By the end of the next sevenday, the entire teen population of the hold was ready to revolt. It was a simple enough thing in concept, all they had to do was convince Shanol to change the law. To most of Izulen's followers, this was as terrifying an idea as it was exciting. For most of their lives, they had lived with the law, and with Shanol's authority. But Izulen refused to let them give in, and slowly but surely two sides developed in the tiny Hold.
The adults as well as Charis and his group supported the law and Lord Shanol, while Izulen and the rest of the teens opposed them. Shanol watched it cause chaos in the fields when dissagreements would spark between members of the opposite sides and a days work would be lost to a brawl and his dislike of harpers became a steady hate for Izulen.
____________________
Izulen glared at the wherry on his plate and then stabbed it with his fork. Nita raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you alright?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" Izulen asked after he had swallowed. "It's not like I'm making trouble in the hold who is being generous enough to save my mother's life."
"We needed a bit of trouble," Nita assured him. "Don't worry, my Da may hate harpers, but he'd never let your mother die. As far as he's concerned, her only crime is having you."
Izulen chuckled grimly. "Which is a terrible one in his book."
"Oh quit worrying," Ranna grumped from where she was trying to dab some sauce off of Tiron's face. "Would you hold still? Izulen, you're the best thing to happen to this Hold and you know it. If you quit now -for Faranth's sake Tiron HOLD STILL!- we'll kill you."
"I'm glad I have such loving supporters," Izulen drawled, leaning back as Ranna mimed throwing her knife at him.
"Believe me, this
is loving for Ranna," Halani told him and ignored the fiery glare Ranna shot her.
"Nice knowing you, Tir," Jheron chuckled and had to duck as Tiron tried to aim a punch at him around Ranna.
Nita sighed and rolled her eyes. "Come on Izulen, it's already dead and if you're not going to eat it we might as well get going."
"Ooooh, someone's got plans for tonight," Ranna cooed. Tiron, Jheron, Balir, and Serro gave Izulen good natured punches as well as congratulations.
Nita blushed and glared. "I do not. Come on Izulen, let's go."
Izulen obediently got up and followed her out of the crowded dining hall. The cool night air was a relief after the stuffy atmosphere in the dining hall. "So uh, why did you want to leave anyway?" Izulen asked once they were outside and the door was shut.
Nita smiled. "I just wanted some time alone. With all that's been going on, we haven't gotten to know eachother as well as I'd like to." Each word brought her one step closer and by the time the last word left her lips she had her arms around Izulen's neck.
"I uh..." he didn't try to back away, as much as he knew he should have. "Nita... I don't know if we should... I mean, you're nice and all... and..."
Nita placed one finger to his lips. "Shh. Stop talking. I know you don't think much of me, and you shouldn't. But before Halani or Aizra gets their hands on you, I wanted you to know."
"Um, well, uh..." Izulen stammered. "That's uh, nice of you."
Nita let her hands fall to her sides and backed away a step, emerald eyes snapping with anger. "What? Am I not good enough for you, Harper?" she snarled.
Izulen smiled. "Oh, no, it's not that. It's just..."
"What?"
He stepped forward and put his arms around her slim waist. "Look, Nita, I like you too. But I just don't know what's going to happen after I meet with your father. I don't want to have something between us and then make you choose between me and your father, if it comes to that."
Nita kissed him lightly on the lips. "I've already chosen."
Izulen smiled down at her. "Do I need to ask who?"
Her next kiss left no doubt as to who her choice was, and neither of them noticed that people stopped to watch as they left the dining hall. They didn't even notice when Lord Shanol approached and stood, arms crossed, watching.
"Nita!" Shanol barked. "What in Faranth's name do you think you are doing?"
Nita pulled away. "Da!"
"What are you doing?" he repeated, voice wavering with fury.
"Da we were only-" Nita began but was cut off by a sharp slap from her father. The watching crowd gasped and Izulen pulled Nita to him.
"Get your hands off of my daughter, Harper," Shanol growled.
Izulen would have liked to have punched Shanol and settled the entire disagreement over the law with a fight. Instead, he released Nita and backed away.
"Nita, go to your quarters," Shanol growled, his eyes never leaving Izulen.
"Da-" she began, struggling not to cry.
"GO!" Shanol roared so loudly that all watching flinched. Nita stalked back into the building, retaining her dignity only as long as it took to stride down the hall and up the stairs to her quarters, where she slammed the door and flung herself down her bed sobbing.
Shanol waited before she was gone to turn on Izulen. "You," he spat. "I'm too nice a man to kill an innocent woman, or I'd order both you and your mother gone tommorow. If I see you here tommorow, it will not be a pleasant morning for either of us."
With those words hanging in the air, Shanol whirled and followed his daughter back into the building. Izulen stood, seething with anger, too outraged to move or even think beyond his hate of Shanol.
He felt a hand on his shoulder and whirled to find Tiron standing there. "I'm sorry Izulen."
Izulen managed a weak smile. "No, I'm sorry." He looked up at the still watching crowd. "I'm sorry to all of you for causing this fight in your Hold."
No one spoke, for once even Charis didn't dare to break the silence with a jeer. Izulen smiled and started for the infirmary to tell his mother the news.
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