A/N - updated: I have found a beta for further and previously chapters of this story. There is going to be a lot longer between each chapters, but they will be approx. the same length as this one, maybe longer.

A huge thanks to Danaye, for being beta!

'So maybe, as one of my reviewers suggested, it's time for me to find a beta for spelling and gramma, because I really want to keep this going as I have planned a very long story, but here's the question? Where can I find someone who will 'proof-read' this for me, before it goes online?'

Chapter 28

They had talked and he had explained so much about the court of Tortall that her head was beginning to spin when he took the empty bowl out of her hands several hours later; "I think it's time to get some fresh air".

Lifting her gaze up to met his, he only smiled to her. "I know" Numair said knowingly, "Its overwhelming and trust me when I say that you will find that your head is going to explode by the end of tomorrow".

"I really didn't think that a place like this could really exist" she admitted and allowed him to pull her to a stand. Looking at him skeptically, tilting her head to the side Daine followed his movements as he collected the tray and placed it outside his door. Upon his return, he had gathered his cloak along his hers.

After dropping his own on to a back of a chair, Numair was holding her cloak in such a way that clearly spoke that he was used to aid women in covering themselves and when she didn't move, he cleared his throat "You supposed to turn around and let me help you" he said hoarsely, when he realized that she wasn't used to such a treatment.

Daine smiled up to him and took the cloak from his hands instead, not caring that he was being a gentleman. She was no lady and she didn't want him to treat her such, because she would never become one. Her past and her background would prevent something like that to ever happen.

"I know" she replied and wrapped the warm woolen fabric around her shoulders, "but please, don't treat me like I'm made of fragile porcelain and I'm going to break the second you touch me" she buttoned the first four buttons, from her throat and down. Looking up she saw a slightly hurt expression in his dark eyes, but she only smiled to him reassuringly and pattered his cheek, "You wouldn't like it if I was to treat you as if you were some fancy emperor, would you?"

Numair ducked his head at her choice of words and shuddered, as if shaking unwelcome memories away. He carefully wrapped his own black cloak around his own shoulders, reminded of the black robe he wore at formal matters.

She was right. He would absolutely hate if he was treated as if he was above anyone. He had lived half of his life in the shadow of such a man, and he loathed every part of it, but of course she was oblivious to what his past contained. It was as spotted with sadness as hers, the only difference was that he could keep it a secret, where a God-spelled Chamber had spilled everything about her.

"You are right" he whispered and placed a hand on her lower back, guiding her towards the door. " Please tell me if I'm doing something wrong, I'll try to correct any mistake I make".

He opened the door for her "I'm sure you will" she whispered softly, looking up and gave him one of her most beautiful smiles.

Daine glanced down to where the tray was supposed to be, but the floor was empty. Someone had been there to get it during the short time it had taken them to get dressed. They walked in silence, passing busy servants that stopped in their tracks only to acknowledge their presence. This place was really something, she thought as a fifth servant stopped and looked at her with something that resembled a mixture of a welcoming smile and a fearful grimace, making the man's expression look odd; back in Galla she couldn't get the servants to look in her direction.

"Are they always acting like that?" she whispered quietly, repeating the same words he had uttered when they had sat during the feast that had been after their hand-fasting. They passed a man holding the door to the courtyard open for them. She wasn't sure if she found their behavior reassuring.

"Yes" Numair replied, but gave the young man, the servant, a warningly look. The man looked down and blushed. Being senior and taller than any other Tortallan was something, but being the black-robed mage was totally different. He could snap a finger and the servant would be gone, not to breathe again, but he wouldn't. He'd seen firsthand what madness could come from such behavior.

Numair turned back to her in time to see Daine's raised eyebrows "What?" he exclaimed, faking an innocence gesture.

"You swallow in knowing that they are afraid of you, don't you?" she asked, pulling the cloak closer around her. The wind had turned and cold air blew down from the mountains to the far north.

"No I don't" he retorted back, lying while taking a torch down from the outside wall. Turning back to her, he looked down into a determined face. Numair sighed low. She was not only creeping under his skin, but she was looking inside his soul too – what a match Jonathan had made for him.

"Fine" he admitted "I do like to make them a bit afraid of me, but it's not like I do it all the time" he added and hoped to see that she accepted his statement, but she didn't.

"Its wrong" Daine concluded. Being one of the commoners she knew exactly the feelings that would follow such a behavior; revulsion, and she added in a low voice. "How can you be sure that they are loyal to you, when their actions is guided by fear and not trust?"

Numair stopped short in his tracks as revelation hit him. One single wrong movement or false words and she would see him as she saw him now; power-seeking and vicious. The same people who properly had surrounded her, her whole life, but he wasn't anything like that.

He turned to her, wanting to touch her cheek, but she flinched away from his hands. He dropped them to his sides. "Daine, whatever happens, please give me the benefit of a doubt. Some of my actions you may find to be wrong, but they serve a purpose larger than anything. Ex. If the assassin arrives and decides to question that servant and I didn't warn him of you, you will be sure that he will spill everything out to the wrong person, but as it is, his fear in me will make him cautious and he will hold his tongue" he explained carefully while maintaining his locked gaze with hers.

She doubted his words, but after further consideration she shrugged, twisting the conversation to the aspect of the expected assassin she followed him out into the darkness, their path only illuminated by the light from the single torch; "When do you think he reaches this place?"

They were reaching the paddock where the horses stood in silence, sleeping or resting after a day of hard training. "Oh he'll be here when the sun raises" Numair answered turned his back to her and held the fence leading into the horses open for her.

"How do you know?"

Numair shrugged; well how did he know? The process itself around the tracking was a complex issue that would take all night to explain. The search for magical auras was something that took several years to become proficient at. He could tell from where inside the castle all gifted was located, some he could even tell what they were doing and when looking after the aura of the king, Numair found him sound asleep in the royal bed. "It's just something I know..." his voice was drowned by greeting horses.

He turned to her while shutting his mouth, but jumped in surprise when something hit the ground behind him. Turning back he found that she had jumped the fence instead of taking the easy way in. "Do you ever do anything normal?" he asked with raised eyebrows as she took of the cloak, only to lay it over the upper panel of the fence.

"Nope" she replied loudly with her back turned to him and slipped away from his sight, only to disappear among the awakened horses. She had missed being near animals and now standing in the middle of the meadow, she paused, stretching her hand up towards the dark sky.

"Are you going to get cold?" he asked as his eyes rested on the fabric she had discarded.

"Nope" came her reply and she was gone, her small frame blocked by greeting horses.

"Okay" he whispered and leaned relaxed against the fence, while his ears caught every small noise made from the horses in front of him.

Seeing her mingle in and out of the horses only made him sighed with longing. She seemed to relaxed and so calm, when she in fact should be anything other than that. She should be concerned, she should be prudent, but she wasn't. She was acting like she belonged to this place and he hoped that she would stay, not as his wife if it ever came to that, but as a friend.

Lost in his own thoughts he suddenly lost track of her movements and Numair called for her, "Daine?"

Nothing came. Pushing himself from the fence he went to search for her among the forty horses the Queens riders used and trained on daily. He tried again, but still he couldn't see her.

Slowly the hair on his arms rose and he felt a strange sensation filling the air. He shouted this time and searched frustrated for her.

He had left the torch behind, not wanting to bring it near the horses coat, and it left him in the darkness. Making a decision light were illuminated above him and around him, and startled the horses, but the new one moved only uneasily, the older ones who were used to be around magic only remained calm.

Luckily the Queen riders used only ponies, he could clearly look over every colored backs and finally he located her, standing utterly still beside a chestnut mare with her hands on its stomach.

He reached her and touched her shoulder lightly. When she didn't react, he called her name again, but this time she only moved out of his reach along with the horse.

Numair paused. Altering his senses, he saw how copper-lines floated from Daine into the mare, but something was wrong. He frowned as he saw that she wasn't just using her magic, but was using her life-force to push her gift into the mare. He pushed her hands of the horse abruptly.

Daine stumbled forward as her hands, upholding her balance left the warm coat of the horse she was trying to heal. Gathering herself, she turned with an angry expression and hissed to the man beside her. "What's wrong with you?" she snapped at him, not meaning to do so, but she had been in the middle of healing the unborn colt with a heart defect. She reached for the horse, but Numair stepped in front of her, blocking her access to the mare.

Taking a few steps around him she meant to go ahead, but her hands were caught by his, "No" Numair whispered hoarsely, frightened over how close she had been to collapse. He didn't know how many times she had healed by using the sheer force of her life. If she was to continue such, she would be dead the next time she was going to heal anything.

Looking up angrily she hissed "You don't get to rule over me", snatching her hands away from his, "we may be betrothed, but you are not my husband yet!"

Daine pushed herself forth, but again she were grabbed – this time he dragged of with her, but she put her heels in the ground. The horses around them was closing in, surrounding them. When she made herself heavy Numair turned around.

"Goddess be damned Daine!" he snapped as she tried to free herself. She managed to free her one hand, but he was still holding on firmly. She would have blue marks from where his fingers gripped her wrist.

Numair grabbed her shoulders, shaking her, discarding that he was hurting her. "Listen to me!" he demanded, knowing that the level of his voice could be heard inside the Riders quarters.

She tried again to pull her hand free, but he tightened his grip "Look at me" he demanded yet again.

Daine lifted her head, not in surrender – that she would never do, but in defiance. "What!" she hissed. She wasn't going to back down, even if she was pushing to his self-control. This was a test that must be passed.

Numair tried to breathe slowly, but in vain. His voice shook, when the air passed through his vocal cords. "You mustn't heal without proper education!"

"Do you really think that I don't now what I'm doing?" Daine retorted. "I'd been doing this for years. Who are you to tell me that I'm doing this wrong?"

"I'm the chief mage of Tortall and the one who don't want you to kill yourself!" he almost shouted the words out, but managed to lower them. He wouldn't risk the riders to wake and found that an argument had developed between the wild-mage and him.

"I don't care if you have some fancy title, I didn't ask for this. I didn't ask for someone to treat me like a Yamani doll" she lifted herself up on toes, "I'm not breakable. The thing that happened to me was just a thing, it only made me stronger, even your evil chamber knows that and that's why it's trying to scare me, but no more. I'm done hiding and bowing for someone who has the same red blood running in their veins as I do. And I'm not going to bow for you".

Numair breathed slowly while real anger rose inside him. His gift flickered at the very edge of his consciousness, licking with strong tentacles and trying to break free of his iron strong will.

"Then you should take the help that is offered to you, so you can live the life you so truly wants, but if you insist" he released his grip on her shoulders like she had burned him, "then please go ahead. If the assassin doesn't kill you, you magic will". He turned his back to her and began to walk away from her.

That got Daine to shut her mouth. What if he was right? What if she was using her magic completely wrong and she was now turning down the only opportunity to do it right...

He didn't manage to go very far. He didn't even reach the fence. Horses suddenly blocked his way "Will you teach me?" she whispered behind him, her voice barely audible.

"What?" he stopped in his tracks as a mare, a gray one, gently, but firmly closed its teeth around a fold in his cloak and pulled him backwards. Turning only his head, Numair saw her standing, looking absolutely miserably. Soft blue-gray eyes highlighted by the magical orbs that illuminated the area around them; begging and uncertain.

He must have heard her wrong "What?" he asked again when she didn't reply to his first startled question.

Stubborn chin lifted, her small curvy frame shifting to alter her balance, to be ready for a 'no' he realized suddenly.

"Will you teach me to do it the right way?" With the words lingering in the air between them, the horses unable to move by the sheer notion of doubt filling the space around them, her lean muscles covered by the dress and the sudden presence of innocence shown in her creamy complexion, was breathtaking.

In that second he could see the aftermath of a life lived in subservience, now she fought not to go back into that style of living, and such the fear had become clear through her words, only to be visible in every feature – he realized that she was still an adolescent and with the age-different displayed, she was still fragile after having lived through loss, trauma and being brought to an unknown country, betrothed to an unknown man, a black-robed mage at that, it only made everything worse for her. She was defending her right to freedom.

Gazing down to the pony still preventing him to move, he said dryly "You can let go now" and the pony's ears twisted at the sound of his voice as he continued to move himself a bit, "If you must know, I'm going back to her".

The mare snorted, eying him skeptically and released its grip, before nudging him in the right direction – towards where she stood, still, small, but embodied with emotions of contrasts. Fright, hope, weariness mingled with anticipation only made her the most beautiful woman in the world – with his heart leaping over and missing a few heartbeats, he didn't stop until he stood close to her, with no air left to part them.

Lifting her chin, looking down into her eyes that still held a notion of fear, Numair squeezed his own eyes a bit together. With his six-foot, five-inches he towered over hers five-foot-four delicate frame. "Stubbornly little thing, aren't you?"

It wasn't a question that deserved an answer and Daine held her tongue tight against the roof of her mouth. This close she hadn't really considered that he wasn't only intimidating towards others, but he had the same effect on her and she couldn't get herself to say anything.

Numair paused seeing her hesitate to give him an answer. Turning he head looking over the paddock, he concluded that it was a perfect place and time to check how much she could manage with her magic, without using the every essence of her life. He couldn't risk her to heal the colt again, not when something that serious would drain her beyond exhaustion.

He found the easiest patient for her to heal and standing behind her, he touched the nape of her neck gently.

Daine spun around herself, only to gaze into his surprised expression. "What are you doing?" she demanded to know, startled over the touch that before had been on her skin.

"If I'm to teach you the right way for you to heal, then I need see what it is you are doing wrong, and the only way to do that is to be" he tapped her temple lightly, "inside of your mind".

She pouted, "Can't you just do whatever you did before?"

Numair shook his head "Before I only noticed that you was using your magic wrong, this it something completely different".

She crossed her arms in front of herself "Is that so?"

"Yes, that is so" Numair looked down. "Do you want to learn or not, because if not, then I will find something else to do".

Daine sighed low, before she turned, accepting that they needed to be in psychical contract to do it. Pulling her hair to the side, showing her bare neck where the chain hung, she retorted "Fine, just keep your magical hands to yourself".

He chuckled low, but stopped himself at the words she had chosen "There is no such thing as 'magical hands' or at least there isn't developed a concept of that yet, but maybe it is something that could be..."

Daine turned her head, only to look up at him with questioning eyes "Please don't go and be philosophical, I can't keep up with you, you know".

Numair opened his mouth several times, only to close it firmly again. "Right," he paused, before he continued "let get on with this".

She turned back and waited for his touch to settle against her skin again.

After some awkward moments where she refused to let him inside her mind to oversee the process, she finally gave in and allowed him access, he oversaw and guided her as she touched the one thing that shimmered as a bright and beautiful star inside her; the copper-colored magic.

When she tried to touch the thing that was her life-force, because she'd become tired or exhausted, he stepped in and blocked the access, leaving her no choice other than to use her concentration instead.

Healing on little scar on a horse's back had before taking mere minutes, now it took nearly three candle-marks to heal it. The moon had traveled over the sky, to illuminate the paddock and the horses had once again found peace to do some resting or sleeping.

Daine was to worn out of the healing she had done and sitting down in the middle of the paddock, in front of him, seemed a good, so she did what her gut told her to and it wasn't until her eyes almost closed themselves while she allowed herself to lay on the ground that she found that someone was leaning over her – lingering just inches from her face.

Numair rested above her on his elbow. "You are tired," he concluded and allowed a calloused finger to follow the line of her jaw, stroking the soft skin.

Smiling she reached for him, only to settle her own small hand at the nape of his neck underneath the raven hair "That's an understatement" she replied trying to suppress a yawn "Someone could have warned me and told me that it was hard work to be betrothed to a scholar and an avid man at that" looking up into Numair's dark eyes "you certainly didn't tell me that you required your future wife should be so" she paused searching for the right word "meritocratic".

He chuckled over her choice of words as he brushed a lock of hair away that had strayed from the string holding it firmly together. He liked this closeness they had developed during the night, though it had nearly ended in a disaster, "There was a reason for this you know" he said softly meeting her blue-gray eyes.

"Oh" Daine frowned as she tilted her head to one side getting dirt in her hair, but she didn't care. His dark eyes was appealing, "and what ever may that be?" she flirted back shamefully.

Numair smiled, allowing her to see the attention he held for her "I want you to get to know me before I did this" he replied softly and leaned down to finally catch her lips, without anyone disturbing him this time.