I decided not to do chapters with this story. I'll just post what I have
whenever it is ready. So don't be mad if the story just stops in the
middle of the scene. I'll try no to do that much. I won't stop it mid-
sentence though. I'm not sure where I want to go with this so if you have
any ideas, I'm up for suggestions.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Lady Hood
The rouge watched in quiet laughter as she watched the palace guards search for her. In the long years she had been working this job, the people of Tortall had given her a nickname that she thought suited her perfectly; Lady Hood. That was who she was…the female version of Robin Hood. She stole from the rich and gave to the poor. She slipped from the wall she had been on and started off towards the city, tossing her newly won purse up and down. She was Ariana Mignonette, the most deadly, dangerous, and skilled thief in Tortall. And she was the Contessa of Wyndan, a noble of the Tortallian court; she was kin to the Lady Knight. She sighed when she reached the edge of the marketplace and slipped the hood of her cloak up to cover her face.
*****
"The Lady Hood!" a little boy yelled running into his house as Ari approached it. She laughed and followed him into the little hut where five families gathered about a small fire.
"May I have the pleasure of speaking to the head of each family?" she asked holding up the large bag. Five men stepped forward and she poured the money into their hands. "Goddess blessed. Have a good Midwinter."
"My lady, how can we thank you?" the first man asked, falling to his knees followed by the others.
"Loyalty to the Court of Rouges. Loyalty to the Queen of Thieves. Loyalty to the Lady Hood." She whispered fiercely. "And loyalty to the Contessa of Wyndan!" She turned and left.
*****
"Ari! My lady Ari!" Lalasa yelled to her old mistress's cousin. "Please come into my shop!"
"Coming Lalasa!" Ari yelled back, turning her horse about and trotting back to the shop.
"Your gowns for the banquets are finished." Lalasa bowed.
"Wonderful. Is Kel about? I need a word with her." Ari handed her horse's reins to the groomsman.
"Kel is inside." The black haired girl led the way into the little usually quiet shop. There were bunches of Ladies and women milling around, all yelling to be attended to or for dresses or something of that sort. "Kel! Ari is here!"
"Coming!" a muffled voice replied. Minutes later the tall, brown hair knight burst into the room, scattering the collection of delicate ladies. "Hello, Ariana."
"Kel, you look wonderful. In a dress too!" Ari joked, hugging her cousin. Lalasa rushed off to help a woman. "The shop is so busy! And so early in the morning too! Poor Lalasa, she'll be running about all day."
"Lalasa likes to. Did you hear? The Lady Hood struck again." Kel looked at her cousin with mischief in her eyes. Ari laughed. Six years ago, when she was 16 and Kel was 14 and a fourth year page, Ari had been running from a close call and was hit by an arrow. The bolt grazed her arm and she was bleeding badly. Luckily, Kel's quarters were nearby and she had managed to slip into the room with her cloak pressed to her arm to keep from making a trail of blood. There was nothing she could do but tell Kel the truth. Kel had fetched her best friend, Nealan of Queenscove and he had healed her. It was worth it though, for she had managed to get over 150 golden nobles from none other than Joren of Stone Mountain.
"So I heard." She said at last. "From Sir Garvey, too. But there was something else I needed to talk to you about. Follow me." She headed to the back room where Lalasa's office and living quarters were located. "May we use your room?" She asked the girl while passing her. Lalasa looked up and nodded her mouth full of pins.
*****
"What this?" Kel asked when Ari shoved her a trunk that she kept at the shop.
"Open it. It's for you." Kel pulled the heavy thing over and opened the chest with the key Ari gave her. She gasped, looking at its contents. The case was filled with handmade lace, linens, silverware, a large dowry worth of gold, and even some jewels.
"What's this for?" Kel whispered after the longest time.
"To pay your dowry and to tide you and Cleon over until you start winning the purses for the Crown." Ari told her, knowing her cousin's deepest desires. "His mother can't object with that and if she does, I'll provide more."
"I can't take this. Not from Wyndan! This is too much!" Kel closed the chest.
"Yes you can. You forget that it comes from more than just Wyndan. I rule Tortall as much as King Jonathan and Queen Thayet. Remember that. The people of the Lower City come to me. They pay taxes to me. I am their Queen." Ari reminded her. "I want you to be happy, Kelandry. Seeing you happy makes me happy. When I'm happy, Tortall is happy." Kel looked up with tears in her eyes and hugged Ari fiercely.
"Thank you, Ariana. Wyndan and the Court of Rouges have Mindelan's and Kennan's full support. I'll never forget this."
"I'll speak to Lady Kennan. I'll be your chaperon. I'll talk her around for you. Now go. Go find your Cleon. I'll take the chest back to my rooms." Kel hugged her again and ran off.
*****
"Lady Lisle, I know this may seem strange but Mindelan wants this as does Wyndan." Ari told Cleon's mother as she discussed the possible marriage with the lady.
"My son is betrothed. I can't simply pull him out of it and leave the girl unwed. She is an heiress whereas Lady Knight Kelandry has nothing. Not even land."
"But that is where you are wrong. My dear cousin stands first in line for Wyndan, should I not bear any children. If it would please you, I will arrange for the heiress to wed one of my brothers. I believe that Sir Cleon and Lady Kelandry belong together. They are in love and it would be heartless to pull them apart."
"My dear Contessa…"
"Please, Lady Lisle. Think about what I have said. Kel has a dowry of 5,000 nobles and four horses of good breed. The offer stands and if you do not take it, I'm afraid I will stand behind their choice to elope. I will support them in any way possible. Now if you'll excuse me, I am late for a meeting with the King." Ari got up and left Lisle in a silent stupor. She hadn't thought Cleon and Kel would elope. Ari wasn't sure if they would either; she just made it up to scare the lady.
*****
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Lady Hood
The rouge watched in quiet laughter as she watched the palace guards search for her. In the long years she had been working this job, the people of Tortall had given her a nickname that she thought suited her perfectly; Lady Hood. That was who she was…the female version of Robin Hood. She stole from the rich and gave to the poor. She slipped from the wall she had been on and started off towards the city, tossing her newly won purse up and down. She was Ariana Mignonette, the most deadly, dangerous, and skilled thief in Tortall. And she was the Contessa of Wyndan, a noble of the Tortallian court; she was kin to the Lady Knight. She sighed when she reached the edge of the marketplace and slipped the hood of her cloak up to cover her face.
*****
"The Lady Hood!" a little boy yelled running into his house as Ari approached it. She laughed and followed him into the little hut where five families gathered about a small fire.
"May I have the pleasure of speaking to the head of each family?" she asked holding up the large bag. Five men stepped forward and she poured the money into their hands. "Goddess blessed. Have a good Midwinter."
"My lady, how can we thank you?" the first man asked, falling to his knees followed by the others.
"Loyalty to the Court of Rouges. Loyalty to the Queen of Thieves. Loyalty to the Lady Hood." She whispered fiercely. "And loyalty to the Contessa of Wyndan!" She turned and left.
*****
"Ari! My lady Ari!" Lalasa yelled to her old mistress's cousin. "Please come into my shop!"
"Coming Lalasa!" Ari yelled back, turning her horse about and trotting back to the shop.
"Your gowns for the banquets are finished." Lalasa bowed.
"Wonderful. Is Kel about? I need a word with her." Ari handed her horse's reins to the groomsman.
"Kel is inside." The black haired girl led the way into the little usually quiet shop. There were bunches of Ladies and women milling around, all yelling to be attended to or for dresses or something of that sort. "Kel! Ari is here!"
"Coming!" a muffled voice replied. Minutes later the tall, brown hair knight burst into the room, scattering the collection of delicate ladies. "Hello, Ariana."
"Kel, you look wonderful. In a dress too!" Ari joked, hugging her cousin. Lalasa rushed off to help a woman. "The shop is so busy! And so early in the morning too! Poor Lalasa, she'll be running about all day."
"Lalasa likes to. Did you hear? The Lady Hood struck again." Kel looked at her cousin with mischief in her eyes. Ari laughed. Six years ago, when she was 16 and Kel was 14 and a fourth year page, Ari had been running from a close call and was hit by an arrow. The bolt grazed her arm and she was bleeding badly. Luckily, Kel's quarters were nearby and she had managed to slip into the room with her cloak pressed to her arm to keep from making a trail of blood. There was nothing she could do but tell Kel the truth. Kel had fetched her best friend, Nealan of Queenscove and he had healed her. It was worth it though, for she had managed to get over 150 golden nobles from none other than Joren of Stone Mountain.
"So I heard." She said at last. "From Sir Garvey, too. But there was something else I needed to talk to you about. Follow me." She headed to the back room where Lalasa's office and living quarters were located. "May we use your room?" She asked the girl while passing her. Lalasa looked up and nodded her mouth full of pins.
*****
"What this?" Kel asked when Ari shoved her a trunk that she kept at the shop.
"Open it. It's for you." Kel pulled the heavy thing over and opened the chest with the key Ari gave her. She gasped, looking at its contents. The case was filled with handmade lace, linens, silverware, a large dowry worth of gold, and even some jewels.
"What's this for?" Kel whispered after the longest time.
"To pay your dowry and to tide you and Cleon over until you start winning the purses for the Crown." Ari told her, knowing her cousin's deepest desires. "His mother can't object with that and if she does, I'll provide more."
"I can't take this. Not from Wyndan! This is too much!" Kel closed the chest.
"Yes you can. You forget that it comes from more than just Wyndan. I rule Tortall as much as King Jonathan and Queen Thayet. Remember that. The people of the Lower City come to me. They pay taxes to me. I am their Queen." Ari reminded her. "I want you to be happy, Kelandry. Seeing you happy makes me happy. When I'm happy, Tortall is happy." Kel looked up with tears in her eyes and hugged Ari fiercely.
"Thank you, Ariana. Wyndan and the Court of Rouges have Mindelan's and Kennan's full support. I'll never forget this."
"I'll speak to Lady Kennan. I'll be your chaperon. I'll talk her around for you. Now go. Go find your Cleon. I'll take the chest back to my rooms." Kel hugged her again and ran off.
*****
"Lady Lisle, I know this may seem strange but Mindelan wants this as does Wyndan." Ari told Cleon's mother as she discussed the possible marriage with the lady.
"My son is betrothed. I can't simply pull him out of it and leave the girl unwed. She is an heiress whereas Lady Knight Kelandry has nothing. Not even land."
"But that is where you are wrong. My dear cousin stands first in line for Wyndan, should I not bear any children. If it would please you, I will arrange for the heiress to wed one of my brothers. I believe that Sir Cleon and Lady Kelandry belong together. They are in love and it would be heartless to pull them apart."
"My dear Contessa…"
"Please, Lady Lisle. Think about what I have said. Kel has a dowry of 5,000 nobles and four horses of good breed. The offer stands and if you do not take it, I'm afraid I will stand behind their choice to elope. I will support them in any way possible. Now if you'll excuse me, I am late for a meeting with the King." Ari got up and left Lisle in a silent stupor. She hadn't thought Cleon and Kel would elope. Ari wasn't sure if they would either; she just made it up to scare the lady.
*****