A/N: Much too much time has passed since I last updated on this fic or any of the fics I've been working on.  Reasons?  I've been in a huge dilemma about my future and what path/option to take.  This has resulted in a sort of writer's block that's lasted for about a month!  In addition, I've been somewhat stuck on how to continue – what to write next.  Anyway, thanks to all my wonderfully fantastic reviewers for waiting for this chapter!  Without you I wouldn't have done so much of this.

P.S. Deiniol is pronounced dean-e-ol.  Or something like that.

P.P.S. Sorry about the title of this chapter.  I think it's crappy.  If anyone can come up with anything better it would be great!

Disclaimer: Repetition sucks.  This is getting so old!  You find this in every fic!  Please don't tell me after all this time you don't know.  I am not Tamora Pierce therefore I do not own anything that you've known from her books.  I only own the plot.  But one can dream right? :)

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Chapter 14 – Finally

There was no reflection.  She blinked again and again.  Still nothing.  She lowered herself closer to the water's surface till the tips of her smoky unruly curls skimmed the water.  Even this contact with the water did not cause ripples or anything in the clear, sparkling, turquoise water of the river.

Am I dead? Daine wondered idly.  But for some odd reason the normal panic or worry from the possibility of this were not invoked by this thought.

She had awoken moments before sprawled out the soft luscious bright green grass.  It was a forest clearing she was in but how she had gotten there she had no idea.  Tall, thick trunked trees towered over her allowing slivers of the bright warm sunlight cast its light here and there.  A few feet away from her had been the river she now looked into and then exploring more she had discovered a beautiful waterfall.  Rocks on either side bordered the falling water and there were a rocks jutting out here and there causing the water to fall in different ways, each catching the sunlight here and there and casting off rainbow colours.  The spraying of the water as it reached the river or bounced off the jutting rocks made the place cool when the sunlight would have made it too warm.  She had no recognition of the place and she wondered where she was and how she was here.  Not that she was complaining.  It was so peaceful and beautiful here.

"Daine?" a familiar voice called.

Her heart thudded in her chest making it almost painful as she spun around.  "Numair?" she said, her voice sounding strangled.  The lanky mage stood there a few feet away from her, dressed simply in breeches and a loose white shirt tucked into them.  "Numair!"  Daine threw herself at him and he caught her around the waist, sweeping her up into a tight hug.  She revelled in the feel of his warm, safe hold of her and buried her nose in his shirt, smelling him, feeling him.

After long moments he placed her back on her feet but refused to release her.  Gently he brushed a stray curl away from her face and stroked her face with his long fingers.  She closed her eyes, sighing contentedly and turned her face into his palm.

"I've missed you, magelet."  Unable to help himself he pulled her back towards him, placing a kissing on her forehead.  "Mithros, I've missed you so, so much."  His arms tightened around her to a point where she found it hard to breathe.

"Numair! I can't breathe!" she squeaked.  Immediately he loosened his hold allowing her to pull back.

"I'm sorry, Daine.  I didn't mean for any of this to happen."

"What are you talking about, Numair?  You're here with me now.  That's all I care for now.  And just look at this place.  Did you bring me here?" she paused and smiled up at him.  "I love it here.  Did you bring some food?  It would be perfect for a picnic here."  She pulled out of his arms and went in search of the basket she knew he'd hidden somewhere.

"Daine," he caught her arm.  "This isn't real.  It's… it's a dream.  I'm not really here...  I don't exist anymore."

Daine turned back to him, her face drawn up in confusion.  "I don't understand…  You're here, you're real." As if to prove her point she touched his face.  "You see?  I feel you and you're solid and real. That's all I care for now.  You're here."

"Do you love me, Daine?"

That question startled her.  Deiniol, Numair.  Who did she love?

"Deiniol… he is more suited to you, is he not?  Young… like you," he continued softly, his dark gaze focused on anything but her.

She lowered her eyes.  Was that true?  She had been so afraid Numair would leave her for an older, mature woman but here it was – she had left him for a younger man.  She knew he had the similar fears as she did.  He had been afraid she'd one day wake up and see him as an old bumbling man and want a young man, her age.  Remorse filled her.  She loved him and he left for a few months and already she had found a replacement.

But he ran, ran away from you.  Ran into the arms of Varice, the dark side of her mind whispered.

So Varice told you anyway, the more reasonable part of her mind argued.

She scrunched up her eyes as pain stuck her head suddenly.  She felt herself spinning and feeling dizzy…

¤º~*~º¤

"She finally wakes," a female voice drawled.

Daine blinked slowly and the blurry form before her cleared to show Varice lounged out on a dark wood chair that was decorated with draping fabrics of bright colours.  She shook her head trying to clear her mind from the strange dream she had had.  But it had seemed so real.  Unlike her normal crazy dreams.  The smell of Numair had been real.  And she knew in dreams she wouldn't have been able to smell his unique scent or feel the coolness resulted from the water.

She rubbed her forehead and sighed.  Finally she was awake properly and she realised she was in a cage, a glowing cage.  She had been lying on the cold, dark stone floor and sat up leaning against the back of the cage bars.  As soon as her back touched the bars she jumped forward from the pain landing on all fours.  Her breath came in short as she tried to control the pain on her back and she glared at Varice.

"What are you doing, Varice?  Some game you're playing because Deiniol is leaving you?"  Daine threw at her viciously.  She was hiding her growing panic.  She had never known Varice had this much power.  When the Tortallan group had gone to Carthak for the peace talks she had only thought Varice only used her Gift for cooking.  It seemed that she and everyone else had underestimated her.  How Daine was going to get out of this was beyond her.  She tried calming herself.  She might be able to contact some of the People to aid her – Cloud maybe to somehow warn Alanna.  But she had to calm herself otherwise she'd not be able to contact anyone because she felt incredibly weak after that jolt of pain she had experienced from touching the cage – as though her energy had been drowned. 

As she tried to control her panic and get her strength she surveyed her surroundings and realised she was no longer in Alanna's study but she wondered when she walked into the room if it had been Alanna's study at all.  She had thought it strange when study room had echoed so when she had called out.  Looking around she couldn't place where she was.  It was dank and cold as though she were in a dungeon or something.  But she admitted to herself that she didn't know every single room in the fortress so she could be anywhere. From Varice's room to some other room.  She doubted that Varice would be so stupid as to bring her to the dungeon though so that eliminated that.

"What?  I can't have you here for the sake of pleasure?" Varice replied grinning crazily.

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Opening his eyes was basically no different from having them closed.  He blinked a couple of times in an attempt to make his eyes adjust to the darkness but it seemed impossible to.  Where he was he had no idea.  However he felt a cool breeze blowing against his face so he knew that there was a way out of where he was.  The place he was locked in was not stuffy but he knew that he was locked in somewhere… how else could the darkness be so… well dark?  But he wondered how the breeze came in if there was no opening – or door – somewhere.

Suddenly thoughts of Daine's safety from Varice hit him.  Daine would never know what Varice was planning to do – well neither did he but she didn't know that Varice would do just about anything to get what she wanted.  He had to protect Daine.

I've got to control myself, he told himself.  And took deep breaths to force himself to allow him to think clearly.

                My Gift! the thought hit him suddenly.  Mithros, he must have been knocked out pretty hard – however he had been knocked out! – to not remember to just use his Gift.  He would use his Gift to see where Daine was and hopefully she wasn't already in Varice's clutches as he stupidly was now.  Not for a moment did he think to try and use his Gift to break out of wherever he was, though even he had tried it would have been pointless.

¤º~*~º¤

"There's no point in worrying about her, Arram," Varice suddenly said.

Daine stared her.  Arram?  Wasn't that Numair's former name?  Why was the woman suddenly saying Arram?  Was she insane?  Something tried to come forth in her mind – a thought of some connection… something that had happened before – but before she could identify what it was it was gone.  She concentrated again in an attempt to find it.  Being buried in her thought she didn't see a blurry form appear near her in the glowing cage until she heard, "Where am I?"

"Deiniol?" she said, eyes wide in concern.  "What are you doing here?"

"Never you mind what he's doing here, Veralidaine.  You must decide what you want now.  Are you willing to give up Numair for him?  Your one true love for him?  What of your promises to Numair?  That you loved him?  Or are you so fickle that you are now in love with Deiniol?"

How could she answer Varice when she didn't know the answers herself?  Daine was not willing to allow Varice know this though.  "That is not none of your business, Varice.  You come to Pirate's Swoop for what reason?  To do this?  Alanna will find you, find us."

Varice tilted her head as though thinking or listening to something.  "Unfortunately the Lioness is too tired to bother with the likes of you."

"What have you done!"  If Varice had done something to Alanna or George…

"Merely ensured we wouldn't be disturbed."

"Varice, this doesn't concern anyone but you and me.  You leave Alanna and Daine out of this," Deiniol told her.  He would not allow Varice to harm anyone – especially not Daine.  He would die first before he allowed that to happen.

"Oh but it does, Arram, it does.  You made it so.  I gave you chances but every time you threw them away.  I won't give you another chance."

Arram?  Deiniol… Arram.  I don't get it.  Why is she calling him Arram? I don't understand, Daine thought in complete puzzlement.

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A/N: a longer chapter and it's moving along a bit more.  Daine finally is realising but there is a reason why she was so slow before.  Revealed in the next chapter.  Review and tell me what you thought.

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