Proof read by Danaye.

Chapter 4

He couldn't get himself to do it. He just couldn't. Never had he had any doubts about giving away a kiss, but now, lying with her — he realized — his soon-to-be wife, he simply couldn't do it.

His brain had finally given in and allowed his mental hands to take hold of the reality of the situation he was lying in. It was her. This was the girl he had nearly refused to fetch from Galla and return with her to the King of Tortall.

The kingdom of Galla was on the brink of bankruptcy and Jonathan had given a large amount of money to prevent that. In return, the King of Galla had offered the only asset he could think of, and it happened to be her. This he had realized when he had entered the small village and looked at the wretched buildings that were likely to crumble with the next gust of wind.

She breathed slowly, her warm breath hitting his cheek.

It was odd. He found himself content with lying beside her, with her warm body pressed against his. He shifted below the blankets, as she seemed to want to snuggle closer to him, and with his arms wrapped around her frame he fell asleep.

She woke as always — when the first rays of the sun hit the rusty leaves that threatened to fall from the branches in the cold wind.

Along with the rays, songs from different birds followed, but she knew that those songs would become silent during the long winter they had in Galla. She hadn't forgotten about the man and how she had lain in his arms during the night.

Now her duties called and she couldn't neglect them even if she wanted to. The horses in the stables would starve and some of them needed to be checked yet again for diseases and other things, but it was the warmth that held her body in its place, not any other thing.

Oh, how she wanted to be back in the man's arms. The man she didn't even know the name of. Sounds of calling her brought her back to the present and she growled low as she turned and slipped from the warmth out into the cold.

With her back turned to the man, she undressed herself and dressed yet again in warm woolen clothes. The blankets on the floor were the only evidence that she had been on the floor for some of the night — she picked them up and tossed them into the cupboard. She would sort them out later.

The silent calling came again; horses called for her attention and she was about to give in, but before she could she found herself standing beside the bed looking down at the man. He looked so calm while sleeping, but she could remember that there had been something dangerous lingering over him while undressing him. Carefully she touched his cheek, wondering if she ever was to see him again.

She thanked the gods that she had hung his clothes up to dry before going to sleep, so when he woke he would have something to wear. With a frown, she realized that she couldn't just leave him sleeping in her room — he would need guidance to find the privy and the kitchen.

Turning, she walked to her desk and took out a piece of parchment where she wrote instructions down.

The calling of the horses was louder this time and they were becoming impatient, scraping their hooves against the floor. She called to them, ensuring them that she was on her way and apologizing for her delay. Finishing up the instructions, she left the note beside the man and let herself out the door.

"He's here! He's here!" someone yelled and Daine turned away from the birth-giving mare and found the young servant-girl Rajana standing and panting in front of the stall, her long, straight hair only slightly ruffled. She, herself, was in the farthest stables of the castle, covered in dust and with straws sticking out from her pinned-up hair.

Rubbing her forehead with the back of her hand, Daine frowned, "What?"The girl was speaking nonsense.

Rajana climbed up the edge of the stall and sat on the wood. "The famous one," she replied, "and the king wants you to come immediately to the throne room."

"Who?" Daine asked, still consumed by the feelings radiating from the mare. She couldn't remember who it was that would come on such a cold day of autumn.

"The Black Robed Mage from Tortall. He's finally here!" Rajana paused as Daine turned her back to the girl and began to caress the mare's muzzle.

"I can't," she told the girl, "tell the king that I'm occupied." She shook her head and looked at the mare, who was beginning to have contractions.

The mare had been pregnant for far too long and was overdue a few days. She couldn't leave her, not for any man, especially not the king or this 'famous one'. Such men that surrounded themselves with words like 'famous' and 'high level magic' would always come second in her life. Daine moved over to the bulging belly that rippled, preparing to use strong muscles.

"But His Majesty said that you should come now," the girl interrupted, her voice pitched high. The mare's ears were pulled back and she turned abruptly towards the girl and snorted in distress. It was as if she was saying, "Would you please be quiet, I'm trying to concentrate here!"

Daine gave the mare a half-scolding glance and the mare only snorted at the servant-girl once more. She shook her head to decline. "I can't. If it is so urgent then tell His Majesty that he may find me here, or else he will have to wait." She pointed to the mare's belly, "What's in there is far more important than anything else."

The girl leaned over and almost lost her balance. "Don't you want to see what he's like?" Rajana asked eagerly and managed to pull herself out of the way as horse teeth snapped mere centimeters from her nose.

Daine paused, considering the possibility of having to face him, but she shook her head. If he was so great, he would understand why she chose like she did and if he didn't — then she would run away at the first opportunity. A sound drew her attention to the mare as she was beginning to have stronger contractions.

Absently, while she pulled the horse over to the pile of straw she had prepared, she replied to the girl. "If it is indeed my future husband, he won't mind waiting a little longer for me-" she stopped abruptly as the mare's knees gave way from under her. Helping her down, Daine cursed low under her breath.

"Please tell the king that I am busy," she said as she reached for the mare's head where it laid on the floor.

"Breathe," she told the mare, "come on, you can do it," she whispered comfortingly and felt how her fingers became unwillingly glued to the mare's fur.

Daine began breathing slowly, allowing her magic to be pulled out of her and into the mare. She felt the slight dizziness that always followed and saw that Rajana now stood inside of the stall, twisting her hands nervously. "If you want to help, then don't just stand there. Do something."

Suddenly, Daine could pull her hands away and moved to the back of the mare, glancing approvingly at the younger girl. Rajana was one of the few people that weren't afraid to be near her.

Daine was beginning to feel the exhaustion that always followed the use of her gift. "Help me up," she said and Rajana offered her a hand. "We need to help her," Daine said and stumbled over to where the head of the foal could be seen. To the mare she simply said, "Push" and she did.

She stood so she wasn't in the way. It was fascinating to see the wildmage at work and she simply forgot her own task, namely to fetch the wildmage to be introduced to her future husband.

Rajana couldn't help but agree with Daine. This was far more important and she understood why Daine was ignoring a royal order. The king would be mad, she knew, but his anger would have to be dealt with later.

The mare snorted louder with each contraction and Rajana obeyed each of the orders that was being giving to her, and while standing over the mare's head she saw how Daine began to pull the foal's legs.

"Push!" she heard Daine encourage the mare again and again. As she suddenly looked up from where she was sitting and caressing the mare, she saw the foal being brought into the world.

Rajana looked up as Daine cleaned her hands on her breeches. She could see, in Daine's expression, that the older girl was dizzy. Before she could react, Daine cursed loudly and collapsed in the straw beside the foal.

She came to her feet quickly. Reaching Daine, Rajana kneeled on the ground and touched her neck — sighing with relief as she felt a pulse beating underneath Daine's skin. She turned to check the foal— panicking when she found that it wasn't breathing. The mare lifted her head and turned to look at the scene that was going on behind her.

"I'm so sorry," Rajana whispered to the foal as she caressed its wet head. "I'm deeply sorry..." she was beginning to say while looking at the mare when suddenly the foal took in a sharp and deep breath, opening its eyes abruptly and stared into her own bright blue ones.

Rajana sighed loudly with relief.

She turned to look at the unconscious young woman lying on the floor beside the foal. Rajana rose slowly and, taking a rug from the box in the stall, she covered Daine so she would be warm.

Stroking Daine's sweaty hair away from her face, Rajana whispered, "Sleep well." She paused for a few seconds before she continued as she watched the mare carefully examine her foal, which Rajana now realized was more specifically a young colt.

Rajana smiled. "They are both fine — both of them and he's a beauty," she said while she rose to her feet and looked down at the charcoal black colt, "you are absolutely beautiful."

A while after, Rajana knocked lightly on the door to the king's study and waited until she heard the command to enter. The two men standing inside turned as she opened the door.

"Yes?" the king asked as he waved her forward. With questioning eyebrows, King Angus looked at the empty space behind her.

He had been sure that Daine would come through the door, but when Rajana closed the door behind her the king growled,"Where is she?"

She curtsied deeply for the king, then for the tall man who was standing calmly beside him. She blushed a deep scarlet as dark brown eyes looked directly into hers. The man seemed to not be disturbed by the news that the woman he was going to marry was not present. King Angus, on the other hand, was clearly disappointed and angry.

"My Lord, Master Salmalin," Rajana acknowledged the other man's presence, "Veralidaine Sarrasri sends her apologies. She is otherwise engaged in other, more serious matters and could not come."

Rajana waited for the outburst of anger from the old king, but he seemed to keep his composure even though Rajana was positive that he was furious. She counted the seconds, waiting for the king to say something, and he did. Rajana ducked her head, staring at the floor.

"Engaged in other more serious matters?" King Angus almost screamed,"What in Shakith's name is more serious than meeting the man that is to become her husband?" The king gestured to the tanned man at his side.

She didn't know what to say and was relieved when she heard a masculine voice come to her rescue. Startled, Rajana looked up and met the mage's calm eyes.

"I'm sure that she has an excuse for not being here. She has only known of this arrangement since yesterday, so she may need some time."

"Time isn't something we have," King Angus retorted, pushing his glasses further up on his nose, "she should have come."

The mage's voice was polite, but Rajana detected a hardness in his voice. "She will be here when she's ready. I'm not going to push something on a person who has only known for a day that her life is going to change." Master Salmalin met Rajana's questioning eyes and he smiled politely at her.

Rajana's lips twisted. She didn't know if she should be smiling back or just ignoring him. The mage was dressed lavishly in fine cotton. She glanced back to the king. King Angus's eyes didn't show any of the politeness the mage showed. In fact, the king's blue eyes were burning.

His impatience was clear as he waited for her to speak.

She lifted her chin the way she had seen Daine do every time someone ignored her or commented on her lack of parents. "Daine is unable to participate because she is lying unconscious in your mare's stall, Your Majesty." Rajana said loudly and clearly.

King Angus's jaw dropped, "Unconscious, again?"

Rajana nodded, "Yes." From the corner of her eye she could see a troubled expression slide over the mage's features, but as she turned her head and looked at him, his face was calm, almost blank. She crooked an eyebrow at him, but he remained undisturbed.

The king sighed and turned, only to limp back behind his desk as someone knocks on the door. Looking behind her, Rajana sees a man standing in the door, waiting impatiently.

"Well, Master Salmalin, it seems that you will meet your bride another time," The king said, "It seems that my training Master Halverson needs my attention."

The king turned back to Rajana as the training master walks into to room and gives King Angus a piece of paper. "Maybe you could show Master Salmalin the library while we wait for our wildmage to wake up. It seems that she is going to have difficulties with her magic forever," he says, not looking at her at all.

Rajana glances once more at the tall mage, his face still unusually blank. She kept a firm eye out for any sign that could tell her if he had bad intentions, which she clearly doubted, or if he was just keeping his features blank because he wanted to fool the king.

"I'm reluctant to leave you, Master Salmalin, but it seems that my training master has pressing matters to discuss with me. So, if you will please have us excused?" The king nodded to the tanned man, before both the king and the training master leaves the room.

"Of course," the mage replied while bowing deeply, showing manners well associated with nobility.

Rajana was smiling broadly. She liked him, she began to think, but halted as dark eyes glanced her way with a twist of mischief. However, after a few seconds, the expression was gone and he turned his back to her.

"It would be an honor to visit your library, Your Majesty," Master Salmalin said respectfully and bowed again, but something was odd. Rajana tilted her head, not taking her eyes away from him.

The king nodded absently, "We'll see each other at dinner tonight." With that the king glanced back to Rajana.

She knew that he didn't think highly of his servants and she wanted so badly to pull a face, but she was too old for such behavior. So she kept a polite expression on her face while the king spoke, "When she wakes, tell her that she is required to come to the east-wing. Also, tell her that a dress is proper clothing, not some ragged pair of breeches or an old shirt. Hopefully she will be well enough to attend this afternoon."

Rajana only shrugged as an answer to his question and bobbed a curtsy. At the age of sixteen, only three years younger than Daine, she found King Angus to be an extremely old and indifferent man.

The king's attention was gone from his guests and after a minute he had followed the master of ceremonies out the door.

Turning to the other man, Master Salmalin, she curtsied deeply before she said, "If you will follow me, I will lead you to the library." She turned and walked over to the door that she had come in from. When she found that he wasn't following her, she hesitated. Glancing back, she found that he hadn't even taken a step.

"Aren't you coming?" she asked with her hand resting on the door's handle. He seemed far away in his own thoughts.

"Excuse me, Master Salmalin, but the way to the library is through here," she said louder and this time it was as if he snapped out of the unknown world he had traveled to.

He shook his head and smiled apologetically to her, "If you don't mind, I would like to see her." His voice was soft and tender.

Before her eyes, the noble and sophisticated man transformed and she found herself looking into the eyes of a common person. He could have been one of her friends, she thought, if it wasn't for the fact that he was the most deadly being in the realm.

"Pardon me, sir?" she muttered under her breath, with the feeling that she couldn't move her eyes from him even if she wanted to. His dark eyes looked into hers and he smiled down at her.

"If this could be our little secret, which I truly hope it will be, you could tell His Majesty that you left me in the library and you don't know how you ended up in the stables, but I had hoped that you would take me to her. Maybe I can be of some sort of help."

"You? Help her?" Her question sounded more skeptical then she had intended and Rajana covered her mouth, but the man only smiled wider. The concern in his eyes, however, was coming back and began to overshadow the smile he held in them.

"I'm so sorry, sir, but Daine is fair stubborn when it comes to her magic. Not everyone is allowed near her and she would be furious if she knew that some unknown man had helped her. Not even the king's healer is allowed near her. Gods know that he tried to help her once, but she only screamed at him. Then something odd happened-" Rajana covered her mouth again and a bewildered look entered her face, "I shouldn't have told you that."

A large hand touched her shoulder reassuringly, "I assure you, everything you tell me will be of great importance if I am to try to help her."

Rajana paused before she began to speak, "Every time she's tried to heal, she's passed out. No one can go near her, unless the animals know who you are. The animals of the castle protect her. I don't see what you can do to help her. The king doesn't understand her magic, nor anything else really. He only cares for his vanity, not some mere girl who can't control her gift." She ducked her head as she cursed silently over her choice of words. "I hope you are not going to tell him that I said all this," she added, looking searchingly up at the mage.

Taking his hand away from her shoulder, he answered her plea, "Your words and the well-being of Daine are safe with me, but I still think that I can understand better than anyone else what is going on, and please, call me Numair."

He leaned forward as if to tell her a secret and Rajana was surprised when it was exactly what he did. "I have met her you know, so you can be sure that she is safe with me," he laid his warm hand over hers that still held on to the handle of the door. "Shall we see if she is awake?" and with that he walked from the room, leaving Rajana alone with her breath caught in her throat.

She ran after him, picking up her skirts in the hurry to keep up with his pace. "You— you have already seen her," she asked, out of breath as she came up beside him, "but I thought that you arrived at court today for the very first time?" She found it hard to keep up with him, and when they came to a crossway in the corridor he halted for the first time, giving her a chance to catch her breath.

"Yes and no," Numair answered and turned his head towards a busy corridor where servants were carrying a large oak-table. He tried to take a step, but a small hand held on to him and when he turned he found the small petite girl standing beside him with demanding eyes. He sighed loudly and searched Rajana's face.

"You won't let me go unless I tell you everything?" he asked and when Rajana nodded Numair sighed again. "You must think that I did this deliberately, but you see..." He explained everything to the young girl he had only seen twice in his life.

Rajana listened and released her grip. She didn't doubt his words for a second and she turned him in the right direction. He was honest and she trusted him more than she trusted the king. Looking along the corridor, she saw a shadow lingering and knew right away that the royal healer was eavesdropping on their conversation. She tugged at his sleeve again and jerked her head in the other direction. "It's this way," she said quietly and pulled him after her.

"Are you sure?" Numair asked and looked around confused as they walked through fancy chambers laden with elegant furniture.

Rajana giggled and turned around so she could face him. "Why the hurry?" she asked and looked up, if he was her future husband she would be so happy. He looked down at her as her thoughts were settling inside herself. "She's at the stables to the West, but I don't understand why you are in a hurry."

He shrugged, smiling at her. "If you had the opportunity to see your future husband one more time, would you hesitate?" Numair asked and began to walk around her.

Rajana sighed low, but hurried forward, running after him. There was a deeper meaning in his words. She would love to have someone like him wanting to see her. Daine was lucky, she concluded. "I would run to him," she admitted to him and pulled at him again, only to enter a long deserted corridor. She glanced back and saw the shadow again, the royal healer was following them, that was for sure.

He mistook her nervousness for being somehow sad.

Numair touched the young Rajana's cheek briefly, pausing before adding in a lower and softer voice, "A fine girl such as yourself shouldn't be jealous. You are a pretty girl and one day you will found your own swain."

She only stood frozen, unable to move, while looking up into trusting eyes. Rajana was about to open her mouth to tell him something else of importance, something the whole court knew, but kept quiet because of fear. Suddenly, a servant stumbled over the threshold leading into the corridor, dropping a filled tray.

Numair only turned to stare at the servant, who fumbled to pick up the pieces of porcelain. Frowning, he glanced down to Rajana, "Now where did you say she was?"

"This way Master Salmalin," Rajana said and turned to the right. She flinched, surprised when a warm hand came to rest on her shoulder.

"Didn't I tell you to call me Numair?" he asked and smiled at her.

Rajana nodded.

"Good, because if I am to make friends, one cannot call me a name that only belongs to snobbish mages."

She couldn't help but glance back at where the shadow had been lurking. One couldn't call the man beside her snobbish, but she knew one who was that, snobbish, and he wasn't like the man before her. He was much more cruel. He was the kings healer.