She looked at him blankly.
"Of?"
He nodded, seeming to have taken on her perspective; nothing was too strange.
"Of Green Mountain, in Tortall's east. To be precise, near The Golden Lake."
"The Golden Lake? Tortall? Oh dear."
One word, or rather, name, flashed across her mind. Raoul of Golden Lake. Now it really made sense. Or, at least, some sense. She looked up; Nealen was staring at her again.
"Didn't your mother teach you not to stare?"
He smiled again.
"Yes, but do you listen to your mother?"
This time it was her turn to smile.
"Point taken."
"I apologize, it's just, there's no one around here that's anything like you."
"Well, it's a comfort to see that some things haven't changed."
He just looked at her again, then began to walk.
"Come on, we need to get you to my captain."
"No! Please, can't we keep helping, I don't like feeling useless."
"It's ok, the healers are coming over here now. They'll take care of them."
"Even the ones from the copper Isles?"
"How did you know that they were form the copper isles?"
"Don't ask, it would only confuse you."
"Then maybe I should leave you to someone else."
"No thank you…what did you mean by that?"
He turned on his heel to look at her, and looked her straight in the eye. She was startled to discover that his eyes, though grey at a distance, were blue when seen up close.
"Isn't it obvious? You confuse me."
"What, and you don't confuse me?"
"There's a difference. You are obviously somewhere you aren't supposed to be. I however, am."
"Yes, I suppose that makes sense."
Nodding, he closed his eyes.
"Have you ever ridden a horse?"
"Yes, but it has been a very long while."
"Very well, ill find a gentle mount then."
"What about Satina?"
"Oh, is that the dog?"
"Yes."
"All horses are used to dogs, she can run along beside us."
She gulped. Well, ill just have to trust that she'll follow, she thought, because I'm going to have to concentrate on staying ahorse. Just then, two horses came over at full speed. One was pure black, and the other was a bay.
"Wow."
Neal swung his leg over the saddle of the bay, and bekoned to her.
"Come on Xlelon, lets get you to the castle."
Xlelon, as she thought of herself now, knelt.
"Satina, please run with us, I know its interesting but we need to get this sorted out."
With that, she unclasped the leash. The dog sped to the tree line and back, the ahead of them. She breathed a sigh of relief, it looked as if she would at least loosely stay with them.
"You know, she's faster than some of our wolf hounds."
She didn't answer, just attempted to get into the saddle. It worked, sort of. She hadn't ridden for almost a year. At first they started at a slow trot, and worked their way up to a canter. Though she had some problems with the canter, she stayed on without much mishap. Satina was having a ball racing the horses, and losing. Finally, they reached a large fort thing. She assumed it was a fort anyway. She was aware of her horse slowing down, and came out of the semi-trance she had been in to discover Nealen slowing as well. It seemed her horse was just following his, and said something about it, quietly.
"Are they both his, or are they trained to follow each other like that?"
~ Well, since you obviously aren't paying attention. ~
This surprised her.
"What the?"
Nealen turned around.
"What is it?"
She shook her head.
"Nothing."
He cocked an eyebrow, as if to say, sure…They then both stopped. Nealen dismounted easily. This was the part she hated. She could never dismount right. Attempting to do it right, she slipped over, and awkwardly fell onto her feet, grabbing Neal's arm for support.
"Drat. I never could do that right."
She heard a muffled noise, and didn't even need to look up to see that he was laughing.
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, I know it looked funny."
She shoved him in taking her arm off, making it look as if she hadn't meant to. He took one step back in surprise, then regained his composure.
"Come on. Bring the dog."
"You think I could actually catch her?"
"Well, she is right behind you."
She looked, and found that he was right. Satina was sitting behind her, panting.
"Ok, whatever, Satina, come on."
She followed Nealen in, and Satina followed them. They were led into a small circular room with two men in it. Nealen immidiatly stopped and bowed low. Xlelon looked at him for a second and followed suit, curtsying as the ladies at the renisance faire had taught her. She looked up after a second. The black haired man looked a bit wind swept, as if he had just taken a ride in a convertible. The other man was slightly red faced, but it looked like the kind of red that was always there. He had a pockmarked face with washed out blue eyes. The black-haired man had blue eyes, but they were hard, like a blue diamond. He looked at her and her blood spattered sarong, which aside from the grim, was the color of his eyes.
"Nealen, who have you brought for us, she does not look like any of the riders."
"No sire, I found her by the stream."
She gulped.
"Sire?"
*.*.*.
hehehe…fyi, she is still in shock, she has read the books, but only knows names, cause if you'll remember, the book ends right about where she drops in. for all…How to pronounce Xlelon Padrifamay;
Its really hard to write the pronounciation, but ill try. Czle- lon (like long w/o the g part) Pah-dree (flip the 'r') fee (The a is turned into an ea thing as in each) may (as in the month)
"Of?"
He nodded, seeming to have taken on her perspective; nothing was too strange.
"Of Green Mountain, in Tortall's east. To be precise, near The Golden Lake."
"The Golden Lake? Tortall? Oh dear."
One word, or rather, name, flashed across her mind. Raoul of Golden Lake. Now it really made sense. Or, at least, some sense. She looked up; Nealen was staring at her again.
"Didn't your mother teach you not to stare?"
He smiled again.
"Yes, but do you listen to your mother?"
This time it was her turn to smile.
"Point taken."
"I apologize, it's just, there's no one around here that's anything like you."
"Well, it's a comfort to see that some things haven't changed."
He just looked at her again, then began to walk.
"Come on, we need to get you to my captain."
"No! Please, can't we keep helping, I don't like feeling useless."
"It's ok, the healers are coming over here now. They'll take care of them."
"Even the ones from the copper Isles?"
"How did you know that they were form the copper isles?"
"Don't ask, it would only confuse you."
"Then maybe I should leave you to someone else."
"No thank you…what did you mean by that?"
He turned on his heel to look at her, and looked her straight in the eye. She was startled to discover that his eyes, though grey at a distance, were blue when seen up close.
"Isn't it obvious? You confuse me."
"What, and you don't confuse me?"
"There's a difference. You are obviously somewhere you aren't supposed to be. I however, am."
"Yes, I suppose that makes sense."
Nodding, he closed his eyes.
"Have you ever ridden a horse?"
"Yes, but it has been a very long while."
"Very well, ill find a gentle mount then."
"What about Satina?"
"Oh, is that the dog?"
"Yes."
"All horses are used to dogs, she can run along beside us."
She gulped. Well, ill just have to trust that she'll follow, she thought, because I'm going to have to concentrate on staying ahorse. Just then, two horses came over at full speed. One was pure black, and the other was a bay.
"Wow."
Neal swung his leg over the saddle of the bay, and bekoned to her.
"Come on Xlelon, lets get you to the castle."
Xlelon, as she thought of herself now, knelt.
"Satina, please run with us, I know its interesting but we need to get this sorted out."
With that, she unclasped the leash. The dog sped to the tree line and back, the ahead of them. She breathed a sigh of relief, it looked as if she would at least loosely stay with them.
"You know, she's faster than some of our wolf hounds."
She didn't answer, just attempted to get into the saddle. It worked, sort of. She hadn't ridden for almost a year. At first they started at a slow trot, and worked their way up to a canter. Though she had some problems with the canter, she stayed on without much mishap. Satina was having a ball racing the horses, and losing. Finally, they reached a large fort thing. She assumed it was a fort anyway. She was aware of her horse slowing down, and came out of the semi-trance she had been in to discover Nealen slowing as well. It seemed her horse was just following his, and said something about it, quietly.
"Are they both his, or are they trained to follow each other like that?"
~ Well, since you obviously aren't paying attention. ~
This surprised her.
"What the?"
Nealen turned around.
"What is it?"
She shook her head.
"Nothing."
He cocked an eyebrow, as if to say, sure…They then both stopped. Nealen dismounted easily. This was the part she hated. She could never dismount right. Attempting to do it right, she slipped over, and awkwardly fell onto her feet, grabbing Neal's arm for support.
"Drat. I never could do that right."
She heard a muffled noise, and didn't even need to look up to see that he was laughing.
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, I know it looked funny."
She shoved him in taking her arm off, making it look as if she hadn't meant to. He took one step back in surprise, then regained his composure.
"Come on. Bring the dog."
"You think I could actually catch her?"
"Well, she is right behind you."
She looked, and found that he was right. Satina was sitting behind her, panting.
"Ok, whatever, Satina, come on."
She followed Nealen in, and Satina followed them. They were led into a small circular room with two men in it. Nealen immidiatly stopped and bowed low. Xlelon looked at him for a second and followed suit, curtsying as the ladies at the renisance faire had taught her. She looked up after a second. The black haired man looked a bit wind swept, as if he had just taken a ride in a convertible. The other man was slightly red faced, but it looked like the kind of red that was always there. He had a pockmarked face with washed out blue eyes. The black-haired man had blue eyes, but they were hard, like a blue diamond. He looked at her and her blood spattered sarong, which aside from the grim, was the color of his eyes.
"Nealen, who have you brought for us, she does not look like any of the riders."
"No sire, I found her by the stream."
She gulped.
"Sire?"
*.*.*.
hehehe…fyi, she is still in shock, she has read the books, but only knows names, cause if you'll remember, the book ends right about where she drops in. for all…How to pronounce Xlelon Padrifamay;
Its really hard to write the pronounciation, but ill try. Czle- lon (like long w/o the g part) Pah-dree (flip the 'r') fee (The a is turned into an ea thing as in each) may (as in the month)