Nadya Na-Talath

[Yamaguchi Kumiko]

It was the height of summer, and the desert heat did nothing to improve matters. It had been a hard year – or rather, to be technical, a hard half year – for Nadya and her parents … but especially for Nadya. She was the one in charge of the plantation now, after all, and so everything about it – including its problems – was her responsibility. That included, of course, the hired hands and any trouble they might incur.

One hand in particular was a problem. Sheridan. Due to her sight, she knew more about him than even quite possibly he himself knew. And what she knew not only explained his behaviour … but frightened her. Immensely.

What she knew of him by interaction was that he was a ladies man, one of the few elves who were like that. Elves by nature were a very respectful people, but every once in a while there was a bad egg, just like in any other race … though perhaps not as commonly. Sheridan, Nadya knew, was one such bad egg. It wasn’t that he was a flirt – if that was the end of it, it wouldn’t be such a problem. But he was forceful … and would not accept not getting what he wanted. And what he wanted … was her.

Sure, he flirted with the other girls on the plantation, but she suspected that it was only because she had turned him down countless times and he wanted to feel better about himself. But the very day she had interviewed him, hired him to work on the plantation during the summer months, she had introduced herself as Nadya Na-Talath: Nadya of the trees. Single and desiring to remain so. But the moment she had finished saying her name, she knew there would be trouble. She didn’t need her sight to see it – all she needed was to look at his face. To look at those black eyes, into that black soul.

This was the soul of a man who had, in a previous life, killed his parents, grandfather, and cousin.

She wasn’t altogether certain that he wouldn’t do the same in this life.

When it came to having him around the plantation, she couldn’t foresee any particular danger, any incidents happening. Her sight, however, wasn’t as clear as it was at times; but then, she was used to it not telling her everything she wanted to know. After all, that wasn’t how it worked. And so she hired him.

It wasn’t a week later that he made his first pass at her.  

[Yamaguchi Kumiko]

Sheridan had been a part of the plantation for weeks by now, and Nadya had grown used to him and his antics, as she referred to them. But despite all that she did to discourage him, he seemed unable to leave her alone.

Well, she had more important things to worry about.

Such as the guest that would be arriving any day now.

She was hanging up a load of laundry behind the house when she heard Sheridan approaching her from behind. She didn’t have to look to know that it was him; neither did she have to resort to her sight: by this time she knew his step and his scent, and was able to distinguish him from every other elf on the plantation, even in the outside air, where most scents were whisked away by the desert wind, and most footsteps were camouflaged in a cacophony of noise. But he was persistent: so persistent, in fact, that there were days when Nadya saw more of him than she saw of her own parents, with whom she still lived.

“What is it, Sheridan?” she asked him tonelessly, not pausing in her work. A look of annoyance flickered across her pixie features and vanished. There were indeed times when what he had to say to her was important: but it was rare.

He was slow in replying to her, and she could feel his eyes upon her back. She felt her annoyance growing, slipping towards frustration, when he finally answered.

“A part of the winepress has broken again,” he told her.

She was glad he had answered relatively quickly. There were times when he would not speak until she faced him. He seemed to derive a sadistic sort of pleasure out of manipulating her in those small sorts of ways. She knew why. It was because he wanted to master her. She tried her best not to fall into his silent dictates, but there were times when she found herself already doing so, catching herself too late.

“That is something you should be telling my father,” she replied, “not me. You know this.”

He had been reminded many times that Lex was the one who took care of the parts of the winepress. She knew he knew the fact. But she also knew why he chose to ignore it. But today she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of making her do something he wanted. She refused to look at him, and continued on with her work.

“I have no time for such things, Sheridan,” she added, her tone growing firm. “One of Her Majesty’s grandsons is coming here soon, I have things to prepare.”

She finished hanging up the laundry and picked up the empty basket. Balancing it on her hip, she turned to head back into the house. As she passed by Sheridan, she grew cold as he reached out and gripped her arm.

“Those things can wait,” he told her suggestively, his eyes not even looking at her face, but moving instead over her body.

Nadya reacted without thinking, whipping her free hand around and slapping his face with her open hand. He jumped back, shocked, his jaw already turning an angry red.

“Return to your work, Sheridan,” she told him coldly, her eyes narrow with anger, her face flushed.

She watched until he was a safe distance away before she turned her back to him and entered the house. It wasn’t until she was safely inside that she realized she was shaking.  

[Yamaguchi Kumiko]

Three days had passed since Nadya had told Sheridan that one of the Princes was coming to visit, and since that time nothing had happened. He had left her alone, but she hadn’t seen any more visions of their possible upcoming visitor. For all she knew, it was one of those visions that wouldn’t come true. And, also not seeing any sign that the promised visit would come to pass, Sheridan was growing bold in his dealings with her once more. He had tried to interrupt her lunch – or rather, invite himself to eat with her – but she had quite unintentionally left him rather disappointed. She had paid him no mind at all, but been caught up in a rather strong vision.

As with her other strong visions, this one had blocked out all knowledge of anything else for its duration. However, it was also as vague as any of her visions ever were. All she saw, for several long minutes, was herself, framed by a sunset-lit sky, surrounded by grapevines. She was facing east, the eastern border of the plantation, heading to the fence that warded off what few wild animals there were out there. Ahead of her, among the vines, was another presence, one that was invisible. But a name kept floating out to her on the breeze: Gion …

When she returned to her normal state, she screamed involuntarily, finding Sheridan standing in front of her with his face less than an inch away from hers. Not for the first time, and not for the last, she reacted without thinking, slapping his face as hard as she possibly could.

“Get out!” she ordered him harshly, her brown eyes blazing with fury. “Out of this house, off of this plantation! You are no longer employed here! Take your things and go back to your home!”

Enough was enough, and she was furious enough to become physically violent – which would be bad, because she had absolutely no training in fighting, had never fought in her life, not even with siblings – having none to fight with – and he would have absolutely no trouble overpowering her. She had to keep it a battle of wills, of authority.

It would prove to be more difficult than she thought.

“I contracted to work here for the summer season,” Sheridan replied calmly, his own eyes dark, both malicious and lustful at the same time. “I’ll stay until my contract is up.”

And without another word, without allowing her to reply, he turned on his heel and left her staring after him.  

[Yamaguchi Kumiko]

Night had fallen over the plantation, leaving the air silent and still. Nadya was used to this, however: for many years now, the desert had been slowly hushing out the sounds of the forest night – the forest that had been gone since Nadya had been only a young child. It was that forest that she had taken her name from – na-talath, of the trees – and she would not change her name for lack of namesake.

Not that it seemed to matter. Sheridan was persistent as no one had ever been before. Even after being fired today, he remained as though nothing had happened.

Well. Perhaps with Prince Gion here now, things would change. It was true, he was nothing like she had expected – she had thought he would be, well, taller … - but still, he was a Prince of the land, and Sheridan should show respect for that at least, if nothing else.

And fish might fly, she sighed, rolling over in her bed and staring out into the night.

But even though she had said nothing of her problems to Gion, she had a feeling that he knew something about it – or at least suspected. From the moment he had set eyes on the man, Gion had been suspicious of him. It was as if he sensed something about him, something that even Nadya herself didn’t know.

Well, it was possible.

And who knew? Perhaps Gion would help matters after all.  

[Yamaguchi Kumiko]

Having Gion around the plantation, while it did help the problem during the day, did nothing to help Nadya when the prince was out checking on things around the plantation. It almost seemed as though Sheridan was watching her constantly, just waiting for the prince to leave her side, for the moment Gion was out of sight, there he was, hitting on her, getting far too close for her comfort.

To tell the truth, she wasn’t sure why Gion was even scaring him off. Sure he was royalty, but he looked so much like a child she was positive that Sheridan didn’t take him seriously. She knew for a fact that he didn’t respect him. Perhaps it had something to do with the sword Gion carried around like his lifeline … though to be honest, the sword wasn’t that imposing either. After all, its hilt was decorated with a flower, of all things. Hardly frightening.

Still. For those few brief moments of respite, she was thankful that he was around.  

[Yamaguchi Kumiko]

Gion had been at the plantation about two weeks by now, and Nadya was growing so used to his presence that she was having trouble remembering what it had been like without him around. She found herself looking forward to her time with him, though she suspected it might have something to do with the fact that it meant it was Sheridan-free time.

Well, that was her suspicion, anyways. To be honest, she wasn’t completely sure. She enjoyed his company as well, that much she knew. It was good to have an Aldrich back, after all it had been well over a decade since she had seen any of them, and they were the ones who owned the plantation in the first place!

On this particular night, she found that she was taking a bit longer than usual in the orchard. She was late for dinner, and growing frustrated. She had promised everyone a fresh apple pie for dessert, but at this rate, they would be lucky to have it for a bedtime snack. First she’d had to search for the ladder, which had been moved from the carriagehouse to the winery; then the basket had had a hole in the bottom that needed mending; then the ladder had broken on her (thankfully, not when she was on it) and she’d had to go and find another. So she wasn’t in the best of tempers by the time she had nearly filled the basket.

She felt a presence behind her and kept picking apples, waiting for whoever it was to speak. After several minutes, they still hadn’t, and Nadya assumed it was Prince Gion, since he had no voice.

“I’m sorry I’m taking so long,” she murmured softly in an apologetic tone. “Don’t hold dinner for me, I’ll be along in a bit. Would you mind-”

She broke off mid-sentence and stared. She had turned around while she was speaking, and she had seen that it wasn’t Gion who was behind her, but Sheridan … and he was far closer than he had any business being. He was standing right on the bottom rung of the ladder, directly below her. Her heart pounded in her chest and she backed up the ladder until she had her back against the tree, her eyes wide with fear.

How had he gotten so close without her knowing it?

“Don’t worry, Nadya,” Sheridan told her with a malicious grin spreading over his face. His eyes were glowing, but with a glow that made Nadya shudder. “They’ve already been told that you’ll be late for dinner.”

His tone made her wonder if he had sabotaged the things he would have known she was going to be using today, and the thought frightened her even more. Why would he …

“Come down, Nadya,” Sheridan spoke again, his tone low and seductive, yet threatening at the same time. He placed one hand on each side of the ladder and put one foot on the next rung up.

“Get back, Sheridan,” Nadya ordered in a voice that sounded far braver than she felt. She kept one hand against the tree so that she wouldn’t fall, and her other was occupied by the basket of apples that she had balanced against her hip. She had to stay up here, she thought, watching Sheridan carefully. Her strength was no match for his. She would not be safe on the ground with him.

Sheridan frowned up at her, his face darkening with rage. He stepped backward off the ladder, and for a moment Nadya believed that she had won, that he had given up for the moment: but the next instant he had hooked one foot under the bottom of the ladder and pulled it out from under her. She screamed as she plummeted towards the ground. She could feel the back of her dress tearing apart from the bark as she fell against the tree, and she reached out with her hands to try to stop her fall.

A shot of pain jolted through her and she screamed again as she landed with a crunch, and she knew that something was broken – besides her dress. She felt something warm and sticky running down her neck and back, but she was so preoccupied with what was in front of her that she paid no attention to it. Sheridan was moving towards her slowly, menacingly, face nearly black with rage, his fists clenched at his side.

“I warned you,” he snarled as she stared up at him, panting with pain and fear, unable to move. “I warned you … and you wouldn’t listen …”

He knelt in front of her and grabbed her jaw roughly with one hand, jerking her head so that she was looking directly into his black eyes. “I gave you every opportunity!” he barked, shaking her head violently so that tears sprung to her eyes. “I-”

He grunted and jerked forward, knocking Nadya’s head against the tree once more and falling over her. He rolled over, out of her sight, and Nadya saw someone approaching quickly – but her vision had gone blurry with that last blow and she couldn’t see who it was. She heard noises of scuffling and blows being exchanged, but none of it was registering in her mind, which was for the first time since she could remember … completely blank.

And then everything else went blank, too.  

[Yamaguchi Kumiko]

Gion and Lex were both waiting in the living room, Gion sitting on the couch, hands clenched tightly about the handle of his bloody sword, Lex pacing the room impatiently. Both of them had identical expressions, faces dark with rage. Even if one had no idea what had happened, the tension in the room was so taut that anyone who entered would have turned around and left immediately in fear.

Soft footsteps could be heard on the stairs, and the two men snapped their attention in that direction, waiting impatiently for whomever it was to reach the bottom.

It was Frejia, a woman who had been hired on several years back as the plantation’s full-time healer. Her face was exhausted and she was covered in blood that was not her own, and as she reached the bottom of the stairs she closed her eyes and swayed slightly as if about to fall. Lex jumped forward and helped the woman catch her balance, then helped her over to the couch beside Gion so that she could sit. She had been working all the previous day and all night, and it was only to be expected that she would be so exhausted.

“How is she?” Lex asked anxiously, more worried for his daughter’s health than the healer’s – and understandably so. He had no idea if she was alive or dead, or what had happened to her. Gion couldn’t communicate it – he was shaking with anger so fiercely that when he tried to write in the air, it was illegible, and when he tried to touch Lex to communicate by thought, Lex’s mind filled with physical pain at the rage the prince was expelling.

Frejia tucked her hair away from her face, leaving a smear of blood on her temple. “She’ll be all right,” she said in a tired voice little louder than a whisper. “Broken wrist, her arm is broken in three places, and her collarbone is broken … her back is scratched to Udûn, it looks like a moor cat got her … and she had a twisted ankle. She hit her head pretty hard … we’ll know more when she wakes up.”

That was all she was able to get out at the moment. She herself was just about ready to faint with exhaustion. Lex moved forward to take her arm again. “You should wash and rest,” he told her, much calmer now that he knew his daughter would be all right. “Come. I’ll take you upstairs.”

Gion waited until they were out of sight, then headed outside. Sheridan was dead, killed by Gion’s own hand, but he still felt restless. He was filled with a rage he hadn’t known he possessed, hadn’t known was possible, and he needed to get rid of it.

Somewhere where innocent people wouldn’t accidentally be hurt.  

[Yamaguchi Kumiko]

Nadya woke slowly from what had been one of the deepest sleeps she had had in years, but for some reason she didn’t feel at all rested. Her head was pounding painfully, and she couldn’t hear anything. She felt stiff and achy, and she longed for a good stretch – but when she tried, she found that she couldn’t move.

Her eyes grew wide and she let out a fearful whimper. What had happened to her? She couldn’t remember anything …

No … she did … Sheridan … the ladder … his grip on her face … but what had happened after that? She … had no idea … and her Sight wasn’t telling her.

She felt a movement to her left and she turned her eyes in that direction, the only part of her body that was obeying her. There was a boy there – no, it was the prince … Gion … why was he sitting at her bedside? Where were her parents?

He put one hand over hers, which was lying, limp, at her side. For a moment she was startled, but then his thoughts rushed into her head like a flood, but far from being painful, it seemed to provide her with some relief.

Are you all right? was the first thought that came through to her. She was surprised at the tone of the thought … it was tender and worried, which she hadn’t really expected.

She tried to nod, but her head wouldn’t move, so she reverted to thought, as he had.

Why can’t I move? she asked, closing her eyes again tiredly.

The reply was immediate. You have many broken bones, a twisted ankle, and you’re very torn up, Gion’s voice came through. It was the same as it had been since the first time he had spoken into her mind, when he had first returned to the plantation, deep and rich, calm and soothing. It’s better that you can’t move.

But what happened? Nadya asked again, opening her eyes once more and turning them in his direction. She could feel them misting over, and she blinked the tears away, refusing to give in.

Gion took a deep breath and let it out slowly, stroking the back of Nadya’s hand to calm her. What do you remember? he asked softly.

I remember … Sheridan … holding my head, she replied slowly, struggling to remember. It hurt … but then … nothing …

Gion’s eyes softened and his brow furrowed with … pity? She couldn’t tell. His hand stroking hers was what was keeping her calm, though, and she felt herself relaxing slowly.

You have nothing more to worry about from him, he told her reassuringly. You have my word on that.

Nadya blinked. Was he seriously not going to tell her what had happened to her?

Hush, his thoughts came through calmingly, as if he was soothing a crying babe. His fingers continued to stroke the back of her hand soothingly, and she felt her body acquiescing to his thoughts. You’re not ready … rest …

And Nadya felt herself falling asleep once again, drifting out of the world of pain and into blissful non-feeling.