The Rainy Day Trip
(Part III)
By Saphron:
Cession: (ie: Disclaimer-yet another synonym for disclaimer! I'm just a keepin' them comin'. Is this really annoying? Do y'want me to stop?) Right. Everyone knows what I'm going to say next b/c you're all fortune-teller psychics. Either that or you've heard this 'I don't own anything, it all belongs to Tamora Pierce' line so many times it's been drilled into your heads. Ok, ok, on with the story…
Inside Fief Naxen:
"Squire, grab a cloak, the King's Own should be here any minuet and I want you to ride down to the river to greet them. You and whatever other squires they brought along will stable the horses and let us adults plan the rest. After you do that you can more or less have the rest of the night off. I'll send a servant to fetch you if I need to but I doubt that will be necessary. You've worked hard, and considering we ride out tomorrow to go fight Mirthros-Knows-What, I want you to get a good nights sleep. Got that? Good. Dismissed!" Cleon's knight-master told him before unrolling some dusty parchments that looked suspiciously like old, unused maps.
"Yes Sir, right away sir," answered Cleon promptly. Of course, he didn't really want to go take a ride when it was raining fish and mice (anyone else besides me ever get tired of the same old 'cats and dogs' cliché? Maybe other pets would work well too.) But, a squire had to do what a squire had to do. (Once again, I apologize for repetitively using this fraise.)
Cleon was riding through the mini-forest whistling a little tune. This was getting quite tiresome, every time some men came to defeat the wild beasts up North, they stopped at Fief Naxen to drop of their horses, make plans, and rest for a bit. And of course it was always Cleon who met them at the bridge, stabled their horses, served them, waited on them, ran errands for them. Such was the life of a squire.
By this time he knew the drill perfectly. When the thirty or so men rode up and met him at the bridge he dismounted and bowed. "My Lords, thank you for coming on such short notice to help defeat the wild beasts up north, we greatly appreciate your service. Please enjoy our hospitality, and take as long as you want to rest and make plans. If you'd all follow the path, it'll lead you to the front door. And I will stable your horses. Once again, we thank you."
A young voice piped up out of a sleek, black rain-hood, "Your welcome Cleon, and I'll help with the mounts." Where have I heard that voice before? He thought to himself as the person dismounted. The hood was hiding their face very well. That voice…it's female! He suddenly realized with a shock.
"Kel?!" He hollered, "what in Mirthros name are you doing here?"
She laughed, "I'm going for a picnic, what does it look like I'm doing? Raoul's my knight-master, remember?"
"Oh yeah, I forgot," he said impishly. Boy, he had gotten so bored of this whole 'beasts up north' thing that he hadn't even bothered to find out who was coming to try their luck defeating the little monsters this time.
She grabbed the horses' reins from all the men and with the help of Cleon they trudged up the hill, towards the barn, to put away the steeds. Along the way they talked and chatted and filled each other in on the latest news.
Joren had disappeared somewhere, probably to go chase after some servant girls or something. But that was ok because neither Kel nor Cleon minded the fact that he wasn't there to help with the horses.
When the two were finished grooming they braved the rainstorm and reached the main house. Cleon's knight-master called Cleon on some errands, so Kel disappeared to her room to take that long awaited hot bubble bath.
***
~*Saphron*~
I know, I know, it's short, sorry. Anybody have any ideas? Any at all? I kinda had the first three parts written out in my head…but now that that's done I'm kinda at a writer's block here. ::Shrugs:: Oh well, I'm sure I'll think of something. (All ideas welcome, just wanted to stress that again) Once again, pleez review.