A/N: Awww. I find it cute that so many of you were excited to have Liam back! lol. I was in such a good mood I decided to update! yay. Actually that, and I felt like updating in 2006! HAPPY NEW YEARS EVERYONE!
Apparently this story is now in a C2-thingy. I have no idea what a C2 is but . . . oh well. It doesn't seem like a bad thing.
Disclaimer: Actually, the setting now belongs to me (Karucia). But sadly, the world belongs to Tamora Pierce because she created it. Oh well.
x...:...x
Arra rode hard and fast and somewhere inside she relished in the feeling of riding like this once again, though the dress did get in the way. She stopped a few times to ask for directions to the Green Crown Inn and eventually she found it. She practically leaped off of Ghost and let stable hands take her.
After a moment's thought she wished she wasn't wearing a dress.
She looked up at a swinging sign in the shape of a crown. Green letters read Green Crown Inn. Arra looked down at the door just as someone walked out. The black-haired young man sighed and put his hands on his head. Immediately Arra noticed Liam. At that moment he turned and happened to see a small young woman staring at him wide eyed.
Her legs worked. She ran at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her small frame in return. Arra pressed her face into his neck not realizing before she was crying. Through that though something happened. A warm yet refreshing feeling fell over her. Safe, her mind sighed.
"Oh Liam, if this isn't really you I don't know what I'd do!" She sobbed.
"Its alright. I'm here." Liam chuckled, rubbing her back soothingly. "You're more thin than I remember. Have you been eating right?"
Arra was about to say "Of course!" but then thought back. She hadn't really been hungry . . .
"I'll take that as a no."
Suddenly Arra pulled away. "What are you doing here?" She was stern. "You should be back in Tortall--"
"Safely tucked away. I know, I know."
Arra slapped his chest. "Don't make this something funny! You'll bring people looking for you. You are a prince! You can't do something like this!"
He looked at her red rimmed eyes and tear stained face. "Please don't give me a lecture," He whispered and wiped away her tears with each of his hands. "If it makes you feel any better I convinced my mother to let me go, that took a while but . . . well lets not get into that. Whether or not she'll tell my father or keep it hidden I don't know. And I'm pretty sure she didn't know I left without guards."
She smiled tentatively. "I missed you too much, Liam, and it was only about a month."
"A very long month." Liam said before kissing her softly. Arra couldn't help it, he was teasing her! She pulled him closer and deepened the kiss. He smiled against her lips. After a while Liam broke the kiss. For a moment she wondered why and then someone one walked by carrying a basket of bought goods. The person gave them a glance and Liam flushed.
Arra smiled. He was embarrassed to be kissing in public! Maybe that was something he learned as a Prince, Arra thought.
Liam held her an arm length away and examined her. "You look very nice in a dress." He mused aloud at that she blushed faintly. For a moment he frowned. "And you need to eat more."
Arra frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. Liam smiled and took her hand. "Come in, I want you to see the person I found along the way here."
"Wha—Why?" She asked. She didn't really feel like meeting some stranger he had picked up along the way to Karucia.
His smile broadened and his hazel eyes sparked with a secret. That alone made her just a bit more curious. Liam led her to a table in the back. A man was sitting there but he was sitting in a chair with his back facing them. Liam coughed.
"Oh, is my chickadee here already?" He stood and dusted off but before he finished Arra was launched at him. Damien laughed. "I missed you too."
"I'll give you two some time." Liam said before walking away. She was about to tell him not to but Damien intervened.
"He's right, let him go. We need to talk. Here take a seat." The Phoenix said.
She did. "What exactly do you want to talk about first?"
He gave her a look she could clearly read. One that said, "I think you know." Arra sighed. She did know. "It was Joel that told me. I wish I had heard it from you, though."
"How could I tell you?" She snapped.
"How about any time during the twelve years I trained you." He said calmly despite her rise in temper.
"Damien, if I had really wanted to tell anyone why would I have run away from it all?" Arra asked. "And I did try to tell you, back in Tortall, before I fell ill. I just didn't know where to begin."
"And then there's the whole I've-known-you-most-of-your-life thing to get by." Damien added.
"Yes, there's that." Arra smiled. Then she went on to a different topic. "D-does Joel hate me?"
He gave her another look. This one said, "You should know him better." Arra winced. And he continued. "He'll never hate you. I don't think he could even if he wanted to. He just feels betrayed, and rejected. He's not dumb, he could see something was between you and this prince," Arra noticed he said 'prince' with no extra feeling. "And you know how inadequate he always feels for all he puts up a show. How can he compare to a prince?"
"He's the Shang Hawk." Arra offered weakly.
Damien didn't need to say anything or give her another one of his 'looks'. She sighed. Damien never really chastised or scolded her. He just gave her a new perspective to things which, in her opinion, didn't feel much better. But it was humbling. She was also glad he said nothing directly about Liam and her. He had to know something was between them especially since Joel had said that.
"One thing I'll never understand is, why would you want to run away from all of this?" She heard the joking in his voice as he pointed to her dress. Arra just shook her head. Once a very, very long time ago when she was still training with him he asked if she wanted a dress. She had fervently refused it. There was her opening to begin telling him everything. And she did.
It went easier telling Damien and Damien alone because he added his own little jokes into the story that made Arra smile. Liam finally returned and nothing was uncomfortable. Apparently, they had gotten to know each other a bit on the way here.
Both of them agreed that she should eat something and ordered food and drinks before Arra could say, "I'm not hungry."
Somehow they managed to get her to eat some of it, but not all of it. They talked for a while more, just chatting about friendly things. They even made small jibes at how Arra was developing a fine Karucian accent. After a some time she realized she'd been gone for a while. "I should be going." She said and sighed, not making a move to leave.
Thinking about going back to the palace made her shiver. Compared to the safety she felt around Damien and Liam going back to the palace felt like going back to a dungeon. Arra tried to clasp her hands together but only ended up wringing them. Both men noticed the nervous gesture.
"Arra," Liam began carefully, "What did you mean in your letter?"
"Something is going on in that palace. I've got nothing to work off of but a hunch and some obscure clues but . . . " She paused. "I don't know maybe I'm just being paranoid. I'm not used to this kind of court life."
Arra bit her lip. She might very well sound crazy if she told them what she had come to suspect. She stood, "Maybe I should leave." Though at the thought of it her insides clenched.
Men on each side of her grabbed each of her hands and pulled her back into her seat. "You can stay a while longer, surely they won't miss you that much. And tell us." Liam said.
"Well you don't know my father." They gave her a questioning look. "He likes to know where I am at nearly every moment of the day. I'm fairly sure he thinks I'll run away again." Then she added. "Which in a way I just have."
She sighed seeing that they wouldn't let her leave without telling them what bothered her so. "It's about the young Prince. He has the Gift." She started.
"I don't understand. Why is that so odd?" Damien asked.
But Liam, who had heard the complete version of her story, caught it. "I thought you said the Gift on your father's side came only to females."
"I did."
"Well then he got it from the mother's side." Damien said.
But Arra shook her head. "No, this gift takes precedence over any other one." Where to go from here? How did she get them to come to the same conclusion she had?
Well here goes. "I think Prince Zedar wants me dead." Arra said bluntly.
For a moment they were quiet. Then Damien spoke. "You've had people who wanted you dead before. Why is this different?"
"I've had people who wanted me dead in an outright fight. This is different. I'm confined to a castle where he could very well have control of every person in it." She paused and pressed the heel of her hands into her eyes. "And I'm sure it was him who put my friend into a coma."
"Why would he do that?" Liam asked.
Arra shrugged. "As far as I can see the only thing he did wrong was talk to me nicely. But I warn you my own influence and knowledge of the palace doesn't reach too far so I may be wrong."
They were silent again. Frustration roared through her. She had known this would happen. "Nevermind. Forget I said anything. You can't understand what its like in there."
Liam raised his brows.
"Yes Liam even you. You had family that cared about you. Father, mother, sister, brother. All I have here is a father I haven't seen for fourteen years, a quiet step-mother, a half-brother who seems to hate me passionately, and a half-sister who I don't know where to place in the scheme of things." She said quickly, angrily.
"Would you like me to go on? " She didn't wait. "You grew up being a prince and I have to learn how to be a princess again. I'm confused and feel like I'm in the dark. And at the moment, I am ill prepared if in fact Zedar wants me dead.
"And I'm not used to wearing dresses. I may be irritable because of that." She added.
Liam and Damien sat in silence after her long outburst, both at a loss at what they should say.
For some reason Arra added one more thing to her list and groaned. "And there's a ball coming soon in my honor."
"A ball you say?" Damien finally spoke. "This is could be good."
Arra looked up questioningly. Was he mad?
"It could give us a reason to see your . . . half-brother for ourselves." Damien explained.
Arra thought about it for a moment. "You'll have to dance." Damien smiled and nodded. She let out a long sigh. "You might be able to get in if I say your my former teacher and I want you there. But you," she pointed to Liam, "I don't know how to get in. And saying your a Prince of Tortall is not an option."
Damien seemed to have an acceptable solution to that. "He could pretend to be my student."
Arra scrunched her nose. "A little old isn't he?"
"I am not old." Liam said much like a child would.
"Not a new student!" Damien laughed, skipping over Liam's statement. "One I've had for years but just hasn't taken the Ordeal yet."
Arra tapped her fingers against the table. "I suppose that would work." She turned to Liam. "Are you up to it?"
Liam smiled and nodded. "Of course."
She winced when he said that. Too many people say that to me at the palace as it is. Arra stood. "Now I better go before he sends a search party after me or something." Her hands were still shaking as she dusted off her dress at the thought of having to go back after being with two men she felt completely comfortable with. Arra just nodded to the both of them, she didn't really want to hug them or touch them or she might be tempted to stay. Being confined doesn't work for me at all.
Liam followed her out. Arra noticed and glanced at Damien but his face was emotionless. They walked out to the stables together. She threw away her resolution from only moments before to not touch either of them. Arra leaned into Liam and he draped his long arm around her.
For possibly the first time in all of Arra's memory the sight of Ghost saddened her more than it made her happy. It's more what she means at the moment than 'her' exactly. Arra assured herself. She could never dislike her favorite and most faithful mount.
Before she could pull away from Liam, mount and leave he pulled her into an embrace. He rested his head on top of hers and hugged her so closely she wondered if their bodies had always fit so perfectly together. Then he spoke:
"Arra," He began then paused as if he was thinking of exactly what he wanted to say. "I know it seems like I don't believe you. But I do."
Tears stung her eyes. She knew it would happen. She didn't want to leave this. Arra whispered. "I know, what I just told you doesn't seem well thought out. But . . ." She couldn't finish.
Liam laughed lightly. "It does seem far fetched but you are hardly someone that would get a . . . problem such as this out of nowhere."
Odd, Arra thought dryly, how people may not be able to believe my words and yet they somehow feel they can trust me. She nodded into the embrace before pushing away. She kissed him one last time before finally mounting Ghost. "I'll keep in touch with Cobalt, so watch out for him."
Liam nodded and Arra rode away. Every moment she was closer to the palace she thought about the safety she left behind. This is what I get for leaving for fourteen years, She reminded herself, not for the first time, and now it is time I did something about what I left here festering.
oOo
"Come now Arra, I want to show you something." Emereth said. Arra smiled if only for his sake. She had been on her way to visit Andy as she had done everyday since he fell into the coma when her father intercepted her.
Arra followed him down some halls not really interested. This was my only free time today to check up on Andy before classes and fittings . . . commence. But she followed Emereth all the same. The halls he went down were dusty as if no one had been there for years.
"I have never showed this to either Zedar or Zefra." Emereth confided. "But . . . something tells me I should show you."
He opened a door to reveal a far more dust filled room. There were artifacts lying around that she probably wouldn't be able to name, they were so layered in dust. Though some looked like books so old she was sure if she opened them none of the words would be legible.
Emereth led her to the back of the seemingly small room with careful steps. When she saw it, she was sure this was what he wanted to show her. It was the one thing in the room that had not dust on it whatsoever, as if it repelled it. What they were looking at was a perfect glass rectangular prism. Inside was a sword, though the most peculiar sword Arra had ever seen. It was milk white through and through from the tip of the blade down to the end of the hilt.
"This sword had been in the family for generations upon generations," He said quietly but not in a whisper. "In fact, it was the sword first used to conquer Karucia all those years ago.
"But the story goes that almost immediately after Karucia was claimed the sword turned against our ancestor, he was known as King Vincent the First. The sword, you see, does not have a mind of its own, well I certainly have not seen it displayed if it does. Anyways, the story goes to say that after Karucia was his he was never able to wield the sword again and neither were any of his children—and yes he even let his daughters try.
"It saddened him that he could not use his once faithful sword any longer but he kept it anyways and encased it in this glass container." he paused. "Though something that has always troubled me about that story is it never really says where the sword was made. Some say the gods themselves carved it out of their own bones for him, but it doesn't look much like bone does it? Not that I know how god-bones look. Other stories say the gods would never make such a powerful monstrosity and in fact they wish to destroy it but I've never seen proof of that either."
Arra hadn't noticed but she was entranced by the tale. She whispered, possibly sounding a bit awed. "Why are you telling me this?"
She could almost feel his shrug. "You are my daughter."
"Zedar and Zefra are your children too, you said you didn't tell them." Arra pointed out.
He sighed. "I must be a horrible father for saying this," He muttered. "They may be my children from blood but I've never felt connected to them like I do to you, and you've been gone for years." He seemed to think about it before adding. "That is why when I had to choose a new wife I chose one so completely different from Iolana that . . . I would not, if at all, fall in love with her too deeply."
Emereth's dark blue eyes looked tired as he trudged on and looked her directly in the eyes, "Arra, I loved your mother more than life itself. If possible I would have given my own life so she wouldn't have had to die. I loved you too, more than I could say and I still do with every fiber of my being." He grabbed her chin and looked at her more closely. "Sometimes, just at the back of my mind you see, I feel like they are a negative where you are a plus. Like . . . like . . ."
Arra knew where he was going and stopped him, "Don't say things you can't take back later. " She warned.
He smiled. "Of course." Emereth moved somewhat back to what they had been talking about. "The reason I showed you this sword was because this will be my last lesson for you before the ball. I know fittings take much too long for their own good."
Arra laughed in agreement. Then she decided to cling to one portion of that conversation and ease into something else. "Father, would it be alright if I invited two people to this ball?"
"Who?" He asked instantly, lightly.
"My Shang teacher and his student."
Emereth looked wary. He always did, it seemed he was uneasy about her past as Shang. Past as Shang? Arra questioned herself angrily. I still am Shang! And always will be!
After a moment he gave. Had she developed a pleading look only children had for their parents? "Yes, it is a ball for you after all."
Arra thanked him and even gave him a kiss on the cheek which she found made him happier than anything she'd seen. He probably thinks I'm so happy because I can see them again. But while that may be true . . . She tried not to voice or even lay out completely in thought why she wanted them there.
They radiated safety in her eyes, safety she had not felt for a month. And at a ball where her eyes could not always be vigilant she needed some people on her side for she wasn't sure there was anyone else. If they believe me enough to be vigilant. She sent Cobalt with a note telling them they could come and the exact date then went on to start her day.
x...:...x
A/N: I have conflicting emotions about this chapter. I am unhappy about where it ended (BUT I don't like to make my chapters incredibly long, sorry guys) but I am happy with the chapter itself. I had wanted to end it at a different point but now that I think about it maybe this is better. The other ending I wanted to put was going to be much more . . . suspenseful and definitely a cliff-hanger. So there you are. Wow, I'm very close to chapter 30. The big 3—0. Sweet.
Oh, and about the sword thing . . . What inspired it was combination of a toy my cousin had and a book someone recommended to me in a review. (I'm hoping that person remembers who they are, lol. Though they may not understand how my mind got to where it has. I have weird trains of thoughts.)
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