It's been about 24 hours, and I haven't seen this come across yet, so
I'll repost it. My apologies if you get two copies.

Previous chapters are available at: 

http://cyberwheel.simplenet.com/ranma/fanfiction.html

-------------------------------
Chaos and Destiny

Part 3: Palace Disruptions
by Christopher Jones
-------------------------------

	Garion winced, seeing the dead Bear-cultists falling around
him from some unimaginable place in the sky. Many of them were
Citadel guards he had personally known, and many were people he had
seen die both at Rheon, and after the kidnapping, just a week ago.
	His view shifted, giving him a glance of a multitude of small
blue spheres patterned in a background against an odd swirling
pattern. The more closely he examined the pattern, however, the more
detailed it got, as if it had infinite complexity.
	*It does,* the dry voice confirmed.
	Garion shook his head, and he was once again in front of
Brelmik's house in town. None of the Bear-cultists were lying
around, but his son, and the alien girl, Kodachi, were naked, and
rolling around together on the hard stone cobbles.
	Seeing him gawking, the girl turned her face and smiled her
not-quite-sane grin and said something in her tongue. While his
knowledge of her language had improved dramatically in the last
week, he only understood one word.
	"Chaos..." She whispered over and over again, in her sultry
voice.
	She touched one finger to the pavement, and it dissolved away
in ripples like the surface of the pond he used to skip rocks on at
Faldor's farm in Sendaria.
	Suddenly, he was back at the old benevolent farmer's funeral,
five years ago. Rundorig, who had inherited the farm, was giving his
simple yet deeply moving eulogy. Garion gasped as the tears stood in
his eyes again. 
	He was only fifteen again, and sitting in the back of the
dining hall with a fourteen year old Ce'Nedra. Sitting on the other
side of him was another woman about sixteen years old. Her hair was
a bright red, a shade or two pinker than his wife's, and her hair
was tied back in a braided pig-tail. Her skin was the same light
olive color as his guests, but her eyes were a bright blue color. He
*knew* he had seen them somewhere before.
	She, too was trying to say something to him in her foreign
language. After several minutes of unintelligible conversation, she
led him outside to Durnik's old smithy. Inside, a pot of silver
ingots was melting down on the forge in preparation for the casting
of a new tea service.
	The pig-tailed girl reached out for the glowing pot. He tried
to stop her, but she held him back with one hand.
	She pursed her lips and touched one slender finger to the top
of the molten silver. 
	In an instant it froze, crystallizing up from the pot into a
spiraling, swirling shape. It was at once so beautiful it made his
heart ache, and yet at the same time so fragile, he was afraid it
would shatter into a million pieces.
	"Chaos," the girl uttered, and the dream shattered.
	Garion set up in bed, glancing over at his still sleeping
wife. The time-keeper informed him that it was nearly six hours
after midnight, so he got up and began to get dressed.
	*Was that you?* He asked silently.
	*No,* the voice answered. *I was there, but it was your mind
doing all the work. I'm fairly impressed, actually.*
	*Thanks. Care to tell me what it means?* Garion pulled on his
tunic and boots, and walked out of the room.
	He crossed the hallway to the nursery, and glanced in on his
two youngest daughters. Ce'Vanne lay on her low bed, gently
clutching a stuffed sheep doll to her chest. He brushed the copper
hair out of her eyes, and strode over to his youngest daughter.
Although she was already four years old, Cera was still sleeping in
a crib. She had a nasty habit of walking in her sleep. 
	Garion laid a finger to her cheek. 
	Smiling, he left the nursery and closed the door behind him.
	After several minutes, the voice answered him. *You're verging
on a concept that no one on this world has encountered yet. Your
mind is coming up with images to try to explain what it's
perceiving. Pay close attention to them.*
	"I wish I knew what this had to do with my guests." Garion
uttered as he made his way to the kitchens.
	*Sorry to be cryptic, but this is something your going to have
to work out for yourself.*
	*I really wish Geran would stop being so interested in that
Kodachi girl. I have absolutely no idea how to deal with her.*
	The voice offered no answer.
	As he entered the kitchen, he once again caught the fragrance
of perfectly boiled rice. Since the few cooks allowed back into the
palace were barely enough to keep what guards there were left fed,
Kasumi must have volunteered cooking breakfast for his family again.
	While her dishes were all fairly exotic to his tastes, Garion
was developing quite a taste for Japanese cuisine.
	Now if only he could figure out how to pronounce the names of
the things he was eating for breakfast.

* * *

	Belgarath, usually a late riser, was up early to study.
Specifically, he was closely watching Ranma and Ryouga as they
fought inside the fenced in stable yards. 
	*whack* *swish* *thwip*
	Their movements were quick, flawless, deadly and executed in
mid-air. Both young men were using their will to speed their strikes
and strengthen their bodies, but neither used the more spectacular
attacks he had seen when they fought the Bear cultists. While awed
with their prowess, Belgarath could sense a deep animosity between
the two warriors that only fueled their attacks. Apparently, they
had called some sort of truce, but he suspected that it was tenuous
at best.
	He shook his head and sighed. Both boys had tremendous raw
power, but very little fine control. It would take years of training
before he could be assured they could stay out of trouble if they
had to.
	"Holy Belgarath," one of the few remaining guards interrupted.
"You asked to be informed when the Drasnian ships arrived."
	"Silk's here," the sorcerer mumbled. "Any signs of The
*Warbird* yet?"
	"No, sir. Lord Barak usually prefers to make landfall in the
afternoon."
	Belgarath nodded, and left the two warriors to their
devotions. He followed the guard around the stable yard to the
carriage house. While he had nothing against riding horseback down
to the quay, the sorcerer enjoyed soaking up his luxuries while he
could. One could never tell when one would spend entire decades on
horseback.
	Garion met him inside the carriage house.
	"Good morning, Grandfather. You missed breakfast. Kasumi made
the most incredible baked fish."
	The sorcerer nodded curtly as he climbed into the coach. "I'll
get some later if there's any left. I was up watching the kiddies
play."
	Garion instructed the driver to take them to the docks, and
joined his grandfather. After sitting, he reached around to pull the
long scabbard off his back and situated it in between his legs.
	"I haven't seen you carry that around for quite a while,
Garion."
	"Troubled times. I'm almost *expecting* something to happen."
	Belgarath nodded sagely. "You'd be surprised how much of a
habit that can be."
	On route to their destination, the sorcerer and the king
discussed what they had learned of their guests' culture and
language.
	Kheldar of Drasnia was greying a bit, Garion noted as they
approached the quay. While he looked as dapper as ever in his fine
silk mantle and jewels, the man had gone completely grey in the
beard, and had salt and pepper speckles in his short hair. 
	Pushing the thought aside, the king leapt out of the coach and
ran to embrace one of his oldest friends.
	"It's good to see you, Silk!"
	The older man pounded his fists on Garion's back in
camaraderie. "I understand you've been having a bit of trouble with
the Bear Cult."
	How he had gotten that news while in transit, Garion would
never figure out, but he had learned decades earlier not to question
the abilities of Drasnian Intelligence.
	Garion shook his head. "Believe it or not, the Bear Cult is
the *least* of my problems right now."
	Silk nodded and placed his hands on his hips. "We've heard
some rumours..."
	"I suspect that the truth will be even more amazing. We'll
explain it to you on the way back to the citadel."
	Silk nodded and turned to greet Belgarath. Garion turned back
to the ship just in time to see Liselle step off the boarding plank.
Holding her hand was a small, blonde girl about Ce'vanne's age.
While she had her father's nose, it didn't diminish the beauty she
had inherited from her mother.
	With a broad smile on his face, Garion knelt and held his arms
out."
	"Uncle!" The little girl cried. She broke free of her mother's
grip and ran and buried her face in Garion's chest.
	"Khelsie! You're growing like a horse! How old are you now?
eighteen, nineteen?"
	The girl glared up at him in mock outrage. "I'm eight, Uncle!
You should know that!"
	Garion affected a look of shock and lifted the girl in his
arms.
	"Garion," The woman known as Velvet greeted him. She rose on
her toes to kiss his cheek. "It's been too long."
	The king nodded. "It has. It's good to see you, both of you."
	"How bad is the situation? We've gotten a few dispatches, but
they're conflicting, and unconfirmed."
	"It's pretty bad, Liselle. I can't trust my own guards, *and*
I've got more... *mystical* problems as well."
	"That is bad."

* * *

	"Damnitt, P-chan! Did you absolutely have to hit that trough?"
	"Bukee..."
	A soaking wet red-headed girl tiptoed through the citadel,
carrying a small black piglet by his spotted bandanna. She turned a
corner nervously, pausing to make sure no one was watching.
	"I mean... they don't even got water heaters here, moron! What
if Akane sees her 'pet piddy' here? There ain't nothing I can do to
save you then."
	She paused at a stairwell, poking her head down to make sure
no one was coming up the opposite direction. She was glad that so
much of the place had been cleared out, after the kidnapping. Trying
to get down to the baths unnoticed would be nigh impossible when
they first arrived.
	"It's bad enough that I gotta try to explain our ki attacks to
that old sorcerer guy, but our curses?!?! Really!"
	"Bwee?"
	"And what about Kunou? He thinks his 'pigtailed girl' is safe
back home. He sees me here, and it's *all* over. He's gonna be
'protecting' me from every little thing one minute, and tryin' to
beat my brains out the next."
	The girl crept down another hallway, and down the final
stairway to the second basement. Sighing in relief, she opened the
door to the men's bath and darted inside, carrying the piglet with
her.
	Kail stepped out of a doorway and exhaled nervously. He put
his ear to the door, and listened, but all he could hear was the
hiss of steam from the spring fed baths.
	He grimaced in careful thought. While the girl had the same
appearance and language as their guests, he did not remember seeing
her before. True, he had been spending most of his time since their
arrival overseeing their limited guard force and the day to day
matters for the island, but he was fairly certain that this person
was not one of the others.
	His expression narrowing, Kail drew his knife and crept into
the bath.
	There, on the far side of one of the larger pools, two of the
young men from the group of aliens sat in steaming chest deep water,
arguing quietly. The girl was nowhere in sight.
	Kail swore under his breath. He knew very little of their
language. "Did either of you see a woman come in here?"
	"Eh?"	They both looked up at him, their incomprehension plain
on their faces.
	Kail repeated himself, simplifying his language, and adding
hand gestures.
	Finally, the youth with the pigtail, Ranma, if Kail remembered
correctly, shook his head. "Iie. No woman." he answered.
	Kail grimaced and strode from the baths. Worse than an
assassin or a spy, someone who could apparently disappear at will.
Perhaps the king's *special* skills could ferret this intruder out.
		
* * *

	"Okay, let me make sure I have absolutely every detail of
this," Silk suppressed a chuckle. "Besides the insurrection, you
have nine *extra terrestrials* living in the citadel, most of which
are skilled warriors."
	"You forgot that some of them may or may not have some of the
same kind of power that Garion and I have," Belgarath noted.
	"That's about the extent of it," Garion confirmed. "It's a
little unusual, but most of our lives have been unusual."
	"Oh yes. Let's not forget the decade or so we spent chasing
various magical stones."
	"This probably isn't the time for levity, Silk," Belgarath
cautioned. "If what Garion's friend says is accurate, not even *he*
is sure what's going to come from this."
	The diminutive spy nodded, his expression unchanging. "That's
the best part. We're not being led around by the noses anymore. If
we can get on top of this *now* we just might be able to control
this thing."
	"Control?" Belgarath chuckled. "That's an alien concept."
	"Afraid of a little challenge, O eternal one?"
	"Funny..."
	
* * *

	"OH HO HO HO HO HO!!!! You won't stop me, you vile serving
wench!"
	"Oh, no you don't Kodachi!" Ukyou growled. "There's no way I'm
letting you near Ran-chan with that concoction!"	She released a
few spatulas at the gymnast, who neatly dodged and bounded off a
rack of pots and pans. the spatulas deflected and embedded in the
floor just next to Kasumi, who was stirring a simmering pot.
	"Oh, my!"
	"Who ever said that this succulent dish was for my darling
Ranma-sama?!?!"
	"She going after prince," Shampoo suggested. "We get thrown
out palace sure now."
	Ukyou nodded and circled around opposite from Shampoo. 
	"Ribbon girl not get away easy," the amazon warned.
	"You two hussies think that it will be *easy* to keep the
Black Rose away from *either* of her sweethearts?!?! Think again!"
She vaulted up and over the two other girls, turning a flip at the
apex of her leap. Careful to keep the dish she was carrying from
spilling, she landed on one foot, turned and fled the kitchen.
	Geran-sama was sure to enjoy her trout almondine, if only she
could get it to him. While both the other girls had suspected that
her creation contained one of her *special* spices, Kodachi had in
fact been unable to attain any since her arrival in this barbaric
land. Every attempt she had made to procure the necessary
ingredients for her spices had been headed off by that vile
sorceress, Polgara. How such an ugly woman was able to command so
subtly was beyond Kodachi. She had both the royals, as well as the
entire staff of the palace twisted around her little finger. She
would have to deal with the woman at her leisure.
	"There she is!" Ukyou shouted from somewhere behind her. "Get
her before she does any damage!"
	"Ooooh! You shan't halt me from my task, harlot!" She taunted.
Producing her ribbon from a fold in her gown, Kodachi lashed out at
the two girls, hoping to ensnare one. 
	"Not that easy, ribbon girl!" Shampoo declared, letting the
ribbon snag one of her bonborri. Freed from Shampoo's grip, it
rocketed back at the gymnast with alarming speed.
	It would not do to be laid low as the result of her own
attack. Kodachi leapt to the side and allowed the weapon to whiz by
her head by a narrow margin.
	"OOF"
	"Ran-chan?"
	"Airen?"
	It *was* her Ranma-sama! He had taken the blow meant for her.
He was so romantic that way, always looking out for her safety. What
would she ever do without him?
	"Couldn't have hurt that much," Ryouga commented. He dropped
his towel and bucket next to Ranma's to kneel over the fallen
martial artist. "You're pathetic, Ranma."
	"Uu cuddaa hepp bee...."
	"RANMA-SAMA!!!!" One prince was as good as another. "Look what
I've prepared for you, Darling!"
	"Oh hell..."

* * *

	Akane was in a foul mood. Besides being stranded on a world
that wasn't even her own, Ranma had been a complete jerk all week.
He started every day by fighting with Ryouga all morning. He *said*
they were sparring, but it was obvious what they were *really*
doing. After that, he let one of the other girls make lunch for him.
To top it off, they wouldn't even let her in the kitchen! How
infuriating!
	She happened by a window pane, and paused to look out it.
	This place wasn't that bad, she supposed. It was clean and
unpolluted in a way that Nerima could never hope to be. The clothes
were wonderful as well. The gown she was wearing was so pretty and
feminine! It was almost like something out of a fantasy story. There
were swords and sorcery around every turn, and she was dead in the
middle of it.
	For just a second, she was a princess in a fairy castle,
waiting for a knight in shining armor to win her hand.
	"AHH!! Kodachi! Put your dress back on!"
	And then again...
	Ranma was at the head of a running parade, followed closely by
Kodachi, whose gown was at best, hanging from her shoulders. Ranma's
face was covered in lip shaped red marks, so it was obvious what had
happened.
	"Ranma! You unfaithful letch!" she declared, pulling out a
mallet and taking off after the running martial artist.
	Waving her combat spatula in the air, Ukyou caught up to her
and began running along side her.
	"Get in line, Sugar. Me and Shampoo got first dibs on beating
the crap out of the both of them."
	"I can't believe he'd be so irresponsible!" Akane complained.
"We haven't been here two weeks before he's chasing every skirt in
sight!"
	"Ribbon girl make life too hard," Shampoo lamented.
	With Kodachi's leaping strides, she rapidly gained on Ranma.
The martial artist turned a corner and ran down yet another of the
palace's seemingly endless stone hallways
	"Oh, there you are!" Ryouga commented from the intersection.
"You must have gotten los-OOMMFF"
	Ranma bounded off Ryouga, sending the lost boy to the floor.
"Sorry, Pig-boy. No time to talk." 
	"RANMA! YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!!!!" Ryouga bellowed as he fell
into line just behind Kodachi.
	This was one of Ranma's least favorite situations. The 'parade
chase' was typical of the messes he seemed to attract back home. At
least the whole of Nerima wouldn't get involved this time. What
really worried him was the fact that these chases always seemed to
end in some sort of spectacular explosion.
	Maybe... Maybe he could dodge and... Ranma ducked into a
large, inset doorway and made use of his father's 'hide in plain
sight' technique. While it worked rarely for a stocky bald man, and
worse for a panda, it did have it's advantages. He set about exuding
an air of calm.
	"I'm not Ranma," he whispered under his breath. "And I'm not
being chased by a gang of loonies."
	Kodachi ran right past him.
	Ryouga zipped by too.
	Shampoo and Ukyou followed at a respectable distance.
	And Akane...
	"Just what the hell do you think you're doing, Ranma?" Akane
was in the door way next to him. "Isn't being a gigolo enough for
you? Do you have to *try* to make fun of me? Is that it?"
	"Akane's found him!" Ukyou shouted. 
	Ranma shook his head sadly and pushed the door open behind
him, barely ducking Akane's mallet.

* * *

	"So then she fires up the grill," Garion explained, "and
starts mixing fish and cabbage into the batter. She cooks it almost
like a pancake."
	"Sounds like it's worth a try," Silk rubbed his chin in
thought. "I'm always up for new cuisine. If I can eat that Gandahar
rice dish then..."
	"Do you remember what it's called, Grandfather?" Garion asked,
as he pushed open the door to the formal receiving room. 
	"Oko... Okonomiyaki?"
	Garion nodded and led his friends into the room. He really
didn't stand on ceremony, but it pleased Ce'Nedra, who was waiting
inside with his son and daughters.
	Silk swept grandly into the room and grasped the queen's hand.
"Oh, my Dear Rose. It has been far too long." Dramatically, he
leaned over and kissed the back of her hand.
	"Behave yourself, Kheldar," Liselle warned.
	"No getting in trouble on my account, Prince Kheldar,"
Ce'Nedra agreed. "After all, we can't let you have the upper hand
all the time!"
	"Of course not," Silk admitted, leaning over to the three red-
haired girls beside her. "You have to set a firm example for my
lovely nieces here."
	"Presents!" Cera demanded in a high pitched voice.
	"Don't be rude!" Ce'Nedra scolded.
	"Uncle Kheldar usually does bring us presents of some sort,"
Beldaran commented. 
	"It's just their Tolnedran heritage, Ce'Nedra," Belgarath
commented from around the tankard he had somehow procured between
the coach and the receiving room.
	From his seemingly tight tunic sleeves, the former spy
produced a large cut ruby. "Is it my fault that they've come to
expect such fine--
	*SLAM*
	The far door burst open and a wild eyed pigtailed young man
dodged into the room.
	"This would be Ranma..." Garion whispered to Silk. "He's in
trouble with his fiancee again, I think."
	Sure enough, Akane ran into the room wielding a ridiculously
large wooden mallet. Ukyou, Shampoo and Ryouga all stepped in just
after her and spread out around the room to surround the pair.
Belgarath jerked his tankard up and hastily skipped out of the way
of Ryouga, who was fairly uncertain of the dimensions of the room.
	Last in was Kodachi. She had discarded her gown in favor of
her leotard. The gymnast leapt in over the heads of the others to
land directly in front of Ranma, but her eyes twitched to one side
as she landed. Was it?!?! Yes it was!!!! 
	"GERAN-SAMA!!!!" Kodachi's eyes widened in ecstatic joy.
	"Uh-oh," the prince whispered. He had been cornered before, so
he knew when to run. As Kodachi began to advance on him, Geran very
nearly bumped into his grandfather in his haste to leave the room.
	Feeling a vicious pinch on his arm, Silk tore his eyes off the
girl's outlandish garb and turned to his angry wife. Liselle could
see with a glance that her husband thought something was amiss.
	Almost too late, Ranma saw. As Kodachi was pursuing the prince
out of the room, the old sorcerer had lost his grip on the mug he
had been holding. He had been holding it in the air to keep it from
being tipped, so it was definitely going to fall...
	On Ryouga. If Akane saw...
	"Kuso..." Ranma leapt and pushed the bandanna clad youth out
of the way. He smelled the bitter fumes of barley alcohol and felt
the wetness on his back.
	Her balance shifted slightly.
	"Uh-oh..."
	It was the girl from the forge in Garion's dream. His jaw
worked soundlessly at the sight.
	Kail rushed into the room. "Your majesty, I'm sorry to
interrupt, but I believe there is a... THE ASSASSIN!" he yelled,
pointing to the sodden, pigtailed girl. He pulled out his dagger and
stepped in front of the queen and her daughters.
	Ryouga goggled at her as she stood dumbly under the careful
scrutiny of the room. Things had just gotten out of hand.
	The ruby forgotten on the floor, Silk allowed a dagger to slip
into his hand from the recesses of his tunic. He stepped out, spread
his feet into a defensive stance and leveled the knife at the girl.
He hated fighting women, but if this assassin meant to harm Garion's
family or his own, he had no choice.
	At the sight of the dagger, Ranma shifted into an aggressive
posture parallel to the rat faced man and cracked her knuckles. She
didn't understand what was going on, but if this guy was going to
threaten her or her friends, or even the royals, then she had to
take him down.

------------------

Author's Notes:

Another cliffhanger? This is almost starting to be a habit. 
Actually, I decided to go ahead and split it up for personal 
reasons. It's made this chapter a little smaller than the last
two, but I think the reason for the split will be fairly obvious
by the next chapter.

To answer the questions that have been popping up, yes Polgara 
does have a reason for not teaching *everyone* the language with 
sorcerey. No, I'm not going to say what it is until part four. 

Yes, Ranma and Co. are going to see a few of sorcerers come 
out of their ranks. We already know who some of them are, but if 
I gave away who they all were, though, what  kind of story would 
it be?

Lastly, a big thanks to all my pre-readers. If I didn't get back to
you, I apologize. I've been very, *very* busy for the last two weeks
with a job interview. While anime may be my favorite hobby, I do need
some way to pay for all my tapes and books. ^_^

Keep an eye out for part four.

Chris
* * *
Chris Jones - hamster@arn.net
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Ranma 1/2 Gallery - http://cyberwheel.simplenet.com/ranma/

"The biathlon course was jammed with thousands of spectators, despite the 
fact that biathlon is virtually unknown in Japan, where gun ownership is 
strictly banned. (A lot of things are strictly banned here; I think the 
penalty for jaywalking is death.)" - Dave Barry 2-20-98, Miami Herald.