Heart Duel
Disclaimer: Look at previous chapters. Thanks to Ms Smith for the names of the Landis family.
Chapter 14: Fault and Folly
Travelling along the dusty roads did not help Naria's sickness one bit. In fact, in made her worse. The deterioration of her health made all of us increasingly worried, especially Derrick and Kaelen. It did not help that they kept ordering her to rest and ensuring that she listened to their orders. Both of us became increasingly short tempered in the carriage, and my only respite was during my horse riding lessons.
The day began as usual, with the sun dyeing the sky red and pink. I rolled about lazily in my cot. Stretching my arms over my head, I climbed out of what had been my bed for the past couple of weeks, and made my way down to the nearby stream. After cleaning myself and changing out of my shift into a shirt and breeches, I went back to the tent I shared with Naria to check on her. She was still slightly feverish, but as compared to yesterday, her condition was improving.
I soaked the cloth on her forehead in the cool stream water, and replaced it, hoping to bring down her temperature. "Sleep well, my friend, and get better soon," I murmured, "For all of us."
I wasn't an early riser, but today was an exception. The rest of our entourage were just waking up. Entering the other "Royal Tent" which housed Derrick and Kaelen, I was not surprised to see Derrick sprawled on his cot with his mouth hanging half open. I smothered a giggle to keep from waking the other occupant.
It was going to be time for my horse riding lessons, but my teacher was still asleep! He looked peaceful, I thought. I could almost imagine him as one of the Tree Folk, with his tanned skin, brown hair and serene smile. Reaching out a hand to brush away a lock of hair which had fallen into his face, I was shocked when his eyes flew open and he grabbed my outstretched wrist with one hand, a dagger in the other.
When he finally got a good look at me, he cursed and released me. "What do you think you're doing?"
Staring at him in shock, or more appropriately the place where the dagger was a moment ago, I stuttered an apology before fleeing. By then, Derrick had awoken from his slumber, and was staring at the both of us groggily.
What was I thinking? Going into their tent like that. Without warning. How could I have wanted to touch him so intimately? "You were just brushing away a lock of his hair", I told myself. Just? To what, help him breathe easier? Or did I just want to touch him? If yes, why?
My relationship with Kaelen was getting more and more confusing by the day. I regarded him as a friend, and I'm sure he feels the same way, but I can't help but feel an attraction to him. It's probably jus the fact that he's handsome and royal and from some exotic far-off kingdom I've never been to before. These were just a few of the factors that made the ladies swarm around him like bees to a hive, right? Yes, that must be it.
I had seated myself by one of the campfires, rubbing my arms to keep warm, when I heard someone approach me from behind. I did not need to see to guess who it was. He stepped over the log that served as my bench and sat down gracefully next to me. "I'm sorry for scaring you," he mumbled, head resting on crossed arms that were propped across his knees.
"It was my fault, I shouldn't have crept up on you like that."
"Actually, the fault was mine." I looked up at him questioningly. A smile was tugging at his lips. "A teacher shouldn't keep his pupil waiting!" he added, running his fingers through my loose hair. I blushed scarlet.
"You sleep with a dagger?" I asked, truly curious, for I had thought that it was safe enough with soldiers standing guard nearby. He explained that it was a habit he had whenever he was out in the wilderness.
The servants began cooking the morning meal with the help of the soldiers, as Kalen led me to where Aysharra was grazing. "Today, I'm going to teach you how to jump a fence," he said. He demonstrated how I should go about "jumping the fence", and gave me tips about how my posture should be, so on so forth. "Your turn," he said, handing Aysharra's reins to me.
Swinging myself into the saddle, I went to the far end of the little clearing. The pile of logs that served as the "fence" certainly looked intimidating from here. "Are you ready?" shouted Kaelen, who was standing near the "fence". I nodded, and spurred Aysharra into a gallop at the wave of his hand. The "fence" grew bigger as I neared it, and my courage evaporated.
"I can't!" I yelled, before yanking hard on the reins, swerving Aysharra to the right, away from Kaelen, at the very last minute. The sharpness of the turn caused both of us to be thrown off balance, and I felt the world tip sideways as the ground rose up to meet us. Almost immediately, I felt a sharp pain in my leg. Dazed, I attempted to sit up, only to discover that Aysharra was lying sideways on my right leg.
Kaelen was already at my side, cradling my head in his hands. "Lana, Lana, look at me!" he cried, as Aysharra struggled to her feet. She snorted loudly and tossed her head in my direction, 'Probably cursing me for my stupidity,' I thought. At least she seemed all right, and at least I was still able to think straight.
Blood was trickling down my leg from a gash inflicted by a piece of rock, and a dull pain had replaced the sharp one. I groaned as Kaelen carried me up in his arms. "I'm quite all right," I protested feebly, attempting vainly to push myself away from his muscled chest.
"No you're not," he replied quite sternly. "You've said that you were 'all right' a million times since I met you, but this is certainly not an 'all right' matter at all."
What else could I say? I was still feeling a little dizzy, so I rested my head against the very chest I had been trying to push away from a moment ago. And beneath the thin linen shirt, I felt an expanse of warm skin, under which beat the heart of a friend. As I closed my eyes, I breathed in his woody scent, thinking once again of home, and allowed myself a small smile.
~*~
Naria and I had been "ordered", or more accurately - imprisoned in our carriage. Just as well, the gash in my leg still hurt when I walked.
"It was all my fault!" I said for the thousandth time that week. "If I hadn't waited till the last minute to stop, I wouldn't have needed to swerve, which means that I wouldn't have fallen, bringing Aysharra down with me, and getting this ghastly cut on my leg!"
Naria had already tired of the subject days ago, but still tried to quell my guilt. "It was a moment of folly."
"A moment of stupidity, you mean," I replied, sulking.
She threw her hands up into the air in despair, before crossing them over her chest and glaring at me. "You know what is really stupid about this whole affair?" without waiting for my answer, she replied, "You! You moping about this 'thing' that happened weeks ago! You got hurt, but you're healing! Everything's fine!"
I stared blankly at her for a few moments after the end of her tirade. I had never seen her so agitated she was always so calm and collected. "But Aysharra could've thrown a shoe, or worse, broken a leg!"
"Burn it! She's just a horse."
'Your brother's horse,' I added under my breath.
She must have heard me, for she retorted in an instant. "My brother is a man and not a stallion, that gives him enough sense to care more for you than his horse!"
That shut me up, and we spent the next few time changes in uncomfortable silence. Looking back, the 'uncomfortable silence' was much better than what was to come.
~*~
It was about a time change after Naria's outburst. The clip clopping of horse hooves and the occasional bump of a carriage wheel had faded into the background. Everything was normal. That is before I heard a blood-curdling scream coming from behind us.
I twisted in my seat, trying to spot the source of that scream through the little glass window. What I saw made me want to scream, but I clapped my hands over my mouth, stifling the sound. "What is it?" asked Naria, who was still straining to see what the hullabaloo was all about.
My eyes wide with fright, I gasped, "Bandits!"
In an instant, soldiers atop their horses surrounded our carriage. The bandits swarmed all around us, gushing out of the forest in a never-ending stream. "Protect the princess and Lady Tylana!" I heard Derrick yell, before he, Kaelen and Lord Felix rode into the fray with swords raised.
My cousin the joker was gone, replaced by the warrior who was all seriousness. Perspiration beaded his brow as he swung his blade in every possible direction, defending himself and attacking his opponents. Kaelen was doing the same, and there was fierceness about him that I had never seen before. Lord Felix seemed to be faring better, as his attackers were no match for his swiftness, often missing their target. Or did they seem to be moving far more slowly than their comrades? Regardless, all of them were soon splattered with blood.
The sight of all that blood made me want to throw up, and I did so, forcing open the carriage door and emptying my stomach of its contents on the ground. I discovered too late that that was a bad idea, seeing a bear of a man standing scant inches away from me. His hair was unkempt, and his yellowed teeth were exposed in a lecherous grin. Another wave of nausea hit me as I glanced quickly around for the soldiers who had surrounded us a moment ago. They were all engaged in combat. We were alone. So I did the only thing my body wanted to do, and threw up over my would-be attacker.
"Why you little she dog!" he snarled, lunging for me.
I drew back, but he had lightning fast reflexes for one so stout, and grabbed me by the shoulders, dragging me out of the carriage and onto the floor. He terrified me, he really did. I could tell that he wasn't like Thoran, Thoran was a baby compared to him. I thrashed my legs about wildly, as much as it hurt to move the right one, aiming for his gut and groin. I heard Naria scream as she too was dragged out of the carriage by another bandit.
"What you reckon we got, Karael?" asked my attacker.
"Beats me, but they must be some precious princesses or somethin' to have this many people protecting 'em and those court dandies risking life an' limb fer them," replied Naria's attacker, jerking his head in the direction of the place where the fight was the thickest.
Court dandies? Those men (and women) were my family and friends! All around us screams and shouts could be heard. A number of ladies from the Erev-li- Erval delegation had also met with our fate, but they too, were not going down without a fight. Many of them, had "weapons" like fans and hairpins about their person, and a few like myself had daggers. I reached for the goldenwood dagger in my right boot, only to discover it was not there!
My attacker caught my groping hands and laughed. "Bet you didn't know that Vedrae is still as frisky as one of yer court dandies, eh?" he twirled my dagger in his hand before tossing it aside to grab hold of my hands by the wrists, and stretched them over my head while pressing them against the rocky ground, straddling me between his thighs.
Naria had fallen silent. I didn't notice it earlier due to all my thrashing and yelling, but I did now. She wasn't dead was she? Her attacker was doing to her what my attacker was doing to me. His filthy hands caressed her fair face, and ran down the length of her body, but she did not move. "Naria!" I screamed. But still she did not respond.
"Forget about your friend, dearie. Vedrae is gonna keep yer busy for quite a while," said my attacker, tearing at my clothes single-handedly. Where were the guards?
I couldn't help it anymore, tears coursed down my face as I continued to thrash wildly under Vedrae, to no avail. Naria was dead. Life! The person I was supposed to take care of was dead.
As Vedrae lowered his stinking mouth to mine, I squeezed my eyes shut, my lips compressed and twisted in disgust. Then, he fell on top of me. The air in my lungs exploded out in a great gush, and I found Vedrae lying facedown on my chest, his jaw slack. Hurriedly, I flipped his body of mine, grateful that he had had a timely heart attack.
Then, the other bandits began dropping like flies. Their weapons fell from limp hands as they collapsed onto the ground in a lifeless heap. Naria's attacker toppled over sideways, saving her from being crushed. What was going on?
The soldiers and courtiers looked around in confusion. I scrambled over to Naria's lifeless body, hugging it to me, swaying back and forth in my grief. At least she had died in peace, she had no expression, her features were calm, her skin as pale as death.
I heard footsteps behind me, and turned to see Derrick, Kaelen and Lord Felix approaching. "She's gone," I whispered. "I'm so sorry. I tried, I really did!" I was close to being hysterical. Kaelen knelt behind me, removing his coat to cover my torn clothes. I could not bear to meet his eyes, but if he was grieving, he was not showing it.
Derrick gathered Naria in his arms, staring at her, as if hoping that if he stared hard enough, she would awaken. Then a tear fell from his eye and onto her lips, and her eyes flew open as she gasped. Her eyes were blank for the briefest second, before they refocused. The first thing she saw was Derrick's tear-filled eyes. Slowly, she raised her hand and brushed away the tears rolling down his cheeks. "Don't cry," she breathed. Shock would have been an understatement. "You're alive!" I cried, now crying tears of joy.
She looked at me in surprise and smiled a watery smile. "Of course I'm alive, I was just in a trance." She looked at her brother and said, "You knew, why didn't you say anything?"
"I wasn't sure, Naria. You looked so pale. I just feared the worst." He paused, holding her chin between his thumb and index finger to make her look into his eyes. "Don't ever scare us like that again."
Lord Felix who had remained silent throughout suddenly cleared his throat and inquired on whether we had been harmed, before suggesting that we find a place to rest.
While the soldiers helped tie up the bandits, the servants helped with the wounded. The courtiers discussed what was to be done with the bandits, who as it turned out, were not dead but sleeping. Naria had put them to sleep by "snuffing out their thoughts" as she put it. She had to concentrate and focus on her task, not with fear or anger, but with calmness. That was why she had withdrawn into her mind when Kerael attacked her, and had not responded to my screams.
Once again, I berated myself for my foolishness, blaming my weak stomach and my stupidity. But what was done was done, and nothing could change that. To help me keep my mind off what had just transpired, Naria told me what she had done while I was fighting off Vedrae.
Apparently, she had tried to grab hold of my ankles when I was dragged out of the carriage, but missed, and was instead spotted by Karael, who upon seeing Vedrae attacking me, discovered that he would not settle for less.
"When he reached for me, I screamed so loudly that I feared the glass would break," she said, wincing as she shifted in her seat. "Then, when he was conversing with your attacker, I remembered that I had gifts!"
"You mean you could forget?" I asked with a grin.
She blushed. "I was so afraid for your safety and mine, that I lost all rational thought. Anyway," she continued. "I remembered an exercise Mother used to make me practice when I was young. It involved me seeking out the minds of those around me, finding out who and where they are by following the core of their being - a glowing light amongst their swirling thoughts." I nodded for her to continue.
"I used to enjoy this exercise as it filled me with excitement, I felt like a spy on a secret mission! Then one day while trying to take a nap, a crow began to caw right outside my window. He was making such a racket! Without opening my eyes, I reached for his mind with mine."
"Then?" I prompted.
"I snuffed out that light!" she proclaimed.
"Snuffed? Wouldn't that kill him?" I asked.
"It could have, but I was too young and weak to do that then. Today, I controlled the amount of energy I used, thus 'dimming' and not 'snuffing' the consciousness of the bandits."
I finally understood what she was trying to tell me. "So you saved all of us!" She glowed at the praise, but quickly grew sombre.
"I could've killed them if I was not careful enough," she added quietly, before proceeding to tell me that she had remained in a trance even after all the bandits lost consciousness, as she was making sure that those left conscious were our own people.
That was the first time I had witnessed Naria work great magic, but it certainly would not be the last.
~*~
We were delayed by the bandit attack, but we made up for lost time by travelling doubly faster when we were all mended and fit to travel. I would have the scar on my leg forever, but after hobbling around for weeks, walking was a joy.
My horse riding lessons had been discontinued as most of our time was spent travelling or resting. Of the two, I preferred the latter. It was during the times when we made camp, that we were able to sit on firm ground, around a blazing campfire, singing or dancing or telling stories to entertain one another. This was done with one and all, from servants and soldiers to courtiers. Here, we were equals, at least for a short while.
My excitement grew as we neared Erev-li-Erval. We had passed villages and towns, all of whom had welcomed us warmly and with much aplomb. The neat and ordered villages and towns could not prepare me for what I would greet us at the capital.
I could barely believe my eyes. What had seemed like a huge white pillar holding up the sky from a distance became an ice-like stone tower as we drew near. It seemed to glow from within, emanating a power that hung in the air. "It's manipulated by magic, that's why there are no stone joins," explained Naria.
As we rattled noisily into the parade square in front of the royal palace, I stared at my surroundings in awe. Derrick's expression was no different. Derrick and Kaelen escorted Naria and I up the vast staircase respectively.
Three figures approached us from the end of the hallway. I made out a man, a woman and a young girl. "They must be your family, right?" I asked, whispering into Kaelen's ear.
"That would be correct. My mother - Queen Yustnesveas, my father - King Rel and my youngest sister - Princess Merewen Arelien. We just call her Arel," he whispered back.
The King and Queen made a very handsome couple, and Arel looked a bit like both, with black hair and dark blue eyes. I realised that Kaelen and Naria looked unlike their parents, save for the fact that Kaelen had his mother's hair and father's nose, while Naria's eyes were stuck out slightly, like her mother's.
The King and Queen greeted us before embracing their children in turn. Arel, who looked about fourteen, just glowed with happiness at her siblings' return. After introductions were made, we were ushered into a nicely decorated room for tea. Just an excuse for a getting-to-know-you session, of course!
~*~
A/N: This has taken a very time, but I am a very busy person. Anyway, it's up now, so no complaining. This chapter was fun to write as it is more action-packed I guess. Naturally, the next chapter will be set in Erev-li- Erval, and I'd need more information from Sherwood to do a good job. That means another long wait for the next chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!
Please R & R!
~*~
*A/N: Okay, I've always had the habit of replying to every single review regardless of how long or short it is. Most of the time it's just thanking the reviewers for reviewing or commenting or complimenting. However, I am now receiving WAY more reviews than when I first started, so it's getting harder to reply to every single one. This doesn't mean I don't appreciate you guys of course! In fact, I want MORE reviews!
So to keep everyone happy, I'll reply to those reviews that I think need replying or to welcome new readers and such, while thanking all the rest of the reviewers in my Author's Note! But if you want me to reply to your review no matter what, mention it in your review, okay?
A Big Thank You to all of you! P.S* I've added more of you guys to my update list, but if you don't want to receive an update notification, email me or put it in your review!
~*~
Susan: Thanks for loving it.I love it too.it's my first baby. You're another one who likes my descriptions. Goes to show that I don't write it all for nothing. Grammatical errors can't be helped because no one actually proof reads my stuff. I just use the computer, and the computer isn't as good as the human brain. About them getting together, you'll just have to wait and see!
Cinnamonflamez: More and more people are starting to like my descriptions, yeah! Its fun to write descriptions, you feel as if you are there in the middle of everything. Haha, I'm not sure if gen cleared things up with you yet, but I'm not from China, not directly anyway. I'm Chinese though, and I live in a sunny island called Singapore in SE Asia. Yes the element of surprise is coming that is why I'm building up the suspense and all.
Chutney: Kaelen's a sweetie, isn't he?
Doublemint729: You can "relate" to Lana? How? I would've gladly written about what happened in the month after the ball, but then the plot wouldn't move along. Besides life at court isn't all that exciting. Still - I try to make it fun!
Blodeuwedd: I'm not a really good poet, so most of my quotes and such are from books or the Internet. I thought about making her sing, but as I wrote the chapter, it grew kind of weird to have her singing. Sorry! About Naria and Lana going into town as commoners, I never intended for them to do so in Remalna, but it's going to happen in Erev-li-Erval, so it'll be in the next few chapters or so!
Deliandery: Lana did make a couple of mistakes in this chapter, didn't she? First, the horse incident, then the puking one. It's also why this chapter is entitled Fault and Folly. Kaelen isn't exactly jealous of Felix, because Lana isn't particularly close to Felix. In fact, she spends more time with Kaelen, so ther'e nothing for him to be jealous about! Thanks for the suggestion, but I don't think I'm that good a writer to write a verbal duel without making it seem childish. I'll try to give it a shot sometime though!
Lotsa Lurve, FelSong
Disclaimer: Look at previous chapters. Thanks to Ms Smith for the names of the Landis family.
Chapter 14: Fault and Folly
Travelling along the dusty roads did not help Naria's sickness one bit. In fact, in made her worse. The deterioration of her health made all of us increasingly worried, especially Derrick and Kaelen. It did not help that they kept ordering her to rest and ensuring that she listened to their orders. Both of us became increasingly short tempered in the carriage, and my only respite was during my horse riding lessons.
The day began as usual, with the sun dyeing the sky red and pink. I rolled about lazily in my cot. Stretching my arms over my head, I climbed out of what had been my bed for the past couple of weeks, and made my way down to the nearby stream. After cleaning myself and changing out of my shift into a shirt and breeches, I went back to the tent I shared with Naria to check on her. She was still slightly feverish, but as compared to yesterday, her condition was improving.
I soaked the cloth on her forehead in the cool stream water, and replaced it, hoping to bring down her temperature. "Sleep well, my friend, and get better soon," I murmured, "For all of us."
I wasn't an early riser, but today was an exception. The rest of our entourage were just waking up. Entering the other "Royal Tent" which housed Derrick and Kaelen, I was not surprised to see Derrick sprawled on his cot with his mouth hanging half open. I smothered a giggle to keep from waking the other occupant.
It was going to be time for my horse riding lessons, but my teacher was still asleep! He looked peaceful, I thought. I could almost imagine him as one of the Tree Folk, with his tanned skin, brown hair and serene smile. Reaching out a hand to brush away a lock of hair which had fallen into his face, I was shocked when his eyes flew open and he grabbed my outstretched wrist with one hand, a dagger in the other.
When he finally got a good look at me, he cursed and released me. "What do you think you're doing?"
Staring at him in shock, or more appropriately the place where the dagger was a moment ago, I stuttered an apology before fleeing. By then, Derrick had awoken from his slumber, and was staring at the both of us groggily.
What was I thinking? Going into their tent like that. Without warning. How could I have wanted to touch him so intimately? "You were just brushing away a lock of his hair", I told myself. Just? To what, help him breathe easier? Or did I just want to touch him? If yes, why?
My relationship with Kaelen was getting more and more confusing by the day. I regarded him as a friend, and I'm sure he feels the same way, but I can't help but feel an attraction to him. It's probably jus the fact that he's handsome and royal and from some exotic far-off kingdom I've never been to before. These were just a few of the factors that made the ladies swarm around him like bees to a hive, right? Yes, that must be it.
I had seated myself by one of the campfires, rubbing my arms to keep warm, when I heard someone approach me from behind. I did not need to see to guess who it was. He stepped over the log that served as my bench and sat down gracefully next to me. "I'm sorry for scaring you," he mumbled, head resting on crossed arms that were propped across his knees.
"It was my fault, I shouldn't have crept up on you like that."
"Actually, the fault was mine." I looked up at him questioningly. A smile was tugging at his lips. "A teacher shouldn't keep his pupil waiting!" he added, running his fingers through my loose hair. I blushed scarlet.
"You sleep with a dagger?" I asked, truly curious, for I had thought that it was safe enough with soldiers standing guard nearby. He explained that it was a habit he had whenever he was out in the wilderness.
The servants began cooking the morning meal with the help of the soldiers, as Kalen led me to where Aysharra was grazing. "Today, I'm going to teach you how to jump a fence," he said. He demonstrated how I should go about "jumping the fence", and gave me tips about how my posture should be, so on so forth. "Your turn," he said, handing Aysharra's reins to me.
Swinging myself into the saddle, I went to the far end of the little clearing. The pile of logs that served as the "fence" certainly looked intimidating from here. "Are you ready?" shouted Kaelen, who was standing near the "fence". I nodded, and spurred Aysharra into a gallop at the wave of his hand. The "fence" grew bigger as I neared it, and my courage evaporated.
"I can't!" I yelled, before yanking hard on the reins, swerving Aysharra to the right, away from Kaelen, at the very last minute. The sharpness of the turn caused both of us to be thrown off balance, and I felt the world tip sideways as the ground rose up to meet us. Almost immediately, I felt a sharp pain in my leg. Dazed, I attempted to sit up, only to discover that Aysharra was lying sideways on my right leg.
Kaelen was already at my side, cradling my head in his hands. "Lana, Lana, look at me!" he cried, as Aysharra struggled to her feet. She snorted loudly and tossed her head in my direction, 'Probably cursing me for my stupidity,' I thought. At least she seemed all right, and at least I was still able to think straight.
Blood was trickling down my leg from a gash inflicted by a piece of rock, and a dull pain had replaced the sharp one. I groaned as Kaelen carried me up in his arms. "I'm quite all right," I protested feebly, attempting vainly to push myself away from his muscled chest.
"No you're not," he replied quite sternly. "You've said that you were 'all right' a million times since I met you, but this is certainly not an 'all right' matter at all."
What else could I say? I was still feeling a little dizzy, so I rested my head against the very chest I had been trying to push away from a moment ago. And beneath the thin linen shirt, I felt an expanse of warm skin, under which beat the heart of a friend. As I closed my eyes, I breathed in his woody scent, thinking once again of home, and allowed myself a small smile.
~*~
Naria and I had been "ordered", or more accurately - imprisoned in our carriage. Just as well, the gash in my leg still hurt when I walked.
"It was all my fault!" I said for the thousandth time that week. "If I hadn't waited till the last minute to stop, I wouldn't have needed to swerve, which means that I wouldn't have fallen, bringing Aysharra down with me, and getting this ghastly cut on my leg!"
Naria had already tired of the subject days ago, but still tried to quell my guilt. "It was a moment of folly."
"A moment of stupidity, you mean," I replied, sulking.
She threw her hands up into the air in despair, before crossing them over her chest and glaring at me. "You know what is really stupid about this whole affair?" without waiting for my answer, she replied, "You! You moping about this 'thing' that happened weeks ago! You got hurt, but you're healing! Everything's fine!"
I stared blankly at her for a few moments after the end of her tirade. I had never seen her so agitated she was always so calm and collected. "But Aysharra could've thrown a shoe, or worse, broken a leg!"
"Burn it! She's just a horse."
'Your brother's horse,' I added under my breath.
She must have heard me, for she retorted in an instant. "My brother is a man and not a stallion, that gives him enough sense to care more for you than his horse!"
That shut me up, and we spent the next few time changes in uncomfortable silence. Looking back, the 'uncomfortable silence' was much better than what was to come.
~*~
It was about a time change after Naria's outburst. The clip clopping of horse hooves and the occasional bump of a carriage wheel had faded into the background. Everything was normal. That is before I heard a blood-curdling scream coming from behind us.
I twisted in my seat, trying to spot the source of that scream through the little glass window. What I saw made me want to scream, but I clapped my hands over my mouth, stifling the sound. "What is it?" asked Naria, who was still straining to see what the hullabaloo was all about.
My eyes wide with fright, I gasped, "Bandits!"
In an instant, soldiers atop their horses surrounded our carriage. The bandits swarmed all around us, gushing out of the forest in a never-ending stream. "Protect the princess and Lady Tylana!" I heard Derrick yell, before he, Kaelen and Lord Felix rode into the fray with swords raised.
My cousin the joker was gone, replaced by the warrior who was all seriousness. Perspiration beaded his brow as he swung his blade in every possible direction, defending himself and attacking his opponents. Kaelen was doing the same, and there was fierceness about him that I had never seen before. Lord Felix seemed to be faring better, as his attackers were no match for his swiftness, often missing their target. Or did they seem to be moving far more slowly than their comrades? Regardless, all of them were soon splattered with blood.
The sight of all that blood made me want to throw up, and I did so, forcing open the carriage door and emptying my stomach of its contents on the ground. I discovered too late that that was a bad idea, seeing a bear of a man standing scant inches away from me. His hair was unkempt, and his yellowed teeth were exposed in a lecherous grin. Another wave of nausea hit me as I glanced quickly around for the soldiers who had surrounded us a moment ago. They were all engaged in combat. We were alone. So I did the only thing my body wanted to do, and threw up over my would-be attacker.
"Why you little she dog!" he snarled, lunging for me.
I drew back, but he had lightning fast reflexes for one so stout, and grabbed me by the shoulders, dragging me out of the carriage and onto the floor. He terrified me, he really did. I could tell that he wasn't like Thoran, Thoran was a baby compared to him. I thrashed my legs about wildly, as much as it hurt to move the right one, aiming for his gut and groin. I heard Naria scream as she too was dragged out of the carriage by another bandit.
"What you reckon we got, Karael?" asked my attacker.
"Beats me, but they must be some precious princesses or somethin' to have this many people protecting 'em and those court dandies risking life an' limb fer them," replied Naria's attacker, jerking his head in the direction of the place where the fight was the thickest.
Court dandies? Those men (and women) were my family and friends! All around us screams and shouts could be heard. A number of ladies from the Erev-li- Erval delegation had also met with our fate, but they too, were not going down without a fight. Many of them, had "weapons" like fans and hairpins about their person, and a few like myself had daggers. I reached for the goldenwood dagger in my right boot, only to discover it was not there!
My attacker caught my groping hands and laughed. "Bet you didn't know that Vedrae is still as frisky as one of yer court dandies, eh?" he twirled my dagger in his hand before tossing it aside to grab hold of my hands by the wrists, and stretched them over my head while pressing them against the rocky ground, straddling me between his thighs.
Naria had fallen silent. I didn't notice it earlier due to all my thrashing and yelling, but I did now. She wasn't dead was she? Her attacker was doing to her what my attacker was doing to me. His filthy hands caressed her fair face, and ran down the length of her body, but she did not move. "Naria!" I screamed. But still she did not respond.
"Forget about your friend, dearie. Vedrae is gonna keep yer busy for quite a while," said my attacker, tearing at my clothes single-handedly. Where were the guards?
I couldn't help it anymore, tears coursed down my face as I continued to thrash wildly under Vedrae, to no avail. Naria was dead. Life! The person I was supposed to take care of was dead.
As Vedrae lowered his stinking mouth to mine, I squeezed my eyes shut, my lips compressed and twisted in disgust. Then, he fell on top of me. The air in my lungs exploded out in a great gush, and I found Vedrae lying facedown on my chest, his jaw slack. Hurriedly, I flipped his body of mine, grateful that he had had a timely heart attack.
Then, the other bandits began dropping like flies. Their weapons fell from limp hands as they collapsed onto the ground in a lifeless heap. Naria's attacker toppled over sideways, saving her from being crushed. What was going on?
The soldiers and courtiers looked around in confusion. I scrambled over to Naria's lifeless body, hugging it to me, swaying back and forth in my grief. At least she had died in peace, she had no expression, her features were calm, her skin as pale as death.
I heard footsteps behind me, and turned to see Derrick, Kaelen and Lord Felix approaching. "She's gone," I whispered. "I'm so sorry. I tried, I really did!" I was close to being hysterical. Kaelen knelt behind me, removing his coat to cover my torn clothes. I could not bear to meet his eyes, but if he was grieving, he was not showing it.
Derrick gathered Naria in his arms, staring at her, as if hoping that if he stared hard enough, she would awaken. Then a tear fell from his eye and onto her lips, and her eyes flew open as she gasped. Her eyes were blank for the briefest second, before they refocused. The first thing she saw was Derrick's tear-filled eyes. Slowly, she raised her hand and brushed away the tears rolling down his cheeks. "Don't cry," she breathed. Shock would have been an understatement. "You're alive!" I cried, now crying tears of joy.
She looked at me in surprise and smiled a watery smile. "Of course I'm alive, I was just in a trance." She looked at her brother and said, "You knew, why didn't you say anything?"
"I wasn't sure, Naria. You looked so pale. I just feared the worst." He paused, holding her chin between his thumb and index finger to make her look into his eyes. "Don't ever scare us like that again."
Lord Felix who had remained silent throughout suddenly cleared his throat and inquired on whether we had been harmed, before suggesting that we find a place to rest.
While the soldiers helped tie up the bandits, the servants helped with the wounded. The courtiers discussed what was to be done with the bandits, who as it turned out, were not dead but sleeping. Naria had put them to sleep by "snuffing out their thoughts" as she put it. She had to concentrate and focus on her task, not with fear or anger, but with calmness. That was why she had withdrawn into her mind when Kerael attacked her, and had not responded to my screams.
Once again, I berated myself for my foolishness, blaming my weak stomach and my stupidity. But what was done was done, and nothing could change that. To help me keep my mind off what had just transpired, Naria told me what she had done while I was fighting off Vedrae.
Apparently, she had tried to grab hold of my ankles when I was dragged out of the carriage, but missed, and was instead spotted by Karael, who upon seeing Vedrae attacking me, discovered that he would not settle for less.
"When he reached for me, I screamed so loudly that I feared the glass would break," she said, wincing as she shifted in her seat. "Then, when he was conversing with your attacker, I remembered that I had gifts!"
"You mean you could forget?" I asked with a grin.
She blushed. "I was so afraid for your safety and mine, that I lost all rational thought. Anyway," she continued. "I remembered an exercise Mother used to make me practice when I was young. It involved me seeking out the minds of those around me, finding out who and where they are by following the core of their being - a glowing light amongst their swirling thoughts." I nodded for her to continue.
"I used to enjoy this exercise as it filled me with excitement, I felt like a spy on a secret mission! Then one day while trying to take a nap, a crow began to caw right outside my window. He was making such a racket! Without opening my eyes, I reached for his mind with mine."
"Then?" I prompted.
"I snuffed out that light!" she proclaimed.
"Snuffed? Wouldn't that kill him?" I asked.
"It could have, but I was too young and weak to do that then. Today, I controlled the amount of energy I used, thus 'dimming' and not 'snuffing' the consciousness of the bandits."
I finally understood what she was trying to tell me. "So you saved all of us!" She glowed at the praise, but quickly grew sombre.
"I could've killed them if I was not careful enough," she added quietly, before proceeding to tell me that she had remained in a trance even after all the bandits lost consciousness, as she was making sure that those left conscious were our own people.
That was the first time I had witnessed Naria work great magic, but it certainly would not be the last.
~*~
We were delayed by the bandit attack, but we made up for lost time by travelling doubly faster when we were all mended and fit to travel. I would have the scar on my leg forever, but after hobbling around for weeks, walking was a joy.
My horse riding lessons had been discontinued as most of our time was spent travelling or resting. Of the two, I preferred the latter. It was during the times when we made camp, that we were able to sit on firm ground, around a blazing campfire, singing or dancing or telling stories to entertain one another. This was done with one and all, from servants and soldiers to courtiers. Here, we were equals, at least for a short while.
My excitement grew as we neared Erev-li-Erval. We had passed villages and towns, all of whom had welcomed us warmly and with much aplomb. The neat and ordered villages and towns could not prepare me for what I would greet us at the capital.
I could barely believe my eyes. What had seemed like a huge white pillar holding up the sky from a distance became an ice-like stone tower as we drew near. It seemed to glow from within, emanating a power that hung in the air. "It's manipulated by magic, that's why there are no stone joins," explained Naria.
As we rattled noisily into the parade square in front of the royal palace, I stared at my surroundings in awe. Derrick's expression was no different. Derrick and Kaelen escorted Naria and I up the vast staircase respectively.
Three figures approached us from the end of the hallway. I made out a man, a woman and a young girl. "They must be your family, right?" I asked, whispering into Kaelen's ear.
"That would be correct. My mother - Queen Yustnesveas, my father - King Rel and my youngest sister - Princess Merewen Arelien. We just call her Arel," he whispered back.
The King and Queen made a very handsome couple, and Arel looked a bit like both, with black hair and dark blue eyes. I realised that Kaelen and Naria looked unlike their parents, save for the fact that Kaelen had his mother's hair and father's nose, while Naria's eyes were stuck out slightly, like her mother's.
The King and Queen greeted us before embracing their children in turn. Arel, who looked about fourteen, just glowed with happiness at her siblings' return. After introductions were made, we were ushered into a nicely decorated room for tea. Just an excuse for a getting-to-know-you session, of course!
~*~
A/N: This has taken a very time, but I am a very busy person. Anyway, it's up now, so no complaining. This chapter was fun to write as it is more action-packed I guess. Naturally, the next chapter will be set in Erev-li- Erval, and I'd need more information from Sherwood to do a good job. That means another long wait for the next chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!
Please R & R!
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*A/N: Okay, I've always had the habit of replying to every single review regardless of how long or short it is. Most of the time it's just thanking the reviewers for reviewing or commenting or complimenting. However, I am now receiving WAY more reviews than when I first started, so it's getting harder to reply to every single one. This doesn't mean I don't appreciate you guys of course! In fact, I want MORE reviews!
So to keep everyone happy, I'll reply to those reviews that I think need replying or to welcome new readers and such, while thanking all the rest of the reviewers in my Author's Note! But if you want me to reply to your review no matter what, mention it in your review, okay?
A Big Thank You to all of you! P.S* I've added more of you guys to my update list, but if you don't want to receive an update notification, email me or put it in your review!
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Susan: Thanks for loving it.I love it too.it's my first baby. You're another one who likes my descriptions. Goes to show that I don't write it all for nothing. Grammatical errors can't be helped because no one actually proof reads my stuff. I just use the computer, and the computer isn't as good as the human brain. About them getting together, you'll just have to wait and see!
Cinnamonflamez: More and more people are starting to like my descriptions, yeah! Its fun to write descriptions, you feel as if you are there in the middle of everything. Haha, I'm not sure if gen cleared things up with you yet, but I'm not from China, not directly anyway. I'm Chinese though, and I live in a sunny island called Singapore in SE Asia. Yes the element of surprise is coming that is why I'm building up the suspense and all.
Chutney: Kaelen's a sweetie, isn't he?
Doublemint729: You can "relate" to Lana? How? I would've gladly written about what happened in the month after the ball, but then the plot wouldn't move along. Besides life at court isn't all that exciting. Still - I try to make it fun!
Blodeuwedd: I'm not a really good poet, so most of my quotes and such are from books or the Internet. I thought about making her sing, but as I wrote the chapter, it grew kind of weird to have her singing. Sorry! About Naria and Lana going into town as commoners, I never intended for them to do so in Remalna, but it's going to happen in Erev-li-Erval, so it'll be in the next few chapters or so!
Deliandery: Lana did make a couple of mistakes in this chapter, didn't she? First, the horse incident, then the puking one. It's also why this chapter is entitled Fault and Folly. Kaelen isn't exactly jealous of Felix, because Lana isn't particularly close to Felix. In fact, she spends more time with Kaelen, so ther'e nothing for him to be jealous about! Thanks for the suggestion, but I don't think I'm that good a writer to write a verbal duel without making it seem childish. I'll try to give it a shot sometime though!
Lotsa Lurve, FelSong
