Rand: hey!! This chapter isn't really late!
Mat: uh...actually its VERY late
Dragon: shut up! Look I didn't mean for it to be this late I started it early but I kinda hit a writers block.. and it stayed like that for a very, very long time:: mutters angrily :: Why should YOU care whether this chapter is on time anyways?
Mat: because I'm in the next one! -
Rand: because I'm FINALLY acting responsible! :: glares ::
Dragon: hey! Its part of the story! Besides, it doesn't last long:: evil smile ::
Rand: I hate you
Dragon: yeah, you and the rest of the weirdoes in Randland buddy. Anyways! Here are the REVIEWS!! Frodofreak88, don't worry, the ext one isgonna be WAAY easier to write, it wont be as late as this one was; thanks so much for reviewing! Aria-wolfstar, yeah, it WAS an odd chapter, but it was necessaryOo;; and yes, Rand is the prince, this IS a parody of the Lion King after all
Rand: yeah, and I got stuck with the 'Simba' role: mutters::
Dragon: yeah well.. at least your the main character.. But if you didn't remember, all the characters roles are posted in the first chapter thanks so much for reviewing!! :: hands all the reviewers a cookie :: anyways, ON WITH THE SHOW!!!
--
"I think there's something wrong with Rand" Elayne told her brother sadly as they took their morning walk through the gardens, of course by morning, that meant the sun had only just barely began to rise. The air was crispy and cold, which meant the two of them, had blankets hanging over their shoulders. Sure it wasn't proper for the prince and princess of Andor to go walking through the gardens in their nightclothes huddled in their blankets, but it was so early even most of the servants where only just awakening, so it wasn't likely they would run into anyone here.
"He's quiet, I mean more the usual, I know he doesn't say much," she continued pulling her blanket around herself more tightly to keep the cold out "at least around me anyway, but he hardly even speaks to Min now! She told me so"
"Maybe he's just not getting much sleep" Gawyn offered with a grin, "the last time you went all sleep deprived you got so depressed you were reduced to tears. Twice." Elayne glared at him, "don't even get me STARTED on YOU Gawyn" she muttered darkly. "Besides, I don't think it would be something as simple as that, he was looking very thoughtful... Although that's not really very unusual when it comes to Rand but...well... you should have SEEN him!" Gawyn sighed, sometimes, he thought; Elayne spent a bit too much time trying to fathom the inner workings of the young dragon prince.
Gawyn couldn't really say how much he approved of the arranged marriage between them. Not that he didn't like the prince, he seemed decent enough, but he was still worried, he didn't want his sister to get hurt again. He could still remember how the last 'arranged marriage' had went for her, it had been hard not to hunt down that Aiel war chief Couladin down and give him a good taste of his sword... nobody called his sister a 'foolish little wetlander girl' and got away with it. Nobody.
"... and I just don't know WHAT to do about it!" Gawyn realized his sister had been speaking again, "if you're so worried you should just ASK him" Elayne turned to stare at him as though she had never seen him before.
"Honestly Elayne, didn't that EVER occur to you?"
Elayne hung her head in embarrassment "...no..." Gawyn nearly laughed, his sister could be so clueless sometimes.
"...do you really think it would work though?"
"I'm sure, and if it doesn't he'll just work it out on his own" Elayne smiled at her brother. "Thanks, Gawyn" she said giving him a hug.
"Don't mention it, sis"
--
"And then told me to go on, and he just ran back to the square!" Min exclaimed before taking a gulp of her tea. "So I started to run, hoping that I'd reach the castle quickly enough to get help in time, only to hear them coming up behind me a few moments later!" she shook her head "how Rand managed to take on two Forsaken and not get himself killed-or worse- is beyond me, and he did it in such a short time too!"
'So he can channel then' Asmodean thought to himself as Min took another large bite from her biscuit, Not that it was very surprising, almost every man in the Therin family could channel. What was surprising was that he'd managed to control his power at such a young age. It had taken Asmodean a god few years to master it himself. But then again, he'd had to be his own teacher- a dangerous business, but it was even more dangerous never learning at all- After all, he'd never known his parents, his mother had died of an illness and his father had died serving the king.
"..And he's been all quiet and thoughtful ever since" Asmodean turned to look at Min, who was, in turn staring expectantly back at him. He smiled slightly as he took a small gulp of his own tea-which had gone cold and tasted suspiciously of flour- "that is quite a tale" he said at last.
"QUITE a tale? Are you kidding me?! Its nothing short of AMASING!!: she flung her arms into the air to prove her point. She obviously had no idea about Rand then. Interesting. It seemed the Therins where becoming more and more cautious about who knew their secret but then again, he supposed it was fairly risky letting too many people know.
'What's Demadred up to? Sending Semirhage and Lanfear after Rand and Min...' he frowned. Min hadn't used their names, but he knew them well enough from description, what WAS he up to? He knew this meant trouble. And with 'Gaebril' still staying... He had a very bad feeling about this, things where going to change. He could feel it. And it wouldn't be for the better either.
--
Min was walking huffily down the stairs from Asmodeans tower; everyone seemed to be so quiet and thoughtful today! Even Nyneave didn't seem herself! It was driving Min crazy! She would have gone down to the market again, just to be around someone who wasn't pretending they where listening to you while thinking about something entirely different, but after last weeks little incident, she still wasn't really prepared to leave the safety of the castle.
Suddenly, someone was in front of her, she looked up to see who was staring down at her.
"Oh...uh..." Gaebril smiled down at her, "good morning Min..." he said smoothly.
"Good morning, Lord Gaebril" she muttered, her eyes downcast. With a hurried curtsey-which was difficult, considering she was halfway down the stairs holding an oversized tray- and hurried past him. 'Why oh why did the light choose the creepiest noble in the court to find fancy in me?!' she thought despairingly as she all but ran to the kitchen, not even once wondering what he'd been doing, halfway up the stairs to Asmodeans tower.
--
Asmodean looked up as the door opened again, Expecting Min to walk in, mumbling that shed forgotten her purse-which lay on the table- as she so often did. What he hadn't expected was...
"Hello, Asmodean" his eyes widened to see Rahvin standing in the doorway, smiling at him in that cruel knowing way, 'what's he doing here?' Asmodean wondered anxiously to himself, he hadn't seen another of the Forsaken since the day he'd walked away from them.
Rahvins smile widened as he invited himself in. "My my, don't you look happy to see me?"
"What are you doing here?" Asmodean demanded quietly The forsaken had just turned away from him the day he'd abandoned them, so why now was Rahvin paying him this visit?, "Just to warn you" Rahvin answered, picking up one of the small ornaments on the table to examine it "things are changing, Asmodean. Soon, Demandred will soon rule over the city of the Dragonsworn. He'll have you thrown in prison, tortured then burned alive"
"I'm sure you'll enjoy watching me burn" Asmodean replied flatly. Rahvin averted his gaze from the ornament in his hand to stare levelly at him. There was something there he hadn't seen for at least fifteen years.
Concern.
It was a shock to say the least, true, he and Rahvin had been close friends back when he'd been one of them, but that had all changed the day he'd met Siuan.
((An: I was very, very tempted to end the chapter here... I was also very tempted to write up a large, unnecessary flashback... because flashbacks only work when they get an entire chapter to themselves, which is why I wanted to end the chapter here, so I could dedicate the next chapter to the flashback... But that would just drag the story... I think I might add it later anyways... which is why I didn't bother writing up a whole explanation thingy for Assey's past... this has gone on a bit long.. So let's continue shall we? ;))
"You can still come back, you know" Rahvin said quietly, "Lord Demandred was furious when you left... but I could convince him" Go back... Would he ever really want to return to being one of them? No. He missed Rahvin as a friend, but his loyalty belonged to Lews Therin now. And that was where it would stay. He shook his head slowly, "you know I could never come back" Rahvin sighed, placing the ornament back on the table. "Demandred will be the Dragon King, Asmodean," he stated as he turned to leave. "You'd best be gone from here when he does, he does not look kindly upon traitors" Taking up his Regal demeanor again, he left.
After all these years, Asmodean hadn't thought Rahvin might still care, even slightly. True, they had been friends, but then they had become forsaken, and Rahvin had given his heart to Lord Demandred. (An: no, I'm NOT implying anything by that, incase your getting suspicious I just couldn't think of another way to put it Oo)
Sighing to himself sadly, he went to take his usual place by the window, picked up his beloved harp and began playing.
--
Rahvin sighed as he walked down the hall, he wished he'd managed to persuade his old friend to join them again, 'and he shall pay the price for going against the true King' he thought, a touch sadly. Never mind that, he had something more important to do here today.
--
Min was sitting in her room, trying her best to fix one of her dresses. "This stupid thing" she muttered angrily after having pricked herself with the needle for the fourth time, why oh WHY had she allowed Nyneave to teach her this nonsense? Suddenly, the door creaked open with a jump, Min's head shot up to see who it was. "Who..." her eyes went wide when she saw who it was who came in, she would have screamed when he came at her, but he'd just been to fast, there was a sharp pain in the back of her neck, then everything went black.
--
--Several Hours Later--
"Rand? Rand!!" Elayne called as she strode impatiently through the castle. "Rand!! Where ARE you?!?!" she sighed angrily, where WAS that damn prince when she needed him?! "Perhaps that girl Min knows" she muttered to herself, "She always seems to know what Rand's doing..." so with that thought, she began towards Min's room. "Rand?! Are you in..." as she opened the door she gasped.
"...Rand?"
--
"Have you seen Rand anywhere?" Nyneave asked Queen Ilyenna, who, as usual, was sitting in her garden, amongst the lavenders, reading one of her favorite romance novels. "Why no, I haven't, not since breakfast" the woman replied with a slight smile for her sons caretaker. "Why?" "Oh, no reason" Nyneave replied absently, as she made her way back t the castle. It had been years, in truth since Nyneave had really been Rand's "caretaker" but she still liked to think herself as such, after all, she was quite fond of him and got quite anxious about him, far more then even his own mother, which really was rather ridiculous. But Nyneave had one of those bad feelings, the feelings that told her Rand was either doing something very stupid, or very dangerous. Knowing him, it was most likely both.
After a while of roaming one of the corridors she ran into Gawyn, Nyneave didn't truly know the prince, other then the fact that he was brother to Elayne. He seemed nice enough, from the few times they had spoken.
"Oh! Good morning, prince Gawyn," she greeted, giving him a curtsy, "but have you seen.." she never finished her sentence, at that very moment, Elayne came running to them, "NYNEAVE GAWYN!!" she cried, tripping on her large skirt, she stumbled and all but collapsed into her brothers arms.
"What happened?" Gawyn asked,, trying desperately to soothe his hysterical sister. "Rand...I was looking for...and he was...and then..." she made a choking noise, swallowed, took a deep breath, and started over. "I was looking for Rand; this morning because I needed to talk to him, I thought Min might know where to find him, so I went to her room, but when I got there..."
--
(More time changing! Yay! )
-A few hours earlier-
Rand was worried; he hadn't seen Min since breakfast. She wasn't usually one to hide herself in her room, but then again, Lord Gaebril was staying over, ad she usually tried to keep out of his sight. Even so, this was very unusual. Rand didn't like it. He reached Min's room. "Min? Are you in there?" he called, there was no reply. He anxiously opened the door. The small cushioned pillow in the middle of the room had been flung across the room for some reason and was sticking halfway out the window. Where the chair had been, there was a small piece of paper.
He walked cautiously into the room, it could be a trap of some kind, but who would do this sort of thing? He picked u the piece of paper; there was a note, written in very curvy fluid handwriting.
-We have the little girl; she must pay for what you did to us.
She will be punished-
Rand stared at the note, someone had Min. They wanted to punish her...
"Oh light..."
The Forsaken. They kidnapped Min and now they wanted to punish her because he'd attacked them. Light this was his fault. The door opened. "...Rand?" Elayne.
"Rand what are you doing in here?" she demanded. "And...what's that?"
"They...they have Min" was all he managed to say, light it was his fault! Who knew what they could be doing to her!
"What? Who..."
Rand stood. This was his fault. He had to get her back. What if it was to late...? Light, it couldn't be!
"Where are you going?!"
"The forsaken have Min and its my fault. I need to get her back"
As he left, he didn't see Elayne pick up the note he'd dropped.
--
-Back to the present-
"Oh no" Nyneave groaned. "He's gone to face them alone?! That IDIOT!!"
Elayne sniffed, "I... I wasn't sure if I should have gone after him or...or..."
Nyneave sighed, she had to be calm. "No, Elayne," she told her reassuringly, "you did the smarter thing, coming to me, if only Rand where that smart..." she grimaced she had to tell King Lews... "Come on" she called to them as she all but ran down the hall.
--
"He'll be here soon" Lanfear said with a smile, "this time we won't let him get us"
"We'll have our revenge" Semirhage agreed, "I say we kill the girl first," her smile widened. "Slowly" a small whimper came from the form they had floating a few feet from their head. The girl was pathetic. She couldn't wait to be done with her.
"And soon as we kill the little weasels," Lanfear muttered, "Demandred just has to work out killing Lews and Ilyenna and making it look like a painful accident" Semirhage nodded. At least they could agree on one thing. Demandred deserved the throne. He would get it, then, they could roam the entire city again, causing pain wherever they pleased.
"Soon now, any minute..."
(An: once again, very tempted to end the chapter;)
--
Rand ran past the now familiar dust road that took him to the dark side of the city. Light, how could this happen? It was his fault, all his fault. "Ah, there you are, prince" a smooth voice greeted him.
There they where, the two tall woman from before. And floating above them... Was Min.
"Let her go!" he snarled, how could they do this to her?! She hadn't even done anything! If they wanted to punish someone let them punish him!
"Come and get her, prince" The one in the black dress suggested with a dark grin.
"Rand! NO!!" Min cried pleadingly, only to receive a Power-induced slap across the face.
"Silence girl" the one in white snapped. Rand knew he shouldn't be trying to use the power, he knew he still hadn't learnt enough, it was still dangerous. But he didn't care. He had to save Min.
"Let. Her. Go" he said again, embracing the source.... Or, at least he tried to.
"I don't think so" someone said, a man's voice this time. Another woman, this time accompanied by the shorter man, came striding from the shadows of a large building. "That may have worked last time, but don't think we'll let you get away with it again"
Rand panicked, they'd shielded him! He should have thought they'd try something like this. Despite all his fear though, his anger still burned as strong as ever. How dare they take Min away from him! How DARE they! He tried to move, but realized that they hadn't only shielded him against the Power, they where holding him there. A low snarling noise escaped his throat as he tried desperately to move. He couldn't let them do this!
"Pathetic" the short man sneered as he and the woman came closer. "You aren't even worthy of being a Prince," as he came closer, Rand realized the man had a large scar running down his face diagonally. Despite the situation, he wondered how it had gotten there. "No doubt you'll be just as bad as your father" the man smiled when Rand glared at him icily. Now they where face to face, "your father gave me this scar" he muttered darkly, "sliced me right down the face with that bloody heirloom sword of his" the dark scowl on his face became a leer. "Now I can get my revenge on his son"
Rand sensed the flows being weaved, but even so there was nothing he could do to stop it when the blow that struck him across the face, the sheer force would have been enough to knock him off his feet, had he not been suspended by the flows of air.
"RAND!" Min cried out, earning herself another hard slap across the face.
His face stung angrily for a moment before the onslaught started. Again and again, it seemed, to Rand it seemed as if the Man where lashing at him with every bit of strength in him. The pain was almost overwhelming, he couldn't eve old himself upright anymore and, if not for the women holding him up, he'd have collapsed. He had to save Min! He had to find a way!
Min was struggling frantically now, trying to ignore Semirhage's Power-wrought slaps, "stop! Stop!" she sobbed frantically, "Rand!"
The man laughed, "Pathetic" he scoffed again, "you ARE just like your fool of a father"
"My...Father...Is no fool" Rand rasped, perhaps if he tried hard enough he could break the shield...
"Silence!" the man barked, giving Rand anther hard blow, this time to the chest. "Your Father is a fool, just as you are a fool. And now you are going to die."
Rand sensed him forming another weave, his blood went cold. He was going to die. 'This is all my fault...' a voice inside him moaned, he knew it was right 'all my fault...'
"NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Min screamed.
Suddenly, Rand collapsed and Min dropped to the ground. All the forsaken gasped in shock, Rand, somehow managed to stagger to his feet, just as Min rushed over to him.
"You dare to attempt taking the life of my son?" Lews Therin walked slowly into the square.
"Rand, take Min and get out of here" He said flatly, never taking his stare from the four forsaken in front of him.
Without hesitating, Rand grabbed Min's arm and pulled her along as they ran from the square, light knew he'd done enough damage today.
--
"Lews Therin" Sammael sneered, "It's been a while, has it not?"
"Not long enough" he replied. Light but he'd hoped he'd never have to deal with them again, the last encounter lie this had nearly killed him. But... they had tried to kill Rand. His only son. That thought angered him almost to the point of blind hate. He should have realized this was the only way to deal with them, they where all fools. Powerful, very, very dangerous fools.
Instantly, the glows of Saidin and Saidar surrounded them, "its time to end this, Therin" Greandal cried maliciously, she was right. It was time to end it.
--
"Rand..." Min whimpered, they where huddled behind a large wagon, a few feet from the square. Rand hadn't been able to make himself leave. He didn't care how much trouble he got himself into, he was going to stay, and wait for his father.
"I'm sorry, Min" Rand said softly, "This is all my fault; I never should have taken you down here in the first place. I'm sorry"
"Rand..." she said again, "its. Not entirely your fault..."
"It is, Min, you know it is" Min fell silent, save for the occasional whimper as the fight continued in the square.
Time passed, far too slowly for Rand, as he waited desperately for the sounds of the battle to die.
"Rand..." she gasped, Rand turned to her eyes had gone wide, filling with tears, her face paled. "Light...he's...he's not going to make it...Rand...he's not going to...to..." Rand realized what she was saying, just as he felt... something...
"Father..." not thinking, Rand leapt to his feet and raced into the square...
Just I time to see his father, suspended I the air as Min had been, moments before, the four Forsaken surrounded him, he was screaming.
Rand's eyes went wide, more from horror then shock. "No..." he whimpered softly, he barely heard himself.
"NO!!" suddenly, the Power surged through him, he felt it burning and freezing, he lashed out with it. Not knowing what was being weaved. Suddenly, the golden haired woman was screaming almost as his father had been, they where all falling, but only she was screaming.
"I'VE BEEN SEVERED!!"
"Let's get out of here" Semirhage muttered,
"But weren't we supposed to kill-"
"We got his father, that's twice as good, He can handle the boy on his own."
Rand never even noticed them leave, he was to busy, he ran to his fathers limp body, now lying on the street.
"Father?" there was no response; Rand gently touched the man's arm. He was so cold...light what had they done to him?
"What have I done?" he choked, gathering his father into his arms.
"What...have I...done..."
"Rand?" Rand looked up, it was uncle Demandred, e wore a look of shock ad concern on his face.
"Rand...what?"
--
"This was all my fault" Demandred listened to his nephew sob, "if I hadn't made her...and then... Light, what have I done?" Demandred listened to the boy rambling on, suppressing a smile. Soon, soon the Dragon throne would be his.
"What do I do now?" he whimpered suddenly, he looked do lost...alone...
Pathetic.
"You can't stay here, Rand" he told his nephew earnestly, "what would your mother think? What would they all think?" Rand stared up at him, "what would mother..." he whimpered again, "light. Mother... I killed father...what would she..."
"You have to leave the city, Rand, climb the wall, and head into the waste"
"The...waste?"
"Yes, Rand, nobody will follow you, you must go now though, before the guard arrives. Go!"
At his final command, Rand leapt to his feet, gave his dead father one last long look, and sprinted in the direction of the wall.
A figure came from behind him, "Kill him, Rahvin" he told the man, before heading back t the castle, not even looking back to see if his orders where obeyed.
Lews and Rand dead, the throne was his now. Things where changing. He passed the young girl, who had passed out leaning against the carriage. Let the guard deal with her, she was unimportant now.
The dragon throne was his.
--
Rahvin watched as Rand actually managed to climb the steep wall. He should have killed the boy, but he felt it a waste of time, he had things to do. "the waste will kill him" he said with a smile as Rand leapt from the large wall, into the dry, desert land.
--
Dragon: I don't think I liked the end of this chapter, it wasn't written wellOo...
Rand:: whimpers in a corner from being beaten :
Dragon: ... Oh! And by the way! The story gets darker now, every time we go back to Demandred on the throne he's gonna get very, very evil
Demandred: hehehe... does this mean I get to starve and break warder boy now?
Lan:: stony warder glare ::
Dragon: well see... anyways, I SAWER the next chappie will be earlier! Its gonna be easier to write, so I wont have as much trouble;
Mat: plus me Perrin and Aviendha are in the next one!!
Perrin:
Aviendha:
Mat: review?