One Great Big Circle
Thea sat down at a table in the back of the Black Dragon, which is an inn/tavern. Thea Thank the Gods that it was only noon because the "dancing entertainment" came later. Gabi and the three men sat around the table as well. There was a big uncomfortable silence and Thea was the only one who didn't notice. She was engrossed with the man playing the lute in the center of the tavern. Thea was humming along not noticing the shifting clearing of throuts that were going around the table.
A woman came over to the table passing around mugs of ale not bothering to ask if they wanted something else. The woman obviously didn't know she had the heir to the kingdom at her table. Thea knew her as one of the loose girls in the town, and she wasn't only loose with the men, but she was loose in the head too. "Chicken and Biscuits, it's what were serving so take it or leave it" the woman said in a bored as can be tone of voice.
"I'll take it" Thea piped finally looking away from the musician. The others just nodded in agreement. Then Thea looked around the table and decided to strike up a conversation before the room exploded with the tension.
"So what is this progress about anyway, I mean I have heard that you were coming and all but i never got around to asking why." She turned to the Prince and asked "Are you getting Married?"
The Prince shook his head, looking abit embarrassed. "No, this progress is for Tortall to get a finall look at my grandfatheras king, he decided it was time to step down and hand over the throne to my father. All the Knights from his generation are dead, like Sir Gareth the younger, or retired like the Lioness, who is with us by the way she's the one you talked to. So this is also his last real look at Tortall and his people. The coronation for my Father will be this mid-winter."
Thea nodded her understanding then wondered about someting else. " OKay so tell me why a little town like Dragon's Box hold such interest that you are staying here longer than you did at bigger places?" Thea said this with alittle bitterness, she was covering up the confusion over the feeling of relief she had felt when he told her he wasn't marring.
There was no responce to her question for a long moment. Then Lance said "The king is just reluctant to go home I guess" Thea knew he was lying. Thea could always tell if someone was lying because there tone changed, Thea called it a fracture in thier inner song. Thea told him she knew.
"Your lying, and i have a big hunch as to the answer to my question. The Baron right?" The others just stared at her not knowing what to say. They didn't have to either because the door to the Black Dragon opened and everyone who wasn't to drunk (most of the people in the tavern weren't that drunk yet because it was only noon) stood up and started to bow like crazy. The King had just walked into the smoky room and looked around until he spotted his grandson and started walking towards the table.
Everone at the table except Thea stood up and bowed. The king, the lioness and their gaurds all looked at Thea. She just raised her eyebrows and stared back without any emotions in her (at the present anyway) gold eyes. The Price spoke up "Grandfather this is Thea and from what i heard she bows to know one".
Thea had excepted to be scolded at but instead the king smiled a tired smile and replied "I like her already, All these years with people bowing left and right took some years out of my life" He turne to face the still sitting Thea who was now smiling. "So you are the mysterious girl who saved my life and those of my children and wife when my conection with the land in Tortall are wavering because i am handing them down to my son"
Thea replied with a simple "maybe" and smiled. "Well if it was you I thank you from the bottom of this old heart of mine" the king replied truthfully as he sat down in a chair across from Thea that was offered to him by Gabi, the lioness sat down on his left and said "as do I". Thea felt something there, the Lioness's inner song was crying and before she could stop and think Thea blurted out to Alanna
"Your sad" she stated it as a fact not a question
Alanna just looked at her then gasped as Thea's eyes began to turn brown because she was feeling the pain and sadness that was coming from the old lady in waves, Thea hadn't heard such a sad song in a long time.
Gabi who saw that Alanna was on the verge of tears decided to change the subject.
"Your eyes still do that! They freaked me out when we were little and they still do" Gabi looked at the others and explained "her eyes change with her moods, and i could never watch them without shivering"
Thea closed her eyes, blocked out the sad song and breathed meditatingly waiting to feel that small tink that told her her eyes where changing. When she was sure they where back to there neutral color of gold she opened them. Her eyes bothered her to because she could never hide her feelings from anyone who new what the colors meant, like Pete.
"Yes they still do that and it's a blood inconvenience." That drew a chuckle from someone from behind Thea. She shivered. With that evil laugh it could only be Hilence Barnapple, the Barons Son. Thea turned around and glared at him.
"I thought i told you that if you ever showed your face around me again, i would bloody it, obviously someone doesn't take a threat to heart."
"Oh i am shaking in my boots" with that he laughed along with three of his friends who where standing right behind him.
"You should be, because you have 5 second to get out of here before i cut your throat and leave here with no regrets." with that she pulled out a knife and held it to his throat. No one had even seen her move she was so fast. Hilence paled visibly "You wouldn't be so brave if you didn't have a bunch of people standing behind you, just like you are brave when Pete is nearby" then he whispered so only she could here "Just wait I'll get you alone" with that he turned and left. Thea mumered under her breath "bring it on".
She turned to the people, who had stood up, and said
"Sorry about that, he just really disturbs me" (If you knew Thea well enough you would know she told the truth because her eyes where a lite blue of distubance). "If I am to get home before night fall i got to leave now so i'll see you guys later i guess."
Thea left but not before she saw the King nod to 2 of his gaurds, they were to follow her. "Oh well, I'll just have to sleep here in town tonight." she said under her breath. But she wasn't going to tell them that, she needed to release some energy.
It was a long ride but Thea rode the whole ride with a smile on her lips. She rode out of town and all the way around the town, going the long way to make it seem like hours for her followers who were afoot. There faces were priceless when they relized they were back at their camp. The King looked at them when they walked into the clearing.
"Well that was faster than i though it would take, where did she go"
The gaurds said in unison "In one great big Circle." They looked around until they spotted Thea at the edge of the woods. "She was playing with us the whole time! one gaurd said in rage. When The King looked over at Thea He realized what had happened and started to laugh. Soon everone who was nearby was laughing too.
Thea walked her horse over to the king and said "I don't like to be followed it give me the creeps, and now because of you i have to stay in town tonight."
"Do you have a place to stay?, it would only be polite to give you a tent for the night."
"yes when i stay in town i stay at the temple of the Goddess, Good night your majesty." With that she galloped out of the camp with the King, prince and his friends all staring after her shaking thier heards in amazment. That girl is something The king thought as he watched her go.
Thea sat down at a table in the back of the Black Dragon, which is an inn/tavern. Thea Thank the Gods that it was only noon because the "dancing entertainment" came later. Gabi and the three men sat around the table as well. There was a big uncomfortable silence and Thea was the only one who didn't notice. She was engrossed with the man playing the lute in the center of the tavern. Thea was humming along not noticing the shifting clearing of throuts that were going around the table.
A woman came over to the table passing around mugs of ale not bothering to ask if they wanted something else. The woman obviously didn't know she had the heir to the kingdom at her table. Thea knew her as one of the loose girls in the town, and she wasn't only loose with the men, but she was loose in the head too. "Chicken and Biscuits, it's what were serving so take it or leave it" the woman said in a bored as can be tone of voice.
"I'll take it" Thea piped finally looking away from the musician. The others just nodded in agreement. Then Thea looked around the table and decided to strike up a conversation before the room exploded with the tension.
"So what is this progress about anyway, I mean I have heard that you were coming and all but i never got around to asking why." She turned to the Prince and asked "Are you getting Married?"
The Prince shook his head, looking abit embarrassed. "No, this progress is for Tortall to get a finall look at my grandfatheras king, he decided it was time to step down and hand over the throne to my father. All the Knights from his generation are dead, like Sir Gareth the younger, or retired like the Lioness, who is with us by the way she's the one you talked to. So this is also his last real look at Tortall and his people. The coronation for my Father will be this mid-winter."
Thea nodded her understanding then wondered about someting else. " OKay so tell me why a little town like Dragon's Box hold such interest that you are staying here longer than you did at bigger places?" Thea said this with alittle bitterness, she was covering up the confusion over the feeling of relief she had felt when he told her he wasn't marring.
There was no responce to her question for a long moment. Then Lance said "The king is just reluctant to go home I guess" Thea knew he was lying. Thea could always tell if someone was lying because there tone changed, Thea called it a fracture in thier inner song. Thea told him she knew.
"Your lying, and i have a big hunch as to the answer to my question. The Baron right?" The others just stared at her not knowing what to say. They didn't have to either because the door to the Black Dragon opened and everyone who wasn't to drunk (most of the people in the tavern weren't that drunk yet because it was only noon) stood up and started to bow like crazy. The King had just walked into the smoky room and looked around until he spotted his grandson and started walking towards the table.
Everone at the table except Thea stood up and bowed. The king, the lioness and their gaurds all looked at Thea. She just raised her eyebrows and stared back without any emotions in her (at the present anyway) gold eyes. The Price spoke up "Grandfather this is Thea and from what i heard she bows to know one".
Thea had excepted to be scolded at but instead the king smiled a tired smile and replied "I like her already, All these years with people bowing left and right took some years out of my life" He turne to face the still sitting Thea who was now smiling. "So you are the mysterious girl who saved my life and those of my children and wife when my conection with the land in Tortall are wavering because i am handing them down to my son"
Thea replied with a simple "maybe" and smiled. "Well if it was you I thank you from the bottom of this old heart of mine" the king replied truthfully as he sat down in a chair across from Thea that was offered to him by Gabi, the lioness sat down on his left and said "as do I". Thea felt something there, the Lioness's inner song was crying and before she could stop and think Thea blurted out to Alanna
"Your sad" she stated it as a fact not a question
Alanna just looked at her then gasped as Thea's eyes began to turn brown because she was feeling the pain and sadness that was coming from the old lady in waves, Thea hadn't heard such a sad song in a long time.
Gabi who saw that Alanna was on the verge of tears decided to change the subject.
"Your eyes still do that! They freaked me out when we were little and they still do" Gabi looked at the others and explained "her eyes change with her moods, and i could never watch them without shivering"
Thea closed her eyes, blocked out the sad song and breathed meditatingly waiting to feel that small tink that told her her eyes where changing. When she was sure they where back to there neutral color of gold she opened them. Her eyes bothered her to because she could never hide her feelings from anyone who new what the colors meant, like Pete.
"Yes they still do that and it's a blood inconvenience." That drew a chuckle from someone from behind Thea. She shivered. With that evil laugh it could only be Hilence Barnapple, the Barons Son. Thea turned around and glared at him.
"I thought i told you that if you ever showed your face around me again, i would bloody it, obviously someone doesn't take a threat to heart."
"Oh i am shaking in my boots" with that he laughed along with three of his friends who where standing right behind him.
"You should be, because you have 5 second to get out of here before i cut your throat and leave here with no regrets." with that she pulled out a knife and held it to his throat. No one had even seen her move she was so fast. Hilence paled visibly "You wouldn't be so brave if you didn't have a bunch of people standing behind you, just like you are brave when Pete is nearby" then he whispered so only she could here "Just wait I'll get you alone" with that he turned and left. Thea mumered under her breath "bring it on".
She turned to the people, who had stood up, and said
"Sorry about that, he just really disturbs me" (If you knew Thea well enough you would know she told the truth because her eyes where a lite blue of distubance). "If I am to get home before night fall i got to leave now so i'll see you guys later i guess."
Thea left but not before she saw the King nod to 2 of his gaurds, they were to follow her. "Oh well, I'll just have to sleep here in town tonight." she said under her breath. But she wasn't going to tell them that, she needed to release some energy.
It was a long ride but Thea rode the whole ride with a smile on her lips. She rode out of town and all the way around the town, going the long way to make it seem like hours for her followers who were afoot. There faces were priceless when they relized they were back at their camp. The King looked at them when they walked into the clearing.
"Well that was faster than i though it would take, where did she go"
The gaurds said in unison "In one great big Circle." They looked around until they spotted Thea at the edge of the woods. "She was playing with us the whole time! one gaurd said in rage. When The King looked over at Thea He realized what had happened and started to laugh. Soon everone who was nearby was laughing too.
Thea walked her horse over to the king and said "I don't like to be followed it give me the creeps, and now because of you i have to stay in town tonight."
"Do you have a place to stay?, it would only be polite to give you a tent for the night."
"yes when i stay in town i stay at the temple of the Goddess, Good night your majesty." With that she galloped out of the camp with the King, prince and his friends all staring after her shaking thier heards in amazment. That girl is something The king thought as he watched her go.