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Authors note: First let me say that the response I got for The Court Dancer's
Deal was overwhelming. I must have got over 20 Neomails about it, and I'm glad
so many people liked it! A few people asked me if I'd do a sequel, so here it
is. This is a sequel to The
Court Dancer's Deal, so you might want to read that first. Special thanks
to mcfugals_sister, who helped me think up an idea for the sequel, even though
it was nearly exactly like mine. Great minds think alike, hehe!
Kilahna leaned against the cold wall of the Citadel
dungeon cell, gazing sadly at the floor. It was a tiny cell built out of stone,
which was furnished with a drab wooden chair and a pile of straw in the corner
for a bed. A single square window sat on the east wall. The only other object
in the room was a huge purple Kass flag, lying in folds on the dusty floor.
She let out a heavy sigh and buried her
face in her skirts as she heard loud voices shouting from above the dungeon,
"Skarl wants war! Kass brought us peace!"
Kilahna drew her knees against her chest
and stared sadly out the lonely window towards the dark blue sky, heavy with
black clouds. Skarl was so stupid, sitting on his throne, oblivious to the people
of Meridell around him. And Kass was evil, trying to take innocent lives of
simple peasants who couldn't see beyond their easy way of living. Kilahna brushed
a tear roughly from her eye. Who could she trust in anymore?
"Prisoner!" boomed a loud voice outside
the cell. Kilahna looked up as a shadow Lupe opened the cell door with a rusty
silver key. "Kass has ordered for you to be sent to the Meridell castle to perform
for King Skarl," he grunted.
Kilahna stood up quietly and followed
him down the twisting corridors. Even though the Citadel was in the air, Kilahna
always felt like she was underground.
Kilahna stepped wordlessly into Kass'
study and waited as he stepped away from a map of Meridell hanging on the wall
that was stuck with darts to survey her.
"I have a special job for you," he said,
as if this were a privilege. Kilahna stayed silent. "The King has a special
guest today," he said, as he began to pace around his desk. "Well, three special
guests," he chuckled malevolently. Kilahna still didn't speak. Kass started
to stride over to her. "When he found out whose parents and brother they were,
he couldn't refuse, and immediately begged them to stay and watch!" He stopped
right in front of Kilahna, and bent down so that they were eye to eye. A sinister
grin spread across his face. "Can you guess who I'm talking about?"
Kilahna didn't answer, although she could
feel her knees buckling under her. She struggled to keep standing, to show Kass
that she wasn't afraid. Did this mean that her parents were still alive? "No,"
she said as boldly as she could, "who are they?" Was there still hope of being
reunited with them?
Kass smirked, and didn't answer her. "What
I want you to do," he instructed her, "is to perform your usual show for Skarl.
Afterwards, I want you to ask him to put his 'special guests' in the dungeons.
We can't have them interfering now, can we? Oh, and if you don't… I'm afraid
that his guests will meet a much more unfortunate result."
He grinned at the horrified look on Kilahna's
face. "Zafara double agent!" he called sharply.
Kilahna heard the swish of a cloak behind
her and turned around to see the Zafara double agent standing near the doorway.
She bowed to Kass and said dryly to Kilahna, "come with me…"
"Remember your instructions," hissed Kass,
making a slit throat motion with one clawed paw.
***
Kilahna peeked nervously out of the huge Meridell castle doors into the Great
Hall and cringed when she saw her parents sitting right next to Skarl, looking
excited. Winder was sitting in his mother's lap, scanning the crowds. Kilahna
could almost hear her mother's voice… 'I'm so glad she got a job in the castle!
Kilahna's always loved dancing, she's really a wonderful daughter…' Kilahna
felt horrible thinking about what she was about to do to them.
The Zafara double agent opened the door
and practically glided across the polished marble floor (it reminded Kilahna
forcefully of Kass' study) and bowed to King Skarl. Skarl called out eagerly,
"Come out, court dancer!"
Is that my name now? was Kilahna's
last miserable thought before she stepped out into the hall and began to dance.
'Court Dancer?' She picked up her dress and closed her eyes, trying to
get back into the feel of the village square. Kass had promised her that unless
she always did her best to impress Skarl, he would throw her off the Citadel.
Well, he didn't keep his promise last time… she reminded herself. She
shook her head to clear it. Can't get distracted, let's go… The musician
began playing a quick, merry tune, and gathering her skirts up with both paws,
she jumped up and landed on one foot, kicking the other high into the air. Trying
to face away from Skarl and her family, she skipped from side to side, adding
a small spin here and there. Although it was not one of her best performances
since she was so distracted by her family, Kilahna felt when she finished that
Skarl was in enough of a daze to follow her request. If she chose to say it.
"Another amazing performance!" commended
Skarl. Her mother and father were looking extremely proud. "If there's anything
I can do for you, just name it!" he beamed.
The Zafara double agent shot Kilahna an
icy glare from behind a crowd of whispering peasants. It was now or never.
"Well now that you mention it," said Kilahna
slowly, carefully avoiding her parent's eyes. "There is… something…"
"Well?" asked Skarl enthusiastically.
Kilahna thought his eyes seemed a bit out of focus.
"Those 3… sitting beside you…"
Her parents smiled, apparently under the
impression that they were about to receive something wonderful. Kilahna took
a deep breath and said quickly, "I want you to put them in the dungeons."
Her mother's eyes widened. Her father
shouted, "Kilahna, what are you doing?" But the look on her brother's face was
the most painful to her. He looked hurt, and he didn't seem surprised in any
way, almost as if he had expected for his sister to turn against him. That was
what pained Kilahna the most.
"As you command!" shouted Skarl joyously.
"Guards, take them to the dungeons!"
Kilahna looked around at the crowd pleadingly.
Surely someone, anyone, would rebel, would question their King… but they all
had the same dazed look in their eyes. They would do whatever Kilahna said.
The young yellow Aisha with the glasses
was standing behind an armored blue Lupe, her arms crossed. She had a disgusted
look on her face, and when Kilahna looked, she turned away. Kilahna didn't blame
her. Kilahna wanted to cry out to the crowd and her parents, to tell them all
the truth, but she simply stared at the floor as the guards took her family
away. Winder was wearing the same face as the yellow Aisha.
"You will dance for me again tomorrow,"
commanded King Skarl.
"Yes, my king," said Kilahna in a hollow
voice. She bowed her head, turned, and left.
***
"My sources tell me you put on a good show today," leered Kass, as Kilahna
entered his study. "Good… you'll make a half-decent servant yet… Very well then,
you may leave for now." He strutted over to the huge window and looked down
on Meridell, smirking. "You shall bow to me soon, Skarl…"
Kilahna gave him a sickened glare and
let the guard take her back to her stone cell. She sat down dismally on the
ground and was surprised when the guard whispered, "Kilahna! Come here!"
Kilahna blinked, and let out a strangled,
happy gasp when she saw a familiar purple ixi face peeking out from under the
iron helmet. "Rhina!" she cried. "How, why-?"
"Shhh, not so loud," hissed Rhina, but
she looked pleased. "Word has been spreading among the peasants of the dancer
in Meridell castle, and from what they said, I thought it must be you! Rumor
has it that you've--" Suddenly she broke off, looking nervously behind her.
"What was that noise?" She looked down at the steel cell abruptly, stuttering
timidly, "umm, well… the rumors might be wrong, but… is it true you ordered
for your family to be put in the dungeons?" she blurted out. The moment she
said this, she blushed and said quickly, "No, you'd never do a thing like that,
stupid question-"
"It's true," interrupted Kilahna. Ignoring
the horrified look on Rhina's face she whispered urgently, "but there isn't
much time Rhina, listen to me; I want you to go to the Meridell dungeons and
find my family, and tell them…" she chose her words carefully, "tell them I'm
sorry, and I promise I'll get them out of this safely. I know it's a lot to
ask, but can you do that for me, Rhina?"
"Sure," said Rhina, looking uncharacteristically
brave, "anything for you. But… what's happened to you, Kilahna?" she asked sadly,
looking down at her best friend sitting on the cold floor. "You've changed…"
Kilahna avoided the Ixi's eyes. "I don't
know, Rhina…" she said softly, "but I never wanted to hurt anyone, honest."
"Of course you didn't," said Rhina understandingly.
"Don't worry Kilahna, you can count on me to deliver your message! I'll see
you in just a few days!" One of her hooves rested on her helmet mask, and then
she paused.
"Kilahna," she said suddenly, "when you
go to sleep, sit there." She pointed at a spot in the middle of the north wall,
looking serious.
"Why?" asked Kilahna, confused.
"Just do it," said Rhina. "Please trust
me?" She pulled her helmet mask over her face and raced down the hallway.
"I have faith in you, Rhina," murmured
Kilahna, watching her go.
***
3 days later, Kilahna was sitting in her dreary cell, against the north wall
where Rhina had told her to sit. It was a particularly cold night, and Kilahna
was having trouble getting to sleep. She was about to doze off when she heard
a scuffling noise outside her window.
Kilahna stood up, eying the window cautiously.
When no other sounds came, she stepped over hesitantly to investigate. She was
almost there when the limp form of a young male Aisha struggled through the
tiny square window and lay motionless on the ground.
"Winder!" Kilahna cried, recognizing him
as her younger brother immediately. She crawled over and propped him up against
the wall. "Are you okay?"
The young Aisha stirred, and opened one
eye wearily. "Big sister…" he whispered, "it's so… cold…"
Kilahna laid a paw on his arm and realized
with horror that his fur was freezing cold. "Winder, how long have you been
out?" she asked, rubbing warmth frantically into his paws.
"2 days…" he whispered, "Rhina found us,
but they threw her in the dungeons too… but we found a crack in the wall… that
only I was small enough to slip through… father told me to go home and get help…
but I had… to find you…"
Kilahna moaned and carried him over to
the spot by the North wall, and leaned against it with Winder in her lap. Spotting
the tattered Kass flag lying nearby, she picked it up and wrapped it around
her brother, hugging him close.
"Winder," she said in one of his long
ears, "don't go to sleep. If you go to sleep, you might… not wake up. You mustn't
go to sleep, alright?"
"Okay," he said sleepily.
Kilahna looked at him nervously. Cradling
him gently, she whispered, "Winder, do you remember what day the 29th of the
month of Eating is?" When he didn't answer, she continued, "it's your birthday,
Winder! I told you I wouldn't forget…"
Her brother nodded wordlessly.
"Can you count how many days are left,
Winder?" she asked. "Today's the 10th… and then there's the 11th… and the 12th…"
"13, 14," murmured Winder, his eyes still
closed. "Big sister," he mumbled, "why did you lock us away? I knew there had
to be… a reason… you'd never do that to us on purpose…"
And Kilahna realized that she'd mistaken
the look on his face days ago. It hadn't been one of hate or disgust at all.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, holding back
tears, "it was the only way to protect you. But I promise Winder, I'll get you,
and mother and father, and Rhina out of this…"
"Skarl once promised he'd keep all the
citizens of Meridell safe… he broke that promise…"
Kilahna closed her eyes and rested her
head gently on her brother's. She remembered believing a promise Kass had made,
that he had broken. "I won't break my promise," she whispered, as sleep overtook
her.
***
In the morning, Kilahna woke up, startled. She gasped when she saw Winder
lying motionless in her arms. "Winder, wake up!" she cried.
"I'm awake!" said Winder, his head bolting
upright. He frowned. "Why are you in my room? Wait, this isn't my room… oh yeah…"
Kilahna let out a cry of relief as she
hugged her brother.
Winder rubbed his fur in surprise. "My
fur is so warm…" he said slowly. "Why is that?"
"I don't know," said Kilahna. "It's like
that every morning," she realized.
"Look!" exclaimed Winder, pointing to
the small window. The sun rose in the east, and the way that Kilahna and Winder
were sitting, the single beam of sunlight filtering through the window shone
right on them. "Wow," said Winder in admiration, "you're so smart, big sister!"
"No," said Kilahna, smiling, "I'm a fool.
But it's not too late to change things. I have a good family, and good friends."
She blinked. "Can you hear that?"
The distant noise of racing hooves was
coming down the corridor, and if Kilahna listened closely, she could hear soft
Aisha feet and remote cries of, "Kilahna, Winder!"
"We're here!" shouted Winder, jumping
up and knocking the bars of the cell, "mother! Father!"
Kilahna simply smiled. She was going home.
The End
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