A/N: I updated a little faster this time, so I hope you all enjoy it.
Muha: I always love to make you laugh, and yes, these chapters are all before chapter 1. The first 1/4th of the story is told in flashback.
Tejana: Oh! Sorry about that! I based the character off my grumpy sister. Her name is shorter and similar, and I started calling her that as a pet name a few years ago.
PS. I hope you like the reference to WALJ!
Chapter 4
Austin was standing in line for some peach cobbler and he hissed the statement back towards Scott. "Capture the flag!"
"Capture the flag!" Scott whispered to Jake. Jake nodded and poked me with his fork. I jumped, glared at him, and was about to poke him back when he said softly, "Capture the flag!"
"Oh!" I replied and turned behind me to whisper it to Lilly. I swung my head around and came nose to nose with Halt. "Dang!" I cowered from him as he glared at me. "Pardon moi," I said testily. Halt rose an eyebrow and took my place in line as I went to go talk to Lilly who seemed to be having a heated discussion with Evan.
"I'm telling you," Lilly said loudly, "no self respecting woman would ever work in a tavern! Let alone enter one!" Will paused in his conversation with my father and butted into Evan and Lilly'.
"But you went into a tavern," Will said with a smirk.
"Seriously?" I asked, making myself a part of their disscusion.
"Oh yeah!" said Will again turning to me, smiling broadly.
"It was necessary for the circumstances," Lilly told everyone sharply, trying to end the conversation.
"Eh, not really," Will muttered and turned away.
"WHAT?" Lilly screamed and my mother dropped her knife. The boys turned to look at the confrontation between apprentice and master.
"Gil and I could've gotten the information well enough, but a pretty girl made the whole 'information-getting' go much faster." Lilly's face was bright red, and Will was obviously enjoying himself. Evan's face was a picture of astonishment, and even Halt looked amused in his own sardonic way. "Oh, and the bar fight was wonderful entertainment! Who would've guessed the ship captain was also the man Lilly happened to wrestle with?" Will turned and said to me.
"We DID NOT wrestle!" Lilly hissed, giving Will the most hateful death glare. "I beat him with a broom and my throwing knife. Believe me, there is no way I would want to get any closer than I had to him. Much less you." The argument was about to get very personal. "The smell is overpowering. Especially, Ranger Men. You travel for weeks in the wild and never bother to bathe or shave. I'm surprised you're still married."
Will raised an eyebrow menacingly. "I see how you feel. I suppose a capture the flag game with settle this." The dining room was completely silent until Scott started giggling. I snickered and eventually everyone joined except Lilly and Will, whose faces were an inch apart. Oh, and Halt. Halt never laughs. (Yes, Halt it is true. Now be quiet; I'm telling the story.)
Lilly turned suddenly, and whipped her braid against Will's face. Will laughed cruelly and grabbed her hair sharply. Lilly squealed, "Not again!"
"Jake would you mind getting the door for me?" Will asked, rather calm, which only furthered the confused atmosphere. Jake opened the door and Will pulled a mad former-apprentice out the door. The room was extremely quiet, and moment later we all heard a sickening squelch, and Lilly's indignant shriek.
Will walked in the door, smelling suspiciously of farm animal feces, and rubbed his hands together, "Sorry about that," he said, with a smile. "I had to take care of some business. Now, Mrs. Saunders, may I try some of that peach cobbler." Will walked to the front of the line and my mother was pale and quiet as she served him a piece of pie. Suffice to say, he never got invited back.
Eventually conversation started up again and Lilly never came back inside. I didn't realized why until after desert.
"So who's ready for capture the flag?" Will asked loudly, cutting into conversations and all of us kids (except for Clarissa) shrieked excitedly. We dropped our forks on our plates on the table and headed toward the front door.
Jake opened the door, then shut it with a yell, leaning against it, as if he was planning to protect us from some hostile force.
"Jake?" I questioned as Scott ran to the windows. Will followed him, and I walked behind. We peered through and saw Lilly covered in horse and cow manure.
"William Treaty!" Lilly shrieked and ran toward the window as soon as she saw her mentor. Scott and Austin cowered from their positions and backed into Will and I, who bolted to the front door, which was now unguarded. We rushed through and dispersed in the yard. An unspoken game of "keep away" ensued, but the title could've easily be changed to "keep-away- from-Lilly-and-her-horse-poop-filth". The name seemed a bit long to me.
I sped towards the horse shed and saw Lilly, Will, Halt and Evan's mounts. This is a great idea, I thought to myself. I was planning to ride the shaggy gray pony into the front yard and scaring the daylights out of Lilly. The outcome proved not to be the smartest thing to do. At least it wasn't as bad as the tree experience though.
I mounted the little gray pony, and kicked my heels into his sides, not bothering to sit like a lady. The sudden twitch along his back was the last thing I felt before my head collided with a tree behind me.
Definitely not a good day.
