fandomhigh | Library, Thursday [4/13]

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Library, Thursday [4/13]

The books that were biographies and the books that were adaptations of films seemed to be bristling at each other when Cassidy got into the library that morning. As soon as she saw them start to line up at opposite ends of the top of a bookcase she rolled her eyes.

"Oh, honestly, you guys!" She shook her head and put white shields around both groups. "Haven't you learned anything from the others?"

She put the rest of the books away, straightened things that needed it and then returned to the desk with two books. One was on hand to hand combat, and one was about staff fighting techniques.

The library was open -- and there would be no fighting if the books knew what was good for them.

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"Not that I've seen, but then I wasn't here. I left Thursday night. What exactly happened this weekend?"

"Fandom invasion," Ender supplied. "We were attacked by a colorful array of creatures whose main goal seemed to be to keep us all trapped in the dorm lobby. Eventually they kidnapped all of the small children on the island, and as always, they were thoroughly stomped down into the ground."

Cassidy had been watching him quietly while he explained the events of the weekend. "Kidnapping children would be the quickest way to get killed flatter than dead."

"On this island, it's pretty suicidal, yeah," Ender agreed, with a little quirk of his mouth.

She shook her head. "Besides the bad guys, was anyone hurt?"

"It wasn't really that kind of invasion," Ender said, with a little snort. "Though I wouldn't be surprised if there were a few concussions here and there - we also wound up with floating bricks that gave you powers if you bumped in them with your head. It was... a little surreal."

"That just sounds really weird... even for here."

"The word I'd use is 'ridiculous'."

"That seems to be a good description, too," Cassidy agreed.

"So what did you do on Thursday?" Ender asked, changing subjects.

"Oh, uhm... I took a trip to Terrielle," she said casually.

First Karla was attempting guerilla tactics in Kaeleer - now he wondered if Cassidy was trying the same in Terreille. Ender just nodded. "Why?"

"Because as a Queen that now has two people from there as members of my Court, it's important for me to know the dangers my people face or what they might need." She shook her head. "I took Shira and Elle with me, and Ranon was still angry."

"Of course he was," Ender said, with understanding. "It's dangerous territory. Did you find what you were looking for?"

She sighed, her eyes turning troubled. "Times are hard for Shira and Ranon's people and I'm told that it's like that in many places in Terrielle where there are still good Queens that are alive." She looked at Ender. "They kill Queens there, Ender. Either these people led by a tainted priestess kills Queens because they will one day be too strong or they won't serve her. Or, the people kill Queens that try to twist Protocol and hurt males or other witches." She swallowed. "That's why Ranon didn't want me there without a stronger escort and trusted males, because I could have been murdered."

His eyes softened with a little sympathy. "It must have been hard to see," he said.

Mentally, he filed away the information among the rest of his file on Karla and Cassidy's world.

Cassidy hadn't talked much about it since her return. Shira and Elle were both letting her process as she could.

"I didn't see much because Ranon said it was too dangerous... but the men that were with him... Ender they were afraid of me." There was sadness as well as hurt in her eyes. "They were afraid of me because I'm a Queen."

For someone who was raised to care for and protect her people, the idea of having someone be afraid of her for that was hard to deal with.

"They were afraid of you because they weren't taught what a real Queen is," Ender said, quietly. "They were afraid of you out of ignorance, not because what you are is something worth fearing. And that's something you can help fix."

"I wasn't permitted to meet any other witches or healers while there because there was danger that could hurt them or me," Cassidy said, looking down at the desk. "Ranon and Shira told the men with Ranon that I was like their long ago Queens and not the twisted ones... that I wouldn't hurt them." She swallowed. "I didn't expect them to accept me just on another's say so, but it still hurt to know they have been mistreated so much that the idea of a Queen around them has them so distrustful." She looked back up at Ender. "How can someone who is supposed to protect and care for the people do that? The land where I was hadn't been tended properly in a very long time."

"Maybe that's something to find out," Ender said. He couldn't help himself - he was curious, too, for the reasons behind it all. "Something must have happened to shift the focus of all of those Queens. Who's this tainted priestess?"

"I don't know who she is," she said with frustration seeping into her confusion. "I thought that I would ask Karla if she had heard anything about a tainted priestess. I've also asked my brother to send me some of the older books in our library and to ask Mother to ask the Black Widow who told her to send me here for books on the history of Terrielle. I never knew the place existed until I came here, but somewhere there has to be more information." She took a deep breath. "If they can't answer my questions, I thought perhaps I could write to Jaenelle or to the High Lord for assistance."

"If you decide to write Jaenelle, let me know," Ender said, after a moment. "I know her."

He'd only really spoken to her face to face twice or thrice, but they had... a lot... in common. "Anything else that jumps to mind about Terreille?"

"I will. I would like to get to know her, too." She nodded. "I didn't get to talk to her after we got back to the Hall from Agio. She was resting and I was being fussed over by my cousin unless I escaped to the gardens to talk to other Queens or Morton." She might have blushed a little, then shook her head. "Shalador. I don't know what that means, but Ranon and Shira are very proud that they are Shalador people. I need to know if that is another Territory that is supposed to be as mythical as we all thought Terrielle was. Whatever it is or was, the people from there have suffered. I'm not their Queen, but Ranon and Shira are mine, and if I can do something as a person to help them, then I will."

"And asking Shira hasn't gotten you any clarity about the Shalador?" Ender wondered. "As it stands, I think you're Ranon and Shira's Queen in spirit if nothing else."

"Shira calls me her Queen and Ranon has admitted the bond between he and I... but they have had to keep their home secret for so long. Shira trusts me... but it's harder to get the history from her. There are questions she doesn't know how to answer, I think." She sighed. "She calls me Queen loud enough when she thinks I'm doing something I shouldn't be, too."

Ender quirked a smile. "That's usually a give-away," he agreed, "When people are mad at me, they just call me Andrew."

She smiled slightly. "I get Lady added in front of my name when I'm in trouble... unless it's my mother or Poppi."

"Also a killer, by the sounds of it," Ender replied. He held the smile for a little bit longer before he dropped it. "What do you want to know most badly?"

Cassidy thought for a few moments about the questions. What was the most important thing for her to know about this?

"I want to know why this happened," she said finally. "What happened to make people fear the ones that are supposed to care and protect. I want to know what Shalador was and why it's not spoken of except as if it were legend."

"And does Shira not know, or is she just not telling you?" he asked. "If it's the former, we're going to have to look into some ways to get that intel."

He was already pretty sure he was at least a bit committed to helping Karla - helping Cassidy, who didn't have Karla's sheer amount of manpower on-island, seemed at least a bit more useful.

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Library, Thursday [4/13]

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