"Kel, let's GO already! I wanna see Yuki!" Sir Nealan of Queenscove
whined, bouncing in his saddle. His mount didn't look thrilled about the
stress being put on his rear.
"Just a second, Neal." Keladry of Middelin replied thoughtfully, sparing one last glance at the forty-foot-high walls of New Hope.
She pushed a calloused hand through her short brown hair, frowning slightly.
Was New Hope ready to defend itself? She had made this mistake before, leaving civilians- unready civilians- in charge of more civilians.
Fanche, the camp's recently elected headwoman, seemed to have the same idea as Neal. She gestured toward the road, hurrying them toward their destination.
Kel nodded resolutely and turned Peachblossom- her temperamental, strawberry roan gelding- toward the road.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*******************~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Only hours later, they had reached the gates of Mastiff. Neal's emerald eyes gleamed impatiently.
"Neal," Kel said, riding up behind him and catching his left hand. "I think you'd better do a healing on yourself before you go in. Look at that!"
She waved his hand limply under his nose.
"Oh." he said curiously, regarding the deep purple bruise across his knuckles. "How did that happen?"
Kel rolled her eyes. "You've only been whacking it against your saddle for- oh, the last four hours. Why would you notice it?"
Love, she thought with exasperation. Look what it did to people. Dom, though....that was another story.
"Idiot meathead." she said, cuffing her friend on the head as she rode through the huge gates.
"I am not-" he yelled after her, but was interrupted by a shout coming from the top of the battlements.
"KEL!"
She looked around for the shouter, only to be nearly knocked from her horse by a flying mass in royal blue.
"DOM! Um...d'you think you could get off?"
"Dom, discontinue your molesting of my classmate!" Neal yelled cheerfully from behind her.
Dom released her, only to start doing something that resembled.....a jig.
"Happy, happy, happy! Meathead- you're here to? They let you out without your keeper, or did you escape too?" he cried, dancing around on the muddly cobblestones.
"What- what happened to you? Did someone drug your food, or something?" Kel asked, narrowing her long-lashed, hazel eyes.
"No- the King finally convinced the councils of lords and commons to let the refugees go closer to Corus! And- here's the best part- we get to go with you!"
"Really? Third company?" Kel replied excitedly, her normally mellow voice rising several octaves. "Really?"
"Yes! Come on- Lord Wyldon wants to see you."
She dismounted and followed the still dancing Domitan of Masbolle to the stables.
Peachblossom settled into his stall after a quick brush and a few attempts at passing stable boys. Kel made her way through a crowded courtyard and up a stone staircase to a wide oak door. She knocked tentatively.
"Come in." a harsh voice called from inside the door.
"Yes, Milord? You wished to see me?" she cursed her own stupidity. Of course he wanted to see her. That would be why he summoned her to Fort Mastiff.
Wyldon of Cavall looked up from his pile of paperwork on his desk. "Yes, Midelan, I did. It seems that the King has finally swayed the vote of the council of Lords and Commons, and we will be moving the entire of the refugees south. Though, I guess that you already know, judging by your euphoric friend's dancing." He said, gesturing toward a window that looked over the gate.
"Yes sir."
"You, of course, will be leading them, along with the third company of the King's Own, and the former commander of the Queen's Own, Buriram Tourakom. Nealan of Queenscove will also accompany you, and Lady Daine Sarrasri will check up on you, now and again. Do you have questions?"
"No, sir. Except...when do we start?"
"You will need to evacuate the camp of New Hope, and procure supplies, before leaving, so I would say....a month, about?"
Kel nodded mutely. To vacate New Hope, only months after it had been established?
Yes. For she knew that the purpose had only been to house the refugees until a better home had been found.
"My lord, what must I do?"
"Just a second, Neal." Keladry of Middelin replied thoughtfully, sparing one last glance at the forty-foot-high walls of New Hope.
She pushed a calloused hand through her short brown hair, frowning slightly.
Was New Hope ready to defend itself? She had made this mistake before, leaving civilians- unready civilians- in charge of more civilians.
Fanche, the camp's recently elected headwoman, seemed to have the same idea as Neal. She gestured toward the road, hurrying them toward their destination.
Kel nodded resolutely and turned Peachblossom- her temperamental, strawberry roan gelding- toward the road.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*******************~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Only hours later, they had reached the gates of Mastiff. Neal's emerald eyes gleamed impatiently.
"Neal," Kel said, riding up behind him and catching his left hand. "I think you'd better do a healing on yourself before you go in. Look at that!"
She waved his hand limply under his nose.
"Oh." he said curiously, regarding the deep purple bruise across his knuckles. "How did that happen?"
Kel rolled her eyes. "You've only been whacking it against your saddle for- oh, the last four hours. Why would you notice it?"
Love, she thought with exasperation. Look what it did to people. Dom, though....that was another story.
"Idiot meathead." she said, cuffing her friend on the head as she rode through the huge gates.
"I am not-" he yelled after her, but was interrupted by a shout coming from the top of the battlements.
"KEL!"
She looked around for the shouter, only to be nearly knocked from her horse by a flying mass in royal blue.
"DOM! Um...d'you think you could get off?"
"Dom, discontinue your molesting of my classmate!" Neal yelled cheerfully from behind her.
Dom released her, only to start doing something that resembled.....a jig.
"Happy, happy, happy! Meathead- you're here to? They let you out without your keeper, or did you escape too?" he cried, dancing around on the muddly cobblestones.
"What- what happened to you? Did someone drug your food, or something?" Kel asked, narrowing her long-lashed, hazel eyes.
"No- the King finally convinced the councils of lords and commons to let the refugees go closer to Corus! And- here's the best part- we get to go with you!"
"Really? Third company?" Kel replied excitedly, her normally mellow voice rising several octaves. "Really?"
"Yes! Come on- Lord Wyldon wants to see you."
She dismounted and followed the still dancing Domitan of Masbolle to the stables.
Peachblossom settled into his stall after a quick brush and a few attempts at passing stable boys. Kel made her way through a crowded courtyard and up a stone staircase to a wide oak door. She knocked tentatively.
"Come in." a harsh voice called from inside the door.
"Yes, Milord? You wished to see me?" she cursed her own stupidity. Of course he wanted to see her. That would be why he summoned her to Fort Mastiff.
Wyldon of Cavall looked up from his pile of paperwork on his desk. "Yes, Midelan, I did. It seems that the King has finally swayed the vote of the council of Lords and Commons, and we will be moving the entire of the refugees south. Though, I guess that you already know, judging by your euphoric friend's dancing." He said, gesturing toward a window that looked over the gate.
"Yes sir."
"You, of course, will be leading them, along with the third company of the King's Own, and the former commander of the Queen's Own, Buriram Tourakom. Nealan of Queenscove will also accompany you, and Lady Daine Sarrasri will check up on you, now and again. Do you have questions?"
"No, sir. Except...when do we start?"
"You will need to evacuate the camp of New Hope, and procure supplies, before leaving, so I would say....a month, about?"
Kel nodded mutely. To vacate New Hope, only months after it had been established?
Yes. For she knew that the purpose had only been to house the refugees until a better home had been found.
"My lord, what must I do?"