The Galla Chronicles - Chapter 3
Disclaimer: I own, well, let's see... nothing! Goddess, I've said that already like 5 gazillion times! All I own it the plot, and even that I still give kudos to Tamora Pierce, for creating such brilliant characters for me to mold and use at my very whim... ok, I'll stop now.
A: N/// So, basically chapter three will consist of two things: a bit of insight about Lana's past, a the beginning of a duel with Kel. Thank you to my reviewers! I love you! (Well, in the most non-literal term, anyway) heh heh. On with the story!
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Lana woke early, even before the sun started to peak through the corners of her window. She groaned and rolled over onto her back, staring at the ceiling. Impulsively, she crawled out of the warmth of her bed and stood up, looking at the gaunt curtains that adorned her window. She breathed roughly and dressed herself, not even looking into a mirror as she fitted her attire onto her smooth body. Without a sound, she jumped out of her ground level window and ran across gleaming dew-filled grass.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Eleni Cooper of Barony Olau strolled down the streets of Corus easily, fitting in as only a native city-goer could. She was to pick up a dress for the ball tonight; it had only been finished today. Which was cutting it awfully close, in her opinion. She roamed across the seasonable morning traffic; commoners were bustling from shop to shop, making their early day preparations while merchants started to set up carts in which to sell their goods in. She smiled at the sight; ever since she and Myles had wed, there was little time to visit the old sites of the city where she grew up, at least in the way she supposed she saw it. The way she saw it was not in carriages, or covered in the clothes of nobility, but as one of the common people. The memory of seeing her son as the King of the Rogue, and of treating the people whom couldn't afford a palace healer made her think of the old days long gone. However, in spite of the fact she would never see those days again, she smiled.
They had been good times.
Eleni rounded the corner to see another alleyway bursting with the usual crowd. The store where she was to pick up her dress as a few doors away, and she made her way there quickly. The door was open, and she let herself in.
"Miss Cooper! So glad to see you again!" the man behind the counter greeted her warmly. "I have your dress in the back. Just one moment, please." He turned to the door behind him and entered it, emerging a few seconds later to reveal a silky lavender dress with lace lining its hem.
"Thank you, Joesh," Eleni expressed gratefully. "I was a bit worried it wouldn't be ready on time." He held the dress up to her, playing with the fit to show her the job he had done.
"Oh, no madam, I promised it would be finished today, and Joesh always keeps his promises," he exclaimed. "Magnifique! A work of art!" Eleni blushed at his comment as she took the dress from him.
"Joesh, you spoil me so. How much would you like for the job?" she asked quaintly. Joesh put a finger to his chin, and thought for a few seconds.
"I'd say, for you, seventy-five gold nobles. And I won't hear of you paying any more, now Miss Cooper. You are indeed the most beautiful thing that will grace this dress." Eleni turned red again, and handed him the money out of her purse.
"Thank you, Joesh. I appreciate your generosity," she voiced as she strolled daintily out of his door, dress under arm. She thought of heading back to Barony Olau, but decided against it. She wanted to savor her short time in the city. Resolutely, she headed for the Dancing Dove.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Rispah, Queen of the Ladies of the Rogue, swished her brandy indifferently, as she stared at the open door of her room. It was early in the morning; yet she was as awake as ever at that moment. Standing at her door was a person she loved dearly; they shared many a time together when she was younger. She had aged much since Rispah had last seen her, she was now a young woman with the beauty of the queen herself, at least in her opinion. She wore the armor of the Royal House of Galla, and sported a gleaming knife at her belt hilt. Her dark raven hair was tied at the back of her head, her hazel eyes bright with exultation. The girl wore a black cloak over her armor which covered the long worn arms and callused hands that worked together so skillfully with her sword. Rispah slowly brought her lips together in a small smile.
"Hello, Lana."
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Eleni rounded the stairs to Rispah's room, clutching her dress tightly. There were still some of George's old friends that she didn't approve of.
Going up the stairs to her room, she thought of how many times she had done this in the past, and how little she had gotten to do this nowadays. Just climbing the steps of the Dancing Dove had been a shocking realization as to how far she had faded away from this life. Not that she didn't love Myles with all her heart and soul, but she truly did miss the sights and sounds of the common people. She came to the summit of the stairs, and walked, eyes glazed, to Rispah's room. Turning, she saw that the door was ajar. She opened the door the rest of the way to see a young woman sitting on Rispah's bed, talking with her niece.
"Great Merciful Mother," she breathed as she walked into the room. "Lana? Is that - is that you?" The girl broke into a broad smile and motioned for Eleni to sit next to her on the bed.
"Come. We have to keep this time precious, so let's start catching up now."
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Keladry of Mindelan woke up later than usual, considering the amount of sleep she had last night was -
"Oh my Goddess," she murmured as she rolled over. Cleon was lying next to her, sprawled out across her body. "Goddess, give me strength."
"Huh? What? Kel????" Cleon practically jolted out of bed, disheveling the covers as he went. "Kel... um... wait, Myles didn't lend us a few drinks last night, did he? I mean, because... um..." His voice trailed off as he went on. Kel rolled out of bed, yawning slightly as she fixed her wrinkled clothes.
"No, last night was the ordeal with Lana, remember? We must've fell asleep together. Nothing happened Cleon. Except, well, technically, we slept together. Oh, you know what I mean."
"Yes, I know my pearl. I wouldn't want it to be something we did just because we were drunk, anyway. It should be special," he whispered as he moved over around the bed to meet her. "Besides, it wouldn't be proper if I bedded you before we wed. And who knows when that will be." He kissed her gingerly and softly, then pulled back. "Come, my queen, breakfast is soon." She smirked at him, and left his room to change into something fresh.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
"Hey, Cleon, Kel! Over here!" Neal waved a hand to them, gesturing them to come over. Own, Merric, and Lana was with him, Lana looking a bit uncomfortable, yet poised at the same time.
"Hi guys. What's for breakfast today?" Kel asked plaintively. Merric held up a bowl of grimy, bland colored porridge, and smirked.
"Porridge surprise," he responded slyly as he moved over to make a seat for Kel and Cleon. "So where have you two been?"
Kel shrugged her shoulders carelessly and inconspicuously, trying not to draw attention to her late entrance with Cleon. Cleon ran slim fingers through his hair, and grinned stupidly. Their gazes met Kel and Cleon simultaneously, and they gawked openly at the couple. Lana was the only one oblivious to this, as she poured herself a glass of orange juice from a near-by pitcher. She shook her head and pursed her lips in repugnance. "Oh, Goddess, how can you drink this? It tastes as if a heifer flavored her milk with a lemon!" She pushed the glass away from her, averting the focus of the moment from Cleon and Kel to her.
"Its - its orange juice. How - how can you hate orange juice?" Neal stuttered in perplexity. Lana looked at him inconceivably.
"I told you, it tastes as if a heifer flavored her milk with a lemon!" She shuddered involuntarily, as if she were experiencing a traumatic experience. Neal shook his head, and returned his attention to Kel and Cleon.
"So - " He froze up, smiling sheepishly. "Did you?" Kel and Cleon looked at each other with skeptical glances, while the rest of the boys glanced at them expectantly. Lana remained oblivious.
"Neal, do you think you could run and get me some more porridge? And grab some for Keladry and Cleon while you're at it, would you?" Lana imposed on him, while edging him off the bench and then smacking him on the behind. "There's a good boy." Neal turned red, while the rest laughed, with the exception of Lana.
Neal ventured off toward the serving table, uttering something about ungrateful foreign knights and kings that impose too much of his soldiers. "Humph. The king said that if I needed anything that I should ask Sir Nealan, over there. It's not my responsibility to do his chores." She crossed her arms delicately, and pouted, but not before giving a wink unnoticed by everyone by Kel. Kel slipped her a small smile and a wordless 'thank you.' Lana gave her the tiniest of nods, and stood up off the bench. "Well, I must be going. It was nice talking to all you."
"But what about your porridge?" a freshly returned Neal managed to gargle before he dropped Cleon's dish.
"Oh, well, you can give mine to Cleon, since you dropped his," she answered back. Neal groaned loudly, before giving Kel and Cleon their bowls. Then, he groaned again, and ran to get a towel boy to clean up the mess. Kel shoveled down her porridge before Neal came back with the towel boy, and ran outside to catch up with Lana.
"Lana!" she cried from a few steps behind her. Lana turned to meet her, and raised her eyebrows quizzically at Kel. Kel reached her, panting slightly. "Thank you," she breathed heavily. "For taking Neal's attention away from Cleon and me. It was good of you."
Lana smiled at her remark. "What are you talking about, Lady Knight? I did nothing except express my wishes to be served by what the King offers me. I did not revert Sir Nealan's attention from you, simply prolonged it, however inadvertently." Kel looked at her, puzzled, but shrugged it off. She did not miss the smile of amusement that twitched at the corners of Lana's mouth, however.
"Well, where are you heading, Sir Lana? I do not believe you know where you are going," Kel started, switching the subject.
"Yes, well, I heard from someone that the practice courts were this way. I find it useful to hone my skills often, even if I do not have the luxury to do so. Right now, I should have been resting my knee, or at least that's what the healers said. I broke the cap during my journey." Kel, having plenty of experiences with broken bones, winced appreciatively. Come to think of it, she had been limping a bit when she first saw her, although it was barely noticeable to someone who wasn't looking for it.
"Do you want me to show you the way? It's not far from here. Just over that knoll over there," she expressed, pointing to a small hill a little ways to the left. Lana nodded, gratefully.
"Thank you, Keladry. You are very kind," Lana voiced appreciatively, changing her direction slightly to be in accordance with Kel's stride.
"Please, call me Kel."
The two made their way to the practice courts, amid unabashed looks from some of the male occupants. Whispers almost immediately arose: "What that the female knight that arrived in the night yesterday? Is she going to practice here, with us? I certainly hope she fouls up, it will make Galla look trivial compared to Tortall."
"Do you have your sword with you, Kel?" Lana asked unexpectedly. Kel raised her eyebrows and stepped back a step.
"Well, yes, but - "
"Oh good. Then we can have a proper fence." Lana drew her own sword and strolled over to the nearest empty practice court, examining her blade as she walked.
"Lana, I haven't warmed - "
"If you're up to it, of course." She grinned inexorably and wickedly, daring Kel to say no. The air around her turned from silent and gray to exciting and exhilarating.
Kel pondered it in her mind, and came out with a firm, resolute look in her eyes. "Fine. You want to play, then let's play."
A:N/// So, that's chapter three!!!!!!!! I'm finally finished. And if you're wondering, Lana can move fast. Very fast. Fast enough that she can go from the Dancing Dove to the palace in record breaking time. Well, maybe there was an alternative way, but for now, we'll just say she rode her first horse, uh, Genesis (??!!), back and forth. (Genesis means first, as in first book of the Bible, and it's also my friend's name. I liked it, and since he's her first horse, I guess...) I know last chapter, I said the ball was going to be in this chapter, but I wanted to get this out today, just for the satisfaction of getting it out, well, today. Next chapter: Kel and Lana square off, and the ball, duh. Lana meets a guy (no, we don't know him, but he's important with ties between Scanra + Galla + Tortall), and they hit it off, I think. I may have her hate him, but I'm not sure yet. How bout this, review and tell me! That way, it'll be all good! *heh heh* Review puh-lease! Thank you
reviewers!
P.S. Don't you just love a good cliff hanger?
Disclaimer: I own, well, let's see... nothing! Goddess, I've said that already like 5 gazillion times! All I own it the plot, and even that I still give kudos to Tamora Pierce, for creating such brilliant characters for me to mold and use at my very whim... ok, I'll stop now.
A: N/// So, basically chapter three will consist of two things: a bit of insight about Lana's past, a the beginning of a duel with Kel. Thank you to my reviewers! I love you! (Well, in the most non-literal term, anyway) heh heh. On with the story!
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Lana woke early, even before the sun started to peak through the corners of her window. She groaned and rolled over onto her back, staring at the ceiling. Impulsively, she crawled out of the warmth of her bed and stood up, looking at the gaunt curtains that adorned her window. She breathed roughly and dressed herself, not even looking into a mirror as she fitted her attire onto her smooth body. Without a sound, she jumped out of her ground level window and ran across gleaming dew-filled grass.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Eleni Cooper of Barony Olau strolled down the streets of Corus easily, fitting in as only a native city-goer could. She was to pick up a dress for the ball tonight; it had only been finished today. Which was cutting it awfully close, in her opinion. She roamed across the seasonable morning traffic; commoners were bustling from shop to shop, making their early day preparations while merchants started to set up carts in which to sell their goods in. She smiled at the sight; ever since she and Myles had wed, there was little time to visit the old sites of the city where she grew up, at least in the way she supposed she saw it. The way she saw it was not in carriages, or covered in the clothes of nobility, but as one of the common people. The memory of seeing her son as the King of the Rogue, and of treating the people whom couldn't afford a palace healer made her think of the old days long gone. However, in spite of the fact she would never see those days again, she smiled.
They had been good times.
Eleni rounded the corner to see another alleyway bursting with the usual crowd. The store where she was to pick up her dress as a few doors away, and she made her way there quickly. The door was open, and she let herself in.
"Miss Cooper! So glad to see you again!" the man behind the counter greeted her warmly. "I have your dress in the back. Just one moment, please." He turned to the door behind him and entered it, emerging a few seconds later to reveal a silky lavender dress with lace lining its hem.
"Thank you, Joesh," Eleni expressed gratefully. "I was a bit worried it wouldn't be ready on time." He held the dress up to her, playing with the fit to show her the job he had done.
"Oh, no madam, I promised it would be finished today, and Joesh always keeps his promises," he exclaimed. "Magnifique! A work of art!" Eleni blushed at his comment as she took the dress from him.
"Joesh, you spoil me so. How much would you like for the job?" she asked quaintly. Joesh put a finger to his chin, and thought for a few seconds.
"I'd say, for you, seventy-five gold nobles. And I won't hear of you paying any more, now Miss Cooper. You are indeed the most beautiful thing that will grace this dress." Eleni turned red again, and handed him the money out of her purse.
"Thank you, Joesh. I appreciate your generosity," she voiced as she strolled daintily out of his door, dress under arm. She thought of heading back to Barony Olau, but decided against it. She wanted to savor her short time in the city. Resolutely, she headed for the Dancing Dove.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Rispah, Queen of the Ladies of the Rogue, swished her brandy indifferently, as she stared at the open door of her room. It was early in the morning; yet she was as awake as ever at that moment. Standing at her door was a person she loved dearly; they shared many a time together when she was younger. She had aged much since Rispah had last seen her, she was now a young woman with the beauty of the queen herself, at least in her opinion. She wore the armor of the Royal House of Galla, and sported a gleaming knife at her belt hilt. Her dark raven hair was tied at the back of her head, her hazel eyes bright with exultation. The girl wore a black cloak over her armor which covered the long worn arms and callused hands that worked together so skillfully with her sword. Rispah slowly brought her lips together in a small smile.
"Hello, Lana."
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Eleni rounded the stairs to Rispah's room, clutching her dress tightly. There were still some of George's old friends that she didn't approve of.
Going up the stairs to her room, she thought of how many times she had done this in the past, and how little she had gotten to do this nowadays. Just climbing the steps of the Dancing Dove had been a shocking realization as to how far she had faded away from this life. Not that she didn't love Myles with all her heart and soul, but she truly did miss the sights and sounds of the common people. She came to the summit of the stairs, and walked, eyes glazed, to Rispah's room. Turning, she saw that the door was ajar. She opened the door the rest of the way to see a young woman sitting on Rispah's bed, talking with her niece.
"Great Merciful Mother," she breathed as she walked into the room. "Lana? Is that - is that you?" The girl broke into a broad smile and motioned for Eleni to sit next to her on the bed.
"Come. We have to keep this time precious, so let's start catching up now."
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Keladry of Mindelan woke up later than usual, considering the amount of sleep she had last night was -
"Oh my Goddess," she murmured as she rolled over. Cleon was lying next to her, sprawled out across her body. "Goddess, give me strength."
"Huh? What? Kel????" Cleon practically jolted out of bed, disheveling the covers as he went. "Kel... um... wait, Myles didn't lend us a few drinks last night, did he? I mean, because... um..." His voice trailed off as he went on. Kel rolled out of bed, yawning slightly as she fixed her wrinkled clothes.
"No, last night was the ordeal with Lana, remember? We must've fell asleep together. Nothing happened Cleon. Except, well, technically, we slept together. Oh, you know what I mean."
"Yes, I know my pearl. I wouldn't want it to be something we did just because we were drunk, anyway. It should be special," he whispered as he moved over around the bed to meet her. "Besides, it wouldn't be proper if I bedded you before we wed. And who knows when that will be." He kissed her gingerly and softly, then pulled back. "Come, my queen, breakfast is soon." She smirked at him, and left his room to change into something fresh.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
"Hey, Cleon, Kel! Over here!" Neal waved a hand to them, gesturing them to come over. Own, Merric, and Lana was with him, Lana looking a bit uncomfortable, yet poised at the same time.
"Hi guys. What's for breakfast today?" Kel asked plaintively. Merric held up a bowl of grimy, bland colored porridge, and smirked.
"Porridge surprise," he responded slyly as he moved over to make a seat for Kel and Cleon. "So where have you two been?"
Kel shrugged her shoulders carelessly and inconspicuously, trying not to draw attention to her late entrance with Cleon. Cleon ran slim fingers through his hair, and grinned stupidly. Their gazes met Kel and Cleon simultaneously, and they gawked openly at the couple. Lana was the only one oblivious to this, as she poured herself a glass of orange juice from a near-by pitcher. She shook her head and pursed her lips in repugnance. "Oh, Goddess, how can you drink this? It tastes as if a heifer flavored her milk with a lemon!" She pushed the glass away from her, averting the focus of the moment from Cleon and Kel to her.
"Its - its orange juice. How - how can you hate orange juice?" Neal stuttered in perplexity. Lana looked at him inconceivably.
"I told you, it tastes as if a heifer flavored her milk with a lemon!" She shuddered involuntarily, as if she were experiencing a traumatic experience. Neal shook his head, and returned his attention to Kel and Cleon.
"So - " He froze up, smiling sheepishly. "Did you?" Kel and Cleon looked at each other with skeptical glances, while the rest of the boys glanced at them expectantly. Lana remained oblivious.
"Neal, do you think you could run and get me some more porridge? And grab some for Keladry and Cleon while you're at it, would you?" Lana imposed on him, while edging him off the bench and then smacking him on the behind. "There's a good boy." Neal turned red, while the rest laughed, with the exception of Lana.
Neal ventured off toward the serving table, uttering something about ungrateful foreign knights and kings that impose too much of his soldiers. "Humph. The king said that if I needed anything that I should ask Sir Nealan, over there. It's not my responsibility to do his chores." She crossed her arms delicately, and pouted, but not before giving a wink unnoticed by everyone by Kel. Kel slipped her a small smile and a wordless 'thank you.' Lana gave her the tiniest of nods, and stood up off the bench. "Well, I must be going. It was nice talking to all you."
"But what about your porridge?" a freshly returned Neal managed to gargle before he dropped Cleon's dish.
"Oh, well, you can give mine to Cleon, since you dropped his," she answered back. Neal groaned loudly, before giving Kel and Cleon their bowls. Then, he groaned again, and ran to get a towel boy to clean up the mess. Kel shoveled down her porridge before Neal came back with the towel boy, and ran outside to catch up with Lana.
"Lana!" she cried from a few steps behind her. Lana turned to meet her, and raised her eyebrows quizzically at Kel. Kel reached her, panting slightly. "Thank you," she breathed heavily. "For taking Neal's attention away from Cleon and me. It was good of you."
Lana smiled at her remark. "What are you talking about, Lady Knight? I did nothing except express my wishes to be served by what the King offers me. I did not revert Sir Nealan's attention from you, simply prolonged it, however inadvertently." Kel looked at her, puzzled, but shrugged it off. She did not miss the smile of amusement that twitched at the corners of Lana's mouth, however.
"Well, where are you heading, Sir Lana? I do not believe you know where you are going," Kel started, switching the subject.
"Yes, well, I heard from someone that the practice courts were this way. I find it useful to hone my skills often, even if I do not have the luxury to do so. Right now, I should have been resting my knee, or at least that's what the healers said. I broke the cap during my journey." Kel, having plenty of experiences with broken bones, winced appreciatively. Come to think of it, she had been limping a bit when she first saw her, although it was barely noticeable to someone who wasn't looking for it.
"Do you want me to show you the way? It's not far from here. Just over that knoll over there," she expressed, pointing to a small hill a little ways to the left. Lana nodded, gratefully.
"Thank you, Keladry. You are very kind," Lana voiced appreciatively, changing her direction slightly to be in accordance with Kel's stride.
"Please, call me Kel."
The two made their way to the practice courts, amid unabashed looks from some of the male occupants. Whispers almost immediately arose: "What that the female knight that arrived in the night yesterday? Is she going to practice here, with us? I certainly hope she fouls up, it will make Galla look trivial compared to Tortall."
"Do you have your sword with you, Kel?" Lana asked unexpectedly. Kel raised her eyebrows and stepped back a step.
"Well, yes, but - "
"Oh good. Then we can have a proper fence." Lana drew her own sword and strolled over to the nearest empty practice court, examining her blade as she walked.
"Lana, I haven't warmed - "
"If you're up to it, of course." She grinned inexorably and wickedly, daring Kel to say no. The air around her turned from silent and gray to exciting and exhilarating.
Kel pondered it in her mind, and came out with a firm, resolute look in her eyes. "Fine. You want to play, then let's play."
A:N/// So, that's chapter three!!!!!!!! I'm finally finished. And if you're wondering, Lana can move fast. Very fast. Fast enough that she can go from the Dancing Dove to the palace in record breaking time. Well, maybe there was an alternative way, but for now, we'll just say she rode her first horse, uh, Genesis (??!!), back and forth. (Genesis means first, as in first book of the Bible, and it's also my friend's name. I liked it, and since he's her first horse, I guess...) I know last chapter, I said the ball was going to be in this chapter, but I wanted to get this out today, just for the satisfaction of getting it out, well, today. Next chapter: Kel and Lana square off, and the ball, duh. Lana meets a guy (no, we don't know him, but he's important with ties between Scanra + Galla + Tortall), and they hit it off, I think. I may have her hate him, but I'm not sure yet. How bout this, review and tell me! That way, it'll be all good! *heh heh* Review puh-lease! Thank you
reviewers!
P.S. Don't you just love a good cliff hanger?