Come now viz me, follow me into ze depths of ze imagination vere even ze bravest vanderer on ze most incredible qvest does fear to tread…
Just getting into the mood. Good day gentle readers, feel like another chapter? Oh good. Chapter sixteen is dedicated to any and all who dare to venture here.
Chapter 16
The morning sun
Shines brightly down
And Springtime dons
Her flowered gown
The verse sprang to mind when Kel opened her eyes and gazed blearily up, as a sunflower was thrust in her face. She sneezed.
"Am I dead yet?" She asked thickly, attempting to push herself up with arms which wouldn't support her.
"Sadly for you my dear, no." A familiar chirpy voice proclaimed, grabbing both her hands and heaving her up. Kel forced her eyes to fight the glare of the sun and open.
"Rat?" She asked. He twirled in a full circle, sunflower in hand.
"Fully healed, and ready to continue our ever exciting adventure." Kel lurched backwards a few steps, and tripped across someone's feet. Angry cursing emerged from the closest few bundled up bodies as she landed on a few of them.
"Sorry, pardon me, lovely morning, sorry." Kel muttered to various people wearing looks of varying irritation on their faces as she tried to get up again. It seemed that no one else wanted to face the sunlight so early though, because when Kel finally got up and across onto a clear part of deck, with some help from Rat, she looked across, and saw hundreds of people, all lying down on the inner part of the massive deck, away from the sides, and all fast asleep. Some people were huddled together for warmth, because for all the sunlight there was a harsh wind whipping Kel's hair around. She made a note to borrow Rat's sharp knife later - now that her disguise was no longer needed, but stuffed the hair down the back of her grubby, tattered, feather covered dress for now.
Turning, she looked at the other side of the deck now. The sides of the ship were strangely high, but then this deck seemed to be strangely close to the water. Looking up she could see the railings of two more decks, seeming to stretch up into the sky. Keita hadn't been kidding when she'd called the ship eccentric. Against the tall sides of this deck were stalls, with bleary-eyed people setting out fruits, sweets, advertisements. It was like a market.
Rat was watching her with a funny expression on his face.
"Never seen a town-ship up close before, have you? I take it you didn't get much time to take it in last night." Seeing Kel's puzzled, only half awake look, he explained. "The whole ship is like a town really. It's an invention from a country somewhere in the west, where I understand they're regularly flooded. Here on the lower deck you get the basic market, and the people who can't afford a room sleep on the deck here. Middle deck, you get a few more specific shops, a café, but mostly rooms. Small but comfy, and nice quiet residential areas. Top deck, you get the nobbs. The boudoirs, the caviar, the luxurious silken sheets. Good, eh?"
To this Kel responded with a bleary nod.
Rat raised an eyebrow.
"You look like you need some breakfast. Come on, let's find the others." He took hold of her hand and began to drag her along. She tripped on a loose floorboard, and lay on the deck, too exhausted to even try to get up. Rat surveyed her sprawled form.
"On second thought, you stay here, I'll go find the others, and bring them back here."
She groaned a response. Rat patted her head sympathetically and left.
Kel examined the grain of the wood on the deck.
It could be worse, she thought. At least I don't have to look at the sunshine now. At least I have time to think.
But that was the trouble. She didn't want to think. Because if she thought, it would mean thinking about everything. And there were certain things which she didn't want to reflect upon. Certain people specifically. She sighed. She'd have to sort through it sooner or later. Now was as good a time as any.
For a start, she didn't think that Joren knew that she was Ella. He hadn't been giving her the same assessing glances she'd been shooting at him recently. The dress was unrecognisable, she'd realised that. There was no reason for him not to believe the story Rat had fed to the Captain back in the Watch House.
What was really irking her now was why he'd even approached her in the first place – back at the palace, when that irritating Steven of Cranmoor had been bothering her.
He was playing with me, she thought coldly. I bet he's done it with a hundred girls.
This thought comforted her for some reason. It…it gave her a label - it told her what Joren was, and that meant that she could put him safely at the back of her mind in a little box where he belonged. If he was just a stupid player, there was no need for her to think about him any more. All she had to do was avoid him. She wouldn't even have to sleep in the same bed as him anymore.
Her mind drifted back to ball, when she'd been surprised with the knowledge that Joren had agreed to duel with someone for a kiss from herself. Ridiculous, her mind protested, he acted like an idiot!
He duelled for you. He was brave, another irritating little voice whispered.
Because someone forced him to, her rational half snapped back.
Brave, the other part insisted, courageous and clever.
Courageous! The other half gasped, livid. Clever! How can betting on a duel with a kiss from me be clever!?
There was no answer. A strange sort of hollow silence echoed where she'd expected the other voice's brief reply to be.
A sunflower was suddenly stuck under her nose. Kel looked at it in surprise. It must be a new trend, she reasoned, to go around sticking sunflowers under people's noses.
She pushed the sunflower away and rolled onto her back. Gazing down at her was one of the oddest, whitest, black-haired heads she's ever seen. Deep purple circles formed hollows under the figure's eyes. And he had fangs. Fangs.
Kel backed away, managing to restrain a yelp as the thought hit her brain.
"Goot morning." The figure said cheerfully. "And how is it you are feelink today, as I believe zey say in zese parts. You didn't show any sign of movink vhen your friend levt you, so I thought I should check."
"You come from different parts?" Kel queried, cautiously.
"Ah, yes. Vhere I come from, in ze mornink, ve say 'Ze still black bat in ze night may catch many moths movink at fast speeds.'"
Kel blinked.
"Zat is ze literal translation of course. Generally, it means 'Goot mornink'"
"Ah." Kel said, still staring at the glinting fangs.
The figure grinned. The effect was disturbing.
"You appear to be slightly…discomforted. Zis often appears to be ze case vhen people first see me. Vhen you get to know me though, I'm sure you vill find me to be a most jolly chap."
Kel suddenly had a forceful image of Owen when he'd not slept for a week.
"I'm sure I will." Kel said, remembering her manners. He held out a hand to pull her up. The pointed fingertips dug into her palms.
"Oh how rude of me, I forgot my good manners. My name is Arlin Kornel."
"I am Keladry of Mindelan." Kel smiled (in a somewhat strained way, it must be admitted). She searched her brain for small talk, whilst praying that Rat would hurry up.
"Er…where exactly are you from, sir?" She asked, dusting herself down. Arlin took her arm and led her over to a stall at the side of the ship – a flower stall, with a particularly bright array of sunflowers. He appeared flustered.
"Oh no, I'm no vun's sir." He said, blushing, as he dusted off a stool and indicated for her to sit. "I'm just a wanderer viz a liking for flowers."
"They're very beautiful." Kel found herself on safe ground. She was determined not to repeat the mistake she'd made when she'd first seen Tkaa the Basilisk, and hadn't been able to stop gawping.
Arlin bent over a small tub, fussing with the petals and the earth.
"My sunflowers? Yes, zey are highly prized vhere I come from. Ve see ze sun so little zere zat it is nice to have a reminder of it close by. Sadly, zese beauties do not grow vell in zat climate. Zey need a goot stable soil and plenty of sunshine." He nodded and continued to fuss over the buckets of flowers.
Kel thought back to the tales her siblings had told her when she was young, of zombies and stormwings and…
"I'm sure you take good care of them then." She said, pushing her thoughts back.
"Oh yes, yes, zese flowers, zey are my babies." He grinned again. Kel smiled slightly better this time. "I am constantly vatching zem." He continued, "But it does get borink at times."
"What do you do then?" Kel was feeling more certain now.
"Oh, I just observe people instead. But it seems to make zem uncomfortable, so I haf to be discreet. Vould you believe, last veek, vhen I vas boarding the ship, a man ran avay from me screaming 'Ampire! Ampire!' Arlin turned his thoughtful gaze on Kel.
"Imagine that." She said weakly.
"Yes, and do you know vot happened next? Vell, other people started to look, and zey started yellink ze strangest things. Vun of zem even shouted out 'Blood sucker'." He paused. "Now vot do you suppose he meant by that?"
Kel stopped. She was trapped. She could only see one way out. There was a heavy pause before she finally spoke.
"Erm…he was probably referring to the…"
Arlin raised an eyebrow. Kel mumbled on.
"…the, mythical creature…the vampire."
Arlin stared at her for a minute, before grinning, more widely than ever. Then, he reached his hand up, and pulled his fangs out, leaving simple, normal, teeth in their place.
Kel stared. And stared.
"Vould you believe." Arlin said. "Zat everyvun else to whom I haf asked zat qvestion mysteriously developed a cough?"
Kel felt like kicking herself for not thinking of trying that. She glanced at the translucent, gloopy film, which had only seconds ago been a pair of very sharp, pointy, fangs. Arlin gave her another smile and turned back to his flowers.
"I like to test ze people vith whom I talk. It is an ancient tradition amongst my people."
"Where exactly are you from?" Kel asked, still recovering.
"I told you. A country vhich does not see ze sun very often. A place vhere ve all haf pale skin and black hair. And long, boring vinter evenings vhen ve think of vays in vhich to haf a little fun vhen ve get out. You vouldn't believe ze number of people who haf met me who vill no longer leave ze house vizout garlic."
Kel nodded shakily, unable to think of anything else to say. She wished she were back home with a lance in her hand and Peachblossom's broad back underneath her. At least then she knew where, and whom, she was. There was none of this game playing, trickery. Vampires indeed! Still, she had a duty to the crown. And after this mission, she could be back to good old fashioned, commanding.
A hand clapped her shoulder, startling her out of her thoughts. It was Rat. Keita and Joren were yawning in the background.
"I see you've met my friend Arlin." He said, cheerily. "Did she pass?" He added to Arlin.
"Vith flying colours."
"I told you she was good, didn't I."
"And you are alvays right, Rat my friend."
"I think I need breakfast." Kel muttered.
"Coming right up." Rat took her arm and steered her towards Keita and Joren. "Ladies, gentleman, follow me." He set off happily, as the others stumbled along behind him. Arlin smiled, and gave Kel a wave. She waved groggily back, realising that she was clutching a sunflower.
"Oo was 'at?" Keita asked.
"Just a friend, just a friend. Oh look, there they are!" Rat strode along. A few more stalls were starting to open now. Inviting smells were wafting from a stall draped with clean white cloths. Keita sniffed the air longingly.
"Bread, now." She commanded, walking across to the stall and feeling around for money. The others followed her quite happily. Food is effective at ridding a person of their willpower.
They ended up buying two loaves, some pastries, and a muffin because Rat insisted. They stumbled along, eating, and looking for more food. They were just nearing a stall which Rat said sold hot chocolate, when Kel tripped. Again.
She moaned as she looked up, praying that this time the person who helped her up would neither be a muffin and coffee crazed idiot, or a man who went around pretending to be a vampire to test people.
A perfectly ordinary looking man stared back at her. He had very green eyes. Three pairs of hands pulled her up from behind and Keita kindly dusted her shoulders off.
"Are you all right?" Asked the man with every appearance of concern.
"Fine, perfectly fine." Kel said. The man smiled happily back.
"Oh good. I would hate to have hurt anyone, even accidentally." He really did look perfectly normal. Well, perhaps his choice of clothes was a little eccentric. Kel liked black as much as the next person, but there was such a thing as going over the top. Apart from that though…
"I don't suppose many people care what I think, being a deranged bystander of society, but there you are. I refuse to be silenced."
Oh crap.
"You do seem to attract them", Joren muttered dryly from somewhere behind her. The man either didn't hear him, or ignored him completely.
"Erm…good for you." Kel muttered, at a loss for anything else to say.
"It's not actually. I happen to be regarded by the common masses as something of a rebel." He laughed nervously. "You know, I believe in pregnancy charms and the abolishing of the death penalty." Another nervous chuckle, "A true psychopath am I, but I also believe in freedom of speech, so most people would say I am truly cuckoo." He made a face to demonstrate.
Kel felt a mixture of amusement and pity twist in her gut. Either this man came form very strange parts, or he was just one of those people who naturally got it wrong. He was really conforming to not conforming as it were. The kind who as a child had told people that he wet the bed and had expected them to laugh with him, not at him.
"They have no idea." Keita said. The man beamed again, his goofy smile.
"Are you one of us then? I must say, when I first saw you, I thought there goes a woman who would understand, you know?"
Keita blinked.
"Oh dear." She glanced at what portion of the sky was visible, "That late? We must be going." She grabbed Rat and Kel's shoulder and propelled them firmly away. Joren followed, casting looks back at the figure who stood watching them.
"He's not stupid." Joren muttered, as the man turned sadly away, looking frustrated and brittle somehow. "He knows you want to get away from him."
Keita sighed.
"We need to get on, and we don't have time to be touchy feely about people. It is getting late anyway. I need more food."
Joren didn't answer. The group moved onwards, to hot chocolate and a comfy spot on deck.
It wasn't until half an hour later, after a few sips of Rat's bitter coffee, that Kel began to feel truly awake enough to ask questions.
"When were these things invented?" She asked Rat, gesturing to the busy mass of people thronging in front of them, picking from stall to stall. The three of them, (Joren having walked off), were lying on their backs on a sunny patch of deck, watching the clouds. Rat shrugged.
"I dunno. About fifty years ago I suppose. I'm amazed they haven't made it to Tortall yet. Although there aren't that many. Takes about fifty years to just build one. Useful things."
"And why are all the richer people on the top deck? Isn't it more dangerous?"
"This is a ship." Keita pointed out. "If it was to sink, they'd be the last ones to go."
"Plus they get a better view of the sky. And other people drowning, so that they die in happiness knowing that they're taking down a couple of hundred wretches with them." Rat chuckled. Kel considered.
"I think that if I was on a ship which was drowning, I'd like to go first, instead of having it all drawn out."
"Well the rest of society thinks the other way." Rat said sleepily, "Just goes to show what a deranged bystander you are." Keita elbowed him playfully.
"He wasn't really that strange." Kel said, in reference to the man who'd had a liking for black. "Just different."
"I'm sure he couldn't help it." Keita said sleepily, "I just hope we don't bump into him again over the next five days."
"Five?" Rat asked. Keita nodded.
"A regular holiday. Then, we're in Yaman and it's back to work."
Kel said nothing. She stared at the sky, remembering those green eyes, which seemed to have haunted the entire journey so far. Such familiar green eyes…
(A/N):
I was hoping to develop the story, but lo and behold, Arlin Kornel and the man-with-a-liking-for-black came out instead. This is therefore a filler chapter which I hope will give you gentle readers some much needed mirth.
If anyone does like the character of Arlin, please let me know, because I have a story which I am in two minds about posting on fictionpress, which contains a character similar to him. Constructive criticism always appreciated.
I'd like to thank the deranged bystander to society who wrote a wonderful essay on the topic of life on fictionpress.com. I'm considering putting a link in my next chapter, although your essay probably wasn't meant to be amusing. As you can see, you've stayed in my head long after I read it.
--Rowana.
VampiricEternity: Thank you! Nice to hear from you.
Sandalwoods: Erm…wow, thanks. I don't know what to say. Look, I'm blushing now.
MakaiTenshi: Thanks to you as well. Hope you enjoy.
Nolee of Stone Mountain: Your review was brilliant, but you're only reading this because it has Joren in it! Wait, that's why I read stories. Oh well, can't blame you then. I think I'm in the time limit on updates glances nervously up at head. I mean, this isn't a real bomb or anything. Right? Right?!
Anyway, glad you liked the albino bear and thank you for the support. It is indeed annoying when people won't accept that Joren is special, and that his death is a silly little thing which I can flick away with the click of my fingers, this being the wonderful world of fanfiction. They should use their imaginations. Maybe a crocodile ate the chamber the day before his ordeal or something.
Mystic Moon Empress: Thank you, enjoy!
Mustang Gal: I cower in the face of such enthusiasm. Hope you enjoy the chapter.
Sammy!!!!!!: I still haven't replied to your email. I should be donked on the head. I promise, that as soon as I finished uploading this, I will email you.
Crowdove: Well, there is this vague thing to do with green eyes…but anyway, thank you for reviewing.
CrystalLili: blinks I am too young and naïve to write anything like that. My friends would never stop laughing if I did. I know, my writing is ruled by the views of others, whose isn't? And d'you know, I never even considered that the healer guy could molest Rat, as I don't really work with slash. But he seems fine so we'll assume nothing's been going on. glances over suspiciously to where Rat's taking a tea break
Lil-saturn-goddess: Um, thank you. Hope you enjoy this chapter.
Pop: You cut your tongue? Ouch. Hope this chapter makes up for it.
Mango Sam: Thank you! Hope this chapter didn't disappoint, and I'm glad you and your friend like it. I'd be nowhere without you guys.
Andi de Tarauger: Nice name. You'll have to wait to know what Keita wants to ask Kel. It seems to have been put on hold what with all the running, and the weird people our brave adventurers keep bumping into. I'm sure it'll resurface later though. I like Joren and Rat too. They're both very funny in very different ways. I think there's a side to Rat which we haven't seen yet though. I hope this chapter answered your questions, and thank you sincerely for this review. I love it when people seem to have thought about the story first.
Kyrilliz: You've changed your name, Pietersite my friend? And yes, you did choke; I have a hug like a boa constrictor. Nice update of Nightmare's appeal by the way. And it is now your turn to update again. smug grin
Stee Parker: We-el, I suppose you're forgiven. And thank you for the lovely comments. I hope you actually get the chance to read this.
Imperfectionist ;D: You most certainly are not losing your touch! The very idea. You are doing brilliantly my good person. Have you noticed a strange increase in J/K authors recently by the way? 'Tis strange, but I'm sure I've seen more around. Sulia Serafine will be finished soon on her great epic sobs and then we'll have lost a great thing. Ah well, all good things come to an end. Keep writing!
Lynsi: splutters If I were insane I would do much worse than eat towels I think! Do you think eating towels isn't insane? Any experiences you'd like to share? Lol, ignore me, I'm kidding. I loved your review, it made me laugh.
oceanspike: I thought that Rat was high too at first, but it soon emerged that not even Rat would eat a towel.
Nawat Crow: Or Sammy again. Lol, thankee. Poor bisexual horsee! Send him my love.
Rubber Duck: D'you know, last year I sewed a fluffy toy in the shape of a rubber duck for my textiles project. Your review made me want to cuddle it. Hold on, my friend tells me I'm being weird so forget what I just wrote, as I can't reach the delete button, and let's start again.
Thank you for the review! I agree completely, and as long as my writing is continually improving, I'm one happy duckie. And thank you again, you know, your review is really good. You're saying such good things it's almost scary. And I'd love to review your fic! I'll go do that now. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!