(8) FUN AND FREE TIME
Neal glared suspiciously at Alanna. He knew that she had seen a healer at Trebond yet had refused to comment on what was wrong with her. All Neal knew was that she had come back that day and immediately wrote two letters, one to George and the other to the King. Neal didn't know what the letters said and could only guess from the way the famous Lioness acted, as if the world was going to explode in a few days. This made Neal very wary and watched the woman as if she were about to collapse. Yet the lioness still trained every day and made sure that Neal to still trained as hard as she taught him battle strategies and tactics, on many times recounting wars and battles she had been in. Neal had never really knew how many times his knight-master was called upon to fight and, according to Alanna, he should expect to be called upon in the middle of the night to go to any place in Tortall to fight all kinds of enemies. Neal had immediately started at this, what Mithros' name? Yet Alanna had quickly gone on to explain that he could complain all he liked about those kind of circumstances, after all she did even though she was King's Champion and expected to fight. Over the days Neal began to realise that no, the world wasn't going to explode yet obviously the Lioness was sick, not to sick to make him work like a dog though. She had the same motto as Lord Wyldon: half-killing them training will keep them alive on the battlefield.
Over their trip Alanna and Neal had encountered a small group of Scanran soldiers who were scouting out the area. Upon seeing them the men attacked, making Alanna and Neal fight in a battle in which they were grossly out numbered. But thanks to Alanna's fighting technique and Neal's skill with a sword they had won, killing a few men and letting the others run away, after all they might be leading them into an ambush. After the battle the knight and her squire had rushed to the border, fearing that it had been taken over already and that the soldiers were either dead or locked up in dungeons. Neal was petrified as the Lioness rushed them to the border. He and Alanna were the only warriors who had arrived, what if they had to fight the army all by themselves? Neal didn't want to die; he was only twenty, for the goddess sake! Yet the fear settled around Neal like a woollen blanket, even Alanna was worried.
"Well, isn't this handy." Neal remarked as they surveyed the scene before them. Other knights were expected in a few days, they were the only knights and squires there. "Lucky us." Alanna mumbled as she grinned at the irony. She and Neal had encountered a small group of Scanran men and had won; yet a few had escaped. They had hurried to the battlefield to find exactly the opposite of what they had expected: not a single man stood on the other side, unless you counted the flock of sheep, which made quite a nice baa-ing sound to accompany the winds whistle. "Great." Alanna whispered, "We are fighting ghosts!" That remark made Neal crack up laughing, the humour in this situation was brimming. A man rushed up to Alanna's side. "Lioness, you're here."
"Yep, and just in time too. Neal get out your "invisible army" sword. This is gonna be a tough one." Neal grinned at this. It was just too funny.
"They all picked up their tents, weapons, everything lioness and left just before you came." The man looked pleadingly up at her and Alanna realised he was serious. "Does anyone know why?" She asked. There had to be some reason…
"All we heard was some of them screaming ' (word 4 lioness)' my lady."
"Hmmm. Get that translated, would you? I better talk to the King about this and contact all the knights who should arrive about tomorrow, or a few days latter. Do you have a place where my squire and I could stay?" The commander bowed and showed her the way.
"I can't believe they would run!" Neal cried and grinned at his knight-master. "Maybe it was because those men we fought went back and told everyone that the Lioness was coming and they better all go home until they have the right forces to fight you." This theory of Neal's surprised Alanna yet it was still possible. She nodded, "You could be right, I'm just not sure."
"If your not sure, as I once said to Kel, we could just go back to the 'stupid foreigners' theory. Although they weren't the theories used." Alanna grinned at this. "I hope you realise that we will be spending the next few weeks or maybe months here and probably return just in time for Midwinter, not a moment before. So you're going to have to train with the soldiers." Neal groaned. His work was never done.
Kel glanced up, her hazel eyes alert and watchful. As soon as they had left the palace the warriors had rushed north, hearing from rumours that the Scanrans were making their way into Tortall. Kel had made friends with some of the soldiers yet it was hard to when they were all in a rush to reach the north.
Ahead of their party a knight, his squire and a rider group were waiting. "My Lord." Kel murmured, indicating where he should look. Seeing them Raoul frowned and rode forward. After a brief discussion he turned to the company. "Alright, listen up everyone!" He didn't need to say such words as they all were being as quiet as possible, hoping to eavesdrop on their Lord. "It appears that the raiders have turned back into Scanra and it is impossible to chase after them. So you all have a decision to make. Either go to the palace in Corus until the next assignment, go home to your families, wherever they may be or you can come with me to the Desert. There seems to be some trouble with the Bazhir and I need to sort it out. You all have a choice, I won't be needing warriors to fight at the Bazhir, it is a diplomatic problem witch must be fought in that manner." The men talked amongst themselves at these prospects a Raoul turned to Kel, "You realise that, being my squire, you'll have to come with me. Sorry about that."
"It's fine, my Lord. I'd like to see how they live anyway." Raoul coughed, cleared his throat and looked at her. "Uh, Kel. Well… um. The Bazhir can be and probably will be a bit, uh, sexist towards you. They demanded that Alanna prove herself in a battle to the death when she went there, because they thought that if she acted as a man she should be bale to fight a man. You won't have to do the same thing until you're grown but, gods this is hard to say, many will dismiss you as inferior and demand that you act as a woman. Don't listen to them. I'll defend you." Kel grinned at Raoul's gesture. "I won't, my lord. I'm used to sexist people anyhow." Raoul nodded. He had never expected having a girl squire would be such a different experience.
Neal glared suspiciously at Alanna. He knew that she had seen a healer at Trebond yet had refused to comment on what was wrong with her. All Neal knew was that she had come back that day and immediately wrote two letters, one to George and the other to the King. Neal didn't know what the letters said and could only guess from the way the famous Lioness acted, as if the world was going to explode in a few days. This made Neal very wary and watched the woman as if she were about to collapse. Yet the lioness still trained every day and made sure that Neal to still trained as hard as she taught him battle strategies and tactics, on many times recounting wars and battles she had been in. Neal had never really knew how many times his knight-master was called upon to fight and, according to Alanna, he should expect to be called upon in the middle of the night to go to any place in Tortall to fight all kinds of enemies. Neal had immediately started at this, what Mithros' name? Yet Alanna had quickly gone on to explain that he could complain all he liked about those kind of circumstances, after all she did even though she was King's Champion and expected to fight. Over the days Neal began to realise that no, the world wasn't going to explode yet obviously the Lioness was sick, not to sick to make him work like a dog though. She had the same motto as Lord Wyldon: half-killing them training will keep them alive on the battlefield.
Over their trip Alanna and Neal had encountered a small group of Scanran soldiers who were scouting out the area. Upon seeing them the men attacked, making Alanna and Neal fight in a battle in which they were grossly out numbered. But thanks to Alanna's fighting technique and Neal's skill with a sword they had won, killing a few men and letting the others run away, after all they might be leading them into an ambush. After the battle the knight and her squire had rushed to the border, fearing that it had been taken over already and that the soldiers were either dead or locked up in dungeons. Neal was petrified as the Lioness rushed them to the border. He and Alanna were the only warriors who had arrived, what if they had to fight the army all by themselves? Neal didn't want to die; he was only twenty, for the goddess sake! Yet the fear settled around Neal like a woollen blanket, even Alanna was worried.
"Well, isn't this handy." Neal remarked as they surveyed the scene before them. Other knights were expected in a few days, they were the only knights and squires there. "Lucky us." Alanna mumbled as she grinned at the irony. She and Neal had encountered a small group of Scanran men and had won; yet a few had escaped. They had hurried to the battlefield to find exactly the opposite of what they had expected: not a single man stood on the other side, unless you counted the flock of sheep, which made quite a nice baa-ing sound to accompany the winds whistle. "Great." Alanna whispered, "We are fighting ghosts!" That remark made Neal crack up laughing, the humour in this situation was brimming. A man rushed up to Alanna's side. "Lioness, you're here."
"Yep, and just in time too. Neal get out your "invisible army" sword. This is gonna be a tough one." Neal grinned at this. It was just too funny.
"They all picked up their tents, weapons, everything lioness and left just before you came." The man looked pleadingly up at her and Alanna realised he was serious. "Does anyone know why?" She asked. There had to be some reason…
"All we heard was some of them screaming ' (word 4 lioness)' my lady."
"Hmmm. Get that translated, would you? I better talk to the King about this and contact all the knights who should arrive about tomorrow, or a few days latter. Do you have a place where my squire and I could stay?" The commander bowed and showed her the way.
"I can't believe they would run!" Neal cried and grinned at his knight-master. "Maybe it was because those men we fought went back and told everyone that the Lioness was coming and they better all go home until they have the right forces to fight you." This theory of Neal's surprised Alanna yet it was still possible. She nodded, "You could be right, I'm just not sure."
"If your not sure, as I once said to Kel, we could just go back to the 'stupid foreigners' theory. Although they weren't the theories used." Alanna grinned at this. "I hope you realise that we will be spending the next few weeks or maybe months here and probably return just in time for Midwinter, not a moment before. So you're going to have to train with the soldiers." Neal groaned. His work was never done.
Kel glanced up, her hazel eyes alert and watchful. As soon as they had left the palace the warriors had rushed north, hearing from rumours that the Scanrans were making their way into Tortall. Kel had made friends with some of the soldiers yet it was hard to when they were all in a rush to reach the north.
Ahead of their party a knight, his squire and a rider group were waiting. "My Lord." Kel murmured, indicating where he should look. Seeing them Raoul frowned and rode forward. After a brief discussion he turned to the company. "Alright, listen up everyone!" He didn't need to say such words as they all were being as quiet as possible, hoping to eavesdrop on their Lord. "It appears that the raiders have turned back into Scanra and it is impossible to chase after them. So you all have a decision to make. Either go to the palace in Corus until the next assignment, go home to your families, wherever they may be or you can come with me to the Desert. There seems to be some trouble with the Bazhir and I need to sort it out. You all have a choice, I won't be needing warriors to fight at the Bazhir, it is a diplomatic problem witch must be fought in that manner." The men talked amongst themselves at these prospects a Raoul turned to Kel, "You realise that, being my squire, you'll have to come with me. Sorry about that."
"It's fine, my Lord. I'd like to see how they live anyway." Raoul coughed, cleared his throat and looked at her. "Uh, Kel. Well… um. The Bazhir can be and probably will be a bit, uh, sexist towards you. They demanded that Alanna prove herself in a battle to the death when she went there, because they thought that if she acted as a man she should be bale to fight a man. You won't have to do the same thing until you're grown but, gods this is hard to say, many will dismiss you as inferior and demand that you act as a woman. Don't listen to them. I'll defend you." Kel grinned at Raoul's gesture. "I won't, my lord. I'm used to sexist people anyhow." Raoul nodded. He had never expected having a girl squire would be such a different experience.
