The Great Goddess Mother walked quickly to the Gran Court. Anyone who couldn't see her face would say that she was walking calmly; that she was at ease and nothing was bothering. One who saw her face, on the other hand, would know differently. Her full, blood red lips were pulled down into a horrible scowl, making her breathtakingly beautiful face seem terrifying. Her luminescent green eyes were flashing with rage. As she neared the huge gold door, she hastened her pace so that she was almost running. Reaching the door, she wrenched it open, much to the shock of the few gods around her.
The goddess stormed in, the air rippling behind her like a cape, showing its respect. All of the gods in the Grand Courtroom were shocked; The Great Goddess Mother rarely lost her temper this way, nor did she ever burst in on the Grand Court. Upon seeing her, the gods and goddesses were afraid, they could see the fury in her face, and they were afraid. The only god who did not tremble at the sight of her and take a step back was her brother. Mithros, The Great God of the Sun frowned at the sight of his sister, and at the scene she had caused.
"What is the meaning of this, sister? What is the reason for which you have come?" Mithros bellowed in his thundering voice. "Explain yourself!"
"Do not take that tone with me, brother." The Great Goddess Mother snapped. "Try to remember that you have no authority over me. As for why I am here, it is because I wish to know why. Why did you let Keladry of Mindelan be refused the post of Knighthood? It is your turn to explain brother! I will not allow this to stand. YOU will deal with this now, brother." Her voice was as cold as ice, and even Mithros had to fight the urge to wince when he heard it. He sighed, and rubbed his eyes with his hand.
"Calm yourself, sister. I am perfectly aware of what Wyldon had done. I cannot say that I am pleased with him, yet I do agree with him in more ways then one." At this, his sister's temper went over the edge.
"AGREE WITH HIM! AGREE WITH HIM, DO YOU BROTHER? AND WHY IS THAT?"
Gods and goddesses were now attempting to subtly leave, having no desire to take part in one of the rare, yet infamous arguments of the Great God and Goddess. Mithros's temper was now rising to boiling point as well.
"Yes, I agree with him! Keladry WILL NOT have your help in this matter! Think of how many times you aided you Chosen One when SHE got into trouble on her path to knighthood! Without your help, Keladry will perish. If she does not follow knighthood, she will be safe. She is a child! A strong child, I surrender, but still a child! She will not succeed in this! This path is not the one for her!"
The Great Goddess Mother was silent for a moment, but everyone who was there could see that Mithros was about to get it. The Great Goddess was simply working it up, waiting for just the right words to break her brother. At last, she found them.
"Are you telling me,"she said in a quiet voice that was none-the less filled with rage and authority, "that Keladry is not strong enough? Yes, you do not care if it is a weak man going for his shield that will be killed. He is a man, made to do these things. But if it is a woman, then you put your foot down? WOMEN ARE JUST AS STRONG MITHROS! ALSO, I DID NOTHING FOR ALANNA OTHER THEN GIVE HER A PUSH In THE RIGHT DIRECTION, SOME ADVICE, AND THE EMBER STONE! If you have a problem with Keladry or simply with the idea of lady knights, then I suggest you just get used to the idea; you will be seeing many more lady knights if I have anything to do with it!"
Mithros was about to speak, his mouth opening in outrage, but his sister cut him off once again.
"Furthermore, you have not seen the last of Keladry of Mindelan! She will surprise you, and when she rubs it right into your face, only then will I forgive you enough to talk to you, brother! Until then, you and I are not in the least family!"
With that finish to her mind-blowing speech, The Great Mother Goddess spun around, marched from the room, and the door slammed shut in her wake.
*********
Kel carried the rest of her bags down to the courtyard and put them in the care of a servant while she settled some things. Entering the stables, she quickly made her way to Peachblossom's stall. There, Kel quietly went over to the frisky gelding who was watching her warily out of the corner of his eye.
"I'll miss you, Peachblossom. But for me, please try to behave for your next rider! I don't want you to be sent to work as a plough horse, or worse, for meat. Please try to be friendly." The huge horse snorted and stomped his feet, then went to Kel and gently blew on her face.
"I'll take care of him." Kel whirled around to see Daine leaning against the stall door. 'How long had she been there?' Kell wondered. Then she spoke.
"Will you?" Daine nodded.
"I'll buy him, and make sure he's exercised, fed properly, and, well, taken care of. I know it's hard for you to leave him behind. No, don't go thanking me, you'll ruin the moment. I'm doing this for him too, you understand. I want to see him as a plough horse or on someone's plate just about as much as you do." Kel nodded, then she opened her mouth to speak, but Daine glared at her until Kel smiled and closed her mouth. Suddenly, Daine leapt forward and gave Kel a quick hug, and whispered to her, "Goddess bless," then turned and left. Kel gently shook her head and went back to saying goodbye to Peachblossom.
When she finally left the stables, she found all of her friends waiting in the courtyard. Neal was the first to speak.
"After you left last night," he began, "we all stayed and talked it out. We decided that if we pooled together all of our savings we could buy you something special this morning at the market. And no, you are going to accept this even if we have to brainwash you to do so. So," Neal shrugged, "here it is." He beckoned to Merric, who was hiding something behind his back. He brought his hand forward to reveal something covered in a blanket. Then, with a flourish, Clean and Faleron whipped the blanket off, and Kel gasped.
There, lying in Merric's hands was the most beautiful sword Kel had ever seen. Its blade long and slender, a weapon of grace, yet it was not silver, but the palest shade of blue imaginable. The hilt had streaks of silver running through it, and right in the middle, Kel could see a shining sapphire. Kel gaped at it for many minutes, until Neal sighed dramatically and lifted her hands for her. Grinning, Merric set the sword in Kel/Neal's hand. Now, at a closer angle, Kel could see that words had been carefully carved into the blade.
Never give up, always have hope.
Upon reading it, Kel felt her eyes fill up. Turning, she threw her arms around all of the boys at once, enveloping them in a gigantic hug. Instead of pulling away, like Kel had expected them to, they all answered with hugs of their own. After a minute, Kel pulled away to wipe her eyes.
"What's her name?" Clean asked, gesturing to the sword. Kel pondered for a moment, then took her weapon and quickly cut her finger with it.
"I dub thee Hope." Everyone agreed with the name. Then, Kel knew that she had to go. She said goodbye to everyone in turn, saving Neal for last. When she got to her best friend, Kel was surprised to find that his eyes were as red and puffy as hers felt. Neal flung his arms around her and pulled Kel close.
"If you die, or never come back, or even miss my ordeal, I will not be very pleased with you," he whispered in her ear. Kel gave a watery chuckle, then gently loosened his arms from around her back.
Looking at each one of them, Kel tried to memorize their faces.
"I will come back, and I'll see you all again. So, just think of it as me on a very long vacation. You better pass your page tests; if you don't, I better know why. Don't let Joren and his cronies bully anyone, keep inviting people to join the study group. Most importantly, especially you Neal, eat your vegetables!" Her friends all grinned and looked at each other, then chorused,
"Yes mother!" Kel smiled then turned around, and walked out of the city's gates. Neal was openly crying now, as were the others, but Kel didn't look back.
