Disclaimer: I do not own anything TP related!!! (obviously)
A/N-OK, next chapter.enjoy! (not much else to say till the end; lol)
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Leya was up long before dawn packing her saddlebags. Shamir could carry a lot, but she didn't want to overload him since he was still quite young. She slipped inside and had a quick breakfast that her mother provided without saying a word. Padding silently back up to her room, she removed her bow and quiver of arrows, then sat silently, staring at the knives. They wouldn't be much help to her, as she could only use them at long distances (A/N-she never learned to use the knives in close combat, she can only throw them). After a moment, she closed the box, though not before considering taking them as a form of rebellion toward her father.
She jogged back downstairs and saddled Sham, leading him silently out of the barn. The black colt sensed his mistress' mood, so he refrained from his normal frisky (and annoying) tactics. Without a word or a backward glance, Leya swung up into the saddle and rode away.
The second they were out of sight of the farm, Leya picked up a canter till she got to the main road. Before they were even in sight of the path, a shrill whinny split the air. Sham tilted his magnificent head back and answered with a whinny of his own, extending his stride slightly. There, by the side of the road, stood Raphael and Bonfire. Raphael grinned and waved while Bonfire pranced excitedly, waiting for his friend and fellow horse in the antics of mischief.
Leya brought Sham to a graceful halt and called to Raphael. "Come on, stranger! We wanna be gone before the sun comes up!"
Raphael jogged Bonfire till they were alongside their friends. "They sure wanted you out early, that's for sure."
Leya smiled grimly. "Yeah, well, if I can't creep around the house and act as though I don't exist, they kick me out like this. More of an annoyance then anything." Raphael shook his head and decided once again to wait till later to find out more about exactly what had happened.
The day came and went with amiable chatter and friendly jokes. Nothing of true importance occurred that first day, nor the next, for that matter. It was when they reached the mountains that anything happened.
They climbed one of the smaller mountains, leading their horses most of the time so they didn't risk hurting them. They reached the top in the early morning of the third day and decided to camp there. The view took Leya's breath away, for though they weren't on the tallest mountain, this one still had enough height to reveal the lay of the country next to Tortall, Scanra. The rivers flowed through green plains, twisting their way down toward Tortall. The largest river ran through the center of her view, the River Forline. This river flowed from somewhere in Scanra to Corus in Tortall, where it served as the main water source for the people in the city. The sun reflected off the water, creating little flashes of light every now and then. It was a beautiful sight, with the cities in the distances and towns spread out to the right and left.
After they were set up, Leya began to survey the mountain. "I'd better start looking for the Rolip Juliana wants."
Raphael wrinkled his nose. "May I remind you that this is your chore; not mine!" He took care not to mention the fact that Leya was calling her mother by her first name.
Leya glared at him. "Yeah, yeah, I know. I'll be back in a minute then." She turned and trotted off, searching among the rocks for any sign of the little white flower. The sun rose and beat down without mercy on her skin, making her hot and sweaty. She tripped multiple times over rocks and various shrubs, but none was Rolip. She was becoming very cross and annoyed, when a very disagreeable scent reached her nose. She turned toward the scent and trotted in a direction that led her slightly downward toward Scanra. As the smell became stronger, she wrinkled her nose and tried to breathe more through her mouth to avoid the horrible odor. So intent was she on finding the plant, she didn't realize that she was nearly at the base of the mountain. . .
After Leya left, Raphael had simply sat down to think. So far he hadn't asked Leya anything about the night when her father hit her. Silently, he laughed at himself for thinking of Theron as Leya's father. O yes, he was her father biologically, but he sure didn't act it. That man cared nothing for her, and her mother, Juliana, turned a blind eye to every misdeed done to Leya. Raphael wasn't sure if they treated her like this because she was the youngest or because she was female. From what he could figure out, Leya didn't see her brothers too much, so, in total, she had no one who really cared for her, except him.
He sighed and shook his head. It was a brutal business. He would have to watch her when they got back, because he knew that she would undoubtedly find a way to keep him from knowing if Theron hit her again. That was just the way she was and it aggravated him that she wouldn't trust him completely. Theron couldn't be allowed to get away with this, but Raphael knew there was nothing he could do. He wanted more then anything to help his friend, but he was completely unable to. He sighed miserably, and Bonfire nickered reassurance from nearby, though he had no idea the predicament his master was in. After a moment more of reflection, he decided he would just have to talk to Leya about it when she got back.
A flash of bright light jolted him out of his thoughts. He looked down toward Scanra, annoyed, automatically assuming that it had just been a reflection off the water. However, there, near a tree, stood at least ten people talking. To their right was the River Forline. He frowned and reached over and grabbed his spyglass out of one of Bonfire's packs that lay on the ground. Opening it and peering through it at the people, he made a startling realization. These people were carrying weapons! A breeze had caught one mans cloak, sending it fluttering around him for a moment and revealing the silver sword attached to his belt, which reflected the sunlight.
'Weapons?' Raphael thought, 'In this place?' He glanced at their surroundings. There were a few towns in the distance, and the city, quite far off. This was not a place needed to carry weapons in. All the countries were experiencing a rare time of peace, and so it was unusual to see anyone openly carrying a sword. . . except knights of course. But what would ten knights be doing, standing in the middle of a field, talking to one another, instead of drinking and attending feasts in the city? It baffled Raphael to no end, at least, till he looked at their faces closer.
Various knights would pass through their small town on their way to the boarders. They would stop to rest their horses and take a meal before continuing on the next day. Stories would be passed around, mostly of war. The knights always had a tale or two about the rulers of various countries, giving very detailed descriptions of them. He had always listened avidly, knowing that he would probably never see these people for himself. How wrong he was.
As he looked at the group of rulers from Tortall's neighboring countries, he decided that the knights had exaggerated a little on their opinions, but, in general, they met the descriptions. There was the ruler of Carthak, as well as the rulers of Scanra, Tyra, Tusaine, the Copper Isles, Galla, Maren, and three others. As Raphael watched, he noticed that they were talking and making random gestures toward the river. After a moment, one of them held out a little bottle. From this distance, Raphael couldn't see what was inside it, but he knew almost right away that it couldn't be bad. One of the men took it (the leader of Tusaine, Raphael noticed) and unscrewed the lid. He held it over the river, said a few words to the nine leaders behind him, then dumped it into the river. After a few more minutes of talk, they broke up and traveled in different directions.
Raphael sat there for quite some time, then noticed it was getting dark and started to make a fire. After a while, he became restless. Where was Leya? She should have been back before. He stood right at the edge of the firelight, straining his eyes for any sign of her. . .
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A/N-OK! Thank-you everyone for reviewing! Believe me, I know about the perfectional stuff, and, I'm going to do everything I can to change it I promise. A lot about her is going to change, and I would have done it earlier if. . . my brother hadn't completely messed up our computer this morning so my dad had to take is apart (yes, apart, completely) ~*and*~ (you're never going to believe this one) I lost ~*all*~ of my files, so I have to go and copy and paste and do some other stuff before I can re- upload the first chapter with the changes to the description paragraph (believe me, she's gonna change ~*a lot*~). OK:
Larzdinn-Yes, now I'm happy. . .LOL. About the weapon thing: she can do ~*no*~ I repeat ~*no*~ hand-to-hand combat what-so-ever. Also, she can only throw the knives, she can't use them for close combat. Do you think that'll work for being bad at one of the weapons? There's a lot more coming up! It'll get really interesting when they go to the city. O, and thank you so much for giving me a WHOLE day instead of just a few hours! Thankies! I think I can have the next chapter up in a couple of minutes since this is probably going to be a three part chapter. . .LOL (btw: I don't know if that's a word -*thinks*-)
dragonladyknight-Thanks! I'm glad you like it so much!
dragonqueen-I completely agree with you on her perfection. I will be changing it soon once I get my computer back together, promise! O, and the whole nobles marrying her is gonna go down the drain. I think I'm gonna have her father hate her for the sole fact that she's a girl and he is really into having sons and he's just a mean person. As for the TP characters. . .this takes place after Alanna's, Daine's, and Kel's time, sooooo, there probably won't be any mortal characters that are the same. There will be immortals, gods, goddesses, the countries, the castles, the cities, the holds, and maybe an appearance by Skysong. O, and btw: I LOVE Anne McCaffrey! She's such a good writer! I only just started reading her books, and I'm having a really hard time finding The White Dragon!
Howler-Girl-13-Sham is going to stay the same and Leya is going to change. I'm going to be editing her description paragraph soon, so don't worry about that. Oh yeah! The title! It's gonna be shorter, I was just thinking about that too! Talk about ironic. Just gimme some time to think of a new one. . . it shouldn't take me that long! Glad you like it! Thanks for reviewing!
Galadriel Greenleaf-LOLOLOLOL I'm glad you like it!
A/N-hmmm.there was something I was going to tell you, but now I forgot.hmmm.o well. This is probably going to be a three parter cause when I wrote it I realized it was going to get a little long.LOL. That's all for now I guess. Talk to ya'll later! Keep reading! Thanks for reviewing! For those of you who are reading this and not reviewing. . .well. . .plez review!! ttyl!
A/N-OK, next chapter.enjoy! (not much else to say till the end; lol)
¤------------------------¤
Leya was up long before dawn packing her saddlebags. Shamir could carry a lot, but she didn't want to overload him since he was still quite young. She slipped inside and had a quick breakfast that her mother provided without saying a word. Padding silently back up to her room, she removed her bow and quiver of arrows, then sat silently, staring at the knives. They wouldn't be much help to her, as she could only use them at long distances (A/N-she never learned to use the knives in close combat, she can only throw them). After a moment, she closed the box, though not before considering taking them as a form of rebellion toward her father.
She jogged back downstairs and saddled Sham, leading him silently out of the barn. The black colt sensed his mistress' mood, so he refrained from his normal frisky (and annoying) tactics. Without a word or a backward glance, Leya swung up into the saddle and rode away.
The second they were out of sight of the farm, Leya picked up a canter till she got to the main road. Before they were even in sight of the path, a shrill whinny split the air. Sham tilted his magnificent head back and answered with a whinny of his own, extending his stride slightly. There, by the side of the road, stood Raphael and Bonfire. Raphael grinned and waved while Bonfire pranced excitedly, waiting for his friend and fellow horse in the antics of mischief.
Leya brought Sham to a graceful halt and called to Raphael. "Come on, stranger! We wanna be gone before the sun comes up!"
Raphael jogged Bonfire till they were alongside their friends. "They sure wanted you out early, that's for sure."
Leya smiled grimly. "Yeah, well, if I can't creep around the house and act as though I don't exist, they kick me out like this. More of an annoyance then anything." Raphael shook his head and decided once again to wait till later to find out more about exactly what had happened.
The day came and went with amiable chatter and friendly jokes. Nothing of true importance occurred that first day, nor the next, for that matter. It was when they reached the mountains that anything happened.
They climbed one of the smaller mountains, leading their horses most of the time so they didn't risk hurting them. They reached the top in the early morning of the third day and decided to camp there. The view took Leya's breath away, for though they weren't on the tallest mountain, this one still had enough height to reveal the lay of the country next to Tortall, Scanra. The rivers flowed through green plains, twisting their way down toward Tortall. The largest river ran through the center of her view, the River Forline. This river flowed from somewhere in Scanra to Corus in Tortall, where it served as the main water source for the people in the city. The sun reflected off the water, creating little flashes of light every now and then. It was a beautiful sight, with the cities in the distances and towns spread out to the right and left.
After they were set up, Leya began to survey the mountain. "I'd better start looking for the Rolip Juliana wants."
Raphael wrinkled his nose. "May I remind you that this is your chore; not mine!" He took care not to mention the fact that Leya was calling her mother by her first name.
Leya glared at him. "Yeah, yeah, I know. I'll be back in a minute then." She turned and trotted off, searching among the rocks for any sign of the little white flower. The sun rose and beat down without mercy on her skin, making her hot and sweaty. She tripped multiple times over rocks and various shrubs, but none was Rolip. She was becoming very cross and annoyed, when a very disagreeable scent reached her nose. She turned toward the scent and trotted in a direction that led her slightly downward toward Scanra. As the smell became stronger, she wrinkled her nose and tried to breathe more through her mouth to avoid the horrible odor. So intent was she on finding the plant, she didn't realize that she was nearly at the base of the mountain. . .
After Leya left, Raphael had simply sat down to think. So far he hadn't asked Leya anything about the night when her father hit her. Silently, he laughed at himself for thinking of Theron as Leya's father. O yes, he was her father biologically, but he sure didn't act it. That man cared nothing for her, and her mother, Juliana, turned a blind eye to every misdeed done to Leya. Raphael wasn't sure if they treated her like this because she was the youngest or because she was female. From what he could figure out, Leya didn't see her brothers too much, so, in total, she had no one who really cared for her, except him.
He sighed and shook his head. It was a brutal business. He would have to watch her when they got back, because he knew that she would undoubtedly find a way to keep him from knowing if Theron hit her again. That was just the way she was and it aggravated him that she wouldn't trust him completely. Theron couldn't be allowed to get away with this, but Raphael knew there was nothing he could do. He wanted more then anything to help his friend, but he was completely unable to. He sighed miserably, and Bonfire nickered reassurance from nearby, though he had no idea the predicament his master was in. After a moment more of reflection, he decided he would just have to talk to Leya about it when she got back.
A flash of bright light jolted him out of his thoughts. He looked down toward Scanra, annoyed, automatically assuming that it had just been a reflection off the water. However, there, near a tree, stood at least ten people talking. To their right was the River Forline. He frowned and reached over and grabbed his spyglass out of one of Bonfire's packs that lay on the ground. Opening it and peering through it at the people, he made a startling realization. These people were carrying weapons! A breeze had caught one mans cloak, sending it fluttering around him for a moment and revealing the silver sword attached to his belt, which reflected the sunlight.
'Weapons?' Raphael thought, 'In this place?' He glanced at their surroundings. There were a few towns in the distance, and the city, quite far off. This was not a place needed to carry weapons in. All the countries were experiencing a rare time of peace, and so it was unusual to see anyone openly carrying a sword. . . except knights of course. But what would ten knights be doing, standing in the middle of a field, talking to one another, instead of drinking and attending feasts in the city? It baffled Raphael to no end, at least, till he looked at their faces closer.
Various knights would pass through their small town on their way to the boarders. They would stop to rest their horses and take a meal before continuing on the next day. Stories would be passed around, mostly of war. The knights always had a tale or two about the rulers of various countries, giving very detailed descriptions of them. He had always listened avidly, knowing that he would probably never see these people for himself. How wrong he was.
As he looked at the group of rulers from Tortall's neighboring countries, he decided that the knights had exaggerated a little on their opinions, but, in general, they met the descriptions. There was the ruler of Carthak, as well as the rulers of Scanra, Tyra, Tusaine, the Copper Isles, Galla, Maren, and three others. As Raphael watched, he noticed that they were talking and making random gestures toward the river. After a moment, one of them held out a little bottle. From this distance, Raphael couldn't see what was inside it, but he knew almost right away that it couldn't be bad. One of the men took it (the leader of Tusaine, Raphael noticed) and unscrewed the lid. He held it over the river, said a few words to the nine leaders behind him, then dumped it into the river. After a few more minutes of talk, they broke up and traveled in different directions.
Raphael sat there for quite some time, then noticed it was getting dark and started to make a fire. After a while, he became restless. Where was Leya? She should have been back before. He stood right at the edge of the firelight, straining his eyes for any sign of her. . .
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A/N-OK! Thank-you everyone for reviewing! Believe me, I know about the perfectional stuff, and, I'm going to do everything I can to change it I promise. A lot about her is going to change, and I would have done it earlier if. . . my brother hadn't completely messed up our computer this morning so my dad had to take is apart (yes, apart, completely) ~*and*~ (you're never going to believe this one) I lost ~*all*~ of my files, so I have to go and copy and paste and do some other stuff before I can re- upload the first chapter with the changes to the description paragraph (believe me, she's gonna change ~*a lot*~). OK:
Larzdinn-Yes, now I'm happy. . .LOL. About the weapon thing: she can do ~*no*~ I repeat ~*no*~ hand-to-hand combat what-so-ever. Also, she can only throw the knives, she can't use them for close combat. Do you think that'll work for being bad at one of the weapons? There's a lot more coming up! It'll get really interesting when they go to the city. O, and thank you so much for giving me a WHOLE day instead of just a few hours! Thankies! I think I can have the next chapter up in a couple of minutes since this is probably going to be a three part chapter. . .LOL (btw: I don't know if that's a word -*thinks*-)
dragonladyknight-Thanks! I'm glad you like it so much!
dragonqueen-I completely agree with you on her perfection. I will be changing it soon once I get my computer back together, promise! O, and the whole nobles marrying her is gonna go down the drain. I think I'm gonna have her father hate her for the sole fact that she's a girl and he is really into having sons and he's just a mean person. As for the TP characters. . .this takes place after Alanna's, Daine's, and Kel's time, sooooo, there probably won't be any mortal characters that are the same. There will be immortals, gods, goddesses, the countries, the castles, the cities, the holds, and maybe an appearance by Skysong. O, and btw: I LOVE Anne McCaffrey! She's such a good writer! I only just started reading her books, and I'm having a really hard time finding The White Dragon!
Howler-Girl-13-Sham is going to stay the same and Leya is going to change. I'm going to be editing her description paragraph soon, so don't worry about that. Oh yeah! The title! It's gonna be shorter, I was just thinking about that too! Talk about ironic. Just gimme some time to think of a new one. . . it shouldn't take me that long! Glad you like it! Thanks for reviewing!
Galadriel Greenleaf-LOLOLOLOL I'm glad you like it!
A/N-hmmm.there was something I was going to tell you, but now I forgot.hmmm.o well. This is probably going to be a three parter cause when I wrote it I realized it was going to get a little long.LOL. That's all for now I guess. Talk to ya'll later! Keep reading! Thanks for reviewing! For those of you who are reading this and not reviewing. . .well. . .plez review!! ttyl!
