--------------------MOONBEAMS AND SUNSETS--------------------
Chapter 2
"Well, thank you very much, Neal." The sarcasm was evident in her voice.
"No problem!" he replied cheerily, stroking Magewhisper's neck.
Merric just grumbled and pulled himself onto the saddle. "You could have cured my hangover, too," he moaned.
"Sorry, chum, but I have to save my magical energy."
"For what, exactly?" Kel asked, recognising Neal's I'm-making-an-excuse-which-I-haven't-thought-over face.
"...Fighting! Saving lives! Healing potentially fatal wounds - you never know when a bandit's gonna catch you unaware!"
"No one is going to be catching me unaware," Kel retorted, and rubbed her eyes sleepily. "Let's go, then. We're quarter of an hour late already."
Neal and Merric followed her lead as she rode out Steadfast's gates. It was already shaping up to be a warm day, though the sun had yet to sneak fully up over the horizon and the only clouds in the sky were wispy and weak. Small, irritating bugs had already taken to the air, determined to make nuisances of themselves. It was this, coupled with her lack of sleep, Neal's cheeriness and Merric's hangover, that put the majority of their group in a bad mood.
Neal whooped and encouraged Magewhisper to take over his two friends, taking in deep gulps of air as though he hadn't been outside in months. His good mood was anything but contagious. Kel and Merric were both fervently wishing they had the Gift to heal their tiredness and/or hangover, and lagged behind their enthusiastic friend. Eventually Neal decided his pace might be hard on his horse, and slowed down.
"My head hurts," Merric mumbled to himself. Neal seemed to take this as a signal to initiate some sort of conversation.
"I should have written to Yuki. She would have been able to come and visit Corus. Knowing the King, we'll be gone before I even get a chance to write to her! I don't suppose you get wedding leave, do you? She's been in the Yamani Isles for months now, waiting for me to come back from the border..." He continued to ramble about his betrothed, occasionally inserting a line of awful poetry here and there or posing with a hand held to his heart and moist eyes. Merric managed to put aside his self-pity for long enough to cuff Neal over the head. The journey continued in much the same way for several hours until the sun had risen considerably and Merric was no longer mumbling but groaning loudly. Upon reaching a crossroad, Merric and Neal both looked across to Kel to ask which way to go, only to find her slumped over Peachblossom's neck, sleeping fitfully.
Neal took one look at her and began to laugh. "Do you think we should wake her up?"
"Uh..." Merric looked unsure. "I don't know. It is kind of our fault that she was kept up so late."
"And she looks so beau- peaceful." Neal paused - had he really begun to say beautiful? That was random, he told himself, but put the thought aside. Merric didn't seem to have noticed anyway, but he'd turned away.
"But if we don't, we're going to get lost," Merric reasoned, hangover temporarily forgotten.
"We won't get lost," Neal said, as though the very idea was completely ridiculous. "We have maps and brains."
Half an hour later, Neal and Merric were bickering over where they were in a large expanse of forest, having accidentally ripped the map on a protruding vine of thorns and losing a large portion of the paper. Peachblossom whickered and tossed her head. The movement caused Kel to stir; slowly, she sat up and stretched out, grimacing at the cramp in her neck. She looked around the forest, slightly dazed. After taking a swig from her water skin, she spoke up.
"Uh... where are we?"
"We're in a forest, Kel. Can't you see that?" Neal snapped, shaking the map out as twigs and berries fell from the nearby treetops. A large drop of water hit the side of the paper, blurring the text - Merric called out and tried to bundle the map back into Neal's saddlebags. Unfazed, Kel looked up at the forest canopy as more droplets began to fall. Rain.
"I don't think we were meant to go through a forest," she said accusingly. Neal and Merric exchanged horrified glances.
Merric gulped audibly. "The map's ruined. And you don't know where we are."
Neal suppressed the urge to wail, "Mummmmyyyy!" Thicker droplets continued to fall through gaps in the treetops, splattering the three lost knights. They didn't attempt to move to better shelter. They just stood, perplexed.
"Maybe we should get moving, then," Neal suggested, directing Magewhisper forward. Behind him, he heard Merric begin to speak in a soft voice.
"Hey... Kel. Are you okay? You didn't get much sleep - well, that was my fault really - and I feel kind of guilty now. Sorry about getting drunk."
Neal twisted round to see Merric fidget with his horse's mane as if he were feeling exceptionally shy. A drop of irritation leaped into Neal's blood.
"It's fine," Kel said, smiling faintly. "And you don't need to say sorry. You don't have anything to apologise for."
There was a tense silence. Merric's cheeks were a little flushed as he opened his mouth to speak again.
A dull thud resounded through the clearing in which they stood; heads whipped round. An arrow, the kind for piercing armour, was embedded in the trunk of a tree just a few metres behind Kel's head. The knights (yes, Kel included) visibly paled. Rustling could be heard in the treetops; the three friends exchanged glances before urging their horses into a gallop and bolting out the clearing.
Obviously, the ambushers had expected them to try and escape. More arrows hit nearby trees and one flew mere millimetres over Merric's hunched form, grazing his chain mail tunic and tumbling off with sparks and a clink of metal. They continued to rush onwards, hoping they'd eventually get out of range.
"Fighting them isn't an option!" Kel cried over the rushing of the wind as they galloped on at speed. "They have an advantage, but I don't know how long the horses will be able to keep going at this pace!"
"We are going to get out of this alive, right?" Neal shouted hopefully, narrowly avoiding being thwacked in the face by a thick branch.
"Well..." Kel struggled with her blank face for a moment. "We don't know how many men they have - and their accuracy is near-perfect..."
"Surely bandits don't have so many people in their group..."
They all exchanged expressions marred by fear and panic.
"Just keep going," advised Kel, so they did.
The number of arrows whistling across the path they followed began to fall, but the shots drew closer and closer to hitting their targets. The horses were sweat-streaked and bore scratches from the brush. They charged through patches of darkness and light, eyes smarting from having to adjust to light levels so often. A few moments later, the darkness and shadows began to recede - ahead of them was a large clearing. They galloped into it.
Before they knew what was happening, Neal had trampled a tent and Merric's horse had almost trodden in a large fire. Shouts echoed across the clearing as Kel, Neal and Merric brought their horses to a stop, panting as hard as their steeds.
"Meathead...?"
Neal almost fell off Magewhisper, twisting around to see the speaker. Dom, looking a little ruffled, scratched his head. "We were pursued by bandits," Neal gasped, sliding out the saddle. His feet buckled beneath him, and he just lay on the floor, breathing hard.
"You trampled my tent!" someone accused. Kel tried to look apologetic.
"Sorry, we didn't mean to. We didn't know you were here."
"What are you doing here?" Merric inquired.
"Trying to hide from unwelcome, ditzy knights, firehair," Lerant said, looking annoyed. A broken tent pole was resting in his hands. Others in the Own were gathered around the squashed tent, murmuring in heated tones and glaring at the knights. Another man was tending to the horses tied at one end of the clearing, who had been disturbed by the ruckus.
"I thought you might stop by at Steadfast to get Raoul back," Kel said. She slid off the saddle more gracefully than Neal, but sagged against her horse all the same.
"We don't need Raoul," Dom exclaimed proudly. "I lead Third Company. For now, at least."
Neal scowled. "Well, congratulations," he said sarcastically, still a little breathless. "Do you have anything to eat? And something for our horses. We're exhausted."
"Sure." Dom called for people to take their horses away. As a man reached out to take Peachblossom's reins, Dom leaned over and pulled Kel away so she wouldn't fall when her gelding moved. "Hey, Kel. Long time no see. Looking a little rough."
"Good to see you too, Dom," she replied a little sarcastically, leaning on him. "I'm really tired." Dom stared down at her, a little shocked; Kel was never tired. She was always energetic and up at dawn without ever looking like she's had less than her share of sleep.
"You could have a nap," Dom suggested. "I don't think your horses are fit to be doing any exercise for a while, and the men won't mind staying here for a bit longer."
Kel looked a little unsure. "What if-"
"-bandits attack and you fall asleep and get speared through the stomach? Go to sleep, Protector. It's fine." (Kel scowled slightly at the mention of "Protector", an abbreviation of her idiotic nickname/title, "Protector of the Small".)
"Can I take a nap?" asked Neal.
Dom grinned at him. "No, Nealan. You need to help repair the tent your brute of a horse so rudely trampled over." He pointed in the direction of another tent. "Kel, my tent's over there."
Neal choked on a breath. "What, you're getting her to sleep in your tent? In your bedroll?" he spluttered. "You lascivious little paedoph-"
"Hold that thought, Meathead. I'm sure Kel has a bedroll of her own," he said, eyes sparkling mischievously. "Really, it's bad enough that you have these kind of thoughts, let alone you sharing them with everyone around you..."
Neal appeared lost for words for a moment before uttering, "You need a whipping, Domitan!"
"I'm afraid there aren't any whips, Meathead, but I do have some handcuffs, whipped cream, and a blindfold in my tent."((1))
Silence.
"You are disgusting! I demand that Kel sleeps somewhere else!"
"And where are you suggesting, Neal? Your bedroll?" Dom replied smoothly. Neal just gaped at him.
"I think this conversation should end here," Kel suggested, stepping between the two cousins. Neal caught fleeting glimpses of amusement and something bordering confusion and curiosity in her eyes. A little dumbfounded, he didn't object. "Dom, your tent will be fine, thank you." And with that, she strolled away.
Dom watched her disappear. "Good show, cousin. It's good to see you again."
Show? Neal thought, almost offended. That wasn't a show! I was genuinely concerned for my friend! You never know what these egoistical womanisers are going to try and pull next... "Uh... yeah. Sure." He clasped forearms with Dom as if there were no hard feelings over their insult match, but felt his insides churn as he did so. What on earth was going on? Why had he felt so stupidly speechless (Nealan of Queenscove was never speechless)? And why on Tortall had he taken so much offence when Dom had remained as calm as he normally was? They always joked around like that, trying to outdo each other; so why was this time different?
"Hey, you! Get over here and help with the tent," a rough voice called. Neal met Dom's eyes for a short second, suddenly feeling much smaller than his cousin, and then jogged over to the trampled tent.
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"Did you find any bandits, then?" Kel asked. She, Neal, Merric and Third Company were gathered around a small fire in the clearing, having just finished their dinner of bread, cheese and rabbit. Though the day had been warm, it was still fairly cold in the darkness. A few specks of moonlight reached the clearing through the thick forest canopy, but otherwise, the fire was their only source of light.
"No," replied a man who Neal did not recognise (he later found out he was called Wolset). "We went out to look but there was no one out there we could find. We did find the arrows, though."
"They weren't bandit's arrows," piped up another man - or a teenager, really - he couldn't have been older than 19, and Kel was sure he was a new recruit since she last saw Third Company. ."They weren't crude. They were made by proper, trained fletchers - experienced, with good materials. Those men weren't bandits." Apparently, Flyn, who would have led Third Company if he was actually there, had been sent to replace a captain who had died in another company of the Own. Dom was his replacement. They'd had several losses through the Scanran war, and had recruited in a brief respite in Corus.
"Who else could they have been, though?"
Uneasy expressions could be read all around the fire.
"They won't attack such a big group," Dom said cheerfully, ever the reassuring, happy character. "We're fine."
"I'm not worried about us," remarked Kel, staring into the fire. The light cast shadows in her eyes, giving her a solemn air. "There are other small groups of knights travelling down to Corus, too. And there's no way of warning them."
The group was quiet for several minutes. It was Dom who decided to break the silence. "Well, I need my beauty sleep. Coming, Kel?"
Neal only just managed to hold in the mouthful of water he'd just swigged from his water skin. Looking upon it from Neal's mind, it sounded a little perverted.
"Where are we meant to sleep?" Merric asked as Dom stood.
"You can sleep with the other men, in someone's tent," he said, to a few irritated shouts.
"Why can't they sleep in your tent, Dom? We have four men to a tent, and you have yours all to yourself! They'll all fit inside!" protested one man. Various cheers and supporting shouts followed.
"Don't want to be disturbed," he reasoned."I do the most work around here. I deserve the extra space."
"I could swear your tent is bigger than ours."
"I need the space for maps and tables! I don't just wallow around in the mud like the rest of you anymore! I'm important. Your lives are in my hands!"
Many of the men caved in at that. The sleeping arrangements were jumbled around until Neal and Merric ended up in Wolset's tent. The others complained heatedly in whispers, talking of the cramped spaces they'd have to put up with. It was not a possibility for anyone to sleep out in the open; the weather was too wet.
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Neal woke to the sound of movement and talking outside the tent. At first, he attempted to retreat deeper into his bedroll and let the darkness swallow him in fitful sleep, but his attempts failed and he emerged, hair tousled from vivid dreams. Third Company were already awake, tending to a small boar roasting on a spit over the fire and various other jobs around the camp. He was almost astonished that they looked so lively so early in the morning, after seeing them sleeping past midday at their barracks in Corus. He shrugged and stumbled over to sit by the fire.
Kel emerged next. "You didn't wake me up!" she accused Dom mockingly, jabbing a finger at his chest.
He just shrugged, maintaining a straight face. "We were up late."
One of the men wolf-whistled, deeming the statement's implications to be dirty enough to require such a noise. Neal looked away, not wanting to see Kel's expression.
"We were discussing tactics, actually," Kel said coolly, as calm and collected as usual. She disappeared back into Dom's tent, returning a few minutes later with eating utensils.
They ate leisurely and talked over the route they'd take over the day. After packing up the tents and the camp, then tending to the horses, everyone mounted up and they rode out. It took several hours to escape from the forest, by which time it had begun to rain again. The ground was already becoming boggy and the falling droplets gave the mud a congealing stickiness that the horses disliked, but luckily the roads remained clear and safe. Out of the shelter of the trees, everyone got soaked.
After a brief ten minute rest, letting the horses drink from a crystal stream running through the land, they returned to their hard, unforgiving-on-the-backside saddles and continued. The landscape around them varied little; Neal soon tired of admiring the block grey sky and large expanses of empty fields. His mind began to wander, spanning to subjects like Yuki and his father. While his thoughts pounded away quite happily, his eyes were glazed. At least, they were, until he noticed Kel drooping in her saddle. One moment she was just leaning over slightly, the next she was on the ground. A little startled, Neal rode up beside her.
"Fall asleep?" he asked, a little sympathetically. "You could---"
"Hey, you," Dom interrupted, appearing from behind Neal. He leant over to pull Kel onto her feet. "You should have slept longer." With strong arms, he lifted Kel up in front of him in the saddle, and she didn't protest. Neal gaped at them a moment (he, as a loyal friend, had been about to offer to share his saddle with her and Dom had jumped in and done it himself!)... and then rode past. He glimpsed Dom sliding an arm around Kel's waist, and murmuring something in her ear.
Dom's cousin rode ahead and levelled with Merric. The redhead glanced across as he was joined by his year mate, but he did not speak; he waited for Neal to begin.
"Greetings, Sir Merric. How are you on this fine day?"
Merric's tired, scowling face told it all.
"Not so good, huh? Ah, well, I sympathise. I'm not so great myself." Neal tried not to look back at Dom and Kel, knowing he'd only recall being almost completely ignored by his best friend.
"Oh? What's up?"
"Well... I hardly know anyone here, right? It feels like Kel is ignoring me. I suppose I should just go out and get some new friends here, like the Neal everyone expects - friendly, funny... but I can't. It's such a weird feeling... I've known Kel for so long, and then... Dom appears, and suddenly we hardly talk at all."
Merric was completely silent for a moment. "Mmm..."
He didn't speak again. Neal spent the rest of the trip in silence, only nodding when Kel offered to fill up his wineskin from a nearby river. She looked confused and hurt by his icy reception, but he didn't want to explain. Frowning, she left to join Dom again.
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That evening, the camp was set up neatly in startling speed. Neal, Kel and Merric looked on in slight amazement at Third Company's organisation. However, instead of raising the tents, they found the patch of the field's corner with the thickest grass and softest ground, and began to lay out their bedrolls in a line. It seemed that, as it was already becoming dark, it would be too difficult to set up the tents, and the weather was dry enough to risk sleeping in the open air. Another couple of hares were sizzling over a large fire as they settled down to let the fire's light wash over them.
After the meal, the last few bedrolls were set out and the tired, aching travellers lurched into the warmth and comfort of sleep: but Neal lay awake, contemplating the events of the day. His mind refused to shut down, playing back his memories of the past few hours on the back of his eyelids.
The person in the bedroll beside him shifted. "Neal?" Kel whispered, voice hushed as though she was scared of the darkness swallowing her words if they were too loud. Neal squinted at her face, but could barely make it out. "Neal, I'm sorry."
He felt a warm hand on his shoulder.
"I hardly talked to you at all today. And..." - a deep breath - "I really missed it. I'm so sorry, Neal, please don't be angry. I was really worried after -"
Neal felt his eyes prickling. He reached up and covered her hand with his own. "Of course I'm not angry," he whispered back, searching for her eyes in the shadows, but to his dismay, he could not find them. "It was my fault, too."
They remained silent for a long time. The warmth of Kel's hand beneath his own made it difficult to say anything, but he wasn't sure why.
"Good night, Neal," she said finally.
"Sweet dreams," he replied quietly, voice cracking. Kel withdrew her hand, and rolled over to look up at the sky. Neal watched her a moment, than surrendered himself to sleep.
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The next morning, the air was warm and snug and the sound of birds singing merrily shook Neal out of his fitful sleep. Most of the others were already awake, including Kel and the man who had slept on Neal's other side. Neal rose and began to pack up his bedroll. Dom strolled past, taking a chunk out of a small apple in his hand. "Final day's ride, everyone. We'll be in Corus by midday!"
Cheers ran rampage through the camp.
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Additional Notes
((1)) I don't suppose they had whipped cream or handcuffs back then, so who knows what other kinky "apparatus" they had? So please excuse me if this is the least believable line in this entire chapter...
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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you very much for all your kind reviews! I've been quite far ahead in my writing so I decided to post this a lot earlier than expected! Rejoice!
If you noticed the Additional Notes section, that's just my odd comments on stuff I've written. You'll notice there's ((1)) written somewhere in the chapter - that's to tell you that there's an additional note about that part of the chapter. I've added a few weird, cryptic lines into future chapters which I really want to explain, so look out for other numbers in double brackets.
Oh, and who thinks Merric has a crush on Kel? I'm not sure why I wrote that at all... but I hope you liked the minor fluff/jokes in this chapter. Last chapter was really boring.
I've also planned two more chapters. I think this story will overall have about fifteen chapters, which is huge in my standards. And I can tell you, I can't wait to start writing the later chapters... eeheeheeeee...
Please review with any comments or crit. I'm open to it all! If you want to ask a question, feel free! I'll reply to your review with the answer(s) as soon as I can. Thanks again, everyone.