Chapter 24

Eliena climbed into bed, thinking about the conversation she'd had with Neal and Kaddar when Leo had stormed out.

"Do you really see me that way?" Eliena asked. Neal and Kaddar shook their heads.

"Eliena, don't you get it?" Neal questioned.


"No," Eliena snapped. "Obviously not."


"Cool it," Neal told her. "You've never noticed how Leo looks at you? I noticed it the first time I saw him around you. He likes you, El. And not just as his best friend."


"What?" Eliena asked, shocked. Leo? No- it couldn't be.

"I noticed too," Kaddar agreed. "He's jealous, Eliena. He knows that the chance is slim that he'll ever be the one you love."

"But…" Eliena filled her cheeks with air and let it out in a puff. "Really?" Kaddar and Neal nodded. "But…Leo? He's never done anything…" She recalled how, when she had taken a ride with Neal and Leo during one of the balls, Leo had quickly changed the subject when she spoke of love and marriage. "Oh, Goddess. He…" She buried her face in her hands. "I am so stupid! To think I never noticed it! Oh, Mithros, he's my best friend! How could I do this? I wish… why couldn't he have just told me?"


"Because he saw the way every other man in Court looked at you," Neal replied. "Even the married men and the old conservatives look at you with a touch of love in their eyes- don't tell me you haven't noticed. I know how he feels. Do you know how hard it is to approach you, Eliena? You're always laughing and smiling with other women, or with your parents. It's hard for us to approach a girl who looks like that. And none of us want to be 'just another man' who looks at you in love and wants you." Eliena blushed. "Do you know how many men would kill to spend one minute with you, Eli?"


"I don't believe it." She shook her head. "I'm not that popular!"

"No. But the men who've had a glimpse of Eliena love you because you're you. The others love you because you're the princess and they would love to boast that they shared their bed with the Tortallan heiress." Eliena turned beet red.


"Stop it," she said. "Just stop. I don't want to hear it." She sighed. "I just want to go to sleep. I'm sorry, Neal, Kaddar. I really am."


"Don't be sorry," Kaddar told her. "You can't hide feelings for that long." Thinking of Leo, Eliena nodded.


"Yeah," she remarked. "I just wish it were easier." Not for the first time, she wished she weren't a princess and she had never come to Carthak. "Good night." Kaddar kissed her cheek and Neal kissed her forehead.


"Sleep well," they said, shutting the door.


"Yeah, you too."

Eliena stared at the dark ceiling and sighed. How could she miss Leo's feelings? Thinking back, he'd made them blatantly obvious to anyone who looked. He'd come to Carthak to rescue her. And Neal had come along. It was clear to Eliena that Leo had come up with the idea. He'd risked a lot, coming without her father knowing.

She rolled onto her side. There wasn't time to think of it now. She needed to get some rest. Her mother had often told her that things looked better after sleeping on them. Eliena closed her eyes and dreamed of the men who she loved in one way or another: her father, George, Myles, Leo, Neal, Numair, Kaddar, Duke Gareth, Raoul, Gary, Thom, her brother… every last one of them.

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"Elenia! Time to get up!" Thayet called.

"I'm up!" Eliena called back, opening her door. She wore a basic butter colored silk dress, with her hair pulled out of her face in a half-horsetail. Her black curls snaked down her back and contrasted the light color of the dress. Thayet smiled.

"Beautiful," she remarked. "As always." Eliena smiled.

"Thanks. Is Daine up?" she asked.

"Yes," Daine answered curtly from behind Thayet.

"Daine! Come here." Eliena grabbed her friend's wrist and dragged her into her room, shutting the door.

"What do you want?" Daine asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I want to say I'm sorry," Eliena replied. "Last night… I wasn't thinking clearly. It was a mistake. Actually, no." Daine raised her eyebrows. "I don't want to marry Numair, I don't love him in that way. I explained this to Kaddar, Neal, and Leo last night. We're all entitled to our little romances when we're young. Well, this is mine. With your permission or not Daine, I'm going to continue it. I'd rather you were my friend, but if you can't deal with a part of me… well, I just don't see the point."

"You finished?" Daine asked.

"Yes," Eliena replied.

"Well, then." Daine threw her arms around Eliena.

"Um, OK…" Eliena said, not quite getting it.

"That's all I wanted to hear: that you don't want to marry Numair." As soon as the words escaped her, Daine clapped a hand over her mouth and swore. A smile spread across Eliena's face.

"Daine… do you have something to share?" Daine shook her head, keeping her hand clamped tight over her mouth. "Daine…" Eliena pried her friend's hand off. "OK, you need to enlighten me now. Do you love him, Daine?" Daine mumbled something incoherent. "What?"

"Yes. I wasn't… I wasn't sure until last night… when I saw you kiss, something stung. I didn't know what it was… and I felt so bad…" Eliena put her hand on Daine's shoulder.

"Shh," Eliena told her. "Stop fussing." Eliena looked serious. "If you don't want me to be with Numair, I won't."

"You'd do that for me?" Daine looked up at Eliena through her thick black eyelashes.

"Of course," Eliena replied. "That's what friends do. And you, Veralidaine Sarrasri, are my best friend. Now, shall we take care of our little… problem?" Eliena and Daine smiled at each other. Eliena slung her arm around Daine's shoulder and they left the room, looking like the friends they were.

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"Your imperial majesty!" Eliena gasped that day at lunch.

"What is it, Eliena?" Ozorne asked.

"You look ill!" Eliena replied. "You're pale… and you look tired."

"I feel just fine," Ozorne assured her. Eliena glanced at Daine, who was beside her, when really looking at Numair, who was carefully hidden behind the girl.

"You look simply terrible," Daine told him. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I feel fine, girls, really. I thank you for your-actually, now that you mention it, I do feel a bit ill," Ozorne remarked, putting his hand to his head.

"Oh, your imperial majesty! My mother is a healer, she's taught me some," Eliena said. "Let me look…" She used the inside of her wrist to feel his forehead. "You're burning up!" She called up her Gift and pretended to look at Ozorne using it. "And your Gift is dimming. Oh, there's your life force… oh, dear." Anyone who knew Eliena knew that she never said "oh, dear." Fortunately, Emperor Ozorne didn't know Eliena all that well.

"What is it?" Ozorne sounded concerned.

Eliena met his eyes. "Your life force… it's almost gone," Eliena told him quietly.

"No!" Ozorne cried. "It isn't! I've felt perfectly fine!"

"These things can sneak up on you." Eliena shrugged. "At this point, there is nothing any healer can do."

"Are you positive? Maybe I could have one of my healers look at me…" Ozorne suggested.

"No!" Eliena exclaimed. Ozorne looked at her curiously. She blushed. "I mean, there's no need for that. My mother cured my father of the Sweating Sickness. She's taught me well, as has the palace healer, Duke Baird. I've been educated by some of the best healers in the world. I believe I know what I am talking about." Eliena was lying, but she had been taught very well. She put a comforting hand on Ozorne's forearm. "If you would like to begin making preparations, I would understand."

"Are you positive?" Ozorne asked, eyes concerned. "You're sure that it's… fading?"

"It's almost gone," Eliena replied. Ozorne sighed.

"Well, if that's the way it has to be…" Something flashed in his dark eyes. "Wait a moment… Eliena, darling, could you possibly ask Kaddar and Lindhall to come to my chambers. If you might come as well… and the Stormwing Rikash." Eliena nodded and curtsied deeply.

"As you wish, your imperial majesty," she replied. She turned and left, smiling to herself. So far, so good. She gave Numair a thumbs-up and went to find the people Ozorne had asked for.

Author's Note- ah, I love a good scheme. Now, soon the involvement with EM will be over and we can get to the GOOD stuff, aka ROTG… REVIEW.