A/N: YAY FOR MYSTIKAT! Finally, an understanding person (Sorry Temptress...you don't count, you know where this story is going before the chapters are written) People, have a little faith in me would you? I wouldn't kill off a character for no reason. Darin's death = plot development. Now go read!
Note on Myles's Class for all those fans. School is out, and the pages have vacation. Therefore there is no class. :D I'm waiting until school starts to write more...since it never needs to be finished or anything.
DISCLAIMER: I own the characters but Tortall and it's surrounding areas are owned by Tamora Pierce.
Lady Ribyyn of Hadic
Chapter 5 - A Different Kind of Life
Ribyyn, she asked herself, how did you ever get involved with people such as these? She was currently watching Roank and Slyde get drunk. Or perhaps it only seemed that way, since she'd never actually seen them interact with anybody other than themselves. But they laughed more with the thieves, and they were less on edge. A wave of jealousy hit her. She used to be like that. She was like that a month ago. Sighing, she lay her head down on her arms and watched the two men, trying to ignore the thoughts running through her head.
Slyde sat down next to her. "Ye look lonely lass." He reached across the table and grabbed a pitcher, pouring the contents of it into a mug. "Drink up." She grimaced and he laughed. A full throaty laugh. It surprised her; she'd never heard it before. "Don't worry younglin'. It's only lemonade."
She took the mug from him and sipped at it. "Slyde!" a man from across the room called. "Move yer lazy arse an' come over here t' settle this bet!"
The young man looked down at his young companion. "Duty calls, lass. I'll be back." He gave her head an affectionate ruffle and left.
Ribyyn sighed again. I've been here for all of six hours, and already I'm miserable. A hand tapped her shoulder and she jumped a little bit. Behind her was a boy who looked to be a year older than her. "'Ullo!" he said cheerfully. "M' older brother seems t' 'ave taken a shine t' ya."
"Slyde's your brother?"
"Yep! Not much fer fam'ly resemblance, eh?" he smirked at her. The boy was right; he didn't resemble his older brother at all. His hair was dark and curly, and his eyes were a deep emerald. His skin was the complete opposite of Slyde's, and was, perhaps, as pale as her own. However, she realized that they had the same nose, and the same smirk, which she assumed meant they had the same set of perfect teeth. "M' name's 'Ayden."
"Ayden?" she asked, confused.
"Naw... 'AYden." This time he drew out the 'ay' sound. She gave him a perplexed look. "With an 'H'."
"Oh!" she said, "HAYden."
"Yeah, tha's what I said. 'Ayden."
"No you didn't. You said-" she stopped, realizing arguing would be useless, since he obviously didn't realize that his accent forced him to leave out his H's. (A/N: And for the ease of reading, I will type the H's, so you understand what he's saying.) "Never mind."
"What's yer name?"
"Ribyyn."
"Interestin'. I ain't never met no one named after a fabric 'afore. Flowers sure. M' own sister was named Daisy." He grinned at her, revealing that he did indeed have the same perfect teeth as his older brother.
"It's not spelled the same," she informed him. "You said 'was'. What happened to her?"
"She died. Dunno how. No one ever told me." He looked across the room toward his older brother. "Slyde knows. He won't tell me though. Won't tell anyone. Take it to his grave he will." Hayden shook his head. "So, what brings ye here Ribyyn? I noticed yer accent. Yer a noble fer sure. Ye run away or somethin'?"
"In a manner of speaking." She felt the wave of loneliness hit her again and tried to shake it off. "I'd rather not talk about it."
"Well at least tell me where yer from."
"Hadic."
Recognition crossed his face for a moment and she realized that the fate of her home was now common knowledge.
"I see why ye don't wanna talk 'bout it."
"Hey now." Slyde came up from behind the two of them, interrupting their conversation. "Don't ye bug her too much Hayds. She's had a long day."
"Of getting saddle sores," she muttered. Hayden heard her comment and laughed aloud. There was a third similarity; his laugh was just as pleasant as Slyde's.
"Aw, he's a nasty riding companion, ain't he?" the young boy told her with a grin.
"Not nearly as nasty as Goethe," supplied Roank, who had rejoined his traveling companion.
"Speaking of Goethe," said Hayden, "where is th' nasty brute."
"Goethe had an unfortunate accident on our way here," Roank said authoritatively. "Suffice to say he'll no longer be joinin' us." The older man looked down at Ribyyn and winked. The young girl pressed her lips together.
"Good," said Hayden suddenly. "Never did like him." Ribyyn looked up at the boy, and suddenly understood why Roank had winked. Nobody had liked Goethe; she'd done everyone a favor in an odd way. "So, which one o' ya did th' deed?"
"Tha's our lil' secret, ain't it?" Slyde told his brother. The young girl yawned as Slyde looked down at her. "C'mon lass. We'll get ye a place t' sleep tonight."
~*~
Ribyyn awoke late which happened seldom. Sitting up she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and glanced around at her surroundings. By the time Slyde had returned with the news that he had found a room for her to spend the night in, she'd already fallen asleep at the table. She'd awoken only slightly when the young man had gently lifted her up to carry her out the door. She fell fully asleep before they finished the ride to wherever it was he was taking her.
The room was painted a bright, sun yellow. The bed she sat in was in a corner or the room. It was a large red oak four poster bed, with a bright, orange comforter and white sheets. A throw blanket lay on the end of it; pale yellow with pink hearts. The room was obviously made for a girl. At the foot of the bed was a trunk, also painted pale yellow. It was old and worn. On top of it was a pair of breeches and a cotton shirt, which Ribyyn suddenly realized was hers. Looking down she saw that she was dressed in a pale yellow shift.
Hmm, the girl thought to herself, I sense a running pattern. Looking around the rest of her room she saw a red oak dresser on the opposite wall. The red oak theme was completed with a bookshelf, full of books. In another corner was a comfortable looking chair, which seemed to be a faded shade of red. A small purple pillow sat on it. There was an ottoman next to it, and a table beside it. On another wall was a window seat with a purple cushion. The drapes in the room were purple as well.
She felt her stomach grumble and decided she'd best get up and find where the kitchen was. She took one look at the breeches and shirt, laying messily on the trunk and decided against putting them on again. She got up to search through the dressers, thinking maybe she'd find something suitable for her to wear in them. The first drawer contained mainly skirts. The second was mostly shifts and stockings. A third drawer revealed shirts to go with the skirts from the first drawer. Sighing she opened the last drawer. This one contained cotton sundresses; lighter than what she had worn at home, but still dresses. She poked through them and picked out a purple one. Returning to the drawer that contained shifts and stockings, she picked some out for herself. Throwing them on herself she reached down next to the trunk and put on her boots. On the dresser lay a brush. Quickly she pulled out her braids, ran a brush through her hair, and plaited her hair once again. Time to find the kitchen, she told herself.
Ribyyn walked down the stairs, which happened to be placed right in front of the door, and wound up in what looked to be a well used sitting room. It contained a small table, a large chair, and a comfy looking couch. There were two doors. One clearly led outside, while the other led to another room. Walking through the latter one she entered a room that smelled of fresh bread and cinnamon.
"Mornin' sleepy head," said a friendly female voice. Ribyyn looked over towards a fireplace and saw a tall, thin, woman with her graying brown hair wrapped up in a tight bun. She was wearing a simple house dress, the kind Ribyyn had seen Darin's mother wear hundreds of times. In fact, the kindly woman sort of reminded her of Darin's mother, except his mother was short and plump. "Hungry dear?"
"Yes," Ribyyn replied meekly. The woman motioned to a table with three chairs around it. Ribyyn took a seat and the woman set a plate of warm buttered bread down in front of her. Ribyyn inhaled the scent and picked up a piece of it. She was ready to take a bite when a bang came from behind her. Turning her head she saw Hayden standing in the doorway, looking cross.
"There you are!" he said to Ribyyn. He walked over to her and picked the slice of bread up out of her hands. "Thanks."
"Hey!" she cried. "That's mine!"
"M' mother made it," he told her matter-of-factly, and took a bite of it. "'Sides, ye got another piece."
"That's not the point." And she reached up to grab it out of his hands, but he jerked it up out of her range.
"Oh! Touchy 'n th' mornin', ain't we?" He grinned and dangled it above her head, pulling it out of her reach when she jumped up to get it back. Hayden seemed to find this funny and made a game out of it.
"Stop it!" she yelled at him. And then without thinking cried out, "Give it back Kalvin!" And then she stopped.
"What did ye call me?" Ribyyn's only response was shocked silence. The air in the room felt thicker suddenly.
"I need to go lie down again." She took the other slice of bread off her plate and walked out the door, running smack into Slyde. She glanced at him for a second and then rushed up the stairs, slamming the door of the room behind her.
Slyde gave his younger brother an accusing look. "What'd ye do t' her?"
"He was only teasing the lass, Slyde." his mother told him. She picked up the dirtied plate and placed it in the sink to be washed later. "Ye used t' do it t' Daisy."
"That's different," he told her, still glaring at his brother, whose attention was fixed on the door. "I knew Daisy."
His mother turned around and gave him a look, placing her hands on her hips. "Slyder James Alexzander, I am surprised with you. It's no different from what you used to do to your sister. It's a natural thing for teenage boys to tease younger girls. You still do it!" Slyde looked down sheepishly. Hayden only looked away.
"Slyder James Alexzander?" came a quiet whisper from the doorway. The three of them turned around to see that Ribyyn had returned.
"Yes. That is my name." He gave a sly grin. "Why, is somethin' wrong with it?"
"No." she shook her head, her dark braids swinging with the motion. "No worse than mine."
"Speakin' of which, my name's Glynice," said the boys' mother. "Welcome to Port Caynn, dearie. Here," she turned around and picked up another piece of bread, "have another slice."
~*~
Ribyyn waited silently in front of Klohe Cobeller's store. Inside Glynice bought four pairs of breeches and six shirts, as well as undergarments and new boots (Klohe's husband was one of the city's most famous shoemakers). Ribyyn watched the people on the street. She was quite positive that she'd never seen so many people at the same time. And all of them were running around like chickens with their heads cut off. Everywhere around Ribyyn there was yelling, as people tried to sell their goods. Mothers wandered through the streets looking for the things they needed, all while keeping an eye on their children. Ribyyn was so mesmerized by the hustle and bustle of the city, that she hardly noticed when Glynice stepped out of Mistress Klohe's store.
"Here child," Glynice said after getting her attention. "Go find a stand and buy yourself something to eat. And then, take the rest and buy yourself some ribbons." The woman grinned as she handed the young girl a small pouch.
"Was that supposed to be some type of pun?" Ribyyn inquired innocently.
Glynice shot her a look that Ribyyn had seen her give to Hayden earlier that morning. "Don't be smart with me girl. Now go, and keep an eye to that purse! There's thieves about!" She grinned ironically at her young charge and then walked back into the store.
Ribyyn smiled to herself and turned around. She walked down the street, still in awe of everything around her. First order of business, she told herself, ribbons. As luck would have it there was a man across the street who was selling some in a small booth. She jogged over and began to sift through the bin, not really taking notice of which ones she pulled out. She quickly decided on six ribbons; two blue, two black, and two violet. She handed the man her money, thanked him, and returned to her walk down the busy city street.
She stopped at a pastry shop, buying a cinnamon twist for herself, though she knew that wasn't what Glynice had in mind of food. She stood outside the shop eating the twist and saw a stand across the street that was selling jewelry. She decided to walk over and look, though she knew she probably wouldn't buy anything.
The woman had many things; necklaces, bracelets, hair clips. One particular hair clip caught her eye. It was metal, with a copper sheen, and was inlaid with fake stones; colored glass most likely. Counting the money she had left, she realized that she'd have enough for it, with perhaps some left over. She quickly decided to buy it, and pulled out the proper amount of copper nobles. She turned around to give it to the woman when somebody behind her bumped her. The coppers went flying everywhere. She turned around to see who it was that bumped into her and came face to face with a boy that looked like her younger brother Nolan.
"Sorry miss," he said with a sly grin, his brown eyes dancing with mischief. He bent down to help her pick up the nobles that she had spilt, his dirty blonde hair flopping over into his angelic face. He handed her the money and she counted it quickly. Turning around, she paid the woman and then reached into her pocket to get the purse to put the change into, but it wasn't there.
She whirled around and saw the little boy running down the street at a fast pace. Swiftly she shoved the clip into her pocket, hiked up her skirts a bit and ran after him. She saw him turn down a side street and she followed him, always staying the same distance away from him. By now the boy knew that she was following him and he turned back onto another busy street in an attempt to lose her in the crowd. Ribyyn lost him for a minute, but the boy then made the mistake of turning down another side street and she saw him. She raced after him, thinking that she might catch him if she ran a bit faster. She stopped suddenly when she realized she had run into a dead end, and that the boy was gone.
He must be hiding here somewhere, she thought to herself. I wasn't that far behind. "Come out! I know you're here!" she called out to him. "You stole my purse and I want it back!"
She heard a snigger and the scuffling of feet behind her and turned around. The young boy stood there, along with four other boys who looked to be eighteen or so. "Ye want it back, do ye?" asked one of them. "Well come 'n get it." He dangled the purse in front of him.
"Toss it to me," she said warily.
"Ah lads, we've a smart one." The boy grinned.
"Look," she said firmly, "Just give it back and I won't tell anyone you took it from me."
"I dunno," said another one of the boys, "I've half a mind t' keep it. 'Sides, who'd listen to you?" The other boys sniggered.
"The authorities would," she told them stubbornly. "They'd have to. I'm a noble."
"A noble, eh? And I'm the King of Tortall," the first boy replied sarcastically. The other boys laughed outright at this.
"Yes. I'm Lady Ribyyn of Hadic and I demand that you give me back my purse!"
"Lady Ribyyn of Hadic's dead girl. Don't ye know anythin'? That whole fam'ly was slaughtered! Ye want yer purse? Come 'n get it." He offered it to her again.
Slowly Ribyyn stepped up to him to accept the purse. Just as she reached her hand out, the boy grabbed it and pulled her to him. She tried to scream, but he covered her mouth. "What do ye say we have a bit o' fun, boys?" Ribyyn's eyes widened with fear, and she met the eyes of the young boy that she had chased earlier.
"No. Dasher, let her go. She ain't done nothin' to ye."
"Oh," said Dasher mockingly. "Look boys, th' lad's got a soft spot for her." Ribyyn struggled against his grip. "Feisty lil' thing ain't ye?"
"Yes, she is. Now let her go." The voice came from behind the group, and was deep and threatening.
The boy, Dasher, loosened his hold on her just enough to turn around and see who the intruder was. "Ah. 'Lex. Long time no see." He paused and Ribyyn could feel his heart quicken. He was scared.
Dasher didn't let on that he was though. He grinned and said, "And th' lil' 'Lex too. How charming." Dasher turned her around so that she could see what was going on. "Friends o' yers lass?"
For some reason Ribyyn wasn't surprised when she saw Slyde and Hayden standing there. She smiled even though she knew they couldn't see it. Dasher felt the movement though. His hand slipped slightly, and with that sudden slip Ribyyn had a thought.
She opened her mouth up as wide as she could and bit down. Hard.
Dasher let out a strangled yell. "BITCH!" he cried, as he let her go and shoved her to the ground. Ribyyn was ready for the fall though. She put her hands out and slapped the ground, the way Kalvin had taught her. Quickly she rolled away from the boys, towards the Alexzander boys. Slyde reached down and pulled her up.
"C'mon lass," he said quickly, giving her a small push. "RUN!" Ribyyn didn't wait for her attackers to react, she shot off like a bullet towards the busy street, Hayden and Slyde close on her tail.
"Go right Rib!" cried Hayden. "Into th' Inn!" Ribyyn turned into the building that Hayden was yelling about, The Bard's Inn.
"Up the stairs!" Hayden directed her. She dashed around the tables, hearing yelps as she accidentally stepped on feet or shoved people out of the way. As soon as she reached the top of the steps Hayden ran past her, stopping abruptly at the door on the end of the hallway. He knocked a small tune on the door, and Ribyyn heard the lock open. The younger Alexzander opened the door just as his older brother came running up the stairs.
Slyde did all but fly down the hallway. Hayden pulled Ribyyn into the room swiftly and Slyde came in right after them, slamming the door shut and locking it behind him immediately.
The three of them stood in the room, catching their breath. Outside the room they could hear footsteps and doors opening and closing. Dasher and his boys were outside. Somebody tried to open their door and Ribyyn could feel herself tense up, but then somebody called out, "They're not here! Musta gone out a window!" And then the footsteps receded down the stairs.
"What were ye doin' with them?" Hayden asked her when it had been quiet for a few minutes. He gave her an accusing look.
"The little one stole the money your mother gave me. I was only trying to get it back," she said softly, looking down at her boots.
"Next time somebody does that, don't worry so much about it." Slyde said, cupping her chin and forcing her to look up at him. "Th' city's dangerous Ribyyn. It's very different from the mountains."
"I know," she sighed. Then she realized something. "I thought you two were a thieves. How come you aren't friendly with them?"
"Those boys ain't thieves," said Hayden angrily. "They're a gang. A bunch o' orphans that live to torture people. Mostly all they do is pick pockets. But on occasion they throw things at crowds and people get hurt. They ain't ever tried somthin' like this 'afore though."
"They're getting bolder is all." Slyde gave a small sigh. "C'mon kids. Let's go home."
~*~
Ribyyn was very careful from that day on. She kept an eye to her purse and other belongings when she was out alone, and tried to avoid that situation as much as possible. Slyde had asked her later that night where she had learned how to fall like she did and so she told him of her brother and the things he had taught her. The next day he, Hayden, and Roank had taken her out back and tried to teach her other maneuvers, so the next time she was caught in such a situation she'd be able to escape.
Slyde and Roank acted as older brothers to Ribyyn, and after a month she felt as if she'd known them her entire life. She often felt that Slyde had used her to replace his actual sister, but so long as he was happy she didn't care.
Her friendship with Hayden grew. He taught her how to punch people and pick pockets, as well as throw knives and use a dagger, despite his mother's protests. They enjoyed each others company, though they argued and bickered almost constantly. There was only one incident where they didn't speak for a day.
Ribyyn had been outside practicing her punches, while Hayden was watching. She'd been living in Port Caynn for nearly three months and, due to her lessons, her self defense had improved greatly. It was Hayden's idea.
"I think it's time ye fight with a real partner 'stead of a fake one," and with that little comment he stood up and took off his shirt. "C'mon. Have at me!"
"I'm not-" she began but he cut her off.
"Fine then. I'll start," and he took a swing at her. She immediately blocked it.
"Good!" he told her. "Now do it again!" Soon they were having a regular fist fight. Punch, block. Punch, block. The pace got faster and faster, until Ribyyn was no longer thinking about her response and actually was acting on instinct. Suddenly Hayden pulled a new move on her. When she went to kick him, he grabbed her ankle flipping her on her back. He landed on top of her.
"Hayden. Get off me."
He grinned at her and shook his head. "Well then, what do you want from me?" she asked him testily. He was heavy for someone of his size.
She was concentrating so much on how heavy he was that she hadn't even heard what he said. In fact, she'd stopped paying attention to him altogether, which she found out soon after was a bad idea. She didn't realize what was happening until she found his lips on hers. Ribyyn immediately pushed him off of her.
"What was that for?" she asked, shocked. He only grinned and began to laugh. Angered by his reaction she pulled her fist back and landed up punch on his jaw.
Hayden swore, and sat on the ground rubbing his jaw. "Well aren't you going to apologize?" she inquired him, contempt showing in her voice.
"Apologize? To you?" He looked up at her incredulously. "Why should I? Yer the one who punched me!"
"I wouldn't have punched you if you hadn't kissed me!"
"It's obviously no use tryin' t' make ye' see sense. I'm leaving!" And he did.
He came up to her room later that night and apologized. She suspected that Slyde or Roank had had a hand in the apology and making Hayden see sense, but she didn't feel like asking. Hayden seemed sincere and that was all that really mattered.
Slyde had been right on that day three months ago. Life in the city was very different from life in the mountains. But with a few good friends it wasn't so bad. Ribyyn felt that she had adjusted pretty well.
Post A/N: Well...that was my longest chapter yet. Hope you enjoyed it. Please review.