Author's Note - Oi, just to tell you all, this is a co-written fic. I wrote it with my friend Writer Chick. I wrote the part of Kydd, while she did Lyna. Enjoy!
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"Ooh. New trainees for the Queen's Riders arrive today," Douglass commented, looking to his squire.
The fifteen-year-old boy leaned against the fence, peering out at the girls in the group with interest. Pale green eyes glittered as he grinned. "I hope we get some fine looking girls this time around!" He whistled.
The Knight Master whacked him on the head. "Behave, boy," he commanded sternly. His squire, Kydd, just grinned impudently up at him.
Douglass sighed, ruffling the boy's dirty blonde hair. "You scamp..." he muttered, turning away from the trainees.
"I'm gonna stay here and watch the old Riders," announced Kydd, who was still staring.
"Fine," replied Douglass, "just meet me for lunch. Buri wants us and a couple others to start teaching the new trainees archery. " He paused as Kydd let out a cheer, then continued with a sly grin. "But you are going to help the male trainees!" He laughed at Kydd's disappointed groan.
"Remember, lunch!" Douglass warned, pointing a finger. Kydd waved it off with a flick of his hand.
"Yup. Lunch. Got it." The boy responded distantly with a grin, staring out at the girls.
With a sigh and a shake of his head, the Knight from Veldine walked off.
****************************************
Lyna of the House of Gothlen looked at the short woman in front of her.
"Do you understand? The life as a Rider is not easy. Life as a trainee is even harder. You know what happens during training, but if you make it through, you'll be put on probation for a year and then permanently signed to a Rider Group. Can you do this?" Commander Buri told the perspective Rider.
"Yes'm," Lyna bobbed her head.
"Now then, put your stuff in the Girls' bunks and meet the everyone else out in the unused horse pasture," Buri nodded her head towards the young girl and headed out to the pasture.
Lyna stepped into the bunkroom and selected a bed in the corner. Tossing her bag onto the bed, she gently placed another package next to the bag. Letting out the intricate plait. Brushing through her thick black hair with her fingers, Lyna quickly put it into two braids hanging down her back.
She jogged out to the large grassy field where the trainees had all assembled, the groups seemed to be split up into two—old and new.
"Okay trainees, time to stop sitting around and doing nothing. We'll start training, and if you think that's hard, wait until the Horse Mistress comes, then we'll all see whose really cut out for this," a large black man grinned devilishly.
Lyna's ears picked up several audible gulps, including her own. Somehow this idea of joining the Queen's Riders wasn't turning out to be one of the best she had come up with.
"Now then, older trainees, go over there," Buri pointed to the left of the pasture, near the stables, "and split up into your groups." Several people moved off knowing what to do. "You, you, you, you, you and you. Go over to Sir Douglass and his squire, you'll be practicing archery with them. We'll be very impressed if you can hit the target, let alone get a bulls eye," Buri selected Lyna along with five others and pointed to where the knight and his squire were standing.
****************************************
After lunch the two set back out to the field, Douglass using the gate and Kydd deftly jumping over the fence. The new trainees were just starting to gather. Kydd choked back a laugh, noticing Serge, a Rider, standing menacingly in front of him. The boy looked over to his Knight Master, catching the amused glint in his eyes.
The two stood there while Buri gave out instructions. Six people his age walked over to them. It was an even split: three girls, three guys. Kydd quickly looked over the females, expression temperate. The first was a small, meek girl with brown haircut up to her ears. Her doe-like eyes stared at the ground, too afraid to look up. The second was a red headed girl who stood with an air of self-confidence. She smiled brightly, and slightly raised her eyebrows when she noticed Kydd's stare. With a blink, he turned to the last. This girl had black hair separated in two braids. She looked somewhat nervous, but tried to hide it. She looked at the two with mild interest, hands fidgeting behind her back. Kydd caught her navy blue eyes, and felt as if he was going to melt. He shook his head as if to clear it, and looked to his Knight Master.
"You three go with Kydd," he told them, earning a glare from the squire. Kydd stepped towards them, motioning for them to follow. He led the way to the other side of the archery field. "Okay... You there," he pointed to the first target. "You there...and you there." He pointed and instructed in turn.
A short, brunette boy exclaimed, "We have names, you know!"
Kydd couldn't help but grin, and rolled his eyes at the boy his age. This kid's got balls, he thought. "I'm sure you do, and I'm sure they're nice names...but do I care?" He raised his eyebrows and smirked. Looking over to his Knight Master and noticing him started, he did the same.
"So, any of you boys archers here?" He inquired, looking them over. The brown-haired youth stepped forward. "You?" Kydd pointed to the boy.
"My name is Eric," he stressed, "and my older brother is a knight. He taught me archery," the boy was at least half a foot shorter than Kydd, with golden skin and eyes the same color as his hair.
"Well, then, little man, go and get a bow!" Kydd exclaimed, and turned to the others. "Either one of you ever pick up a bow?" They just stared at him blankly.
Kydd gave an exasperated sigh, cradling his head in a hand. This was going to be a long session!
****************************************
"You three go with Kydd," Sir Douglass instructed the three boys of the group, pointing to the dirty blonde youth. Lyna couldn't help but notice the small glare Kydd inflicted on his knightmaster.
The four walked to the other side of the archery area. "Okay you there, you there, and you there," Kydd instructed. Sir Douglass, Lyna and the other two watched in interest.
"We have names you know!" a brown haired teen exclaimed.
Kydd rolled his eyes, "I'm sure you do…and I'm sure they're very nice names…but I don't care," he smirked.
That's when Sir Douglass sighed and turned away from his squire and to the three females that stood in front of him. "Okay do any of you know how to use and string a bow?" he asked, an eyebrow raised. Two of the girls raised their hands, Lyna was one of them. "Okay then, out of ten, how many arrows hit the target?"
The other girl, a red head with blue eyes and a small nose shrugged, "Four or five out of ten."
Everyone looked at Lyna expectantly, "Seven out of ten on a good day. If the target is moving, maybe five out of ten on a good day?" Everyone just looked at her and she shrugged, "My brother enjoyed hunting, he often took me along."
Sir Douglass looked perplexed for a second but he just told the other girl and Lyna to select a bow from the pile and start to practice. Lyna tried to use the bow, but she soon four it too light. Finally, after aiming incorrectly several times, Lyna built up the courage to ask the knight if it would be possible if she would be able to use her own bow.
With permission granted, she sprinted back to the females' bunkroom and drew out her most prized possession, her bow. Jogging back out again she was careful not to hug the weapon too close…this could kill, in more ways than one.
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Disclaimer: Writer Chick and I do not claim to own any character that you may recognize in this piece of work. We both are members of Sheros.com and we would not do anything that would take money out of Tammy's pocket and cause her not to write. We love you Tammy (and Tim our Admin)! We do own Eric, Kydd, Lyna...and a bunch of over people whom you will be seeing in later chapters!
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"Ooh. New trainees for the Queen's Riders arrive today," Douglass commented, looking to his squire.
The fifteen-year-old boy leaned against the fence, peering out at the girls in the group with interest. Pale green eyes glittered as he grinned. "I hope we get some fine looking girls this time around!" He whistled.
The Knight Master whacked him on the head. "Behave, boy," he commanded sternly. His squire, Kydd, just grinned impudently up at him.
Douglass sighed, ruffling the boy's dirty blonde hair. "You scamp..." he muttered, turning away from the trainees.
"I'm gonna stay here and watch the old Riders," announced Kydd, who was still staring.
"Fine," replied Douglass, "just meet me for lunch. Buri wants us and a couple others to start teaching the new trainees archery. " He paused as Kydd let out a cheer, then continued with a sly grin. "But you are going to help the male trainees!" He laughed at Kydd's disappointed groan.
"Remember, lunch!" Douglass warned, pointing a finger. Kydd waved it off with a flick of his hand.
"Yup. Lunch. Got it." The boy responded distantly with a grin, staring out at the girls.
With a sigh and a shake of his head, the Knight from Veldine walked off.
****************************************
Lyna of the House of Gothlen looked at the short woman in front of her.
"Do you understand? The life as a Rider is not easy. Life as a trainee is even harder. You know what happens during training, but if you make it through, you'll be put on probation for a year and then permanently signed to a Rider Group. Can you do this?" Commander Buri told the perspective Rider.
"Yes'm," Lyna bobbed her head.
"Now then, put your stuff in the Girls' bunks and meet the everyone else out in the unused horse pasture," Buri nodded her head towards the young girl and headed out to the pasture.
Lyna stepped into the bunkroom and selected a bed in the corner. Tossing her bag onto the bed, she gently placed another package next to the bag. Letting out the intricate plait. Brushing through her thick black hair with her fingers, Lyna quickly put it into two braids hanging down her back.
She jogged out to the large grassy field where the trainees had all assembled, the groups seemed to be split up into two—old and new.
"Okay trainees, time to stop sitting around and doing nothing. We'll start training, and if you think that's hard, wait until the Horse Mistress comes, then we'll all see whose really cut out for this," a large black man grinned devilishly.
Lyna's ears picked up several audible gulps, including her own. Somehow this idea of joining the Queen's Riders wasn't turning out to be one of the best she had come up with.
"Now then, older trainees, go over there," Buri pointed to the left of the pasture, near the stables, "and split up into your groups." Several people moved off knowing what to do. "You, you, you, you, you and you. Go over to Sir Douglass and his squire, you'll be practicing archery with them. We'll be very impressed if you can hit the target, let alone get a bulls eye," Buri selected Lyna along with five others and pointed to where the knight and his squire were standing.
****************************************
After lunch the two set back out to the field, Douglass using the gate and Kydd deftly jumping over the fence. The new trainees were just starting to gather. Kydd choked back a laugh, noticing Serge, a Rider, standing menacingly in front of him. The boy looked over to his Knight Master, catching the amused glint in his eyes.
The two stood there while Buri gave out instructions. Six people his age walked over to them. It was an even split: three girls, three guys. Kydd quickly looked over the females, expression temperate. The first was a small, meek girl with brown haircut up to her ears. Her doe-like eyes stared at the ground, too afraid to look up. The second was a red headed girl who stood with an air of self-confidence. She smiled brightly, and slightly raised her eyebrows when she noticed Kydd's stare. With a blink, he turned to the last. This girl had black hair separated in two braids. She looked somewhat nervous, but tried to hide it. She looked at the two with mild interest, hands fidgeting behind her back. Kydd caught her navy blue eyes, and felt as if he was going to melt. He shook his head as if to clear it, and looked to his Knight Master.
"You three go with Kydd," he told them, earning a glare from the squire. Kydd stepped towards them, motioning for them to follow. He led the way to the other side of the archery field. "Okay... You there," he pointed to the first target. "You there...and you there." He pointed and instructed in turn.
A short, brunette boy exclaimed, "We have names, you know!"
Kydd couldn't help but grin, and rolled his eyes at the boy his age. This kid's got balls, he thought. "I'm sure you do, and I'm sure they're nice names...but do I care?" He raised his eyebrows and smirked. Looking over to his Knight Master and noticing him started, he did the same.
"So, any of you boys archers here?" He inquired, looking them over. The brown-haired youth stepped forward. "You?" Kydd pointed to the boy.
"My name is Eric," he stressed, "and my older brother is a knight. He taught me archery," the boy was at least half a foot shorter than Kydd, with golden skin and eyes the same color as his hair.
"Well, then, little man, go and get a bow!" Kydd exclaimed, and turned to the others. "Either one of you ever pick up a bow?" They just stared at him blankly.
Kydd gave an exasperated sigh, cradling his head in a hand. This was going to be a long session!
****************************************
"You three go with Kydd," Sir Douglass instructed the three boys of the group, pointing to the dirty blonde youth. Lyna couldn't help but notice the small glare Kydd inflicted on his knightmaster.
The four walked to the other side of the archery area. "Okay you there, you there, and you there," Kydd instructed. Sir Douglass, Lyna and the other two watched in interest.
"We have names you know!" a brown haired teen exclaimed.
Kydd rolled his eyes, "I'm sure you do…and I'm sure they're very nice names…but I don't care," he smirked.
That's when Sir Douglass sighed and turned away from his squire and to the three females that stood in front of him. "Okay do any of you know how to use and string a bow?" he asked, an eyebrow raised. Two of the girls raised their hands, Lyna was one of them. "Okay then, out of ten, how many arrows hit the target?"
The other girl, a red head with blue eyes and a small nose shrugged, "Four or five out of ten."
Everyone looked at Lyna expectantly, "Seven out of ten on a good day. If the target is moving, maybe five out of ten on a good day?" Everyone just looked at her and she shrugged, "My brother enjoyed hunting, he often took me along."
Sir Douglass looked perplexed for a second but he just told the other girl and Lyna to select a bow from the pile and start to practice. Lyna tried to use the bow, but she soon four it too light. Finally, after aiming incorrectly several times, Lyna built up the courage to ask the knight if it would be possible if she would be able to use her own bow.
With permission granted, she sprinted back to the females' bunkroom and drew out her most prized possession, her bow. Jogging back out again she was careful not to hug the weapon too close…this could kill, in more ways than one.
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Disclaimer: Writer Chick and I do not claim to own any character that you may recognize in this piece of work. We both are members of Sheros.com and we would not do anything that would take money out of Tammy's pocket and cause her not to write. We love you Tammy (and Tim our Admin)! We do own Eric, Kydd, Lyna...and a bunch of over people whom you will be seeing in later chapters!
