Chapter Twenty-One
Walk-ins
With the bread in that last entry, that was fun. And shocking. Okay, I won't to tell you the whole story so I wont ruin the climax.
Like I said, I was going to do my good brother proud and get a piece of bread for Doyle, because I'm a nice person, mind you. So I packed up and figured out a plan. I was going to try and get the bread while the seller was distracted.
So I waited a few moments until a woman came up to him. Luckily for me, she had four children with her and they weren't being very good. This woman was chasing these kids all over. One was on her hip, a pair of twin, a boy and a girl, trying to fight, and a younger boy who had a stick and was hitting the mother on the ankle with it. I went to her, being the good person I am, and offered her a little help.
Now, I know I shouldn't have gotten the kids in on this, but it was fun. I selected two children. The twins. I told the little boy who was, maybe, seven to grab a piece of bread and run as far away as possible when I told him to. I told the girl to do the same, but run in the opposite direction.
Now I know your saying, ' But, Gwen, wouldn't anyone hear you saying this? And wouldn't the children know right from wrong?' Well, in most cases, I would say, ' Yes, they did hear me, and yes, the children know right from wrong.' But, you see, the boy on the mother's hip was so loud and both adults were yelling at the boy hitting her ankle. So, you see, they couldn't have heard me. And as for the right from wrong, when I looked at the twin girl, I saw that she was the little girl who was friends with George. The one that called him 'Uncle Georgie'. When I told her that it was a game and George wanted me to tell her how to play, she told her brother and he went along with it.
The little girl looked at the cart for a few moments deciding which piece to take. Then she looked at me, and nodded to her brother, and they were off. Of course, at the time I was trying to get the younger boy to stop hitting his mother. It was about five or ten seconds before anyone noticed they where gone. When they did, the sales man ran after one, and the mother after the other. I greedily grabbed three loaves and went to mount Ayden.
But I wasn't the only one who wanted the bread. Before I could get on Ayden, the bread from my hands disappeared from my arms. I looked behind me, to see an all-of-a-sudden very large sales man. He was standing over me, looking very angry.
"Thought you would get away with stealin' my bread. I aught to wring your little neck, girl." He bellowed. Then he grabbed me by the color of my shirt and lifted me off the ground. I was trying to get down, and Ayden even tried to nip him, and succeeded, but not very well, because sales keeper's arm shot over my head and punched Ayden right in the nose.
When I realized what had happened, my eyes widened with rage and I kicked and flailed my arms wildly. I think I might have got him in the gut, but he never flinched. I don't even think he felt it, being as he was a fat pig with a belly that looked like all he ever did was drink wine all day. But when he pulled me closser to examine me, the smell of him confermed my suspisions. ( the smell of stail wine and old sweat is possible the worst smell aside from a baby's dipper.) He extended me and was about to raise his hands to hit me, when he flinched and turned.
"What the-"He rubbed the back of his head. I heard something hit the ground, and when he turned a saw it was a small-ish rock. But I couldn't see who had hit him. I only heard words for a little while.
"Have you always been so rude to women?" A male voice asked.
Then the sales man rumbled angrily, "I am to little thieves. Man or woman. What's it to you? She's just a street urchin who's only reason for living it to bother shopkeepers like me."
I thought that was funny. He wasn't a shopkeeper at all. He was a cart keeper. So I laughed and blurted, hardly thinking that i had said it at all, "Yeah, right. Your just a dumb cart keeper who drinks all day and smells bad." That was a bad move and I paid for it with a smack in the face. But shortly after the man fell, crushing my arm under him from me trying to keep my self up.
Then I was plucked up from under him, and running. I remembered about Ayden and looked back for him, but instead I was scoped in to his saddle by a man.
I looked at the man and found a set of white, not crooked teeth smiling down at me. Then those teeth and the lips that framed it formed words that said, "I told you he liked me." Meaning Ayden I'm sure because when I pulled my head back to get a better view of the man, it was Doyle.
"Where the hell did you come from?" I asked surprised and kinda pissed off.
He sensed my anger, and got a strait face on. "Hey, we saved you back there."
" Who's 'we'?" I asked, then looked around to see a man walking into a tavern.
" Luka and me. He's one of Kia and mine's friends." He waved good-bye to him. " He's the one who hit that ' cart keeper' on a pressure point. Might I add that that statment wasn't smart of you. Next time I see him, I'll thank him for you."
"I would have been fine on my own. I can take care of my self. I'm sister to—"I was going to say, 'Sister to the great rouge.' But then I remembered we aren't supposed to associate with gypsies. So I shut up. But Doyle didn't- shut up, I mean.
"What? Sister to who. Some great lord?" He leaned in really close to my ear so that no one could hear. "I don't think so. You and I are from the great world of technology."
That stopped my anger and I had to laugh. "You know nothing of technology. You don't even know what a DVD is." I kept laughing.
He looked at me confused. "What the hell is a DVD?"
"Beyond your time." I said. Then I spotted a mud puddle and decided I would cool Doyle down a little bit. Besides, I think we have declared a silent war stating that we need to 'friendly' make each other's lives a horrible as possible. Here was my beginning.
I purposely moved my dress to rustle against his britches to distract him. It worked, because he went to scratch the lower part of his leg. He wasn't that flexible, so he momentarily took his foot out of the stirrups, and I felt it was an opening, and we just happened to be over the mud puddle, soo..... I knocked him off of the horse and strait in to the puddle.
He was in shock for a few moment's when he came back up. (And you know those time when, some how magically, someone that you would have never expected to be there, is actually there. Well it was one of those times.)
I heard clapping come up from behind me. "Well, you've been doing good things lately." It was Leo. (Where has he been lately?)
"Leo. What a surprise. What are you doing here?" I asked.
"I just got back from a job. What about you? And where did this beauty come from?" Meaning the horse, in sure.
"He's mine," I gave him my proud smile, saying that he wasn't mine at one time.
"I see. And who was that. A mugger mayhap, or a want-to-be assassin?" He laughed at the comment.
"He's actually a ... buddy of mine." I looked down at Doyle to see him still confused on weather he should be mad at me, or laugh at himself for being so stupid.
"I sure hope you don't treat all of you ' buddies' like that." He looked at me questionably.
"Only him," I assured him. But before I could say anymore, Doyle's muddy hands grasped me from the side, and I was thrown into the mud pile.
"How do you like it?" Doyle asked, with an evil grin.
By now, I heard Leo laughing. I was actually embarrassed. "Why you little..." I grabbed Doyle by the arm, dragging him in with me, and started to grapple in the mud.
Moments later, an unsaddled Leo came near, but not to the edge of the mud pool. "Now look at you two grappling like children. I could see a man fighting, but Gwen, a respectable lady like you should not be rolling in the mud." He had the tone of annoyance in his voice. I can tell where ever he was these last few days, it didn't go so well and he was kinda mad about it. So, I did what I thought would either piss him off more, or make him really happy. I chucked a mud ball at him.
A moment later, with crowd filled around us, staring, pointing, laughing, gossiping, whatever, Leo was in the pile grappling with us.
The fight went on for a few minutes, all of us laughing and play fighting, until George came up. Leo noticed first, then I, but Doyle didn't understand the rank he had on us, and tried to get me down again, but I kicked him and gave him a look that could kill.
Now, image this picture. Leo on the right, me in the middle, and Doyle on the left, struggling to get up. Leo and I are giving George our full attention, and Doyle clutching his stomach where I kicked him. And we are covered and dripping with mud. Pretty picture, eh?
George, as usually, had Anastasia wrapped around his arm. And she gave a look of utter disgust, particularly at me.
"What, in the name of the gods, is going on here?" George shouted. The crowd dissipated and the three of us felt so alone. After a moment of silence he yelled, "Answer me!"
"George, it was a simple game and-"I started, but George silenced me with a wave of his hand and the same look I gave Doyle just moments ago.
George tried to calm him self, then turned to Leo waiting for an answer. "Well, friend," Leo started. "I was coming to report to you about the..." George nodded, telling Leo that he knew what he was talking about. " When I saw Gwen on her horse. As I came up, I saw this young man in the mud and asked what had happened. Things proceeded and somehow we all got into this fight and ..."
George cut him off. "How could you...Why where you... Can you imagin if..." He took a deep breath then said through his teeth, "I'll deal with you two later. We have things to do. And as for that kid," He pointed at Doyle. "He looks like some sort of gypsies or something..." I had had it by then.
"Now, look here George! I don't bad talk your friends, do I? What gives you the right to talk openly in front of one of mine?" George gave me a look of murder, and my temer dissapated like the crowd had earlier, eccept faster.
"I said I'll deal with you later. And bring that boy. I want to chat with him." And they where off.
We all stood watching him for a moment. Then Leo turned to me and asked, "What happened while I was gone. By the way he was acting, you would think we had killed his mother."
"Well, she's not dead. I promise that. But he wasn't like this when I saw him last." As I said that, I looked over to where Doyle had been so I could apologize, but he wasn't there. Instead, he was briskly walking away.
"Doyle," I screamed. "Get back here! Now!" He flinched and knew he was caught, so he came.
"I know my brother was harsh, but don't leave." I said.
"Yeah, you can't leave." Leo said. "He'll be nice if your there, but if your not, he'll hunt you down. And when he finds you, he wont be so nice. Just stay." Leo looked at me then. "Come on, let's all head over to my place and we'll wash up. I might have something for you to wear. As for Gwen... Well, we'll find you something along the way." His eyes started to light up in good humor, and I knew that the little part of Leo I knew was back. So, we all headed back.
I let Doyle ride Ayden, and I saddled with Leo because Zenith was the stronger of the horses and I thought it would have kind of been a little wrong if I was seen riding with Doyle. Not to mention, I was half scared of what he would do to me. I think he might have gone for some hay next. I wasn't about to chance it.
We where traveling in mostly silence for about ten minutes before Leo got curious. "So, who is this little guy any way?" He asked me. I looked at Doyle to see that he wasn't pleased that he was called little.
"He's a friend," I said simply.
"No, really?" He said, over sarcastically. "I thought he was some random pick pocket who decided to play in the mud with you. Tell me the truth. I know you came here with out a friend in the city, so how did you meet him?" He gave me a serious look.
"Well, you asked me where I got Ayden," A question rose in his eyes, and I knew what it was, so I answered with out being asked to. "Ayden in the horse." I looked over at Ayden and tilted my head towards him. Leo nodded, telling me that he understood, so I continued, "Well, he lives at the horse stales and was sent after me to retrieve Ayden."
Leo broke in, "So, might I ask what his name is? I haven't been able to catch it yet."
Then Doyle rode Ayden closer to Zenith and offered the answer. "Doyle Dugal. That's m'name. May I ask yours?" He said, with a very perky voice.
Well, they seemed on friendly enough terms, I mean, they weren't trying to hack eachother to bits, then bake eachother in pie, and then sell it on the streets and...Sorry, inside joke. Anyways, I wondered for a moment, if Leo would say 'Leo', or 'Atraiou'. But I guess there wasn't enough trust there to give his really name. I don't blame him. The only reason I decided to see him again was because he was from the real world and I think it might be good to have him around, to chat with, you know?
"Anyway, Gwen. Finish your story." Leo insisted.
"Anyway, well, we had a little wrestle and when he realized that I was the best..." I smiled radiantly.
"Hey, I was the one who won that match," Doyle cried.
"Yea, but I remember you jumping off of me quickly, and I got Ayden, didn't I?"
"That wasn't faire. I didn't know you where a woman." Doyle was now distraught. But with him saying that, Leo looked at me, wondering what he meant.
"Don't ask," I said.
"I don't think I will, now."
"But after, Doyle realized that Ayden would be better with me. You see, Ayden was sick and wasn't fed well, and he was going to be dog food, so I saved him." I was proud of my good deed.
"So, you stole him?" Leo asked. Then he smiled. "You little rouge." He shoved me a little. I just smiled.
By then, we where at Leo's house. We tied up our horses and went inside to clean up. I decided that I was going to boil some water so I could take a hot bath, and the boys agreed. None of us where very eager to face George. This gave us a reason to take longer.
While I was making a fire in the kitchen hearth, Leo and Doyle went to find cloths, and I was going to be left in what? My wet, muddy cloths? I didn't think so. So when the fire was lit, I went to Leo's room.
I was shouting even before I entered the room, "If you think I'm going to stay in these cloths, you must be daft. I want a-" I barged through the door, and couldn't finish the sentence. I was... distracted.
When the realization sunk in that I had walked in on two full grown men changing there cloths, and my decency found me, I screeched in embarrassment and ran out the door screaming, "Oh, my God! Oh, my God!" repeatedly. Needless to say, the door was shut behind me, and I went to tend to the fire, quite disturbed. But the veiw wasn't bad......Whhhhaaaaat? Hey, i have hormones like you do, too, okay!
When the men came down, for men is definitely what they are, I couldn't stare at them.
"Where do you keep you water?" I asked Leo hesitently.
They sat down and Leo said, "It's on the side. There are two barrels on a wagon with buckets next to it. Do you need me to help?"
"Y-yes," I stammered. "You and Doyle can do that. I'm going to find something to wear. I feel dirty." I could feel a gaze on me after I said that. I looked up and Doyle had a grin on his face.
"Really," was what came out of Doyle's mouth. "How so?" He gave an evil chuckle. "Where you taken by my...manliness?" He over exaggerated the last word.
I now felt no shame in looking at him because I had a very good comeback to that. Well, as good as I could think of. "Yeah, right. The hunchback of Notre Dame had more manliness then you'll ever have." And I walked away before he could come back with anything. But I still heard a ' What are you two taking about?' from Leo.
When I reached Leo's room, I hadn't the slightest clue as to where to find something to wear. But Leo came through the door. "What where you taking about. The hunchback of whatever?" He asked.
I gave a little laugh on the inside. "He's a hunchback who was raised by an evil man who kept him locked up in a church and had him ring the bells." I didn't feel like elaborating on the cartoon version. That's the only version I know.
"I see. What's a church?" He asked.
I sighed. "A place where people of a different faith then us praise God."
"What gods?" He asked, ignorantly.
"No. Only one god. He is the creator of the heavens and the earth. The father of all. That's what they believe."
"Well, that makes no sense at all. How can that be?"
"I'll tell you what. If you get me something to wear. Something comfortable, I'll tell you some stories about the God." He agreed, and produced a silk nightgown. I put it on, and it was very comfortable.
When I went to the kitchen, the caldron was half full. Leo took the bucket and finished filling the pot. But Doyle seemed a little distracted by something.
When Leo was finished, he went down the hall and brought back a cotton nightgown. "Here, put this on. Our friend is being distracted." He handed it to me, and I realized that the silk gown showed every curve I had. I was embarrassed that I hadn't notice. So I went down the hall and changed.
When I returned, Leo was eating an apple and Doyle was working on a peach. I decided that an apple would be good. I grabbed one, and sat down. I found that Leo was waiting for me to start my stories of God. So, where else was there to start but at Genesis. I told him of the creation on the world, and of Adam and Eve. He thought it was an interesting concept, but didn't quiet believe it. When I was finished, the water was boiling, and the men helped me take water and put it in the tub that was located in the kitchen today. I didn't want to drag the water anywhere so I put it there. Needless to say I was the first in the tub. I just love hot baths. Really, I do.
Leo went after me because I wanted him to get a dress from home, but he was back with in ten minutes. He had a dress other then mine. It had a light blue under dress and a navy blue over dress. He even had matching shoes to go with it.
" Where did you get this one?" I asked, knowing perfectly well where he had gotten it. Well, sort of.
" It was just...there. And I was feeling lazy." I gave him a look like 'yeah, right. Lazy'.
He tossed it at me and said, "Hey, it's not like I was rougin' a horse." He smiled.
"You like that, eh? Pretty good for a newby, huh?"
"I admit. Your good. You little rouge princess. I've never known anyone try and steal a horse that early in their career."
"Don't call me a princess. I don't like it." It was the truth.
"Well, what ever. You sure did make George proud, I'm sure."
"Yeah, but I think his joy just ended. He sure is a crab today. I don't know what's wrong with him."
"Me either," Leo said. "I've never seen him like this." That's what scares me. He's known George for a long time. But nonetheless, we have to see him tonight. I'll tell you about it if I live. And I'll make sure I do and ear count. Now I'm going to have dinner. Hope it's good.
Yeah, hi. Uhh, sorry, it's been a while. It will probably be this long between chapters now. I mean, schools next week and i'm going into 10th grade and i'm not going to be as bored as i am now, but i'll try to work on it when ever.
Yeah, don't you just love reading about people walking in on someone. It's funny, untill it happens to you. or worse when someone walks in on you. I don't know about you, but i have that happen more then one. So often now that my friend and i really don't care anymore. Huh. uhh, i feel i should say more, but i don't know what to say. ok...bye