A/N - I'm soooo sorry it took so long to get this chapter up! Sorry, sorry, sorry! And i'm sorry if it's short! Incase anyone was wondering, this story takes places 14 years after Daughter of the Rogue ended. So right now Alexandria (i may change her name) and Nicholas are 14 years old. If anyone wanted to know (hint). Also i can't believe i wrote Rovin in the last chapter! Stupid, stupid me! I just haven't gotten use to not writing about her is all! Enjoy!
Chapter 7
Leopold woke suddenly, bolting from the bed and staring at it as if it were infested with a creature. She stood in the middle of the room breathing deeply and pulling her nightshirt tighter around her. She heard a noise behind her and turned quickly to stare at the closed shutters on the window. They started shaking as she backed up and hit the bed post, startling her again. She gasped and jumped away from the post, sitting on the floor and starting to cry. The dream she had had last night scared her beyond belief, and to wake up in the middle of the night to a strange room, in a place she didn't want to be in in the first place scared her more. The dream had been about her parents murder again. The same dream she has every time she goes to a new place, as if her parents are somehow warning her to be cautious of her surroundings. Leopold pulled her legs up to her chest and crawled into a ball as small tears crawled down her face. She lay back on the floor for hours before softly falling asleep again.
*~*~*~*~*
Fourteen-year-old Luke ran into his cousin's room excited she was there. It had been six years or so since he had seen her and he couldn't wait to tell her all about his training to become a knight. Luke stared at the bed in front of him and was disappointed when he found it bed empty. Looking around the room he spotted a hand sticking out from underneath the bed. Crossing the room he found Leopold sprawled out on the floor. Fearing the worst he started screaming for his older cousins in the adjoining rooms and knelt down by Leopold's side. Ace and Sebastien ran in from the other rooms and swore when they saw Leopold on the floor. Like Luke they rushed to her side to see if she as alright. Luke's screaming had awaken Leopold and she sat up rubbing her eyes while staring at the boys.
"What are you doing in here?" she asked when she saw them staring at her in worry.
"We heard yelling," Sebastien replied out of breath kneeling beside her
"I thought you were dead!" Luke replied slowly his breathing as well and falling backwards into a sitting position.
"I'm not dead!" Leopold replied with a small laugh
"Yes we can see that!" Ace replied chuckling
"Then what are you doing on the floor?" Sebastien inquired grinning
"I fell asleep!" Leopold replied laughing at her cousins worry.
"Well it is time to get up!" Ace replied standing and reaching out to help Leopold off the floor as well. The other three stood together as Sebastien started leading Luke out of the room. Ace followed before turning back to speak to Leopold. "Oh! Wear something you know she'll like, that last thing you want to do is get on her death list"
"Who's death list?" Leopold asked turning from the shutters she had been staring at.
"Aunt Delilah's" Ace replied halfway out the door. "You're to dine with her this morning. Didn't Xavier tell you?"
"No he didn't" Leopold replied grinding her teeth together in anger of her cousin. If Xavier had told her the night before that she was suppose to present herself to her aunt in the morning she might have had time to prepare herself for the worst and come up with some answers her aunt would slightly approve of. Leopold started groaning as she shoved her cousin out the door and slammed it behind her. Leaning against the door she frantically searched the room for some sort of outfit while she went over questions her aunt would ask her. She hadn't had time to un-pack anything from the trip which she always liked doing herself instead of having a servant do it. There's just something about having other people going through her things that upsets Leopold. When she un-packs her clothes and belongings that all fit in two trunks she get a sense that they are her things and they don't belong to anyone else but her, and she doesn't have to share those things with her cousins if she doesn't want to. Personally none of her cousins want to borrow her things, but knowing she could refuse them is the point.
Leopold picked up many different dresses and started throwing her clothes around the room as she searched for the perfect dress to wear. Her aunt would want something modest that doesn't show any cleavage, has long sleeves, and drags at least two inches past Leopold's feet. Her aunt was very modest and hated seeing anyone wearing anything that would make people of the opposite sex find them attractive. Her aunt was someone you didn't want to get on the bad side of as many people have suffered in the past.
After an hour of searching Leopold came up from the bottom of her second trunk with a deep brown colored dress. It was very plain and was long enough to suit her aunt. The sleeves were long and draped over Leopold's hands, something she dreaded. The neckline was suitable as it circled around to make it difficult to tell the front of the dress from the back. Leopold found a brown cord which she used as a belt that hung low on her hips reaching towards the ground. She wore her plain brown slippers and hoped her aunt wouldn't notice the dirt on them. When Leopold decided she was ready a servant came in and got ready to do her hair as Leopold sat in front of the desk where everything had been laid out the night before.
When everything was done Leopold's hair was pulled up onto her head with many clips so that most of it spiraled down her neck in curls. Wisps of hair were around her forehead and some around her ears which bothered her like crazy. Her face had enough face paint on it to make the ugliest troll look beautiful and the jewelry she was wearing made her feel like twenty pounds had been added on. Leopold stood and walked out of her room already in a bad mood. Luke stood pacing in the adjoining room while he waited for her. When she entered he stopped and bowed the proper way.
"No need to bow Luke," Leopold replied smiling to hide how angry she was "We are cousins aren't we?" He walked towards him and embraced him in a hug.
"Of course we are." Luke replied letting go of her "But I haven't seen you in so long. You look lovely by the way."
"Thank you." Leopold replied looking for the rest of her cousins "Where is everyone else?"
"Already in attendance with Aunt Delilah." Luke replied grinning "I'm to show you where they are and then I have to return to training."
"Oh joy," Leopold muttered following Luke out of the room and through the winding halls.
"That's the same look the others wore when they went to greet her!" Luke replied smiling
"Yes, well you don't have to stay and talk to her." Leopold responded giving her cousins a light punch on his arm.
"That doesn't mean I haven't had my fair share of long conversations with her." Luke said stopping outside two double doors and pointing towards them "Your torture awaits milady!"
"Pray for me!" Leopold replied placing a hand on the doorknob as Luke laughed and started walking away. Leopold stared after him until he had disappeared from view. She said a small prayer to Mithros before turning the handle and entering the room, shutting the door quickly behind her. Turning, she saw her aunt sitting in a chair by a roaring fire with a cup of tea in her hand, whilst her cousins stood around the room or sat on the couch diagonal to the chair. Leopold gave a small smile as she stared at her aunt.
"Hello aunt," Leopold said giving a small curtsy and clasping her hands in front of her as she waited for her aunt to reply.
Like usual her aunt said nothing for a few minutes as she surveyed Leopold. To Leopold it felt like years before her aunt finally replied. "Come her child and let me get a better look at you."
Leopold glanced at Ace who nodded his head for her to move closer. She did as she was told and stood in front of her aunt. Her aunt took her hand and inspected it before dropping it by her side again. She commanded Leopold to turn and Leopold did so slowly.
"Well," Aunt Delilah said after a few more minutes of inspecting Leopold. "I suppose you'll do. We're going to have to work on your posture," Leopold immediately stood up straighter as did all her cousins around the room, "And your nails are dreadful! what have you been digging in? Never mind I don't care!" Leopold gritted her teeth together and bit her tongue to stop herself from talking back to her aunt while she continued to smile. "I doubt your manners are any better, Mithros knows that in the state your in it'll take another year or two before any male approaches me or one of your other aunts about marriage to you. And hopefully by then you'll be out of my hands and living with one of the other families that continue to breed you filthy whelps." Her aunt waved towards the door excusing Leopold and her cousins, who gladly took the offer.
"As you wish Aunt," Leopold muttered curtsying and quickly turning towards the door. She picked up her skirts and dashed towards the door, beating Sebastien to it.
"And we'll have to work on the way you walk! You must have been raised by wolves!" Leopold's aunt called after her as she left the room without a backwards glance.
"Close enough!" Darren whispered in Leopold's ear as a grin spread across his face. Leopold laughed along with the others as they walked back to their rooms.
"Lets get breakfast and then go watch Luke make a fool of himself in practice!" Ace announced changing the direction everyone was going and heading towards the dining hall. "Sounds good to me!" Xavier said coming up behind Leopold and pushing her forwards into a run down the hall. Leopold laughed and soon all eight of them were racing down the hall towards the dining hall which held a buffet of breakfast for everyone. Leopold was one of the first to reach the grand staircase so she immediately picked up her skirts and sat sideways on the banister, with the boys behind her. She slid the long ways down before falling off at the end and stumbling into the arms of a boy her age, sending the two of the falling to the floor. By this time Leopold's hair had come undone and I fell loose around her face. Moving her hair away she picked herself up off of the boy muttering many apologies.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't see you! I'm so sorry!" Leopold said helping the boy up who was laughing to hard to respond. Leopold couldn't get a good view of his face as he was brushing off his clothes and not staring at her.
"It's quite alright!" the boy replied laughing and finally staring at her. Leopold thought his face looked familiar, but then she's been all over Tortall and lots of faces look familiar to her. The boy was obviously a noble from his clothes which were very elegant. His tunic was a more plain fashion without a fief symbolized anywhere. His hair was dark brown and his eyes were a magnificent deep blue as Leopold stared at them. The boy looked so familiar. The boy gave a small laugh as he pointed towards her cousins who were staring at the two of while they waited at the bottom of the stairs. "I believe your brothers are waiting for you!"
"Cousins," Leopold muttered snapping out of her trance and clearing her throat. "They're my cousins. I have no brothers, I'm an only child."
"Likewise. I guess I'll see you around Leopold!" he said smiling before turning around and disappearing down the hall, leaving Leopold stunned and curious as she stared after him realizing she had never given him her name.
Chapter 7
Leopold woke suddenly, bolting from the bed and staring at it as if it were infested with a creature. She stood in the middle of the room breathing deeply and pulling her nightshirt tighter around her. She heard a noise behind her and turned quickly to stare at the closed shutters on the window. They started shaking as she backed up and hit the bed post, startling her again. She gasped and jumped away from the post, sitting on the floor and starting to cry. The dream she had had last night scared her beyond belief, and to wake up in the middle of the night to a strange room, in a place she didn't want to be in in the first place scared her more. The dream had been about her parents murder again. The same dream she has every time she goes to a new place, as if her parents are somehow warning her to be cautious of her surroundings. Leopold pulled her legs up to her chest and crawled into a ball as small tears crawled down her face. She lay back on the floor for hours before softly falling asleep again.
*~*~*~*~*
Fourteen-year-old Luke ran into his cousin's room excited she was there. It had been six years or so since he had seen her and he couldn't wait to tell her all about his training to become a knight. Luke stared at the bed in front of him and was disappointed when he found it bed empty. Looking around the room he spotted a hand sticking out from underneath the bed. Crossing the room he found Leopold sprawled out on the floor. Fearing the worst he started screaming for his older cousins in the adjoining rooms and knelt down by Leopold's side. Ace and Sebastien ran in from the other rooms and swore when they saw Leopold on the floor. Like Luke they rushed to her side to see if she as alright. Luke's screaming had awaken Leopold and she sat up rubbing her eyes while staring at the boys.
"What are you doing in here?" she asked when she saw them staring at her in worry.
"We heard yelling," Sebastien replied out of breath kneeling beside her
"I thought you were dead!" Luke replied slowly his breathing as well and falling backwards into a sitting position.
"I'm not dead!" Leopold replied with a small laugh
"Yes we can see that!" Ace replied chuckling
"Then what are you doing on the floor?" Sebastien inquired grinning
"I fell asleep!" Leopold replied laughing at her cousins worry.
"Well it is time to get up!" Ace replied standing and reaching out to help Leopold off the floor as well. The other three stood together as Sebastien started leading Luke out of the room. Ace followed before turning back to speak to Leopold. "Oh! Wear something you know she'll like, that last thing you want to do is get on her death list"
"Who's death list?" Leopold asked turning from the shutters she had been staring at.
"Aunt Delilah's" Ace replied halfway out the door. "You're to dine with her this morning. Didn't Xavier tell you?"
"No he didn't" Leopold replied grinding her teeth together in anger of her cousin. If Xavier had told her the night before that she was suppose to present herself to her aunt in the morning she might have had time to prepare herself for the worst and come up with some answers her aunt would slightly approve of. Leopold started groaning as she shoved her cousin out the door and slammed it behind her. Leaning against the door she frantically searched the room for some sort of outfit while she went over questions her aunt would ask her. She hadn't had time to un-pack anything from the trip which she always liked doing herself instead of having a servant do it. There's just something about having other people going through her things that upsets Leopold. When she un-packs her clothes and belongings that all fit in two trunks she get a sense that they are her things and they don't belong to anyone else but her, and she doesn't have to share those things with her cousins if she doesn't want to. Personally none of her cousins want to borrow her things, but knowing she could refuse them is the point.
Leopold picked up many different dresses and started throwing her clothes around the room as she searched for the perfect dress to wear. Her aunt would want something modest that doesn't show any cleavage, has long sleeves, and drags at least two inches past Leopold's feet. Her aunt was very modest and hated seeing anyone wearing anything that would make people of the opposite sex find them attractive. Her aunt was someone you didn't want to get on the bad side of as many people have suffered in the past.
After an hour of searching Leopold came up from the bottom of her second trunk with a deep brown colored dress. It was very plain and was long enough to suit her aunt. The sleeves were long and draped over Leopold's hands, something she dreaded. The neckline was suitable as it circled around to make it difficult to tell the front of the dress from the back. Leopold found a brown cord which she used as a belt that hung low on her hips reaching towards the ground. She wore her plain brown slippers and hoped her aunt wouldn't notice the dirt on them. When Leopold decided she was ready a servant came in and got ready to do her hair as Leopold sat in front of the desk where everything had been laid out the night before.
When everything was done Leopold's hair was pulled up onto her head with many clips so that most of it spiraled down her neck in curls. Wisps of hair were around her forehead and some around her ears which bothered her like crazy. Her face had enough face paint on it to make the ugliest troll look beautiful and the jewelry she was wearing made her feel like twenty pounds had been added on. Leopold stood and walked out of her room already in a bad mood. Luke stood pacing in the adjoining room while he waited for her. When she entered he stopped and bowed the proper way.
"No need to bow Luke," Leopold replied smiling to hide how angry she was "We are cousins aren't we?" He walked towards him and embraced him in a hug.
"Of course we are." Luke replied letting go of her "But I haven't seen you in so long. You look lovely by the way."
"Thank you." Leopold replied looking for the rest of her cousins "Where is everyone else?"
"Already in attendance with Aunt Delilah." Luke replied grinning "I'm to show you where they are and then I have to return to training."
"Oh joy," Leopold muttered following Luke out of the room and through the winding halls.
"That's the same look the others wore when they went to greet her!" Luke replied smiling
"Yes, well you don't have to stay and talk to her." Leopold responded giving her cousins a light punch on his arm.
"That doesn't mean I haven't had my fair share of long conversations with her." Luke said stopping outside two double doors and pointing towards them "Your torture awaits milady!"
"Pray for me!" Leopold replied placing a hand on the doorknob as Luke laughed and started walking away. Leopold stared after him until he had disappeared from view. She said a small prayer to Mithros before turning the handle and entering the room, shutting the door quickly behind her. Turning, she saw her aunt sitting in a chair by a roaring fire with a cup of tea in her hand, whilst her cousins stood around the room or sat on the couch diagonal to the chair. Leopold gave a small smile as she stared at her aunt.
"Hello aunt," Leopold said giving a small curtsy and clasping her hands in front of her as she waited for her aunt to reply.
Like usual her aunt said nothing for a few minutes as she surveyed Leopold. To Leopold it felt like years before her aunt finally replied. "Come her child and let me get a better look at you."
Leopold glanced at Ace who nodded his head for her to move closer. She did as she was told and stood in front of her aunt. Her aunt took her hand and inspected it before dropping it by her side again. She commanded Leopold to turn and Leopold did so slowly.
"Well," Aunt Delilah said after a few more minutes of inspecting Leopold. "I suppose you'll do. We're going to have to work on your posture," Leopold immediately stood up straighter as did all her cousins around the room, "And your nails are dreadful! what have you been digging in? Never mind I don't care!" Leopold gritted her teeth together and bit her tongue to stop herself from talking back to her aunt while she continued to smile. "I doubt your manners are any better, Mithros knows that in the state your in it'll take another year or two before any male approaches me or one of your other aunts about marriage to you. And hopefully by then you'll be out of my hands and living with one of the other families that continue to breed you filthy whelps." Her aunt waved towards the door excusing Leopold and her cousins, who gladly took the offer.
"As you wish Aunt," Leopold muttered curtsying and quickly turning towards the door. She picked up her skirts and dashed towards the door, beating Sebastien to it.
"And we'll have to work on the way you walk! You must have been raised by wolves!" Leopold's aunt called after her as she left the room without a backwards glance.
"Close enough!" Darren whispered in Leopold's ear as a grin spread across his face. Leopold laughed along with the others as they walked back to their rooms.
"Lets get breakfast and then go watch Luke make a fool of himself in practice!" Ace announced changing the direction everyone was going and heading towards the dining hall. "Sounds good to me!" Xavier said coming up behind Leopold and pushing her forwards into a run down the hall. Leopold laughed and soon all eight of them were racing down the hall towards the dining hall which held a buffet of breakfast for everyone. Leopold was one of the first to reach the grand staircase so she immediately picked up her skirts and sat sideways on the banister, with the boys behind her. She slid the long ways down before falling off at the end and stumbling into the arms of a boy her age, sending the two of the falling to the floor. By this time Leopold's hair had come undone and I fell loose around her face. Moving her hair away she picked herself up off of the boy muttering many apologies.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't see you! I'm so sorry!" Leopold said helping the boy up who was laughing to hard to respond. Leopold couldn't get a good view of his face as he was brushing off his clothes and not staring at her.
"It's quite alright!" the boy replied laughing and finally staring at her. Leopold thought his face looked familiar, but then she's been all over Tortall and lots of faces look familiar to her. The boy was obviously a noble from his clothes which were very elegant. His tunic was a more plain fashion without a fief symbolized anywhere. His hair was dark brown and his eyes were a magnificent deep blue as Leopold stared at them. The boy looked so familiar. The boy gave a small laugh as he pointed towards her cousins who were staring at the two of while they waited at the bottom of the stairs. "I believe your brothers are waiting for you!"
"Cousins," Leopold muttered snapping out of her trance and clearing her throat. "They're my cousins. I have no brothers, I'm an only child."
"Likewise. I guess I'll see you around Leopold!" he said smiling before turning around and disappearing down the hall, leaving Leopold stunned and curious as she stared after him realizing she had never given him her name.