Disclaimer I don't own much. Of course this means Inuyasha and his crew.

Of Fates Unknown

Chapter Twelve

The city was overfilled with gaiety. Even the weather had cooperated. Kaede told Kagome that it often happened at this time: a false spring in the midst of winter. Domna's population was swelled by the arrival of people from the outlying villages and farms, who were taking advantage of the break in the weather to travel here for the festivities.

There were games for the children and sports competitions for the men. Vendors outdid themselves with foods and crafts, their numbers augmented by the farmers and villagers. People who had previously hurried about their business, eager to return to the warmth of their homes, now lingered to talk and laugh and dance in the streets wherever musicians had gathered.

But the event that outshone all others, at the least for Kagome, Shippou, and Souta, was the nightly display of fireworks at the keep. They'd never even imagined such things to be possible. So they both stood in awe as fiery rockets zigzagged into the night sky from their trails crisscrossing as they streaked upwards.

Myoga explained that the rockets largely burned themselves out before falling to earth again, leaving only a small cone to drop from the sky. Children who found these cones could present them at the keep and claim prizes.

Souta and Shippou waited eagerly for one to fall into their little yard, and then, when none did, begged to be allowed to search the streets. Kagome finally allowed them to go in the company of the Sheppards' grandchildren, but they still returned empty handed.

On the second night, however, just as they were about to go out into the streets again, they heard something strike the paved stones on the path that led from the tavern back to the cottages. They hurried over to discover a small, charred cone, still trailing wisps of smoke. After waiting impatiently for it to cool, Souta picked it up triumphantly.

Kagome had assumed that he would have to wait until morning to claim his prize, but Kaede said that the guards at the keep would give it to them now, and both boys took off eagerly with the Sheppards' grandchildren.

Kagome was playing that evening at the tavern, but until she saw them both come in with Kaede, she was unable to concentrate on her music. It made her very nervous to think of her brother having any connections at all with the keep, even during this festive time.

When she took her break from playing she was surprised to see both boys eagerly showing her their prizes. When she asked how they both came to get a gift, they explained that when they went up to the keep the guard asked who found the cone, and they said they both did. And when asked who got the gift they both pointed to the other boy and said he does. The guard was so charmed with their response he gave both boys a gift for their selflessness towards friends.

Souta received a set of carved wooden pieces that could be used to construct various things. The set was quite large and would provide him many hours of fun. Shippou received a set of beautifully crafted spinning tops that were painted with leafs. He said these were great because he could use them with some types of fox magic. Both gifts were well crafted and looked quite costly. Apparently Kaede had been right when she'd said that Lord Inuyasha spared no expense for the festival.

Of course, she thought sourly, he does have a lot of gold: Ceadda gold, stolen from her people by his murderous father.

The boys also announced that instead of being a sailor, they rather be solders instead. The guards had apparently showed them around the garrison and they became fascinated by their uniforms and weaponry.

Kagome barely managed to keep her silence- but just barely. The thought of either one of them one day fighting Inuyasha's war angered her beyond reason.

)O(

Kagome scrutinized her reflection in the mirror. Her cottage did not boast such an amenity, so she had come over to Kaede's to see how her new dress looked. It was perfect, she thought: modestly high-necked and quite plain, but made of a wonderfully soft, rich wool in a deep ruby shade that set off her flawless skin and her shining black curls.

Kaede made appreciative sounds, then said, "I know ye said ye dinna want to wear those jewels Lord Inuyasha gave ye, but dearie, they'd look just so fine with that dress."

Kagome nodded. She'd been thinking the same thing herself.

"And his Lordship will prob'ly expect ye to wear them," Kaede added for good measure.

That was also true, Kagome though- and it was for that reason that she didn't want to wear them. On the other hand, though not wearing them might make it appear that she knew they were Ceadda was afraid to be seen in them.

"I'm going to wear them," she announced to Kaede. What difference did it make, after all? She was sure that Inuyasha must have already guessed her identity, so perhaps it was time to issue a challenge of sorts. She couldn't try to avoid the matter forever, could she?

Lately, it seemed that she'd been chafing against her own cowering fears. Such fear did not come naturally to her, and she'd had quite enough of it lately. But there were times recently when she felt an almost irrational urge to challenge Inuyasha's right to dominate her life.

Somewhat bemused by all this courage, she returned to the cottage and put on the necklace and bracelet. "Ceadda jewelry and a Ceadda lythra," she murmured to herself. "Perhaps I should just add a sign pinned to my back."

Then she put on her beautiful new fur-trimmed cloak and pulled on the matching fur mittens, and after gathering up her lythra, went out to meet the waiting Sheppard. The boys had been left in the care of their son and daughter-in-law for the night.

By the time they passed through the gates of the keep, Kagome was viewing this evening with a strange sense of fatalism. She stared up at the dark tower, and for one brief blink of an eye, thought that she saw a soft glow. She looked quickly around her, but it was apparent that no one else had seen it. The guards were busy checking invitations and issuing instructions, and the other guests were all greeting each other and chatting.

She looked up again, but the tower remained dark. Still, she was certain that it had glowed briefly, because she felt an answering glow within herself, a sort of rush of warmth and energy not unlike that she'd experienced when the cart had threatened them.

And she felt too that connectedness with the tower, that allure that always drew her gaze to it and whispered to her body to follow as well. How she wanted to get up there! But the practical side of her nature told her that she could not take undue risks. There would be other opportunities, and besides, as much as she wanted to see what the tower held, she was also very fearful of what she'd find there.

She had hoped to be seated with Myoga and Kaede, but those hopes were dashed moments after they entered the great hall. How the officious servants spotted her in the crowd that was streaming in, she couldn't imagine, but she was quickly whisked away to be seated at the long head table on a raised dais at one end of the huge room.

She managed an appropriate response to this unwanted honor and took some small comfort from the fact that at least she was nowhere near the ornate chair that was obviously meant for Lord Inuyasha. In fact, they would be completely invisible to each other.

But it was also clear that any hopes she'd had of sneaking quietly away to find the tower had been stymied by this seating arrangement. While Inuyasha might not be able to see her, everyone else in the hall would.

She quickly discovered that those around her were also performers, and that they were always honored this way. There were several minstrels, a juggler, a small troupe of actors and a group of dancers. An imperious looking member of the keep's staff came to tell them the order of their performances, and Kagome learned that she would be the last. That was the final blow to her plan to seek out the tower, since she couldn't be certain just when her presence would be required.

Those around her all seemed to know who she was, and they tended to treat her in one of two ways. Either they showed her a reverence that some might find flattering, or they seemed to shrink away from her and nervously avoid eye contact. She'd already seen both reactions before.

She didn't realize that she'd grown accustomed to the turmoil in the hall until it quickly began to quiet down. Then there was much scraping of chairs as the assemblage stood.

Inuyasha entered alone, striding down the length of the hall. Kagome drew in her breath sharply. On the two previous occasions where she'd seen him, he'd been dressed richly but simply. Tonight, however, he was resplendent- every inch the lord in a pure white uniform bedecked with much gold braid that accentuated his wide shoulders, and the customary golden dog icon.

Suspended on a heavy gold chain around his neck was a large disc that drew her full attention. This time, she drew in her breath so sharply that she felt those around her stirring curiously. And Inuyasha chose that moment to look her way as he approached the dais.

The bitter bile of anger arose in her. She'd never seen the Val-Ceadda, of course- but she'd heard it described many timers. It was the symbol that had been worn for centuries by the elected rulers of her people.

After their flight, those who remained alive decided against electing new rulers until they could once again live in their true home. And over the long years of exile, the Ceadda had always spoken with longing of a time when they might be able to return to Domna and once again place a king and queen on the throne.

She stared at the disc, her hands clenched in helpless fury. How dare this man, whose father had murdered her people- who wasn't Ceadda- wear it! For one brief moment when their eyes met, she was sure he must be wearing it this night to challenge her. But then, as he stepped up to the dais and turned away from her, reason prevailed. Obviously, he must wear it for all formal occasions. No one else was remarking on it.

Before taking his seat, Inuyasha bade welcome to the assemblage and gave the traditional greetings to the New Year. When she had met him before, she had been somewhat surprised at how softly he spoke. His voice was deep and had an almost hypnotic quality to it. And tonight, even though he raised it to be heard throughout the silent room, that same quality remained.

When he had finished his brief speech, the crowd broke into a huge roar of applause and whistles and shouts. Kagome did not join in, which caused a few more glances to be sent her way by those around her.

The feast was the most lavish she'd ever seen and was served with almost unbelievable efficiency given the numbers gathered in the hall. Dishes familiar to her were better prepared than she'd ever had, and there were many wonderful new ones as well. She was still too angry to do justice to this feast, but no one remarked on that, since as performers, none of them were overindulging, either.

Course after course was brought to the tables, with intervals allowed between them for proper digestion. The wine flowed freely, but Kagome saw no one becoming drunk and was reminded of Kaede's remark that Inuyasha didn't allow his men to drink heavily. Few people in her village overindulged, either, but she'd seen enough on her journey here to know that drunkenness was a very common state of affairs in most places.

By the time the long meal was over and the performances had begun, Kagome had calmed down enough to wonder at the strength of her anger. She'd never been a person given to black rages. Neither had she believed herself to be Domna with revenge in mind. She had come here only because it was home- and the only place she could think of to go after the destruction of her village.

And yet it seemed now that the anger had been building within her almost from the day of her arrival.

'What is happening to me?' she asked herself. At first, I though I wanted to discover the source of Ceadda power only as a matter of curiosity, or perhaps because I felt that I owed it to my people to learn our history. But now? What did she want now?

While she sat there wrestling uneasily with that question, the other performers sang and danced and otherwise entertained the appreciative audience. And then it was her turn.

A servant brought out an ornately carved, cushioned stool as she picked up her lythra and walked to the cleared space in the center of the room. She'd noticed that all the other performers had bowed or curtsied to Lord Inuyasha before commencing their acts. As she walked to the center of the suddenly hushed hall, she decided that she would not acknowledge this man who had dared to wear the symbol of her people. Instead, she simply took her seat and began to play.

The lythra took on a magic that was felt not only by Kagome, but by all present. Her fingers had never been so nimble and the sound had never been so pure. Much later, when she thought back on this night, she became certain that magic had touched it.

When she looked up occasionally, the audience had become a blur of faces. She couldn't see even those closest to her clearly. And yet she was untroubled by it. And throughout her performance, it seemed that there were strange echoes in the great hall, or that other musicians were playing as well, the sounds of their lythras weaving in and out of her own music.

She had no idea how long she'd played, but her fingers finally began to ache from the effort, and the trancelike state faded. She finished with a brief song of her own composition, then stood to a silence that went on for many seconds before it was broken by thunderous applause that finally brought her completely back to herself.

She bowed slightly, as she always did after her performances at the tavern, turning this way and that to acknowledge the continuing applause. When she turned his way, she found Inuyasha standing and applauding like everyone else. Their eyes met briefly, but she could read nothing in his expression.

She returned to her place at the table, wanting only to go home and try to understand what had just happened. She felt utterly drained of emotion and almost physically weak. When a servant brought her a glass of wine, she drank thirstily.

And within moments, she collapsed onto the floor.

)O(

Review responses:

Nat – Thank you. I am glad you like it.

tsunami-chan – LOL, yeah, I know how it is when you get attached to a story and hate to wait to see what happens next. To tell you the truth about the whole Miroku grabbing thing… well, I sort of … um… forgot. (bangs head on table) Don't ask me how. Cause I really don't know. I love the grab-happy monk too. But I think he works well for this since he and Sango are already married. LOL, could see her threaten to cut him off from any evening time activities if he didn't quit doing it too! LOL!!!

Bluecabbage – I am happy you are enjoying the story. I do so love that era. (sigh) If I could afford to live anywhere it would be in a castle. I have tried to proofread this to the best of my abilities… (and my micro. word spell check too. Which isn't saying much due to it going nuts with the slang.) But the trouble is my spelling isn't all that great to begin with. I see where beta testers are so great to have. They are able to look at things with a fresh set of eyes that are able to see things that one misses.

Thanks everyone for your reviews! And now I am off to E-bay. I am in search of a beta tester… Usually they have everything there for sale… :P Yeah, right... like I can afford to pay attention let alone purchase anything. (rolls eyes)

Brightest of Blessings,

Lady Banshee 999