Chapter 2-Someone Came Knocking a.k.a. What Are Friends For?
Malina stalked into her chamber, seething with anger. She pushed through the curtains of beads threaded with colored crystals and scented cloth flowers until she reached her bedroom. While she was storming through various rooms she had to go through before she reached the innermost one, her intended solace, she had to repress several violent urges to knock the numerous delicate vases onto the floor. All of the rooms in the Palace of the Nymphs had at least one vase full of aromatic flowers, arranged beautifully, and their fragrance pervaded the rooms. Unfortunately, despite their flawless splendor, she still wanted to destroy them to hear the satisfying crash. But she held herself back.
Only a few seconds after she had flung herself onto her bed, spread-eagle style, her maid said softly, "Miss Mina, Master Nath is here to see you."
She turned over and stared at the high, painted ceiling for a few seconds, trying to curb her rage. The poor girl didn't deserve to be snapped at just because her mistress was in a horrible mood. "Just tell him to come in," she replied shortly.
The maid, Ceana, turned pale. "In here, my lady? It isn't proper for you to be talking to men in your bedchamber! I couldn't!"
The golden-haired nymph tried hard not to scream. "Nath has been my friend for nearly a decade. He's been in here before, and–" Then she stopped. Lately, in the past year or so, Nath had been refusing to come into her bedroom or do other things they had been doing since they'd met, as children. Mina scowled. She knew the proper etiquette of court to a T, but she had been disregarding some of the rules because of their close friendship. Her irritation with both Ceana and Nathair faded slightly, but it returned rapidly when she realized that Nath had been trying to protect her reputation for a year and never said anything to her. Sighing, she stomped through the flowers heedlessly and plopped herself down on a cushion in her personal receiving chamber. "Now will you get him? Please?"
Ceana curtsied. "Yes, milady. Immediately."
While she waited, with her arms folded and her foot tapping impatiently, Mina glared across the room at a painting of herself with her parents, done before her mother had been disfigured in a not-so-accidental accident.
Suddenly, a quietly-amused voice commented, "I should have known you wouldn't be crying. Here I am, the knight in shining armor, come to comfort the weeping maiden. But you're just angry. Should I have brought my shield with me?"
Cuttingly, she replied, "If I cried whenever I had a problem, your armor would be horribly tarnished. Actually, it probably is–from the amount of time your fair damsels spend crying on your strong shoulders."
"Ouch," he murmured, brushing a lock of unruly brown hair out of his eyes. The majority of his long hair was caught in a horsetail at the nape of his neck, and Mina eyed it critically.
"You know, once hair gets past shoulder length, it starts looking ridiculous," she added.
Nath grinned. If she was slowly letting go of her anger with remarks at his expense, he would gladly let her if it would let him escape her wrath. Mina's temper wasn't particularly volatile, but when she was seriously provoked, whether the matter was trivial or not, the only thing one could do was brace himself or herself and wait for her fury to come crashing down.
She looked up in time to catch the smile and frowned darkly in response. "Why didn't you ever tell me why you've stopped doing certain things with me? I thought it was because–" She stopped suddenly and flushed.
Gently, he asked, "Because what?"
"Well, I thought it was because you thought it was childish and that I was being childish for wanting to continue...so I never brought it up–but–" He laughed, and she pouted. "Stop it! Don't you dare laugh at me!" she ordered.
"Yes, your highness. Right away, your highness," Nath replied obediently, trying to keep a straight face. "All right, all right," he said, holding up his hands in either defense or surrender as she prepared to launch a hard-looking cushion at him. "I didn't know you thought that way. You should have told me. I never think you're childish–except when you throw pillows at me. But then again, I deserve it, don't I?"
Mina's glower slowly changed to a small smile that was only a semblance of her usual megawatt smile that could blind all the men in the palace.
He noticed and continued, "I still want use to be as close as we've always been, Mina, but if we kept doing some of the things we've been doing since we were children–like me coming into your bedroom–people would talk. I could care less what they say about me, but what they say about you matters to me. A lot. So maybe it's time we grow up a little? What do you?" His last words had been said in a teasing voice, but Nathair knew that they were a bad choice when she leapt up and began pacing around the room, her fists clenched at her side, her cornflower blue eyes blazing.
Her soprano voice was even higher than normal as she demanded, "Why is ‘grow up' the only thing I hear around here now?" Mina did an excellent imitation of her mother's voice as she threw a handful of saffron-colored hair over her shoulder impatiently. "‘Malina, it's especially important since you became an adult that you make an effort to grow up. You can't be going around acting like a child anymore. Don't use that tone with me. You have more pressing duties now. You're a young lady. Young ladies do this, this, this, and that. Young ladies are a credit to their families. Young ladies do nothing but obey.' People are supposed to be smarter when they do grow up," Mina said, her tone belying more sarcasm towards the end of her short speech. "And young women, particularly those related to the King of the Nymphs, must do the duty they were born to do and marry well."
‘Ah ha,' Nath thought, ‘so we finally get to the root of the problem.' Nonchalantly, he remarked, "You know, I heard something like that from the court gossips today. Something about a prince that'll be visiting soon for the fair hand of the Lady Malina?"
She exploded then, and he did his best not to cower. "That is not funny, Nathair Sidereal!! You're supposed to be on my side!! What do I get? A talk that turns into a scolding with my parents, embarrassment in front of my relatives who aren't among my immediate family, and you making jokes! Just wonderful! Perfect!"
"I'm sorry," he apologized penitently, looking at her so pathetically that she had to laugh.
"No, I'm sorry, too. I didn't mean to be in such a bad mood," she said softly.
Nath sighed and held out his arms. "Well? Are you going to tell me all the excruciatingly painful details, or do I get kept in suspense?"
Mina glared at him and laid her head on his shoulder as he settled his arm around her. "I don't think you want to know all the horrific details. This prince is coming, and supposedly he's a good match. I'll be betrothed, affianced, and married before you know it!"
"I hope not," he said gravely.
"My parents didn't marry for love, so of course they don't see why I should. What's the point? They don't know what love is!" she exclaimed angrily.
"Mina. Of course they do. They love you."
She retorted, "If they love me, they wouldn't have forced him upon me."
Unhelpfully, he suggested, "Maybe you'll like him?" When she gave him a look that plainly said she thought he was insane, he said, "If you're dead set against him from the start, no wonder your parents are annoyed. Can't you just meet the guy, whoever he is, and try to be nice and polite? I know you could charm the socks off him if you wanted to. Just–be civil. Grown up." Malina hit him in the shoulder, and he winced. "Ow..."
"Don't be a baby."
"I'm not. You punch so much harder ever since you've been joining us weak little fellows on the practice courts. What do your parents have to say about that, Lady Malina?"
"That it isn't proper. And don't think I didn't hear you call me by that title!"
Nath smirked. "You're only deaf when you want to be."
Malina ignored him pointedly and asked, "Nath, what am I going to do if I really don't like him? Or what if he's all right but I don't want to marry him?"
"I don't know. But there's always the chance that you'll gaze into his soulful eyes, which are...um..."
"Gray," she supplied.
He raised an eyebrow. "You like gray eyes? Now who around here has gray eyes?"
"None of your business. Besides, I think they're the nicest color eyes. I don't have to like anyone special to admire their features, do I?"
"Of course not," he replied meekly. "I'm so hurt that you don't like my nice color eyes...I'm told blue eyes are the prettiest color, but you insist on wounding me. But getting on with the story," he added hastily, seeing her eyes flare dangerously again, "you'll look into his deep gray eyes and fall madly in love at first sight, dance the night away in his arms, get betrothed the next morning, affianced by the next week, and married in a month."
"Idiot! Who wants to fall in love at first sight?" she snapped.
"I do. I mean, not fall in love, exactly. But I'd like to know once I see the person."
Malina sighed; she hated it when he was in this type of mood. "What person?"
"Do you believe in soulmates?"
"What? I don't know–maybe. It depends what you mean."
Nath turned his eyes skyward to the puffy white clouds painted on a celestial azure-blue background on the ceiling. "Well, my private definition is that a person's soulmate is the one person in the world that completes them perfectly. I'm not saying it's all sugar and light and that you won't ever fight. Of course people fight and have disagreements, but soulmates are the best suited to one another, and they make each other happier than they would have been with anyone else. But then again, very few soulmates truly find each other. You may think you've found your soulmate–but how do you really know? It may be why so many people find themselves falling out of love after a few years, when the initial bedazzlement fades. This is why the elves, in particular, regard marriage as an extremely serious affair. Many of them live together, have children with one another–but never marry. A lot of affairs go on. A lot of separations occur. And this is considered normal."
She thought about it carefully. The serious, slightly dreamy quality to his tone told her that he was revealing a deep part of himself to her, which was a rarity. Nath was easy to get to know–on the surface. Even Malina wasn't sure exactly how well she knew him, and she knew that he knew and understood her perfectly, and it had irked her until she had learned that it was just the way he was. She contented herself with the little pieces he gave away, bit by bit, and taking them seriously–very seriously. She had learned the hard way that he tended to close up like a clam if his thoughts were taken lightly or ridiculed. "So you believe that despite all the trouble it takes to find your soulmate...you believe? That there's someone out there created just to suit you?"
He grinned. "I see you don't know the legend then. Yes, I believe. The story goes along the lines that people are created as one and then split into two when they reach the earth. Sometimes they find each other, sometimes they don't."
"Nath."
"What?"
"I want to meet your dream girl if you ever find her. Promise me you'll show her to me before you do anything rash," she requested.
Nath looked at her for a few moments, then smiled. "Of course I will. We'll always be closer than blood, Mina, no matter how much growing up we do." Neither of them knew that one day, his words would be held to their truest. The time would come when they would be separated and when they would meet again, all grown up... They would still be as close, but things would not be the same after that
****~**~****
"Your majesty," the pair addressed respectfully. The woman curtsied, her long dark curls spilling gracefully over her shoulders, and the man bowed elegantly, his silver-blond hair neatly tied back. They were a well-matched pair, engaged and planning to wed soon. She still wore the main color of her house, displayed by her gown of radiant yellow silk, with gold ribbons wound through her hair, complete with slippers of the same shade. He wore his own colors, silver and white. They were Queen Serenitatis's as well, for they were cousins.
Serenitatis greeted them with a serene smile, as if nothing was wrong. But it was. Things were very wrong: her daughter was missing and her son had attempted escape and nearly ruined her plans. Kentan was currently being kept in a state of unconsciousness under guard of a man she knew she could trust with the task. "Artemis, Luna, it's always a pleasure to see you." After polite small talk, she asked, "Is there something in particular you wanted to discuss today? I don't mean to be rude, but–" It was her signal that if they had something important, they should stop wasting her time, and they understood perfectly as her longtime advisors. They knew everything about the realm–except her most secret plans.
"Of course, your majesty. There was the affair with the elfin girl we wanted to speak to you about," Artemis said smoothly.
She nodded, her face solemn. "Oh yes. A very badly handled matter. I'll be speaking with those who were involved shortly. They must have cleaner execution methods."
Luna tried to keep her face clear of emotion as she explained earnestly, "But the matter is, my queen, that the girl had done nothing wrong. She was innocent, and yet, she was bludgeoned to death!"
"And very recently," her intended added, "there was that nymph who was hung on very little evidence. He was given an unfair trial, Serenitatis."
"What are you suggesting?" she inquired, raising one slender eyebrow nearly the exact same shade of his own hair. "The magik people are acting up, and they must be taught their place. The public resents their influence. Just because they possess special powers–which make them unnatural, I might add–does not mean that they will receive special treatment from anyone."
"That's just it, your majesty. They're receiving inferior treatment!"
Slowly, deliberately, the queen asked, "Are you questioning my judgement, Luna? I must remind you that you are the advisor here and I the ruler. I take your advice as I see fit. I do believe that your tainted blood is influencing your loyalties, my dear. May I remind you that it was I who arranged for you to be brought to the palace and trained? Had it not been for my kindness, you would never have met my cousin. You would never have reached this position. And I will do as I see fit. Is that clear, Luna?"
"Yes, your majesty. My apologies. It will not happen again." The dark-haired woman glanced beseechingly at her fiancé before looking down at her hands, which were folded in her lap.
Artemis cleared his throat uncomfortably as the queen turned her intense blue eyes on him. "Serenitatis, may I speak to you as a cousin rather than as an advisor?"
"You may."
Despite her discouraging tone, he gave her his counsel willingly. "The land is troubled, my queen. Word of rebels in the capital now is getting out, and the magik people are becoming angry at the murder of their people. Do not go any further, Serenitatis. If you turn this into genocide, even the non-magik people will rise up against you, led by learned scholars who are fair and just."
"Are you insinuating that I am unfair and unjust?" she snapped, eyes sparkling angrily.
"No, my queen. I am merely trying to tell you that if you do not stop this, there will be civil war."
"No. I will not stop. This is something I will continue to do until my death, Artemis. Don't try to talk me out of it again. If you do, you won't like the consequences." Her eyes slid over to the right, where Luna was seated, still looking at her hands, and Artemis paled. "I hope you understand my meaning."
Stiffly, he replied, "It's crystal clear, my queen."
"It had better be." Smiling her court smile, she rose with a swish of her elegant white skirts. "I am so sorry to cut this delightful visit short, but I'm afraid that I have a prior engagement. I hope we shall have the opportunity to talk again soon. Thank you so much. Good day." Serenitatis closed the door firmly with a snap, and her harsh, irregular breathing filled the room. She stalked to her bedroom, rifling through one of her many jewelry boxes until she came up with a delicate silver key. Furtively opening a secret entrance, she fit the key into its proper lock, opened the compartment, and took out a locket. Inside was a detailed, minuscule painting of a man that filled her thoughts every day of her life. He was not her husband. But she still loved him. "You left because of prophecy, love. Now, the time has come for me to fulfill my end of the bargain. They must pay. And I will win."
****~**~****
Nathair narrowed his eyes calculatingly as he watched his best friend cavort across the ballroom. Grumpily, he downed the goblet of chilled fruit juice in his hand quickly and wished he hadn't, as the coldness gave him an instant headache. Plunking the emptied glass onto a server's tray, he distributed smiles and farewells to the crowd he was with and pushed through the crowd to get at Mina.
From the start of the ball, he had been sensing that she was slightly out of control and a bit unbalanced–not due to drink, although he had seen her appropriate more than a few goblets of alcoholic beverages earlier that night, but rather because of her state of mind. Normally Malina exercised a great deal of self-control. When they had talked that afternoon, he had left her with a better sense of well-being–or so he thought. But every so often, Mina got into one of her more wicked moods, she partied her heart out and suffered the effects alone in the morning, until he managed to barge his way past Ceana. She had danced almost every dance, and there was no shortage of partners for the beautiful, golden-haired nymph, with her exquisite features, slightly-flushed cheeks, and sparkling blue eyes. When she hadn't been dancing, she had been flirting shamelessly.
Nath had also taken her choice of dress into consideration before he had decided to approach her. Mina had perfect taste, and she knew exactly what was acceptable by court standards. Normally her clothes were elegant and only slightly revealing, but tonight, her gown was bordering on promiscuous. But she had been avoiding him the entire evening, besides a quick hello at the start of the ball. He wondered how she could keep up the charade of light-hearted thoughtlessness for hours (it was getting into the late second half of the party now) and thought that she could have put it to better use. Normally, Mina did. But every so often, the wildness took over when she needed release, and he was afraid of the day he wouldn't be there to protect her. Luckily, she had kept enough of her senses to reject the many advances that men and nymphs alike were making on her, but Nath could see several rejected suitors eyeing her resentfully.
Gathering his courage, he stepped up to her partner and tapped him lightly on the shoulder. The male nymph turned to face him, annoyance written all over his face–but Nath could have cared less at the moment. "Excuse me–could I have a word, Mina?"
"Sure," she chirped, giving him her brightest smile. It made him nervous. "But only if you dance the next dance with me, Nath. You will, won't you?"
Resisting the urge to drag her out of the ballroom, he nodded and bowed, beginning the intricate steps of the dance. "Having fun?" he inquired acidly.
"Lots," she retorted, going through the steps flawlessly. "I never knew how amusing the baron could be before tonight."
"I thought you hated him," he remarked, keeping his tone light enough to match hers with difficulty.
Catching the baron's eyes upon her, Mina gave him her brilliant smile and turned back to her friend. "I do. I just never realized how laughable he is when he's trying to impress a lady."
"Are you drunk?"
She couldn't help but burst into laughter at his blunt question. When she saw that his eyes were grave and serious, her face grew dark and angry. "Do I look like I'm drunk, Nath?"
He had to admit that she didn't. Her eyes were a bit lucid, but her speech and movements were perfectly clear. She remembered the steps to the dance. And her physical balance was not a bit off. But Mina's tolerance had always been good, and he didn't want her pushing the limit. "No."
"Don't have so little faith in me."
"Why are you doing this, tonight, of all nights?"
Her pale blue eyes met his darker ones mockingly. "That's just it. Tonight is my last night of freedom, of flirting, of ‘going wild,' as you put it. Tomorrow my soon-to-be-betrothed arrives, and the ceremony will take place."
"What?!" he exclaimed, nearly stepping on her feet. She managed to evade his clumsy feet, continuing the steps with almost as much vigor as before. "I thought you had another week!"
"I did. But then my parents decided that little Malina had to grow up and be disciplined, and with all the rumors of the queen increasing those hunting for us...they want be married as quickly as possible. Therefore, tomorrow, he's coming, and tomorrow, I'll be betrothed. You'll be there as my witness, won't you?"
Nathair was momentarily speechless and motionless, and she took the opportunity to drop his hands and disappear into the crowd. Glaring after her, he followed relentlessly, pursuing her through the crowds of courtiers, refusing invitations to dance offhandedly. "Mina. Let's go. Now. We're going to talk."
Flippantly, she replied, "I don't want to talk. I want to dance." The lord that had her in his arms nodded emphatically, but the brunet didn't spare him a glance.
"I don't care what you want–or what you think you want–right now."
Coolly, all pretensions of gaiety fleeing her character, Malina responded, "Nathair Sidereal, if you don't leave me alone tonight, right now, I swear you won't like the consequences. If you don't like what I'm doing now, then you're not going to like what I do next, because I'm definitely not leaving."
He cursed and exclaimed, "Grow up, Mina! You're wondering why everyone tells you to. Don't you get it now?"
She jerked herself away from her partner, eyes flashing, and he grabbed her wrist and began towing her towards the doors, despite her partner's protests. "Let me go, Nath. Let go!" When he didn't pay any attention to her struggles, she wrenched herself free and slapped him across the face. The loud smack was heard over the music and chattering all around them, and if they hadn't been the main focus of all the attendants of the ball, they certainly were now. Whispers were heard all around them, and Mina's face flushed a dark red, matching the color of the print her hand had left on his face.
However, he wasn't the least bit embarrassed. Either that, or his tanned skin was too dark to show it. "Fine. Have it your way, Mina. I'll come by in the morning–if you're alone." With that parting insult, he strode out the doors, eyes stormy.
The look she directed at his back should have burned a hole through the gilded wood. She continued dancing, but a change came over her, and she left soon afterwards, using the excuse that she was tired. She made sure everyone saw that not only was she alone, she was composed, calm, and sober.
****~**~****
Anyone who did not know the traveler personally would have thought him insane. Nearing winter, which came particularly quickly and brutal in these parts, no one was stupid enough to hike through the mountains alone with nothing but his packs and a horse. But Jalen Eridian was not just an errant wanderer. During his short life (which they reckoned would not get much longer in the future if he kept doing foolhardy things), he had been an emissary for the elves and a scholar at the royal universities. Currently, he was a graduate with special honors who had seen a large portion of the realm in just one year, as he had started his travels directly after being released from his studies.
Jalen was currently lost in thought, walking slowly beside his mount, going where his feet would take him. He was contemplating the past, especially certain affairs that he had thought were done badly. Had he been given the chance to return to a time three years ago, when he had been sixteen, he would have attempted to rectify the situation. But too much time had elapsed. As usual, the problem concerned a girl. But it hadn't been a relationship between himself and that girl, it had been his best friend and the girl. And that was where things got confusing.
Jalen was half-elf and half-human, and he knew the name of his mother, who had died in childbirth, but no one knew who his elfin father was. He had lived with the elves up until three years ago. During those sixteen years, he had dedicated his life and time to researching the whereabouts of an ancient scroll. The prophecy it contained had been written several centuries ago, about ten persons who were supposed to be magically-bonded soulmates. The difference between the soulmates and more "regular" people was the changes that were supposed to happen once they found each other. Jalen didn't know exactly what those changes entailed, but he knew the time had come for the ten to be found when Queen Serenitatis had begun the pursuit of the magik people: nymphs–the land nymphs, dryads, and naiads–and elves. The ten were supposed to protect and defend those being persecuted in times of need and to keep the country from being ripped apart during the civil war that was supposed to come. Jalen had taken it upon himself to find the ten, for his contrary magik tended to act up at certain times, and it spurred him on to research certain documents pertaining to the legend.
While he spent his time in the library and on the training courts, learning how to fight (he figured that the civil war would require him to defend himself), his best friend trailed him. That friend was the Prince of the Elves, Zaccheus. The only serious faults Zacch had were impatience, a quicksilver personality, and a rebellious nature. However, he was just as apt an scholar, and he spent whatever free time he had with Jalen in the library.
To cut a long story short, he had gone with an emissary from the elves to the naiads, water nymphs, at age fifteen. It was because he was so young that he was part to go as part of the diplomatic venture. They would surely underestimate him because of his age, and even the King of the Elves had recognized his hardworking nature, intelligence, and charm–a quality important to land nymphs and elves. He had been assigned a young nymph who was a year younger than him as his guide, and Jalen had hours in the underwater libraries researching with her. Amity was serious, dedicated, and hardly ever smiled before he managed to earn her trust. They slowly became friends, as he was her first, and she began more alive. Before, she had been more of a statue–beautiful perfection, but cold and lifeless. Ami had been Jalen's first, and so far only, love. But he had never told her, because he knew she hadn't returned his feelings. A year later, he returned to the elves, planning to say farewell before journeying to the royal universities. He had already gleaned as much knowledge as he could from both the elves and the naiads, and it was time for him to move on.
Amity had gone with him to say goodbye. After he left, she would return to her own people and continue convincing them to prepare to defend themselves against the queen. Naturally, she was introduced to his best friend, Zacch. They didn't seem to get along very well, but Jalen hadn't been surprised. They were complete opposites. Ami tended to be introverted and shy with strangers, and Zacch was brash, open, and extremely flirtatious. Within a few weeks of her arrival at the elfin palace, she began talking about a prolonged stay, and Jalen had been unaware of the reason...until one late night, he had been waiting to escort Ami back to her temporary rooms after a long ball. He couldn't see her anywhere in the room, and he had promised to accompany her to his rooms so they could talk about a new piece of information she had uncovered. Jalen had decided to check the gardens for her, and sure enough, she was perched on the edge of a fountain. But she wasn't alone–Zacch was there with her, looking up at her. The moonlight streamed the trees to illuminate their faces, and Jalen had seen their identical looks of happiness and deep love as Zaccheus, still slightly taller than her while she sat on the many-tiered fountain that was a few steps above him, leaned down to frame her face in his hands and kiss her. Ami had slowly gotten to her feet and wrapped her arms around his neck, and Jalen turned his back and left them, feeling as if he had happened upon something he shouldn't have.
The next morning, he had been greeted by hangover and an over-exuberant Zacch first thing. Then, he had been chastised by Ami, for excessive drinking the night before. He had managed to keep his temper in check and had meekly said nothing during her scolding, despite the fact that he desperately wanted to snap that he had attempted to drink himself into oblivion and he hadn't touched a drop of alcohol since. What he distinctly remembered form that morning was, despite her displeasure with him, the happiness that had light up her face and brought a soft shine to her eyes. She had seemed more beautiful that day than any other he had seen her.
How they had parted ways was even worse. To cut a long story short, something–it could have been any number of things–had seriously disturbed Zaccheus, who went around looking perturbed and anxious for a week. Jalen had been too preoccupied with his departure preparations to pay him much attention, but the night before Jalen had left for the royal universities, his favorite couple had apparently exchanged words and had a falling out...and upon returning to his rooms after the evening meal (for which neither of them had been present), he had been confronted by a weeping naiad. It had taken half the night and an armful of towels to soak up all the moisture that materialized when a water nymph cried to calm her down. Ami had left that night, in the early hours of dawn, alone and desolate. Jalen had gotten very little sleep after seeing her off, and upon waking up, had a huge row with Zacch. Not-so-complimentary opinions had been exchanged, and the fight would have become physical had not the people who heard (possibly the entire palace) broken them apart.
Jalen had left on bad terms with his best friend, and he had only recently re-established communication with Zaccheus. But he had been hearing news of the prince long before his last year of university, when Zacch had finally taken it upon himself to contact Jalen. He was getting married.
The blonde scowled down at the inky page in his hands, uncharacteristically sullen. Then, he realized that it had begun to snow. How had it happened? He had been hiking along in chilly weather, but the skies had been clear when he'd started up to the higher mountains from the valley. The sky had become gloomy and overcast, and the snow was beginning to fall more heavily. He couldn't return to the village: he had been on foot for at least three hours, reminiscing while a storm that promised to turn into a blizzard crept up on him. But he hadn't seen any traces of civilization or even humanity for quite some time, and he wasn't sure exactly how fare it was to the warriors' retreat that had been his aim. He only knew that they lived very high up in the mountains (but not too high, because that would change the gas levels in their blood and cause all sorts of other changes that would be detrimental if they had to readjust to the environment beneath) and that few visitors reached them. There were also no legal maps on sale, as the warriors considered finding the place a good first task for any would-be students. However, Jalen had no wish to be one of their permanent students. He just wanted to see if they knew anything about the scroll of prophecy he was searching for.
As the wind howled around him, the heavens darkening until he could barely see, he shivered and checked that his horse's nose was still clear and not frozen over by any snow. Jalen hurried towards what he thought was a distant spark of golden light, suddenly revealed to him by a spark of azure blue that he recognized as his own–and very meager–magik. He sighed and continued on: his magik had never led him wrong before, and it tended to act up only during dire circumstances. But he couldn't help sending up a prayer to Silvana, the patron goddess of the elves, hoping that it would not be his day to die.
****~**~****
Reisha nodded politely to the older man that she relieved on watch. He responded in kind but did not linger to converse after giving her the brief report from his watch. If she had been someone else, perhaps he would have–but she was Reisha Zuriel, and they all regarded her as an unapproachable enigma. Everyone except her only two friends her age and some of the younger students.
Immediately, Reisha settled into meditation, although she kept most of her senses alert. She was unsure of how much time had elapsed, until she heard a thud against the door and a weak cry. Immediately, she snapped out of her meditation and readied her weapon. It was snowing out, but there were always crazy people. She had found that they tended to be the most gifted, the most determined, and the most intelligent. Unfortunately, her expectations of such an adversary were dashed when she eyed the crumpled man on the doorstep. Sighing, she rang the bell for assistance, and four men and women immediately appeared, silent and ready for a threat. "It's only some idiot who got lost and didn't have enough sense to find shelter."
Two men and one woman picked him up to take him to the healers, and as they did so, his eyes flickered open to reveal intense azure blue color. They fixed on Reisha, and she gasped as his eyes met hers. As he disappeared around the corner, his gaze was still upon her, and she shivered.
The last man left who had answered to the call was the youngest out of the quartet, and he got to take the horse to the stables. He was one of Reisha's two friends, and he had known her for almost as long as she had been at the warriors' temple. Winking at her, he drawled, "Don't be so hard-hearted, Reisha. He was smart enough to find his way here, and most people don't get here as easily as you did."
She glowered at him, sensitive about any reminders of her past. She had been eight years old when she had arrived at the place, and she never revealed anything about her life before that time. Her focus was completely on learning the warrior arts to perfection, and everyone knew it. "Just get the horse into the stables before the poor thing freezes, Alec."
"Touchy, touchy." When her glare intensified, he hurried to do her bidding. "All right, princess, I'm going, I'm going."
Alec's back was turned by the time Reisha reacted to his jesting statement, and for once, emotions besides annoyance, impatience, and anger were displayed plainly on her exquisite features. Shock was most prevalent, and then deep sorrow and a tinge of fear flitted across her face. By the time Alec had returned, rapping the code that all the temple occupants knew on the door so the door wardens would be able to identify them as friends, Reisha's face was as closed as it usually was, but her eyes betrayed bone-deep weariness.
Genuinely concerned, Alec remarked, "You look really tired, Rei. Why don't you get some rest? I heard you had a rough practice session today. I'll finish your watch."
The dark-haired girl scowled at him. "No. I'm fine. Everything's good."
"Are you sure? Because I would be glad to–"
She cut him off brusquely. "No! I said, I can do it. Just go, Alec. Please."
The black-haired youth nodded. "All right. I'm sorry. Good night, Reisha." He melted into the shadows in the hall effortlessly.
When she was sure he had gone out of earshot, she whispered, "I'm sorry, Alec. There are just some things about the past you can't know." Quickly, she brushed a single tear from her cheek and resumed her alert position, ready to take on any enemies that might show their faces. None came, and despite the relative quiet that night, Reisha was unable to achieve complete relaxation through meditation that night.
****~**~****
Author's Notes: Aww...isn't Neph sweet? ^.~ I kept Luna and Artemis's names nice and simple so no one will have a headache. Ceana is not an important character–you've probably forgotten all about her. She's Mina's maid. Only pay attention to the main characters and everything will be fine–I hope. I'm going to warn you ahead of time that this story will be extremely confusing and complex as we get further into the plot. If I can clarify anything, please tell me!!
I'm sorry Mina's seems a little OOC. I'm trying to portray all sides of her (which is difficult), and she'll be more serious and commander-like later on. Now she's a bit flighty and out of control, but it's understandable, ne? I know the "I don't want to marry if it's not for love" thing is really old and overused (especially for Usagi/Mamoru), so I tried not to go on and on about it. Hope it worked! And finally, per request, we get to a snippet of Reisha and Jalen ^^. If you thought Mina was bad-tempered here...wait until Rei makes the scene ^.~
Why am I spending so much time reiterating what was in the profiles? In case people haven't read them, of course! So please bear with the introduction. The real action intermixed with a little more history should begin in the next few chapters.
In case it was hard to keep track...the characters in this chapter were: Mina & Nephrite, Queen Serenity & Artemis & Luna, Mina & Nephrite again, and finally Jade & Rei.
Ah. A point of clarification. If you're ever wondering whether a person is a of a magik race, check if they have a last name. In this chapter, Malina is a nymph, but Nath, who has two names, is a human. Artemis is human, Luna is part-naiad (which is why the queen says she has tainted blood). Jalen is half-elf, as was explained, but his mother was human and possessed the last name "Eridian." Reisha is human ^^.
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