A/N: I promise to never leave this story for so long again!
And thanks to misk for giving me the inspiration to write this chapter! (Not that I don't appreciate the other reviews, but she just reviewed today, and it's the first review I've gotten for a while {obviously}).
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"Oh! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to, I wasn't looking where I was going—"
The person looked amused at Alysapet's discomfiture. "It's all right. Really, it's as much my fault, I wasn't looking where I was going either."
Then Alysapet noticed something – this person looked very familiar. "Daine?"
"Alysapet! Interesting. I don't often run into people on the streets, you know, and I rarely know them, if I do."
Alysapet surveyed Daine. She seemed to be in a hurry to get somewhere. "What brings you to the city today?" she asked. "I thought you stayed up at the palace most of the time."
"I do, but my husband wants me to meet him in Port Caynn, something about my magic, I think. He really wasn't very clear."
Alysapet blinked. I was going to go to Port Caynn this evening. That is very strange. Then she smiled – if she weren't a goddess herself, she would have said that they were playing tricks on her. As it was, she put it down to fate, then said, "I'm going to Port Caynn too. Mind if I come with you?"
"Of course not."
They walked together through the streets of Corus, looking for someone who would be willing to give the Wildmage and her friend a ride. Something seemed strange to Alysapet, though. She voiced her question: "If you have wild magic, can't you just shapeshift or something and fly to Port Caynn?"
Daine pulled a note out of the pocket of her worn breeches, saying, "Numair asked me not to. He said I'd probably need most of my magic at Caynn, not to spend it shapeshifting."
"Oh. Did he tell you why?"
Ruefully, Daine informed her, "No, not really. You can read his note – if you can read his handwriting."
Alysapet looked over the scrap of paper, and attempted to decipher the handwriting. It was fairly difficult, but from what she could tell, it read:
Daine, I need your help in Port Caynn. I think your wild magic will be of use with something I'm trying to do. My Gift isn't too much of a help. Please get here as soon as you can – but try to use your magic as little as possible. I think you will need a lot of it.
"Something to do with wild magic, obviously, but beyind that, I don't know."
It could be almost anything, Alysapet thought. She knew, firsthand, the large amount of strange things wildmagic could be used for.
The two walked in silence for a while. Then, when they were nearly out of the city, Daine pointed out a stable. The sign was so battered by the elements that the name was illegible, but the stables themselves seemed to be in fairly good shape. They went inside.
A nearly bald man stood at a rough desk, carved crudely out of – apparently – myriads of woods. He noticed them enter immediately, but ignored them, working on something behind his desk, until Alysapet said very loudly, "Hello!"
He jumped noticeably. Taking a deep breath, he answered. "What do you want?"
"That's rather rude," from Alysapet. "You should be nicer to potential customers. Anyway, wed like to borrow two horses from you, too ride tomorrow. What have you got?'
The man, looking rather disgruntled, gruffly handed over a list.
After looking up and down the list (several times) Daine asked if they could go look at the horses. With a brusque nod, he pointed and gestured for them to go that way.
The stables were, indeed, well taken care of, and Daine and Alysapet surveyed them with satisfaction. No matter how bad-tempered the management was, they did good with their horses.
Alysapet picked a beautiful bay mare named Sugar. The mare's name clearly reflected her disposition – she was one of the sweetest horses she had ever seen, on par with her own Yora. Daine chose a dappled grey gelding by the name of Shadow. He seemed a bit temperamental, but worked well with Daine.
They went back to the man in charge and informed him of their choices. He was still grumpy, and they left rather annoyed. As Alysapet put it, "He is one of the worst stable owners I have ever encountered," and for her, that was saying a lot.
"See you tomarrow, then?' asked Daine as they went further into the city.
"Yeah, after breakfast, at the stable?"
"Sure."
They exchanged goodbyes, and Daine went palace-wards, while Alysapet quietly went back to the Divine Realms.
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She crept quietly through the house, being careful not to wake her father or Sarra. Though it was after sundown, the area around her house still rang with noises of night-creatures, doing whatever it was they did, so as long as she didn't creak on the stairs, she could get to her room with nary a sound. She had had long practice at avoiding the creaky spots – they should probably have fixed them a long time ago, but Weiryn was not a fixer-of-things, and Alysapet was rather busy.
In truth, to Alysapet the squeaky spots were just one more thing that made their home home, and that they had learned to more or less avoid those places over the years was one more thing that made them family.
Sarra was still learning.
--------------- A/N: I like that chapter… don't why, just do.
Jade Limill: You read my mind… creepy.
Miamouse: I'm not sure about all the background info yet, I'm still making it up, mostly, but I'll try to put some of it in the next chapters.
FoolishlyBraveShadowedStar: Well, I have this whole thing where "Elizabeth" becomes a ripoff of the name Alysapet.
Basest-8: I'm really very good at writing with lots of detail (it gets on my nerves), but I'm trying.
Misk: My idea is awesome! [tears] j/k, thanks! It's cool that your name's Alyssa, I was basing Alysapet's name of a cross between Alyssa and Elizabeth…
And thanks to misk for giving me the inspiration to write this chapter! (Not that I don't appreciate the other reviews, but she just reviewed today, and it's the first review I've gotten for a while {obviously}).
---------------
"Oh! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to, I wasn't looking where I was going—"
The person looked amused at Alysapet's discomfiture. "It's all right. Really, it's as much my fault, I wasn't looking where I was going either."
Then Alysapet noticed something – this person looked very familiar. "Daine?"
"Alysapet! Interesting. I don't often run into people on the streets, you know, and I rarely know them, if I do."
Alysapet surveyed Daine. She seemed to be in a hurry to get somewhere. "What brings you to the city today?" she asked. "I thought you stayed up at the palace most of the time."
"I do, but my husband wants me to meet him in Port Caynn, something about my magic, I think. He really wasn't very clear."
Alysapet blinked. I was going to go to Port Caynn this evening. That is very strange. Then she smiled – if she weren't a goddess herself, she would have said that they were playing tricks on her. As it was, she put it down to fate, then said, "I'm going to Port Caynn too. Mind if I come with you?"
"Of course not."
They walked together through the streets of Corus, looking for someone who would be willing to give the Wildmage and her friend a ride. Something seemed strange to Alysapet, though. She voiced her question: "If you have wild magic, can't you just shapeshift or something and fly to Port Caynn?"
Daine pulled a note out of the pocket of her worn breeches, saying, "Numair asked me not to. He said I'd probably need most of my magic at Caynn, not to spend it shapeshifting."
"Oh. Did he tell you why?"
Ruefully, Daine informed her, "No, not really. You can read his note – if you can read his handwriting."
Alysapet looked over the scrap of paper, and attempted to decipher the handwriting. It was fairly difficult, but from what she could tell, it read:
Daine, I need your help in Port Caynn. I think your wild magic will be of use with something I'm trying to do. My Gift isn't too much of a help. Please get here as soon as you can – but try to use your magic as little as possible. I think you will need a lot of it.
"Something to do with wild magic, obviously, but beyind that, I don't know."
It could be almost anything, Alysapet thought. She knew, firsthand, the large amount of strange things wildmagic could be used for.
The two walked in silence for a while. Then, when they were nearly out of the city, Daine pointed out a stable. The sign was so battered by the elements that the name was illegible, but the stables themselves seemed to be in fairly good shape. They went inside.
A nearly bald man stood at a rough desk, carved crudely out of – apparently – myriads of woods. He noticed them enter immediately, but ignored them, working on something behind his desk, until Alysapet said very loudly, "Hello!"
He jumped noticeably. Taking a deep breath, he answered. "What do you want?"
"That's rather rude," from Alysapet. "You should be nicer to potential customers. Anyway, wed like to borrow two horses from you, too ride tomorrow. What have you got?'
The man, looking rather disgruntled, gruffly handed over a list.
After looking up and down the list (several times) Daine asked if they could go look at the horses. With a brusque nod, he pointed and gestured for them to go that way.
The stables were, indeed, well taken care of, and Daine and Alysapet surveyed them with satisfaction. No matter how bad-tempered the management was, they did good with their horses.
Alysapet picked a beautiful bay mare named Sugar. The mare's name clearly reflected her disposition – she was one of the sweetest horses she had ever seen, on par with her own Yora. Daine chose a dappled grey gelding by the name of Shadow. He seemed a bit temperamental, but worked well with Daine.
They went back to the man in charge and informed him of their choices. He was still grumpy, and they left rather annoyed. As Alysapet put it, "He is one of the worst stable owners I have ever encountered," and for her, that was saying a lot.
"See you tomarrow, then?' asked Daine as they went further into the city.
"Yeah, after breakfast, at the stable?"
"Sure."
They exchanged goodbyes, and Daine went palace-wards, while Alysapet quietly went back to the Divine Realms.
---------------
She crept quietly through the house, being careful not to wake her father or Sarra. Though it was after sundown, the area around her house still rang with noises of night-creatures, doing whatever it was they did, so as long as she didn't creak on the stairs, she could get to her room with nary a sound. She had had long practice at avoiding the creaky spots – they should probably have fixed them a long time ago, but Weiryn was not a fixer-of-things, and Alysapet was rather busy.
In truth, to Alysapet the squeaky spots were just one more thing that made their home home, and that they had learned to more or less avoid those places over the years was one more thing that made them family.
Sarra was still learning.
--------------- A/N: I like that chapter… don't why, just do.
Jade Limill: You read my mind… creepy.
Miamouse: I'm not sure about all the background info yet, I'm still making it up, mostly, but I'll try to put some of it in the next chapters.
FoolishlyBraveShadowedStar: Well, I have this whole thing where "Elizabeth" becomes a ripoff of the name Alysapet.
Basest-8: I'm really very good at writing with lots of detail (it gets on my nerves), but I'm trying.
Misk: My idea is awesome! [tears] j/k, thanks! It's cool that your name's Alyssa, I was basing Alysapet's name of a cross between Alyssa and Elizabeth…