Chapter One: Dawn's Warning.
It was morning again.
In the predawn light, mist bathed the newly cobbled streets in hues of grey and blue, swirling silver streamers into the ground like day after-fete ribbons. The dying gleam of the street lamps sputtered like bobbing spirits and as the sun rose over the eastern mountains, a yawning, barely-awake lamp-keeper climbed his ladder and extinguished them all, one by one.
The bell tower chimed the hour in a deep, tolling rumble and lights flickered in windows as the townsfolk stretched, groaned, and grumbled themselves awake. Smoke began to arise from chimneys, morning's greetings were cheerfully called among neighbors and New Hope began to awaken as the sun burned the last of the fog from the sky.
Lady Keladry of Mindelan, Lady Knight to the Crown of Tortall, watched her town quietly from her position on the hillock, her glaive propped idly against her shoulder. The sparrows along her shoulders gave tiny, drowsy peeps and at her feet, Jump was curled into a ball, having, after a mournful glance, reluctantly abandoned the nice, toasty warmth beside the fireplace to follow his person up the hill.
Together, they had prowled the borders around the town, making sure there was no sign of attack or unrest. There wasn't. No Scanrans preparing to invade the little town of New Hope. No immortals lying in wait for an unwary child to stumble past. No Tusane knights, evil necromancers, or black-robed mage.
A small smile crinkled the skin around Kel's eyes. All was well.
She rose to her feet, sending a storm of feathered puffballs tumbling from her shoulder as she waved off the little sparrows. "Come on now, I can't practice with all of you sitting on me." She nudged the dog gently in the ribs. "You too. Move." Jump opened one eye pitifully and wagged his tail, but Kel just raised an eyebrow at him. "Go on now. Find some place else to sleep."
He gave a grumble and crankily got to his feet as Kel began her stretches. With careful precision, she started her warm ups, first her legs and feet, rotating her ankles methodically so they wouldn't lock up later, then her torso, arms, and neck.
When she finally felt everything was as loose as it could get, she brought her glaive up and with graceful swings, began the first slow, almost dance-like steps to the Yamani glaive exercise. The long, heavy, weapon spun effortlessly in her hands and as the patterns got a little more difficult, she half closed her eyes, letting her surroundings fade away as the shining steel blade became her only focus.
Sweat plastered her hair to the sides of her face and she panted slightly as she sent the glaive flashing and blurring like the wings of a hummingbird, surrendering her whole body to the dance that was in every way as intricate as those in a ballroom. Her arms moved in tandem with her legs; her body rippled and flowed with every lightning quick thrust and parry and then, with a burst of energy, she sent the weapon twirling above her head. With a sudden, sweeping arc, she chopped the blade down in a swing that stopped only inches from the ground.
Done.
"Well, it's good to see you haven't lost your touch, Lady Knight."
She brought her head up to the sound of dry clapping, her whole body tensing, then just as quickly relaxing as she saw who it was. Only one man she knew had such sloe-black eyes and hair and was quiet enough to sneak up on her like that
Raoul of Goldenlake regarded his former squire teasingly as he remarked, "And here I thought that months and months of staying in this nice, idyllic little town with nothing to do would addle your wits until you were as empty-headed as a conservative. So glad to know I was wrong."
Keladry snorted affectionately, shaking her head. "You're one to talk. Joints creaking and old age and arthritis catching up to you so much that you fell off your horse right in front of the Carthak ambassador, eh?" She chortled mercilessly as Raoul blushed, "Palace gossip has it that you looked very becoming sprawled face down like a bear-skin rug. Sprained your arm and wouldn't even see a healer for it. Stubborn, stubborn, stubborn."
"I was fine," Raoul grumbled, a little sourly, "It was only because my spur got stuck in the stirrup. When I find out who told you…" His eyebrow lowered threateningly, and Kel hid a grin.
She gave her former Knight Master her best Lump expression and shrugged, "I never kiss and tell."
"Unfortunately," He gave her a baleful glare that had her lips twitching. "You're as closemouthed as a…as a…."
"Yamani?" she provided helpfully, reminding him of the years she had spent on the Islands.
"I was going to say a God-sworn priest, but Yamani will do very well too."
She grinned at him slightly. "So what has you down instead of prowling the kingdom with the rest of the Third?"
Was it just her or did his expression close a little?
"Later," He muttered evasively and abruptly clapped her on her back, almost sending her to sprawling to the ground. Almost too brightly, he continued, "Well, if you're finished, let's get you back to your local tavern where we can gossip like old fishwives over a hot cup of ale." He chuckled, a little maliciously as he put an arm around her shoulder, leading her back towards the now-bustling town. "After all, it seems only fair that if my name's gotten besmirched, I should gossip with you about everyone else you know!"
*~*~*
The sound of laughter died away as Kel wiped tears from her eyes, still having a good chuckle at the expense of her friends' reputations. "I can't imagine Neal speechless," She admitted with a grin, "It must have been priceless."
"It was. Especially when your friend, Yuki swore that he would go no where near the marriage bed ever again if she had anything to do with it," Raoul's eyes twinkled merrily, "The nurse tells us that in the middle of pushing, she was threatening to castrate him and if she survived bringing his child into the world, she would go after him with a glaive if he touched her again."
Kel commented shakily, "That must have…dismayed…him."
Raoul raised his eyebrows, "Yuki—ouch!—let's rethink this." He mimicked Neal's voice with such accuracy that Kel's shoulders started shaking again, "If we—ow!—are very careful then—ow, ow, ow, ow…you'll break my hand, beloved—we can make sure not to have —OW—children next time. Infertility charms are—ow—very…push, push…now there's a girl—easy to….dear one, you're almost finished…make."
"Poor Neal." Kel's smile trembled with more laughter. "Poor Yuki. But I wish I had been there for little Shinji's birthing though…" She sighed a little, slouching back in her chair. It had been three years since she had, with her group of townsfolk and orphans, founded New Hope. Three years and all her friends were moving ahead with their lives. Besides the marriage of the Royal Couple, Merric had gotten himself betrothed with some Baroness and was deeply in love, Cleon had married his heiress and word had it that they made a beautiful couple in court. If Raoul finally got the courage to go against family and tradition, he would make Buri a very happy woman…although the question remained whether he would show up at his own wedding or whether he would be found hiding behind the drapes in dread of the ceremony.
At the palace, things were changing…and in the little town of New Hope, things didn't seem to change at all. Of course she had a great responsibility and the people did need her to help run the day to day of the town, but as the mayor-hall was set up and a council elected, Kel found herself to be more and more out of place.
To put it lightly, she was bored. She wanted to feel needed, and, she admitted to herself dryly, the townspeople could very well take care of themselves now. She wanted a change of scenery, border patrolling…anything to keep herself busy. She barely got to see her old friends anymore, she thought with the beginnings of depression. Sure they visited, once or twice a year but it was different. She missed the closeness, the camaraderie, just being able to talk and have fun with people…
With a jerk, Kel realized that Raoul was watching her speculatively and immediately, she smoothed her face into a blank expression of inquiry…that seemed to amuse him.
"You're Lump expression is getting easier to read," He remarked, easing back in his seat. "Or maybe that's because I've known you so long?"
Keladry ran through all the things that she could say to that comment and decided the best course was to change the subject.
Quickly.
Spreading her arms wide, she gestured to the remains of the meal, raising her brown in question. "Well, you've wined me, dined me, and entertained me, so why don't we cut off the chase, M'lord? You didn't come all the way from the capital just to make me laugh."
Raoul grinned, still hedging. "Well, it's good for you to laugh sometimes. Seems to me you haven't been doing much of it. And technically, you're paying for all of this you know." He gave her a rakish glance. "I'm just a poor border knight."
Kel just watched him with her Yamani-calm eyes until the big knight started squirming. In any other occasion that would have been funny. In this situation, it was more alarming than anything. "You'll have to tell me eventually," She said gently, "If it's as bad as you're making it seem, you should have told me as soon as you saw me, Sir Raoul."
Raoul looked at his former squire gruffly, "Technically since you're a knight, you can stop M'lording and Siring me—all right!" He said quickly when Kel frowned at him. "His Imperial Highness sent ambassadors to the capital about a week ago, calling for your family."
Kel shook her head, a little puzzled, "Well, he's been sending ambassadors ever since Roald and Shinko married—"
"He asked for your family." Raoul clarified firmly. "And you in specifically."
"Wha—?" Kel sat up a little straighter, her face suddenly as still as stone and her dreamy hazel eyes sharpened. "Tell me, now." She said quietly.
Raoul sighed. "I can't tell you what I don't know; you know how insular the Yamani's are." Raising his sober black eyes, he said quietly, "But the ambassador says to tell you this: if ever you owed your loyalty to the Yamani Imperial Crown, then you will come with all due speed to the capital. He said to give you this." From the fold of his tunic, Raoul produced a small envelope and Kel took it from him, opening quickly.
A heavy stone object fell in her lap and she ignored it in favor of opening the letter. It contained only three lines of verse.
aki wo saku.
kirei, kono iro wa...
chi no hana des.
Kel felt the blood drain from her face and quickly picked up the object. It was the imperial seal.
"Bright Goddess," She breathed softly, so quietly that Raoul had to strain to hear. "Someone's trying to kill the Emperor."
tbc…
*translation of the poem
red blooms
beautiful, the color
blood's flower.
Yes, I wrote it myself so it's a bit…sucky. And probably has a thousand and one grammar mistakes…in three lines. xP.
So basically, that's chapter one for yah. I'm new in the fandom so please be gentle! =^^= review…if only to tell me how cheap and clichéd the plotline is…