Everyone stared at Kyle and Lynne as well, the looks on their faces with just as much longing. Kyle was oblivious, but Lynne knew what was at stake. She cringed into Kyle's side in an uncharacteristic move from the spunky girl I knew.
Jen was pulled by Maria to stand next to us. Maria took Caleb's and my arm and yawned as she leaned her head against him. He chuckled at her. I looked around the room then, as Donald started addressing everyone loudly. But I tuned him out.
Everyone's mind was the same and they all seemed as taken with me as Donald had been. They wanted what they thought I had to offer; their lives back. Little did they know that I had no idea what the heck I was doing. I really hoped that I could help them because desperation seemed to be the mood of the day.
"Maggie?" I heard and looked back up to see Donald watching me curiously.
"Yes?"
"I wondered if you'd like to say a few words? To your people?"
I looked at him and realized that though he asked me earlier if I wanted to speak, and I told him that I did not, that he wasn't really giving me the option, he was just being polite.
Caleb sighed beside me and I glanced at him to see that he understood all too well that the assembly had no intentions of letting me sit quietly. I steeled myself. I had Caleb's hand in mine, his blood and love running through my veins and his heart in my chest. I could do this.
You bet your pretty tush you can.
I tried not to giggle at his words in my head. I squeezed his hand and turned to face the whole of the room, a bouquet of different people and colors.
I didn't wait. I just went for it. "I just wanted to say that it's really good to meet you all. I hope we can get to know each other well this week." And since I was in a position for everyone to hear me at once…. "And please, you don't have to bow to me. I'm just like you. I know that you are anxious about my being here, and what that could mean, but we'll figure it all out together. I realize the importance of this and I promise you that I am taking this seriously, but my name is Maggie, please call me that." And then I smiled.
I looked around the room. Some were smiling back, some were just watching, and some were in absolute shock. But they weren't looking at me. I followed their glances over my shoulder to find a red faced Donald."Visionary," he said clearly and I got his meaning by it. No one was to call me Maggie. "I know that you are young, but you have an obligation to our people, being what you are. You can't allow them to treat you as some commoner, because you are not. And you are not some measly human anymore either," he sneered loud and clear.
"I understand," I told him. "I'm not shirking my duties, but I am the Visionary and I don't feel the necessity to treat me as something else other than just…one of you. I plan to try to figure out what it is I'm supposed to do while I'm here."
"Forgive me, Visionary, but we know exactly what you are supposed to do." He came around the table and stood in front of us all. "Welcome home!" he boomed, the echo eerie in the big room. "You are to come here, for good. Rule our people and live with the council as has been planned for centuries."
"I…" What was I supposed to say to that? Peter touched my arm. He gave me a look. I focused on him, assuming he had something to say.
I assumed they were going to try to do this, Maggie. As much as I love my people, they can be adamant and downright obsessive about tradition and formality. Just…don’t get worked up. We’ll figure all this out together. I won't let them bully you, I promise.
I nodded as Peter turned to Donald and smiled that same smile as before. The one that said 'You are seriously full of crap.' "Donald, Maggie is only seventeen years old and was a human. She has human ties; a father and brother, friends. You cannot expect her to uproot herself completely and come to live here. Not to mention Caleb-"
"What about Caleb?" Donald said smugly. "I extended no such invitation to Caleb to live with us."
"He is her significant," Peter replied tightly.
"And if she chooses to keep him here, he may stay. But that is to the Visionary's discretion how she handles that…situation." My brows bunched in confusion, but he went on. "I understand that she needs his touch to survive, but the Visionary is too important and refined to be consumed with petty puppy love and insignificant use of her time." Caleb rumbled beside me and I gripped his arm out of instinct. What was the council trying to pull? "Therefore, if the Visionary so wishes it, she may keep Caleb here in the common quarters, as it wouldn't be proper for him to stay with her in her portion of the palace."
"Like hell," Caleb growled.
Two
"Donald," Peter roared. "I beg your pardon, but are you suggesting that Maggie keep my son here as some sort of…of…"
"Consort?" I finished for him. Just the thought of them suggesting that I use Caleb for such a thing was enough to make my blood boil. And boil it did. The lights began to flicker a little above us.
Everyone looked around in confusion, but I never removed my eyes from the individuals at the table. I looked at them each in turn and told them with my gaze that this was idiocy. They all looked away as if scared of me, or ashamed for sitting by quietly while Donald lorded over everyone. So, if they were scared of me, then why were they pulling this crap? Except Gran, of course. She just smiled and watched.
Donald bristled at my tone and cleared his throat as he took a slight step back. Then he swatted at an energy ribbon as it floated in the air near his head. His eyes bulged when it went straight through his skin. I looked behind me to see that there were lots of energy ribbons in the air. I took a deep breath, understanding the blue menace was coming directly from me. Caleb tried to touch my skin; his hands running up my arms to my face, but in honestly, he was so upset himself that he wasn't calming me much.
"What's going on here?" another assembly member shouted. "Who's doing this?"
"I am," I answered in a hushed voice and everyone stopped. Caleb slid his hands from my face slowly and turned to glare at the assembly once more.
"It's not her fault. Maggie does this when she's upset. So stop it," he ground out.
"It was not our intention to upset you, my dear Visionary," Donald said and made his way back to the table to his chair. I was glad I wasn't close enough to get a good look of the condescension on his face that I could hear in his voice. "What part was it that…" he stopped. I followed his gaze to my wrist. Crap. He turned a couple more shades of red. He glared at Peter, then Caleb.
I watched as his brow shot up in accusation. Or maybe it was curiosity.
"So, you've mutualized with our Visionary?" he asked, causing Caleb's grip to tighten on me. "You...tainted our Visionary before you were married?"
"Now, hold on a second," Peter interrupted. "There's no law-"
"It's a matter of propriety!" he bellowed and stood, banging a wrinkled fist on the table. Jen pulled Maria back to her and looked like she wanted to cover her poor daughter's ears. "Something you should have taught her as the Champion of your clan!"
"Well he's been a little busy saving our lives," I muttered from behind Caleb.
"What was that, Visionary?"
I straightened my back and stood closer to Caleb. I grabbed his hand, letting our wrist tattoos show off our love for each other, but also the fact that we mutualized. It was not something dirty and the fact that he was trying to take my perfect, happy, delicious memory of that night away from me wasn't going to fly. Caleb grinned as he heard my inner rant and chuckled as I turned to the table before me. I spoke clear and loud.
"I said, we've been a little busy trying to stay alive. The fact that I did or didn't mutualize with my significant shouldn't matter to you. The fact that we were almost killed by members of the Virtuoso who are in this very room and you're doing nothing about it is what we should discuss. And it's Maggie, not Visionary...sir."
"What is this trickery?" another assemblyman asked. "Are you saying that someone is this room tried to kill you? How? When?""Not just me, but yes. On more than one occasion."
"Who?" he repeated louder.
"Maggie's pregnant!" Marla blurted out. I gasped and started to yell back, but everyone in the room, especially the council members, stopped and stared at me. Or wait.....no, they were glaring at Caleb. Crap. Things were about to get ugly.
"That is not true," Caleb shouted. "Marla is trying to deflect. The Watsons kidnapped Maggie and kept her for away from me for four days. Then, just a couple of days ago, they sent someone to my house and they tried to kill us there, too."
"Now, how can we believe you?" Donald chimed. "The proof that you mutualized with her before you were married is right there for all to see. If you would mutualize with her before marriage, then why not do more than that, hmm?"
"You can believe me because I'm telling you we've done nothing more than mutualize."
"And I say so, too," I butted in to defend Caleb. "I'm not pregnant and haven't done anything to make it so that I was."
"Trust has to be earned," Donald said. "And I'm sorry to say it, but we don't know you well enough yet to trust you like that. Marla has been one of us since birth."
A big, burly older man stood up from the council table and said in a flabbergasted voice, "But she's the Visionary!"