A/N: I hoped you liked last chapter! This one picks up directly after it, so I hope you enjoy! R/R! ^_^
Also, I just thought I'd announce, since I forgot to last time, that I met Tammy the week before last on the 6th of November!!! *does dance* I was at the book store in San Jose where she was doing a book signing! If any of you were also there, please let me know because its likely we saw each other.....I don't live in San Jose, though....I just went there because it wasn't that much of a drive...
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Daine felt sudden shock as Numair roughly pulled his lips from hers. She knew his reason, for she'd heard it too. "What the-" Came a familiar voice from across the room before Daine had even a chance to look. She was shocked to see that their intruder was not the Lioness or Onua as she had expected would be the one to find out, but in fact her last choice. It was none other than Nealan of Queenscove, the page she had met upon her arrival at the palace just two days ago.
There was an awkward silence, none daring to speak. It gave Daine the impression that time was frozen, and she was free of this truly embarrassing moment in life. She knew this wasn't possible, but she could take this silence no more than she could take the awkward feelings she knew were soon to come as soon as someone did speak. Thinking on this, she knew it would hurt much less if she was the first. That might also prevent harsh words on Neal's part. Those were things she did not by any means want to hear. She had enough doubt about her new found love without taking on the burden of Neal's doubt. "Was there, -er- something I could do for you, Neal?" Daine asked politely, though ever so quietly. Her statement had been one to hide the current situation, which she knew well was an impossible task.
"Something you could do for me?" Neal repeated, soft at first, but his voice soon grew louder and harsher. His words were cutting, sharp as a Shang blade. The pain and perhaps hurt was evident in his voice. Perhaps Numair's obvious yet silent jealousy had been well based after all. "Something YOU could do for ME?" Neal repeated, emphasizing the words 'you' and 'me.' He did not even bother to hush his voice or retain any sort of polite nature about him. His hurt was rapidly washed over by a sort of rage, and in his mind a well placed one.
"Neal-" Not wishing to throw him into a fit, for she knew he was upset and she felt a pang of guilt for it, she used a soft, gentle tone. It was much like a voice she might use when trying to speak to an enraged animal, she'd done it many times.
"No, no," Neal voiced with a slight maniac laugh. His lips were parted and stretched into an odd sort of grin. Happiness was the last thing his facial expression was revealing to Daine. It was more like an insane anger, and she felt it was her fault. "I was a fool to think I could have you. What could I have been thinking? Daine, the renowned Wild Mage of Tortall having anything to do with me, a simple page who's too old to even be that?"
Neal didn't give either of the two 'lovers' time to respond to his last statement. He cursed under his breath and glared one last time at Daine's teacher before turning on his heel and storming out of the room. He had no reason to stay. His sole purpose for even going to her room in this late hour had been to ask if he could be her escort to the ball, but there was no use in that now. She already had an escort, and probably more than that. Neal didn't think he'd been so hurt in his entire life. He'd dared to let his heart dive deeper than it had ever gone before, and he'd drowned. His heart had been beaten with a stick and crushed into a fine powder.
Just as Neal was about to head back to his own room on the other end of the palace, he heard frantic foot steps coming up behind him, and he turned to find Daine scurrying up the hall behind him. He sighed, and quickly turned his head and attempted to move forward, but found to his dismay that his feet wouldn't move as his heart so desperately wanted them to. "Neal?" Daine called out to him when she reached his side. She could see that his figure was tense, and possibly unwilling to stay and talk to her.
"What do you want?" Neal muttered, his voice accidentally revealing his longing. Daine saw this, and swallowed hard. She'd never been in a position like this before, and it wasn't all that appealing.
"You and I both know that we need to talk about this," Daine ventured, hoping her friend would go along with it.
Sighing, and running a confused hand through his mass of light brown hair. This reminded her a lot of Numair, for he always did things of this sort. The more she thought about it, the more Neal reminded her of her lanky friend and lover. "Fine," His statement was simple, but was quite a relief to Daine. He sounded a bit reluctant, but Daine went ahead with it anyway.
"First off, what were you doing in my room without knocking? I could have been changing or something!" Daine knew her words came off a bit too harsh, and she wasn't in the least bit surprised when he winced.
"The door was open, which to me is a sure sign that visitors are welcome," Neal snapped, voice cold as steel. His emerald eyes darted down, refusing to be met by her own. For the first time since she'd met the page, his eyes weren't shimmering merrily, nor was his appearance welcoming. He was stone cold, which contrasted everything that Daine knew about this boy thus far.
Daine thought about this for a moment. She couldn't blame Neal for any of this. It wasn't his fault, after all. At the palace, it was considered an unwritten rule that if a door to a courtier's private chambers was left open, that they were welcoming visitors. When Numair came and swept her off her feet and carried her through the door, he must not have closed it all the way, thus the door was left open. "Neal, I'm so sorry," was the only thing Daine could think of to say to her friend. She felt that she had betrayed him, and she knew he must feel the same.
Neal sighed, and thought hard on this. He shouldn't have seen what he saw tonight. He had no right to have seen the two lovers as they were. Part of this whole mess was his own fault, and he would take partial blame for it. He still couldn't believe it to be true. Daine, one of the most beautiful maidens at the palace, was courting a man who was at least fourteen years older than herself. "Is it true, Daine?" Neal asked, his voice holding a shred of hope. There was a slight chance that his eyes had deceived him.
"Neal, you saw it for yourself, so how could you question it?" Daine asked irridiculously. She was slightly amused that Neal didn't believe his own eyes in what they saw.
"So, Master Salmalin, he's your lover?" Neal asked hesitantly, still running his hand through his mane of hair.
"Yes," Daine's voice was positive, leaving the page no room for doubt.
"He didn't force you into any of this, did he, Daine?" Neal's voice was serious, his eyes worried. Here was a person who really did care for Daine. He'd known her only a short time, yet he still worried for her and seemed ready to defend her if necessary.
"Of course he didn't!" Daine said, slightly smiling as she thought of her lanky friend. "Neal, what you should know about Numair, is that he truly cares for me, and would never take advantage of me. He's too honorable for any of that. I love him, just as he loves me." As she said these things, Daine felt as if she was assuring herself as much as she was Neal. Numair had shown her just how much he loved her, many times in fact. He'd even proposed to her, only two weeks back. She hadn't given him an answer, and if she was honest with herself, she hadn't spent much time thinking on it. Somehow, she was feeling more sure of herself and Numair now. It was as if in convincing Neal, she was also convincing herself.
"Then, what about the time you two spent the night together last year in the fall?" Neal accused, raising his eye brows. If Daine was amused by his first question, she was even more amused by this accusation. Many times people had mentioned something of the sort to her, and she'd laughed inside every time. It seemed that no matter what she and Numair did, for as long as she could remember, the court had always stuck the two in a bed.
"Oh, that," Daine said, letting her laughter show through. Neal looked at her closely, as if her amusement by this was inappropriate. He just didn't understand, but Daine would open his eyes. "That wasn't at all what the courtiers and palace maids and servants made it out to be. You see, I went to Numair's room rather late for a lesson that night, and the both of us fell asleep. I didn't wake until the sun had risen the next morning. As soon as I did, I dashed out of the room and one of the maids saw me, and spread the rumor that Numair had bedded me. None of it was true."
"I never knew," Neal said, thinking hard about her story. It seemed very probable, and also more satisfying to believe than the tale the maids had told about the two sleeping together.
"I'm sorry things had to happen like this Neal," Daine said with a grin, trying to lighten the mood. She was rewarded for her efforts when Neal flashed her one of his full smiles. This made Daine feel a great deal better, though she knew it was forced on his part.
"Its all right Daine," Neal replied, voice soft. He gently placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She smiled at this, and he returned her smile with one of his own. "Friends?"
"Friends," Daine said, drawing him close in a tight hug. He was slightly taken aback by this, but held her tight all the same. She let go all too soon for him. It was then that she remembered something she'd thought of before. "What did you come to talk to me about anyway, Neal?" Daine asked curiously.
Neal's face paled at this. This was one question that he did not by any means want to answer. He hadn't told her yet, anything of his affections for her, and he found that now it would be much to awkward. He thought it best that she never know how he felt towards her. She had already given her heart away, and could never get it back from what she'd told him thus far. There were plenty of other young women at court that he could turn his attentions to, maybe even eventually love. Yes, he loved Daine now, but now that he knew for a fact she didn't return his affections, perhaps he could and would move on in time. He'd have to come up with an excuse in place of his true reason for coming to see her, and fast. Her lips were parted, her hands folded idly across her chest. She looked at him, eyes impatient as she awaited his answer.
"I -er- to tell you the truth, Daine, I don't remember now," Neal said lamely, mentally slapping himself for not being able to come up with a suitable answer. "Being the circumstances and all, my mind's become rather clouded just now."
Daine raised an accusing eye brow at him. She didn't believe one word of what he said, but decided that his explanation would have to do for the time being. It was no use disturbing him more than she already had that night. Besides, it didn't truly matter. If he wanted to tell her, he would. "Oh, well that's all right, Neal," Daine said, acting as if she did in fact believe his obvious fib. "I'd best be going now. I told Numair I'd be back in a few minutes, and he'll worry if I'm gone too long."
Neal couldn't stop himself as a scowl formed on his mouth and face. For what seemed like the umpteenth time that night, he mentally kicked himself for poor behavior. He'd have to keep a tighter reign on himself, before one day he got into real trouble for letting his true emotions show through. As a knight to be, he would be expected to be on top behavior, and keep most of his own personal opinions to himself. Pages were expected to do anything that was asked of them without any questioning. Neal still needed practice in this area, of that much he was certain.
"Neal, all of this, it doesn't bother you, does it?" Daine asked, hoping he would give her an honest answer. She'd only known Neal for a short time, but she still cared about how he felt about what she did with herself. She could tell he would be a good friend to her and she to him.
"No," Neal said absentmindedly, trying hard not to put his mind into it. This was a lie that he hated to tell. He longed to tell this young woman what he really thought. He longed to shout out the he thought Numair was much too old for her, and that instead she should give her heart to him and not the mage. He couldn't do that to her though. He cared about her, and that was the only thing that kept him from holding his tongue. This wasn't something he was used to doing, for normally his tongue was extremely loose and tended to get him into unneeded trouble, including extra chores from the Stump. Not this time though; he wouldn't let his own foolishness hurt a friend. "No, not at all. Its your life Daine. You should do with it what you wish."
Daine nodded, looking deeply in his eyes to try and find some sort of hint as to the credibility of his words. Somehow, they didn't sound the least bit sincere. They sounded forced, as though not of his own will. "Thank you, Neal," Daine said, still far from convinced. "I'll see you tomorrow maybe."
"I hope so," Neal said, starting to act slightly more like himself. This brightened Daine up slightly. "Good night."
Daine smiled one last time at her friend, before turning on her heal and rushing back to her room. She'd been gone longer than she had thought she would be upon leaving, for she had been sure Neal wouldn't want to even speak to her. She felt so relieved that he'd come around. She valued him as a friend, and didn't want that to be spoiled as she'd thought it was.
Within a few minutes of rapid walking, Daine found herself in front of her room once more. She took in a deep breath, turned he brass knob and went inside. "That took you long enough," Numair grumbled at her once he heard the door to her room open. Daine rounded the corner and into her main living chamber, glaring at him as she went. She didn't say a word. She wanted him to say it first, for she was fair tired of all this serious talk. "Well? What happened?"
"To my surprise, he spoke to me," Daine said simply, doing her best to toy with him. She knew what she was doing was pure torture for him, and she was loving every minute of it.
"And?" His voice was anxious, his movements frantic as he sat up quickly, his eyes intent on her. She smiled at this, making him shoot her an annoyed glance.
"He wasn't exactly mad about any of this, I suppose," Daine said, thinking on her friend's words. Did Neal really mean what he had said to her? Daine didn't want him to be angry with her inside and not tell her how he felt. She didn't know about any of this, but perhaps it didn't matter. "We talked things out."
Numair let out a sigh over relief, making Daine shoot him a sidelong glance of curiosity as she raised her eye brow. "What was that for?" she asked curiously. A smile played at her lips when she continued to gaze at his expression of immense relief.
"Do you really want to know?" he asked breathlessly, standing to his feet and towering over her.
"I do," she replied with a tone to match his. She looked up and into his face. Their eyes met. He took her hands into his two large ones and held her gaze with his own.
"I wish you'd say that to a different question," he teased, earning a light slap on the arm from his love. Numair had changed the subject to this for more than one reason; he did not want to answer her question. He smiled at her antics, but, despite his wishes, proceeded to answer her question. His tone went from smooth and teasing to completely serious. "I was afraid you'd run off with him."
"You ought to know I have every intention of staying with you and you alone," Daine said, shooting him an accusing glance. His eyes broke away from hers, his face letting a slight amount of crimson show through his tan skin. -Good. He's ashamed of himself- Daine thought with some amusement.
"Daine, you already know what I'm going to say to that, so I won't say what you already know," Numair's voice was pleading, begging her to understand why he was concerned. He looked away immediately, making Daine know she had to change the direction of this conversation.
"There is something I discovered about, well, us, while I was out there talking to Neal," Daine said idly, hoping to lure him into her words. Her immediate change of subject was completely intentional, and with a very amusing purpose. As it turns out, she'd done some thinking this night, mostly while talking to Neal. Daine had come to several conclusions, and she knew that Numair would find them appealing. She knew he wouldn't be able to resist this temptation.
"And what is that?" Numair asked quickly, turning his full attention to Daine. He did his best to hide his anxious expression, but failed miserably. That was one thing in life he had never been good at hiding, his emotions.
"I discovered that its you," Daine said, knowing exactly what she was doing to him. She was purposefully letting him know as little as possible. To him, it was a form of torture.
"You're going to have to be less vague, Magelet," he said with a laugh, trying to hide the slight anxiety he was feeling. His mind was jumping to conclusions as to what she did mean, and it was making him all the more excited. Was this anything to do with his proposal?
"Its you that I want to spend my life with," Daine said, watching for his reaction. It was immediate, just as she had expected. His eyes lit up, even though she hadn't completely said the words yet. "So, I'd like to know if your proposal is still good?"
Numair didn't answer her right away, nor at all; at least not in words. He still held her hands in his two larger ones and he took advantage of this. He jerked her forward, drawing her into his chest. Within the blink of an eye, he'd lifted her off of the ground and up to eye level with him. She smiled at his antics, longing for him to close the distance between them. He inched his face closer to hers, until it was little more than the thickness of a piece of parchment away. Their noses touched, and she could feel his warm breath against her lips. "Do you truly mean that?" He asked finally, his tone breathless. He spoke in little more than a whisper, but his words meant more to her than if he'd shouted them.
"I'm fair certain I wouldn't have said them if I didn't mean them," she teased, earning a strangled laugh from him. He did not lower her to the ground, but held her in mid air, tight against his chest. He hesitated only a moment before drawing her lips into his own and kissing her with all he was worth. He led her on like this for several minutes, tiring himself as he did so. It was no easy task to hold something that is more that half of your own weight for such a time.
Numair finally removed his lips with the intention of making this final. He lowered her back to the ground so that both of her feet were planted firmly on the hard wood floor of her living chamber. He proceeded to bend down on one knee, making his head reach just above the nape of her neck, a result of his massive height. "Veralidaine Sarrasri, will you marry me for certain?"
"What do you think?" she teased, batting her curly lashes innocently. Numair looked up at her from his position on the floor and gave her a mock look of annoyance.
"You know, Magelet, I always thought this was a 'yes' or 'no' question," Numair pointed out, still grinning despite her stubbornness. Any time he every expected anything from Daine, he was always drastically surprised, and usually for the best. This was one of the many reasons he loved her above all else.
"Well, if you're going to be picky about it, then yes,"Daine said, sighing in mock exasperation. She placed on hand firmly on her hip, while resting the other against his cheek, cupping it affectionately as he so often had done to her. For once, she stood above him.
Numair reached up a hand and tightly grasped her own that rested on his face. Her face was lit up with a wide smile, as was Numair's. He stood to his feet, once again towering over her. He never let go of her hand, which was still tightly entwined with hers. "Oh, gods, Daine thank you!" He all but yelled, drawing her to his chest before she even had a chance to make out what he'd said.
Slightly taken aback, but enjoying herself all the same, Daine clung tightly to his body, throwing her arms around his neck. She was shocked further when he once again lifted her off of the ground, letting her feet dangle in mid air. He pulled her closer, and captured her lips with his own. Daine immediately caught on and responded to his kiss, letting the fire rise up in her body and mind. She felt sparks of pleasure as she felt his hand grip tightly to the back of her shirt. He caressed her back lovingly, and she returned the favor by letting her fingers slide through his hair, playing with the strands.
Daine opened her eyes mid-kiss and gently pulled her head back, removing her lips from his. Her lips curled into a smile as she noticed that he'd let his eyes remained closed as he pulled himself out of the fire he was feeling. He took in a breath and groaned at her for stopping. "Will you stay here with me tonight?" Daine asked, pulling his face down so that he was looking at her. His eyes were now open, and he was staring at her intently, as if deep in thought.
"Are you sure that's proper?" he asked, causing Daine to snort in laughter.
"Since when have you much cared for what's proper?" she pointed out, resulting in him glaring menacingly at her before letting his lips break into a smile.
"Since I'm with you," he said plainly, leaving her no room to doubt his claims. "I love you, and don't want you to be troubled by talk."
"At his point, does it truly matter? We are after all, engaged," It felt incredibly funny to say that word in regard to herself. It made her feel an odd sense of giddiness that made her want to run all around the palace, shouting out her good news. She didn't think the fellow residents at the palace would much enjoy that. It only took seconds for Daine to add," And its not as if we're going to do anything."
Numair paused for a moment, and then opened his mouth as if he planned to say something, but then closed it. He remained silent for a few seconds before he finally knew what to say. "You've got a point, and I can't deny that I'd enjoy staying-" Numair seemed to be talking to both himself and Daine, as if convincing himself. "I will then."
She hugged him tightly, causing him to smile a full smile. "Where's kit?" he questioned, knowing it was a bit off subject.
"She's been asleep in my bed chamber since Tkaa brought her back around mid day," Daine said, nodding her head towards her bed chamber.
"Tkaa and her must have been up to something energy consuming," Numair pointed out with slight laugh in his voice.
"Every time she stays with him she comes back to me having learned some new trick and its usually fair annoying," Daine grumbled, but couldn't help but laugh at her own sour attitude.
Yawning, Numair stretched out his arms. "I'm feeling rather tired," he voiced, "Its been a while since I've taught any classes, and I've three set for me to teach tomorrow."
"We'd best be off to bed then," Daine supplied, feeling slightly tired herself. "I'll go ready myself for bed." Daine left him in her living chamber as she strode across the room and into her bed chamber.
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A/N: I'm getting tired now, so I think I'll stop....I'm sorry this took so long, but there were things happening that couldn't be helped...Anyway, the next update will come when I've gotten a decent amount of reviews/when I get it done. I plan for it to pick up directly where this one left off. Also, something VERY HUGE happens in that chapter. Who knows, you may even hate me for it! REVIEW! ^_^
Also, I just thought I'd announce, since I forgot to last time, that I met Tammy the week before last on the 6th of November!!! *does dance* I was at the book store in San Jose where she was doing a book signing! If any of you were also there, please let me know because its likely we saw each other.....I don't live in San Jose, though....I just went there because it wasn't that much of a drive...
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Daine felt sudden shock as Numair roughly pulled his lips from hers. She knew his reason, for she'd heard it too. "What the-" Came a familiar voice from across the room before Daine had even a chance to look. She was shocked to see that their intruder was not the Lioness or Onua as she had expected would be the one to find out, but in fact her last choice. It was none other than Nealan of Queenscove, the page she had met upon her arrival at the palace just two days ago.
There was an awkward silence, none daring to speak. It gave Daine the impression that time was frozen, and she was free of this truly embarrassing moment in life. She knew this wasn't possible, but she could take this silence no more than she could take the awkward feelings she knew were soon to come as soon as someone did speak. Thinking on this, she knew it would hurt much less if she was the first. That might also prevent harsh words on Neal's part. Those were things she did not by any means want to hear. She had enough doubt about her new found love without taking on the burden of Neal's doubt. "Was there, -er- something I could do for you, Neal?" Daine asked politely, though ever so quietly. Her statement had been one to hide the current situation, which she knew well was an impossible task.
"Something you could do for me?" Neal repeated, soft at first, but his voice soon grew louder and harsher. His words were cutting, sharp as a Shang blade. The pain and perhaps hurt was evident in his voice. Perhaps Numair's obvious yet silent jealousy had been well based after all. "Something YOU could do for ME?" Neal repeated, emphasizing the words 'you' and 'me.' He did not even bother to hush his voice or retain any sort of polite nature about him. His hurt was rapidly washed over by a sort of rage, and in his mind a well placed one.
"Neal-" Not wishing to throw him into a fit, for she knew he was upset and she felt a pang of guilt for it, she used a soft, gentle tone. It was much like a voice she might use when trying to speak to an enraged animal, she'd done it many times.
"No, no," Neal voiced with a slight maniac laugh. His lips were parted and stretched into an odd sort of grin. Happiness was the last thing his facial expression was revealing to Daine. It was more like an insane anger, and she felt it was her fault. "I was a fool to think I could have you. What could I have been thinking? Daine, the renowned Wild Mage of Tortall having anything to do with me, a simple page who's too old to even be that?"
Neal didn't give either of the two 'lovers' time to respond to his last statement. He cursed under his breath and glared one last time at Daine's teacher before turning on his heel and storming out of the room. He had no reason to stay. His sole purpose for even going to her room in this late hour had been to ask if he could be her escort to the ball, but there was no use in that now. She already had an escort, and probably more than that. Neal didn't think he'd been so hurt in his entire life. He'd dared to let his heart dive deeper than it had ever gone before, and he'd drowned. His heart had been beaten with a stick and crushed into a fine powder.
Just as Neal was about to head back to his own room on the other end of the palace, he heard frantic foot steps coming up behind him, and he turned to find Daine scurrying up the hall behind him. He sighed, and quickly turned his head and attempted to move forward, but found to his dismay that his feet wouldn't move as his heart so desperately wanted them to. "Neal?" Daine called out to him when she reached his side. She could see that his figure was tense, and possibly unwilling to stay and talk to her.
"What do you want?" Neal muttered, his voice accidentally revealing his longing. Daine saw this, and swallowed hard. She'd never been in a position like this before, and it wasn't all that appealing.
"You and I both know that we need to talk about this," Daine ventured, hoping her friend would go along with it.
Sighing, and running a confused hand through his mass of light brown hair. This reminded her a lot of Numair, for he always did things of this sort. The more she thought about it, the more Neal reminded her of her lanky friend and lover. "Fine," His statement was simple, but was quite a relief to Daine. He sounded a bit reluctant, but Daine went ahead with it anyway.
"First off, what were you doing in my room without knocking? I could have been changing or something!" Daine knew her words came off a bit too harsh, and she wasn't in the least bit surprised when he winced.
"The door was open, which to me is a sure sign that visitors are welcome," Neal snapped, voice cold as steel. His emerald eyes darted down, refusing to be met by her own. For the first time since she'd met the page, his eyes weren't shimmering merrily, nor was his appearance welcoming. He was stone cold, which contrasted everything that Daine knew about this boy thus far.
Daine thought about this for a moment. She couldn't blame Neal for any of this. It wasn't his fault, after all. At the palace, it was considered an unwritten rule that if a door to a courtier's private chambers was left open, that they were welcoming visitors. When Numair came and swept her off her feet and carried her through the door, he must not have closed it all the way, thus the door was left open. "Neal, I'm so sorry," was the only thing Daine could think of to say to her friend. She felt that she had betrayed him, and she knew he must feel the same.
Neal sighed, and thought hard on this. He shouldn't have seen what he saw tonight. He had no right to have seen the two lovers as they were. Part of this whole mess was his own fault, and he would take partial blame for it. He still couldn't believe it to be true. Daine, one of the most beautiful maidens at the palace, was courting a man who was at least fourteen years older than herself. "Is it true, Daine?" Neal asked, his voice holding a shred of hope. There was a slight chance that his eyes had deceived him.
"Neal, you saw it for yourself, so how could you question it?" Daine asked irridiculously. She was slightly amused that Neal didn't believe his own eyes in what they saw.
"So, Master Salmalin, he's your lover?" Neal asked hesitantly, still running his hand through his mane of hair.
"Yes," Daine's voice was positive, leaving the page no room for doubt.
"He didn't force you into any of this, did he, Daine?" Neal's voice was serious, his eyes worried. Here was a person who really did care for Daine. He'd known her only a short time, yet he still worried for her and seemed ready to defend her if necessary.
"Of course he didn't!" Daine said, slightly smiling as she thought of her lanky friend. "Neal, what you should know about Numair, is that he truly cares for me, and would never take advantage of me. He's too honorable for any of that. I love him, just as he loves me." As she said these things, Daine felt as if she was assuring herself as much as she was Neal. Numair had shown her just how much he loved her, many times in fact. He'd even proposed to her, only two weeks back. She hadn't given him an answer, and if she was honest with herself, she hadn't spent much time thinking on it. Somehow, she was feeling more sure of herself and Numair now. It was as if in convincing Neal, she was also convincing herself.
"Then, what about the time you two spent the night together last year in the fall?" Neal accused, raising his eye brows. If Daine was amused by his first question, she was even more amused by this accusation. Many times people had mentioned something of the sort to her, and she'd laughed inside every time. It seemed that no matter what she and Numair did, for as long as she could remember, the court had always stuck the two in a bed.
"Oh, that," Daine said, letting her laughter show through. Neal looked at her closely, as if her amusement by this was inappropriate. He just didn't understand, but Daine would open his eyes. "That wasn't at all what the courtiers and palace maids and servants made it out to be. You see, I went to Numair's room rather late for a lesson that night, and the both of us fell asleep. I didn't wake until the sun had risen the next morning. As soon as I did, I dashed out of the room and one of the maids saw me, and spread the rumor that Numair had bedded me. None of it was true."
"I never knew," Neal said, thinking hard about her story. It seemed very probable, and also more satisfying to believe than the tale the maids had told about the two sleeping together.
"I'm sorry things had to happen like this Neal," Daine said with a grin, trying to lighten the mood. She was rewarded for her efforts when Neal flashed her one of his full smiles. This made Daine feel a great deal better, though she knew it was forced on his part.
"Its all right Daine," Neal replied, voice soft. He gently placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She smiled at this, and he returned her smile with one of his own. "Friends?"
"Friends," Daine said, drawing him close in a tight hug. He was slightly taken aback by this, but held her tight all the same. She let go all too soon for him. It was then that she remembered something she'd thought of before. "What did you come to talk to me about anyway, Neal?" Daine asked curiously.
Neal's face paled at this. This was one question that he did not by any means want to answer. He hadn't told her yet, anything of his affections for her, and he found that now it would be much to awkward. He thought it best that she never know how he felt towards her. She had already given her heart away, and could never get it back from what she'd told him thus far. There were plenty of other young women at court that he could turn his attentions to, maybe even eventually love. Yes, he loved Daine now, but now that he knew for a fact she didn't return his affections, perhaps he could and would move on in time. He'd have to come up with an excuse in place of his true reason for coming to see her, and fast. Her lips were parted, her hands folded idly across her chest. She looked at him, eyes impatient as she awaited his answer.
"I -er- to tell you the truth, Daine, I don't remember now," Neal said lamely, mentally slapping himself for not being able to come up with a suitable answer. "Being the circumstances and all, my mind's become rather clouded just now."
Daine raised an accusing eye brow at him. She didn't believe one word of what he said, but decided that his explanation would have to do for the time being. It was no use disturbing him more than she already had that night. Besides, it didn't truly matter. If he wanted to tell her, he would. "Oh, well that's all right, Neal," Daine said, acting as if she did in fact believe his obvious fib. "I'd best be going now. I told Numair I'd be back in a few minutes, and he'll worry if I'm gone too long."
Neal couldn't stop himself as a scowl formed on his mouth and face. For what seemed like the umpteenth time that night, he mentally kicked himself for poor behavior. He'd have to keep a tighter reign on himself, before one day he got into real trouble for letting his true emotions show through. As a knight to be, he would be expected to be on top behavior, and keep most of his own personal opinions to himself. Pages were expected to do anything that was asked of them without any questioning. Neal still needed practice in this area, of that much he was certain.
"Neal, all of this, it doesn't bother you, does it?" Daine asked, hoping he would give her an honest answer. She'd only known Neal for a short time, but she still cared about how he felt about what she did with herself. She could tell he would be a good friend to her and she to him.
"No," Neal said absentmindedly, trying hard not to put his mind into it. This was a lie that he hated to tell. He longed to tell this young woman what he really thought. He longed to shout out the he thought Numair was much too old for her, and that instead she should give her heart to him and not the mage. He couldn't do that to her though. He cared about her, and that was the only thing that kept him from holding his tongue. This wasn't something he was used to doing, for normally his tongue was extremely loose and tended to get him into unneeded trouble, including extra chores from the Stump. Not this time though; he wouldn't let his own foolishness hurt a friend. "No, not at all. Its your life Daine. You should do with it what you wish."
Daine nodded, looking deeply in his eyes to try and find some sort of hint as to the credibility of his words. Somehow, they didn't sound the least bit sincere. They sounded forced, as though not of his own will. "Thank you, Neal," Daine said, still far from convinced. "I'll see you tomorrow maybe."
"I hope so," Neal said, starting to act slightly more like himself. This brightened Daine up slightly. "Good night."
Daine smiled one last time at her friend, before turning on her heal and rushing back to her room. She'd been gone longer than she had thought she would be upon leaving, for she had been sure Neal wouldn't want to even speak to her. She felt so relieved that he'd come around. She valued him as a friend, and didn't want that to be spoiled as she'd thought it was.
Within a few minutes of rapid walking, Daine found herself in front of her room once more. She took in a deep breath, turned he brass knob and went inside. "That took you long enough," Numair grumbled at her once he heard the door to her room open. Daine rounded the corner and into her main living chamber, glaring at him as she went. She didn't say a word. She wanted him to say it first, for she was fair tired of all this serious talk. "Well? What happened?"
"To my surprise, he spoke to me," Daine said simply, doing her best to toy with him. She knew what she was doing was pure torture for him, and she was loving every minute of it.
"And?" His voice was anxious, his movements frantic as he sat up quickly, his eyes intent on her. She smiled at this, making him shoot her an annoyed glance.
"He wasn't exactly mad about any of this, I suppose," Daine said, thinking on her friend's words. Did Neal really mean what he had said to her? Daine didn't want him to be angry with her inside and not tell her how he felt. She didn't know about any of this, but perhaps it didn't matter. "We talked things out."
Numair let out a sigh over relief, making Daine shoot him a sidelong glance of curiosity as she raised her eye brow. "What was that for?" she asked curiously. A smile played at her lips when she continued to gaze at his expression of immense relief.
"Do you really want to know?" he asked breathlessly, standing to his feet and towering over her.
"I do," she replied with a tone to match his. She looked up and into his face. Their eyes met. He took her hands into his two large ones and held her gaze with his own.
"I wish you'd say that to a different question," he teased, earning a light slap on the arm from his love. Numair had changed the subject to this for more than one reason; he did not want to answer her question. He smiled at her antics, but, despite his wishes, proceeded to answer her question. His tone went from smooth and teasing to completely serious. "I was afraid you'd run off with him."
"You ought to know I have every intention of staying with you and you alone," Daine said, shooting him an accusing glance. His eyes broke away from hers, his face letting a slight amount of crimson show through his tan skin. -Good. He's ashamed of himself- Daine thought with some amusement.
"Daine, you already know what I'm going to say to that, so I won't say what you already know," Numair's voice was pleading, begging her to understand why he was concerned. He looked away immediately, making Daine know she had to change the direction of this conversation.
"There is something I discovered about, well, us, while I was out there talking to Neal," Daine said idly, hoping to lure him into her words. Her immediate change of subject was completely intentional, and with a very amusing purpose. As it turns out, she'd done some thinking this night, mostly while talking to Neal. Daine had come to several conclusions, and she knew that Numair would find them appealing. She knew he wouldn't be able to resist this temptation.
"And what is that?" Numair asked quickly, turning his full attention to Daine. He did his best to hide his anxious expression, but failed miserably. That was one thing in life he had never been good at hiding, his emotions.
"I discovered that its you," Daine said, knowing exactly what she was doing to him. She was purposefully letting him know as little as possible. To him, it was a form of torture.
"You're going to have to be less vague, Magelet," he said with a laugh, trying to hide the slight anxiety he was feeling. His mind was jumping to conclusions as to what she did mean, and it was making him all the more excited. Was this anything to do with his proposal?
"Its you that I want to spend my life with," Daine said, watching for his reaction. It was immediate, just as she had expected. His eyes lit up, even though she hadn't completely said the words yet. "So, I'd like to know if your proposal is still good?"
Numair didn't answer her right away, nor at all; at least not in words. He still held her hands in his two larger ones and he took advantage of this. He jerked her forward, drawing her into his chest. Within the blink of an eye, he'd lifted her off of the ground and up to eye level with him. She smiled at his antics, longing for him to close the distance between them. He inched his face closer to hers, until it was little more than the thickness of a piece of parchment away. Their noses touched, and she could feel his warm breath against her lips. "Do you truly mean that?" He asked finally, his tone breathless. He spoke in little more than a whisper, but his words meant more to her than if he'd shouted them.
"I'm fair certain I wouldn't have said them if I didn't mean them," she teased, earning a strangled laugh from him. He did not lower her to the ground, but held her in mid air, tight against his chest. He hesitated only a moment before drawing her lips into his own and kissing her with all he was worth. He led her on like this for several minutes, tiring himself as he did so. It was no easy task to hold something that is more that half of your own weight for such a time.
Numair finally removed his lips with the intention of making this final. He lowered her back to the ground so that both of her feet were planted firmly on the hard wood floor of her living chamber. He proceeded to bend down on one knee, making his head reach just above the nape of her neck, a result of his massive height. "Veralidaine Sarrasri, will you marry me for certain?"
"What do you think?" she teased, batting her curly lashes innocently. Numair looked up at her from his position on the floor and gave her a mock look of annoyance.
"You know, Magelet, I always thought this was a 'yes' or 'no' question," Numair pointed out, still grinning despite her stubbornness. Any time he every expected anything from Daine, he was always drastically surprised, and usually for the best. This was one of the many reasons he loved her above all else.
"Well, if you're going to be picky about it, then yes,"Daine said, sighing in mock exasperation. She placed on hand firmly on her hip, while resting the other against his cheek, cupping it affectionately as he so often had done to her. For once, she stood above him.
Numair reached up a hand and tightly grasped her own that rested on his face. Her face was lit up with a wide smile, as was Numair's. He stood to his feet, once again towering over her. He never let go of her hand, which was still tightly entwined with hers. "Oh, gods, Daine thank you!" He all but yelled, drawing her to his chest before she even had a chance to make out what he'd said.
Slightly taken aback, but enjoying herself all the same, Daine clung tightly to his body, throwing her arms around his neck. She was shocked further when he once again lifted her off of the ground, letting her feet dangle in mid air. He pulled her closer, and captured her lips with his own. Daine immediately caught on and responded to his kiss, letting the fire rise up in her body and mind. She felt sparks of pleasure as she felt his hand grip tightly to the back of her shirt. He caressed her back lovingly, and she returned the favor by letting her fingers slide through his hair, playing with the strands.
Daine opened her eyes mid-kiss and gently pulled her head back, removing her lips from his. Her lips curled into a smile as she noticed that he'd let his eyes remained closed as he pulled himself out of the fire he was feeling. He took in a breath and groaned at her for stopping. "Will you stay here with me tonight?" Daine asked, pulling his face down so that he was looking at her. His eyes were now open, and he was staring at her intently, as if deep in thought.
"Are you sure that's proper?" he asked, causing Daine to snort in laughter.
"Since when have you much cared for what's proper?" she pointed out, resulting in him glaring menacingly at her before letting his lips break into a smile.
"Since I'm with you," he said plainly, leaving her no room to doubt his claims. "I love you, and don't want you to be troubled by talk."
"At his point, does it truly matter? We are after all, engaged," It felt incredibly funny to say that word in regard to herself. It made her feel an odd sense of giddiness that made her want to run all around the palace, shouting out her good news. She didn't think the fellow residents at the palace would much enjoy that. It only took seconds for Daine to add," And its not as if we're going to do anything."
Numair paused for a moment, and then opened his mouth as if he planned to say something, but then closed it. He remained silent for a few seconds before he finally knew what to say. "You've got a point, and I can't deny that I'd enjoy staying-" Numair seemed to be talking to both himself and Daine, as if convincing himself. "I will then."
She hugged him tightly, causing him to smile a full smile. "Where's kit?" he questioned, knowing it was a bit off subject.
"She's been asleep in my bed chamber since Tkaa brought her back around mid day," Daine said, nodding her head towards her bed chamber.
"Tkaa and her must have been up to something energy consuming," Numair pointed out with slight laugh in his voice.
"Every time she stays with him she comes back to me having learned some new trick and its usually fair annoying," Daine grumbled, but couldn't help but laugh at her own sour attitude.
Yawning, Numair stretched out his arms. "I'm feeling rather tired," he voiced, "Its been a while since I've taught any classes, and I've three set for me to teach tomorrow."
"We'd best be off to bed then," Daine supplied, feeling slightly tired herself. "I'll go ready myself for bed." Daine left him in her living chamber as she strode across the room and into her bed chamber.
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A/N: I'm getting tired now, so I think I'll stop....I'm sorry this took so long, but there were things happening that couldn't be helped...Anyway, the next update will come when I've gotten a decent amount of reviews/when I get it done. I plan for it to pick up directly where this one left off. Also, something VERY HUGE happens in that chapter. Who knows, you may even hate me for it! REVIEW! ^_^
