Shadowsblade a Whateley Tale: Written by Shadowsblade
Created for war and forged in pain, dealing with demons within and
without.

In this part, Rohanna lays parts of her past to rest and more will come in the chapters that follow.
This one chapter only contains one of the four funerals that come in her life, so suddenly and all at that same time!

I hope that my readers love this part? I seem to have lost some of you with the last 2 postings? for some reason?

To all my readers, thanks for your posts. I do read each one and some of the ones posted recently, they added to my ideas on where to go in long term plot ideas! So keep posting and thinking out there!

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without the prior written permission of the Author, except in the case of
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~o~O~o~

When Nikki cried, I went more than insane and stormed down the hallway wanting to wreck the world. This pain was not from Nikki's loss, but mine!

All this time, my only deep dark thoughts where the main focus was even Aunghadhail. I wanted her death, I craved it, then each time I gave her pause and started to actually forgive her for past deeds. Aunghadhail would do some small thing to remind me or the world would remind me of her VAST number of past evil deeds...that she did most willingly!

As I stalked down that hallway, the other Poesies moved out of the way of my growing fury, each one knew that I was not one to be messed with on a bad day and a fellow elf Nikki, a sister of sorts to me. She being in pain was one of those days.

Sara was flying up the stairs, as she shared on some level with Nikki many emotions. But on her path to help Nikki out, she spotted me and my spilling over rage. Seeing that unhinged anger in me growing fast, she thought it would be far better to help me out and deal with Nikki later as she had support in her own room via her roommate Toni.

Sara ran up to my face and held me close enough to whisper in my ear, "I know, I know. Please lets go to your room and calm down and plan out what to do?"

"Calm down, plan what? The Don dies tonight...oath or not. Swear or not, that boy is mine, then I find the rest who killed Aunghadhail and end them!"

"If you truly care for anyone? Me or Nikki, you will go to that room of yours and calm down. Then plan for any revenge from there!" and she dragged the one of me she already had in her arms, down the hallway to my room.

Sara shoved me none to gently into my room and onto my bed. She slammed the door hard and spun to me, "Twin in here now!" she barked at me.

With some concentrated effort, the twin 'ported' to my room with a small bang and angrily plopped down on the bed's edge with me.

"Well that seems to be a little better, I guess we have some work to do on that 'port' of yours Ro?"

"Yes we do, I lose where my other part is at sometimes. Relative to the dimension I travel through to 'port' All the excess information both sets of them, it gets me more than confused at times."

"Well that will come later. But I know why you are mad?" she states and asks me at the same time.

"No you don't...not even a clue."

"FINE. then tell me please?" Sara shout at me more than angry at me.

"I am not that upset that Nikki lost Aung, I personally see that as a good thing and not even close to being bad! What makes me mad, MAD as I can get! Killing the 'last' part of Aunghadhail's soul SHOULD have been my revenge! AND not some teen witch trying to please a oversexed HUMAN BOY!"

"I get it, I really do. Remember I saw that little bit of past life in your head and even I blame Aunghadhail for all that pain. Heck even I wanted her dead, after experiencing that nightmare memory of yours and I am not even you darn it!"

"Yes Sara, I actually am happy you did and now someone really understands what I am saying each day...heck screaming it!"

Sara sits between the two me and hugs both of us close, "Ro, please look at this as the death of the Sidhe of the past and a rebirth of them as a people. The old Queen is dead and gone. Now Nikki might take her place someday, but now you can guide her to a being a better ruler, via you knowing what evil was done in the past and there will be none of that evil influence of Aunghadhail's?"

When I fall back to lay on my bed, Sara follows and I start crying so badly I can barely be understood any more, "Sara, this is so unfair! I earned that revenge, being denied it is so unfair and Gaea owed this one to me!"

"Well I guess next time Gaea shows up, I will have to give her a beating AND get that vengeance for you!"

"Ya right, she will not show up now? But I wonder if I can get away with kicking 'The Don' in the nuts at dinner tonight?"

"I'll hold him down for ya!" Sara offers with a evil grin.

Hours later, Sara is holding me close, trying hard to keep me calm as she can. By talking over the past of the Drow, as best that part of me can tell her with the Geas still in place. Violet and Lilac sit on the shelf above us, munching away on some new mint candy I picked up this week.

There is a knock at my door and listen to who it might be and find it's Carson, Everheart, Sir Wallace and someone I am not sure of. Then a thought dawns on me, "Shoot I forgot my punishment at Hawthorn! Carson is here and I bet she is mad at me!"

"That's who is at the door right now...Carson?" Sara asks me in a whisper.

"Yes she is, then Everheart, Sir Wallace and someone else?"

"Well I will tell them all to go away, this cottage's Sidhe is in mourning again and we need a break!"

Before Sara can get to the door, a man speaks through it, "Rohanna, it's Mr. Reilly. Please open up for me?"

"SHIT this is bad!" I panic.

"No it's not, I am sure he rushed here to be with Nikki and her mom plus brother are on the next flight?" Sara tells me and waves off my fear with ease.

Sara opens the door to Mr. Reilly with a smile, "Hi sir, so what's up and did ya bring any pizza with ya?"

"No Sara, we need to talk to Rohanna now."

"Is this bad and I should slam the door in your face or a friendly visit?" Sara asked him, but really demanded from her tone of voice.

"I want to talk with her, over what is traditional for a funeral for Aunghadhail. So that we do this right and she was honored correctly in her last death for all time."

"Come on in Sir, I can help out with that." I said not too sure of what might happen. I might get mad again or just plan shove them all out of my door within seconds...I just did not know right now.

"Thanks Rohanna, I know this is painful for you too. But I want to do this right, it's the old military man in me saying so?"

"Yes Sir, I would offer you all seats, but my room is really set-up for one user right now?"

The men offer Carson my only other seat at my desk, Sara tosses my meditation mat into a corner and plops on that. Everheart takes a spot leaning on a wall near the door, Sir Wallace grabs a spot on my window ledge and Mr. Reilly finds a spot sitting on my desk after I move a few projects aside for him.

Carson smiles at me when I sit back down, "I had heard you redecorated with some plants, but this is stupendous and so very Grove like in here."

"Thanks ma'am, Rosalyn or Blackrose suggested it to me and helped with lots of the planning of all of this. Her skills made most of the plants fit to the room."

"I might have to get her teacher over here and have her grade this for extra credit then."

"I am sure that she will love that ma'am."

"But Rohanna, what do you think we should do for a funeral for Aunghadhail's spirit?"

"Well the basics are, no cut flowers, gifts for any children that are about?"

"The main ceremony?" Sir Wallace asks me.

"It should be held within the next day Sir, a Military style one. Kind of like a Viking funeral, because we don't have body or tomb set-up for her to lay in?"

Carson speaks up next in her more kind sounding voice, one that I have rarely heard of late, "And where should we do this Rohanna, on the campus or?"

"The Grove, the far side nearest Melville has a beautiful great clearing for this service, I can get the Grove to move itself out of the way for this...for the day anyway?"

"So we do the basics, all that want to show up should be dressed and a small military unit that the ROTC can do. A small funeral pyre with what as a center piece?"

"I am sure the Burning Oak of Aunghadhail's house put on something would be the right one for this?"

"Well lets us all get moving then, we have plans to make happen!" Cason said to the room, as she stood and took charge of the group.

"I will follow along soon Mrs. Carson, I have to talk to Rohanna for a little bit now?" Mr. Reilly said to her, as she left.

"Please take your time and come to my office when you're done Mr. Reilly?"

After they all had left, he got up off the desk and opened the door a second time, "Sara if you don't mind...please?"

"Only if you do understand, that she is not really on her best day today. This crown crap, caused her lots of pain you may never really hear about or understand like I do!"

"Yes, Sara. Now please, I need the room for a bit?"

After she had nodded to him, she got up and started to leave my room. But not before she spoke to me, "Ro if you get upset, come to my room right then...please don't wait and simmer too long?"

"I will try Sara...love."

Mr. Reilly gave me more than a double take when I said that to Sara, that 'love' part must have surprised him a little bit. When she was gone, he stood in the center of my room and glared at me for a very long time. My guess is that, he was thinking of what to say?

"Rohanna? I have to ask this because you promised to look after Nikki for me. Where were you when Aunghadhail died and my Nikki was in danger?"

"I was here at Whateley Sir, they did not ask for me come with them up to ARC." I did not like where this questioning was going to.

"Maybe you should have gone with them anyway and helped?"

"I don't think that I could have helped one bit, sir? That fight was held in another's mind and is really far outside any of my training."

"I still think you should have been there!" he lashed out at me, I am sure in pain from seeing his only daughter hurt so badly.

"ARE YOU saying I did not do my duty and ran from a fight!" I demanded, as I stood up to him.

"No, but you should have helped somehow in that fight!"

"So you actually think I would not go and toss myself into a fight to save Nikki...A child, family in my eyes, from pain and violate so many oaths that I can't even count them all or say them to you!"

"It's just?"

"What? Is that a yes or a no?"

"Rohanna?"

"Well then, you think I should be dead and not Aunghadhail! So lets fix that now...STAY RIGHT HERE AND DO NOT MOVE AN INCH...SIR!" I yell at him.

One of me rushes out the door and the other stands next to him, to keep him in place. I knock on Gwen's door and when she opens it, I rush in and ask her for something she has been holding for me, "Gwen I need that box, with the dagger inside it for a minute or two. Can I have it?"

"After today and all this crap! No way am I giving that to you!"

"I need it, swear I don't want to hurt myself with it. Mr. Reilly needs to see it for a second?" I told the truth, I did not want to die...but honor and oaths asked for it.

Gwen dove under her bed and pulled out a long storage box from under it. After she searched it for a few second she reluctantly handed the wooden box to me, "Here, now swear to me that you don't want to hurt yourself with this?"

"I just did, but I will swear again. I don't want to hurt myself with this."

"Okay, but I don't like you having that nasty blade in your possession any more and maybe we should destroy it someday?"

"We can discus that later, got to run...bye." I hoped that we would talk about that later?

Soon enough I was back in my room, the box was nearly slammed onto my desk and opened up. My hand picked up the red blade and I walked over to Mr. Reilly, "Now tell me once more that you think I was not honoring my oath and I would have not stood up to die to protect Nikki from this pain with my very life...EVEN though I hated Aunghadhail with every breath I took"

"I am not sure, you might have?" he said reluctantly and not very sure of what I was doing with such a wicked blade in my hand.

I grab his right hand, then quickly place the handle of the blade with a piece of silk covering it and close his fingers over the hilt for him, "Now you have a blade, that can kill a Drow with one small scratch, please don't touch the blade as you use it or after."

"What Rohanna? I don't want this...thing?"

"You sure sounded only a minute ago, you wanted me gone and Aunghadhail back? So this is how you punished a Drow in Aung's little world for breaking an oath...you kill us."

"I can't do that!" and he drops the blade to the floor from the shock that I even asked him to do such a deed.

"So you can't do the deed yourself then?" and I snatched the blade from the floor, "I will do it for you, the royals of her time...they were weak too. Give me the word and it's done?"

He just stood there staring right at me, as silent as he ever could be, "Well do I or don't I? You just said that I did not honor my oath to you and this is how Drow gets punished!" I say again to him, as that blade hovers over my hand, ready to slice it and be done.

"Stop that, are you nuts or something. They told me you had issues. But that!"

"So that is a no, you are not offended by my actions then?" I had to question him again.

"NO...NO...no, I would have never asked for that?" he doubted his own words.

"But you did say that, or said it only a few minutes ago, you have to understand this. We Drow don't see the world like you humans do. We only see black and white, wrong or right, succeed or fail and that 'gray' that humans use to hide behind all the time is meaningless to me after my change. Yes I know the word, but it's meaning has faded to nothing and I no longer really understand it like I used to?"

"Rohanna, I do understand now. I was...." he stopped as he tried to find the words he needed to say again.

"You were trying to protect your kid and would die for them? And you thought that...just if...I was there. Nikki would be fine now and you...in pain blamed the only one you thought could have saved her at the time. You think that you failed too, in your protecting her and then lashed out at me for it?"

"Yes, you are right. I did lash out at you and I am so sorry for that can you..."

"Forgiving is easy for me, you have to live with the choice to do so and I do not?"

"So I know more about Drows, than I really ever wanted to know? he laughs a little at me.

"Yes you do."

"I have to ask, you sounded back there like you had kids at one time?" he asked me.

As I place the blade back into it's box, I tell him without even daring to glance his way, "I had two, that were taken from me at birth by Aunghadhail's leaders above me and I never saw them again."

"So you never got to know them at all?" he chokes up to me.

"I knew them well, you have to know this now. Because you have a Sidhe daughter. We mentally talk to our children as mothers, during that year long pregnancy with them and we do understand one another. Most Elvin children come into the world understanding our native language day one and learn to actually speak it later in life."

"Great, I have to look forward to a moody daughter for a year!"

I have to laugh at him, "Yes and so does the father."

"Ohh I don't want to think about that right now, maybe she can wait a few decades?"

"I don't think you will get a vote in that for too much longer...sir?"

"I have to be getting back to Nikki, her mother will be here soon with Troy and the family friends."

"Well tell me when you need me? And so you know this, Nikki more than upset yesterday at me. I was sworn by a keeper of knowledge out in the grove, to give her some books that Aung had left her to read just now. She got very angry at me and saddened by that...tell her again for me...I am so Sorry, but it had to be done...Sir?"

"When she settles down a bit more, I will get with her and find out what is going on for you on that. But Rohanna, please make sure you are there at this funeral of sorts?"

"I have to be, decorum dictates I must go."

"See you there and remember I am always there. I might get mad at you, but I will come to my senses sooner or later?"

"Yes, now please get back to Nikki and give the comfort of your presence to her."

When he is gone, I walk that box back to Gwen and hand it to her, "All done, just had to let Mr. Reilly see it is all?"

"Well good, but we should get rid of this nasty thing!"

Since Gwen's roomy was off somewhere else right now, I close her door for a bit of privacy, "We need to keep it, that blade is one of the ways to kill a GOO off. At least in this dimension for a long time. I would explain it all, but I don't have all week to help you understand what took me years to learn about them."

"But that means Sara? She is good!"

"Yes, she is...for now. She will live far longer than us and who knows...in fifty thousand years? Then add her relatives are not exactly good and there is The Bastard still living who needs to meet that blade someday!"

"I get it, but me holding this...thing? Is that wise for little old me to do!"

"Who would think that there is a NUKE under your bed?" I laugh at her.

"Ohh I get it, who would think I had something this powerful!" she smiles at me.

~o~O~o~

Thursday April 19, 9:35 pm
Poe cottage

For nearly an hour I rested in my room from all the madness of the day so far and hoped it would all get better soon! As I relaxed, Sara knocked on my door and slipped into my room after I said to come in. She knew I had not gone to dinner and brought me some food off the table that Mrs. Horton had set up in the sunroom. Horton had remembered that this was a good idea from the last time and tradition for Elves to do at times like this.

"Hey eat up, chows here!" she sang at me and tossed a pack of cookies at the Pixies sitting over my bed.

"Sara I am not so sure I really need you right now?" I had to question her.

"Ohh but you do, if you're not sure? Then I am sure you do! Besides you need some food and this yummy stuff is not going to eat itself, now is it?"

As she sat down on the meditation mat and started pulling out a few 'to-go' boxes. My phone rang and out of habit of late I pressed the speaker button, "Rohanna, this is Timothy John calling you about that part in the movie for Mr. Martin?"

"Ohh shoot sir, I forgot to call you on that. We kind of had a death here today and it got quite crazy to say the least."

"Who died, no one I know I hope?"

"Nope, no one you know. But can I get back to you on the part maybe on Saturday?" I say, as Sara pokes me playfully and tries to get my attention on her mouthing out 'Who...What!' as she grins at me!

"Sure you can, I will tell Martin what is going on and I am sure he will understand your position there. Call you Saturday...I have to drop you now, calls to make...bye!" and he hung up really quickly, as he sounded very busy on his end.

"What was all that about?" Sara grins evilly at me.

"Somehow a Film director in Hollywood got his hands on the Boston vid of the fight, the sim runs I have done and very surprisingly the pic's that Peeper took of me on the first night I was here at Whateley."

"Really? The Boston and sim runs I understand. But the pic's that Peeper took, never heard of that?"

"He surprised me coming back from the Grove and talking with Aung. She had called to me via the Groves powers and I walked straight out of the building...already dressed for bed!" I growl out to her.

"Can I see how bad this bunch of photos are?"

"Fine, you might as well. I am sure most of the world will see these pic's sooner or later!" and I hand her my phone, after I find my file copy of all of them.

Sara swipes through the pic's and smiles at each one of them. At one of them, she grins to me, "I might make a poster of that one, it's quite a good shot and shows..."

"Gimmee that!" I snatch it back from her hands.

"So Peeper is still alive after doing that?"

"Yes he is and I warned him not to let those out of his sight or ARC or I would sue him to death...or me skinning him!"

"I will call Otto about that and have him track that down for you! The case against Peeper should be easy, you own all the trademark rights to 'you' and you're a minor to boot!"

"Thanks Sara, I was thinking to do just that. But I got a little side tracked is all."

"Hey, call me for some of these things? I am here for ya! But that one pic...ohh baby that looks so sweet of you!"

"SARA!" I shout at her and stare daggers her way.

"Hey that's my job...LUST!" she says breathlessly to me.

"Yep and not right now please. I am not really feeling up to that?"

"Fine then, but what is this part in a movie bit?"

For the next half hour or so while eating, I catch her up on the film, the part in it and meeting the Director the other day. Sara nodded at each part of what I was telling her and seemed to be really intrigued at the whole idea.

"Sounds like to me this is a great first step for being accepted by the public and you being able to go outside as you really are. The only caution I can give you...is the fans wanting your picture or signature all the time. I had that issue as an author at times."

"I will have to think about that, in any case. I will still have my illusions to fall back on to go out."

"If I were you, I would do it and take that job!"

"Ya think so?"

"Yep, this would get you out for the summer and have so much fun while doing it!"

"I will have to talk to Mr. Reilly over this, before I can do it?"

"Yep, but he won't stop ya and I am very sure of that."

"But who will watch over me, I am still listed as a minor and need someone adult there at all times...I think?"

"Have Bill do it, the studio can pay him a nice rate. Besides he needs the cash for that up coming wedding of his, buying a house and he will love being in Australia or New Zealand all that time. I used to live down there and I loved it!"

"Both you and Nikki love this idea. Her to get me out there and not have me spend all summer working out like a monk...she said to me."

"She is right, I am sure that if you're given two plus months off? All you will do is practice and read all day!"

"Fine darn it, I will get the part in this movie and see how it goes." I give into her good reasons and Nikki's.

For the rest of the night, Sara stayed in my room, we chatted most of the night and watched some good movies via my entertainment system.

~o~O~o~

Friday April 20, 7:35 am
Poe cottage

Just after I my shower done and laid out a casual outfit for today's classes. A very excited green haired Gwen bursts into my room without so much as a knock, "Ro Look here! No class today, we have a open schedule for the whole school to show up if students wanted to Aung's funeral out in the Grove!"

"Well I guess Carson took what I said to heart and made it happen?"

"She asked you about this?"

"And who else here knows ancient funeral rights for a Sidhe queen?" I ask Gwen more than sarcastically.

"I guess you? I have no clue, my memories are few about court life from back then." she shrugs to me.

"Well then this is the time, to get my best armor out and give it a good cleaning?" and I start to pull out that very ornate heavy Mithril armor of mine. The set with most of my sad and worst memories attached to it.

As I lay it out piece by piece across my bed slowly, Gwen stands there watching me, "I remember that suit. You wore it when Sara, that video game on the computer and Jade caused that flash back of yours?"

"Yep I always seem to call this armor out, when I think I am in the most trouble and need it's great protection." as I say that, all those bad memories flow into my mind again and I start tearing up from all of them.

"What's the matter Ro?" Gwen questions me while patting my back.

I sniff to her, "It's just that every time I see this armor, someone died or something bad happened or something bad is going to happen...there is not one good memory that I can recall from using this. Maybe I should melt it all down and make a book end out of it."

"Why do that, it took you forever to make this I bet! So why destroy it, all that pain is behind you. I am going to say this right now and I believe it..." Gwen twists me by the shoulders to face her better, "I am glad Aunghadhail is gone, the old ways are gone with her and us NEW Sidhe will change how we do things from here on out!"

""You and Sara are saying the same thing to me, about Aung's passing on?"

"Well I can understand that, great minds think alike!"

"Thanks Gwen, I just needed to hear that from another Elf is all!"

"But think of this, that armor saved you many times back then. So you lived on in some strange way to get to here. That is a good thing to have as a memory, isn't it?" And Gwen goes to hug me close to prove it.

Just as we let go, my door knocks and I can hear Mrs. Horton's voice ask to come in. When she peaks into my room, "Ro, I have a small note here from Mrs. Carson. She said you can move the Grove for the event today? Or if you can't get it to cooperate, we need to know now so that the guys can set-up somewhere else."

"Okay Ma'am I will get on that right now and go make that request of the spirits out there. I am sure they will agree, I don't see a reason why they would not?"

~o~O~o~

Friday April 20, 11:25 am
Poe cottage

For an hour, I plead the case of Aunghadhail's funeral and what the humans what to do for memorializing her with the deep Grove's spirits. Once that is finished and agreed to. I watch over the parts of the Grove, that open up to the assembling of a place to speak from and the funeral pyre. Then where the Fae should line up to pay respects to Nikki and her family.

That seems to finish quickly, the staff has it all in hand and now it's time to eat. So I make way towards Crystal hall for a late breakfast.

Two bags of food get tossed onto my desk from getting breakfast to go and I stand there thinking about what armor my new twin should wear and realize that the set I need or want is in deep storage. So I start building the ward to mask my taking the bronze box from my storage place.

As I pull that box out and start finding that one leather set of armor. I think to add my 'Killian Jabbress' blade to the Mithril outfit, as that is my best dress blade. As I take that long thin case from the box and carefully lay it on my desk next to my food. I watch as Violet is flinging food at Lilac in one of their cute as heck fights. (Sword Mistress)

Watching them at play, makes me realize that I have to bond Lilac into our group as my twin's Pixie. As that is only fair to her and me, to have that greater connection. We will both benefit from it.

Since Violet already has what I would call my best Pixie armor that I still own, there is only one other set I have...Misty's set. The one Pixie that I felt the most loss over since Khemir died of old age, that is the set Violet now wears with pride. A Pixie lasting over a thousand years, with the combat we both saw was very unusual indeed.

So I dig deeply into the large box, so much so. That I have to move some boxes out of it, to get to where I want to. Then I pull 'her' box out and set it aside. I try real hard not to even glance it's way as I repack the box and send it back to storage.

As I sit to eat and then start cleaning my armor. That box just sits there...staring at me and I avoid even looking at it from the memories that it digs up. Those still fresh as the day they happened wounds from her death.

Above me Violet sings out to me, because she can feel something is 'off' in me, "What is it Rohanna?"

"Something that can wait, till I pull enough courage into myself to face it again."

One of me is shining my Mithril armor and the other is making sure the best leather armor I have, is looking good enough for this day. The leather is the easiest to clean up and gets finished rather quickly by my newer me. I think to move that body on to polishing my dress sword, but change up that idea. When I realize that new me is not quite good enough to handle sharp things, while I do two tasks...not just yet!

As that blade gets a final polish and I smile at my own fang filled refection in the thin blade. I hear a knock at my door, after listening a short bit. My ears can not tell who is there, this is a new person to the cottage?

"Come in, please. The door is open." I sing out to it.

The door opens slowly and in peeks Josh from that night I had dinner out with Nikki's family, "Hi Ro? Can I come in?" he smiles to me.

Part of me, that Drow part, is in some shock and comes out to make my breath go faster. As I say to him, "Yes come in Josh, why are you here?"

"Well Mrs. Reilly and Troy, they both thought it might be a good idea for us to come for this too? Annnn...." he stops and blinks in surprise at seeing two of me, now that he is fully in the room.

"You were saying Josh?" I grin at his shock of discovery.

"There are two of you...you have a twin sister! Nikki never said that to me?"

"Well the twin is a new thing kind of?" I try to explain to him.

"How can a twin be a NEW thing?" he asks and does several double takes of both of us.

"Well the short version is, one of the stupid kids that goes here. He or is it she now?.." I question the idea now, "Well she made a clone of me and it nearly killed me. We are of two bodies."

"Ohhh that is too strange!" he says.

"Strange, you say and you have an elf for more than one friend?"

"I guess that makes sense?" Josh says as he stands there a bit timid.

"So what do you want, or did you just come in to say hi?"

"Did Mr. Reilly talk to you last night?" he head goes to the floor searching for the question and really looks cute doing it.

"Yes, we talked about many a thing and none of them were about you? Did he forget to say something to me?"

"Shit!"

"Well that does not sound good?" I had to giggle at him.

"I had hoped he would have said something to you?"

"About what and take the chair at my desk...please? If you want too?" I ask him, while shining that blade of mine.

"I'll stand for this." he tried to look brave now.

"Humm you're a little nervous right now, I can see and smell that you are?"

"Smell?" he asked more than surprised.

"Yep, just like fear. It's almost the same scent? But tell me, what do you want please?"

"I wanted to ask you out?"

"Out...for what?" I nearly stutter at the thoughts.

"I want to take you to my school prom?" Josh asks me sounding so unsure to even ask the question, let alone utter the words.

Both of me just sit there and stare at him in shock for several minutes. Until he asks me again, "Rohanna? Well...can you give me an answer on if you want to go with me?"

"Well you say that you are two now? So I would ask both, but that might cost me a few extra bucks, that I will have to get together?"

"I have that handled, I am not poor by far." I say softly and go back to cleaning my blade.

"Mr. Reilly has money I know, but I would never ask him to pay for your date with me?"

"I do have my own money, far more than you think. Remember I bought a Italian racing bike just for the fun of having one?" I grin at him.

"Ohhh ya I forgot that!" he grins to me.

"So if you need to pay more for the two of me, I will pay the extra part. But that first bill, for one of me? That is still yours to pay for. As that is the tradition and I am not interfering in that practice in anyway." I say flatly to him.

"So you're coming?" he yelps out a little excited at the thoughts.

"I have to think about it and I need two things from you?"

"What...what...what!" he asks all to excited now to contain it.

"One, I need a date to think over, the date of the prom. Then, am I going as a Drow, or as the illusion of a blond that you have seen?"

"What ever you want too I guess?"

"No that is up to you? You have to live with me showing up to your school looking all the part of a mutant and all the attention that will bring you knowing one!" I warn him.

"My school is a very upper class one, not a bunch of H1 bigots! So darn it come as you are now then?"

"Are you sure, I really don't want to hear that you got beat to shit, by a bunch of morons at your school?"

"I have it handled, besides...my dad is a US Senator!"

"Really! I might have to talk to him someday on a few issues then?"

"Everyone wants something from him, so what do you want?' he laughs at me.

"Land that we elves call home, just like the native americans have now. Our own ways, rules, life styles, laws and totally independent from US laws." I say flatly and to the point.

"Now that is a big question to ask him, I might even ask for you? Because I am more than curious myself!"

"Go ahead if you want to? I can wait for his answer or someone else to give one...I have time on my side."

"Yep that you do, but this tree in here and the fruits. Are they real?"

"Yes they are, let me get one for you to try out?" and I stand up, to grab one for him.

After I pick one off the tree, I go to hand it to Josh and he grabs my arm suddenly. To reverse spin me to the wall and pins me with one arm wrapped around my back, with the other remaining free.

I breath into his face so close it nearly touches mine, "This is a bad idea?"

"What, taking that kiss I wanted today like you told me I should?"

"I am not so sure this is a good idea you and me getting involved?"

"I do!" he smiles at me.

"I am not, this...this I am not so sure, that I am ready for this in my life. Besides, there are many things to consider first."

"What I like you, don't you like me?"

"I am not sure? We dating can get to be a real issue, I live so far away from you?"

"You teleport across the whole nation, or so Troy tells me...faster than walking!"

"Yes, but me...a Drow and a human?" I question him.

"I am over it and like your looks!"

"But you're human, if we ever went to the next level in this...I would break you like a dry twig!"

"So, we start slow and careful then?"

"Then if we wanted kids?"

"We have them, but that is years away?" he reasoned back to me, not really understanding how Drow love.

"But we could never have them, Drow only have kids with other Drow?"

"If we go that far, we adopt I guess."

"I can't think that far, or want too. If we went that far, then I would have to deal with losing you in fifty or so very short years?"

"Great years!" he states then steals that kiss.

We part when my door suddenly pops open and Sara's head pokes in! "Hey am I interrupting anything!" she grins at me being pinned to the wall by Josh.

"Yes Sara you are!" I shout at her and shove him off me, "I could strangle you with one of your own tentacles right now!"

"Sounds fun to me and who is this yummy boy in here...so very alone with you?" her eyebrows arch knowingly to me and she winks.

"I should have known that you would feel or smell the lust coming off my room right now and rush up here to see what I was up too!"

"Who is this? Josh asks, as he leers at the sexy girl that just entered my room and I spot both of his eyes resting on Sara's breasts far too long!

"Sara, meet Josh one of Nikki's friends and Josh...This is Sara or Kellith Lust demon, Daughter of the Void, or the Mistress of Flesh."

"Hey I don't introduce you as 'Rohanna the Drow...slayer of thousands!' But this is the one Nikki told me about?!" she giggles at him, "The one boy, who stole a kiss from the fierce warrior Drow know as Rohanna!"

"So you're kidding me...right?" he questions me, as I move back to my bed and hand him that fruit off the tree in my passing by him.

"Nope, not one bit!" I poke Sara on her boob, as I pass by her. The ones he was just leering at, "this is just a pretty shell and there is a real demon beneath it. A rather sexy one, but still a demon of lust and perversion."

"Hey, no poking the boob! Unless you mean it?" she grins at me.

"Josh you might want to leave my room right now, before she corrupts you into something very...ahh intimate?"

Josh gulps at me, "What me and three girls!"

"No, two Drow and a lust demon. Then add your soon to be twisted mind?" I admit that he might get damaged by the both of us.

"I am going to leave, so you can continue getting ready for the funeral Rohanna and please tell me your answer soon on that Prom date?" he asks me once again and runs from my room.

Sara points at Josh's fleeing back and swings her pointing or accusing finger at me or back to him more than once, "You, him...date...prom? That's too funny!"

"Why, because you're not going with us?"

"Ohh no, leave me out of that...PLEASE! I do not want to interfere in your human dates with guys anytime soon? Besides that, I do not poach my friends dates or lovers!"

"QUIET YOU!" and I jab my sword at her, that I had just picked up to resume polishing the blade, "OR STAB!"

"Why yes ma'am or Jabbress. I know my place, especially when you have sharp pointy things in your hands and they are pointed at me!" Sara gave in to me.

"You better!" I warn her again, with a new jab in her direction.

"Warning noted and by the way? That blade looks like the one Drow that was at your mental house's door that first night we met...she was holding it!"

"It should, this is my Sword Mistress blade. It shows to others, that I am a teacher, not a student anymore and have attained a very high rank in my instructing of other Sidhe in the art of the blade."

"May I see that one?"

"I would use a cloth to hold it, this blade has Orichalcum in it's alloy." I say to her, as a hand her the blade with a polishing cloth covering the hilt, so it does not burn her flesh any.

While she examined the blade and seemed to be reading it's many engravings. I pulled on that Mithril armor piece by piece and made sure that it was laying correctly on my body.

The other me stepped into the leather armor, in the same manner.

Sara glances at me from that dress blade of mine and whispers out to me, "Hey that is the same leather armor she wore that night too and the armor you wore in the dream I entered. Where you were the instructor?"

"The very same, this is Elvin academy instructors amour and the markings show to others, what classes I am a Mistress over." I say to her and finish up putting on the set of armor. Then add the long red sash across my chest to it, going from right shoulder to left hip.

The next part is, my instructors baton. One for each body, the Mithril armor one of me. Pulls out the Bow Mistress one and hangs it from her right hip. The smooth black leather armor one, hangs the Sword or blade Mistress baton from her hip.

The last part placed on both of me, was a small metal plate. It was placed on my left breast of both sets of armor and that is where my heart would be if I was only a regular Sidhe. That plate held my award medals set engraved on it or small magic gems showing my many accomplishments.

That plate, showed my years at the academy instructing and my combat history for my many units. To explain each small line of engraving on each of them or each small pin or medal, would take hours to cover fully.

As I add the swords belt and scabbard to the whole package of both armors. Sara finally hands me back the long thin blade and I slide it into it's home on the belt. "There all set for this day, I hope that I look good enough?"

"You look great, that armor will gleam in the sunlight today and Rohanna?"

"Yes Sara?"

"You did know that blade has several languages carved on it?"

"Yes I do, most I know...some I don't?"

"Some of those, they are very old GOO languages and might even be spells? I am not sure yet, because I don't dare read them fully? Not until that blade is in a safer spot than inside Poe."

"Maybe one day we will try them out and see what happens. There is a very long story behind me being awarded that blade...a very long one!"

"Humm I have to hear that one someday and how in the heck do you fight with a blade so thin?"

"That is where skill becomes a factor, mine and the maker of the blade. This blade is far stronger than it looks and I am very good at using it! The art of using it comes in with blocking blows and defecting them. Then sliding a strike in and slicing a target to ribbons!"

"Just as I thought, skill like always! But lets go, as I entered your room. I watched Nikki and her family leave for the Grove."

~o~O~o~

As the sun starts to set

We both walked out to the Grove, to where the rest of the school was gathered and took a spot near the edge along a line of the schools fellow Sidhe. My head nodded in turn to each that showed up and I gave each one a large smile as I walked to the lines far end. My Bow was already at hand, the other me slid her blade from her sheath to show respect and we all waited for the main group with Nikki to arrive.

Rascal leaned over to me as we all waited, "You look so beautiful in that armor Lady Rohanna, nothing here is outshining you today!"

"Thanks Rodger, I hoped I would pass muster in this?"

Some time later a precession of Team Kimba showed up with Chou in the lead Followed by Jade and Jinn, who were holding a flag bearing Aunghadhail's Burning Oak Crest on it. Behind them was, Phase and Hank, and Toni and Billie. Holding a small platform, that held a wooden shield of Aunghadhail's Burning Oak Crest. This last representation of Aunghadhail was placed gently on a briar at the clearings center.

Nikki came next in the line and tried to say some words, but quickly was taken silent by her growing sadness. She ran off to her family, when her courage failed her and the sadness took the lead.

From there, Charlie Lodgeman gave a small short speech and lit the funeral pyre. As Jericho played guitar and Cody (Kodiak) spoke a short line or two, then started to sing. As it burned on, with him singing with the rising and falling flames. The ROTC cadets fired a salute and the Weres howled or growled and finally roared out a goodbye of their own to the growing night.

When most of the school was breaking up to walk back to the main campus. I stood on that fires edge, with the warm orange and red light it gave off dancing off my armor all shining around me. I waved a hand through the flames with a Mithril gauntleted hand, playing with them, the heat and the flame nothing at all to that hard armor.

Normally I would have been in tears by now, but strangely this felt right to be saying goodbye to the last of the old Sidhe this way. The ancient Sidhe, the ones that cursed me into this new existence. They all were fading with this fire and the new ones in my life...they all stood around me now.

Constance walked past me as I stood there staring at the fire and looked over my armor for the first time really closely, "That is the best armor, I think I have ever seen. And those medals and awards Ro. I think I actually recognize some of them?"

"Constance, please don't say one of your family ancestors has them. Because to me, each one represents pain and death to me at the orders of ancient elves like them. AND having even one of them, meant they were there and gave those orders...SO keep that to yourself for now?"

"Yes, Rohanna. I will and see you later." Constance says softly back to me, realizing she hit a deep wound somewhere in the Drow standing by the flames.

Right then, it struck me that I need to get rid of one of those award plates and let it burn in the flames. To show I was leaving that past behind me and not get angry at the new Sidhe around me, like Constance for something a family member did so long ago.

So the original me, took the plate off my clone in the leather armor. As that one represented the older me most of all, by her wearing that set of leather and tossed the plate deep into the center of the flames to pass on burning into ashes...to be forgotten for now.

Gwen took a place next to me, then spoke while the plate with my awards smoked in the fire and the magic held in some of the gems on the palte popped brightly in the flames, "Well Rohanna the last of Aunghadhail is gone, all that we have left from her is in each of us or what she wrote down?"

"So I guess Nikki showed you those books?"

"Yes, she read them just before coming out here and wanted me to tell you to come see her in her room tonight...after this?"

"Was she still mad at me?"

"Strangely no, not at you. But at herself, for tossing all that rage on you and Nikki knows that she messed up."

"I'll see you both there soon."

As Gwen walked off and I stared at the dancing flames. My sight fell to the growing pile of ashes and a thought formed deep in my mind. 'I might not have liked Aunghadhail at all times, but this pile of ash is most certainly a sad tombstone for anyone?'

Then it hit me like bolt out of the blue and I ran off after Caitlin!

~o~O~o~

I ran up to her and some of the outcast corner folks, "Caitlin, I need to ask you a very important question now!"

"What Ro?"

"Can we talk in the magic arts building, please meet me at the entrance in ten minutes?"

"Fine I will be there?"

"Thanks!" I shouted as I ran off towards Poe.

After I ran into my room, I tossed both sets of armor into storage and dressed in my regular clothes as fast as I could. Then came me facing that small box again, I drew a fast breath, snatched it off my far table and ported to Mystical arts building doors.

My port ended at the doors of the Kirby Building with a small bang, smaller than last time I tried. But still very far from my normal silent and fast porting that was normal for me.

"Wow Rohanna, that port of yours sure got noisy? Is that because of what Jobe and the new twin did?" Caitlin asks me.

"Yes," I growl to her, "It is messed up and I have trouble with it now."

"Well I will drop talking about that for ya and slap her later today for ya! But why the call to meet up here?"

"Can we chat in one of the magic lab rooms?"

"Yep, I have to keys to every building in Whateley...so lets go!"

Caitlin guides me to one of the many magic lab rooms downstairs and we enter without instructor permission or anyone noticing us! Once we were inside the room and the door shut. One of my best, but still blank daggers flows from storage and I hand it to her.

"Cat, I need this to be made into a focus for passing and holding essence in for a large spell."

"For what?"

I place my small box on a table at the rooms edge and sigh at it, "Your next."

Then move away to open my large storage space, via it's inky black doorway and slide the large bronze-gold box from it and open it in front of her, "I trust that you will not say anything about this Cat...please?"

"I figured that, but I am sure you need to hear it too. I will never talk about this." she swore to me.

"Thanks," I smile to her and pull out a box, then a small leather bag from that one of the five inside that match.

All that mess is put away and I hand her that small bag, "This needs essence from more than one Sidhe to grow, so I need a focus for tonight. If I had thought about this faster, I could have done it myself in a week. But I did not know Kodiak was coming with the Winter Crown yesterday."

"Okay, so why not just wait?"

"I would like this done tonight. So that this is planted by midnight, for traditions sake and you're the only one who can work that fast."

"Yes I can Ro, but I don't have all the tools right now and even with what tools Whateley has for my use, this will take a few days?"

"I knew this was coming," and as I say that, I pull my tool box for crafting magic items from storage, "So Cat, use this crafting kit please? Using it should speed you up a lot...I hope?"

Caitlin takes a few steps up to my kit, pulls a single drawer at a time from the cabinet and seems to be making a mental list of the contents as she goes, "This would do FINE! How did you get this?"

"It was my kit from back then, when I helped your kind make items for the royals. This is no where near what you would need to make a world shaking magic item, but it's a start at making a few nice things for now?"

"Ohhh yes it is and can I use this later for some projects that I have in mind?"

"If that is what you wish as a fee to do this for me...then yes. As I am sure that you know how to use and treat the tools within this kit correctly."

"Okay, deal! But what is this thing in the leather bag, that needs planting and magic essence to grow?"

I pull the small bag open and slide into my hand a seed, a little bigger than the size of my fist, "This a seed from one of the Groves Oak trees, that was inside the palace of the royals. Not one that could start a Grove by itself, but a nice one to represent Aunghadhail in life as a small monument?"

"Fine I'll do it, anything else?"

Now it's time to face the sad music, I walk slowly to the box that was placed on the table and sadly sigh as I open it "Misty, Gaea I miss you so much."

From under a silk cover, I pull a small leather set of armor that is torn across it's chest badly and covered in blood. My resolve fails me, as tears start falling down my face. Then I key a small spell into the armor and it springs from it's small Pixie size to full Elvin size.

As I hug that armor close to my chest, all I can think about is that last time Misty breathed in life and I held her close just like this. She whispered out only a few words then from her broken body, "Take me home." and she was gone.

Taking her broken body home, took several decades to happen. I was not allowed to leave my company of fighters for something that the Royals did not know we did or had with the Pixies. None of the ones that ordered us ever knew, that we had Pixies as friends like Misty and now my Violet.

If they did, they would have ordered them away or enslaved them too and us Drow could not live with that happening...ever.

After I got near enough to her home Grove. I took Misty's small body back to her family clan, they laid her to rest at a small ceremony that very night and gave me her belongings to use again. The clan offered one of her many cousins to me, but I refused the request. I was just too hurt to think of having a Pixie at the time.

It took over a hundred years for me to get over her death, she died so young trying to save me and she did save me, but at the cost of her own life. Misty was the most powerful Pixie I had ever seen, no one could match her in a fight of staves or magic. She was legendary.

I must have stood there crying for sometime, as a now shocked Caitlin's voice had to drag me back to the here and now, "Rohanna do you want some time for this?" she asked in a supportive voice.

I drifted back to the room from that sad memory and found why Caitlin was a little shocked. Violet had grown to Elvin size and was hugging me too, while I hugged that sadly empty bloody armor to my chest.

"Sorry Cat," I sniffed to her, "the one who wore this armor, she was very close to me and I was reliving their death."

"I understand more than you think,"

"Thanks Cat, but do you think you will be able to repair this armor for Lilac to use?"

"Humm let me see that?" she asks me.

It takes effort on my part to hand it to her, because I want to hold onto what Misty was and not let it go so soon in my mind. Caitlin takes her time examining the armor and drops what I thought might be a spell on it out of habit or who knows?

"I can repair this armor, but it will take days to do that and I have to use your kit for this of course? Then I might have to buy some items at the magic supply shop here, they will be expensive." she smiles to me.

"I thought that might be true, using my kit is not an issue and I will pay for anything you need, plus your time. Cost is not a problem, I will pay anything to get this armor repaired."

"Good, I am sure to need some Mithril and some gems for the spells."

"I have some pure Mithril in the kit already and what gems do you need?"

"I will use diamonds for some parts, but I could use some Diamonds of Tuatha De' Danann'?"

"Cat, I have some of those and others back in my room. Just ask for any number you need for this and they are yours! No cost is too high for this to get repaired."

"I have to ask you this, when I clean this before I repair it. What do you want done with the blood? I can save it for you, if you want it?"

"I would love for it to be saved, she was very close to me and I owe her my life. What killed her, it most certainly would have killed me if she did not sacrifice herself to stop it." I start to cry once again to Cat.

"Rohanna, I will give this project the dignity it deserves. I know that pain too well of late and I know this must be killing you to face it."

"Yes it is, I thought I would not have to face this again. But here it is, ripping my guts out just like the day it happened to me and her."

"How about you get going and I start on this first project. I should be easily done in an hour or so?"

"Thanks Cat...love ya!" and I am gone.

~o~O~o~

Friday April 20, 8:25 pm
Melville cottage

A small giggle escapes my mouth, as I knock on Jobe's dorm room door again. She opens it to me mad as heck, "What!" she yells at me, that bark quickly changes to "EEEEP!" when she sees me and the door slams shut. Gaea I love messing with her like this, it's too much fun!

A few seconds later, a laughing Belfy answers the door to me, "Hiya Ro, What's cooking!"

"A small request of you?"

"Yep?"

"I am having a small get together for Aunghadhail of my own, I am planting a Oak seed in her honor and I would hope that you would show up and offer some magic essence to the planting, for it to grow off of?"

"Let me guess, this is tradition of some sort?" she questions me with a small tilt of her head to me.

"Sort of, I just thought that a small pile of ashes in the Grove was a sad tombstone for Aunghadhail?"

"Yes you are right on that, a tree would be far better for a Sidhe. I will be there gladly."

"Can you get Jobe for me, she needs to hear this too."

"Mom, Door for you it's Rohanna!" she shouts out to the room behind her.

"I am not your Mom child!" a bellow comes from the room.

"Yes you are, Carson and the paperwork said so!" she corrects her.

"What does Rohanna want?" I hear the sheepish question.

"She wants to ask you something? AND NO! She is not holding a knife right now and grinning for your skin!"

A very unhappy pretend Drow comes to the door and stares at me, "What do you want?"

"Tradition and decorum require me to ask you this, I must ask even what I would call an enemy this. I invite you to come to the Grove to plant a Oak tree in Aunghadhail's honor. This is your choice to come or not. Doing so would be a good thing, but not coming would not change anything for the worse."

"Why ask me?"

"Even though Aunghadhail and I agree...you are not Sidhe. I have to invite what may be called Sidhe, even one that I call an enemy to this event."

"SO! You admit I am an elf then?" she smiles at me.

"Don't push it Jobe, I still hate you for this twin curse that I am surpassing and would kill you where you stand if not for my oaths. So come to this, as a honor it is or stay away and I know forever where you stand as even being called a Sidhe."

"I will think about it," and she slams the door on me.

~o~O~o~

"Well mom...Jobe, are you going to that memorial or what?" Belfy asks her mom and roommate.

"Nope I don't think so, I owe that Drow enough already and being a part of that little club of her elves is not for me." Jobe shakes her head to her cloned daughter.

"Big mistake Jobe!"

"Why is that, tell me?" Jobe demands.

"The staff here is pretty sure that Belphegor or dad cloning me from Nikki directly with your little DNA traits, that made me a Sidhe. A goofed up one, but still one anyway and that almost for sure gained me that super long life they all seem to have."

"Ya and?"

"And since your DNA serum is what I am based on. Then that is what changed you to a Sidhe or fake Drow, as Rohanna calls you!" Belfy laughs, "You are most likely going to live a long life just like me and now that it kind looks like Gramps maybe taking you back as his kid? You might want to be more friendly to a Drow that will live as long as you do and not make an enemy of Rohanna."

"So what do I care child!"

"You might want to, because Gwen told me this. Drow only see the world in black or white, dead or alive. There is no 'grays' in Ro's world, she loves you forever or will hate you forever and she is not one to forgive...ever."

"Like I said child, why should I care?"

"Rohanna will live for thousands of years and WILL be a very important Sidhe someday. Because I am so very sure that Nikki will be the Queen of the Sidhe someday and they are declared sisters....Do you really want to piss off, every elf forever Mom?"

"So politically, I should show up. Because sooner or later both of them will be something to deal with?"

"You got it!"

~o~O~o~

Friday April 20, 9:15 pm
Poe cottage

As I walked into Poe's main doors, I noticed most the students were in or around the sunroom eating a little and chatting it up. With a few words to select Elvin students like Rascal, I was able to get all the Sidhe headed towards my room for a meeting of us all. With them heading towards my room, I went to Nikki's room and found her family all there.

Nikki cried at me as I knocked on her open doorframe, "Ro get in here please, we need to talk!" and she shooed out her family and Toni rather fast. Only Gwen was asked to stay.

After they all left the small room, Nikki pointed to a seat for me as she closed the door. She was on her way back to sit on her bed, but never made it. Nikki wrapped both arms around one of me and started to cry for real to me.

"I am so very sorry for taking all that out on you, forgive me?"

"It's done, I know you were hurt and all that rage was just you coping with Aung's loss."

"Thanks Ro," she says to me very softly while letting go to sit on her bed.

"No need for that, you and me. We are the farthest non-related sisters in the world now!" I jest with her.

"Yes we are. But the reason why I asked you to meet me here...besides apologizing to you?" she starts crying again to me.

"Nikki please, it's all right now. All good and never was an issue."

"Rohanna, have you read that tome that Aung left you yet?"

"Not one word yet, have not really had the time to even think about it. Why?"

"I read mine this morning and now I understand you a lot better. Aung, she left me lots of little secrets on the Drow and now I know why you act the way you do."

"I thought Aung would have told you that by now, or you would have learned that for yourself?"

"This was a better explanation and it made sense to read it. Instead of learning it so slowly and she added in so much other needed info on top of that!"

"Did she tell you how to get that cursed book off my back!"

"That knowledge was not in the pages that I can read right now."

"Read right now?" I had to question that statement, as it made no sense to me at all.

"Yes, read right now. Aunghadhail, she sealed chapters of that book from me. At least till something happens in my life or a time limit expires in some way?"

"So she kept that from you too and that leaves you no choice in giving me full freedom?"

"Yes and she explained that to you and me more than once. You are not ready for those limits to be removed. I think, that in the last few weeks. You have journeyed so far down that new road in life...that you should be free from that curse. But I have no idea how to release you."

"Thanks Nikki! I have tried so very hard not to go off half cocked and hurt someone."

"I know, I would have skinned Jobe by now! If I were you?" she laughed at me.

"Naw I have her on a short leash and obtained a oath from her for favors to be named later!" I grin evilly back to Nikki.

"Good one!" Gwen laughs out at me, "that will teach her!"

"Nikki, I wanted to ask you before I did this?"

"What, anything?"

"I thought that when I was standing there at the burning funeral pyre, that just a pile of ashes. That was a sad tombstone for Aunghadhail."

"It is, I am thinking of something more. Maybe in a few years when I can do it better?" she starts to tear up and can't glance up at me from what might be embarrassment.

"Nikki, from back before that sundering. I have bought with me a few seeds from the main Grove nearest the ancient royals palace for the West. This is just a small Oak, but one of the oldest I could find at the time?"

Nikki grins up at me now, looking more than happy to me, "You want to plant that for her!"

"Yes, but we need some essence sacrificed and your blood would bond it to being Aunghadhail's tree better?"

"Yes, yes...we all should. Any and all Sidhe that show up. This should be Aung's tree as well as our new tree!" she shouts to me.

"That was my plan, I have Caitlin making a me a spell focus now and she will be done very soon. So we should be able to plant this seed by midnight?"

"Great! But now I have a question for you?"

"Annnnd?" I stare at her.

"Since I got all mad at you and this happened." she taps the Winter Crown laying on her bed, "I should ask you, did you call Timothy back and take that acting job or what?"

"Not yet?"

"Well? Are you or aren't you?"

"Heck if I know? Me out there in a movie and everyone sees who I am, is that such a good idea?"

"Yes it is and you know it!" Nikki barks at me.

"Yep, Nikki is right Ro, this is a good thing for you. A way cool summer job and you get to be seen as a good thing too!" Gwen beams at me.

"I am just so not sure of this?" I have to admit.

"Rohanna! Everyone around you feels that this is a great move for you and Sidhe in general to be seen in a movie like this. Gwen does, I do, Sara does and My dad does too. Besides he talked to Bill up at ARC and he is thrilled along with Jineen to look after ya where ever filming is done?"

"Just me out there?" I stop and lay back on Toni's bed thinking.

"I get it now, you afraid of everyone seeing you as you are now. That Drow in you has no idea what to think and that human is not ready to bee seen out like this yet? Is that the reason for all the hesitation?"

"Yes." I say flatly.

"Well no one will know what you where or what you are now? Then Whateley is a safe place that no one will know about or your in? Then you do the movie and a few publicity events and done!"

"Fine then, lets call Timothy before I come to my senses again and say no!"

"Great, I'll get him on my phone right now!" Nikki grins my way.

She leaps to her phone, hits the speed dial for his office and waits. After a second the secretary has us waiting for him to drop off a call, a deal he is finishing up and we are next for him to talk to.

"Hey hey! How is my fav elf doing Nikki!" Timothy starts in and more than pisses me off personally.

"I am fine Tim and that is Sidhe to you please." Nikki chuckles at him and corrects him a little sternly for me, with a added grin my way that makes me happy to see.

"Got it, but little lady what's the call for? I hope that Rohanna is in that room with you and a YES is on her lips for me!"

"Yes Timothy, I am here and YES!" I bark then start laughing.

"Great to hear, the final doc's will get sent to you via mail today and then can we set-up a screen test for real soon?"

"How soon?" I have to ask.

"This week or next?"

"Humm I guess since I have not had my spring break yet? We can do that then, Nikki any suggestions?" I ask her.

"The first week of May is open for sure and Whateley paperwork for a week off can easily be done by then and our paperwork too at ARC. Then add, dads paperwork with Bill to that pile?"

"Great, a date then for starting April thirty through the week?"

"I can do that." I state.

"Then I will see you here that Sunday or very early Monday!" Tim adds in, then hangs up just as fast to get to other calls.

~o~O~o~

Friday April 20, 11:35 pm
The Grove

Just a hour ago Caitlin had finished up with her project and ran over to Poe to give it to us. She handed me a finished dagger with a long spell written into it's sharp length and this was to be our combined focus to feed this large seed magical essence so that it would spring to life, then grow to be a large strong Oak.

For the next fifteen minutes, others I had invited showed up. The Sidhe of Whateley, each and everyone. Caitlin stayed on to see this through, as even she had issues that should be honored and let to drift off here tonight.

Among the last to arrive in the Grove, was Jobe and Belfy. Jobe just stared at me as I walked over to her, "So are you participating or?"

"I will stand by the side of the clearing for this. I am here to support Nikki as a fellow student and that is all Rohanna."

"Fine by me Jobe, my opinion of you just flew up to the sky and have a good night here."

I wanted to keep this short, so I started quickly as I held out that seed in my open hand, "Well my fellow students and Sidhe. We are here to plant this seed from the Grove nearest the royals main palace from before the sundering. I was lucky to have it in amongst my small possessions and I want to plant it tonight with your help. To honor Aunghadhail as best we can for now."

After I get a nod from most there and Nikki tears up like I was sure she would. I kneel down to the soft earth where the funeral pyre burned earlier today and dig a hole large enough for the seed sitting next to my leg.

When I am done, the seed falls into the large hole and I slice my hand over it with the blade in a smooth quick motion and I do it twice for both of me, "I am giving this seed part of me willingly, any one of you can do the same if you feel it's wanted. Please...no pressure to do so, if you don't want to?"

Nikki followed suit next, then Gwen gladly did and most of the Sidhe. Only a few felt the need to stay out of this part, I understood why in most cases. Then Caitlin jumped in and did the same with her strange blood added to mine. That mix was most active of all there!

Jobe shook her head to the idea, I am sure not understanding the meaning of it and Belfy, she jumped at the chance to be included in this. That made me a little proud of her, I was getting through to the girl.

The next step, was me recovering the now blood coated seed with rich earth and then sliding the blade into the wet soil till it just pierced the seed by nearly nothing, "Now we all wake this up from it's long slumber with magical essence and just like before. Feel free to do this part or not too?"

After I stood back up, both of me forced essence into the blade and Nikki joined in with her's. Gwen and the others soon joined in as best they could with their skills in magic varying from experts to novices like Belfy. She needed guidance in her supplying essence and Constance, plus Rascal showed her how to do this part.

Most of the other Sidhe, dropped off supplying the seed essence but me, Nikki and Caitlin. We four wanted this seed to grow strong and that needed huge amounts to start. The four of us poured our hearts out into the ground, till it glowed brightly from the flow...then we stopped. I gasped with Nikki for air, as spending this much essence did take something out of you.

"Well I think we are all done and later this coming month under the next moon. We shall see if this seed lived and grows from our combined sacrifice?"

The group stayed in the Grove for hours talking over what we had done and Aunghadhail from each ones experiences of her presence. This sharing helped Nikki feel better about today and I am sure healed that wound a little bit more...I hoped.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

~o~O~o~

Shadowsblade here.

This story in a joint venture with a group of fan fic authors, so far this group is made up of Nuuan, then Branek and finally myself. We all got together and after a jumpy start decided to make a group of stories that all take place within the Whateley fanfic universe.

To have an idea about the main protagonist this story's will develop
around here is a short introduction.

Angels Peril a Whateley Tale: Written by Branek
Tormented by the past, Angel is struggling between light and dark.

Melvin a Whateley Tale: Written by Branek
They say old soldiers never die, Melvin is about to learn that the hard
way.

The Way of the Dragon a Whateley Tale: Written by Branek
Born for eternity but vulnerable like a child, dragons shouldn't leave
their nest.

Every Rose has it Thorns a Whateley Tale: Written by Nuaan
Watch what you say around rose, could give you more trouble than you ever
asked for.
This one is coming soon, bug him for it! lol

Kelly a Whateley Tale: Written by Nuaan
Struggling with fate, Kelly has to deal with love and loss.

Shadowsblade a Whateley Tale: Written by Shadowsblade
Created for war and forged in pain, dealing with demons within and
without.

Vantier a Whateley Tale :Written by Shadowsblade
Ancient and Powerful Vantier awakens in a foreign world, struggling to
find her place in it.

You might ask yourself what is the Whateley Universe? To make it short,
here is a abstract straight out off the wiki.

Whateley is a Prep School for different teens. VERY different ones. Where else could a kid go to a school that has a resident demon living in the furnace? Or meet magic users, mutants of every imaginable kind, get trained in how to handle some rather odd abilities, and worry about
flunking Freshman English? Come visit Whateley Academy, nestled in the
lovely hills of New Hampshire. Just down the road from a town named
Dunwich... (Mythos jokes purely intentional).
This is the Whateley Academy Universe, a shared universe with over a dozen authors and more than a hundred stories (and counting). The stories range in size from vignettes to novels. It's a Mutant High scenario with both a strong transgender theme and a slightly watered down Cthulhu Mythos theme.

It's also very much a work in progress.'
If you want further information you will find them on.

http://crystalhall.wikia.com/wiki/Whateley_Academy_Wiki

or

http://whateleyacademy.net/

But I have to thank, Both Branek and Nuuan for their vast input and the ability they both have to 'bounce' off ideas and improve them!

To all my readers who have e-mailed me and given support--THANKS!

Please feel free, to add a review to this story and others. As those kind words are 'cookies' that keeps that muse well fed on the 'sometimes' long breaks between stories!

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including
photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods,
without the prior written permission of the Author, except in the case of
brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other
noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.