Flower of the Heart

By Nayanya Potter

Part Two:

Marilla walked quietly, carefully placing her steps softly on the hard ground so she wouldn't be heard. Silence was essential, for if the girl heard her, she would stop whatever she was doing. Marilla had been trying for almost a year now to catch her, mainly for the sake of quenching her curiosity. Also, however, because everyone else in the household was dying to know why Sanaysha crept away from her chores, what she did in the hours she spent alone.

Sanaysha wouldn't be punished, of course. Lord Khankrov didn't believe in whipping his slaves, especially not the females. After all, the last thing he wanted was slaves crippled or useless for months while they recovered and used up three times their worth in medicines and food. The only reason Sanaysha had been given chores in the first place had been to keep her busy and in good physical condition, so she wouldn't run away, and wouldn't suffer as much in labor. Since Sanaysha was generally fitter than the other slaves, they let her run off and do… whatever it was, that she did.

It didn't stop people from wondering what it was that she was doing, though.

Marilla, who was the closest thing that Sanaysha had to a best friend, thought that she should know what Sanshaya was up to. After all, the fourteen year old was generally honest and straightforward about anything, from her humiliation in being the only one her age who hadn't hit puberty to the way she detested Corva, the man she was supposed to 'breed' with. So why didn't Sanaysha tell her what it was that kept her sneaking off when she was supposed to be gathering firewood, or running errands?

Marilla took a few more steps and then paused to pull her long, dark brown hair back again with the leather thong she had been provided with. Her hair was smooth though, unlike most of the other girls, and not nearly as thick, so the leather kept slipping out when she didn't want it to. She scrunched it up tightly and bound it into a bun at the base of her neck, at the same time attempting to swipe a bit of dirt off of her nose. The summer had been long and dry; dust settled everywhere and stuck to the sweat that ultimately covered every living being.

She continued to walk, her feet bare on the dirt ground making no sound. She peeked around a corner before running soundlessly to the outer edge of the wall that surrounded the Master's property. This was the first time Marilla had dared to sneak away from her chores, and even though she knew that she wouldn't be whipped for it, she still had a horrible feeling in her gut about it.

She peeped her head though the gate, cautiously darting a glance either way before she ran full out towards the woods, her thin white shift billowing behind her. Halfway there, Marilla realized that her hair tie was slipping out again. Frustrated, she reached behind her and pulled the leather thong out, letting her hair flow behind her. After a short sprint, Marilla collapsed behind an oak tree in the woods, and then she sighed, glared at the leather thong in her hand, then sighed. She grabbed a small piece of her hair in front and then quickly braided the leather into it, creating a unique design that she admired before getting up again.

Marilla looked  to the east, squinting a little as the morning sun shone in her eyes. "Ryline blast it." She swore mildly, naming the Goddess of Sunlight. "With these eyes, Sanaysha'll see me before I see her!" And that's the last thing I need.

She quickly skipped up a slight rise in the ground, carefully following the path that Sanaysha had created -- when Sanaysha had first discovered the Glade, it had taken them forever to find it each time they went into the woods, so she had carefully planted a seemingly random pattern of red and white flowers around trees. What Sanaysha had told her was that the flowers around the oak trees were the ones to follow… the flowers around any other tree would have at least one blue or purple flower with them.

Marilla carefully followed the path, making sure that she was skipping from oak tree to oak tree, and none of them had blue flowers around them. After all, the last thing she needed was to get lost in the woods. She'd heard horrible stories about lycanthropes in the forest nearby, and she didn't want to get caught with them all alone.

Before she knew it, she was at the Glade. Marilla carefully climbed into one of the bordering trees, and then softly slid up one branch, carefully pinching off two leaves so she could have a clear view of the glade below.

She waited.

And waited.

And waited….

Where on earth was Sanaysha? Oh, what on earth was going on… where would she go, if not to the Glade? Marilla thought anxiously. She must be here, unless she’s sneaking off to see a boy…

And even then, she would probably bring him here, not stay where they could be caught….Marilla gave up, sinking back into the branches of the tree with a sigh. There was no way, no way on earth she would ever discover what Sanaysha was up to unless Sanaysha told her herself..

She saw a small flash of white and she sat up abruptly. It was Sanaysha, walking idly along the edges of the glade. Marilla raised and arm to call out to her friend --

And then an arrow flew through the air, piercing her neck, pinning her small frame to the tree.

Sanaysha looked up just in time to see a barely discernable flash, one that flew into the tree at the other end of the glade. And then she saw something that made her heart stop cold… an arm dropped, the fingers dangling just below the thick leaves….

Sanaysha turned and ran, knowing that what she had dreaded for three long years had finally happened. Lord Khankrov had finally angered the Royal Prince, and now the Prince had come to get his revenge. But he hadn't simply confiscated Khankrov's goods, as Sanaysha had assumed. He had not imprisoned Khankrov, either… he was not here to teach a lesson, he was here to make a point.

No one could cross the Crown Prince.

Especially not someone as low as Khankrov, a slave breeder.

Faintly, behind her, she heard a shout. Sanaysha began to run faster, pulling the white scarf from her hair and letting it blow free behind her. It was long, hanging nearly down to her waist when it was loose, and although she usually braided it, she was too preoccupied this morning to do so.

Sanaysha ran faster, hearing the sound of galloping horses. The prince's soldiers had spotted her, and were now chasing her on horseback, unwilling to let a single person, whether kin, servant, or slave of Lord Khankrov live through their raid.

She pulled off the scarf around her shoulders, also white, and let it go. Without her white clothing, she would blend in easier with the forest… if she could make it there alive, she would be alright.

Unfortunately, she wasn't lucky enough. The soldiers were only twenty paces behind her and closing fast. Sanaysha closed her eyes and wished, wished as hard as she could…

Please, somebody… help me.

She felt a small sting, like a bee, and when she opened her eyes she knew it was the whip that the captain was holding in his hand…

She wasn't going to make it.

The suddenly there was a loud sound…. In the years to come, she would still be unable to describe that moment accurately. There was suddenly an enormous pressure in the air; the faint smell of smoke; the sound of the wind whistling in her ears; and a low, growling rumble. And then the air was gone, replaced by a hot, suffocating vortex of strange shadows and light.

Sanaysha fell to the ground, unable to move, gasping for breath. In one terrifying moment, there wasn't any air, there was nothing…

And then a cool breeze blew in, and she could breathe again. Looking up, Sanaysha nearly fainted.

Standing at the forest's edge was a Dragon, in all its glory. Wings tucked into its back, the giant creature sat on its haunches and peered curiously at the cremated remains of the army that had formerly been that of the Royal Prince. It smiled, lips pulling back into a large, toothy smile revealing long, razor-sharp, pearly white teeth.

Sanaysha couldn’t move. The dragon's eyes moved over to where she lay sprawled on the ground. It lumbered closer, its massive bulk moving impossibly fast.

Sanaysha closed her eyes.

***

Darien quickly dodged the sword for the second time. He backed up, making sure he was centered and not aout to lose his balance. No way on earth would he lose this fight… this was not practice.

Cedric was out to kill him this time.

The sword came crashing down again, missing so closely that the edges of his tunic were caught and shredded by the sharpened metal. Cedric was silent, slow, and methodical in his assault, meticulously planning every move that both he and his opponent would make. He feinted quickly, then came back with a sweeping blow meant to kill that nearly swept off his head.

Instead, he dodged and it merely split open his ear.

The crowd watching stirred slightly, mindful of the fact that Cedric had drawn first blood. But since Cedric hadn’t withdrawn, it was now obvious that he wouldn’t stop until Darien lay dead at his feet.

They murmured among themselves. Cedric was a fairly good swordsman, who had been studying since he was six. As the crown prince of Artalia, he was also given only the best teachers. The crowd was highly in his favor. Darien, however, was much more controversial. He was nobody, the youngest son of a local knight who had gained the king’s favor when he was only a lad of ten years. As a reward, the kind had granted him the money so he could study swordscraft at the Chateau de Illusen, the most prestigious school of swordsmanship in the land. Of course, the prince was twenty now, and he had been fighting for fourteen years, whereas Darien, at seventeen, had only been studying for six. Some of the crowd still believed Darien would win the fight, however, since the prince hadn’t been good enough to get into the Chateau de Illusen at all.

Darien ignored the pain caused by his bleeding ear, blocking it in a way he had mastered over the years he had spent training as a swordsman. He drew in a breath through tightly clenched teeth, and then wiped his sweaty row with the sleeve of his shirt.

In that split second Cedric moved in, slashing viciously and had Darien been even the slightest bit slower, he would have been gutted. Fortunately, he moved faster than lightning, dodging the blow, spinning around and slashing Cedric’s arm, in one smooth move.

The Sword dropped.

The crowd was staring, shocked, at the sword on the ground, and at the prince who was clutching his bleeding arm, a look of bewilderment on his face.

Darien took three paces back, a move that told he was not going to kill Cedric. The crowed let out a sigh of relieve… sometimes prince Cedric could be pig-headed, but he was nothing compared to his younger brother Fredrick, a loose cannon who killed anyone who angered him. With the old king so sick and ailing, it was a relief to know that the crown prince wouldn’t be killed in a petty duel.

Cedric leaned down and then picked up the sword. Darien noticed, with a little disdain, that the prince was using his wounded arm, showing that he was not ambidextrous, as any good swordsman should be. Of course, he didn’t comment on it, but stored the information away in his memory.

Cedric’s eyes were narrowed slightly, as he studied Darien closely. Darien was holding his sword loosely, near the ground, in a well-practiced, lazy stance that the prince was obviously unfamiliar with.

Darien didn’t care. The prince was not that good of a swordsman, his reflexes were shit, and for all his fourteen years of training, he would never see the inside of the Chateau de Illusen, he simply wasn’t good enough. He may have been studying for longer, and Darien was only seventeen, but that didn’t matter. He had been trained at the Chateau de Illusen, and was therefore unbeatable. It was high time that Cedric learned it and stopped looking down at his younger associate.

Moving as quickly as he could, his body a barely discernable blur, Darien lunged, getting around Cedric’s feeble defenses easily, and then aiming a blow at his throat. He pulled back just in time to avoid killing him, his sword stopping just under the prince’s chin.

The look on the prince’s face had turned from bewilderment to shock. He just didn’t get it, Darien thought exasperatedly. This is not about him teaching me a lesson in respect. This is about me making a point… I am just as good as  he is, even if he will be king someday. He allowed a small smile to escape his lips. As much as he would hate to kill the prince over a girl, he knew that if he did no one would punish him for it. That was the entire point of a duel… Mary Ann was his, always had been. But of course, she couldn’t have said no to the prince, especially if she wanted to keep her job at the palace.

And the prince knew that and had taken advantage of her. Not until Mary Ann had come to him, hysterical, hysterical, confessing everything and admitting, sobbing, that she was now pregnant with Cedric’s child… Not until then had Darien decided to take matters into his own hands, challenging the prince to a duel.

And so here he was, dueling for his life with the crown prince, over a girl.

Of course, it was a stretch to call this mockery a duel. If it were, if Darien had been the least bit worried about the outcome, he would have killed Cedric already. But he was here to make a point… Darien of Longrider was a force to be reckoned with, whether you were the crown prince or a goatherd.

Darien didn’t know what happened, his guard slipped for a second and then Cedric moved in, aiming to decapitate him. Darien knew there was no was he could dodge the blow, he would die if he didn’t have the strength to deflect the blow properly. He brought his sword up just so, swinging with all the power he could muster. The swords swung towards watch other and then finally met with a crash…

Darien felt the resounding shock, could feel his arm going numb from the impact. What was even more shocking, though, was what the impact had done to Cedric’s sword, which lay shattered on the ground.

As his own sword fell towards the ground, a result of the lack of sensation creeping up his right arm, Darien realized that if he had wanted, he could have caught the sword with his left hand and killed his opponent… it was that easy.

But something told him not to. Sparing, or saving a person’s life was a lifesdebt, one that could not be repaid with gold or jewels, but only with the return of a human life.

Cedric was destined to be king.

Looking up, Darien realized that it had began to rain, drizzling lightly at first, but then gushing down in torrents. Almost instantly, the crowd dispersed, more interested in getting their livestock out of the rain than watching the outcome of an upperclassmen’s duel. Even if it was the prince.

He kept his face impassive as he approached Cedric, tucking his hands into his pockets, rainwater running down his face and bare arms, swirling away into puddles and mud when it hit the ground.

Neither of them said anything. They stood in the pouring rain, soaking wet, just looking at the ground as it became muddy and riddled with puddles.

“I guess you’re going to need a new sword.” Darien said, finally breaking the silence.

“I guess.” Cedric agreed hesitantly.

“I just wanted to say…” Breaking off, Darien tried again. “Listen, I’m  not really mad at… that’s horseshit, I am mad at you. Why the hell did it have to be Mary Ann, Cedric? You couldn’t had any girl in Artalia, why did it have to be mine? My fucking fiancée, Cedric! And we were supposed to be friends… were you trying to  hurt me, or was that just a side effect?”

Cedric was silent, but he looked ashamed, avoiding looking at Darien’s face.

“You know what?” Darien dropped his voice so it could hardly be heard over the pounding rain. “Remember that time when Robrett was accused of treason and you just had to get him out of the dungeons, and I was the one who got him out for you?”

Cedric raised his head long enough to look into Darien’s eyes, and then he nodded. “Yeah.” He agreed, remembering how close Darien had been to getting caught, to being beheaded for treason himself.

“Well Id say that was a pretty big favor I did you.” Darien stated. “And now I want you to do me a favor in return, Cedric.” His tone was firm, showing that he wasn’t going to budge on this.

Nodding uneasily, Cedric remembered that after Darien had escaped the guards, he had walked up to Cedric, grinned and then said ‘you owe me big time, princey…’ “Alright.” Cedric said slowly. “What is it?”

Darien paused. “Marry her, Cedric.” He said quietly.

Cedric’s mouth fell open. “What?” He demanded. “No way! No way on the gods’ earth… You were going to kill me, and now you want me to marry your fiancée?” he repeated, incredulous.

“You are an idiot.” Darien stated calmly, glaring at him.

“No.” Cedric protested. “I am not going to marry her. She doesn’t even like me, she’s in love with you! And why should I?”

“She likes you more than you think.” Darien said grudgingly. “And you must be stupider than I thought. Why did you think I was fighting you in the first place?”

Cedric blinked. “Because I was sleeping with your girl…?”

Darien’s eyes darkened. “No.”

“Because...” He thought about it. “Because…”

He obviously didn’t get it, Darien thought, getting angry again.  

“Oh my god!” Cedric’s voice rose in pitch. His eyes wide, he turned to Darien. “She’s pregnant, isn’t she?” he gasped, finally understanding.

At that point, Darien really, really wanted to hit Cedric, just once, and really hard. He was supposed to just stand there, saying calmly that yes, Cedric, my betrothed is pregnant with your child. Maybe he could just knock him out for a minute.. Nothing serious, of course, just a little demonstration of how much the prince was getting on his nerves. “Yes, she is.” He said through gritted teeth.

He probably would have hit Cedric then, but it seemed as if his whole demeanor changed. Cedric blinked once, as if in shock, and then he looked at Darien, his eyes wide. “Wow.” He said. “I’m going to be a father?”

Darien still wanted to hit him, but he couldn’t, it wouldn’t be right, not while Cedric had that ridiculously childish expression on his face. “Yes.” He affirmed dully. “You are going to be a father.”

Cedric blinked, uncertainly. He didn’t look like he was a twenty-year-old hardened warrior; instead he looked like a twelve-year-old. “Wow…” he repeated. “Wow.”

Sighing, Darien turned and began to walk away… as much as he hated to give Mary Ann away like that, he preferred that to her being another pregnant maid, unable to marry because no man would want a woman who had borne another man’s child. Especially not since.. But that wasn’t really the point. He hated Cedric for taking her away from him, but at the same time he was relieved. Cedric was a prince, and by marrying Mary Ann, he would make her a princess. When the king died, she would be queen… he couldn’t give her that.

This way, he wouldn’t have to say goodbye to her.

He had known that inevitably, he would leave her. He had to; he had been trained and brought up to fight, to go on from city to city making a name for himself. And Mary Ann was a city girl, one who would never be able to keep up with him, would never be able to adjust to his way of life… She was so fragile, so delicate… exactly the kind of girl he didn’t need, but still he loved her so much…

But he knew he would have to say goodbye, because going with him… that would kill her.

So maybe this was meant to be. What girl wouldn’t prefer being queen to following around a mercenary swordsman? He thought bitterly. Sometimes, he thought darkly, I really hate being me.

He was standing, almost at the training ground, just staring at the sky. Soaked to the bone, Darien barely noticed the storm waging around him.

In less than a week, he would finish his training, and would leave the city immediately.

Mary Ann and Cedric would marry soon… As soon as the preparations were ready. He prayed that they took longer than a week, he couldn’t stand it if he had to watch the girl he loved marry his best friend.

And what do I do after that? He wondered.

Only time will tell.

A/N: Well? Love it? Hate it? Think I should give up? Think I should continue? Well? (I have a review addiction. If you review, I won't go into withdrawal. Withdrawal = Writer's block, though restricted to this story only.) Oh, and Justabitch I hope you realize that you reviewed the same chapter with the same review SEVEN times. Are you impressed? I'm impressed. I've had repeat reviews, but generally they're restricted to five and under…. *shrugs* Not that that’s a bad thing, however….

And now an explanation of where the important names came from…

* Artalia: A name of a country/land/kingdom that I made up. Its mine, the whole world is mine….

* Chateau de Illusen: Illusen is a name I picked up from the good faerie at , although in this story the * * Chateau is named after a queen of Artalia. Chateau is simply French for castle.

* Sanaysha: A name I pulled out of thin air, mainly because it contains that little syllable ‘nay’. Just like in Nayanya, which is my pen name.

* Darien: I watched a little too much Sailor Moon this summer, if you know what I mean.

* Cedric: I actually decided to model prince Cedric of Artalia after the Cedric who died in the fourth Harry Potter Book….

* Mary Ann: I remember reading a really good book (can’t remember the title), but the main character was Anne Marie. I just inverted her name.