The Banished One
By: Jay Whitefox
Chapter 4
Some few morning later, when Mistress Pol had begun to scowl at the storyteller's continued lurking in her kitchen, the old man made the excuse of some errand in the nearby village. He left taking the young boy Garion along while leavening the girl Ranko with Mistress Pol who had started to teach the child how to speak the common tongue. She also had Ranko helping in the kitchen as the young girl seemed very interested in learning how to cook watching everything they did. While she cooked Mistress Pol would talk to the girl telling her what she was doing and pointing out what some things were. Then Ranko would repeat some of the words as she watched dancing around Mistress Pol's helpers as they moved about the kitchen.
A little later Ranko found her way outside and to the smithy where she sat and watched the smith Durnik who was at work on a part for a wagon. As she watched the man work one of the farm's cats made its way over to her and climbed into the girls lap. She grins and then starts to pet the farm cat as it purrs and then looks up at her and says. "Mm you know just the right places to stroke I like you."
"Well I like you also little sister." Ranko replies back in the tongue of the cats to any who might have been watching seeing the strange girl meow and purr to the cat in her lap. The cat an orange tabby looks up at the red haired girl in surprise and asks. "How is it you know how to speak a proper tongue unlike the other two-leggers. They make useful pets but it would be so simple if they could understand me." Ranko giggles and shrugs as her fingers lightly scratch the cat's chin as she says. "I don't really know I just can. I know lots of things like that but I'm not sure where I learned them."
While Ranko speaks to the cat Mistress Pol looks on from the doorway. The only hint of any surprise is the slight lifting of one eyebrow as she then makes her way into smithy and lightly brushes her fingers along Ranko's hair making the girl blink and look up at her with a wide smile. "What are you doing Ranko?" she asks as Ranko smiles more and lifts up the cat to Mistress Pol and says in her very bad common. "Friend new, Cats like." Mistress Pol nods as she smiles slightly and says. "That is nice dear but I think you should play some outside and leave Goodman Durnik to his work and your new friend to hers."
Ranko nods as she sets down the cat and waves to it before rushing outside to the pasture where she and Garion had played with some of the other children on the farm. She then starts, to Pol's eye, a dance as she moves around flowing like water her fingers curled slightly. Mistress Pol then notices it was like what a swordsman would do to train with their own weapon but Ranko trained herself to use just her body. She watches for a while seeing that the girl would be very dangerous in a fight as she could move almost like a cat as she starts to mix jumps and rolls into her dance. She then feels someone next to her and sees Durnik also watching the girl and he nods as he says. "Good day Mistress Pol. She is an odd girl that one. That dancing she is doing is strange but she seems to enjoy it by the smile on her face." Mistress Pol looks at him as she asks. "Oh, you noticed it also then Goodman Durnik?" He nods as he looks back towards Ranko who had some how gotten hold of her staff and now it moved with her in the dance.
An so the day rolled on towards night Ranko after a meal from Mistress Pol, then a warm bath, where Mistress Pol made sure the girl was clean, Ranko was sent off to bed having been placed in Mistress Pol's bed with her. Then much later, only a few hours till Dawn, she was woken by the sounds of the old man with Mistress Pol talking and she yawns and stretches out her arms before silently moving over to the doorway to hear what they are saying. She tilts her head to one side understanding some of the words but most of their meaning escape her. What she was able to understand was it was time to leave as the storyteller was telling Mistress Pol. Ranko yawns and walks back into the room pulling off the old shirt of Garion and folding it before she pulls on her own clothing and picks up her staff.
Then with out a sound and moves to the door and waits for the old man. She smiles as he opens the door and stops in surprise seeing her and then seems to grin to himself as he says. "I see. So that's how it's going to be then? Well if you are sure you want to come with me you can Ranko." Ranko smiles more as she nods and takes his hand in her small one and he chuckles as he looks up at Mistress Pol who was looking down at them from the stairs as he says. "Don't worry about the girl I think she would be better off with the twin then here after what you told me happened today. I think they miss sometimes having a little girl to fuss over." He grins as Mistress Pol rolls her eyes some but has a fond smile on her lips. She then looks at Ranko and smiles as she says. "Try to keep the Old Wolf out of trouble Ranko and don't let him drink too much." Ranko nods and smiles as the storyteller rolled his eyes this time as he then says. "Don't worry about us we will be alright. Remember what I said and I'll try to send word if I can."
Then the storyteller and Ranko head off out the gate and towards the road leading away from both the farm and the village the storyteller had been at earlier. Mistress Pol watches them as they go and wonders just what might happen to those two out on their own.
As the two made their trip the old storyteller who had told Ranko to call him Mister Wolf a name given to him by Garion, would tell her stories to pass the time and help her learn the common tongue. Ranko would follow along and practice the words and stories as they walked passing through villages and a few towns as they made there way to some place only Mister Wolf knew of. Soon they had left Sendaria and entered Algaria where Mister Wolf got a horse. They then made better time as she rode before him bare back on the horse the wind in her hair. The seemingly endless plains before them as when they made camp for the night she would then practice as she had every night and morning of their journey. They rode pass the Stronghold of Algaria heading to the south, Ranko had looked at the man made mountain is a slight state of interest like a cat. As they rode they passed the traveling herd of the Algar cattle.
Then one day they passed into the Vale of Aldur and Mister Wolf smiles as they ride slowly along. Ranko looking around wide eyed at the rabbits and deer. Then before Ranko noticed them they came on two silvery-haired men, they stood together beneath a tall tree, waiting as Mister Wolf and her rode nearer. They were dressed in identical blue robes, and their white hair was quite long, though they were clean-shaven. When Ranko looked at them for a moment she thought her eyes were playing trick on her as they were absolutely identical.
"Belgarath, our brother," one of them says, "It's been such-"
"-a terribly long time," the other finishes for him.
Mister Wolf smiles as he dismounted and embraced the twins. He then looks at Ranko who was watching from the back of the horse and he says. "Ranko, these are my brothers Beltira and Belkira. Don't bother trying to keep them separate. Nobody can tell them apart anyways.
"We can," the two say in unison. The old man grins as he says with a gentle smile. "I'm not even sure of that." They grin at him as Ranko tilts her head to the side and then asks in her soft voice. "Belgarath?"
The old man coughs and nods as he says. "Yes Ranko that is who I am. I don't like to let people know unless I have to and it was better while we were traveling if you didn't know. Now I'm sure the twins have something to eat and then I can tell them about how I found you." Ranko nods as she leaps from the horses back to land lightly on her feet and looks at the twins who share a look of surprise on their faces that cause her to giggle. They then all make their way to a pair of towers linked by a bridge between them.
Ranko was soon settled down before the fire place eating a very large bowl of stew as the old men talked. She really didn't have much interest in what they were saying as the food was very good the same as Mistress Pol's cooking even. As the day turned to night and the old men talked Ranko slowly drifted off to sleep warmed by the fire.
The sun was setting on the woods as a camp was being set up. It was the camp of the famous Lina Inverse and Gourry Gabriev. The two were traveling to Atlas city together after Gourry had chosen to become Lina's protector. They had stopped to make camp as they had run into a problem. Sleeping in Lina's lap was a small boy nude who was purring softly as Lina strokes his hair. Gourry looks at Lina as she asks. "Say Lina where do you think he came from? And how come he can purr like a cat?"
"I don't know Gourry, I still don't know why he knocked me over before and went to sleep in my lap." Lina says as she looks at the blonde swordsman. She then looks back at the boy noticing the small scars barely noticeable on his body an she frowns wondering just who did this to him. She then says to Gourry, "well until we can find his family I guess he will have to come with us. Maybe when he wakes up he can tell us what happened to him." Gourry nods as he smiles and says. "Okay Lina. Well then good night." He lays his head down and falls right to sleep. She rolls her eyes as she lies down also and wraps her cape around herself and the boy who cuddles closer to her in his sleep. His purring slowly calms her and allows her to fall asleep also.
AN: Yay another chapter is done and out. This story is really coming along. Let's hope it keeps going as well. I need more reviews to feed my muse she eats them right up. Also I'm still looking for a proofreader for my stories. E-mail me if you are interested. I'm also open to ideas for worlds where the last two might be at. I have a few ideas but if someone has a better one I'll love to hear it. Well now I'm off to tickle my muse into helping me with the next chapter of this.