A/NI told you I would get it done over the weekend and so I have. Now... this one is much longer then the one before and it is very important as well. So... enjoy! And thanks too...

Zerrin: Yes well... hopefully the quality will stay the same even with the added length.

demeanted-dreamer: Will this make me less guilty?

okaliedokalie: I'm glad you like this one so much. And I thank you very much for thecompliment. If you like this story so much, you should read my other ones as well.

...: I hope I don't take as long either. I don't like making my readers wait. And plus, creative build up is very un-fun.

Randomisation: well... Lee is both. And you'll understand more in this chapter.

Tidsmagi: lol. Thanks for the compliment. I will be writing a story after this one. I'm debating between two different stories that I can write. One about a girl from the US who is brought to Tortall, but it has a completely different spin on it then most that you read like that. And the other is one about a girl who is forced into being a spy against Tortall. lol. And I'll probably end up writing both, but I'm debating which to write and post first. lol.

Chapter Twenty-Two:

The face, one that she had thought looked alarming like her own, crinkled into a smile, a smile filled with warmth and a gentle sense of love. The emotion that shone within the face that had once been so icily blank shocked Tori. Before, when Lee's face had been expressionless they had looked very similar, the absence of emotion the thing that kept their faces different. But now that her face was filled with emotion, they were perfectly identical.

What had happened to the cold, emotionless woman? The woman that hadn't ever shown a thing and had been literally a block of hostile ice? What had changed so fast, so very fast that it was almost inhuman? Was it even possible for a person to change their very nature in a few hours of time?

"Look closer, Tori and you will understand," Lee whispered and Tori did so. And as she looked she saw. The deep chestnut mane of hair that floated around her face so beautifully was now lined with gray. And the eyes that shown with such lighted emotions had wrinkles at the corners. She was… old.

"You grew up, Lee?" Tori whispered as her body trembled. This is what she would look like, she thought as she stared at her mirror image. This is how I will age as well. But… how was it possible for Lee to be a mere seventeen one day and then have gray hair and wrinkled eyes the next?

"I did grow up. In so many more ways then what appears before you now," Lee smiled again and Tori's breath whooshed from her. Lee had never smiled like that. And certainly not this often. What had happened to her? "So many ways Tori. And it took a long time to be what I am now. To be what I present before you."

"Have I… died?" Tori asked at last, realizing that Lee was obviously long dead, she was the thousandth decedent, so if Lee was standing before her, that meant she would have to be dead as well. But Lee's delighted laugh caused her to pause. Lee… laughing?

"No, Tori, you are not dead. I simply brought you to a place in between the worlds so I could show you what came to be between myself and the Master. And why there is indeed a country of my own, but a Master that still exists. You must be prepared when you face the Master, for surely you must before the past repeats itself. And you must not make the same mistakes as I did. Are you ready to see and to understand?"

Tori gulped and then nodded hastily. Before she even completed the nod she found herself falling into a vision.

As she slipped into the chambers of the Master, she let her hand slip from Kevin's and felt the protection his touch had offered her die around her. She knew that she should have used it for as long as possible for she wanted every advantage over the Master as possible. But she would die before she allowed herself to trust him, only to find the trust to be misplaced and have him pull away from her when she needed him the most. She would die before she allowed herself to be betrayed again.

"Lee…" Kevin hissed, holding out his hand for her to grab it again, but she didn't. She didn't let her eyes meet his, didn't allow herself to look at him, and even though she felt pain in her heart for what she next did, she turned her back on him.

The monumental pain that crashed through her when she refused him, made her want to sob but instead she whispered the words. "Kiena, Mumina, Slicia!" She smashed her away over to the Master's thrown, allowing her eyes to adjust to the dimness in the room.

In her hands appeared a shield and a knife, the weapons her magic had created for her. And in the sheath her sword's blade flashed, it's edges becoming sharp enough to pierce through anything.

But as she approached the thrown she realized it was empty. She had walked into the room and obviously her enemy had been expecting her when she thought she had had the element of surprise. Now she had one less advantage against her enemy, one less advantage to winning her revenge.

"LEE!" The shout resonated behind her and she felt the power of fear in her husband's voice. The one that she refused to trust. Instead of turning as she knew that he had wanted her to do, she acted the fool and continued ahead to the throne. She would use it as her main defense, even if the enemy was standing right behind her, as surely he was.

But before she got to the throne and the relative safety of cover she feltan arrow plunging through her left shoulder and thudding deep into the bone. As if in a separate world, Tori felt the pain as well.

She spun and with a deathly precision hurled the knife in the direction of the arrow, whispering the words to make its aim true, "Dilato." She heard the grunt of pain, proof of the strike, and called the knife to her hand once more.

"You're a deadly little wench, you know," the Master hissed and his voice washed over her like ethereal pain. They're magic chemistry's, so prominent, so strong it came through in their voices, were so volatile when mixed that it was frightening.

"So I've been told, maggot. When will you give up? You're death only becomes more relishing the longer you fight it!" Lee hissed and laughed when she heard his grunt of pain. Two could play this game of voices. And hers was all the more painful to him because of the emotions, the hatred that she forced into it. And she had emotions, so many, built up and hidden for so many years. And now they had a purpose, one that she loved more then anything. Now they hurt him, wounded him as they had wounded her so many times. And no one would come to his rescue or comfort as no one had come to hers. The thoughts made her laughter that much darker.

As she felt him cowering away from her, strength flooded through her body. This is what she had been dreaming of for so very long. This was her independence, her freedom. Her revenge!

"Come out and fight me, coward! I'll kill you none the less!" Her sword hissed as she brought it from the sheath, death given a voice. She smiled as she felt the power shiver through the air and followed the path it took, leading her to the Master. A Master now, but not for much more. Soon it would be over.

She laughed when she saw him cowering in the corner, all the more when she saw him cringe at the deep, dark laughter that hit at him. Never before had she felt this powerful, and truly she was. She was so much more powerful then he and she knew that they both realized that. And it empowered her to know that even as he struck uselessly against her, his fate had been spelt out for him. He could not defeat her. She was destined to win.

"Time to die," she hissed and swung the sword, but as it came to a rest against his neck, slicing through, she saw something that she had thought impossible. An ethereal mist rose from the tear her sword had left in his body, floating slowly up towards the ceiling. But as she went to reach for it, for she knew what it was, it hit her skin and passed through. And one thought was clear in her mind as it rejected her.

"You who do not love, and do not trust cannot complete what you have sought so long to do."

No! Her mind raged as she tried again and again to grab at the mist, grab at what had come from the Master's body, grab at the power that had opposed her for so long. But she couldn't. It was denied to her, and she knew that it was.

Because she had allowed herself to dwell far to long in the past. She had allowed her life to slip away from her. It hit her full force as the spirit of power that was the Master slowly disappeared. With a disgusted noise she looked down at her body, expecting to see the things that she hated the most. How had she become like this? So cold? So alone? So afraid to live her life in the present?

Her wide, tear filled eyes looked to the man that was approaching her. Her husband. Kevin. The man that loved her and had probably loved her since the day they had meet. The man that had given everything away to have her. To love her and be with her. He had married her and he had hardly known her. And she had treated him like dirt.

Slowly a tear leaked from her eye as self-loathing filled her. She had killed the Master, the enemy, the man that she hated. But in doing so, what had she created but something that she could hate even more? She was pathetic, weak, nothing but a sniveling little child. And in the end it hadn't mattered. Because she hadn't had the strength to finish him off. She might have killed the body that housed the spirit of the Master. But now he was free to wander the skies until he found another willing body to take him in.

She had failed.

And now she had nothing left but her hatred. Her hatred of her self.

Her knees slowly gave way and she sunk to the floor as tear after silent tear made a lonesome trek down her face. Her world was slowly going black around her as she realized that she had nothing left and that she had failed in her life's mission. She curled into a ball on the floor and resolutely waited for herself to die.

Closing her eyes, she was encased in darkness.

But then, as she lay there, ready and fully willing to die, something happened. Something she would never have expected. Two strong arms wrapped around her and slowly lifted her up. Two warm hands settled on her back and rubbed, soothing away the pain. One gentle voice, warm and close to her ear, breathed its breath along her skin as it whispered to her that everything would be all right.

And one man held her close and rocked her as she cried. And as she slowly shifted the purpose of her life until it centered on him and what he was saying to her. What he was saying about their country and their future children and the good that they would bring to the world. And then there were the words, the words that would change her forever.

"I love you, Lee," he whispered against her skin and kissed her gently on the forehead. She looked up into his eyes and saw that he meant it and for once, she didn't cling to the past, her past betrayals. For once she allowed herself to believe in what he said and what she felt when he said it. And for once, she didn't feel despair. Instead, she felt the overwhelming urge to smile. And so, she did.

"What now, Lee?" Kevin whispered as they sat together, wrapped around each other, on the floor of her enemies throne room. "He got away, didn't he?"

"Yes. He got away. But it doesn't matter now. I have everything I need. A country to rule. People to give freedom to. And a husband to love," she whispered the last, still uncertain of her new found feelings. It seemed so strange to her, to not have to ice everything over. To not be ice. Instead, she had become fire, one that burned strong and uncertain.

"But what if he comes back?" Kevin asked.

"He will come back, as surely as we sit here and breathe. But there will be someone else, a decedent perhaps, who will be strong enough to defeat him. Until then, I will conceal the power that causes so much trouble," she looked down at her hand, at the ring that she wore. That had once symbolized so much and was now nothing but a dark reminder of what she had been. And was likely to be still. Nothing could change in just a moment. She would have to work at it. And this would start it.

Slipping the ring from her finger she whispered the words, ones that came to her naturally. And sealed it with a kiss from her lips. Then she slipped it around her neck on a chain that held her wedding ring, and felt the knowledge of power drain from her.

"Let's return home, husband. We have much to do to restore Serinda to its rightful power.

"Do you understand now, what you must do?" Lee asked as Tori blinked her eyes and focused on the older version of herself. She could but stare as a great understanding became to formulate in her mind. So much… she thought, so muchLee had to go through to become what she was today. So strong of a person. She wondered if she could ever be as strong as Lee.

"That and more. You are so much stronger then me, Tori. So much better. You too have been betrayed, though you don't realize. And still you don't let it effect you. You great each day with a happiness and a deep under laying sense of determination. And your heart, Tori. It beats so strong, so full of love. Even when you have no one to give that love to, you always have it. It is I who envy you your strength Tori. And it is I who give you the task of defeating the Master for good. For surely you can do it."

"Do you believe that, Lee?" Tori whispered, staring at the woman.

"Of course I do, dear. Of course I do," she smiled and smoothed a hand along Tori's face. Her smile changed into a wistful one and she let out an involuntary sigh. "You are the greatest gift a mother could ask for and I am sorry that this task has taken you away from yours. But I have always watched out for you, even if it was my younger self that did most of the watching. But know this Tori, your mother will greet you with open arms. Do the same."

Tori felt a tugging in her stomach and knew she was being called back into her body, into the world that she belonged in. But she didn't want to go. Suddenly she had an ominous feeling.

"I won't see you again will I?" Tori demanded as the world around her began to grow fainter and fainter. It was becoming harder and harder to see and Lee was almost only a blur.

"Yes, Tori. This is the last you will see of me. But I give you one last parting piece of advice. The power of words is nothing compared to the gift that has been given to you. Goodbye Tori," Lee brought a hand to her mouth and kissed it before blowing the kiss to Tori.

"Wait… Lee! LEE!" Tori screamed, fighting against the pull that was growing stronger and stronger. "Wait! Don't leave me Lee! Don't!"

A voice drifted across her senses as her vision gave way into black, a voice deep and masculine and filled with love. "Come, Lee dear. It is time for us to settle."

"Coming dear," this was also filled with love, and Tori knew if she could see Lee's smile now it would be the brightest one of all. Then Tori was gone, floating away, spinning faster and faster and faster. And then it stopped.

Derek grabbed onto Tori's body as it collapsed. He knelt on the ground, her head in his lap and gently tapped her cheek. But she didn't respond. He wanted to panic, wanted to shake her and scream at her and demand of her to wake up. He didn't understand what had just happened and he didn't like that Tori wasn't waking. It scared him, scared him because she could be dead.

"Tori," he whispered and giving in, stroked the hair of her wig. He would like to take the wig off and stroke her real hair, now that he knew who she was, but he wouldn't do that. He would wait for her to wake before asking her to give up the silly disguise. And surely it was silly, for now that he knew who she really was he could see what a terrible disguise it was. "Wake up, Tori."

"It is best, young sir, that you allow her to remain undisturbed," the old voice rasped beside him. He turned his head up and to the side to look at the old Prophet.

When their eyes meet, he heard the Prophet hiss. "I knew I recognized you, boy. You are the one who intruded. The one who intruded into the prophecy. But I see now, why you were chosen. You are the right one."

Derek frowned, puzzled at the words. What did he mean? What prophesy? The one that involved Tori? But before he could ask the questions Tori stirred in his lap. He turned back to her and watched as her eyes fluttered open. But they weren't her eyes. They were some one else's.

"Where's Tori!" Derek demanded.

"She is safe. Rest easy, young one. I must tell you, you must beware of her. She comes upon a struggle soon. And though she may be the strongest person you know, even she can't do everything by herself. Please, be there for her," the woman gave him a solemn look and he shuddered. Where was Tori?

The woman in his lap hissed slightly and he saw her flinch, almost as if inpain,but then she was turning her head and staring at the prophet.

"Prophet," she said the name softly, and Derek heard the Prophet groan, and this he knew was from pain. "I thank you for all that you have done. Soon it will be over."

"You're welcome. Witch," he said the name and then gave a deep, rasping laugh. Derek felt the body go lax and looked to see that her eyes were closed.

"What was that?" Derek demanded, staring down at Tori's body. He wanted her back and soon. He didn't like that she wasn't there. He wanted her with him. Always… but only as a sister he hurriedly added in his head.

"That, boy, was the Witch. She gave you sound advice she did. Always was smart, I knew," he rasped out another laugh.

"Derek?" a voice whispered and he looked down to see Tori staring at him. And it was Tori this time. He could see it in her eyes, her beautiful green eyes. He gave a happy smile and hugged her close, her head fitting under his shoulder neatly. Who was to know if he breathed in deep the scent of her hair?

"Are you alright Torianna?" Derek whispered as he gathered her closer in his arms. She just felt so right there, like she had been made to be there.

"Lee's gone, Derek. She's gone for good," her voice was small as she huddled closer to his body, for a moment unbothered by the troubles that would soon come crashing down.

"Where did she go?" He asked, trying to soothe her. He could feel hot tears soaking through his shirt. It was the first time he had seen Tori cry, he was certain. And now that he thought about it, it was shocking that she hadn't before. Her life was so hard, he knew. To go this long… Lee had been right. She was a very strong person.

"She went back to her husband. She's gone," she whispered the last bit and then pulled away from him, wiping her eyes to dry them. As she moved her shoulder she winced. He saw and turned her slightly to look. There was blood on the back of her shirt.

Without hesitation he pulled down her shirt to see a newly formed scar on her shoulder. He touched her shoulder and she winced again then stilled. A scar. On her shoulder blade. She thought back to the last vision and realized that the pain she had felt when Lee had been shot was real. A last parting gift from her.

"Where did this come from?" Derek demanded. But Tori only smiled.

"Come, there is much to do in preparation for the Master," Tori said and began to rise. It was natural to slip her hand into Derek's.

"Who's the Master?" Came a voice from beside her. Startled she turned to Ciem and the Prophet and realized that it wasn't just she and Derek. She blushed slightly, also realizing that this was her brother. How awkward. But she had to start somewhere.

"Come with me and I shall explain it all to you. And our parents."

A/N Well... there you go. Hope you likey! Now... I sleep! Review me!

Nubia