Tkaa
paced the room, hand to chin, pondering things. His tail made soft noises as it
dragged across the stone floor. Alanna stood in a corner, waiting impatiently
for his thoughts to erupt fourth from his carefully withdrawn mind.
Numair had been dragged forcefully out of the room and into the courtyard by
kitten, who, as Tkaa had said, "insisted that he was going to go mad unless he
was taken out". Daine had long since lapsed into unconsciousness, and unlike
times before she showed no signs of waking.
Abruptly Tkaa's mind voice echoed into Alanna's with a surprising sharpness. *Alanna, I think I might have this riddle
figured out,* on hearing this she perked up and listened intently. *Do a small favor for me. Fetch the glass
bottle of unicorn hairs from the storeroom that we used; this may just be it.*
She was tempted to question him, but he, as most severely intellectual beings
did, spoke in many riddles. He would speak on his own accord. Sadly this riddle
held one of her dear friend's life in the balance. She
strode out to do his bidding.
She carefully dodged the occupants of the hall. She narrowly missed a woman
carrying a load of laundry, after passing her, she ran into a peddler of
potions, then a group of pages.
Finally slowing, she entered a small hall. The dust particles in the rarely
used area were illuminated with bright sunlight that shone as a ray of bright
hope from a small diamond window that was cut into the stone wall directly in
front of her. She went to the second wooden scrubbed door upon her right, and
opening it, she stepped in.
This small paper and herb filled room looked as
disheveled as it was when she and Tkaa had last departed. And still there in
the dark musty room was a sparkling glass bottle resting on a crate.
Glittering inside that bottle, like strands of pearl and diamond were five
unicorn hairs. She made no stop to read the label, it was the only case of it's
kind in the castle; but instead grabbed this glass in her firm fist and hastily
made her way back to Daine and Tkaa.
After striding the long way to Daine's room, she placed the bottle in Tkaa's
scaly hands. He immediately held it up and gazed at the label fixed to the
glass.
In an airy he voice he swore. Alanna started; it was a rare day to hear him
curse. But then again, they all did it.
"What is it?" said a voice from the corner between the bed and the wall. She
turned to see Numair with his dark locks falling upon his face staring
fearfully at Tkaa's features.
.
Tkaa answered. *I believe I have
discovered the problem. These are not true unicorn hairs,
these are only a hybrid of the original unicorns. It is simple. These are
killer unicorns, the immortals we are used to seeing today. Daine will need a
hair for the potion of the original, all of which to date are extinct so I
believe*
"Damn!" swore Alanna, "Well that is the only type I know!"
*Indeed, but if we are to help Daine at
all, then we will have to find a single hair of a unicorn that was spared the
fate of the rest of its race. But that is a long tale, for yet another time and
place.*
"I will go all the way to Carthak if I have to! They keep some in their-"
Numair stopped and a dawning look came upon his features.
"What?!" snapped Alanna.
"Wait, I need not go to Carthak," continued Numair a little relieved, his voice
wavering slightly. "I was given such a gift, I own a
hair, at my home to the west. Near Pirate's Swoop.
From long ago I have kept that trinket! We will be able to find one there. If I
go to retrieve it we will stand a chance."
He stood, and Alanna looked immensely relieved. *How will you go? You know of the frequent raider attacks on this area,
and the mages they bring with them.* asked Tkaa.
"Using a transportation spell would not be a wise choice." Said
Alanna. "We've already lost Todd, one of our best mages because of these
bloody foreign mages tampering with the natural balance of magic in the land."
"I won't use a transportation spell. It will be difficult though, a long
distance on horseback in a small amount of time."
"Fine." Said Alanna and she walked over and placed a hand on Numair's shoulder,
"You will need to rest before you return. Do not hurry, or over exert yourself,
Daine would kill me if you came back injured."
"If she lives to do so." He muttered sadly.
She turned his chin up and he looked into the fiercely violet eyes of his
friend. He caught the message. "I will notify Jon," she said abruptly. "It is a
day's ride from here with your magic. Take care of yourself. Now, go." She
pointed to the door.
He nodded, but before he went he approached Daine's bed. He knew she couldn't
hear him, but tenderly he picked up her hand. "Stay well magelet, please, for
me." He whispered. And with a silent prayer, he strode from the room.
Tkaa and Alanna shared a look. "Do you believe he will make it?" said Tkaa
breathily.
"I was out there only days ago," whispered Alanna remorsefully. "If the land is
in the same state it was then, with the hindrances, do I believe he will make
it back in time? No. No I do not." A silent tear slipped down her face. "Did I
sacrifice her life by sending him away? Do we need his strength to call her
back?" The questioned loomed in the silence of the room.
~*~*~
Numair buckled the leather on Cloud's bridle with shaking hands. The horse eyed
him with mild curiosity. He had chosen, against his any shred of sense in his
head, to ride Cloud because he knew that she would be motivated to move as
quickly as possible.
"I cannot speak to you as Daine can," he said, looking into the mare's blue
rimmed eyes for a moment. "But her life hangs in the balance. You, horse, will
move swiftly and without protest," he paused for a moment and gave up on
establishing dominance. Begging a little more he said, "Cloud, I believe that
neither you nor I could handle such a loss. Please."
She nickered and tossed her wiry mane. Placing a hand on the pommel of his
black leather saddle he swung up and settled himself into the natural curves of
Cloud's back. "Now, make haste!" he said and she sped away.
The courtyard flew past them. Many eyes turned to see the normally subdued mage
galloping across the green grass which rippled as the grey blur sped over it.
Numair's dark black cloak flew behind him, rippling as the grass in the rush of
moving air.
The people in the streets parted as soon as the saw him approach; even the
guards at the gate allowed him to exit without question or slowing his speed.
As soon as he was free of the gates, he harnessed his Gift and magicked Cloud into moving faster.
The trees were merely a green blur and, were there any enemies near, it was
doubtful that they would notice something that moved so quickly.
They rode all day, leaving time and anxiety to the wind. By sundown they were
nearly three quarters of the way to Numair's dwelling, but Cloud was exhausted.
Numair slowed Cloud to a walk. Her chest expanded as she took heavy gulps of
air; and her coat glistened with sweat in the light of the setting sun at their
backs.
Numair realized he could not push the horse further. Taking a road to the
right, he found a small village. He went to the local stables and a young boy
came to greet him.
The young boy came to him from across the muddy way, "G'day sir. I'm Ross, what
will it be for you?"
"Just a stall to keep my mount and a place to store baggage until tomorrow
morning." He had to stop to catch his breath; the riding had been trying for
him as well.
The young boy stared up at him for a moment. This man looked different, richer
than to stay at a place like this. Questioning was against employee policy. Alas. He checked his thoughts, then wordlessly obeyed the request.
Numair was impatient and as soon as he saw that Cloud was cared for, he stepped
into the woods bordering the stable. Making sure none were around, and that he
had a light leather pouch stuffed with light clothing, he transformed into a
grey eagle.
The world was different from this perspective, but manageable. He sidled in the
brush on two talon-clawed feet and grasped the pouch securely. He could feel the
gentle wind from the north; the cool breeze served to add lift under his
feathers. Carrying him up, up, until he soared far above the land and the small
village.
Passing over the rural country was simple, even shamefully so in animal form.
He tipped a wing back and lazily rode on a momentary draft. 'No wonder Daine
enjoys this. Perhaps someday we shall do this together in spare time.' His
light thoughts dissipated as he passed over a camp of men that looked to be
from Scanra. They were obviously raiders.
They, too, passed from his sight. He played with his thoughts until, on the
eastern horizon, blue waters came into view. They sparkled brightly; he would
not go all the way to the sea, but seeing them made him feel more at home.
Then he saw it, at last. His own small home set into the hills glimmering in
the moonlight. It brought back memories: the first time Daine had come from
Pirate's Swoop, lessons, success, and other things.
It was easy to descend from the dark skies. He simply slowed his descent enough
to land gracefully on the lawn and then to push open a window. As soon as he
was inside he shed the avian form and pulled on the clothing stuffed in the
pouch.
His home was a tad bit dirty since he had last set foot inside. 'But again,' he
pondered as he wiped dust off of a redwood table, 'I have not been here in two
months.'
He remembered his task and, ignoring the stiffness in his arms and legs, he
quickly strode up the stone stair to the second level of the house. He went to
his bedroom and pushed open an oak door. It creaked in protest but grudgingly
swung open to admit him into the area.
A large bed stood against the wall, neatly made but covered under small
mountains of books and parchment. 'I really need to hire a housekeeper.' He
decided.
The moon glittered through the pane of a window. It illuminated an ornate
cupboard and chest. Opening the creaky chest at the foot of his bed, he pulled
out a scrubbed wooden box. He brushed the dust carefully off of the lid and
undid the cheap metal latch.
"It's still here." He breathed to the silence as he tenderly pulled a golden
locket on a wrist chain from the box of trinkets. He held it up to the light
and marveled at it, lost in reverie for a time.
Varice had given it to him, long ago. Her small
portrait had long since been disposed of, those
feelings had faded with the years. But he had kept this, and only now did he
understand why. He undid the small latch and gazed at the small silver hair
wrapped on the golden hair. It was the perfect match: the small silvery hair
upon the fair gold. He pulled out the hair delicately and placed it in an even
smaller pouch he had acquired just for that purpose.
He slipped the pouch in his pocket, but while his hand was in the soft folds of
the cloth his hand brushed against something silky. He pulled it out and, sitting
in the palm of his hand, was a dark brown curl. It made him smile, he had
completely forgotten about that. Carefully, as if with an unbidden reverence,
he clipped the hair in the abandoned clip of the locket. It fit perfectly, 'If
only we fit…' but his thoughts drifted away.
Then he slipped the golden chain about his wrist, and all else morphed into the
darkness of the night.
~*~*~*~
YESSSSS! YESSSSSS! *cheers* We broke 50 reviews! But that's not why I'm excited!!! I'm totally hyped because I finally figured out what to do for the rest of this story!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes there is only one ^.^ chapter left, but I will be writing a sequel, or perhaps just a ton of other D/N stories. Definitely with more action next time, but this sic fic was just irresistible!
I have been putting this off, because well I was not sure where to go with it. I also was putting it off under a few other stories as well as a TON of schoolwork. I do not know what I would do without everyone's support! I realize that there is not as much D/N fluff in this chapter. It is coming, patience!
I was just browsing through reviews today, when I came upon these. Perhaps it was the fresh smell of Apple Pie in the background (because Baking really does cure writer's block), or the beauty of the music that echoes in my ears, but truly thanks to all of the kind and encouraging words that planted the plot in my head.
Thanks of course to my beta, Robinwyn! *pops champagne bottle and hands over a glass* For without your input I would not have just written this! Oh by the way, if everyone hasn't read her stories yet they should! They are really great!
Jack Sparrow: "Drinks all 'round!"
Um, replies to everyone! :) :) :) Review again too, your input has become a main factor in my motivation! I appreciate every comment, no matter how small!
Robinwyn ~ Well what can I say?! Thanks would be a good start! And update your fic soon! I am still in the dark on where it is going, :) *hugs*
witch@heart ~ have I ever told you how much I enjoy your reviews? I am always laughing or deeply flattered; and to me that is the perfect review! *thinks longingly of Numair* yes, he is wonderful. I wish that there were guys like that here too, but no rush for me, fate takes its course. Plus I have Numair, Aragorn, Legolas, and all of the Barricade boys from Les Mis to make my day, in my head anyway. I just recently read an awesome quote, "It's real, just a different kind of real." In a small story called "Hamadi" from my Lit book, I think that basically sums up my thoughts on having a "muse". LOL about my bio! U like that little list, I enjoyed it as well. Actually for RotK my four best friends and I are going to see it at the dollar theatre in like July, and actually do it all! I can't wait! *pictures self being thrown out of the theatre* What's life without risks!? Don't thank me, it is I who should be thanking u! Hope to hear from u!
Wake-Robin ~ Isn't he! *huggles Numair* :) Thanks for the review!
Psycholioness13 ~ Glad u like, well who knows what will happen next? Keep an eye open, I should have this updated soon. I am too glad to have it almost complete to stop now!
Lady-kitty ~ *is patted on the head* Hee hee! Oh I am so glad you like it, shall I go on? ;) haha I wouldn't dream of stopping now.
ArizonaBay ~ Oh, don't cry! You know what happens! You know in the depth of your heart, and brain I hope. Then again… *evil grin* we shall see.
CrAzYhOrSeGiRl88 ~ D/N fluffiness! Yummy. *is pelted with large marshmallows* Hehe, on the verge of d/n fluffiness; good, happy median then. Oh, you love it too! *feels loved and squeals again before pulling Jack over to pass around more champagne and food* I know this chapter didn't have a lot, but next chappie is sappieville fun. *shuts up*
Kit49 ~ Yes I realize that I did not have as much D/N fluff in this chappie, but I had to move Numair our of the way for the time being. Um *stutters excuses* you'll see why. Sorry for the shortness of the last chapter. Hope this one is up to your expectations.
Miya-chan3 ~ Insanity Insanity Insanity! Hope you liked this chapter too! You'd all go mad if I took too long. Uh-oh! *gulps and stares nervously around* ;)
Numair's Angel ~ *smiles* More coming right up!