A/N- Yay, alerts are back! The description Kalasin gives of the sunrise is based on what I saw a couple of days ago. The sky was beautiful, so I climbed up on a fence, and time just stopped. It was amazing.
Disclaimer- Ah, my faithful disclaimer, always with me, and always the same thing. I'm just playing with these characters. They're fun to play with.
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Shock rippled through the hallway like a pebble dropped into a pond when Kalasin stabbed Lukiem. Lukiem's eyes, once a troubled blue, were now a lifeless grey which reflected the atmosphere, and his face had lines that were not there moments ago. The body, a healthy 156 pounds, suddenly fell onto Kalasin who had not retracted the knife. She hit the hard, cold ground with the corpse directly on top of her.
She didn't move. She couldn't, as she was paralyzed by the fact that at thirteen she had killed a fully-grown man. She didn't know if it was seconds or minutes before she realized that Lukiem's weight was cutting off the circulation in her limbs. Kalasin rolled away from him, disgusted in both the body and herself.
Numair and Daine looked on in distress, clinging to each other while Varice's sobs, (which had once again escalated into full hysterics) was the only echo to be heard. Kalasin stood there; looking at her blood-stained hands, and was captured in the moment. She vowed to remember it.
Her thoughts went to the bloody instrument of bereavement in her hands as she had been… 'occupied'…when she first took it. The hilt was a murky black with a grey horse running engraved on it. The blade itself was now a deep red, sharp and thin. The thin light bounce off of it, giving the blade an eerie feeling of something Kalasin couldn't describe.
A tear from her face dropped onto the silver blade. Kalasin watched as the blood ran off of the blade onto the ground. She watched the process many times.
The watery blood pooled on the ground, and by then Kalasin's tears were thick and heavy. She dropped to her knees, and the pain was only a distant calling.
"No," she said softly. "No," she repeated, this time louder. "No! This isn't fair! I shouldn't be doing this!"
She hunched over, hands to her forehead and realized the guilt of killing Lukiem would be with her forever.
Daine finally snapped out of oblivion and rushed to her younger friend. Dropping to her knees as well, Daine watched as Kalasin cried out her sorrow. Daine hated the sound of crying, but she knew that Kalasin would have to eventually come to terms with what she did. Crying worked best at first.
When Kalasin stopped her bawling, Daine gently reached out and put her hand under the princess's chin. She pushed upwards softly, forcing Kalasin to make eye contact.
"It's alright," she soothed. "You had to do it."
"No I didn't!" Kalasin shouted, emotions running wildly. "There must have been another way!"
"There wasn't," Daine said, trying hard to keep the tears out of her own eyes. "Think about it. We all die, that's the way the universe was fashioned. We are born, we live and we die. It's the cycle of life, and nothing will stop it. You will die one day, as will I." Throwing caution to the winds and allowing herself to cry, Daine went on, "Lukiem would eventually died. You just..."
Daine couldn't find a way to comfort her friend. Killing was wrong, and nothing could ever stop that.
"Look, Kalasin," Daine paused, collecting her thoughts, "Just take things one step at a time. First of all, stop crying."
Kalasin complied, and over Daine's shoulder she saw Numair comforting Varice, who had collapsed over Unikum's body.
"Kally, everything will sort itself out…oh my." Daine had finally noticed the unconscious Kaddar. "This isn't good," she added, picking up on the large, bleeding gash in his thigh.
"Numair," she yelled to him, "We have to get Kaddar to medics, or else he'll bleed to death."
Patting Varice once again on her back, Numair realized Daine's implications. If Kaddar died, there would be no one to take the throne, and a civil war would take place. Is this what it all comes down to? Numair thought. Getting Kaddar to medics?
"Daine, stay with Kalasin and I'll take Kaddar up to the palace. I'm sure once they see Kaddar you'll have more help down here."
Daine nodded, and then glanced at Lukiem. "But what if the majority of people here were on his side?"
Numair shook his head. "We can't think like that. We have to try, even if it's like walking in a field of snakes."
Daine returned her attention back to the trembling princess, and Numair walked quickly to Kaddar. The Emperor was indeed out cold, and Numair felt the full weight of Kaddar when Numair picked him up like a groom did taking a new wife over a threshold. Numair was forced to put his right elbow under the neck to prevent Kaddar's head from hanging.
"I'll be back soon," he whispered, more to himself than to anyone else. He had desperately hoped that Daine was wrong, and Lukiem had few followers.
If Daine was right, then Numair was a very dead man.
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Varice Kingsford had always liked tall men.
But now, she realized, looks weren't everything. Unikum's long, gangly nose had actually attracted her, as did his hay-like hair. He certainly wasn't what one considered 'tall', (he was only two inches taller than Varice), and his few freckles hadn't given him a perfect complexion. His looks weren't perfect, her thought interjected. But he was.
She had known him…how long? A few hours, at most? But those hours, as frantic and hectic as they were, were the best hours of her life. Finally, for the first time in her life, Varice Kingsford had fallen in love. But by the time she had figured it out, it was torn from her.
She had cried, of course, but each tear resembled unspoken words between the two. Crying barely reflected the thoughts she had. Wounds that were never able to heal silently buried themselves into her heart.
Numair had tried to comfort her, but it was a futile attempt. She remembered Numair, just a casual fling compared to Unikum. Misery, sadness, anguish, suffering, torment, despair and grief filled up her soul.
Unikum's body mirrored Lukiem's: grey, dull and lifeless. Varice herself wanted to die at that moment, just to be with him.
She assumed that Numair had gone to get help when he left her side, and she was left alone with Unikum. Not wanting to see the body anymore, she bravely stood up; tears were still dripping down her face, makeup smudged everywhere.
She vaguely noticed the princess and Daine. Making her way over to them, she psyched herself into talking.
"Is this a dream?"
"I wish," was Kalasin's reply, although Daine's was much longer.
"Isn't life but a dream?" At Varice's confused looked, Daine continued, "Reality is just how we perceive it. For example, if a man is convinced he'll die tomorrow he's probably going to make it happen."
Varice wiped her tears away with her hand. "You didn't answer my question."
"I don't know," Daine said simply, stating the truth.
Varice sat beside the two other females, and together, with Varice and Kalasin occasionally crying, the three waited for Numair to return. It was unnerving, with two bodies surrounding them, but they managed to get through it when hurried footsteps were heard coming down the trapdoor.
Numair burst through first, looking exhausted. He was shortly followed by five guards. The guards were clad finely in full mail and dashing swords belted to their hips.
The guards' looks were first of surprise, the shock and disgust as they took in the situation: Three females in front of them, two crying silently, the other looking as if she wanted to. A body lay directly left of the guards' feet, and another behind the girls. However, they were trained for this and began to go to work. Two went to Unikum's body, two other's to Lukiem. The last, obviously the captain, stayed where he was as the four guards carefully maneuvered themselves back up to the palace.
Numair, the most mentally stable, knew what the captain was about to say. He was right, when the captain simply asked, "Explain."
Numair sighed, pulled down on his shirt and told the captain everything he needed to know.
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Kaddar's eyes fluttered open. When he decided that the light was too much for him to handle, he shut his eyes again. Unfortunately, the swift movement had been caught by sharp eyes. He heard diluted exclamations of "He's awake!" and "Or is he dead?" He was suddenly prodded in various places on his body. Whenever he grunted, the poking continued.
He opened his eyes again, this time showing the faces of about five doctors. The shock of seeing them made Kaddar yell and try to push them away. He failed miserably as the effort simply exhausted him more. He felt clammy hands force open an eye wider. "Nobility!" the doctor said with relief in his voice. "Can you see us?"
Kaddar whacked the hand away. "I can see you fine!" The doctors, seeing that there patient was alive, crowded forward. Claustrophobia started setting in. "Move away!" Kaddar shouted.
The physicians obliged. Finally, he could make some sort of sense of the current situation. He was in his bed, as he could hear the soft roaring of the bathtub nearby. The silk sheets rustled as he sat up, although his body twanged in numerous places. He grimaced. Then he grimaced again, realizing his mistake at grimacing in the first place.
The doctors ran forwards to him at once, like a steak being thrown to street dogs.
"I wouldn't recommend that, Nobility," one said. The doctor, the only female, helped Kaddar lie back down. "Not for another few days."
Kaddar only managed a "What?"
"You received quite the beating from…Master Lukiem," the doctor concluded, unsure of how to address the traitor. "Although you were only stabbed in the thigh, you knocked your back around remarkably well. You're lucky you can still walk."
Kaddar nodded, his memory coming back to him. He remembered pain…a knife...no, it was a dagger…Lukiem…Daine…Kalasin…Kalasin!
"Kalasin!" he shouted.
"She's fine," an elderly physician said. "Where is she, again?" He directed the question at a younger man.
"The Tortallan mentioned riding, but that's it," the man said. "But that doesn't matter. What does is your getting better, Nobility."
Kaddar rolled his eyes. Much work would need to be done to undo his uncle's ways of things. Noticing the doctors moving towards him again, Kaddar glared at them. "What did I say about moving away?"
They sheepishly took steps back, and well out of reach from them, he sat up. Keeping his face blank, he maneuvered himself into a cross-legged position.
"Am I well enough to walk?"
The doctors exchanged glances. He was, although they didn't want him to know that. but if they lied, who knew what would happen…
The female stepped up. "Yes, you're well enough to walk. But that's all, Nobility. Any more and you risk exhaustion."
Kaddar grinned, sending shivers down their spines.
"Try me."
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The roan horse whinnied as she saw her master approaching. Noticing the slight limp, the roan realized she would have to go easy on him today.
Kaddar, the master of the roan, placed a hand on the horse and looked at the surroundings. The stable was ironically the same one where the trap door was.
He had been told, before he left, what had happened. The doctors said that the ball, even though lacking the princess, was continued without interruption. It was constant like that until Numair, holding the Emperor, arrived, causing panic.
Since no one was there to give orders, (Kaddar had yet to appoint a second-in-command) chaos reigned with a strong hand. It was only Numair who brought sense to the situation.
Numair handed Kaddar over to the guards, and ordered anyone who was attending the ball back to their quarters. When the non-essential people had left, Numair told the guards of the situation. One squadron apparently ran with Numair to the trapdoor, and the rest went to tell the guests what had transpired.
The doctors stopped at that point for lack of information. Apparently only the five guards knew what really happened.
Returning to the present time, Kaddar had asked around where Kalasin had gone. No one knew, until he approached a stable boy.
"Excuse me," he started, but got no further.
"Nobility!" the stable boy exclaimed. "I swear I don't know how I was found naked in the hay! There was just some girly who attacked me out of no where! A very pretty girl I may add, but that's not the point."
Kaddar smiled, realizing this was the boy Daine had knocked out when she needed clothes.
"Did I mention anything about clothes?" Kaddar asked.
The poor boy's eyes snapped open, realizing he had interrupted the Emperor. The Emperor. He was going to pay for this one.
"Anyways," Kaddar went on, "has anyone taken horses out today?"
The boy, or more like a teenager, nodded, head down. "Yes, Nobility. There were three. There was a tall man with hair like a Tortallan, a female who always had her back to me, and another girl. But this one was special. She was the princess."
Kaddar prompted the boy, who was named Rayan, with his hands, telling him to continue.
"Midnight hair, she had, and voice that sang like angles. But refused to let me saddle her horse. She did it for herself, and did it might fine as well. Sure are lucky, Nobility, to get a girl like her."
Kaddar raised his eyebrow at Rayan, who blushed. "Sorry, Nobility," he said.
"Let's make a deal," Kaddar said. "I won't tell anyone about the clothes thing if you stop calling me Nobility and tell me where the three went."
Rayan opened his mouth to say that Kaddar didn't know anything about the clothes ordeal, but stopped and agreed to the deal.
"They were talking about going directly North, your Highness. Princess said she wanted to look across the Inland Sea, and you must know how pretty it is up there."
Rayan was right. The starting of the river Zekoi was the most scenic of all Carthak, with rolling hills stretching for a length of a mile, then suddenly stopping at the Inland Sea. It was a long ride, but worth it in the end.
"I'm following them, and tell no one that. I had enough trouble getting out of those damned doctor's hands."
Rayan nodded, excitement swirling in his stomach. It was almost like a conspiracy he was participating in.
Kaddar faced his roan, Moonsun. He quickly brushed the horse's back and girth, removing dirt. Speedily, he threw on the blanket protecting the horse, making sure it was even in both sides, while Rayan looked on in awe of his efficiency. Making sure the stirrups weren't in the way; Kaddar grabbed the saddle sitting on the post nearby. He lifted it clear of the post, and he positioned it on Moonsun with practiced ease. He smoothed the wrinkles out, and did up the girth buckles. After settling the saddle, he deemed Moonsun ready.
"So where am I?" he asked Rayan.
"You are currently traveling southbound near the river Zekoi. You plan to return within the day."
Kaddar smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Good," he commented. When Rayan opened the gate Moonsun trotted out.
Cautiously avoiding numerous items like barrels and sacks of flour, Kaddar made his way over to the east wall. It was ordered that way: all stables to be positioned on the outside edges of the castle.
He was halted at the fifteen-foot-high, three-feet-thick wall. There were two guards on duty. "Name?" one asked lazily, not even looking at the Emperor.
"Kaddar."
The guard looked up. Nothing happened, until recognition clicked. "Nobility!"
No more questions were asked, and the guard signaled to another by the actual gate. With creaks and groans the gate swung open, revealing three more guards on the outside, and a landscape that could fetch an artist more money than he needed.
When the guards stepped aside, Moonsun whipped back her main, restless. He was free to go in search of Kalasin, Daine, and Numair.
"Ride!" he told the roan. The mare did as such, obeying her master's orders.
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The view was beautiful, although the word didn't even begin to describe it. To Kalasin's back, the hills were like waves that had frozen. It looked like a classic scene out of a book. To her front, however, was where her heart longed to be. The Inland Sea stretched across the vast plane, daring Kalasin to simply discard the chains of royalty and fly back to her homeland. On the horizon, fishing ships were proudly doing their duty, but Kalasin couldn't tell whether they were Carthak or Tortallan.
The sunrise was enough to wake anyone. The yellows and oranges were as ripe as the April fruit in Corus.
Kalasin's horse whinnied, and the girl rubbed her mount. Daine and Numair, both mounted as well, were on either side. When Kalasin had asked the two to ride with her, they didn't ask. In fact, they were surprised that they had been asked at all, but the girl needed protection from foes of an unknown kind. The trio hadn't bothered leaving a message. If they had, Carthaki soldiers wouldn't have 'escorted' them back to the palace.
It hadn't been hard to come out here. They simply retrieved their horses, and Kalasin's name got the three through the gate. Kalasin needed time to think over everything, and the place she had first thought of was here, the closest she could be to her past. It beckoned to her.
Kalasin rubbed her eyes. She evidently had not gotten any sleep, and it was getting to her. But sleeping now would be like a crime.
Time stopped. The scene froze. Hours, minutes, or days went by without Kalasin, Daine or Numair's concern. The majestic scene unfolded even more so before them.
Finally, a fly buzzed by Numair's ear. He snapped up straight, the spell of the scenery broken. "We should go," he whispered. "Kaddar'll be worried."
Kalasin shook her head. "I don't care."
Daine looked at the girl. "Kally…"
Kalasin maneuvered her horse ninety degrees to directly face the Wild Mage, and was glad she was on horseback so that she could meet the grey-blue eyes of her friend.
"No. I've done so much for everybody already, sacrificing myself. Carthak won't implode right now. It can wait for later."
They were still speaking in dull tones, while the melodious sounds of the Inland Sea washed over them.
"It's hard, being royalty, Kalasin. That's why we respect you," commented Numair.
At first Numair was afraid he had offended the girl, but she turned to him. Tears were gathering in her eyes.
"Life isn't fair."
"I know. But if it was fair to you, Kally, it wouldn't be fair to everyone else."
The Empress-to-be wiped her eyes on the rough sleeve of the tunic. "But…" the sentence went unfinished.
The two mages glanced at each other and nodded, knowing what they were both implying.
"We're going to go back to the palace, Kally. You can stay here for a while, if you need the time."
Kalasin nodded, not really hearing the words. Daine and Numair took that as an affirmative however, and turned towards the ride to the palace.
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The sky overhead was turning a darker blue, Kaddar noted. It was almost noon. His stomach growled as he realized he hadn't eaten in almost a day.
Moonsun's hooves trotted along think, lush grass on the hills across the Inland Sea. This area of Carthak was the most…Tortallan-like.
The long ride made his back sore, and he repositioned himself in the saddle. If he couldn't find her, or if they had crossed paths earlier, or if she had traveled along the coast… No, Kaddar told himself. Don't double-guess yourself.
The rolling hills, green with the passing rain, became wider, and Kaddar knew that he would approach the coastline soon. He momentarily went into the trough of the hill, but when he leveled back up, instead of the hills for another quarter mile the sight was broken by a lone horseback figure. Even if Kaddar couldn't make out the figure's details, he knew, as if by instinct, that it was Kalasin.
He paused for a moment, almost allowing himself to smile. But no, it was stopped midway when the figure doubled-over on the horse. Frowning, Kaddar gathered his reigns and burst Moonsun into a run. He never let his eyes stray off of Kalasin. Even the hills couldn't block the view of her. Scientists would have said that if an object is in the way of another, the closest object would have been seen. But love has an uncontrollable knack for doing the impossible.
When Kaddar closed in on the girl, or better described as a young woman, he could see she was crying. She didn't hear him pull up beside her.
Kaddar hadn't seen the Inland Sea in a long time, for the Imperial Palace had to be totally reconstructed and other matters to attend to. But now, he knew why Kalasin had such a hard time parting with it. The sight was indescribable.
Kalasin, sensing someone, looked up at him.
For one of the many times of the day, she brushed away her tears. "I'm sorry…I shouldn't cry...it's just…"
Kaddar positioned Moonsun only inches away from Kalasin. He looked at her with a mix of pity and sorrow in his eyes.
"Cry…No one said you can't."
Their eyes met, and for a brief second Kaddar didn't see a crying adolescent…he saw a strong, brave woman being held back by her own fears.
Kalasin, tired of her charade, collapsed onto Kaddar's shoulders. "I'm trying to be brave…but sometimes bravery isn't enough. I need more…crying is a damned bad substitute."
Kaddar would have laughed, but the situation didn't call for it.
"I'm scared. A lot more than I should be. I mean, here I am, in a position people would die for. And I'm scared. I'm scared of my life. This…guilt…is incredible. Is…that right?"
Kaddar brushed her hair with his fingers, soothing the tangles.
"Kalasin, most people, needless to say royalty, don't kill people. They don't have the guilt you do, and they never will. I know it must be incomprehensible to me, but believe me…I know how you feel, in a twisted way. I can see your pain just by looking at you."
Kalasin coughed. "I know, but it's just…damnit. I can't begin to say how I feel."
"Is it like your guts have been ravaged and picked at by passing mercenaries, yet you're still alive to feel the pain, and they left you to live out your life that way?"
Kalasin gave a watery laugh. "Exactly."
Kaddar sighed. He knew he would have to bring this up eventually and knew that procrastinating wouldn't help.
"You don't have to go through with this, the marriage, I mean. No one will blame you. You've gone through more in a month than most people do in years. You've been kidnapped, drugged and almost killed."
"No," she said. "I'll be fine. Give me a few days, please."
Kaddar nodded, and continued playing with his wife-to-be's hair while watching the trading ships on the horizon. It was strange, how about twelve miles away people who had lives opposite to Kaddar's had no idea he was watching them. It was curiously enlightening.
When he felt Kalasin's body go a shocking limp in his arms, he panicked for a moment. The emotion quickly resided when he realized she had just fallen asleep.
Not knowing what to do, he transferred all of Kalasin's body to his lap, carefully not disturbing her. Distorting his body momentarily, he tied Kalasin's horse to his own. He sighed again (he had been doing that too much lately, he knew) and slowly made his way back to Carthak, back to his future.
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When Kalasin awoke, she had no idea where she was. She did know that the bed was marvelously comfy though. She groggily opened her eyes, and then closed them at the alarming amount of light streaming through them.
Instead of the silence Kalasin wished of, however, a knock at the door brought her attention back to reality. Where am I? She thought.
She forced herself upwards, and opened her eyes. At first she thought of shoving the covers over her head and pretending not to hear the knock, but decided against it. She was in the gigantic room that could house an army, back in the Carthaki palace. The splashing sounds from the nearby bath/waterfall only confirmed that hypothesis.
"What?" she managed to call.
The door opened, and in walked a slave. Kalasin thought she knew that face somewhere… it was the slave! The one who had first shown her around the palace! But the thing that surprised Kalasin the most was that she was clothed…fully.
The slave articulated the words carefully, obviously trying hard not to stutter.
"His Nobility sends his regards, and wishes you to come to the docks, as fast as you can. His Nobility says that your friends are leaving soon."
It was too much information all at once, and it took a few moments for it to sink it, until she realized that Daine and Numair must have been leaving. She swore, and swung her feet down to the ground. She was still in the rough tunic and skirt Lukiem had given her.
She quickly made her way over to her bags, but found no clothes, to her dismay.
"Your..c..clothes are in the closest, Nobility. And the seamstresses have been working nearly days and night to add to your wardrobe."
"They didn't have to do that…" Kalasin muttered. She opened the closet, and saw what the slave meant. There were fine garments in the walk-in closest everywhere. There was still a lot of space for new clothes (obviously they weren't done yet) but overall the effect was incredible. She had only seen her mother having these many clothes.
She noted that the simplest garment were on her left, the most fancy to her right.
"His Nobility recommends commoner clothing, to blend in, Nobility."
Kalasin nodded, seeing where Kaddar was coming from. To blend in…that would be better.
She went to her immediate left, and found a simple woolen skirt, white cotton shirt with lace- up at the neck and an orange-yellow vest overtop. She quickly stripped and put it on, not wanting to waste time. While doing so, she remembered the events of the past days. Her stomach dropped.
Trying her best to ignore the feeling, she pulled on think leather boots. "The docks, you say?" she asked the slave. She nodded.
Without saying anything else, Kalasin quietly exited the room.
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The docks were roaring with trade, yells, smells and sights to see. Kalasin almost felt normal again.
The slave hadn't told her where in the docks to go, so Kalasin was momentarily lost. Everything was happening in a bustle, no one bothering to see their future ruler standing their before them.
An idea hit Kalasin. She had to look for a Tortallan ship. They stood out tremendously, as Tortall built their ships for stability, Carthak for speed.
The crowds thinned out the further Kalasin went to her east, until finally there was only one ship docked, with its gangplank already out. There was only a few people milling about, obviously sailors. She was delighted at their Tortallan accent.
She continued walking, until, "Kally!"
She felt as if her lungs were being compressed together from the hug she received. Not knowing what was going on, she only knew that it was Daine hugging her by the wild curls poking in her eyes.
"Daine?"
"I'm so sorry, Kally! Numair and I have to go!"
Once again, too much information of Kalasin. "What? What's going on? I just got out of bed!"
"I'm sorry," the mage repeated. "But, we just learned that the only Tortallan ship going out of here is leaving today, and another isn't coming for a month. And we can't ask your parents to send a ship for Numair and me. But, I'm sorry Kally, Numair and are going back to Tortall."
Kalasin numbed. She had forgotten that Daine and Numair wouldn't be around her forever.
"But we'll come back, don't worry."
Tears started welling in Kalasin's eyes, the guilt she had suppressed coming back to her. But, at that moment, Kalasin let loose the strong, brave woman in herself. Casting away her fears, she simply replied, "I know. I'm ready for the future, ready for a new life."
Kaddar and Numair, who had been chatting about a recent discovery of new fauna in a kingdom Kalasin had never heard of, trotted over.
"Is everything alright?" Kaddar asked. Kalasin nodded, and when she looked up at Kaddar she felt a…twang. Or more of a shock. It wasn't guilt, anxiety or anything like that, but a different feeling. One she hadn't felt in a long time, and only later did she learn that it was love.
Kalasin drifted towards Kaddar's side, and clung to him when someone called, "All ye coming better get onboard now!" from the ship. The ship itself, The Pretty Lass, wasn't in the best condition, and the captain looked no better.
Daine and Numair smiled at Kalasin.
"Everything will be all right, Kally. Just do me a favor, and have the time of your life."
Kalasin smiled. "I'll do my best."
The next moments passed in a blur for Kalasin, and they only sharpened when the two crossed the gangplank. Nearby workers and laborers went on in their lives, not noticing the tender moment for the four.
When the anchors were raised and the captain gave a shout the ship slowly started making its way out of the harbor. In only a few minutes, Kalasin could barely make out the faces of Daine and Numair, who were leaning over the back railing. She waved, and they back. Finally, when they were no longer distinguishable from the ship, Kalasin turned her back to the sea and the country she once knew. Instead, she faced the person she loved and a new life, one that she was sure abundant with new adventures, challenges and beginnings.
She smiled. Not a fake smile, but a real, happy smile. It felt good. She no longer had to worry about her future. Her future was here, her future was now. With time, the guilt of killing Lukiem would subside. It would never go away, but Kalasin knew she would learn to live with that.
Her smile grew into a grin.
She wanted to be doing this.
She had to.
For her country.
For her people.
And for herself.
The End
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A/N- Everyone's forgotten about Junika, haven't you? I haven't. –evil smile-
It's done! Finished! I'm sad now… so, the final A/N. Incredible thanks to my reviewers, who have stuck with me through bad chapters, horrible plot twists ( that had to be redone) and no updates. You're all better than most of the people I know.
Also, just a random fact, I lost characters throughout the story. At one point, Kaddar just disappeared, and that's why Daine found him in the stables.
I'm not sure about a sequel, only if you, the reviewers, want it. It can easily be continued. Just send me your plot bunnies, and I'll probably do them. If I don't ever update fast enough, please, send me a PM. Half of the time I forget about a chapter I've already written and not posted it, so PM me if I don't update within about a week or two.
If I write a sequel, the words, 'Sequel to LCCTS' (Leopards Can't Change Their Spots) will be in it.
Well, I'm done for now. Thanks again to my reviewers, who are more like friends. Please, if a sequel interests you, tell me. I won't take long to post it!
So that's it for me. Please review (I'll respond to every one), and you get cookies if you do. And these are awesome cookies, believe me.
Hopefully, I'll see you all later,
Phoenix