Chapter 9
Lady Arabian Knight: Thanks girl! I try and be consistant and write frequently, but I either have no time or no ideas. You know how it goes.
Keita: Great to hear from you again. (Just between you and me, cuz no one readsthese things anyway, it's not going to be K/N, they're gonna be good friends though. You bring up an interesting point. I could fake like something's gonna happen.. yeah, I'll do that. Thanks!
Epitaph Munku-JGSPTV: How was that a cliffie? I didn't think so! I though it was a good place to end the chapter, with them beginning a friendship and all.
Crown: I'm working on it, really.
After hurriedly both trying to explain what happened at once, Kel realized her error in speaking up, not to mention that it was out of character for her to do so, and quieted, letting Roald tell the story. He told it slowly, looking not at his knight master, but at his hand, knitting itself together, faintly shimmering indigo. When the prince was both finished talking and healing, he, looked his knight-master in the face.
Lord Imrah looked from his squire to his charge and held out his hand to her. "I would like to see that weapon of yours, miss."
Wordlessly, Kel relinquished her shukusen into the lord of Legann's care, not even bothering to warn him about the metal spikes, since it was obvious the pretty thing could do some damage.
Suddenly Kel looked up, sensing something amiss. Imrah was examining her fan and Roald was stroking his horse absently. Out of the trees to their left, slunk a two dark-headed children. But wait! Those weren't children! Kel realized too late that the two 'children' were actually brigands hunched over, and armed with two daggers each.
"My lord and prince." She whispered, snatching her shukusen carefully from the older man's hands as she spoke. "Please don't look up quite yet, but there are two rogues to our left that don't look like they mean to pay their respects to yourselves."
"Let's give them a run for their money, shall we my lord?" The prince suggested in a low voice, a small smirk creeping across his handsome face.
"We kick our horses into a run on three, then. Lady Keladry, would you be alright to do that?"
Before Kel could reply, Roald did so for her. "My lord, she is destined for my mother, lest we not forget. The lady can fend for herself, to be sure."
"You are right, of course. Ready.. steady.. three!" They kicked their horses into an urgent run, speeding along for easily two miles until they were sure their antagonists posed no threat of pursuit.
The crown prince looked over at his lady guest and grinned. "We could have taken them, to be sure, but neither my lord or I enjoy killing, which is probably what it would have been with those men back there. I'm interested to see your style of fighting though, Kel. What I have learned of the Yamani Islands proves just how different that we are."
"Do not forget, Roald, that I am as Tortallan as the next person here, I was only residing in the islands for several years."
"And look what it's done to you. You don't act very Tortallan. You hardly even look like you're from here, though your face gives you away, looking closely." He was grinning at her and she forced her face to smile weakly at him,
"Might I ask a question?" Roald asked politely, thoughtfully.
"You are the prince, it is your right, and my responsibility to answer." She replied.
"You do not smile easily. Or show much expression through your face. Why is that?" He seemed truly bewildered when he asked.
"Expression of feelings, my lord, is a weakness. If you show shock or fear, or even love to your enemies, the situation could become decidedly theirs in a short amount of time. Besides, no one asks what other people think or feel, it's not polite. To just give away such information isn't our way. Their way." She hastily corrected her faux pas.
"Oh." Was all that Roald said.
The rest of the day was uneventful and found Roald and his knight-master discussing various things and Kel lost in thought.
"Roald," Kel asked towards evening, "what is your mother like?" He had carefully debated the question before asking it, assuring herself that it wasn't improper and that he wouldn't laugh at her for asking.
He did look a bit surprised, though maybe it was just hearing her speak again after a few hours of her silence. "Well, she's not at all like what some people expect her to be. Um. Well actually, she a lot like your fan. Sorry, I can't pronounce its name."
"Shukusen." Kel supplied.
"Right, like a shukusen." He fumbled the pronunciation, but Kel didn't correct him. "She's beautiful and looks, if you don't know her better, like she'd be afraid of the dark or a spider, but in reality she's got the steel blades that cut through more than a lot of grown men can handle. She's always ready to help her people and be a good queen, but if it comes between the two somehow, she'd rather be out in the mud than sending someone else to do it. Sometimes that gets her into trouble and she actually forgets that she's queen and needs protection from unseen assassins, you know? That's where the Queen's Ladies come in. You're a rough-and-tumble bunch of noble women who can look pretty at court, but can help my mother, and defend her if needed."
"She sounds a lot like our court ladies, Roald." She told him. "Like a tiger cub. Beautiful and almost cuddly, but dangerous."
"Right." He paused. "May I see that thing again?"
"Shukusen?" She asked, knowing full well what he meant, but teasing him for not being able to say it.
"Yes, you know what I'm talking about."
"Not until you can say it properly..."
3
Lady Arabian Knight: Thanks girl! I try and be consistant and write frequently, but I either have no time or no ideas. You know how it goes.
Keita: Great to hear from you again. (Just between you and me, cuz no one readsthese things anyway, it's not going to be K/N, they're gonna be good friends though. You bring up an interesting point. I could fake like something's gonna happen.. yeah, I'll do that. Thanks!
Epitaph Munku-JGSPTV: How was that a cliffie? I didn't think so! I though it was a good place to end the chapter, with them beginning a friendship and all.
Crown: I'm working on it, really.
After hurriedly both trying to explain what happened at once, Kel realized her error in speaking up, not to mention that it was out of character for her to do so, and quieted, letting Roald tell the story. He told it slowly, looking not at his knight master, but at his hand, knitting itself together, faintly shimmering indigo. When the prince was both finished talking and healing, he, looked his knight-master in the face.
Lord Imrah looked from his squire to his charge and held out his hand to her. "I would like to see that weapon of yours, miss."
Wordlessly, Kel relinquished her shukusen into the lord of Legann's care, not even bothering to warn him about the metal spikes, since it was obvious the pretty thing could do some damage.
Suddenly Kel looked up, sensing something amiss. Imrah was examining her fan and Roald was stroking his horse absently. Out of the trees to their left, slunk a two dark-headed children. But wait! Those weren't children! Kel realized too late that the two 'children' were actually brigands hunched over, and armed with two daggers each.
"My lord and prince." She whispered, snatching her shukusen carefully from the older man's hands as she spoke. "Please don't look up quite yet, but there are two rogues to our left that don't look like they mean to pay their respects to yourselves."
"Let's give them a run for their money, shall we my lord?" The prince suggested in a low voice, a small smirk creeping across his handsome face.
"We kick our horses into a run on three, then. Lady Keladry, would you be alright to do that?"
Before Kel could reply, Roald did so for her. "My lord, she is destined for my mother, lest we not forget. The lady can fend for herself, to be sure."
"You are right, of course. Ready.. steady.. three!" They kicked their horses into an urgent run, speeding along for easily two miles until they were sure their antagonists posed no threat of pursuit.
The crown prince looked over at his lady guest and grinned. "We could have taken them, to be sure, but neither my lord or I enjoy killing, which is probably what it would have been with those men back there. I'm interested to see your style of fighting though, Kel. What I have learned of the Yamani Islands proves just how different that we are."
"Do not forget, Roald, that I am as Tortallan as the next person here, I was only residing in the islands for several years."
"And look what it's done to you. You don't act very Tortallan. You hardly even look like you're from here, though your face gives you away, looking closely." He was grinning at her and she forced her face to smile weakly at him,
"Might I ask a question?" Roald asked politely, thoughtfully.
"You are the prince, it is your right, and my responsibility to answer." She replied.
"You do not smile easily. Or show much expression through your face. Why is that?" He seemed truly bewildered when he asked.
"Expression of feelings, my lord, is a weakness. If you show shock or fear, or even love to your enemies, the situation could become decidedly theirs in a short amount of time. Besides, no one asks what other people think or feel, it's not polite. To just give away such information isn't our way. Their way." She hastily corrected her faux pas.
"Oh." Was all that Roald said.
The rest of the day was uneventful and found Roald and his knight-master discussing various things and Kel lost in thought.
"Roald," Kel asked towards evening, "what is your mother like?" He had carefully debated the question before asking it, assuring herself that it wasn't improper and that he wouldn't laugh at her for asking.
He did look a bit surprised, though maybe it was just hearing her speak again after a few hours of her silence. "Well, she's not at all like what some people expect her to be. Um. Well actually, she a lot like your fan. Sorry, I can't pronounce its name."
"Shukusen." Kel supplied.
"Right, like a shukusen." He fumbled the pronunciation, but Kel didn't correct him. "She's beautiful and looks, if you don't know her better, like she'd be afraid of the dark or a spider, but in reality she's got the steel blades that cut through more than a lot of grown men can handle. She's always ready to help her people and be a good queen, but if it comes between the two somehow, she'd rather be out in the mud than sending someone else to do it. Sometimes that gets her into trouble and she actually forgets that she's queen and needs protection from unseen assassins, you know? That's where the Queen's Ladies come in. You're a rough-and-tumble bunch of noble women who can look pretty at court, but can help my mother, and defend her if needed."
"She sounds a lot like our court ladies, Roald." She told him. "Like a tiger cub. Beautiful and almost cuddly, but dangerous."
"Right." He paused. "May I see that thing again?"
"Shukusen?" She asked, knowing full well what he meant, but teasing him for not being able to say it.
"Yes, you know what I'm talking about."
"Not until you can say it properly..."
3