Hey guys I'm back and considerably happy at the responses I got from the first chapter, so here's the second one, longer as promised, enjoy!
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Medea sighed as she awoke in her room; it felt nice in her darkness. She couldn't remember though completely the events of yesterday. She sighed as she thought all the previous events were all a messed up dream.
'They would never accept me anyway, they love the others too much there is no space for me,' Medea thought her midnight black hair shadowing her eyes, a small tear running down her cheek.
Then from the door, her mother entered. She wore a warm smile and had a suit of leather armor in her arms. Medea looked up confused.
"Queen Thirrin?" Medea asked, she had stopped calling Thirrin mother a long time ago.
Thirrin stiffened a bit at the formal greeting; it was as if she was struck to the heart as she was reminded yet again how she had not helped her daughter as she grew.
'I'll make up for it,' Thirrin's will of fire would not allow this to go uncorrected; she would atone for those lost years.
"Come on, I told your lazy arse to be ready for training yesterday," Thirrin said in a light mood.
Medea looked a bit shocked, 'It wasn't…"
She shook her head to get rid of the thought, now wasn't the time, she would help her family, her brothers, her mother, her father, her country to defeat the threat of the Bellorums. She got up and took the armor from her mother and placed it on her bed and looked at it strangely.
'I have no idea how to put any of this on…' Medea thought, her eye twitching slightly.
Thirrin stifled a laugh as her daughter kept approaching and then backing away from the suit of armor, it was obvious that she had no clue how to put on the armor. Thirrin walked over and took Medea's shoulder.
"First of all, you can not put on this armor with a dress on," Thirrin said simply, Medea nodding.
Thirrin yelled for a servant standing outside the door to come in. He quickly obeyed and came in some standard clothing in his arms. A tunic and a pair of pants that looked durable and strong yet would give her the flexibility needed for the training she was about to undertake. She walked to a screen she had in the room to change behind and when finished walked out. She felt refreshed in a way, the smell of the new clothing was a nice thing and the feel of the simple fabric was great to her, not stiff and rigid like her dresses she wore.
The servant stared, his mouth somewhat ajar, Medea paid no mind and walked to her mother and waited for the next instructions. Thirrin nodded in approval and began to instruct her on how to put on the chest plate. Soon enough Medea was fully armored with the exception of a helmet and tied her hair back. Her mother took the honor of placing the helmet upon her head.
Thirrin walked to the door, "Come Medea, time to find your horse."
Medea nodded the affirmative and followed her mother, the leather armor beginning to get used to the movements of its owner. She walked with only a tad of difficulty to the stables where three horses were lined up, it was apparent in the eyes of these horses that they were powerful beasts.
In a row there was a black mare, at least 22 hands high, it looked fierce and still wild. Medea looked into the beast's eyes and shook her head; this horse did not trust her at all. The next was a gray and white-spotted stallion only 17 hands high, it wasn't as fierce looking as the first horse and Medea approached him. It immediately kicked the back wall of the stable to show he didn't want Medea any closer. Medea glared at the horse its arrogance annoying her. She waved it off and approached the last horse; a chestnut brown one, and invariably different from the other two. She was definitely smaller than the others, only about 14 hands; from a first glance it appeared to be a filly.
"Mother, why is there a filly in the stable? A young horse like this won't be able to fight," Medea said recalling something she had read when she was younger.
Thirrin smiled, "That is no filly Medea, Astrid is at least ten years old. She may be only 14 hands high, but she is a wonderful horse, I remember finding her when you were younger. She had almost got herself killed for scaring one of the werewolf guard captains, he tried to gut her, but she kicked him so hard that he was out for a fortnight."
Medea approached Astrid with a bit of curiosity, such a small horse with that much power… Astrid snorted as Medea approached but waited calmly. Medea placed her hand on Astrid's nose and stroked her lightly. Astrid whinnied in approval.
Medea suddenly felt Astrid's thoughts and feelings, the joy Astrid felt at being acknowledged, the hope she held that she would finally have a friend, the thrill she had at being able to train and fight alongside someone, and to be chosen when many other horses shunned her for her clear differences. Medea's eyes widened as all of this bombarded her mind at once. Medea though did not flinch away but kept stroking the mare's nose, feeling akin to her. She had noticed a clear similarity that if she were to choose Astrid, they would be almost impossible to top. The emotions Astrid felt as Medea acknowledged her were the same as when her own brothers finally acknowledged her just yesterday.
Medea nodded and turned to her mother.
"Astrid will be my companion," Medea confirmed, the same fire she held in her eyes yesterday when she had vowed to help her country was present once more.
Thirrin smiled at her daughter's choice and unlocked Astrid's stable door. Medea led the horse out and noticed she was almost as tall as her horse, but the way her horse walked, it proved that she was as good a horse as any, maybe even better. Astrid had powerful muscles in her legs and it showed as she walked, her health was apparent in the beauty of her brown pelt.
They got to an open field and Medea smiled slightly as Tharaman Thar strode over to meet them. Astrid whinnied a greeting and Tharaman smiled.
"I see the young strategist chose the underdog," He said in a joking tone, his jolly voice though still insulted Astrid.
The mare snorted indignantly and Tharaman laughed heartily.
"Ahh, young mare, do not hold it against me," Tharaman said apologetically.
Astrid snorted once again and readjusted her footing, trying to show the old snow leopard was forgiven. Medea smiled at how Astrid acted almost humanly and stroked her mane. Astrid whinnied and Thirrin smiled before coughing loudly to get everyone's attention.
"Tharaman, a servant brought several saddles correct?" Thirrin addressed the leader of the snow leopards.
Tharaman bobbed his head, "Yes, the offensive things are over here."
Tharaman had no problem in showing distaste in the idea of saddles. In fact all the snow leopards hated the things. Tharaman even warned all the soldiers who would ride leopards for superior tactics during battles that if they attempted to put a saddle on any leopard they would be gutted and used as an example for other soldiers on what not to do when fighting alongside snow leopards.
He led the group to a pile of saddles that had been laid out. Thirrin waved Medea and Astrid forward to examine each and every saddle. They walked along them, Medea looking at each saddle with a considerable amount of scrutiny. Many of them were much too large for Astrid and were thrown into a pile for the rejected saddles. Soon enough they were fitting the rest of the saddles on Astrid which they then received a no or yes. These came in the form of Astrid either pushing off the ground angrily to get the offending saddle off, or bobbing her head in a nod.
In all finality there were only two saddles left. One was a light brown, new and made from fine fabrics, a bit too fancy for Medea's tastes. The other was as black as night, though a bit rough at Medea's legs and stiff with blood from the last war. Medea though could tell her mother chose this saddle to be included for a reason. When she had seen it, she could easily discern the insignia of the Hypolitans, and the royal crest as well.
'Grand Aunt Elemnestra…' Medea thought as she looked upon it, then she lifted it on to Astrid's back for the second time to fit it for herself. She couldn't feel the roughness and stiffness of the saddle; instead her mind was bombarded again, this time though, it was by memories and emotions.
The last look back at the city before getting on her horse to ride into battle with her archers; holding onto uncle Olememnon as she cried into his shoulder, making him swear that he would never speak a word about the moment, right after he had a close call, then she saw the very moment she saw her death, the cannonball heading toward her; her fear, grief, rage, and pride hitting her. Medea clutched her head, all of it causing her pain. She thought she heard her mother scream and then her world went black.
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'Oww…' Medea groaned in her mind, clutching her head as she awoke.
Soon she was surrounded by her family and Tharaman all asking questions at once.
"What happened?!"
"Are you okay?"
"Sis can you speak?"
"Why are you like this?"
"Was it the saddle?"
"It was the horrid thing wasn't it?"
"SHUT UP I'M FINE!" Medea screamed trying to soothe her aching head and many people talking simultaneously wasn't doing any good to her.
Everyone went silent and Oskan pet her head lightly, "Medea what happened?"
Medea thought back to the visions she saw and shivered horribly, "I-I saw Aunt Elemnestra and all she saw, I felt what she felt at all moments she was on her horse."
Thirrin had looked down her face darkened considerably as she knew what Medea must have seen and she was just reassured by what she asked next.
"Why was Elemnestra and her archers alone on the field when the cannonball hit? Shouldn't there had been so much more troops?" Medea asked, a hint of steel in her voice, a steel Thirrin was very familiar with, since it was pretty much the anger she had raging through her blood right after the battle where one-hundred soldiers from every regiment were flogged for causing the death of Elemnestra and her archers.
Thirrin cleared her voice to try and avoid showing how much grief and anger the memory brought her and began to retell the events of Elemnestra's final battle. Medea glared fiercely at the bed sheets, her teeth grinding angrily at how their own country's troops could break ranks like that. When Thirrin finished speaking she put a hand on Medea's head.
"Do not be too angry Medea, the past is long gone and nothing can stop it. Now I'lljust bring up the new saddle and put Elemnestra's saddle aw-"
"No!" Medea called a tad forcefully, "I still wish to use my aunt's saddle."
Oskan spoke up, "Medea, you almost blacked out last time you came in contact with it, it's not safe."
Medea shook her head, "Father do not underestimate me, I can and will use that saddle, and whatever happened it is over, and if it happens again, I will control it."
Oskan bit his lower lip but could only bend to the will of his daughter when Thirrin agreed, pride shining through her eyes. Eodred and Cerdic both hugged their little sister and praised her. Cressida even allowed a small smile.
Medea smiled an equally small smile back at her sister, then suddenly she felt something, so subtle she almost didn't catch it, she pushed her brothers away, jumped out of bed and ran to the window. She could see all of Icemark and the battle fields outside of the walls of the city. And there were Scipio Bellorum's troops all lined up with his two sons leading. A messenger was being sent towards the city. Her family who had gathered together by the window after Medea's sudden jump out of bed tensed, another battle was about to begin.
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Hehe! Cliff hanger! well guys I had to cut it off there, but just you wait until the next chapter where we get some old-fashioned war drama! Yay!
Araizune-Nara.
