Right now Torah is with Rikash, thanks to a lot of his fans! (cough) SOPROL! (cough) You are welcome to try and convince me otherwise, but I am in love with him so I doubt if it will happen. Please, please send in a review! If you don't review, I will be very sad and not post another chapter! (Okay, I probably will because I love writing about Torah. She's really interesting!) If you don't review, I will cry and get very mad!

By the way, I really am Tamora Pierce. (If you actually think that I'm serious, then you have problems!)

I have decided to be nice and give you another chapter today. Feel free to thank me and kneel down at my feet. However, I am putting nothing about the proposal in it! I am not that nice! Okay, FINE! I am! Gosh! This will never happen again if I don't get reviews…unless I get really bored and have nothing else to do. Oh, crap! Did I just say that out loud? Now I have no way to threaten you guys! Hey does anyone even read my notes anyways??? You should! They make me feel awesome! Okay, okay, I'm shutting up now! I really think I had too much chocolate today!!!!

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Summery of last time – Torah gets a letter from Zamar. He 'asked' her to marry him. She isn't too happy about it.

This time:

Torah raced out of her room and into the dinning hall. Numair and Thom were the only two sitting in their. Both of them had glasses of cider. Torah knew it wasn't alcohol. Mages weren't supposed to drink it when working. It could cause them to lose control and that could kill people. It had been one of the first lessons they had learned.

Torah ran up to them. Thom glanced at her. "Torah, you're supposed to be asleep. What are you- are you crying?!" Thom stood up and went to Torah. He put his arms around her. Numair took that as an opportunity to leave.

Torah sobbed into her uncle's shoulder. When she finished crying, she said, "Zamar proposed to me." She stared at her uncle.

He smiled back. "That's excellent!"

Torah shook her head. "No, it isn't! I don't love him! I love Rikash! I don't want to marry him, and even if I did, I'm barely fifteen! He wants us to get married next year! I don't want to marry him, but I don't want to lose him as a friend either, and I know that if I don't accept, I will!"

Thom sighed and steered her to a chair. He poured her a glass of cider. "Torah, didn't you once tell me that you loved Zamar?" He held up his hand as Torah opened her mouth. "You said that you two had been best friends since the day you first met. Am I right?" Torah nodded. "You said that as you got older, you received your first kiss from him at eleven." Torah nodded again. Thom smiled before saying, "You also said that after that, you weren't friends anymore. You said that you were just young lovers. Is that true?"

Torah hesitated before nodding. Thom grinned at her. "You changed completely from friends to lovers. When you take a spouse, the only way that you'll get along is if you like him and love him. You need someone to make you laugh and comfort you. Do you understand?"

Torah nodded and smiled for the first time that night. Thom opened his arms and hugged her. He sighed in relief. "Good. I'm giving you tomorrow off so you can talk to your mother. She deserves to know, and I've probably confused you as much as I helped you."

Torah grinned. "Thanks a lot, Uncle. You didn't confuse me too much. Even so, I am glad to have a day off so I can go visit my family. I'll see you in two days. Thank you so much!" Torah bowed and rushed to her room to pack.

The wind took her to the Conte manor. She opened the door by pressing her finger to the lock. The doorbell rang as she entered. As she had suspected, everyone was awake. Her mother and father rushed to the door, followed by Thomath, Elena, and Mylon. A minute later, Nashi came into the hall also. Torah smiled as she was hugged by the whole family.

"Torah, you should have come sooner!" Elena said loudly. She was six and the exact picture of her father; tall, dark-haired, dark-eyed. She beamed up at Torah, who reached down to ruffle her braided hair.

"Yeah, Torah!" Mylon said. Torah grinned. Mylon was only three and pronounced her named with a 'w' instead of an 'r'.

Liam and Kali hugged her next. Kali looked a little concerned. She recognized Torah's fake smile. Torah nodded to her old bedroom. Kali nodded an understanding. "Liam, would you get the children to bed while I help Torah unpack?" Liam nodded and picked Mylon up in one arm and Elena in the other. The others reluctantly followed.

Torah sat on her bed. Kali sat beside her. "Mother, Zamar proposed to me. Well, here." She handed her mother the letter. Kali quickly scanned it. She was glaring in a few seconds. "What do you think?"

Kali threw the letter on the ground. "Let me see the ring!" She demanded. Torah reached into her pocket and drew out a beautiful golden band. A huge diamond was in the center. On either side of it were rubies, amethysts, emeralds, and sapphires. It was beautiful, but Torah didn't want it.

Kali glared at it. "How dare he take your acceptance for granted!" She hissed. (Remind you of anyone???) She picked the letter back up and scanned it again. "Well?" She demanded.

Torah sighed. "Ma, I don't want to marry him." She told Kali everything that Thom had told her. By the end of it, Kali's temper had vanished and she was nodding her agreement.

"Yes, I think that Thom is right. I also think that you'll be much happier with that mage of yours." Torah rolled her eyes, but she was grinning happily. "I think we'll have to go to Carthak to refuse him though. It would seem as your avoiding him if you send him a letter. We need that alliance still. He'll think more of you if you go to Carthak and tell him no. The whole family can go. I'll talk to Kally and Kaddar."

Torah nodded. "What about Mel and them? Should I tell them of this?"
Kali shrugged. "That's up to you."

The next day, Torah spent with her siblings. She fenced with Thom, embroidered with Nashi, and showed magic to Elena and Mylon. Finally, Nashi asked her why she was visiting.

Torah grinned wickedly and raised and eyebrow. "I could ask you the same." When Nashi just rolled her eyes, Torah sighed. "Zamar asked me to marry him." Her sister gasped. "It would take place next year."

Nashi waited for more. When Torah said nothing else, Nashi asked, "And?"

Torah shook her head. "I'm saying no. We'll be going to Carthak right after Midwinter so I can tell him. He's going to hate me, but I guess that it's better than getting married to him."

Nashi smiled and hugged her sister. "Am I still allowed to marry Razan?" She asked slyly.

Torah giggled. "I didn't know you two were getting married, but of course. It doesn't change anything between you and your love bird." Nashi scowled and rolled her eyes at this. Torah gave her a hug and went to go spar with Thomath.

Two hours later, it grew dark. To Torah's delight, a storm came in. Torah hugged her family goodbye and left with the wind. Elena and Mylon watched her wistfully. Torah nearly lost her concentration when she started laughing after she heard Elena say, "I love magic."

Back at the university, Torah went straight to her room. As she suspected, Rikash and Mel were waiting for her. Mel asked her where she had been. Torah wordlessly handed over the letter from Zamar. She slipped her Yamani Mask on. Mel read the letter and passed it to Rikash. Her mouth was open in confusion as she stared at Torah.

Rikash read it and also stared at Torah. Torah sighed and sat on her bed. "I leave for Carthak after Midwinter." She said. She looked at Mel's shocked and angry expression and at Rikash's depressed one and opened her mouth in horror. "That's not what I meant at all! I'm only going to save the alliance to Carthak." Mel grew angrier, and Rikash looked more depressed. Torah stood up. "Okay, that didn't come out right! I am going to Carthak to tell him no!"

Mel and Rikash relaxed. "Why?" Rikash said.

Torah shrugged. "Ma said that it would save our alliance if I tell him no in person." She explained.

Rikash shook his head. "No, why are you not marrying him?"

Torah raised her eyebrows at Rikash. "I've already found someone for myself. I'm already in love." Torah ran to hug Rikash. She buried her face into his shoulder. He hugged her tightly. Mel sighed and ran from the room. Only then did they kiss.

The next day, the girls of noble families were to report to the palace to get fitted for dresses for Midwinter. Torah groaned when Thom told them this at breakfast. Mel raised her eyebrows in shock.

"You love balls!" She said.

Torah shook her head. "I only liked them because it was the perfect opportunity to flirt and kiss men. Now, I have someone I love. I will be miserable to whole time, although I am looking forward to getting seven new dresses. I wonder what colors I should pick." Torah frowned in concentration. Mel sighed and looked at her.

"You need a royal blue, a violet, a red, a pink one, a green one, a yellow, and…oh yes! For the last day you should have a white one with gems sewn into it. I think that amethysts and sapphires would be good." Mel nodded. Torah wrote all this down. Her cousin had an eye for this sort of stuff.

Torah was fitted for all these dresses. The seamstress admired Torah. "Oh milady, you will look dazzling! You don't even need a corset, although you should wear one anyways. It is the style these days! I agree with your colors too! Come here!"

After the fittings, the cousins went to visit Liano. Liano was quite glad to see them. She thrust one gold and one silver crown into Torah's hands. Torah stared at them. There were the same gems on them that were on her ring. She stared at Liano.

"They're yours. You have some royal blood in you. It's your right to wear these. It was my parents' birthday present to you, but they weren't done until today. You came at a very good time!"

Liano told Torah about her princess lessons. She seemed to be enjoying them. Torah knew that she would be a very good queen someday. She was shocked when Liano asked, "So when are you having your coronation?"

Torah blinked. "I'm not going to be queen. You are."

Liano sighed and rolled her eyes. "Have you been listening? No, you haven't. I was trying to ask you when you'll be the official Lightning Queen!"

Torah shrugged. "I already am. I always have been."

When they got back to the university, Torah went to the library. She found a book on the Weather Queens of the past. She was surprised when she saw that there had only been three others. In the year 235 B.H.E (before human era) there had been the Cloud Queen, Ankita. She was now a child of the Mother and Mithros, and the goddess of spring. A hundred years before her, the Thunder Queen had ruled. Paelinne was now the goddess of summer. In the year 45 H.E. (human era) Zerana had been crowned the Wind Queen and the goddess of fall.

Torah gasped at the last chapter. The youngest sister is Toralina. She will be crowned to goddess of winter, and she will rule over her siblings. She will be called the Lightning Queen by mortals. She is the most powerful by far, and she alone will sit on the counsel of the Great Gods.

Torah shook her head. "I'm going to be a Great God someday." She fainted.

She woke up an hour later. She was in her own bed, clutching the book to her body. Mel, Rikash, and Gavi stood over her, looking concerned. Lila was nearby, talking to a magical fire in her hand. Rikash noticed Torah first.

"Torah, how are you feeling?" He asked anxiously. Torah handed him the book.

"Read the last page out loud." Torah said weakly. He did. When he had finished, he looked up in awe. Mel and Lila's mouths were wide open. Gavi's eyes glinted. Torah frowned at her. Gavi took the book from Rikash and flipped through it.

"I'll end up with you, Torah! It says here that minor weather mages end up serving the four weather queens. How exciting!"

Torah scowled. "I'm not having you serve me, but you could surely live with me in my ice palace." Torah said sarcastically. "No wonder I like Midwinter so much." She rolled her eyes. "That book's a bunch of rubbish."

Lila looked up from her conversation. "Then why'd you faint, Majesty?"

Torah scowled more deeply. Mel smiled. "There's a good question. Why would your name and title be in a book written a hundred years ago? It's no coincidence, and you know that, so stop scowling, Majesty."

Torah jumped to her feet. "Stop calling me that, Princess Melaniah of Annoying Cousins!" She gave a mock curtsy. "Queen Lalita of Love-struck Girls. And Goddess Gaviena of Honorable Students! I didn't forget you, Rikash, King of Worriers! I am no queen!" She stomped away.

Mel shrugged and picked up the book again. :She's a goddess!"

Lila nodded. "A Great one at that!"

Torah had been eavesdropping. "I am not!" She yelled. "You had better not tell anyone about that rubbish, or I'll murder you!" She stomped away angrily.

Mel shook her head. "She almost never makes threats. When she does, she means them. No one tell anyone or she'll have our heads." Everyone nodded in agreement.

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Not my favorite chapter, but I still liked it. Did you guys? You should review and tell me! If you don't then I will go on a vacation for three weeks! I will leave you in suspense! Mwah ha ha! Okay, fine! I probably won't. I'm not lying though. My school starts August 16th, so if I want to finish this, I'll need to get writing, and for me to get writing, you guys need to get reviewing! I'm thinking of writing a couple more chapters here, and then writing another book with Torah. She's still a Novice blue robe, and it's already pretty long! Would you rather me just continue this one and have it be like fifty chapters, or would you want me to start another book?? Doesn't matter to me!