The Gods Pugna –

By Imperfectionist

*~*~*

In the past four days, Joren and Kel rode eagerly to the Tusaine border. They would have stop to have short breaks for rationed meals and for the horses to rest. Both of them hardly spoke to each other only when it was necessary. They now sat in the middle of the green forest, surrounding a fiery fire under some oak trees in a 'pleasant' discussion.

"Are you trying to say my glaive is not as good as any long weapon?" Kel demanded hotly.

"Of course not, it's so big that you look like you wouldn't be able to handle it properly." He said in defence.

"Oh well, if you are so skilled and smart then why not you show me how to use it."

"Sorry to disappoint you squire but I would rather do something more useful than swirl some pigsticker."

With that Joren got up from his spot by the fire and went to check on their horses, which were on the other side of a big oak tree. He was stroking the fine mane of his horse Katura when he heard some noises in the bushes in front of him. Cautiously he loosened his sword and took the hold of Hoshi and Katura's lead in one hand.

The bushes rustled again and again but nothing else happened. Slowly Joren went closer to the bushes with his sword fully drawn so it can slash at any attacker. He brushed a branch away and laughed.

Joren sheathed his sword and picked up a clutter of feathers as it cooed in his hands. He held it up to see if its legs carried any letters or messages. Content that it was not a message dove he took it to his camp. 

When he went back to their camp, the fire blazed lowly and it was too silent to be safe. Something was wrong here. Joren drawn his sword and stood still. He looked around the camp and noticed that nothing was out of place, but something was still not right. Suddenly three men in black clothes and masks jumped down from the tree branches above.

Joren wasted no time and slashed one man across the torso. He let go of the dove, which flew and flapped its wings in front of one of the attackers. The attacker brought one arm up to protect himself from the white bird and Joren slashed him at the underarm.

One attacker was left standing, he signalled something and two more men climbed out of the trees holding onto…

"Kel!" He shouted as he saw Kel gagged and bound. "Let her go." He demanded, but the leader just shook his head. Joren brought his sword up to shoulder length in fury. He swore they would die in pain for taking his squire. "You leave me no choice."

He lunged at the leader who dodged swiftly and brought his sword down to meet Joren's. They locked hilts and Joren struggled a bit since he got the lower hand. His opponent is strong and quick and almost perfect with a sword, he has to find a weakness. Suddenly Joren dropped down onto one knee and the leader blinked twice. Joren spotted his weakness, it's risky but worth a try. He dropped onto two knees and the let his hilt goes, he then ran his sword into the man's belly. The man gasped and fell to the floor breathless like his companions.

Joren turned towards the two men holding onto Kel, except only one of them was. A piece of metal hit him in the middle of his back, under his shoulder blades, which knocked the wind out of him. He fell to the floor and his right arm hit the sturdy wooden part of Kel's glaive. He turned round to face his opponents and was ashamed to have them towering over him.

The glaive slid into his right hand, it bought a sudden bolt of coldness like ice running down his spine. He gripped the long stick and tucked the butt of it under his arm and swung the blade to slash the two attackers in the thighs. They both fell to the ground and Joren made a quick death by slashing their throats. He stood carefully using the glaive as his support. He isn't injured but he's tired. Five unexpected attackers in one night were more than enough for him. 

Kel mumbled something, which caught his attention. He quickly ungagged her and untied her ropes. She rubbed her red raw wrists painfully. While Joren searched their bags for some healing balm they carried. He found them in the end and he opened the pot carefully and was disgusted by the smell. He dipped a finger in the cool balm and gently rubbed it on Kel's sore skin. 

"Thank you my Lord." Kel said silently, she flinched as Joren touched a very soft spot on her wrist.

"Any time Squire. Do you want me put some on your arm?" He looked at her with patience and care. Kel shivered under his gaze. Slowly she took off her tunic and rolled up the sleeves of her shirt.

His fingers ran across the line of red raw skin and Kel shivered again by the coolness of the balm. When Joren was done he placed the pot into her hands.

"I'll leave you to do the rest, I'll stand watch." With that he turned away from her and held her glaive firmly in his hands. Cautiously Kel lifted up her shirt to reveal red strips across her ribs and back. She managed to rub some balm where she can reach but had difficultly with her back.

"My Lord, may you help me." She asked almost inaudibly, but Joren heard and he didn't know whether to help her or not.

"Depends what it is. If it's something lowly then maybe I won't." Kel huffed in annoyance; his arrogance always irks her. She turned her back to face him and lifted up her shirt a little, enough to reveal the painful skin.

Joren didn't know what to do, if he helps her. She might call it harassment and he would feel ashamed to help a half female. But it was said in the code of Chivalry to help others in need, male or female. It was either his reputation or his worthiness of knighthood he has to protect. Slowly he knelt down and dipped his fingers in the revoltingly smelly balm and began rubbing it on Kel's skin.

"Is my glaive a good weapon then?" Kel asked with a hint of superiority, for once the deadly staff has showed its worth to Joren, whose opinions were not easy to change.

"It's not a bad weapon yet I prefer my sword." Her hope that Joren might see that being different isn't wrong has dropped to the bottom of an abyss. But she still hoped one day he would.

After Joren has finished tending Kel's back, they moved the dead bodies away from their camp and well hidden from view in the green forest. Then Kel sat on watch, in case a few more surprise attacks came. It bored her out, there was nothing to talk to and Joren was well asleep. It is pointless to wake him up since he will probably snap at her face.

A cold chilly breeze blew across Kel, sending her freezing for a moment. It was familiar but she can't put her finger on it. She looked around to make sure nothing would come out to surprise her.

"Keladry, it's only me."

Kel jumped up from shock and gasped in relief it was only Shineal.

"Mithros! Shineal please don't do that. It scared the dead out of me."

"Well I did give signs I was present. Remember I am the goddess of ice and the mountains. Are you still in pain?"

"A bit, it felt a lot more painful earlier. Thanks to…" She stopped speaking; she didn't want the goddess to think she was at very friendly terms with her knight master. "The healing balm. It was very effective."

Shineal just smiled sweetly but deep down the goddess knew what Kel's original words were.

"I see you are doing well with Joren. It's like you two are getting along decently enough."

Kel snorted, she and Joren were far from decent. "Well there are some arguments that do happen. You might have missed those discussions, very full of actions and unpleasant."

"I perfectly know what you mean. I came here to introduce you to someone I think you should meet alone."

Behind Shineal's tall figure, a petite commoner girl appeared behind her. She's small and fragile looking, and was older than Kel by two or three years. Mahogany brown hair that curls in big locks was let loose, which flowed just past her shoulders. Her nose was small like her figure and with full red lips. Her eyes were plain brown but showed a hint of liveliness and determination. She wore a normal brown commoner's dress and cloak made of wool and linen. On her left shoulder pinned on her cloak was a silver brooch designed as a rose with deadly looking thorns.

"Keladry, I would like to let Escalina Felix known to you." The girl made a small curtsy and Kel bowed politely. "I was wondering if you can take her for refugee. She's capable with things that might be needed later on. Well I shall leave you two for your talks. I have some business to attend to. Gods all bless."

With a flick of her hand Shineal was gone and a still silence hung awkwardly over Kel and Escalina.

"Keladry of Mindelan," Escalina's voice was strong with a sense of power and yet so feminine. "I have heard much of you. And you are one of my idols. Everyone in my village calls me Felix also known as the Thorn Rose."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Escalina. I don't think I am worthy enough yet to become someone's idol." Kel said, she was suddenly embarrassed, she was only fourteen and she's not worth being an idol.

"Well you underestimate yourself. Shineal said you were a fair play with a sword and with every other weapon. I could only throw knifes and stars like that."

Before Kel could see it go, a knife flew and stabbed itself an inch away from Joren's head. It was certainly surprising, the girl's talent amazed Kel and it was a brilliant aim. An inexperienced person like herself could almost. Kel winced at the gruesome thought.

Joren turned his face towards the knife in his sleep and stirred. He fluttered open his eyes and jumped to his feet with his sword drawn.

"Kel reinforce now!"

The girls stifled a laugh as they watched the scene. Kel secretly wouldn't blame Joren for mistaken it was an attack if he woke up with a knife in front of his eyes.

"It's all right Joren. No one has attacked us." Uneasily Joren sheathed his sword; he then noticed the unfamiliar Escalina standing beside her and smiled ever so devilishly.

"Who can this pretty maiden be Squire? Care to introduce us?" Kel rolled her eyes, it was typical for her to introduce all her friends to Joren and then he flirts with them a lot.

"Joren this is Escalina Felix, Escalina this is Sir Joren of Stone Mountain." Joren bowed gracefully and kissed the top of Escalina's fingertips.

"Such beautiful name for such beautiful lady." He said so charmingly.

"A rose with sharp thorns would be more appropriate my Lord. It would be so kind if I have my knife back or you may keep it as a token." She flirted back. He looked back at the knife stabbed into his sleeping bag and gazed with disbelief at Escalina.

"If that is possible, I would prefer to see the knife at use by you my lady." He went to retrieve the knife and found it was jabbed firm into the ground and he yanked it out with much strength.

"You don't look like a strong girl, yet looks can be deceiving."

At this moment Kel was getting a bit annoyed with all the flirting happening between her knight master and a pretty girl. "All right, when you both have finished flirting. May we all focus on our targets?"

"Jealous?" Joren raised an eyebrow and looked at her feeling smug.

"No, of course not. Just irritating."

"Don't worry squire. You will get your share when we get to a village in 2 days time."

"Now Joren may I break in the news that Felix is coming with us and we will get a separate sleeping bag for her."

Joren glared at Kel for a while and Kel only smiled innocently back at him.

"You are forgetting your place squire." He growled lowly, "Get back on guard!" He shouted and gave Felix an arm who took it with pleasure.

Kel kept her calm face and turned away from them. She glanced around the camp and began walking around it. She was bored one or two times so she swung her glaive into the trees dropping leaves and branches. She didn't move her eyes towards Joren and Felix; she felt it wasn't 'right' to.

Soon she began to hear the birds twittering their first morning song and after that she saw glimpses of sunlight reaching for the ground. She yawned audibly. Watch duty was tiring and not pleasant. At least Joren gets to do it the next night.

*~*~*

Felix woke up with a warm arm around her; she looked up to see the most handsome man's face she has ever seen. Her thoughts took her back into last night, when Shineal promised to keep her safe. So Felix set off following Shineal's directions and last night she was deeply upset that Shineal never mentioned a very handsome man would be one of her protectors. Not that she needs much protecting. If you live with the rogue, you learnt to fend for yourself. She sighed at her unforgettable past. She broke away from Joren's arms and saw Kel in front of her almost nodding off to sleep.

"Kel?" The lady squire jumped and stood up straight and turned to face Felix, clenching her teeth to prevent from yawning.

"Yes, how can I be a service to you?"

Felix just smiled though she passionately objects to any formality.

"Kel, My name is Felix and I wish you will call me that. You're tired, go wash up by the stream only twenty metres away. I'll stand at your post." 

Reluctantly Kel went and handed over her glaive to Felix who inspected the lady squire's weapon with awe. She swung it around a few times and found it was really easy to use though its weight of it was incredible.

Kel returned back soon with a more refreshed atmosphere around her. She took back her favourite long weapon and sat on the soft grass. After a while Felix who sat beside her joined her.


"So how long have you been Joren's squire?" Asked Felix in order to start a friendly conversation.

"Not long really, only 6 weeks." Kel smiled friendly at her companion, "Why are you interested in Joren?"

A moment's silence hung between them and Felix answered smoothly.

"It's just plain attraction. He's so handsome and charming. Don't you like him?"

"No, not really. He used to try and do anything to get me out of the palace and go home. But now he won't do that but we will still object on a lot of things. We argue non stop sometimes, so it's always better if we don't talk to each other at all."

"So you two were once worst enemies; that is interesting."

Felix gazed mindlessly into the sky, wondering about a certain knight.

"I don't know what every female sees inside Joren. He's so arrogant, mean and-"

"So damn gorgeous." Said a particular blonde behind them. The girls turned round to face Joren who smirked so broadly.

"I actually feel the exact opposite of what you predicted my Lord. And I have no intentions of changing my point of views." Said Kel sarcastically.

"Whatever. I packed our belongings already. We should set off if we want to get to a village sooner with a decent bed." He looked at Felix mischievously who blushed lightly. But this only made Kel cringe of the thought.

They settled themselves on the two horses. Of course Felix and Joren shared a saddle on Katura. They rode at a steady speed, making good progress on their journey.

Felix began to wonder if this would be just a journey, touring the realms. Or maybe a grand adventure. And what about Joren? What was it to become of them?

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The longest chapter in ages!!! SEVEN PAGES!!!! YAY!!!

Please review my very hard work, and my loads of effort into THIS chapter. And thanks for those reviews, Rowana Silvakisma, Evilstrawberry, An Anonymous geek, Dragon Daine Mystic Moon Empress, Katie81, Vampiric Eternity, Larzdinn, you guys were great!!!

See everyone later

Imperfectionist