A/N: All right, this is a fun chapter because Elestra discovers her ability to sound like a shrill old lady. It was fun to write because it helped me discover how Ermliana and Elestra had truly changed since their meeting eight years previous; it delves a little more deeply into Elestra's thoughts than the past couple chapters. Here goes….

Searching

We searched in the Council of Mages section, looking for the most recent books. And it wasn't long before I found a passage in a very long Council of Mages report (A/N: Think 9/11 commission and how it was published in book format) that had come in with the newest shipment.

While many mages' purposes are easily known and realized, some are not. One of these mages is Queen Marscopa Likshen Merindar, the Queen of Remalna.

Marscopa was born in Marloven Hess. Her parents were poor ditchdiggers, with very little money. As a child, Marscopa would kill mice, rats, cats, and other animals she found on the streets to feed her family. When she was thirteen, she abandoned her ailing parents and ran away to Norsunder.

Marscopa was trained in Norsunder and Sles Adran, by the palace mages. Her skill grew quickly, and within months she was stronger than her teachers. At the same time, she was gaining beauty and getting money. She was made a Countess in Sles Adran for a yet unknown reason, as, soon after becoming a Countess, parts of the Adrani Court library was burnt. This was not an accident. Traces of Marscopa's magic were left all over the burnt section, and it was the section that held all official papers and promotions. At this point the Council of Mages began to sense Marscopa's power, but, as there are many mages in the Adrani Court, it was ignored.

Also around this time the Crown Prince Lourden Merindar began his nations tour for his Flower Day. When he stopped in the Adrani Court, he became close friends with Marscopa, and soon became her lover. His actions after that moment prove she had bewitched him. Within a month of meeting her, Lourden married her, complete with fidelity rings. Not long after that, Marscopa became pregnant, but her child was stillborn.

Marscopa is now the Queen of Remalna. No one is, at the moment, sure why she rose to power, or why she seduced Lourden. However, without the proof of her magic—when she left Sles Adran the mages used a spell to destroy every trace of her magic, and the only spells she has done in Remalna are dark spells, almost totally undetected by the Council, the Council cannot arrest her. We can only hope to be on our guard and watch every spell coming from Remalna as best we can.

Ermliana and I looked at each other.

"So that's why Alec can't talk about the king's past!" I exclaimed, realization dawning on me.

"And why the King caters to the Queen's every wish…" Ermliana added. Then she stopped. "What did you just call Alaraec?"

I felt my face go up in flames. "A-Alec."

She smiled, a slow smiled that was making me nervous. "Do you want to know what he called you the other day?"

Ermliana, if one might've wondered, had a penchant for reading tales of romance and love that I, Alaraec, and just about all of Court found sappy and disgusting.

I shook my head. "No. Ermliana, I'm twelve! I'm not even old enough to have a flirt!"

"You'll be thirteen soon," Ermliana reminded me. "In two weeks, as a matter of fact, and--"

"Hush," I ordered shrilly, sounding so much like Alaraec's mother that Ermliana looked around in horror for a moment and then burst into giggles.

"You should be a player!" she shrieked, laughing. I laughed too, thinking, If I never become Duchess of Savona, that's an idea.

She calmed down quickly, but the book and the queen were already forgotten. Ermliana had changed over the years; she was more serious in moments of serious-ness, but when she laughed, she was hysterical. That, and her love of romance novels had changed her; but I didn't like her any less. She was still my best friend.

She and Alaraec were also my only friends. Despite the fact that we had met some of the other children, their reactions to myself and Ermliana were much like the reaction Arthal gave me. So we remained with Alaraec, playing with his friends that were his age rather than the ones out age. And they welcomed us, mostly as students. Ermliana and I learned how to dance, talk with fans, and how to horseback ride. I also received helpful tips from a thin young woman, Yolandis, who was Countess of Tlanth, on how to use your size and your opponent's weight against them in sword and hand-to-hand fighting. She and her husband were the oldest of Alaraec's friends, and they had a small son who was six.

But we still weren't truly friends with them, just aquaintences, or babies.Perhaps it was because we were still little girls. We couldn't flirt, we couldn't two, we couldn't even attend balls. Well, Ermliana could, but I couldn't.

And yet, I was nearly thirteen. Soon, I could attend balls. Then I could have flirts, and when I had my Flower Day, in five years, I would be able to get married.

Five years, I decided, was an awfully long time.

Ermliana would've told me five years was a wonderfully long time.

A/N: More writer's block!!

Things are going to go much much quickly now. Expect some Elestra/Alaraecromance soon. Sorry this is so short.

If you're wondering why I'm not telling you that Elestra has a crush on Alaraec, she doesn't. Or if she does, she doesn't know it.

BUT:Elestra knows that Ermliana has the Remalnan equivalent of a sick mind, and if she starts looking the way she looked at that moment (rather sly) then she knows she's in for an embarrassment. Ermliana is going to be instrumental in getting them together simply by being sick-minded.

Yes, some adventure is coming up. Yes, it involves the quickly-forgotten excerpt of the book at the beginning of the chapter.

Reviews:

Moonsong: Thank you. Thanks also for the title suggestion. I'm opening a poll so people can vote.

FelSong: I'm glad the 'family tree' helped. Here's an update for you.

Aussiegirl: Thanks for the title suggestion. As I told Moonsong, I'm starting a poll. Feel free to contribute more if you wish.

Wake-Robin: Thank you. Here's your update.

THE UBER-GRAND TITLE COMPETITION AND POLL:

I, nebulia, am starting a poll for my title because I absolutely hate the one I have. There are two suggestions in the box right now, and for the next three chapters (until chapter eight, let's say) will be open for suggestions. Please contribute; I will love you forever if you do.

Suggestions:

-Life of an Elder, from Moonsong

-Sign of the Second Derivative, from aussiegirl of sunshine.

Don't understand what the hell the above phrase means? Aussiegirl says: "I don't know how good you are in maths but to find the second derivative you have to differentiate an equation twice and by doing that it allows you to find out a whole lot of different things that you didn't realise at first just by looking at the original thing. But if you hate maths dont worry."

There are the first two suggestions. I WANT MORE!!!!!

Later,

Neb