Chapter twenty-two

Are we in trouble?

Okay, before I get to the George part, (Yes, I do have both of my ears) I have to tell you Leo is about twice the size of Doyle now that I see him in his cloths. You know how I said he was in the bath last entry, well Leo gave him some cloths and when he put them on he looked... small. Not really small, but he needed a belt to hold the pants up and a roll or two in the sleeves. It was funny.

He tried to steal you from me and read you- Doyle I mean. But even Leo got in on it. (There're becoming friends too fast. It scares me.) They ganged up on me. It was a fight, but when Doyle had a grip on the book, I bit him, so he stopped. Not with out some very vulgar words though.

"Tisk tisk," I scolded him, holding my book close to me to protect you. "Vulgar words make vulgar people." I smiled an innocent smile.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," He was examining his hand. "But that hurrrrrrrrrrt." He whined. I hate whiners.

"Yeah, it will probably leave a bruise, too." Once again, that smile crept up and me, and I was sooo innocent. HA!

"That won't be the only one today," He said under his breath. But both Leo and I heard.

"What do you mean," Leo asked.

"Nothing," he said. "It's nothing. So, are we going to see your... guy or not?" He was trying to change the subject. Wasn't working.

"What do you mean? Tell us." I demanded after a moment of silence. When he looked like he wasn't going to tell I got a good idea. I walked up to him, (not before I put you far away from him) and pulled up a chair next to him. I grabbed his arm and looked at it.

"Wow, look at your arm," I said while I was expecting it.

"What's so 'wow' about it?" He asked suspiciously.

"It looks so yummy," He pulled his arm away protectively. "I'll give you a choice. Either you tell us what you meant, or I make I very big bruise and/or make you bleed. I can do both." I grinned devilishly.

He looked at the spot where I had bit him earlier and I though he wasn't going to tell so I started to clank my teeth together then liked my lips.

He backed away from me a little. "What the hell are you, a vampire? Get away! Don't bite me." I got out of the chair and started walking toward him. And some how out of the corner of my eye I saw Leo looking very confused.

I got him cornered by some very crafty skills that I knew because I knew the kitchen from the last time I was here. I got closer and closer until he finally screamed, "All right, all right, I'll tell you." I backed away satisfied, but I heard, "Damn vampire biting bitch," come from Doyle's mouth. I just gave him a devilish grin of satisfaction.

He sat down again, and I moved my chair away so I could give him his personal space. Leo sat down too.

"Well, I wasn't supposed to leave today." Doyle admited. "Dugal left this afternoon and I thought I would have been home by now, but I obviously can't leave." He glared at me.

"Whaaaaaat?" I asked, sounding very obnoxious. "What did I do?"

"If you hadn't pushed me in the mud, I wouldn't ... ahhhh, never mind. But when Dugal comes home and sees I'm not there, he'll have a whip ready for me."

Sorry, but I thought this was kinda funny. Don't ask me why. "Awww, poow widdle baybee," I said in a baby voice. "Are you afwaid of your step daddy?"

He was perturbed. " No," he defended himself.

Then Leo stepped in, " Why not? Your afraid of your brother." Leo was completely calm...to calm.

"Am not." I tried to defended myself. "And besides, that's completely different." I paused for a moment. "Hey, I like my ears, thank you!" Then I was absently rubbing my ear.

Doyle went on to defend himself. "The only thing I fear is not having a home. Shelter would be nice. It's hard to find a place around here, if you haven't noticed."

"What about Kia?" I asked.

"No room," He said. I looked at him in disbelief. "Besides, some of the guys don't like me." He looked at me, then at his feet. "Don't ask. Just don't."

"Don't think I want to," I really didn't.

There was a moment of silence, then, "Well I have this place, and it's mostly mine. I don't care if you stay here for a while." Leo said with a giving smile. ( At this moment I was thinking ' No') Then he frowned. " But you have to do something. You have to work for your food. No lounging around. I'm serious!" Leo told Doyle.

For a moment Doyle didn't know what to think of it. Then I guess he figured that it would be better here then back at his home. "I'll take it. And trust me, I can do just about anything."

"Noooo!!!!" I screamed. "You can't do that. Why are you two friends? Why? Just one of you at a time is hard. Now I have to deal with both of you... at the same time!"

"Well..." Doyle said. ( Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know I set myself up for this. But I wasn't going to go down with out a fight.)

I sighed and leaned over to Leo. "He's especially good with horses." I said. For a moment Doyle took it as a compliment, but then I added, looking straight at Doyle, "He's just a natural tree-hugger."

"Am not!" Doyle tried to defend himself, again.

"You hug... trees?" Leo was soo confused.

I patted him on the head like he was a child. "Don't trouble your little head about out affairs. I'm sure you wont understand."

Leo didn't say anything about it. Instead he stretched and stood up. " Well, little people, I would love to sit here and talk about trees and gods and such nonsence, but I think we must face the tyrant. I think he's a little bit irritable today. Let's not irritate him further by not being where we should be."

" Your right," I added. "Come on Doyle. Come meet my brother."

When we reached the dove, George was in his usual chair by the unlit hearth. Anastasia was sitting next to him while he was talking to some other people who where part of the rouge. When A saw us, she kindly excused herself and approached us before we could get to George.

" Oh, thank Goddess you got here when you did. A few moments ago he looked like might have gone over the edge. But it seems that Frederic has brought some good news, so maybe he wont be in such a foul mood." She was eyeing Doyle when she started telling us about the good news. I knew somehow that she was waiting for an introduction.

" Uhh, Doyle, this is Anastasia. Anastasia, this is Doyle Dugal." She extended her hand, and for a moment it looked like Doyle didn't know what to do, but he recovered from his loss of manners and kissed her hand. She was satisfied, and led us to George.

We arrived right when his conversation with (obviously) Frederic was finished. His group got up, gave a nod to Leo and me, and left. A sat down next to George, and the three of us were left standing until George asked us to sit down. He did and we obeyed like little obedient dogs.

George was looking at all three of us, one after the other, after the other, then back again. "So I guess the first thing I should address is, who's the kid?" He asked Leo more then me.

I answered though. " He's my friend. His name is Doyle. Doyle this is my brother-"I was cut off.

"I get it, he's Doyle." He seemed annoyed. He looked at Doyle for a few more seconds then asked, " Why can't the boy answer for himself." He looked for a few more seconds, then, "Where have I seen you? In a shop or are you..." He trailed off in thought.

"He's Dugal's adopted. He works in the stables at the Dugal's place." I supplied the information.

"I see," He crossed his arms and relaxed in his chair. "The last time I saw you was, well a few years ago. You where smaller then. You didn't have a shadow on your chin to tend to, then." Doyle just looked down at his feet. They where moving in that nervous way you see people do on T.V. And I noticed everyone, save for George was doing some sort of nervous habit. I was chewing a thumbnail, Anastasia was playing with that stone necklace of hers, and Leo was twiddling his thumbs behind his back.

" Next question," George looked strait at me. "What in the name Kyprioth did you think you where doing rolling around in the mud. Especially you. Someone could have noticed you." (I know I should have been ashamed, but he said Kyprioth.)

Now, I know to Doyle it probably sounded like George was being over controlling, but everyone else knew that he was talking about the assassination attempts on me.

George was about to say more when a man approached A and asked her to dance. She kindly accepted, much to the displeasure of George, as we could all tell, though. When they left, I spoke before he could.

" Really George, I don't understand why your making a big deal out of this. We where just having a little fun." That was going to be the end of my short speech, but George frowned. "You know fun. The thing that makes you go haha and hehe. I had to explain it to this doof here and look at him. He's having fun...Well, was until you interrupted."

" Fun," He snorted the word, then crossed his arms and plopped back in his chair like an aggravated child.

" Yeah, fun. You should try it some time." Then I realized I had the option to try and make him have fun. The odds where like this afternoons. I would either make George happy or I would piss him off.

I figured that he was going to be in a grumpy mood anyway, and it worked earlier today so why not try my odds. I jumped up and grabbed George by the arm, throwing him in to the middle of the open space on the floor. I pushed him over to where A and her man friend where and started to make George dance.

At first he looked at me in displeasure and also like I was crazy, but after I shoved him a few times he finally stated to dance. Leo even got in on the dance with Molly. (You remember Molly, don't you? She's my older friend who I see at night. The one with children. Well, they started dancing and we were all having a good time.)

When the dance was finished, I noticed Doyle hadn't danced and I wondered why. I left George in the care of A and I went over to Doyle.

" Hey, I got us out of a hole," I gloated. "I'm pretty good, huh?"

" About as good at a fly," He wasn't very enthusiastic.

" Come on, come dance." I started to walk away, but turned around when he didn't follow. "Come on!" I demanded, as i stomped my foot. ( How childish.)

" I'd rather not," He said. "I don't like dancing."

" Everyone likes to dance. It's just whether or not you can-"It hit me that he might not be able to dance. "You don't know how to dance." I accused.

" No! I just don't like to."

" Is that so...To bad. Your dancing." When he refused to get out of his chair I sat on his lap and whispered into his ear, "I'll bite." That got him up, I'm satisfied to say.

" Come on, I'll teach you. I just learned this one. It's easy." It was. It was the Maddens Kiss one. It was a really easy step and I taught it to him, or rather Leo taught him, and I just danced. There weren't many people dancing so it was just us basically.

It seemed like George didn't like it when A reached Doyle and danced with him. I noticed this and decided to ask George about it when I reached him.

" Your not having second thoughts, are you?" I asked.

" About what?" He asked, completely confused.

" Your not deciding to switch up girls, are you?"

" What are you talking about?"

" You know, and A for and A. Our dear Anastasia for another good friend of yours. A certain tom-boy, for a little snuddy woman like Anastasia."

" What are you...Oh. Well..." But it was too late. We had to change partners, and I was with Leo now.

" You don't think George has a thing for Anastasia, do you?" I asked him.

" What kind of thing. Like a present or something?" He asked, so ignorantly.

" No I mean, do you think he likes her?"

" Well, I think everybody likes her, and if they don't she's leaving soon anyway and we wont have to see her anymore."

" Nooooooooo, I mean do you think he likes her, like he might want to court her?"

" Oooooohhhhh, I see now. Well, I don't know. He does seem a little more friendlier to her and he hasn't been with any ladies for a while." He seemed to go off into his own little world. "To think of it, he hasn't spent much time with much of anyone latly. The only people he likes to talk with a lot is when squire Alan and Jonny come. But Alan is off in that war, and who knows where Jonny is." He realized he was talking to himself out loud and excused himself. Then the song ended and we all decided that we where all tired.

We took our previous seats, the five of us, including A. George seemed a little happier I'm happy to say, and for some reason he ordered drinks for us all. He even mistacked on getting me an ale. When I was happiliy about to take I nice big gulp of that beautiful brown brew that I have been deprived from for quite some time, ( Yes, I used to drink a little) George realized his mistack and took it away telling Molly to bring me a limonade. So I sat there painfully watching all of them, even A, drinking there ale while I sulked about not having any. I finally gave in and drank the lemonade.

" So are you feeling better, George," I dared to ask.

He took a nice, big swing of his ale and replied, "Much better. Better then this afternoon, anyway." He drank again, finishing the cup and working on what was my cup.

" Oh, really? What happened?" I asked.

" Nothing, really," He sank in his chair a little.

" Don't fool yourself, George," Anastasia broke in, laying her hand on his sholder. "He's been cranky all day. He complainded about Atreyu not being back from Olau, the gypsies being- Owww." She took her hand off his sholder to cup her foot, that had obviously been stepped on by George, because he was the only one who was close enough to do so.

I knew why he had done it. She was about to say some important rouge-ish stuff in front of Doyle. And it took all I had to not look at Doyle when she said something about the gypsies. ( I know George would have known that I knew about them. And that would be bad. I just looked at A like I was concerened.)

"So, boy, how old are you?" George said to try and take his attention off of Anastasia.

"I'm nineteen," He answered, now giving George his attention.

"Nineteen," George made the word longer then it should be. Then he started to sit back in his chair and rub his chin. "Well, beg my pardon. I guess I can't call you boy then, can I?" He looked at me. Why was he looking at me?

"So, Gwen, how do you know mister..."

"Doyle," Leo put in.

"Yes. How do you know him?"

"Ayden. He was the man who chased me for him. He willing gave Ayden to me, though, so I'm repaying him by feeding him while his punishment for losing the horse is going on."

He rubbed his chin some more. Then he turned to Leo. "And you?"

"I met him today. We went to my home to clean up and during that time we've been talking and found we have much in common." He had to add one more thing. "He's a good man, sir. Hard worker. I told him that he may stay with me for a time, as it seems he will not have much of a place to stay after tonight."

"Is that so," George said.

Anastasia yawed and stretched. "Well, I don't know about you fine people," She said. "But I'm going to turn in early. I'm tired. Good-night." She said it specifically to George.

"I don't think that's such a bad idea." George agreed. "I might just follow your idea. Sleep is something I haven't had much of latly." He started to get up to follow A up the stairs, when I had to stop him.

"Oh, Brother of mine," I said all to sweetly. "May I have a moment with you?" I walked to him, taking us away from the nightly crowed.

"I would think on what bed you should be sleeping in." I said in a very bitter voice, acting twice my age and ( hopefully) sounding like I've been around the block a few times. "You have sworn yourself to Alanna. I remember a certin library incedent. Remember that you love Alanna."

He looked slightly confused. "Who?" He asked. That got me so angry. You have no idea. But he got my point because following that question was my hand, and a nice 'smack' sound behind it. He rubbed his face wondering what that was for.

"Remember Alanna!" I said in a harsh voice. "The girl you love. The one who you said you would always love. How can you forget her? She's unique!"

"oh, Yes, yes, I know who your talking about. And yes I do love her. And no, I wasn't going to Anastasias bed. My own will surfice." The last words where slightly bitter. Then he mumbeled to himself going up the stairs. All I heard was, "Damn sister-girl. Not even blood and she's smacking me around. I'm half her size." Then it got louder so I could here. "She better watch which rouge she smackes around around here. She might end up hurt." After that I couldn't hear.

I went to the table and sat down in George's big chair and grabbed what was left of my glass of ale. "This is mine." I told the boys, protectively. I finished the glass and they where both amazed at how fast I drank it. I was too.

I slammed the cup down and said to the boys, "Well, I don't know about you, but I was going somewhere originally and I intend to get there tonight. Good-bye."

"Where are you going?" Doyle asked.

"If you must know, to see Kia."

"You wont find her where she was. She moved." I sighed.

"Show me the way, please." I said annoyed.

"I guess I can do that." He finished his cup and stood up.

"Where are we going?" Leo asked.

"Some where I think you've never been." I said, not wanting to say Gypsies around the dove. ( To many rouges, you know. Could have gotten bloody.)

Sorry for the wait people, but i told u it would be hard with school. And i'm getting a lot of homework. I'm kinda mad. and i use my weekends to just chill so it leaves little room for this story. But i worked on this chapter. More to come soon. I hope. Sooner or later... it'll come.