Sorry for the wait everyone. I sent this over to my editor during the beginning of her mid-terms and the prep for mine. It's one of those things were two people can't quite keep in sync. Happy fall break for all of you in school, whether it be high school or college.
Chapter 5: A Good Place
Once her nerves calmed, she answered the queen. "A pack of wolves lived nearby and they heard my call." Seeing the looks of confusion, she elaborated. "I can talk to animals and such from my mother's side of the family, and then I got the Gift from my grandmother. They taught me the best they could, but I surpassed them eventually and had to learn things on my own. That caused trouble a couple of times. But back to the wolves, my mother had a deal going with them. They would not feed off the local herds and no one would kill them and, if the winter was bad, our family would give them food. In exchange, they decided to also guard me. They would sometimes take me back to their lair if Mother and Father were working the fields. I soon knew all the pups very well and would play with them for hours on end. So when they heard me crying that night, they came as fast as they could.
"I lived with them for a couple months, but apparently one of the villagers was in service to Lord Anduo and told that I wasn't one of the bodies that they burned. I ran with all I could. Lunian helped, but he was only just learning to fly and couldn't carry much. I was also pretty obvious to anyone if I went to a village with a young Stormwing as a friend. So I kept moving.
"I headed North, hoping that they wouldn't follow me that well but the Lord decided that I'd make a good wife for his heir. I then turned into Scanra, believing they wouldn't follow me into such a country and on they came for four years. Then just on your side of the Scanra border they caught me. With the help of a maid that they held captive, I was able to escape, but not before they tortured me. At least they couldn't magic me, though they tried. Lunian carried me in a sling as far as he could before they started shooting at us and he went down. I found some wolves in the area and collapsed and then woke up here," she sighed as she finished her story.
Duke Baird, who had joined them, asked, "Why didn't our magic work on you? We tried to heal you, but…"
"Was anyone hurt!" Lia interrupted, sitting up, worried.
"No, why would anyone be hurt?" Daine answered.
"Our village mid-wife was also a seer. She foretold that I would endure great hardships and tragedies. To help me, she cast a spell that made it impossible for magic other than my own to touch me. It usually rebounds on the caster. It's helped in the past when someone decided to go against orders and kill me with a fireball," she said, relaxing some but not completely.
"You need sleep child," the Duke said suddenly. "You've been healing yourself and as your healer I'm ordering you to bed."
"Yes sir," the girl replied trying not to yawn.
Letting the girl get to bed and moving their conference to a private library of the king's, they continued their deliberations.
"What will you tell the conservatives?" Numair asked. "We just finished a war with Scanra; few will want to chance another so soon."
"Why tell them anything of yet? Anduo may decide he's had enough of chasing her and leave her be," Jonathon replied calmly.
"We'll tell them that she is my cousin that I'm adopting since she's lost her family. It will be true and legal in that way," Thayet said, agreeing with her husband.
"You'll need someone to escort her around the castle and to make sure she doesn't get into trouble," Gary added rationally, as always.
"Perhaps I could do that?" a small voice suggested from a chair that faced the other way. Princess Lianne stood and bowed to her elders.
"Lianne, what have I told you of eavesdropping?" Jonathon said sternly.
"That I shouldn't. But then again, why didn't you check the room before speaking of such a private matter, Father?" she replied.
The king turned to his champion and said, "You've tainted my children with your pert attitude."
"Perhaps you shouldn't have named me god-mother then, my Lord," the Lioness replied with a smile.
Giving up this battle of wits with so many females, he turned to his daughter and agreed to let her escort her cousin around the palace and get her accustomed to it.
?????
Waking up, Lia tensed. She was in clean cloths, on a clean bed, and Lunian wasn't in the room.
"He said he was going to get some things he left in the forest for you," a girl's voice said from the side of her bed.
Lia relaxed as the previous day returned to her and opened her eyes to look at the speaker. It was obvious who she must be with that raven black hair and royal blue eyes. "So are you my keeper or my jailer, Highness?"
The princess laughed and said, "Neither, for I'm your cousin, tour guide, and hopefully your friend."
Through the open window Lunian sailed through gracefully, dropping the bags he carried in his claws before landing lightly on his shoes. "You'd better be glad I brought all your stuff, girl. My elders ridiculed me all the way in," he said teasingly.
"Send them to me if they get too bad, flapper." Looking over him, she continued, "Man, you need a bath soon. Guess I better get up," She swung her legs out of bed and stood. The room spun for a moment before settling. I've been in bed too long.
"Should you be getting up so soon?" the princess asked worriedly, coming over, "Uncle said you would probably be in bed for a few more days."
"I heal fast… Um sorry but I don't think I know your name, cousin," Ontillia said uncertainly.
"My name is Lianne, though I go by Lia," the princess responded
Ontillia smiled and said, "We might have a problem. You see, my name is Ontillia and I too go by Lia."
The princess laughed, as did Lunian. "I'm sure we'll find some way to separate ourselves. Since you're up, do you want to go down and eat with the pages and squires that are here for the summer? Their classes haven't started back and my brothers are both pages. Or we can have something brought up."
"We can go down, Highness."
"Call me Lianne or Lia. We're cousins and you'll find that we're not too traditional here in Tortall. Or rather, we're not here in the capital," the princess broke in.
"Yes. Lianne, do you think it would fine if Lunian joined us?" Ontillia asked shyly.
Lianne looked at the young Stormwing. He did need a bath to clean him up, but he didn't stink really. "It would be different anyway, and I heard that he eats human food, so I think it would be a novel idea. Besides, we'll have to get the boys used to a 'tame' Stormwing. If you'll forgive the term, sir," she said, looking at Lunian.
"Oh I don't mind. Just leave off the 'sir'. I'm no king, nor do I ever want to become one. Just call me Lunian, your highness," he said with a bow.
"Call me Lianne then. Well, I hope you don't mind, but we fitted you for cloths, Lia," the princess said, handing over a stack of cloths.
"Thank you, Lia," Ontillia replied with a smile as took the clothes and proceeded to dress in breeches and shirt. Once that was done, and her own black hair put into a more manageable hair tie, they made their way to the dining hall for pages and squires.
They went slowly, mainly for Ontillia's benefit, since Lunian was so graceful on his shoes. When they came to the doors leading into the room, Lianne had them wait a moment for one of those pauses that happens during any event, where everyone stops talking at the same moment.
As soon as it happened, the princess breezed in followed more calmly by Ontillia and Lunian. She led the way through the serving line and to a table. When the boys first saw Lunian they all jumped to their feet and grabbed for swords, even if they were only pot metal. When they realized that he was with the princess, they sat back down and stared. Lord haMintch looked the immortal over before looking at the princess. She looked back and raised an eyebrow and smiled innocence. The training master shook his head and went back to his meal and speaking with another man.
Once they got their food, Lianne led them to a table occupied by four boys. Two were obviously her brothers Jasson and Liam, a third had red blonde hair and mischievous hazel eyes, while the fourth seemed to be the odd one out with his blonde, almost white, hair and blue eyes. He was also the youngest of the group.
"What have you done now, little sister?" the oldest brother asked.
"It looks like she's befriended a Stormwing," the younger brother responded for her.
"At least it's a clean Stormwing," the red-head said with a grin to the blonde.
The blonde grinned at Ontillia and said, "Or perhaps your sister befriended your cousin and her friend as well," he said in a quiet voice.
Lianne rolled her eyes and sat down, "Ontillia, let me introduce you to my brothers. Jasson is the squire and Liam is a third year page. The redhead is Alan of Pirates Swoop and the quiet one is Tannel of Blue Harbor. He's going to be a second year page this year. Boys, this is Ontillia, our cousin from mother's side of the family, as you already know, and her friend Lunian…"
"Lunian Brightstar at your service, my Lords," Lunian interrupted with a bow.
The boys had all heard the gossip about their cousin and her friend, but they hadn't expected to meet them so soon and looked her over speculatively.
"How do you know about me my Lords?" Ontillia asked quietly.
"Oh, you'll find that this place is a sieve of information. There are very few secrets, and those secrets are too important for servants to tell," Tannel replied with a smile.
Ontillia nodded and started to eat, ignoring the looks at the third tray in front of Lunian. She smiled and whispered a word or two and the food started floating up to where the Stormwing could get at it. Seeing their looks, the immortal glanced over at them and said, "What? I have to eat to grow too, or would you rather that I eat the way my brethren do?"
The boys and Lianne turned various shades of green and shook their heads in union as Ontillia giggled into her hand. This was a good place to live. Maybe she could stay, at least for a short time.