Chapter 2

PS: Ed, i am using this name, just out of spite, so sticks tongue out MUTILATE me later

Etienne raced through the halls in the palace of Corus. She reached her mothers room, breathless. When she entered she saw her aunt Alanna holding Daine's hand. Tears glazed the Lady Knights eyes eyes. Eti walked closer to the bed, where animals had gathered around her.

Tears started to flow from the 11 year olds eyes. Her Ma was breathing with difficulty and was as white as a ghost.

"Ma?" she whispered, her voice cracking

"I'm sorry Eti," whispered Alanna "There is nothing I can do,"

"Eti," croaked Daine "I love you," she looked into her daughters eyes for the last time and she went unconscious.

Eti, Alanna and Onua, who had come a few minutes after Eti, stayed with Daine in her last few hours. They watched as she lay in her deathbed.

A few hours later Daine's eyes opened slightly she saw Eti's eyes which were identical to Numair's. She didn't see Eti just the eyes and two small tears rolled down her face "Numair," she whispered heart-brokenly. Then she went slack and Alanna could no longer feel a pulse.

"MA!" screamed Eti and she threw her self at the ex-wildmage. She sobbed into her stomach screaming through tears "Ma! Wake up Ma! Ma!"

Onua sobbed into her hands and some of the animals went crazy. Others looked sad and miserable. Alanna got a sheet and covered Daine's face. The cold, dreary room seemed darker and outside the winter blizzard got worse.

Alanna pulled the sobbing child away from her mother and wrapped her arms around her. She cried into the Lionesses shoulder.

"Mamma," she whispered

Alanna called the now orphaned Eti into her study a few weeks after Daine's funeral.

The child was a frail little ghost now, having not eaten much since... she couldn't say it. It hurt too much. Goddess, she looked like her ma. Painfully so, in fact. Except for her eyes. They were so different from Daines.

The girl sat on a chair and rubbed her sore red eyes. She was pallid, which didn't suit the girl.

"Eti, there is something I think that you should know," Alanna said gently. This news would definitely come as a shock to her. "You may think that now, because of ..." she couldn't finish that sentence "Anyway, I think you should know that along with all of us in Corus who will support you, you have a father,"

Eti gaped at her "Who?" she managed. Her ma had never mentioned a father so Eti had always assumed he was dead.

"His name is... His name is, Numair Salmalín,"

Eti frowned "Sal-mal-een," she thought over it and then her eyes widened in recognition. "Salmalín? Numair Salmalín? The black robe? He's my da?"

Alanna nodded sombrely "He is. Daine and he used to be lovers but then he... fell out of love with her. He left her but your Ma was pregnant. Numair doesn't even know that you exist. He comes to court so rarely now. I don't want you to do anything rash but I think it's your right to know. I always thought Daine was wrong keeping this from you,"

Eti just sat there in silence; the words 'out of love' kept reverberating in her mind. How could he do that? How could he get a girl pregnant then just leave her? How could he not return Daines love?

"Eti? Eti?" Alanna was calling her

She snapped out of her trance. Her lip trembled and she fled the room. She heard Alanna's shouts but she wouldn't catch her. It's like this new anger had given her super strength. She ran to her room and threw some things in a saddlebag. Then she dashed to the stables where she saddled her feisty mare Vixen.

So, tears streaming down her face, she galloped out of Corus. She was going to find Numair. She was going to find Numair and then she would kill him (A/N: not literally. She is gonna get very mad at him though)

I shall not update till i get a satifactory number of reveiws (how's 7 more maybe?)