Hey guys, do you like it so far? This isn't my first fanfic, but it is the
first one I thought to put on the internet. Be kind! These are all the
chapters I had done. I'm about halfway through 6, so be patient. Review
please! Tell me ANYTHING; constructive criticism should be my middle name.
Also, when I put these in: [ ], anything that's in-between them is in
another language, yeah. (Think Donatello, [balada] is bad!)
~~Five~~
Kaddar was seated at the head of the table, as was his duty, when Daine entered the room. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. Was this his Daine? The girl with bird-droppings littering her clothing at all times? No, this was someone much better. Standing, oblivious to his surroundings, he left his seat and walked towards her.
~~~~
Daine turned at the touch on her arm, and found Kaddar, looking down at her. There was something in his eyes, a look that she couldn't identify. She felt suddenly self-conscious, and put a hand to her hair, opening her mouth to excuse its messiness.
"Stop," Kaddar said. It was such a simple command, that she did. She looked up to meet his eyes once more, a question on her lips. "Your hair is refreshing, you look so... so... nice." He finished lamely. She thought he blushed, but she couldn't be sure because of his dark skin.
"Thank you Kaddar." She managed to say, and then, nothing. After a few moments of awkward silence, Daine said, "And where do I sit? Next to you I hope; I really am no good at meeting new people."
Kaddar snapped back into action as the cordial host.
"Oh! Yes, forgive me for letting my manners become lax. You sit here, not next to me, I'm afraid. You see, I must sit with my councilors and higher- ups, it is the way of the emperor."
"Of course, I forgot about that." Kaddar looked at her sharply, to see if she was joking. When he saw from her face that she was not, he laughed, and took her arm. "How I have missed you Daine, you were always so genuine."
~~~~
Daine found her seat between an ambassador from a distant land called Aubinas and the son of an important noble of Carthak. The ambassador was a dour woman who appeared to be around the age of fifty with gray streaking her severely pulled back black hair. She was pleasantly plump, but her face still seemed to be sharp and angular. The noble's son was a tall and lanky youth of around twenty. He wore his shaggy blonde hair proudly, as it was a rare occurrence in a place such as Carthak, but his skin was a deep olive. His eyes were as black as Kaddar's, and they followed her as she sat down next to him.
"Welcome one and all!" Kaddar's voice rang out through the great dining hall of his palace, bouncing off the cream-colored stucco ceiling and the modest terra-cotta tiles of the floor. He was standing at the head of a table on a raised dais. "I, the emperor, would like to thank each of you for attending this special dinner tonight to receive a few important new arrivals to our home. The first of which, if you would please stand up, is his Honor Sashad Mombisu IV from the land of Umbaqui."
Daine watched a man so brown he looked burnt black stand up a few tables away. He lifted a muscular arm in salutation, and then folded himself back into his seat. His hair was dyed a shocking shade of red.
"Next, we have the venerable wizard, Prosper D'Ore from Gaulerie," He motioned across the room and a man dressed in flowing purple robes stood up and flashed the room a dazzling white smile. The rings on his fingers sparkled as he raised a hand in a salute to the emperor, and then he sat down.
"Finally, I would like to greet a very special friend of mine, the Wildmage of Tortall, Veralidaine Sarrasri." Kaddar held out a hand in her direction, and it took her a moment before she realized that she should rise. The young noble next to her was staring at her again. She pushed herself up and smiled shyly. Deciding against an assuredly wobbly curtsy, she inclined her head in what she hoped was a dignified manner before sitting down with a small sigh of relief.
~~~~
Kaddar watched Daine settle into her chair again, and noted the slight rise and fall of her chest as she sighed in relief. She was so real, he thought, smiling to himself.
"And now that I have introduced our guests, please, eat and be cheerful, for tonight we celebrate the end of a glorious day." He finished his speech and raised both hands to the heavens in the traditional manner before seating himself to eat. The councilman next to him leaned in and whispered, "This Veralidaine, she seems much too young to be of any importance."
"Eizai, she is no child."
"Yes, imperial majesty, I can see that, but still. She seems hardly grown."
"Grown enough for our purposes, unless you have no fear of the dread lion?"
Eizai was silent for a moment before bowing his head in submission.
"Imperial majesty, your point is taken. I will hold my tongue."
"Well met Eizai, I'll make a proper councilman of you yet."
Eizai looked up in surprise at his emperor to find him smiling widely. Realizing that it was a joke, he laughed uneasily before sinking back into his seat. Kaddar sighed and looked wistfully towards Daine.
~~~~
"You are one who is Wildmage?"
Daine turned in surprise to the noble's son beside her, and, swallowing a mouthful of fruit, nodded consent.
"I hear of you, from father. He say you worth nothing, a trifle of king of Tortall."
The young man's Common was flawed, but his point came through clear enough. Daine felt her heart hardening towards the noble's father, but she decided to withhold judgment on the one before her for a little while longer.
"Well, if I am a trifle, then your father is a plaything of the emperor. Please, I would like a little more respect."
He looked startled, but then his black eyes narrowed. "I not see such no respect from a woman, [balada], watch mouth by me."
Daine was momentarily taken aback, but then her own temper flared and she narrowed her eyes in return.
"And I thought to find more gentlemen here! I don't want to hear insults to me and my king all night long, so be quiet."
She turned away, convinced she had shown him from the shocked look in his eyes, only to meet the eyes of the woman on the other side of her. Suddenly, the woman's face transformed as she let out a booming laugh and slapped Daine on the back. Daine started forward and almost knocked into the new plate of food a waiter was serving her.
"Child, you have done a good thing. That boy is too insolent by far!" The woman's rich voice rang out as she eyed the noble's son, before turning her attention to Daine. "My name be Raylisa Brooks, and I hail from Aubinas. You are from Tortall, child? A great country, that."
Daine nodded, a bit shocked by Raylisa's drastic change in appearance and temperament. "Thank you, I had no idea he would be so rude." She cast a glance back at the young man, who was staring fixedly off into space. "Who is he, by the way?" She murmured. He gave no sign of having heard her, but Raylisa answered her.
"He be the son of Councilman Eizai, and that one be of a big head too, child. It runs in that family, so watch what you say. His name is Donatello Ragazonii. The boy's mother hailed from Italia, is that not right boy?" The last part was directed at the sullen Donatello. He looked at Raylisa, surprised.
"Is so." Was all he said in reply, before snubbing Daine and Raylisa again.
~~~~
Kaddar finally got a chance to visit with Daine after dinner when the tables had been cleared away and the guests milled about, chatting companionably. He approached her from behind, noting that she was talking with the Aubinian ambassador, and touched her shoulder gently. She jumped and whirled around, eyes wide, before seeing it was him and relaxing. Smiling, she turned back to the Aubinian.
"Raylisa, I've got to talk to Kaddar. Thank you so much for the conversation though. It's been wonderful. And tell Donatello that I hope he improves his mood the next time I see him."
Raylisa laughed heartily and swept Daine into a rib-cracking hug. "Child, I will gladly tell that boy to put some sunshine in that smile. What use is topping his head with gold if he has a heart of coal?" Raylisa spun away from Daine and called out a loud greeting to someone else in the crowd.
"Are you happy?" Kaddar asked, his brow creased slightly. Daine turned and smiled up at him. "I was the moment I got here." She looked away. "They never let me do anything in Tortall."
"I'm sorry for that, would you like to walk with me? It might help me feel less guilty about neglecting my other guests."
"Yes! That'd be wonderful, can we go to the aviary?"
"I swear to the Graveyard Hag Daine, sometimes you love those birds more than you love me."
~~~~
Götz watched Daine and Kaddar exit the room onto a balcony from his spot in the milling crowd of courtiers. His eyes narrowed. {The little slut. Hardly been here a day and already she seduces the emperor.}
Turning away from the sight, he searched for Dieter. Finding the rat-like man standing near the wall beside a potted plant, Götz flicked his fingers at him. Dieter jumped as if he'd been slapped, but then nodded and scurried away. It was time to bring the Pet into the mix.
~~Five~~
Kaddar was seated at the head of the table, as was his duty, when Daine entered the room. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. Was this his Daine? The girl with bird-droppings littering her clothing at all times? No, this was someone much better. Standing, oblivious to his surroundings, he left his seat and walked towards her.
~~~~
Daine turned at the touch on her arm, and found Kaddar, looking down at her. There was something in his eyes, a look that she couldn't identify. She felt suddenly self-conscious, and put a hand to her hair, opening her mouth to excuse its messiness.
"Stop," Kaddar said. It was such a simple command, that she did. She looked up to meet his eyes once more, a question on her lips. "Your hair is refreshing, you look so... so... nice." He finished lamely. She thought he blushed, but she couldn't be sure because of his dark skin.
"Thank you Kaddar." She managed to say, and then, nothing. After a few moments of awkward silence, Daine said, "And where do I sit? Next to you I hope; I really am no good at meeting new people."
Kaddar snapped back into action as the cordial host.
"Oh! Yes, forgive me for letting my manners become lax. You sit here, not next to me, I'm afraid. You see, I must sit with my councilors and higher- ups, it is the way of the emperor."
"Of course, I forgot about that." Kaddar looked at her sharply, to see if she was joking. When he saw from her face that she was not, he laughed, and took her arm. "How I have missed you Daine, you were always so genuine."
~~~~
Daine found her seat between an ambassador from a distant land called Aubinas and the son of an important noble of Carthak. The ambassador was a dour woman who appeared to be around the age of fifty with gray streaking her severely pulled back black hair. She was pleasantly plump, but her face still seemed to be sharp and angular. The noble's son was a tall and lanky youth of around twenty. He wore his shaggy blonde hair proudly, as it was a rare occurrence in a place such as Carthak, but his skin was a deep olive. His eyes were as black as Kaddar's, and they followed her as she sat down next to him.
"Welcome one and all!" Kaddar's voice rang out through the great dining hall of his palace, bouncing off the cream-colored stucco ceiling and the modest terra-cotta tiles of the floor. He was standing at the head of a table on a raised dais. "I, the emperor, would like to thank each of you for attending this special dinner tonight to receive a few important new arrivals to our home. The first of which, if you would please stand up, is his Honor Sashad Mombisu IV from the land of Umbaqui."
Daine watched a man so brown he looked burnt black stand up a few tables away. He lifted a muscular arm in salutation, and then folded himself back into his seat. His hair was dyed a shocking shade of red.
"Next, we have the venerable wizard, Prosper D'Ore from Gaulerie," He motioned across the room and a man dressed in flowing purple robes stood up and flashed the room a dazzling white smile. The rings on his fingers sparkled as he raised a hand in a salute to the emperor, and then he sat down.
"Finally, I would like to greet a very special friend of mine, the Wildmage of Tortall, Veralidaine Sarrasri." Kaddar held out a hand in her direction, and it took her a moment before she realized that she should rise. The young noble next to her was staring at her again. She pushed herself up and smiled shyly. Deciding against an assuredly wobbly curtsy, she inclined her head in what she hoped was a dignified manner before sitting down with a small sigh of relief.
~~~~
Kaddar watched Daine settle into her chair again, and noted the slight rise and fall of her chest as she sighed in relief. She was so real, he thought, smiling to himself.
"And now that I have introduced our guests, please, eat and be cheerful, for tonight we celebrate the end of a glorious day." He finished his speech and raised both hands to the heavens in the traditional manner before seating himself to eat. The councilman next to him leaned in and whispered, "This Veralidaine, she seems much too young to be of any importance."
"Eizai, she is no child."
"Yes, imperial majesty, I can see that, but still. She seems hardly grown."
"Grown enough for our purposes, unless you have no fear of the dread lion?"
Eizai was silent for a moment before bowing his head in submission.
"Imperial majesty, your point is taken. I will hold my tongue."
"Well met Eizai, I'll make a proper councilman of you yet."
Eizai looked up in surprise at his emperor to find him smiling widely. Realizing that it was a joke, he laughed uneasily before sinking back into his seat. Kaddar sighed and looked wistfully towards Daine.
~~~~
"You are one who is Wildmage?"
Daine turned in surprise to the noble's son beside her, and, swallowing a mouthful of fruit, nodded consent.
"I hear of you, from father. He say you worth nothing, a trifle of king of Tortall."
The young man's Common was flawed, but his point came through clear enough. Daine felt her heart hardening towards the noble's father, but she decided to withhold judgment on the one before her for a little while longer.
"Well, if I am a trifle, then your father is a plaything of the emperor. Please, I would like a little more respect."
He looked startled, but then his black eyes narrowed. "I not see such no respect from a woman, [balada], watch mouth by me."
Daine was momentarily taken aback, but then her own temper flared and she narrowed her eyes in return.
"And I thought to find more gentlemen here! I don't want to hear insults to me and my king all night long, so be quiet."
She turned away, convinced she had shown him from the shocked look in his eyes, only to meet the eyes of the woman on the other side of her. Suddenly, the woman's face transformed as she let out a booming laugh and slapped Daine on the back. Daine started forward and almost knocked into the new plate of food a waiter was serving her.
"Child, you have done a good thing. That boy is too insolent by far!" The woman's rich voice rang out as she eyed the noble's son, before turning her attention to Daine. "My name be Raylisa Brooks, and I hail from Aubinas. You are from Tortall, child? A great country, that."
Daine nodded, a bit shocked by Raylisa's drastic change in appearance and temperament. "Thank you, I had no idea he would be so rude." She cast a glance back at the young man, who was staring fixedly off into space. "Who is he, by the way?" She murmured. He gave no sign of having heard her, but Raylisa answered her.
"He be the son of Councilman Eizai, and that one be of a big head too, child. It runs in that family, so watch what you say. His name is Donatello Ragazonii. The boy's mother hailed from Italia, is that not right boy?" The last part was directed at the sullen Donatello. He looked at Raylisa, surprised.
"Is so." Was all he said in reply, before snubbing Daine and Raylisa again.
~~~~
Kaddar finally got a chance to visit with Daine after dinner when the tables had been cleared away and the guests milled about, chatting companionably. He approached her from behind, noting that she was talking with the Aubinian ambassador, and touched her shoulder gently. She jumped and whirled around, eyes wide, before seeing it was him and relaxing. Smiling, she turned back to the Aubinian.
"Raylisa, I've got to talk to Kaddar. Thank you so much for the conversation though. It's been wonderful. And tell Donatello that I hope he improves his mood the next time I see him."
Raylisa laughed heartily and swept Daine into a rib-cracking hug. "Child, I will gladly tell that boy to put some sunshine in that smile. What use is topping his head with gold if he has a heart of coal?" Raylisa spun away from Daine and called out a loud greeting to someone else in the crowd.
"Are you happy?" Kaddar asked, his brow creased slightly. Daine turned and smiled up at him. "I was the moment I got here." She looked away. "They never let me do anything in Tortall."
"I'm sorry for that, would you like to walk with me? It might help me feel less guilty about neglecting my other guests."
"Yes! That'd be wonderful, can we go to the aviary?"
"I swear to the Graveyard Hag Daine, sometimes you love those birds more than you love me."
~~~~
Götz watched Daine and Kaddar exit the room onto a balcony from his spot in the milling crowd of courtiers. His eyes narrowed. {The little slut. Hardly been here a day and already she seduces the emperor.}
Turning away from the sight, he searched for Dieter. Finding the rat-like man standing near the wall beside a potted plant, Götz flicked his fingers at him. Dieter jumped as if he'd been slapped, but then nodded and scurried away. It was time to bring the Pet into the mix.