Destiny (Volume I: Shur'tugalar)

Chapter Ten Part LXXXI

First off, congrats to SilentSilverSlip for becoming the 500th voter of Destiny! She's written an Eragon fanfiction of her own, Dragon Rider, along with two other original fantasies, Shadows Arising and The Other Side. Check all of them out by clicking the dedication! :D

Also, LydiaSparrow has become the 550th voter and also got to earn a prize! She choose for me to write a short story about how Niom and Leafë fell in love, which means a romantic spoof about when they discovered the depths of their feelings and shared their first kiss. <3

It will be posted in a new story called The Chronicles of Alagaësia, which I plan to turn into a collection of short stories set in the realm of Destiny both before, during, and after it takes place. Of course, the latter two will not be written until it's finished, but I'll occasionally write some "before" scenes once this volume ends. (:)

Don't miss the chance to earn a prize of your own by becoming my 105th fan or 600th voter, or by liking the new Facebook page I along with two other awesome fan fiction writers (PotterLover2462 and LydiaSparrow) have set up that's dedicated to promoting other amazing Inheritance Cycle fan fiction, which is called Eragon Fanfics: Wattpad. Just click the external link, like the page, and then send me a Wattpad message with your Facebook name to choose a prize of your own! xDD

 And be sure to check out Transcendent Transcripts and the new reviews there! Now, let's see the results of Maggie's curiosity...

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The stone was smooth beneath her fingers, and as Mahogany leaned her head closer, she could spot thin white veins running along its shiny surface. Entranced, she carefully lifted it off of the pedestal and held it in both hands, marveling at the perfectness of its form. She drew it out of the cage, gasping in amazed delight as the light shone through the stone and illuminated a myriad of colors: some shades light enough to be gold, while others as dark as the wood for which she was named.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Maggie whirled in surprise, causing the chandelier to heave and send her tumbling backwards through the air. She clutched the stone to her chest tightly and screamed, closing her eyes as the moment of impact approached. But she didn't land on the ground. Her eyes flew open to see a handsome face frown down at her with cold gray eyes as hard as the marble floor she would have fallen onto if he'd not caught her.

"Y-Your Lordship," she stuttered breathlessly, the fear that had gripped her heart when she fell now returning though she'd been saved. "I-I didn't - I was j-just..."

Her words trailed off as his gaze ran down her face to her chest, and Mahogany felt her cheeks flame at his forwardness. She was still pressed against him, held tightly in a grip that both frightened and intrigued her. Now is not the time for fantasies! she chided herself, desperately trying to reign in her blush.

It only grew hotter as his eyes met hers again, the silver irises as piercing as his voice. "Where did you get that gem?"

What gem? Tilting her head, she realized with an uncalled for sense of dismay that he must have caught notice of the stone she still clutched to her chest. Biting her lip in worry, Maggie kept her eyes shielded as she replied, "I-it fell out as the chandelier did, Your Lordship."

"Oh really?" he asked, finally setting her back on her feet. She wobbled slightly, and his arm came up to steady her. Her breath quickened despite her intuition telling her that he knew she was lying. Casting her gaze downwards, she held out the stone to the lord with great reluctance, but he did not take it from her. "It is best that you present the gem to His Majesty."

"His Majesty?" Maggie gasped. "B-but I am in no way fit to see the king!"

"Not dressed like that, perhaps." His eyes raked over her, and she was suddenly very conscious of the mess that must be her hair and the crumpled state of her uniform. "Come along, then."

He turned sharply and strode out of the study, and she had no choice but to follow. "E-excuse me, Your Lordship, but what about the chandelier?"

"Ah, yes." Looking backwards, he raised his left hand, and the silvery oval mark on the palm began to glow. The sound of glass shards sliding together caused Mahogany to turn around, and her jaw fell open as the fragments of the chandelier came back together and the candles realigned themselves into position, their wicks lighting once more. She looked on in amazement as the reconstructed fixture rose back up to the ceiling, the plaster fixing itself around it and the whole thing now as good as new.

"Now, then." The lord raised one dark eyebrow as she gaped at him. "We can leave."

Maggie followed him down the corridors, still awed at the display of magic she'd seen. She'd been schooled well enough to know that the feat was extraordinary in itself merely because of how he had not used the ancient language. It was a dangerous thing to do for even one that was very experienced in magic, yet the man striding in front of her had done it without so much as a blink of his eyes.

She'd always seen him around the castle, admiring his handsome figure from a distance and never guessing he was anything more than another lord. Even now, dressed all in black besides his bright white shirt, he looked like nothing more than a young nobleman. Someone, she always later remembered, that would be a perfect match for the daughter of the king's closest companion but not for a mere maid.

"In here," he gestured now, and she went into the chamber uneasily. It was not one on her cleaning duties, but was still spotless, though Mahogany was sure she was the only chambermaid in the entire castle. The room was large, as befitting of a lord, with thick drapes drawn over the windows and candelabras covering almost every wooden surface in the sitting room. But instead of offering a seat in here, he lead her to the doors that must lead to his private chambers.

Indeed, a bed stood inside, along with a large chest at its foot and a desk to one wall. Again, drapes covered the windows here while candles lit the room, and the lord left her standing in the entrance to march over to a wardrobe. She politely looked away, studying the markings on the chest until he came back, a deep brown dress in his arms. "Put this on."

"B-but, Your Lordship, this is f-finery is not meant for the likes of me," Maggie argued, her teeth once again gnawing on her bottom lip.

"Nonsense," he retorted crossly, walking away to lay the garment on the bed. "You are the daughter of Lady Liress, are you not?"

His back was to her, so he was not able to see how her eyes widened before she'd schooled her face in a mask of confusion as he looked back at her. "I have no idea what you mean, Your Lordship."

"It's no secret from me." His cool gaze somehow burned through her. "And you betray yourself."

"Whatever do you mean?"

"Your stutter is gone." Mahogany stiffened as he drew closer, reaching out to gently grip her chin and examining her face with a look of indifference. "Your mother tried to keep you free from the fate that now lies ahead of you."

The mention of Liress caused her anger to spark. "Please excuse me, Your Lordship, if I am unable to fathom how treating your daughter as either a servant or an object helps free her in anyway."

"So very young to be so very bitter," he mused, and while he spoke it seemed as though within the silver-gray depths of his eyes there lay a deep sadness. "And about to grow so very much more so, as the gem you hold seems to now have a crack on its surface."