"So, explain, Jon."
It was late afternoon. The King's private coucil, with their squires and apprentices, were all in a council room. The events of the last two weeks were still blurred in my mind. We had left Hannalof the next morning, at dawn. We rode, barely stopping for two weeks straight. For the meeting, though, even the Lioness had showed up.
Jonathan sighed, and started talking. "Two weeks ago, Copper Isles war ships--about eighty--sailed into Port Legann, with about two thousand soldiers and sailors. It was late, and they killed the guards." His voice was shaking with what seemed like rage and tears that hadn't been shed. "They murdered three thousand of the people there--women and children included. The messanger said that it was the common people, not soldiers, who fought the bravest. They didn't stop 'til all of them were captured or dead."
I looked down and my hands, which were clenched so hard against the back of Numair's chair that the knuckles were white. I had learned that Legann, the third largest city in Tortall, had a population of somewhere around 3,500. They had killed almost everyone.
"Imrah?" Raoul asked quietly.
No word of him yet."
"And the prince?" Adeon asked. I remembered that Roald and his knight-master had gone back to Legann a little after we left.
"Same as Imrah," the King answered, his voice shaking worse than ever. "Not a word." Tears fell down his cheeks, silently. He covered his face with his hands. Soon the only sounds in the room were his sobs.
I was shocked. I realized, now, that even though Jon had been a prig, he was still a person, a person who loved his wife and children and people. He was crying the same tears that Mom and I had cried. He might be a king, but he was a father, first and foremost. I nearly started crying myself. Now I was seriously sorry for telling him off.
A few minutes later, he stopped, took a deep breath, and said, "Raoul, could you take Third Company to Legann? They'll need some help." Raoul nodded.
"Numair, they'll need a mage. Could you go too?"
"Whatever you say, Jon. Laurie, go pack," he told me.
I nodded and walked towards the door. Apparantly the other squires were told to leave too, because, Kel, Faleron, Neal, and Owen left with me. We walked in silence for a while, until I said, "God, that's horrible. Three thousand people...and Roald..."
Neal shook his head. "I can't believe this. I knew we weren't on good terms with them, but I never thought it would start a war."
"It's only been six years since the Immortals War, too," Faleron said quietly.
Kel, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly looked at me and said, "You knew."
I looked at her sharply. "What?"
"You knew. You knew about this."
I noticed all four of them were looking at me. Owen asked, confused, "What in the name of Mithros are you talking about, Kel?" while Neal looked bewildered.
"Laurie's a Seer," Faleron explained.
"Really?" Neal asked.
I nodded.
Kel asked, more impatient this time, "Well, Laurie, did you know or not?"
I sighed. "I had an idea. I had a nightmare, but I didn't know that it was real."
Neal stared at me, then slapped his hand to his forehead. "Gods, Laurie, when you see something like that, TELL SOMEONE!"
I looked at him, shocked, that HE, who had never had to deal with this sort of thing, was telling me off. "Listen, YOU try seeing people standing ankle-deep in blood, cutting off people's heads, and ENJOYING IT! Then you can tell me off!" I was trying not to cry from how horrible it was. I took a deep breath, and said, more quietly, "I was just trying to forget, that was all. Just trying to forget."
I walked ahead quickly and went to my room, where all I had to do was exchange my dirty clothes for clean ones. It only took me twenty minutes, so I decided that if I was leaving tomorrow, I had better be on good terms with my friends.
I went and knocked on Kel's door, where most of the study group was. The ones that hadn't been there were asking questions about the council meeting.
"Hi," I said quietly. "Can I come in?" When they nodded, I sat down on the bed. "Um, guys, I'm sorry about earlier. I sorta lost my temper."
They assured me it was fine, so we talked for a while. When it got late I went up to my room to sleep.
That night, I barely slept at all. Even when I did manage to fall asleep, I had the nightmare about Legann again. The only difference this time was that the person pleading for their life was Roald.
*********
The next morning, Third Company, along with me and Numair, were in the courtyard about ready to set out. I was hanging around with Kel when a guy (who was really cute) came over and talked to Kel. He had black hair and light blue eyes, and aside from that, he looked a lot like Neal.
"Uh, Kel?" I asked when he stopped talking. "Could I talk to you for a sec?"
We rode our horses a little ways away, and Kel asked, "What?"
"That guy is seriously hot. Introduce me to him, please?" I asked.
Kel rolled her eyes, but when we rode back over, she said, "By the way, Domitan of Masbolle, may I present Laurieli Makensri? Laurie, Dom."
I mouthed "thank you" to Kel as Dom kissed my hand gentlemanly-ish and said, "A pleasure to meet you, Demoiselle Laurie. I've been hearing about you from milord." He nodded at Raoul.
I smiled and said, "You act a lot like Neal."
"You know him?" he asked. I nodded. He took both my hands in his, gave me a sympathsizing look, and said, "I'm so sorry."
I chuckled took my hands out of his. "I accept your apologies."
Someone whistled, and Dom said, "Well, duty calls. Hopefully I'll see you around, Laurie." He waved and rode towards the person who had whistled. I grinned, shaking my head, and turned to look at Kel- who was giving me a sideways look.
"What?" I asked defensivly.
"Nothing," she told me, all innocence. I rolled my eyes and nudged Fairy forward as the Company set out.
*******
Later that morning, Numair rode up beside me. He was quiet for a few minutes, until he said, "I saw you flirting with that Masbolle boy this morning."
I looked at him, startled. "Flirting? That was flirting?"
"Yes, that was flirting! What did you think it was, small talk?"
"Uh, yeah."
He slapped his hand to his forhead. "Just be careful, Laurie. I want to be sure you don't get in over your head."
"Whaddya mean, over my head?"
He shook his head and rode forward without answering.
I rolled my eyes and muttered, "Men."
It was late afternoon. The King's private coucil, with their squires and apprentices, were all in a council room. The events of the last two weeks were still blurred in my mind. We had left Hannalof the next morning, at dawn. We rode, barely stopping for two weeks straight. For the meeting, though, even the Lioness had showed up.
Jonathan sighed, and started talking. "Two weeks ago, Copper Isles war ships--about eighty--sailed into Port Legann, with about two thousand soldiers and sailors. It was late, and they killed the guards." His voice was shaking with what seemed like rage and tears that hadn't been shed. "They murdered three thousand of the people there--women and children included. The messanger said that it was the common people, not soldiers, who fought the bravest. They didn't stop 'til all of them were captured or dead."
I looked down and my hands, which were clenched so hard against the back of Numair's chair that the knuckles were white. I had learned that Legann, the third largest city in Tortall, had a population of somewhere around 3,500. They had killed almost everyone.
"Imrah?" Raoul asked quietly.
No word of him yet."
"And the prince?" Adeon asked. I remembered that Roald and his knight-master had gone back to Legann a little after we left.
"Same as Imrah," the King answered, his voice shaking worse than ever. "Not a word." Tears fell down his cheeks, silently. He covered his face with his hands. Soon the only sounds in the room were his sobs.
I was shocked. I realized, now, that even though Jon had been a prig, he was still a person, a person who loved his wife and children and people. He was crying the same tears that Mom and I had cried. He might be a king, but he was a father, first and foremost. I nearly started crying myself. Now I was seriously sorry for telling him off.
A few minutes later, he stopped, took a deep breath, and said, "Raoul, could you take Third Company to Legann? They'll need some help." Raoul nodded.
"Numair, they'll need a mage. Could you go too?"
"Whatever you say, Jon. Laurie, go pack," he told me.
I nodded and walked towards the door. Apparantly the other squires were told to leave too, because, Kel, Faleron, Neal, and Owen left with me. We walked in silence for a while, until I said, "God, that's horrible. Three thousand people...and Roald..."
Neal shook his head. "I can't believe this. I knew we weren't on good terms with them, but I never thought it would start a war."
"It's only been six years since the Immortals War, too," Faleron said quietly.
Kel, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly looked at me and said, "You knew."
I looked at her sharply. "What?"
"You knew. You knew about this."
I noticed all four of them were looking at me. Owen asked, confused, "What in the name of Mithros are you talking about, Kel?" while Neal looked bewildered.
"Laurie's a Seer," Faleron explained.
"Really?" Neal asked.
I nodded.
Kel asked, more impatient this time, "Well, Laurie, did you know or not?"
I sighed. "I had an idea. I had a nightmare, but I didn't know that it was real."
Neal stared at me, then slapped his hand to his forehead. "Gods, Laurie, when you see something like that, TELL SOMEONE!"
I looked at him, shocked, that HE, who had never had to deal with this sort of thing, was telling me off. "Listen, YOU try seeing people standing ankle-deep in blood, cutting off people's heads, and ENJOYING IT! Then you can tell me off!" I was trying not to cry from how horrible it was. I took a deep breath, and said, more quietly, "I was just trying to forget, that was all. Just trying to forget."
I walked ahead quickly and went to my room, where all I had to do was exchange my dirty clothes for clean ones. It only took me twenty minutes, so I decided that if I was leaving tomorrow, I had better be on good terms with my friends.
I went and knocked on Kel's door, where most of the study group was. The ones that hadn't been there were asking questions about the council meeting.
"Hi," I said quietly. "Can I come in?" When they nodded, I sat down on the bed. "Um, guys, I'm sorry about earlier. I sorta lost my temper."
They assured me it was fine, so we talked for a while. When it got late I went up to my room to sleep.
That night, I barely slept at all. Even when I did manage to fall asleep, I had the nightmare about Legann again. The only difference this time was that the person pleading for their life was Roald.
*********
The next morning, Third Company, along with me and Numair, were in the courtyard about ready to set out. I was hanging around with Kel when a guy (who was really cute) came over and talked to Kel. He had black hair and light blue eyes, and aside from that, he looked a lot like Neal.
"Uh, Kel?" I asked when he stopped talking. "Could I talk to you for a sec?"
We rode our horses a little ways away, and Kel asked, "What?"
"That guy is seriously hot. Introduce me to him, please?" I asked.
Kel rolled her eyes, but when we rode back over, she said, "By the way, Domitan of Masbolle, may I present Laurieli Makensri? Laurie, Dom."
I mouthed "thank you" to Kel as Dom kissed my hand gentlemanly-ish and said, "A pleasure to meet you, Demoiselle Laurie. I've been hearing about you from milord." He nodded at Raoul.
I smiled and said, "You act a lot like Neal."
"You know him?" he asked. I nodded. He took both my hands in his, gave me a sympathsizing look, and said, "I'm so sorry."
I chuckled took my hands out of his. "I accept your apologies."
Someone whistled, and Dom said, "Well, duty calls. Hopefully I'll see you around, Laurie." He waved and rode towards the person who had whistled. I grinned, shaking my head, and turned to look at Kel- who was giving me a sideways look.
"What?" I asked defensivly.
"Nothing," she told me, all innocence. I rolled my eyes and nudged Fairy forward as the Company set out.
*******
Later that morning, Numair rode up beside me. He was quiet for a few minutes, until he said, "I saw you flirting with that Masbolle boy this morning."
I looked at him, startled. "Flirting? That was flirting?"
"Yes, that was flirting! What did you think it was, small talk?"
"Uh, yeah."
He slapped his hand to his forhead. "Just be careful, Laurie. I want to be sure you don't get in over your head."
"Whaddya mean, over my head?"
He shook his head and rode forward without answering.
I rolled my eyes and muttered, "Men."