A/N Please remember that everything that happens in the chamber of ordeal is not really happening. In this case, the only thing that is real is her brother giving her a mission. And also, take note that Novellee has no idea what the Chamber is or that it even exists. Enjoy.

A/N Okay, I know I said that I wouldn't be able to review. But there was a change of plans. I was going to make you all wait and suffer, but I couldn't deny my loyal fans.

Thanks to all you reviewed.

Cutwing- you have to let me know when you post your story. I'd love to read it.

Lioness Fury- thank you for the complement. And your wish is my command. LOL

AngstWolf- thanks for the advice. I hope it works.

Great Merciful Goddess- I'd tell you she does, but that'd just be mean.

Trickstergirl33- I'm glad you decided to like her.

Yamani- great to have your reviews as always.

Chapter nine: The Chamber

The echo of the chamber door closing shivered along her skin like ripples. She whirled to face the door, but it wasn't there. Before her stood Jasmine, and her brother. They had come to tuck her in to bed as they did every night.

But this night was different. She knew it in her head, and in her heart. But her body didn't stop.

This was impossible, her mind thought as her body took control. She was nineteen, not nine. Looking down at herself, she saw that indeed she was nine, for her body was the one of her past. And her body was in control, not herself as it should be.

"Tell me a story about Tortall, please?" she felt her eyes go big and wide, and she knew that her brother couldn't resist it. And he didn't. He sat and began to read a story.

As her body began drifting off into sleep, she heard a clatter. Her brother ran out of the room to stop the intruders while Jasmine ran to barricade the door. She heard the screams and tried to turn away. But she couldn't. Some one was holding her head so she had to watch.

He fell into the room, his face disfigured as it always was in her dreams. A keening moan filled the air. Hers. Her heart broke all over again, her soul shattered. He was gone again, as it had happened so many years ago.

Jasmine was the next to fall, but it was just one more link in the chain of scars that marked her. They started towards her, and she let out a shrill scream.

And it came to her.

What she was seeing wasn't real. Her brother had died ten years ago. This was just an image. And if this could be created in her mind, so could anything else she wanted.

The first thing she changed was her size; she became huge, until she towered over the knights. She then conjured a massive sword in her right hand, a lethal dagger in her left.

She set about to killing each and every knight, and when they screamed for mercy, she killed uglier, faster, and harder.

When they were all lying dead at her feet, she knelt and said a prayer, as she did for all her kills. A prayer that they would find their way to the Gods and be given what they deserved.

The room changed again and she was standing in black, unable to see a thing. At least, she thought she was standing. Novellee had no sense of what position she was truly in.

A face swam towards her through the darkness. As it came closer, she recognized her face. She was the first woman she had ever killed, Amanda of Mountain Pass. She had been cheating on her husband and he had found out. Novellee had killed her with her wrist knife. Afterwards, she had puked in the gutter.

As she watched, more and more faces swam towards her. All of them she recognized, if she didn't know their names. They were the people she had killed through out her years in Tortall.

They screamed at her, threatening to curse her for killing them before there time. She wanted desperately to tell them it wasn't her, that she hadn't killed them. Instead, she squared her shoulders and held her head high. She wouldn't deny what was rightly placed on her shoulders to bear.

The last face to come towards her was her brother's. She moaned in agony. This was one person's blood that was not on her hands. She would take no blame for this death. All she could claim was that it was her fault he wasn't avenged yet.

"Do you regret it?" He asked as he came closer. She moaned again, dropping her head in her hands. She couldn't stand looking at him with this blood on her hands. He was so pure, and she was so mared by her sins.

"Do you regret killing all those innocent people like I was killed? Do you, my sister? Do you regret cutting them down in their prime?"

Shaking her head, she spoke, her voice trembling like a leaf in the wind. "Never. I did what I had to do. And it was their time to go."

"Then you shall be damned to an eternity of pain for your sins against the Gods and against fellow man!" his clear voice rang out like a dream. He pointed to two doors behind him. The doors were open giving a glance of what was inside.

The first door led into the courtyard in the palace that she had lived in. There was Jasmine sitting in the shade of a palm tree. She looked up and waved, giving her the smile that was full of love, the smile that could erase any bad feelings. Her brother sat on the edge of the fountain, reading. He looked up at her, beckoning with his hand. She knew that if she entered that door, she would be forgiven, that her sins would be passed off. She would be eight again and blissfully unaware of the life she had lived once.

She turned to the other door. This door led to a dungeon. Torture devices of every kind where scattered around the room. The executioner gave her a smile filled with sadistic pleasure. This was the door that would lead to eternal pain.

She wanted more then anything to lie down and weep, to ask for forgiveness and claim that she regretted it, wished that she had never done that. But she couldn't. Her brother had taught her early on that you took the blame for what you did. Novellee would die before she shrugged off her sins onto someone else.

She turned away, towards the door that held the pain. She knew in her heart, that she deserved tis over the other choice. With her back straight and her eyes clear, she walked through the door, and into another scene.

She sat before a hearth, her clothes tattered, her figure broken. She could hear a child crying and she knew it was her own. Her past flew before her eyes and she knew what had passed.

She had been married off to Cameron, much to her despise. When she had refused to yield to him, he had taken with out asking, as he had threatened. The child that she heard was the result of his rape.

After the child had been born a girl, Cameron, in his disappointment, had taken to beating on her now broken body. Novellee saw him coming, dragging her baby girl with him. Out of habit, she cringed away, edging closer to the fire.

It would be so easy, she thought, just to hurl myself into the fire and let it be over. She heard her daughter give a pitiful cry and squared her shoulders. She would be damned if she let Cameron hurt her or her baby ever again.

"Take this shit, and shut it up," he yelled, throwing the baby at her. She caught her in her arms. Holly, she had named her daughter Holly. She cuddled it to her breast, murmuring a sweet melody to her.

"On second thought, I'll do it myself," Cameron said as he walked over and picked up the baby. From his side he dragged out a knife, the knife she had used so many times to kill, and slit her baby's throat.

"No!" she screamed, flinging herself onto his back. She grabbed at his neck, trying to strangle him, but her strength had ebbed away over the past two years. He flung her away and she crashed into the table.

He came at her, a killing intent in his eyes. He bore down on her, dragging his knife across her neck, but he didn't slice. He wanted to enjoy his wife one more time before he left her.

She saw the change in him, and knew it for what she was. The most she could hope for was that it would be swift and painless.

It wasn't.

When he was finished, he gave her one last kiss on her bruised mouth, wiped himself free of blood and left her bleeding and broken next to her dead child.

She curled into herself, rocking back and forth as she made mewling noises. It would be so easy to end it all right now. She had been used by a Tortallan, used and left to die. Tortallan's had taken everything from her. What was the point of continuing?

Her hand curled around the knife that Cameron had left behind. All she wanted now was to end it, to be blissfully nothing but a void in space. Her hand lifted as if with a mind of its own. It came close to her neck, going in for the killing slice.

"No!" she yelled, forcing the knife away. She said it again more vehemently. "No. If I do this, then he wins. I won't let him win. I'll never let the Tortallan's win. Never."

She threw the knife into the fire, before standing and using her Gift to heal herself. She would go on with life. She would train and get back in shape. She would return to the assassin guild and begin once again. One day she would meet Cameron again, and then she would get him for her baby. Besides, there was always the chance that she would find someone who loved her and would give her another child.

She threw her cloak around her shoulders and left the house she had been left in. With it, she left her life as it had once been.

She walked into another chamber, this one lit by a cheery fire. A couch sat invitingly before it, her brother slouched in a corner. It was natural for her to cross over to it and sit next to him.

"Congratulations Novellee, you have been chosen to take on a mission. A mission that decides the fate of the world. Would you like to know what is needed of you?" he hadn't actually expected an answer to his question, but she answered anyways.

"No, thank you," with that, she got to her feet and walked to the door. It never accured to her over worked mind that this was impossible. That her brother was long dead. She flung open the door to find that brick was behind it. She scowled. "I'll use the window then."

"Can't get out that way either," her brother said with relish. he was relaxed comfortably in the couches corner, watching his sister with his blue eyes twinkling. "You can't get out at all until I decide to let you out."

She gave him a sneer. "Obviously you don't know of my feats." She flung wide the curtains only to find that brick blocked the windows also. She thought of the only other way out. Through the fireplace. But the fire was in there and there was no way that she could get out short of using her magic.

Oh well, there was nothing for it, she would use her Gift, walk through the fire and climb up the chimney. She gave a sigh as she wrapped herself in a shield. Walking into the fireplace she gave a scream of frustration. The chimney was bricked off also.

"Well, you've trapped me here. What do you want?" she demanded with a huff. She slumped onto the couch, curling her legs underneath her. She didn't bother with manners. The ordeal had taken a lot out of her.

"It's all quite simple, dearest sister. You save Tortall, and I'll bring you the knights of your past. So, what do you say?" he asked. He patted her knee in a brotherly gesture.

"I can find them on my own," Novellee quipped with a yawn. "If that's all, I'll be leaving."

She tried to rise, but she found that she had no control over her body. "Let me show you what will happen if you don't help me."

Shadow of visions crossed her face as she watched. The consequences of her actions made her nauseous. If she didn't help, everyone in Tortall would become slaves to every other country. Bennie would be beheaded for defying the slave master. Polly would be killed simply because she was too old. She herself would be made into a pleasure slave for Morrison himself. Much more she saw, but was to horrified to acknowledge them.

"All right, I'll do it," she bit out as she wrapped her arms around her stomach. She couldn't let that happen to every one. Even if she hated the Tortallan's, she had to do it. She couldn't have all those people's blood on her hands.

But she didn't want to be the controlling factor, didn't want to hold all those lives in her hands. All she wanted was for her life to go on as it had. Sure, it wasn't all that great, but she liked it the way it was.

"What do I have to do?" she demanded as she swallowed bile. She had no choice. The guilt would drive her crazy before she even was gone from this place for five minutes.

"Good girl, I knew you would see it my way," he chirped. His hand rubbed down her hair in a brotherly show of affection. She wanted to turn into his arms and be held as she hadn't been held for ten years, but she didn't

"What we'll start with is what happened after you left Seridna. As you know, the knights left the city in ruins. What you don't know is that the knights worked for Morrison," he made a disgusted sound.

"He conveniently showed up with one of your long lost relatives that could claim the throne. Now Morrison rules Seridna behind the mask of a man named Carlyle. You can bet when Morrison attacks, Seridna's naval fleet will be backing them. Not to mention the fact that as soon as there's a breech in Tortall's defenses, every other country will jump at the chance to be a part of the action. But before we get started, there are some rules.

"First, you're not allowed to tell anyone about what happened in this chamber," he held up a hand when she started to protest. "Also, you can't show the papers you found to anyone. Second, you're not to make the first move. Even if they attack first, you have to wait for a Tortallan to make a move. Understand?"

Novellee nodded her head. She understood the rules perfectly, even if she didn't understand the reasoning.

"Good, The last requirement is that you work for the Tortallan's as they've been thinking of hiring you. You're to follow out all the missions they assign you, no matter what they are. That doesn't mean you have to do it their way, mind you," He gave her a mischievous smile that she returned weakly.

"Now. Give your brother a hug before you go." She nodded again, meekly. She just didn't have the energy to protest to anything.

He wrapped her in his arms, and she almost broke down weeping. Instead, she closed her eyes, inhaled his scent, and hung on for dear life.

"I'll contact you when it's time for you're to make a move. Take care of yourself." Then he was gone and she was kneeling in the middle of the chamber, hugging air.

She kneeled there, relishing the feel of him, committing it to memory. But she couldn't stay there forever. She got slowly to her feet and moved to the door. It opened for her.

She stepped out, blinking at the sudden light. She put up her hand to shield her eyes. The chamber was filled with guards and nobles. The king was conversing in earnest with the mage. Numair, she remembered his name was. They looked up when they saw her.

"By the gods, she did it," Numair breathed. I have to get out, she thought as she began to panic. All these Tortallan's couldn't surround her. Not now, after she had just been through the biggest ordeal in her entire life.

Her brother's voice whispered in her head, telling her what to do. She searched the crowds until her eyes fell one person in particular.

Burdock.

She made her way to him, staggering through the crowd. He hurried to her, seeing the way that she looked. One strong wind would knock her over. He got to her in time to catch her as she fell into his arms.

Novellee let her body go limp as if in a faint. She would wait until they left her alone, then she would escape. It was the best way out, and the only one she had the energy for. When she got home, she would crawl into bed and sleep for a week.

She heard the woman, Alanna come up, demanding that Novellee be taken to a room to sleep and be checked for injuries. Her body remained limp as Burdock hoisted her into his arms and carried her through the crowd.

She wasn't taken far before she was placed down on a bed. Alanna's hands whispered over her skin as the Gift healed her wounds. She had a few minor scratches from brushing up against the wall when she had been in the trance. Other then that, she was fine.

Alanna made strict orders that she be left alone to rest for the remainder of the night and the next day. Perfect.

She waited a few more minutes, making sure that everyone had left, then slipped out the window, slowly making her way back to her inn.

$$

"Your majesty, the woman has escaped. Would you like me to send out a search for her?" a guard asked of the king. He gave a weary sigh. It seemed that woman was as hard to keep in hand as water.

"No," he sighed. "I have a feeling that when the time is right we shall meet again." In his heart and his mind he knew this was true. He also knew that if she would permit it, he would knight her. He had no choice; she had made it through the Chamber of Ordeal without making a sound.

A/N I know that the chamber isn't all that hard on her, but there's a good reason for it that will not be revieled until later. And, yes the king is easy to forget that she was a commener assassin. But, come on, she made it through the cahmbe rof ordeal and she doesn't even know what it is. She probably thinks she's crazy.

And I know, it's a little weird for her to be knighted, but it falls into the story. Thanks again to all who reviewed. Review please.

Nubia