Here's part five! Read and review, please!
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Vixen watched from a corner as Allie and Mouse went to work, quickly putting all the rich nobles in the bar under their spell and leading them over in her direction. They were at the Firebird Inn, and already they had filled three large pouches with coins and jewelry taken from other men.
They only had another two, maybe three to go and Brenna motioned for the other two to hurry up when she noticed a few city guards walk in the door. Allie and Mouse did as she bid them to, not saying a word as they rushed out the back door with their bags of gold. Tethered just outside the door were two of their horses and away they galloped, stopping only to give their loot to Ratina so she could transport it safely back to the Dancing Dove for them before heading out to the Trebond fief.
"So why are we going to this town again?" asked Mouse as the night wore on, dawn approaching quickly.
"Because if we have to lay low for awhile from hitting all those Inns over the past few nights and it is owned by Lady Alanna's old friend Coram and his wife who was the former Queen of Thieves. They aren't aware that we're coming and after a week or two we're going to make a haul there, we already have Jeremy's permission, before heading back to Corus. Apparently the head of the guard there is not well liked by Coram so all we have to do is make him look bad so he will be replaced," replied Brenna, watching the road for any sudden holes or rocks.
"Then we can stay in Corus for awhile before going out and doing something like it all over again?" asked Allie.
"That's the plan..."
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The mage growled again, cursing the boy at the Rider's barns for having said something about 'Veety.' Domitan was a good friend of those two 'noble ladies' and would no doubt tell them about his new horse. She'd have to come up something fast if this wasn't going to burst wide open right now...
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Sarah and John were sadly sitting beside Old Whisker's stall as Onua sat with the dieing horse sadly. "Thank you, guys, for sending for me when you found out he was sick. He was one of my favorite horses and I'd hate for him to die alone."
"No problem," replied Sarah miserably, watching the light fade out of the horse's eyes. John sighed and got up, going to finish the hole he had started earlier to put the horse's body in.
"Where are you going to bury him?" asked Onua when Whiskers had drawn his last breath, whickering one last time.
"In the pasture right next to the apple tree that he was always lying under," replied Sarah. This was definitely not one of her better days...
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Alyse walked quickly into the band locker room, she was late for the special practice! Glancing around, she noticed everyone was gone, she must be later than she thought!
[Get out the clarinet, stuff my things in the locker (I wish these things weren't so small!), ram the clarinet together, grab a reed and an extra, lock my locker....hey what's this?] Alyse picked up the leather bound book she had almost tripped over, studying the cover closely. [Tamora Pierce, never seen a copy that looked like this...IS THAT AMANDA AND ELIZABETH IN THE CORNER????] She blinked, convincing herself that it couldn't be and open the cover a few chapters in.
She scanned a few sentences and shut it quickly, the flash appeared and took her away before she had a chance to react at all. Alyse found herself in the Yamani temple for one of their gods, sitting in a corner as if meditating wearing kimonos and an obi with two shukusen, metal fans, stuck in it.
Before she had a chance to react to THAT, the priestess of the temple ran by, pursued by four pirates with swords. Alyse got up and pulled out her fans, bursts of green light coming from them, that threw the pirates to the ground covered in burns. Not really knowing what she was doing, she grabbed a glaive from the wall and stood in front of the priestess, ready for the pirates that struggled to their feet painfully.
"There she is, mates!" roared the leader, getting his sword from the ground. "Let's get her!" The four, backed by another five or six that had been behind them charged the pair, backing them in a corner.
Alyse fought like a devil without even realizing it. It was if it wasn't her hands that were guiding the deadly glaive that slashed through the pirates or when that was knocked away pulled out the fans and threw them expertly. She felt like a puppet on string, not that it mattered. Right now it was what was keeping them alive.
With a final blast of dark forest green energy, she knocked them back far enough to keep them down until the guards finally ran in. "Oh, thank you!" cried the priestess, falling on her knees and bowing before Alyse gratefully.
"Please get up," said Alyse, helping her to her feet. "You're making me nervous." She didn't realize she was speaking and understanding Yamani langue instead of what they call Common. (or English to us.)
"What can I do to show me appreciation for your help?" asked the Priestess, motioning for one of the guards to come over.
"Tell me where I am, who you are, why those men were chasing you and what is going to happen now," said Alyse quickly, feeling rather lost.
The priestess looked at her oddly, but answered her questions anyways. "You're in a temple on the Yamani Islands, I am head Priestess Soranami, those men wanted the Opal of Light which I have in my possession, and because you saved me and it I imagine the Emperor would like to thank you in some way."
"Is the jewel safe, Priestess?" asked the guard she had beckoned for, bowing low Yamani style.
"Yes, go tell the Emperor I would like to see him in private with a friend of mine," replied the priestess, glancing at Alyse. "What is your name, child?"
"Alyse."
"What house are you of?"
"House???"
"You couldn't possibly have learned how to fight like that if you're not of a noble house, Alyse. Now tell me, which house."
"I'm not from a house," whispered Alyse, deciding to fake amnesia so she wouldn't have to explain about her world. "I don't remember where I'm from, I just sort of woke up here before getting rid of those pirates."
"Well, then, I can take you in until the Emperor decides what to do with you," replied the priestess, leading her to the back rooms of the temple where she could stay until the meeting.
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"At least one of these morons has some sense," mumbled the lady mage as she looked into the scrying bowl that held Alyse's image in it. At least now she wouldn't have to worry about saving the Opal from the pirates again and she wouldn't have to watch the girl too closely, hoping she would just stick around the temple and behave.
"But then again when have I ever been so lucky..." she muttered preparing yet another scrying bowl for the next person to be sucked in...
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Alyse's head spun with the events of the past couple hours. The Emperor had been impressed with her help in the temple and granted her the Empire's gratitude until her dying day. Finding out that she spoke Common as well as she did Yamani without a trace of an accent, he decided she would be useful in the group that was traveling to Tortal to deal with the wedding preparations.
"You have one week to prepare and get yourself in order to go," he had said, "Head Priestess will help you get around and I give you three pouches of gold to help with your costs." She had only nodded numbly and followed Soranami back out to the temple. What a day!
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"Aaaarrrhhhggg!!!!" yelled the mage as she tried not to tear her hair out. "Of all the places for her to go, Tortal! I already have 7 others there and probably more will follow! Hopefully she'll stay with the Princess and her maids so I won't have to worry about watching her too much. Oh for Pete's sake..." It wasn't the first, or the last time that the mage was glad for her inexhaustible gift.
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Several of the knights had gone out for their work, including Kel and her Knight-Master Raoul with the King's Own. Amanda often wandered around the palace during the day or stopped by the library for a few hours at a time. She was there right after lunch one day and was reading a book of the chronicles of King Jonathan the 1st rule when Elizabeth came up beside her, grinning evilly.
"What have you done now?" asked Amanda without even looking up, knowing it was her instinctively.
"Queen Thayet would like to see you and me as soon as possible in her study," replied Elizabeth, turning around primly.
"Wait up, Lady Liz," called Amanda as she saved her place with a scrap of paper. "I can't remember how to get there!"
Elizabeth waited for her and soon they were in front of a small study, the door open and Queen Thayet inside waiting for them. "Where did you find her?" Thayet asked Elizabeth as she beckoned for them to sit down as she shut the door.
"In the library, filling her head with useless nonsense as usual," replied Elizabeth mockingly.
"Oh, hush," retorted Amanda. "I could say the same thing about your 'Lady' classes."
"Which is what I wanted to talk to you about," interrupted Thayet, not wanting to have an argument started. "Amanda, the King has told me to tell you that you can't wear breeches to the next banquet, you have to actually dress like a Lady."
"But why?!" exploded Amanda angrily. "If he won't let me dress as I wish then I'll not go at all!"
"I told him you'd say that, but he won't listen," replied Thayet, trying to soothe her. Elizabeth was just trying not to burst out laughing. "Maybe if you do it for just one time..."
"No, no and no. I'm the head of a fief, I don't have time to mess with dresses and face paint and such. I'll be as well dressed as any lady there and certainly more decently than some of them are but certainly not in an actual dress, you'll have to tell his Highness that I refuse," cut in Amanda, getting up and leaving the room quickly.
Thayet sighed, looking at Elizabeth who had finally been able to let all her laughter out. "I take it you were expecting this?" she asked.
"Yep. Amanda hated getting dressed up for concerts before in anything other than slacks, even though she looks good in them. I think she's just too relaxed for that sort of stuff. Maybe the King could get her to listen."
"I sure hope so..."
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Lady Ruth and Lady Cythera sat with the King in a private study, waiting for Amanda to arrive. "So why exactly are we here?" asked Lady Cythera, having not been too entirely clear on what was happening.
"Just trust me and play along with what I say, and if you have any suggestions feel free to throw them out there randomly," said the King, straightening his tunic as the door opened.
"You asked for me, King Jonathan?" asked Amanda as she bowed properly, wearing practice clothes and her sword at her side.
"Yes, Lady Amanda. You know Lady Ruth and Lady Cythera." Amanda bowed to them both and he continued. "Since you seem to 'busy' to get dresses and such for balls and parties I throw, we'll have to find another arrangement. This is what I propose, you either sit with these two as your match makers an hour for every ball you don't wear a dress to or you wear a dress and you're scotch free."
"Why is this necessary, your Highness?" asked Amanda, trying to keep her anger down. "I am the head of a fief, therefore I dress like one. There should be nothing wrong with that."
"Lady Amanda, though you hold the role most males do, you're what- 17? 18 years old? It's time for you to get married and have an heir for your fief so that it is stable. Without one, if both of you die, it'll go the highest bidder among the fiefs that surround it. That's why you need to dress like a Lady," he argued.
"Catching a husband is my sister's job, ok?" replied Amanda heatedly. "I'm going to take care of my fief as long as I'm around, and when I die Elizabeth's first born will have control."
"What if she can't bear a child?" asked Lady Ruth softly.
"Or she can't catch a husband," added Lady Cythera.
"I'm not worried about that," said Amanda briskly. "She's got plenty of admirers and a few years to chose the one she wants."
"Yes, from what I hear she certainly gets around doesn't she," murmured Lady Cythera.
"She's no worse than some others," growled Amanda, glancing at Lady Ruth. Her daughter was known for her scandalous clothes and many suitors. She went through guys faster than Elizabeth did.
"That's not the point, Amanda," cut in the King, glaring at the ladies disapprovingly.
"Then I'll take the hour of matchmaking. The worst they can do is embarrass me behind closed doors," she muttered, stalking out of the room without waiting for the King to dismiss her.
"You ladies better come up with something good as far as the matchmaking hour goes so that by the time the Yamanis come she's wearing a dress," sighed the King, sitting back down in his chair.
"Don't worry, your Highness," said Lady Cythera, grinning slyly. "Don't worry about a thing..."
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AAaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!! Attack of the evil match making busybodies!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sorry, just had a bit of a scare there. If you have any suggestions/comments/ideas (especially for this next section, I really pity that girl) please review and maybe I'll use it if it fits with it all. Thanks!!!!!
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