"Dom, what is wrong with you?" Neal asked. He had been in the middle of describing his morning, and Dom was paying no attention.
"What?" Dom said, coming to. "Did you say something?"
Neal frowned, and Raoul and Fhire laughed. "It doesn't matter Neal," Fhire said. "You weren't saying anything important."
Neal glared at her for a second, then went back to Dom. "Seriously, though, you have been acting strangely." He said.
Fhire grinned and leaned forward towards Dom. "You've been like this since Lady Ahndraya came." She said quietly.
Raoul smiled. "Don't get your hopes up, Dom. She is a dignitary, and from another country."
Dom frowned at them. "That's not what I was thinking about!" He said. "I would never do that!"
Neal raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"
Dom shook his head sadly. "I still don't understand how you could forget her." He said, and left the room.
Neal shrugged. "He'll get over it." He said. "I know him."
Fhire shook her head. "No he won't, Neal." She said slowly, picking at her breakfast. "He is never going to get over it, don't you understand? He doesn't have the skills for falling in love that you do." She stood up and walked away herself.
Neal looked at Raoul, confused. Raoul patted him on the shoulder. "Figure it out, Meathead." He said.
Neal was left at the table, alone, confused about what he had done wrong.
"Dom!" Fhire called out. "Wait up!" She ran down the hill to catch up with him. He was walking quickly, and he did not stop to wait for her.
"Slow down, Dom. That is not going to do anything."
Dom stopped walking and looked at her. "What is going to do something, Fhire? What do you want me to do about it? Get over it, like Meathead said?"
Fhire sighed. "I don't expect you to anything like that." She said, surprisingly. "I know that you cannot give her up, and I understand that. The last thing I want you to do is forget her. It's just maybe-" she looked to the side, nervously. "Maybe Neal is right about some of it. It was a long time ago. Kel is not coming back, Dom."
Dom shook his head. "I can't stop believing it." He said, and began to walk again.
"Well you have to!" Fhire shouted at him. "Don't you get it, Dom? You can't spend your life like this, mourning someone who you are convinced is still alive! Even if she is, she is not coming back to you!"
There was a pause. No one said anything.
"I'm sorry, Dom." She said quietly. "I didn't mean that."
Dom shook her head. "It doesn't matter." He said, his voice cracking, his eyes welling up with tears. "I get the point, alright?"
This time when he walked away, Fhire did not follow him.
She walked slowly back up the hill, thinking. So many things were happening. It had been such a long time ago, but why was there so much more tension now? Why now, seven years later, was this so important?
Kel.
Those three letters rang out hard and true for every one of them. They all knew they should not forget her, but slowly, they did. They all had lives to lead, wars to fight, families to raise, in some cases, and many other things. If Dom had not been there to remind them, none of them would remember her at all.
What was it about Lady Ahndraya that sparked something in all of them? Something about her intrigued Fhire. Dom had said that she seemed familiar, but Fhire had not made any connections. Obviously, Dom had, but what made him think that way? Yes, Fhire could see similarities between Ahndraya and her memory of Kel, but they were different people. They looked different, they spoke differently, they acted differently, they had a different history.
She decided that they were all being very silly, but nevertheless, she went to speak to Ahndraya.
She knocked slowly on the door. Zonta answered it.
"Good morning, Lady Zonta." She said. "Is Lady Ahndraya in?"
Zonta smiled. "Of course, come in."
Lady Ahndraya was sitting at her desk, writing. She looked up and smiled at Fhire. "Lady Fhire, good morning!" She said, standing briskly.
Fhire nodded politely to her. "May I have a word, Lady Ahndraya?"
Ahndraya nodded. "Of course, Zonta, do you mind?"
Zonta bowed. "Of course, my lady. When should I come back?"
Lady Ahndraya looked to Fhire. "Oh, about half an hour, thank you."
Zonta bowed to them again and stepped out of the room.
"Come, sit." She said to Fhire.
"My lady, I must be blunt. Do you know of a woman named Keladry of Mindelan?"
Lady Ahndraya looked puzzled. "No, I am afraid not. Is she someone I met in these past few days? They all rushed by so fast, you know."
Fhire shook her head. "No, I am afraid not. She was Domitan's wife."
Ahndraya looked sad. "Was?"
Fhire shook her head. "That is the problem," she said. "We have not seen her in seven years. We have no idea if she is even still living or not."
Fhire stared into Lady Ahndraya's eyes, almost hoping that she could get information from them. Of course, she saw nothing in the Lady's deep black eyes.
"Dom still thinks about her." Fhire said. "I just thought that you should know. That is why he might seem strange sometimes."
Lady Ahndraya nodded. "That is very, interesting." She said slowly. "Gaosh ul adona." She said, touching two fingers to her forehead, then Fhire's. She smiled warmly. "Bless her soul, it means. I hope it helps."
Fhire smiled. "Gaosh ul adona. I must remember that."
Lady Ahndraya nodded. "We must pray that the goddess protects her."
She rose. "Is there anything else I can do for you, Lady Fhire? I am afraid that I am actually terribly busy today."
Fhire shook her head. "No, there's nothing else." She said. "Thank you." They bowed to each other, and Fhire left. As soon as the door was closed, she ran her hands through her hair. "Fat lot of good that did." She sighed.
Behind the door, Kel was collapsed on her bed in tears.
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To anyone who was unsure, Fhire was the lead in that chapter. I find that I will be doing that a lot in this storyline. It is a good way of showing Kel's effect on the world around her, and it is good, because the emotions of the other characters is what is important.
Well, I am sorry that this chapter was so short, but I thought that it was pretty informative and emotional, and there was really no need for it to be longer.
"Why say something in a thousand words, when you can say it in one?"
Well, seeing as I posted my last chapter not half an hour ago, I think it is safe to assume that I did not get any more reviews.
By the way, I actually tried really hard to make everything in Chatran make sense. You see, I used the Hebrew word for God (Adonai) as the basis for bless, and ul is derivative of elle, from french, but it is also the female base for most modern languages. And I just really liked the way 'Gaosh' sounded. (ga-ow-sh or gao-sh, not ga-osh)
"I hope if dogs ever take over the world, and they chose a king, they don't just go by size, because I bet there are some Chihuahuas with some good ideas."
-unolimbo