Disclaimer: Last time I checked, I'm not a famous author, but if you'd like to think that then feel free
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"I'm sorry Rodney" Will says stepping forward to stand next to the battle master "I assume after that display that you want her at the battle school, but Halt and I wish to recruit her to our force."
I look at him aghast, is he smoking something funny out there in the forest, I don't want to be a Ranger and do whatever creepy stuff it is that Rangers do. "Um I don't think so" I start sneering at Will and his stupid cloak "It's my choice, and if Sir Rodney won't have me then I'm sure someone will. If not there's always farming and if none of the farms want me then I'll run off and join the circus."
"What if the circus won't have you?" Robert asks grinning
"There's always the whorehouse" I answer "I hear they're not overly choosy."
"Or she could settle down." Richard adds from behind me, when I glare at him hastily adds "Or move to another fief."
"You would choose the whorehouse over being part of an elite force of the Kings Rangers?" Will asks looking surprised and more than a little put out
"No I'd choose the stables or battleschool or the diplomatic services or blacksmithing or cooking or at a pinch farming. I would only choose the whorehouse if all other options were closed to me." I answer defiantly
"What makes you so opposed to being part of the corps?" Ava asks in a last ditch attempt to stop any arguments from escalating
"What makes you so opposed to cooking?" I snap back
"The last time we risked eating something I cooked we were all sick for months. I'm terrible at it, but I believe you would be good at the skills required to be a Ranger. You can fight and shoot tolerably well, and you can throw knives and move quietly. I think you'd be good at it."
"But I don't want to" I whine, my voice sounds pathetic even to me
"Why" asks Robert, still grinning
"Because there are things I'd rather do' I answer honestly
"Like work on a farm?" He asks in a sneery voice
"Yes" I snap 'I like farms."
Richard tightens his hold on me and pulls me gently back to rest on his chest. he places his right hand on my stomach and wraps his left around me and strokes my right shoulder with his fingertips. his breath is warm on my neck and his heart beats a steady comforting rhythm just near my shoulder.
"Hush now" He whispers directly into my ear "perhaps we should limit this discussion to those involved. Sir Rodney, Baron Arald and Will, I will meet you in the Barons office as soon as I am clean and Kathryn is calm."
With that he lifts em up and carries me to his barracks without a backwards glance. I know that those he mentioned will be there and that everyone else will go about their business. Richard has a way of talking that people listen to and follow. you wouldn't think that he was only one year out of the battle school.
He sets me down gently on his bed and I relax back on the pillow. I smile politely to the men he shares a room with, I don't know many of them, they're all old, none of them attended battleschool at the time Richard was still attending.
I watch as he changes his chain mail and coarse undershirt for a semi formal tunic and his muddy breeches for a cleaner pair. I feel incredibly guilty because I know he normally has a shower after he finishes a patrol.
The other men in the barracks aren't really surprised to see me, and they would never complain about me being there, it's sort of an unwritten rule, wives and girlfriends are welcome as long as you're quiet etc.
"Now don't bite my head off" Says Richard lying next to me on the bed "But I think you should accept Wills offer."
I stare at him incredulously. a small part of me wants to kick and scream and make a fuss and tell him I wont/shan't and he can't make me. But the rest of me, my logical side is convinced that he's right.
"You understand don't you?" Richard asks and I nod so he continues "Ok so you are in a position to be making some demands. For example training with a sword, Horace is one of the best sword fighters in the land and I'm sure he's part of this elite force, then there's Gilan the ranger in Norgate fief, he trained with MacNiel."
"The MacNiel?" I ask sitting up suddenly
"Yes and on top of that I think they want you for a mission. The Celtic king is knocking on deaths door. His only successor, after the fighting with Morgarath, is the princess Madelydd." He pauses to take a breathe then continues "You know the Celtic tradition about the number of people in an official party. They won't be taking Cassandra as she's busy, so you would be perfect, you're a girl so you can do girl stuff with Madelydd and you can still fight."
I consider his words, he has a point, I nod in agreement "So what demands do you think I could be making?" I ask
"Well" he says stroking his chin considering my words "what do you want?"
"Sword training" I say firmly "and a horse, I'd love a rangers horse but I'll settle for any decent one, as long as it runs well."
"Never go into an argument saying you'll settle for less, you have the upper hand because the things you want you can probably get at the battleschool, although battle horses don't un very well at all. Aim high and at the very least you'll still get close to what you asked for."
"you, my good man, should have gone to scribe school." I say adding a mocking punch "Oh and my final demand, I don't want to wear a dress."
I look down at the dress that Ava had lovingly altered to fit me for today. There's a cut at the end of the left sleeve and most of the band on the hem has fallen off and is dragging on the ground.
"I'll be back in a minute" I say jumping up and running for the door. I stop just past the steps "actually I'll meet you in the Baron's office."
He smiles and waves from the doorway as I twirl through the kitchen door, planning on making my way through the largely unused staircase that leads up to the wards tower.
A.N. I know nothing much happens in this chapter, so I'm typing the next one up already. My excuse is, I like to think of things as scenes, that was one scene as I would have shot it.
Thanks to my two anonymous reviewers 'Kate8' and 'Kaiya'
Peace and Love
Rhoddy