Disclaimer: I sold my soul to ff.net, do you actually think I own anything
legally?
Author's Notes: Due to an entirely 'coincidental' writers block, I've postponed the final chapter of my other fic, 'Spades' (certain reviewers will understand), so I'm posting this instead.
Summary: Set after Kel's series, the war had just ended. Kaides (pronounce KAI-deese) is a playwright who travels with her band of players, the Dragon's Men. When she meets with the Third Company, however she finds herself trapped, participating in something that usually doesn't come with the job description of being a playwright.
~ ~ ~ ~
The scene was a crowded inn, waitresses laughing and flirting as they handed out drinks. Men sat in front of the roaring fire drinking. Girls danced while one man played a fiddle and others clapped. And in one dark corner, a sinister conversation was being held.
"We are in need of the riddance of certain...persons." One man said, his eyes hidden by the darkness of his hood.
Across from him sat a woman of pale complexion, with dark brown eyes and chocolate brown hair in tight ringlets tied in a high ponytail. She smiled evilly and said, "Um..." Her smile changed to the grin of someone helpless and confused. "Wait! Wait!" She waived a hand desperately, "I know this line! Really I do! Don't say it, don't say it!"
"Kai, the line was, 'Who?'. It's not that hard." There was a groan from another one of the actors.
"It's not my fault! I'm not cut out for acting; I'm a playwright, not a player." Kai protested.
"If you can't remember your lines tonight we're doomed." The players across from her informed her of what she already knew.
"I understand that. It's not my fault Josiah left. I don't think I should have to play his part."
"You drove him off after he saw you bathing! How is that not your fault?"
"We ought to postpone the play." Kai avoided answering the question.
"We've been hired to act out this play, we don't have a choice. It's either now or we don't get paid."
"We were hired?" Kai asked, surprised.
"By the king, no less. He wants us to perform for the King's Own. Since they're returning from the war, they're to meet us here in the woods. If you ever paid attention to things other than your writing you'd know this. We've hardly talked about anything else."
"Would you rather you had a mediocre playwright who paid attention to unimportant things?"
"No, but it would be nice if you listened to things other than the scribbling of your pen."
"My writing would suffer." Kai replied stiffly.
The others sighed and one of them finally said, "Let's run through it one more time."
~ ~ ~ ~
About five hundred one-more-times later, it was that evening, and the traveling actors had set up their stage and were waiting for the second and third companies to show up.
"Go look for someone out in the woods, Kai, they're late." The leader of the group finally ordered Kai.
"Fine, Lian, whatever you say." Kai muttered and slung her crossbow around her shoulder and went out to look for the King's Own, though she had no idea what she was looking for.
She had been searching for some time when she found a drink. Kneeling down to drink briefly, she stood back up and turned around to find a tall man hovering over her shoulder. After a brief gasp of surprise, she clumsily tried to take her crossbow off her shoulder, managing the get him swearing after she accidentally hit him in the head with the end of it.
After a moment of trying to anchor it on her should, she succeeded and aimed it to the man's face, which was less than two inches from the arrow.
"I could've killed you before you even got that to your shoulder." The man stated calmly and pushed the arrow down. "You would need to be more prepared in a war."
"I'm not going to be in any wars any time soon. But if I find myself unexpectedly in one, I'll be sure to go to you for help." Kai snapped but didn't bother to place the bow back into aiming position.
"Since we're on such close terms then, I don't suppose you could tell me where to find the acting group Dragon's Men?"
"Why do you want to know?" Kai looked at him suspiciously.
"I was hoping to see one of their plays tonight."
"We're busy. We're performing for the King's Own tonight." Kai replied evenly.
"I'm a commanding officer in the King's Own," The man informed Kai.
"Oh. Well then..." Kai fumbled, "I'll send someone to show your men the way then."
"That would be kind of you, though perhaps it would be more convenient if you would show us the way."
"It would not." Kai snapped and left the clearing.
~ ~ ~ ~
The men in the King's Own were seated on the ground in front of the stage. And then the announcement of the character and their actors began.
"King Maran, played by William Font; Queen Cianne, played by Gregory Thistle; the Priest, played by..." The list went on for some time, each actor strutting out onto the stage as they were announce. "And last, but certainly not least, the Assassin, played by our very own playwright, Kaides Green!"
There were several loud crashes and a shout, "You.... Can't.... Make me!" And Kai was propelled on stage despite much resistance on her part. The others pushed her to the center of the stage and tried to run off stage, which only resulted in Kai falling over backwards. She then instantly ran off stage once more.
She appeared several seconds later. At least, her legs appeared, parallel to the ground with several people pulling at her desperately.
"Let go of the beam!" One of the men pulling on her cried.
"Never! I'm not going out there!" Kai retorted. But her shout was drowned out by a loud groan and the sound of wood snapping. Several seconds later, the half of the stage crashed to the ground.
And the lone survivor of the melee rose out of the sawdust. She stood on the pile of what had once been the stage and said, in the dramatic way that all lone survivors do, "I told you we should have used oak t make the stage."
"Shut up, Kai."
~ ~ ~ ~
Kai walked into the inn that was, in fact, a real inn. They had been practicing in the woods just outside of a small town where they were planning to perform another play the next night. Or had been, before the stage and been destroyed.
"Weapon please." A man stood by the door holding out his hand expectantly.
"Of course," Kai handed him her crossbow. He bent under its weight. "Special make." She replied, before he could even ask.
She walked over to the bartender and requested a cider.
"Doesn't a pretty girl like you want something a bit stronger?" The bartender winked.
"I'm fifteen. I don't drink." Kai raised an eyebrow. "I'm not here to get drunk."
"What are you here to do then?" A voice from beside her asked.
Kai found herself sitting next to a knight from the King's Own. "Write, what else?"
"In a bar?" He gave her a look.
"I like the atmosphere, what can I say?" Kai shrugged and pulled a few scrolls of paper out of her pack. "What're you doing here?"
"The men are being given a free stay here for the night. Let's just say all of us are enjoying real beds for a change. I'm Domitan of Masbolle." He grinned warmly, "And you are?"
A woman with light brown hair and soft brown eyes sat next to the man. Beside her was a young boy. "Dom, who's this?" She smiled kindly at Kai.
"No one important." Kai muttered and made to stand when Kel grabbed her hand.
"I need ask you something." She insisted.
Kai sat down eyeing the woman warily. "What do you want?"
~ ~ ~ ~
Author's Notes: Bet you have no idea what happens next! Really! Cause I don't! I stopped it here because I have to figure out what happens next. Yippee! Sorry if you consider the chapter a bit short, my first chapters are always shorter than the rest (I have to end them at just the right spot).
Author's Notes: Due to an entirely 'coincidental' writers block, I've postponed the final chapter of my other fic, 'Spades' (certain reviewers will understand), so I'm posting this instead.
Summary: Set after Kel's series, the war had just ended. Kaides (pronounce KAI-deese) is a playwright who travels with her band of players, the Dragon's Men. When she meets with the Third Company, however she finds herself trapped, participating in something that usually doesn't come with the job description of being a playwright.
~ ~ ~ ~
The scene was a crowded inn, waitresses laughing and flirting as they handed out drinks. Men sat in front of the roaring fire drinking. Girls danced while one man played a fiddle and others clapped. And in one dark corner, a sinister conversation was being held.
"We are in need of the riddance of certain...persons." One man said, his eyes hidden by the darkness of his hood.
Across from him sat a woman of pale complexion, with dark brown eyes and chocolate brown hair in tight ringlets tied in a high ponytail. She smiled evilly and said, "Um..." Her smile changed to the grin of someone helpless and confused. "Wait! Wait!" She waived a hand desperately, "I know this line! Really I do! Don't say it, don't say it!"
"Kai, the line was, 'Who?'. It's not that hard." There was a groan from another one of the actors.
"It's not my fault! I'm not cut out for acting; I'm a playwright, not a player." Kai protested.
"If you can't remember your lines tonight we're doomed." The players across from her informed her of what she already knew.
"I understand that. It's not my fault Josiah left. I don't think I should have to play his part."
"You drove him off after he saw you bathing! How is that not your fault?"
"We ought to postpone the play." Kai avoided answering the question.
"We've been hired to act out this play, we don't have a choice. It's either now or we don't get paid."
"We were hired?" Kai asked, surprised.
"By the king, no less. He wants us to perform for the King's Own. Since they're returning from the war, they're to meet us here in the woods. If you ever paid attention to things other than your writing you'd know this. We've hardly talked about anything else."
"Would you rather you had a mediocre playwright who paid attention to unimportant things?"
"No, but it would be nice if you listened to things other than the scribbling of your pen."
"My writing would suffer." Kai replied stiffly.
The others sighed and one of them finally said, "Let's run through it one more time."
~ ~ ~ ~
About five hundred one-more-times later, it was that evening, and the traveling actors had set up their stage and were waiting for the second and third companies to show up.
"Go look for someone out in the woods, Kai, they're late." The leader of the group finally ordered Kai.
"Fine, Lian, whatever you say." Kai muttered and slung her crossbow around her shoulder and went out to look for the King's Own, though she had no idea what she was looking for.
She had been searching for some time when she found a drink. Kneeling down to drink briefly, she stood back up and turned around to find a tall man hovering over her shoulder. After a brief gasp of surprise, she clumsily tried to take her crossbow off her shoulder, managing the get him swearing after she accidentally hit him in the head with the end of it.
After a moment of trying to anchor it on her should, she succeeded and aimed it to the man's face, which was less than two inches from the arrow.
"I could've killed you before you even got that to your shoulder." The man stated calmly and pushed the arrow down. "You would need to be more prepared in a war."
"I'm not going to be in any wars any time soon. But if I find myself unexpectedly in one, I'll be sure to go to you for help." Kai snapped but didn't bother to place the bow back into aiming position.
"Since we're on such close terms then, I don't suppose you could tell me where to find the acting group Dragon's Men?"
"Why do you want to know?" Kai looked at him suspiciously.
"I was hoping to see one of their plays tonight."
"We're busy. We're performing for the King's Own tonight." Kai replied evenly.
"I'm a commanding officer in the King's Own," The man informed Kai.
"Oh. Well then..." Kai fumbled, "I'll send someone to show your men the way then."
"That would be kind of you, though perhaps it would be more convenient if you would show us the way."
"It would not." Kai snapped and left the clearing.
~ ~ ~ ~
The men in the King's Own were seated on the ground in front of the stage. And then the announcement of the character and their actors began.
"King Maran, played by William Font; Queen Cianne, played by Gregory Thistle; the Priest, played by..." The list went on for some time, each actor strutting out onto the stage as they were announce. "And last, but certainly not least, the Assassin, played by our very own playwright, Kaides Green!"
There were several loud crashes and a shout, "You.... Can't.... Make me!" And Kai was propelled on stage despite much resistance on her part. The others pushed her to the center of the stage and tried to run off stage, which only resulted in Kai falling over backwards. She then instantly ran off stage once more.
She appeared several seconds later. At least, her legs appeared, parallel to the ground with several people pulling at her desperately.
"Let go of the beam!" One of the men pulling on her cried.
"Never! I'm not going out there!" Kai retorted. But her shout was drowned out by a loud groan and the sound of wood snapping. Several seconds later, the half of the stage crashed to the ground.
And the lone survivor of the melee rose out of the sawdust. She stood on the pile of what had once been the stage and said, in the dramatic way that all lone survivors do, "I told you we should have used oak t make the stage."
"Shut up, Kai."
~ ~ ~ ~
Kai walked into the inn that was, in fact, a real inn. They had been practicing in the woods just outside of a small town where they were planning to perform another play the next night. Or had been, before the stage and been destroyed.
"Weapon please." A man stood by the door holding out his hand expectantly.
"Of course," Kai handed him her crossbow. He bent under its weight. "Special make." She replied, before he could even ask.
She walked over to the bartender and requested a cider.
"Doesn't a pretty girl like you want something a bit stronger?" The bartender winked.
"I'm fifteen. I don't drink." Kai raised an eyebrow. "I'm not here to get drunk."
"What are you here to do then?" A voice from beside her asked.
Kai found herself sitting next to a knight from the King's Own. "Write, what else?"
"In a bar?" He gave her a look.
"I like the atmosphere, what can I say?" Kai shrugged and pulled a few scrolls of paper out of her pack. "What're you doing here?"
"The men are being given a free stay here for the night. Let's just say all of us are enjoying real beds for a change. I'm Domitan of Masbolle." He grinned warmly, "And you are?"
A woman with light brown hair and soft brown eyes sat next to the man. Beside her was a young boy. "Dom, who's this?" She smiled kindly at Kai.
"No one important." Kai muttered and made to stand when Kel grabbed her hand.
"I need ask you something." She insisted.
Kai sat down eyeing the woman warily. "What do you want?"
~ ~ ~ ~
Author's Notes: Bet you have no idea what happens next! Really! Cause I don't! I stopped it here because I have to figure out what happens next. Yippee! Sorry if you consider the chapter a bit short, my first chapters are always shorter than the rest (I have to end them at just the right spot).
