1 A/N Hi everyone reading this!!! If you've got this far, congratulations
on getting through my insanity, and I hope you will review. I don't have
very many for this fic. : ( I'm running out of inspiration, but that
might be just because it's late and I'm dying through lack of sleep. If
you have any suggestions or plot ideas, please email me. Oh, and if you
know how to make bold, underlining, or italics work, PLEASE, PLEASE TELL
ME!!! I can't get them to work, and it's driving me insane. Please R/R,
even flames are useful. They give me anger, and energy to prove to stupid
people that I can write good fics. *glare* So…….read and review! If you
review mine, I'll review yours!!! And what do you think of the Kel/Cleon
pairing?
~*~
The next day, the whole camp was up bright and early. Not, however, as early as Kel. She was used to getting up at the crack of dawn, so by the time Roald and Cleon were up she had already packed her bag and done her morning exercises and glaive practice. They looked on in admiration as Kel did her routine pattern dance, moving it in swirls, getting faster and faster, and then stopping it exactly an inch from the ground. Noticing that she had her two friends were watching, Kel did a much more complex pattern dance that she rarely did unless she had plenty of time on her hands. It was much more ornate, and mainly for show rather than for practical purposes. Cleon's and Roald's eyes were wide in admiration as she did the spins, chops, and slashes that made up the complex exercise. As she completed it, they applauded.
Kel grinned as she told them, "I'm a bit out of practice after being out of the Islands for so long. I try to keep it going by doing these exercises every day."
"Could you teach me?" Cleon asked.
"I guess I could. I started at six, but I don't see any reason why you can't start now. If you want." She replied.
"I'm not going to. I am perfectly sticking to normal staff work, considering the extra 'learning how to rule a kingdom' lessons my father puts me through." The crown prince of the realm pulled a face. Kel hid a giggle. He became more outgoing with every mile separating him from his father, although Kel doubted that he would ever lose his courtesy, reservation, and his strong sense of duty. Kel smiled at them both; the only friends that she would see for a long time.
"Let's get going, I'm sure our knight-masters will be awake by now, and wanting us."
"Let us go and face the peril of a grumpy knight-master in the early morning. No offence to your brother, Kel," Cleon added hastily. Kel grinned.
"Grumpy I can agree with. Definitely. But he does calm down. I haven't seen him in a while, maybe I should go and pay a social call on him tonight."
"And then I would have to wait on you- a squire younger than myself! The indignity of it!" Kel and Roald rolled their eyes simultaneously, and then punched him lightly on each arm, together.
"It's a conspiracy! You're all against me, the young an old alike." Cleon wailed. Kel snorted.
"Young? Me? Listen, dear, I may be younger than you, but I can beat you at fencing or archery any day of the week." Roald grinned at her.
"That's telling him!" he said teasingly. Kel very uncharacteristically stuck her tongue out at him. They split up then, in three different directions to hunt out their knight-masters.
Raoul was awake, as Kel had guessed he would be. He bade her come in, and then told her of the plans for the day.
"We're going to continue on to the unicorns, and we ought to be there by sunset. That is, if we have no mishaps. I've had a messenger from Eria, the village that's having the problem with the unicorns. There was another attack yesterday afternoon. A young mother and her six-month old baby were killed. We will have to hurry to get there soon." Raoul's face was sombre.
"Sir," Kel asked, "Why do unicorns turn on people? Why do they just suddenly attack villages for no apparent reason?" Raoul appeared to think it over for a time.
"Kel, the answer to that is long and complicated. Dismantle your tent, pack your stuff, and I'll tell you during the ride. We'll be riding solidly for a quite a while."
"Yes, sir. Is there anything you'll need?" Raoul rolled his eyes.
"I've told you lots of times; squiring for me will not be traditional. If I want you for something, I'll tell you. But actually, there is one thing. Call me 'Raoul' not 'Sir.' You'd better say 'Sir' when we're among the old prudes, but here with the Own, I'm the leader. You can call me what you like, and as long as I don't object, they won't. Got it?" Raoul grinned at her. Wyldon had drilled her in manners well.
"I've got it, I've got it." Kel's face suddenly went blank, to cover up her mortification. She had answered contritely to a knight! Worse, to her knight-master, the commander of the Own! Sure, he was different and lax, but not that lax. Kel doubted if he would tolerate disrespect. To her surprise, he grinned.
"That's better! As long as you're not down-right rude, I would be happy to hear your opinions. Being supreme leader of the King's Own does give one a reason to act pompously." Kel grinned at him and took her leave. Squiring for Raoul was going to be fun!
Raoul's hand went down, and the Own moved out. Their pace was faster than yesterday, and Kel suspected that it was because of the new attack. She, Cleon, and Roald rode up to listen to Raoul give his account on why unicorns turn on humans. Joren stayed at the back. None of the other squires missed him.
"Raoul, would you mind telling us about the unicorns, now?" Kel asked tentatively. Her knight-master appeared to be deep in thought. Kel's voice knocked him out of his reverie, and he replied,
"Yes, I'll tell you. Right, you know what unicorns are, don't you?" His question was addressed at all three would-be knights, so Roald answered.
"Unicorns are immortal creatures, in the sense that they don't die of old- age or disease. They appear in the form of white horses, but have a long horn above their eyes. It's used mainly for self-defence, because unicorns are herbivores."
"Good, so you know the basics. So, as to why they go bad. Unicorns were brought into the mortal realms a few years back, when the magical barrier separating the immortals from the mortal realm collapsed. The unicorns came back, prepared for their old style of living. Unicorns are intelligent. There are some immortals that are less than intelligent, and unicorns aren't one of them. But, despite being intelligent, they have a tendency to… well… go mad. Their horns have magical properties, they heal most wounds readily, for a start. That has lead to the poaching of unicorns, for their horns alone.
"As I've said, unicorns are intelligent, and they are highly magical creatures. But up against humans armed with pikes, they don't stand much of a chance. Unicorns do have the capability to recognise ambushes, but often it is too late. Their hooves and horns are superior weapons in many situations, but they are inadequate when facing a large group of poachers. I don't know what happened in this case to set a unicorn against mankind, but my guess would be poachers. Unicorns don't travel in groups, but alone. They meet in large groups about once every six months, thought, and when a unicorn foal is born it lives and travels with its mother for half a year, until it is old enough to survive on its own.
"Killer unicorns tend to be female, and with a wrath to all creatures, humans and fellow unicorns alike. Often, it is mothers of foals that have been killed that turn against humans. Young unicorns are a symbol of innocence and virtue. That, unfortunately, makes them all the more valuable. I suspect, that in this case, a unicorn foal has been killed, with the mother left alive, but unable to protect her offspring. Unicorns do have strong linking magic. Although unicorn foals don't live with their fathers, there is a very strong bond between father and foal. You may have heard stories of fathers competing with their sons for territory. That is true, when the unicorn is old enough not only to be a challenge, but also to defend itself. When it is young and weak, not even a mother unicorn is more protective than a father.
"A unicorn foal must have been killed. The parents unicorns living near the village found out, and are taking retribution on the village. If this is true, then we might have to kill the unicorns. It is an unpleasant task, but is often necessary. Baby unicorns are, as I have said, the symbol of innocence and virtue. Adult unicorns are the same, but less powerful as they get older. Only a virgin maiden has any hope of approaching and convincing a unicorn of anything. They can understand human speech, but it is rare when they acknowledge it. What is needed is a maiden with an understanding of defence, so she can protect herself if the unicorn is so far gone that it won't listen to reason. Otherwise, it will have to be killed."
Kel gulped. She had a feeling that she knew where this was heading. But before she could open her mouth to say anything, there was a panicked shout from behind.
~*~
Disclaimer: Oh, I almost forgot! Not that there's any point in saying this, because it will be a long time before I own any world-famous characters, but just to keep the crazy people who might believe that I do own some-one here, let me tell you: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING!!! That must have been the world's longest run-on sentence. Oh dear, you know I'm getting tired when I start talking about grammar. Okay, okay, I'll shut up now. I hope you liked it, and once again…….email me with suggestions or italic/bold/underlining advice. Thankyou! And review!
~*~
The next day, the whole camp was up bright and early. Not, however, as early as Kel. She was used to getting up at the crack of dawn, so by the time Roald and Cleon were up she had already packed her bag and done her morning exercises and glaive practice. They looked on in admiration as Kel did her routine pattern dance, moving it in swirls, getting faster and faster, and then stopping it exactly an inch from the ground. Noticing that she had her two friends were watching, Kel did a much more complex pattern dance that she rarely did unless she had plenty of time on her hands. It was much more ornate, and mainly for show rather than for practical purposes. Cleon's and Roald's eyes were wide in admiration as she did the spins, chops, and slashes that made up the complex exercise. As she completed it, they applauded.
Kel grinned as she told them, "I'm a bit out of practice after being out of the Islands for so long. I try to keep it going by doing these exercises every day."
"Could you teach me?" Cleon asked.
"I guess I could. I started at six, but I don't see any reason why you can't start now. If you want." She replied.
"I'm not going to. I am perfectly sticking to normal staff work, considering the extra 'learning how to rule a kingdom' lessons my father puts me through." The crown prince of the realm pulled a face. Kel hid a giggle. He became more outgoing with every mile separating him from his father, although Kel doubted that he would ever lose his courtesy, reservation, and his strong sense of duty. Kel smiled at them both; the only friends that she would see for a long time.
"Let's get going, I'm sure our knight-masters will be awake by now, and wanting us."
"Let us go and face the peril of a grumpy knight-master in the early morning. No offence to your brother, Kel," Cleon added hastily. Kel grinned.
"Grumpy I can agree with. Definitely. But he does calm down. I haven't seen him in a while, maybe I should go and pay a social call on him tonight."
"And then I would have to wait on you- a squire younger than myself! The indignity of it!" Kel and Roald rolled their eyes simultaneously, and then punched him lightly on each arm, together.
"It's a conspiracy! You're all against me, the young an old alike." Cleon wailed. Kel snorted.
"Young? Me? Listen, dear, I may be younger than you, but I can beat you at fencing or archery any day of the week." Roald grinned at her.
"That's telling him!" he said teasingly. Kel very uncharacteristically stuck her tongue out at him. They split up then, in three different directions to hunt out their knight-masters.
Raoul was awake, as Kel had guessed he would be. He bade her come in, and then told her of the plans for the day.
"We're going to continue on to the unicorns, and we ought to be there by sunset. That is, if we have no mishaps. I've had a messenger from Eria, the village that's having the problem with the unicorns. There was another attack yesterday afternoon. A young mother and her six-month old baby were killed. We will have to hurry to get there soon." Raoul's face was sombre.
"Sir," Kel asked, "Why do unicorns turn on people? Why do they just suddenly attack villages for no apparent reason?" Raoul appeared to think it over for a time.
"Kel, the answer to that is long and complicated. Dismantle your tent, pack your stuff, and I'll tell you during the ride. We'll be riding solidly for a quite a while."
"Yes, sir. Is there anything you'll need?" Raoul rolled his eyes.
"I've told you lots of times; squiring for me will not be traditional. If I want you for something, I'll tell you. But actually, there is one thing. Call me 'Raoul' not 'Sir.' You'd better say 'Sir' when we're among the old prudes, but here with the Own, I'm the leader. You can call me what you like, and as long as I don't object, they won't. Got it?" Raoul grinned at her. Wyldon had drilled her in manners well.
"I've got it, I've got it." Kel's face suddenly went blank, to cover up her mortification. She had answered contritely to a knight! Worse, to her knight-master, the commander of the Own! Sure, he was different and lax, but not that lax. Kel doubted if he would tolerate disrespect. To her surprise, he grinned.
"That's better! As long as you're not down-right rude, I would be happy to hear your opinions. Being supreme leader of the King's Own does give one a reason to act pompously." Kel grinned at him and took her leave. Squiring for Raoul was going to be fun!
Raoul's hand went down, and the Own moved out. Their pace was faster than yesterday, and Kel suspected that it was because of the new attack. She, Cleon, and Roald rode up to listen to Raoul give his account on why unicorns turn on humans. Joren stayed at the back. None of the other squires missed him.
"Raoul, would you mind telling us about the unicorns, now?" Kel asked tentatively. Her knight-master appeared to be deep in thought. Kel's voice knocked him out of his reverie, and he replied,
"Yes, I'll tell you. Right, you know what unicorns are, don't you?" His question was addressed at all three would-be knights, so Roald answered.
"Unicorns are immortal creatures, in the sense that they don't die of old- age or disease. They appear in the form of white horses, but have a long horn above their eyes. It's used mainly for self-defence, because unicorns are herbivores."
"Good, so you know the basics. So, as to why they go bad. Unicorns were brought into the mortal realms a few years back, when the magical barrier separating the immortals from the mortal realm collapsed. The unicorns came back, prepared for their old style of living. Unicorns are intelligent. There are some immortals that are less than intelligent, and unicorns aren't one of them. But, despite being intelligent, they have a tendency to… well… go mad. Their horns have magical properties, they heal most wounds readily, for a start. That has lead to the poaching of unicorns, for their horns alone.
"As I've said, unicorns are intelligent, and they are highly magical creatures. But up against humans armed with pikes, they don't stand much of a chance. Unicorns do have the capability to recognise ambushes, but often it is too late. Their hooves and horns are superior weapons in many situations, but they are inadequate when facing a large group of poachers. I don't know what happened in this case to set a unicorn against mankind, but my guess would be poachers. Unicorns don't travel in groups, but alone. They meet in large groups about once every six months, thought, and when a unicorn foal is born it lives and travels with its mother for half a year, until it is old enough to survive on its own.
"Killer unicorns tend to be female, and with a wrath to all creatures, humans and fellow unicorns alike. Often, it is mothers of foals that have been killed that turn against humans. Young unicorns are a symbol of innocence and virtue. That, unfortunately, makes them all the more valuable. I suspect, that in this case, a unicorn foal has been killed, with the mother left alive, but unable to protect her offspring. Unicorns do have strong linking magic. Although unicorn foals don't live with their fathers, there is a very strong bond between father and foal. You may have heard stories of fathers competing with their sons for territory. That is true, when the unicorn is old enough not only to be a challenge, but also to defend itself. When it is young and weak, not even a mother unicorn is more protective than a father.
"A unicorn foal must have been killed. The parents unicorns living near the village found out, and are taking retribution on the village. If this is true, then we might have to kill the unicorns. It is an unpleasant task, but is often necessary. Baby unicorns are, as I have said, the symbol of innocence and virtue. Adult unicorns are the same, but less powerful as they get older. Only a virgin maiden has any hope of approaching and convincing a unicorn of anything. They can understand human speech, but it is rare when they acknowledge it. What is needed is a maiden with an understanding of defence, so she can protect herself if the unicorn is so far gone that it won't listen to reason. Otherwise, it will have to be killed."
Kel gulped. She had a feeling that she knew where this was heading. But before she could open her mouth to say anything, there was a panicked shout from behind.
~*~
Disclaimer: Oh, I almost forgot! Not that there's any point in saying this, because it will be a long time before I own any world-famous characters, but just to keep the crazy people who might believe that I do own some-one here, let me tell you: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING!!! That must have been the world's longest run-on sentence. Oh dear, you know I'm getting tired when I start talking about grammar. Okay, okay, I'll shut up now. I hope you liked it, and once again…….email me with suggestions or italic/bold/underlining advice. Thankyou! And review!
