Chained

Part Thirteen

by Kimra

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They where afraid of her. She could smell it on them, fear like an animal being hunted. She no longer had to avoid them because they all kept their distances from her. The girls where terrified of her, the men tried to hide it better but it was all too obvious to her.

It irked her, made her feel alien and inside she could feel the pounding of the forest's calling her. But she stayed, as she had before because He was still there, still talking to her, still treating her with that humanity she so longed to hold again. Somewhere she remembered a woman from her past, maybe her mother, maybe someone else, but they had loved her treated her like these humans and she knew, without a doubt, that she had been happy like that.

The warrior woman walked across the camp to them, the first human to approach them since the incident with the horned horses and Daine shifted slightly alerting Him of the newcomer. He barely glanced at the woman, his attention seemingly fixed on the book before his nose.

The woman squatted down by him, her eyes fixed, determined. "What happened last night, Numair?" The woman demanded of Him, her eyes violet and burning with a rage that was almost palpable. Daine flexed her muscles testing, ready.

"She has an affinity to them Alanna. It was hurting her." He didn't look away from the book, but Daine could see his attention was fixed on this woman.

"I don't give a damn Numair!" The woman snapped her fist clenching at her side.

Daine felt the danger in the woman's anger and responded a growl sharp in her throat her body shifting, ready for attack and defence whichever was required. It wasn't meant to happen, she should have controlled it but an attack seemed eminent and all she knew was this woman was going to harm her guardian. Both sets of eyes turned to her. His dark ones curious with a tinge of sadness she couldn't explain in them and hers violet, angry, and in a strange near indecipherable way scared.

At the contact of their eyes Daine allowed another growl out, she would not back down despite that very human feeling of humiliation settling into her belly. Something told her she was over reacting but she couldn't turn it off, she needed to protect Him.

"Sit down Alanna." He gestured to the seat beside him and the warrior took it, his body now between them. Daine went to shift her position to see the woman better when his hand stopped her, a stern look in his eyes that she obeyed despite the warnings in her body. Settling herself into the same seat as before she titled her head to watch the woman as subtly as possible.

The purpled eyed woman had been watching and her eyes where suddenly unsettled and resigned. "This is dangerous Numair. I can't afford to have her disrupting another battle if the Immortals attack." The woman sounded resigned as she said the words and her slumped shoulders said more then the words ever could. Daine felt the attack disappear and relaxed.

It was in that strange moment of calm she experienced a moment off clarity. The words where coming together in her head, more and more where making sense every day, but just now, just then a word the woman kept repeating, one that Daine didn't know made sense. It was His name, Numair. Pride swamped through her and no one noticed except an owl in the near by try who only made a noise out of curiosity. Daine didn't explain to it, there was no way to explain such a human accomplishment to an animal who cared nothing for humans.

The conversation continued above her and Daine paid attention once more to this woman, and Numair. "Alanna, Unicorns are by nature passive creatures-" He tried in a calm voice folding the book he had been focused on and setting it aside.

"They where attacking!" The woman, maybe Alanna, interrupted and without thought another growl came out from Daine's throat. Only a pair sharp purple eyes responded and their look was cutting.

"Alanna listen to me." He demanded and the woman subdued. "This girl-" he motioned to her vaguely "she's got magic the likes of which I've never seen. I've read about it, certainly, but I have never laid eyes on the kind of power she has. The unicorns where not a threat, for whatever reason they where attacking it was more then likely in self defence. She could feel it, sense it, something, and she responded to it! If it had been you I would have done the same thing and you would have thanked me for it. Just because she can not speak does not mean she shouldn't be given the same consideration as every other person in this troop."

"I know that Numair. But she's dangerous, even you should be able to see it."

"How is she dangerous?"

"Magic the likes of which you've never seen? And she can't understand a word we're saying? How do you know that was a peaceful herd of Unicorns? Because she said so? She couldn't even communicate that to us Numair!"

"She's trying." He battled, sounding nearly resigned but very protective.

"She's an animal," Alanna snapped then added rather daringly "and your too attached."

"Don't call her that, and it's my business, not yours."

"No Numair!" She hissed, and Daine didn't care anymore, she went to jump except suddenly a male hand was holding her still, He was holding her still. She froze at the contact, tried to figure it out and battle the animal instincts that said to strike him for interrupting her attack. "It's my business, you don't get paid to flounce about picking up strays just because they tickle your fancy!"

She was slowly settling under her grip, firm as it was on her left arm, keeping her in place. Not even a growl came from her throat as she waited, watched for whatever was happening to come to an end.

"I'm not exactly in this for the money Alanna." He drawled his eyes glinting with black fire.

"No your in it because no other country in their right mind would let you in. Ozorne would be more then happy to get his hands on you and a lot of countries would be more then happy to use you as a bargaining chip. Johnathan was the only noble willing to take you in."

"How's your husband Alanna? How longs it been since you got to go home?" Numair snapped back vindictively his own emotions raw. He didn't want to have this argument but if she was going to push him he was going to push back.

She seemed to have the same idea. "Longer then it's been since you last got to visit your floozies. What's she Numair? A new addition to your harem?"

Silence settled over the three, Daine only aware enough to know that He had just become angry and that there was a lock of regret in the fiery woman's eyes.

"Even for you, Alanna, that's out of line." He whispered steady control in his voice and the woman seemed to hesitate.

Daine watched carefully as Alanna clenched her fist then shook and clenched it again. "I'm sorry." Was finally whispered by the angry woman, and despite the anger in her tone her expression showed proper contrition. "But this is dangerous, and you have to see that."

"I do." He replied his voice resigned, and the hand he had held her with disappeared but all the anger was gone and Daine would not attack now. "But I have to help her because I don't think anyone else can."

"Promise me something Numair." Alanna pleaded, her amethyst eyes soft as they met his face. "Promise me she wont get in the way of it all."

"Alanna-" Numair began confusion in his voice.

"I need to go home one day Numair. This war has to end." For one moment the warrior woman became a softer thing, a scared thing, and a broken exhausted thing. Daine felt empathy swallow her as she looked at this woman and she let resentment go in the face of the woman's real self.

"It will, and soon. We won't let it go on forever. But maybe you should ask Johnathan for a break, it's straining us both."

"Ask him?" The woman released a bitter laugh then asked as if testing him. "Could you?"

"Why do you think I'm here?" Numair replied and that seemed to be the end because the woman smiled bitterly then left them alone.

Daine watched it all, waited, and felt her body relax. There was something, something important he wanted, no needed to do, and she was in his way. It hurt Daine to know she was in his way, but she couldn't ignore it, she was too smart to allow herself to. But for now, now she knew it was okay, later she would worry about it, later she would fix it for him.

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Numair cursed as he looked about the camp. It had gotten larger over the last few days, meeting up with different segments of the kings army that was out in the country. With only a days ride to the castle it wasn't surprising there where so many soldiers about but for his current task it was an annoyance.

"Cat?" He tried to call over the noise, his attention shifting in case she gave a sound of reply. She was getting better at making herself known to him on the rare occasions when she left his side and he went looking for her. It wasn't surprising she responded to him though, with no other person willing to go near her and Alanna treating her as she always had, with a cautious indifference.

He wished today though he had paid more attention to the Cat girl because while he had been talking to some of the magic users in the soldiers ranks she had disappeared. He had thought she was behind him, but her silent movements had taken her away without anyone noticing.

A curse left his lips, another not far behind it as he tried to find her small form in the midst of the dirt ridden camp. He just hoped, above all else that whatever had caught her attention today, that it was clean.

"Of all the days-" He muttered to himself then came to an abrupt halt, his eyes catching her form. She was crouched against the ground, hands pressed against hard dirt and head titled to the sky. Her eyes where closed her hair falling behind her in a cascade of brown curls.

He blinked away the image, tried to distract him self from the strange sort of perfection she appeared to have. But dressed as she was he found it much harder then usual. The day before she had been wearing the same clothes the whore house had provided, but with a days ride to the castle and knowing that she would be staying by his side and most likely meeting everyone he met the vainer part of his personality had taken hold. He had purchased her a dress, something she could face the nobles wearing, something that looked beautiful on her. He had even gotten her to wear it so she would be used to it, and her co-ordination and understanding had improved so much she had been able to dress on her own. Then he had lost track of her.

Numair forced back a groan. He should have specified, even if she didn't understand, he should have told her to keep the dress clean. But he hadn't and she would never understand without him telling her, even if then she wouldn't understand either.

A bird swooped down upon her and she rolled out of it's path, a laugh in her throat, a smile on her lips. It banked, tried again and she avoided it once more. Seeing her like that, seeing her happy for such a simple thing he lost his anger and resigned himself to forgiving her anything.

"Cat," he called "the dress was to be worn, not destroyed."

She stopped her actions at his voice, he saw the stilling of her body as he spoke then her eyes turned to him. She rose from the ground slowly, uncertainty still in all her actions as the bird landed on her shoulder.

Perfect clarity was in her eyes, the only sign that maybe she wasn't as lost as he kept thinking she was. Her back straightened, her shoulders back, the dress about her dripping mud but the air of her as she stood to her height and met his eyes made that almost invisible. There was too much power and strength in her for anything as simple as dirt to distract you.

Absently her hand raised up, brushing a large clump of dirt of her sleave, keeping his eyes locked with her own. He knew she understood, but wondered still how much. Her fidgety hand brushed at the skirt flecks of dirt sprinkling of the blue silk folds. Her other hand fiddled with the collar by the dipping chest line. But her attention was still on him, not on her own movements.

"We'll have to get you another one." He wondered if it was possible to explain to her that the dress she was wearing was worth more then some men would have paid for a night of her company. It wasn't a good analogy but he knew how expensive she had been.

She wet her lips her hands stilling and the concentration in her eyes began to burn into him. She squeaked a noise, light soft, it was a foreign sound for her and the frown on her brow that looked very much human accented the alien moment.

"I-" It sounded real, like speech.

His breath held as her frown increased. If she spoke words he would never be able to give up on her. He would know she could be brought back from where ever they had driven her, even without magic. And he wanted that, to give her a chance that had been denied her. It didn't matter what Alanna said if she did this.

"I'm sorry." Her voice was whisper soft, the words perfect, controlled. The concentration in her expression so intent he wondered if the world existed around her as she spoke. But there was something so powerful and strong in her voice, even in a whisper, that for just a brief moment he forgot about the past and saw her as maybe she once was. Entirely human, a little fragile, but so strong nothing could ever really break her.

Then it shattered as someone from the camp made a noise of surprise. She was on the floor again, forgetting about dress's and apologies as the growl rose from her throat. He wondered if 'Cat' was the right name for her because sometimes she seemed more ferocious then the name implied. More like a wolf.

"Did she just talk?" One of the men demanded shock in his voice and Numair suppressed the need to hit him. She'd been on the brink and one noise had sent her back to where he didn't want her. But the moment was lost, her words drowned out by curious murmurs and a low growl. Numair ignored the men and decided the dress was already ruined so there was no point trying to save it. He began to walk away and he felt her scurry to follow, the growl falling away and the men as usual stepping aside to give her the distance she violently demanded.

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