(( This is just a sort of in-between...it's to show you what's going on between Chapters 4 and 6, basically. Daine's feelings and such. Umm...sorry that it's so depressing, but she totally has guilt complex, so that's how it's gotta be, haha. Tamora Pierce's stuff. Oh, and Review, please!))

It was dark. Daine opened the door to their room slowly and with great trepidation. It creaked loudly and Numair sat up in bed quickly. Daine winced as he called out softly,

"Daine?"

"It's me." she answered. She had been hoping to Mithros that Numair wouldn't notice her arrival this far past midnight, but Numair was a light sleeper. It had been foolish of her to think he might sleep through that.

"Where were you?" he asked through the darkness as she sat down on the edge of the bed and began undoing the laces on her boots. She paused momentarily, glad that Numair was not able to see her face through the pitch black of a room without any lit lamps.

"There was this horse. It was, you know…injured," she lied.

"The last time I saw you was dinner, though. You can't have been healing it all that time."

"I fell asleep afterward. Sorry." She said shortly. At least that part was true. Numair seemed to accept this story and she heard him fold himself back under the blanket as was his habit.

It had been three days since Daine had kissed Daron.

Daine pulled away suddenly, guilt flooding through her. She didn't really like Daron, she knew, she had just acted upon impulse, a stupid thing, she was lonely…Daron interrupted her speeding thoughts. "Are you alright? I didn't mean to upset you. Are men so forward in the capital?" Daine stared at him. His face seemed young and innocent. He was, after all, her age. Didn't that mean that they had more right to be together than she and Numair had? No, that was a horrible thought! Stop thinking these things!

"No, they are…I mean…it's just that…"

"There's a man, isn't there? Someone else is courting you?"

Daine hesitated. "N…no. There's no one."

That was three days ago, and now where was she? Sneaking into her room after sleeping with another man? Daine shuddered. She didn't want to crawl into bed with Numair now. The past few days she had hardly seen him at all, and Daron had continued treating her like the queen of Tortall. Finally, tonight, when Daron had started unbuttoning her tunic…she had just let him.

"Are men so forward in the capital?"

Not enough to take a girl into their beds after knowing them for two weeks, thought Daine as she finished undressing. Why had she let him do it? She slipped into bed next to Numair. He rolled over to face her back, and slid his arms around her.

"We haven't seen each other much lately," he suggested in a whisper, his breath tickling Daine's neck. She stiffened. "Daine?"

"I'm tired."

"Oh. I'm sorry." Numair sounded slightly confused, not knowing where the coldness in her voice came from. Nonetheless he did not release her, but gave her a squeeze and proceeded to fall asleep while still embracing her. Daine blinked furiously.