna's room and knock on the door. "Whoever it is go away," snapped a familiar voice, "I will not eat, drink or discuss anything with any one until I get an answer from Daine." Daine yelled back, "Well then you are a very selfish man." Daine heard several locks open and a muttered word before the door opened. Numair looked bad. His hair was mussed so badly that it looked as though he had been trying to pull it out. His eyes were red and puffy while his face was tear blotched. "Daine?" he said clearly astonished at the sight of her. It was then that she realised she didn't look much better than Numair herself. "Can I come in?" she asked. Numair blushed at the thought that he had told her to go away. "Of course you can." he said standing to the side to admit her into the room. Daine sat down by the window noticing that kitten was hiding under the bed. "Numair I have something important to say to you so please don't interrupt me." Numair's only reaction was to nod and sit on the bed. "I don't know what was going through your head last night and I don't want to know. You almost killed the emperor of Carthak just because he said he loved me, said that you were too old for me and because he kissed me. I wonder if any one could be so protective but I'm not willing to find out. I love you so much that it scares me sometimes and I don't know how to deal with that kind of fear. I have a good idea of how much you love me. I can see it in your eyes and I can feel it in our kisses. You kiss me so passionately that I could never doubt how much I'm loved. I just wanted to say that I love you with all my heart and if you feel that it is necessary we can make this the end but I've thought long and hard about this and I don't want to lose your love."
By the time she was finished Numair was staring at her and he looked as though he was too relieved to move. At last when he found his voice again he croaked, "You still want me?" Daine looked up at him and said, "If you still want me." Numair stood and walked to her covering the distance between them in two strides. Daine stood and he flung his arms around his waist, her arms went around his neck. Numair craned his head trying to look at her eyes. Before he knew it Daine was kissing him more fiercely and more passionately than he ever thought possible. He kissed her back. Both almost suffocated before they went up for air. Numair gave a strangled laugh and whisked Daine off to bed.
*****
"I hate boats." Alanna complained to Daine who was holding her hair, "I simply loathe boats." Daine grimaced as the knight began to retch again. Numair began to walk over the deck and decided better of it when he saw what Alanna was up to. They were boarded on the large ship that was bearing them home to Tortall. The rest of the people from Tortall as well as Kitten were below the deck. Alanna was on deck for an obvious reason as was Daine but Numair was up there for no particular reason. When Alanna stopped her retching and went to wash her mouth. Numair came over and took Daine's hand. Going down on one knee he looked up at his love. Daine looked down at him. Numair looked serious as he said, "Veralidaine Sarrasri we have been through so much together and we have known each other in all moods. I ask you now as your lover. Teacher, friend and protector: Will you Veralidaine Sarrasri allow me to show my affections through matrimony?" When Daine looked at him as though she hadn't the slightest idea what he had just said Numair put his words into simpler phrasing. "Will you marry me?" Daine was stunned. She began to shake her head in disbelief and saw that Numair thought she was saying "no". Quickly she knelt down and looked him in the eyes. She replied as well as she knew how, "Of course I will you dolt!" Numair laughed and they shared another passionate kiss before the lioness came out of the bathroom, leaned over the side and started to vomit again. Daine sighed and went back to holding the knights' hair.
**********
Author's note: it's a bit sloppy but it'll get better I promise! There's going to be a lot more laughs in the coming chapters. The third chapter is finished and I'm just putting finishing touches onto the fourth so they will be along shortly - don't you love Christmas holidays? I'm getting so much more writing done!