The New Girl
Chapter 10: The Big Move
Larten and myself were released from the medical wing the following evening, to be honest the medic had checked our burns and they were all but gone. The skin had healed up and we had only a small amount of scarring where our burns had been. Arra had to remain in the medical wing because her chest still wasn't right, she had inhaled a lot of the black smoke when she was trapped so it wasn't surprising that she could not breathe properly.
I was so glad to get back to our quarters and change my clothes, I wanted to have a proper wash as well. Now that my skin was healed up and my wrists longer needed bandaging I could dive under that waterfall and clean myself up, I needed to wash my hair the most because it was filthy.
I got undressed, grabbed a towel and headed to the waterfalls. The water was icy cold like always but I didn't care, anything was better than being dirty, smelly and itchy. Larten joined me in the waterfall as he too wanted to wash himself.
After we had washed ourselves properly we went and grabbed some food, the medical wing choices were limited to say the least. The food in the main hall was much better, for one thing it was fresh and although bat broth was not my favourite thing it was warm and I ate two bowlfuls of it before I moved onto eating rabbit off of a stick which I loved. The fresh berries were plentiful at this time of year and we had nuts as well so I was not going to starve anytime soon.
I saw Gavnur and Kate sitting together, they were sharing a venison leg between the two of them or at least that is what it looked like to me from where I was sitting. I went to get one too, I was really hungry and there seemed to be enough to go around now that the council had disbanded for another twelve years.
After I had stuffed myself silly on meat and fruit I couldn't move because I was so full up but I knew that I needed to eat a decent meal so I did and Larten ate loads too, he washed his food down with a big jug of ale but I didn't like ale personally. I was drinking cider that was made from mixed fruits instead and it wasn't half bad either. It was refreshing but it was not very strong so I could drink quite a bit of it without feeling sick or getting drunk.
After Larten and I had finished our meal we went back to our quarters, I was tired and I wished to spend some alone time with my blessed mate before we had to start work on the project that was known publicly as "the big move". The Princes had called the project "the big move" because we were abandoning the old Halls of Sport and we were moving to a much bigger venue, hence the title of "the big move" was used in relation to this project.
I had the task of drawing up plans to rebuild the Bars , I wanted to make them more impressive than before and Arra had decided to help me with the designs. The basics were the same except these Bars would be higher off the ground than the old set and the planks would be thicker, but further apart. This increased the risks involved when it came to duelling but Arra and I were seasoned duellists and we could handle the changes.
We understood too that not everybody was ready for the new and improved Bars which we nicknamed the "Master Bars" so we designed a second set of Bars that were almost identical to the set that we had installed originally with the exception of using thicker planks, this was the set of Bars where sparring matches and practice would take place.
The Master Bars were off limits to all those vampires who were not ready for them, so newbies and half vampires were not permitted to duel on the Master Bars, they could however go and stand on them alone or with their mentors if they wished to feel what it was like to stand upon them for a moment.
The tournament would use both sets of Bars depending upon the level of the match, the finals would take place upon the Master Bars except for the amateur duellists' final which would be on the second set of Bars. The amateur duellists were classed as any vampires who had not previously entered a Bars tournament and those who were only half blooded except for Prince Darren naturally.
Arra and myself seemed to get on OK with one another, she was my former mentor but because of Larten we had always tolerated each other rather than actually being friends. When we had a task to do together we worked well as a team and we were very focused on it, we were always civil to one another for Larten's sake. However after Larten and I had jointly saved Arra's life she seemed much friendlier towards me, she knew that she owed me for saving her life and by saving her life I had earnt her respect.
Arra thanked Larten and myself for saving her life at the last council meeting in front of all the Generals in attendance and the Princes too. We publicly shook hands and from then on Arra and I were closer than we had been before, I think she may have actually liked me as a friend a little bit!
Larten and Arra were always going to be very close and I had accepted that fact, they had a very strong friendship and they were still bonded to each other in a platonic way. I did not mind at all, I wasn't a jealous type and besides I had Larten as my blessed mate so I had no reason to be jealous of anybody anyway.
I know that Arra missed Larten being by her side and she missed not waking up next to him and Larten often spoke about her to me, he said only good things about her and when he mentioned her name his eyes shined a little bit, it was as though he still loved her but I believe that he loved Arra more as a sister than an actual lover now because I was his blessed mate.
I noticed over the coming nights that Gavnur and Kate seemed to be rather close to each other, they were now sharing quarters and the way Kate looked at him made me believe that they had agreed upon a mateship term. I was happy for them because they were good together and they suited each other nicely.
A few nights after we had begun our extensive project Kate came over to where I was sitting because she wished to speak with me,
"Sarah, Gavnur and I are discussing an initial trial mateship term. Do you think that it is a good idea?" Kate asked me.
"If Gavnur makes you happy and if you love him then why shouldn't you become his mate? He will be a good lover to you and he'll treat you well" I replied,
"I know that, it is just he used to be with my mum so going from mother to daughter is weird. Also I'm still only 14, I do not think that I am ready to give up my purity yet but if I become Gavnur's mate then he shall expect me to sleep with him won't he?" Kate queried.
"I don't know, I'm not Gavnur. You should tell him about how you feel, he'll understand where you're coming from and he's a nice guy so he'd never force you to do anything that you do not wish to do" I explained.
"OK, I'll speak with him later on" Kate answered and then we both went back to making new equipment for the new and improved Halls of Sport.
After I had done my work for the evening I went and I had my dinner, I noticed that Gavnur was sitting alone and seeing as Larten was out hunting I went and I sat with him.
"Hey Gavvy, I've missed you" I said cheerfully.
"I've missed you too. You've been working hard, I've noticed the Bars are in construction now" Gavnur remarked as he hugged me.
"Oh yes the Bars and the Master Bars are well on their way to being completed and raised" I explained.
"Master Bars?" Gavnur asked, he looked perplexed.
"Oh Arra and I are building two sets of Bars, one set that will be like the original set and another higher, more dangerous set that we've named the Master Bars. On the Master Bars the planks are further apart, the drop is further to the ground and they are only for use by experienced vampires, half blooded vampires and those with no duelling knowledge are not allowed on the Master Bars with the exception of Prince Darren. They have been designed for the finals of the tournament and so that Arra and myself can make our duels against each other more fun" I explained.
"I will try them out when they are ready for use" Gavnur smiled.
"Well don't say I didn't warn you, the Master Bars will be the toughest thing you've faced apart from the Trials" I replied.
"Oh give over, I'll be fine" Gavnur said, he sounded a bit cocky now.
"Well we shall see when the Master Bars have been completed and tested out" I replied, I didn't doubt Gavnur's abilities in general but duelling was not one of his strong points, he could duel quite well but quite well isn't good enough for the Master Bars.
"So how are you and Kate getting on?" I asked,
"Fine, she's a great assistant because she is always working hard and she learns quickly" Gavnur told me.
"Kate has been chatting with me recently about you and her becoming mates, she is a little bit scared because she says isn't ready to give up her purity as she is still only 14" I explained calmly.
Gavnur didn't say anything for a while, he sat there thinking about what I had said.
"I understand, I wondered why Kate was acting oddly around me. If she is afraid then I won't do anything that she isn't comfortable with" Gavnur whispered to me quietly.
"That is what I said to her that you would be like, I told her to talk to you about her feelings" I replied, "Kate also thinks that its strange to mate with you because you used to mate with her mother" I added.
"Kate has a point, maybe we shouldn't mate after all" Gavnur sighed glumly.
"Just wait and see what happens, maybe Kate will come around to the idea but for now just let her be herself, she also needs to focus upon learning the ways of our great clan" I remarked.
"Yes, I agree" Gavnur concurred.
"Well then just continue to be her mentor and love her but from a distance, don't push her into anything and give her no reason not to trust you" I responded, then I said "Larten and I are getting on OK but we did have a major fall out when we were in the medical wing"
"I know, I heard all about it. At least you have sorted it out because I feel like Larten and yourself make a very good couple" Gavnur teased,
"I should hope that we make a good couple, we have been together for a long time and we intend to stay together too" I commented.
"You two belong together" Gavnur said honestly,
"Aww" I smiled, then I continued "You are sweet to say such things"
"It is the truth, you and Larten are unbreakable. That is why you became blessed mates" Gavnur stated.
"Yes, we fell in love with one another and we are still in love with each other" I sighed happily, just thinking about Larten made me feel all gooey inside.
"That is good to know, I was always hoping that Larten would take a mate like you. You are kind and calm, you don't brag about him and you don't expect him to provide for you either. Arra used to ask Larten for all kinds of stuff but you don't. You seem to provide for yourself so your relationship is much more equal and the way you look at each other tells me how much that you love Larten, it is plain for all to see" Gavnur revealed to me.
"I agree, Larten and I are perfect for each other and I do love him deeply. I love him more than words can express" I replied truthfully.
"I know you do, I can see it in your eyes when you speak about him" Gavnur said,
"Speak about who exactly?" Came a reply from a familiar voice.
"Oh hello Larten, we were just saying that your relationship with Sarah is good and I said that you and she belong together" Gavnur explained quickly, he was blushing now.
"Yes, I was just telling Gavnur how much you mean to me" I added, I was blushing a bit too.
"I think that my blessed mate and I suit each other very well and between you and I Gavnur Purl I love Sarah very much, she is my blessed mate for a reason and I could not imagine being with anybody else" Larten said as he hugged me and planted a kiss upon my forehead and then another kiss on my lips.
"Larten you are one in a million. How did I get so lucky?" I asked as I wrapped my arms around Larten's neck and kissed him back with passion after hearing what he said to Gavnur about me.
The kiss lasted several minutes and I knew that we were probably being watched but I didn't mind, there was no law against two blessed mates or even two mates being affectionate towards each other in public however it was advised to be kept to a minimum.
Larten held me close to him even after we had stopped kissing and we just stood there in each other's embrace for we hadn't seen each other in a while and hugs are always nice.
After Larten and I left the hall we went to assist with the building work, we had the wrestling ring to make and place and I had to continue nailing planks of wood together which would form the Bars and the Master Bars when they were attached to the wooden frames that would hold the Bars in place whilst we duelled upon them.
I didn't mind building at all, in fact hammering nails into wood was an ideal way to get rid of any stress I had. I just pretended that the head of the nail was a vampaneze that I was beating to a pulp.
Within two weeks of work the frame for the Bars and the frame for the Master Bars had been made and placed into the new hall of sport as we were only having one much larger hall now instead of three. I tied the planks in place with rope initially until I hammered the nails into the frames to hold the planks in place, I had to stand on each plank and test it to see that it would take my weight. I also had a much heavier General stand on the planks just to see if it took their weight as well as mine and the planks stayed in place nicely.
I was happy with my work and when Arra checked out what I had done she seemed happy with my progress. One set of Bars was completely built, it just needed to be finished and varnished to make it look nice and the Master Bars were up but I had to add a few more planks in certain places before they were ready for use. We did not want too many planks but we had to have enough to fill the frame or the Master Bars wouldn't have anywhere higher to jump onto or off of during a duel.
I was hoping to test out our new and improved Bars soon. They had been designed with duellists in mind, the old ones had been roughly knocked together but these new ones used much better wood and stronger nails. I even used wood glue in addition to nails so that these Bars would not snap or collapse whilst they were in use.
We held the Bars Tournement a few weeks later when everything was completely finished, our new Hall of Sport had extra spectator seats and it really was massive, I remember stepping upon the Master Bars for the first time for a duel and I actually felt nervous about duelling up so high but there was a fantastic prize on offer and I couldn't resist.
Everybody came to cheer me on, I could hear their cries of support and I knew that I was going to win, I could feel it inside myself because it was my destiny to win...I won the duel and the hall erupted in cheering from every corner of the spectator seats. I stood on the Master Bars and I twirled my stave around in victory as I always did when I won a duel.
I jumped down and landed on all fours, the bones in my hands and feet absorbed the shock of landing as they were super strong. No human would be able to get up onto the Master Bars let alone hop off of them like I did as if they were only on a small step.
Larten had watched the duel and so had Arra, they had cheered for me the loudest along with Gavnur and Prince Darren, all four of us were really close and nothing ever came between us or the bond that we had with each other...