Young Writers Society

~Selene~

I stared at the floor, sobs almost gone now. I should tell him, if I valued my life I would, but then again, what was the point? The worst he could do was tell the queen--whom I wasn'gt on good grounds with--and she might have me thrown in prison. But I wasn't scared of that. So why was I spilling to him now?

"I was looking...for any clue that would lead me to why things around here have been happeneing...I might be the only one who doesn't know, but no one is clueing me in, so I went to the next best thing. I wenht through all of your things, and I've stll found nothing. I'm so sorry." My voice was a whisper and, when he didn't reply, I wondered if he had heard me at all. Glancing up, I saw that his eyes were still on me--no, miles away. He wasn't thinking about me, he was thinking about sokething else, possibly something more important than the life of a slave who would soon be killed anyway.

I looked back down at the floor, my eyes following the wood patterns and shape of every knot made by mother earth in the wooden floor. What now? What was he going to say? Had he heard me? Did he even care? Of coufrse, or he wouldn't have given me this much time to explain. No one listened to slaves, so why was he doing it now?

Tathiel

There was no way on the face of the planet I was going after her with these ribs. I sighed and shook my head, arms around my chest. So I had done it. Apologized. And then gotten smacked and Aisha decided to run away. Productive day.

Not to mention the broken ribs, heaps of cash, slave-girl who had slapped me, a guard who hated me. The good, the bad and the nuetral. Things could only get better, though, right? I mean honestly, I had heaps of money and a repuation as "the guy who captured the Lazzan twins." How could a noble girl resist that?

What were the chances I would survive Aisha's wrath if she caught me flirting? Or kissing, or charming or anything? Well, she had watched me flirt before. I was still alive now, which was probably a good sign. Question was, would she tolerate it after all of that?

I think not.

"I am not following you if that's what you want!" I shouted, wincing at the sharp pain in my chest. Yes, I really, really did need to get these things bandaged.

Anzeila

I must have nodded off. When I woke up my head was burried in a lumpy pillow, which was drenched. Tears? Probably. Not for a moment did I forget where I was. It was the palace, I was a slave and the prince was sleeping in the room next to mine. For all I knew he was standing in the corner. Waiting.

My head forced itself up to glance out the window. Stars still twinkled in the sky, not that I could see much of them. The window was absolutely pathetic.

I sighed and flung my legs over the side of the bed, scanning my room for possible invaders. There were none, thank any lord imaginable. I rose slowly, carefully, and crept across the floor towards a mirror. A lantern was set beside it, burning. Did I dare question who had done that and when?

I shook my head and looked into the mirror, frowning. My hair was already matted and my eyes were still swollen from crying. I looked weak, like a girl who had just broken down because she was ripped from her home. Broken down instead of trying to find a way out. Instead of fighting back. I shook my head and started combing though my hair, not bothering with the brush on the stand. I didn't want to touch it.

Without my concent, my head turned towards the door. Once again, without my consent, my feet were moving. Towards the door. And still without my consent, my fingers were wrapped around the door handle.

I bit my lip and hesitated. What were the chances Priney had locked the door? And what were the chances I would be caught by people I didn't want to be caught by? Both seemed high, I didn't care much about the latter. If anything happened, I'd run back to my room. What were the chances they'd be able to catch me before I reached my room anyways? That, too, was probably high. Didn't matter.

I twisted the handle, checked to make sure the hall was clear in both directions, and stepped out. Nobody had told me I couldn't explore a little had they? What hard could it do?

Terron

Selene had long left, leaving the tray of food behind. She had dashed off with hardly a word. Suspicious, but I wouldn't bother poking around her business. The food, so far, had remained untouched. The stable-boy had claimed that he wouldn't be able to eat it, but I wasn't so sure yet. I'd leave it for a little while.

And now, I'm not usually one to complain, but there was no way I was stepping foot inside that palace. Or anywhere near it for that matter. The more thought I gave it, the more it seemed I needed a break. A nice, long, until-I'm-dead break. And judging by the lack of nutrition and the way my back had started slumping, that wouldn't be long.

Death would come as a relief though. Decades as a slave who somehow survived brutal treatment started prayers for death in an old man.

And despite all of the doubts and reasons I had to stay here, it took my a long time to gather the resolve to ask. The first thing I thought about was how dangerous this could be for Flip. The boy could be hanged for hiding me for all I knew. The second thought was a tad more selfish. He could report me, and I could be hanged.

When I said I wouldn't mind dieing, I had definitely not meant at the hands of the Aggarian royals. Surrounded by loved ones on a sick-bed back with the Sorians would be ideal. But that wasn't going to happen.

Of course, I did end up mustering the courage to ask what he had meant when he told me we needed a better hiding place.

"You honestly want to hide me here? Do you have any idea what that could mean for you?" I asked finally, frowning just a little.

Laverna | Melnarian Princess - Caravan:

Someone was shaking me, trying to wake me. They cursed under their breath and sounded like the had broken ribs... My eyes flew open and I found myself staring up at Tathiel the snake. What did he want? But then I noticed he was holding his ribs and wincing. He sat down slowly, hissing in pain. I just stared at him.

"Bind them for me?" he asked in a somewhat grumpy voice. I didn't move, just staring at him. He was asking me to help him? I must have been more tired than I thought.... Either that, or crazy. "I said Bind them!" He shouted, wincing. His breathe puffed out in short gasps.

I quickly got up and went looking for bandages. Hey, if he didn't (or couldn't) hit me, then maybe I could find a way to escape. Then again, best not make him even angrier. I heard that the Firepit wasn't happy with him at the moment. Not at all. I wonder why...

Aarin Basir | His Bedroom:

"You just wanted to know what, exactly, is going on?" I asked and she nodded. Smiling softly, I told her. I told her everything, from my little job for the king to the events that transpired in the other room. How I hated slavery and wanted it banned, removed. Undone. How I thought the Melnarian was pretty and how I wished I could help her. How much I hated the blond that had sold the Twins to the King and how I hated having to see people treated so poorly.

She never said a word for a long time. Eventually, I left her and went back out into the hall, suddenly unable to sleep. And it was a good thing too, since I saw the Lazzan Princess sneaking off down the hall. I hesitated, wishing I could let her go, wanting to just let her leave. But I couldn't. I was a Guard and I could get into trouble for doing that.

So I called out to her, trying to attract her attention. At first, I wasn't sure she heard me, so I called louder. This time she ignored me. Frowning, I jogged to catch up, keeping my distance and rubbing my leg again. Jogging made it sore, worse than walking did. Wincing, I slowed to a walk.

"Princess?" I called softly. Her step faltered. "You shouldn't be out here so late. You might get hurt." I winced at the concern I heard in my voice. Then again, maybe hearing it would make her realize that not everyone thought she was a slave? "Princess? Please, return to your room. It's best not to be out so late. Some men wouldn't be as kind as me."

Flip

"Do you honestly want to hide me here? Do you have any idea what this would mean for you?" The old man grunted seriously. If it was risky, I wanted to hide him here for definite. I smiled and nodded confidently.

"Of course...uh...Terron!" I said, forgetting his name yet again. Some things just don't etch themselves into your brain.

The old man's expression didn't change, nor did he even bat an eye. "You would plan on feeding me how?" Didn't I say earlier I wasn't eating my dinner?

My reply came easily. "Look, when you get hungry, you may have tonight's dinner. Make it last. I can split with you other times." Not hard at all. Less food won't kill me.

"And if the guards come?" the geezer raised an eyebrow, as if challenging me.

"I'll...I'll find somewhere to hide you...," I muttered. This was actually quite difficult. My eyes were drawn towards the pointed roof of the stable. From the inside, the roof appeared flat, wooden. "How about I loosen a couple of those boards and you can hide up there?" I suggested triumphantly. It could work, really.

Anzeila

I paused for a moment to bite my lip and glance up the hall hesitantly. He was right, of course. Most men probably wouldn't be as king as he was being... but then, I doubted the prince would think much about being sweet, either. No way was I being locked in that room again, not with said prince a whole bathroom away.

"Not in your life time," I muttered in Lazzan before continuing my little stroll down the hall. How was I to know he wasn't just luring me away, anyways? He could be just as bad as every other guard in this hell-hole of a palace. He seemed genuine enough, but one can never be too sure.

I had hardly taken two steps before he had shouted for the guards. One word was all it took for me to fall back into my old emotions. I whipped around and clamped a trembling hand over the man's mouth, hardly even thinking of what the consequences for that would be.

I was a warrior, I usually didn't think too hard about what would get me into trouble with what prince. Back home, I wouldn't be punished for killing an enemy.

Common sense kicked in, and I removed my hand from the guard's mouth, choosing instead to give him a pleading look. Here, I probably would be punished for so much as looking at somebody wrong.

"My room can't be much safer," I whispered, voice trembling just so. A quivering warrior princess. I bit my lip and looked away, wringing my hands in front of my stomach. "Please?" Please what, I wasn't quite sure. Just please something, as long as it wasn't forcing me back to my room.

Tathiel

"Could you hurry it up over there?" I hissed, biting the inside of my lip hard. Walking around hadn't exactly been my brightest idea, if you catch my drift. Did we even have bandages in here? Well, why wouldn't we? It'd be pretty stupid not to keep them lying around, now wouldn't it?

Finally, she came back, bandages in hand. I let out a slow, careful breath and started an attempt at removing my shirt. You can't apply bandages if you're shirt's on, now can you? After a lot of wincing, it was off, sitting in a heap on the ground.

Laverna was looking a little hesitant now, which made me growl. "Any day would be great!"

Finally, she was bandaging my ribs. A painful process, but it would be better after-wards. Or that was what I was hoping, anyways. I closed my eyes tightly, fighting back the flaring pain.

When she was done, I leaned over without a word, a little too quickly, to grab my shirt. I grunted and wrapped my fingers around it tightly, trying to rise again. Nice move, Tathiel. Nice move.

Terron

I looked up to the roof, raising my fingers to my chin thoughtfully. Flip was a brave boy, I would give him that much. The punishments for hiding slaves would probably be something along the lines of a hanging; which meant I had to be careful. Very careful.

"Could work," I muttered, blinking to get a better look. Things seemed to be getting blurrier lately, which probably wasn't a very good thing. No mind. Blindness might mean they'd get rid of me. Of course, I wouldn't have to worry about that anymore, would I?

"You'll need a way to get me up there," I added quickly, letting my arms hang limply at my sides. "I'm not as young as I once was, climbing isn't exactly an easy task anymore." I chuckled quietly and shook my head.

Flip was definitely brave. Pretty bright thing, too, for being so young. With any luck, I wouldn't annoy the daylights out of him with my rambling. Oh, and he planned on sharing his food. Add generous to that list. I liked the boy, let's leave it at that.

Aisha

I frowned at the darkening sky. There went my chance at sleep. More tonic to come. I sighed and let my wings unfold, shoving my hands in my pockets and leaping lightly off the edge of the roof, metal wings taking over. Aggar. I was in Aggar, the place Tathiel had gone on and on about for ages. It was hardly half as wonderful as Micun.

Micun. Why couldn't I be there, not here? Oh, right, I had nothing there for me except the grave of my sister and the scorched interior of a hotel room that held too many memories. I was supposed to look forward, live for the future. Might as well, right? Since I had nothing left anyway. I pulled a face and dropped just low enough to run three steps, giving me more momentum. My shin scraped on cobblestone, but I have definitely gotten worse.

Like staff scrapes. Those hurt more than you'd think, and mine were aching. All I could hope was that Tathiel was hurting just as bad. That pig. It was like he didn't think anyone on this earth had any feelings at all. Newsflash, sweets, not all of us are like you.

Which was not entirely true. I'd seen him get madder than a bull about some things, and when he spaced out, he looked... sad. If it was possible, which I doubted. I shook my head at myself, swooping just above an arch. I wanted to keep flying, but I knew I was bound to this troupe, no matter how far I went. Running away only meant traveling farther to get back, however much I hated that.

So I kept flying in lazy circles above the courtyard, feeling trapped as ever.

Laverna | Melnarian Princess - Caravan:

I finished bandaging the Snake's chest and stepped back, waiting. He leaned forwards to fast to grab his shirt and groaned. I hesitated, lingering just out of reach.

"Well, help me, girl!" he snapped. Half-startled and half-scared, I rushed forwards and helped him lean back. I almost relaxed. Would he try again while he was injured? I sure hoped he wouldn't.

I scooted back, well out of reach and sat down at the far end of the caravan, watching him.

Aarin Basir | Hallway:

I stared at her. The Lazzan Princess was....afraid? To go back to her room? I frowned, watching her. She just stood gazing back at me. What could I do? I was just one Palace Guard. I shook my head, trying to forget the feeling I'd had back when the king brought her and her brother.

Finally, I sighed and gestured for her to walk with me. Then I turned and started off down the hall. I didn't bother to check if she was following or not. Perhaps she'd go back into her room. Then again, maybe not. I wouldn't if I were her and sleeping in a room right next to the prince.

I hated Slavery. I told myself that over and over again. I would do something to fix it, something to change it. Slavery needed to go, and people needed to see that. Especially the king.

Anzeila

I followed silently, at a safe distance. My head was tilted down and I was staring very intently at the floor. Normally, I would have been gawking and taking in every little detail there was to witness here. Today however, my circumstances were different.

Today, I was relying on a man I didn't know to keep me safe, and I'll tell you, that was not something I do unless I'm absolutely desperate. Which, today, I was. More desperate than I had been in a long time.

I looked up once, when I heard footsteps from behind. A chamber maid almost caused me to jump out of my skin as she brushed past, giving me a glance but saying nothing. I watched her until she disappeared around a corner, humming an old lullaby to herself. Or at least, what sounded like a lullaby, I couldn't be quite sure.

I sighed and looked back to the ground, speeding up when I heard a man's voice from inside one of the rooms. Of course, now I was just being stereotypical. This guard was obviously not what I had expected, who was to say that every other man in the palace would be?

The guard turned right suddenly. Casting a glance up the hallway, I turned to follow him, still keeping my distance. And that's all it was for a while. Turning down halls, walking down or up short staircases- and then were at the throne-room. So far, we had gone on without incident, a peaceful walk. Or what would have been a peaceful walk had I not been absolutely jumpy the whole time.

Why were we here? I swallowed and stole a glance up at Aarin.

Tathiel

Never in my whole life, had I thought that breathing could be this painful. The short, shallow breaths I could take without sharp pain shooting through my chest left my breathless, which had me taking large, fast breaths. And those... they hurt more than you could guess.

I managed one very slow, very deep breath and looked up at Laverna. Glared at her was more like it. Of course, my subconsious knew that this wasn't her fault. Somewhere in my messed up mind, I knew it was completely my own. Was I going to admit that to myself? Of course not.

The good news was that she seemed as scared of me as I was of her. A good thing, considering I'd really rather she didn't kill me. I was still uneasy around her while I was injured, however. How much did she enjoy revenge? If she was anything like me on that, she would seek it out and step all over everybody in order to get it. Another trait I wasn't exceptionally proud about, but it was a decent survival technique.

I rose slowly, one arm still wrapped around my aching chest. I glanced back at Laverna and hesitated. There was no way I was getting near her like this, but what if she made a little escape attempt? Obviously, I lock the caravan and get Blake to bring her food later.

I sighed and baced out of the caravan without another word, locked the door from the outside, stuffed the key into my pocket and contemplated trying to find Aisha again.

Aisha

With night came life. Was it because that's when all the performance acts -mine- were the ones lighting up the city back in Swaria? Or because Maritza always carried me around Micun at night? No idea. It just made me feel more lively. More emotional? Always. But more easygoing? Most of the time. I tucked my arms in, and dropped like a lead weight. I got close enough to run one, two, three, four, five steps, and then I'd slowed down to a safe speed.

I folded my wings back, clicking my igniter. Click-woosh. Click-woosh. I lit a fire ball I had kept in my hip bag and tossed it above me. I spun, lit another two behind my back, and tossed them too. I started juggling. Easy as that. Yes, I'm that into performance at night. I spun again, clapped twice, and then caught them again, launching them as soon as I could touch them. Soft fire, as young and affectionate as a puppy, lapped at my hands every other second, and I beamed upwards, starting a rhythm with my hips and feet. This was just like old times, when we were solely a performance group.

I sang a rough tune, just to get a beat set up. My voice was ragged and low, not soft and rangey like Alba's, but it worked. It was an old, timeless song Maritza had sung to me ages ago. I'd figured it out in Aggarian- it lost some of the charm, but the Talian language might not be appreciated here.

"Jump, jump, higher than the sky, run, run, faster than the light, sing, sing, louder than the birds, speak, speak, without using your words! Tell me, a story, using only, your eyes! Shout, shout, shout real loud! Sing, sing, sing real proud! Laugh, laugh, laugh so loud! Stand, stand, stand so proud!" It had an irregular rhythm, a confusing melody, but I knew it by heart. I swung my hips more and spun three times on my heels, then tossed the flaming sphere back in the air. It blotted out part of the moon, I swear.

Nope, no one was watching me, but I'd sing my Talian song, and I'd perform just like I used to. It relieved stress, and god knows I needed that.

[Aussie>>Apologies for suckishness, but it's done, right?]
Flip

My eyes landed on the sacks of horse feed. Maybe if I piled them up...no, the old man is too feeble to pull himself up there quickly on those alone.

I walked over to the last stall to the far right, the empty stall where I keep the tack. Hooks hung from the right wall, a small hole kicked into the left wall by the feisty paint mare from the neighboring stall (I had her strategically placed there so she would only bother the one horse next to her, the queen's snobby white stallion, and nobody who visited), and the result was a sturdy foothold to help the old man reach up to the hooks, with which he could use to climb to the top and through the ceiling, once I got to work on loosening a board or two.

I explained this concept to Terron, who gave me a look of thoughtful admiration.

"So I'll just get to work then?" I inquired, hoisting myself up to reach the roof and bring the nail loose.

Aarin Basir | Throne Room:

The princess was worried. I wasn't sure how I could tell--maybe it was the way she shifted nervously? I sighed, turning towards her. And that was when I noticed the other man standing in the doorway. Oh, by the gods. It was the Captain of the guard. My superior. Damnit. I swore and turned my back on him.

"Stupid," I muttered to myself. "Stupid, stupid, bloody stupid."

Anzeila, the Lazzan princess, followed my gaze. I heard her mutter something in her own language. I didn't turn around, knowing I was in trouble... I cringed, just a little. I was wondering what he'd do to me if he found out how she got here... So I took a deep breath and turned around, grabbing her arm and dragging her over to him. The princess yelped in surprise, but at least we wouldn't get into trouble.

"She was trying to escape, Sir," I said in a low voice. "Lucky I found her when I did, or she would have ended up somewhere rather nasty..." My superior just smirked, watching my face. I kept it carefully blank.

"Alright, Aarin," he told me, "I believe you. Get her back to her room, would you? It's late and neither of us should be out and about... And you"--he pointed at me--"really are too tired to be up. Get some sleep." I hesitated. "That's an order."

Nodding, I swept out of the room and down the hall. Once out of sight, I let go of the princess and kept walking.

Anzeila

I opened my mouth to say something, but I couldn't think of what I should say. A thank-you may have sufficed, but I couldn't bring myself to say it. It sounds selfish, I know, but the more I thought about it, he had probably just soiled my reputation. Would they be keeping a close eye on me now? Or was it expected?

"Your name's Aarin?" I asked quietly, rubbing my arm where he had grabbed it. It was a little red, but I wasn't going to complain. Things could have gone a whole lot worse, couldn't they have?

The guard glanced at me briefly before turning back to the hallway. "Yes. Why?"

I shrugged, averting my gaze to the floor. "I like it..." I shrugged again. It was true, though. Aarin had a decent ring to it. "And... thank you," it came out so quickly I'd be surprised if he even heard right. The accent probably didn't help matters.

There are a few things I've never been very good at. One is apologizing, another is backing out of a challenge, and the third would be thanking people. Particularly ones I didn't know or trust as much as I should.

A sudden moment of fear came and went jut as quickly. I had been afraid that he would actually send me back to my room, but I suppose he didn't have much of a choice. And what were the chances that the prince was awake now anyways? Of course, if we did keep walking, I'd be more than grateful.

Terron

I shook my head and crosed my arms over my chest, grinning just a tad. The boy quite honestly fascinated me. Nobody else in this palace that I knew of would give a second thought to turning me in. Flip, on the othe hand, planned on keeping me hidden in the ceiling. Smart, generous, if not a bit foolish at the same time.

I was more than thankful he was doing this, though. What old slave wouldn't be thankful? The cold-hearted slave Reveil, perhaps, but he had always been a sour old lout. No regard for anybody but himself, he claimed it was the only way to survive slavery. I seemed to be getting by just fine. Better than fine. If only the man knew.

Flip finished his job and climbed down, rubbing his hands on his pants. "That should about do it, then! You can get yourself up there, right?"

I nodded. "Should be able to, yes." I paused for a moment and uncrossed my arms, still smiling. "You do realize that there's no way on heaven or on earth I can repay you for this, right?"

Flip just shrugged, and before he could say another word, I was in the stall and climbing into the ceiling. My back scraped against the wood when I hauled myself up, but I was otherwise unharmed.

"Not bad for an old man, eh?" I called back down with a slight chuckle, pushing myself to my feet. It was a low roof, but I could still stand up. Cobwebs hung from the ceiling and old boards leaning up on each other in the corner. They had things up here? I shook my head and walked around, carefully feeling out for rotten boards with my feet. I found none, which was good.

"It'll need some fixing up," I murmured to myself, "but that's nothing I can't do. It's not like I'll have a lack of time anymore." I made my way back to the loose boards and sat down carefully. Not on those boards, of course. On the ones beside them. "Honestly boy, I don't know how to thank you."

Tathiel

There she was... I paused, watching Aisha from a safe distance and shook my head. I was smiling, though. It had been such a long time since I had seen her like this-- happy. She never seemed to be happy anymore, not when she knew I was around and watching.

But here? She was singing her song, dancing and juggling without a care in the world. It sent more guilt flaring in the pit of my stomach, but I tried not to pay any attention to it. It was a well-known fact that I was a brute and even more well-known that I didn't plan on changing any time soon.

Just for now, though, I'd be the other side of me, a some-what sweet Tathiel, the one who had befriended (and relentless teased and taunted) a little Swarian girl a few years ago. The one who knew how to apologize and make up for his mistakes. Unfortunately, the little-boy Tathiel was hard to surface nowadays.

I took a few steps forward, trying to remain as silent as possible, and chewed on my bottom lip. Seeing her like this-- it was almost making me squeamish. In a good way, too. And one thing Tathiel did not get was squeamish. Not around girls, that was their job. I just made them feel squeamish. Or that's what I'd like to think anyways.

I stopped completely and watched from behind, waiting for her to turn around and notice me staring.

Aisha

I was starting on the third verse when I whipped around, my still ash specked braid rough against my cheek. And in the third rotation I made, there was a blonde head that I needed to punch. I stumbled a bit to stop, but before the fireballs I'd been juggling could fall, I batted them with my elbow into the crook of my other arm, the sudden change of direction snuffing them out.

"Tath, I thought you were getting your ribs fixed." I said flatly, more embarrassed that he'd heard me sing a Talian song than I was that he'd seen me juggling solo.

"Um... I did. I just wanted to, uh, make sure I was forgiven?"

It was like he was thirteen again, his voice rocketing through the scales and back again. I snickered in the back of my throat. It was an odd sound.

"I told you, let me know when we perform. I'll think about it."

"No, Aisha, I-"

He cut himself off. I stuffed my fireballs away, tucking my lighter into my waistband. "You... what?"

"I kind of want it now."

I rolled my eyes. "Patience, Tath. I haven't decided anything. You gotta prove yourself, okay?"

I cleared my throat. It was kind of sore. Ignoring Tath's protests and pleas (like I hadn't heard those before), I kept walking away.

"Pleasepleaseplease? Aisha, I swear I don't think, I mean, why does it get you so mad? I don't try to do these things! If I knew how much you hated it, I wouldn't do it!"

God. My blood simmered. He wasn't going to stop until I forgave him, was he? Nope, I didn't think so.

"If I forgive you, will you shut up?"

Tathiel paused, looked sort of stunned that I'd interrupted him. "Um... sure."

"Awesome. I forgive you, Tathiel."

And with that, I tucked my hands in my pockets and stalked back to my caravan. Might as well wash this junk off. Looked like it wasn't going to have a use today.

Aarin Basir | Hallway:

The hallway was quiet, but I knew my superior was going to be keeping an eye on me now. How could I be so stupid? I wanted to go back to bed and cry. I paused, mid-step; I must be more tired than I thought. Best get the princess back to her rooms and get back into mine before I collapsed or something.

I rounded a corner and marched her straight over to her room. "Inside, now," I hissed, pushing her towards the door. "I'd let you walk for longer, but now the General isn't happy with me." I sighed. "He's suspicious now. You'd best stay there and do as you're told. I can't risk helping you again so soon."

She didn't look happy as she went over to the door and pushed it open. She was actually glaring at me. I felt my breath catch. Now she looked like the warrior princess she was. And she was beautiful. I turned away after she closed the door and headed back to my room. I had some sleep to catch up on.

Laverna - Melnarian Princess | Caravan - The Next Morning:

I woke up with a start. Someone was knocking on the caravan door. I rubbed at my eyes and stumbled up, tripping over the stupid thing I was wearing. I hit the floor and yelped. The knocking stopped and I frowned. Great, stuck in the caravan all day now. "Stupid," I snapped at myself, rubbing my knee.

Muttering curses in Melnarian, I sat in the middle of the floor, where I;d fallen over, and stared at the door. It was going to be a long day. I had a feeling someone would be coming around soon. Hopefully with food. I was hungry... And then old Snake would be plotting something. I glowered at the door. He wouldn't be doing anything with his ribs the way they were, but once they healed. I cringed. no, I didn't like that idea.