3Ok sorry, yeah I know I'm making a crap load of stories right now. But I just had to do this for once I think it won't take me as long to do this and I will try as hard as I can to get two chapters up soon so yeah enjoy!
Alexandra's POV
"ALEXANDRA!" the words carried up to my room, "GET UP NOW!" I felt the vibration of one of my brothers stomping down the hall way.
"ALEX!" I heard my brother yell from outside my door, I felt the wind rush across my face as he swung the door open, "Alexandra, get up! You know that Randa's solders are coming to cheek for Gracelings today!" I buried my face in my pillow and groaned, "Even if we know there are none of them in our family, they want to make sure." He pulled the blanket off of me.
"Ten more minutes," I muttered reaching blindly for my covers. I pulled them over my head and held on tight so he wouldn't be able to pull them away as easily again.
"Your impossible!" I could just tell that he threw his hands into the air.
"Whatever." I said trying to get into my original spot. I gave up and groggily flung my legs over the side of my bed, I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and fumbled to find my most plain colored dress.
Walking downstairs was more of a hassle, I tripped twice over the rug that was nailed down to it and almost took a header into the floor.
I sat down in my chair at the table and kept my eyes closed I was to tired to keep them open.
"Alexandra, good dreams I hope?" asked my father, I knew it was him from the deep rumble of his voice.
"Yes father," I sighed, "Good as always…" I let my words trail off as I heard the serving girl put something that smelled amazing in front of me. I almost let my face fall into the sweet smelling food but then my brothers thundered into the room.
"Smells amazing!" Announced Nicholas, he was the one that woke me up, he sat down on my right.
"We had a good run this morning," Daniel said, "The horses were very energized today," he sat down across the table from Nicholas.
"Yes energized, just the thing Alex isn't," I reached and thumped Nicholas on the head, "Hey, you're the one who won't get out of bed!" he protested.
"I don't care! Why can't the solders just believe us and let us sleep in for once!" I thumped my fist on the table, "We most certainly don't have any Gracelings." I crossed my arms over my chest and pouted.
"Well dear," my mothers soft hand reached out to me, "Randa doesn't want any good graces to go to waste, so he sends people to every house just incase. If you leave to go to another Lords home even if it's in Sunder, Estill or even Monsea, you'll still get monthly visits to make sure."
"What if I want to go to Lienied instead?" I pursed my lips.
"Well I wouldn't be surprised if they cheek homes too." Mother said then stuffing food into her mouth automatically closing the discussion.
A servant came stumbling into the room and then bowed and said, "My Lord, King Randa's men are here." He bowed again and the doors swung open me and my brothers stood in a line youngest to oldest, me at the end. Our eyes were closed for usual procedure as we waited for the command to open our eyes to arrive.
"Open." said a flat voice. My eyes flung open at the sound, me and my brothers all had the same dull blue eyes.
There were three men that had showed up, two in armor and armed and one who was in front smiling with graying hair and stormy gray eyes. The gray eyes scanned the three of us, then his focus stayed on me, I started to panic.
The man in the middle smiled and said, "Seems like we have a young graced girl." I gasped and turned to my mother and father eyes wide, they gasped my mother coming up and holding me in a tight hug my father and brothers standing there with there mouths hanging open.
"Mommy!" I held on to her but then I felt myself being pulled away from her, I looked at the grip on my shoulder and it was the gray eyed man not one of the solders.
"What's your name child?" he asked gently.
"Alexandra Mason." I said feeling the tears escape my eyes.
"And your age?"
"Twelve, almost thirteen." I rushed.
"Here," he handed me a small mirror, I held it up to my face and dropped it, my right eye was a deep blood red while my left eye was a soft sea green, "It's ok Alexandra," he said as I tried to pick it up, "It's just a mirror." he snapped his fingers and the man on his left scooped up the remains of the reflective glass. He handed it to the same serving girl that had given me my breakfast, she was dumbstruck, she snapped out of it and rushed from the room.
"Can I at least pack something to take with me," I asked my voice shaky.
"Yes, go on ahead, just only pack a change of clothes and other necessities, we can provide the rest." he smiled and let go of me.
My mom rushed upstairs with me to help me pack my bag, I dug out some of my old plain dresses and one of the Nicholas's old pair of pants and one of his shirts that I had stolen from him.
My mom then threw in a hair brush and things to hold my hair up, and some jewelry. I chuckled thinking about how I wouldn't need it. We rushed back down into the room where everyone was now sitting at the table waiting for us.
"Say your good-byes now," said the man sadly, obviously he didn't like taking me away, "Then we'll be off." I gave my mom another hug and let her squeeze me she held onto my head then let go and took a deep breath.
"I love you," she said shakily. I nodded back smiling.
My brothers walked up Daniel hugged me and then said, "I hope you have a cool grace," he smiled, "If you don't and you've been graced with something stupid you'll regret coming home," he patted my shoulder.
Nicholas came up gave me a hug and said, "It would be awesome if you had a fighting grace, or something useful, hopefully you won't be graced with swimming or tree climbing,"
My father came up and crouched down to my level, "I don't care what your brothers say, I want you to have a grace that won't prove useful to the King, I want you to come home and I want you to be happy. Write us as much as you can and when you know it tell us what your grace is," he smiled, then sighed and gave me a hug.
Gray eyes sighed and said, "I guess we'll be off then?" I nodded and followed him looking over my shoulder I saw my family waving, my mother silently sobbing, my father holding her, and my brothers smiling mischievously.
When we were at the horses I gave gray eyes a funny look before I mounted the fourth horse, "You know my name and where I come from and my position in my house. But I know nothing about you." I stubbornly looked up at him and he looked at me in amusement.
"Yes I suppose that I should tell you a bit about me, I mean I am taking you away from your home and all. Well my name is Oll, I'm King Randa's spy master I've been ordered to come around and find Gracelings, and I originally come from here in the center of the Middlens. Happy?" he gestured to the horse.
"A bit. But I want to know more. My father tries to protect me from the outside world, so I know nothing about places like Randa city and his palace, or any of the Gracelings he uses. So I don't know if a simple tree climbing grace would be of use to him." I mounted the horse and we took off I rode steadily next the spy master Oll.
"Well Randa city is very normal, but King Randa has a shiny white castle so grand and big that not even he or the servants have been through all of it." I laughed, "What?" he asked.
"I would think that, that would be a little to big, even for a king." he shrugged.
"Randa likes what he likes. His castle grounds are beautiful, full of gardens, trees, and fountains. And the Gracelings that he keeps are more around the fighting graces and mind readers, graces that will give him power, he won't keep a tree climber or a child who can talk backwards."
"So… is it hard to please King Randa? What kind of things will he send his graced to do?" I asked truly interested, my questions were finally being answered.
"You've never heard the stories?" Oll asked looking at me funny, I shook my head, "Well I should first tell you about his niece, her name is Katsa his sisters daughter, she has one bright sky blue eye and one about as green as your left eye. Katsa is graced with killing." my now multicolored eyes widened, "But she has learned to control it, he sends her out to his under lords and people who have scammed him out of a deal, she doesn't have to kill all of them, she mostly has to break a bone or remove fingers or toes."
"That's disgusting!" I exclaimed appalled.
"Yes, yes most of us think so, she is a very nice girl, but she has to do what her uncle says or she might be severely punished. But Katsa alone can take ten or more armed and armored guards and still beet them all senseless. She doesn't wish to have a husband or children even though Randa forces poor men onto her."
"That's horrible, if I didn't want to marry my father or uncle wouldn't care, they would let me do what I wish!" I was starting to think about how awful working for the King would be.
"Yes, she normally rejects the men and goes back to her normal life style, which is usually going back to her training no matter how much she doesn't need it." Oll continued.
"Randa sounds awful." I stated, "I do not want a grace that proves it's self useful to him." a crease formed in my eye brows, "I want to meet Katsa and I want to be her friend, I would think a girl graced with killing wouldn't have many people just lining up to be her friend. If she wants one or not, I'm determined." after that we stayed silent for a few hours, I started getting sleepy I looked at Oll and asked, "Do you think I could sleep on the horse?"
"If you want to Alexandra." he looked a little tired himself.
"Please, just call me Alex." he nodded. I leaned over on the horse and closed my eyes, drifting into blackness I fell asleep.
I dreamed about the most abnormal thing. I was sitting alone in a dark room, then four bright multicolored lights appeared in a circle around me, one was red another blue, white and green. I watched as it seemed all of the colors were slowly making there way towards me. My breathing picked up and the lights moved faster and faster soon it felt like I was being suffocated, the lights were crowding around me, I grabbed onto my neck and I opened my mouth gasping for air when all of the lights then tried all at once to go through the opening of my mouth like they were food or something then three of them backed up and the red one made its way down my throat, it felt like a fire burning me from the inside out! Then the blue one made its way down and it felt like I had just drunk a bunch of water and it cooled the burning, the white one was next, it went down it felt like I was being blow dried, then the green, instead of taste it was more of a smell like the earth.
That was when I shot up and gasped feeling normal air in my lungs I then realized I was in a bed. Not on the horse where I'd fallen asleep. I was in a big blue covered bed my hair was brushed and not as ratty as before and I was wearing a night gown. I looked around me and was surprised because Oll was leaning against a wall.
He looked up and smiled, "Your awake, King Randa sent me to tell you that he wanted you to meet him and Katsa at the training area." he looked at my confused face, "Were at Randa's castle, don't worry one of the servant girls changed you and brushed out your hair, I was not in the room."
"Why does the King want to meet him and Katsa at the training grounds?" I asked confused.
"He thinks if you battle Katsa in a fight that it might reveal your grace to them. He wants to watch… it amuses him… he also says if you can't defend yourself Katsa can kill you."
My eyes almost popped out of my head, "What!" I said panicking, "She can kill me!"
"Yes." his eyes went dark, "She hates the idea but with Randa watching she might not have a choice…Randa is convinced that he might find a better fighter then Katsa if he puts the undeveloped Gracelings against her."
"But I thought that if I didn't prove worthy to him he had to send me home! Not home in peaces!" I jumped out of bed feeling wobbly, "He will lose my fathers support in the long run if I get killed and he doesn't give a damn!"
"Yes maybe, but Randa has hundreds of other Lords who won't care if one graced girl dies." he said his voice rising to a yell. "Sorry. I just can't stand this. When your dressed meet me outside your room." he stormed out of the room, leaving me alone. I looked at the ground and saw that someone had left me a pair of pants and a shirt, blue like the rest of my room. I put them on and let my hair stay down, I thought it looked better than it had in years. I sighed and glanced at my eyes in a mirror I didn't get why my eyes had to be blood red and sea green. It was an odd combination. I shook my head and walked away from the taunting mirror and out the doors to stumble on Oll and another man arguing.
"-But Alexandra could die!" Oll yelled at the younger man.
"One graced girl! Katsa can get rid of her in half a second!" The younger man with dark brown hair and bright blue eyes yelled, "She doesn't matter Oll!"
I cleared my throat, both men froze and turned there heads to me. The blue eyed man straightened and muttered, "Sorry." his eyes dropped down to the floor and Oll said, "Come on Alex. We mustn't keep the King waiting." so then we set off through corridor after corridor finally making our way out of the huge castle. When I looked outside my eyes started hurting form the immediate bright light. But Oll and the other one just kept leading me somewhere.
They stopped in front of a set of wooden doors they pushed them open and inside stood one tall blonde and blue eyed man I bet he was King Randa, with a girl who looked about eighteen with brown curly hair and one bright blue eye and the other as green as the grass I saw outside, that I was sure was Katsa, judging on her eyes.
The King smiled sinisterly as he saw me, "Ah…" he said, "Our newest Graceling. I will explain the rules of our little showdown. You and the lady killer will go up against each other, you can use any weapon that you would like while she can't use one." I shuddered slightly, "You too will go at it till someone wins and if you can't defend yourself I will give Lady Katsa the sign," He paused, "To kill you." I let out a sharp breath, "But if you can win this fight, you will be trained, so you can help Katsa with my bidding…" he smiled again. He walked over to the stands leaving me and Katsa alone in the ring. Oll and the other man had left to sit on the opposite side of the King.
"Begin." Randa said lazily. I looked at the rack with the weapons but in one second I realized that if I grabbed one she could easily disarm me and use the weapon against me. We started circling each other, both of us waiting for the other to make the first lunge. She lunged half way trying to get me to move but I wouldn't budge from the circle route we were making in the dust.
Then she lunged for real I quickly darted out of the way, she was fast, I admitted in my head, but I was smaller and lighter, I could move out of the way quicker. She sprinted towards me, I decided to cause a collision course, but at the last second I dropped down and slid between her legs, a move I learned from dodging my angry brothers. I felt it as Katsa dug her heals into the earth, I twitched my head to the side at the strange sense.
I twitched my wrist not really knowing what I was doing, but it had just felt right. The earth under Katsa's feet immediately climbed up around her feet and sealed its self around them causing her to lose her balance and fall half way over, feet still incased in the earth.
My body shivered with a strange sense, I knew exactly what I was going to do, my head whipped over to Katsa who was trying to get her feet out of the earths grip. I put my hands beside me slightly away from my body and I felt a fire within me, it surged through my body as I lifted my hands I saw that I had two huge burning balls of fire in my hands. I felt as if I wanted to throw them at Katsa who was staring at my hands, her attempt of getting her feet lose gone. I then chucked the fire at Katsa, but I didn't intend it to hit her. I aimed for the ground in front of her the fire balls burst the ground around her into flame, I panicked then, burning down the training area was not part of the plan.
Then a wave roared in my ears and I motioned to the fire in front of Katsa and the newly made water obeyed and drenched the flame along with the once again struggling girl.
I let out a sharp burst of laughter about how cool that was, then I felt as if I was being surrounded by my own wind storm, I laughed with how great it felt, I was lifted into the air, my hair being blown in the wind. Then I dropped myself down to the earth.
I touched the earth lightly with my hand, I twisted my wrist and the earth around Katsa's feet burst into little dirt clumps and fell to the ground. Katsa fell over, but she quickly stood up and stared at me.
"Well…" I heard the King say, "You win. Girl!" he barked, "What's your name and your age?"
I turned to the King, "I am Alexandra Mason. I am twelve." I proudly stated lifting my chin up into the air.
"Well, well, well," Randa chuckled, "I guess that you've beaten the lady killer. You will accompany her for the rest of her duties." with a great swish of his blue robes he left the training grounds.
"How. Did. You. Do. That." said the man in astonishment.
"I don't know." I intelligently stated. I shrugged and looked back at Katsa, she was still drenched, "Do you want some help?" I asked offering her my hand.
She took it and shook her head, "I think Po would like you very much." I looked at her strangely, "Po, Prince of Lienied, he's staying here now. And it seems like your grace is controlling the elements." she gazed at me strangely, "Randa is a lucky King."
"You can say that again Lady Katsa," the man jumped from the stands and walked up to us with Oll, "By the way I'm Lord Giddon," he nodded to me and added, "I can't believe that a twelve year old could beat our Katsa in a fair fight."
Katsa looked irritated, "It wasn't a fair fight. I didn't know what my grace was so she didn't know how to defend herself." I narrowed my eyes at Giddon, "Totally unfair."
"Whatever you say Alexandra."
I turned to Katsa, "Could I meet Po? I've always wanted to go to Lienied, but hearing about it from one of the Princes would be fine."
"Sure." then she turned on her heal and led me back into the castle maze.
When I was finally led into a room there sat a tall man, he had brown hair but when he looked up he startled me with his silver and gold eyes. He chuckled to himself but then stood up to introduce himself, "Hi, I'm Po." he held his hand out, fingers glittering from all the rings.
I shook his hand and met his eyes, he seemed quite startled also, "Hi, I'm Alexandra." he smiled and let go of my hand, his eyes couldn't quite stray from mine.
"I'm graced with fighting. What about you?" he asked still looking at my eyes.
"I'm graced with controlling all four elements. Nice to meet a graced fighter. And a Prince of Lienied." He looked a little shocked, I guess its not everyday you meet a girl graced with elemental control. But it seems like it would be a more… common grace, well not as common as a fighting grace, just more common than a killing grace, "Well," I said starting to get bored, "What do you want to do," I looked at Katsa for this was her home and not Po's.
"Hum… maybe you and Po should try fighting, even though I highly doubt that he can beat you." Katsa smiled looking at Po, "But, maybe all he needed was practice with a twelve year old. Plus I have to go visit Raffin and Bann." and just like that Katsa left the room.
"Your twelve?" was all the Prince could say.
"Yeah!" I said enthusiastically, "Got a problem with that." I said turning more monotone.
"No of course not, I just heard that you beat Katsa in a fight," he seemed quite joyful, "I can't even beat her. Ether she wants you to tire me out before our next practice or she's gotten so bored she wants to see me beaten to a pulp by you." his silver and gold eyes seemed alight with amusement.
"Yes, and I'd be proud to beat you to a pulp, I would make my brothers proud," I smiled thinking about how I could someday beat my brothers in every fight they tried to start now, "So… want to fight?"
The Lienied Prince threw his head back and laughed, "Sure Alex," he grabbed the arms of the chair he was sitting in and pulled him self out of it, "I know a guy who would be just the perfect match for you, but right now he's off in Sunder."
"And who is this man?" I asked narrowing my eyes.
"Oh he's the only other known Graceling who has control over the elements. His name is Jason, he's a under lord in Lienied." I raised my eyebrows interested in this under lord.
"And how old is he?" I asked pursing my lips… if he had an age advantage on me he'll probably have more control over his powers… but if so he could help me control mine… my thoughts wandered off, and I almost missed Jason's age.
"He's just fourteen." I snapped my eye's to Po.
"Only fourteen! He's only two years older than me and he's an under lord!" my jaw dropped and only then did I realize that we were moving.
"Yes, he was one of my childhood friends… I still remember when I first met the boy when he was two." I must have looked interested cause he went on, "He had been wandering up to my fathers castle, a little two year old Lienied, he had climbed up the stairs all the way up and it was me and my brothers found him at the entrance. He was a little graced boy one blood red eye like yours, and one pure white eye brighter than my silver one. So of course me and my brothers helped him into the castle we brought him to my mother and father, we searched for his parents and never found them, and after we gave up the little tyke told us, 'my parents are dead. I scared them into shock. I want to serve the Lienied King.' We were sad for the kid, so we let him stay in the castle nurseries. About another year passed and his grace was reveled one of the other children in the nurseries pulled on his hair, so Jason had screamed and pulled a tantrum and the one who pulled his hair was incased in the earth." I laughed, thinking about what a shock that might have been to the little kid.
"So," Po went on, "We learned that Jason was graced with controlling the elements, after that me and my brothers would play with him, we'd fight him one on one, we'd try to help him control his grace, when the boy was ten my father decided since the boy had no family, and he didn't want to keep Jason from the outside world, he let Jason become an under lord, Jason still tried to help the king but my father didn't need any help. For there was no one who posed any kind of threat to Lienied. After awhile Jason decided that he wanted to see the other kingdoms, so he went to Estill and the Middluns, and even Nander, but then he sent word out to us that he was in Sunder, he loved it there he could help the people and he wasn't treated like the other graced."
"So that's Jason…" I said I looked up from the ground and realized we were at the training area.
We walked in and the somewhat strange surroundings over whelmed me, the first time I was there, I hadn't taken in a good look at the place, there was a shed filled with weapons, some targets, and other objects around but I couldn't name them. The wooden stands stood around the dirt center.
"Ready?" I asked as Po and I took stance on the opposite side of the ring.
"Hold on!" Po said, he pulled off his rings and laid them in a neat pile on the stands, "Now, we both fight with our boots off." he reached down and pulled them off while I did the same, "Trust me I learned my lesson from when Katsa clipped my head with her boots on."
"ow…" I mumbled… "Now are you ready,"
"Yes quite." he smiled his easy and lazy attitude getting to me.
He apparently had felt the need to make the first move, so he struck to see what I would do, I dodged to the left, he struck a little to my left side, probably trying to get me to move again to the left so the blow would've struck me right in the stomach, but I dodged to the right.
"Hum…" he murmured.
"Yes I'm good with both sides," I said, "Now can we please move on." he laughed again and I smiled and took the opportunity, I flicked my leg up and kicked him on the head, but as my foot tried to come back down his left hand caught a hold of it. I grunted and tried to pry my leg from his grip but it wouldn't work. So I tried a new tactic. I jumped up into the air and spun my self around so fast it wrenched my foot from his grip. When I landed I put my hand to the ground and twisted my hand, the earth around Po trapped him, it was like a cage made out of the earth but it didn't have bars it was just pure earth all the way up to his neck.
"Well. You seem to have more control then Jason had in the beginning. And he went all crazy with the fire." he smiled and laughed, "Thank god you aren't like that."
"Well if you wanted me to I could," I said standing up right and resting my head in my hand.
"No, no, no need. I've had enough fire for a life time." then it was my turn to laugh, but I must of lost concentration because the earth around Po softened and he broke through it.
I was then hit with a great amount of force enough force to bring down an army. I opened my eyes and saw Po standing over me, I opened my mouth and blew fire into his face he screeched and jumped back his face just slightly black with soot, I put my hand to my mouth and ran over to him I did some motions with my hands and the water was back I put it over his face to wash it off and clean it… his face was slightly pink, like someone who was sun burned. I smiled at him and said, "Sorry… didn't mean for that to happen…" he smiled and said.
"No worries Alex. But I might've been wrong… you have a bit of the flare for fire like Jason after all… just you know how to help when it goes wrong… Jason didn't learn that till he was eight." I laughed.
"What is wrong with you Lienied? I burn up your face and you smile and make comparisons." he burst out into the same easy going laughter and I helped him up and smacked his arm.
"Were going to have to make a trip to Sunder to see him, you'd love the company of each other! And just seeing a fight between you two would be one sight to see. And I would think that Katsa would enjoy it." he shook his head and we started to make our way back into the castle.
(a/n ya know I'm just going to continue on with this…. I might stop soon…. And I might not….. So sorry it's a lot for a first chapter but I'm just in the mood to continue writing with out having to pull up a new document. So enjoy…. Oh another thing this next part will take place In Randa's throne room the next day!)
There I stood sleepily next to Katsa. We were standing waiting for her next and my first mission.
Randa swept into the room his blue robes startling me with the sight of the bright color, "My dears," he said sinisterly, "You two are going to Sunder, there is a man who refused to pay the money he owes. I showed him hospitality and I told him, in three years you should have gathered enough money to pay me back. The time has passed I've sent him my warning. And he repay's me by running off to Sunder to hide behind others." Katsa looked infuriated though she tried to hide it, I just felt quite stupid standing there getting orders to go do something to a man who refused to pay back Randa because he showed him hospitality. "So girls. Katsa I want you to find the man, push him into the busiest place in Sunder," he turned to me, "And Alexandra, I want you to hurt him in any possible way your grace allows, burn him, suffocate him, crush him in the earth and drench him, be creative. But if he never offers out the money he owes. You will kill him in the most brutal way you can." I winced thinking about how horrible that was.
"Now be off." he shooed us. We both turned in the same way together and stormed out of the room.
Once we were out I started going through a rage walking back to my room, "PROPOSTERUS! SINISTER! EVIL! I REFUSE TO CAUSE A MAN THAT MUCH PAIN!" I ran straight into Po, Katsa, Oll, and Giddon.
"If I were you Alexandra I would stop screaming through the castle about how you'll defy Randa's orders. We could hear you on the other side of the grounds." Oll said, "And we know how horrible Randa's orders are. But we've had to do worse." he spat out the last part.
"Well there's one good thing about this mission…" Po started earning dumb struck stares from everyone, "Alex can meat Jason."
"Who?" Katsa asked impatiently.
"Jason. The only other Graceling alive who has the same grace as Alex here. I hoped for them to meat up and talk, maybe train a little." he finished off with a shrug.
"Yes that could be good for her…" Oll said.
"But you told me that Jason protected people in Sunder… what if he happens to be protecting this man? He would try to fight off me and Katsa." I said scowling.
"Well… then I'll come. I know where he lives and before you cause your… little… spat, I can find Jason and see if he knows anything about him. But I still don't like the idea of a twelve year old killing a man." Po crossed his arms across his chest and leaned against the wall. I clenched my teeth and thought about the moment when I thought about throwing the fire at Katsa… maybe that was the bloodlust that I've heard my brothers talk about.
"If I'm forced to kill anyone I'll refuse." I said shortly dropping my gaze back to the ground, "And killing someone is not, and I mean NOT an option." my lips formed a line when I heard the silence that followed my statement.
"Alex." I could just feel Katsa's gaze on me, "I've been forced to kill people since I was ten. Trust me I know that you don't want to do it. I don't want you to do it either. If I had it my way I'd go alone so the man wouldn't just laugh in your face when he see's a graced twelve year old sent by Randa to cause him pain till he cracks and gives Randa the money." I looked up into Katsa's mismatched eyes, "I'd go by myself because he would be scared to do anything but pay Randa."
"I know." I said flatly, "Even though I haven't heard the stories about you." she looked kind of shocked, "I believe that people would be truly terrified of you… just because your graced with killing." I sighed and added, "When do we leave?"
"Tomorrow morning at dawn or tonight." Katsa seemed to have rehearsed the line.
"Oh please can we go tomorrow at midday?" asked Po jokingly Katsa whipped her head and glared at him. She stormed back down the corridor towards I suspected was her room.
Oll sighed and patted my shoulder along with Giddon and they walked past me and Po down to follow Katsa.
I looked at Po carefully, "So do you think Jason might like me?" I asked casually.
He smiled, "If I didn't know any better I would think you two were twins. You have the same personality, always careful and stubborn." I laughed and pushed Po.
"I know your hiding something from me," I smiled as I walked into my room and he followed staring at me.
"What do you mean?" He seemed completely interested. I laughed and let myself become totally relaxed in his moment of tenseness.
"Well I would guess that your not really a fighting grace, for I've heard that you Lienied are brilliant hand to hand combat fighters. Your just a bit above that kind of skill so you must have some form of advantage. Just not a fighting one." I smiled at my strange form of logic.
"Well there's another thing." I raised an eyebrow at him, "Another thing that you and Jason have in common." he clarified, "You both fail to miss anything."
"So you are hiding something?"
"No, no, nothing at all!" he seemed stressed like I'd just figured out a big secret, "I'm not hiding anything."
"But then why would I miss nothing? Because there has to be some kind of reason for you to say that you can't hide anything from me or Jason." he put his fingers up to his temples and began rubbing them, I had spoken so fast I had confused him.
"Yes I sort of see your logic… but me I don't have much of it so I might just be telling you nonsense."
I snorted, "Now your just making up excuses," I was determined to learn what he hid.
"Now, now, you've only known me for two days. I could be touched with a grace of having no logic and just being able to blurt out random things that come to mind." he clenched his teeth like he'd said some key words that held some of the truth.
"Yes but you don't seem like the kind of person to blurt out nonsense that comes to mind at random moments,"
"You know I'm starting to think you've been touched with a fast talking grace."
"And I'm starting to think you've been touched with a grace that tries to distract people but fails." he seemed lost for words.
"And I'm thinking that you've also been touched with a grace to argue." by stand corrected.
"Well I was raised with two brothers."
"Yes I can understand that but I was raised with eight." I narrowed my eyes at him.
"So your brothers might not be the kind of guys who argue a lot. More like the ones who blurt out stupid phrases."
"Now that's just cold." Po put his hand over his heart faking heart break.
"Yes I know and your just stupid."
"Well I guess I found a person who can out argue my father," he said sarcastically.
"Is that a challenge? For I would love to see how I could out argue a king? Your getting off topic and I'm still determined to find out what your hiding," I held up my hand, I'm not done yet Po, "And the more time you try to throw me off the more I'll bug you about it. And it'll give me more time to figure it out and put the pieces together, and trust me I'm not a stupid girl."
I smirked at Po who seemed to be comprehending what I just said. He sighed and laughed at me, the easy going temper coming back.
"I don't think your stupid and I highly doubt that it would be wise of me to think that, and I also think this won't be the easiest thing for you to figure out. It's pretty big."
"Well thank you Po you've just given me a level of how big your secret is." I smirked, "Now leave shoo!" I pushed him out of my room, "I'm going to take a bath." I slammed my door after him shaking the walls of the room.
I sighed finally alone. I had lied about taking a bath I just wanted to relax in my room. Alone. I flung myself onto the blue bed once more and stared up at the ceiling. I growled in frustration. Think Alex… he said he could have no logic and he would just blurt random things out that came to mind… blurt random things out… I shot up in my bed I knew it!
I stormed out of my room completely irritated, I was screaming in my head anger washing over me my hair burst into flames. When I ran into a terrified servent I growled out, "Have you seen the Prince of Lienied?" he pointed down the hall and I took off at a sprint. My mind went blank. I only focused on the sound of my feet hitting the ground and the fiery flicker of my hair.
Then I saw him. I was pissed. I threw up my arm and smacked him across the face, he seemed startled enough but then realization dwelled on his face he pulled me into the nearest room.
"WHY!" I screamed! He stayed silent, "Fine. Why didn't you tell me you were really a mind reader?" I raised my hand to smack him again but he grabbed it and set it back down by my side.
"It's not that simple Alex." Po started.
"How isn't it that simple you lied and said you had a grace for fighting when it was something different, even the opposite of that!" my form was shaking in rage.
"Alex, let me tell you something, Katsa knows. She wasn't happy about it either. But it was for my own safety, think about it. My brothers fight for my fathers favor, and if they had a mind reader on their side how much would that help them? A lot and what would happen when something slipped and my father heard about it? Even my father a man who doesn't care for using Gracelings would want to use me. But my mind reading ability only lets me sense peoples thoughts when there directed at me. And I can sense people depending on how well I know them, because you, if your in your room and I'm all the way over here I wouldn't be able to sense you very well, because I don't know you very well." he paused and I stayed silent, "But if it was Katsa I know her very well, I can sense her in her rooms she's right now walking around in a circle but I have no idea what she's thinking. But if you were right outside the door stomping your foot and thinking about how much you hate your mission all I would know was that you were stomping your foot. But if your thoughts turned to me I would then know what you were thinking about me."
"I still don't like it. Mind readers are evil. I've had one stay at my home once and he would be all the way across the hall and he would taunt me and my brothers by saying exactly what we were thinking. He would dig into my brothers thoughts and find out how much they loved a girl and he'd blurt it out. Once he found in my fathers mind where he hid the key he used to lock me in my room when visitors were there. He opened my door in the middle of the night and tried to get in bed with me. But then my brothers had woken up cause he wasn't the quietest person in the world, and they put there swords to his neck. He fled that night."
"Yes I can understand why you won't like me at first but I can't dig around in peoples minds and use whatever information I want from them. Only when there thoughts are towards me then I can hear what they think about me and only that. I can't dig around in your mind. Because right now all I know is that right now you don't trust me and your mad as hell."
"You sense emotions too?" he nodded, "That I can deal with, but the mind reading I can't." I was starting to calm down.
"See right now your one of the few people that know the truth about my grace, Katsa knows, Raffin, my mother and my grandfather. That's it. My mother forbid me to tell anyone, but Katsa like you figured it out, but I'd told Raffin." Po explained.
"Fine. I get it. But I don't like it." I said stubbornly. I lifted my head and walked out back into the hall way.
Ok so I think im going to finish off my chapter… I haven't thought of anything else yet soooo yeah, hope you enjoyed tell me what ya thought and if you haven't read graceling ya know you can still read this :D