Hello again! I know this one took awhile to get up, it's a good one,
though, I promise!! Read on and let me know what you think, I love hearing
from my fans!
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Alyse was in the Queen's tent with Buri and Princess Shinko when word came from Bay Cove about the earthquake, getting her attention quickly. "Can I go and help?" she asked the moment she could get a word in. "I'm not doing anything here, and my cousins won't care if I tell them before we go..."
"We need more people in Lyssa's squad, so you may," said Buri, shoving some packs and a uniform in her hands. "Report to her within the hour, we leave then."
Alyse smiled and nodded, running out of the Queen's tent and to Amanda's as fast as she could. After having told her cousins where she was going, changing clothes, and saddling Fern as fast as she could she went to find Lyssa.
"You've joined the Riders?" asked Lyssa in surprise when she saw Alyse riding over to her.
"Just temporarily," called Buri from a few yards away. "Let her help where she can and she reports directly to you, ok?"
"Alright." Alyse fell into position as the Riders took off at a steady trot, Fern behaving and staying in line like she had hoped. She was glad to get to do something real for once, and not wearing kimonos for a while wouldn't hurt either...
All in all, this was going to be good.
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Lyssa had accepted the position in the Riders only four days before the news of the quake had come, and already she was wondering if she was up to this. She had several people who were depending on her to get them through whatever they were told to do, and she was not sure she could do that.
"Are you ok?" asked Eric, riding up beside her.
"Yeah, I'm fine," sighed Lyssa. "I'm just thinking, that's all."
"That's a dangerous thing for you..."
"Hey! Be nice."
"So why is the Yamanis lily with us again?"
Lyssa chuckled softly. "I wouldn't call her that if I were you."
"And why not?"
"She's a better shot with a bow than I and her fans are deadly..."
"Those sissy things? Deadly? Yeah right."
"You doubt the power of a shukusen?" asked Alyse, riding up beside them. "I'll have to show you sometime what I can do with my fans..."
"What did your cousins say about you leaving?" asked Lyssa, knowing Alyse lived with some family now but hadn't met them yet.
"Amanda just said to be careful and not get killed or she'd never speak to me again."
"Very helpful family you've got there."
"Oh, absolutely."
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Libby's 18th birthday had been just a few days before as she lay on her back in her tent and stared at the low ceiling, slowly drifting off into a deep sleep...
% Pink clouds drifted across a sky that was permanently stuck on a pink sunrise in a land of grassy meadows and pink flowers everywhere. Trees were in little groves, and pink cotton candy grew on them by the bushel! Libby reached up and tasted some, giggling giddily as she acted like a little kid again.
Skipping through the tall grasses, Libby came upon a few tall bushes barring her way. Their berries were a bright pink and were sweet and tangy, but Libby pushed past them. On the other side was a ton of people she knew from before and after getting sucked into Tortal.
The King was there, sitting on a throne in a pinky, fuzzy bathrobe beside a lake of pink lemonade. Artman sat near by, sipping some lemonade calmly beside the King. All of her old pals of school sat around in circles, drinking the pink lemonade as well and all wearing pink! Even Trystan was there, holding a pink scrying mirror and trying to concentrate on it the best she could.
Some cute, pink bunnies came from nowhere and began to dance around her, singing happy birthday at the top of their lungs. She laughed and danced with them in the middle, falling on her back in exhaustion a while later. One of the bunnies leapt on her stomach, grinning crazily as it continued to sing...%
Libby opened her eyes and looked at her stomach, very surprised to see a small, brown bunny curled up on her!
"Hello there, little guy," she whispered, picking him up gently. "What are you doing here?" The small animal just looking at her with beseeching eyes, practically melting her heart they were so cute!! "Aw, poor little guy's lost? Well, you can stay with me, then." The bunny jump leapt into her pouch and stayed there, sitting perfectly still. She picked up a few vegetables from the lunch she hadn't eaten and gave them to him, watching with joy as he nibbled away on the celery and lettuce.
"What should I name you?" she asked after awhile, petting it gingerly on the head. She thought about her dream and smiled. "I know what I'll call you...Pinky!!"
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Outside her tent, Amanda was sitting in the middle of a small group of children, mending a torn doll's arm as she told the story about Aladdin and the Forty Thieves. The children were all enthralled with it, and sat there with rapturous looks on their faces as time passed by. Levi watched on from near by, and Elizabeth had long since left, explaining to him that she didn't really like kids.
"The end," said Amanda at last, the children all waking up from their trance. They were the noble's younger sons and daughters who had found her that morning and had begged for a story.
"Can you tell another one?" asked a little girl, crawling up into her lap.
"No," said Amanda gently, putting her back on the grass, "One story a day, remember?"
"Aw."
"Please, Lady Amanda, will you tell us another one?" pleaded a chubby little boy solemnly, pouting out his bottom lip slightly.
"I said no, Master Henry. Now, Miss Geraldine, Betsy's all better again, but be careful because it won't last if you're hard on her..." Amanda handed the doll back to a little girl.
"Can we have a treat now?" asked young boy impatiently, marching up to stand right in front of her. Amanda laughed at his impudence and pulled out a bag of candied nuts from her pouch, taking out a few and passing them around.
"Thanks, Lady Amanda!"
"Yeah, you're the best!"
"Thank you for coming and visiting me."
"Can I have some more if I come back tomorrow?"
"We'll see, Master Toby, we'll see..."
"Thank you for fixing Betsy. She's a good as new!"
"No problem. Now be good and go back to your nurses and parents, ok?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Will wonders never cease?" asked Levi as Amanda stood there and waved at the kids as they went on their separate ways.
"What do you mean by that?" asked Amanda indignantly as she picked up the blanket they had been sitting on and put away her small sewing kit.
"That you and your sister are the two most opposite people that I've ever met."
"How so?"
"She's a guy fanatic, and (no offence or anything) has probably tumbled a few guys in her life time, still, she cannot cook, sew, clean, and doesn't like little children at all. Don't deny it, I've seen the way she looks at little toddlers. You, on the other hand, can cook, clean, sew and you love being around little kids off all ages. However, you don't like guys in general and are the least likely of you two to settle down anytime soon," explained Levi, getting up and stretching his legs.
"And the wonder in that is...?"
"It's just how ironic it is that strikes me funny," replied Levi with a shrug, getting a fairly soft punch from Amanda in the shoulder. "Hey! What was that for?"
"For opening your mouth."
"Can I just ask you a question, though?"
"Yeah, I guess so..."
"Why."
"Why what?" Amanda gave him an odd look and walked back into the tent, her things in her arms. He followed her quickly, ducking under the flap of her tent.
"Why are you and Elizabeth such opposites? You're sisters, right? The only things you have in common are you love for music, your tempers, and your ability to cut someone to shreds with words as well as weapons. If it weren't for that, I'd swear you weren't related."
"Umm, Liz and I were brought up differently, that's all..." lied Amanda, trying to cover her tail there.
"How so?"
"She was raised until a few years ago as an only child, besides an older brother who wasn't around very much, I don't really know him that well. I, on the other hand, had three younger siblings in my home and I often looked after them for my parents. The youngest was 6 when I left..."
"Then your family is still alive."
"...We don't know..."
"Oh." Elizabeth walked in just then, seeing the sad look on Amanda's face immediately.
"What's wrong?" she asked, linking Amanda's arm with hers.
"I was thinking about Ben."
"Hm." Elizabeth glanced at Levi murderously.
"What?" asked Levi, confused. "I just asked about why you two were so different, and she explained that you had been raised differently."
"How so?"
"That you were separated until a few years ago and the reason that she likes kids is because she was the one stuck with the younger siblings."
"Nice cover," whispered Elizabeth to Amanda, getting a smile out of the older girl. Out loud she said, "Yeah, it just turned out that way. Are you two ready for the ball tonight?"
"Oh, shoot!"
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John lay on his bed patiently as the towns healer looked at his arm, making sure it wasn't infected with his gift before sealing it back up. "So, how did that happen again?" asked the man, wiping a sleeve across his forehead as John tested out his arm and noticed the long scar he had running down his shoulder.
"I was working with some tack and an old piece of metal from the barn fell from the loft and sliced it open," he explained for the fifth time.
"But that doesn't make sense."
"Why not?"
"The wound should've had some rust or bits of metal in it then, and it was completely clean..."
"I just did a really good job of cleaning it out," said Onua from the doorway, having just arrived with some more supplies. When she had heard about the Rouge, she immediately set out for Pirates Swoop and had a message sent from there to George. She had also agreed to help out until the healer could come and fix up John and he could help out once more.
"I guess that would explain it..." Sarah gave him the money for the job as he left and closed the door after him, leaning against it with a sigh.
"How's your arm?" she asked when her anxiety passed, seeing him making sure everything was whole again.
"Good as new, though it felt weird the way he healed it..." John ran a finger down the scar with a grin. "At least I got this reminder to keep me out of trouble for a while..."
"Like that would help any," snorted Onua, unpacking the food she had bought before going to Sarah's room to get those whom they had hidden there. The less who knew that there were others there, the better.
The bodies of the Scanrans had been buried out in the horse fields, and the front yard covered with a new layer of dirt to get rid of the blood spots. Sarah had been having nightmares from the whole things, and everyone was still pretty high-strung.
"You got a letter from your pals in the Rogue," said Onua lightly, handing it to John while she and the young ones made some lunch. One boy, the one John had saved, was still in Sarah's room lying on his back. They couldn't afford to get him a healer just in case, and until then he was bedridden as they waited for his leg to heal.
John tore open the letter and scanned it quickly, taking in the gist of what is said. "They're coming back in a few weeks for a short visit and to stock up on supplies," he murmured, getting cheers from the young ones. They liked it here, but they missed their parents and friends as well.
"A few weeks, you say?" asked Sarah, coming by to read over his shoulder.
"Yep," replied John. "They've taken back a few smaller rogues already and are going to attack one of the larger ones now. Apparently, from what they've learned so far, no one's to report back to Corus for a year and that's how long they have to set things right. It's at that year mark that they're going to rise up and cause trouble for the King..."
"Are you sure you two don't want me to go and tell the King...."offered Onua, a worried look in her eyes.
"We have to let our friends handle this first," said Sarah quickly, seeing several of the younger ones start to protest. "If they can't do it, we'll call on some reinforcements."
"Alright..." They all sat down in various places around the house and ate their lunch, a cloud of worry hanging over their heads as the uncertainty of the future began to dawn on them all...
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Kyle rode up to the Procession at a gallop, his gelding's sides heaving and soaked in sweat. "Steady, boy," murmured Kyle as he dismounted and took him to the stables, handing him over to the groomsman before hurrying to the King's tents.
"Master Kyle, sire!" said the herald as he opened the door regally, letting the tousled and tired young man inside.
"How are you, Master Kyle?" asked the King politely, bent over some maps as he marked some areas with a charcoal stick.
"Fine, your majesty. What is it you wish of me?" replied Kyle, bowing as his father had taught him to.
"Hang on a minute, Kyle. Go and have a seat at that table and have something to eat," said the King, heading for one of the back rooms. "You look hungry." He stuck his head through one of the doors and said something softly. Daine came out quickly, followed by Numair and her majesty.
"It's good to see you again, Kyle," said Daine brightly, settling down in a chair next to him.
"Same here," replied Kyle with a grin, he knew he could drop all the formalities with her. He got up and bowed to Queen Thayet and exchanged greetings and some chitchat with Numair before getting down to business.
"Do you know why you're here, Master Kyle?" asked the King gravely, speaking in a low voice after he spelled the tent quickly for any who might be listening.
"It's something to do with Scanra, sire," he replied, keeping his face blank.
"We need you to help me spy on them over the border, Kyle," said Daine softly, looking him in the eye. "It could get fairly dangerous, I know. But you are the only other person we know of other than myself that has Wildmagic with birds of any sort...."
"I understand," said Kyle quickly, grinning slightly. "I'll do what I can to help, it wouldn't do to let them over run us, now would it?"
"No, it wouldn't," replied the Queen grimly. "We'll give you two hawks that you'll use to communicate with Daine and with us. The rest of the time you'll have to rely on birds of the wild, ones that will blend in if they go into camps for us..."
"They'll be on the look out for anything unusual," added Daine. "My reputation is, unfortunately, fairly well known..."
"Which means I'll have to be really careful if I don't want to get roasted, right?" said Kyle practically. "I get the point, so when do I start?"
Daine got up and walked outside, her mount ready and things packed for a long trip with two hawks riding behind her. "Right now."
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Mouse crept quietly down the corridors, sending her gift before her in a quiet hum that she constantly kept going. By the time she got to the Scanrans, they were under her spell and she left the two with her to dispose of them as they wished (many still held grudges for the deaths of loved ones and taking their home away). Now if only her gift would keep going and not be on the brink of drying up...
Allie was with two other girls, creeping along in the shadows, and using their new whips to make quick work of any enemies they cam across. Long, black, and lovely, sharp needles woven into them, they were Allie's favorite weapons, and she enjoyed using hers on those who had hurt her. They rounded a corner, and ran into a few more guards' men.
'Whip!' 'Crack!' 'Gurgle.' 'Whip!' 'Crack!' 'Gurgle.' Both were dispatched before either could make a sound, and the trio proceeded onward as soon as they had taken their weapons and hid the bodies in a closet near by. Tonight was a very good night for hunting...
Vixen walked stealthily along the hall, daggers in her hands as she went. There wasn't enough room to use her pole arm, so she had been forced to leave it behind. They were infiltrating an old mansion that had been used by the local rogue for years until the Scanrans had taken over, and left none alive other than those taken as prisoners.
The rest of her group was back in a dinning hall, tying up the leaders they had drugged to sleep with spelled clothes, and hiding them in a nearby room. She had gone on when she had seen a shadow out of the corner of her eye and decided to investigate, now she wished that she hadn't. Pride made her go on, though, and it was pride that almost caused her downfall.
Out of the shadows stepped a man, a rapier in either hand as he went in the attack position. Vixen put one of the daggers up and drew her short sword, silently agreeing to his challenge. They circled for a moment before the man dove at her and nearly pinned her against the wall. They didn't have much room, and he was very much taking advantage of that.
He wore the same dark blue uniform as the rest, but his hair was dark and his brown eyes were very familiar... Her thoughts were cut short as she was forced to dodge and duck her way around his blades and try to get in some hits herself as the battle went on. His right rapier twisted around her short sword like a silver snake, sending it flying and pricking her hand at the same time. She instinctively jerked her head to the side, sending four darts fly from the thick braids in her hair at him, a new technique she had devised while bored one evening. He barely dodged out of the way and laughed.
"I see you will be more of a challenge than I first thought," said the man softly, no sign of a Scanran accent in the way he spoke. He was definitely from Tortal.
"Why have you joined their side?" asked Vixen loftily as she pulled out a dagger and threw it at his middle.
"I always join the winning side."
"The Scanrans may've won a battle, but we will win the war."
"That's what you think." Two throwing stars came out of nowhere and pinned Vixen's wrists to the wall. It was only the work of a moment to tear the fabric free, but it was all the time the man needed. His sword point was to Vixen's neck as she stood there proudly, staring him in the eye as she dared him to run her through. He probably would have if a voice had not rung out.
"Scott!" yelled Joe angrily, striding down the hall with his rapier in one hand and Vixen's short sword in another. "Leave her out of this, I know you're only with them to get back at me."
"But it would be so easy just to end her life as a revenge for leaving me hanging like that, Joey boy," replied Scott with a toothy grin, keeping his sword at Vixen's throat.
"And be a coward? She has no weapons and not nearly as much fencing training as you," said Joe cunningly. "I knew you were low, Scott, but not that low..."
Scott backed away from Vixen, keeping his eyes on the both of them as Joe walked in between the two, handing Vixen her short sword behind his back before trying to grab her other wrist with his free hand. "How do you know him?" demanded Vixen, pulling out another dagger as she prepared to throw it at him.
"He's an old acquaintance of mine, I'll explain it all later. For right now, put up that dagger and give me your hand." Vixen was about to protest when he firmly took it anyways. "If you try to leave now, he'll consider you fair game and kill you," Joe explained grimly, preparing himself for the attack. "Now stay behind me and don't let go, I can't let him get between us or we're dead..."
"So you just want me to dodge around and cower behind you?" asked Vixen heatedly, her voice just barely above a whisper.
"Vixen do you trust me?"
"..Well.."
"Do you trust me?"
"...Yeah."
"Then please, for the love of Pete, just do as I say, ok? I can't lose you too..." Vixen shut her mouth and looked at him for a moment, silently nodding her consent as she placed herself behind him and prepared for the attack as well.
"You sure as heck better have a good explanation for this..."
"Trust me," replied Joe softly; watching the man's every move. "I do." He suddenly dove to the side, dragging Vixen with him as a few blades whizzed past them just a hairs breadth away.
[How the heck did he do that?] Thought Vixen as she tried to see what it was Joe was watching for and keep up with him at the same time.
"I see you haven't lost you touch," remarked Scott as he charged them with his blades, almost disarming him with a flick of his wrist. Joe didn't reply, he just kept his eyes on him and continued to do his best to fend off the attacks.
Scott pressed them down a long and narrow hallway, leaving them no room to go around him and no doors to escape through. He seemed to have it all planned out ahead of time, and soon Vixen felt her back touch the fall wall of the hallway.
"Oh, crap," was all she had time to say as a wicked glint gleamed in Scott's eyes and he charged forward again, crossing his blades and trapping Joe's with his. All three were locked hilt to hilt, and Scott leaned forward with all his weight, pressing them ever closer to Vixen and Joe...
Vixen's mind flashed through her possibilities as Joe fought against Scott's weight to keep them alive. Her hands were trapped by Joe's body and his grip on her, she couldn't use any of her knives...she grinned suddenly and jerked her head to the side, letting four more darts fly at Scott's chest. He hadn't even been watching her, and looked in surprise at the blood that flowed down his chest.
"What do you know," he murmured, slowly falling backwards as time seemed to come to a stand still. "The fox has an ace that I forgot about..." He grinned maniacally at Joe as he fell, blood flying everywhere from his pierced arteries. His head cracked loudly on the floor, Joe and Vixen still too stunned to move for a moment when Joe rushed forward and knelt by the body.
"It didn't have to be this way, Scott," he whispered, reaching for a pendent and a medallion on the man's neck.
"Oh yes it did," replied Scott, growling in pain. He looked at Vixen for a second and commented only so Joe could hear, "You know, bro, she's kinda cute. You're lucky to have her..." With that, his eyes clouded over and saw no more...
"Who was he?" asked Vixen, still frozen in her spot. Joe got up, the pendent in his left hand as he pulled out a similar one with his right from his shirt. Placing them together, Scott's disappeared and his changed shape and color.
"He was my brother," explained Joe softly, kneeling back down and closing the dead man's eyes. "My older, and only brother..."
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&The Story of Joe's Past&
Joe Damero was born in a small town many miles from Corus in the southern regions of Tortal. His family was one of well-known fencers, and often young men from his household would join the army or the guard and become famous for one grand deed or another. Within his family, each child was given a pendent upon birth and that pendent would let others know where he was and who he was even if he was is a disguise. Quite useful at times, and annoying at others.
With in the family, there is another pendent (though, more of a medallion), and it is given to the greatest fencer in the family at the time. They held a match every year, and from that match would decide who got it next. One man could hold it for years until he was defeated, and some had been known to do that in past generations. One year, on his 18th birthday, Scott was the one to win the match.
Joe was five then, and very proud of his oldest brother, the two were very close and rarely you would see one without the other. (That may've more been because he helped Scott pick up girls because they thought Joe was so adorable, and less because of the idea of 'brotherly love' [; p] anyways...)
Scott was not the great guy he seemed, though, and from the moment he won the medallion, he feared the day he would have to give it away. So he devised a plan ~kill everyone except a select few and it's forever his. So he did. He sent his mother, Joe, and a cousin he especially liked on a small trip, and then poisoned the rest at a feast while they were gone. When news reached Joe's mom, she went insane and hung herself.
The cousin, Herald, was in complete agreement with Scott and helped him cover the evidence, keeping Joe in the dark about what was going on for two years until he stumbled upon Scott's journal and read the whole thing for himself. Now, Joe may've only been 7, but he was a smart 7 year old and quickly left his brother's and cousin's home. He took only some food and his short sword (he had been fencing since he could walk and it was amazing what he could do...) and set out for Corus, intent upon finding his future there. A year later, George found him in an alley, half-starved and barely able to stand, and the rest you already know. He had only two other runs ins with his brother since he left, and each only affirmed his suspicions. George recognized his talent with fencing and got others to teach him more, evening going so far as to having the Lioness give him a few lessons.
Scott had become cold hearted and indifferent, and even killed his cousin when he thought that he was going to help Joe during an assassination attempt upon the younger brother. Herald some how got a message to Joe to give him a 'heads up', and this only furthered his brother's anger. He no longer cared about other people, only that he had the pendent that marked him as the best fencer of the Medici's and he would always do what he had to for him to come out on the winning side.
You know the rest of his story, though. He joined the Scanrans as a way to come out on top in the war against Tortal, and it doubled as a way to get revenge against the brother who left him. So ends the tale of the Damero's, Joe is now the only surviving member of a once large and famous family.
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"I killed your brother," whispered Vixen, the color draining from her face. "The only living family you have left. Joe...I'm so sorry..."
"Vixen, it's alright..."
"No it's not," cut in Vixen gently, holding her head in her hands. "I killed your brother, that's not alright, Joe. I...I...I killed..."
"It was us or him," said Joe, kneeling before her as she sat on the ground with her back against the wall. The rest of the raid had been successful with all of their people coming out alive and all the Scanrans rounded up for good. "You must understand, Vixen, I knew it was going to have to be done..."
"No it didn't," insisted Vixen, remembering something from a Trigun episode. "Everyone can be saved, you just have to know how to do it. I could've...we could've saved him..."
"No, we couldn't have," replied Joe sternly, forcing her to look him in the eye. "He was too far gone. He killed all of my family, even my mother, without a second thought. He deserved to die along time ago..."
"But still~"
"I wasn't going to let him kill you, Vixen," cut in Joe angrily. "Don't you understand? He's taken people I cared about away from me before and I wasn't going to let it happen again." Mouse and Allie stood silently in the corner, waiting to see what would happen next.
"Joe, you don't understand..."
"You're right, I don't!"
"He was your brother, Joe. He's not just someone that tried to hurt me or you or one of my sisters, he was your brother. If it had been one of my other friend's brother's, I would still feel this way..."
"What if he had killed me?"
"...."
"What if he had killed your sisters?"
"That is different."
"You would want revenge."
"That's not fair, Joe."
"It's plenty fair."
"You're defending me for killing someone! That someone was your own flesh and blood! Not just a nameless face in the crowd, but someone whom you loved at one point!"
"At one point, yes. But Scott has been dead to me for many years, Vixen. This only finalized things. I don't blame you for anything."
Vixen sighed and patted Joe on the shoulder. "Thanks," she said softly. "You're a good friend."
"Yeah," replied Joe, his eyes fairly sad as he glanced over at Mouse and Allie who looked like they wanted to strangle their sister. "A good friend...
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Jennifer sat in side her tent, playing with the kittens as time went on. It was late at night, and still too chilly to leave her door open for the kittens to go and roam about. She sighed and curled up on her bed, drawing a blanket over her shoulders as she debated with herself over whether or not to change for bed or not. She was already warm, and she had other clothes to wear in the morning. Still, her pajamas were clean and didn't smell like the kitchen...
A loudly clanging outside got her attention quickly, and she reached for the large frying pan she kept beside her bed...only to find it wasn't there! Jennifer smacked her forehead, she had used it to make omelets this morning and it was still in the kitchen! Groping about, she tried to find something to protect herself with in case it was an intruder....
Her lamp went out in a sudden gust of wind as someone thrust open the flap of her tent, a huge hand grabbing about for something in the dark. Jennifer yelled for her, backing herself into the corner as she tried to avoid the hand and her kittens behind her at the same time.
Tigress got free and dove at the body that the hand was connected to, latching himself on with his claws and savaging the person cruelly with his teeth. Loud oaths and swearing poured from the man's mouth, drunk by the sound of it and extremely angry and confused.
There was some more shouting as Sean stumbled out of his tent and the guards came running, followed by a few others who were still up and about. "Jenny! Jenny!" shouted Sean, trying to get around the man who now had Caramel and Snowball as well attaching hi head and his other arm. "Are you alright, Jenny?"
He growled impatiently as the flailing man almost hit him over the head with his arm and picked up a frying pan resolutely, smashing it into his head. This put the poor guy out of his misery for a while and let Sean get past in Jennifer's tent (which was a wreck, at this point.) He found her huddled in a corner, Snickers and Chocolate curled around her as they tried to reach their unresponsive master. She was curled in a ball and shaking, not crying at all, but shaking so badly that she could barely breath.
"Jenny..." She jerked away from his touch and gazed up at him with eyes that were so full of terror that it tore his heart. "It's alright, it's just me..."
"Sean..." He nodded and put his arms around her, pulling her closer to him. "I was so scared..."
"Shhh." One of the guards walked in right about then, a grim look on his face as he glanced in their direction.
"Sorry to interrupt, but we need to speak to the lady..." he said gruffly, shrugging his shoulder. "You can come along, if you like."
"Can you stand, Jenny?"
"I think so." She rose slowly on shaky legs; glad for the fact that Sean was supporting her on one side or she wasn't sure she could've made it. They went past the man, who was now lying to one side bound up and ready to be taken to cell, on their way to the tent where the questioning would be. Sean stayed silently at Jennifer's side the whole time, gladly being the support and comfort she needed to make it through the night.
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Alyse had long since left the Rider's group a few days ago, now scourging the countryside for any signs of the wagons that had gotten bogged down in the mud and they needed for supplies. Fern was the only other living being with her, and the two bravely faced the cold, cruel elements in the race to save the people of Bay Cove.
She saw some thing up in the distance and urged her poor mount onward, pulling her fleece-lined coat closer around her. It was one of the wagons, sitting there desolately out in the open waiting for them to come back. She dismounted and grabbed her empty saddle bags, quickly filling them with all the edible food she could get her hands on (and eating some herself) before she remounted Fern and took off into the wind, determined to make the three day trip back into two and get this food back to the villagers (as well as get herself a warm tent for once and a stable for her horse...)
*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*
Lyssa and Kel were put on a crew to help build shelters, and together they quickly erected the first of many simple structures they were putting together. Lyssa tried not to grin as Kel yelped out for the fifth time from having hit her thumb with the hammer.
"The object of using a hammer to pound the nail, not your hand," she said gently, trying really hard not to laugh.
"So you've said before," replied Kel calmly, putting the hurt thumb in her mouth for a moment. "Now, if you could show me how instead of just teasing me..."
"I'm sorry," apologized Lyssa, getting up and coming over to inspect the thumb. "You didn't hit it as bad this time. Don't get into that much of a hurry; take your time if you don't think you can pound them out that fast. You're no good to these people if you're hands are broken and it was your fault as well."
"I'll try," sighed Kel, picking up the hammer again and getting back to work, taking care NOT to hit her fingers anymore. Eric walked in just then, a load of wood under his arm that was smattered in mud.
He was filthy as well, covered up to his knees in mud and spattered everywhere else as well. "What do you think father would say if he saw me now?" he asked Lyssa cheerfully, dropping his load in the middle of the small space and stretching out his tired limbs.
"That he was right and that I'm the reason you're insane," she replied in a heartbeat, not even bothering to look up at hm. "Now go and get us another bucket of nails, Eric."
"Yes, Commander Lyssa," he said with a smart salute before heading out into the cold.
Lyssa shook her head and sighed. "I swear, that boy gets crazier every time I talk to him..."
*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*
Artman sat quietly in the corner of the tavern of the town they were staying at that week. He hadn't seen Libby for a few days, things had been too crazy to stop and chat. She had been kept on over drive in the wards and he on the battlefields. Tonight was the first night he had been able to sit down and eat his dinner without fear of having to get up and run out to fight, they had decimated the Scanrans this time and they wouldn't be coming back for some time.
In a day or two they would be heading out again for another town, and then to who knows where. He didn't really care, as long as it wasn't the same place twice. He looked at the young group of Rider's that sat around close by, laughing and joking as they tried to forget about their worries for a while.
[They've changed over time] he realized, noting how some had not been this way when they had left. Jake, for example, could hardly stand the sight of blood when they started out and cried after his first kill. Now he was the best fighter they had, and it didn't really matter that much to him any more. It's not that he was a heartless killer, but he had learned to cope with the occupation he had chosen.
He sipped a tankard of ale as the door opened, letting in a tired Libby with a bundle in her hands, wrapped in cloth. [Who knows] thought Artman as he watched her walk up, grinning slightly [Maybe we've both changed too...]
Her bundle jumped out of her hands and onto the table, shaking itself free of its bonds before hopping over and sniffing his hand. It was a bunny.
"Can we keep it?" asked Libby, her eyes all big and puppy like as she pouted her bottom lip and grinned innocently.
[Nope] thought Artman as he keeled over laughing [She'll never change...]
"What?" asked Libby, frowning slightly as the bunny hoped back into her arms. "It's my new pet and I named it 'Pinky.'"
"Pinky?" replied Artman, raising his eyebrows as he shook his head. "Oh boy..."
*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*
Levi, Amanda, and Elizabeth walked back from the ball to their tents, all bundled up in layers of thick coats and cloaks over their fancy clothes and wishing for the warmth of their beds. Amanda talked quietly with Elizabeth about her latest reprimand from the King as Levi walked behind them, his head down and brow furrowed in thought.
"I have a question, you two," he asked suddenly, walking in between them.
"What is it?" asked Elizabeth, being too tired to care that he had just interrupted them.
"Why do you treat me differently than other Stewards?"
"What do mean?" asked Amanda, shrugging her shoulders. "Do you mean in the way we treat them or we treat you?"
"You give me a lot more liberty than most others get."
"Yeah, so?"
"Why?"
"Good night." Elizabeth turned sharply into her tent, leaving Amanda to talk it out with Levi.
"Gee, thanks sis."
"You're welcome."
"Grr."
"You haven't answered my question yet," said Levi impatiently, just standing there looking at her. Amanda sighed and motioned for him to follow her into her tent, it was too cold to stand out there and talk.
"I still don't understand what you mean, Levi," she said tiredly, taking off her outer wraps and sitting on her bed. He did the same thing and took a seat in the chair across from her, still frowning some.
"You let me do things that other Stewards aren't allowed to," he said slowly as if carefully deciding what to say. "You let me freely speak my mind when we are talking with other nobles, and some that I have spoken to are beaten or starved if they do. I'm allowed to pretty much roam around during the day or stay with you if I please as a friend, the rest are made to follow their nobles around like dogs on a leash. I'm given minimum work and maximum privileges. The others have minimum privileges and maximum work~"
"That last one's irrelevant," cut in Amanda suddenly, looking him calmly in the eye. "You're father does most of the work, and your workload will double when you take over his job."
"You still treat me like an equal rather than a servant and others have noticed that as well. There are rumors..."
"You think I haven't heard them?" asked Amanda sharply. "I could care less what they say. You do your job well and I have no intention of being stricter with you for no reason at all. Now go."
"You still haven't answered my question, why? I'm not leaving until I get some kind of an answer."
Amanda got up walked to her table, taking off all her jewelry and putting it in its box. "I treat you as I do because you're a trusted servant and I see no reason not to," she said vaguely, not looking him in the eye. "Now out."
"Yes, milady."
"How many times do I have to tell you..." Amanda looked up to see Levi was already gone, his place across from her empty.
*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*
Mouse, Allie, and Vixen rode tiredly across the open plain, Joe and the rest of their crew with them as they made their way back to John and Sarah's home and the guarantee of a warm bed for the night. Not to mention some food and maybe a bath as well.
"Who goes there?" called a strong voice the moment they entered the clearing in front of the house.
"It's just me and the others, Hewitt," called back Vixen cautiously, hoping it was he.
"Come into the light so I can see you." Vixen walked up near the lone torch in the middle of the courtyard and took off her hood, standing there for a minute.
"Is that good enough for you?"
"Yeah, come on in." He opened the door quickly and shooed them all inside, going out after they had entered to stable their mounts. A few boys from the loft helped him while the rest ran inside quickly, wanting to see their relatives and friends.
"How've you been?" Sarah asked Vixen as she gave all the sisters a hug. "Did you manage to get anything back at all?"
"Yeah, all the Rogue's so far haven't been much trouble, this next maybe though. It's Pirate's Swoop, and because it's where George lives there will be twice as many men and maybe some guards on the outside of town," replied Vixen, settling down in a chair by the fire with a mug of coffee. "How have you all faired here? No attacks, I hope."
"Oh yeah, like we'd ever be that lucky," snorted John as he came back in the door, rolling his eyes as Sarah shot him a look. "We ran into some trouble a few weeks back."
"Really? What happened?" asked Mouse, noticing the glance that passed between the two. "No one was hurt, right?"
"Let's think about that for a second," muttered John sarcastically. "Am I ever so lucky as to come out of a fight without getting hurt?"
"Oh no, Hewitt, I'm so sorry we dragged you guys into this...." said Vixen sincerely, not wanting anyone else to get hurt.
"No, it's alright. All it did was nearly saw off my arm..."
"John!" Sarah glared at him slightly. "Don't say things like that."
"It did not nearly saw off your arm!" said voice from another room. "Just be glad they found a healer for you!"
"Tommy!" said Vixen suddenly, getting up from her seat and rushing to Sarah's room. "I was wondering why~" She stopped short when she saw his leg and covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh my gosh..."
"What is it, Vix?" asked Joe, following her into the room. He sobered up when he saw the young man lying there, his leg swathed in bandages and having no way to move about. "Tommy...what happened to you, buddy?"
The youth smiled crazily up at them, the pain all too obvious in his eyes. "I got into the fight with the Scanrans. John, he saved my life. Took the blow that would've killed me for himself."
"John? As in that John?" asked Vixen in disbelief, pointing across the room at John who was now standing in the doorway.
"Yep, him. He wasn't even a bit mad about it either."
Vixen looked over her shoulder, quirking an eyebrow as she studied the guy from her world for a moment. "What do you know, Hewitt. Maybe you do have a heart after all."
John snorted as Sarah tried not to laugh at the look on his face. "Yeah right. If I know they were going to be this much trouble, I wouldn't have bothered saving him."
Vixen rolled her eyes as an obvious sign that she didn't believe him. "Sure...."
*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*
Kyle sat hidden in a cave as he flew in the mind of an eagle outside, wheeling over the rough terrain and scouting for any signs of the enemy below. They were near the border between Scanra and Tortal, and already he could see the edges of a makeshift camp teeming with people and animals.
His eagle friend said something seeing some archers near by, and Kyle let him go on and went inside the head of a starling that was passing near by. With his new helper, he was able to flit around near the people inconspicuously and gather bits of info on people.
Suddenly, he saw something odd on the far edge of the camp. It was a huge sheet of canvas secured around some large, angular form. He could see glints of metal through the fabric and sometimes bits or parts sticking out of a hole here and there. There were all sorts of ropes bundling the whole thing up, making it look like one huge cocoon just sitting there in the middle of everything.
Kyle quickly made note of everything he had seen and thanked the birds before going back to his own body, scribbling a ton of notes on a small piece of paper before folding it up and placing it in the small tube connected to one of his hawks. He gave some instructions to the hawk, and then set her free to deliver the message to the King. He made an exact copy of what he had just written and gave it to the other hawk, sending it out as well.
The sound of softly padding feet caught his attention; and he was surprised when a wolf came in to view with a pack tied around its neck. "Oh please, oh please don't eat me," murmured Kyle, slowly backing up against the wall.
[It's me, silly] said a voice in his head, the wolf sitting down and laying its head on his lap.
"Daine?"
[Yeah] The wolf got back up and took off its pack, handing it to Kyle. [Keep the cloak in the bag with you. For your own safety, an old pack of mine is going to be staying with you for a while. They won't hurt you, I promise. Just leave them be and watch over the cubs when they leave them with you, ok?]
"That's fine," replied Kyle, shrugging his shoulders. "Why do I have to keep the cloak, though?"
[Because you didn't bring one and it is how they will recognize you until they get used to your scent, ok?]
"Yeah."
[I have to go now. Take care, Kyle.]
"You too." Kyle watched at the wolf got up and left, soon replaced by three others who came and sniffed him warily before settling down around him in the small area.
*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*
Jennifer sat in the small crowd at the trial of her attacker and his accomplice or something. The man had turned out to be Randal, the head of the fief's garrison. The person who had paid him was the fief's head servant who wanted to get back at Jennifer for taking over his job in the kitchen. In his kitchen of all places!
The servant had given the head of the garrison a pouch of coppers to go and have some 'fun' with Jennifer after having watched the man drink down five bottles of wine so he was no where near his normal state of mind. Randal had no memory of the night before (probably from his excessive intake of alcohol) and there fore was let off with only a heavy fine and a warning that if he ever did anything of that sort again he would lose his job as well as his head.
The servant was given 5 years hard labor on the roads for putting Randal's and Jennifer's safety in jeopardy and for plotting to harm another servant. Not to mention disturbing the camp at night and scaring Jennifer witless.
"That's what they deserve," whispered Jennifer vengefully as she watched them walk out of the tent with their heads bowed in shame. She had completely recovered from the incident and had had her cats labeled her rescuers upon learning what they had done. Randal's arms were still covered in scratches and bite marks from them.
"It's too bad some people let their lives be ruled by their hatred and not their minds," said Sean sadly, leaning up against a pole in the kitchen when they got back there. "That Randall fellow's really not so bad, and I'm sure the other guy's ok when he's not angry..."
"Then he should learn to control his anger," retorted Jennifer, starting to make lunch for the nobles that would be coming along soon. "Not that he has the chance to change now..."
"True. Very true..."
Jennifer sighed and opened her tent, very surprised to see a few of her friends who were cooks sitting inside with a cake in the middle of them all. "What the~"
"Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you..."
*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*
Alyse, Lyssa, and Eric were having dinner in Alyse's quarters back at the palace, the King's Own had headed back for a week's rest there before joining the procession again, and Buri had ordered Lyssa's group to go with them. The new recruits were glad and welcomed the thought of clean beds and hot baths once more. Tonight was the last night they had in a bed inside solid walls of the palace and they were determined to enjoy it.
"So, you're leaving the Rider's as soon as we get back?" Lyssa teased Alyse, pouring herself another glass of juice.
"You know I was never really 'in' the Riders, Lyssa," replied Alyse, sipping her own Yamani's tea lightly. "My cousins might be getting worried and I need to get back with some other friends..."
"Like Faleron?" piped up Eric pertly, getting a glare from Alyse.
"Yes, Faleron a few others...which reminds me. How's Danielle doing?"
"She's fine. From her last letter is seems that she continues to fall even more for this guy, and I'm just waiting for something to happen," replied Lyssa.
"Like...?"
"The announcement of their engagement."
"Whoa! Back up here." Alyse put down her cup and leaned forward some. "Danielle isn't much older than I. How can she be sure that's who she wants to spend her life with?"
"It's not like she has a choice, Alyse," replied Eric calculatingly. "She has to marry soon or lose part of her dowry and at the moment her choices are Sir Derick or some goof from the mountains."
"You mean that Kyle guy? The Baron's son?"
"Yeah, and since she really doesn't like him her choice is very clear."
"Ok, I see now."
"Hey, when are we going to get to meet this cousins of yours," asked Lyssa suddenly, abruptly changing the subject. "All we ever hear is little bits about them from various nobles and occasionally a story about them from you, but that's it!"
"We'll have to find a time when they're not busy and you're free as well, their schedules are more hectic than the King's at times!"
"Sheesh, I'm glad I'm not them."
"Yeah, me too."
*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*
Libby and Artman were visiting a larger town this time, and this one happened to have an orphanage and a mages institute for young people. So Libby went to the orphanage to help out there some with Pinky in her pouch as always, and Artman made his way over to the institute to see if he could trade secrets with a few of the older mages there.
The orphanage had long rooms with beds lining the walls, each holding a small, under fed child who watched her with large, wondering eyes. She walked to each bed and let the child hold and play with Pinky as she checked them over for any diseases or hurts that she could heal.
One boy she healed his broken ankle, and another she took away his fever and the spots that covered his arms and legs. The little girls liked her bunny more than the guys, and fed Pinky scraps of lettuce and bits of carrot they were able to scrape together, just for him. The Orphanage tried to pay Libby for her work, but she refused and left with the promise to return at least once before she left.
Artman got into the school easily enough and sat there for three hours debating with a few of the Professors and trading some spells that he knew for ones that he needed. He learned that if he was low on magic he could used water or salt water to expand it and make it last longer, and that he was right in his argument with Numair. Opals were more powerful than diamonds over all. (The Dominion Jewel didn't count because it's god- touched or something like that.)
The professors were amazed by his extensive knowledge of gifts, and were surprised when he said he was a Brazir mage for the King. "You mean THE Brazir mage?" asked one of the professors, turning an interesting shade of blue.
"Yeah, why?"
"We heard about you months ago from a traveling bard. He said you have more power than Numair, the King, and Alanna combined! Is that true?"
"Well..."
"And did you really set an entire army on fire with a single word?"
"Um..."
"What about your friend? Is she as powerful as you?"
"I..."
"Is it true that you're the greatest Brazir mage in the history of the Brazir?"
"What..."
"Oh, and~"
"That's enough," cut in Artman, sick of the questioning. "I'm late to meet my partner. I'll come back later and we can talk more then, ok?" He walked out before any of the men could reply and escaped to the street to see Libby near by playing with Pinky on a bench. "Ready to go, Libby?"
"Yeah, how was your time?"
"Don't ask..."
*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*
John sat on the doorstep of his small hut as Sarah sat beside him openly weeping, waving at an old cart as it trundled out of sight. In it were all the thieves they had kept at their house for the past few weeks, all of them headed to a new spot to stay until the silent war with the Scanrans was over.
"I'm gonna miss them so much," sighed Sarah as it went out of sight. John wasn't sure he could take one more mushy comment before he hurled. The last 20 minutes had been nothing but crying, good-byes, and more crying.
"Good grief, people, it's not like the world's ending or anything," he muttered under his breath, scratching the back of his neck.
"Aren't you going to miss them?"
"Those brats? No."
"Brats? That's not what you were calling them when you taught some of the younger ones how to ride and take care of horses."
"I was bored and didn't have anything else better to do." Mandy trotted up just then, looking supremely happy with herself for having gotten out of her stall and found them. She took John's hand in her mouth and bit down gently, looking him straight in the eye. "Alright, alright. Let go of my hand."
The foal did and watched him expectantly, waiting patiently for her treat. John took some sugar cubes out of his pocket and let the foal nibble them out his hand, scratching her behind the ear.
"Aww, how sweet."
"I'll pretend I didn't hear that." John finished feeding the foal and got up suddenly, coming back just as quickly with a small package in his hands. "Happy Birthday, Sarah."
"Whoa, back up here. My birthday's not for another 3 days," protested Sarah, looking at the package that was lying her hands.
"Yeah, but knowing our luck we'll get pulled into another adventure of some sort, and I'd rather not forget about later. So go on, open it." She did and found a bronze statue of a stallion rearing up on its hind legs with his mane and tail flying in the wind like banners.
"Aww. John, that was so sweet of you..."
"Good grief."
*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*
Elizabeth, Amanda, and Levi were in Amanda's tent after dinner one night, whiling away the time before they were going to go to bed. Elizabeth sat at one end of the table looking at some papers about the fief while Levi and Amanda played chess at the other end, with not winner in site just yet.
"What are we going to do after the Procession ends?" Elizabeth asked her sister, trying to figure out her schedule for the next few months.
"Head back to the fief for a while, I'm not sure how long. It may be close to a year and a half..."
"That long! Why?"
"The Scanrans are going to start attacking more soon, and our fief is right on the border. I'd feel safer if we stayed there and only came back for Kel's ordeal in two mid-winters or so."
"What??"
"What? You had some plans or something?"
"Yeah. It's called catching a husband!"
"You're not even 18, Liz. You have time for that sort of thing later."
"Check."
"Darn you, Levi." Amanda sat there for a minute, going over all her choices. She began to grin suddenly, and Levi began to doubt his move as her hand hovered briefly over her Queen. She instead chose a pawn, and knocking out his knight with it her grin grew even wider. "Check mate."
"WHAT???" Levi looked at the board for 20 minutes before he could figure it out, and when he did he felt just plain stupid. "Grrr."
"Hehe. That's two out of three."
"Best of out five."
"You're on."
Elizabeth grinned as they reset up the board, watching her sister with interest. She had heard about their conversation from a few nights before from Levi, and she was very sure of something that she was not sure she was able to believe...
"What did you pa say in his last letter, Levi?" Amanda asked suddenly, having seen him read it earlier in the day.
"To send his greetings and that everything's going just fine up there. The McClendon's (one of the fief's just south of us) have a son about your age and wants to meet you." Amanda made a face at this, but Levi kept on going. "Also, he said next time you're around you have to give a town address. That and you have to hold a party for the whole town so everyone gets to know you."
"I'll do better than that and visit every home personally," replied Amanda, taking his Queen away and putting him in check. "Tell him that in your next letter."
"I will."
Elizabeth looked up and said, "You're not planning on dragging me along, are you?"
"Not at all. You'd scare them more than help," Amanda teased lightly, knowing she was going to lose this next round. "Just take the King, you will anyways with in the next few moves."
Levi grinned and moved his rook forward. "Checkmate."
"You still have to win one more."
"I know."
"Is Lady Elizabeth here?" asked a tall, brown-eyed youth at the door suddenly.
"Right here, Freddy," replied Elizabeth, getting up gracefully and batting her eyes at him playfully. She took his arm and led him away, his face turning beet red as she did.
"She'll be having some fun tonight," remarked Amanda to herself as they reset the board once more.
"I did *not* need to know that..."
*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*
The Procession had been slowing down in speed lately, and Jennifer felt like snail as they crept along one of the roads. "I could walk faster than this," she growled to no one in particular as she lay on her back in a wagon, shielding her eyes from the sun with her arm.
"Then why don't you?" asked Sean from his position right next to her, seated with his back against the side of the cart.
"Because what good would it do if I arrived early and got lost along the way? And no one was there to direct how the kitchens are set up? Hm?"
"I could do it."
"Right..."
"How do you like your staff?" asked Sean suddenly, changing the subject rather quickly.
"It's pretty cool. Though I have no idea how to fight with it..."
"That's ok, I'll teach you." After Jennifer's attack, Sean had gotten her a metal-tipped staff that was just her size and weight so she could defend herself.
"I'm fine when I have a frying pan around..." Jennifer frowned, Tigress shifting in her sleep on her stomach.
"Yeah, well, sometimes you don't have that luxury," Sean reminded her with a grin.
"I noticed."
*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*
Lyssa had no sooner gotten back to the Procession when her group was called back out onto the battle field, giving her a few weeks until they reached the fief of Mindelan and they would be dispatched from there.
She was spending the last few days she had with Rispah and Coram as well as Danielle, who would all be going home after the Procession and she wasn't likely to see them again for sometime after that.
Right now she, the Trebond nobles, Eric, and Danielle were sharing a light lunch in a food tent of the Procession. Danielle kept glancing about as if waiting for someone, and Lyssa suspected it had to do with Derick.
"So, where are they sending us next?" Eric asked Lyssa, slurping his way through a mound of spaghetti.
"To a fort near North watch where they need some reinforcements. It's right next to that new fief, Lynx mountain," replied Lyssa, chewing on some bread thoughtfully. "I don't know how long we'll be out there, but Buri said we'd be working with that fief and two others to keep that part of the border secure."
"Isn't that Alyse's cousins fief?" asked Eric curiously. "Maybe we'll get to work with her or something."
"Maybe, I heard from Alanna that the elder of the sisters that runs it is a fighter, though," speculated Coram, grinning slightly. "In any case you and her should get along just fine, Lyssa."
"Doesn't she have a younger sister, too?" asked Lyssa, frowning a bit. "I think I heard something about her a while ago..."
"You mean Elizabeth?" asked Danielle, eyes twinkling merrily. "I've met her. A real sweet girl, she just likes to mess with guys minds too much."
"Then we should get along as well," said Lyssa, grinning slyly. "All the better too, if we have to fight side by side I'd rather be friends than acquaintances."
"There you are!" Danielle cried suddenly, waving to a figure over on the other side of the room. Derick was at her side in a flash, giving her a kiss before greeting everyone else.
"What did he say?" she asked excitedly when he had sat down and ordered some food.
"It was a long debate, but..."
"But???"
"Yes."
"Yes?"
"Yes!" Derick stood up and went around to the other side of her chair, getting down on one knee. "Danielle, will you marry me?" he asked sweetly, holding a ring out to her. He didn't get an answer, just one really *LONG* kiss. (I think he got the point anyways, though...)
Lyssa smiled as Eric made a face and Coram rolled his eyes. "Go get a room, you two," said Lyssa at last, making sure they heard her. The couple broke apart and Derick fumbled to put the ring on her hand, making things official.
"Congratulations you two," said Rispah, raising an eyebrow thoughtfully. "I'm assuming that whole display means you're now engaged, right?"
"Um, yeah," replied Danielle sheepishly, turning an even darker shade of red. Derick was too happy to look embarrassed, and whisked her off to his mom's tents so they could tell the rest of the family.
"Ok...that was odd," said Eric, getting up from his seat and taking his plates to the washers near by.
"I'd have to agree with you there..."
*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*
Kyle was riding as fast as he could to get back to the Procession, his bags laden with notes, maps, and what was left of his supplies. The message had just reached him yesterday to pack up and head back there, but unlike Daine he couldn't shape shift into a bird and fly back, he had to take the long way and it would be a week at the least before he arrived.
Checking with his bird friends who followed him around, he found safe spot to sleep out of sight for the night, and quickly dozed off over a plate of meat and beans before he was even done eating. Poor guy.
*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*
Ta-da!!!!!!! The 15 Chapter is done with at last! An engagement, the rogue getting taken over, attacking Scanrans, etc! Who would've thought that such an innocent plot could have such devastating effects on our characters? (hehehe evil laughter)
Anyways, here's something that once again, I must do.
Happy birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday dear Jennifer and Sarah!!!!!!!
Happy Birthday toooo Youuuuuu!!!!!!!!
And many more....!
That's right! March 13 (this last Wednesday) and this upcoming March the 26 is Jennifer's sweet 16 and Sarah's 17th birthday. Be sure to wish them a happy birthday in your reviews! Thanks you!
And unfortunately, I have some bad news. No, I'm not going to completely drop this story (unless I have any *extremely* large death wish, trust me I don't) but I will have to not update for a month and maybe more. *Ducks a few daggers, a whip, and a sword thrown at her by characters* It can't be helped! Really! If you live where I do *and* have Jackson for World History Humanities as well, you'll understand. (Stupid family history project...grumbles...grumbles....)
My deepest apologizes, I will try to update on 20 of April, but that's just an estimation. Please no killing the author or you'll never find out what happens! Thanks for your understanding.
~crosseyedbutterfly~
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Alyse was in the Queen's tent with Buri and Princess Shinko when word came from Bay Cove about the earthquake, getting her attention quickly. "Can I go and help?" she asked the moment she could get a word in. "I'm not doing anything here, and my cousins won't care if I tell them before we go..."
"We need more people in Lyssa's squad, so you may," said Buri, shoving some packs and a uniform in her hands. "Report to her within the hour, we leave then."
Alyse smiled and nodded, running out of the Queen's tent and to Amanda's as fast as she could. After having told her cousins where she was going, changing clothes, and saddling Fern as fast as she could she went to find Lyssa.
"You've joined the Riders?" asked Lyssa in surprise when she saw Alyse riding over to her.
"Just temporarily," called Buri from a few yards away. "Let her help where she can and she reports directly to you, ok?"
"Alright." Alyse fell into position as the Riders took off at a steady trot, Fern behaving and staying in line like she had hoped. She was glad to get to do something real for once, and not wearing kimonos for a while wouldn't hurt either...
All in all, this was going to be good.
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Lyssa had accepted the position in the Riders only four days before the news of the quake had come, and already she was wondering if she was up to this. She had several people who were depending on her to get them through whatever they were told to do, and she was not sure she could do that.
"Are you ok?" asked Eric, riding up beside her.
"Yeah, I'm fine," sighed Lyssa. "I'm just thinking, that's all."
"That's a dangerous thing for you..."
"Hey! Be nice."
"So why is the Yamanis lily with us again?"
Lyssa chuckled softly. "I wouldn't call her that if I were you."
"And why not?"
"She's a better shot with a bow than I and her fans are deadly..."
"Those sissy things? Deadly? Yeah right."
"You doubt the power of a shukusen?" asked Alyse, riding up beside them. "I'll have to show you sometime what I can do with my fans..."
"What did your cousins say about you leaving?" asked Lyssa, knowing Alyse lived with some family now but hadn't met them yet.
"Amanda just said to be careful and not get killed or she'd never speak to me again."
"Very helpful family you've got there."
"Oh, absolutely."
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Libby's 18th birthday had been just a few days before as she lay on her back in her tent and stared at the low ceiling, slowly drifting off into a deep sleep...
% Pink clouds drifted across a sky that was permanently stuck on a pink sunrise in a land of grassy meadows and pink flowers everywhere. Trees were in little groves, and pink cotton candy grew on them by the bushel! Libby reached up and tasted some, giggling giddily as she acted like a little kid again.
Skipping through the tall grasses, Libby came upon a few tall bushes barring her way. Their berries were a bright pink and were sweet and tangy, but Libby pushed past them. On the other side was a ton of people she knew from before and after getting sucked into Tortal.
The King was there, sitting on a throne in a pinky, fuzzy bathrobe beside a lake of pink lemonade. Artman sat near by, sipping some lemonade calmly beside the King. All of her old pals of school sat around in circles, drinking the pink lemonade as well and all wearing pink! Even Trystan was there, holding a pink scrying mirror and trying to concentrate on it the best she could.
Some cute, pink bunnies came from nowhere and began to dance around her, singing happy birthday at the top of their lungs. She laughed and danced with them in the middle, falling on her back in exhaustion a while later. One of the bunnies leapt on her stomach, grinning crazily as it continued to sing...%
Libby opened her eyes and looked at her stomach, very surprised to see a small, brown bunny curled up on her!
"Hello there, little guy," she whispered, picking him up gently. "What are you doing here?" The small animal just looking at her with beseeching eyes, practically melting her heart they were so cute!! "Aw, poor little guy's lost? Well, you can stay with me, then." The bunny jump leapt into her pouch and stayed there, sitting perfectly still. She picked up a few vegetables from the lunch she hadn't eaten and gave them to him, watching with joy as he nibbled away on the celery and lettuce.
"What should I name you?" she asked after awhile, petting it gingerly on the head. She thought about her dream and smiled. "I know what I'll call you...Pinky!!"
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Outside her tent, Amanda was sitting in the middle of a small group of children, mending a torn doll's arm as she told the story about Aladdin and the Forty Thieves. The children were all enthralled with it, and sat there with rapturous looks on their faces as time passed by. Levi watched on from near by, and Elizabeth had long since left, explaining to him that she didn't really like kids.
"The end," said Amanda at last, the children all waking up from their trance. They were the noble's younger sons and daughters who had found her that morning and had begged for a story.
"Can you tell another one?" asked a little girl, crawling up into her lap.
"No," said Amanda gently, putting her back on the grass, "One story a day, remember?"
"Aw."
"Please, Lady Amanda, will you tell us another one?" pleaded a chubby little boy solemnly, pouting out his bottom lip slightly.
"I said no, Master Henry. Now, Miss Geraldine, Betsy's all better again, but be careful because it won't last if you're hard on her..." Amanda handed the doll back to a little girl.
"Can we have a treat now?" asked young boy impatiently, marching up to stand right in front of her. Amanda laughed at his impudence and pulled out a bag of candied nuts from her pouch, taking out a few and passing them around.
"Thanks, Lady Amanda!"
"Yeah, you're the best!"
"Thank you for coming and visiting me."
"Can I have some more if I come back tomorrow?"
"We'll see, Master Toby, we'll see..."
"Thank you for fixing Betsy. She's a good as new!"
"No problem. Now be good and go back to your nurses and parents, ok?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Will wonders never cease?" asked Levi as Amanda stood there and waved at the kids as they went on their separate ways.
"What do you mean by that?" asked Amanda indignantly as she picked up the blanket they had been sitting on and put away her small sewing kit.
"That you and your sister are the two most opposite people that I've ever met."
"How so?"
"She's a guy fanatic, and (no offence or anything) has probably tumbled a few guys in her life time, still, she cannot cook, sew, clean, and doesn't like little children at all. Don't deny it, I've seen the way she looks at little toddlers. You, on the other hand, can cook, clean, sew and you love being around little kids off all ages. However, you don't like guys in general and are the least likely of you two to settle down anytime soon," explained Levi, getting up and stretching his legs.
"And the wonder in that is...?"
"It's just how ironic it is that strikes me funny," replied Levi with a shrug, getting a fairly soft punch from Amanda in the shoulder. "Hey! What was that for?"
"For opening your mouth."
"Can I just ask you a question, though?"
"Yeah, I guess so..."
"Why."
"Why what?" Amanda gave him an odd look and walked back into the tent, her things in her arms. He followed her quickly, ducking under the flap of her tent.
"Why are you and Elizabeth such opposites? You're sisters, right? The only things you have in common are you love for music, your tempers, and your ability to cut someone to shreds with words as well as weapons. If it weren't for that, I'd swear you weren't related."
"Umm, Liz and I were brought up differently, that's all..." lied Amanda, trying to cover her tail there.
"How so?"
"She was raised until a few years ago as an only child, besides an older brother who wasn't around very much, I don't really know him that well. I, on the other hand, had three younger siblings in my home and I often looked after them for my parents. The youngest was 6 when I left..."
"Then your family is still alive."
"...We don't know..."
"Oh." Elizabeth walked in just then, seeing the sad look on Amanda's face immediately.
"What's wrong?" she asked, linking Amanda's arm with hers.
"I was thinking about Ben."
"Hm." Elizabeth glanced at Levi murderously.
"What?" asked Levi, confused. "I just asked about why you two were so different, and she explained that you had been raised differently."
"How so?"
"That you were separated until a few years ago and the reason that she likes kids is because she was the one stuck with the younger siblings."
"Nice cover," whispered Elizabeth to Amanda, getting a smile out of the older girl. Out loud she said, "Yeah, it just turned out that way. Are you two ready for the ball tonight?"
"Oh, shoot!"
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John lay on his bed patiently as the towns healer looked at his arm, making sure it wasn't infected with his gift before sealing it back up. "So, how did that happen again?" asked the man, wiping a sleeve across his forehead as John tested out his arm and noticed the long scar he had running down his shoulder.
"I was working with some tack and an old piece of metal from the barn fell from the loft and sliced it open," he explained for the fifth time.
"But that doesn't make sense."
"Why not?"
"The wound should've had some rust or bits of metal in it then, and it was completely clean..."
"I just did a really good job of cleaning it out," said Onua from the doorway, having just arrived with some more supplies. When she had heard about the Rouge, she immediately set out for Pirates Swoop and had a message sent from there to George. She had also agreed to help out until the healer could come and fix up John and he could help out once more.
"I guess that would explain it..." Sarah gave him the money for the job as he left and closed the door after him, leaning against it with a sigh.
"How's your arm?" she asked when her anxiety passed, seeing him making sure everything was whole again.
"Good as new, though it felt weird the way he healed it..." John ran a finger down the scar with a grin. "At least I got this reminder to keep me out of trouble for a while..."
"Like that would help any," snorted Onua, unpacking the food she had bought before going to Sarah's room to get those whom they had hidden there. The less who knew that there were others there, the better.
The bodies of the Scanrans had been buried out in the horse fields, and the front yard covered with a new layer of dirt to get rid of the blood spots. Sarah had been having nightmares from the whole things, and everyone was still pretty high-strung.
"You got a letter from your pals in the Rogue," said Onua lightly, handing it to John while she and the young ones made some lunch. One boy, the one John had saved, was still in Sarah's room lying on his back. They couldn't afford to get him a healer just in case, and until then he was bedridden as they waited for his leg to heal.
John tore open the letter and scanned it quickly, taking in the gist of what is said. "They're coming back in a few weeks for a short visit and to stock up on supplies," he murmured, getting cheers from the young ones. They liked it here, but they missed their parents and friends as well.
"A few weeks, you say?" asked Sarah, coming by to read over his shoulder.
"Yep," replied John. "They've taken back a few smaller rogues already and are going to attack one of the larger ones now. Apparently, from what they've learned so far, no one's to report back to Corus for a year and that's how long they have to set things right. It's at that year mark that they're going to rise up and cause trouble for the King..."
"Are you sure you two don't want me to go and tell the King...."offered Onua, a worried look in her eyes.
"We have to let our friends handle this first," said Sarah quickly, seeing several of the younger ones start to protest. "If they can't do it, we'll call on some reinforcements."
"Alright..." They all sat down in various places around the house and ate their lunch, a cloud of worry hanging over their heads as the uncertainty of the future began to dawn on them all...
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Kyle rode up to the Procession at a gallop, his gelding's sides heaving and soaked in sweat. "Steady, boy," murmured Kyle as he dismounted and took him to the stables, handing him over to the groomsman before hurrying to the King's tents.
"Master Kyle, sire!" said the herald as he opened the door regally, letting the tousled and tired young man inside.
"How are you, Master Kyle?" asked the King politely, bent over some maps as he marked some areas with a charcoal stick.
"Fine, your majesty. What is it you wish of me?" replied Kyle, bowing as his father had taught him to.
"Hang on a minute, Kyle. Go and have a seat at that table and have something to eat," said the King, heading for one of the back rooms. "You look hungry." He stuck his head through one of the doors and said something softly. Daine came out quickly, followed by Numair and her majesty.
"It's good to see you again, Kyle," said Daine brightly, settling down in a chair next to him.
"Same here," replied Kyle with a grin, he knew he could drop all the formalities with her. He got up and bowed to Queen Thayet and exchanged greetings and some chitchat with Numair before getting down to business.
"Do you know why you're here, Master Kyle?" asked the King gravely, speaking in a low voice after he spelled the tent quickly for any who might be listening.
"It's something to do with Scanra, sire," he replied, keeping his face blank.
"We need you to help me spy on them over the border, Kyle," said Daine softly, looking him in the eye. "It could get fairly dangerous, I know. But you are the only other person we know of other than myself that has Wildmagic with birds of any sort...."
"I understand," said Kyle quickly, grinning slightly. "I'll do what I can to help, it wouldn't do to let them over run us, now would it?"
"No, it wouldn't," replied the Queen grimly. "We'll give you two hawks that you'll use to communicate with Daine and with us. The rest of the time you'll have to rely on birds of the wild, ones that will blend in if they go into camps for us..."
"They'll be on the look out for anything unusual," added Daine. "My reputation is, unfortunately, fairly well known..."
"Which means I'll have to be really careful if I don't want to get roasted, right?" said Kyle practically. "I get the point, so when do I start?"
Daine got up and walked outside, her mount ready and things packed for a long trip with two hawks riding behind her. "Right now."
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Mouse crept quietly down the corridors, sending her gift before her in a quiet hum that she constantly kept going. By the time she got to the Scanrans, they were under her spell and she left the two with her to dispose of them as they wished (many still held grudges for the deaths of loved ones and taking their home away). Now if only her gift would keep going and not be on the brink of drying up...
Allie was with two other girls, creeping along in the shadows, and using their new whips to make quick work of any enemies they cam across. Long, black, and lovely, sharp needles woven into them, they were Allie's favorite weapons, and she enjoyed using hers on those who had hurt her. They rounded a corner, and ran into a few more guards' men.
'Whip!' 'Crack!' 'Gurgle.' 'Whip!' 'Crack!' 'Gurgle.' Both were dispatched before either could make a sound, and the trio proceeded onward as soon as they had taken their weapons and hid the bodies in a closet near by. Tonight was a very good night for hunting...
Vixen walked stealthily along the hall, daggers in her hands as she went. There wasn't enough room to use her pole arm, so she had been forced to leave it behind. They were infiltrating an old mansion that had been used by the local rogue for years until the Scanrans had taken over, and left none alive other than those taken as prisoners.
The rest of her group was back in a dinning hall, tying up the leaders they had drugged to sleep with spelled clothes, and hiding them in a nearby room. She had gone on when she had seen a shadow out of the corner of her eye and decided to investigate, now she wished that she hadn't. Pride made her go on, though, and it was pride that almost caused her downfall.
Out of the shadows stepped a man, a rapier in either hand as he went in the attack position. Vixen put one of the daggers up and drew her short sword, silently agreeing to his challenge. They circled for a moment before the man dove at her and nearly pinned her against the wall. They didn't have much room, and he was very much taking advantage of that.
He wore the same dark blue uniform as the rest, but his hair was dark and his brown eyes were very familiar... Her thoughts were cut short as she was forced to dodge and duck her way around his blades and try to get in some hits herself as the battle went on. His right rapier twisted around her short sword like a silver snake, sending it flying and pricking her hand at the same time. She instinctively jerked her head to the side, sending four darts fly from the thick braids in her hair at him, a new technique she had devised while bored one evening. He barely dodged out of the way and laughed.
"I see you will be more of a challenge than I first thought," said the man softly, no sign of a Scanran accent in the way he spoke. He was definitely from Tortal.
"Why have you joined their side?" asked Vixen loftily as she pulled out a dagger and threw it at his middle.
"I always join the winning side."
"The Scanrans may've won a battle, but we will win the war."
"That's what you think." Two throwing stars came out of nowhere and pinned Vixen's wrists to the wall. It was only the work of a moment to tear the fabric free, but it was all the time the man needed. His sword point was to Vixen's neck as she stood there proudly, staring him in the eye as she dared him to run her through. He probably would have if a voice had not rung out.
"Scott!" yelled Joe angrily, striding down the hall with his rapier in one hand and Vixen's short sword in another. "Leave her out of this, I know you're only with them to get back at me."
"But it would be so easy just to end her life as a revenge for leaving me hanging like that, Joey boy," replied Scott with a toothy grin, keeping his sword at Vixen's throat.
"And be a coward? She has no weapons and not nearly as much fencing training as you," said Joe cunningly. "I knew you were low, Scott, but not that low..."
Scott backed away from Vixen, keeping his eyes on the both of them as Joe walked in between the two, handing Vixen her short sword behind his back before trying to grab her other wrist with his free hand. "How do you know him?" demanded Vixen, pulling out another dagger as she prepared to throw it at him.
"He's an old acquaintance of mine, I'll explain it all later. For right now, put up that dagger and give me your hand." Vixen was about to protest when he firmly took it anyways. "If you try to leave now, he'll consider you fair game and kill you," Joe explained grimly, preparing himself for the attack. "Now stay behind me and don't let go, I can't let him get between us or we're dead..."
"So you just want me to dodge around and cower behind you?" asked Vixen heatedly, her voice just barely above a whisper.
"Vixen do you trust me?"
"..Well.."
"Do you trust me?"
"...Yeah."
"Then please, for the love of Pete, just do as I say, ok? I can't lose you too..." Vixen shut her mouth and looked at him for a moment, silently nodding her consent as she placed herself behind him and prepared for the attack as well.
"You sure as heck better have a good explanation for this..."
"Trust me," replied Joe softly; watching the man's every move. "I do." He suddenly dove to the side, dragging Vixen with him as a few blades whizzed past them just a hairs breadth away.
[How the heck did he do that?] Thought Vixen as she tried to see what it was Joe was watching for and keep up with him at the same time.
"I see you haven't lost you touch," remarked Scott as he charged them with his blades, almost disarming him with a flick of his wrist. Joe didn't reply, he just kept his eyes on him and continued to do his best to fend off the attacks.
Scott pressed them down a long and narrow hallway, leaving them no room to go around him and no doors to escape through. He seemed to have it all planned out ahead of time, and soon Vixen felt her back touch the fall wall of the hallway.
"Oh, crap," was all she had time to say as a wicked glint gleamed in Scott's eyes and he charged forward again, crossing his blades and trapping Joe's with his. All three were locked hilt to hilt, and Scott leaned forward with all his weight, pressing them ever closer to Vixen and Joe...
Vixen's mind flashed through her possibilities as Joe fought against Scott's weight to keep them alive. Her hands were trapped by Joe's body and his grip on her, she couldn't use any of her knives...she grinned suddenly and jerked her head to the side, letting four more darts fly at Scott's chest. He hadn't even been watching her, and looked in surprise at the blood that flowed down his chest.
"What do you know," he murmured, slowly falling backwards as time seemed to come to a stand still. "The fox has an ace that I forgot about..." He grinned maniacally at Joe as he fell, blood flying everywhere from his pierced arteries. His head cracked loudly on the floor, Joe and Vixen still too stunned to move for a moment when Joe rushed forward and knelt by the body.
"It didn't have to be this way, Scott," he whispered, reaching for a pendent and a medallion on the man's neck.
"Oh yes it did," replied Scott, growling in pain. He looked at Vixen for a second and commented only so Joe could hear, "You know, bro, she's kinda cute. You're lucky to have her..." With that, his eyes clouded over and saw no more...
"Who was he?" asked Vixen, still frozen in her spot. Joe got up, the pendent in his left hand as he pulled out a similar one with his right from his shirt. Placing them together, Scott's disappeared and his changed shape and color.
"He was my brother," explained Joe softly, kneeling back down and closing the dead man's eyes. "My older, and only brother..."
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&The Story of Joe's Past&
Joe Damero was born in a small town many miles from Corus in the southern regions of Tortal. His family was one of well-known fencers, and often young men from his household would join the army or the guard and become famous for one grand deed or another. Within his family, each child was given a pendent upon birth and that pendent would let others know where he was and who he was even if he was is a disguise. Quite useful at times, and annoying at others.
With in the family, there is another pendent (though, more of a medallion), and it is given to the greatest fencer in the family at the time. They held a match every year, and from that match would decide who got it next. One man could hold it for years until he was defeated, and some had been known to do that in past generations. One year, on his 18th birthday, Scott was the one to win the match.
Joe was five then, and very proud of his oldest brother, the two were very close and rarely you would see one without the other. (That may've more been because he helped Scott pick up girls because they thought Joe was so adorable, and less because of the idea of 'brotherly love' [; p] anyways...)
Scott was not the great guy he seemed, though, and from the moment he won the medallion, he feared the day he would have to give it away. So he devised a plan ~kill everyone except a select few and it's forever his. So he did. He sent his mother, Joe, and a cousin he especially liked on a small trip, and then poisoned the rest at a feast while they were gone. When news reached Joe's mom, she went insane and hung herself.
The cousin, Herald, was in complete agreement with Scott and helped him cover the evidence, keeping Joe in the dark about what was going on for two years until he stumbled upon Scott's journal and read the whole thing for himself. Now, Joe may've only been 7, but he was a smart 7 year old and quickly left his brother's and cousin's home. He took only some food and his short sword (he had been fencing since he could walk and it was amazing what he could do...) and set out for Corus, intent upon finding his future there. A year later, George found him in an alley, half-starved and barely able to stand, and the rest you already know. He had only two other runs ins with his brother since he left, and each only affirmed his suspicions. George recognized his talent with fencing and got others to teach him more, evening going so far as to having the Lioness give him a few lessons.
Scott had become cold hearted and indifferent, and even killed his cousin when he thought that he was going to help Joe during an assassination attempt upon the younger brother. Herald some how got a message to Joe to give him a 'heads up', and this only furthered his brother's anger. He no longer cared about other people, only that he had the pendent that marked him as the best fencer of the Medici's and he would always do what he had to for him to come out on the winning side.
You know the rest of his story, though. He joined the Scanrans as a way to come out on top in the war against Tortal, and it doubled as a way to get revenge against the brother who left him. So ends the tale of the Damero's, Joe is now the only surviving member of a once large and famous family.
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"I killed your brother," whispered Vixen, the color draining from her face. "The only living family you have left. Joe...I'm so sorry..."
"Vixen, it's alright..."
"No it's not," cut in Vixen gently, holding her head in her hands. "I killed your brother, that's not alright, Joe. I...I...I killed..."
"It was us or him," said Joe, kneeling before her as she sat on the ground with her back against the wall. The rest of the raid had been successful with all of their people coming out alive and all the Scanrans rounded up for good. "You must understand, Vixen, I knew it was going to have to be done..."
"No it didn't," insisted Vixen, remembering something from a Trigun episode. "Everyone can be saved, you just have to know how to do it. I could've...we could've saved him..."
"No, we couldn't have," replied Joe sternly, forcing her to look him in the eye. "He was too far gone. He killed all of my family, even my mother, without a second thought. He deserved to die along time ago..."
"But still~"
"I wasn't going to let him kill you, Vixen," cut in Joe angrily. "Don't you understand? He's taken people I cared about away from me before and I wasn't going to let it happen again." Mouse and Allie stood silently in the corner, waiting to see what would happen next.
"Joe, you don't understand..."
"You're right, I don't!"
"He was your brother, Joe. He's not just someone that tried to hurt me or you or one of my sisters, he was your brother. If it had been one of my other friend's brother's, I would still feel this way..."
"What if he had killed me?"
"...."
"What if he had killed your sisters?"
"That is different."
"You would want revenge."
"That's not fair, Joe."
"It's plenty fair."
"You're defending me for killing someone! That someone was your own flesh and blood! Not just a nameless face in the crowd, but someone whom you loved at one point!"
"At one point, yes. But Scott has been dead to me for many years, Vixen. This only finalized things. I don't blame you for anything."
Vixen sighed and patted Joe on the shoulder. "Thanks," she said softly. "You're a good friend."
"Yeah," replied Joe, his eyes fairly sad as he glanced over at Mouse and Allie who looked like they wanted to strangle their sister. "A good friend...
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Jennifer sat in side her tent, playing with the kittens as time went on. It was late at night, and still too chilly to leave her door open for the kittens to go and roam about. She sighed and curled up on her bed, drawing a blanket over her shoulders as she debated with herself over whether or not to change for bed or not. She was already warm, and she had other clothes to wear in the morning. Still, her pajamas were clean and didn't smell like the kitchen...
A loudly clanging outside got her attention quickly, and she reached for the large frying pan she kept beside her bed...only to find it wasn't there! Jennifer smacked her forehead, she had used it to make omelets this morning and it was still in the kitchen! Groping about, she tried to find something to protect herself with in case it was an intruder....
Her lamp went out in a sudden gust of wind as someone thrust open the flap of her tent, a huge hand grabbing about for something in the dark. Jennifer yelled for her, backing herself into the corner as she tried to avoid the hand and her kittens behind her at the same time.
Tigress got free and dove at the body that the hand was connected to, latching himself on with his claws and savaging the person cruelly with his teeth. Loud oaths and swearing poured from the man's mouth, drunk by the sound of it and extremely angry and confused.
There was some more shouting as Sean stumbled out of his tent and the guards came running, followed by a few others who were still up and about. "Jenny! Jenny!" shouted Sean, trying to get around the man who now had Caramel and Snowball as well attaching hi head and his other arm. "Are you alright, Jenny?"
He growled impatiently as the flailing man almost hit him over the head with his arm and picked up a frying pan resolutely, smashing it into his head. This put the poor guy out of his misery for a while and let Sean get past in Jennifer's tent (which was a wreck, at this point.) He found her huddled in a corner, Snickers and Chocolate curled around her as they tried to reach their unresponsive master. She was curled in a ball and shaking, not crying at all, but shaking so badly that she could barely breath.
"Jenny..." She jerked away from his touch and gazed up at him with eyes that were so full of terror that it tore his heart. "It's alright, it's just me..."
"Sean..." He nodded and put his arms around her, pulling her closer to him. "I was so scared..."
"Shhh." One of the guards walked in right about then, a grim look on his face as he glanced in their direction.
"Sorry to interrupt, but we need to speak to the lady..." he said gruffly, shrugging his shoulder. "You can come along, if you like."
"Can you stand, Jenny?"
"I think so." She rose slowly on shaky legs; glad for the fact that Sean was supporting her on one side or she wasn't sure she could've made it. They went past the man, who was now lying to one side bound up and ready to be taken to cell, on their way to the tent where the questioning would be. Sean stayed silently at Jennifer's side the whole time, gladly being the support and comfort she needed to make it through the night.
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Alyse had long since left the Rider's group a few days ago, now scourging the countryside for any signs of the wagons that had gotten bogged down in the mud and they needed for supplies. Fern was the only other living being with her, and the two bravely faced the cold, cruel elements in the race to save the people of Bay Cove.
She saw some thing up in the distance and urged her poor mount onward, pulling her fleece-lined coat closer around her. It was one of the wagons, sitting there desolately out in the open waiting for them to come back. She dismounted and grabbed her empty saddle bags, quickly filling them with all the edible food she could get her hands on (and eating some herself) before she remounted Fern and took off into the wind, determined to make the three day trip back into two and get this food back to the villagers (as well as get herself a warm tent for once and a stable for her horse...)
*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*
Lyssa and Kel were put on a crew to help build shelters, and together they quickly erected the first of many simple structures they were putting together. Lyssa tried not to grin as Kel yelped out for the fifth time from having hit her thumb with the hammer.
"The object of using a hammer to pound the nail, not your hand," she said gently, trying really hard not to laugh.
"So you've said before," replied Kel calmly, putting the hurt thumb in her mouth for a moment. "Now, if you could show me how instead of just teasing me..."
"I'm sorry," apologized Lyssa, getting up and coming over to inspect the thumb. "You didn't hit it as bad this time. Don't get into that much of a hurry; take your time if you don't think you can pound them out that fast. You're no good to these people if you're hands are broken and it was your fault as well."
"I'll try," sighed Kel, picking up the hammer again and getting back to work, taking care NOT to hit her fingers anymore. Eric walked in just then, a load of wood under his arm that was smattered in mud.
He was filthy as well, covered up to his knees in mud and spattered everywhere else as well. "What do you think father would say if he saw me now?" he asked Lyssa cheerfully, dropping his load in the middle of the small space and stretching out his tired limbs.
"That he was right and that I'm the reason you're insane," she replied in a heartbeat, not even bothering to look up at hm. "Now go and get us another bucket of nails, Eric."
"Yes, Commander Lyssa," he said with a smart salute before heading out into the cold.
Lyssa shook her head and sighed. "I swear, that boy gets crazier every time I talk to him..."
*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*
Artman sat quietly in the corner of the tavern of the town they were staying at that week. He hadn't seen Libby for a few days, things had been too crazy to stop and chat. She had been kept on over drive in the wards and he on the battlefields. Tonight was the first night he had been able to sit down and eat his dinner without fear of having to get up and run out to fight, they had decimated the Scanrans this time and they wouldn't be coming back for some time.
In a day or two they would be heading out again for another town, and then to who knows where. He didn't really care, as long as it wasn't the same place twice. He looked at the young group of Rider's that sat around close by, laughing and joking as they tried to forget about their worries for a while.
[They've changed over time] he realized, noting how some had not been this way when they had left. Jake, for example, could hardly stand the sight of blood when they started out and cried after his first kill. Now he was the best fighter they had, and it didn't really matter that much to him any more. It's not that he was a heartless killer, but he had learned to cope with the occupation he had chosen.
He sipped a tankard of ale as the door opened, letting in a tired Libby with a bundle in her hands, wrapped in cloth. [Who knows] thought Artman as he watched her walk up, grinning slightly [Maybe we've both changed too...]
Her bundle jumped out of her hands and onto the table, shaking itself free of its bonds before hopping over and sniffing his hand. It was a bunny.
"Can we keep it?" asked Libby, her eyes all big and puppy like as she pouted her bottom lip and grinned innocently.
[Nope] thought Artman as he keeled over laughing [She'll never change...]
"What?" asked Libby, frowning slightly as the bunny hoped back into her arms. "It's my new pet and I named it 'Pinky.'"
"Pinky?" replied Artman, raising his eyebrows as he shook his head. "Oh boy..."
*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*
Levi, Amanda, and Elizabeth walked back from the ball to their tents, all bundled up in layers of thick coats and cloaks over their fancy clothes and wishing for the warmth of their beds. Amanda talked quietly with Elizabeth about her latest reprimand from the King as Levi walked behind them, his head down and brow furrowed in thought.
"I have a question, you two," he asked suddenly, walking in between them.
"What is it?" asked Elizabeth, being too tired to care that he had just interrupted them.
"Why do you treat me differently than other Stewards?"
"What do mean?" asked Amanda, shrugging her shoulders. "Do you mean in the way we treat them or we treat you?"
"You give me a lot more liberty than most others get."
"Yeah, so?"
"Why?"
"Good night." Elizabeth turned sharply into her tent, leaving Amanda to talk it out with Levi.
"Gee, thanks sis."
"You're welcome."
"Grr."
"You haven't answered my question yet," said Levi impatiently, just standing there looking at her. Amanda sighed and motioned for him to follow her into her tent, it was too cold to stand out there and talk.
"I still don't understand what you mean, Levi," she said tiredly, taking off her outer wraps and sitting on her bed. He did the same thing and took a seat in the chair across from her, still frowning some.
"You let me do things that other Stewards aren't allowed to," he said slowly as if carefully deciding what to say. "You let me freely speak my mind when we are talking with other nobles, and some that I have spoken to are beaten or starved if they do. I'm allowed to pretty much roam around during the day or stay with you if I please as a friend, the rest are made to follow their nobles around like dogs on a leash. I'm given minimum work and maximum privileges. The others have minimum privileges and maximum work~"
"That last one's irrelevant," cut in Amanda suddenly, looking him calmly in the eye. "You're father does most of the work, and your workload will double when you take over his job."
"You still treat me like an equal rather than a servant and others have noticed that as well. There are rumors..."
"You think I haven't heard them?" asked Amanda sharply. "I could care less what they say. You do your job well and I have no intention of being stricter with you for no reason at all. Now go."
"You still haven't answered my question, why? I'm not leaving until I get some kind of an answer."
Amanda got up walked to her table, taking off all her jewelry and putting it in its box. "I treat you as I do because you're a trusted servant and I see no reason not to," she said vaguely, not looking him in the eye. "Now out."
"Yes, milady."
"How many times do I have to tell you..." Amanda looked up to see Levi was already gone, his place across from her empty.
*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*
Mouse, Allie, and Vixen rode tiredly across the open plain, Joe and the rest of their crew with them as they made their way back to John and Sarah's home and the guarantee of a warm bed for the night. Not to mention some food and maybe a bath as well.
"Who goes there?" called a strong voice the moment they entered the clearing in front of the house.
"It's just me and the others, Hewitt," called back Vixen cautiously, hoping it was he.
"Come into the light so I can see you." Vixen walked up near the lone torch in the middle of the courtyard and took off her hood, standing there for a minute.
"Is that good enough for you?"
"Yeah, come on in." He opened the door quickly and shooed them all inside, going out after they had entered to stable their mounts. A few boys from the loft helped him while the rest ran inside quickly, wanting to see their relatives and friends.
"How've you been?" Sarah asked Vixen as she gave all the sisters a hug. "Did you manage to get anything back at all?"
"Yeah, all the Rogue's so far haven't been much trouble, this next maybe though. It's Pirate's Swoop, and because it's where George lives there will be twice as many men and maybe some guards on the outside of town," replied Vixen, settling down in a chair by the fire with a mug of coffee. "How have you all faired here? No attacks, I hope."
"Oh yeah, like we'd ever be that lucky," snorted John as he came back in the door, rolling his eyes as Sarah shot him a look. "We ran into some trouble a few weeks back."
"Really? What happened?" asked Mouse, noticing the glance that passed between the two. "No one was hurt, right?"
"Let's think about that for a second," muttered John sarcastically. "Am I ever so lucky as to come out of a fight without getting hurt?"
"Oh no, Hewitt, I'm so sorry we dragged you guys into this...." said Vixen sincerely, not wanting anyone else to get hurt.
"No, it's alright. All it did was nearly saw off my arm..."
"John!" Sarah glared at him slightly. "Don't say things like that."
"It did not nearly saw off your arm!" said voice from another room. "Just be glad they found a healer for you!"
"Tommy!" said Vixen suddenly, getting up from her seat and rushing to Sarah's room. "I was wondering why~" She stopped short when she saw his leg and covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh my gosh..."
"What is it, Vix?" asked Joe, following her into the room. He sobered up when he saw the young man lying there, his leg swathed in bandages and having no way to move about. "Tommy...what happened to you, buddy?"
The youth smiled crazily up at them, the pain all too obvious in his eyes. "I got into the fight with the Scanrans. John, he saved my life. Took the blow that would've killed me for himself."
"John? As in that John?" asked Vixen in disbelief, pointing across the room at John who was now standing in the doorway.
"Yep, him. He wasn't even a bit mad about it either."
Vixen looked over her shoulder, quirking an eyebrow as she studied the guy from her world for a moment. "What do you know, Hewitt. Maybe you do have a heart after all."
John snorted as Sarah tried not to laugh at the look on his face. "Yeah right. If I know they were going to be this much trouble, I wouldn't have bothered saving him."
Vixen rolled her eyes as an obvious sign that she didn't believe him. "Sure...."
*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*
Kyle sat hidden in a cave as he flew in the mind of an eagle outside, wheeling over the rough terrain and scouting for any signs of the enemy below. They were near the border between Scanra and Tortal, and already he could see the edges of a makeshift camp teeming with people and animals.
His eagle friend said something seeing some archers near by, and Kyle let him go on and went inside the head of a starling that was passing near by. With his new helper, he was able to flit around near the people inconspicuously and gather bits of info on people.
Suddenly, he saw something odd on the far edge of the camp. It was a huge sheet of canvas secured around some large, angular form. He could see glints of metal through the fabric and sometimes bits or parts sticking out of a hole here and there. There were all sorts of ropes bundling the whole thing up, making it look like one huge cocoon just sitting there in the middle of everything.
Kyle quickly made note of everything he had seen and thanked the birds before going back to his own body, scribbling a ton of notes on a small piece of paper before folding it up and placing it in the small tube connected to one of his hawks. He gave some instructions to the hawk, and then set her free to deliver the message to the King. He made an exact copy of what he had just written and gave it to the other hawk, sending it out as well.
The sound of softly padding feet caught his attention; and he was surprised when a wolf came in to view with a pack tied around its neck. "Oh please, oh please don't eat me," murmured Kyle, slowly backing up against the wall.
[It's me, silly] said a voice in his head, the wolf sitting down and laying its head on his lap.
"Daine?"
[Yeah] The wolf got back up and took off its pack, handing it to Kyle. [Keep the cloak in the bag with you. For your own safety, an old pack of mine is going to be staying with you for a while. They won't hurt you, I promise. Just leave them be and watch over the cubs when they leave them with you, ok?]
"That's fine," replied Kyle, shrugging his shoulders. "Why do I have to keep the cloak, though?"
[Because you didn't bring one and it is how they will recognize you until they get used to your scent, ok?]
"Yeah."
[I have to go now. Take care, Kyle.]
"You too." Kyle watched at the wolf got up and left, soon replaced by three others who came and sniffed him warily before settling down around him in the small area.
*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*
Jennifer sat in the small crowd at the trial of her attacker and his accomplice or something. The man had turned out to be Randal, the head of the fief's garrison. The person who had paid him was the fief's head servant who wanted to get back at Jennifer for taking over his job in the kitchen. In his kitchen of all places!
The servant had given the head of the garrison a pouch of coppers to go and have some 'fun' with Jennifer after having watched the man drink down five bottles of wine so he was no where near his normal state of mind. Randal had no memory of the night before (probably from his excessive intake of alcohol) and there fore was let off with only a heavy fine and a warning that if he ever did anything of that sort again he would lose his job as well as his head.
The servant was given 5 years hard labor on the roads for putting Randal's and Jennifer's safety in jeopardy and for plotting to harm another servant. Not to mention disturbing the camp at night and scaring Jennifer witless.
"That's what they deserve," whispered Jennifer vengefully as she watched them walk out of the tent with their heads bowed in shame. She had completely recovered from the incident and had had her cats labeled her rescuers upon learning what they had done. Randal's arms were still covered in scratches and bite marks from them.
"It's too bad some people let their lives be ruled by their hatred and not their minds," said Sean sadly, leaning up against a pole in the kitchen when they got back there. "That Randall fellow's really not so bad, and I'm sure the other guy's ok when he's not angry..."
"Then he should learn to control his anger," retorted Jennifer, starting to make lunch for the nobles that would be coming along soon. "Not that he has the chance to change now..."
"True. Very true..."
Jennifer sighed and opened her tent, very surprised to see a few of her friends who were cooks sitting inside with a cake in the middle of them all. "What the~"
"Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you..."
*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*
Alyse, Lyssa, and Eric were having dinner in Alyse's quarters back at the palace, the King's Own had headed back for a week's rest there before joining the procession again, and Buri had ordered Lyssa's group to go with them. The new recruits were glad and welcomed the thought of clean beds and hot baths once more. Tonight was the last night they had in a bed inside solid walls of the palace and they were determined to enjoy it.
"So, you're leaving the Rider's as soon as we get back?" Lyssa teased Alyse, pouring herself another glass of juice.
"You know I was never really 'in' the Riders, Lyssa," replied Alyse, sipping her own Yamani's tea lightly. "My cousins might be getting worried and I need to get back with some other friends..."
"Like Faleron?" piped up Eric pertly, getting a glare from Alyse.
"Yes, Faleron a few others...which reminds me. How's Danielle doing?"
"She's fine. From her last letter is seems that she continues to fall even more for this guy, and I'm just waiting for something to happen," replied Lyssa.
"Like...?"
"The announcement of their engagement."
"Whoa! Back up here." Alyse put down her cup and leaned forward some. "Danielle isn't much older than I. How can she be sure that's who she wants to spend her life with?"
"It's not like she has a choice, Alyse," replied Eric calculatingly. "She has to marry soon or lose part of her dowry and at the moment her choices are Sir Derick or some goof from the mountains."
"You mean that Kyle guy? The Baron's son?"
"Yeah, and since she really doesn't like him her choice is very clear."
"Ok, I see now."
"Hey, when are we going to get to meet this cousins of yours," asked Lyssa suddenly, abruptly changing the subject. "All we ever hear is little bits about them from various nobles and occasionally a story about them from you, but that's it!"
"We'll have to find a time when they're not busy and you're free as well, their schedules are more hectic than the King's at times!"
"Sheesh, I'm glad I'm not them."
"Yeah, me too."
*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*
Libby and Artman were visiting a larger town this time, and this one happened to have an orphanage and a mages institute for young people. So Libby went to the orphanage to help out there some with Pinky in her pouch as always, and Artman made his way over to the institute to see if he could trade secrets with a few of the older mages there.
The orphanage had long rooms with beds lining the walls, each holding a small, under fed child who watched her with large, wondering eyes. She walked to each bed and let the child hold and play with Pinky as she checked them over for any diseases or hurts that she could heal.
One boy she healed his broken ankle, and another she took away his fever and the spots that covered his arms and legs. The little girls liked her bunny more than the guys, and fed Pinky scraps of lettuce and bits of carrot they were able to scrape together, just for him. The Orphanage tried to pay Libby for her work, but she refused and left with the promise to return at least once before she left.
Artman got into the school easily enough and sat there for three hours debating with a few of the Professors and trading some spells that he knew for ones that he needed. He learned that if he was low on magic he could used water or salt water to expand it and make it last longer, and that he was right in his argument with Numair. Opals were more powerful than diamonds over all. (The Dominion Jewel didn't count because it's god- touched or something like that.)
The professors were amazed by his extensive knowledge of gifts, and were surprised when he said he was a Brazir mage for the King. "You mean THE Brazir mage?" asked one of the professors, turning an interesting shade of blue.
"Yeah, why?"
"We heard about you months ago from a traveling bard. He said you have more power than Numair, the King, and Alanna combined! Is that true?"
"Well..."
"And did you really set an entire army on fire with a single word?"
"Um..."
"What about your friend? Is she as powerful as you?"
"I..."
"Is it true that you're the greatest Brazir mage in the history of the Brazir?"
"What..."
"Oh, and~"
"That's enough," cut in Artman, sick of the questioning. "I'm late to meet my partner. I'll come back later and we can talk more then, ok?" He walked out before any of the men could reply and escaped to the street to see Libby near by playing with Pinky on a bench. "Ready to go, Libby?"
"Yeah, how was your time?"
"Don't ask..."
*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*
John sat on the doorstep of his small hut as Sarah sat beside him openly weeping, waving at an old cart as it trundled out of sight. In it were all the thieves they had kept at their house for the past few weeks, all of them headed to a new spot to stay until the silent war with the Scanrans was over.
"I'm gonna miss them so much," sighed Sarah as it went out of sight. John wasn't sure he could take one more mushy comment before he hurled. The last 20 minutes had been nothing but crying, good-byes, and more crying.
"Good grief, people, it's not like the world's ending or anything," he muttered under his breath, scratching the back of his neck.
"Aren't you going to miss them?"
"Those brats? No."
"Brats? That's not what you were calling them when you taught some of the younger ones how to ride and take care of horses."
"I was bored and didn't have anything else better to do." Mandy trotted up just then, looking supremely happy with herself for having gotten out of her stall and found them. She took John's hand in her mouth and bit down gently, looking him straight in the eye. "Alright, alright. Let go of my hand."
The foal did and watched him expectantly, waiting patiently for her treat. John took some sugar cubes out of his pocket and let the foal nibble them out his hand, scratching her behind the ear.
"Aww, how sweet."
"I'll pretend I didn't hear that." John finished feeding the foal and got up suddenly, coming back just as quickly with a small package in his hands. "Happy Birthday, Sarah."
"Whoa, back up here. My birthday's not for another 3 days," protested Sarah, looking at the package that was lying her hands.
"Yeah, but knowing our luck we'll get pulled into another adventure of some sort, and I'd rather not forget about later. So go on, open it." She did and found a bronze statue of a stallion rearing up on its hind legs with his mane and tail flying in the wind like banners.
"Aww. John, that was so sweet of you..."
"Good grief."
*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*
Elizabeth, Amanda, and Levi were in Amanda's tent after dinner one night, whiling away the time before they were going to go to bed. Elizabeth sat at one end of the table looking at some papers about the fief while Levi and Amanda played chess at the other end, with not winner in site just yet.
"What are we going to do after the Procession ends?" Elizabeth asked her sister, trying to figure out her schedule for the next few months.
"Head back to the fief for a while, I'm not sure how long. It may be close to a year and a half..."
"That long! Why?"
"The Scanrans are going to start attacking more soon, and our fief is right on the border. I'd feel safer if we stayed there and only came back for Kel's ordeal in two mid-winters or so."
"What??"
"What? You had some plans or something?"
"Yeah. It's called catching a husband!"
"You're not even 18, Liz. You have time for that sort of thing later."
"Check."
"Darn you, Levi." Amanda sat there for a minute, going over all her choices. She began to grin suddenly, and Levi began to doubt his move as her hand hovered briefly over her Queen. She instead chose a pawn, and knocking out his knight with it her grin grew even wider. "Check mate."
"WHAT???" Levi looked at the board for 20 minutes before he could figure it out, and when he did he felt just plain stupid. "Grrr."
"Hehe. That's two out of three."
"Best of out five."
"You're on."
Elizabeth grinned as they reset up the board, watching her sister with interest. She had heard about their conversation from a few nights before from Levi, and she was very sure of something that she was not sure she was able to believe...
"What did you pa say in his last letter, Levi?" Amanda asked suddenly, having seen him read it earlier in the day.
"To send his greetings and that everything's going just fine up there. The McClendon's (one of the fief's just south of us) have a son about your age and wants to meet you." Amanda made a face at this, but Levi kept on going. "Also, he said next time you're around you have to give a town address. That and you have to hold a party for the whole town so everyone gets to know you."
"I'll do better than that and visit every home personally," replied Amanda, taking his Queen away and putting him in check. "Tell him that in your next letter."
"I will."
Elizabeth looked up and said, "You're not planning on dragging me along, are you?"
"Not at all. You'd scare them more than help," Amanda teased lightly, knowing she was going to lose this next round. "Just take the King, you will anyways with in the next few moves."
Levi grinned and moved his rook forward. "Checkmate."
"You still have to win one more."
"I know."
"Is Lady Elizabeth here?" asked a tall, brown-eyed youth at the door suddenly.
"Right here, Freddy," replied Elizabeth, getting up gracefully and batting her eyes at him playfully. She took his arm and led him away, his face turning beet red as she did.
"She'll be having some fun tonight," remarked Amanda to herself as they reset the board once more.
"I did *not* need to know that..."
*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*
The Procession had been slowing down in speed lately, and Jennifer felt like snail as they crept along one of the roads. "I could walk faster than this," she growled to no one in particular as she lay on her back in a wagon, shielding her eyes from the sun with her arm.
"Then why don't you?" asked Sean from his position right next to her, seated with his back against the side of the cart.
"Because what good would it do if I arrived early and got lost along the way? And no one was there to direct how the kitchens are set up? Hm?"
"I could do it."
"Right..."
"How do you like your staff?" asked Sean suddenly, changing the subject rather quickly.
"It's pretty cool. Though I have no idea how to fight with it..."
"That's ok, I'll teach you." After Jennifer's attack, Sean had gotten her a metal-tipped staff that was just her size and weight so she could defend herself.
"I'm fine when I have a frying pan around..." Jennifer frowned, Tigress shifting in her sleep on her stomach.
"Yeah, well, sometimes you don't have that luxury," Sean reminded her with a grin.
"I noticed."
*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*
Lyssa had no sooner gotten back to the Procession when her group was called back out onto the battle field, giving her a few weeks until they reached the fief of Mindelan and they would be dispatched from there.
She was spending the last few days she had with Rispah and Coram as well as Danielle, who would all be going home after the Procession and she wasn't likely to see them again for sometime after that.
Right now she, the Trebond nobles, Eric, and Danielle were sharing a light lunch in a food tent of the Procession. Danielle kept glancing about as if waiting for someone, and Lyssa suspected it had to do with Derick.
"So, where are they sending us next?" Eric asked Lyssa, slurping his way through a mound of spaghetti.
"To a fort near North watch where they need some reinforcements. It's right next to that new fief, Lynx mountain," replied Lyssa, chewing on some bread thoughtfully. "I don't know how long we'll be out there, but Buri said we'd be working with that fief and two others to keep that part of the border secure."
"Isn't that Alyse's cousins fief?" asked Eric curiously. "Maybe we'll get to work with her or something."
"Maybe, I heard from Alanna that the elder of the sisters that runs it is a fighter, though," speculated Coram, grinning slightly. "In any case you and her should get along just fine, Lyssa."
"Doesn't she have a younger sister, too?" asked Lyssa, frowning a bit. "I think I heard something about her a while ago..."
"You mean Elizabeth?" asked Danielle, eyes twinkling merrily. "I've met her. A real sweet girl, she just likes to mess with guys minds too much."
"Then we should get along as well," said Lyssa, grinning slyly. "All the better too, if we have to fight side by side I'd rather be friends than acquaintances."
"There you are!" Danielle cried suddenly, waving to a figure over on the other side of the room. Derick was at her side in a flash, giving her a kiss before greeting everyone else.
"What did he say?" she asked excitedly when he had sat down and ordered some food.
"It was a long debate, but..."
"But???"
"Yes."
"Yes?"
"Yes!" Derick stood up and went around to the other side of her chair, getting down on one knee. "Danielle, will you marry me?" he asked sweetly, holding a ring out to her. He didn't get an answer, just one really *LONG* kiss. (I think he got the point anyways, though...)
Lyssa smiled as Eric made a face and Coram rolled his eyes. "Go get a room, you two," said Lyssa at last, making sure they heard her. The couple broke apart and Derick fumbled to put the ring on her hand, making things official.
"Congratulations you two," said Rispah, raising an eyebrow thoughtfully. "I'm assuming that whole display means you're now engaged, right?"
"Um, yeah," replied Danielle sheepishly, turning an even darker shade of red. Derick was too happy to look embarrassed, and whisked her off to his mom's tents so they could tell the rest of the family.
"Ok...that was odd," said Eric, getting up from his seat and taking his plates to the washers near by.
"I'd have to agree with you there..."
*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*
Kyle was riding as fast as he could to get back to the Procession, his bags laden with notes, maps, and what was left of his supplies. The message had just reached him yesterday to pack up and head back there, but unlike Daine he couldn't shape shift into a bird and fly back, he had to take the long way and it would be a week at the least before he arrived.
Checking with his bird friends who followed him around, he found safe spot to sleep out of sight for the night, and quickly dozed off over a plate of meat and beans before he was even done eating. Poor guy.
*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*~~~@~~~*
Ta-da!!!!!!! The 15 Chapter is done with at last! An engagement, the rogue getting taken over, attacking Scanrans, etc! Who would've thought that such an innocent plot could have such devastating effects on our characters? (hehehe evil laughter)
Anyways, here's something that once again, I must do.
Happy birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday dear Jennifer and Sarah!!!!!!!
Happy Birthday toooo Youuuuuu!!!!!!!!
And many more....!
That's right! March 13 (this last Wednesday) and this upcoming March the 26 is Jennifer's sweet 16 and Sarah's 17th birthday. Be sure to wish them a happy birthday in your reviews! Thanks you!
And unfortunately, I have some bad news. No, I'm not going to completely drop this story (unless I have any *extremely* large death wish, trust me I don't) but I will have to not update for a month and maybe more. *Ducks a few daggers, a whip, and a sword thrown at her by characters* It can't be helped! Really! If you live where I do *and* have Jackson for World History Humanities as well, you'll understand. (Stupid family history project...grumbles...grumbles....)
My deepest apologizes, I will try to update on 20 of April, but that's just an estimation. Please no killing the author or you'll never find out what happens! Thanks for your understanding.
~crosseyedbutterfly~