Swanheart

Chapter Fourteen

Promises Made, Promises Kept

Lost in thought, Alannah was sitting at the shore of a small lake. The wind that played with her long, silver strands was cold, causing her to wrap the blue, woolen cloak tighter around her frame to keep from shivering. Day by day it was growing colder, a telltale sign that summer was leaving to make room for autumn.

Dark circles under her eyes and worry lines on her forehead told of many a sleepless night. The nightmares and visions that kept her from finding rest became more fearsome every day. She had woken from a particularly bad dream earlier and no matter how she had tried, she had been unable to go back to sleep.

The princess had left Ilumera early in the morning, when most of the Elves, as well as Terrulli, had still been deeply asleep. Taking Mican with her, she had gone to the small lake that she had discovered a few days ago. There was just something about the secluded place, which helped to calm her, although it didn't make her concerns go away.

Alannah knew that she should talk with somebody about her nightmares. She would have confided in her father or Loreen, but unfortunately they both were far away, back home in Chitaan. She wished with all her heart that she could be there as well. It wasn't that she thought that the Elves were not trustworthy, quite the opposite was the fact. King Mandylor and his people were extraordinary teachers. She and Terrulli had learned a lot and their magical skills had developed greatly during the past month.

A heavy sigh escaped her chest. She couldn't believe that it had only been a month. To her it felt as if a whole year had passed since the day Leigh and Loredane had left the village to meet with the Mermen and their king. 'I hope you are well, wherever you are, my brave, little knight. Please return to me soon.'

The princess looked up from the calm surface of the lake that she had been staring at, detecting a blue bird on the branch of a nearby birch tree. It hopped out of its nest and shook its little body. Using its beak, it brought some order into its ruffled feathers. Once it was done, the small bird flew down to the lake to sit on a large reed. Holding onto the plant with tiny claws, it bent over, taking a few sips of the water before disappearing. Alannah's eyes followed its every move until it was out of sight. 'If only I could fly like you, little bird,' she thought wistfully. She wondered if Terrulli was able to change into a bird or if the Animorph could only transform into a white tiger. Alannah made a mental note to ask the girl later.

The fog, which had gathered over night, was slowly fading, while the sun rose to claim its place at the horizon, sending out warm, golden rays to chase the coldness away.

Something bumped gently against Alannah's shoulder and she heard a light snorting noise beside her. Smiling, she reached up, tenderly rubbing the muzzle of the chestnut-brown mare that stood quietly beside her. The princess knew that the horse was missing Leigh as much as she did. "It will be okay, Mican," Alannah whispered. "Leigh made us a promise and she never ever broke one."

The mare snorted again and placed her head on the woman's shoulder, rubbing her cheek against Alannah's, giving silent comfort.

Holding on to Mican's head the princess closed her eyes, her thoughts turning once again to her best friend, whom she loved more than anything.

Her eyes flew open an instant later as the snapping of twigs brought her out of her musings. Not bothering to turn around in order to look who it was, she smirked and said, "If you're trying to sneak up on me, it won't work like that, Terrulli."

The Animorph came into view, cursing quietly under her breath. With a tug, she freed her dress that had gotten tangled in a thorn-covered bush. She gave the undergrowth a dark look as she saw the holes it had torn into the woven fabric. "Great," she muttered sarcastically. "I knew I should have worn pants."

The princess' smirk turned to a grin as she watched the girl scrutinizing her ripped dress. "Don't worry," Alannah called out. "I'm sure our seamstress will be able to fix it when we return to Chitaan."

"How did you know that it was me?" the girl asked, sitting down beside her. "Nah, don't answer that. I should have known better. King Mandylor is a good teacher." One of the things that the Elf had taught them was to be more aware of all things around. When concentrating, they were now able to detect presences of living beings, whether they were concealing themselves or not. According to Mandylor's explanation, each creature radiated a certain aura. If a skilled magic-wielder was aware of that, it enabled them to tell the difference between friend and foe or just a harmless animal that was lurking in the shadows.

"Indeed he is," Alannah confirmed.

Terrulli scanned her surroundings. "It's pretty here. Not as beautiful as your swan pond back in Chitaan, but still… nice. So, this is where you go every morning after nightmares won't let you sleep?"

Startled brown eyes met searching blue ones. The question had caught Alannah completely off guard.

"Don't look so surprised. I know what's going on. I can see that there is something laying heavy on your mind and is burdening your heart. Would you like to talk about it?"

Declining, Alannah shook her head. "I'd rather not."

Terrulli sighed. "I wish you would. Do you remember the time when visions were haunting me so bad?"

"Yes," the princess felt her throat go dry, while steeling herself for the next question, which was bound to follow.

"Can you share with me what you saw?" the Animorph inquired softly.

Alannah inhaled deeply. She had known what Terrulli was going to ask and she also knew that the girl only wanted to help. "I really appreciate your offer, but…"

"It's okay," Terrulli replied, wrapping one arm around the princess' back and giving her shoulders a gentle squeeze. "Whenever you are ready, know that I will be there for you, yes?"

Alannah nodded gratefully. "Thank you."

"You are very welcome, my friend."

Silence fell during which they just sat, staring ahead.

Terrulli's fingers were softly running over the grass, here and there plucking at it. "They are about Leigh, aren't they?" she wanted to know. "I mean your nightmares. You are worried that something happened to her."

There was no use in denying the obvious, so Alannah told her the truth. "Yes. They should be back by now and with each day that passes without a sign from them, the dreams get more intense."

"I think they just got caught in bad weather or something like that. I have no doubt that they will be here as soon as they can," Terrulli replied.

"I hope so," Alannah responded quietly.

"Are you sure that you don't want to talk about what you have seen in your nightmares? I think you would feel better afterward."

Giving the Animorph a weak smile, the princess gave her a one-armed hug. "I can't. I don't want anybody else to worry."

"But, that is what friends are for, to share good times and also bad times. I just want to help you, just as you and Leigh helped me."

"I know that," Alannah said, looking sympathetically at the insistent girl. "But…"

"I can take it," Terrulli enforced. "You don't have to be so protective of me. Please, show me. I can see how much this is hurting you. Have you ever heard of the saying 'shared pain is half the pain'?"

It was a hard decision, but in the end Alannah gave in. Slowly her arms rose and she placed two fingers against each of the Animorph's temples. Closing her eyes, she projected the images into Terrulli's mind, trying to keep her own emotions from overflowing. The visions were horrible enough in themselves so she didn't need to enhance them with her own strong feelings of fear.

Still, Terrulli tensed, gasping, and Alannah quickly pulled her fingers away, immediately interrupting the connection of their minds. "You see that every single night? You have to watch Leigh drown?" the Animorph whispered, shocked and teary-eyed.

"Yes," the princess nodded. "The past night, it was by far the worst. Once I woke up, I could actually taste the salty ocean water on my own tongue."

"By the Spirits, it's horrible. I'm so sorry, Alannah. I really hope they are just dreams conjured up by your worries and not real visions."

"That is my biggest fear," Alannah confessed as tears welled up in her eyes. "I have no way of telling if they are just dreams or actual visions."

Terrulli pulled her into a hug. "Anytime now, Leigh, Loredane and Cerulia will appear in Ilumera and everything will be fine. I firmly believe that."

Too choked up to speak, Alannah just thought, 'Please, please, let her be right about that. I so want to believe it too.'

A moment later, Terrulli let go and rose. "I think we should head back, before King Mandylor sends out a troop to search for us."

"He wouldn't need to," Alannah remarked, standing up as well. "He would just whisper to his beloved stars and they would tell him."

The Animorph smiled. "You're right. I wonder what he will teach us today. He mentioned yesterday that our education is almost finished."

"Well, let's go and find out." Grabbing Mican's reins, Alannah led the mare back to Ilumera. 'At least during the lessons my mind will be occupied enough to silence the worries for a while.'

Terrulli followed behind her, getting once more aggravated at her choice of clothing. She almost fell as her dress got caught in some roots, making her stumble and trip. "Next time I will just transform when I venture into the forest," she muttered under her breath.

*****

'Keep your head down and don't look at anybody. Don't show any emotions, you are just an enslaved, scared servant.' These were the words that repeated itself in Rovannah's mind like a mantra. The Queen of Ashkyhra, clad in clothes that were mere rags than an actual dress, followed the man submissively. She was positive that nobody would recognize her in her filthy state. Weeks had gone by since she had found herself in the service of the masked sorcerer and nobody had the slightest clue.

Carrying a tray with two bowls of what smelled like porridge and two cups of water, she made sure to stay several steps behind the soldier with the pock-marked face and the cleanly shaven head. Rovannah recognized him as soon as he had entered the kitchen that morning. He was General Burak, the one who had been in charge of Ashkyhra's raiding, obeying the orders of his dark master. Until now she had avoided eye contact, her fear to be detected was too great to risk it.

A few minutes ago, he had grumbled at her, wanting her to help him to deliver food to some prisoners. Burak himself carried two wooden buckets of water, one warm, the other cold.

From conversations among slaves and soldiers alike, Rovannah had heard about a change that seemed to go on with the General. The slaves eyed him warily, thinking him to enjoy cruel games with the imprisoned victims. At the same time, some soldiers had expressed their concern that their General appeared to have weakened, and that he carried a soft spot in his heart for two particular prisoners.

Staring hard at the ground, Rovannah almost ended up crashing into the tall man, who had stopped in front of a cell. He barked at the guard to open the heavy iron door.

"Ah, our keeper has returned," a sarcastic female voice snarled from inside and it took all of Rovannah's willpower not to raise her head in astonishment. She knew that voice well, even though she had not heard it in a long time. The rumors were true. High Sorceress Tanith of Pavan was held prisoner by the dark wizard.

"Bring the food," Burak ordered.

The Queen of Ashkyhra froze on the spot, fear made her immobile. She was scared to betray herself.

"Come on, wench! Bring the food," he snapped again, clearly irritated.

Taking a deep breath to calm down, Rovannah slowly placed one foot in front of the other and entered the cell.

Torches illuminated the confined quarters and the horrible stench was almost too much to bear.

The chains that bound Tanith rattled slightly, as the sorceress sat up. She was weak, but not broken. "Oh, are we allowed visitors nowadays? This is the first time that you have somebody else bring the food, isn't that right, Tyrel?"

Rovannah's heart skipped a beat as she heard the name of her son and the tray almost slid from her hands. A wave of relief swept through her, because finally she had proof that Tyrel was still alive.

She kept her eyes fixed to the straw that covered the floor, too frightened of what would happen were she to see the prisoners. With shaking hands and a wildly pounding heart, she set the tray down. How she wished she could talk to him, but using the mind-link was too risky, for she had no idea where the masked sorcerer was at the moment and above anything she had to avoid being discovered. But a plan was slowly forming in her head. She would get them out of here and that was a promise she intended to keep.

Unable to prevent it, her gaze flickered to the faces of Tanith and Tyrel. They seemed alright, though the imprisonment had left marks behind. Her son had matured. All traces of a carefree, curious child were gone. His serious expression almost broke her. He also had lost weight and she wondered if the haunted look would leave his eyes as soon as they would awake from this nightmare. Her heart ached and she had to look away, lest her raw emotions would get the better of her. How she longed to reach out and stroke his hair like she had done so often before.

Regarding Tanith, she found her changed as well. Gone was the young woman, she had gotten to know at the Wizardry Academy. All laugh lines had disappeared. Her cheeks were gaunt and her body seemed even more vulnerable in the large robes that covered her small frame. But despite everything, the defiant fire was still glowing hotly in Tanith's eyes. She wasn't in the slightest intimidated by the tall soldier.

The sarcastic banter between the sorceress and Burak continued and if the situation wouldn't have been so horrible, Rovannah would have found it amusing, reminding her of a lovers' quarrel. She wondered why the General was putting up with it. Other soldiers would have killed Tanith just for looking at them the wrong way. But here she was, covering the head of the dark wizard's army with insults, who just took it all in with a smirk on his face. He actually seemed to enjoy it. What was going on in the man's mind? She raised her head and looked at him with searching eyes. There was something about him, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Her gaze traveled over his face, highly aware of every little thing that made up his features. It seemed familiar somehow even though she was sure she had never seen him before the day he came with the dark wizard to destroy Ashkyhra.

All of a sudden, she found herself caught in his eyes. They were not the mirrors of a battle-hardened warrior, more those of a tortured soul that had seen too much destruction and too much death. And there was something else.

Rovannah suppressed the gasp that wanted to erupt from her throat.

The moment passed and his look became guarded. The mean soldier was back in place. Scowling at her, he snapped his fingers. "Wench, you may leave!" he ordered harshly.

Rovannah fled from the cell and hurried to her quarters. She had to talk with Indira.

*****

Alannah sat on the bed, her legs pulled up to her chest and she had wrapped her arms around them. Her chin rested on top of her knees while she stared unseeingly at one wall of the room. She had just finished another lesson with King Mandylor.

Terrulli was off, probably scampering through the woods with a couple of Elves that she had become close friends with. Alannah could have gone with them, but she didn't wish to dampen anybody's happiness with the bad mood she was in.

Releasing a heavy sigh, she rose from the bed. Deciding that there was no use to mop around in depression, she closed her eyes. Sending out her mind, she practiced the aura detection technique that she had learned from the Elven King. It swooped gently throughout the village without disturbing anybody. During her stay she had memorized all the friendly auras of Ilumera's inhabitants, from the tiniest ant to the tallest Elf. She found that everything was as it should be.

She was just about to stop and open her eyes again as she felt something new. Two humans and three animals had entered through the magical barrier that kept Ilumera hidden from unwanted attention. Her heart skipped a beat only to resume pounding stronger and faster than before. It had to be them.

Brown eyes flew open and a smile formed on her face, which had been the epitome of sadness a mere second ago. "They are back," Alannah whispered happily, flung the door open and hurried outside, not running, but walking fast. Leaving the guest quarters and the house of King Mandylor behind, she soon reached the market place, where several Elves had gathered to welcome the new arrivals properly.

Alannah placed a hand over her heart because she feared it might just beat its way out of her chest at the sight of the knight and her beloved wolf. They had kept their promise, returning to her safe and sound, therefore the mission must have been accomplished successfully.

Loredane climbed out of the saddle in one graceful move. Then he bowed in front of Mandylor, paying him respect.

Leigh and Cerulia were looking around, searching for one special person in particular. The wolf was the first to notice her.

Cerulia stormed ahead at lightning speed. As soon as she had reached Alannah, she jumped at her, almost tackling her to the ground. Happy little growls erupted from her throat.

Laughing happily, Alannah knelt on the grass, wrapped her arms around the wolf and hugged her to her chest, running her fingers through the soft, white fur. "I missed you too, my precious," she told her, trying in vain to dodge the pink tongue that appeared again and again to lick her face in a loving gesture.

With a blinding smile, Leigh slid off the horse's back, her eyes fixed solely on the one, who held her heart. Leaving Loredane behind to give first information to King Mandylor, she hurried over to Alannah, sword clanking and cloak blowing behind her. "Hey Terrulli," she said as she dashed past the Animorph, who had come over to greet her. "Hey, Leigh. It's good to have you back."

"It feels good to be back. Talk to you later," Leigh called out, increasing the speed.

Terrulli joined the Elves and went with Loredane and the King to Mandylor's house, listening to the story that the Elven scout had to tell.

Alannah rose and broke into a run as well, her wide, happy smile matching the one on the knight's features.

They met halfway and the princess threw her arms around Leigh's shoulders, holding on tightly. "You're back," she stated in a whisper and closed her eyes, deeply relishing the warm embrace they shared. She didn't care in the slightest that probably every Elf was staring at them. For so long she had waited, for so long she had been worried. But finally, all the concerns floated away. A great sigh of relief escaped her chest. "I missed you, my brave, little knight."

Leigh tightened the hug, not wanting to let go. "I've missed you too… so much."

After another long moment of just holding each other, they both pulled back. The only one, who was watching them, was Cerulia. Everybody else had retreated, giving them their privacy.

The princess cupped Leigh's cheeks tenderly, brown orbs searching the face in front of her for any traces of wounds or pain. She couldn't detect any and the relief increased tenfold. "I'm so glad you're back. What took you so long?"

"On our way back, we were stuck in that grotto for several days. A fierce thunderstorm was raging. It had started shortly after our arrival. Loredane told me it had never stopped during the time I was gone. I never experienced anything like it before. The horses were scared to death and it would have been suicide to walk around outside with all those lightning bolts hitting. It really was crazy, almost unnatural. As if some higher force wanted us to never leave that place again."

Reaching for Leigh's left hand, Alannah said, "Come on, let's go for a walk. I want to show you something. And I want to hear all about your adventure. I also want to know everything about the Mermen." As her fingers closed around the knight's, she drew her brows together for she encountered a ring that had not been there before. "What is this?"

"This is the Pearl of Zimahil," Leigh explained. "Paquin gave it to me."

The princess frowned. She had never heard of it before. "Is it a gift from the Lord of the Mermen?"

"It is the weapon to put the Shadow Warriors to rest," Leigh began and told Alannah about the legend that Loredane had related to her. She also gave her a quick overview of her meeting with Grayfin and Paquin, and also the reason for the pearl's transformation into a ring.

Alannah listened to it with great interest. "And you can use it?" the princess inquired while they slowly strode through the forests of Ilumera.

Cerulia followed a few steps behind, stopping here and there to sniff and look around with twitching ears.

Leigh nodded. "During the days we were stuck at that cave I had enough time to practice since there wasn't much else to be done. I thought though that Loredane might go mad when we couldn't leave that grotto."

"Yes, Elves don't like to be confined," Alannah said. "They need the sight, smell and sound of nature and bask in its beauty."

"I sure was glad when we could finally leave. I could have killed for one of Goran's delicious meals and I think that Cerulia was getting a little bit fed up with the fish we had to eat the whole time, too."

Alannah chuckled.

The wolf looked up briefly as she heard her name, but then she turned her attention back to whatever smells and sounds the unknown forest offered to her curious nose and ears.

"How did you fare while I was gone?" Leigh wanted to know. "Did you and Terrulli learn a lot? How is Mican?"

Alannah smiled as the other woman threw one question after another at her. How she had missed the sweet sound of her voice.

Leigh stopped in her tracks and scanned her surroundings before her green eyes fell on the princess once more. "I still need to report to King Mandylor. How much further is it? Where are we going anyway?"

"Don't worry," Alannah replied, reaching over to give Leigh's hand a gentle squeeze. It felt nice to hold the smaller hand in hers. "I think that for the moment it will be enough if Loredane fills Mandylor in and gives him an overview. I want to show you a special place I encountered. It's very beautiful. We can talk there about everything. Is that okay with you?"

"Of course it is." Leigh responded smiling, glad to be able to spend some time with her best friend. They strolled at a leisurely pace toward the destination that Alannah had in mind.

The white wolf followed close behind.

*****

Nervously nibbling at her lower lip, Rovannah paced the small room that she shared with Indira, waiting for the other woman's return, a lone candle on the floor the only source of light. The wait seemed sheer endless. Time crawled by at a snail's pace and every minute felt like an hour to her. Just what was keeping Indira so long? Her work at the kitchen should be done by now. She didn't want to think that anything bad had happened to the woman, who had once been her faithful servant and was now a close friend, the only friend she had in this dark hour.

Rovannah whirled around as the door creaked open and the candle flickered in the draft. Breathing a sigh of relief, she went over to Indira, who quickly shut the door behind her. "Thank Axana that you are finally here. Is everything alright?" Her eyes flitted over the other woman's frame, checking for possible injuries. Thankfully there were none.

Indira nodded. "I just had to walk a different way to come here, avoiding the soldiers. They are getting a bit rowdy. I had to dodge quite a few groping paws."

Rovannah really admired her. Despite everything, she kept up a brave front. Though she played the part of the submissive little slave girl, in these quarters she was planning how to resist. Just last week, she had slipped an herb into the stew, rendering a high percentage of the army helpless and groaning in pain from heavy stomach cramps. Nobody had found out that it had been her. She had almost been caught by General Burak. Indira was sure that he knew, but for some reason he had kept silent about the incident.

"Word has it that another battle is being planned. The masked sorcerer wants to conquer Livos next," Indira announced then, relating what she heard.

Livos, the country of metal. Rovannah swallowed hard and sat down on her makeshift bed. "He will be truly unstoppable if he manages to get his greedy hands on the gemstone of Livos," she whispered. "It will make his forces even stronger if he controls the metal."

"Until now it's just a rumor," Indira pointed out, the look of despair on her queen's face tugging painfully at her heart. "We shouldn't assume the worst. And should it happen…" She shrugged her shoulders and then grinned. "I know where the herbs are."

Rovannah graced her with a weak smile. "I doubt that it would work again. And I want you to refrain from any further dangerous ventures. You were lucky the first time." Giving her a stern look, she added, "I don't want you to get killed."

"I rather be killed fighting for our freedom than living for the rest of my life as a servant to the masked tyrant. My Queen, we have to resist!" Indira retorted, strongly. "We can't just sit here and do nothing. We have to defend ourselves."

Rovannah sighed and then stared at her fingers. "I saw my son today." She choked out the words.

"Really? He is here?"

"Yes, he is in a cell with Tanith. I had to accompany General Burak today to bring them food."

Indira gasped. "So it is true. The dark wizard has Tanith and Tyrel chained up in the dungeons? Are they okay?"

"I guess they are as okay as they can be under these circumstances. Tanith is the only one in chains though. They are draining her of her magical powers. She is very weak."

"Did you get the chance to talk with them? Do they know that you are here?"

Rovannah shook her head. "I doubt it. Burak was there the whole time and I couldn't risk the mind-link."

"When the masked sorcerer leaves for Livos you could attempt that again."

"And I will. I made a promise today and I will keep it."

Silence fell, in which both women were lost in their own thoughts.

"What do you think of General Burak?" Rovannah wanted to know.

"That is a very hard question, my Queen," Indira replied. "Frankly, I have no idea what to make of him. One moment, he is the tough Commander that rather spits at a slave than looks at them. On several other occasions I saw him slip some extra food to a boy or offering a chair to an old woman, who had to have a break from the hard work. I also think that he knew it was me, who slipped the herb in the stew, but he turned a blind eye to it. Why do you ask?"

"He took warm water to Tanith and Tyrel and the food portions were bigger than what other prisoners get. He takes care of them personally and he did not once get angry when Tanith shouted one insult after another at him. He actually seemed to be quite amused by their little quarrel." She hesitated a bit, before she announced, "There is also something else."

"What do you mean?" Indira inquired, finding this highly interesting.

"For a brief moment I looked into his eyes."

Indira covered her mouth with one hand staring shocked at her Queen. "Why did you do that? He might have recognized you."

Rovannah shook her head slightly. "I doubt that. I mean, look at me. I don't exactly look like the Queen of Ashkyhra in these rags, do I? Anyway, in the moment our eyes touched, his guard was down and I saw into his soul. He is not what he wants everybody to believe. I saw such pain there. I know him from somewhere and I have been wracking my brain the whole time, coming up with nothing. I didn't plan on it to happen, but I searched his mind and I detected something."

Indira's eyebrows rose questioningly. "What?" she breathed.

Rovannah leaned forward and whispered, "Memory blockades have been erected in his mind. I also suspect that magic was used to alter his face. He is not General Burak. He is somebody else, who was turned into General Burak with a mind-controlling spell. He is as much a victim of the masked sorcerer as we are."

"By the Spirits…" Indira didn't know what else to say.

"For some reason though, the spell isn't working correctly and I think that when we see the nice side of him, it's actually his true identity that's shining through," Rovannah continued. "If we could manage to free him completely from the spell, we might make a powerful ally and we will be one step closer to regain our freedom and defeat the dark wizard."

Now it was Indira, who looked skeptical at her Queen. "Do you believe it will matter much if we turn one man to the good side?"

"Remember the saying 'One drop might be enough to make a full barrel overflow'?"

Indira nodded.

"We will not be able to stop the entire army and there is no way we can hold back the Shadow Warriors. But, with the help of this one man, we have a chance to free Tanith and my son and flee in order to get help."

"That's all nice and wonderful, but how do we go about this plan of yours?" Indira inquired. She was surprised about her Queen's sudden determination. Only a few moments ago she had admonished her to be more careful in her resistance and now this.

"We need to get him alone and talk to him."

Indira stared at her as if she had lost her mind. "My Queen, I mean no disrespect, but you have got to be kidding. How, in the names of the Spirits, do you think we can accomplish that? He will most certainly kill us!"

"Shhh! Keep your voice down. The walls have ears," Rovannah hissed, covering the woman's mouth with one of her hands until she had calmed. She continued to whisper into Indira's ear, "Listen, it is the only way. I think we will be successful, because I saw that there is something going on with him. He is already having doubts about his dark master. I will come up with a plan. You make sure to be ready when the time to carry it out has arrived. Understood?"

Indira gave a small nod and Rovannah pulled back her hand, her face bearing a highly concentrated expression while her mind worked feverishly to come up with a solution.

*****

"Boah, that really is an amazing thing," Leigh commented after Alannah had told her about all that she had learned during her stay with the Elves. They were both stretched out on their cloaks at the shores of the small lake. "I wish I had magic in my blood, too. With that aura detection thingy it would be impossible for any enemy to sneak up on me. What is my aura like?"

Alannah rolled to her side, supporting her head on one hand and smirked. "It is cute and adorable, just as you are."

That statement brought the desired flush to the knight's face, and she cleared her throat awkwardly, trying to cover up her embarrassment. She sat up and crossed her legs. "So, you can actually tell the difference if it is me or somebody else?"

Alannah nodded. "Yes."

"But how?"

"Well, I can't really explain it. It's like… uh… somehow it is like your instincts. You know, when you get a feeling of foreboding or when your guts tell you that something isn't quite right," Alannah answered.

"Oh, I would say that your new power is much better than just mere instincts," Leigh remarked, picking up a small pebble and flinging it into the lake. "It's beautiful here," she said after regarding the scenery. "How did you find this place?"

Alannah hesitated briefly. She didn't want to tell Leigh about her constant nightmares, which had caused her to amble through the woods, leading to her discovery of the secluded lake. So, she quickly changed the subject. "No, no, no," the princess said, playfully wagging a finger at the other woman. "You have been bombarding me with questions the whole time. It's my turn now. I want to know all the details about the Mermen and that dolphin and the pearl that you carry as a ring on your finger. Fair is fair. You can start with those small, white lines that are on the sides of your throat," Alannah said softly, reaching over with one hand to trace her fingertips across said lines. There were three of them on each side, starting about half an inch under the jaw and stopping shortly above the collar bone. The space in between the lines was identical. "I don't remember them being there before. What happened?"

Leigh jerked slightly as she felt the tender caress. Her eyes found the searching ones of the princess. "That's where my gills were."

Alannah drew her brows together. "You grew gills? How did that happen?"

"Well, it was a rather unusual experience to say the least. The only way to talk with the Mermen was to enter Surandia, meaning I had to go under water. Grayfin told me to put on my cloak."

The princess pointed at the one Leigh was sitting on. "The one Loreen gave you at the ceremony?"

"Yes. Since it had been blessed by the Spirits, it would aid me. The next thing I know, I'm floating, surrounded completely by water and I'm able to breathe as easily as if the wet element was air."

Alannah's eyes widened. "Just like that? Did it hurt when they grew?"

"No, it didn't hurt, just felt weird," Leigh replied. "Grayfin said they would go away as soon as I get out of the water. I have no idea if they will appear again, if I would attempt to take a dive somewhere."

"That is interesting. It makes we wonder what other powers your cloak has."

"I know of some more. It has the ability to dry and keep very warm."

"Can it make you invisible too?" Alannah asked, teasing.

Leigh grinned. "Now that would be very helpful. Should I try?" She rose and tied the cloak around her neck. "Invisible, invisible, I want to be invisible." Drawing the hood over her head, until it almost covered her whole face, she hunched her body, bowed her legs and lisped in a nasal voice, "Is it working? Can you still see me, fair maiden?"

"Yes, I can," Alannah chuckled merrily, her whole body shaking with mirth.

"Why are you laughing?" the knight wanted to know.

"You look like a root dwarf… and you sound like one when you talk like that," the other woman managed to gasp out, in between giggle fits.

Leigh put the cloak back on the grass and sat down on it. It always made her happy when she could make Alannah laugh. Though until now the princess had not acted out of the ordinary, Leigh had felt since her arrival that there was some tension and a sense of seriousness about her. Some of it had just faded away, thanks to that silly little joke. She waited for Alannah to calm down, before she said, "Nope, no invisibility."

"Maybe it only works when you really need it."

Nodding, the knight agreed. "I think so too."

"Now, please tell me the rest of the story. How did it look in Surandia? What were the Mermen like? What about that pearl?"

"My, you sure are inquisitive, my precious princess. I have an even better idea."

Silver eyebrows rose in question and warm brown eyes regarded her tenderly. "What is it?"

"I don't think I have the words to describe the enchanting beauty of Surandia." Leigh scooted closer to the other woman.

Both were on their knees, facing each other.

Picking up Alannah's hands, Leigh guided them to her temples. "I want you to see what I have seen."

"Are you sure?" Alannah whispered breathlessly.

"Absolutely."

Her fingers were surprisingly steady as they came to rest against Leigh's temples and this time the knight didn't jerk at the touch.

"Do I need to do something?" Leigh inquired, since they had never attempted a mind-link before.

"Just relax," Alannah told her softly. "I will not hurt you, I swear. I will just look at your memories."

"I know. I'm not worried at all. Go ahead," Leigh gave her permission.

Closing her eyes, the princess quietly chanted under her breath. The words that fell from her lips were almost inaudible. Soon after, she could see all that Leigh had seen. She saw her practicing with the new weapon at the grotto. That image faded away, only to be replaced by impressions of Surandia, the dwellings of Paquin and his Mermen. Leigh had been right. It would have been very hard to come up with the perfect words to describe the habitat of the mysterious sea folk and their Lord.

From there the journey through the knight's mind took her to her conversation with Grayfin. Alannah smiled at the dolphin's antics, his humor of the same kind as Wyan's, giving Leigh a hard time, but only in a good-natured, teasing way.

The smile froze on her face the next instant and became an expression of utter terror. "No, oh no," she muttered, frightened and shocked, pulling her hands away. A well-known face, framed by long, curly red hair, scale-covered white skin, sharp, pointy teeth and the most evil glint in gray eyes that one could imagine, had jumped at her unexpectedly. Until now she had only seen it during her upsetting nightmares. Now she had proof that the dreams had been visions after all. Once again, she could taste the salty ocean water on her tongue and again she felt like suffocating, while strong arms held her and dragged her further down to find death in a wet, dark grave. She realized that she had seen everything through Leigh's eyes.

"Alannah? What is it?" Leigh asked in confusion. She wondered what had unsettled her friend so badly.

"It was true," she choked through a dry throat, her eyes brimming with tears. "The Sirens… it was true. Oh Leigh, you could have died..." Her voice broke and the tears spilled over, rolling down her cheeks.

Reaching for her distraught friend, Leigh pulled her into her arms.

Unable to contain the sobs, which threatened to tear her apart, Alannah cried into the knight's shoulder, releasing all the pain she had kept inside for the past weeks. "I saw you die in my dreams… every night," she confessed. "You drowned… the Sirens killed you… I was so worried…"

Leigh just held her, softly rubbing a hand across her back in comfort. "Everything is alright. I'm here and I'm fine." She repeated the sentence over and over, maintaining the embrace. Her heart ached for her best friend. The worrying must have driven her almost insane. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that."

Alannah lifted her head of the shoulder, her hands cupping Leigh's cheeks. "I'm just glad it didn't end like it did in my dreams," she whispered.

"I am fine. Grayfin saved me, though I still don't know where he came from all of a sudden. I wish there would have been a way to let you know sooner that the mission went well."

"I know you would have if you could have," Alannah replied, looking at her, her thumbs gently running over the soft skin of the face, which she was holding. Her eyes fell to rosy lips and the longing to kiss them rose inside her. Enough hiding, enough denying, she would tell Leigh now what lay in her heart.

Knowing nothing about the turmoil that was going on in Alannah's mind, the knight pulled a soft handkerchief from her pocket, using it to tenderly dab the tears off the other woman's cheeks. "There, what would the Elves think when we return and they see the Princess of Chitaan in tears? They might think I'm an awful person for making you cry."

Alannah shook her head softly. "No, they won't think that. They admire you and they honor you greatly. You are the 'Deliverer of Peace'," she responded, pulling back and rising. The moment to reveal her feelings had passed. Cursing herself a coward, she picked up her cloak and tied it around her neck. She admonished herself to act like usual, lest Leigh would realize that there was something wrong. Guiding two fingers to her mouth, she whistled shrilly, calling for Cerulia.

The white wolf appeared shortly after, regarding her favorite humans with bright eyes.

"I guess somebody had a good hunt and a good meal," Alannah said, patting Cerulia's head. "I'm feeling a bit hungry myself and it will be dark soon." Playfully pointing a finger at the knight, she said, "I think I heard your tummy growl, too. I would say, let's head back."

If Leigh was startled by Alannah's abrupt wish to leave, she didn't let on. After belting her sword, she drew her own cloak around her shoulders.

Walking side by side, they returned to the village of the Elves.

*****

Continued...