The friends had travelled for two days straight after the storm. The going had been easy and the weather had been much more favourable. The sun was warm but there was a gentle breeze from the west that kept them cool as they hiked onwards. It was in the late morning of their fourth day out on the plains that they saw the first living things, other than themselves, after leaving Crystallia. But to their surprise, it wasn't people that they encountered.
" Horses?" Simon exclaimed as the friends stood in awe as a herd, well they assumed it was a herd, of at least a hundred horses grazed before them.
" Where'd they come from…?" Amos sighed in wonder.
" Are they wild or what…?" Lucy asked.
" They were probably somebody's property once…from a farm or ranch…" Rosie suggested. "That's assuming that they don't belong to anyone still of course…"
" Oh…right…" Amos replied, somewhat taken aback that anyone had bothered to answer his question.
" You mean like in the 'Wild West' or something," Jenny enquired.
" Kind of," Rosie admitted.
" Well, they certainly are impressive," Phillipe breathed as two young foals suddenly broke into a rather energetic canter around the other horses. Whinnying noisily.
" Hey, do you reckon we could…you know…borrow a few of them…?" Martin's young face was mischievous.
" It would make the walk easier…" Guillaume agreed slyly.
" Oh and you don't think whoever owns them is going to miss fifteen horses?" Rosie exclaimed.
" But you said they might be wild…" Martin reminded her.
" So you think riding wild horses is going to be easier than walking do you?" Rosie snorted.
" It can't be that difficult…" Guillaume countered, with noticeably less bravura than before.
" Go on then…why don't you try it…?" Rosie smirked wickedly.
" I might…" Guillaume stuck his chin out proudly before adding in a barely audible voice, "…Later…"
" Hang on…!" Aradia exclaimed loudly. " What's that…?"
" Where…?" Glyndwr murmured as they clustered around, trying to see where exactly the princess was pointing to. She seemed to have noticed something in the middle of the horses before them.
" I'm sure I saw something sparkling in there," Aradia frowned when the friends failed to spot what she had seen.
" Are you sure you've not just been sitting in the sun too long…?" Glyndwr smirked before receiving a jab in his shoulder from the now annoyed princess.
" Watch it Meander!" The princess fumed quietly.
" Are there supposed to be any crystals round here…?" Lucy asked in an attempt to diffuse the possible argument brewing between Aradia and Glyndwr.
" You know, I'm not entirely sure I didn't see something shiny over there…" Marius admitted as Phillipe took out the map and studied it closely, occasionally glancing up to try and find a landmark he could pinpoint on it.
" Well the star is here…so I guess that means, the crystal must be too…" Phillipe said, folding the map away carefully. " It hasn't been wrong so far…!"
" So where exactly it is…?" Marius mused.
" And where's the challenge in getting it?" Lina frowned suspiciously.
" Look! There! There is it!" Simon exclaimed, gesturing vigorously into the sea of horses before them. " It's on that white horse there!"
" What do you mean, 'it's on that white horse'? How can it be on a horse?" Amos demanded.
" I don't know, but it is!" Simon threw back with a wide smile. " See!"
The friends looked where Simon was pointing and one by one their mouths fell open.
" Well…it certainly is on the white one…" Lina swallowed.
" But, it's not…" Jenny said slowly, clearly not believing her own words. " It's not a horse…!"
" Then what the hell is it…?" Rosie frowned and before Jenny could answer, the white animal turned around to face them and the answer became obvious. Protruding from the front of it's face, with the next piece of crystal attached, was a long white and silver horn.
" It's a Unicorn…" Jo said quietly as they looked in awe at the creature before they looked closer at the unicorn they could see it was actually much bigger than most of the horses around it, but it still looked to be the most graceful creature there. It's mane and tail were pure white, as was it's coat, but it's hair seemed to almost glow it was so bright.
" So…how do we get the crystal then…?" Aradia asked quietly.
" More to the point, what do we know about Unicorns…?" Jo asked firmly.
There was a pause.
" Well…?" Jo persisted. " Come on, Lina, Aradia…Glyndwr? You guys must know something about them!"
" All I know is that they are myth," Glyndwr admitted almost sadly.
" So that puts you in the same place as us lot then!" Rosie rolled her eyes.
" I know they are rumoured to be fleet of foot…" Aradia murmured.
" Right, so they're fast…anything else…?" Jo noted.
" Like if they're dangerous?" Lucy suggested.
" I don't think so…although their horn is sharp and, I suppose, if you angered it you may be in danger…" Lina shrugged.
" And do you think trying to nick the crystal from it's horn might anger it…?" Guillaume smirked.
" As far as I know, Unicorns are the purest of creatures, wise and virtuous, peaceful as well as beautiful…" Aradia explained carefully. " Although they will fight if attacked…but…" She stopped.
" But what…?" Jo took a step forwards.
" They can be tamed," Aradia said after a moment or two.
" Great!" Martin grinned. " How…?"
" Well, sorry guys, but it has to be a girl…" Aradia smirked as the faces the men in the group fell slightly.
" So one of us has to go…" Lina nodded thoughtfully as the girls exchanged glances.
" But, again, it has to be a particular kind of girl…" Aradia said delicately.
" As in…?" Jo's eyebrows rose quizzically on her brow.
" Well, let's put it this way…I highly doubt if Lina or Rosie could do it now that they're married…" Aradia explained quietly, trying to hide the light blush that appeared on her cheeks. " I believe the term used is a 'maiden'…"
" Well then, that leaves me, Aradia, Lucy, Betrande and Jenny…" Jo said plainly.
" And I've already got a crystal…" Lucy replied.
" Me too," Jenny shrugged.
" So it's between Jo, the Princess and Bertrande…" Phillipe said thoughtfully.
" Before we decide who…can we at least have a think about what they're going to have to do…!" Guillaume said firmly.
" Well I reckon, if we can get onto one of these horses, maybe one of the younger ones, then we could try to catch up with it and then it would just be a case of pulling the crystal off of it's horn…" Simon suggested.
" Sounds like it might work…" said Amos.
" That seems way too easy!" Jo frowned, scanning the scene before them as if she expected no less than Obsequious himself to jump out from behind one of the horses.
" Well, while it doesn't look overly dangerous…easy is not the word I would have chosen…" Mark said plainly.
" Well, easy or not…someone's got to at least try it…" Jo glanced over at him solemnly.
" And that someone is going to be me…" A voice came from behind them all. Turning they were more than surprised to see Bertrande stood, hands on her hips and her face set with determination.
" You sure you want to try this one…?" Lucy asked gently.
" I'm going to have to do it at some point, why not with this one…?" Bertrande shrugged, flipped her long corn-coloured plait back over her shoulder.
" You can't be serious…" Mark stammered quietly, echoed by Martin and Guillaume simultaneously.
" It can't be that difficult," Bertrande repeated Guillaume's comment.
" That's the spirit!" Lina smiled broadly.
" Exactly! I mean, you've ridden a horse before, right…?" Rosie began confidently.
" Well…Not exactly…" Bertrande admitted after a rather long pause.
" What she means is never!" Martin exclaimed. " This is a bad idea, a really bad idea…"
" You're telling me!" Mark all but shrieked, his green eyes shining with concern as he turned to Bertrande. " Sweetheart, you really don't have to do this…I know you're only trying to help but…"
" And I know you're only trying to help but you're wasting your time…I'm doing this, whether you like it or not!" Bertrande's eyes were unblinking.
" I don't see why she shouldn't at least be allowed to try…" Lucy admitted quietly. " I mean, okay, so she hasn't ridden a horse before…of course it'll make things a little more difficult-"
" 'Difficult'? I think 'damn near impossible' would be closer to the mark," Mark sniped unnecessarily.
" And your evident support sweetheart makes me feel so much better about it all!" Bertrande glared at him before turning her back on him and walking away slightly.
" Oh…I didn't mean it like that…I meant…" Mark began before he found a hand clamped over his mouth. He looked down to see Jo looking up at him with a face wearing an expression that was a blend of sympathy and scorn.
" I know you mean well…at least I think I do…" Jo smirked as she removed her hand and stepped back, " But before you completely wreck your relationship with Bertrande, do us all a favour…and stop talking!" She held up her hand to prevent any response he may have wanted to give and walked firmly after Bertrande.
She caught up with her quickly and gently tapped her shoulder.
" You alright…?" Jo asked as carefully as she could as Bertrande turned around to face her.
" Why wouldn't I be?" Bertrande snapped uncharacteristically. " I want to help and the one person I expected…no wanted to be on my side…isn't…" The spite drained from her voice as she sighed. As Jo caught her eye she saw tears building there. Jo frowned slightly and took a deep breath, trying to figure out what to say.
" You really want to do this, don't you…?" Jo said eventually, Betrande nodded.
" But Mark…" Bertrande began before Jo cut her off.
" Mark is just worried about you…"
" Well he shouldn't be," Bertrande retorted but with no where near as much bite as she had wanted.
" Whether he should or shouldn't doesn't matter…'cos he is and, if anything, that fact should give you all the confidence you need…" Jo smiled slightly as a similar expression began to cover the face before her. " I mean think about it, Guillaume would never urge me to do half the things I do…" She grinned. " But letting me know how much he worries and is against me doing them, is the next best thing.
There was a pause where the two of them turned back to face the group behind them. Guillaume was mid-discussion with Mark but, almost as if they could sense someone watching them, they stopped and looked back. Mark's face was no longer wearing a frown, but a kind of bewildered, hopeful smile. Bertrande's smile grew.
" Thanks Jo," she muttered before walking resolutely back over and, before Mark could say or do anything, she flung her arms around his neck and kissed him. Jo wandered back over nonchalantly where Guillaume put an arm around her shoulders.
" So what did you say to her…?" He asked quietly as they watched Bertrande and Mark separate and talk quietly with each other.
" Nothing much…" Jo sighed leaning against him, her own arm going around his waist. " Just that, if anything, Mark's worrying should prove just how much he cares, rather than how much he doesn't!"
" Smart," Guillaume said gently.
" And what about you? What did you say to him, to Mark?" Jo glanced up into his face.
" Oh…nothing much…" Guillaume repeated, a twinkle in his dark eyes. " Just that if Bertrande wants to do this, and if she's anything like I know her to be, then he's going to have a hard time convincing her to change her mind…she's strong willed that one…" He smiled. "…Like someone else I know!" He kissed Jo's forehead quickly. " And I basically told him he should be proud of her and supportive…and besides, with girls like that, arguing's fairly pointless!" He smirked as Jo gasped in fake shock.
" Oh really…?" She quirked an eyebrow, daring him to try and argue.
" Yes, really!" He grinned again before leaning over and kissing her.
" Erm…not to break anything up…" Lucy's voice said after a moment or two, causing Jo and Guillaume, as well as, Mark and Bertrande to separate quickly. " …But shouldn't we get on with this crystal business, that is…" She stole a glance at Mark and Bertrande. "…That is if we have reached a decision…?" Lucy grinned as Bertrande nodded vigorously.
" Right then!" Rosie clapped her hands together eagerly. " I guess I should take you through some of the basics of horse riding then!"
" I guess so too!" Bertrande smiled as Rosie launched into a quick, but highly informative speech about riding horses.
" You ready for this…?" Jenny asked tentatively.
" Uh huh…" was all Bertrande would manage to reply.
" Well then…" Mark started confidently before realising he had no idea what to say.
" I reckon it'd be best if we all waited back here…" Simon said after a moment's pause.
" Yeah, don't want to worry them more then we have to," Martin agreed, jerking his head towards the horses before them. The white unicorn was stood, grazing calmly, in the centre of the herd.
" Well, good luck…!" Jo hugged Bertrande quickly before stepping back and letting the others wish Bertrande the best for this latest challenge. Martin and Guillaume both hugged their childhood friend tightly, whispering words of encouragement in French that the others didn't quite catch, before letting Mark forward.
" You take care out there…" He sighed, pulling her into a tight hug.
" I will," She winked up at him before kissing him quickly, turning around, taking a very deep breath and heading towards the horses.
"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," Amos mumbled as they watched Bertrande chase after a horse. She'd been trying to get close enough to it to mount it but every time she did, it ran off. It had done it at least seven times in the last ten minutes or so and Bertrande was looking increasingly harassed about the whole thing.
" Is there nothing you can do to help her…?" Martin asked Jo, groaning as the horse slipped past Bertrande again.
" I don't know," Jo admitted, if only she'd stop worrying and just concentrate on the horse I might be able to…" Jo frowned, narrowing her eyes on Bertrande and trying to focus her mind on both her and the horse.
What happened next came as something of a blur to those watching and a huge surprise to Bertrande. The horse ran past her again and Bertrande managed to reach out with her hand somehow grab hold of the beast's neck, using it's momentum she swung herself up onto its back and the next thing anyone knew, she was riding it.
However, two things went wrong almost as soon as Bertrande jumped onto the horse's back. Firstly, it reared up on its hind legs and broke into the fastest gallop any of them had seen and secondly, Bertrande began screaming at the top of her lungs, frightening her horse even more and sending the other hundred or so other animals into something of a frenzy. The rest of the friends, who had gathered on a nearby grassy bank to watch how she got on had to run for cover as a group of about twenty horses came running straight at them.
" Who's terrific idea was this anyway?" Simon shrieked, jumping behind a rock as two horses sailed over his head.
" Yours!" Came the resounding and high pitched response from the others.
" Well, someone should have thought of another one then, shouldn't they!" He yelled back as another horse leapt over his hiding place.
All of a sudden Billabong let out a roar the like of which even Lina had never heard before when what looked like a larger than normal shire horse stepped on his tail as it charged past, before shooting under a bush and curled up there, obviously with no intention of moving until the large, noisy animals had stopped running around like lunatics.
Whilst all of this was going on, Bertrande was struggling to regain control of the dark brown horse she was riding. Her hands were tightly wrapped in its mane, as Rosie had instructed, but she was still being flung every which way by the animal who clearly didn't want her there. She was never going to get anywhere while this was going on, she threw a quick glance at the Unicorn who was still grazing, apparently unaffected by the stampede surrounding it. With a determined look on her face, she drove her heels into the sides of the horse and pulled back with her hands.
" Oh will you please pack it in!" She yelled at it. To her complete surprise, the horse stopped moving and stood patiently, twitching its tail, apparently waiting for her next command. Raising an eyebrow suspiciously, she gently kicked her heels again and the horse began to move slowly towards the Unicorn. Glancing back over her shoulder, the stampede was still raging around the others and Bertrande winced as she saw Mark leap out of the way just in time to avoid being crushed by three enormous black stallions. " Well, no use just watching, you might as well make the best of this situation…" Bertrande told herself, nudging the horse's sides again and steering it closer towards the Unicorn. As she approached the sheer beauty of the creature astounded her once again. Its coat was even purer and paler than it had seemed before and its horn almost shone and sparkled as much as the crystal hanging from it. Once she was little more than a couple of yards away, Bertrande stopped her horse and jumped off it as smoothly as she could. The horse whinnied quietly before trotting away and beginning to eat some grass. The Unicorn looked up briefly, as her feet hit the ground but, clearly unperturbed by her presence, it too continued to nibble at the lush blades beneath it. Bertrande took a long, slow, deep and steadying breath. The Unicorn obviously wasn't that concerned about her being there and she took that as a good sign, but even so she could not ignore the sharp, pointed horn and shudder to think the damage that it could do, should she somehow manage to anger the animal.
Bertrande edged closer and closer to the Unicorn, licking her lips every few seconds it seemed. Her arms hold up in front of her, hands flexing in and out as the animal got nearer. She halted an arm's length from the creature when it slowly raised its beautiful head once more and focused its large eyes on her, almost questioningly. Bertrande swallowed. There was something in its gaze that made her stop dead in her tracks. She knew it was just and animal but there was something there that was almost human. A look she'd only ever seen before in the eyes of Billabong. She couldn't just take the crystal. She just couldn't. Bertrande frowned and bit her lip, while she and the Unicorn simply looked at each other. Then an idea came to her. She glanced back towards where she had come from. The other horses seemed to be calming down but her friends were obviously still staying out of the way, just in case. They were far too far away to hear if this backfired on her surely, Bertrande reasoned as she turned back to the Unicorn and tried out her idea.
" …Hello…?" Bertrande asked very uncertainly. There was a silence. The Unicorn merely looked at her and snorted slightly.
" Good one Bertrande," groaned Bertrande, covering her face with her hands and sighing. " Like it was really going to work…"
" Like what was going to work…?" A voice asked gently. Bertrande snatched her hands away from her face and looked questioningly at the Unicorn, which was still stood motionless, staring at her.
" Did…" Bertrande frowned. This was going to sound really stupid. " Did you just say something…?" She asked the Unicorn.
There was another silence. Bertrande was about to look around to find out who it had been when…
" Of course I did, who else did you expect,"
Bertrande snapped her gaze back to the Unicorn, one pale eyebrow raised slightly.
" I…I don't know…" She admitted.
" Well then…why ask such a pointless question," replied the Unicorn with what Bertrande could have sworn was a smirk, if she hadn't been talking to a Unicorn at any rate.
" I don't know…"
" Humans…" The Unicorn sighed, with a very clear and obvious roll of its large eyes. " So what brings you to the plains…we haven't seen your kind since the great war…"
" The Great War?" Bertrande frowned momentarily. " Oh, you mean Incubus' invasion…"
" If its war you seek, you can carry on your journey…you'll find no enemies here…" The Unicorn said plainly.
" No, no, don't misunderstand me…I'm not here to fight…"
" But you are here to take something…are you not…?" The Unicorn's voice became slightly softer.
" Yes, yes I am," Bertrande replied, focusing her eyes on those of the Unicorn.
" Then why not just take it," Lowering its head slightly, the crystal slid down its horn slightly, towards Bertrande.
" Because…"
" Because what?"
" Because…it's not mine to take…"
" Nor is it mine to give," Came the softly spoken response.
" But it is in your care, you have been given the task of guarding it…and so I can only take it, should you offer it to me…" Bertrande replied after a moment or two's thought.
" And just as my task is guarding it," The Unicorn replied, tipping its head further, " Yours, I believe, it to retrieve it…" The crystal piece slid right down to the very end of the Unicorn's horn, merely inches from Bertrande's hands.
" But how do you…?" Bertrande began to ask but stopped as she felt the weight of the crystal drop into her hands.
" You wouldn't have spoken to me at all if all you wanted was the crystal. I am certain from the look in your eyes that you have a much higher purpose for it than common theft…plus, if that seal of yours is anything to go by, I believe I can hazard a guess as to who you are…" The Unicorn lifted its head once again and Bertrande smiled. " I think I could probably guess your identity in twelve guesses or so…"
" I believe you could!" Bertrande smiled before reaching out tentatively to stroke the animal's head.
" No be off with you, dark forces are prowling these lands and there are few hiding places out on the plains…" The Unicorn neighed darkly after a moment or two. " May the spirit of Epona guide you on your quest and make you fleet of foot in the face of danger!" With that the Unicorn reared up onto its back legs and vanished.
Bertrande stood in stunned silence for what felt like hours, before she felt someone tap on her shoulder.
" Did you get it?" Mark's eager face was looking down into hers.
" Yes, I got it!" She grinned, showing him the crystal and hugging him tightly.
The other friends congratulated her heartily and helped her wrap up this latest chunk of the crystal and put it in her pack.
" We should keep moving," Jo said eventually. " It's pretty open out here…who knows who may be watching…"
" That's funny, that's almost exactly what the Unicorn said," Bertrande exclaimed, shouldering her pack. The others turned and stared at her, slightly bemused, slightly worried.
" You what?" Jenny enquired.
" You're saying that Unicorn spoke to you…?" Rosie frowned slightly.
Bertrande glanced around at the dubious faces surrounding her, it would probably be best to keep it to herself anyway. She grinned. " Nah, of course not…"
" That's alright then," Mark smiled, putting an arm around her shoulders. " You had us worried then, that's the kind of mad stuff Jo usually comes out with…!" He laughed before ducking the punch Jo aimed at his stomach.
" Yeah alright," Jo frowned as the other laughed amongst themselves. " Very funny, ha, ha…!" With that she started walking, with the others following close behind.
They walked for the rest of the day almost continuously, they weren't really sure of their bearing until the sunset behind them and they figured they must be heading in an Easterly direction.
The air grew colder as the sky darkened and the first of the stars pierced the night sky.
" Are we nearly there yet?" whined Simon, in what was a very passable imitation of a small child.
" Seeing as I have no idea where 'there' is…I've no idea Simon," Jo replied, in what was a very very passable imitation of an annoyed parent.
" Is it time to rest yet?" Amos chipped in. " We've been walking for…well…" He wanted to say years, but was certain Jo would have no qualms about slapping him for it so he settled for. " …a really long time…!"
" Soon," came the undefining but what was doubtlessly the very final response from Jo on the matter.
" What's that…?" Amos muttered, glancing somewhere ahead of them.
" What's what?" Marius frowned, standing alongside him, staring hard into the gloom.
" I thought I saw some lights over there," Amos gestured vaguely in front of them both.
" Yeah, looks like a house…" Marius squinted into the darkness.
" Or maybe even a few houses…" Lucy agreed.
" Well then, looks like we've found 'there'!" Jenny grinned.
" But we still don't know what 'there' actually is…" Glyndwr said darkly.
" Shall we check it out…?" Amos asked, a broad smile on his face.
" Yeah, why not," Jo grinned back, trying to ignore the niggling feeling that the East was where Obsequious was and that was where they were headed. Anyway, he wasn't going to be hiding out in a village in the middle of no where…was he?
" Is it too far for you Guillaume…?" Martin chuckled as Guillaume stumbled over his own foot whilst walking. " Do you need someone to hold your hand…?"
" Shut it Martin," Guillaume grumbled angrily.
" Ignore him Martin," Jo sighed appeasingly, taking Guillaume's hand in her own. " I'm sure he doesn't mean anything by it…"
" Don't worry about it, Jo. He's probably just touchy 'cos he's tired," Martin suggested with a wicked smirk.
" Who's touchy?" Came the sharp and instantaneous reply from Guillaume.
" Point proven," Martin scoffed, dodging the not entirely playful punch that came his way from his fellow Artigatian as they started to head for the lights getting closer in the distance.
The village turned out to be fairly large, larger than Artigat had been. The buildings looked similar to those that Guillaume, Martin and Bertrande had lived in, lots of wooden framed buildings. The houses and buildings were built in a large square which opened onto a small green and, what they assumed must be, a market place. There were lights in most of the windows and every so often they would hear snatches of voices on the breeze.
" Now just remember...we don't where this place is and if it's with us or with Ob..." Jo couldn't bring herself to say his name. " ...With us or not so just try to act normally..." Jo hissed as they started to head into the village.
" Says the witch!" Amos and Simon smirked in unison before being nudged by the others.
" Just don't talk about Vaniria or Aesina or crystals or…or well about anything more than you have to," Jo frowned back at them. " I promise not to curse anyone or set anything on fire if you two promise to keep your big mouths shut!"
" No offence Jo," Lucy said, jumping slightly as a door slammed in a nearby house. " But if we're going to try and blend in here then I think the long black cloaks and strange accents may be a bit of a give away,"
" Even so," Phillipe's voice was firm. " That's no reason to make it even more obvious that we have no idea where we are..."
" And do me a favour...don't say the 'W-word' while we're here..." Jo added in a more tentative voice.
" Wasn't planning on announcing it to the first person we bumped into but...why...?" Marius pulled his cloak tighter around himself.
" Rowan trees..." Jo murmured.
" Huh?" came the unanimous and confused response from the others.
" There were rowan trees planted around the edge of the village...recently planted too by the looks of them...and traditionally they're planted to ward off witches..." Jo stopped walking, as did everyone else, and started to explain.
" Well it obviously doesn't work..." Simon's voice had the slightest tone of mockery in it.
" Maybe not, but it doesn't change the fact that they may have been planted with that idea in mind...meaning the people who live here will probably react in a somewhat 'Artigatian' way if they find out what I am..." Jo frowned at him. Martin, Bertrande and Guillaume especially, shifted guiltily.
" But what if they weren't planted to keep you, or witches in general out...?" Mark suggested. "What if they were planted to keep out another kind of dark magic...or someone else altogether…"
" That's what I'm hoping they're there for," Jo sighed. " But we can't afford not to be too careful...at all..."
At that moment the door to a nearby building was flung open and the sounds of laughter and music filled the air, as two men staggered out of the door and disappeared off into the night. Glancing up the friends saw a faded wooden sign hanging above the door,
" 'L'Asile D'Étudiants'" murmured Amos as the read what was written there.
" The Student's Haven…" Bertrande smiled.
" Sounds good to me!" Mark grinned back.
The friends walked into the tavern and almost as soon as the large oak door creaked shut behind them, they regretted it.
As they had entered the atmosphere was noisy, almost rowdy, with people shouting, laughing and whispering happily amongst themselves. In a distant corner, hidden by the crowd around the bar, someone was playing a fairly jolly tune on what sounded like a violin.
Now, however, it was silent. It was awkward and there wasn't a single pair of eyes that was not fixed on the group, hovering nervously in the doorway.
" Why do I fell like I've just walked into a western…?" Mark hissed out of the corner of his mouth.
" Tell me about it…" came the equally quiet response from Lucy.
Jo smiled as warmly as she could and stepped forwards.
" Good evening…" She said as genially as she could manage, whilst trying to ignore the building sense of nervousness building inside her.
The tavern's patrons merely continued to stare.
Jo stepped back to join the others with a worried swallow. " Anyone else got any bright ideas…?" She said through teeth clenched into a broad smile.
The rest of the group smiled at the people staring suspiciously at them all.
" Tirons-nous d'ici, ce troquet est vraiment trop craignons," Martin whispered nervously to Phillipe after a moment or two of uncomfortable silence had passed.
" Oi! You there!" A simply enormous man, who had been leaning next to the fire place when they entered, crossed the room towards them and the friends shrank back as he drew nearer with one huge fist outstretched and what seemed to be an even bigger finger pointing towards Martin. "Would you mind telling me just what is so dodgy in here…?" He demanded as Martin looked up at him gobsmacked.
" How did you…?" He started before Guillaume snorted loudly in his ear.
" The flipping sign outside was in French you idiot…what on earth made you think no one would understand you in here?" To make his point completely clear Guillaume hit Martin on the back of the head.
" Parlez-vous français?" Jo asked hesitantly.
" Oui," came the short, sharp response from the giant of a man stood before them.
" Ah…bien," Jo grinned weakly, " Et…er…parlez-vous anglais?"
There was a pause.
" Of course we do," came another man's voice from near the bar. A much smaller man wove his way through the people to stand before them. He looked to be in his fifties, grey hair grew rather haphazardly all over his head and was a variety of lengths. His eyes were pale blue although Jo didn't doubt they had probably faded with age. He was short and round around his middle. He wore a long, stained apron over his tunic and judging by the cloth in his hands, he was most likely the landlord. " We're just a little cautious who we speak it to…if you gets my meaning…" He regarded each of them. Not cautiously, not suspiciously, just curiously. " Would I be out of place to ask where you folks have travelled from…?" He eyed their cloaks with interest and then he shifted his gaze to Jo's face and frowned slightly. " Have we met before young lady…?"
The friends hesitated and glanced at Jo.
" No, we haven't met and no, you would not be out of place," Jo smiled, " But we are just as cautious as yourselves…and I trust you get my meaning…" She winked and the whole group was relieved when the old man burst out into laughter.
" Wise, very wise," He admitted after a moment or two. " I am Pierre and you're more than welcome here…?" He raised a fuzzy white eyebrow obviously wanting her name at least.
" Jo," she answered. " I'm Jo, this is Rosie, those two are Lucy and Jenny, he's Mark…and that's…" Jo pointed to each one in turn but halted when Pierre's mouth dropped open.
" But you…you can't be…" He stammered, shaking his aging head from side to side. " Those names…they're the names of…the names of the…"
Jo, realising he needed helping out of this situation and feeling almost certain that he, and the patrons of his tavern were no immediate threat, opened her cloak to reveal her seal. 'L'Étoiles' shone in the lamp light and an audible gasp ran around the tavern.
" We have journeyed from Vaniria…on a quest…" Jo didn't need to finish. The friends were swamped in a mass of people hugging them and shaking their hands.
" We've been waiting so long, I just knew you'd come!" A ruddy faced woman beamed as she pumped Guillaume's arm up and down.
" You're certainly a welcome sight for very sore eyes," cackled a very little old lady after hugging Phillipe's waist with surprising vigour.
" How long are you staying with us?"
" Are you journeying onto the Swamplands now?"
" When will you face Obsequious?"
The questions came ten to the dozen to the very amazed friends who received all the compliments and embraces with smiles.
" We won't be heading for the Swamps just yet," Jo answered once most of the people had returned to their seats and places leaning against the walls and the bar. " We have a few things to sort out first…" She grinned slightly. " But we will face him soon enough I assure you."
" What about Aesina…?" A voice asked from the back of the tavern.
" Er…what about it…?" Jo frowned slightly.
" When can we go back?" Another voice called out.
" 'Go back'?" Rosie exclaimed with wide eyes.
" When can we go home…?" Pierre asked urgently, his pale blue eyes moving from one face to the next, obviously desperate for an answer. Glancing around the tavern all the eyes were once again upon the friends still stood in the doorway, but they weren't staring this time. They were imploring.
" You mean…you mean, you lived there…?" Jo asked, not even sure how the words were coming out of her mouth such was her astonishment.
" Of course we did," bellowed the large man who had threatened Martin upon their arrival. " Where did you think we came from…?" He laughed heartily, joined by most of the people around him.
" You mean…" Aradia stepped forwards, her lilac eyes wide and sparkling with excitement. " You mean you are the people who escaped on the day of the siege…?"
Pierre nodded.
" Yes we are, we fled and set up a new village here, away from Incubus. We thought we'd only be here a short while though," He added sadly then smiled. " But I somehow don't think we'll be here for very much longer…" He smirked.
" No, you won't," Aradia agreed, a warm smile on her face.
" That leaves another question though," Pierre replied, " How long can we have the pleasure of your company…your highness?" He bowed slightly at Aradia, whose mouth fell open in surprise. " No need to look so shocked my dear," He reached out and closed her mouth gently. " I knew you as a child, used to run the tavern in the old square…"
" 'The Sword and Stone'?" Jo and Aradia exclaimed in unison before throwing each other a confused glance. One mirrored by most of the friends behind them.
" That's the one!" Pierre replied with another broad smile. " So, how long will you be staying…a week…a fortnight?"
" Just tonight I fear," Jo answered sadly, trying to ignore the unhappy groan from the patrons and Pierre. " We must be on our way soon, we are not the only ones looking for what we seek," There was a serious edge to her voice. " Besides we have no money, no means of paying you anything and as such I could not let us trespass on your hospitality any longer than that…if you could let us sleep down here in your tavern when you close for the night we would be most…"
" Don't be dense lass," Pierre snorted, cutting Jo off. " I won't hear talk of such nonsense…" Pierre grinned toothily at them all. " There are rooms aplenty here, the beds are warm and the food is good," He met Jo's hesitant gaze. " I insist you be my guests…even if it is just for tonight…"
Jo glanced around at the others. Their eyes had pretty much glazed over hungrily at the mention of the food so she knew their preference for their next decision. Besides, she was just as tired and hungry as they. Why not have a good night's rest with some decent food, she didn't sense any impending danger and even if it did show up, she was pretty certain she would be able to deal with it.
" If you insist, who are we to resist!" Jo smiled back.
" Fabuleux!" Pierre exclaimed, clapping his large hands together joyfully. " Marie, put on some soup for our guests, Henri, take their bags upstairs…and you," He gestured to Jo and the others, " Follow me to the bar and I will fix you all a flagon of our finest ale!" " Nice one!" Mark beamed following their host. Soon the tavern was once again filled with happy chatter and the atmosphere was warm and welcoming and, more importantly to the friends, safe. The locals questioned them all eagerly on their journey so far, about what they thought of Obsequious and where they had all come from in the first place. They were served with huge steaming bowls of thick vegetable soup and large pieces of what was undoubtedly home cooked bread, still warm and without doubt the best thing they had eaten since leaving the castle at Vaniria. They drained their bowls within minutes and Pierre was quick to refill them and drop more of the delicious bread onto their plates. All with another large flagon of ale.
After a while, the tavern emptied a little as wives dragged their husbands home and old men were woken up from their beer induced slumbers to be ushered out of the door.
The five friends sat at a table near the window chatting lazily and happily about everything and nothing. It had been a long long time since they had sat like this.
" What 'cho thinking about down there…?" Mark mumbled after a pause in the conversation. He had moved onto Pierre's mead and his cheeks were rather pink.
" Ah, nothing much," Jo replied, wrapping her hands around what she thought was her fourth flagon of ale. But it might have been her fifth.
" Rubbish," Rosie giggled then hiccoughed. Looking angrily at her glass of wine as if it was the sole culprit. " You're always thinking, you are,"
Jo grinned at her guiltily.
" Alright then…Julia…I was thinking about Julia…" Jo muttered, sipping from the flagon in front of her. " I'm sure that her name means something and I…I just can't place it…"
" What do you mean 'it means something'…?" Rosie quirked an eyebrow as she took a mouthful of her wine.
" Well, Aradia is the name of a Goddess, often related with magical power and so on…Eos and Aurora are both related to the sun, which as we know rules over the sky…even Mithras was a Roman God, also of the sun as far as I remember…I just can't help but think that Julia's name would have had a meaning of it's own…"
" Doesn't it come from another name…?" Lucy mumbled over to them.
" How do you mean…?" Jenny frowned.
" Well, like Jo is short for Joanne which is the feminine form of John isn't it…" Lucy explained.
" Yeah," Jo admitted, " It's a form of Joan I think…"
" Like Joan of Arc!" Mark offered with a grin. " Who as we all know was a fifteenth-century peasant girl from France who, after claiming she heard messages from God, was given leadership of the French army. She defeated the English in the battle of Orleans but was eventually captured and burned at the stake…if I'm not mistaken…" Mark took a large gulp from his mead and grinned at them all once again.
" How do you know all this stuff…?" Rosie asked completely astounded.
" Well, I know you think Jo's the only one who reads anything but you'd be surprised to know of the things I've picked up over the years!" He winked.
" Alright then, smart arse," Jo smirked over at him. " What have you picked up over the years about the name Julia?"
" To the best of my knowledge," Mark began knowledgably, " It comes from Julius originally which comes from something in latin that means something about beards…or hair, I think…" Mark shrugged before he continued. " A name used by at least one Pope and, of course, Emperor Gaius Julius Ceasar, skillful military leader who was…"
" Stabbed…in the back," Jo finished quietly.
" Nice," Lucy eventually managed to say after a few moments silence.
" Well…I know what my name means…" Lucy admitted.
" And…?" Rosie nudged her friend in the side. " You can start saying something like that and not finish it…!"
" Well, it's the feminine form of Lucius…" Lucy shrugged with another smile. " And it's not like we know any of them, now is it?"
" True…well, mine comes from Marcus which is believed to come from Mars I think…you know, Roman God of War," Mark held his chin high and proudly.
" They got that one wrong then didn't they!" Jenny giggled.
" I think mine's pretty obvious…" Rosie sighed.
" What about yours then Jenny…?" Mark enquired.
" Short for Jennifer which comes from Guinevere, I think." Jenny explained.
" And what about that lot…?" Jo nodded at the rest of the group, who were dotted all over the tavern, talking amongst themselves and the locals.
" Well, I'm pretty sure Phillipe is the French form of Philip," Lucy smirked.
" Oh well done you!" Jo replied acidly. " And I suppose you'll try to tell us all that Martin, Bertrande, Marius and Guillaume all have French roots too…?"
" Not sure about Martin actually…" Lucy admitted. " I think that name's used a lot in English too…"
" He's another one derived from Mars I think…" Mark added. " As is Marius, if I'm not mistaken!"
" And Simon…?" Jo nodded at the blonde fighter who was deep in conversation with Lina and Amos.
" He was an apostle wasn't he?" Rosie asked demurely before ducking the plate that Jo sent flying at her head.
" I'm pretty sure it has something to do with listening…" Mark mused quietly.
" How about Amos then…?" Jenny rested her chin on her hand.
" It means to carry…its another Hebrew name, like Simon…" Jo said, " There's the book of Amos in the bible…" She said by way of explanation.
" What about Lina…?" Lucy swallowed some of her mead.
" I think," Jo grinned, " It means something like 'Palm Tree' in Arabic!"
A ripple of laughter ran around the group.
" What you guys talking about?" Amos asked as he, Simon and Aradia sat down with them.
" You, actually!" Jo grinned then hiccoughed.
" While we're on the subject of names…what about Aitor…?" Jenny asked tentatively.
" It's a Basque name, meaning 'good fathers' I think," Jo replied after a moments thought.
" And Obsequious…?" Mark lowered his voice so that the locals didn't hear.
" Well I've never heard it used as a name before so…I assume it means all the things associated with that word…" Lucy wrinkled her nose. " Insincere, sycophantic, servile…"
" So he's a bootlicker then…" Rosie smirked.
" Pretty much!" Lucy grinned.
" Just like his father…" Aradia all but spat, " Incubus…he was a demon who used to lie on people while they slept and…well…" The princess' cheeks flushed slightly before she coughed delicately and continued, " Well, it's someone who depresses or worries others…"
" But surely…someone like that can't be much of a challenge…can they…?" Simon toyed with his dagger idly. " If they're, what was it, servile…? They're hardly going to be one for putting up a fight now are they…?"
" You never know," admitted Lucy with a sigh. " People who are obsequious in nature are often devoted to something…"
" And it's always those who are obsessed that are the problem!" Amos added. " You can't reason with someone who is blind to the consequences of their actions…"
A thoughtful pause followed.
" And what about that other guy Aradia mentioned…that William…?" Mark frowned as he changed the subject.
" I know William means something do with protection, which if he was a soldier would be right," Jenny explained.
" Well I'm sure William rings a bell in my mind somewhere for another reason…but I just can't place it…" Jo frowned downing the rest of her drink. " I mean, it's not like I know anyone called William…oh well, no doubt it'll all make sense at some point…" With that Jo wandered over to the bar to refill her flagon.
" You know, thinking about it…" Lucy hissed to the others quietly. " There seem to be a few similarities between Jo and Joan…"
" You reckon…?" Jenny mused. " Then again I suppose there is the blinding similarity of leadership in them both…and then that shared problem with burning and stakes!" She allowed a small smile to creep onto her face.
" Having said that, if Julia had as many similarities with Julius then she wasn't very lucky either was she…?" Mark ran his finger around the lip of his own tankard. " Great potential as a leader sure…but that stabbing in the back thing…" The four of them shuddered involuntarily. " Not good…not good at all…"
Jo took her latest flagon of ale and went to sit next to the fireplace. She was feeling slightly fuzzy headed and wasn't entirely sure why she kept wanting to laugh at really stupid things, like the dog sat placidly by the bar. It wasn't doing anything even remotely amusing, to be honest it wasn't doing anything at all. However in her head, it was one of the funniest things she'd ever seen! She wanted a few minutes by herself just to try and gather her thoughts a little. She had just sat down and taken a swig of her ale when,
" Can I talk to you about something…?" Jo looked up to see Aradia, looking decidedly edgy and nervous, a very unusual look for the normally over confident Princess.
" Sure," Jo sighed with what she hoped was a smile, shifting further along the bench to allow the Royal to sit next to her. " So, what's up?"
The Princess sighed heavily, taking a long piece of her auburn hair in her hands and twisting it absent mindedly. Jo frowned slightly and took another drink of her ale.
" Are you alright Aradia?" Jo asked deciding somewhere in her foggy mind that speaking plainly was her best, and to be honest her only, plan.
" I don't know, I thought I was…" Aradia sighed again.
" Well, what's changed then?" Jo pressed. " What's happened to make you feel-"
" Nothing!" Aradia exclaimed angrily, dropping the piece of hair and standing rather violently causing a few people to turn and stare briefly. " That's the problem…!"
Jo looked at the person stood before her, arms folded, brow furrowed with a mixture of confusion and awe.
" Aradia," Jo stood up beside her and gently touched her arm. " I know we haven't exactly been the best of friends since the quest started but I did promise Alvejan, all those weeks ago that I'd look after you," She smiled slightly. " So I'll listen to whatever it is you have to say…"
" Thanks Jo, but that's exactly the problem."
" Ok….I'm confused," Jo's own brow furrowed.
" I don't what it is I'm trying to say!" exclaimed Aradia again.
" Then listening's going to prove harder than I had formerly anticipated!" Jo groaned, half under her breath, as she sat back down on the bench. " Maybe then, we should try this conversation again sometime…when you actually know what it is you want to say…"
Aradia narrowed her eyes and tipped her head t one side slightly.
" Don't you pout at me, I'm am unaffected by it's powers, your highness!" Jo quirked an eyebrow at Aradia, clearly unphased.
" Don't call me that! That's what he keeps calling me!" Aradia said slowly and through tightly clenched teeth.
" He…?" Jo repeated. " Who's 'he'?" She asked before realisation hit her hard in the face. " Is…is this Glyndwr we're talking about here…?" Jo asked cautiously.
" Well you didn't think it was Billabong did you?" Aradia countered, before colouring slightly and continuing in a much lower voice. " I mean…it might be…"
"…I see…" Jo smiled. " What has our Meandering friend done now…or not done as is apparently the case…?"
" This is between you and me…just you and me…?" Aradia asked carefully, sitting back down alongside Jo.
" I swear," Jo replied, laying a hand over her heart for effect.
" Well, then…" Aradia swallowed a few times while she tried to organise her thoughts into some kind of order that would make sense to someone who hadn't been inside her head. Having said that, she didn't understand it all herself so explaining it was going to be much harder than she wanted it to be. " It all started a while back…" Aradia proceeded to tell Jo about all the confusing things Glyndwr had done on the quest so far, from his mocking her one minute to trying to help her the next and finishing with the 'crown' of roses he'd made for her in Crystallia, she kept the fact that she'd kept one of the roses pressed in her pack to herself, Jo didn't need to know everything after all. Jo sat and listened attentively throughout, somehow managing to hold back the smirk that was longing to break out on her face.
" There's definitely something there," Jo said at the end of it all, with a deep breath and an even deeper swallow from her flagon.
" What do you mean? 'Definitely something there'?" Aradia demanded.
" Oh come on," Jo rolled her eyes. " If you two were at Primary School together he'd be pulling your hair and you'd be whinging about him to your friends….oh hang, that's what you are doing…" Jo frowned for a second before dismissing the problem.
" You what?" Aradia had one eyebrow firmly raised above the other.
" Doesn't matter," Jo waved her comment aside. " The point I'm trying to make is that it's pretty obvious that you fancy each other…" Jo gasped slightly, she hadn't meant it to come out as bluntly as that. Judging from Aradia's equalled shocked face, neither had she.
" I beg your pardon…" Aradia finally managed to say in a worryingly quiet voice.
" I said…what I meant to say was…the thing is…" Jo's head had grown even fuzzier in the last few minutes. " The rest of us have noticed….that you and Glyndwr…I mean…Glyndwr and you…"
" Are you two ogling him too?" A rather giddy voice broke through Jo and Aradia's rather awkward conversation. They both looked up to see two girls grinning at them. One with flame coloured hair, the other a pale blonde. The red head had helped Pierre with their meal earlier and the blonde girl they assumed must be a friend of hers.
" Er…sorry…?" Jo shook her head a couple of times hoping it would help the room from swaying slightly, although she wasn't a hundred percent sure that it wasn't her that was swaying, although why she would be swaying was beyond her understanding.
" Not that we blame you, do we?" The red head grinned, nudging the blonde as she moved past then to sit by the fire.
" Oh no…" agreed the blonde shoving Aradia to the side rather indelicately to sit beside her.
" What…who are you talking about…?" Aradia asked as politely as she could manage, whilst trying to pull her hair free from where the blonde girl had trapped it between the wall and her back as she'd sat down with them.
" The tall, dark, handsome stranger in the corner of course…" sighed the red-head, holding her hands in front of the flames to warm them. Her large eyes firmly fixed on Glyndwr.
" Who…Glyndwr?" Aradia exclaimed.
" Yeah…" breathed the blonde, resting her elbow on her knee and cushioning her chin in her palm as she joined her red headed friend in staring at the Meander. Jo stifled a laugh and downed some more of her ale while Aradia looked close, well as close as Jo had ever seen her, to hitting someone. Preferably one of the two girls who had gate crashed their conversation if her cold glare was anything to go by.
" But he's so…so…unrefined…" was the best argument Aradia could come up with and even she didn't think much of it.
" Maybe…but he's got that whole dark, brooding and mixed up past thing going on…" the blonde countered.
" Yeah, it's damned attractive," gushed the red head sat by the fire, her bright emerald eyes glowing as she looked at the Meander across the room.
" It's damned annoying!" Aradia sniped, folding her arms across her chest and shooting a very dark glare at the flame haired girl. Jo snorted in her ale once again and avoided the Princess' gaze. What the hell, Jo thought, if the Princess needed a push in the right direction, she was more than willing to give her a shove.
" Oh I dunno, Aradia," Jo mused, throwing an evaluative glance at Glyndwr. " The dark, brooding thing is definitely a cliché I must agree. But a man with deep, unresolved issues…and a man as good looking as he is…well, it is pretty irresistible," Jo admitted with a wry grin.
" I know what you mean," sighed the young blonde. " And it's always the ones who need help…who need…oh, what's the word…?"
" Bringing back?" Jo suggested with a too innocent expression that didn't falter in the slightest even as Aradia turned her glare in Jo's direction.
" Yeah," breathed the girls in unison.
" Oh give me a break," Aradia exclaimed. " You can't be serious?"
" You mean, you don't find him handsome…?" Asked the astounded blonde.
" At all…?" echoed the red-head.
" No," came the slightly too quick response.
" Well all the more for us then," giggled the blonde as she and the red head stood up and moved away leaving a grumbling Aradia and a smirking Jo.
" Honestly," Aradia huffed, after a moment or two. " I know these people don't get out into other social circles much but you can't tell me he's the best they've ever seen…?"
" I think what you really need to ask yourself is, why are you so bothered? Is it because they're common? Or because they're competition…?" Jo winked wickedly and leant back in her chair while the Princess opened and closed her mouth a few times. Jo took a large gulp of her ale, looking over at where Glyndwr and Phillipe were now sat, deep in conversation, swapping stories of their past adventures no doubt. She glanced back at Aradia whose own gaze was also fixed upon the conversation now taking place on the other side of the tavern. Suddenly, her eyes shifted and met Jo's gaze. For a moment there was something, almost familiar, in the helpless look that Aradia shot Jo.
" I…I don't know what you mean," Aradia replied after a slightly uncomfortable silence, in what was clearly meant to be a nonchalant tone but the look in her eyes made Jo frown slightly. It was almost as if she needed…reassurance?
'Reassurance of what though?' Jo thought, then a smile curved its way onto her mouth.
" Come off it Dia," Jo put down her now empty flagon and stood up. " It's the oldest cliché in the book…!"
" What book?"
" Nevermind, it's the story line that everyone knows…but that no one would change for the world."
" Jo, you are making even less sense than usual!"
" Then let me simplify it for you," Jo smirked. " Every fairy story, every love story…" She grinned to see Aradia almost gasp as she stressed the word ever so slightly. " The plot point is always that of the unattainable resolution, the unreachable goal but the one that makes the most sense for all concerned…" Jo's tone became softer as her eyes drifted to Guillaume, before looking back into the lilac eyes before her. "…The lady and the highwayman…"
" Jo what are you going on about…?" Aradia half heartedly asked, her own eyes now flitting from Jo's face to something else. 'Someone else!' Jo's mind corrected mischievously.
"…The scoundrel and the innocent angel…"
" This is childish nonsense Jo," Aradia sighed.
" The Princess…"
" I'm not hearing this…"
" And the Meander?" Jo finished firmly.
" I don't…I mean…" Aradia stammered as she tried to think of anything to say in opposition to what she'd just heard.
" The only one who cares about this whole 'class' thing is you…" Jo said as gently as she could, " But don't you see that the only thing Glyndwr cares about…it you…?" With that Jo left Aradia's side and wandered off to refill her flagon, again.
Aradia sat in stunned silence for a few moments her eyes flying from Jo's departing back to Glyndwr's serious face on the other side of the room. His defined features were highlighted by the flickering lamps and candles that lit up the room while his eyes sparkling mysteriously as he spoke to Phillipe. The longer she looked at him, the more confused she felt. Her mind kept repeating their respective titles over and over, but her not her heart. Her heart was fluttering like a caged bird, she had been experiencing this odd half nervous, half excited feeling more and more frequently of late, and she had to admit it had tended to be whenever Glyndwr was around. To her horror and yet also to a certain extent, delight Glyndwr's eyes shifted from Phillipe's face to her own. Their gazes locked and was shared for what felt like a small eternity but couldn't have been more then minutes, maybe even just moments. Half smiles on both their faces. 'Maybe Jo was right,' Aradia thought, 'Maybe…'
" What you doin' over 'ere all on your lonesome…?" A voice slurred in her ear, forcing Aradia to tear her eyes from the Meander.
" Not much, Martin, not much," She sighed as Martin sat down rather heavily beside her. " Martin…? Are you drunk?"
" Almost," Martin grinned at her, swaying rather worryingly.
" …Great…" Aradia forced a smile while Martin draped an arm around her shoulders and began to tell her, in a voice that smelt of so much alcohol that she couldn't distinguish the different kinds, how much he loved Lucy. She glanced back across the room to find that Glyndwr was now talking to Mark, as Phillipe had gone to the bar for another drink. " Just…great…" She groaned as Martin nearly split some of his drink down her tunic and gritted her teeth. " Tell you what Martin, why don't we go sit with the others…" She helped hoist him to his feet and the pair of them wondered over to a large table next to the window where almost everyone else had gone to sit. Jo was still stood, well she was swaying next to, the bar talking to Pierre and Phillipe was stood at the opposite end. Slowly sipping his wine and watching the scene before him.
The tavern was full of all kinds of people, labourers and farmers, couples both young and old, those who had little and those who had too much and sat in the corner, around a large table was a group that was, again, a mix of many different peoples. There were students and scholars, warriors and Princesses, some from one world and some from others and yet to look at them, the differences were hard to spot. As he stood and observed them chatting amongst themselves, a faint smile twitched at his mouth. It was true they were all around about the same age, mostly in their early twenties, and yet they all seemed to be old beyond their years. His gaze moved from Mark's thoughtful expression to Lucy's of compassion and then onto Lina's of seriousness. The former policeman snorted to himself, if they were old then what did that make him?
Then Phillipe's frown grew deeper as he spotted one of the friends was sat, not exactly on their own but not sat with the others, brooding into their ale with a solemn expression. Guillaume was sat at the end of the table, nearest to the door, with the chair slightly turned out so that his back wasn't turned to the others but so that he wasn't facing them either.
Phillipe wandered over and settled himself in a chair alongside Guillaume's, resting his glass on a nearby table. A moment or two passed and Phillipe couldn't be entirely sure that Guillaume had even noticed him sitting down.
" So, hows things…?" Phillipe asked gently, his light green eyes glancing at Guillaume before looking around the tavern.
" Alright," Guillaume sighed, leaning back in his chair. " Could be worse…but they could be better…"
" And how's Jo…?" Phillipe sipped his wine slowly.
" Fine, I think," Guillaume's brow creased slightly.
" Is there anything you want to talk about?" Phillipe asked as conversationally as he could. Guillaume turned to look at him, his dark brown eyes full of a mixture of emotions.
" I don't know…" Guillaume sighed again running a hand through his growing hair.
" You love her, don't you," Phillipe said firmly after a moment or two.
" More than anything," came the immediate response.
" And she loves you," Phillipe smiled slightly. " So why the long face…?"
" It's just…I want to…I mean I would like to…" Guillaume looked back into the older face beside him. " You've known Jo a long time haven't you…?" Phillipe nodded his reply, a vague smile breaking onto his face. " Well, what do you think she'd say if I asked her to-"
Guillaume stopped as on the far side of the tavern Pierre had started to play the violin. He played a fairly bouncy, lively tune that none of the friends knew. At their table however a rather red faced Mark insisted he did and was trying to sing words along with it.
Jo practically skipped across the tavern, holding her hands out to Guillaume,
"Dance with me…?" She asked hopefully.
" I'm quite tired Jo but maybe…" Guillaume started but before he could finish.
" How about you Glyndwr?" Jo grinned at the Meander, " Come on, come and dance…" Without waiting for a reply Jo took hold of his hand and pulled him up to dance with her.
" What's wrong with her?" Guillaume's tone was concerned as he whispered to Phillipe.
" I think, my friend," Phillipe replied smoothly, " Jo may have had one too many…well, judging from her frequent trips to the bar tonight I would probably say about seven too many!"
Jo and Glyndwr were dancing in the middle of the tavern, a blend of what looked like tango, waltz and country dancing. Jo was laughing loudly and even the usually serious Glyndwr looked to be enjoying himself.
" That looks like fun," Rosie smiled mischievously, dragging Marius up to dance with her.
Mark was still trying to sing along.
Glyndwr and Jo went into a tight spin that stopped directly in front of Aradia's chair.
" Go on Dia, you dance with him, I'm exhausted," Jo grinned wickedly, planting the Princess' hand in Glyndwr's and moving away leaving them to dance with each other. Jo caught Guillaume's eye and winked, " Watch this…" She grinned, going towards the bar and somehow climbing up onto the bar.
" Jo, I don't think that's such a good idea…" Phillipe started.
" Oh stop worrying…Frillipe…" Jo slurred, spinning round to look at him when she slipped in some spilt mead and started to wobble. Within seconds her arms were circling in the air trying in vain to keep her up on the bar but to no avail. She started to fall backwards off of the bar. Guillaume leapt up and caught her in his arms. He looked down and she grinned up at him while some of the others applauded, Mark was still making up words to the song that the violin was no longer playing and Aradia, Glyndwr, Marius and a very giggly Rosie were still dancing. Guillaume sighed as he lowered Jo onto her feet.
" Ok…I think it's time we called it a night!"
" I'm really really…really very happy…you know…" Jo hiccoughed as Guillaume kicked open the door to her room and carried her through it. " And I'm sure my legs are working just fine thank you…" After she'd almost fallen down the stairs four times and nearly taken him with her on the last two occasions, Guillaume had decided that carrying Jo up to bed was going to be quicker and safer then letting her climb the tavern's uneven oak stairs by herself, as funny as it had been to watch.
" You, are drunk," Guillaume sighed, kicking the door shut behind them, crossing the room and carefully laying Jo down on the bed.
" And you sir, are gorgeous," Jo sat up, hooked an arm around his neck and pulled his head down towards hers. " And I…I love you very much…" She kissed his nose. He guessed that she had probably been aiming for his mouth but he wasn't even going to try and ask her about it right at that moment.
" And I love you too," He gently unhooked her arm and started to lay her back down. " But you need to sleep now…"
" But I'm not sleepy," She smiled lazily up at him. Guillaume smirked as his mind took him back to the night in Swallow's barn when she had said practically the same thing.
" Goodnight Jo," He smiled back, shaking out the previously folded coverlet and laying it over her. He turned to go.
" Wait…!" Jo suddenly reached out and caught his hand in hers. " Stay…stay with me…" She pulled back on his hand with surprising strength, catching Guillaume by surprise and causing him to half fall, half sit back down on the bed beside her.
" I…I don't think that would be a good idea…" He replied slowly, trying to avoid her gaze and ignore the fact that all he seemed to want to do was look into her deep green eyes.
" You're right," Jo's smile broadened as she sat up and leant towards him. " It'd be a great idea!"
" But Jo…I don't…" He started but she didn't let him finish. She kissed him hard, this time her lips finding his. Sliding one arm around him, pulling him closer against her. He resisted for the briefest of moments, until he felt her hand run through his hair and down his neck. He kissed her back, his own hand wrapping itself in her hair to draw her nearer still. They parted for a moment, their eyes blazing into one another's.
Neither one speaking, their gazes saying more than any words could convey.
" Are you…are you sure…?" Guillaume eventually asked, breathlessly. Jo's eyes travelled across his face as a small sweet smile curved her lips.
" I'm sure…" She kissed his cheek softly, then his forehe
ad and then his lips, as he took her in his arms again kissing her more firmly. She broke away from his mouth, kissing along his jaw and down his neck. Guillaume sighed somewhere deep inside before becoming aware that while he could still feel her warm breath against his skin, Jo's head was now resting rather heavily against his shoulder. Frowning slightly, he gently lifted her head and rolled his eyes. She was asleep, breathing deeply and steadily.
" Wonderful…" He sighed, laying her back down carefully and laying the coverlet over her once more. He leant over her to kiss her forehead before leaving her to her slumber. As he entered his own room and almost threw himself onto his own bed he smirked in the darkness. Hugging the pillow to him and drifting off to sleep he murmured to himself. " I can't wait to see how she feels in the morning…!"
The room the next morning was silent apart from the sounds of knives and forks against plates, and the odd stifled giggle.
Jo, Rosie, and Mark were being especially quiet, avoiding the eyes of everyone else and eating very little.
" Was a good night last night, wasn't it Jo?" Lina asked wickedly.
" Er…yes….yes it was…" Jo replied rather meekly, sipping her water. She couldn't remember exactly why it had been a good night but her head hurt like hell and her stomach was doing a very good impression of a spin dryer which was a feeling she hadn't felt in a very long time. In fact, the last time she had felt like this had been after Mark and Grantaire's re-opening of the Café Musain and that had been a long, long time ago but Jo could vividly remember her saying at the time she would never drink that much again. 'Well', she thought with a slight grin, 'it has taken a year or two and several other worlds to break that pledge!'.
The red headed girl bustled in with some more sausages and Jo suddenly felt much worse then she had previously. She pushed her chair back rather violently and stood up to see everyone staring at her. " Just…just going to get some fresh air," She said by way of explanation as she dashed to the large oak door and flung herself out into the fresh morning air. Taking a few big lungfuls of it she felt a hundred times better. Breathing deeply she started to walk along but she didn't get very far.
" Oh! Good morning Pierre," Jo exclaimed after nearly walking straight through him. " Didn't see you there…"
" I guessed as much! Good morning, and how are we this fine day?" He asked, a knowing look in his eyes that made Jo squirm slightly.
" Fine, thank you…although I felt I needed some fresh air…I'm fine really…" She replied rather sheepishly.
" Glad to hear it," The old man's eyes sparkled mischievously and Jo couldn't help but smile.
" So, where am I?" Jo asked with a grin. " What's the village called?"
" We called it Vivons," Pierre answered with a broad smile.
" Vivons," Jo repeated. " It sounds familiar…"
" It's from the French, nous vivons…" He explained.
" We live," Jo smiled back. " I like it…"
They continued to walk through the village, Pierre explaining to her about the different families that had travelled from Aesina and then he stopped as they looked out across the green in the centre of the village. " Though we are getting more and more people arriving as the weeks pass," Pierre explained. " Like them, they arrived late yesterday afternoon…" He gestured to a family sat in the middle of the green. " They'd been travelling for days," The mother and father were sorting out various packs and backs that they had gathered between them while three small children chased each other across the grass.
" But, they can't be from Aesina then, can they?" Jo asked as they passed the family. Pierre's face fell slightly.
" No, they arrived from Indalay, it was a small village on the Eastern border…" He replied quietly.
" What do you mean, 'was' a village…? What happened?" Jo stopped walking and caught hold of his arm to ensure that he did too.
" It was attacked by Obsequious' troops, burnt to the ground because it's people refused to acknowledge him as their ruler," Pierre frowned darkly.
" But why…when?" Jo could not comprehend what she had just been told.
" Do you really need me to tell you why he did it?" Pierre asked pointedly. " The attack happened a few weeks ago now, merely the latest in a string of seemingly unprovoked attacks in the Borders. The people who live there don't support him, but they don't openly oppose him either not flaunt the rule of Vaniria, or even Aesina for that matter."
There was a pause while both of them thought hard.
" He's a madman," Pierre finally spat through gritted teeth.
" No he's not…he's clever…very clever…" Jo countered quietly.
" He did it because he knew we'd hear about it, he did it because he knows we'd want to intervene…he did it so that we'd go and challenge him on his own ground," Jo explained. " Give himself the ultimate advantage…"
" And will you…? Go and challenge him, now I mean?" Pierre's voice was hesitant.
" Yes," Jo glanced at him. " But not now. Not before we've finished this quest and the crystals are all safely in our hands." Pierre nodded in agreement as they started walking again, now heading back towards the tavern, and Jo added in the privacy of her own mind. " And not before we have no choice but to go!"
Back at the tavern, Jo found the rest of the group had gathered downstairs around the large table.
Jo slipped into a seat next to Guillaume, taking his hand in hers, to join in the plans for the next day of travelling.
" So where to next?" Glyndwr asked Phillipe as he carefully withdrew the map from his pocket.
" Well, it's south across the plains then across the 'Burning Desert' to some caves in the far South," Phillipe continued, "And the eighth crystal's there! Then back up to Aesina for the ninth and then…" He faltered, casting a wary glance at Jo who nodded slowly. " And then the last one…is in the swamplands…"
An uneasy silence fell over the group.
" Well then, hadn't we best get going…?" Aradia stood up and asked boldly.
" Er…yeah…yeah we had…" Jo agreed with shock all over her face. " Come on then, lets get packed and on our way…!"
The friends quickly packed up their belongings with what was becoming a gradually increasing speed the more frequently they did it, said their thanks and farewells to Pierre and the people of Vivons before setting off across the plains, towards the desert beyond.
" That is a lot of sand!" Jenny breathed as they stood on the edge of the plains looking out over the desert. The plains ended rather dramatically on a cliff, the top of which they were standing upon, with mile after mile after mile of sand stretching out before them. The sand looked to be a warm orange in colour and they could easily see how it had gotten its name. The whole mass seemed to glow like metal that had been in a furness.
The group carefully climbed down the cliff and one by one dropped down onto the sands below. Billabong put them all to shame as he came down the cliff side rather elegantly and almost stopped to smirk at them all when he reached the bottom and looked down on them from upon a boulder. Lina looked at him, a hand shading her eyes.
" Come on then, we're waiting for you!"
Billabong neatly leapt down from the boulder but as soon as his feet touched the sands he let out a roar that both deafened and frightened the group as Billabong leapt back up onto his boulder. His heckles up and his large pink tongue licking at the pads on his feet.
" What the hell happened there?" Marius exclaimed in a rather shaky voice.
" The sand must be quite hot…" Jo mused, squatting down she was about to lay her hand upon it but the heat was already unbearable, already burning her skin. " Ouch!" She snapped back up, rubbing her hand. Her green eyes looking widely in astonishment at the others. " That's not normal!" She frowned looking down at the sand below her feet. " Good thing we got new boots in Crystallia!"
" What about Billabong though?" Bertrande asked.
" He hasn't got any boots," Amos said plainly.
" And I don't think we can carry him all the way across this desert…" Simon added.
Lina looked rather distraught. She nimbly leapt up onto the boulder beside her beloved regit and stroked his fur whilst whispering something in his ear. The others watched as Billabong looked down at them, then pressed his large pink nose against Lina's cheek before turning and scrambling back up the cliff face. He reached the top in moments and disappeared from view. With a sigh Lina jumped down from the boulder and rejoined the others.
" You ok…?" Lucy asked softly.
" Yeah, I'm fine," Lina smiled back weakly.
" Where's he going?" Rosie asked as they started to walk away from the cliff and out into the desert.
" I've sent him to Aesina…he knows the way and he'll meet us there…" Lina explained.
The friends walked on across the, literally, burning sands and as the day progressed the sun rose higher and higher above them until they noticed they had no shadows. The sun was directly above them and scorching everything in sight. They all had put the hoods of their cloaks up and, despite the heavy material and their black colour, they were surprisingly, and very pleasantly, cool.
After a few hours the friends stopped walking for a breather and some water. They couldn't sit down so the rest wasn't actually very restful but the water was much needed and much appreciated.
Jo glanced back behind them, the cliffs that marked the edge of the plains was now no more than a dark line on the horizon, flickering in the heat haze.
" Not to sound dramatic or anything…" Lucy said quietly. " But I get the feeling something's coming,"
" You're not the only one," Marius admitted seriously.
The friends stood in silence for a few moments, looking out over the sands stretching out ahead of them. The sun was mercilessly blazing down on them but they barely noticed. In the distance there looked to be a fuzzy mass coming towards them. A slight breeze picked up and they all simultaneously froze.
" I don't suppose there's any chance that's just a breeze is there?" Amos asked rhetorically. " It's not another storm coming…is it…?" Phillipe asked.
" I don't think so," Jo's reply was aimed at them both.
They were suddenly hit by a wall of heat and their cheeks began to sting as if a thousand tiny insects were biting them. With narrowed eyes and hands and arms up over their faces, they squinted ahead.
" What the…" Rosie began.
" Oh my god!" Martin gasped.
" This does not look good!" Jo yelled over a now increasing wind. " Not good at all!"