A Life Less Ordinary: Chapter 10
By Sulia Serafine
[11-27-00 This is a Protector of the Small fanfic, all credit goes to Tamora Pierce. I'm broke, so you can't sue me.
Oh, one more thing: BAD LANGUAGE ( i.e. cursing, swearing…) You have been warned!]
The strong and bold men of the village gathered in the cellar of one of the villager's farms. They looked easy-going and carefree, examining the top of their shoes and whistling. It was not the group of liberal rebels Keladry and Joren had planned on. Speaking of which, the two Tortallians stood side by side in front of the village men. Their faces were blatantly blank.
Finally, Joren leaned over to whisper something into his companion's ear.
"We're going to die today, aren't we?"
She elbowed him in the side. "This started off as your idea-- not mine."
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"You're taking full responsibility, not me."
"If we die, I don't think I have to take no stupid responsibility," he retorted and folded his arms. He cleared his throat. "All right! You're all here because we want these Miran scum out of this village, am I right?"
A chorus of cheers was his response. Keladry rolled her eyes. She whispered to Joren. "What are you doing-- giving a speech?"
"I just might," he snapped. He turned back to the men. "We must arm ourselves against them. Be not afraid." He gestured to Keladry. "My partner and I will fight along beside you. They cannot harm you if we all band together!"
"They still outnumber us!" a slightly timid man with an overlarge hat pointed us.
"Well, then, we'll have a strategy to compensate for lack of numbers," Joren shrugged with a wicked grin on his face.
~~
"This is going to be one of the easier jobs we've ever taken," the blonde whispered to his partner.
"We have faced worse," she admitted. "Okay, okay. You're in charge. Don't screw this up."
"Trust me. I won't."
They watched the largest house in the village from the seamstress' window. It was where the higher officers of the Miran regiment were said to be occupying. A few armored men leaned against the front side of the house-- obviously guards, but not good ones. They were too confident to think that any villager might do something.
"What are the women doing?" he asked her suddenly. "We've got the men prepared to fight…"
Keladry's eyes widened almost imperceptibly. "You want them to help with our little rebellion?"
"What, we've been partners for four years and you're surprised?" Joren frowned when he recognized her change in voice rather than her stony, Yamani expression.
"Frankly, yes."
"What ever. Why don't we let them find and steal the Mirans' spoils? We have to check that eventually."
"Okay. I'll go talk to them about it right now. You get ready to charge the Captain's quarters. There aren't that many guards around and most of the soldiers are still dead asleep and drunk from their late night partying," Keladry said and turning on her heel, marched past the seamstress' back doorway to where she could talk to the woman herself.
A half an hour later, the charged the Captain's quarters. The very little guards that were present woke up when they were already surrounded by the angry mob. They were quickly beat into submission and tied up with rope. Joren and Keladry watched as the villagers carried them around to the side of the house to be hidden. Then, they stood around, waiting as if a whole legion of demons was to spring out of the earth and fight them.
Joren kicked the front door open and bade Keladry to come with him.
"Where is he?" Keladry whispered, referring to the captain. They stood tense.
"There's supposed to be a fight," Joren grumbled.
"Yaaahhh!" A man yelled as he attacked them from behind. Keladry jumped and rolled across the table. As she hit the floor on the other side in a crouching position, she looked to where the sword had splintered the table. She looked back up at the man who quickly crossed the room to continue fighting her.
"And where in the world were you hiding?!" she exclaimed as she jumped back to avoid the arch of her enemy's sword. She deflected the next blow.
Joren moved forward to help, but he felt a cross bolt graze his shoulder. "Ah! Hey--"
The Captain grinned sadistically. He threw down his crossbow and drew his sword. "If it isn't the big-mouth from the tavern. I should kill you… but I'll just humiliate you again by tying you up naked in the middle of the village road."
"Good luck trying," Joren muttered and swung his weapon first. The two swords clashed with sparks, the clanging of metal on metal echoing through the house. The Tortallian quickly avoided running into chairs. In fact, he paused in between parries and thrusts to kick a chair at his opponent, who in turn destroyed each with one quick blow with his weapon.
"Hey!" One of the villagers yelled to Joren from the doorway. "More soldiers are coming! You've got to help us!"
Keladry spun around from her latest attack on her enemy. She planted one foot in his chest as he charged her. Rolling backward, she used the momentum to flip him over her. She sprang to her feet and raced out the door to where the regiment was starting to come and fight.
"I got it! Watch out for the women, Joren; they'll be here when there's a chance." She called and disappeared from sight.
He heard her, but Joren didn't glance her way. He kept both eyes locked on the Miran captain.
"I'm going to get you for humiliating Bazal," the Captain said. They started to circle each other. The floor was cleared away of the table and chairs-- those were now chunks of wood and splinters lying in the corners.
"Oh, really?" Joren murmured, not at all interested.
"He is my son," the Captain continued. "You mess with him, you mess with me."
Joren's eye twitched. "Gods help me, like father like son…"
Outside, Keladry stared at the sudden wave of soldiers. In their professional armor and more suited weapons, they had the upper hand against the villagers. She looked around for any kind of aide. She gasped as she saw something in the corner of her eye. It was one of the young women of the village. She stood far off at a farm-like little house, holding rocks. A few more women stood with her. Keladry got the idea and grinned.
"Fall back, men!" she called to the villagers. They did as commanded, raising their pitchforks, shovels, and staffs in front of them as to ward off any danger. The women let the rocks loose.
"Ow!" Bazal cried as a sharp rock struck him in the face. He rubbed his cheekbone. "What the hell? Get the archers! Kill those damn women!"
"Come on, we're ready!" A spunky girl with golden ringlets shouted and stuck out her tongue. She picked up a rock and hefted it in her hand a bit to get a hint at its weight. Then she let it fly, heading straight for Bazal's…
"Oof!" The captain's son doubled over in pain and hit the ground in a fetal position. The other soldiers around him were caught off guard. The village men took this opportunity to charge forward and strike at them with their shovels.
"Ah! Take that!" another woman taunted.
"Argh! They're farmers! Don't let them win!" a soldier with a black beard yelled to his comrades. He cursed when another rock nailed him in the shin. The bearded soldier started hopping around on one foot, grabbing his shin and swearing some oaths.
Keladry couldn't believe it. The villagers could fight well, she supposed, for being inexperienced. A flash of metal caught her eye. She rushed forward and countered a man's sword thrust just as it was going to hit one of the young men. She swung her sword around and knocked him out with the flat of her blade. She turned now with serious eyes to find another way to even the fight.
Joren spit the blood out from his split lip. It turned out that Bazal's father was better than he thought. He eyed the older man wearily and kept on eye on the window to spot any of the women trying to sneak in and remove the gold and jewels.
"Is… is that all you've got?" Joren panted.
"You've seen nothing yet!" the captain bellowed and charged at Joren once more. The two men forced their already tiring arms to lift their swords and strike at each other again. They leaned so heavily upon each other that their swords stayed locked at the hilt. Joren gritted his teeth. He tried to overtake the Miran captain, putting in all his brute strength to sway him.
"I. Refuse. To. Give. Up!" Joren said with clenched teeth. "Argh!"
He leaned in with his elbow and shoved the Miran away. Except, their swords were still locked at the hilt, caught in each other's handles. Joren followed the Miran as he hit the floor. The swords clattered as they hit the floorboards, not quite so out of reach. Joren stretched his arm to reach his blade, but grubby fingers closed around his neck. And another hand yanked Joren's hair.
"What is it with," Joren kicked his leg backwards, throwing the man off, "you people?"
Seeing him stunned, Joren dashed over and punched him. He grimaced and rubbed his knuckles. Standing up, he nudged the prone form of the captain with his toe and looked out the window. He could see two women sneaking out some small wooden box. He surprisingly hadn't seen them. Maybe they were better at sneaking around than he thought.
He shook off his soreness and walked out the door, calling to Keladry, who immediately yanked him down.
"Watch out!"
A cross bolt flew overhead and hit the door frame. Joren jerked his head toward the source of the shot and stalked over. He ducked and weaved between fighting men, trying not to get caught as he singled out the man with the crossbow and decked him with one right uppercut. "Damn it! I'm tired of getting shot at!"
Keladry's eyebrows raised in mild surprise. "Somebody's in a bad mood…" She caught a sudden movement. "B-bazal!"
"What?" Joren spun around just as a hand closed over his ponytail. He felt a swift tug, and then it was gone.
A large rock hit Bazal in the head. He sunk to the ground. Joren looked over the men's heads at the girls throwing stones. He shrugged to himself and scratched his head, sudden realizing… "MY HAIR! ITS GONE!"
Keladry winced at his loud voice. She saw that most of the Mirans were now submitting and willingly allowing themselves to be tied. She walked over to Joren who was red in the face. She feigned a look of sympathy.
"It's not so bad…"
Joren turned to the unconscious Bazal on the ground. "We came to this town with long hair. We stand now with haircuts. This guy is going to get it bad."
Keladry shot him a skeptical look. She shook her head. She didn't like that gleam in his eye at all.
An hour after, they came to know that half of the regiment had fled into the woods, waiting for their opportunity to steal back their gold and abandon their comrades. The villagers assured the two Tortallian mercenaries that they could handle whatever happened next without them. Keladry bowed.
"May the Gods grant you luck," she said to them and whistled for her horse. The dark brown mare trotted over. "Are you sure you can handle it?"
"Yes, we can, thank you," a farmer said, leaning on his staff leisurely. "Take some of the money we got from them. You deserve it."
Keladry frowned. "No, we were only after one thing and it's not included with their loot."
"Oh, but please. Take some," a woman pleaded and quickly thrust a small pouch of coins into Keladry's hands. "Thank you for everything."
She smiled slightly. "Joren and I didn't even do much. You seemed to be taking care of yourselves. Rocks and pitchforks… Who would have thought it would overcome one of the greatest groups of soldiers on this world?"
"Great? Them? No, they were a bunch of lazy slobs!" a young boy cried from somewhere in the back. Everyone laughed, including Keladry. It was quaint and strange at the same time for her. The common folk in their everyday garb wielding normal tools to defeat their oppressors-- and yet, not at all an angry mob.
"A quaint mob," she thought and mounted up. She waved to the villagers and rode out on the road to join Joren where he waited by a tree. She suspiciously inched toward him. "What did you do with Bazal? I don't see him there with the rest."
Joren pointed to a large oak near the edge of the village. She spotted the Miran soldier tied up in its branches, with a shaved head. Locks of his hair were tied up with the leaves, wafting in the breeze. On the surface, her face was still expressionless like stone, but on the inside, she was cracking up. Quietly, she turned to him. "Are you just going to leave him there?"
Joren snorted. "Yes."
She shook her head. "Hey, the hair isn't so bad." They goaded their horses to trot. "I mean, look on the bright side. With short hair, girls won't be mistaking you for a maiden anymore."
"Yeah," he agreed, "And they won't be mistaking you for a maiden either."
Keladry sighed. "At least I got some money from those grateful villagers-- not that I'm sharing it with you with that sour attitude."
He glared at her. "I'm hurt. Really." The rode in silence for a bit before he said, "We should've asked for food, too."
She nodded. "I was only thinking of the Truth Stone at the time."
"Ugh… wait until Egavar hears about this one," Joren continued. He felt the end of his hair.
"I already told you, it's not so bad! We were this close to getting the Truth Stone."
He stared at her.
"Okay, we weren't. But I can dream," she snapped.
"Another dead end," he groaned.
"Dead end? I hardly think so," she replied. "After all, we're going to traveling this cursed world forever. It never ends."
~o/
They made up their minds
And they started packing
They left before the sun came up that day
And exit to eternal summer slacking
But where were going without ever
Knowing the way?
They drank up the wine
And they got to talking
They now had more important things to say
When the car broke down they started walking
Where were they going without even
Knowing the way?
Anyone can see the road that they walk on
Is paved with gold
It's always summer
They'll never get cold
They'll never get hungry
They'll never get old and grey
You can see their shadows wandering off
Somewhere
They won't make it home
But they really don't care
They wanted the highway
They're happier there today
Their children woke up
And they couldn't find them
They left before the sun came up that day
They just drove off and left it all behind 'em
But where were they going without ever
Knowing the way?
~~
Author: well, it's the 1st of December. Sorry I took a whole week, but as I said before: school demands attention (grumble). I hope you liked the chapter, thanks for reading! The song above got me back into the mood for writing after a whole week of no-story-writing. Some of the parts don't fit in to our two heroes' situation, like cars and children, but hey-- I liked it. It's from a band called Fastball. I'm not making money, so don't worry about the copyrights of the song.
Oh! And one more special treat for you all: I got bored one day in class and drew a picture of the now older Keladry and Joren. They'll look like anime characters, somewhat, only because that's how I'm used to drawing. You'll see I tried not to do anime, but it's definitely noticeable. Go to the following address for the picture.
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Harbor/1100/silverdragon/fanfics/keladry_joren.html
OR
http://www.geocites.com/silvrblade.geo/silverdragon/fanfics/keladry_joren.html
if that doesn't work. Enjoy!
P.S. I'm still welcoming all comments and criticisms!