Hey guys!! Sorry for the long wait. Or was it that long? ... I don't know, but anyways! here's the next chapter for Dragons and Phoenixes. Yay:)
But before I begin -- I was just thinking about disclaimers. You know, I don't see why anyone would think that someone posting a story on fanfiction actually owns the... thing it pertains to. I mean, if like... J. K. Rowling wanted to write another story, why the he-eck would she want to post it on a website?! Or if the makers of the Eragon movie (who should all burn in he--I mean, who should all be put in time out) wanted to make a little side-clip (I don't know if those even exist) about the movie, why would they want to put it up on a website? And besides, If say, I said that I own Eragon... would you really believe me? Come on, would you?
... Okaay! Now that my second rant posted on this story is done, I will continue with... Revew Replies! Yay!
BlindSeer220: Hmm, well, I obviously can't tell you what the plan is. But here's the update! And I believe that everyone (except for one or two) agree with me on the movie! BTW, I did check wikipedia, and that meerly infuriated me even more!! WHICH IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE!!!!!! ...ahem, I've stopped. Yes, the movie was terrible.
CaptainUnderpants92: Thanks! And what's with the 'kinda'?!
Nelarun: I hope the bombshell was good. Yes, the family ties was a bit of a surprise, huh? LOL, Okay, okay, Murtagh wasn't exactly how I imagined, but he was still hot!! lol...
PrincessBob: Thank you! And yes, you missed Martusc's first mind-speech... it was just a tiny part at the end of... chapter 6. Yes. Hope you like this chapter!
Emerald Tiara: YES!! What was with the vegetation???? I have no idea. Though, I guess it would be hard to find a huge, hollow volcano and build a big town in the middle. And the town looked really pathetic. Me's off on a rant again!! Must stop. Sorry... and yes, Maylen is blind in one eye now.
Kara Telza: first off: that's okay! I have short term memory loss too sometimes. Second: thank you! I'm very glad you like it. And that was my goal for the chapter! The vulnerability thing. Yea. Third: I almost did die. I avoided looking at the computer for fear of bursting into tears. Okay, not really. Fourth: Lot's of people agree with me. Me and Lichenstar are still going through with our plan... Mwahaha! Ahem. Anyways. Thanks for reviewing!
sovereignty'd: YOU MEAN YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOKS?!?! Holy moly. You must. Heh, anyways, yes, I love stories with girls as the main character! Cool girls, that is. Not Mary-Sues. Me not likes Mary-Sues. Phoenixes are so cool. I love your penname.
Star Holder Commander: I think that you are the only one who dissagrees with me on the movie!! That's cool. I, however, am not a stupid person, nor am I lacking a brain, nor am I not opened minded. I'm glad that you liked the chapter.
Plutobaby494: Thank you! Here is the update!
aldssg: I'm glad you agree. The movie was crap, pardon the language. Yes, poor Maylen indeed. Here's the update!
Lichenstar: Our evil plot is going well, isn't it? I want to tell the rest of my reviewers once we're done with it. If we finish before I'm done. You'll see that Bertha's mistake was not entirely an accident in this chapter...
Coffee Grounds: Did I forget to mention how cute Saphira was as a baby? Oops. Of course, if I did, the rant would be about twice as long. She was adorable!! At the movie theatre we were at, the audience was all like, "Aaaw," when she did that cute head thing, where she like, raised her head, and cocked it sort of. I must drive my friends insane when I talk about her. Lol... anyways, Eragon was pretty annoying, and emo. The shirtless part was funny!! And Murtagh was HOT. Point-blank. I was practically swooning. -fans herself- hot hot hot. Yay for Maylen fans!
Frosted-Pink: Wow, that was one long review! Saphira did look like a chicken. On wikipedia, they described her wing feathers as 'sceathers', like scales and feathers mixed. Cool word. Lol but yea, I agree with everything you say!! I'm under the impression that there're very few people who liked the movie.
Kitty and Amethyst: Phoenixes ARE cool, I totally agree. Eragon is definetly in this, but not that much. I'm kind of afraid I'll mess up with something in the third book yet to come! I can't wait till it does. Off topic now.
Narnian Sprite: 'snrk'. I love that. For some wierd reason. Heh, anyways, I don't think Eragon will have his scar by the time they me--I mean, hmm, an idea -hint- !! Jeremy Irons was way cool. And Saphira was so cute. What was Durza's best line? He had a lot of really stupid lines in the movie... like, "Come! Taste the blood of your dragon!"... um, what was with THAT? Ew. It wasn't even a good insult. Let alone something that would annoy Eragon. I was like, "Ew," when I saw that for the first time.
Aria DeLoncray: Thank you! Here it is! I love your name.
Matt: Yes indeedy. The Organization of Truth isn't that big. The movei was stupid in general, grr.
Vixen Hood: ood? do you mean 'odd'? Yes, it was odd, I know. I don't know how they are going to even have a second movie, let alone third! I think we should take over.
Well, here it is! I hope you like it. I considered this chapter funny in a way. I hope you like what happens.
Chapter 13: Penelope
Featuring:
An unfamiliar voice
An eye-patch
Penelope... (ooh, the mystery is boggling you, I know it:P)
Read and Review, peeps!
Maylen was drifting alone in her dreamless slumber when soft, distant voices tugged her into a hazy reality. She was only half awake, and didn't open her eyes, but she drowsily listened to the conversation going on behind her.
"… It's Maylen. Get it right," Martusc was saying in a disgruntled voice.
"Sorry," said a light, unfamiliar female voice. "It's an unusual name. Hard to remember."
"It's not that hard. And shh. Can't you see she's sleeping?"
"She won't sleep that much longer with you talking so loudly right here—"
"Shush! You're talking louder than me—"
"Oh be quiet, we'll both wake her up!"
"…Well, don't you… say or do anything… stupid, when she wakes up, right? She'll think you—"
"Stop acting like you know so much about her, you did say you were only friends when you were younger."
"I know a lot more about her than you ever will," Martusc said in a quiet voice. "And don't you ever doubt that."
There was a pause, and then the unfamiliar voice said softly, "You fancy her."
"Shut—your—just be quiet! I don't!" Martusc sounded flustered. Maylen smiled slightly, now fully awake, though her eyes… well, eye was still closed.
"Oh, don't try to hide it. It's so obvious. The way you look at her—"
"Will you shut it? I don't—just shut your trap, she's sleeping. She needs rest."
There was another silence, then light footsteps walking away. "You can stay if you like, my mum'll probably yell if she sees me out of my room," the unfamiliar voice said from where Maylen assumed was the doorway. She added teasingly, "Stay and watch your lady love if you—"
"WILL YOU—" but Martusc stopped abruptly, realizing he had raised his voice. The other person laughed softly and Maylen heard her footsteps leaving the room. Smiling, she slipped back into sleep, sensing a seething Martusc by her side.
She woke again a few hours later, and found herself alone in the room. She rose into a sitting position, wincing as the sore muscles she had not used in days screamed in protest. She reached out her mind to contact Kumar, but found he was too far away to speak with. Grumbling as tender muscles stretched uncomfortably when she stood, Maylen made her way over to the water basin and was about to splash water into her face when she caught her reflection.
Her ebony hair was a scraggly mess falling past her shoulders. Her skin was pale and she looked unclean, like she had not bathed in days (which she supposed she hadn't). But the thing that caught her eye was the soft red scarf that wrapped around her face, falling over her left eye, and the thin line of a scar slanting across her right cheek, part of it covered by the scarf, and ending at her left temple. She drew a hand along it, then felt the scarf; it was smooth and silky, comfortably caressing her face.
"I look like a pirate," she thought out loud, laughing quietly at the notion. Though it doesn't make me look… bad, she thought fairly. If anything, it enhanced her fiercer side.
I am a little… disgusted, she thought, baring her teeth. I look like a rogue or a thief; someone who has been caught in battle and has not come out unscathed. Wrinkling her nose, she cupped water in her hands and rubbed her face, then her arms and neck. She found a bar of soap next to the basin and used that to wash her hair, then dried it with a towel she found hanging next to the stove. Feeling a little cleaner than before, Maylen stood, and felt her stomach clench with lack of food. She looked around and found a bowl of steaming stew on the oven. How convenient, Maylen thought happily, and sat down on her bed with the bowl, quickly nursing the warm broth. It was bitter, but she was hungry and when she was finished Maylen felt much fuller than a normal bowl of soup would have accomplished. Sated, Maylen stood and noticed fresh clothes folded at the end of her bed. A little perplexed at the consistency of these items, she changed. Wondering if she should leave the room, Maylen made her way to the door, but just as she was about to turn the knob, it opened under her hand.
"Good! You're awake again," Bertha said, briskly moving around Maylen to tidy the room. "Go into the dining room, there's some supper for you."
"But I already ate," said Maylen, watching a little guiltily as the old healer straightened the tussled blankets on the bed.
"That was just some broth. You need real food in you. Now go; I believe your friends are eating now as well."
"What time is it?" Maylen asked as she entered the hallway.
"Suppertime! Now go." Bertha slammed the door shut in Maylen's face.
Irked at the healer's rude manner, Maylen looked right and left down the hallway. Bertha had given no directions as to where the dining room was. Feeling lost and a little foolish, Maylen walked up to and hopefully opened one of the doors.
It was the wrong door.
The room was small and dark, with a threadbare mattress on a rickety cot in one corner, a small wardrobe across the bed, and a bedside table with an oil lamp that spread its dull, trembling light about the room. When the door creaked, a figure lying on top of the covers of the bed leaped up, turning towards Maylen.
The girl looked a few years younger than Maylen, with lank, greasy hair that fell to her shoulders and a thin, sallow face. She had once been pretty, Maylen realized. The girl had an expression of defiance and sarcastic amusement on her face, and at the sight of Maylen, she flipped her hair over her shoulders and grinned.
"I know you," the younger girl said, and Maylen recognized the voice as the one that had been talking to Martusc a few hours before. "You're that girl the old man and the boy brought here, with the scar." As she said this, her eyes traveled curiously over Maylen's face. Maylen felt uncomfortable, and began to close the door, murmuring an apology, when the girl leapt up again and held the door open.
"No, it's alright, I don't mind. Hi, I'm Penelope," she added cheerfully, holding out her hand and flipping her hair back again.
"I'm… Maylen," Maylen replied warily, taking the small hand in hers; it was cold. She drew her hand away quickly and asked for directions to the dining room.
"Oh, yes, it's two doors down," Penelope pointed.
"Er, thanks," Maylen muttered, and walked quickly in that direction. She felt the girl's eyes boring into her back, and then heard the door close softly. As Maylen reached out to open the dining room door, however, the knob turned under her hand once again, and Martusc stepped out. He jumped when he saw Maylen, and then recovered, grinning from ear to ear.
"Hey," he said. "It's good to see you awake!" his eyes searched her face.
"It's good to be up," Maylen replied just as happily.
"I heard voices. Were you…?"
"I just opened the wrong door," Maylen said, moving around her friend and into the room. It was splendid, with red curtains on the windows, sculptures and paintings on the walls, and a long table in the middle decked with food.
"Talking to Penelope?" Martusc asked unenthusiastically, pulling out a chair for her. He did a very funny imitation of flipping long hair over his shoulder; Maylen laughed.
"Yeah," she responded, filling her plate with salad, roles, and casserole. It had been long since she had eaten such a wide selection of food. "Who is she?"
"What, you don't know?" Martusc didn't wait for an answer as he sat beside her, grimacing. "She's the daughter of that old hag, Bertha—"
"Oh, Martusc, she isn't all that bad," Maylen retorted, amused.
"You weren't stuck with her for seven days, and I never really got the idea that she much liked me. She kept shooting me glares like daggers, and would reprimand me for everything, even eating too much."
"But she healed me," Maylen reminded him, touching her scarf. Martusc glanced at her worriedly at the movement, dropping the argument.
"Well, anyways, Penelope apparently has some sort of sickness," Martusc said, his fork hovering before his mouth as he spoke. "Bertha dotes on her; when she wasn't taking care of you or eating, she would fawn over her daughter like… like… I dunno. The day you came, Penelope was out cold with whatever she has. As you can imagine, Bertha did not leave quite a good first impression that day, all grumpy with two knocked out patients on her hands." Maylen laughed, imagining. "Penelope became sick again four days after we arrived, and woke again on the morning of the day that you woke up."
"Ah, that explains it," Maylen exclaimed after swallowing a bite of salad.
"Efpwai' wha'?" Martusc asked through a mouthful of food; Maylen cast him a mock irritated glance.
"When I first woke up, Bertha mixed up one week with two days when she was talking about how long I'd been asleep. When she looked away, I thought I saw her crying, too," Maylen added thoughtfully, dropping her voice. Martusc just rolled his eyes.
After eating a couple more bites, Maylen asked, "Where's Frode?"
Martusc swallowed his morsel of casserole hastily, and choked. He grabbed the water pitcher and gulped down several mouthfuls before gasping and wiping his mouth with a napkin. He turned and smiled sheepishly at Maylen's disgusted glare. "Erm, he went to talk to the cook, to ask if the there were any roles that aren't burnt. I think they're just fine, just a bit hard."
Maylen curiously bit into her role, and found the crust to hard to break through. "I see what he meant," she commented, setting the role down dispassionately. At that moment, Frode came through a door in the opposite wall, calling crossly over his shoulder. "I don't care if it takes hours or days to put edible food on the table, just—" then he saw Maylen. "Ah! Awake again, I see!"
Completely forgetting what he had just been saying, Frode let the kitchen door close with a bang and sat down across from Maylen and Martusc. He smiled benignly and spooned beans onto his plate. "So, are you feeling better?"
"Very much, yes," Maylen replied. "I'm not that hungry though."
"Bertha made sure to feed you broth when you were unconscious," Frode explained. "You weren't to inclined to eat it, the first few tries. She had to force it down your throat with magic after a while!"
"She can use magic?" Maylen asked, slightly surprised.
"Oh yes, just a little. She's a healer, you know; has a touch of witch magic in her blood. She told me that her great, great grandmother was a mage."
"Huh," was all Maylen found to say. She hadn't really been that shocked. Most healers were able to use magic to some extent. She continued eating until her stomach ached.
"I think I'm done," Maylen groaned. She hadn't wanted to miss out on a single course; after eating jerked beef, fowl and lentil stew and campfire-cooked fowl, it was wonderful to eat a variety of foodstuffs again. Martusc looked at her in amusement.
"Well, that's good!" Frode exclaimed, leaning back and lacing his fingers over his stomach. "In a little while, when you've digested some, Martusc can show you the city. It's really a splendid place, Tierm," Frode added languorously. "Many-a-sight to see, and you might meet a few interesting people too."
"Sounds great," Maylen replied, enthusiastic. She didn't realize until much later that Frode's last sentence had more meaning to it than she'd first expected…
Ooh, what's going to happen? You won't know unless you review!!
By the way, I forgot to mention this last chapter, cos I was so worked up about the Eragon movie (grr). Along with finding the movie (grr) excruciatingly (yes, I've been watching American Idol -- go Simon!) horrific and mundane, me and my friends found it really quite funny. We were laughing pretty much the entire time!! I don't know if anyone noticed this, but Eragon and Brom wore tight black leather pants the entire movie (grr)!!! Omigod we must have really annoyed the rest of the people in the movie (grr) theatre, cos we were laughing the entire time. I feel so sorry for the people around us. There was this girl sitting in front of us who kept looking back in annoyance at me and my friend's fits of laughter. Lichenstar knows (once again) what I'm talking about. Lol... anyways, review! I command it!