Chapter13
AN. Right, I have vertualy no time 4 typin right now cos have 2 many things 2 count 2 do, I typed this chptr ages ago so I thought I might as well put it up but all thos kind people who r reading my rubbish strys im really sorry, Im also workin on zis weird stry thing 4 fictionpress an probably still will been in several years time but have just had revolutionary idea 4 is and, well. Am goin bananas basicly so sorry, updates will defiantly be slow, sorry.
Amonsovn walked back to the camp late as the sun was setting. Kietaan had two rabbits cooking over his little fire. Amonsovn had refilled the water skins they had and returned Kietaans to him. When the rabbits were done Kietaan passed her one.
"Thanks." Amonsovn said as they began to eat.
"It came from one of your snares Amonsovn." He answered.
"Oh, well thanks anyway." They ate in silence again. Amonsovn was just sitting like that for a while. She had noticed something.
"Kietaan," She asked with a curious frown. He glanced up at her sharply.
"How is it you can pronounce my name?" He asked suspiciously.
"How is it you can say mine?" She asked in return. "Everyone else calls me Ara as they can't pronounce Amonsovn."
"Everyone calls me Ky, they can't even pronounce Kie properly." They stared at each other in silence. For the first time Amonsovn took in the meaning of Kietaan's name and pale features, thought tanned. His blond-brown hair was very uncommon and the grey eyes even more so. He was also very nearly as tall as her.
"Where are you from?" Amonsovn asked. Kietaan's face became shrouded, Amonsovn could not tell how many emotions were flickering across his face.
"My mother came from along way away," Kietaan began. "Across the ocean she said. She was captured from her home land and taken as a slave when she was very little. Her whole family was split up. She said the worst part was the crossing in the ship."
"Kietaan I'm sorry I didn't know it was a tender subject for you…" Amonsovn tried to apologize but Kietaan shook his head.
"No, it's alright. She told me many things. People used to say I looked just like her. I don't know who my father is, the memories seemed too painful for my mother, Veyiena. She never told me what really happened but she gave me the idea that I would not want to meet him. I was born a slave. We were slaves to some one in Crete for a very long time though I never once saw him. A few years ago we were captured by a raiding party of Athenians and liberated.
"They said to us 'my enemies enemy should be my friend not another enemy to fight.' My mother died very soon after we came here but she died free and happy and I enlisted in the army that saved us. Mother used to tell me allsorts of things of her home land. She seemed particularly interested in the scar I got around my neck from the slave collars. She used to run her fingers around it and say that I was special to my people. What ever that means. It was odd. When she knew she was dying she said to me, 'Kietaan my son, remember this.' And she then told me to watch for the suns daughter with the Goddesses blade for she too was important to our people." Kietaan seemed to be staring into the distance as if recalling things long past, the emotions on his face still battling for positions. "She died that night after telling me that."
"Kietaan," Amonsovn said. "I too come from across the oceans." She sighed at the painful memories of long lost happiness. She did not realise it but her face too now showed the fighting's of opposing emotions. She then began to tell him of the island. The beautiful island that had been her home, the miles of forest that she and Kataalac had explored together as sisters at heart, then the coming of the strangers and the terrible pain, fear and guilt she now suffered and the search for vengeance.
"… We have both suffered very similar fates, Kietaan, and though I never bore the slaves collar I have the deaths of my people weighing heavy on my shoulders like a collar of iron." She sighed. "The key to which lies in vengeance of their deaths with death." Kietaan had a very peculiar expression by the time she had finished.
"We'd better get some sleep." He answered her finally.
"Good idea." Amonsovn said dampening down the fire. She went to sleep with a lot of things to think on that night, including something very puzzling she needed to talk to Kietaan about.
Aphei dressed in a dark red and black dress of varying shades with her dark hair hanging around her bare shoulders in the warm summer air. The sun had not yet set but it was quite late when the knock came. She left her balcony that she had been standing on, closed the doors to it, and wended her way to the main door to her chambers to open it. Fiscaan was standing there. He flashed her a smile, white against his dark skin.
"Are you ready my lady?" He asked her languidly. She smiled back.
"Of course, why would I not be?" She answered playfully. He offered his hand to her and she accepted gracefully.
"The evening air is fresh and warm and it is not far so we will walk." He announced.
They walked together down the quiet yet busy streets as the sun set in gentle waves of peach and amber. The Night Rose was a restaurant for the wealthy, each table was secluded and the food was exquisite. Aphei had never actually been there before but the colours blended well with her dress. A pitch black rose on a deep red background was the places symbol.
Aphei and Fiscaan were seated across from each other in a private corner of the building with a wonderful view of the finale of the sun set. When they had finished they just sat there for awhile enjoying the peace of the moment. Fiscaan studied the woman across from him. She was of moderate height and only came up to his chin and was well endowed with feminine curves. Her glossy black hair tumbled onto fine shoulders and around a perfect oval face with dark eyes and delicate full lips. No wonder people said she had wormed her way into the kings affections to get as high as she had, but Fiscaan did not think she was like that. The king anyway was becoming smitten with the foreign newcomer to court, Medea he thought her name was.
Aphei was enjoying the sun set and looking forward to that time the next day when Amonsovn would come out of the forest, if she was going to, when Fiscaan spoke her name softly.
"Aphei," He said quietly, "There's some thing I have for you." He took out a long, thin, black box. He passed it to her. Carefully Aphei opened it. It held a necklace. A single, tiny, perfect, white rose head hung from the delicate gold chain. Gently Fiscaan took it from the box, undid the clasp and tenderly hung it around her neck.
"It's beautiful." Breathed Aphei touching it reverently with her slender fingers. "Thank you Fiscaan." She said taking his hand as it slipped from her shoulder.
They left the restaurant soon after and went for a long walk around the paved streets. Sometime after midnight Fiscaan returned her to her apartments. She kissed him lightly on the cheek to say good night and then tumbled into bed with much to think on.
Aphei slept late and was not woken until her maid decided she had had more than enough sleep and opened the curtains to let in a stream of bright morning sunlight. Aphei groaned and rolled over putting her head under her pillow.
"Miss." Came the annoyed reply to her movements. Her head emerged again, squinting. The maid tapped her foot irritably. Aphei dived under the covers again. There was a sudden cold draft around her legs as the maid whisked the covers off. She tried to fit under the pillow.
"Alright, alright!" Aphei said desperately as Usilla her maid started tickling her feet. "I'm up!" Aphei sat up and shook her hair out. Tutting, Usilla was prowling around the room picking things up and putting them away. Aphei watched glumly, she would never find anything once Usilla had tidied it away.
"Aphei," She scolded, "you left that dress on the floor last night." She said brandishing the evidence in front of Aphei's barely open eyes. "Look at it now! I'm taking it straight to the cleaners." She added it to the growing stack in the middle of the floor. Aphei padded over to her closet and grabbed a shirt and trousers at random. Usilla snatched the shirt out of her hands and plonked that on the washing pile as well.
'Apparently not.' thought Aphei raising an eyebrow. She returned to the closet and grabbed something else and dodging the cleaning whirl wind of disgruntled maid she made it to her dressing room. While dressing she listened to the running commentary from Usilla. Nothing got past Usilla.
Apparently there was some foreigner woman called Medea who had the whole court abuzz and Ageus seemed to really like her. Usilla said she ought to beware of that one, she had the king wrapped round her little finger apparently. Usilla rattled on for a while and then there was a knock at the door. Usilla bustled off to answer it still talking. The nosy of her constant prattling stopped and Aphei heard voices. Usilla burst into her dressing room in a fluster.
"Oh hurry up and get dressed miss." Usilla twittered excitedly. "Guess who's come to see you!" Aphei raised an eye brow at her, she was not guessing this soon after getting up.
"Fiscaan Bandrrok."
The message slowly made its way through the labyrinth of Aphei's still sleep fuddled brain. She finished dressing and wandered through her bedroom and bathroom to the front room by the door. There was someone standing on the balcony with his back to her. She stared at him with a confused look. The message finally found a working part of her brain. Fiscaan had gone through to the balcony. She went to join him.
"Good morning flower." Fiscaan greeted her with his smile.
"Good morning." She answered with a nod leaning against the rail next to him.
"I see you are still wearing my gift." He said touching the rose resting gently at her throat. His hand trailed up her neck to her cheek. She kissed his fingers then quickly took it back to the rail. He held onto her hand gently on the rail.
"Ara is coming out of the forest today." Aphei said.
"The warrior girl?" Fiscaan asked. Aphei nodded. "Ara does not sound very foreign to me." He said sceptically.
"Oh it's not her real name. It sounds a bit like her real name but no one can pronounce it." She laughed slightly. Fiscaan frowned.
"A bit like that lad I knew, Ky. He had a funny name too. He was foreign. Pale hair and grey eyes, very odd fellow. I wonder what happened to him."
"Ky?" Aphei asked starting to frown to. "There was a boy taking the test at the same time as Ara called that. Ky." She mused. "I bet it's the same one."
Brousk stormed across the grounds. He had just heard something he did not liked. Everyone was turning and hurrying off in the opposite direction when they saw him coming in such a temper that most would not have been surprised if lightning had come down and struck something. He stalked into the black elites building. Raising a giant ham fist he pounded on Pirrishane, the black elite gold belt's door. It shuddered violently and the hinges creaked.
"No need to blow the door down!" Came the exclaimed reply. "When I last looked door knobs had been invented!" There was a pause and a thin, sinuous and grumbling person in black with a gold belt around his middle gingerly opened the door hoping it would not change its mind and crash on top of him. "Might as well come in through the wall the way you were going on."
"You put Ara through the CAVERN!" Brousk bellowed into his face.
"Calm down!" Pirrishane exclaimed. "I had my reasons."
"YOU HAD YOUR REASONS!" Said Brousk getting louder.
"Oh please don't lay the whole building flat, people will be wondering if an elephant stomped in here!" Pirrishane clapped him on the shoulder. "Look, maybe I just wanted to be sure she was up to the job and maybe I was a little biased against her but the thing is she passed and that's alright."
"ALRIGHT! I'LL GIVE YOU ALRIGHT! YOU CAN TAKE ALRIGHT AND SHOVE IT UP YOUR…!"
"Brousk!" Pirrishane interrupted quickly. "Look, just calm down for a minute." Brousk lowered the fist he had been waving about and some of the red drained from his face as he struggled to keep a leash on his anger, the problem was the leash kept breaking when ever someone spoke to him.
"Pir, do you realise that you made Ara undergo the test for a gold belt!" Brousk said disbelievingly.
"Just the forest part, how did you find out anyway?" Pirrishane asked.
"Gishkain the stealth gold belt sent one of his boys to me, he sounded quite worried." Brousk said threateningly.
"Oh."
AN. Review? Plez? It would be v nice cos im so used 2 my email thing sayin I have 0 new emails.