A/N:
Here's the next chapter! And in case you're curious, I'm still working on "A Happy Ending?" Yes, I have already started the next chapter. Anyway, I have an important announcement to make! I am in the process of editing Fairy Blood, though I'm not going to make you guys read it again. It's only for those who have not read it yet.
Furthermore, I'm changing Nalyan to Caelion, which is already certain, so don't be surprised when Lucas starts calling her Caelion. Any other changes are minor, I think. And I have somewhat altered Tania's scenes with Darrin. I'm already in the process of editing chapter six of Fairy Blood. Anything else? Hmm…that's it for now, I think. Moving on…
Answers, messages, and whatnot:
1) Yes, I put "Nalyan Riders" on purpose (except soon it's going to be Caelion Riders). If you don't know what I'm talking about, Saphra (the golden eyed fairy) mentions something about Nalyan Riders.
Special thanks to:
veir
smartblondee You know what, I've never really thought about that before. When I read it in my mind, I say it the way you say "Tanya." How do you say it?
idontlikemilkI haven't introduced the prince yet.
CrimsonEnchantress Yeah, that's so true. It's not really that related to Ella Enchanted. Anyway, this chapter doesn't have a cliffy!!!
jar4christ
stubble96
bluelilyoflove
sassafras
jaioublie
awaiting impatient person
AngelFromDaMoonSo true. It is going slow, I know. And yes, I do have an outline for it. I don't know why it's going slow…oh well. I guess it's because I have a lot to reveal/introduce here and there.
CaptainFantastic
lady gwen
CrazayladayShe does have brown hair. Chestnut-brown hair, to be exact. You know what, at first I didn't know what chestnut-brown hair was, I just thought it sounded cool, but after searching from google (good old google) I realized that it's dark brown hair. I just learned this a few days ago, I think.
whiskeygirl
bellaYeah, they're fairy thieves, but their targets are other thieves.
QueenSabriel5 Aww, thank you! But no way…my works are nothing compared to those published ones.
bwahahah
littlelambugYeah, she does have her own faults. I didn't want to have a perfect heroine. Or else I would have gotten sick of my own story.
azurestarr
don't-ask
Basketball Girl
tay
Tamaran Girl
Gaerwen
A Vision
Ginerva Lily
seculdeddark
slickchick650
Rowenhood
You guys ROCK!!! Thank you so much for everything! If I missed you, that was purely UNintentional, but I give you every right to yell at me. Anyway, read on…
Warrior Blood
What happened so far:
Tania went to the fairy meeting. She met Brynn, Garret, and Garret's friends (Braeden and the others' names are not yet revealed) at the meeting, which meant that they were all fairies. Tania found out that these new acquaintances were curious about Viper.
Chapter 6: Unlikely Encounter
Garret peered right into Tania's widened eyes. Then he snorted and shook his head. "A great help, sister dear," he said sarcastically. "Plain old brown ones…"
"Thanks," came Tania's dry reply.
Garret, ignoring her, scowled at his sister. "I guess that narrows it down to…I don't know…a lot of people?"
Brynn glared. "Well, sorry for not being a good help."
He smirked. "You're forgiven."
She rolled her eyes. "Forget about him, Garret. Who cares if he wants to hide his identity? Leave him alone."
"It makes him suspicious," Braeden piped up.
The others nodded in agreement. Brynn just rolled her eyes once again and muttered the word "stalkers," which Tania secretly agreed to with all her heart. Why were they so curious about her other self anyway?
Suddenly, Brynn jumped and flew in the air. "Come on, Tania," she invited cheerfully. "Let's go get a drink."
Tania felt her back stiffen. Remembering that she could not flyor have any other type of power was not pleasant at all. She even felt a bit of envy upon seeing Brynn floating oh-so-casually in the air. Sighing inwardly, she said, "Actually, I have to go now. Bye."
She walked off —almost ran—immediately, not giving Brynn or the others a chance to speak. The moment she passed through the barrier, the music and laugher vanished, and a cold silence hung in the air.
She fixed her hood and made her way back to the palace.
When Tania woke up in the morning, she dressed herself in Viper's attire and headed down. She was at the palace garden when she heard a familiar voice say her name. When she turned, she was surprised to see Farvon. She hadn't seen him a long time since he was always busy.
"Have you seen Lucas?" he asked.
"No. Why?"
He grinned. "Well, since I have a free day today, I was hoping we could go somewhere and train."
Tania looked at him amusedly. "But that's all you've been doing," she said. "Training soldiers. Aren't you tired of it?"
"Not when it's with you," he said cheekily.
She snorted and rolled her eyes. "Oh, you flatter me. Anyway, where else would Lucas be but in the training field?"
"Ah, true. Shall we go to him then?"
She smiled and nodded. "Why not? I'd love to duel against him once more."
It didn't take them long to reach the training field, since it was next to the palace garden. Sure enough, Lucas was there, watching a duel between two men.
"Hey, Lucas, wipe that smirk off your face and let's go," Tania said to him from behind.
Lucas wheeled around. "What smirk? And what do you mean 'let's go'?"
She looked at him impatiently. "You always smirk when you watch a duel because you always find some fault in the fighter's technique or whatnot. And let's go because Farvon is training us somewhere."
Lucas's eyes flickered towards Farvon in surprise, as if he hadn't noticed him earlier. "Really? You're not busy today?"
Farvon shook his head. "No. And the next training day for you two won't be until…I don't know…perhaps a couple of weeks."
"So hurry up and get your weapons," Tania said.
Lucas nodded. "All right."
The three left the training field, but not before some of the inhabitants of it caught sight of Farvon and began to praise him or compliment him. When Farvon was finally able to get rid of them, they headed towards the stables and mounted their horses.
"So…where to?" Lucas asked.
"A familiar place to you," Farvon replied.
"And me?" Tania piped up.
"No. This was before you came. Do you know what I'm talking about, Lucas?"
Lucas nodded slowly. "I think so…the cliff?"
Farvon smiled. "Yes. The cliff." Not bothering to explain anything to Tania, he kicked his horse lightly and began to lead the way. Said girl could only watch him bewilderedly and irritably as he rode away.
"Get ready," came a sudden whisper Tania's ear. She turned abruptly and glared at Lucas, who was shooting her a mysterious, yet mischievous look.
"What are you talking about?" she demanded.
"Get ready," Lucas repeated, "because you're in for a hard day of training."
The cliff was, indeed, a remarkable cliff. It was steep, but not in a way that scared Tania. She had seen steeper ones. However, the cliff was high. It couldn't have been less than thirty feet. And down below, at the bottom, was a section of River Lucarno. At the very top was a small empty space, then the entrance to a forest.
"So…this is the cliff?" Tania asked, wondering why it was so special.
"Yes," Farvon said with a nod, "this is the cliff. And you, Tania, are going to climb it, while Lucas and I are at the top, training with the sword."
Tania froze. "What?" she almost yelled. "You want me to…to…climb that…thing?"
"Yes," Farvon said calmly and patiently. "You will climb it. It tests your patience, determination, and ability to seek out new technique. I made Lucas do it as well. All my special trainees go through it"
"And it took me a billion hours," Tania heard Lucas mumble under his breath.
She pretended not to have heard that. "But…what if I fall?" she said shakily.
"Tania, do you really I think I'd be careless? Of course we'll use a rope to secure your safety."
Tania looked exasperatedly at her master. The expression on his face was one of finality. His mind was set; no one could change it. So she had no choice in the matter. It was part of the training, and she could not be excluded from it.
"Fine," she said in defeat.
A couple of minutes later and she found herself at the bottom, with a rope secured tightly around her waist. Lucas and Farvon were no where in sight, for they headed for the top (along with the other end of Tania's rope).
Tug. Tug. Tug.
Three tugs. That meant all was ready, and she could start. Tania exhaled deeply and began to climb. She dug one foot in a crevice, the other on a stable rock, and reached for a crack above. Then she lifted foot to a higher rock, and reached for a rock above. This went on and on, looking for crevices or cracks, or stable spots, or fixed rocks.
This isn't so bad, she thought later on, after what felt like an eternity. If I keep this up, I'll get to the top in no time.
Her arms began to lose strength in the middle or it, or maybe just one-third of it. She reached up for a rock, but could not hoist herself because her arms were too tired. She groaned, placed her hand back to the previous rock, and remained where she was, motionless and breathing heavily.
My arms are just about to give out. I can't carry myself anymore.
She was stuck. She was plain stuck. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, trying to get herself to relax and find a way to solve this.
So if my arms are too tired…
My legs. I can put most of the pressure in my legs.
It made sense. She could use her legs to do all the power, while her arms could be just used for steadying herself. It did make sense…
Well, that's the only plan I have. Might as well use it.
She set to work. She placed a foot in a crevice, and used the strength in her legs to hoist herself up. She used her hands to just hold onto a rock or a crevice, but not actually carry herself with. There was a major difference.
She was getting closer to the top now. How much time has passed? she thought, beads of perspiration pouring down her forehead. Are they even still up there?
She was getting much closer. Ten more feet to go…
Eight…
Six…
Four…
Three…
Two…
One…
She groaned as she hoisted herself up the flat terrain. Completely worn-out, she collapsed on the ground, not carrying if she dirtied herself. After all, she was already dirty from climbing the cliff.
How long did it take me? she wondered. It couldn't have been less than three or four hours. Groaning quietly, she half-heartedly untied the rope from her waist and threw it away from her.
"Get up."
Tania's eyes immediately opened in alarm. Why? Well, probably because she knew that that voice was neither Lucas's, nor Farvon's. She got up hastily, and found herself gaping at a complete stranger with a sword in his hand.
He almost looked like her. He was dressed all in black, like her. The only difference was the mask. While the mask she wore covered the bridge of her nose and down, therefore showing her eyes, the mask that he wore covered his face entirely. It was like a black veil. A very thick black veil, for she could not even see his eyes or the colour of his skin. She wondered how he could see through it.
His hair she could not see either, for the hood of his cloak was pulled up. The only thing she could tell was that he was tall. The top of her head only reached just slightly above his shoulders.
"Who are you?" she demanded.
"Unsheathe your sword," was his reply. "We're going to have a duel."
She wanted to yell at him. Her arms were aching, her legs were aching, and her head was aching. She could barely stand, so how on earth could she fight him?
She peered at him. "Um…you do realize that I just finished climbing this cliff, right?"
"We never know when we are attacked," he replied. "You should be ready at all times."
Tania frowned slightly. She could have sworn there was amusement in his voice. Where was Farvon? Where was Lucas? Did he do something to them? No…it would take a lot of men to overpower Lucas and Farvon. So who was he?
She voiced that question out loud.
He replied by pointing the sword right at her. "Unsheathe your sword," he said firmly, "and stop asking questions."
She glared at him. "Fine!" She unsheathed her sword in one fluid motion. The moment she did, she leaped forward and attacked him. He blocked her, sidestepped, and swiped for her thigh, in such a way that caught Tania off guard.
No way. No. Way. There is no WAY someone can move THAT quickly, she thought in shock.
"Good footing and good speed," he said, blocking her attacks confidently and almost breezily, which angered her. "But you have to put more strength in your swings."
He's stealing my role. I'm supposed to do the comments!
"Well, try climbing up a cliff and then being forced to fight some cocky stranger!" Tania retorted angrily. The moment she said this, she thought she heard a snort come from the trees nearby. She glanced at that direction suspiciously, but then forgot about it as she narrowly dodged an attack. She glared and thrust her blade toward his abdomen. He parried and mocked her attack, which she avoided quickly.
"Pretty good for someone who barely has no strength," he said lazily. "Impressive." He then finished the duel by doing a combination of a vertical cut, followed by a smooth downward swinging cut, then a swift kick to her knees. She fell clumsily to the ground, and since she had already lost most of strength during the climb, could not avoid his sword in time.
"All right, you win, Oh Mighty One," she said dryly, raising her hands up in mock surrender. "Put the sword down."
He sheathed his sword. Tania stood up and dusted her clothes.
"So…who are you and why the hell did you want to duel?"
"I told you to go easy!" suddenly came a frustrated voice. The two turned simultaneously and saw Farvon coming out of the trees, followed by Lucas.
The man in black snorted. "I did."
Farvon glared at him. "Sh...he is a beginner. He has only been training for about four months. You should have done your easiest."
"All right, all right," the man replied. "I'm sorry." He turned to Tania. "Sorry."
She looked suspiciously at him, then pretty much exploded. "Who are you?!" She turned to Farvon. "You were in on this?!"
Farvon shifted awkwardly. "Yes, though it was not originally planned. This young man here, while on the road in Araven Forest, just happened to hear Lucas and me duelling. Then I asked him to fight you so that I could see how well you could fight without much of your energy."
"So…you asked a stranger to fight me?"
Farvon chuckled. "No, not a stranger."
"What do you mean?"
He grinned slowly. "I was the one who taught him how to fight. And to tell you the truth, he is one of my top students," he said, smiling proudly at the man in black.
Tania was shocked. Even though she was still wearing her mask, she knew she looked shocked. Slowly, very slowly, she turned to her former opponent. "Who are you?" she whispered.
She could almost see him grinning. "Oh, where are my manners?" he said, ignoring the fact that she had already asked this question two times before. He swept a mocking bow, then said, "You can call me Ryder."
Tania froze once more. Ryder?! The Ryder?! The legendary warrior who had been roaming the entire Tierra Continent, hunting down criminals and helping in battles? No! That was…impossible!
"You're not Ryder," she said flatly.
"Oh? Why do you think so?" he said, obvious amusement lacing his voice.
"Well…even though you are wearing his outfit, you're not him. Ryder is seven feet tall. And burly," she said, eyeing his muscular (definitely muscular), but not burly frame. "Also, he can crush a man's skull with two hands."
He chuckled. "Ah, yes. The stories they say about me. Didn't you ever stop to think that maybe, just maybe, the things you hear are exaggerated? It's simple, really. When you do a lot of heavy travelling, rescuing, and whatnot, people tend to be awestruck. And when they are awestruck, they tend to exaggerate."
Tania paused. That did make sense. However, she still refused to believe him. How could this man be Ryder? It was impossible! Wasn't it…?
"Prove it," she challenged. "Show me your crest."
He paused for a while. Tania could feel him gazing intently at her, but she wasn't sure, since she couldn't see his eyes. After a moment of silence, he shrugged, then pulled something out of his shirt. It was a long silver chain, and attached to it was a silver crest with Ryder's well-known symbol on it: a broadsword with a snake coiled around it, and a dragon in the background. The dragon was facing sideways, and the one eye that could be seen was a tiny ruby. They symbol overall was an intricate design, something that was extremely difficult to copy.
"It can't be," Tania whispered as she gazed at it.
"Why not?" he asked, putting the crest back into his shirt. "I travel everywhere. Why can't I be in Frell?"
"Are…are you here for the tournament?"
He burst out laughing. "No," he replied. "I don't need to prove myself."
"Then why are you here?"
"We need to go now," Farvon interrupted. "Ryder, where are the others?"
Ryder waved his hand towards Araven Forest. "Waiting at the south entrance," he replied. "We are headed for the palace."
Tania frowned when she thought about the "others". She remembered that Ryder was supposedly a leader of six knights. Was that what Farvon meant by "others"?
"Then let's go," Farvon said, beginning to lead the way. Lucas and Tania followed, and Ryder walked right behind them. Tania couldn't help but feel unnerved by that. She snuck a sideway look, wondering if Lucas was as well.
He was not. In fact, he looked completely calm.
He doesn't look disturbed by this at all, she thought in disbelief.
"Do you know Ryder?" she spoke up.
Lucas glanced at her. "Of course," he said nonchalantly. "We trained together for a while."
She frowned, but didn't say any more. I can't believe this. I can't believe the Ryder had been one of Farvon's trainees! And Lucas had trained with him? Does this mean that he has seen his face? Wait…if this is true, IF Ryder had been a trainee of Farvon, then he cannot be in his 30's, as people believe him to be…
Because she was lost in her own thoughts, she didn't notice that Lucas was already ahead, walking alongside Farvon, and Ryder was now walking right beside her. It was only when she almost tripped on a stick (she was relieved that she didn't actually trip…she would never have been able to live though the humiliation) when she realized this. Cautiously, very cautiously, she snuck a sideway look.
He looked more like a villain than a hero. He looked too intimidating. Weren't heroes supposed to be approachable? She then raised an eyebrow as she observed the way he walked. Either he had amazing boots, or he was light-footed. Barely a sound could be heard as he walked on the forest path. (Did the training do that to him? How long had he been under Farvon's guidance anyway?) And he walked proudly, as if he was walking down a military line, observing the troops.
"Lad," he suddenly said, making her jump, "are you finished gawking at me?"
Tania scowled furiously. "I was not gawking at you."
A sound escaped from his lips, which sounded a lot like a snort. "All right. If you say so."
"I was not!" she bellowed. She glared at him, then quickened her pace. She didn't want any more of him.
She barely made a few steps forward when his voice somehow got her to slow down. (What was it about that voice?!)
"Nice outfit, by the way," he said breezily. "I'm sure it's just coincidence that it looks like mine. Except for the mask. Kid, why do you wear a mask?"
She snorted. "Kid? What makes you think I'm a kid?"
"Easy," he replied. "Your voice. You can't be older than fourteen. Now answer my question."
"How about this, Ryder," Tania retorted. "Show your face and I will show you mine, all right?"
She was met with silence. She frowned and shot him a curious look, but he didn't even turn to her.
After a long moment, he finally spoke.
"All right," he said. "Remember that promise."
She snorted. "It's not like it's going to happen," she said. "You have no idea who I am, so why would you reveal your identity to me? It's foolish."
He shrugged. "We shall see."
They had reached the south entrance of Araven Forest, and not too far away, Tania could see seven war-horses and six riders, all looking professional and intimidating. So she was right. Ryder did have knights. Said man whistled shrilly, and when he did, a black stallion answered and came trotting over to him.
"This is Arres," he said as he patted his horse. He then began to speak to him quietly, in a language not Kyrrian.
"You know Venesian?" Tania spoke up, eyeing him curiously. He turned to her abruptly, and was silent. Once again, she could feel him gazing at her, even though she couldn't see his eyes. Damn that mask! It was unnerving! She wanted to see the expression in his eyes, to know what was going through his mind.
Finally, he turned back to his stallion. "I know a lot of languages," he replied. "I got Arres while I was on a mission in Venesia." After a final pat, he mounted his horse very gracefully. Tania almost resented him for it. Wasn't there one thing he couldn't do well?
"I'll see you later." He was about to ride off when he suddenly paused, then turned to Tania. "By the way, been in any other brawls lately?"
What? What is he talking about?
Tania frowned. Wait a minute…
She stared at him, speechless. She stood rooted on the ground as she recalled back to many days ago, during a stopover…that man was him?! The cloaked man who had stared at her was him?!
She could barely utter her words. "That was you?" she said in disbelief.
She could almost see him smirking. "You fight pretty roughly," he said amusedly. "You broke that man's nose." He then gave her a short nod, kicked his horse at the sides lightly, and rode off. His six other knights, who had been talking with Farvon and Lucas, followed thereafter.
He was at the front, leading the way. The people of Frell were in for a surprise.
A/N:
Well, that was chapter six! And Ryder is…? I don't know, you tell me! And here's a question: Do you think I should change Tania's eyes from purple to light amber? Light amber, I guess, would be a darkish yellow. I'm really leaning towards that because I don't want Tania to be similar to that girl from Lioness Rampant.
