The door closed behind Diane with a soft * THUD * and Adian and Numair were
left alone. They stared at each other for a long moment, hardly believing
that they were together again. An awkward feeling crept into the room,
unbidden and unlooked for.
Numair cleared his throat. "Well." He said.
"Well." She said. Slowly, carefully, they moved towards each other and embraced more tenderly. They stood that way for long moments, just happy to be close to each other again. At length, they broke apart and moved by mutual consent to the sofa. The two old friends sat facing each other for several minutes, each loathe to break the silence. Finally, Numair began to speak.
"Before.before you say anything else. Please. I feel that I must be truthful with you. Daine and I...we are, um...together." He glanced up quickly at her face, and then averted his eyes. Taking heart from the fact that she had not shouted at him yet, he grew bolder. "The truth is Adian, I love her. With all my heart. And I would marry her, if I could induce her to matrimony."
He was startled to hear her laughing. Quickly he looked up into her face, to find Aidan looking as good humored as ever.
"Oh Arram...if you think that's what I came back for." she dissolved into giggles. Catching the worried look on his face, she sobered immediately. "Arram, that isn't why I came back. At least, not the primary reason. I don't expect anything from you except for the love of a brother and a friend. If I had wanted what we had before..well, it's not like I haven't known where to find you these past few years." She smiled crookedly, her eyes turning that wistful shade of green-grey. "I'm the one who left Arram. I would never presume to come trouncing back into your life and demand that you still love me."
"You don't know how relieved I am to hear you say that." Numair said with a sigh. "I was so happy..but then I realized that you might want to, er, pick up where we left off. " Suddenly, he frowned. "Wait, you LEFT me? Where have you been?!" She cast her eyes downward, refusing to meet his glance. He put his finger beneath her chin and forced her to look him in the eye. "What happened 10 years ago?" he said softly.
Now it was Adian's turn to sigh. "I owe you the truth. Although as I'm sure you can guess that most of the truth is classified to all but a few people." She turned to look out the window, looking at the courtyard below like she was looking into the past. "Where do you wish me to begin?"
"The rockslide. Begin with the rockslide." His eyes held the unspoken question, the long ago pain that had never fully healed.
"All right. The rockslide it is then." Adian continued to stare out the window, not looking at Numair. "But you must promise not to interrupt me. The last ten years have been sometimes.painful." He nodded his head and she went on. "As you well remember, that morning we had had a fight. A big one. What I said to you.you can't know how much those words have haunted me. Anyway, we rode out that morning from our outpost, not speaking to each other. I was afraid, you see. What I had wanted to say.well, it hardly matter now, does it? We rode through the canyon, the rocks fell. The bandits seized you while unconscious and I was half trapped beneath the rock. Seizing an opportunity, I slowed my breathing and heart rate to appear dead. That particular trick has gotten me out of a myriad of situations." She chuckled. "Anyway, the bandits left me and reported my 'death' to you when you awoke. I stayed around long enough to make sure that you were able to escape from the bandits (they really, had no idea who they were dealing with, did they?). But then I seized my opportunity and left Tort all."
"But WHY -" Numair began angrily.
"You said that you would not interrupt." Adian said, silencing him with an icy glare. "I'm getting to that."
He relented and settled back against the couch. This explanation had been a long time ine coming. He had wondered for the better part of four years. Now he would wonder no more.
"I felt.trapped. You know that we Shang never stay in one place for very long. I had been with you - in Carthak, and then in Tortall- for so many years. And the strange part was, I was so happy in Tortall. My new role suited me. Jon gave me more or less free reign, and hardly anyone but the inner circle even knew what it was that I did here. Well, outside me being the Dragon. That was enough for most people. They never would have looked past it to see my other profession. But that's neither here nor there. Then we were sent out on that mission..to that outpost...and fell in love." She looked at him defiantly. "And yes, it was love, whatever I may have said then. I know that now. But with the change in our relationship came a change in my life. You always wanted me to be around. How would you take it if I had suddenly gotten the wander lust again and took off for Galla? I felt that my freedom was curtailed. I felt smothered. I wasn't ready to settle down!" Adian said desperately. "And then that fight..it just confirmed all my fears. So when I saw an opportunity to disappear..to escape.I took it." She sighed, a sound that seemed to rip her heart in two. "It was very wrong of me, I know now. I should have stayed and faced my demons, instead of running away like a coward. But there it is. That's why I left. That's why I watched you ride away with your grief after killing the bandits, and report my death to the King and all my friends. Because I was afraid."
There was another stretch of silence between them. "And then?" Numair said hoarsely. "Where did you go? And why was I forced to mourn you twice?" He shook his head, remembering what he had felt on that day. "Four years ago we received word that you were dead - again. When I thought that you had been alive for six years, six years that we could have had.I was with Daine by that point, of course. But just because I had moved on romantically did not mean that I didn't want you in my life! We were at my tower when I got the news. And how could I explain that to Daine? So I never did. I'm just glad that I hadn't been around the others, because I could never have spoken of it. No one knew that we were., well, intimate."
Adian closed her eyes to the pain that she had caused him. "I know Numair. And if I had had a choice, I would not have made you think me dead twice. But it was necessary, you see. Well, let me continue." She tucked her legs under her on the couch and assumed a more relaxed posture. The worst part was now over. She had been so afraid of how he would react when she told him why she had left. But now to the easier part of the tale.
"I sent a discreet message to Myles telling him that I yet lived and begged him not to say anything. I communicated with him at various times during the next several years, and even did a few jobs for him. I guess that I was something of a foreign agent." She smiled. "Basically, I spent six years living life to the fullest. I went everywhere, saw everything, met everyone. It was wonderful, at times. But at others, I longed to have a permanent home." Her eyes changed to a slightly darker shade of green. "But as you know, I am most stubborn. Returning here would mean admitting to you - to everyone - that I had faked my death. And I wasn't ready to do that. But then four years ago, it all changed." Her face darkened, and her eyes took on a black tinge. "Four years ago, when rumblings of goings on in Scanra began to circulate. I got a message from Myles. I thought that it was like any other missive that he's sent me. It..was not. It was a new assignment that entailed me finally putting Adian the Shang Dragon to rest."
She began to shake, hardly noticeable at first, but suddenly more and more violently. Numair moved to touch her shoulder, and she turned face filled with raw terror and pain towards him. "What?" he said. "What is it? What did it say?"
She took a deep breath. "He sent me into King Maggar's court. Alone, with no allies. The cruelty of that man..it will be with me all my days."
* * * * * * * * Author's note: Well? I hope that that explained a few things. Don't worry; there is more explanation to come! Hope you enjoyed this little update, but please give me feedback about how the story is going. If you don't like it, I would like to know why. Mayhap I can improve it! Although I would not appreciate comments like "You story totally sux. Burn in hell." But other than that, go for it!
Numair cleared his throat. "Well." He said.
"Well." She said. Slowly, carefully, they moved towards each other and embraced more tenderly. They stood that way for long moments, just happy to be close to each other again. At length, they broke apart and moved by mutual consent to the sofa. The two old friends sat facing each other for several minutes, each loathe to break the silence. Finally, Numair began to speak.
"Before.before you say anything else. Please. I feel that I must be truthful with you. Daine and I...we are, um...together." He glanced up quickly at her face, and then averted his eyes. Taking heart from the fact that she had not shouted at him yet, he grew bolder. "The truth is Adian, I love her. With all my heart. And I would marry her, if I could induce her to matrimony."
He was startled to hear her laughing. Quickly he looked up into her face, to find Aidan looking as good humored as ever.
"Oh Arram...if you think that's what I came back for." she dissolved into giggles. Catching the worried look on his face, she sobered immediately. "Arram, that isn't why I came back. At least, not the primary reason. I don't expect anything from you except for the love of a brother and a friend. If I had wanted what we had before..well, it's not like I haven't known where to find you these past few years." She smiled crookedly, her eyes turning that wistful shade of green-grey. "I'm the one who left Arram. I would never presume to come trouncing back into your life and demand that you still love me."
"You don't know how relieved I am to hear you say that." Numair said with a sigh. "I was so happy..but then I realized that you might want to, er, pick up where we left off. " Suddenly, he frowned. "Wait, you LEFT me? Where have you been?!" She cast her eyes downward, refusing to meet his glance. He put his finger beneath her chin and forced her to look him in the eye. "What happened 10 years ago?" he said softly.
Now it was Adian's turn to sigh. "I owe you the truth. Although as I'm sure you can guess that most of the truth is classified to all but a few people." She turned to look out the window, looking at the courtyard below like she was looking into the past. "Where do you wish me to begin?"
"The rockslide. Begin with the rockslide." His eyes held the unspoken question, the long ago pain that had never fully healed.
"All right. The rockslide it is then." Adian continued to stare out the window, not looking at Numair. "But you must promise not to interrupt me. The last ten years have been sometimes.painful." He nodded his head and she went on. "As you well remember, that morning we had had a fight. A big one. What I said to you.you can't know how much those words have haunted me. Anyway, we rode out that morning from our outpost, not speaking to each other. I was afraid, you see. What I had wanted to say.well, it hardly matter now, does it? We rode through the canyon, the rocks fell. The bandits seized you while unconscious and I was half trapped beneath the rock. Seizing an opportunity, I slowed my breathing and heart rate to appear dead. That particular trick has gotten me out of a myriad of situations." She chuckled. "Anyway, the bandits left me and reported my 'death' to you when you awoke. I stayed around long enough to make sure that you were able to escape from the bandits (they really, had no idea who they were dealing with, did they?). But then I seized my opportunity and left Tort all."
"But WHY -" Numair began angrily.
"You said that you would not interrupt." Adian said, silencing him with an icy glare. "I'm getting to that."
He relented and settled back against the couch. This explanation had been a long time ine coming. He had wondered for the better part of four years. Now he would wonder no more.
"I felt.trapped. You know that we Shang never stay in one place for very long. I had been with you - in Carthak, and then in Tortall- for so many years. And the strange part was, I was so happy in Tortall. My new role suited me. Jon gave me more or less free reign, and hardly anyone but the inner circle even knew what it was that I did here. Well, outside me being the Dragon. That was enough for most people. They never would have looked past it to see my other profession. But that's neither here nor there. Then we were sent out on that mission..to that outpost...and fell in love." She looked at him defiantly. "And yes, it was love, whatever I may have said then. I know that now. But with the change in our relationship came a change in my life. You always wanted me to be around. How would you take it if I had suddenly gotten the wander lust again and took off for Galla? I felt that my freedom was curtailed. I felt smothered. I wasn't ready to settle down!" Adian said desperately. "And then that fight..it just confirmed all my fears. So when I saw an opportunity to disappear..to escape.I took it." She sighed, a sound that seemed to rip her heart in two. "It was very wrong of me, I know now. I should have stayed and faced my demons, instead of running away like a coward. But there it is. That's why I left. That's why I watched you ride away with your grief after killing the bandits, and report my death to the King and all my friends. Because I was afraid."
There was another stretch of silence between them. "And then?" Numair said hoarsely. "Where did you go? And why was I forced to mourn you twice?" He shook his head, remembering what he had felt on that day. "Four years ago we received word that you were dead - again. When I thought that you had been alive for six years, six years that we could have had.I was with Daine by that point, of course. But just because I had moved on romantically did not mean that I didn't want you in my life! We were at my tower when I got the news. And how could I explain that to Daine? So I never did. I'm just glad that I hadn't been around the others, because I could never have spoken of it. No one knew that we were., well, intimate."
Adian closed her eyes to the pain that she had caused him. "I know Numair. And if I had had a choice, I would not have made you think me dead twice. But it was necessary, you see. Well, let me continue." She tucked her legs under her on the couch and assumed a more relaxed posture. The worst part was now over. She had been so afraid of how he would react when she told him why she had left. But now to the easier part of the tale.
"I sent a discreet message to Myles telling him that I yet lived and begged him not to say anything. I communicated with him at various times during the next several years, and even did a few jobs for him. I guess that I was something of a foreign agent." She smiled. "Basically, I spent six years living life to the fullest. I went everywhere, saw everything, met everyone. It was wonderful, at times. But at others, I longed to have a permanent home." Her eyes changed to a slightly darker shade of green. "But as you know, I am most stubborn. Returning here would mean admitting to you - to everyone - that I had faked my death. And I wasn't ready to do that. But then four years ago, it all changed." Her face darkened, and her eyes took on a black tinge. "Four years ago, when rumblings of goings on in Scanra began to circulate. I got a message from Myles. I thought that it was like any other missive that he's sent me. It..was not. It was a new assignment that entailed me finally putting Adian the Shang Dragon to rest."
She began to shake, hardly noticeable at first, but suddenly more and more violently. Numair moved to touch her shoulder, and she turned face filled with raw terror and pain towards him. "What?" he said. "What is it? What did it say?"
She took a deep breath. "He sent me into King Maggar's court. Alone, with no allies. The cruelty of that man..it will be with me all my days."
* * * * * * * * Author's note: Well? I hope that that explained a few things. Don't worry; there is more explanation to come! Hope you enjoyed this little update, but please give me feedback about how the story is going. If you don't like it, I would like to know why. Mayhap I can improve it! Although I would not appreciate comments like "You story totally sux. Burn in hell." But other than that, go for it!