8BTFreek: Even more reviews! This is cool!
Nynaeve: Not when you check your e-mail 500 times a day!
8BTFreek: Not 500.
Nynaeve: 499 then. Anyway, let's get on with the responses.
REVIEWER RESPONSES:
Joker's Specter: Well, I'm updating now!
Mesoforte: Using a school computer? Hm... Well, try using something like a home computer and you won't be so rushed.
tigerlily: Well, he hasn't gotten over the superstitions yet. Once that happens, Piers will realize that Rhoen's a nice guy... Just in time for something bad to happen. Oh, how I love plot twists! *eyes glow*
ACL: Interesting... *Steeples fingers, leans back in chair* Excellent.
END RESPONSES
8BTFreek: Well, this is it. The chapter you've all been waiting for. The end of the waiting! The new dawn in the story! Another moving episode! The one that-
Muses: Get on with it!
8BTFreek: Oh, all right. Chapter 4 of Forms, "To Hear is to Forget!"
Rand: And 8BTFreek doesn't own Golden Sun, although he does own the Q'tiil, Q'tlataresh, Rhoen, and the concept of Kayshipping!
8BTFreek: My most precious creations.
**Chapter 4: To Hear is to Forget**
Kay got up a little earlier than usual. She didn't know why. Maybe it was the dream she'd just had. Just as she was thinking this, something crashed outside her window. {Then again, maybe that happened.} She pulled open the shades. Standing outside was Rhoen, next to a fallen tree. He looked like he'd just knocked it down himself. {How'd he do it? Does he have a sword?}
He noticed her looking out. "Hey, Kay! You finally up? Get dressed and come out here! I've got a surprise for you!" She looked out the window, trying to see the sun.
"Where's the sun?" she asked.
"Not up yet! C'mon, it's already 5:00!" He started dragging the tree trunk down toward the house.
"Wake me up at sunrise, okay? Adepts need sleep too!" Muttering angrily, she shut her window and went back to sleep. The dream came again, though.
***
Kay was floating in an inky void, but there was something sinister there. She tried to swim away, but no matter which direction she went in, it was closer. She tried kicking to see where it was, but it grabbed her foot and pulled her in. A lopsided face grinned, jagged teeth sticking out in odd directions. "To hear is to forget, to see is to remember, to experience is to know," it whispered in an unfamiliar voice. A formless mass sat alongside the black thing, but it was silver.
"Let her go, cretin," it hissed. "Let her go, or there will be consequences." The hiss was familiar, but different at the same time. The black thing didn't let go of her leg. "Now, dammit!" hissed the silvery blob, lunging at the black thing. Kay was knocked out of the black one's grasp, and the two began trying to absorb each other. Finally, the two were destroyed, eliminated almost entirely, and she felt extreme joy - but at the same time, a sense of loss unequaled in her life.
Then the world began to fade... The black cloud was fading, and so were the two masses... The world was growing bright...
***
"Kay, the sun's up! Get out of bed!" That unpleasant little voice was her brother, calling for her to get up.
"Don't you have something to do with Mia?" she grumbled. The room filled with silence, then she heard the sound of boots dashing out her door. Grumbling, she got up. Stomping to the kitchen, she grabbed a slice of toast and a few pieces of bacon. At least her brother hadn't eaten it all. Muttering angrily while enjoying her breakfast, she walked into her room, changed, and walked outside. Outside, she stopped muttering at the strangest sight.
Piers had Rhoen by the throat, slammed against a building. He held a strange sword in his hand. Kay recognized it as the Tisiphone Edge, one of the weapons Garet had brought back from his journey. "Elln nin mer, Lemurate!" cried Rhoen.
***
Rhoen had just gathered up the little wooden blocks that he'd carved from the trunk when he saw the Lemurian man's face. It startled him, how he could be snuck up on so easily. He didn't have time to react, though-the Lemurian grabbed him by the throat and jammed him against a building. "I didn't see you at the inn today, Q'tiil. In fact, the Innkeeper said you didn't have a room."
"Put me down, Lemurian!" He shouted the words, even though that might cause him to lose air at a faster rate. The Lemurian put a sword to Rhoen's neck.
"I don't thinks so, Q'tiil." He spat the words, speaking in Rhoen's native tongue. That shocked him.
"I am called Rhoen, Lemurian. Not 'Q'tiil.' Never call me Q'tiil." He frowned. "I will not be known as one of them." He coughed in the Lemurian's face. "Now put me down, Lemurian. Or do you wish the death of an innocent man on your hands?"
"No Q'tiil is innocent, Rhoen. And if I am to call you by your name, then you must call me by mine-Piers." He looked into Rhoen's eyes. "What do you say, Q'tiil bastard?"
"Fine, Piers of Lemuria. But let me down! I have done nothing!"
"You have taken residence in a house of Vale! Did you not understand my orders?" Rhoen laughed. Clearly, this "Piers" saw only what he wanted to see, not the truth.
"Piers, you did not order me to stay at the inn. You ordered me not to speak with the mayor about the dangers that I saw. Well, I didn't see the mayor, but I met his granddaughter." He looked around, then spotted Kay. "And I don't think she'll be too happy when she sees you strangling her newest friend."
"You will not have contact with any more Valeans, do you hear me? None! You will remain at the inn under close supervision, speak with nobody, and you will leave when you have been humiliated enough. These people have no need for your kind." Rhoen spat on the man's boots, then kicked him in the stomach. Piers dropped him and the sword. Before the man could recover his breath, Rhoen picked him up in his left hand and spun him around. Grabbing the flail from inside of his cloak with the right hand, he pulled it out and held it close to Piers's stomach.
"If you order me to stay away from Kay, I will order you to keep away from my Kinswoman." His snarl became a grin. "Do you wish to be separated from the one you love?"
Piers spat. "Sheba is no more Q'tiil than I am." Rhoen laughed.
"Then you are good at hiding your origins. If you have seen a Q'tiil woman, you would know another on sight. Your precious 'Sheba' is lucky. She probably comes from a long line of warriors." He grinned. "And although my father would beat me for saying it, he respects Lemurian warriors for their skill. Tell me, do you think she wants to continue the line?" Rhoen had had experience with Q'tiil women, and that was his general perception of them.
Piers growled dangerously. Finally, he roared, "Sheba is not like that! She is kind and generous! To tell that to her would throw her into the deadliest of rages, and even I could not survive suggesting to her that she comes from such a barbaric race as yours!" Rhoen slammed him against the wall.
"Stay out of my life, Lemurian pig, and I will stay out of yours." He dropped the man. "And you cannot tell me what to do, Piers of Lemuria." But the Lemurian's words touched his mind as he ran off. {Perhaps she is a rhoen, like me. Then she would be different. But I have only ever seen two rhoen, and one was killed when she was naught but a babe. And the other... At least my brother died honorably.} He stopped running when he reached the Psynergy stone at the center of town.
***
Piers's companions looked at the scene. When they had arrived to see what Kay was so worried about, they saw their friend being held up by the Q'tiil man. They were arguing in some strange language. The man shoved Piers into the wall, then dropped him to the ground. Finally, the Q'tiil ran off after saying, "Inde dal ed'dar asa nin draal q'tang, Pierce an'Lemurate." The adepts crowded around Piers. Finally, Sheba walked over to him and talked to him.
"Piers, what just happened?" There was concern in her voice. Felix looked at the pair disapprovingly. After all, he didn't want his adopted sister falling in love with someone at nineteen. Thirty would be a better age. "Piers, please tell me!" Felix turned. He had to look out for that Q'tiil fellow. Piers looked up, a glow in his eyes that shined like youth.
"Look, an angel. A beautiful angel. Look, people, there's a beautiful angel sitting next to me!" He laughed a child's laugh. "An angel. Angel, will you kiss me?" The words shocked Sheba, and also made her blush. She'd seen his romantic side, but it had never come out this strong. Making sure that Felix's back was turned, she embraced the Lemurian and kissed him on the lips, a long, loving kiss. {After all, that's probably what he wants.} He looked at her, his eyes shining. And then, she realized something. {I love him, too.} She separated their lips only to say "I love you", then went back to kissing him. A few moments later, a tap on her shoulder made her turn around. There was Felix, looking mad as hell.
"What in Iris's name is going on?! What the hell are you doing?!" Piers looked up at him, flush with embarrassment. Sheba opened her mouth to say something, but she was drowned out by Felix's words. "Honestly, I know you like her, Piers, but that's no reason to try and force her to kiss you!" She tried to explain, but her brother of five years kept plowing on. "And don't tell me that she loves you, because she's nineteen and doesn't understand love yet!" Sheba finally got angry enough to yell.
"Listen!" Felix shut up immediately. "I was the one who started it. You see him kissing me, and you think that it's because he loves me, and you think that I'm just some doll you can hang on the wall! Well, what about Jenna and Isaac? Were you the same way with them?" He opened his mouth, but she kept on going. "I can answer that for you: No! You actually approved, because they were being sensible and waiting and getting married under your eyes! Well, I've been traveling with Piers for five years! Do you know why I didn't want to tell you everything? It's because I knew you'd act like this if you found out!" She paused only to gather breath. "Well, is five years away from your ever-present eye enough? Because if it isn't then we're going to elope, aren't we, Piers?" Piers just nodded. He probably didn't want to say anything else, mainly because he was trying to get his breath back.
Finally, Felix grunted, clearly annoyed. His anger seethed as he made his way back to the house that he and Hama shared. The others cleared out too, sensing that the two lovers would probably want time alone. Piers looked at Sheba. "Thank you. Sheba, I love you too. But there's something I need to tell you..." He looked her in the eye. She said nothing, just looked at him. "You know that Q'tiil fellow? Well, he says you're... He says you're Q'tiil too." He looked at her, examining her features. He saw some irregularities, but he had always assumed that those were from Lalivero. Now, he looked and saw something different. The low cheekbones, the elongated nose, her purple eyes glowing with just a hint of gray in the pupils: all of these were traits that he'd seen on Rhoen's face. He recoiled. "You... you are..." He was frightened. She read his mind. {I have done the one thing I have sworn never to do... I have allowed a Q'tiil to run about Vale unchecked... And I have fallen in love with her... Oh, Neptune! What to do, what to do?!} She kissed him on the cheek.
"There, there. It'll be all right. I'll make it better." She reached for his hands. "Don't worry, I'll help you. We'll take care of it. It'll all go away." She tried soothing him, making her voice smooth and calm. Inside, she was quaking. {Me... Q'tiil? The one thing my love despises? Why? Why can't I just be normal? Why does it have to be me?} He didn't pull away, but there was something different about his gaze. He wanted to believe it, he wanted to think it wasn't true, but he couldn't. Bowing her head, she excused herself. Behind her, she could hear Piers wailing. If she knew him, and she knew him well, there would be a rage tomorrow, and then a calm the next day. An unnerving calm.
The next day proved her right.
***
Rhoen was having difficulty believing the Lemurian's reaction. Apparently, any mention of anything related to something outside of Vale or Valean life was driving him insane, causing him to lash out at anyone and anything. He shrugged, then went back to carving the figurines. Already, three were finished. One was of himself, holding his flail in an attack position. Another was of himself again, this one weeping. The third was a happier Rhoen, one looking up into the face of a beautiful woman. The woman was Kay, but she had wings growing out of her back. At sunset, he finished his carving for the day. He placed a fourth carving among the finished ones - one of Kay after seeing the two lovers, looking dejected and miserable. Slowly, he gathered the carvings in his bag, placed his knife and the remaining blocks of wood in there with the carvings, and walked toward Kay's house. But standing there, in front of the door, was none other than the Lemurian, Piers. "Piers, please stand aside. I must enter. This is my residence, provided graciously by Kay."
Piers leered at him. "You shall not pass." He grinned. "Dark powers will not be enough, master of the art of deception. I am a master of the Thirteenth Form, and you shall not pass."
"Look, sirrah, let me in or I will cut off your arms." Piers raised his sword with not a little wobble. It looked like he was drunk.
"You challenge me? Then fight, knave!" He charged. Rhoen amended his previous thought. The guy wasn't just drunk - he was sloshed. Rhoen stared at the drunken Piers disgustedly. "Fight, I say!" Rhoen made to grab for the door, but the sword swung down to meet his arm. "What's the matter, little one? Angry that I'm not letting you in?" Rhoen had to amend his thoughts again. This man wasn't drunk at all - he was insane. Very dangerous, too. "Well, it's all thanks to you. You ruin my life by telling me Sheba's one of your kind, then I find out you weren't lying." He flailed with the sword, missing Rhoen with every swing and knocking the hilt into the door at least five times. "Well, you bastard, I'm going to make you pay for that little moment of truth. If I kill you, everything will be right again. Sheba won't be Q'tiil, you won't be bothering Kay, and I can go on helping Sheba to find her past. It's for her sake, you son of a bitch!" Just then, Kay opened the door.
"Piers, if you're threatening him... I swear, you're insane! Let him in, or I'll show you real pain! Now, mister!" Quickly, Piers stepped away from the door. Clearly, he was sane enough to know that messing with Kay while she was angry would never be a good idea. Rhoen took the opportunity to dash in - and knock Kay over. Quickly apologizing, he ran into his room. He opened the bag and looked inside. Thankfully, none of the figures had been broken. The door creaked open. Kay was standing there, looking angrier than he'd ever seen her before. He got up to talk to her, but she motioned for him to sit. Her face softened, and she hugged him tightly. "There, there. I won't let him kill you. Even if you do come from somewhere bad, I won't hold that against you. You're not a bad guy. Don't worry. Everything's going to be alright." She kissed him lightly on the cheek. It was the kind of kiss given by a mother to comfort a little child. He wept, and she held him in her arms. They spent half the night like this, until Kay was sure that Rhoen was fine. The next morning, he began carving a memory of the last night - the night he had learned of the care that she felt.
***
The sleeper stirred. He was close to waking, now. Images formed in his mind. One stood out among them all - a young woman with blue hair. "Mia," he whispered in his sleep. "Mia, you are my own, my only. You belong to me." In his sleep, Alex grinned.
***
8BTFreek: Well, hate to break it off there, but that's just enough to give you a hint of what's going on behind the petty squabbles of everyday life. There is something sinister on the horizon: A foreshadowed conclusion that cannot be seen by the naked eye. It is here, encompassing all, overshadowing the disaster to come. The plot twist moves. It cannot rest.
Rand: Enough.
8BTFreek: Right. Anyway, please review! Plot twists coming!
Rand: Plot twists? Did you develop a thing for those or something while I was gone?
8BTFreek: Of course! The plot twist is the most brilliant thing since...
Rand: Since WoT, I know, I know.
8BTFreek: No, since the computer. Anyway, please review!
Nynaeve: Yes, review, or I'll have Rand go and give you pain.
Rand: What? You can't order me around; I'm the Dragon Reborn!
Nynaeve: *glows with saidar* Say that again?
Rand: Fine. *glows with saidin* You can't order me around! *shields Nynaeve*
Nynaeve: RAND! RELEASE ME, YOU ASSHOLE! *gasps, runs to wash out mouth*
Rand: Temper, temper. Anyway, review, or the FF, myself included, will arrive at your door.
Nynaeve: Not when you check your e-mail 500 times a day!
8BTFreek: Not 500.
Nynaeve: 499 then. Anyway, let's get on with the responses.
REVIEWER RESPONSES:
Joker's Specter: Well, I'm updating now!
Mesoforte: Using a school computer? Hm... Well, try using something like a home computer and you won't be so rushed.
tigerlily: Well, he hasn't gotten over the superstitions yet. Once that happens, Piers will realize that Rhoen's a nice guy... Just in time for something bad to happen. Oh, how I love plot twists! *eyes glow*
ACL: Interesting... *Steeples fingers, leans back in chair* Excellent.
END RESPONSES
8BTFreek: Well, this is it. The chapter you've all been waiting for. The end of the waiting! The new dawn in the story! Another moving episode! The one that-
Muses: Get on with it!
8BTFreek: Oh, all right. Chapter 4 of Forms, "To Hear is to Forget!"
Rand: And 8BTFreek doesn't own Golden Sun, although he does own the Q'tiil, Q'tlataresh, Rhoen, and the concept of Kayshipping!
8BTFreek: My most precious creations.
**Chapter 4: To Hear is to Forget**
Kay got up a little earlier than usual. She didn't know why. Maybe it was the dream she'd just had. Just as she was thinking this, something crashed outside her window. {Then again, maybe that happened.} She pulled open the shades. Standing outside was Rhoen, next to a fallen tree. He looked like he'd just knocked it down himself. {How'd he do it? Does he have a sword?}
He noticed her looking out. "Hey, Kay! You finally up? Get dressed and come out here! I've got a surprise for you!" She looked out the window, trying to see the sun.
"Where's the sun?" she asked.
"Not up yet! C'mon, it's already 5:00!" He started dragging the tree trunk down toward the house.
"Wake me up at sunrise, okay? Adepts need sleep too!" Muttering angrily, she shut her window and went back to sleep. The dream came again, though.
***
Kay was floating in an inky void, but there was something sinister there. She tried to swim away, but no matter which direction she went in, it was closer. She tried kicking to see where it was, but it grabbed her foot and pulled her in. A lopsided face grinned, jagged teeth sticking out in odd directions. "To hear is to forget, to see is to remember, to experience is to know," it whispered in an unfamiliar voice. A formless mass sat alongside the black thing, but it was silver.
"Let her go, cretin," it hissed. "Let her go, or there will be consequences." The hiss was familiar, but different at the same time. The black thing didn't let go of her leg. "Now, dammit!" hissed the silvery blob, lunging at the black thing. Kay was knocked out of the black one's grasp, and the two began trying to absorb each other. Finally, the two were destroyed, eliminated almost entirely, and she felt extreme joy - but at the same time, a sense of loss unequaled in her life.
Then the world began to fade... The black cloud was fading, and so were the two masses... The world was growing bright...
***
"Kay, the sun's up! Get out of bed!" That unpleasant little voice was her brother, calling for her to get up.
"Don't you have something to do with Mia?" she grumbled. The room filled with silence, then she heard the sound of boots dashing out her door. Grumbling, she got up. Stomping to the kitchen, she grabbed a slice of toast and a few pieces of bacon. At least her brother hadn't eaten it all. Muttering angrily while enjoying her breakfast, she walked into her room, changed, and walked outside. Outside, she stopped muttering at the strangest sight.
Piers had Rhoen by the throat, slammed against a building. He held a strange sword in his hand. Kay recognized it as the Tisiphone Edge, one of the weapons Garet had brought back from his journey. "Elln nin mer, Lemurate!" cried Rhoen.
***
Rhoen had just gathered up the little wooden blocks that he'd carved from the trunk when he saw the Lemurian man's face. It startled him, how he could be snuck up on so easily. He didn't have time to react, though-the Lemurian grabbed him by the throat and jammed him against a building. "I didn't see you at the inn today, Q'tiil. In fact, the Innkeeper said you didn't have a room."
"Put me down, Lemurian!" He shouted the words, even though that might cause him to lose air at a faster rate. The Lemurian put a sword to Rhoen's neck.
"I don't thinks so, Q'tiil." He spat the words, speaking in Rhoen's native tongue. That shocked him.
"I am called Rhoen, Lemurian. Not 'Q'tiil.' Never call me Q'tiil." He frowned. "I will not be known as one of them." He coughed in the Lemurian's face. "Now put me down, Lemurian. Or do you wish the death of an innocent man on your hands?"
"No Q'tiil is innocent, Rhoen. And if I am to call you by your name, then you must call me by mine-Piers." He looked into Rhoen's eyes. "What do you say, Q'tiil bastard?"
"Fine, Piers of Lemuria. But let me down! I have done nothing!"
"You have taken residence in a house of Vale! Did you not understand my orders?" Rhoen laughed. Clearly, this "Piers" saw only what he wanted to see, not the truth.
"Piers, you did not order me to stay at the inn. You ordered me not to speak with the mayor about the dangers that I saw. Well, I didn't see the mayor, but I met his granddaughter." He looked around, then spotted Kay. "And I don't think she'll be too happy when she sees you strangling her newest friend."
"You will not have contact with any more Valeans, do you hear me? None! You will remain at the inn under close supervision, speak with nobody, and you will leave when you have been humiliated enough. These people have no need for your kind." Rhoen spat on the man's boots, then kicked him in the stomach. Piers dropped him and the sword. Before the man could recover his breath, Rhoen picked him up in his left hand and spun him around. Grabbing the flail from inside of his cloak with the right hand, he pulled it out and held it close to Piers's stomach.
"If you order me to stay away from Kay, I will order you to keep away from my Kinswoman." His snarl became a grin. "Do you wish to be separated from the one you love?"
Piers spat. "Sheba is no more Q'tiil than I am." Rhoen laughed.
"Then you are good at hiding your origins. If you have seen a Q'tiil woman, you would know another on sight. Your precious 'Sheba' is lucky. She probably comes from a long line of warriors." He grinned. "And although my father would beat me for saying it, he respects Lemurian warriors for their skill. Tell me, do you think she wants to continue the line?" Rhoen had had experience with Q'tiil women, and that was his general perception of them.
Piers growled dangerously. Finally, he roared, "Sheba is not like that! She is kind and generous! To tell that to her would throw her into the deadliest of rages, and even I could not survive suggesting to her that she comes from such a barbaric race as yours!" Rhoen slammed him against the wall.
"Stay out of my life, Lemurian pig, and I will stay out of yours." He dropped the man. "And you cannot tell me what to do, Piers of Lemuria." But the Lemurian's words touched his mind as he ran off. {Perhaps she is a rhoen, like me. Then she would be different. But I have only ever seen two rhoen, and one was killed when she was naught but a babe. And the other... At least my brother died honorably.} He stopped running when he reached the Psynergy stone at the center of town.
***
Piers's companions looked at the scene. When they had arrived to see what Kay was so worried about, they saw their friend being held up by the Q'tiil man. They were arguing in some strange language. The man shoved Piers into the wall, then dropped him to the ground. Finally, the Q'tiil ran off after saying, "Inde dal ed'dar asa nin draal q'tang, Pierce an'Lemurate." The adepts crowded around Piers. Finally, Sheba walked over to him and talked to him.
"Piers, what just happened?" There was concern in her voice. Felix looked at the pair disapprovingly. After all, he didn't want his adopted sister falling in love with someone at nineteen. Thirty would be a better age. "Piers, please tell me!" Felix turned. He had to look out for that Q'tiil fellow. Piers looked up, a glow in his eyes that shined like youth.
"Look, an angel. A beautiful angel. Look, people, there's a beautiful angel sitting next to me!" He laughed a child's laugh. "An angel. Angel, will you kiss me?" The words shocked Sheba, and also made her blush. She'd seen his romantic side, but it had never come out this strong. Making sure that Felix's back was turned, she embraced the Lemurian and kissed him on the lips, a long, loving kiss. {After all, that's probably what he wants.} He looked at her, his eyes shining. And then, she realized something. {I love him, too.} She separated their lips only to say "I love you", then went back to kissing him. A few moments later, a tap on her shoulder made her turn around. There was Felix, looking mad as hell.
"What in Iris's name is going on?! What the hell are you doing?!" Piers looked up at him, flush with embarrassment. Sheba opened her mouth to say something, but she was drowned out by Felix's words. "Honestly, I know you like her, Piers, but that's no reason to try and force her to kiss you!" She tried to explain, but her brother of five years kept plowing on. "And don't tell me that she loves you, because she's nineteen and doesn't understand love yet!" Sheba finally got angry enough to yell.
"Listen!" Felix shut up immediately. "I was the one who started it. You see him kissing me, and you think that it's because he loves me, and you think that I'm just some doll you can hang on the wall! Well, what about Jenna and Isaac? Were you the same way with them?" He opened his mouth, but she kept on going. "I can answer that for you: No! You actually approved, because they were being sensible and waiting and getting married under your eyes! Well, I've been traveling with Piers for five years! Do you know why I didn't want to tell you everything? It's because I knew you'd act like this if you found out!" She paused only to gather breath. "Well, is five years away from your ever-present eye enough? Because if it isn't then we're going to elope, aren't we, Piers?" Piers just nodded. He probably didn't want to say anything else, mainly because he was trying to get his breath back.
Finally, Felix grunted, clearly annoyed. His anger seethed as he made his way back to the house that he and Hama shared. The others cleared out too, sensing that the two lovers would probably want time alone. Piers looked at Sheba. "Thank you. Sheba, I love you too. But there's something I need to tell you..." He looked her in the eye. She said nothing, just looked at him. "You know that Q'tiil fellow? Well, he says you're... He says you're Q'tiil too." He looked at her, examining her features. He saw some irregularities, but he had always assumed that those were from Lalivero. Now, he looked and saw something different. The low cheekbones, the elongated nose, her purple eyes glowing with just a hint of gray in the pupils: all of these were traits that he'd seen on Rhoen's face. He recoiled. "You... you are..." He was frightened. She read his mind. {I have done the one thing I have sworn never to do... I have allowed a Q'tiil to run about Vale unchecked... And I have fallen in love with her... Oh, Neptune! What to do, what to do?!} She kissed him on the cheek.
"There, there. It'll be all right. I'll make it better." She reached for his hands. "Don't worry, I'll help you. We'll take care of it. It'll all go away." She tried soothing him, making her voice smooth and calm. Inside, she was quaking. {Me... Q'tiil? The one thing my love despises? Why? Why can't I just be normal? Why does it have to be me?} He didn't pull away, but there was something different about his gaze. He wanted to believe it, he wanted to think it wasn't true, but he couldn't. Bowing her head, she excused herself. Behind her, she could hear Piers wailing. If she knew him, and she knew him well, there would be a rage tomorrow, and then a calm the next day. An unnerving calm.
The next day proved her right.
***
Rhoen was having difficulty believing the Lemurian's reaction. Apparently, any mention of anything related to something outside of Vale or Valean life was driving him insane, causing him to lash out at anyone and anything. He shrugged, then went back to carving the figurines. Already, three were finished. One was of himself, holding his flail in an attack position. Another was of himself again, this one weeping. The third was a happier Rhoen, one looking up into the face of a beautiful woman. The woman was Kay, but she had wings growing out of her back. At sunset, he finished his carving for the day. He placed a fourth carving among the finished ones - one of Kay after seeing the two lovers, looking dejected and miserable. Slowly, he gathered the carvings in his bag, placed his knife and the remaining blocks of wood in there with the carvings, and walked toward Kay's house. But standing there, in front of the door, was none other than the Lemurian, Piers. "Piers, please stand aside. I must enter. This is my residence, provided graciously by Kay."
Piers leered at him. "You shall not pass." He grinned. "Dark powers will not be enough, master of the art of deception. I am a master of the Thirteenth Form, and you shall not pass."
"Look, sirrah, let me in or I will cut off your arms." Piers raised his sword with not a little wobble. It looked like he was drunk.
"You challenge me? Then fight, knave!" He charged. Rhoen amended his previous thought. The guy wasn't just drunk - he was sloshed. Rhoen stared at the drunken Piers disgustedly. "Fight, I say!" Rhoen made to grab for the door, but the sword swung down to meet his arm. "What's the matter, little one? Angry that I'm not letting you in?" Rhoen had to amend his thoughts again. This man wasn't drunk at all - he was insane. Very dangerous, too. "Well, it's all thanks to you. You ruin my life by telling me Sheba's one of your kind, then I find out you weren't lying." He flailed with the sword, missing Rhoen with every swing and knocking the hilt into the door at least five times. "Well, you bastard, I'm going to make you pay for that little moment of truth. If I kill you, everything will be right again. Sheba won't be Q'tiil, you won't be bothering Kay, and I can go on helping Sheba to find her past. It's for her sake, you son of a bitch!" Just then, Kay opened the door.
"Piers, if you're threatening him... I swear, you're insane! Let him in, or I'll show you real pain! Now, mister!" Quickly, Piers stepped away from the door. Clearly, he was sane enough to know that messing with Kay while she was angry would never be a good idea. Rhoen took the opportunity to dash in - and knock Kay over. Quickly apologizing, he ran into his room. He opened the bag and looked inside. Thankfully, none of the figures had been broken. The door creaked open. Kay was standing there, looking angrier than he'd ever seen her before. He got up to talk to her, but she motioned for him to sit. Her face softened, and she hugged him tightly. "There, there. I won't let him kill you. Even if you do come from somewhere bad, I won't hold that against you. You're not a bad guy. Don't worry. Everything's going to be alright." She kissed him lightly on the cheek. It was the kind of kiss given by a mother to comfort a little child. He wept, and she held him in her arms. They spent half the night like this, until Kay was sure that Rhoen was fine. The next morning, he began carving a memory of the last night - the night he had learned of the care that she felt.
***
The sleeper stirred. He was close to waking, now. Images formed in his mind. One stood out among them all - a young woman with blue hair. "Mia," he whispered in his sleep. "Mia, you are my own, my only. You belong to me." In his sleep, Alex grinned.
***
8BTFreek: Well, hate to break it off there, but that's just enough to give you a hint of what's going on behind the petty squabbles of everyday life. There is something sinister on the horizon: A foreshadowed conclusion that cannot be seen by the naked eye. It is here, encompassing all, overshadowing the disaster to come. The plot twist moves. It cannot rest.
Rand: Enough.
8BTFreek: Right. Anyway, please review! Plot twists coming!
Rand: Plot twists? Did you develop a thing for those or something while I was gone?
8BTFreek: Of course! The plot twist is the most brilliant thing since...
Rand: Since WoT, I know, I know.
8BTFreek: No, since the computer. Anyway, please review!
Nynaeve: Yes, review, or I'll have Rand go and give you pain.
Rand: What? You can't order me around; I'm the Dragon Reborn!
Nynaeve: *glows with saidar* Say that again?
Rand: Fine. *glows with saidin* You can't order me around! *shields Nynaeve*
Nynaeve: RAND! RELEASE ME, YOU ASSHOLE! *gasps, runs to wash out mouth*
Rand: Temper, temper. Anyway, review, or the FF, myself included, will arrive at your door.