Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you read in the books because I'm not cool enough to write books. yet...heehee. but Romeli is mine people and if you try and steal her I will have to have my pet moose Umpy attack you...man I really over do it with the moose thing.

Song for this chapter: Keep on Keepin' On → JoJo. And I know what you're thinking. "Oh jeeze Moose. You listen to JoJo? Good God." And to that I must say that some of her songs are actually pretty good, and they fit the mood of this story quite well. Do I listen to Disney Channel superstars? HELL NO. I like real music, thanks.

Read you fools!

Chapter 11: Meetings with the King

"How do we know if we can trust her or not, James?" Sereem asked to the green-eyed boy. Everyone was crowded into Masbolle's room to discuss the newcomer.

"I just have this feeling," James said.

"Yes James, you always have that feeling. I remember that the last time you had that feeling, we all got trapped in a ditch full of horse dung," Whave retorted.

"James, just listen," Ryoku said calmly. "We know that you are all of a sudden very connected with Romeli, but trust takes time... You're always like this—too nice for your own good."

James froze at her words. Maybe he was too nice for his own good. He was practically known at the palace for taking in and befriending new palace inhabitants. "I guess you're right," he said with a sigh. He then looked up and met the eyes of his friends. "But can't we give her a chance? Drawing to conclusions with no facts is...is barbaric! There's something about her, I don't know...but I think she needs us."

"That's what you said to the tiger," Ethan reminded him. "And then it bit you."

James glared."She's not an animal for crying out loud!"

Sereem, Whave, Ethan, Ryoku, and Tim exchanged wary glances.

James through his hands in the air, frustrated. "She has an intelligent mind," he told them slowly, as if he were dealing with children. "She thinks like we do, she just looks different! Give her a chance!"

Whave sighed. "Fine James, if it will make you happier," he murmured emotionless. "Let's study in her room and we'll see from there."

James thrust his hands into his pockets and turned his back to them. "I'll be careful too," he choked out. They were completely right, but he couldn't bring his heart out to believe it. Instead he walked out the door without a goodbye.

OOO

Romeli woke up, fell off the bed, and opened her eyes to an unfamiliar room with unfamiliar bird calls. At first she forgot where she was, but soon remembered. She was in the palace, with lots of people, and lots of emotion. Romeli rose from the ground and rubbed her head. She didn't bother making her bed—there was no motivation to.

With a groan, she got herself dressed in a simple outfit and headed for the meeting with the king.

OOO

The meeting room had a large table with about ten seats and one head chair. The king sat at the head of the table, lazily scribbling on a paper. A closer look informed Romeli that he was attempting to draw the vase of flowers before him. His black hair and beard were cut short, showing clear streaks of gray. His eyes were tired from either waking up early or stress—it was hard to tell. He looked up when Romeli entered. They were the only two in the room, making Romeli's heart flutter with nervousness.

"Goddess," he whispered so she could barely hear him. Seeing Romeli up close, he immediately noticed her breathtaking looks, accented by engaging eyes.

Romeli sat down with an inward sigh a little ways from the king and stared at the vase of flowers that held beautiful yet drooping roses in it. Her fingers itched with the flowers' longing for a longer life.

The king noticed the girl's stare. "I need to get them replaced, but I can never find the Gods-cursed time."

Romeli gained the confidence to speak, mostly for the flower's sake. "Oh you don't need to replace them. Here." She closed her eyes and filled the dying plants with their needs. When she opened her eyes again, the vase was exploding with well-blossomed roses, glowing with radiance

"Mithros. How did you do that?" the king asked with wide, blue eyes. Romeli forgot he was in the room and was startled to hear his smooth voice.

Romeli looked down making her hair hide her face. "Plant magic, Highness." She would have regretted displaying her power so openly if it hadn't saved the plants. Either way, the king now knew her secret.

To save Romeli from never ending questions, Daine, Numair, and Alanna walked into the room along with a few people she did not recognize.

"Hi Romeli," Numair greeted as he sat next to her. Daine sat on her other side. She gave both of her parents a welcoming smile.

After a few minutes of talking with her parents and avoiding the odd stares of those around her, all of the chairs were filled with people. James was also there, on duty as a Page to serve them food and drink. He stood in the corner until needed.

"Well it seems like we're all here, so let's begin shall we? The first thing I would like to get to is the plant virus status. Sir Gareth, do you have any news?"

The man with a fairly large build stood up with a thick roll of parchment. "Yes I do. It seems that the virus has been burned off completely around Pirate's Swoop, along with part of the beach and road to Corus. As you may have noticed, Corus is also cured." He sat down once again.

Jonathan thought about the peculiar news, bringing separate puzzle pieces together. Eventually he found the answer and looked at Romeli squarely. "Did you have anything to do with this?"

Oh great, more secrets revealed. Just what I need. "Yes, your Highness," she answered evenly, yet with a quiet voice. People around her started to whisper.

"But how did you do it?" this time the king's business-like voice was replaced with fascination and curiosity.

"She has plant magic, Jonathan," Alanna informed the king. "The whole way here she was healing the plants of their sickness. Once she got here, she worked on Corus. You may have noticed that your gardens are a lot more healthier."

"Indeed they are," Jonathan said mostly to himself as he glanced at the healthy vase of flowers in front of him.

"But plant magic doesn't exist does it?" asked a lean man who sat across from Daine and next to another women with capturing hazel eyes. He had the same features as James, but without the small Yamani features. It had to be James's father, Nealan.

There were many complaints and outbursts of agreement after the knight's remark. Romeli looked down as she tried to become one with the ground. Numair put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"The only way to solve this dilemma is proof," Numair remarked. The people grew silent when her father spoke. "Romeli do you mind demonstrating?"

"No." she stood up and went to the window behind her. The other people, including a curious James, stood up to see closer. "See that baby willow tree down there? Keep your eyes on it."

She closed her eyes and poured her magic out to her mind. Since the baby tree was healthy, it would be harder to grow—it had no urge to grow faster than the pace it already did. She made many sugars, fed water to it, and made foe sunlight to feed the tree to. It grew slowly, but a few minutes later the tree was about five feet taller then what it was before. When Romeli opened her eyes, she saw people give her amazed looks. She caught a friendly smile from James who stood in the back. She smiled back.

"Happy now, Nealan?" Alanna asked dangerously. Neal nodded calmly with a hint of mock in his emerald eyes.

"I now understand my Lady Knight and former Knight Master." Alanna cuffed his ear.

Everyone calmly sat down, giving Romeli compliments and looks of amazement. Jameson gave them all glasses of water and fruit baskets full of fresh fruits. Everyone took them hungrily. When he passed Romeli, he put a comforting hand on her shoulder and walked away back to his corner.

"Well now that we have that over with. Romeli, I was wondering if you could heal as many fields of food as possible within your range," the king asked. Romeli nodded.

There wouldn't be much harm in it, she thought, staring down at her lap as the king babbled on. Helping the plants would be beneficial towards the war and the harvest. Maybe it would even keep me away from another one of those balls. She looked back at last night with mixed feelings. The social interaction had been horrifying. And then again, she also met James...

"Now time to talk about the war." There were groans and sighs from many of the people. "Yes I know. Now King Maggur is planning to raid our land continuously, and in a years time will have a large battle. During this year's time, we must extract information and wear down their country. This is where you come in Daine. You will fly messenger birds to Scanra where they will locate spies in the field. Romeli, like Numair said, you have Wild Magic. How powerful is it?"

Hooray, more secrets. Just what I need. Soon enough everyone will look at me like a freak. ...If they don't already. Romeli exhaled a heavy breath of air hopelessly.

"Romeli? Did you hear me?" the king asked.

And now he thinks I'm stupid too. Mithros help me. "My Wild Magic is powerful enough," she told the king, bent on keeping her secrets safe.

"Her Wild Magic is stronger than mine," Daine informed the room. "And therefore, her magic stretches nearly twice as far as mine does." That brought another rouse of talking. Romeli wanted nothing more than to disappear.

"Okay you two will be called continuously to carry or send messages to the northern forts and spies.

"Let's see, assignments," Jonathan continued on, turning his attention to a piece of parchment on the table. "We will be posted at our same spots from the former war. Yes the forts are still there. Keladry, you will command an actual fort this time, Fort Mastiff. You proved to have amazing skills the first time," the king said to the hazel-eyed women next to Neal. "Neal will be healer and Owen will take charge of commanding the squads. Tell him that would you? Roaul, you're back at Northwatch with the usual. I'll tell the other people you're working with later. Alanna you will lead two drifting squads of the King's Own. Numair, you will act as war mage and apply charms on the forts with the other mages." When the king finished, everyone at the table nodded in understanding.

"I am also going to inform many of the knights and the squires-to-be, squires must be chosen soon. Elsewise there will be many squires knightless during the war," the king added in.

"Now Romeli, Numair also told me that you have a strong Gift. How strong exactly?"

Romeli blinked a couple of times, glancing at the king and then at her father.

Numair nodded. "Romeli's Gift is very strong. Though she is not completely finished with training, she is excellent at healing. Better then most healers. As for dueling, charms, and such, she is remarkably excellent. She beat Alanna at a duel and nearly beat me. As for the limits of her Gift, she has a stronger Gift than me, easily qualifying her as a black robed mage. Her Gift can't be drained. I suppose you could say that it's...pitless."

Silence followed Numair's exclamation. Even James was somewhat baffled despite already knowing.

Numair just had to say everything didn't he, Romeli thought with a flushed face.

"B-but pitiless Gifts don't exist. It's just a myth. A fake myth at that," Jonathan said doubtful.

"Romeli has a pitless Gift so believe it," Alanna snapped at the king. Jonathan knew it was the end of the discussion. The others couldn't speak. Instead they openly stared at the girl before them.

"Very well. Romeli, you'll also help with the charms and such on the forts with Numair in your spare time. If you feel comfortable, it would also be helpful to have you magically assist us in battle."

Romeli's heart began to beat faster as excitement crept up her veins. Perhaps Numair blurting out the magnitude of her powers wasn't such a bad thing.

"Now for squads and weaponry. The large battle a year from now will take place at Northwatch. I'll be putting mostly all of my troops there. Even though Maggur said there would be no secret attacks during the battle, you can never be too sure. Romeli, since you can't use a weapon and—."

"I can use a weapon," Romeli said, interrupting the king without a second thought. Her rare temper was rising due to the insult. She wasn't a fluttery court-girl.

"What weapons do you use?" That came from the largely built, beady-eyed Roaul.

"My best is the double-bladed staff," Romeli told the commander. "Then long bow, and daggers," The woman named Kel looked at her slightly surprised, but held it down with what seemed to be an invisible mask.

"How good are you at the double-bladed staff?" Keladry asked, emotionless.

"She beat me, Kel. I think that's good enough." Everyone turned their heads at Alanna, wide eyed once again.

"Very well," Jonathan murmured, silencing the hushed whispers across the room. He glanced at Romeli, impressed. The king knew more than most the deadliness of Alanna with a blade. "I'll tell everyone when they are needed. You're dismissed." The group rose from their chairs and bowed before exiting.

Romeli bit back tears as she left. This was going all wrong. No one was supposed to know her secrets, and now some of the most important people in the realm did. Having these people informed of her powers was risky. Trusting James seemed easy, natural even. This didn't.

A comforting hand on her shoulder pulled her out of the uncomfortable reverie. She looked into level emerald eyes.

"Hey, you okay?" James asked, concerned.

"Yeah," Romeli said scuffing her shoe. "Just so many things happening I guess. It builds up." She shrugged off James's hand. "Do you know who your Knight Master is going to be?"

"Yes actually. Gods, I'm going to die. Alanna just asked me and I'm doomed. Father says he'll come to my funeral. He was Alanna's squire back in his day. Mithros guide me." He shook his head in dramatic mourn.

"Do you have anything to do today?" Romeli asked trying to stifle a laugh.

"I have classes to go to. I got the whole morning off and was then forced to go to this boring meeting to serve. Some break." He waved as he ran towards the one of the palace's exits and towards the training grounds.

Romeli headed up to her parent's suite, deciding that now would be a perfect time to browse through all of the books there. Many of them had to do with the blurry subject of immortals, a topic that interested her greatly.

The day went by slowly as she checked up on Shadowdancer in the stables, read a few short books, told stories to Sharpfang, and practiced her staff in the sitting room. Of all the activities done that day, training with her staff was the hardest. She was bound to simple pattern dances for a while. Her stiff arms and chest were too sore for anything more intense.

At last it was dinnertime, and the maids brought her and her parent's food. They set it on the small center table and the three of them dug into their food. Unfortunately the main dish was radish soup—a flavor of soup that Romeli thought did not deserve to be a flavor at all. She pushed away the bowl, eyeing it nervously before turning to her parents.

"Ma, Da, my friends are going to be coming here after dinner so they can work on homework. I volunteered to help."

Both of her parents nodded. "We'll make sure that we're out of the way," Numair told her. He then bit into a jelly filled biscuit.

OOO

Romeli answered the knocking door to find James's face. She smiled and admitted James, Tim, Ryoku, Whave, Ethan, and Sereem in. Everyone walked in and plopped themselves on the floor comfortably.

"Yes, my father asked me to be his squire," Whave said as the topic was brought up. His dark hair kept on falling into his face and his brown eyes were clear. "Dad is nice...and he's a great fighter."

"Father dearest has decided to have me as squire," Tim said mostly to Romeli. "He says I need more discipline." Everyone agreed completely.

Romeli heard a sense inside her bedroom. Sharpfang are you okay?

If being okay is the same thing as being an icicle, the cobra retorted, shivering.

"I'll be right back guys," she informed them. Stepping over Sereem's tall and lean body, she entered her room.

When she came back seconds later, Sharpfang was wrapped around her neck for warmth.

"Uh, Romeli, don't get scared, but there's a cobra around your neck," said Sereem. His blue eyes and arched brows that looked similar to James's, had a hint of fear in them.

"I know. His name is Sharpfang, and he's my friend." She sat down amongst the group and unhooked the cobra from her neck. After gently putting him on her lap, the rest of her friends crowded around to see, though they kept their distance.

No biting, Sharpfang okay? Romeli ordered. She didn't feel like healing a snakebite today.

I won't if they wont. Sharpfang replied smartly. It looked like he was grinning.

"He says he wont bite if you don't hurt him," Romeli told the group, watching Sharpfang. The snake slithered from friend to friend to get their taste.

"So you are a Wild Mage," said the normally quiet Ethan. He stared at Romeli with deep eyes.

"What was your first clue," retorted Ryoku, who conveniently sat in front of a bookshelf full of animal anatomy, a rack of antlers, and a cage housing a small, crippled sparrow. Even though Ryoku was a year younger than the rest of her knight-in-training friends, she held the assertive and bold character of a lion.

Sharpfang found a comfy spot in Tim's lap and flicked his tongue in and out, fascinated.

"That feels really funny," Tim said with a couple of chuckles. Sharpfang soon began to inspect Tim's nimble fingers.

Eventually they grew quiet and actually started to do their work. Romeli helped them with the reading and poetry—two things she loved dearly.

Sereem called her over for help on his very long essay that he had to write. She stood up with a smile and began the short walk over there.

But before she was even half way there, her knees buckled and she dropped against the wall. She gulped., unable to move. Even though she knew what was going to happen next, the dread and fear consumed her.

Everyone quickly rushed over, concern sweeping over their faces.

"Gods Romeli, what's wrong?" Ryoku asked kneeling down next to her limp body.

Sweat was beginning to drip down her face and she felt tears brim her eyes. Why did it have to he now? It was such a perfect day. But even more horrible was the reminder that the pain had not even come yet.

"I...it's nothing that you can fix. James, I need your help. You need to carry me to the infirmary. I'm paralyzed, otherwise I would go myself. And Tim, you have to get Numair. Bring him to the infirmary too. The rest of you—you can just keep studying," Romeli said her heart pounding in her ears.

"You're crazy Romeli. We're not leaving you...we're coming!" Ethan said. The others nodded. Tim had already rushed off.

James scooped up Romeli like he would a baby with ease. "Romeli, you're really light, you need to eat more."

Romeli tried a smile to find none. "I eat just like any other person, James. You need to hurry, before it happens.

"What will happen?" James asked as he and his friends picked up the pace.

"You don't want to know," Romeli gasped. She felt herself fall away towards darkness as it slowly started to begin. "Oh Gods—it's coming."

Even though James didn't even have the slightest clue as to what was going on, he broke into a run, the infirmary growing closer with each step. His friends jogged to keep up behindhim.

When they finally burst through the large wooden doors of the Healing Wing, the whole place was empty. They rushed Romeli to the nearest bed.

Romeli couldn't see her surroundings, but she knew she was safe. It hadn't happened yet, but it was coming, very slowly. Her breath came heavy like the air was syrup instead of the lightness that air was. Her eyes were snapped shut and she bit her lip…waiting…dying for waiting.

At last Numair came, his expression fearful and contorted with worry, making him seem ten years older than he really was. His robe hung loosely around him and his shirt and breeches looked bright compared to his pale skin.

James and his friends sighed with relief when they saw him. Numair knew what was going on and they didn't. He would surely be able to help.

"Da?" Romeli croaked still waiting for the explosions of pain.

"Yes Romeli I'm here," Numair informed as he rushed over to the side of the bed. "You can do this Romeli. You were brilliant last time, you can do it again." Romeli's face still didn't show signs of calmness.

"What's happening to her?" Ryoku asked worried lines were carved into her young face. Tim, who stood next to her, didn't look much better.

"It's more of what's going to happen. Be ready for shakes. And ignore the pain if you have the Gift," he told them all sternly as he clutched Romeli's hands.

"That's comforting," James muttered.

Finally it came; the first feeling Romeli thought was relief. At first, she thought the dread leading up to the ordeal was the worst part. She was wrong. Mounds of pain made her double over and gasp for breath. It was excruciatingly hard to find the right words and thoughts to make everything work.

"It's okay, Romeli, you can do this," Numair cooed as she yelped in pain. He himself was trying to stand straight from the bone-shaking vibrations underneath him. His Gift felt like it was exploding, but he held his tongue, knowing that what Romeli was experiencing was far worse.

"What is she doing? Why is the earth shaking?" Sereem asked with clear panic as he tried to keep his balance. He saw Romeli start to cough up blood and quickly tried to wipe it up.

James and Ryoku, who were also Gifted, tried to hold down their own pains. The bone-shaking vibrations under their feet did not help in the slightest.

"It's a phenomenon called Chaos Thoughts," he explained to them as he held onto the side of Romeli's bed for balance. When he spoke, it was labored. "Though I don't know the reason for why this happens, I do know why." He paused for a breath. "The whole event is triggered by massive amounts of emotion, which sets off this balance within Romeli. The earth, animals, and Gifted suffer until she can stop it." He gazed down at his daughter, sadness in his eyes. "As you've probably observed, the hardest part is stopping it...Oh Gods...Romeli."

Blood started to gush from her nose from a sudden impact, and he watched her as she opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. Tears rolled down her cheeks and mixed with her sweat. Numair got out a cloth and held her nose. The weather at last started to die down.

"Numair—help please," Romeli gasped in pain. The effort to talk made more tears roll down her face. Blood spurted out of her mouth as she coughed. "Too many—animals. I'll—die—if I add—more power." Her breath came heavy and fast, like the air she was breathing held no nutrients.

Romeli was on the edge between life and death. She felt her soul seep out into the air and towards the animals to keep them alive. But it wasn't enough. I have to do this. If I die, they wont. It's the only way.

James saw her grow pale as she allowed the remains of her soul into the animals. The arrow wounds and old scars that she had collected reopened and bled freely. Tim grabbed some bandages for them. The chaos in front of him squeezed his heart. Even though he wasn't sure if he could trust a girl with so many secrets, it hurt to see someone so close to death. He felt tears prickle his eyes, but he wiped them away furiously. He only knew Romeli for two days! Besides, his friends had convinced him not to befriend so quickly. But then why did it feel like he had known her for years?

This cannot be it, Romeli told herself sternly. You are not going to die. You have questions that need answering. You will find your parents. And with that as a last hope, she let it all go, except for one grain of life. The animals' screams abruptly stopped leaving nothing but a chasm of peace.

Romeli's face grew a ghostly white. "Gods Romeli," Numair said whispered. He kneeled down next to her bed and kissed her forehead. He held her as Romeli's pain subsided and her breathing grew stronger.

After a couple minutes of silent anticipation, Romeli slowly opened her eyes to find many blurs of colors. She quickly shut them again and moaned from the pain. Her soul slowly started to seep back into her body, giving her the strength to remember where she was and what just happened. Once again she opened her eyes to a small group of concerned faces staring down at her.

"Ouch," Romeli whispered before falling unconscious.

"Romeli you idiot," Numair murmured, stroking her hair softly.

Ethan looked at Romeli confused. "So is she...alive?"

"Yes, but you best leave. You have classes tomorrow and it's late," Numair told them.

"Oh yeah," Tim said glancing at the time. Amidst the suspense of the latest event, he had forgotten there was class tomorrow. They sulked out of the room through the large wooden door.

Sereem strayed for a moment clutching a piece of paper that he must have picked up off of the floor. Setting it on Romeli's beside; he said goodbye to Numair and also walked out of the room.

On the card it said: Get well soon. Love, your new friends.

Replies!

Elyne: cause Kel possessed me…lol. Thank you I love compliments. Unfortunately yours is the 40th, but I updated soon anyway! throws a party yea!

Nothing else worked: oohh long review. I love long reviews! I'm so happy I used the bean idea! It makes Romeli seem so…er…looks in thesaurus…yea. She didn't panic? Crap I'm gonna have to fix that…mumbles about idiot girls with antlers who don't feel any emotion…

I totally know what you mean about the friend thing! It's just that James was overly nice with a good explanation at the beginning, and the rest of his friends just wanted to be polite. Ohh bean soup! Once again great idea! Evil grin. Yes and kel possessed me so yea. You'll like the next chappy better.

Heather-marie: ok good. Sighs with relief. And thank you for such wonderful compliments!

Wild-wizard-women: The explanation for the last name thingy is on the top just in case you didn't read it. Yea… and the Ethan of Tirragen thing. His parents are Alex's brother and some girl. And he's not evil or anything, because he's not. It's like Joren's mom. There's always a good person in a bad family. One just happened to be Ethan. But his father (haven't thought of the name yet) is evil and stuff. Kinda like those Joren fics where Joren learns his mistakes and the his dad gets mad and beats his arse. That's whats gonna happen to Ethan in a later chapter because his dad doesn't like Romeli yadda yadda he tries to kill Romeli yadda yadda oops I gave something away hardy har. Lol.

Ephona: wow I thought you were aiming that at me for a second. You seem pretty pissed. Don't listen to them their just idiots. It's your story and you should do what you want to it and if they don't like it then screw them. One time I got flamed by this one guy and I didn't give a moose crap. I just made fun of him in one of my replies…lol. so funny. Just laugh at their faces and make them feel like an idiot for saying such evil things to you and you'll feel great. I hope that helped.