Whose woods are these I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow
"You look like a freak." Ari's dark green eyes skittered away from the reflection of her fingers busily lacing the snug green wool doublet in the to focus on the counterpart impression of her roommate hovering in the mirror somewhere above the region of Ari's right shoulder. Her roommate of a year or so was flipping the glossy pages of a People magazine languidly, tiny feet tucked beneath her on the couch. Blue eyes glanced up, full of haughty disdain perfect lips sliding into a smile that seemed to read, it's alright I know you'll never be as good as me. "Really," the honey soft voice returned, "dressing up like a reject extra from some weird fantasy movie." A snort of derision followed and flip went the flimsy pages. The smile never slipping from her face, but never reaching her pretty cornflower blue eyes. Ari wanted to wince, but suppressed the need, mouth twisting into a sad mockery of a smile.
"Gwendolyn if I wanted to be around a blond bird brained bitch, I would have stayed at home where my mother could just scream down the hall at me, and not take the extra effort to call me." The laces twined in and out quietly, reflected back in the hazy cheep dollar store mirror tacked to the back of the living room door. It was a testament to just how much to two roommates hated each other that the blond woman on the couch never even batted an eye at either the harsh language or the even harsher sentiment expressed. Insults had become something of a morning ritual between the two, and no topic was sacred or any little detail to obscure for either to drag into the light of day.
"Well that's too bad sweetie," Gwendolyn's blond crowned head dipped back down to the magazine's enticing pages a sardonic smile staining her otherwise beautiful face, "you never really get what you want do you."
Ari just grunted and tied the final knot with a decisive motion, before tugging at the bottom of the self sown doublet downwards in an unbidden bout self-consciousness. Turning away from the mirror she patted the loose chignon that held her dusky brown hair back as she went. It wouldn't do for it to come undone in the middle of something or God forbid tomorrow while she was in the middle of the tourney. Even in a friendly competition she hated to lose, let alone in a competition that included the whole of the Kingdom, so risking a loose hairdo was a no go, even the day before. There was some parable about always being prepared, or maybe it was some sort of motto, she sucked her bottom lip quietly as she contemplated the difference. Skirting the edge of the white foe-leather couch, Gwendolyn's god-awful choice not Ari's, making her way towards the kitchen counter where her fiberglass composite bow and full quiver lay, looking odd and out of place under the glow of the florescent lights.
"Who knows," Ari's eyes flirted sideways towards the couch and its occupant, surprised the egocentric girl had bothered to make any sound at all. Gwendolyn, ever one to want attention was watching her, elbow propped on the back of the couch, chin cupped in her oddly turned hand. "perhaps one day you might even snag yourself a man with that delightful little contraption."
"Bow." the snark was back in her voice now.
"Oh I know what they call it darling, I just couldn't give a damn, especially when I know how it annoys you so." The other woman twisted back into her former seat, a school girlish giggle on her lips. Scooping her bow and quiver into her waiting arms Ari simply settled with making a dirty face at the back of the couch, and Gwendolyn's head. She detained for a second the awful fantasy of punching the blond, but really she already had a record, there was no need to add assault and battery with an armed weapon to the list of misdemeanors she already had to her name. Making sure she had a careful hold of the two biggest moneymakers she had, she glanced back around the apartment, checking of a mental list of things she needed, and had presumably already remembered and placed in her small car earlier this morning, before heading into her room to change into her garb.
Ari let her eyes roam once more over the apartments large main room before turning and bundling the bow and quiver under her arms. These beauties would be getting the queens treatment, a nice ride in the passenger seat of her old red hatchback. It was a bad idea to let them roll about in the back with the heavy tent and Tupperware boxes filled with clean garb, odds and ends used for fetching, and other sundry bits and activities to fill what little free time she was going to have over the week long event. Moving quickly, best not to wake the sleeping Gwendolyn dragon she ruminated, she paused at the door to tap the doorjamb three times with the toe of brown leather boot, for good luck as her father had always said to her when she was younger, and more likely to believe in the little superstitious beliefs of the world.
Checking the watch on her left wrist as she shoulder checked the door behind her shut she swore softly she sped her pace down the hallway taking the stares two or three at a time. The event opened at five and was at a state park about three hours away, so if she wanted to get there in time she needed to hoof it, especially if she expected to get a halfway decent spot to sleep. Her tent was small, but space at these things was at a premium, especially since she was so new to this particular kingdom.
As she buckled herself into the seat of her old gremlin, stuffed full of all sorts of gear needed to re-enact the medieval ages in all of its presumed glory, and paused to take a moment to look up at the clean white façade of her apartment complex, and contemplate all of the things that it meant to her. After a short pause, she mentally and physically shook herself, and simply turned her car on, reversing out, and finally away from the dingy apartment, with its bitch of a roommate, and the dead end secretary's job. Now she wasn't just Ariana Blackwell secretary, she was Ari of Caulderon, the finest archer in all of the kingdom, and so what if she preferred a make belief life to the one she truly had.
"Ari you made it!" Ari stumbled backwards as a pair of thick darkly haired arms wrapped around her torso and she went twisting into the air, swinging madly about, a smile plastered on her own face as she was greeted by a familiar and comforting sight. John the Bear, a huge towering man dressed in a kilt of blue and red and with enough hair to rival his namesake had her by the waist and was greeting her in the only way he seemed to recognize, enthusiastically.
"Alright, alright," she chortled squirming about in his hold, "now that you've greeted me properly can you please do me a favor and let me down, I feel like I'm suffocating." John grinned at her and settled her back down onto her feet, scratching his full bristling brown beard a sort of chagrined smile on his handsome face.
"Well I woldn' be a proper Scotsman if I didn'a greet my favorite little fighter prop'ly now would I?" he asked waving a large hand about his brown eyes twinkling down at her. She shrugged and gestured to her car, which was parked on the grass verge nearby.
"Could you possibly see your large Scottish self helping a little Englishwoman gather her gear and helping her set it up at camp?" she asked coyly scuffing her leather boot clad feet against the dirt and fluttering her eyelashes madly at him. He gave a bark of laughter at her outrageous mannerisms but doffed his slightly worn and dirty cap with a flourish towards her car.
"As Milady wishes." He lisped out, the perfect imitation of any Hollywood English butler. Ari fluttered her eyelashes again and dipped out a ditsy curtsy pretending to blush fetchingly a hand fluttering at her breast, looking a sight in her wools and leathers, but no more than anyone else here. She trotted towards her car in her best imitation of the way a high lady would walk, John trailing after her, hat still clutched in his large mitts. Neither could hide their ever widening smiles as they approached the back of her hatchback in a manner that would have been beloved of the most eccentric high school drama teacher that there ever was.
"Is this the car Milady wishes unloaded?" John asked whipping his hat about him as if he was trying to swat some tyrannically sized bug from the air, his English butler's accent still very evident. It was at this that Ari lost her cool, and soon both were leaning against her car, faces red and eyes streaming with tears as they howled with mutual laughter. "God I missed you John." She wheezed out hands resting on her knees as she gasped for breath, her back pressed against the cool metal of the car.
"Aye' an I missed yea too lass." John breathed as he settled on the small lip at the back of the hatchback. Aria let her head fall back against the car as she closed her eyes and breathed deeply of the clean air that wafted through the park. She had missed John, really she had. He had been gone, back to Scotland on family business, and she had been in the middle of moving from one big city to another equally large city, and they had not been able to do anything other than e-mail each other back and forth for what seemed like an eternity. It was a blessing that once things had settled back down they had been able to find an event that was about the middle of the distance that either would have to cover to see the other.
Shaking her head at the absurdity of the situation Ari levered herself back onto her feet and motioned for the huge man to move. With a grunt and a smile John took the suggestion and picked himself up, allowing Ari room enough to lean in and unlock the hatchbacks back compartment. What followed was a long process of moving boxes, setting up tents. She and John had managed to get a prime spot, less than ten feet from the bathroom. When the dust had settled, the campfire had been started, and the day was fading into dusk John pulled out the traditional red and white cooler.
"So have I heard correctly," John started as he lifted the of the top much abused cooler and fished out two cans of beer and a pack of hotdogs, "that you plan on entering the archery tourney tomorrow?" One of the beers he tossed to Ari, who caught it easily and popped the top quietly leaning back into her folding chair. She took a sip of the pungent liquid before she answered.
"Well, yes it's been months and I simply can't have my name disappearing from the limelight." She offered him a sardonic smile to match her tone as she settled one hand into the crook of her elbow and wagged the beer can at him as if admonishing a small child.
"Aye that's what I thought." He said with a grin as he settled his feet up on the cooler and handed her a spitted hotdog. She took it with a grateful smile, settling the beer on the ground next to her, and sticking the dog into the warm flames.
"Now about that boy you mentioned in your e-mails…"
The rest of the night was spent in quiet revelry and good memories, as any good reunion should. Ari would need these memories soon, to hold her through the quiet nights ahead.
"Wake up lass," Ari groaned and rolled over, swatting at the hand that was invading her very dear and cherished personal space. Yet try as she might the loud booming voice just kept on echoing in her tender brain and she groaned pitifully slapping a forearm across her eyes. "Come now, ye have a tourney to participate in and a hangover to work off, ye need to get up." John rubbed a hand over his beard as he stared down at the prone and limp body of his protégé. Her chignon was still intact, she would appreciate that, but she still looked like hell warmed over, even asleep. Arms and legs sprawled everywhere in her small tent, drool dripping down her chin, and dark bruised circles under her eyes that would give a raccoon pause. He sighed and scratched his head lightly debating the differing levels of anger he might experience if he let her sleep and miss the tourney qualifiers, or the wrath he would receive if he woke her up.
With yet another long suffering sigh he leaned down and swiftly stuffed his hands under the slumbering woman's armpits. With a heave he had her out of the pile of blankets and into the early morning air. Dragging her towards the bathrooms he ignored the increasingly loud protestations of the fighter in his arms as she swiftly rose to wakefulness. Though unusual in nature John apparently had a plan for this little escapade, as he seemed to have a particular destination in mind. This was a good, because Ari was almost completely awake by now.
"The fu-". The curse was lost in a series of sputtering and retching sounds as John unceremoniously dropped his former page and with the ease of long practice, turned the hose on her.
"Oh God Damn! Fuck! You asshole!" Ari roared leaping to her feet and flailing her fists in the general direction of her cold water attacker. John chuckled leaning out of the range of her furious, if uncoordinated, attack. Reaching down he twisted the handle of the hose back off and chucked the incongruous green snake back down onto the slightly muddy ground next to the camp bathroom. He regarded his muddy and drenched young friend with an amused expression. She looked sort of like a wet and furious cat he supposed. Her hair was flattened and her face was smeared with dirt and mud, the expression she sported, he thought, was a mixture of mutiny and rage.
"Its seven." He said
"Why the hell-" she paused, "FUCK!"
He just chuckled as she scrambled just about as ungracefully as a person can back towards the tents. He meandered off towards the archery range. He had the feeling that today would be a very good day indeed.