Finally, I've been meaning to write this for a week. Homework should
be made illegal. Thank you all for reviewing, I really appreciate it. I
think this chapter is a bit more exciting than the last one; I meant to
combine them but in the interests of updating sooner I decided to separate
them. Of course, the setting and some of the characters belong to Tamora
Pierce.
When Stella woke in the morning, Old Heather was bustling around the house preparing breakfast. Stella wondered if she had slept at all, or if she even needed to sleep. She told Stella to take care of Pinecone and then come in for breakfast.
Stella found that Pinecone was completely at peace in the clearly, unperturbed by the strange events of the previous night. And, oddly, Stella realized she wasn't bothered either. While she would have been alarmed by anyone else dancing around under the moon it seemed a perfectly natural thing for Old Heather to have done. There was something different about her, but familiar and reassuring at the same time.
There were scrambled eggs for breakfast, courtesy of the hen in the corner. There was warmed bread too; Stella wondered how Old Heather had come by it. When she asked Old Heather she received a cryptic reply, "Oh, people come you know, and they leave things for me. It's all in the rules you know."
"What rules?" Stella asked.
Old Heather thought for a minute or two before answering. "The rules. There are all sorts of rules for me-though they know I'm breaking them for you-because I'm an exception to so many of the rules for everybody else."
Stella was still very confused, "How are you breaking the rules for me?"
"I'm altering things, helping you. In your case that's against the rules for me, but I'm doing it anyway." A sharp whistling wind suddenly shrieked around the hut. Stella jumped and she heard Pinecone neigh and stamp his foot. But Old Heather merely cackled and said, "Well, I think I should be allowed to interfere in destiny once every few hundred years. You have me listen to stories but I almost never get to help create them."
While Stella learned a great deal in the days she stayed with Old Heather-which herbs were good for which ailment, how to change the color of her hair with dyes made from nuts, the best way to build a campfire, how to pass unnoticed through the forest-she never learned any more about the rules in part because she was afraid to ask about them (the sound of the word destiny had given her goose bumps) and because she knew Old Heather wouldn't give her a straight answer anyway.
~~ On the morning of Stella's departure Old Heather helped her pack her saddle bags to bulging with useful supplies. She and Stella walked Pinecone a ways closer to the road before saying farewell. As Stella mounted, a wind gusted by knocking leaves from the tree above her onto the forest floor. Old Heather gasped and suddenly reached into her the basket she always carried with her. "So, they were more receptive than I had expected", she murmured. Then she handed Stella a small sack, heavy with coins. Stella tried to refuse it but Heather insisted. "Just come back and tell me the rest of your story when its over; it should be an interesting one." Stella nodded and urged Pinecone to a walk. When she looked back a few moments later Old Heather had disappeared. Stella shuddered, I wonder how she defines interesting, she thought.
~~ Later that day, Stella was riding alongside the woods, and just beginning to consider looking for a place to camp for the night when she spotted a huge group on horseback in the distance. Not wanting to take any chances, she turned right onto a road that led into the woods, there she waited to see who was in the group. She was terrified when she realized that the horseback riders were a troop of the King's Own. She had a horrible feeling that they would turn onto the road she had hidden on. And what if one of them recognized her or Pinecone? Worse yet, what if they had been told to be on the lookout for her? She was paralyzed by uncertainty and fear. Pinecone whuffled, Stella took a deep breathe. She dismounted and rubbed mud in Pinecone's coat just in case, though she hated to think of getting it out later. Look tired, she though to him. Next, she pulled a cloak over her head and lowered her eyes. When she felt ready she turned back out onto the road. She realized she probably didn't have to worry. The only notice any of they took of her was to wish her good afternoon.
When Stella woke in the morning, Old Heather was bustling around the house preparing breakfast. Stella wondered if she had slept at all, or if she even needed to sleep. She told Stella to take care of Pinecone and then come in for breakfast.
Stella found that Pinecone was completely at peace in the clearly, unperturbed by the strange events of the previous night. And, oddly, Stella realized she wasn't bothered either. While she would have been alarmed by anyone else dancing around under the moon it seemed a perfectly natural thing for Old Heather to have done. There was something different about her, but familiar and reassuring at the same time.
There were scrambled eggs for breakfast, courtesy of the hen in the corner. There was warmed bread too; Stella wondered how Old Heather had come by it. When she asked Old Heather she received a cryptic reply, "Oh, people come you know, and they leave things for me. It's all in the rules you know."
"What rules?" Stella asked.
Old Heather thought for a minute or two before answering. "The rules. There are all sorts of rules for me-though they know I'm breaking them for you-because I'm an exception to so many of the rules for everybody else."
Stella was still very confused, "How are you breaking the rules for me?"
"I'm altering things, helping you. In your case that's against the rules for me, but I'm doing it anyway." A sharp whistling wind suddenly shrieked around the hut. Stella jumped and she heard Pinecone neigh and stamp his foot. But Old Heather merely cackled and said, "Well, I think I should be allowed to interfere in destiny once every few hundred years. You have me listen to stories but I almost never get to help create them."
While Stella learned a great deal in the days she stayed with Old Heather-which herbs were good for which ailment, how to change the color of her hair with dyes made from nuts, the best way to build a campfire, how to pass unnoticed through the forest-she never learned any more about the rules in part because she was afraid to ask about them (the sound of the word destiny had given her goose bumps) and because she knew Old Heather wouldn't give her a straight answer anyway.
~~ On the morning of Stella's departure Old Heather helped her pack her saddle bags to bulging with useful supplies. She and Stella walked Pinecone a ways closer to the road before saying farewell. As Stella mounted, a wind gusted by knocking leaves from the tree above her onto the forest floor. Old Heather gasped and suddenly reached into her the basket she always carried with her. "So, they were more receptive than I had expected", she murmured. Then she handed Stella a small sack, heavy with coins. Stella tried to refuse it but Heather insisted. "Just come back and tell me the rest of your story when its over; it should be an interesting one." Stella nodded and urged Pinecone to a walk. When she looked back a few moments later Old Heather had disappeared. Stella shuddered, I wonder how she defines interesting, she thought.
~~ Later that day, Stella was riding alongside the woods, and just beginning to consider looking for a place to camp for the night when she spotted a huge group on horseback in the distance. Not wanting to take any chances, she turned right onto a road that led into the woods, there she waited to see who was in the group. She was terrified when she realized that the horseback riders were a troop of the King's Own. She had a horrible feeling that they would turn onto the road she had hidden on. And what if one of them recognized her or Pinecone? Worse yet, what if they had been told to be on the lookout for her? She was paralyzed by uncertainty and fear. Pinecone whuffled, Stella took a deep breathe. She dismounted and rubbed mud in Pinecone's coat just in case, though she hated to think of getting it out later. Look tired, she though to him. Next, she pulled a cloak over her head and lowered her eyes. When she felt ready she turned back out onto the road. She realized she probably didn't have to worry. The only notice any of they took of her was to wish her good afternoon.