16 Join the millitia

"Fellow mage, very witty," he said in my head.

***

At least for me, the days and weeks flew by like the wind. Araharn was not altogether difficult to serve. She had come third as the most purified lady in her set but I wasn't sure of her place among the larger set and she would not tell me. So far, the ladies had danced, sang and wrote poetry. Iria had only come to see me once and she had left in a hurry. It was Rudolph I missed the most.

As for Arhid, I did not know what went wrong with me whenever he was around. I would find that I could not stop grinning. Thankfully, nobody noticed but Suhzane, a maid given to Araharn by the queen. The girl had risen like a meteor, it surprised even me.

"Do you like him?" Suhzane said behind me and I jumped. Technically, since I was Araharn's handmaid, Suhzane was like my own maid.

"You scared me," I was standing by the window in Araharn's room watching Arhid in the courtyard. This was possible because Araharn was busy kissing up to the queen at the Northern Palace.

At least that was what it would look like to the non --magic user, me just starring at Arhid.

"Of-- of course I don't like him. Not the like you are implying at least," I babbled.

"So you like him?" Suhzane asked naughtily.

I took a pillow from a nearby chair and tossed it at her.

"I know what-- you're jealous. But there is nothing to be jealous about. I don't like him,"

"But you like him," she smirked.

"Go -- make dinner for Lady Araharn,"

She nodded and left.

/'You got distracted'/ said Arhid in my head.

/'Its Suhzane, the silly girl--'/

/'I don't blame her'/

/'Arhid, you were saying--'/ I pressed.

/'Okay. I'm from the North.'/

/'From the north--'/ I thought quickly, /'what clan?'/

/'Nei, that is not proper. Us mixing with the non--magic users is not an excuse to forget basic things of our culture. Are you not proud of your clan?'/

Iria had bound me never to tell anyone our clan, magic user and non--magic user alike.

/'Its nothing special,'/ I bit my lip.

/'In any case, tell me,'/

/'I can't,'/

/'Well then, I can't tell you mine either,'/ he teased.

I grunted.

/'Fine, Nei. It's Savitro Zhan,'/

Savitro Zhan? Had i heard my father mention it before? But then, he'd had not much relations with the north.

/'Nei, are you the only magic user in Valencia?'/

/'How am I to know?'/ I feigned.

/'How long have you lived here?'/

/'A decade,'/

/'Wow-- you're not as young as I thought then -- how old are you?'/

/'Why is everyone asking me that question lately?'/

Arhid chuckled, his eyes twinkling.

/'Because we want to know,'/

/'I'm twenty one, then,'/

/'Liar,'/

/'No, its true. My clan was wiped out the very next day I came of age,'/

/'Your clan was wiped out?!'/

I shouldn't have said that.

/'I am sorry,'/ he groaned.

/'Its alright,'/

/'Its not,'/ said in the enraged tone of a magic user, /'Nei, my errand here in Valencia is as much to you also -- join the rebellion,'/

/'The what?'/

/'I was sent here to Valencia by my clan princess to find two women from the Hakorhi clan,'/

....

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