1Howdy! I'm back! Usually I would wait for three reviews, but I have, like, 22 reviews from before, so I figured I would just update A.S.A.P. until I have, I'd say about three chapters at least
When Nessa stepped onto the staircaseleading down to the tables, she knew Tamora Pierce did not glorify Tortal at all. The only thing that distinguished this as not a vision was the fashion choices. Most of the occupants of the room had leotards. Well, that's what it looked like to her anyway. The world's first manly pantyhose. Glory glory. She thought in monotone. The next thing she saw, though, took her breath away.
Auras surrounded each of them, every person in the room had a slightly different aura, some more corrupt than others. Like the one around a young man who looked like what Joren was described as in The Protector of the Small. The sight was breathtaking, waves of color wrapping around each other and constantly moving were entrancing, almost making her miss the introduction, almost.
"The Sorceress Nessa, from the realm of Earth," the herald announced, making her cheeks turn a nice, rosy red almost as bright as her dress, and certainly clashing with it. Glad that she had no life, Nessa knew exactly how to enter, curtsy, and all that jazz from studying Tamora Pierce books and Medieval Europe books.
The night went by in a blur, and she was never let down by the array of auras around all of them. (Ethuilial- Dare ya to say that ten times fast! I only got to 8...) But with those lights everywhere, her eyes stared to grow sore, so she decided to seek out a deserted corner somewhere. Those things are everywhere, for secret lovers or something, right?
There may have been corners, but none of them were deserted. Totallians definitely knew how to make trysts work. Flushing, Nessa sought out somewhere, anywhere without people. But at least her little expedition was educational. She learned that emotions affected auras. For example, when indulging in dirty pleasures, your aura would get warmer in a sense.
Eventually, Nessa found her way out of the stuffy castle and into one of the little flower gardens, without any pining intended's. When her eyes finally got used to the dark, she started to think. Why can I only see auras here? At home, nobody can! Or if they did, they didn't tell anybody, or when they did, they were locked up in crazy homes. Actually, for all I know everybody can, but since it isn't considered normal, people cover it up by turning blind eyes on people who admit they can. But then why have I only just started being able to recently? I'M GONNA' KILL YOU, BOB!
"Do not attempt it. And the reason you can now see auras is indeed myself. There is one base World. You came from it, there is nothing special about it, no Gifts, no dragons, and that is why it is so important. If it gets tainted then we must make the tainted version its own World."
But doesn't that mean you made my home a different place!
"Yes, there is still a Nessa on a world who never was stopped by the tear, and she carried on whatever mission she had."
Jeeze, you really like to mess with people's lives, don't you?
"It is not advised" before Nessa could respond, however, she saw another aura approaching fast, and frantically.
A girl who was about a head taller than Nessa came tearing through the bushes, seemingly running from something. Her long black hair was allowed to flow freely down her back, except for the top layer, that was pulled into a pony-tail at the back of her head. The small expanse of midriff that was exposed was a very light tan, showing off an amethyst stud on her belly-button. Her 3/4 sleeves let stray twigs and branches cut at her arms, the same with her calves and shins.
"Hey! Hey, wait! What's the matter?" Nessa called out, against all common sense. The wild-looking girl turned around and looked at Nessa.
"I'm trying to get away from whatever witchcraft brought me here" she replied breathing heavily, leaning on the bench to catch her breath, "The Enchanted Forest will never let go of someone if it doesn't want to! And it certainly wouldn't want to!" Enchanted Forest! Like in Dealing with Dragons, that Enchanted forest!
"Yes indeed, this young woman came from the World Patricia C. Wrede wrote about" Well, thqt helps alot!
"Why wouldn't the Enchanted Forest let you go?" Nessa inquired of the runaway.
"I, well, I, wait, wh am I telling you?" the girl turned a suspicious eye on Nessa, "I don't trust strangers."
"Understood," Nessa nodded. Barely a moment passed before:
"Hi, I'm Cassandra."
"Hi, I'm Nessa."
"I stole something from the dragons and now everyone's after my head, sorta' makes me feel special in a way, but..."
"I know what you mean. I have to save all of the Worlds from bleeding into each other because the fabric is unraveling, but I'm only 14! Now everyone wants a piece of me."
"I only understood half of that, but it still sounds sucky."
"It is."
Nessa and Cassandra talked for a while, and found out they actually had a lot in common. And when Nessa discovered that Cassandra had been pulled through a tear to get there, she got really excited. They decided to meet in the same place when "The sun has just barely made it over that mountain" and go look for the tear to close it.
"After that, would you come with me to close the other ones? I could use all the help I can get!" Nessa laughed.
"Yes I will and yes, you do!" Cassandra shot back.
"Hey!"
After they parted, Nessa made her way to the rooms she was given on her arrival. The
was indeed like a "rat warren", but still fascinating for Nessa. The endless corridors and passageways each had their own quirks and oddities, and finder her way back to her room wasn't hard when she gave up on "Left, right, left, left," in favor of "Statue man, carpet stain, picture of a fat lady singing..."
Walking into her room, Nessa saw a servant putting something that looked like a cage in her bed.
"Excuse me, but, err, what are you doing?" Nessa asked tentatively. The servant, however, was even more timid and did a very good impression of Lalasa in Nessa's opinion, by doing no less than jumping, twirling around, squeaking and begging for forgiveness.
"No, no it's okay. I'm not offended, you didn't do anything wrong, EW! No, it's ok, really! Stop groveling, it's fine, I'm not mad!" Nessa had her work cut out for her when she tried to calm the poor creature down, but when she finally did, it really wasn't worth it. Her name was Catherine, or Rin, and she was sent by the King to put a hot pad in her bed. Apparently, the "pot" was filled with hot coals and was meant to keep her bed warm.
"Well, thank you for your consideration, and thank the King for me, too," Nessa asked the skiddish maid.
"What? Oh, um, you're welcome my lady. I mean ma'am! Or, or majesty! Is it majesty!"
"No, it is none of those. It is actually Nessa. If you must call me something formal, then call me miss Nessa, if you must," she told the frightened woman.
"Oh, thank you Miss Nessa! No one ever thanks me or anything! Especially not any of the squires," she sighed, the epitome of a lovesick teenager.
"Ooh, who is it?" Nessa asked, siting next to her on the bed, completely submerged in her element.
"His name is Nealen of Queenscove, and he is so chivalrous and kind, and gentle, exactly what a knight should be! But he only notices the ladies," the brief moment of ecstacy when she thought about him was annihilated when she remembered that tidbit of information about him.
"That is not true! I've talked to him, and the only reason he doesn't love you is because he doesn't know you exist!" she said in an encouraging voice with her fingers crossed behind her back, "All you need is the right clothes, maybe some backbone, and a ticket to the ball!"she said, going into her busy-body mode.
"Ticket, Nessa?"
This is going to take a while...
Yee-Haw! Another chapter, in about one day! I think the tenses are a little bit messed up in this one, though. If anyone finds mistakes like that, please notify me!
So what do you think of the new Cassandra? I think that this personality fits her way better, annoying older sister (you heard me correctly, Phaidra) that keeps Nessa alive.
And introducign the maid as a more important character was a good thing, too. Even if you don't know what she looks like yet...oops .'
Ethuiliel out!