Disclaimer: Own nothing; it is all Tamora Pierce's work.

Emotionless

By Chicken Puffs

You know you did it
I'm gone
To find someone to live for
In this world
There's no light at the end of the tunnel tonight
Just a bridge that I gotta burn
You're wrong
If you think you can walk right through my door
That is just so you
Coming back when I've finally moved on
I'm already gone

Kelly Clarkson, Gone

It was late, and as the palace lay in a peaceful slumber, one soul lay motionless in bed, succumbed by sleep that was none to innocent.

Dreams plagued his mind, and yet his body responded to nothing, even when the harshest blows came, no tremor was released, not even the twitch of his arm.

A black band on his neck, almost a chain like garment, glowed in an ethereal light, and the dark magic's entwined with the band were being put to the test.

"I expect nothing but the best from you, I will not have you be second best! Do you understand? It's time you learnt that only the best succeed in life."

The man stood to the side of the boy, as his mirror image tried unsuccessfully to lift the heavy sword, crying out in pain as it came down hard on his foot.

"Weakness boy is not to be tolerated. Pick it up now." His voice seethed raged as tears rolled down the child's small face, puffing up slightly.

Joren tried again and again, concentrating hard on the task ahead of him, wishing only to please his father, not caring of the burning pain throughout his arm muscles.

"Father please, may I go inside now?"

He hadn't expected the first blow to be this hard, and as they continued to come, he felt the dizzying pain his father had only brought upon him once.

"Burchard! That's enough!" From his swollen eye, he saw his mother, her golden tresses hanging limp, her green eyes void of emotion.

"Defiance woman! How dare you speak in that manner to me. The boy gets his weaknesses from you, and it seems, that both of you need to be taught a lesson

In many ways Joren of Stone Mountain had grown to be like his father, who had once stood as his idol, a man to look up to, but now, he looked up to no one, bowed down to no one.

His blue eyes, which had once been filled with the curiosity of youth, had grown had over the years, and he refused to bow down to those of lesser society

The dreams continued on through the evening, and as the soft hues of pink and blues played across the shadows, the boy had finally responded to something, or, someone.

"You bring shame to our name; I am embarrassed to call you my son! You let her beat you a weak, petty girl beat you in a men's game? You pathetic excuse for a Stone Mountain," Burchard screamed at his son, now fifteen years old.

The darkness had enshrouded him, but he saw nothing except the shadow of a girl, who had made him suffer, and he discovered that he'd lost at his own game, and that he needed her more than anyone thought possible.

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"Stop trying to avoid them Neal, there not going anywhere. You might as well get it over with now." Kel grinned as her friend grimaced at her, glared heatedly at the green leafs laying limp at the edge of his plate.

"It wouldn't have been limp if you hadn't waited till the end of dinner to eat it, you know."

It was nice having someone to eat with who wouldn't ask so many questions, even though Neal had interrogated her last night, he knew she wasn't ready to talk about what was bothering her, not even with him, and although the hurt had come, he respected her wishes more than she would ever know.

"Can you believe the nerve of Alanna, telling me that I was lazy. She works me from dawn to sunset and then in between times too. I'm surprised she let me off for midwinter. Of course, George had to beg her, and it took a fortnight for her to agree."

"She wants you to be ready for anything, Neal. You knew she would work you when you accepted."

"Yes mother," he grinned at her, and she smiled back, confused when she felt only the need to be his friend, but nothing more.

Had she finally gotten over the crush she'd harbored for so many years? Or had she just moved on, to, say, another?

She wasn't sure why her vision had immediately found him, but it did. He was poking at his food, looking bored, as Garvey spoke to him animatedly, failing to acknowledge the look on his companion's face.

Neal had followed her gaze, and took the opportunity to speak to her. "Has he been bothering you Kel? All you have to do is say the word."

Inwardly she sighed, wishing she could explain her feelings, but instead, telling him that everything was fine and that he had left her alone ever since he'd returned for the midwinter festivities.

"Come on Neal, I have the incredible urge to beat you, oh noble one, in a sword fight."

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After washing up, and feeling quite satisfied, Kel headed towards the stables, only to feel a presence unknown to her being.

An invisible blanket of fog enshrouded her being, and the air surrounding her was chilly and damp.

A shadow approached through the gloom, moving closer to her body, and wrapping the blackness around her neck.

She cried out in pain as the circulation in her neck was closed off and she could no longer breathe.

Strong arms wrapped around her waist, flooding her body with heat and pushing the menacing cold away, and she took a gasp of breath as the blackness retreated.

And suddenly, she was lying in the grass wet from the morning's dew, rocking back and forth like a small child, tears rolling down her face, and the same warm arms wrapped around her body. The tightness in her neck had not gone away, but she could still breathe.

"Neal, please help me," her voice was not that of a near grown woman, but of a frightened child, who'd just had a nightmare.

"He's not your knight in shining armor this time princess," the sneer was apparent in his voice, although she couldn't see his face, his arms didn't release her.

The pain in her neck continued to come, until her shallow breathes turned into wheezes, and she didn't have the energy to argue.

Kel raised a hand to her neck, feeling a strange flat band encircling it.

Strange black opals were incrusted into it to match the black band, and in a way, it was beautiful, unlike anything she'd ever seen before.

"Joren, please. What is it," she whispered tiredly, feeling her energy drained, not caring whose arms she lay in.

"It's the band of death," he said quietly, sounding not at all himself.

"The black god has chosen you, along with others who are strong enough to help him rule in the rhealms. When he is ready, he will come for you, and take you with him."

"You're lying! I told you I was done with these games, take it off Joren. Now!" The tears came in streams, refusing to let up.

Quietly he said, "Explain this then," he pulled down the high neck of his shirt to reveal a matching band, except that the stones on his were of a tarnished silver, as if his had worn down over time.

"And there's only one way to save ourselves, except, I need you."

The blackness ensued over Kel, as the world drifted away, but he stayed with her in her dreams, and even in the darkest shadows, he was the burning light. Her savoir.

A/N: I'm done with promising bullshit I can't keep. I'm sorry this chapter is so late, but there have been a lot of problems going on in my life. Forgive me please. I know it's short, but I can't think of anything more right now.

I've changed the original plot a lot, and I'm sorry if you don't like it very much, but I'm trying to make this story original.

Oh, and just in case your wondering, Joren is not suddenly going to become nice to Kel, and things will continue to be heated between the two.

Please review, I feel really shitty right now and need some feedback on what you think of the plot…