I think, that this is the chapter where something big is going to happen in the way of Haven. I'm not sure if I will get there in this one, or the next one, but it will be in one of the two. Sorry if you didn't like that last chapter, and if you're thinking that Eoleo and Aoko will pair up to be a couple, sorry, but you're thinking wrong, just wanted to point that out.
I have decided on a goal for this story. I want to get more reviews on this story, than 'Unaccounted Friendships' by the same chapter, so please review, I like the feedback, it fuels my imagination! I'm going to stop rambling now, and get on with the chapter.
P.S. Sorry for all the scene changes in this chapter! Also, can someone please tell me if this word is spelt Kyrii ir Kyree! I've seen it spelt both ways in ML's books, and I'm not sure what one is used more often.
P.S.S. Sorry if you think that the chapter was ended kind of suddenly, but I had to stop wrting somewhere, and there it worked! Thanks!
Chapter 9, Sneak Away to Haven
Aoko woke to find that she had slept in, again. She found that since the new family had come, and she had met Eoleo, she was beginning to have stress relief from her lessons with Midori. This was probably because Midori was spending less time on her and more time on the new Healers. Also, talking about all that happens with someone other one she shares her mind with, was like letting go on some of the memories, leaving space for new ones.
It was quite a warm morning, and Aoko quickly jumped into her clothing and decided that it was time to go for her morning ride, now usually accompanied by Eoleo and his fat little pony.
Aoko's room had been moved from the Healer's wing, to a new room further into the hold a few days before, and she was still disoriented whenever she stepped into the different hallway.
Aoko and Eoleo had been friends for nearly four days, and their friendship was like a flower in spring, blooming with great speed. The flower was probably in full bloom, or would be by the end of the day, and Aoko thought it was wonderful to have a new friend, other than the ones she had grown up with, back in Edinbrook.
After finding her way to the cramped kitchen, and grabbing a small loaf of fresh bread, and a little butter to go with that, she headed out to the stables, to find Eoleo all ready to go, along with Naomi, fully tacked.
"Well, this is a surprise. Thank you for getting my mount ready as well! I was afraid that I would come and you would have to wait even longer for me." Eoleo grinned from ear to ear, he finally felt as if he were needed.
"It makes me feel kind of like a squire to a some-what Herald, makes me feel important." Eoleo flung the reins over Naomi's head, and mounted his pony, while Aoko mounted Naomi. "Aoko, when do you think that you'll be leaving the hold?"
Aoko pondered for a minute, while one of the guardsmen helped her adjust her stirrup to the new right length. "Hopefully soon, I've been waiting for a few days while Raven and Naomi make preparations for moving. why do you ask this now?"
"I was thinking, now that you're going to be a Herald, you have no time, really, for friends outside of that circle. And I don't and won't have any other friends here to talk to about my problems and such, so I was wondering if you could let me tag along to Haven, in hopes that I still have a chance to get chosen some time in the near future." Eoleo shifted his saddle a little to the left while they left the hold entrance, and looked up at Aoko.
:Sure, you can come along. I'm sure that we can find a thing or two around the Collegium for you. And if you want, while you're waiting that is, you can be a page for the palace, or even one to Aoko.: Naomi looked at the boy, and Aoko laughed.
"Seems like Naomi got to answering my question before you even had time to think about what you were going to tell me!" Eoleo laughed along with Aoko.
"Eoleo, what about your parent and your family? Aren't they going to miss or need you back here at the hold?" Aoko looked down on the younger boy with puzzlement.
"Have you seen the way they treat me? My father thinks that I'm some other man's child, my brother and sister don't really pay attention, except to beat down on me, and my mother is really the only one who cares, and she doesn't even pay that much attention to me. I think that thy will only see it as one less mouth to feed and take care of! Now, lets get onto a new subject path, shall we?" Aoko nodded and they rode off, talking about and trying to find some shade where they could sit and talk for a little bit of time.
When the two friends got back to the hold, it was nearly noon, and lunch sounded so good to them, that their stomachs were growling in anticipation.
After arriving at the stables, they found that Fips was just about to go looking for them. "you know, you can't always just wander off without telling anyone what you're doing, or where you're going! Mother was worried stick about you, and Géven was nearly having a fit. It was actually quite funny." This was the first time Aoko had ever heard Fips speak to her, even to Eoleo, even at all!
"Oh, What are we needed for? I can't see how something that important would wait until we woke up ourselves." Aoko dismounted, and unfastened Naomi's girth, taking it out from the martingale, and flipping it over the saddle.
"Géven said that he has something for you, something that he told you he would have some time soon. He also said to tell you that he just finished it today." Fips followed Aoko's motions, except on her own horse. tacking him up had just been a waste of time, and she figured that she should have just left the saddle off, put on the bridle, and rode out nearly bareback.
"I know what he's talking about, and it's about time that he go that finished. Naomi was just about to ride off without it!" Aoko shook her head back and fourth, and removed Naomi's bitless bridle, after placing Naomi's saddle on the saddle rack. "Well, I had better get to Géven's office and get that thing. See you later Eoleo, and thanks for trying to find us Fips."
"My pleasure, now go before Géven pops a vein and kills himself with worry!" Fips smiled after Aoko, as she ran to meet Géven and his awaiting letter.
As she walked quickly trhough the halls, she stopped for a few minutes to grab a light meal of fruit ans cheese laid out on the kitchen counter by the cook, who was currently not present.
Finally, she arrived outside of Géven's office. Opening the door, she could hear Géven pacing back and fourth, despite his training not to. When he heard the soft creak of hinges, he turned and let out a sigh or relief.
"I thought that you'd never be back. I'm glad that Fips found you two, before I went mad." Géven turned towards hid desk, and picked up a well packed envelope, sealed with a medium sized bit of blue candle wax, molded into the shape of a slightly detailed Companion, signifying that it was from a Herald. "This is the letter, as you probably figured. Also," He paused and picked up another, lightly packed envelope, sealed the same way, and placed it on top of the larger one, "This is for the Dean, and this one if for the Queen and Queen's Own." He added, after adding another lightly packed letter to the pile.
"I'll make sure that each and everyone gets to it's respectful owners. I'll make sure that the seals are not broken, except by the respectful owner. Although, I'm thinking that that was what you wanted from me, am I correct in saying that?" Aoko took the three letters that he held out to her.
"Yes, and that is all that I ask, except that you complete your training, become a full Herald, don't cause much trouble, stay out of Murron's way, and be careful. I've gotten to know you too much, and sometimes it seems like you are the long lost child I never had." Géven smiled weakly and shook himself to clear his head.
Aoko smiled ruefully, "I'll try those things, but I'm not promising anything, especially the 'don't cause much trouble' part." when Géven laughed, Aoko laughed with him. "I'll miss you and your hospitality, but I must leave soon, very soon. I'll make sure that I say goodbye before leaving the hold one final time. Thank you for everything Herald Géven, it was very nice of you, and I'm very grateful."
Aoko gave Géven a quick hug, and backed out of the room, closing the door behind her. she had a lot of packing to do.
Packing the last of her clothes, was all she had left to do, and the afternoon had only been present for about three candlemarks.
After visiting Herald Géven, Aoko quickly got to Eoleo and told him that they were leaving as soon as possible, and she needed him to pack up all his belongings and get ready to head out some time that day.
Fips had been with him when she made the statement, and had told them that if she wasn't allowed to join them, then she would inform their mother, and then neither her nor Eoleo would be able to go. In the end, they reluctantly gave in to her request, and now, there were three people, a Companion and two ponies getting ready to make the journey to Haven.
Aoko looked around the bare room, the book shelves held few books, but those had been there when she arrived in the room. Her packs were light, young female clothing had been sparse in the hold, and she got everything that she and Midori could scrounge up from the attic and storage rooms. After all, packing had not been a priority when she was leaving Edinbrook.
After everything had been packed up, she laid the three special letters from Herald Géven on the top, encased in a small metal tube that the hold messenger had given her. She was all set, and it was time to put her, Eoleo, and Fips' plan into motion.
Fips and Eoleo would leave letters to their parents on their beds, and would ride out of the hold before Aoko went to see Géven for the last time. they would wait about a ten minute trot away from the hold, and would wait for her to arrive before they made their journey. She hoped that they would get away with this, and hoped that Fips' and Eoleo's mother didn't go looking for them before Aoko left the hold, or the plan might backfire.
After making another double check over the room, Aoko left the room and traveled down the hall to where Fips was staying, this was the hall for females only. After knocking on the door in their assigned pattern, Fips opened the door, and pulled her in.
This room, like her own, was also bare, except for the empty furniture that had been moved around, to make sure nothing was forgotten.
"I see that you made a thorough inspection! I'm guessing that you are ready?" when Fips nodded, she added, "I think that it would be good to tell the guardsmen that you are going for a picnic, and you can give me one of your pack, and so can Eoleo. then you each only have two, and I will have four. this way it doesn't look like you're trying to sneak away. I'll tell Géven that you guys gave me some stuff for goodbye presents, and Midori gave me some items so that I can keep Naomi healthy. this way, he won't questions why I have so many items."
"Sounds good to me," Fips handed her the biggest pack, and Aoko added it to her shoulder of packs. "you can take that one, it's less obvious if I have smaller packs than you do, right?"
"Right, good thinking. Well, I'm going to go see Eoleo, get one of his packs, and they he can meet you down in the stables and you can take off before I even get to Géven's office." Aoko walked over to the door, and Fips flung her two packs over her shoulder, while nodding at the idea.
"See you outside." Aoko saw Fips nod again, and she headed towards the male wing. Luckily, Géven thought it necessary to make his office in an area other than the male wing. If he hadn't, this would have been much harder to pull off.
After meeting with Eoleo, getting his largest pack, and sending him down to leave with Fips, she headed down the back servants stairs, towards Géven's office, for a last goodbye.
When Aoko finally left the hold, and went to the meeting place, where Fips and Eoleo were awaiting her arrival, they set out at a quick pace, hoping to get past a few waystations before night fall.
At around the time they usually ate dinner at the hold, they stopped to get something in their growling stomachs. As they walked around their clearing, surrounded by trees, they heard some grumbling and arguing from behind the massive rock in one corner of the clearing.
Since all three were scared, and the ponies were nearly pulling the trees, which they were tied to, out by their roots, Naomi volunteered to se what the commotion was.
After convincing the three that she was not going to die a painful death this early in her life, she trotted easily over to the rock and peaked around it. What she saw made her whinny, like she was laughing at something.
:Come see you all, it's nothing to be afraid of.: Naomi motioned with her black and white head towards the other side of the rock, and went in that direction herself.
At that moment, Aoko realized that the voices she was hearing, were very odd. the first, was deep and rumbling, spoken aloud, and the thing that was talking, was exaggerating it's r's and s'. The second, was low, but more feminine, and it was Mind Spoken. Both voices were sharp, as if they were in an argument about each other.
As she, Eoleo and Fips rounded the corner, Aoko could see why they were arguing. both creatures were hanging from a drooping tree, in a net, most likely left by a trapper, who was probably trying to catch animals for furs.
The first creature, was much larger, and covered with feathers, like a bird, except the end of it, which was different, somewhat like a mountain lion. It had a large golden beak, with a pointed tip, and had glaringly mean eyes, which were pointed at the other thing in the rope net. Se figured that this was the creature with the lower voice, it seemed male, and it looked as if it were speaking out of it's large beak.
The second, looked to be an oversized wolf. It was smaller than the first, and it gave off the aura of being female. Aoko guessed that it was the owner of the Mind Voice since, she didn't open her mouth when any of the speaking was happening.
The first creature reminded her of the things she had heard of in tales out of books. the books had said they were things called Gryphons, and they were supposedly created by the Mage called Urtho. The second creature she recognized as a Kyree, she remembered seeing one talk to the village elder back in Edinbrook once.
"Are you sure that they are harmless Naomi?" Aoko was unsure about their ability to stay calm in their circumstances, after all, they were hunters, and they looked like they were hungry enough to eat anything.
"Naomi, isss that you?" The gryphon rumbled down towards her Companion. "Why, we haven't ssseen you sssince we left you at that hold with yourrr injurrred rrriderrr, isss ssshe gone?"
:No my friend, she's right below you. he made a miraculous recovery, I Chose her and now we are on our way to Haven with two new tag-alongs. What are you doing this far north? Last thing i knew, you were heading back south!: Naomi looked puzzled.
"Rrreally, thisss isss herrr? You looked much betterrr than the lassst time I sssaw you, I'm afrrraid." The gyphon moved his large head, so he could peer down on her and her friends.
"O... oh, I didn't know that you helped Naomi bring me to the hold." Aoko stumbled, she had never talked to a creature from myths before, it was kind of nerve-racking.
The gryphon gryph smiled nodded his head slightly. "Well, yesss. My name is Rrraphill, and this is Sssenkousssha. We are frrrom a place nearrr Edinbrrrook. Naomi sssaved usss frrrom nearrrly killing each otherrr. We owed herrr ourrr livesss, ssso we helped herrr brrring you to sssafety." Raphill looked around at the net. "And if you wouldn't mind, coulds you pleassse help usss down frrrom herrre?"
Aoko smiled and they all helped the two creatures down. To Aoko, their team of travelers was getting awfully interesting. and now, they had major protection from bandits and thieves alike. They would get to Haven, hopefully in one piece.