Chapter 19-Until We Meet Again
"Ami."
She turned her head, opening her eyes in the process. She was still somewhat dazed, but she quickly registered the expanse of glittering blue stone surrounding her. As she glanced around, Ami realized that she was in a grotto. "Was that the test?"
Dalila's expression was hard to read. "Not quite," she said in a disgruntled tone. "Your test is incomplete, Ami. In the future, you will be given a different task, and no one will interfere." Then, suddenly, she smiled, the sternness melting away momentarily. She was quite beautiful, in a melancholy way, when she did not look so serious. "I brought you here. We have a few moments before I must send you back to your companions."
"So they're both safe? Zacch and Kentan?"
"Yes. You saved them both." Dalila's gray-green eyes bored into Ami's blue eyes. "You do not normally take things lightly, Amity – treat this experience no differently. You are the memory: the symbol of the past that is carried throughout the quest.
Silvana assured you that Kentan would not be in danger. This time, that held true. But do not entertain thoughts of invincibility, Ami. Almost nothing is certain on the Pathway of the Dead, the most precarious place between the mortal and immortal worlds. Had you not summoned enough power, all three of you would have been lost, and Silvana would have had to bargain dearly for Kentan's return. Whether she could have afforded the price is questionable."
Ami wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly chilled. "So we all could have died?"
"This is the price of the prophecy," was her answer. "There is nothing worth having that does not entail a risk. Remember well, little naiad. Every one of the ten mentioned in the prophecy will be tested by an immortal, and each time a win or a loss is tallied, the balance shifts. Lose even one, and you may lose all."
Dalila sighed deeply, removing the gleaming pearls from her wrists. "From now on, if you are ever drawn into someone else's quest, you will not be protected as Prince Kentan was, Ami. Be careful."
"Why? If Silvana could have done it, why are you unable to?"
Her misty eyes grew dim and dark. Softly, she replied, "I would, if I could, my Chosen. But the truth is, we gods are about to wage a war ourselves. There is a dark one who seeks to rise to the immortal throne named Metallia. We do not have the strength to protect our Chosen ones if wars are to be fought in both worlds.
Beware of her influence, Amity. She has not yet gained the power to enter the mortal world, but she is crafty. She will find someone with darkness in her heart, someone alone, all too human, and without allies, and use her to destroy you and your comrades."
Her hands sought Ami's, who placed her palms in the goddess's cool ones. Ami gasped at the spark that transferred itself from the goddess to her, and she felt a warm heat center in her forehead. Dalila let go of her hands and turned her towards a gleaming mirror with scalloped edges. A shining blue symbol now shone from Ami's forehead. "You bear the mark of my favor now," the goddess said, and kissed her forehead. The mark faded, leaving the skin pale and untouched.
"I am proud of you," Dalila told her, her ageless eyes shining as she plucked a string of the whitest pearls Ami had ever seen: creamier than new milk, whiter than a baby's tooth, paler than snowflakes. She lifted Ami's hair and fastened the clasp of the necklace at the base of her neck.
Touching the milky roundness of the pearls around her neck, Ami's eyes clouded with confusion. She had meant to say "thank you," but the next words out of her mouth did not express her gratitude. "You told me, in not quite so many words, that I did not have the power to bring him back," she said haltingly.
Dalila smiled suddenly, an unwavering light in the watery blueness of the cave. "That is true. And look at the outcome of your struggle."
"It gave me the strength to try, the determination to prove you wrong." Ami looked up at her, her face earnest and worried. "Is that why? You knew that it would make me try all the harder?" She didn't dare to ask, ‘Did you mean what you said?'
"In times like these, the deities can no longer see the future. Not even me, and I have the strongest ability as a seer," Dalila answered sadly. "Nevertheless..I was sure you had the courage, the confidence within you, and you needed to find it. And so you did." She glanced at the hourglass resting upon a nearby table, upon which a seaweed plant waved its fluffy green fronds serenely.
"Our time together runs short, Ami. It's time for you to return to the mortal world. It would be best if you did not tell the others of your adventure tonight – of course, the fact that the princes know everything is unavoidable, but you should do your best to keep it a secret amongst yourselves, for the time being." The goddess smiled to herself, and waved a hand at the mirror. Two faces appeared in the mirror: one with blond hair and one with silver, their features completely different as they looked out into the room, unseeing.
"But...I can't tell them about the test? And what happened to Zacch?" Her eyes drank in Zacch's visage. Safe, her heart beat steadily, safe. She breathed in a shaky sigh of relief.
"They won't understand," Dalila explained gently, "until they undergo their own trials. There is nothing they can do to prepare for it, either. Nor will they undergo the same task that you did; each task is specific to each of the Chosen. Do not fear that you are doing them an injustice. They will be instructed not to tell when they complete their own tests, and you do not know who else has gone and who is next."
"All right," Ami agreed reluctantly. It made her feel slightly better that she had said "when," not "if."
Dalila laid a hand on her shoulder. "It's time for you to go back now. We will see each other again, I promise."
She nodded.
"Oh – and there's one more thing, Ami." She glanced at the goddess questioningly and saw that she was smiling mischievously. "You're quite fortunate. Silvana's Chosen is really quite handsome. I must remember to commend her on her taste in mortal men."
****~**~****
Ami opened her eyes again and saw Kent and Zacch. They appeared not to have noticed her detour and were currently assuring themselves that they were alive. Kent, his eyes still dazzled by the explosions of light, turned to her with a transcendent look on his face. "You were beautiful," he told her in a rare fit of sentimentality. "All that light, and the power...it was incredible."
She laughed with him, as they were all a little giddy from the experience. Then she turned to Zaccheus, who was approaching with a more cautious look on his face as Kent raved to himself. "Don't be jealous," she said swiftly, with more confidence than she expected.
He glared at her for a second. "I'm not jealous," he said in an affronted tone. Then he smiled and hugged her tightly to him. "Okay. Just a little bit. But that's allowed, isn't it?"
Zacch drew back before she could answer, and the smile faded from his face. "Thank you," he told her softly.
She stopped smiling as well. "You almost died," she said reproachfully, and the tears glimmered only for a second in her eyes before he held her again.
"If it would make you feel better, I would promise not to do it again, but as I didn't exactly slice myself through with the sword, I don't see how it could have been prevented."
She laughed, and Kent glanced over at the embracing pair. "I'll just go now, shall I? Glad you're alive, meet you later."
Ami almost jumped away from Zacch, who merely raised a quizzical eyebrow. ‘We've already met, your highness. And, before I forget, thank you for your aid – and your encouragement.'
"That's so," he replied aloud. "It was my pleasure. Don't mention it."
Ami looked at the two of them. "Are you talking to each other? That really shouldn't be possible, if you consider section three of the fifth Treatise on Law of Mind-speaking..."
To cut her off, Kent said, "You're looking well. Remarkably well, considering we almost died."
"It's something like a power rush," she explained. Her eyes were glowing, and her cheeks were somewhat pink. She looked fabulous. "It happens after a large discharge of power...but it makes people feel invincible. You have to be careful not to let it go to your head, or you could use more magik and die...or come close to it."
"All right then. Keeping this in mind...an explanation would be very helpful at this point." Both Kent and Zacch looked at Ami expectantly; she sighed, went to close the door, and proceeded to tell them some of the information Dalila had entrusted to her.
When she finished, Kent's expression was grave again, and Zacch's eyes worried. More discourse followed, mostly depressing what-ifs and theories concerning their fates, and then Kent decided it was high time to sleep. His own flush from using his power had faded, and like Ami, he was feeling the effects of exhaustion.
When he had gone, Zacch turned to Ami. "You were beautiful," he echoed Kent's earlier words, "you are beautiful...and it was frightening."
"I know. I know," she said again, shivering slightly. "I never want to feel that much power running through me again."
****~**~****
The next morning, everything changed. Initially, there was a great deal of rejoicing over Zacch's recovery. The elves were especially glad to have their prince back among the living, and he seemed miraculously hale and hearty for having been close to death only the night before. Ami and Kent, on the other hand, had dark circles under their eyes and were much less chipper.
It appeared that everyone was ready for a conference, and the ten of them gathered in Darrian's room that afternoon. He was feeling more than a little annoyed that Zaccheus, who had been much more seriously hurt than he was, was looking in the pink of health while he still had nauseous spells every so often. He was sitting up in bed with Seren perched at the foot while Rei and Jalen stood in opposite corners of the room; Mina sat on a stool beside Rei, and Lita and Nath were beside Jalen. Kent, Ami, and Zacch sat on chairs at the foot of the bed.
"I guess the question is...what to do next?"
"We should stay together," Seren replied immediately to Darrian's question.
Mina cleared her throat with a pointed look at Kentan. "Shouldn't you be returning to the capital, Seren? Assuming that we could get within a thirty-mile radius of it without being detected after our spectacular performance."
He bristled, but Seren cut in with a defiant look in her clear blue eyes, "I am never going back to the palace. Never!"
"But–" Rei began and was promptly cut off by Darrian.
"I'm sick and tired of this discussion. She refuses to go back, and none of us can bodily carry her back and survive the trip. Let's move on to a problem we can actually solve."
Mina raised her eyebrows, hiding a smile at Darrian's capitulation. ‘It took him long enough,' she thought to herself. "Actually, I think our plan of action is quite clear. The queen has taken the first step and declared war on the folk. It's unlikely that they are readying their armies to take action, but some of the more farsighted among them will be thinking along the same lines we are. They just need a little help in the right direction." She smiled beatifically.
Amazingly enough, Kentan nodded. "I believe you're right, Malina," he said in a tone that sounded like he was having teeth pulled.
"Just one moment," Zacch cut in, "I hate to interrupt the war-in-progress plan going on here, but I can't be riding around the countryside and spreading the word. I need to go home, at least for the time being."
"So go home," Seren said unexpectedly. "The elves need to be notified as much as any other folk, don't they? What's more, you hold the most weight as their prince."
"That would mean that Ami should go to the naiads–"
"I am not going home!"
"That sounds familiar."
"–and Lita to the dryads..."
"Mina to the nymphs..."
"I refuse to go back!"
"Not this again..."
Jalen held his hands up to halt the commotion. "Hold onto those thoughts. Let's not get ahead of ourselves here. We should come up with a list of the people who need to be told. It isn't just the folk; the university and Rei's warriors may be party to our cause as well."
Lita counted off the appropriate groups. "So that would be the university, the warriors, the dryads, the naiads, the elves, and the land nymphs. Have I missed anyone?"
After a few moments of consideration, everyone shook their heads. "Not a one," Nath confirmed.
Mina smiled brilliantly. "I have the perfect plan. It's safest to travel in pairs with the situation we're in now. Rei and Jalen can go to the warriors' retreat, Lita and Nath to the dryads, Zacch and Ami to the elves, Seren and Darrian to the land nymphs, and Kent...." She looked around frantically for someone to pair her nemesis with.
With a sardonic smile, Rei remarked, "It looks like you're the only one left, Mina." The dark look she had shot towards her blond-haired friend showed that she needed no words to convey her message: don't interfere unless you're prepared to answer for the consequences!
Completely oblivious to nature of the pairings, Nath said reluctantly, "There is only one problem with your plan, Mina."
"Just one?" Rei asked sarcastically.
"You're missing either an envoy to the naiads or the university, and I don't believe it's safe for one person to go traipsing around through the brush if you and Kentan go separately."
More than a few headaches were experienced as they began to formulate new plans. At last, Kentan cut to the core of the matter. "Let's begin with one group and work our way downwards. For example, the land nymphs are the folk with the most influence among humans, so we should send someone they'll respect."
"Mina, you're the cousin of the king..."
Her cheeks flamed red, and she said with admirable control, "I'm afraid it's not a possibility."
"Well, why not?" Kentan demanded.
She shot him a ferocious glare. "It's a long story," she bit out.
"We have plenty of time."
Her eyes blazed dangerously. "Fine," she said sweetly. "I cannot return, because before I left, I was forcibly betrothed to Zacch, who didn't really want to marry me anyway. I ran away with Nath to avoid this problem, and Zacch decided to be ‘honorable' and come after me. Unfortunately for him, he ran into us stealing a ship from slavers and had to come along for the ride when a sailor twice the size of him tried to rearrange his face.
As you should be able to see, the minute I go back, my parents will either force me to marry Zaccheus or Nathair or send me to a convent. Since they would have the backing of the king behind them, this puts me in a somewhat tough position. I would appreciate it if you could see this, Prince Kentan."
Only Darrian was brave enough to break the ensuing silence. "Er...now that we have established why Mina does not want to go home, we now need someone else to go to the land nymphs – and clearly, it cannot be Nath or Zacch, either."
The latter breathed a huge sigh of relief. The mention of his betrothal was not a comfortable topic to him, Mina, and Ami – and, unknown to three of them, Kent.
The general consensus was that Darrian McKellan, leader of the rebels, would probably have the most influence on the nymphs' council. But the question was, who should go with him?
"Seren," Rei suggested quickly, guessing that Seren would want to travel with the object of her affections again. "She's the princess."
"No," said Kent in a dangerous tone.
"Two humans? Will that really convince them?"
"They're two powerful humans...and they both have magik."
"But what if they decide to return Seren to her mother in exchange for peace?"
"That would be a problem."
"I'll say," Kent muttered. He was ignored by those around him.
With a questioning look at Mina, Seren asked, "Would they really do that, Mina?"
She shrugged. "I doubt it. Not only is Alastor a sucker for a pretty face, just before I left, they were seriously considering the possibility of Queen Serenitatis sending her armies against them. That was partially how the betrothal came about – they wanted an alliance with the elves."
Zacch flipped his hair out of his eyes in a casual gesture. "Well, they've got it anyway, without the betrothal – if I can convince my father, the King's Council, the cabinet, and just about everyone in the whole damned palace..."
"While Zacch deals with that problem," Ami said pleasantly, "are you absolutely sure, Mina, that no harm will come to Seren?"
Her friend cast her a considering look. "No, I'm sure it's quite safe," she said slowly. "Once they are safely through the entrance to the kingdom, none of Queen Serenitatis's forces will be able to touch them, either."
"Then it's decided."
"But–"
Mina placed her hand on his shoulder. "I am sorry, Kent. But you must know that you and Seren cannot travel together – it would be risky for the prince and the princess to travel together. I'm sure Darrian will take good care of her, like he has before."
Clear gray eyes looked down into her blue ones for a moment. He found himself feeling relieved that she both made him aware of his insensibility and gave him a way to proceed. It was only logical, and he knew that if Seren had to be with anyone besides him, he would want it to be Darrian. "Yes...of course. I'm sorry for holding us up."
When the conversation resumed, Kentan's eyes flicked back to Mina. She released his arm and stepped away, diving into the discourse with a slight blush in her cheeks. They were currently on the subject of who should compose the envoy to the naiads. Of course, Lita was perfectly willing to go – more than willing, as she was eager to see her family again. It was easily decided that she and Nathair, who volunteered himself and had no attachments to any of the destinations, would do fine. Unfortunately, the next dilemma concerned the naiads.
"I don't understand why you won't go back," Rei said. Ami had said little of her life among the naiads during their travels together, and she thought Ami, like the others, might want to return home.
"You don't understand: I don't hold quite the same amount of importance Mina has. In fact, what I say carries very little weight in the decisions of the Queen of the Naiads. No one there would listen to me, and even if someone with greater influence accompanied me, my presence would lessen their credibility. The fact that I am a naiad would mean nothing to them."
"You speak the language," Darrian reminded her, "and these things come better from one's own people."
"I assure you that they have a sufficient number of interpreters, gifted in all the different languages." Although she was exhausted from last night's endeavor, Ami kept up her protests until Jalen spoke up.
"Look, she doesn't want to go, and no one in this room was the right to force her. We should just consider who will go, and Ami can tell them the best way to go about convincing the queen and how to enter the realm." Jalen's tone brooked no argument, and for the first time that day, Rei looked directly at him from her stubborn spot in the other corner of the room.
Grudgingly, Darrian nodded. "All right. Who do you think would be the best choice, then?"
Ami folded her hands demurely, relieved that they were no longer pressing her. Slowly, she answered, "The naiads, for the most part, prize intellectuals. The majority of them will not appreciate dramatic displays of emotion, and it will take clever maneuvering and cold logic to convince them to leave their grottos. They will maintain that it is the humans' war, that they have no part in it, and that their foolish cousins will get themselves killed."
Hotly, Rei demanded, "And what about the injustices done to them? They can just ignore that, and the slavers, and–"
"Rei, please understand that I do not speak for the naiads. I merely see the motives behind their behavior. They are more secluded than the rest of the folk; as of yet, Queen Serenitatis has not been able to penetrate the waters as well as the forests and the fields, and she will not poison her own water sources to destroy them. Few of them have ever seen humans, and the honor of man has become quite tarnished to them.
The naiads feel they are superior to men, physically and mentally. They can breathe under water, use magik, live longer, and have enormous architectural achievements underground that humans have not paralleled."
"And their armies were not as diminished during the last war, if I recall correctly," Darrian said, his sapphire blue eyes glinting. Of course he was correct, as usual. "We need them on our side, Ami. We cannot even afford to have them stay neutral."
She shrugged slender shoulders. "The best course of action would be to convince the queen. You see, the naiads are divided into several tribes, and each controls a different underwater domain. All the members of a tribe are related either by blood or marriage; their ties are very strong. If a woman marries a man not of her tribe, she goes to live at his home, or he agrees to relocate. The former, of course, is much more common.
The tribes swear allegiance only to the queen. You must convince her. Once she agrees, the tribes may argue, but she is very strong-willed once she sets her mind to something."
Lita exhaled. "That sounds...difficult, to say the least. So, that was ‘clever maneuvering' and ‘cold logic,' right? Who are the two best suited to the task?"
All eyes fell upon Malina and Kentan after Jalen was considered and then discarded, since it would be wiser to send him to the university. They were prevailed upon to accept, although neither of them were sure if they were comfortable with their traveling partner. Ami promised to talk with them in the near future about the gate-spell.
"Who will go with Jae to the university?" Seren asked next. They all glanced around to see who was left; Rei looked away from Jalen's piercing gaze with an odd sense of disappointment.
"I believe I'm the only one left," Ami said quietly, with a trace of reluctance in her voice.
Mina was startled. "Ami – I assumed you would travel with Zaccheus, if not to the naiads." From Zacch's incredulous glance, it was clear to see that he had held the same belief.
She slowly turned a sunset red under their accusatory glares. "I'm afraid your assumption was wrong."
"Ami–"
"My decision is final," she said firmly, "if Jalen will agree."
His eyebrows rose high, but his voice, like hers, was perfectly calm. "If that is your choice, I would be honored to have you with me. You would be well-received by the university's council." He knew that by backing her, he and Zaccheus were probably back on shaky terms. The reconciliation had been less permanent than he thought.
Zacch, whose eyes were blazing, looked at him as if betrayed. "Ami–"
She rose quickly. "If you are going to argue with me, let's do it outside and not hinder the excellent progress we are making here." Turning to look at Darrian and Seren, she said, "I will not be changing my mind. Just finish deciding who you would like to place and where." With an apologetic nod to the room, she walked out without another word. Zacch said nothing as he stalked after her and slammed the door behind him.
"Well...hm..." Darrian said a little helplessly, staring at the door. "I believe, since Zacch no longer has a companion, it might be more efficient to just have him escort Aerlene back to their kingdom. It was her intention to return there as soon as possible."
"She'd probably hinder his progress," Rei mumbled under her breath. She couldn't stand Aerlene.
"I don't think...just the two of them?" Lita asked.
Jalen's azure blue eyes glanced her way. "You don't trust him?"
The brunette stared back at him. "It's not Zacch I don't trust. Aerlene was half in love with him before, and he's not a bad catch, seeing how he is the heir to the throne. Now that he saved her back at the capital, I think detaching her from him would be quite a job," she replied matter-of-factly.
"There's nothing we can do about that. Rei is the only one left, and she'll be traveling to the warriors' retreat."
"She can't go alone," Jalen said quickly.
She shot him a venomous glare. "I am perfectly capable–"
"The situation is different now than it was two months before, or even two days before, Rei." Seren's blue eyes pleaded with her. "You shouldn't be traveling alone."
"Even you can't take on a whole army," Lita said placatingly.
‘This is all your fault,' was the thought on her mind as she glowered at Jalen, who merely scowled back.
Mina spoke up next. "I'm afraid I don't quite have a solution for Rei's problem, but as for Zacch's...the dryad kingdom is fairly close to that of the elves', isn't it? Then Lita and Nath can accompany Zacch and Aerlene for most of the way. It can't be more than a few days' travel after you part ways, and I'm sure you two can defend him from her."
"It's not a problem for me," Lita said. Nath nodded his consent. "But what about Rei?"
Darrian cleared his throat with an apologetic look at Jalen, who was still fuming like a whistling teakettle. "There is...one of my friends from the capital who has a great deal of fighting experience. He knows the terrain well, I believe. He's done a great deal of traveling."
Jalen stared at him. "And he would be willing to go with her?"
She made a face at him. "You make it sound like such an unsavory prospect. I'm sorry to have offended you so greatly while we traveled together."
He raked a hand through his disheveled hair. "That isn't what I meant. I merely supposed that he might want to return to the capital. And...he isn't one of us."
"I'm afraid returning to the capital for any of us, for the time being, is out of the question," Darrian said quietly, "and even though he's not ‘one of us,' you must realize that the war is almost upon us, Jalen. We can't restrict our fight to the ten of us anymore."
After five minutes of very tense silence, Jalen ground out, "Who is it?"
"Matthias Raine."
The name was like a punch in the stomach, and he sat down precipitously in the chair Zacch had conveniently vacated. It creaked in annoyance with the addition of his sudden weight.
Kentan quietly added his two cents' worth. "He's trustworthy, even if he keeps to himself, and he's quite capable."
In the meantime, Rei was close to boiling herself, first at being underestimated by the lordly men in the company and most of all at Jalen. It was clear that they, like Zacch and Ami, would be having words in the very near future. She disregarded the nervous, appraising, and concerned looks Seren, Mina, and Lita were giving her, crossed her arms, and wondered furiously to herself how he dared to interfere with her life.
At last, without much more wrangling, everything was decided. Of the other folk remaining, Narain, Zanna, the healer Althia, surprisingly, and the remainder of Darrian's friends from the capital who had participated in springing Kentan would drop each group off at the most strategic point, repair the ship, and keep it hidden in coves from the queens' men until they were summoned to a certain location by messenger birds from the travelers.
Aurick and Leanna would go with Seren and Darrian to the land nymphs, ensuring them a smoother entry to their realm. Lita, Nath, Zacch, and Aerlene would travel as a group as far as possible; then the former pair would go to the dryads and the latter to the elves. Mina and Kentan would seek the aid of the naiads together, Matthias would accompany Rei back to her people, and Jalen and Ami would journey back to the university.
They began packing that night and preparing to say farewell.
****~**~****
The first thing he said was, "Don't use last night against me. Don't tell me that because you saved my life, I should do what you want me to."
"I was never going to," she responded coolly, although inwardly, she was furious that he would have expected something like that of her. Ami filled a basin with water, seated herself at the table, and began scrubbing empty jars. Beside the tub of water was a pile of soiled bandages. "Sit down," she said without looking at him.
Feeling slightly embarrassed, he threw it off, telling himself he wouldn't give up just because she refused to get riled up. He stared at her for a moment. Organized, collected Ami, who always had to be busy. It only made him angrier that he couldn't seem to invoke a reaction in her, and he began pacing around the room. "How can you do this to me?" Zacch demanded.
She didn't look up, but the color in her face intensified. "Stop acting like a spoiled child. You're an adult, and I'm trying to conduct a mature conversation with you. You aren't helping anything by screaming at me."
Zacch dropped into a chair. "All right," he said through gritted teeth. "Why aren't you coming with me?"
"Because I can't," she said simply.
"Why not?"
"It wouldn't be right, Zacch."
"I thought you cared for me," he said reproachfully.
The bottle clinked against the metal basin loudly. "That is precisely your problem," she said angrily. "I simply cannot go with you to the elves. You have a fiancée, Zacch."
"She is not my fiancée!" he protested hotly.
"What do you call her, then? The woman you promised to marry? Everyone knows of our past together, and now you're betrothed. Whether you like it or not, your betrothal is not just going to go away unless you decide to do something about it. For the present, do you not understand the effect it would have on your reputation and Mina's?"
He glared at her, even though he knew she was right. "If someone else came with us–"
"There is no one else to go with us. Even if Mina was able to come with us, I still wouldn't go."
"Well, why not?!"
Her eyes were sadly sober. "It's not right between us yet, Zacch. Last night you promised me a new beginning. For the present, we're friends. That's all."
He slapped the table emphatically with the palm of his hand. "That's not what I meant, and you know it. Damn it, Ami, don't do this to me!"
"Not everything is about you," she said coldly. "Don't be childish. You want me to go with you to the elves, you want everything to be the same between us, you want–"
"Is that so unreasonable? Do you want us to stay enemies?"
She continued as if he hadn't spoken. "–you want me to love you again. Or maybe you just want me in your bed."
He reacted as if she'd hit him. "That wasn't fair, Ami. How can you say something like that?"
"Then how can you believe that I would use last night against you? You're so steadfastly against the idea partially because I'm not going to physically be with you and partially because of Jalen. You're still jealous of him, when I'm the one who actually has a right to be jealous. What does it take to get it through your head that we have never had a relationship? It will never happen. He has never been anything but a perfect gentleman, which is more than I can say for you."
"So you want a perfect gentleman, is that it?!"
"Stop twisting my words. You persist in being bullheaded and blind, and you're only making both of us more miserable. What else do you want me to think about your protests? Why do you want me to go with you so badly? You'll be extremely busy trying to convince your council to go to war. You've downplayed what a difficult task that will be, and you'll have no one with you."
"That's exactly why–"
"You don't need me," Ami cut in quickly, knowing she couldn't give him an opportunity to speak. "Don't you understand? They won't accept me, and they have never accepted me. I am not one of them, and our past only complicates the matter. My being there will only make the situation worse."
Zacch's eyes were fixed, resentfully, at a random point on the well-scrubbed wooden table. "It's that easy, then, for you to say ‘our past' without any hope for the future? Are you giving what chance we have for happiness up?"
"If that were true, why would I be asking for a new beginning?" She sighed in frustration. "I need time, Zacch. Give me some time alone to think. Last night only made me more confused."
His forest green eyes were fixed on hers unwaveringly. "You're just afraid to take a risk; you've always been so cautious, so careful. Why won't you just take a chance?"
Her own eyes had filled with tears. "I've already taken all the chances I can with you!" she cried. "Don't you see that? No. Of course you don't; you can't see anything. All you care about is yourself." She ran out of the room, and with a livid sweep of the arm, he flung a green-tinged glass bottle against the wall. It shattered with a satisfying sound, but when he silently swept up the shards, he felt his own anger draining away to a sick sense of despair.
The door was open a crack, and Aurick stuck his head in the room, asking, "Your highness...Zaccheus. Is this a bad time?" He had been made aware of Zacch's presence by the sound of the bottle breaking.
Zacch, as he looked into Aurick's earnest face and considered his possible intentions, sighed, and bit back his annoyance. "Not at all," he lied determinedly. "Was there something you wanted to speak with me about?"
Aurick inched into the room, still looking apprehensive. "Well – I meant to ask...the thing is," he said in a great rush, "Leanna and I are meaning to marry soon, and as she has no family... I thought it would be most appropriate to ask your permission, as you are her prince."
His jaw dropped. "Um..." was all he was able to manage for the first five seconds. Aurick had to have the worst timing a person could possibly have, but as he thought about it a little more, he found himself feeling somewhat flattered. Usually, the man would ask his intended's father for permission, then the closest male relative. That Aurick asked him conferred an honor upon Zacch that lightened his black mood. "Do you need a formal document, or shall I just say, ‘go ahead, and it's about time?'"
The handsome young land nymph grinned. "Thank you, Zaccheus. There's just one more thing – would you be the one to stand up for her at the wedding? That is, if you have time. I know there are court affairs, but we would be honored if you could attend the wedding."
For the second time in ten minutes, he was flabbergasted. "It would be my honor. Set the date and send the word," he laughed, although a slight wistfulness had stolen over him. How simple he made it sound...some "court affairs" to deal with...as if that was all that was going on in his life.
Aurick seized his hand. "Thank you. Leanna will be so pleased..."
"I'm happy for you," Zacch replied mechanically. Inside, a part of him was writhing in agony.
****~**~****
Everyone trailed out of the room, leaving in twos and threes or singly, and Rei was about to leave with Lita when a quiet voice behind them requested, "Just a moment of your time, please."
She turned around and gave him her best glare.
To her surprise, Lita spoke first. "Jalen, what you do and what you say is your business – unless it concerns me or my friends."
He looked blank, and his eyes darted to Rei, who similarly had no idea what this was leading up to but refused to acknowledge him. "That's...very nice of you, Lita."
"You upset her last night. Don't let it happen again."
While Jalen was wondering how she knew about last night, Rei flushed slightly, reminded of Matthias's words. "And just because you and Jalen Eridian were speaking loud enough for the whole ship to hear doesn't mean I listen at doorways."
"It was not my intention to," he replied, "but I would appreciate it if you'd deign to have a word with me, Rei. Alone."
"Fine," she said. The word slipped out of her mouth almost against her will, and she touched Lita's arm in gratitude. "Go ahead. I'll be there as soon as I've finished here."
With a warning look at the two of them, the brunette departed. Rei shut the door, a precaution against the chance that the others would overhear them again. "I only have one thing to say to you, Jalen – don't interfere in my life."
His bright, azure blue eyes were fixed on her face disconcertingly, but just as he opened his mouth to fire back a sharp retort, ‘You upset her last night' echoed in his mind. All chance of a roaring argument was lost. "You're right," he said slowly, "forgive me, Reisha."
"That's it?" she asked in amazement. Then she shook herself. ‘Make up your mind!' she scolded. ‘First you tell him you only have one thing to say to him, and now you're wondering why he doesn't have anything else to say?'
"That's it," he answered. "I just meant to apologize. I didn't want us to part on bad terms." Carefully, he stepped away from her and bowed. "Good bye, Rei. Take care."
‘And may Valencia smile upon you, and guard you with her sword.' He added the traditional farewell to a traveler silently.
The tears pricked her eyes, but she refused to let them go until the door closed once more behind him. And then, at long last, she told herself she would never cry over him again.
****~**~****
Two days later, the first group left: Lirita, Zaccheus, Nathair, and Aerlene. Darrian kissed the hands of the women and exchanged firm handshakes with the men. "Take caution," he warned them, "the queen's forces will be better trained than ever, and she will have as many as she can roaming the land. Do not attempt to engage them, for it could very well mean your lives. Be careful."
Seren smiled at them from her place at his side. "Remember, we shall meet again," she told the first three reassuringly as Darrian kissed Aerlene's hand, "and we will always be in each others' hearts. Keep in touch."
Lita embraced her tightly. "Take care. Watch over that ankle, and don't let Darrian order you around."
"I will. I won't." Seren laughed at her contradictory words, fears of bursting into tears dispelled. She turned to Nath and said, in an undertone, "You'll take care of her, won't you?"
He smiled back encouragingly with those dependable, navy-blue eyes. "Fear not, princess. I'll guard her with my life."
She wrinkled her nose at the address as he winked, hugged her, and then moved on to say goodbye to the others. She hugged Zacch next and whispered in his ear, "Don't worry. After some time apart, everything will be all right again."
He stepped back with a lopsided smile. "As I've been told – several times. Who's side are you on, anyway?" He wasn't happy, but he would make it through, she knew.
And so it was that the first of them left with hugs, laughter, and no tears. They were sure to meet again one day.
****~**~****
End Part I
****~**~****
Thank you for sticking with this story throughout its lengthy construction...to date, I consider it my best work yet, and I thank you for sharing the pleasure with me. Thank you for the reviews, the advice, and for simply enjoying the story. But it isn't over yet. So please return for Soulmates Part II: Interlude, in which the senshi and the Shittenou reveal their individual shortcomings and strengths in diplomatic wranglings, the romance features more prominently, the characters are further developed, and the Chosen officially accept the terms of the prophecy. Thank you again,
~Warrior of Ice
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