A Life Less Ordinary: Chapter 13
By Sulia Serafine
[12-10-00. I'm sorry I took another five days, but trust me. We have the whole Christmas break ahead of us if I'm not plagued by any more projects (which is too much to hope far, sadly enough).
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!]
Two weeks later
"Hmm… The holidays are definitely here," Owen said. He pointed out the window at the falling snow. It was a beautiful morning. He had come to Keladry and Joren's place to talk for a bit before going back to his shop. Joren was gone before he arrived, but Keladry gladly greeted him. Owen turned to Keladry and frowned. "It's so beautiful this time of year. You mean to tell me that you and Joren have spent the last few years in the woods instead of celebrating?"
"Yes," she answered timidly.
"It's kind of selfish of him, if you don't mind me saying. Has he ever asked you if you wanted to go into town and see the festivals and parties?"
She shook her head. "No, he hasn't. I don't think he meant to be selfish. There's a good reason why he always takes such extremes."
"Oh really? Why?"
Keladry shrugged. "Actually, I don't know. We may be brother and sister, but trust me. We're just not that close."
The taller young man sensed the deepening sadness in her voice. He put an arm around her shoulder and gave her a small squeeze. Their relationship had grown somewhat in the last few weeks she'd been here. Hopefully it would be enough to convince her to stay with him forever.
"Hey."
"Yes?" She looked up at him with a painfully blank face. He hated how emotionless she could look sometimes, but guessed that he could grow to see past her mask.
"What time do you want to go to the festival of Dona and Accipio?"
"Uh, when does it usually start?"
"Probably at nightfall," he replied. "Wear something colorful. Everyone wears bright colorful clothing."
She looked down at herself. "I'm not colorful enough?"
"Kel, all I've ever seen you and that brother of yours wear is gray, brown, and black. No, you're not colorful enough." He grinned at her and pulled her to her feet. "But I trust you to shock me and leave me speechless at nightfall."
He kissed her on the cheek and left to open up his shop. Keladry placed her hands in her pockets. She sighed. "I hope Owen likes the present I bought him." She walked about the room, a little bored with nothing to do. "Maybe I ought to track down Joren before he spends the rest of the holiday drunk in a tavern, miserable as always."
She grabbed her coat and shrugged it on. Then, she went outside and breathed in the crisp winter air. "The holidays…"
~~
Joren sat atop a merchant's booth, watching the bustling crowd beneath him as they did their last minute shopping for the holidays. He particularly kept an eye on the nobles, who donned their heavy jewelry on this great day. He only wished he could make them line up in front of him to have their jewels inspected.
"So much easier," he muttered to himself. "Oh, well."
"Hey! Are you coming down?" a girl with straight dark hair and dark skin called. She was the daughter of the merchant whose booth he was sitting on. Joren waved to her and flashed his well-practiced smile.
"I was just about to do that. How am I supposed to talk to a pretty girl like you from all the way up here?" He started climbing down one of the sturdy posts. Her father eyed him suspiciously.
"How long have you been up there, boy?"
Joren barely stopped himself from reacting to the 'boy' part as he always did. He continued to grin, no matter how much it hurt his face. He turned on his charm like a switch and winked at the girl. "Why, sir, I was just there for a few minutes. I've found out from watching all the people that no one can match your daughter's beauty. You're a lucky man to have a girl like Elizabeth."
"My name is Ellena!" the girl exclaimed and folded her arms. She glared at him. Joren grimaced.
"Eheheh… I said Ellena, didn't I?"
The merchant grabbed his shoulder and pushed him into the crowd. "Off with you! Go charm other girls!"
Joren rubbed his shoulder. He started to walk away. "At least it's good to know that I'm not the only one with a bad mood on this stupid holiday."
~~
Keladry did not succeed in finding Joren, but she did find a dress that was colorful. She stared in the mirror, admiring her reflection. She had to admit she wasn't used to girlish things like these. But she could grow to like it if Owen did. The dress was a shimmering shade of blue and purple, with dark red and yellow embroidery across the front. The sleeves were loose and trailed to her knees. The hem of her dress was trimmed with gold. She even bought some winter flowers to put in her hair. Those reminded her of snow-white tulips and lilies back in Tortall.
"Hunting for a husband this holiday, miss?" asked the man who sold her the dress. "You'll definitely find one before the night is over! Haha!"
Keladry curtsied with a slight smile on her face. "Thank you. This does look nice, doesn't it?"
"Of course! You're a natural beauty!" the man complimented. "I'll give you a good price on the dress."
She bargained with the man and went along her way, carrying the dress in a bundle under her arm.
~~
Nightfall.
Men, women, and children danced through the streets. They wore bright clothing and strange costumes. Some leaned out their windows and threw tiny candies to be caught by those below. Others sang songs and played instruments. Music and laughter filled the air.
Owen led Keladry through the crowd. He swung her around in circles, grinning and laughing.
"This is incredible!" she shouted to him over the loud people surrounding them. He nodded.
"Are you having fun?"
"Yes! This is great!"
"Come on! Let's go over to the square! They're going to light the Great Torch and pass out presents!"
The two ran through the streets like children. Owen held her hand tightly in his and looked back at her from time to time to smile at her fondly. They reached the square where a choir stood by an unlit torch held high on a platform. The people hugged each other and exchanged gifts. The mayor was seated at long table on the east of the square, sharing his dinner with the common folk.
"Attention everyone! The lighting of the Great Torch is about to commence!"
"Come on, let's go to the front so we can see," Owen said and led her to the front of the crowd. A man and a woman crowned with holly leaves brought two small candles to the torch. They dipped their hands inside the large bronze bowl to touch their flames to the oil.
The torch was lit. Everyone cheered and hollered. They threw their hats in the air as the man and woman stepped back and the torch was allowed to shine. Owen impulsively leaned forward and kissed Keladry. Her eyes widened at the surprise, but shyly returned the kiss. He finally let go and laughed.
"Happy Holidays, Kel."
"You, too, Owen."
He hugged her and lifted her up off the ground. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he swung her around. He set her down and pulled something from his pocket. It was a small box.
"Kel, I have a present for you."
She smiled and touched the flowers on her head to make sure they were still there. She allowed herself to grin. "I have a present for you, also. May I go first?"
He swept out his arm and bowed. "My lady."
She chuckled and curtsied, then presented him with a parcel. He tore through the wrappings eagerly and gasped.
"This… this is beautiful," he whispered. He held up the golden chain to the light to squint at it. There was a tiny charm shaped like a box with runes covering it.
"It's a ward of Old Magic," Keladry explained with a shrug. "I had a friend of mine send it to me. It's supposed to be a ward of protection."
Owen hugged her fiercely. He deftly slipped the chain over his head and around his neck. "There! Fully protected! I love it." He held up the small box. "Now, my turn…"
~~
Joren threw his head back as he took a swig from the bottle of wine. He snickered to himself and leaned heavily upon a rosy-cheeked girl with freckles and red hair. "What's your name, sweetheart?"
The girl giggled. Joren was close to passing out, but he continued to grin and joke with the other 'celebrating' people of the tavern. They were all dressed up in bright costume, as well. He watched a group of young women dance together with tambourines and bells. He tapped his foot in rhythm with the music. His eyes drooped.
"Sober up, Joren."
"Who said that?" he called out, blinking repeatedly and looking around him in an awkward fashion.
"Get up. Where's your damn holiday spirit, mortal?"
The blonde's head snapped up. He fell off his stool and chose to look upward at the ceiling as if it were the sky and that was from where the voice came from. "Are you a god?"
" Does it matter? I have a certain order to how things happen, and you're screwing it up! Get out of this place! Go find that little trinket you saw earlier!"
"What are you talking about?" He stood up.
"Hey, honey, who are you talking to?" the red head giggled as she encircled him with her arms and planted a kiss on his cheek. He gently pushed her away and stumbled out of the tavern. He shook his head vigorously. He tried to flatten his messy hair some and smooth down his clothing. He was more awake now than he was five minutes ago, for sure.
"Trinket… trinket… Is it talking about that thing…?" He frowned and tried not to get lost in the larger crowd of citizens in the streets. At least all the lanterns and candles lit his way. Even though most of what he saw was blurred, it was lit and that was what mattered.
"Oops, 'scuse me. Pardon me. Coming through!" he said over and over again as he shuffled past.
~~
Early, early morning.
Keladry slipped inside her room. There were still people celebrating out in the streets. Even though they made a lot of noise, no one would complain. Every single person in the city must have had his or her share of fun. She yawned and took out the flowers from her hair, setting them down on her trunk. Then she sat down on her bed. Keladry stretched her arms over her head.
"Owen," she whispered. She gazed down at the silver ring on her finger. He did not propose. No, that would be ridiculous. It was too early to propose. He just asked her to consider staying long enough for him to propose later on. And she had said yes.
In the back of her mind, she felt unsteady about the idea of marrying there and giving up the quest to go home. She would never see her family or her friends again. Keladry shook off the thought. She was about to get up and go behind a screen in the corner of the room to change when she felt something beside her leg.
"What is this?" she thought and held up the small object to the light of the lanterns outside their window. She glanced over at Joren's sleeping form. "Did Joren buy this?"
It was a tiny ivory cat, painted with bright colors and detailed with the utmost precision. She examined it carefully, turning it over and over in her hands. She couldn't believe it. Keladry scampered to Joren's bed and sat down on the edge. She shook him by the shoulder. "Joren. Joren, wake up."
The young man in question yawned and turned over. His head ached. He shouldn't have drunken so much. Maybe this was a message that next year, he would just stay out in the woods instead of go to a tavern. He lazily rubbed his eyes. "What?"
"Joren, did you buy this?" she held out the cat in front of his nose. He squinted and moved his head back to get a better look at it.
"Yeah," he confirmed and laid his head back down. She could hear a soft snoring. She shook him again. He groaned. "What?"
"Why?"
Joren yawned. "It's your damn holiday present. And for that painful exertion on my part to actually participate in this damn holiday, don't expect us to be in the city next year."
Usually, Keladry would be offended. But the fact that he bought her a little cat that looked so much like her lucky cats from the Yamani islands was just endearing. "Why did you buy this for me? I don't think you ever knew about them."
Joren blinked his eyes a few times before answering in a completely sober voice. "The first year that you were a page, you gave one of those to Neal. The guy showed it to everyone so many times that even I was tempted to break it."
She smiled. "Thank you, Joren. It's the best present I've ever received."
He turned over. "Oh, Gods. Don't start getting soft on me. Ugh."
"Sorry. I forgot your reputation," Keladry chuckled. She stood up and went behind the screen to change. She glanced at her ring again.
"Should I tell Joren?" she thought.
After a few seconds, she shook her head. "… Best present I've ever received…"
~~
Author: Hmm… It's not even Christmas, yet I've already done the holidays special. Oh well. I hope you liked it. Please, tell me what you think. I'm not used to writing pleasant fluff stuff. (Ask Edal Besrever. She'll tell you I was a former angst professional.) Again, sorry for the long wait. Christmas vacation will make up for it. Well, it should.