Yay! Chappie 7! I was on vacay for Easter, so that's why this didn't make
it up so soon. I hope you guys review, it really encourages me to write
more! Gah! I still need to address that slavery issue. I'll get to it!
I promise! (For the sake of convenience, I moved my answers to reviews to
the bottom of the story.)
~~Seven~~
The honorable Sashad Mombisu IV from the land of Umbaqui strode confidently through the halls of the Emperor of Carthak's palace. He nodded to every person he passed, regardless of if they were a slave or another courtier. If anyone from his native country could have seen him, their jaw would have dropped in shock. Umbaqui's major means of existence was the slave trade, and the citizens of Sashad's country were very strict in their separation of the social classes. There were harsh punishments for treating a slave like an individual instead of a mindless animal.
Sashad's flame-red hair flashed as he turned his head this way and that, scanning the halls for something. His black eyes settled on a wall sconce and, checking to make sure there was no one in sight, he reached up and plucked a folded sheet of parchment from behind the extinguished torch. Tucking the paper into his vibrantly colored belt sash, he continued on his way as if nothing had happened.
Stopping across from an ornate door, he reached for the enameled handle. The early morning sunlight gleamed off of his chocolate skin as it fell through the terra-cotta tile lined window on the opposite side of the hallway. The handle gave when he whispered a quiet spell, and he entered his chambers, closing the door tightly behind him. With a flick of his fingers, a blackly glittering gift covered the whole room, keeping out any eavesdroppers and spying eyes.
"Finally," Sashad sighed, and his gift shimmered around him once more, obliterating his form for a few seconds. When the luminous black cloud cleared, there stood Numair, dressed in Sashad's robes and sweating quite a bit from the effort of holding an illusion spell for so long.
~~~~
Daine awoke in her room the next morning, groggy and confused. She flailed around a little bit with her hands, trying to make sense of the soft silk sheets and colorful canopy over her head before it all came back to her. Carthak, Kaddar, the Night Lion, Kaddar! Was he all right? She threw back the sheets and jumped out of bed, rushing to the bamboo armoire that served as a closet and pulling out a robe. Throwing it over her nightgown, she dashed out into the hall and grabbed the nearest person, a startled looking slave.
"Tell me, where is the emperor?"
"Nobility," The slave began, bowing respectfully, but Daine pulled the man upright and said, "Oh, bother all that. Just tell me where Kaddar is!"
He blinked and tried to comprehend a noble who didn't insist on ceremony. Deciding she was merely testing him, he continued on in his formal vein.
~~~~
Kaddar stirred from his slumber and suddenly sat up, eyes wide and body glistening with sweat. His eyeballs rolled wildly as he took in the royal chambers and his familiar bed before he fell back on the pillows, fingering the small patch of bandage that covered the wound on his neck. He'd had the dream again.
In the dream, Kaddar was walking through the passages of his palace, as he was wont to do. He climbed the stairs, touching the humble wooden banister, and strolled down the main hallway, pausing at each window. Outside the windows was nothing. No colors seemed to exist outside of the palace, and there was no white expanse and no black cloud covering everything, there was just... nothing. In his dream he was unconcerned by it and just kept walking and peering out the windows, fingering the tapestries as he passed. Finally, reaching the end of the corridor, he found a door he'd never seen before. Frowning, he reached for the handle and pulled it open.
It was at this point that the dream usually stopped and Kaddar woke up with a feeling of foreboding, but this time, it had continued and he had gotten to see what the mysterious room contained.
The door swung open and he stepped inside, oblivious to the fact that he couldn't see what the room held. The door swiftly slammed shut and locked behind him, and he turned, concerned, and tried to pull it open. Nothing happened, but he became aware of a presence behind him, and even though his mind screamed at him to not do it, his head rotated slowly on his neck to see what it was his body sensed.
It was himself. Kaddar was looking at an exact duplicate of himself, down to the very last braid of hair and smear of makeup. Kaddar turned around fully, and stared at himself, totally astonished. That was when his duplicate pulled out a crossbow and shot him in the heart, the arrow passing directly through his body to stand, quivering, in the ornate wood of the door.
In the dream, he had killed himself. Kaddar swallowed and dropped his hand to his bed sheets, totally perplexed. What in the name of the Hag did it all mean? And why did he feel that it had everything to do with the Night Lion? He fingered his bandage again, and almost fell out of bed in surprise when Daine burst into the room.
~~~~
Daine ran to Kaddar's door, having at long last dragged the emperor's location out of the slave, and threw it open. She rushed inside and found a very startled looking Kaddar staring at her.
"Kaddar!" She felt her throat tighten with embarrassment. "I – I was just – I mean... oh Gods." She stopped when his handsome mouth quirked into a small smile.
"Did you have something to tell me... perhaps?" He suggested. She noticed the bandage on his neck and came towards him, embarrassment replaced with worry. "So it's nothing serious? I couldn't believe they sent me away."
She was referring to last night when the healers had made her leave because they were afraid the wound might have been hexed. Also because she was not immediately related to "his imperial majesty." She had thought the healer could have used a little persuading from some of the larger People, and, eyes flashing, she'd been about to give it to him when she'd caught Kaddar's gaze. He was pleading with her to just go before things got out of hand. How could she refuse?
"Barely a scratch," Kaddar chuckled. He looked uneasy for some reason, but she had no idea that he had just dreamed of his own demise by an identical twin.
Daine sat on the bed, eyes fixed on Kaddar's throat. "Was it hexed? Was there any magic in it at all?"
"Other than a little lion spit, I don't think so." Daine's face became stormy. "I know you think that healer was overreacting, but it's his job Daine. He may be puffed up and pompous, but he was only doing what he's been taught is right."
"I guess so," Daine sighed, and then impulsively leaned forward and hugged him.
~~~~
Kaddar supposed that now would not be a good time to tell Daine that he was naked under the sheets. He awkwardly hugged her back, and when she pulled away he discretely tucked the silken material closer around his waist. It was at this almost embarrassing moment that Councilor Eizai and his son, Donatello, entered the room.
"Your imperial majesty!" Eizai said, bowing extravagantly. His son followed suit with a clipped version of the same bow. "I came as soon as I heard the news! How do you fare?"
Kaddar sighed. Eizai tended to put on different personalities around different people as easily as he changed his shoes. It appeared that the one he wore around his son was overly cheerful.
"I am well Councilor. Sir Ragazonii." The son bowed again, his shaggy blond hair flopping forward as he did so.
There was silence for a few seconds before Kaddar realized that Eizai was waiting for Daine to leave, as if she were a common servant. Kaddar felt himself become unexpectedly angry, but he kept his face blank. "Did you have something *else* to tell me Councilor?"
"Imperial majesty, if you please, I would prefer not to speak in front of..." He nodded at Daine, raising his eyebrows expressively.
"She can hear this too, I trust her. Spit it out Eizai, what is it?"
Eizai still hesitated, glancing at Daine again before continuing. The Wildmage had gone slightly pale with suppressed emotion, but she managed to keep her indignation under the surface.
"We tracked the Night Lion as far as we could sire, and it was quite the exciting chase if I do say so myself!" He chuckled, glancing at his son who was staring impassively out a window. Turning back to the emperor, he continued in a more serious tone, having judged that his son was not listening. "Majesty, he traveled directly around the richest parts of the city and entered Desert Slum. We found the... remains... of a meal there."
Kaddar blinked, touching his neck. {That could have been me,} he thought.
"After his repast," Eizai cleared his throat uncomfortably, "He moved on to the dockyards and entered a storage building. Upon entering the building, his tracks disappeared into a stone wall. We tried everything to get through the wall your imperial majesty, but once it was broken down, we discovered that it was only about six inches thick and the outdoors was on the other side. There were no prints. He seemed to have been swallowed by the wall, majesty." Eizai stopped, his eyes averted from Kaddar.
Kaddar noticed Donatello suddenly. The young man had turned his black eyes to the bed and was studying him wordlessly. Kaddar had an unanticipated urge to confirm Eizai's story with Donatello. "Is this true?" He asked. Eizai's gaze flicked back to Kaddar and, seeing whom he was addressing, moved on to his son.
Donatello cleared his throat, clearly awkward at the thought of using his broken Common in front of the emperor and the young woman he had once accused being a [balada]. However, he said quietly, "Is true." Kaddar found he trusted him completely for some reason, even more than Eizai. The emperor had learned never to turn his back on his instincts.
"Right then. Eizai, I assign your son to be in charge of the search for the Night Lion. You will continue on in your occupation of councilman. There are things that need seeing to, I believe this year's tax coordination lies in your hands?"
Eizai was silent for a moment, a little shocked, but then his smile turned poisonous, and for some reason, his eyes latched on to Daine. "Of course imperial majesty. Congratulations Donatello my boy, you're moving up in the world." He still stared at the Wildmage, his gaze burning as though blaming her for the emperor's abrupt and obvious distrust of him.
"You are dismissed." Kaddar said sharply. He too noticed the direction of Eizai's gaze. The councilman left without bowing, but Donatello bent at the waist just as elegantly as before. He seemed to force himself to smile at Daine, even if the curve of his lips was as cold as ice, before he left, closing the door softly behind him.
~~~~
Daine watched Donatello leave with anger boiling in her stomach. Who was he to treat her so? And his *father*! She thought the man needed a good scolding. She turned to Kaddar, mouth opening to say something, but stopped when she saw the look on his face. He was trying not to laugh.
"What are you smiling about? That Eizai man is despicable!"
"I know. He's also one of the oldest most powerful councilors. I'm sorry, would you like me to have jumped out of bed naked and sucker-punched him?"
"Yes, I most certainly would have! I – naked?"
"As the day I was born."
Daine gaped silently; her eyes unwillingly starting to travel down his torso before she yanked them back up again.
"You conduct royal business *naked*?!?"
"'An emperor never sleeps,'" He said, quoting an old proverb.
Daine suddenly jumped up as if electrified. "What that has to do with naked, I don't know. I'm sorry to have bothered you while you were" – Her blush intensified painfully – "indisposed."
"It's all right. Now, if you don't mind...?" He gestured to the door, laughter starting to resonate from his chest once more.
"Yes, of course!" Daine said, and hurried out of the room.
~~~~
So? What'd you guys think? R & R!!!! Should Donatello ever like Daine as a friend? Was it a good idea to make Sashad be Numair? Do you want D & K action soon or should I mosey along like I have been? Tell me ANYTHING!!! I can take it!
ellabelle1 – You're right! I only realized that after you told me, so I went back and fixed it and made it another part of her magic that isn't working. I'm glad you liked the chappie! (love that word) and I'm soooo glad you liked the back and forth thing. I thought that was kind of cool too. *glows*
Almost Funny – I've always wanted to say that too! Along with, "Hello, my name is Enigo Montoya (sp?!!?). You killed my father. Prepare. To die." I'm glad u like D/K! I love Numair, but I always thought that D & K should've had a little action. It's great that you think it's original, and I hope this is soon enough for you. *hides can-opener*
jewlz5552 – I updated! Finally! Sorry it took me awhile! The lion shall.... Well, I can't tell you that, can I? He does eat someone else, but no one involved in the story. Woohoo! I am so happy all these ppl like D/K! Thanks for the review!
Beatniky – Oh no! My bestest friend is reviewing!!! (Teehee! We go to the same school guys, I've known her for, what, five years?) Anyway, I fixed chappie five! Yay! Go me!! No more run-on sentences! Yay for thinking Ponykid was rude! I'm sorry if you read this Ponykid please don't kill me! You seem like the sort of person who would! Anyway, I'm using a lot of these: (- ! -) Ok, I LOVE Nawat, he was soooo sweet. I hope all you ppl read Trickster's Choice and are ready for Trickster's Queen. If you haven't, GET THEE FORTH AND DO-EST IT! I heart you too!
~~Seven~~
The honorable Sashad Mombisu IV from the land of Umbaqui strode confidently through the halls of the Emperor of Carthak's palace. He nodded to every person he passed, regardless of if they were a slave or another courtier. If anyone from his native country could have seen him, their jaw would have dropped in shock. Umbaqui's major means of existence was the slave trade, and the citizens of Sashad's country were very strict in their separation of the social classes. There were harsh punishments for treating a slave like an individual instead of a mindless animal.
Sashad's flame-red hair flashed as he turned his head this way and that, scanning the halls for something. His black eyes settled on a wall sconce and, checking to make sure there was no one in sight, he reached up and plucked a folded sheet of parchment from behind the extinguished torch. Tucking the paper into his vibrantly colored belt sash, he continued on his way as if nothing had happened.
Stopping across from an ornate door, he reached for the enameled handle. The early morning sunlight gleamed off of his chocolate skin as it fell through the terra-cotta tile lined window on the opposite side of the hallway. The handle gave when he whispered a quiet spell, and he entered his chambers, closing the door tightly behind him. With a flick of his fingers, a blackly glittering gift covered the whole room, keeping out any eavesdroppers and spying eyes.
"Finally," Sashad sighed, and his gift shimmered around him once more, obliterating his form for a few seconds. When the luminous black cloud cleared, there stood Numair, dressed in Sashad's robes and sweating quite a bit from the effort of holding an illusion spell for so long.
~~~~
Daine awoke in her room the next morning, groggy and confused. She flailed around a little bit with her hands, trying to make sense of the soft silk sheets and colorful canopy over her head before it all came back to her. Carthak, Kaddar, the Night Lion, Kaddar! Was he all right? She threw back the sheets and jumped out of bed, rushing to the bamboo armoire that served as a closet and pulling out a robe. Throwing it over her nightgown, she dashed out into the hall and grabbed the nearest person, a startled looking slave.
"Tell me, where is the emperor?"
"Nobility," The slave began, bowing respectfully, but Daine pulled the man upright and said, "Oh, bother all that. Just tell me where Kaddar is!"
He blinked and tried to comprehend a noble who didn't insist on ceremony. Deciding she was merely testing him, he continued on in his formal vein.
~~~~
Kaddar stirred from his slumber and suddenly sat up, eyes wide and body glistening with sweat. His eyeballs rolled wildly as he took in the royal chambers and his familiar bed before he fell back on the pillows, fingering the small patch of bandage that covered the wound on his neck. He'd had the dream again.
In the dream, Kaddar was walking through the passages of his palace, as he was wont to do. He climbed the stairs, touching the humble wooden banister, and strolled down the main hallway, pausing at each window. Outside the windows was nothing. No colors seemed to exist outside of the palace, and there was no white expanse and no black cloud covering everything, there was just... nothing. In his dream he was unconcerned by it and just kept walking and peering out the windows, fingering the tapestries as he passed. Finally, reaching the end of the corridor, he found a door he'd never seen before. Frowning, he reached for the handle and pulled it open.
It was at this point that the dream usually stopped and Kaddar woke up with a feeling of foreboding, but this time, it had continued and he had gotten to see what the mysterious room contained.
The door swung open and he stepped inside, oblivious to the fact that he couldn't see what the room held. The door swiftly slammed shut and locked behind him, and he turned, concerned, and tried to pull it open. Nothing happened, but he became aware of a presence behind him, and even though his mind screamed at him to not do it, his head rotated slowly on his neck to see what it was his body sensed.
It was himself. Kaddar was looking at an exact duplicate of himself, down to the very last braid of hair and smear of makeup. Kaddar turned around fully, and stared at himself, totally astonished. That was when his duplicate pulled out a crossbow and shot him in the heart, the arrow passing directly through his body to stand, quivering, in the ornate wood of the door.
In the dream, he had killed himself. Kaddar swallowed and dropped his hand to his bed sheets, totally perplexed. What in the name of the Hag did it all mean? And why did he feel that it had everything to do with the Night Lion? He fingered his bandage again, and almost fell out of bed in surprise when Daine burst into the room.
~~~~
Daine ran to Kaddar's door, having at long last dragged the emperor's location out of the slave, and threw it open. She rushed inside and found a very startled looking Kaddar staring at her.
"Kaddar!" She felt her throat tighten with embarrassment. "I – I was just – I mean... oh Gods." She stopped when his handsome mouth quirked into a small smile.
"Did you have something to tell me... perhaps?" He suggested. She noticed the bandage on his neck and came towards him, embarrassment replaced with worry. "So it's nothing serious? I couldn't believe they sent me away."
She was referring to last night when the healers had made her leave because they were afraid the wound might have been hexed. Also because she was not immediately related to "his imperial majesty." She had thought the healer could have used a little persuading from some of the larger People, and, eyes flashing, she'd been about to give it to him when she'd caught Kaddar's gaze. He was pleading with her to just go before things got out of hand. How could she refuse?
"Barely a scratch," Kaddar chuckled. He looked uneasy for some reason, but she had no idea that he had just dreamed of his own demise by an identical twin.
Daine sat on the bed, eyes fixed on Kaddar's throat. "Was it hexed? Was there any magic in it at all?"
"Other than a little lion spit, I don't think so." Daine's face became stormy. "I know you think that healer was overreacting, but it's his job Daine. He may be puffed up and pompous, but he was only doing what he's been taught is right."
"I guess so," Daine sighed, and then impulsively leaned forward and hugged him.
~~~~
Kaddar supposed that now would not be a good time to tell Daine that he was naked under the sheets. He awkwardly hugged her back, and when she pulled away he discretely tucked the silken material closer around his waist. It was at this almost embarrassing moment that Councilor Eizai and his son, Donatello, entered the room.
"Your imperial majesty!" Eizai said, bowing extravagantly. His son followed suit with a clipped version of the same bow. "I came as soon as I heard the news! How do you fare?"
Kaddar sighed. Eizai tended to put on different personalities around different people as easily as he changed his shoes. It appeared that the one he wore around his son was overly cheerful.
"I am well Councilor. Sir Ragazonii." The son bowed again, his shaggy blond hair flopping forward as he did so.
There was silence for a few seconds before Kaddar realized that Eizai was waiting for Daine to leave, as if she were a common servant. Kaddar felt himself become unexpectedly angry, but he kept his face blank. "Did you have something *else* to tell me Councilor?"
"Imperial majesty, if you please, I would prefer not to speak in front of..." He nodded at Daine, raising his eyebrows expressively.
"She can hear this too, I trust her. Spit it out Eizai, what is it?"
Eizai still hesitated, glancing at Daine again before continuing. The Wildmage had gone slightly pale with suppressed emotion, but she managed to keep her indignation under the surface.
"We tracked the Night Lion as far as we could sire, and it was quite the exciting chase if I do say so myself!" He chuckled, glancing at his son who was staring impassively out a window. Turning back to the emperor, he continued in a more serious tone, having judged that his son was not listening. "Majesty, he traveled directly around the richest parts of the city and entered Desert Slum. We found the... remains... of a meal there."
Kaddar blinked, touching his neck. {That could have been me,} he thought.
"After his repast," Eizai cleared his throat uncomfortably, "He moved on to the dockyards and entered a storage building. Upon entering the building, his tracks disappeared into a stone wall. We tried everything to get through the wall your imperial majesty, but once it was broken down, we discovered that it was only about six inches thick and the outdoors was on the other side. There were no prints. He seemed to have been swallowed by the wall, majesty." Eizai stopped, his eyes averted from Kaddar.
Kaddar noticed Donatello suddenly. The young man had turned his black eyes to the bed and was studying him wordlessly. Kaddar had an unanticipated urge to confirm Eizai's story with Donatello. "Is this true?" He asked. Eizai's gaze flicked back to Kaddar and, seeing whom he was addressing, moved on to his son.
Donatello cleared his throat, clearly awkward at the thought of using his broken Common in front of the emperor and the young woman he had once accused being a [balada]. However, he said quietly, "Is true." Kaddar found he trusted him completely for some reason, even more than Eizai. The emperor had learned never to turn his back on his instincts.
"Right then. Eizai, I assign your son to be in charge of the search for the Night Lion. You will continue on in your occupation of councilman. There are things that need seeing to, I believe this year's tax coordination lies in your hands?"
Eizai was silent for a moment, a little shocked, but then his smile turned poisonous, and for some reason, his eyes latched on to Daine. "Of course imperial majesty. Congratulations Donatello my boy, you're moving up in the world." He still stared at the Wildmage, his gaze burning as though blaming her for the emperor's abrupt and obvious distrust of him.
"You are dismissed." Kaddar said sharply. He too noticed the direction of Eizai's gaze. The councilman left without bowing, but Donatello bent at the waist just as elegantly as before. He seemed to force himself to smile at Daine, even if the curve of his lips was as cold as ice, before he left, closing the door softly behind him.
~~~~
Daine watched Donatello leave with anger boiling in her stomach. Who was he to treat her so? And his *father*! She thought the man needed a good scolding. She turned to Kaddar, mouth opening to say something, but stopped when she saw the look on his face. He was trying not to laugh.
"What are you smiling about? That Eizai man is despicable!"
"I know. He's also one of the oldest most powerful councilors. I'm sorry, would you like me to have jumped out of bed naked and sucker-punched him?"
"Yes, I most certainly would have! I – naked?"
"As the day I was born."
Daine gaped silently; her eyes unwillingly starting to travel down his torso before she yanked them back up again.
"You conduct royal business *naked*?!?"
"'An emperor never sleeps,'" He said, quoting an old proverb.
Daine suddenly jumped up as if electrified. "What that has to do with naked, I don't know. I'm sorry to have bothered you while you were" – Her blush intensified painfully – "indisposed."
"It's all right. Now, if you don't mind...?" He gestured to the door, laughter starting to resonate from his chest once more.
"Yes, of course!" Daine said, and hurried out of the room.
~~~~
So? What'd you guys think? R & R!!!! Should Donatello ever like Daine as a friend? Was it a good idea to make Sashad be Numair? Do you want D & K action soon or should I mosey along like I have been? Tell me ANYTHING!!! I can take it!
ellabelle1 – You're right! I only realized that after you told me, so I went back and fixed it and made it another part of her magic that isn't working. I'm glad you liked the chappie! (love that word) and I'm soooo glad you liked the back and forth thing. I thought that was kind of cool too. *glows*
Almost Funny – I've always wanted to say that too! Along with, "Hello, my name is Enigo Montoya (sp?!!?). You killed my father. Prepare. To die." I'm glad u like D/K! I love Numair, but I always thought that D & K should've had a little action. It's great that you think it's original, and I hope this is soon enough for you. *hides can-opener*
jewlz5552 – I updated! Finally! Sorry it took me awhile! The lion shall.... Well, I can't tell you that, can I? He does eat someone else, but no one involved in the story. Woohoo! I am so happy all these ppl like D/K! Thanks for the review!
Beatniky – Oh no! My bestest friend is reviewing!!! (Teehee! We go to the same school guys, I've known her for, what, five years?) Anyway, I fixed chappie five! Yay! Go me!! No more run-on sentences! Yay for thinking Ponykid was rude! I'm sorry if you read this Ponykid please don't kill me! You seem like the sort of person who would! Anyway, I'm using a lot of these: (- ! -) Ok, I LOVE Nawat, he was soooo sweet. I hope all you ppl read Trickster's Choice and are ready for Trickster's Queen. If you haven't, GET THEE FORTH AND DO-EST IT! I heart you too!