Ok…next chapter is ready to go…this one is fairly short…but the next should be ready to go soon and nice and lengthy for all you inpatient peoples out there.  SMILE.  Hope you like it.

Karigan

Uncontrollable

The Welcome Wagon

They sat under the shade of an evergreen tree, avoiding the glare of the warming morning sun, Amena in a white shirt and tan breeches and Jade in a dark blue shirt and black breeches.  Two cloaks lay on the ground next to them in a sign of the ever-coming spring.  A checkered board sat between them.  Odd shaped pieces scattered all over the black and white squares.

            "This one…" said Amena as she pointed to what looked like a castle column, "Is called a Rook."  She picked up the piece and moved it around.  "It can go forwards and backwards, as well as sideways.  It's the strongest piece, next to the Queen.  Professor Lumbard says he's your best chance at getting a checkmate.  But you should use him sparingly, 'cause you don't want to loose him."
            Jade nodded, absently playing with a stand of hair that seemed lighter than before.  "What about the horse?"  She pointed at the piece in question.

            "Ahh.  That one's the Knight."

            Jade's eyes grew wide.  "Oh."

            "This one…well, it's a bit complicated…it can move like an L.  Like this."  Amena proceeded to show the movements of the piece.

            Jade scrunched her nose up in confusion.  "It's too hard," she pouted.  "Is this what you do all day at school?  Play Chest?"

            Amena smiled.  "Chess.  No.  It's just a game that Professor Lumbard says will help our minds.  Teaches strategy.  It's really a fun game once you know how to play."

            Jade eyed Amena for a moment before opening her mouth.  "Amena?  What do you want to be when you grow up?"

            Amena smiled widely, her dirty blonde hair shinning prettily in the shaded sunlight.  "I'm going to be a Rider."

            "A Queen's Rider?" asked Jade in awe.

            Amena nodded.  "I'm gonna be the best Rider anyone's ever seen.  Just wait and see."  The proud look coming over Amena's face made Jade grin and jump in.

            "I'm gonna be a Rider too!"

            Amena looked put out for a moment.  "No."

            Jade sunk down in disappointment.  "Why not?"

            Amena got to her knees and leaned close.  "You're goin' to be a Mage, Jade.  A really powerful Mage."

            Jade sat back against the tree trunk, chess lesson now forgotten.  She folded her arms and mumbled grumpily.  "I don't want to be a Mage.  I don't like it anymore.  It's no fun."

            Amena looked curious.  "Why not?"

            "I can't do any of it," Jade whined.  "It's to hard for me.  Only time I can do magic is when I don't want to be doing it.  It's stupid."

            Amena grimaced a bit.  "It's hard.  But you know what?  It's going to be hard.  If it wasn't hard, I don't think people would think Mages so great."

            Jade slumped back.  "I guess."

            Amena smiled affectionately at the younger girl.  "Come on.  Let me show you what the Bishop can do.  He's fun.  He can…" A commotion from a nearby dirt road caught their attention.  They both looked over to see a group of men pulling a cart from the smaller gate at the side of the castle in which Amena and Jade had exited themselves to enjoy the budding spring.  One of the men was Amena's own father, looking over an assortment of metals.  "I wonder what's going on."

They watched the men push and pull at various things until one of the dirty men recognized them.  "Oh there, Christopher…isn't tha' your liel' un'?"

Amena's father turned towards the man's question and smiled at Amena and Jade.  "Ey there girls…avin' fun?"

Both girls nodded enthusiastically.  "I'm just teachin' Jade here how to play chess, Pa."

Christopher Cassidy squinted at the small girl next to Amena.  "Ehh, I thought the lass would be wanting to spend some time with her parents, now that Master Numair's back an all."

"What?" Jade asked in confusion.

"What do you mean, Pa?"

"Now that's interestin'.  Didn't ya here, little emerald eye? Your father and Master Cooper got back with a group of other travelers almost an hour ago.  They called out from the gates.  Though, I don't imagine you can hear 'em very well from way back here."

Jade scrambled to her feet, knocking over various Chess pieces in the process.  "I gotta go, Amena.  I'll see you later."

Amena smiled and sighed; opening a box, she began to patiently put back the pieces.

By the time she got to the main courtyards, Jade was heaving for breath.  It was a good five-minute run from the back corners of the palace where Amena and she had been playing.  She looked around frantically, but the last vestiges of travelers were quickly disappearing.  She stomped her foot in frustration before quickly scurrying up the servants stairway.  She pushed by various women servants on the way, shouting out apologies afterwards.  Down hallway after hallway she sprinted until finally getting to her family's rooms.  She jammed in the key that hung around her neck and turned it as quickly as possible.  Stumbling in, she called out.  "Papa! Mama!"  There was no answer.  She quickly checked all the rooms and growled in frustration.  She ran back out and down the hall towards the Lioness's rooms.  When she got to the rooms, she banged hard and quick…bouncing on the balls of her feet in anticipation.

She stared at the doorknob, willing it to unlock.  Strong arms enveloped her from behind, roaring in triumph.  A shriek erupted from Jade's lips; in the distance, freshly potted plants shattered their vases.  She couldn't see who it was; but when she was lifted from the ground in one swoop and swung around mercilessly, she smiled in glee and shrieked again, just for good measure.

Numair crushed Jade to his chest and swung her around.  Setting her down so she could turn around to look at him properly.  Numair smiled at Jade in happiness.  "I'd had hoped you'd be down at the entrance to great me?"

"I didn't know you were home, Papa."  Jade wrapped her arms around him and squeezed hard.  "Where did you all go?"

"Well, sweetling, everyone's down in the Dinning hall having a bite to eat.  Your mother's down there; should we join them?"

Jade nodded into his thick hair.  "Don't ever go away again, Papa," she whispered.

"I'll try my hardest, sweetling," he breathed.  He pulled back.  "Let me look at you.  I want to see how much you've grown."  He sized her up with sparkling eyes and gasped in shock.  "Jade, your hair.  What happened?"

She grimaced and picked up one of the short locks.  It barely touched her shoulders now.  "A week ago, I crawled through an hallow tree trunk with Amena and got sap in my hair.  Not even old Maude could get it out.  They had to cut it off, Papa."

Numair smiled and just hugged her harder.  "So, what do you want for your Birthday?  It's right around the corner."

*****

This was kinda a filler chapter.  The next one is gonna start out the main events of the story.  It's really complicated and involved, so we'll see how it goes.  Have fun. Bye for now!

Karigan