Title: Book One of the Chosen of Shannara
Authors: DracoStarbo ( dracostarbo@yahoo.com ) and Lunablue ( deadredsocks@yahoo.com )
Disclaimer: The Shannara universe belongs to Terry Brooks and affiliated companies.
Warnings: This story contains language and ideas that can be found offensive.
Authors Notes:
As always, Loved something? Hated something? Let us know, by reading and reviewing. Or flaming. Or sending hate mail. We do except all forms of MasterCard, Visa and stalkers are generally appreciated.
We are together again! That's right! Once more, DragonStarbo and Lunablue are together, in the same city, working on this chapter, just for you! Our beloved readers. . . aren't we so sweet? Yep, DragonStarbo flew all the way down to LA just to come visit me for the weekend. So we decided to write. This is what happened. Lord pity fanfiction.net.
Anywho, we wish to sincerely apologize for the lack of updates. ::insert evil glare towards DragonStarbo from Lunablue::
"Why am I getting the evil glare?" "Because you were in charge of the story tell I got all situated down here!!"
Yeah, back to the notes. Once again, we are SUPER sorry.
Anyways, we've got a semi-new posting schedule for your reading convenience. We would also like to apologize in advance if we don't stick to it. Though we swear to. Promise! ::grin::
Every other Tuesday. Simple sounding? Yes. Simple to follow. No. But we shall try, even unto are dying breath!!! So you all better start praying we don't get halitosis.
So please, enjoy the story and REVIEW!!!!
Reviewers Response:
Princess Arwen ,
Another fan! ^___^ Yay! What's up with the Jez girl? Hum, how can we put it that we haven't already said? . . . *thinks* . . . Um, no, can't find another way. She's just nuts. lol. Like any good story and authors, we won't reveal too much too soon. ^_~ At least, not try to.
Danger Kitties,
Please conitune? You thought that we wouldn't? Um, yeah, okay, so there might be a slight, slight, slight, *slight* chance of that happening . . . .but c'mon! We're having too much fun with this! =)
Terra Tigra and Pan,
@_@ . . . . Another Deidre?! Eeeeek!! No!!!
lol! ^_~ Nah, just kidding. Thank you again for your reviews! And yes, I agree. Anyone who hates Terry Brooks should be disembodied in the middle of a dark forest with a wooden spoon and left for the wolves. . . . . . Sorry, too graphic? Oh well. lol. But did you know that Lunablue hasn't even read the Shannara series? Least not all the way through; I think she's read the first three or so. In any case, only I, DragonStarbo, am the Shannara expert in this fic! Ha ha ha, we fooled ya all! =)~
blakependragon,
*GLOMP!* We love you! *watch blakependragon run off screaming in terror* Um . . . maybe that was a little too friendly . . . We were just trying to thank you. . . (
Chapter Seven: How To Insult the Voice In Your Head for Dummies and A Funeral
* * * *
The sun reached the top of the buildings and with a great push, it shoved itself high above the roof tops, making the city houses warm and cozy. It was the perfect kind of sun for a summer, promising hot weather in the afternoon and a cool, short night. Brinn sprang up from his hay bed almost as soon as he had woken up. With happy energy, he shout, "Let's go to Aunt Wren!" "Gee, where did you come up with that idea?" Lukc said sarcastically. "Last night!"
"Oh, you mean before or after my Dad told us to do that?" "After!" Brinn beamed. With his face in a frozen smile, he becomes aware of how far he had put his foot into his mouth. His face slowly became serious and he mumbled, "You know I'm not a morning person. . ." "It's morning?" Memial's voice drifted threw the hay. Her head poked out of the pile of hay across from the two boys, her hair looking like it was a life form on its own. She squinted into the light, hissed and dove back under the hay light like a small creature finding shelter from a larger predator. A short surprised scream comes from the other side of the stable. It started at the top of the loft and ended with Gok on the ground, saved by a pile of hay that he had wisely moved to that location last night. "Morning, Everybody," he greeted as he picked the hay out of his hair. "Miff oomph me!" Aiken's voice was a muffled shout as his limbs were popped out of the hay that Gok sat on. In a quick move, Gok was off and Aiken's head was surfaced for hair. "What were you doing under there?" Gok raised his eye brows. "Fishing for a needle!" Aiken snapped back. "How 'bout you?" "Falling off the loft," Gok replied causally. "Oh. Yeah, makes sense." "Nooooo!" yet another shout fills the air. Deidre sprang up into a sitting position, "The asparagus are losing!" "Don't worry, it's just a ploy to trick the potatoes into a false sectary while the mushroom people sneak up from behind." Aiken reassured her. Deidre sighed in relief, "Oh, good . . . heyyyyy!!" Deidre exclaims when it dawns on her that Aiken might have been being sarcastic. Maybe.
Walker Boh walks in at that moment, looking like a stolen piece of the night sky against the bright morning. He snapped out orders to the surviving Ohmsford's, because this was a family issue, they were to deal with their parents funerals by themselves.
For the four other teenagers, they got the task of preparing for the journey. When asked why, Walker stated that everyone else will be busy with the funeral and the teenagers couldn't just sit about all day. Well, not in so many words. More like this: "You travel with us, you work with us." He left with the three boys following a step behind, leaving the four teens taken aback by his curt retort. "Um, okay . . ." Deidre half-sighed. "I guess we start to pack . . . but, what do we pack? I've never been on a camping trip before. My parents are too over protective. I can't even sleep over at someone's house! That would be fun. When I turn eighteen, I'm going to sleep for a week at one of my friend's house, and my parents wouldn't be able to yell at me. They yell a lot, especially at me. They get angry about the littlest things and then we get into this huge fight and I ended up in my room, beating the shit out of my pillow. But I try not to kick my pillows butt to much because then it'll get flat quicker and I really don't like flat pillows. Or pillows without feathers in them. Though I always seem to feel sorry for the poor bird who had to lose his feathers so I could have a nice, soft sleeping piece of fluff. My mom and I have fought about that to. We don't fight as badly as my grandparents, though. They fight-" "If they fight as much as you talk, we get the idea," Memial's voice once again entered the scene. This time, though, she stumbled out of the hay with closed eyes and leaned against one of the wooden beams holding up the roof of the stable. "Damn, I don't think I've worked that hard in a long while as I did last night. I'm still sore." "Well, we have more work for us," Aiken shrugged. "Apparently, we're to help pack for the trip." "Help pack for the trip," she spoke in unison with him, nodding. "I heard." ". . . Do you think we're all crazy?" the brown haired boy asked after a moment of hesitation. "Maybe not all of us," she tilted her head to the side, considering the idea. "We were, then we should all have our own separate illusion of our own fantasy worlds. Hmm, I wonder if there's been any reported group hallucinations, with no drugs evolved, of course. . . Hey, speaking of crazy, where's Jez?" It turned out that Jez had woken up after Walker, but before everyone else, a natural clock in her head telling her it was time to get up and get her little sister ready for school. Of course, in this land, she had no little sister and therefore, no responsibly that cut into her sleeping time. With nothing better to do, she decided to wonder the streets. Though she didn't even know this city existed until yesterday, Jez figured that if all else failed, she could ask someone for direction back to the Blue Whisker Inn. Her aimless travels led her to the rich part of this city, where it seemed that the rich had every thing that the other people had, only a better or newer version of it. The very poor streets seemed to be just like those of her home town, run down and full of haggled people. They all were looking for peace, an escape, but only finding more despair and dirt. Now they just look for a dry spot to live. Early in the morning as it was, people were up and about. They were most likely those who owned business or at least worked there and had to prepare for the day. For the most part, they were busy with their own lives, but Jez found they were judgmental, just like everyone else she had ever known. By the look of her clothes, the state of her personal hygiene, and her hair style, people have figured that they know all about her that they need to know. These people did it differently, though. She has noticed two kinds of judging's from people passing by on the streets. The "don't care" and the "long stare." When someone doesn't care, they don't care. They'll still judge, however, just incase that they have to make social contact and need to know how to act around you. A long stare judgment is what it sounds like. People will keep their eyes on you as long as possible and some will even stop just so they could watch you walk away. These people of Varfleet, though, had a other way of judging. It was quick, precise, and done with in a glance. They merely "assess," figure out if you're dangerous or someone to be taken advantage of or to be left alone. Depending on the assessment, they'd keep walking by or change root. Jez found it refreshing to be asset and not judged. Her problem, though, was when she wanted to get back to the alehouse, tired of wondering around. Out of those who would stop and talk to her, not one of them seemed to know what the Blue Whisker Alehouse was, let alone *where* it was. They said they recalled something like it, but there were many alehouses in Varfleet, so they couldn't be accounted for remembering one in particular. Still, from what Jez had gathered, it seemed as if that alehouse was a popular one so one of these drunkard-by-night males had aught to know about it! It wasn't until Jez had backed tracked and was standing right in front of it, across the street, did someone remember the name. "Yeh, ya lil' lass, righ' 'here," the man pointed. He didn't pronounce the "t"s and his grammar needed work, but at least Jez could understand his speech. "Shame, good place for ale and a s'ory. You should've gone 'ere before ye owners lef' for da Shady Vale. I hear is 'heir home." The way the man said it, Jez had to ask, "How long ago?" "Hmm?" the man blinked. "Long ago? Dunno. Mus've been a while, to have Blue Whisker lookin' like a dump. Wai', no. Couldn've been long ago. Jus' las' Friday . . . Eh, I have work." And the man left, hurrying off to one of the many shops in this strange place. Jez wondered about the man's reaction. It was almost as if he wanted to remember or forget, but something was preventing him from doing so, either way. :: Liking Varfleet? :: // Oh, it's you. Why does it seem like you always pop up when things start to suck? // :: Excuse me? :: // Never mind. So, Ash, help me understand something. //
::And what do I get in return?::
// The knowledge that you've done a good deed.//
:: . . . ::
:: Hahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahaha!::
// Never mind. How about you'll answer the questions because if you don't I'll start screaming so god damn long and loud an entire bottle of Advil wont get rid of your headache? //
:: Who are you to dare threaten me?! ::
// The voice in your head. The voice, may I remind you, that you're still not sure in fact exists.//
:: What do you mean 'still not sure in fact exists.' Of course you're real, how else could you be in my head? ::
// Perhaps you suffer from schizophrenia? Maybe you have multiple personalities? It could also be drugs, have you taken any hallucinogens lately? You could just be delusional you know. Or perhaps you've hit your head and are now laying in a comma, dreaming this entire conversation up. //
:: And you want to know if * I'm * the one on hallucinogens? Are you sure your not dropping meth? ::
// Yes. This is all one hundred percent me. //
:: My God. ::
// 1) I'm a goddess, not a god. Thank you very much. 2) I belong to no one, let alone you. //
:: All right! All right!! I give up! Just ask your bloody questions already. ::
// Oh yeah. 1 Jez, 0 Ash. Ok, remember our last conversation? You mentioned that the Vo'galth were yours. Well, why the hell did you send the Vo'galth so far into the past just to retrieve a bunch of pathetic high school brats? Barring me, of course. //
:: Of course. ::
:: 'Cause, I was to busy with other important, evil mad genius take over the world type of * stuff * to do it myself. ::
// Uh, huh. Yeah. Ok, now lets translate into I was LAZY. //
:: Wench ::
// Oh, good one! Did you have to go buy 'How to Insult the Voice in Your Head for Dummies' to learn that particular word? //
:: Yeah, your definitely on some sort of drug. ::
// Answer the question. Now, or the screaming starts.//
:: Oh, that's simple. I didn't send the Vo'galth into the past to retrieve the four of you per se. I sent them to go find me four elemental magicks strong enough to aid my cause. ::
// Cause being? //
:: Oh, you know. Little bit of this, little bit of that. Save the planet from the overbearing terrorists who rule through pain and fear. The usual things all of us good, moral, upstanding citizens want. ::
// Yeah, your one of the good guys and my drug dealer is Osama Bin Laden. Feed me another one. //
:: You're not going to go for it? Not even a little tinsy bit? 'Cause if you want, I can change the story around a bit. Play it down a little, perhaps claim the leader of the Elves killed my father and I want revenge? ::
// No, but if it helps any it was a nice try. If you had gotten to us quicker, before the Ohmsford's perhaps, I might have gone for it. //
:: Oh well, it was worth a shot. Don't supposed I could offer you your hearts desire for joining my cause and helping me take over the realm? ::
// Of course you could. You can do anything you want. Doesn't mean I'll go for it, but you can still try. //
:: There is no reasoning with you, is there? ::
// I'm a goddess. I don't reason, I command. //
:: Bitch. ::
// Are we going to start that again? //
:: . . . You do realize that I really did have good intentions for you and the others. If you just ask, I'll come personally and take you to my home, where you can live happily- ::
// Please, save me the bullshit. //
:: For a voice in the head, you are very rude. . . . Stop that! I can feel you smirking! ::
// Keep ordering me around and I'll not only scream, but I'll scream "Frank." //
:: You are impossible. ::
// I know. Now, on to question two. If you're trying to take over the world and the four of us don't agree to help you does that mean you'll try to destroy us? //
:: Will you scream if I say yes? ::
// Yes. //
:: Then no, most certainly not. What kind of monster do you take me for? But if you go against me and try to stop me I'll have to try and stop you from stopping me. You know? Good business policy. Um, you guys aren't going to go and join the good guys are you?::
// Actually, yes, I believe the dream team you dragged me with and their new boyfriends are planning on doing something of the sort. You did try to kill them and murdered their future in-laws you know. //
:: Again, those damned good working ethics come in to play. ::
// Of course, the working ethics. //
:: So * they * plan on trying to find and destroy me. And you? ::
// Plan to go along for the amusement value. Consider me Switzerland //
:: Switzer Land ? ::
// Never mind. Just think of me as a non biased, neutral party with no plans on taking sides. //
:: I see. Tell me, do you plan on telling the others about the Vo'galth belonging to me? ::
// Not if you don't want me to.//
:: Good, please don't. That way I might be able to still trick them into joining me. ::
// Good luck. //
:: Why thank you, but tell me, what is Switzer Land? ::
// A country in my land that's known for being . . . //
Just then one of the people walking past bumped into her by accident. Knocking her out of the trance she'd stood in for the last half hour or so. Blinking a few times her black eyes slowly melted into their usual blue and she saw in front of her the Ale House. Shaking her head as a sudden migraine came on she walked through the broken doors and found that the common room had changed a lot sense the day before. For one, the bodies and blood were gone. Another big change was all of the broken furniture was off to the left while the still intact things were on the right.
"Oh, hey, Jez," Memial stood in one of the doors that was in this room. "Where were you?" When Jez didn't answer, Memial simply shrugged and said, "Well, we've all got the task of preparing for the trip ahead of us. I think we're heading to their aunt's or something. Anyhow, come help us out; we're getting the food ready." The door that Memial stood in led to the kitchen, where Aiken and Deidre were busily searching for whatever it was that they needed. Aiken simply left the things out on the counter in no particular order, while Deidre was much more neat about it and put them back where she found the things. There was a piece of paper that drew Jez's eyes for some reason.
"Oh, that's the list from Brinn. He figured we needed a little help," Memial explained when she saw Jez looking.
"Yeah, hey, where would they put the water?" Aiken asked.
A snort found its way out of Memial. She said, "Why not check in the garage? I'm think they have a second fridge."
Aiken's reply was a little hesitant. "Hey, that's mean! Just because I don't-"
"And neither do I," Memial rolled her eyes, half-way stifling the boy's protest (he was still tried to get his argument out). "For someone who likes dragons so much, I'd imagine that you read a lot of fantasy books, right?"
"Yeah, but still, it was rude of you to interrupt me-"
"In fantasy books," Memial raised her voice just a little bit to talk over Aiken, "they don't have that much science, if at all. So, where else-?"
"A well!" Deidre shouted, excited. "Am I right?"
"Mm-hm," Memial nodded and cocked her head. "Are you a fantasy reader?"
"Well, no, I really don't read a lot. I don't like to read, because I have to look up about ten words on every page."
There was a silent pause and it seemed that everyone leaned towards Deidre to see if she was mumbling.
"Is . . . that it?" Memial asked suspiciously. "No ramblings?"
"Do you. . . want me to ramble?" Deidre asked hesitantly.
"No! No! That's okay. How about you and Aiken get the water?"
"Why me?!" Aiken whined. "Why can't Jez go get it? She hasn't done anything all morning! She hasn't even been here!"
Memial stole a glance at Jez, and then looked back at Aiken. "You want her to go fetch the water, then you tell her."
Aiken decided it was in the best of interest of his life to go with Deidre, quietly, without protest. In his tired state, he had looked over the perk of this chore: He'll get to spend some time a lone with Deidre! The girl was the only one who knew him for a long time and she seemed to be the only that he could contact with in this crazy land.
"Hey, what do you think of this place?" Aiken asked. "I mean, do you think it's real?"
"Yeah. I beat some evil creature to death and walked for three hours none stop. I never get tired in dreams," Deidre answered truthfully. "Of course, there was one time where I woke up tired. I don't know why. I think it was because I was kicking and moving in my sleep a lot and that's what made me wake up tired. My little sister said that she didn't feel me in the night, though. We share a bed together because our house is so small and so many people live in it. I'm suppose to share my room with my grandma, but it's already too cramped with me and my sister . . ."
And Aiken listened on as Deidre complained about her home life and would randomly go off to some other topic. It took two long paragraphs, but they finally found the well and drew the water from it. Carrying it back in the buckets left out there, Deidre had started to tell Aiken about her new teacher Mr. Robb and how he seemed a little odd.
The day was already becoming hot, though Aiken believed that it couldn't have been past ten. It was funny, but here, it was summer and in California, it was almost winter. Maybe they not only traveled in time, but in distant, too. Aiken pondered this as Deidre decided to start telling him about how strawberries are much better than cherries.
~*~*~*~
"That's deep enough," Walker assured the boys.
It was the mid-morning on this very cold summer's day. True, the sun was warming up the world and child ran about happily, but no happiness touched him or his nephews. It was a cold summer's day indeed. Walker knew that this day would come, that he would have to deal with their deaths one way or another.
It felt so unnatural. He was older than them by many years. He should be the one in the earth, thinking no more of the next day's work and getting ready for the next life. Yes, he should be there, not Par or Coll or their wives. It was never just for a Druid, however, and Walker took what little comfort he could and where he could find it.
But where would the boys find their comforts? They were boys after all. They had been pushed roughly into the lives of adults and can never again be care-free, but they didn't know the first thing about the depths of that. He did his best to be their foundation, something to stand upon, but he felt like the raindrops, small and weak compared to the giant ground they end their lives on.
"Okay, Uncle Dark," Brinn sniffled. "They're ready."
Walker flittered his hand threw the thick, dark robes of his, not even feeling the hot sun on him. With a few quick turns of the wrist, he had the bodies of the Ohmsford adults in the ground. It was the sons who should put the parents into the ground, but after Gok's little show last night, Walker knew this way was better for everyone.
They quickly covered the bodies with the dirt they had dug up and within the hour, the graves were nearly invisible. The three boys wiped their eyes and noses to rid themselves of the sadness that dried itself into their skin, keeping their faces in a constant twisted state.
"Should we say something?" Lukc asked.
"I'm going miss them," Brinn said in a voice thick with emotions. "Life's never going to be the same now."
"I use to always wonder off," Gok picked up the slack. "I'd go everywhere around this city, but my favorite part was when I could open the back door to the kitchen and hear Mom ask me for some help or inquire about my day."
"My dad," Lukc took his turn, "was going to teach me how to follow foot prints and know whose they are and how old they are, like the Trackers. We had planned for this weekend, but now I'll never be able to spend that time with him."
"Come," Walker said more in a pleading tone than a demand. "Lukc, Gok, Brinn, we must go to Queen Wren and tell her the news."
They all left the unmarked graves, but something didn't feel right to Brinn. He looked back and saw that only the tiny mounds of dirt showed where his parents and uncle and aunt laid. These were the people that saved the Four Lands, and for them to die like this was . . . horrible. They needed something to be remembered by other than the stories.
"Brinn?" Walker stopped and turned around. "Brinn, come along."
But Brinn just stood there and began to hum. It was very low and sounded almost like a bee buzzing by. He opened his mouth and a soft wail wisped along the winds, landing ever so softly, a kiss of breath, on the freshly dug up dirt. Like a painting being drawn, four green stems from the ground in unison. Deep red, that of compassion, roses bloomed on the stems' tops, perfect, sweet and ever lasting.
It wasn't a moment before Brinn heard Lukc's song join his, adding the dream like state that held their beauty, almost like a story being told to the traveling strangers. And Gok, though his wishsong was only of illusions, he gave the feeling that no one should pick these wonderful roses for their selfish reasons. After all, a rose can only grow when not plucked of life.
The three boys at one, turned and left the last goodbye hanging in the air and growing from the ground.
~*~*~*~
"Ow! You fucking bit me, you wench!" Aiken cried at the top of his lungs, treating to the wall as he grasped his upper arm in pain. A little warm liquid found its way threw his fingers and he looked down in shock. "Holly fucking Mother Christ, I'm bleeding! You little fucking bitch!"
"What's going on?" Memial entered with a bundled of clothes in her hands, Deidre close behind.
"Jez bit me! She just leaned over and took a chunk of my skin!" Aiken screeched.
"Why?"
"Like, how the hell should I know!"
Memial looked over at a very smug Jez and asked, "Why?"
Jez, of course, liked to keep those around her baffled. She merely kept on smiling.
Memial sighed and said to Aiken, "She bit you because you were there. Next time, keep your defense up."
"I was!" Aiken protested, but it was ignored as Memial and Deidre went through the clothing they had brought down from the rooms.
They picked the cleanest and lightest colored ones that they could find, but nothing white or baby blue by request of Brinn. In the end, they had a few different outfits for the boys, including one nice one for when they met up with their aunt. Brinn's writing was very quick and jerky, as if he didn't want to write it, but he put down that the girls could go threw his aunt's and mother's clothes to find some woman clothing, but they should pack for hard, long hikes. And Aiken could get his clothes from Brinn's father and uncle's wardrobe.
Deidre at first wanted to wear nothing but dresses, but Memial had pointed out that they wouldn't be going to the mall, so a dress might not be the most practical. In the end, Deidre had one dress and the rest were pants and tunics. Memial had skated around the dresses by finding a very nice tunic and pants that would work just as well. Jez was in and out so fast Memial wasn't even sure she'd been there.
"Damn, I don't fit any of these!" Aiken mumbled to himself. He was trying on Par and Coll's clothes and found out that they were too tall or too small for him. He ended up wearing Coll's working clothes from a few years past. They were still baggy, but at least he wasn't lost in the folds of it. Brown leather boots, green pants, and a brown tunic made up his out fit. He had packed a few more similar to it. "What's keeping the girls so long? Girls are so horrible when it comes to clothes, I swear!"
He went back down stairs and found the three had already finished their packing and were making sure they had everything needed. The very first girl he noticed was Deidre. She had on a black, knee-high boots that covered half of her green pants, as they were semi-covered by a baggy, mint- green tunic that made her dark hair, eyes, and completion stand out even more.
"Well, about time you got done," Memial mumbled. "You're as bad as a stereotype woman."
Aiken blushed at the comment, being reminded of his earlier remark about females being so horrible when it comes to clothes. "Nothing fit me." He grumbled while checking out Memial's and Jez's attire.
Memial looked like a piece of Godiva cherry filled chocolate with her dark brown boots that went up to mid calf, matching colored pants and light brown tunic which she'd stuffed into her pants. Her bushy red hair was left lose to fiend for itself against the poor, unsuspecting twigs.
"Um, Memial. Not to freak you or anything," Deidre burst out suddenly, " But have you noticed that after doing that water thing-of-a-magig-that- we're-kinda-sorta-pretending-didn't-happen-'cause-then-maybe-it'll-go-away your hair changed color?"
A look of puzzlement crossed Memial's face, then she grabbed a lock of her hair and held it up in front of her eyes. After a few moments of staring she flicked her hair back and shrugged nonchalantly. "Nope."
"Ookay then."
Jez was wearing black boots up to the mid of her thighs, black trousers, and a dark green tunic was tied off into a knot at her waist. Her blond hair was up in a lose bun.
"They don't have much in the way of style, do they?" Aiken asked. "I mean, pants, tunics . . ."
"I'm sure they do," Memial shrugged. "But most likely, these guy's lives were filled with work and so didn't have that much time to pay attention to their wardrobes. Why would you care, male?"
The sarcastic note her voice had Aiken sneering a "cht" sound before stomping the last few yards to the girls.
"Actually," Deidre started, "you'd think they had some kind of fashion, this being an alehouse and all. I mean, people come in to get drunk, and probably some action - not that this is that kind of place. But still, they'd probably have something to appeal to the crowds. Had to be something more than just pants, tunics, tunics, pants, tunics, pants, pants, pants, tunics, pants, tunics. . . Maybe they had a uniform that was flashy or bright colored or -"
To the grateful ears of everyone, the Ohmsford boys and Walker Boh had come in at that moment. There were very few words exchanged between them and in fifteen minutes, they were out of the alehouse and on their way towards Arborlon, the city that their aunt rules from. Not much was said, as the four teenagers from the past learned from earlier on that this wasn't going to be a fun time. It was set at power walk pace and before long, they found themselves just concentrating on breathing. All that is, except Jez and Walker Boh, the first didn't even seem to be breaking a sweat and the other was striding along, lost in his own world of gloom and frowns.
The day wore on, time slipping by like the wind. The mountains they passed through soon became the flat land that laid next to a river. In the much smoother ground, they quickened their pace and were at Kennon Pass just before the sunset. The teenagers made their beds (rolled out blankets and packs for pillows) but Walker stood alone with Tempo.
"I must leave you now."
"What?" the three Ohmsford boys asked in unison.
"But, you can't go. Not now," Lukc protested.
"What are we going to do without you?" Gok added.
"You are going to go to your aunt's," Walker answered simply. "Go there, inform her of the fates of Par and Coll. Get the Elf stones and any information you can."
"What will you do?" Brinn questioned.
"I will search for answers and meet with you again at your aunts." was all Walker said before he mounted Tempo and rode off into the mountains.
"Be quiet," Walker hissed to Tempo when the horse had given a snort of protest. "Those boys will have me linger forever if I didn't leave then."
//Well, there goes the only adult in this group,// Aiken shrugged. "So, what's for dinner?"
"You." Said Jez sweetly and with an amount of seriousness scary enough to have him running for the dubious protection found behind Deirdre's small frame.
They all had bread and dried meat in silence and soon drifted off to sleep, too tired or wrapped up in their own thoughts for much conversation. Before long, the stars watched over the sleeping seven.
Authors: DracoStarbo ( dracostarbo@yahoo.com ) and Lunablue ( deadredsocks@yahoo.com )
Disclaimer: The Shannara universe belongs to Terry Brooks and affiliated companies.
Warnings: This story contains language and ideas that can be found offensive.
Authors Notes:
As always, Loved something? Hated something? Let us know, by reading and reviewing. Or flaming. Or sending hate mail. We do except all forms of MasterCard, Visa and stalkers are generally appreciated.
We are together again! That's right! Once more, DragonStarbo and Lunablue are together, in the same city, working on this chapter, just for you! Our beloved readers. . . aren't we so sweet? Yep, DragonStarbo flew all the way down to LA just to come visit me for the weekend. So we decided to write. This is what happened. Lord pity fanfiction.net.
Anywho, we wish to sincerely apologize for the lack of updates. ::insert evil glare towards DragonStarbo from Lunablue::
"Why am I getting the evil glare?" "Because you were in charge of the story tell I got all situated down here!!"
Yeah, back to the notes. Once again, we are SUPER sorry.
Anyways, we've got a semi-new posting schedule for your reading convenience. We would also like to apologize in advance if we don't stick to it. Though we swear to. Promise! ::grin::
Every other Tuesday. Simple sounding? Yes. Simple to follow. No. But we shall try, even unto are dying breath!!! So you all better start praying we don't get halitosis.
So please, enjoy the story and REVIEW!!!!
Reviewers Response:
Princess Arwen ,
Another fan! ^___^ Yay! What's up with the Jez girl? Hum, how can we put it that we haven't already said? . . . *thinks* . . . Um, no, can't find another way. She's just nuts. lol. Like any good story and authors, we won't reveal too much too soon. ^_~ At least, not try to.
Danger Kitties,
Please conitune? You thought that we wouldn't? Um, yeah, okay, so there might be a slight, slight, slight, *slight* chance of that happening . . . .but c'mon! We're having too much fun with this! =)
Terra Tigra and Pan,
@_@ . . . . Another Deidre?! Eeeeek!! No!!!
lol! ^_~ Nah, just kidding. Thank you again for your reviews! And yes, I agree. Anyone who hates Terry Brooks should be disembodied in the middle of a dark forest with a wooden spoon and left for the wolves. . . . . . Sorry, too graphic? Oh well. lol. But did you know that Lunablue hasn't even read the Shannara series? Least not all the way through; I think she's read the first three or so. In any case, only I, DragonStarbo, am the Shannara expert in this fic! Ha ha ha, we fooled ya all! =)~
blakependragon,
*GLOMP!* We love you! *watch blakependragon run off screaming in terror* Um . . . maybe that was a little too friendly . . . We were just trying to thank you. . . (
Chapter Seven: How To Insult the Voice In Your Head for Dummies and A Funeral
* * * *
The sun reached the top of the buildings and with a great push, it shoved itself high above the roof tops, making the city houses warm and cozy. It was the perfect kind of sun for a summer, promising hot weather in the afternoon and a cool, short night. Brinn sprang up from his hay bed almost as soon as he had woken up. With happy energy, he shout, "Let's go to Aunt Wren!" "Gee, where did you come up with that idea?" Lukc said sarcastically. "Last night!"
"Oh, you mean before or after my Dad told us to do that?" "After!" Brinn beamed. With his face in a frozen smile, he becomes aware of how far he had put his foot into his mouth. His face slowly became serious and he mumbled, "You know I'm not a morning person. . ." "It's morning?" Memial's voice drifted threw the hay. Her head poked out of the pile of hay across from the two boys, her hair looking like it was a life form on its own. She squinted into the light, hissed and dove back under the hay light like a small creature finding shelter from a larger predator. A short surprised scream comes from the other side of the stable. It started at the top of the loft and ended with Gok on the ground, saved by a pile of hay that he had wisely moved to that location last night. "Morning, Everybody," he greeted as he picked the hay out of his hair. "Miff oomph me!" Aiken's voice was a muffled shout as his limbs were popped out of the hay that Gok sat on. In a quick move, Gok was off and Aiken's head was surfaced for hair. "What were you doing under there?" Gok raised his eye brows. "Fishing for a needle!" Aiken snapped back. "How 'bout you?" "Falling off the loft," Gok replied causally. "Oh. Yeah, makes sense." "Nooooo!" yet another shout fills the air. Deidre sprang up into a sitting position, "The asparagus are losing!" "Don't worry, it's just a ploy to trick the potatoes into a false sectary while the mushroom people sneak up from behind." Aiken reassured her. Deidre sighed in relief, "Oh, good . . . heyyyyy!!" Deidre exclaims when it dawns on her that Aiken might have been being sarcastic. Maybe.
Walker Boh walks in at that moment, looking like a stolen piece of the night sky against the bright morning. He snapped out orders to the surviving Ohmsford's, because this was a family issue, they were to deal with their parents funerals by themselves.
For the four other teenagers, they got the task of preparing for the journey. When asked why, Walker stated that everyone else will be busy with the funeral and the teenagers couldn't just sit about all day. Well, not in so many words. More like this: "You travel with us, you work with us." He left with the three boys following a step behind, leaving the four teens taken aback by his curt retort. "Um, okay . . ." Deidre half-sighed. "I guess we start to pack . . . but, what do we pack? I've never been on a camping trip before. My parents are too over protective. I can't even sleep over at someone's house! That would be fun. When I turn eighteen, I'm going to sleep for a week at one of my friend's house, and my parents wouldn't be able to yell at me. They yell a lot, especially at me. They get angry about the littlest things and then we get into this huge fight and I ended up in my room, beating the shit out of my pillow. But I try not to kick my pillows butt to much because then it'll get flat quicker and I really don't like flat pillows. Or pillows without feathers in them. Though I always seem to feel sorry for the poor bird who had to lose his feathers so I could have a nice, soft sleeping piece of fluff. My mom and I have fought about that to. We don't fight as badly as my grandparents, though. They fight-" "If they fight as much as you talk, we get the idea," Memial's voice once again entered the scene. This time, though, she stumbled out of the hay with closed eyes and leaned against one of the wooden beams holding up the roof of the stable. "Damn, I don't think I've worked that hard in a long while as I did last night. I'm still sore." "Well, we have more work for us," Aiken shrugged. "Apparently, we're to help pack for the trip." "Help pack for the trip," she spoke in unison with him, nodding. "I heard." ". . . Do you think we're all crazy?" the brown haired boy asked after a moment of hesitation. "Maybe not all of us," she tilted her head to the side, considering the idea. "We were, then we should all have our own separate illusion of our own fantasy worlds. Hmm, I wonder if there's been any reported group hallucinations, with no drugs evolved, of course. . . Hey, speaking of crazy, where's Jez?" It turned out that Jez had woken up after Walker, but before everyone else, a natural clock in her head telling her it was time to get up and get her little sister ready for school. Of course, in this land, she had no little sister and therefore, no responsibly that cut into her sleeping time. With nothing better to do, she decided to wonder the streets. Though she didn't even know this city existed until yesterday, Jez figured that if all else failed, she could ask someone for direction back to the Blue Whisker Inn. Her aimless travels led her to the rich part of this city, where it seemed that the rich had every thing that the other people had, only a better or newer version of it. The very poor streets seemed to be just like those of her home town, run down and full of haggled people. They all were looking for peace, an escape, but only finding more despair and dirt. Now they just look for a dry spot to live. Early in the morning as it was, people were up and about. They were most likely those who owned business or at least worked there and had to prepare for the day. For the most part, they were busy with their own lives, but Jez found they were judgmental, just like everyone else she had ever known. By the look of her clothes, the state of her personal hygiene, and her hair style, people have figured that they know all about her that they need to know. These people did it differently, though. She has noticed two kinds of judging's from people passing by on the streets. The "don't care" and the "long stare." When someone doesn't care, they don't care. They'll still judge, however, just incase that they have to make social contact and need to know how to act around you. A long stare judgment is what it sounds like. People will keep their eyes on you as long as possible and some will even stop just so they could watch you walk away. These people of Varfleet, though, had a other way of judging. It was quick, precise, and done with in a glance. They merely "assess," figure out if you're dangerous or someone to be taken advantage of or to be left alone. Depending on the assessment, they'd keep walking by or change root. Jez found it refreshing to be asset and not judged. Her problem, though, was when she wanted to get back to the alehouse, tired of wondering around. Out of those who would stop and talk to her, not one of them seemed to know what the Blue Whisker Alehouse was, let alone *where* it was. They said they recalled something like it, but there were many alehouses in Varfleet, so they couldn't be accounted for remembering one in particular. Still, from what Jez had gathered, it seemed as if that alehouse was a popular one so one of these drunkard-by-night males had aught to know about it! It wasn't until Jez had backed tracked and was standing right in front of it, across the street, did someone remember the name. "Yeh, ya lil' lass, righ' 'here," the man pointed. He didn't pronounce the "t"s and his grammar needed work, but at least Jez could understand his speech. "Shame, good place for ale and a s'ory. You should've gone 'ere before ye owners lef' for da Shady Vale. I hear is 'heir home." The way the man said it, Jez had to ask, "How long ago?" "Hmm?" the man blinked. "Long ago? Dunno. Mus've been a while, to have Blue Whisker lookin' like a dump. Wai', no. Couldn've been long ago. Jus' las' Friday . . . Eh, I have work." And the man left, hurrying off to one of the many shops in this strange place. Jez wondered about the man's reaction. It was almost as if he wanted to remember or forget, but something was preventing him from doing so, either way. :: Liking Varfleet? :: // Oh, it's you. Why does it seem like you always pop up when things start to suck? // :: Excuse me? :: // Never mind. So, Ash, help me understand something. //
::And what do I get in return?::
// The knowledge that you've done a good deed.//
:: . . . ::
:: Hahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahaha!::
// Never mind. How about you'll answer the questions because if you don't I'll start screaming so god damn long and loud an entire bottle of Advil wont get rid of your headache? //
:: Who are you to dare threaten me?! ::
// The voice in your head. The voice, may I remind you, that you're still not sure in fact exists.//
:: What do you mean 'still not sure in fact exists.' Of course you're real, how else could you be in my head? ::
// Perhaps you suffer from schizophrenia? Maybe you have multiple personalities? It could also be drugs, have you taken any hallucinogens lately? You could just be delusional you know. Or perhaps you've hit your head and are now laying in a comma, dreaming this entire conversation up. //
:: And you want to know if * I'm * the one on hallucinogens? Are you sure your not dropping meth? ::
// Yes. This is all one hundred percent me. //
:: My God. ::
// 1) I'm a goddess, not a god. Thank you very much. 2) I belong to no one, let alone you. //
:: All right! All right!! I give up! Just ask your bloody questions already. ::
// Oh yeah. 1 Jez, 0 Ash. Ok, remember our last conversation? You mentioned that the Vo'galth were yours. Well, why the hell did you send the Vo'galth so far into the past just to retrieve a bunch of pathetic high school brats? Barring me, of course. //
:: Of course. ::
:: 'Cause, I was to busy with other important, evil mad genius take over the world type of * stuff * to do it myself. ::
// Uh, huh. Yeah. Ok, now lets translate into I was LAZY. //
:: Wench ::
// Oh, good one! Did you have to go buy 'How to Insult the Voice in Your Head for Dummies' to learn that particular word? //
:: Yeah, your definitely on some sort of drug. ::
// Answer the question. Now, or the screaming starts.//
:: Oh, that's simple. I didn't send the Vo'galth into the past to retrieve the four of you per se. I sent them to go find me four elemental magicks strong enough to aid my cause. ::
// Cause being? //
:: Oh, you know. Little bit of this, little bit of that. Save the planet from the overbearing terrorists who rule through pain and fear. The usual things all of us good, moral, upstanding citizens want. ::
// Yeah, your one of the good guys and my drug dealer is Osama Bin Laden. Feed me another one. //
:: You're not going to go for it? Not even a little tinsy bit? 'Cause if you want, I can change the story around a bit. Play it down a little, perhaps claim the leader of the Elves killed my father and I want revenge? ::
// No, but if it helps any it was a nice try. If you had gotten to us quicker, before the Ohmsford's perhaps, I might have gone for it. //
:: Oh well, it was worth a shot. Don't supposed I could offer you your hearts desire for joining my cause and helping me take over the realm? ::
// Of course you could. You can do anything you want. Doesn't mean I'll go for it, but you can still try. //
:: There is no reasoning with you, is there? ::
// I'm a goddess. I don't reason, I command. //
:: Bitch. ::
// Are we going to start that again? //
:: . . . You do realize that I really did have good intentions for you and the others. If you just ask, I'll come personally and take you to my home, where you can live happily- ::
// Please, save me the bullshit. //
:: For a voice in the head, you are very rude. . . . Stop that! I can feel you smirking! ::
// Keep ordering me around and I'll not only scream, but I'll scream "Frank." //
:: You are impossible. ::
// I know. Now, on to question two. If you're trying to take over the world and the four of us don't agree to help you does that mean you'll try to destroy us? //
:: Will you scream if I say yes? ::
// Yes. //
:: Then no, most certainly not. What kind of monster do you take me for? But if you go against me and try to stop me I'll have to try and stop you from stopping me. You know? Good business policy. Um, you guys aren't going to go and join the good guys are you?::
// Actually, yes, I believe the dream team you dragged me with and their new boyfriends are planning on doing something of the sort. You did try to kill them and murdered their future in-laws you know. //
:: Again, those damned good working ethics come in to play. ::
// Of course, the working ethics. //
:: So * they * plan on trying to find and destroy me. And you? ::
// Plan to go along for the amusement value. Consider me Switzerland //
:: Switzer Land ? ::
// Never mind. Just think of me as a non biased, neutral party with no plans on taking sides. //
:: I see. Tell me, do you plan on telling the others about the Vo'galth belonging to me? ::
// Not if you don't want me to.//
:: Good, please don't. That way I might be able to still trick them into joining me. ::
// Good luck. //
:: Why thank you, but tell me, what is Switzer Land? ::
// A country in my land that's known for being . . . //
Just then one of the people walking past bumped into her by accident. Knocking her out of the trance she'd stood in for the last half hour or so. Blinking a few times her black eyes slowly melted into their usual blue and she saw in front of her the Ale House. Shaking her head as a sudden migraine came on she walked through the broken doors and found that the common room had changed a lot sense the day before. For one, the bodies and blood were gone. Another big change was all of the broken furniture was off to the left while the still intact things were on the right.
"Oh, hey, Jez," Memial stood in one of the doors that was in this room. "Where were you?" When Jez didn't answer, Memial simply shrugged and said, "Well, we've all got the task of preparing for the trip ahead of us. I think we're heading to their aunt's or something. Anyhow, come help us out; we're getting the food ready." The door that Memial stood in led to the kitchen, where Aiken and Deidre were busily searching for whatever it was that they needed. Aiken simply left the things out on the counter in no particular order, while Deidre was much more neat about it and put them back where she found the things. There was a piece of paper that drew Jez's eyes for some reason.
"Oh, that's the list from Brinn. He figured we needed a little help," Memial explained when she saw Jez looking.
"Yeah, hey, where would they put the water?" Aiken asked.
A snort found its way out of Memial. She said, "Why not check in the garage? I'm think they have a second fridge."
Aiken's reply was a little hesitant. "Hey, that's mean! Just because I don't-"
"And neither do I," Memial rolled her eyes, half-way stifling the boy's protest (he was still tried to get his argument out). "For someone who likes dragons so much, I'd imagine that you read a lot of fantasy books, right?"
"Yeah, but still, it was rude of you to interrupt me-"
"In fantasy books," Memial raised her voice just a little bit to talk over Aiken, "they don't have that much science, if at all. So, where else-?"
"A well!" Deidre shouted, excited. "Am I right?"
"Mm-hm," Memial nodded and cocked her head. "Are you a fantasy reader?"
"Well, no, I really don't read a lot. I don't like to read, because I have to look up about ten words on every page."
There was a silent pause and it seemed that everyone leaned towards Deidre to see if she was mumbling.
"Is . . . that it?" Memial asked suspiciously. "No ramblings?"
"Do you. . . want me to ramble?" Deidre asked hesitantly.
"No! No! That's okay. How about you and Aiken get the water?"
"Why me?!" Aiken whined. "Why can't Jez go get it? She hasn't done anything all morning! She hasn't even been here!"
Memial stole a glance at Jez, and then looked back at Aiken. "You want her to go fetch the water, then you tell her."
Aiken decided it was in the best of interest of his life to go with Deidre, quietly, without protest. In his tired state, he had looked over the perk of this chore: He'll get to spend some time a lone with Deidre! The girl was the only one who knew him for a long time and she seemed to be the only that he could contact with in this crazy land.
"Hey, what do you think of this place?" Aiken asked. "I mean, do you think it's real?"
"Yeah. I beat some evil creature to death and walked for three hours none stop. I never get tired in dreams," Deidre answered truthfully. "Of course, there was one time where I woke up tired. I don't know why. I think it was because I was kicking and moving in my sleep a lot and that's what made me wake up tired. My little sister said that she didn't feel me in the night, though. We share a bed together because our house is so small and so many people live in it. I'm suppose to share my room with my grandma, but it's already too cramped with me and my sister . . ."
And Aiken listened on as Deidre complained about her home life and would randomly go off to some other topic. It took two long paragraphs, but they finally found the well and drew the water from it. Carrying it back in the buckets left out there, Deidre had started to tell Aiken about her new teacher Mr. Robb and how he seemed a little odd.
The day was already becoming hot, though Aiken believed that it couldn't have been past ten. It was funny, but here, it was summer and in California, it was almost winter. Maybe they not only traveled in time, but in distant, too. Aiken pondered this as Deidre decided to start telling him about how strawberries are much better than cherries.
~*~*~*~
"That's deep enough," Walker assured the boys.
It was the mid-morning on this very cold summer's day. True, the sun was warming up the world and child ran about happily, but no happiness touched him or his nephews. It was a cold summer's day indeed. Walker knew that this day would come, that he would have to deal with their deaths one way or another.
It felt so unnatural. He was older than them by many years. He should be the one in the earth, thinking no more of the next day's work and getting ready for the next life. Yes, he should be there, not Par or Coll or their wives. It was never just for a Druid, however, and Walker took what little comfort he could and where he could find it.
But where would the boys find their comforts? They were boys after all. They had been pushed roughly into the lives of adults and can never again be care-free, but they didn't know the first thing about the depths of that. He did his best to be their foundation, something to stand upon, but he felt like the raindrops, small and weak compared to the giant ground they end their lives on.
"Okay, Uncle Dark," Brinn sniffled. "They're ready."
Walker flittered his hand threw the thick, dark robes of his, not even feeling the hot sun on him. With a few quick turns of the wrist, he had the bodies of the Ohmsford adults in the ground. It was the sons who should put the parents into the ground, but after Gok's little show last night, Walker knew this way was better for everyone.
They quickly covered the bodies with the dirt they had dug up and within the hour, the graves were nearly invisible. The three boys wiped their eyes and noses to rid themselves of the sadness that dried itself into their skin, keeping their faces in a constant twisted state.
"Should we say something?" Lukc asked.
"I'm going miss them," Brinn said in a voice thick with emotions. "Life's never going to be the same now."
"I use to always wonder off," Gok picked up the slack. "I'd go everywhere around this city, but my favorite part was when I could open the back door to the kitchen and hear Mom ask me for some help or inquire about my day."
"My dad," Lukc took his turn, "was going to teach me how to follow foot prints and know whose they are and how old they are, like the Trackers. We had planned for this weekend, but now I'll never be able to spend that time with him."
"Come," Walker said more in a pleading tone than a demand. "Lukc, Gok, Brinn, we must go to Queen Wren and tell her the news."
They all left the unmarked graves, but something didn't feel right to Brinn. He looked back and saw that only the tiny mounds of dirt showed where his parents and uncle and aunt laid. These were the people that saved the Four Lands, and for them to die like this was . . . horrible. They needed something to be remembered by other than the stories.
"Brinn?" Walker stopped and turned around. "Brinn, come along."
But Brinn just stood there and began to hum. It was very low and sounded almost like a bee buzzing by. He opened his mouth and a soft wail wisped along the winds, landing ever so softly, a kiss of breath, on the freshly dug up dirt. Like a painting being drawn, four green stems from the ground in unison. Deep red, that of compassion, roses bloomed on the stems' tops, perfect, sweet and ever lasting.
It wasn't a moment before Brinn heard Lukc's song join his, adding the dream like state that held their beauty, almost like a story being told to the traveling strangers. And Gok, though his wishsong was only of illusions, he gave the feeling that no one should pick these wonderful roses for their selfish reasons. After all, a rose can only grow when not plucked of life.
The three boys at one, turned and left the last goodbye hanging in the air and growing from the ground.
~*~*~*~
"Ow! You fucking bit me, you wench!" Aiken cried at the top of his lungs, treating to the wall as he grasped his upper arm in pain. A little warm liquid found its way threw his fingers and he looked down in shock. "Holly fucking Mother Christ, I'm bleeding! You little fucking bitch!"
"What's going on?" Memial entered with a bundled of clothes in her hands, Deidre close behind.
"Jez bit me! She just leaned over and took a chunk of my skin!" Aiken screeched.
"Why?"
"Like, how the hell should I know!"
Memial looked over at a very smug Jez and asked, "Why?"
Jez, of course, liked to keep those around her baffled. She merely kept on smiling.
Memial sighed and said to Aiken, "She bit you because you were there. Next time, keep your defense up."
"I was!" Aiken protested, but it was ignored as Memial and Deidre went through the clothing they had brought down from the rooms.
They picked the cleanest and lightest colored ones that they could find, but nothing white or baby blue by request of Brinn. In the end, they had a few different outfits for the boys, including one nice one for when they met up with their aunt. Brinn's writing was very quick and jerky, as if he didn't want to write it, but he put down that the girls could go threw his aunt's and mother's clothes to find some woman clothing, but they should pack for hard, long hikes. And Aiken could get his clothes from Brinn's father and uncle's wardrobe.
Deidre at first wanted to wear nothing but dresses, but Memial had pointed out that they wouldn't be going to the mall, so a dress might not be the most practical. In the end, Deidre had one dress and the rest were pants and tunics. Memial had skated around the dresses by finding a very nice tunic and pants that would work just as well. Jez was in and out so fast Memial wasn't even sure she'd been there.
"Damn, I don't fit any of these!" Aiken mumbled to himself. He was trying on Par and Coll's clothes and found out that they were too tall or too small for him. He ended up wearing Coll's working clothes from a few years past. They were still baggy, but at least he wasn't lost in the folds of it. Brown leather boots, green pants, and a brown tunic made up his out fit. He had packed a few more similar to it. "What's keeping the girls so long? Girls are so horrible when it comes to clothes, I swear!"
He went back down stairs and found the three had already finished their packing and were making sure they had everything needed. The very first girl he noticed was Deidre. She had on a black, knee-high boots that covered half of her green pants, as they were semi-covered by a baggy, mint- green tunic that made her dark hair, eyes, and completion stand out even more.
"Well, about time you got done," Memial mumbled. "You're as bad as a stereotype woman."
Aiken blushed at the comment, being reminded of his earlier remark about females being so horrible when it comes to clothes. "Nothing fit me." He grumbled while checking out Memial's and Jez's attire.
Memial looked like a piece of Godiva cherry filled chocolate with her dark brown boots that went up to mid calf, matching colored pants and light brown tunic which she'd stuffed into her pants. Her bushy red hair was left lose to fiend for itself against the poor, unsuspecting twigs.
"Um, Memial. Not to freak you or anything," Deidre burst out suddenly, " But have you noticed that after doing that water thing-of-a-magig-that- we're-kinda-sorta-pretending-didn't-happen-'cause-then-maybe-it'll-go-away your hair changed color?"
A look of puzzlement crossed Memial's face, then she grabbed a lock of her hair and held it up in front of her eyes. After a few moments of staring she flicked her hair back and shrugged nonchalantly. "Nope."
"Ookay then."
Jez was wearing black boots up to the mid of her thighs, black trousers, and a dark green tunic was tied off into a knot at her waist. Her blond hair was up in a lose bun.
"They don't have much in the way of style, do they?" Aiken asked. "I mean, pants, tunics . . ."
"I'm sure they do," Memial shrugged. "But most likely, these guy's lives were filled with work and so didn't have that much time to pay attention to their wardrobes. Why would you care, male?"
The sarcastic note her voice had Aiken sneering a "cht" sound before stomping the last few yards to the girls.
"Actually," Deidre started, "you'd think they had some kind of fashion, this being an alehouse and all. I mean, people come in to get drunk, and probably some action - not that this is that kind of place. But still, they'd probably have something to appeal to the crowds. Had to be something more than just pants, tunics, tunics, pants, tunics, pants, pants, pants, tunics, pants, tunics. . . Maybe they had a uniform that was flashy or bright colored or -"
To the grateful ears of everyone, the Ohmsford boys and Walker Boh had come in at that moment. There were very few words exchanged between them and in fifteen minutes, they were out of the alehouse and on their way towards Arborlon, the city that their aunt rules from. Not much was said, as the four teenagers from the past learned from earlier on that this wasn't going to be a fun time. It was set at power walk pace and before long, they found themselves just concentrating on breathing. All that is, except Jez and Walker Boh, the first didn't even seem to be breaking a sweat and the other was striding along, lost in his own world of gloom and frowns.
The day wore on, time slipping by like the wind. The mountains they passed through soon became the flat land that laid next to a river. In the much smoother ground, they quickened their pace and were at Kennon Pass just before the sunset. The teenagers made their beds (rolled out blankets and packs for pillows) but Walker stood alone with Tempo.
"I must leave you now."
"What?" the three Ohmsford boys asked in unison.
"But, you can't go. Not now," Lukc protested.
"What are we going to do without you?" Gok added.
"You are going to go to your aunt's," Walker answered simply. "Go there, inform her of the fates of Par and Coll. Get the Elf stones and any information you can."
"What will you do?" Brinn questioned.
"I will search for answers and meet with you again at your aunts." was all Walker said before he mounted Tempo and rode off into the mountains.
"Be quiet," Walker hissed to Tempo when the horse had given a snort of protest. "Those boys will have me linger forever if I didn't leave then."
//Well, there goes the only adult in this group,// Aiken shrugged. "So, what's for dinner?"
"You." Said Jez sweetly and with an amount of seriousness scary enough to have him running for the dubious protection found behind Deirdre's small frame.
They all had bread and dried meat in silence and soon drifted off to sleep, too tired or wrapped up in their own thoughts for much conversation. Before long, the stars watched over the sleeping seven.