A/N: Hello everyone! :D I've finally managed to write and post another DQ fanfic chapter, after weeks of not writing. So here is the fifth chapter of 'Ancient Vows'. :) It's mainly Zara-centric, with a bit of Adin at the beginning. Hope you enjoy it!

Toran Magic

After ten days of frustrating, sleepless nights for Adin and Zara, it was finally decided. There was no choice about it- Alanis was leaving for Tora, and soon.

'We cannot go on like this, Adin,' Zara said, the weariness plain in her voice. She sank into the comfort of the sitting chair, and raked him with a hard gaze, daring him to tell her otherwise. 'She must go. This is wearing on both of us; you were barely awake this day in that council meeting.'

Adin only shook his head and groaned. He had hoped that small detail had gone unnoticed by his wife. It would worry her ('How can you rule our kingdom well if you are so exhausted, Adin?'), and he did not like her to be worried for any reason. But she was right, of course. Alanis was their daughter and precious to him, but this was too desperate to ignore now. All three of them were wearied to the bone by their current situation; there were dark smudges under both Adin and Zara's eyes, and their minds were hazy. Too hazy. Something had to be done. They were the king and queen—they had a responsibility to their people which they could not fulfil if they were swaying and yawning with tiredness as they were now.

'So,' he said quietly. 'She goes. Tomorrow.' There was a terrible ache in his heart at the thought. Never had he been separated from any of his children for more than a day.

'Yes.' Zara reached to cover his hand with her own, and as he looked up he saw that her eyes were filled with understanding. 'It will not be so long—just until her sleep settles. And we will be able to visit her, in time.'

'I know.' He swallowed hard. 'But it is still so hard! I did not think it would be this hard.'

'I know,' Zara whispered. She said nothing more, but leaned close to him, and Adin drew her into his arms as he always did and breathed in the scent of her hair, revelling in it. She trembled, and he gently stroked her back until he felt her still. For a long moment, they remained this way, both of them, lost in their own thoughts.

Please, fate, Adin prayed silently. Let us be strong enough for what is to come. Let our children grow in peace and happiness. Let them grow into the men and women they were born to be.

He did not know when he fell asleep. He only knew that it only felt like moments later when Zara shook him awake, with some urgency, calling his name. 'Adin!' He opened his eyes, and saw the bright light of day.

'Adin, you are late for a council meeting. Rufus has come, to speak of the state the ruby territory is in. There has been trouble, he says. And the Mere leaders are there as well; they need your help with somewhat. They will only speak to you.'

So, he thought fuzzily. We must go on. Groaning, he nodded his understanding, hauled himself to his feet, and prepared to handle the day's new responsibilities.

So it was that little Alanis was sped by Toran magic for the first time to that great city in the west. Her eyes wide with wonder, she looked upon the strange and wonderful sight she found herself in, and said not a word. The horse which bore her and her mother was swept by an unseen force, causing the countryside to blur past them like nothing she had ever seen before. Only Zara knew that far away in the city of her birth, hundreds of Torans lay awake, giving their magic to speed their way.

Sooner than any other person would have thought possible, the white marble of Tora loomed in the distance. It took Zara's breath away—called to her like Del could not, no matter how many years she had dwelt there in the forge. Always there would be some part of her which yearned for the marble city, the great city of the west. Her spirit rising, she nudged her steed further, willing it to close in the remaining distance between herself and her kin.

At the gate to the city, she was greeted by her brother Shim, who kissed her affectionately on the cheek and led her through the magical tunnel and into the city centre. As they passed, she could feel the sleeping Alanis relax ever so slightly in her arms, and she was glad of it. She had not been entirely sure that Tora could help her daughter; it had been in part desperation which had convinced her to take this risk. Now, it was a relief to know that it was true that Tora could be the answer to Alanis' hyperactivity.

They entered Shim's home—a surprisingly simple dwelling—and were welcomed by Lyra, his wife, a slender, serene lady with an easy-going manner and a beaming smile. She embraced them both, and took Alanis' weight from Zara, carefully making it so that the small girl was not awakened by the disturbance. Already, Zara found herself missing the warm burden and the feel of the small fingers clinging to her shirt, and she had to clasp her hands tightly together to prevent herself from reaching out instinctively for her daughter.

Sensing her thoughts, the other woman smiled at her. 'Do not fear, Zara. Alanis will be in safe hands here; we can promise that no harm will ever come to her, and she will never be lonely. Our own children will be happy for a new sister to play with.'

'Thank you for doing this,' Zara said. 'I hope that you have not been troubled by it.'

'Not at all,' Shim broke in firmly. 'We will always help our royal family. Never doubt that. You know, too, the pledge we made.'

She did. It was what she had been counting on, when she had written to her brother to ask him to foster Alanis. Torans took their vows very seriously; she knew from the childhood she had spent within the city walls, and from watching her kin solemnly swear against their magic and their beautiful city to be loyal to and aid her husband and his heirs in their time of need.

'Thank you,' she said again, as her brother's wife quietly carried her daughter out of the room, to her new bedchamber. Alanis did not stir even once—a miracle. In Del it had been a trial to move her anywhere without the child opening her eyes and bawling. 'Thank you for this.'

'Always, Zara,' Shim said, and it was the voice of her brother, warm and affectionate, speaking, and not the solemn Toran leader. She could not help but smile to hear it.

'I have missed you, Shim,' she said softly.

'You have not come to visit us nearly as often as I would have liked,' Shim told her. 'You have not even brought the children here to visit before now.'

'I am the queen. I must be with Adin; he needs me. Our people need both of us there in Del, leading them.'

'We need you as well,' Shim said, and his voice was matter-of-fact, clear of any anger or frustration. 'You may be queen of Deltora, but you are our sister. I have missed you greatly, these past years, and so has Lyra, Rinah and Sarmos. You are dearer to us than any gold or magic. You must know that, sister.'

She did know, and it warmed her heart to hear it said aloud. If she had been outside of Tora, she would have felt grieved as she responded. 'You know I cannot visit so much, Shim. I am more than just your sister now, and a daughter of Tora. I am the queen. It is a heavy burden, and I fear it leaves me little time of my own, but I must do it. It is my duty, to Adin and to Deltora. You know I would come more often if I was able to.'

Shim only shook his head. 'You are our sister, as well as our queen, Zara. You should remember it.'

They talked well into the night. They reclined comfortably in Toran seatings, sipping from cups of the city's best wine, chatting of things past as the candle's body grew smaller and smaller on the windowsill, heralding the passing of time. Of how they had met Adin, on that faithful day when their lives had been changed forever. Of their shared childhood, and their mother's death. Of the families they loved with all their hearts. Of the future, and the threat of the Shadow Lord which loomed close on the horizon no matter how far away the sorcerer dwelt. Someday, there would come a time when the Lord of Shadows would attempt to invade their kingdom once more, and Zara prayed that it would not come in their children's lifetime.

Soon, the dim light of dawn could be seen shining outside the window; bone-weary, Zara found herself resting her head on her brother's shoulder, and closing her eyes. It had been a long night, in which much was said. They had had much to talk about, and who knew when they would see each other again?

'Shim,' she whispered sleepily. 'I will miss you.'

'And I will miss you,' he said quietly.

Her leave-taking was sooner than she would have liked. She walked with Shim out of the city, feeling the magical calming effect of Tora escape her with every step she took. As they halted, facing one another, she felt Shim embrace her tightly, with all the feeling he could never express in Tora.

'Promise me that you will visit more often,' he said with surprising intensity. 'I have missed you so much.'

She returned his embrace, and tried to force back the lump in her throat. 'I will certainly try, brother. Alanis is here now, as well, so there is all the more reason to come. I promise.'

And with one last embrace she turned away, mounted her horse and left the marble city of Tora—and her brother- behind her once more. Almost immediately, as she nudged her steed into a canter, she could feel the magical Toran wind rise, ready to speed her on her way to Del. She did not resist it. As she felt herself pick up speed, galloping further and further away from her birth city, the ache in her heart grew, and nothing could ease it. It was always like this, these long farewells. There was nothing she could do except look to the future, and her king, in Del. So she fixed her gaze toward the distant horizon and tried to ignore the tears that she could feel slivering down her cheeks like small rivers.