Amarante

A/N: The only thing I would like to say is : Please Review. I would like to know how I'm doing. Enjoy the story. Sorry if it takes me awhile to update my story. On one point I'd like to apologize. It has been awhile since I read Lady Knight and I don't own the book. So if there are any mistakes with characters… please inform me. I'm trying my best to keep it close with Lady Knight's characters.

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Kel stared at the already setting sun. Night seemed to come faster then it had before. She had had reports from Neal about the progress of the new comers. It had been three days since their arrival, and already Amarante could walk about the room and feed herself. She had tried asking Danante about where they had come from, but all she got, was a shake of her head. She didn't want to ask Amarante yet, for fear of upsetting her recovery process.

As for the rest of the population of New Hope, news had spread like wildfire about the new arrivals. People talked excitedly about them. They had had many new arrivals since the war ended, but for some reason these travelers held more significance. From what Kel picked up from other's passing conversation, her first instinct had been correct. The Blue markings on Amarante, and the less visible ones on Danante meant something. What that something was, Kel had not figured out yet, but many people used the word 'Shah' to describe them, with deep reverence.

With a sigh, Kel plopped herself in a seat when she entered the mess hall. She filled her plate with meat and beans. Dom, who sat to her left, greeted her with his normal flirtatious manner. She grinned and gave him a light smack.

" Don't give me any of that Sir Dom. You won't break my heart that easily as you do with the other ladies here!"

Dom returned the grin and gave her a playful answer to match hers. "Very well love, but you have already brokenmine!"

Kel laughed, knowing the words were all fun and games but it still did not stop the beating of her heart. To hide her emotions, she quickly changed the subject.

" So have you found out what this mysterious 'shah' word means?"

"No Idea." Dom replied taking a bite out of his steak. " I s'pose we could always ask someone."

She snorted, " You know that actually makes too much sense."

"What does?" Asked Neal, who just joined the table. "Ah, never mind, you have a very one track mind. Do you realize that?"

"I actually might be able to help in that department, though. You see, Adner came to see me today about a swollen ankle. Well, while I was tending him, he started asking about which rooms the Shah were in and asking whether he could go and pay his respects."

" And?" Kel asked.

" And when I asked him what the word meant, he started going on about the Shah's extensive history and they're fighting abilities, blah, blah, blah. Apparently they're some kind of warrior tribe." Neal shook his head, "If you want to get the whole history, go talk to Adner. He would be most happy to oblige you, believe me."

" I think maybe I will."

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It was not hard finding Adner that night. He was in his rooms, surrounded by what looked to be half the camp, clearly all there to hear the same story that Kel wanted.

When Adner saw her, he smiled, "Have you come to hear the tale of the Shah too, Lady Kel?

"Yes, I did. I have to admit though I know nothing about the Shah. So you will have to start at the beginning for my sake."

"Everyone gather close then. Every Scanran is brought up on this tale, so keep your ears open little ones," he touched a little girl's ear as Kel took her seat.

" As water was first sprinkled on the ground, as the birds first grew wings and took to the sky, as gold and copper first was created in the underground mines, the Shah came to be."

Kel had to smile. Adner was a perfect storyteller.

" They were set apart, from the very beginning, by the gods, who had chosen them to blessed and superior to all other forms of man that they had yet created. They gave them skills of advanced swordsmanship, resources of gold and ore, beauty of face and feature. They were endeared to the gods, as the gods were to them. Their population grew and grew and spread over a vast area of land, conquering the many people of lesser value to the supreme. To thank the Gods for their favor, they named their territory Scanra or Blessed Land. It was a time of peace and prosperity. But any human is still human, and it was not long before the blessed of the blest became corrupt. The ancestors say that on the day Fegar was born, the skies became dark, and claps of thunder could be heard in the distance. Cursed be his name forever!

He broke off with the sacred of sacredness of tribes taking the secrets of their warrior trade to build a separate society of corruption disease, thievery, dishonesty and sacrilege. He attracted many followers, most from the other tribes the Shah had conquered. They took pleasure in killing, and desecrated the temples of the mightier beings. The 'Blessed Land' soon came to the brink of civil war when at last the Gods intervened. They were angry, sorrowful, and hurt that the nation they had so much favored had become no more then the average chaos-infested human being. However as much as the Gods wanted to, they could not punish them too harshly. Love is a strong tie to break. Therefore they condemned Fegar and his followers to live life as the normal do. They would have kings and queens, wars and times of peace but never would they be looked at or favored by the Gods again. To the faithful Shah, which had been greatly reduced by number, were banished to the Northern Mountains of the country they worked so hard to create. They were made to vow never to harm or kill any of the Scanran people. Never again would the rest of the corrupted human race see them. For thousands and hundred thousand years they have remained hidden. Modern historians have marked them the people of fairy tales and legends. Until now." So Adner closed his tale, to see the elders crying and the young with glossy eyes. It was their history; the history of the Blessed, the Scanran people.

As the children were put to bed, and as the others were leaving, Kel approached Adner.

"You are a wonderful story teller Adner."

He bowed in acknowledgment. " It was not merely a story though, Lady Kel, it is the truth of my people."

"But how can you tell that Amarante and the others are from this Shah tribe? Why can't they be from some other tribe in Scanra?"

Adner drew up the sleeves of his shirt. "By their markings. It is written by our ancestors that the blessed are marked with the favors of the Gods. If you look closely at them, Lady Kel, you will notice that on their arms lay all the symbols of the Great Gods. It is not normal body paint. Even if you touch the markings with a hot coal, they will not disappear. "

Kel thanked him then for relieving some of her curiosity regarding the newcomers. But as she walked back to her room, she was not as convinced as the others, that Danante and Amarante were the blessed of the Gods.

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