The Rainy Day Trip
Part XIX
By Saphron
Only Vlasmear belongs to me. Everybody else is the creation of the mastermind genius Tamora Pierce. This disclaimer shall go untitled as a last stand for interesting disclaimers.
Ok Peeps LISTEN UP!!!!!! I know many of you skip my a/n's, but trust me this is IMPORTANT! For the love of Bob! Ok ::deep breath:: it's very complicated so make sure you're paying good attention. I've decided to do something so completely crazy I'm bound to go down in ff.n history! (Not really, but hey it sounds good) I'm going to attempt (attempt being the keyword) the impossible, the improbable, the downright insane. Wanna watch me fail miserably? Good! Here's your chance. Anyone wanna know what I'm doing??? Ok, here it is: (don't be traumatized pleez-are you sure you all can handle this?) I'M GONNA TRY TO MAKE EVERYONE HAPPY! That has never, ever, worked before! Seriously, when anyone tries to pleez the majority there is always gunna be someone who is pissed. It's one of those lose-lose situations where you just can't win. Now, to pleez the people, I'm doing THREE ENDINGS for this fic! THREE! One for Joren, one for Cleon, and one for Neal. ::sighs:: am I nuts or what?
Anyhoo-this one is JOREN's-if you don't like him, don't read this! Or you could and then bash me to do death via flame-throwers. Either way works! Let's see, do I like to be burnt, black, or crispy? Hmm-BBQ…what jolly good fun. Just so you all note, originally I had it Cleon, then I switched to Joren halfway through the middle, and then I went to undecided. I'm STILL undecided, hence the duel endings. I most likely will write Cleon's and Neal's endings but I don't know how long it will take. (And if I don't at least I could say this fic was technically finished with an ending. Although don't worry, I'm almost positive theirs will be written once I find the time.)
Keep in mind that this ch. is very long, very descriptive, with hardly any dialogue or description. It's an ending and that's it alright? Don't read it if it's too dry for you. Simple. Oh and it also spoils Neal's and Cleon's a bit cause we all find out what the beasty is. ::sighs:: That's the only thing I like about this ch. I've been waiting to tell you guys for ages. A couple thousand era's at least. And now you shall all know! And all will be well with the world. ^-^
Sorry it took so long, etc. Sorry for everything there is to be sorry for. Hope you all can forgive me.
And I'm not deleting the Extra-Extra 'ch.' b/c of the duel endings they're are screwed up anyway. ::shrugs:: whatever.
Note: Special thank-yous' now! First-to myself, for writing this. ^-^ It's been a pleasure. (Thankees to my muses, particularly Bob and even my dingo) Second -to some major influences, like Sulia Serafine, an amazing inspirational author. Third-to my beta reader l.j.-you are a Grammar Goddess. Fourth-to my best friend Elizabeth Bock, for all her encouraging words of support and ideas. Fifth to Tammy for creating the wonderful world of Tortall and all the characters living there. And sixth-to all of you guys out there who made this whole thing possible; to everyone who read, reviewed and enjoyed my story. You're all wonderful people, Goddess bless you.
And now, for ending number one!
~Joren~
After their little snack the trio got serious, they had to defeat the wizard. But how? Well…they doubted that *talking* (like mother always said) would do anything, so it was time to resort to desperation.
Joren suggested sticking a knife through his guts, but the thought of cold-blooded murder repulsed Kel. However she couldn't think of any other suggestion besides assassination.
And Cleon of course was no help. ("Hey let's truss him up, hang him from the ceiling, hit him with a big stick and play piñata!") Thank you David and Mandy! Don't ask--happened in a rather *interesting* D&D quest.
Finally it was decided, they we're going to tie up the wizard and wait for when Raoul and the other men gained enough sanity to decided what to do with him. They had discovered that the nightshade antidote took a pretty quick effect when they read further into the giant leather-bound apothecary book, so doubtless the men would be back to normal soon enough, if they were not so already. Cleon was elected to 'finding' duty; after all it wasn't such a good idea to have the King's Own wandering around a mysterious forest when they had no clue how they got there.
Kel and Joren were to stay behind and take care of Vlasmear. They'd only kill him if it was absolutely necessary.
Finally the sun set and nighttime rolled around like a heavy blanket smothering the tower. The darkness felt like a dampening cloak wrapping them inside. Kel wouldn't admit this to anyone but she was scared. She had a bad feeling about this.
They had talked all day, making sure all was ready. They only had one chance to do this right. After outlying the plan and making sure daggers, rope, etc. equipment were ready, the trio split up-Cleon heading out the door in search of fellow comrades, and Kel and Joren quietly climbing up the stairs.
Joren was an expert at stealth as he whispered hushed directions in Kel's ear, "Shh, step with the balls of your feet, don't use your heels. And stick to the shadows. Move like a cat." Kel felt like meowing just to tease/spite him, but here was neither the time nor place. She just crept along quietly behind him, inhaling the rich sent of his hair, and the determined confidence that hung around him like the scent of a strong shampoo.
Finally they reached the study, peeling the door slowly away from the crack. Time to sneak in, tie him up while he slept, and sneak back out. But alas! He wasn't even asleep! He was pacing his room, muttering under his breath, his eyes blood-shot and red from lack of rest. He kept rubbing his face and muttering, "damn those little children, I must have their blood! I can feel my beasties breaking away as I speak…Black God, let me be in time."
Joren cussed and hissed furiously, "He's supposed to be asleep! That's what normal people do when it's past midnight!"
"We're not sleeping."
"That's different. We, well, we have a good reason to be."
"Ok, if you say so." It was fun teasing him, even if all he did was glare at her.
"Well this makes our job a lot harder, I guess we'll just have to kill him."
"What?" she asked a little to loudly.
"Shh-keep it down! Come on, we're never going to be able to take him alive. Not if he's up and about."
Kel visibly paled, and Joren, noticing this, answered quickly, "look, I'll just do it. You stay here and, I don't know, try and go find and help Cleon or something. I can handle it."
She almost protested at his, 'I'll tell you what to do tone,' but upon realizing that he was just trying to help she nodded and backed away from the door. She knew he'd be fine on his own; no doubt he had done this type of thing before-she could tell just by his attitude. She'd never even witnessed, let alone participated in, an assassination or, or murder before. What a cruel word! It echoed in her head and ringed insanely through her mind.
Yes, when raiders attacked her and her friends once she had killed some men, but then it had been purely self-defense and outright battle. They had had attacked first, threatening her and her friends lives. Plus they had had a square chance. But now it was down to wits, furtiveness and apathetic execution. Best she got out of here before she hurled.
She turned away and closed her eyes to regain her composure, when she opened them again he was gone, retreated into the recesses of doom. She started to quietly walk away, praying that everything would turn out alright in the end. She had gotten past the gargoyle statue, down the corridor, and halfway down the stairs, when she heard it. A terrible, blood-curdling scream. Kel guessed whose it was and had to gulp again to stay calm. But then--then she heard loud cussing and something crash to the floor-could it be the wizard wasn't yet dead? Maybe Joren hadn't been successful, maybe; maybe it was him that screamed!
Abandoning the stairwell Kel ran as fast as her legs could carry her up the stairs and into the room. What she saw before her made her gasp, Joren was bent over on the floor, clutching his side and obviously trying not to moan in pain. The wizard was laughing evilly, screaming at him, "You think you could defeat me boy! HA! I'm the greatest sorcerer who ever lived! Me! Vlasmear the almighty! Bow down before my wrath! Muahahahahah!!!!! Time for you to die now…"
During this little speech Kel had stood rooted to the spot in disbelief and fear, but upon hearing him utter those last words she quickly, as if on natural (cat-like) instinct, unsheathed her dagger and bounded forward, heading straight for the wizard.
"What in th-" It all happened in a single second, an instant too infinite to recount. The knife had plunged deep into the wizard's back, causing him to fall to the floor gasping in agony and gulping in one last onset of air before his eyes rolled back dangerously into his head, revealing pearly white, as he fell like a shattered glass bottle. Joren had leapt up, still clutching his side; eyes staring wide at very shocked Kel.
She almost felt like apologizing or something, anything to get rid of the guilt and the fact that she had just deliberately murdered someone, but the sound of crazy echoes silenced her. They could hear them coming, winging in on the wind, the beasts. Without the wizard's life force to supply them with power and control their very actions they were going mad. They were approaching the tower at an unearthly rate, speeding towards the spire.
Suddenly the wall shattered and broke as if it was a porcelain vase, giant blocks of rock came tumbling down and tiny stones littered the air like arrows. The beasts had arrived.
Kel was still staring stock-still at her blooded hand, too aghast to move. Joren had better instinct then that, for soon he was grabbing her sleeve and pulling her out the door. They ran, down, down, down the turret, leaping across the overturned statues littering the halls due to the beasts attack and the earthquake-like waves it had sent by crashing into the tower. Kel didn't know what was louder, the pounding of the beasts hurling their large bodies at stone walls or the furious pounding of her heart. But she couldn't stop to just breath and thing; she had to keep going. They bounded down the stairs, two by two, Kel's feet working mechanically, her mind still upstairs with the now dead wizard. Dead because of her.
The tower was crumbling before them; the impact of the beasts' furious attacks too much for it to take. Everything came tumbling down; soon it would fall, damning them forever to be trapped inside a flurry of hell--they had to get out!
Finally they reached 'o blissful exit as Joren made a desperate leap out the doors with Kel in tow. Just in time too, for a few moments later and they would have been squashed bugs. The tower was now nothing but a pile of rubble and dirt. Gone were the legacies of inexorable inhumanity and gluttonous avarice!
Joren hunched over as to regain his breath. Kel just kept staring at her hand. Nothing seemed to matter then except for the bodily fluids of life's most precious gift lying streaked on her skin. Nothing but the blood.
Finally she walked over slowly to a nearby bush and wiped the red strain off her fingers and palm. Even after it lay smeared on the leaves the blood was still there, lingering in the aftermath of its gory glory.
When Joren glanced up he noticed the expression of disgust and 'oh my bloody Mirthros' on Kel's face. Her eyes were shut tightly, her hand held out before her as if she wished it wasn't attached. Quietly he walked over to her, lifting up a reassuring hand to place on her shoulder. But then he thought better of it. Instead, he slipped his hand into hers.
Opening her eyes quickly she saw his warm hand lying in her grasp. It was a nice feeling, better than feeling the sticky redness of before. He was trying to wipe it away from her mind and memory, and wipe away her guilt and fear as well.
The two just stood there, holding hands, breathing in the rich night air, not saying a word. Soon the fireflies turned on their lights and danced around them, bathing them in the warm summer's glow. The rest of the night was all a blur for Kel; Joren kissing her, his warm breath mingled with hers, the mutual passion and infatuation of desire. His strong arms supporting her, his soft cheek and gorgeous crystal blue eyes. They weren't made of ice, oh no, on the contrary they were made of lucid sapphire.
Then Cleon arriving with the men of the King's Own, quite baffled and confused, even after Cleon's long recount of what had happened.
Then lots of hugs and explanations and words. Much time dedicated to questions and answers that could never quite be fulfilled. They all moved down a little way and camped out underneath the heavenly stars, waiting for the morning to come before taking care of the necessities of business.
Kel was still feeling lightheaded and confused, this was certainly the most traumatic and dramatic night of her entire life. Her first murder and her first kiss all in one. A night never to be forgotten.
But before long it was over, everyone arose and walked over to the crumbled vestige of a former tower. They explored it up and down, here and their finding the dead bodies of blooded beasts. Silver and blackish-gray wings lay scattered throughout the stones, here and there a silver talon. Kel's heart ached for the poor beasts that had had no choice in life but to be so brutally used and then discarded. And her heart ached more when all of a sudden she heard a tiny peep.
It was small, barley audible, but none the less there. She walked over, curiously peering through the debris of cracked rocks. Near the outside edge, upon shifting the stones and wreckage she came across a tiny baby beast, frightened and alone.
Carefully picking it up she examined the wee little creature. It was small, with a little head and pointy snout and tiny silver claws. An immortal.
It cheeped at her, grinning up and sending in mind messages something of a hullo! Kel cradled the little creature to her body and turned her back on the rubble.
She knew now how to get rid of this onerous guilt inside of her. By taking one life she could save another. It was just a mass paradoxical circle.
Quietly she whispered in its ear, "Shh-don't worry little griffin. I'll protect you, I'm the protector of the small."
A GRIFFON! That's what the beast is! Huzzah. Rumor is Kel gets a baby griffin in the real squire J
~*Saphron*~
The End
^-^
Well peeps, that's the end of ending one for Rainy Day!!!!! ::sighs:: it's over. Done. Finished. ::sob::
Well, unless you count the possibility of two more endings…which I'm still not sure I'm going to write. Probably. But hey, who knows. Anyone want a sequel? Hee-hee, nope sorry, don't think there's gonna be one. I'm passing on squire tales to someone else. I could later post an epilogue thingy though. And keep in mind…I am currently working on a different Kel fic…pretty long…a whole series…first and second part (each with nine chapters! Nine short ch.s though) finished. If you liked Rainy Day you'll probably like new fic, but hey I don't know. You can all decide for yourself. Well anyhow-
So…I hope you review but only if you want too. It would be nice. But hey, I'm not gunna beg or anything. No "pleez." Just do it if you feel like doing something nice. I would appreciate it. I seriously read each one over a few times and take 'em pretty seriously. Thanks to everyone who already has, you make me very happy.
I hope you all enjoyed my little story ::smiles:: I enjoyed writing it. Goddess-bless peeps. So mote it might be.
"As when a Gryphon through the wilderness
With winged course, o'er hill and moory dale,
Pursues the Arimaspian, who by stealth
Had from his wakeful custody purloined
The guarded gold,"
-Milton, "Paradise Lost," Boo II
http://www.pantheon.org/mythica/gallery/folklore/griffin.html -that's the site I got the griffin poem/image from, I hope they don't mind I'm borrowing it. It belongs to them, not me. I didn't draw/create the pic in any way. All credit to those guys. (I've never uploaded a fic w/a pic in it so I dunno if it'll work-d y'all see a pic of a griffin up there? Hope it works ::crosses fingers::)
All things must once come to an end, including rainy day trips.