A Dragonball GT and Stronghold (Sunrunner novel by Melanie Rawn) crossover.
Stronghold year is 739. High Prince Rohan is 62 yrs. old; and High Princess Sioned=62.
CHAPTER 2
Rohan squinted into the Desert sky, watching his circling hawk when he saw a small flash of light on the horizon. Then his attention returned to his hawk when all at once the bird plummeted to the rough scrub of the Vere Hills. Rohan held his breath. A few moments later the hawk soared upward, a greentail clutched in her talons. She spiraled on a thermal, then swooped down to deposit the plumb bird neatly at his feet. When she balanced on his arm again, he whistled appreciatively; she replied with a grating coo of affection.
"She's flirting with you again," Sioned observed.
"I have that effect on ladies of taste and perception." He fed the hawk with a morsel of raw meat before turning back to Sioned with a question in his eyes.
"What is it, Rohan? I heard your sudden intake of breath while watching the circling of your hawk. What did you see? I doubt it concerned that flirtatious bird of yours," Sioned pointed at his hawk with amusement then looked up at his face in concern.
"I don't know but I saw a small flash of light on the horizon. It couldn't be the sun because the sun is behind us. I doubt it was a dragon because I didn't feel any of their presence," puzzled Rohan. "And you do know that I can always feel them approaching," he hurriedly added.
"Let's go back to the castle," she unhooked the water skin from his belt, offered it to him and took a swig herself after he drank. "It was probably nothing to worry your head about," assured Sioned.
"You may be right. Or perhaps I'm getting senile and jumping at every shadow I see," he grinned down at her.
"Then what would that make me? I'm half a season your senior," she chuckled while hooking her arm through his.
They walked back through the afternoon haze to Stronghold, entering by the grotto passage—a secret no longer. Sioned lingered by the waterfall to bathe her face and arms while Rohan returned his hawk to the mews. This autumn, her thirty-ninth in the Desert, was the hottest she could recall. She and Rohan had avoided summer completely this year by indulging in a lengthy journey through Syr before going up to Dragon's Rest for the Rialla. She'd shown him her childhood home of River Run, taken a side trip into the Catha Hills to investigate the dragons' winter lairs, and stopped in at High Kirat to visit her nephew Prince Kostas and his family.
She settled on a mossy rock and hauled off her boots. Gasping with the shock as she plunged her feet into cool water, she looked up at Rohan seeing him still worrying at the flash of light that he saw in the Desert.
"If you really want to know what it was, why don't you send out Daniv and let him investigate the whole thing." Sioned suggested stopping Rohan from worrying about that flash of light he saw in the Desert.
"I'll do that," he agreed, "and I'm not sure why, but I have the strangest feeling that its very important for us to know what it was." Rohan approached and sat next to her. "Maybe I should also send Morwenna to investigate. It would not harm to have a faradhi handy if what I saw turns out to be the workings of diarmadh'im," he added.
Having settled that issue, both of the High Prince and High Princess went back inside the Stronghold.
As soon as they entered the keep, Rohan didn't waste anytime in calling for Daniv and Morwenna.
From the urgent call of their prince, both squires, Daniv and Isriam, together with Morwenna hurriedly approached his and her graces. They were all wondering what's the commotion all about. They were thinking that maybe the keep is under attack or something to that effect. They were running too fast that they have to skid to a halt in front of Rohan and Sioned or they would have run past them. Their entrance was so comic that the two graces couldn't help but laugh at them. The three had such hurt look on their faces that the two royalties had to stop from laughing.
"I'm sorry but if you people could just see yourselves, you would have laughed, too!" Rohan chortled.
"Rohan! Stop it!" admonished Sioned. She turned to the three and apologized for her husband's behavior. "Really! You have to forgive Rohan. I guess old age is making him lose control of himself," she winked at the two squires and smirked at their Sunrunner.
The two squires looked at each other and snickered while Morwenna's shoulders were trembling to keep herself from laughing out loud in front of Rohan. Then they suddenly remembered that their High Prince called them to an audience so they stood attention and waited for Rohan's command.
"This may sound strange to you but I have seen a flash of light in the desert and I have a feeling that what I saw is somehow important to us. I need you to investigate it for me," he informed them. "I'm sorry Isriam but I want you to stay here and see to the comforts of an old man while Daniv and Morwenna with 15 soldiers to check it out for me." He apologized to Isriam when he saw the downcast look on his face. "Morwenna, I want you to go with them because in case it was the work of diarmadh'im, I want you to be there to counter it since you are well-versed on the Star Scroll."
"As you wish, your grace." The three bowed and left them to attend to his command.
Rohan shook his head at the formality that the three showed. "I guess that couldn't be helped. I commanded them, so I guess they feel that they should be formal with me." He sighed and took Sioned by the waist and snuggled in her hair.
--to be continued.
Stronghold year is 739. High Prince Rohan is 62 yrs. old; and High Princess Sioned=62.
CHAPTER 2
Rohan squinted into the Desert sky, watching his circling hawk when he saw a small flash of light on the horizon. Then his attention returned to his hawk when all at once the bird plummeted to the rough scrub of the Vere Hills. Rohan held his breath. A few moments later the hawk soared upward, a greentail clutched in her talons. She spiraled on a thermal, then swooped down to deposit the plumb bird neatly at his feet. When she balanced on his arm again, he whistled appreciatively; she replied with a grating coo of affection.
"She's flirting with you again," Sioned observed.
"I have that effect on ladies of taste and perception." He fed the hawk with a morsel of raw meat before turning back to Sioned with a question in his eyes.
"What is it, Rohan? I heard your sudden intake of breath while watching the circling of your hawk. What did you see? I doubt it concerned that flirtatious bird of yours," Sioned pointed at his hawk with amusement then looked up at his face in concern.
"I don't know but I saw a small flash of light on the horizon. It couldn't be the sun because the sun is behind us. I doubt it was a dragon because I didn't feel any of their presence," puzzled Rohan. "And you do know that I can always feel them approaching," he hurriedly added.
"Let's go back to the castle," she unhooked the water skin from his belt, offered it to him and took a swig herself after he drank. "It was probably nothing to worry your head about," assured Sioned.
"You may be right. Or perhaps I'm getting senile and jumping at every shadow I see," he grinned down at her.
"Then what would that make me? I'm half a season your senior," she chuckled while hooking her arm through his.
They walked back through the afternoon haze to Stronghold, entering by the grotto passage—a secret no longer. Sioned lingered by the waterfall to bathe her face and arms while Rohan returned his hawk to the mews. This autumn, her thirty-ninth in the Desert, was the hottest she could recall. She and Rohan had avoided summer completely this year by indulging in a lengthy journey through Syr before going up to Dragon's Rest for the Rialla. She'd shown him her childhood home of River Run, taken a side trip into the Catha Hills to investigate the dragons' winter lairs, and stopped in at High Kirat to visit her nephew Prince Kostas and his family.
She settled on a mossy rock and hauled off her boots. Gasping with the shock as she plunged her feet into cool water, she looked up at Rohan seeing him still worrying at the flash of light that he saw in the Desert.
"If you really want to know what it was, why don't you send out Daniv and let him investigate the whole thing." Sioned suggested stopping Rohan from worrying about that flash of light he saw in the Desert.
"I'll do that," he agreed, "and I'm not sure why, but I have the strangest feeling that its very important for us to know what it was." Rohan approached and sat next to her. "Maybe I should also send Morwenna to investigate. It would not harm to have a faradhi handy if what I saw turns out to be the workings of diarmadh'im," he added.
Having settled that issue, both of the High Prince and High Princess went back inside the Stronghold.
As soon as they entered the keep, Rohan didn't waste anytime in calling for Daniv and Morwenna.
From the urgent call of their prince, both squires, Daniv and Isriam, together with Morwenna hurriedly approached his and her graces. They were all wondering what's the commotion all about. They were thinking that maybe the keep is under attack or something to that effect. They were running too fast that they have to skid to a halt in front of Rohan and Sioned or they would have run past them. Their entrance was so comic that the two graces couldn't help but laugh at them. The three had such hurt look on their faces that the two royalties had to stop from laughing.
"I'm sorry but if you people could just see yourselves, you would have laughed, too!" Rohan chortled.
"Rohan! Stop it!" admonished Sioned. She turned to the three and apologized for her husband's behavior. "Really! You have to forgive Rohan. I guess old age is making him lose control of himself," she winked at the two squires and smirked at their Sunrunner.
The two squires looked at each other and snickered while Morwenna's shoulders were trembling to keep herself from laughing out loud in front of Rohan. Then they suddenly remembered that their High Prince called them to an audience so they stood attention and waited for Rohan's command.
"This may sound strange to you but I have seen a flash of light in the desert and I have a feeling that what I saw is somehow important to us. I need you to investigate it for me," he informed them. "I'm sorry Isriam but I want you to stay here and see to the comforts of an old man while Daniv and Morwenna with 15 soldiers to check it out for me." He apologized to Isriam when he saw the downcast look on his face. "Morwenna, I want you to go with them because in case it was the work of diarmadh'im, I want you to be there to counter it since you are well-versed on the Star Scroll."
"As you wish, your grace." The three bowed and left them to attend to his command.
Rohan shook his head at the formality that the three showed. "I guess that couldn't be helped. I commanded them, so I guess they feel that they should be formal with me." He sighed and took Sioned by the waist and snuggled in her hair.
--to be continued.