Sonnet Lacewing: Thank you for reviewing! I've corrected the typo's in the Prologue. My computer sometimes jumps and I end up typing where I shouldn't! I am following cannon, so I won't be killing offNumair! You'll see what happens with Perin in the next couple of chapters!
Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me, they belong to Tamora Pierce. Although if there is a real-life Numair out there...
Chapter 2 – A Midwinter Ball
Daine bathed and soaped, taking her time to put up and style her own hair and use a tiny bit of the paint she kept for her face. She wanted to be able to do justice to Numair's gift. Daine pulled on the dress, it fitted perfectly. Numair must've had Kuri Taylor make it, she thought, feeling slightly inadequate about her curves. She admired herself in the mirror, the dress was amazing, it suited her perfectly; the blue highlighted her eyes, the dress accentuated her figure. Daine sighed wistfully. The dress was beautiful, but she wished that Numair was there with her, just to be able to tell her that. Why Numair? She wondered briefly. It must just be because she spent so much time with him normally she was used to his reassurance. A gentle tap came at the door, followed by a shrill whistle. Maybe wishes sometimes do come true, she thought. The door opened, Numair and Kitten stood on the other side of it, the tall mage scolding the dragon. "She might not have been dressed!" He said in stern tones.
"But I am and what do you think?" Daine demanded. "You look very good!" she told him, noticing the shirt and breeches she had bought him. But Numair wasn't listening. He was too busy staring at Daine.
"You look beautiful!" he said after a minute. She caught his eye for a brief moment and a bolt of lightning shot through her. Not quite knowing what to make of it Daine looked away.
"Are you ready to go down to the hall?" Numair asked gently. "I thought I'd come over to you and see if you wanted to walk down with me."
Daine nodded, briefly looking in the mirror again to check her hair. Numair discreetly watched her, the feelings that he had realised that morning were now hitting him again with full force.
Daine looked at him a little oddly. "Are you sure I look okay? I don't look like a mere Gallan girl tying to dress up?"
Numair sat down on her bed, looking at her seriously. "Daine, you'd never look like a 'mere Gallan girl'. You look stunning. I meant what I said in Carthak, that before I knew it you'd be married to some worthy man." This last comment rather depressed the mage.
Daine sighed. "Trust me, Numair, there isn't anyone I'd want to marry who'd marry me," she said dryly.
"In that case," Numair stood up and offered his arm, not even dreaming of saying what hewas really thinking, "Let me escort you to your ball, m'lady!" Daine giggled and took his arm. Without Numair noticing, she glanced up at his face and let out another wistful sigh.
Presents had been arranged at the tables and Daine was overwhelmed to see that she had quite a pile in her place. She also notice a table arranged for Alanna and her family.
"I thought Alanna was at her father's house for Midwinter this year?" she mentioned to Numair as she sat between him and Kitten.
"They left for Corusthis morning," he replied, "I forgot to tell you."
Daine began to unwrap her gifts. Onua had given her some books on K'miri gods and some new tack; Thayet had provided a stocking full of goodies to decorate Daine's room. She had various other small tokens, even from Miri and Evin, both of whom were currently away with their Rider groups. Numair has also spoilt her. Not only had he given her the dress and its shawl, which she knew must have cost a small fortune, but he had also bought her perfume, pretty coloured pins for her hair and a winter set of shirt and breeches. Numair looked at her; he had observed heropening the gifts with pleasure. Daine glanced up at him and smiled.
"You're going to turn me into a spoilt, demanding female, if you're not careful, Master Salmalin," she told him off.
Numair shook his head. "You couldn't be spoilt if you tried," and handed her one last package.
Daine unwrapped it slowly; inside was a pretty, rectangular box. She opened it up and found a necklace to match the sapphire ear-drops he had given her the previous year.
"Shall I?" Numair offered to put the necklace on for her. Daine nodded, slightly overcome. He stood up and gently placed the jewellery around her neck, carefully locking it in place. She felt a shiver go through her as Numair's long fingers grazed against her skin. Something, she knew, was changing in how she felt about him and she wasn't quite sure what it meant. She also knew that whatever she did feel for him was irrelevant, he would never consider her in anyway other than his student and friend, or would he? He had given gifts to Thayet and Onua as well, but nothing like what he had given her. Maybe he just felt sorry for her, with having no family of her own.
Numair's voice woke her from her considerations. "Do you like it?" he asked, gently touching the cluster of sapphires. She nodded, then kissed him on his cheek, lingering slightly to take in his scent of spices, clean clothes and soap. "I love what you've given me," she told him softly. "Have you opened your gifts?"
Numair shook his head; he'd been too busy watching Daine. However Daine was questioning the amount Numair had given her, she had shopped just as hard for him. Little things, the soaps he likes and the hair products he preened himself with, a bottle of scent for after he had shaved. Numair found himself going red with pleasure when he discovered a book he had long since coveted.
"Where did you find this?" he looked at the young woman, "Do you know how many years I have been looking for this?"
Daine laughed. "A nosy dog told me she had seen it in an inn in Corus so I went and made an offer for it. I thought you would be pleased."
"Pleased?" Numair's voice rose, "I'm over the moon!" He grabbed Daine and pulled he in to a tight embrace, pecking the side of her face with a kiss before drawing away hurriedly. Numair looked up at her thoughtfully, taking in her long lashes, soft, full lips and large blue-grey eyes.
"Thank you, Daine," he uttered, lowering his voice. His excitement over the book has caused a few glances to come their way. "I've never had more thoughtful gifts." He hadn't either, no one else seemed to understand him like Daine did, no one would have ever thought to buy him little things like his favourite soaps, just normal items. An unhappy noise came from a stool next to Daine. There sat a grey, very miserable looking dragon.
"Oh, Kit!" Daine exclaimed, pulling the young dragon's presents closer. "She feels left out."
Numair moved the dragon in between them. By the time she had been cosseted over and coddled with she was back to her usual happy shade.
Queen Thayet the Peerless of Tortall regarded the scene from across the hall, her youngest daughter proceeding to entwine as many ribbons as possible into Thayet's hair. Her husband merely laughed as the new hairstyle became more and more elaborate and predictably harder to untangle. But for now her interest was consumed with the mage and the pretty young woman who weresat besides a young dragon, helping her to unwrap various amusing presents. Thayet glanced at Jonathan, nodding over to where Daine and Numair sat.
"They make such a nice family, don't they?" she muttered to him, eyes twinkling.
"Do you really think there's something going on between them?" Jonathan replied.
"Look at them, Jon. They keep giving each other little glances and they seem to touch each other when ever possible. I don't think anything is happening at present, but it soon will be."
The king smiled. "I think they make a nice match," he said, watching both of them pet Kitten. "They're certainly both unusual."
Thayet glanced at her husband. "And unusual is a term that's never been applied to us, is it?" she joked, as Jon helped their daughter to tidy her hair.
Numair tried to talk to both Lindhall and Daine during the feast, although he was beginning to find it difficult to not focus all of his attention on Daine. Lindhall himself was quite amused by Numair; he had heard much about the girl in Numair's letters and had drawn his own conclusions a while ago. Personally, he thought Daine and Numair were well matched, but he expected that it would take some momentous event to get them to confess their feelings for each other. Numair quizzed him about the barrier's collapse and they swapped varying theories over how it had been done. Most theories seemed to centre on Ozorne.
Daine chatted to Onua, helping Kitten to reach food items that she wished to try.
"I don't know how she does it," Onua said, shaking her head, "She can eat simply anything without being ill!"
Daine nodded. "She was in trouble before for eating the rind off the ham. She snuck into the kitchen while me and Numair were working…" Daine stopped, noticing the look on Onua's face as she mentioned Numair's name. "What's that look for?" Her voice rose.
Onua laughed. "Are you sure that's all you and Numair were doing?" she teased.
Daine felt herself getting cross. "Yes! It was!" She toned her voice down, aware that the mage was sat next to her, although he was engaged in a conversation with Lindhall. "He doesn't have any feelings like that for me," she whispered.
Onua stood up. "Shall we go and check on the horses before the next course is served?"
Daine nodded. Numair looked at her as she stood up.
"Just going to check the mounts," she told him. "Keep an eye on Kit, will you?"
"Of course," Numair agreed, looking puzzled.
Onua pulled Daine into a small room off the main corridor. "Why, Daine," she began, "I was only teasing. What's going on?"
Daine looked at Onua, she could trust her with anything. "You'll think I'm being silly," she told the horse mistress. "I think I have feelings for Numair," she sniffed slightly.
"And I think he has feelings for you too," Onua told her quietly, her eyes filled with sympathy.
"But not in the same way, though," Daine argued.
"Exactly in the same way," Onua sighed. She's seen this coming; their behaviour towards each other had altered since returning from Carthak.
"Daine, don't try and analyse what you're feeling, just enjoy it," Onua advised.
Daine forced a smile, "Let's go and check in on the horses before they serve desert."
Numair wished he had devised a boy-repellent spray to put on that dress as he watched Perin the clerk whisk Daine about the dance floor. Onua nudged up to him, smiling sweetly at his expression.
"What do you want now?" he snapped, his eyes not leaving Daine and Perin. "If he moves his hand any lower I'm going to turn him into something slimy that smells."
Onua laughed. "She'll be back over to you in a minute," she tried to comfort him.
Numair shrugged and wandered over to Lady Beata.
"May I have the honour of this dance?" he offered his hand, his manners at their courtly best.
"You may," Lady Beata gave him her hand and they began to swirls around the room.
"I doubt you are attempting to court me, sir mage. If anything," she whispered in his ear, "I'd say you were using me to gage someone's reaction."
"The Goddess obviously blessed you with brains as well as beauty," Numair muttered back, his eyes on Daine who was now stood with Perin.
Daine watched him dance with the lady. I suppose she's more of his standard, Daine thought, delicately touching the necklace he had bought her. She kept her eye on the mage, hoping that this was just a dance and not a prelude to a nighttime meeting between them. She was aware of Numair's eyes catching hers as he danced. Why was he looking at her when he should have courting his dance partner? The music finished, Numair bowed to Lady Beata and walked over to Daine. Perin scuttled as the mage appeared.
"Are you alright, Magelet?" he looked at her, concerned.
Daine spluttered slightly. It had begun to irk her even more that Numair had lovers and she knew that this was reflected with the expression on her face. "I could do with a breath of fresh air," she told him truthfully.
"Let's take a short walk outside then," he offered his arm and they strolled outside into the courtyard.
"Something's bothering you," he put his arm around her shoulders in what he hoped was a friendly manner. Daine snuggled into his chest, causing Numair's heart to feel as if it was about to explode.
Daine decided to just spit it out. "I don't like seeing you dance with other women. I don't like knowing that they sometimes end up back at your room."
Numair didn't laugh as she had expected. If fact he said nothing which bothered her even more. Maybe she had said completely the wrong thing.
At last he spoke. "I didn't like seeing you dance with Perin, either," he told her, "I wished you were dancing with…"
Harailt and Lindhall ran out to them. "Numair! Daine! There are unicorns surrounding the stables and they don't look friendly! You'd best go!"
Daine started to run, glancing down at her beloved dress. Numair saw the look and the dress shone briefly with his gift. "It won't muss," he told her as they sped to the stables, Daine feeling nearly overcome with worry.
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