Chapter 5
The real reason why Alanna had not really wanted to stop and go with Shelaya straight away was because the poor Lioness was pregnant and didn't feel up to riding all the way back to that ungrateful King. George had convinced her that Shelaya was old enough to look after herself. She figured after a days rest at the Barony she would ride back the next day.
Unfortunately, the next morning Alanna was seized by contractions, Braxton hicks, a false alarm and Sir Miles insisted that she not ride out.
Alanna was still worried about Shelaya "George we said we were going to follow the poor child…"
"Darling, you're in pain, we can't go"
"Well….well, then you go along, I'll be fine here with my father"
George looked at her and saw the pleading look she gave him, he nodded reluctantly "Alright lass, I'll go, but don't forget that…"
"Where's Shelaya!!" George and Alanna heard Sir Miles screaming and shouting at his servants.
A bang and the red faced man burst into the room.
The two jumped. "What's wrong father?" Alanna asked innocently
"I…I…I had a child living here with me, she had lost her memory and was hurt, I saved her life, and was looking for her family until this day, I think she ran away, I can't find her. Have you seen her?"
"S..S..seen her, I…uh.." Alanna looked up at George. He squeezed her hand "We haven' t seen anyone sir" George told Sir Miles firmly.
"Oh." He wiped his sweaty face with a red handkerchief "Oh…dear, now I must send out some of my men to find her, oh dear, and they were supposed to be looking for her family, now we'll be even more delayed. The poor, poor child" He sighed and turned away.
"Wait!" George called "I…I can go after her sir, I'll find her"
"Are you sure?" Miles asked, "I don't want to trouble you, it's not necessary"
"'Tis no trouble at all, and it is necessary what's the lass look like?" he smiled softly, humoring Myles.
"Oh, she has amazing color hair, marone I think, yay high, and emerald eyes, she's a very distinctive child, 'bout eleven you can't miss her, I don't think she could have gone far, I mean her femur was broken not so long ago..."
"That so?" George asked. So the child had not been lying to him.
"Yes, but she is better, oh dear, oh...oh dear. Well do you need some help, she might be hard to find, who knows where she is now." Miles stuttered
"I think I can find her, I WAS a former thief..." George smirked
"No worries, Father, George'll find, won't ye laddy'm'love" Alanna turned to her dear husband.
"That I will, ladybuck" His eyes twinkled. "I'll go right away, I'll just go pack my bags and horse and come back before I leave."
He gave Alanna peck on the cheek and exited the room.
"Thank you George" Miles called out and collapsed on a chair near the bed Alanna was lying on.
"How are you doing my dear?"
"Fine Father"
"Good, good" He absently patted her.
Shelaya did not know how Alanna and George confronted Sir Myles about her running away, for she did not care. She was on a journey to find her new life, or find her past.
She traveled back down the road in which she had supposedly broken her leg and nearly died, being attacked by a creature called Spidren, and bandits.
At the moment Shelaya's memory was still sketchy, with the help of Sir Myles she had regained all facts in life. But what was lost to her was her absolute past, everything and anyone she had known had been forgotten. Shelaya's mind was a jumble, anything about her family was completely wiped out, and she was frustrated about that.
She had already travelled the night of her birthday (which she did not know about), when she had met George and Alanna, set up camp, slept and woken up again to continue travelling through the next day.
Galloping down the road and through the forest, Shelaya was suddenly seized by a terrific headache.
She woah-ed her horse into halting and slid of him, she felt disoriented and needed to sit down on solid ground.
As soon as she hit the earth, Shelaya's mind was thrown into tantrum like screaming. She glimpsed images, images of her and Blaze, bandits and a Spidren.
It took Shelaya 20 minutes before she had completely remembered that scene.
She got on her knees and threw up everything she had eaten that day.
She looked up at the dark clouds in the night sky and thought she'd better hurry and find a campsite.
She placed her feet in Blazes stirrup and hoisted herself on. He snorted "Easy, old boy, I remember you now" She gave him an affectionate hug and eased him into a fast trot then a fast gallop.
Shelaya spent the day galloping and resting, until the sky had turned into a dusky blue.
Later that morning, after giving farewells to his wife and her stomach, George Cooper, former King of Thieves, rode out of the Barony of Olua and onto the North Road towards Corus, the road Shelaya had taken.
By late noon he had found her horse's footsteps and followed the tracks.
After a few hours, he was in seeing distance of Shelaya. He kept a close eye on her, but kept his distance, watching the child, and making sure she was in no danger. He figured that she would probably take the offer he had given her in the parchment.
The sunset, and George kept watch as Shelaya set up her camp, and then he set his.
Setting up camp was a breeze. She settled under a tree with low, thick foliage that acted as a roof. She made a small fire, fed Blaze some oats, and sat down to eat her meal. Remembering that George had given her something, Shelaya excitedly rummaged through her bag. She pulled out a folded piece of parchment and plonked down to read it:
If ye have gotten this parchment, it means that either ye're interested in this profession, or someone special realises that this would be yer perfect profession. If ye ARE interested, then ye should go th'Dancing Dove for an interview, keep this parchment safe, do not let anyone else take it, when ye reach th'Dancing Dove ask fer the 'Rogue' From then on, if you are hired, than life shall be…as ye wish it t'be.
Court of th'Rogue
Hmmm, Shelaya thought, this interesting, I have no where to go, I know no one, I am not afraid, which is weird. I might as well go there, they're offering me a job, I think, yes...yes when I reach Corus, I WILL go there, yes, yes I will. She nodded in agreement to her idea. She shivered excitedly and cuddled up to Blaze to sleep. She sighed in her sleep, in contentment.
The real reason why Alanna had not really wanted to stop and go with Shelaya straight away was because the poor Lioness was pregnant and didn't feel up to riding all the way back to that ungrateful King. George had convinced her that Shelaya was old enough to look after herself. She figured after a days rest at the Barony she would ride back the next day.
Unfortunately, the next morning Alanna was seized by contractions, Braxton hicks, a false alarm and Sir Miles insisted that she not ride out.
Alanna was still worried about Shelaya "George we said we were going to follow the poor child…"
"Darling, you're in pain, we can't go"
"Well….well, then you go along, I'll be fine here with my father"
George looked at her and saw the pleading look she gave him, he nodded reluctantly "Alright lass, I'll go, but don't forget that…"
"Where's Shelaya!!" George and Alanna heard Sir Miles screaming and shouting at his servants.
A bang and the red faced man burst into the room.
The two jumped. "What's wrong father?" Alanna asked innocently
"I…I…I had a child living here with me, she had lost her memory and was hurt, I saved her life, and was looking for her family until this day, I think she ran away, I can't find her. Have you seen her?"
"S..S..seen her, I…uh.." Alanna looked up at George. He squeezed her hand "We haven' t seen anyone sir" George told Sir Miles firmly.
"Oh." He wiped his sweaty face with a red handkerchief "Oh…dear, now I must send out some of my men to find her, oh dear, and they were supposed to be looking for her family, now we'll be even more delayed. The poor, poor child" He sighed and turned away.
"Wait!" George called "I…I can go after her sir, I'll find her"
"Are you sure?" Miles asked, "I don't want to trouble you, it's not necessary"
"'Tis no trouble at all, and it is necessary what's the lass look like?" he smiled softly, humoring Myles.
"Oh, she has amazing color hair, marone I think, yay high, and emerald eyes, she's a very distinctive child, 'bout eleven you can't miss her, I don't think she could have gone far, I mean her femur was broken not so long ago..."
"That so?" George asked. So the child had not been lying to him.
"Yes, but she is better, oh dear, oh...oh dear. Well do you need some help, she might be hard to find, who knows where she is now." Miles stuttered
"I think I can find her, I WAS a former thief..." George smirked
"No worries, Father, George'll find, won't ye laddy'm'love" Alanna turned to her dear husband.
"That I will, ladybuck" His eyes twinkled. "I'll go right away, I'll just go pack my bags and horse and come back before I leave."
He gave Alanna peck on the cheek and exited the room.
"Thank you George" Miles called out and collapsed on a chair near the bed Alanna was lying on.
"How are you doing my dear?"
"Fine Father"
"Good, good" He absently patted her.
Shelaya did not know how Alanna and George confronted Sir Myles about her running away, for she did not care. She was on a journey to find her new life, or find her past.
She traveled back down the road in which she had supposedly broken her leg and nearly died, being attacked by a creature called Spidren, and bandits.
At the moment Shelaya's memory was still sketchy, with the help of Sir Myles she had regained all facts in life. But what was lost to her was her absolute past, everything and anyone she had known had been forgotten. Shelaya's mind was a jumble, anything about her family was completely wiped out, and she was frustrated about that.
She had already travelled the night of her birthday (which she did not know about), when she had met George and Alanna, set up camp, slept and woken up again to continue travelling through the next day.
Galloping down the road and through the forest, Shelaya was suddenly seized by a terrific headache.
She woah-ed her horse into halting and slid of him, she felt disoriented and needed to sit down on solid ground.
As soon as she hit the earth, Shelaya's mind was thrown into tantrum like screaming. She glimpsed images, images of her and Blaze, bandits and a Spidren.
It took Shelaya 20 minutes before she had completely remembered that scene.
She got on her knees and threw up everything she had eaten that day.
She looked up at the dark clouds in the night sky and thought she'd better hurry and find a campsite.
She placed her feet in Blazes stirrup and hoisted herself on. He snorted "Easy, old boy, I remember you now" She gave him an affectionate hug and eased him into a fast trot then a fast gallop.
Shelaya spent the day galloping and resting, until the sky had turned into a dusky blue.
Later that morning, after giving farewells to his wife and her stomach, George Cooper, former King of Thieves, rode out of the Barony of Olua and onto the North Road towards Corus, the road Shelaya had taken.
By late noon he had found her horse's footsteps and followed the tracks.
After a few hours, he was in seeing distance of Shelaya. He kept a close eye on her, but kept his distance, watching the child, and making sure she was in no danger. He figured that she would probably take the offer he had given her in the parchment.
The sunset, and George kept watch as Shelaya set up her camp, and then he set his.
Setting up camp was a breeze. She settled under a tree with low, thick foliage that acted as a roof. She made a small fire, fed Blaze some oats, and sat down to eat her meal. Remembering that George had given her something, Shelaya excitedly rummaged through her bag. She pulled out a folded piece of parchment and plonked down to read it:
If ye have gotten this parchment, it means that either ye're interested in this profession, or someone special realises that this would be yer perfect profession. If ye ARE interested, then ye should go th'Dancing Dove for an interview, keep this parchment safe, do not let anyone else take it, when ye reach th'Dancing Dove ask fer the 'Rogue' From then on, if you are hired, than life shall be…as ye wish it t'be.
Court of th'Rogue
Hmmm, Shelaya thought, this interesting, I have no where to go, I know no one, I am not afraid, which is weird. I might as well go there, they're offering me a job, I think, yes...yes when I reach Corus, I WILL go there, yes, yes I will. She nodded in agreement to her idea. She shivered excitedly and cuddled up to Blaze to sleep. She sighed in her sleep, in contentment.