Disclaimer: Not mine. Belongs to the genius mind of Ann Bishop. Don't sue me. All you'll get is this computer that has been beaten up by all the crap I download. K then.

A/N: Yippee Skippee. Next chapter's up. Little bit longer this time, though not much. I'm going to get out of Aravian's childhood soon… I hope.

*~~~~Ch2: The Scary Pixie?!~~~~~*

"But, Uncle Lucivar, we're not at the Eyrie right now. Couldn't we skip practice, just for today?"

He gave her The Scowl. The one that made most men snap to attention. Aravian, on the other hand, just kept that sweet little pleading look on her face. Stubborn child.

"A warrior trains everyday. If you start making excuses not to, it starts out as just today, then just this week, then just on days that end in "y," and before you know it you're fat and can't even fly! Now!" He started to bring the stick down on her and she blocked automatically. The girl may have been delicate looking, and even act sweet and feminine (when she wasn't terrorizing people), but he knew perfectly well that she took after her parents. She got a love for fighting and ability for it from all corners: Eyrian, Dea al Mon, and of course as a descendant of Dorothea SaDiablo (a little fact they all ignored). She couldn't help be anything but a cunningly intelligent and skilled fighter. The delicacy that many saw was merely one facet of her nature, and after fighting with her Lucivar strongly suspected that it wasn't even a very large one anyway.

He drew the fight out, giving her a workout. He could have lain her scrawny little eleven year old self out on the grass, but that was only because he was a fully trained, adult, Eyrian male. She beat some of the older boys on a semi-regular basis. She was good enough that Lucivar sometimes wondered if in a few years it mightn't be him getting the workout.

Her eyes were fierce when he finally ended the sparring; she didn't like getting her feet swept out from under her. Despite all her attempts to get out of practice, once she started she rarely was prepared to stop. Lucivar had long ago resigned himself to it; a witch's mood shifted faster than an Eyrian's temper rose.

"Go practice with the bow." She muttered something Lucivar decided he didn't want to hear. "And not on a person!"

She smiled sweetly, a sharp contrast to the viciousness in her eyes, and stalked off to the targets nocking an arrow into place.

He shook his head and got on to the next young warrior.

After the morning workouts everyone else went off to wherever they had to be; just because they were at the Hall for the summer didn't mean that work was canceled. Such was the disappointment of every child who came on these annual trips.

"Hello, Prick."

Lucivar smiled warmly, not bothering to turn around. "Bastard."

"Do you know where the Scary Pixie is?"

He turned, slowly, to face Daemon. "The what?" He asked the question completely deadpan.

Daemon grinned. "Hadn't you heard? That's what Kaelas has called Aravian since she landed on him while he was sleeping when she was four."

Lucivar blinked. The…child… had landed on more than 800 pounds of demon-dead predatory muscle? She was insane.

"Well then. No, I haven't seen her since earlier this morning. Why?"

Daemon scowled. "Father told me she didn't come to Craft lessons. I was told to look for her." He didn't seem pleased about this forced involvement; Aravian could be just as much a nuisance as Daemonar had ever been. It seemed a requirement for Eyrian children.

Lucivar held back a laugh at the look on his brother's face. "I'm free right now. I'll help you out, old son."

Daemon muttered a grumpy "Thanks."

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Author s Note: Upon re-reading this chapter I realize that certain persons are somewhat out of character. Attribute that to their several centuries of happy living and too much Javolate for me. Don't ask what Javolate is. Special drink I invented that is so full of caffeine you fall over and start twitching. But that's beside the point. I'll try and keep people more in character in the future…and I'm completely open to suggestions!! I only have a sketchy idea of where I'm going with this, so any ideas you have, stuff you think might be nifty in this fic, tell me! Oh, and I'm going to try to get Jaenelle's and Daemon's kids into the next chapter (pay attention to the eldest. He's going to be very important later mwuhahahaha) although most of them are grown up by now. Any way, review time! Please?