(A/N The title is totally random chosen)

Chapter 29: Gone With The Wind

"I can't believe it." Joseph said, "I just..."

"But it is true, Jose." Marcia replied, irritably. She had just told him and Cashmére about the rebels, that Errol Nolan was one of them and- more importantly- Rodrian being one of them. Joseph sighed.

"Of course it is. I just wish it wasn't." he buried his face in his hands, "He can get imprisoned for this, Mar."

"He deserves it." Marcia said.

"He's our brother, Marcia." Joseph answered, "You can't wish something like that upon your own family."

"He wishes your child dead, Jose." Marcia said, coldly, "He wishes your wife dead."

"Well, yes, but-"

"Really, Jose?" Marcia snapped, "Really? Are you going to defend that... that thing?"

"That 'thing' is our brother." Joseph replied, equally snappish. Marcia narrowed her eyes.

"He's a traitor." she said. "Nothing more." Joseph sighed. Marcia could be really impossible at moments like this.

(A/N Okay, so I'm going to get really boring and skip some time. Hope this doesn't ruin anything for you guys...)

The day after, Joseph, Cashmére, Lucian and Colum returned to the palace, while Marcia, Milo and Trassimma sailed home. Errol Nolan was arrested for betrayal of the Wise Seven, and for being one of the rebels. He was executed shortly after, for attacking one of the guards moving him to third floor. Five months later, Cashmére gave birth to her and Joseph's first child, Lorea Trassimma Overstrand Tanner. Lorea was a rather pretty little girl with darke-blonde curls, a slightly chubby appereance and the grey eyes of a wizard not yet exposed to magyk. The family lived rather happily in Ambrosia, the palace, until Lorea was about four years old, and things started to go wrong...

"Lorea!" Cashmére called out, "Lorea!" Her daughter was no-where to be found. She had looked through the whole palace, and now she was rushing through the Greenhouse (Greenhouse was something all wealthy families in the Eastern Snowplans had. An Eastern Snowplainian Greenhouse were used to hold flowers, trees, bushes and exotical animals inside) in panic. She was really, really frightened now. Where was her daughter? Where, where, where? The Seven, including Joseph and Cashmére's father, was visiting the Western Snowplains. Cashmére had stayed home in order to keep an eye on Lorea. It had been suggested that Cashmére would follow and take Lorea with her, which Cashmére had said no to. She regretted that now. "Lorea!" she cried one last time. When there came no reply, she settled down at a bench undeneath a pomergranate-tree. But then she rose up again. Why was she resting when her daughter was missing? She bit her lip. Where on earth could the little girl be? The idea that the rebels could have snatched her had crossed Cashmére's mind, but she refused to fully believe it until it was certain. She drew her hand through her hair, and took a few steps. Then, she heard a little girl giggle. A wave of relief washed over her, and she laughed out loud. By the pond. Lorea loved the pond. She loved the colourful fishes swimming around in there, and she loved the green frogs. And she really liked the big, blue songbird there which repeated some of the sounds she made. Of course she was there. Cashmére sneaked up behind her daughter, who appreantly was totally focused on something else. She suddenly lifted the girl up, and spun her around. "Mum!" the little girl complained, when her mother had put her down again. "You're scaring him!"

"Scaring wh-" Cashmére gasped out loud, and hurried to lift her daughter up again. "Lorea, watch it! That one's very dangerous."
Cashmére had just spotted a big, white snake with a yellow tip on the tail.

"He's not!" Lorea said, "Mum, he's really nice.

To prove that, she jumped out of her mother's arms and went to pet the snake's head. Shocked, Cashmére saw the snake gently rub his head against her daughter's hand. "See, mummy?" Lorea said. He's really nice."

"I... ehm-" Cashmére didn't know what to say. That was a very, very dangerous snake. A venemous one. She had thought that they all had been taken away from the Greenhouse when Lorea was born. "They're not even suppoused to be here, Lorea. I thought they all were gone."

"If all of them are gone, that must be why he's so lonely." Lorea replied. Cashmére couldn't help, but smile.

"Honey, I hope you understand that we have to get rid of him-"

"No!" Lorea said, "Mummy, no. Please. He's so nice."

"He's also dangerous."

"Please, can't we keep him?" Lorea pleaded, "Please?"

"I don't know, amica." Cashmére replied.

"I promise I'll take care of him and feed him and everything!" Lorea said, "Please?"

Cashmére sighed. Lorea was about as hopeless to win an argument over as Marcia. "Let's see what daddy has to say." she said. Lorea smiled. Cashmére lifted her up. "And, amica," she continude, "I was worried. You can't dissapear like that without telling me."

"Sorry, mum." Lorea said. Cashmére stroke her cheek.

"Just promise it won't happen again." she replied.

"It won't." Lorea promised.

"Now," Cashmére, who just had noticed how muddy her daughter was said, "Shall we have you cleaned up?"

"But I want to pick flowers for daddy and grandpère!" Lorea complained. Grandpère was what Tantibus insisted in being called.

"We can do that when you're clean." Cashmére answered.

So, mother and daughter went to clean Lorea up, and then they went back to the Greenhouse again to pick flowers. Lilies, lavendel and poppies was the only flowers Lorea picked. "Because," she said when Cashmére asked, "Lavendel smells good, poppies look good with them and lilies are so pretty." Cashmére laughed at this, then she hugged her daughter tightly. "I love you." she said.

"I love you too, mum." Lorea replied. Cashmére stole a few flowers from her daughters rather huge bunch of flowers, and started making a wreath of them. Kitumaini had taught her to do these. She soon finished it, and put it on her daughter's head. Lorea giggled, and climbed onto her mother's lap. "Now, I'm also as pretty as you." she said.

"Lorea, you're not almost as pretty as I am," Cashmére replied, "You're prettier."

"You think that?" Lorea asked.

"Of course I do!" Cashmére said, "Lorea, you're the most beautiful little child I've ever seen." She kissed the girls forhead. "'Kay?"

The Seven returned in the evening. Lorea threw herself into Joseph's arms when he entered the palace, and Cashmére embraced him. Then Lorea ran to fetch the two bouquets of flowers she had picked. Cashmére leant over to Joseph and whispered; "You can never guess what she wants as a pet."

"A rat?" Joseph suggested.

"No, a snake." Cashmére said.

"What?" Joseph asked, and Cashmére told him the whole story. Joseph chuckled when she had finished.

"I just don't want to tell her she can't keep it." Cashmére sighed.

"Of course she can keep it!" Joseph protested, "Pets are healthy, especially for kids."

"But this one could bite her." Cashmére said. "Fatally."

"So could a dog." Joseph replied, "Cashmére, c'mon."

"But-" she sighed again. "Alright."

After Lorea had given both Joseph and Tantibus the bouquets, it was bedtime for her. As usually, both Joseph and Cashmére went to say goodinght to her. Joseph had a gift for her; a golden wristlet with a red stone. On the backside of it, it was written Lorea- of the mountains. "Thanks, daddy!" Lorea said. Cashmére helped her to put the little wristlet around the girls wrist.

"But now it's time to sleep." Cashmére said.

"But-"

"No buts." Joseph replied, "You need sleep."

"Do you want me to sing for you?" Cashmére asked.

"No, not tonight." Lorea answered.

"Alright, 'mica." Cashmére whispered, "Goodnight."

She blew out the candle, and she and Joseph went to their own room. "Bedtime for us." Joseph whispered, and Cashmére choked a giggle.

They awoke in the middle of the night by a scream. A little girl's scream. "Lorea!" they gasped in chorus, and rushed to their daughter's room. It was empty, but the window was wide-open.

"No!" Cashmére cried, "Lorea!"

"Guards!" Joseph yelled. Cashmére choked a sob. Left in the bed laid a flower wreath. She stumbled towards the bed, and clutched it against her chest. And started crying.

(A/N Dramatic, dramatic, I know. But, really, losing a child would be rather dramatic, wouldn't it? Now, read this sad flashforward-thingy that I just wrote because the sake of it)

"Lilies?" Odale wondered. It was her second visit at her mother's rooms in the ramblings. "Do you like lilies?" It was the only thing she could come up with to say. "Yes, I do." Cashmére replied. "I love them." "Oh."