Bane

[Bane]

A little history first.

I got the idea for the World of Threes a few years ago. I wanted a place where the people were as I see people now.

The "good" people had differing shades of blue as a skin tone, hair color, etc. Their eyes are a yellow or green shade. And there are Lords and Ladies just like the old times. Every female wears some kind of "film", which is about the equivalent of a sari (sp), only made in one piece; a "gown", which is the gaudy affair women used to wear in the time of Shakespeare (the rich women, at least); a "dress" which is much like a dress as we have them, a bodice with a flowing skirt, but none of the hassle of many skirts or a corset.

The men wear leggings (much like jodhpurs (sp)) and tunics along with a cape or cloak of some sort.

The "bad" people had wings like a dragon or bat, great leathery affairs that came out of their backs, and tails. They looked much like the gargoyles from the television cartoon named such. Not much is known about them except that they are believed to be evil incarnate and something long ago sparked a war between the two races.

Then, there are the "normal" people. Humans like today, with all the amenities we hope to have in the future, with all of our quirks. They dress like us...blah blah blah. They basically /are/ us.

I finally decided to write the story a few nights ago when I actually got a decent start on it. And the main character, Bane, is one of the "good" people. She is a Shadow Princess...blah blah blah again.

I wanted something that said the Shadows are good things. I was tired of all the places where shadows are something evil. The Shadows are what protects us from the Listeners, or the "bad" people. When I was little, I was terrified of people listening to me when I didn't want them to. Thus, we have the Listener's.

Bane also became a character on a site called Satchland. If you've been with me in KTL long enough, you've heard me talk about it plenty. There was a contest to create a character in a story (the story may or may not come to fruition) that had the name you use as a username. I got first place with the character sheet I submitted on me, Bane. Her character sheet can be viewed in it's entirety in the thread "My RP Characters" in the Critter & RP Forum.

In some time I will have a piece of art done by Jinnjinn that is of Bane as described in her character sheet. Mind, I had to flesh her out a bit more than I have already for Jinn to do the work, but I think it will be great. I am letting her post the art since it is hers, even if it is a commission. That, and I have no idea how to post it. :shrug:

Anyway, here is what I have of the story so far. Any questions can be posted in the Writer's Feedback Forum.

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[Bane]

They were coming after her. She knew it, but still she stopped for the girl. She couldn’t help it, the girl was just standing there, crying. The Listeners were coming, and the girl would not run. Ferrel saw her standing in the road and had to pick her up and take her along. She couldn’t just let her die.

¥

Bane walked through the gardens. She didn’t remember the night Mother had saved her. It had been four years since that night, and she had blocked it out of her mind. The Listeners were terrible, and she couldn’t wait until she went into Service to squash them. It would only be a month, and then she would go into training as an assassin and spy.

She passed by the orchids before entering the expansive house. She had always liked the orchids. They were the most omnipresent flowers in the Shadow World. The orchids were the one flower that did not remind her of the old place - the place where her parents had died.

When she walked into the kitchen, there was a strange man sitting at the island, talking to Mother. They both went quiet when she walked in, and she saw tears in Mother’s eyes.

“What’s wrong?” she said, defensive.

“Nothing,” Ferrel said. “This man is here for you, dear.”

Bane looked at him. He didn’t look as though he were in the Service. He was too small. “I don’t leave for training until next month. Why are you here now?”

The man seemed offended by the question. She couldn’t put it any plainer. She wanted to know why he was there, so she asked. It had never been wrong before, why should it be now?

Stepping in so the man didn’t say anything about her abominable manners, her Mother said, “This is Lord Mithrandír. He is here to talk to you. Sir,” she added with a slight bow of her head. “This is Bane. I believe she is the one you have told me about.”

The man looked at her and nodded. “I believe she is, too, Ferrel,” he said. “It’s been good of you to take care of her for so many years.”

“How much time does she have to pack?” Ferrel asked Mithrandír.

“I’ll give her until sundown, then I will return,” and with that, he got up and vanished in the way some Shadows had.

After he had left and she made sure he wasn’t hanging around, Bane asked, “Why was he here and where am I going?”

Ferrel looked at her and sighed, “He was a Lord of the Realm. Apparently, the little girl I saved all those years ago was a princess who had been lost. They finally tracked you down here, and he has come to bring you home. You are to go straight into training on the morrow.”

This couldn’t be right. How could she be a princess? She didn’t even know how to keep her mouth shut. “But why do I have to leave? Can’t I just stay here? It’s obvious that they know nothing about me, nor do they care if it took them this long to track me down, and I live in the royal city!”

“Oh, Bane,” Ferrel said, taking her in her arms. “You must go so you can learn all the things I was unable to teach you. The Lord will be back at sunset to get you, so you better go pack. You’ll have to wear something other than the rags you have on if you are to be presented to the Council. Go, get ready.”
¥

Bane got to her room and sat on her cot. She had never had anything in her life, and suddenly she would be before the Council with no more manners than a garden snake. And what would she wear? The nicest thing she had was a light blue gown that had flowing pieces. It wasn’t much more than what the peasants wore. She couldn’t afford much more than that. Ferrel may have a nice house, but she didn’t think much of her neighbors and didn’t go to their parties. Thus, Bane didn’t have much in the way of formal wear.

She donned the gown and started packing what little she had in the way of belongings. Most of the time she was out in the gardens, so she had leggings and loose tunics. She packed these in a carrysack and got out her boots. She didn’t have any nice shoes, so she would have to wear the boots she wore for everything else.

When she was done packing her clothes, she looked out the window to check the time. She still had a couple hours until sunset, so she looked about her room for anything else she might want to bring with her. On her bedside table, she had a painting of Ferrel that had been given to her about two years after Ferrel had found her. She packed that with her clothes. It was probably the only thing she would have that would remind her of Ferrel. There was one piece of jewelry that Ferrel had been keeping for her, and she went to get that. It was a silver chain with an intricately wrought gold orchid. In the center of the flower there was a blue stone that shone with a light of it’s own when Bane held it. She had never known why it shone like that. Maybe the Council would be able to tell her something about it.

When she came down with her bags at sunset, Mithrandír was already there and waiting. He took the two bags and put them in the carriage before waiting for her to say goodbye to Ferrel.

“I’ll write often,” she said, tears running down her cheeks.

“No,” Ferrel said. “You won’t. They’ll keep you too busy, and even if you manage to write something, I doubt they’ll let you send it. They may appreciate my care of you, but they just want you back in their fold.”

When Bane heard this she shook her head and cried all the more. Mithrandír helped her into the carriage and then climbed in after her. He signaled for the coachman to start moving, and then settled in for the ride to the castle.

¥

“You will be in this room,” Mithrandír said. He had led her up three flights of stairs and seemingly I circles to reach this room. Bane dearly hoped there was a shorter route. “I will get you in the morning for your meeting with the Council. One of the lady’s helpers will be here to get you something better than peasant’s rags to where. You’ll find suitable close in the wardrobe, princess.”

Before she could say anything about his comment on her clothes, he had left. She went to the wardrobe and looked inside. There were several gaudy garments that she couldn’t picture herself in, and one thing that looked surprisingly like what she was wearing at the moment. She pulled out the filmy dark blue garment to get a better look, and realized it was an assassin’s uniform. They were worn when they were at the castle, and were highly useful when trying to hide in the other two worlds.

There was a knock at the door, followed by silence. She yelled for the person to enter, but there was no response. So she went to the door and opened it and was surprised to see a small woman standing in front of the door.

“I said to enter,” she told the woman.

“Sorry, mistress,” the woman responded, curtsying. “I am not accustomed to your ways, and did not know if you would want me to enter on just a command.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” She asked. This was certainly odd. She had never heard of actually having to open the door for the servants. They normally did that on their own.

“Most of the other Ladies open the door for their tailor,” the woman responded. “They do not yell through the door for all to hear.”

Bane flushed. She still had a lot to learn about the etiquette of living in the Queen’s castle.

“Then it is my fault,” she said to the woman, moving so she could enter. “I do not know what goes on here, I only just arrived.”

“I know, mistress,” the woman said. “I was sent to take your measurements and then to find something for you to wear for tomorrows meeting.”

“That’s fine. Mithrandír said you would be coming,” Bane said, looking out to make sure the man wasn’t going to try to watch. “First, though, don’t call me ‘mistress.’ My name is Bane, you may call by it.”

“Oh, no, mistress,” the woman said, abasing herself. “I could not.”

“Sure you can. I just told you to,” Bane said. “It is, however, customary for you to tell me your name after I have told you mine.”

The woman stared at her. She must have said something insulting. “Mistress, how do you know the customs of the peasants?”

“I haven’t been a mistress my whole life, and the mistress thing is going to take a while to get used to. I grew up in the city, not here in the castle. I never even knew I was a princess until today,” bane said.

“Oh,” the woman said, blinking. “In that case, you will have to get used to far more than being called by your title. I am Telrúnya. I will be the main tailor getting your clothes. What do you prefer to wear?”

“Leggings,” Bane responded. “And tunics.”

“That won’t be suitable. You will need gowns, and a uniform,” Telrúnya said. She went about measuring Bane’s arms, legs, waist, chest, neck, shoulder span, and height while she said this. “You should be able to fit into the Dukes daughter’s clothes until we can make your own. I’ll have to fix the uniform on the bed to fit you until we can get you one that’s made for you.”

“Why can’t I wear what I’m used to?” Bane asked. “Will I have to wear those gaudy things in the closet?”

“Gaudy?” Telrúnya asked, looking somewhat confused. “Oh! I’m sure Arwen will have something you like that’s more suitable for a Council meeting than what you have on. She’ll be in when I tell her what you want. She’s much like you, you know. I think you two will get on fine.” And the woman left with her tape and measurements.

Not long after, there was another knock at the door. Not wanting to offend anymore callers, Bane went to the door and answered it this time. Standing in front of her was a light skinned, stunning girl about her age.

“Hi,” the girl said. “I’m Arwen. Telrúnya said you needed some gowns and stuff, so I brought you some of mine. It seems we’re about the same size. I brought a variety, so we can have fun going through them. Telrúnya said nothing gaudy, so I brought my films and …”

Before she could finish, Mithrandír walked in. He looked stunned at first, but recovered his composure before speaking, “Bane, I’m supposed to approve what you wear tomorrow. The Duke and Duchess saw you come in, and requested that I make sure you are ‘suitable for presentation to the Council.’” As he said this, his voice took on a high, squeaky sound, and Bane realized that he may not be so bad. Arwen laughed and turned back to what she had been doing - laying out gowns on Bane’s bed.

“I brought films and some heavier dresses, but they’re nothing like what you have in here,” she said. “Why they gave you Orophin’s old room, I’ll never know.”

“Did she leave all of her clothes so she could make that poor sod that married her buy her new ones?” Mithrandír asked.

“Yes,” Arwen told him. “They’re awful. And Bane here thought se would have to wear things like that.” Turning to Bane, she added, “Don’t worry. Orophin wanted to be exactly like the Queen, so she tried to dress like her. The Queen only wears those in public, but Orophin wore them constantly. It was an eyesore, so her parents married her out to the first man that would take her when she came of age. He left her things her in hopes that he would buy her new things. He won’t. He’s really obsessed about his money, and will probably buy her only films. I think the most expensive thing he’s bought her was the wedding gift he got for her parents.

“Now,” Arwen said, turning back to the various things she had laid on the bed, “Do you have any jewelry you could wear so I have a better idea of what to let you use?”

Bane thought about it, and then got her necklace out. Both Arwen and Mithrandír gasped when she pulled it out of the bag it had been in.

“Where did you get that?” Mithrandír asked her when he gained his senses after seeing the necklace.

“I’ve had it since before Ferrel found me,” Bane replied. When she held it, the stone began to glow. “What’s wrong with it?”

“Nothing’s wrong, dear,” Arwen said. “But you will definitely wear that tomorrow.”

“Why?” Bane asked.

“The Council has seen many people claiming to be you, Bane,” Mithrandír said. “That will be the only proof you need. They have the sister to it - the one that your mother wore - and when it glows to them tonight, they will know you are finally home. The imposters could always make everything but the stone glow. It is your powers that make it glow.”

Bane looked at the seemingly innocuous necklace. It couldn’t be that important, could it?

“If she had this all this time,” Arwen began, “Why didn’t Ferrel tell anyone she had her?”

Mithrandír shrugged as Bane answered, “She didn’t know I had it. I put it in the bag it was in and gave it to her to hold. She never looked at it, just thought it was a child’s thing. She put it away until earlier when I got it to bring it with me. It’s the only thing I have from before Ferrel found me.”

“Well,” Mithrandír said. “If she didn’t know you had it then the Council can do noting to her. She is safe from them.”

“What would they do?” Bane asked, suddenly worried.

Mithrandír looked at her. “They’ve been looking for you for four years. If Ferrel had known who you were, she would have been forced to return you to the castle. But since she didn’t know, there is no fault in her keeping you with her.”

Bane hadn’t known that. She didn’t want Ferrel to be in trouble, especially not with the Council. She was glad she had never shown Ferrel the necklace, and started to put it back in the bag when Mithrandír caught her hand. “You must wear it now. It will alert the Council to your presence in our world. It has glowed off and on for the last four years, so they knew you were alive. It does not, however, serve as a way to locate you. Did you take it out periodically throughout the time you were with Ferrel?”

“Yes,” Bane said. She had taken it out around the same time each year to check if it still glowed. She didn’t know why she did this, but she did. “I took it out around the middle of the year, every year.”

“Not around the middle of the year,” Mithrandír said. “Not if you did it regularly. It would have been on your birthday. Your true birthday. That is the only time you will have any urge to just look at it and hold it. Other than those times, it will be no more than a necklace in meaning to you.”

“How can you know?” She asked.

Mithrandír looked at her, as though deep in thought, before he answered. “Its because that is the only time your mother ever looked at the one - the sister to yours - she wore. On her birthday, she would look at her necklace - just look - and hold it. She said it was the only time she ever actually cared about the necklace. No one knows what she thought about when she looked at it. She said she forgot as soon as the hour of her birth was gone. It was the only time she was ever truly vulnerable, too, so you must be careful of where you are when it is your birthday.”

Bane didn’t know what to make of this information. He had just said to a word what she felt when se held her necklace on that one day, but she only held it for about a quarter hour. She brought this up because it intrigued her, “But I don’t hold it for an hour. Only about a quarter hour.”

“That’s because you were delivered in about that time,” Mithrandír answered. “Your mother took closer to an hour to be delivered.”

Bane nodded understanding and then turned to the garments spread on her bed. “How long will it take for Telrúnya to make my clothes?” She asked Arwen.

“About three weeks,” Arwen replied. She had pulled all the lighter garments off the bed and transferred them to a chair. “I’ll let you borrow some of mine until yours are done. I have enough, so it’s not a problem,” she added before Bane could protest.

Mithrandír looked at the various gowns on the bed and groaned. “She doesn’t have to try all of those on, does she?”

Laughing, Arwen replied, “No, just until we find one that fits right and goes with her skin tone.”

“That’s going to take forever,” Mithrandír said. “She’s got the oddest skin tone of the Shadows. You know she is neither Light or Dark, there are only three like her in our world.”

“I can try, though, “Arwen replied, and she looked as though she would do so if it took all night. “Now, go try this on,” she said, holding out a dark blue film that faded to black at the bottom and the ends of the sleeves.

¥

It took three hours before Arwen found a film that was the right shade for Bane. She and Mithrandír finally left, and Arwen assured Bane she would be back in the morning to help her get ready.

An hour after they left, Mithrandír returned to get her for the evening meal. He led her down more corridors than they had taken to get to her room and into a massive room with long, oak tables laden with food. Being accustomed to a smaller selection that would feed her and Ferrel and the staff, Bane stared openly at the amount of food laid before her.

“We have a lot more staff to feed than Ferrel did,” Mithrandír said. “You will sit with me and Arwen at the head table tonight, but you will more than likely move to the Queen’s table tomorrow. Before that, however, you need to close your mouth and stop acting as though you’ve never seen anything like this.”

Before she could do anything other than what Mithrandír wanted her to do, he added, “Where is your necklace?”

“I left it in my room,” she responded.

“Don’t do it anymore. That necklace marks you as these people’s leader,” he said. “You don’t have time to get it right now, so you’ll just have to remember for the rest of the meals. Now, follow me to the table, and hold you head high.”

They ate in peace for most of the time, with Mithrandír and Arwen pointing out various nobles to her. Bane was interested in all the different people she saw, all the different shades of Shadow, but she didn’t like the man that kept looking at her. When she asked Arwen ad Mithrandír about him, they wouldn’t say anything she could call useful.

¥

It was very early morning when Arwen came to wake Bane up. She made her wash with several different oils and soaps, and then helped her brush and dry her hair. When her hair was dry, Arwen made her sit on a stool while she did things with it that Bane had never known could be done with hair.

“You have gorgeous hair, Bane,” Arwen said when she started on the braids. “I think I’ll plait it half way and then let the rest hang in curls. I could use some temps to make it more multi-dimensional, but you don’t really need it. Besides, temps only lighten the hair and your hair has black highlights. I don’t think it would handle any light blues well.”

When her hair was finished, Bane was afraid to move and mess it up. But Arwen insisted that she needed to get dressed and go down to the Council room and meet all the nobles she had seen the previous night.

“I’ll introduce you to the ones that I can, but I’ll have to leave when the Council convenes,” she said. “They don’t want anybody in there but the important people when they talk to you.”

¥

Bane was surprised to see Mithrandír in the Council room when she and Arwen arrived. She also met Lords Maglor, Lossëhelin, and Súrion, who had all served with her father. Among the Ladies were Ancalimë and Celebriän who had been friends of her mother’s. There were the Duke and Duchess of Nender, who gasped when they saw the necklace around her neck and gave her a warm welcome back home.

She had just gotten to the end of Lords, Ladies, Dukes, Duchesses, and Counts when she met the man who had been staring at her at the meal the night before. He turned out to be Lord Xavier, the son of Count Arien and Countess Finduilas. Mithrandír explained that she would probably be seeing a lot of him, but he wouldn’t say more as just then, the Council members filed in from a side room and sat in their chairs.

¥

“We have gathered for yet another interview of a potential Princess Bane,” the man in the middle said, sounding decidedly bored. “Has anyone here met the young lady before this day?”

At the question, Mithrandír stood up.

“Lord Mithrandír, I believe this is the first time you have brought us anybody,” one of the older women said. “This is surprising since every other person in this room, barring the Council members themselves, have brought in at least two girls a piece.”

“Yes, Baroness,” Mithrandír said. “But I have been searching for Bane since the night her parents died. I would not bring a girl here that I did not believe to be the real thing.”

“And what, precisely, makes you think this girl is any different from the dozens of others?” Asked the bored old man in the middle.

“She wears the sister of the necklace that was around Princess Dinendal’s neck and given to her daughter, Bane. Why would anyone else have that necklace?”

The bored man was the first to speak up, though others tried, “Every girl that has been brought before us has had that necklace, Mithrandír. That does not prove this is the true Bane.”

Mithrandír smiled slightly before gesturing for Bane to stand with him. “Your Highness, the other necklaces never glowed as this one does.”

For the first time, the Council members seemed unable to come back with a smart reply that would prove her to be the wrong girl.

“It really glows?” Asked the woman next to the bored man. She had straightened a little, showing more life then she had seemed to have in the previous questions.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Mithrandír said. “Look for yourself,” and he pushed Bane gently forward toward the dais.

The woman, apparently the Queen herself, stood and came forward. When she was within reach, she stretched out an arm and took hold of the necklace around Bane’s neck. When she saw that it did, indeed, glow, she broke down in sobs and clung to Bane. The man that had at first seemed bored also came forward and hugged Bane, though he hadn’t seen the necklace.

The Queen turned to the nobles that had gathered to see another hopeful girl be reprimanded for her impudence and said, “My granddaughter has returned home.”

With that, the King and Queen dismissed everybody but Lord Mithrandír and sat with Bane for hours, asking questions about the past four years of her life. They could not believe that in all that time, her memory of the early years of her life had not come back. They told Mithrandír to move her to the Royal Hall and have the tailor hurry with her clothes, and were relieved to find out that she liked the simpler garments like films and dresses.

They told her amusing stories of the times when she had been a baby, playing in the gardens with the various animals they had around the castle. The King laughed as he told her how she had interrupted every important meeting he had ever had from the time she was old enough to walk until she was old enough to know better. Queen Arcamenel told her how she had loved swimming in the pools in the castle, and how she had pulled the Queen into the pool just before the Listeners had invaded and she had disappeared. At mention of her parent’s death, both the King and Queen sobered.

¥

[Bane]

That night, as she ate with her new-found grandparents, she found herself wishing Ferrel could be there. She had told the King and Queen all about Ferrel, and what she had done while she was gone. The King, upon learning that she was to go into training for his army, immediately told his General to strike her name from the list of those to be taken. She was surprised that the General was there, sitting right next to her, yet hadn’t been at the Council meeting. Weren’t Generals important enough for that?

After the meal, Mithrandír led her to a different room in a much more immaculate hallway.

“Your things have already been moved here,” he told her. “Arwen is just down the hall, and I’m right under you. Just call us if you need us.”

Her new room was twice the size as the one she had been in the night before, with door leading to different rooms. She went to one of the closets and opened it to find that it was big enough to have been a room all on it’s own. The wash room was the size of the room she had been in, and the second door led to a waiting room with a door leading out into another hall.

“There’s a map of the castle in the desk,” he said, pointing to an ornate carved wood desk on one side of the room. “Look it over so you don’t get lost. If you want a tour, ask me or Arwen. Don’t be surprised if you have some visitors later. They’ll ring through the front.”

Just as he said this, there was a chiming ring that echoed through the suite. He followed her as she went through to the sitting room and opened the door to find Lord Xavier there. She felt Mithrandír stiffen behind her as she greeted him.

“You know,” he said. “It is customary for you to invite people in when they come to call.”

“I apologize, Lord,” she said, and was about to curtsey when something like a growl came from Mithrandír and she just moved out from the door to allow him in. “I’m not used to living in castles.”

Mithrandír looked at her, and then just followed Xavier to the couch and sat down. She took the chair in front of them and just sat there, not knowing what to say or how to start. It was several minutes before Xavier smiled. She didn’t like that, but couldn’t say anything.

“It’s glad to have you back, love,” Xavier said.

Love? She looked at Mithrandír, but he didn’t say anything else.

“I’m sorry, but you must have the wrong person. Did you just call me ‘love’?”

“Yes I did,” and then, as though something had just dawned on him, he added, “We were betrothed before…you disappeared.”

This stunned Bane, and she again looked at Mithrandír, “Is this true?”

“I’m afraid so, Princess,” he said, with an extra stress on her title. “The King and Queen were going to tell you tomorrow, but someone forgot his manners at home.”

Xavier glared at him. “Surely you remember the agreement between our parents?”

Bane thought it had been made clear that she did not remember anything before the night Ferrel had found her, but apparently not everyone was listening. “I don’t remember anything before the day Ferrel found me. I said this at the Council meeting. Besides, my parents are dead. That alone should have nullified the agreement.”

Xavier looked crestfallen, and Mithrandír looked as though he would cheer. She wanted to just make him leave, but didn’t know if she could, so she sat there.

“My parents are dead, too,” Xavier said. “I guess there’s no one left to ask on the matter.”

“Why not ask Bane her opinion?” Mithrandír suggested. “After all, in the end it is her decision.”

Bane wanted to hug him. Xavier just glared at him some more, and then turned to her expectantly. They both did.

“My opinion, at the moment, is that I want Xavier to leave,” Bane said. Xavier looked at her and then got up and left. That was simple.

“Why wasn’t I told about that?” She asked Mithrandír when she was sure Xavier was gone.

“I was told not to tell you,” he replied, “In the case that you weren’t actually the Princess. A marriage to a Lord would guarantee any girl some status. I should have told you when I saw the necklace glow, but I didn’t in hopes that this wouldn’t happen. I should have known he would recognize you, and warned you.”

“It would have been nice,” she said. “Now, you leave, too. I want to go to bed, and I need no man to help with that.”

Mithrandír caught the joke and laughed. “One day, you will, Princess. One day you will.” She heard him laughing as he left.

¥

Over the nest few weeks, Bane was escorted around by either Mithrandír or Arwen. They showed her how to get around in the castle, including the passageways that she could not use. In the town, she was shown the royal merchants, and the les reputable merchants, and how to get where. She was introduced to each of the major inn keepers as the Princess so they would know an imposter and be able to warn the castle.

One day, she was brought to the great Luna Stud Stables, housed at the rear of the castle. These were the only creatures in the Shadow World that had originated in the Listeners Realm. She was taught by the stable manager how to tack and ride the great horses, and even offered a two year old as her own. As the Princess, she should have her own ride.

She only saw Xavier on a few occasions, and each was tense. She had not yet approached her grandparents on the matter of their betrothal, but she felt it should be void under the circumstances. Every time she saw him, she wanted to turn and go the other way.

¥

On the fourth day of the fifth week she was there, se was put into training as a royal informant. Her trainer told her that, in theory, she should be able to pass as normal in the world of the Normal Ones. He told her that the Crossover point was forged of both Light and Dark, and so only those born to it could pass through. She was one of four who were born to it.

Lord Lossëhelin was her trainer, and one of the few who could pass the Crossover point. He told her everything she would need to know when among the Normal Ones.

“You will not have to disguise yourself,” he told her on her first day of training. “If you are born of both the light and the Dark - which you should be since you are the Princess - your body will change of it’s own accord. It will give you the best coloring you need to be in that world.”

He demonstrated what he meant by totally changing in color. He went from a very dark blue skin tone to a tan one. His hair changing from a light blue to a brown, and his eyes from a pale yellow to a murky blue. All of this happened in a little over a minute.
“When you change, you must make sure you are not seen,” he explained. “If the Normal Ones see you, they will cal their authorities and have you punished for being different.”

She didn’t like the sound of that. If she was a Princess in her own world, wouldn’t she be to the Normal Ones? She had always been able to see the Normal Ones since Ferrel lived close to a Crossover point, but she had never seen one that looked like a Shadow. She had always thought that was odd. Now she knew different.

“Now,” Lossëhelin began, “I want you to think of a Normal One that you have seen. Any of them, but only think of one. If you think of too many at a time, you will be odd colored for them and they will stare. You don’t want that. Just picture one of them and let your body change.”

There had once been a woman about her size standing at the Crossover point as though she could see through it. She’d had black hair and pale, ivory toned skin. This was the woman Bane thought about. She had seen the woman’s eyes, as well, and concentrated on them for a while. They had been a clear, deep blue - a color never seen in the Shadow World.

When she opened her eyes, Lossëhelin had held a mirror up to her face. She saw herself, but in the wrong color. She had blue eyes, black hair, and pale white skin.

“That’s good,” Lossëhelin praised her. “It’s close to what your grand mother used to do.”

He then told her to think of herself as knew herself, and to let her body do the change. Now that it knew what to do when she Crossed, she would not have to concentrate much on it. E then took her to a Crossover point that was in a small room in the castle.

“What would happen if someone who wasn’t born to it tried to cross?” She asked, curious.

Lossëhelin shrugged, “It has never been tried. In the old times, when this particular Crossover point was made, there were a lot more of us than you, me, Súrion, and Ancalimë. Back then, no one really had to worry about what would happen because no one ever tried it.”

“You wouldn’t hazard a guess?” she asked.

“My guess is that they would be stuck between the worlds as a worst case scenario. Best case, they would change and be unable to return, or simply couldn’t pass,” he said. “These Crossovers were made with powerful magic that required the user to be of both the Light and the Dark. In the old times, there were many more.”

Without continuing on that track, he said, “Now, we are going to Cross to get you suitable Normal attire. I must warn you that they dress atrociously and have bad manners. You are a good height for a female, so you should not be hard to fit.”

With that, they passed through, waiting for their bodies to change. When they had both fully changed, they exited the tiny room they had entered and walked down busy streets.

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