Chapter 12
A/N: Thank you, thank you, thank you so much to all who reviewed! Only after a day up I received approximately 15 reviews and I was so utterly ecstatic when I saw that I decided I should less evil to all of you and write the next chapter now:) Thank you to:
She-Devil: sorry about the cliffie… it just took over. Lol. Thank you, I'm glad you like what I'm writing. So here you go, the next chapter! :)
Keita: Chain me to my computer? Lol… half of the time I am but it's not usually to write chapters for this fic… ooo, guess I shouldn't have said that right? Oops… heres' the next chapter so please don't hurt me?
Martini: you were wrong I did not update for forever and a half – only a week since I put up the last chapter! I used to take months but now I have so much time on my hands and besides you all were being so kind with your reviews… I don't mean to be evil :)
BerryBooks: I doubt I'll ever stop writing. I like it too much – as well as reading, so you needn't worry.
suteki da ne: I'm sorry but I cannot answer that question! I revealed something in the last chapter – did you notice it?? In a way it sort of answers your question but doesn't. Read carefully and you might spot it. It occurs again in this chapter so read please and then review!
Mysteryman: you hate Daine and Numair? Why?? Lol… thank you for reading though. I feel very happy to get a review from someone who hates who I'm writing about. Thank you!
jazy716: I don't mean to be evil! Sorry!! Hehehe… I don't think I left it hanging there for too long did I?
Anonymous: Like I said to Martini and jazy716 I don't mean to be evil! Sorry!! But at least I wrote the next chapter right?
bob-the-magic-cheese-poof: here's the next chapter! Sorry!
Lady Alehanra A.K.A Medusagrrl: thank you and here is the next chapter, I apologise for the cliffie – I just couldn't help myself! :P
Nicole: you don't really hate me do you? Please don't hate me!! Hehehe… I just couldn't help myself but put that cliffie in. And I just remembered from your email that you have that you were the Nicole that asked if you could put my fic up on your site. So the other day I sent you the other chapters. Sorry I almost forgot!
Mage Kitty: I'm glad you liked my fic! Thank you.
reader: Sorry!! I didn't mean to leave it there intentionally… I think… anyway here's the next chapter!
Arctic Princess: I'm glad you liked the previous chapter. And don't worry I'll continue to write this because I'm really enjoying writing this fic now – that and the fact that nowadays I've got nothing else to do! Again I cannot answer that question of yours, answers will be revealed in time, I promise!
dolphingurl: I apologize for being so evil… but I can't promise that I won't do it again… :) we'll see what happens. The answer of your question is in this chapter… Thank you for reviewing!!
One thing I just have to add is that you all should go check out Nicole's site: http://www.angelfire.com/falcon/ladynicole It's got a whole bunch of stuff so just have a look, please? And if you do I'll write my next chapter even sooner than I did for this chapter? :) Also I wasn't going to write this chapter today because I was gonna begin preparing for my formal tomorrow! It's the year 12 (last year in high school in Australia) formal and the last thing we'll be doing together ever again! I'm getting so excited. I have a pretty purply-pink dress hung up and ready and all the accessories… unfortunately my group of friends aren't going by limo and I'm so disappointed! They kept changing their mind and now it's too late! It's so not fair… anyway I decided I shouldn't be that evil and write this chapter otherwise you'd all be upset with me. Anyway remember please review after you're done reading. Thank you!! And I didn't intend for the A/N to be this long! Sorry!! Excuse the typos coz I had to get this up really soon – you guys wanted it!
Disclaimer: is it really necessary to repeat what I said in the previous chapters… it's soooo old! Fine. I own nothing that is familiar to you; they are owned by Tamora Pierce. Everything else you don't recognise such as the plot, etc are all mine!
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"What are you doing here?" she stammered.
"Daine… I'm going to leave. I won't bother you anymore."
She stared into the dark depths of his eyes and felt a shiver run through her. She wasn't thinking about what she said, "I don't understand. You said you needed to see the Queen and…" She stopped and stared at him. Deiniol wasn't meeting her eye. He looked everywhere but at her and her blue grey eyes fell in unreasonable disappointment that she didn't understand. She turned away from him intending to busy herself to make it look as though she was fine when in reality she was not.
"I'm leaving with Varice to Carthak," he continued quietly. He was focused on her movements now that she had her back to him. He watched her stop and saw her hand tremble. "I'll be leaving in the morning." When she didn't reply he made to move to climb down the ladder.
"Why?" her voice trembled as she spoke. Of all the people he had to leave with it had to be with Varice. It seemed again and again Varice would get her way. She had Numair and Deiniol now… she had the sense becoming hollow inside now and coldness swept through her even though the weather was warm. But it was not just because he was leaving with Varice. It was the fact that he was leaving… and she knew if he left she'd never see him again and the pain that came from that was something she could begin to comprehend. Her eyes had filled with tears and she didn't even realise that he had come up behind her until he forced her to turn towards him and meet his eyes.
Once seeing her distraught face he felt his heart wrench terribly. He now wanted to kill himself to have made her feel this way just as her lover had and for some odd reason he felt history was repeating itself. He had forced himself to believe that Daine never cared for him at all with her keeping him at a distance and never letting their relationship progress if there ever had been a chance but now he saw it in her eyes that she cared for him maybe as much as he did her and her held her in a tight hug forgetting completely what had just passed between them.
"Don't leave… please, Deiniol," she cried softly. "Numair… he left and… I don't think I could bear it if you left too… please…" Daine was too emotional to realise what she was saying, what she had denied to acknowledge to herself let alone to Deiniol.
Not realising what he was saying Deiniol reassured her that he would never leave her and was surprised that this was true. Now that he had found out she had some feelings for him he had no intention of returning to a place that he no longer belonged or could call home. As they say 'home is where you heart is' and his heart was with Daine and he wouldn't leave her.
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They stood outside Varice's chambers Deiniol gently holding her hands. He caressed her face and said, "You stay out here and I'll tell her."
Daine could do nothing but nod. She was still astounded by the face that she had fallen for Deiniol after denying it to herself again and again. She had merely taken her unreasonable reactions to him that she missed Numair and in a way it was true. Deiniol seemed to have almost replaced Numair but for some reason she also realised that she still loved Numair. Her feelings were so contradicting she was confused by them. She knew now that it wasn't fickleness but that she loved both men the same. But how could that be possible to love two people? It was exactly the same and she didn't even really feel as though she was betraying Numair which was extremely odd. She knew she still cared for him deeply even though he had left her. She turned her attention back to Deiniol as she watched him knock on the door and glance over to her and smile reassuringly and she smiled back she felt something within her. Before she could identify it the door swung open and she pressed against the wall where the shadows grew in the fast approaching darkness of night to prevent Varice from seeing her.
Daine felt a tug of hatred as she heard the blonde woman purr, "Arram, what brings you here? Missed me, did you? Come in, come in. You're always welcome in here." The door clicked closed and Daine had to constantly remind herself of what Deiniol planned to do in there. It was not what Varice suggested but she could not help but imagine that Varice would attempt to sleep with Deiniol by what she had suggested by her flirtatious tone. She tried to tell herself that she should not be feeling jealous or hatred for Varice but instead pity. For surely the news that Deiniol brought would cause her as much pain as Daine herself had felt for what had seemed an eternity when Numair had left. Shaking herself mentally she pressed her ear to the door in an attempt to hear what was happening.
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"I've changed my mind, Varice. I'm not going back with you."
Confusion clouded her blue eyes that had been happy before. "What? But… just before you were quite willingly to come home with me… why have you suddenly changed your mind. I don't understand…" Realisation struck her as she connected things.
Deiniol attempted to explain it calmly to her but she stopped him with her mutterings.
"I won't allow this to happen twice," she whispered to herself but he heard not that she knew. She looked back up with him her face innocent now and she made her lips tremble and dug her sharp nails in her palm causing tears to well up in her eyes. "Please, Arram. Don't do this to me. We belong together. We belong in Carthak. Not here. I thought we had agreed upon that, Arram. Please don't do this."
He sighed and ran a hand through his thick black hair. "Varice, we were never right for each other you know that. Maybe there was something there before I left Carthak. But now it's over. Carthak is no longer my home. It's yours and you belong there. I have no place there anymore. We have to move on from the past and start a new life."
"But I don't want to!" She went to him and wrapped her arms around him pulling their bodies closer as she gazed up pleadingly at him. "Don't do this. You'll regret it."
He pulled her arms away and held her away from him. "Varice, stop this. We can't do this anymore. It's over."
"But it's not…" she cried out but he was gone. "It's not over yet. I won't allow it to be over. That slut will not win again. I swear by the Great Goddess she will not win Numair. I'll kill her before I allow it to happen. Her eyes flashed wildly as she took out some paper, ink and a pen and began to quickly scribble down a message. She run a bell calling a servant to deliver the message to Deiniol and she prepared herself the whole time a malicious smile upon her face.
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A/N: so what has Varice got planned for Deiniol and Daine? And what the hell is Deiniol's deal? :) I'm being evil again I think… review and I'll write more soon!!! Sorry this is short! Longer chapter next time, I promise!
