The Banished One
By: Jay Whitefox
Chapter 7
A few weeks after bringing Ranko to the Vale, Belgarath was off again on some duty. The twins spent the time teaching her many things from how to speak, to cooking and even some herb craft as they learned the girl had a sharp mind like another girl they helped raise. When she wasn't in with the twins at her lessons, she could be found exploring the Vale and training under and in the branches The Tree. She could often be found sleeping in its great branches or leaping about them. Time passed in the Vale and almost a year after she had come to live there with the twins Beldin appears landing in the form of a blue-banded hawk. He had come on one of the days of Ranko's lessons in dance the twins were teaching her.
"What's this here? Are you two now collecting human strays?" the hunchbacked sorcerer says as he stomps into the twin's tower and see one of them leading Ranko through the steps. They look at Beldin and one says, "Brother Beldin it is a-"
"-pleasure to see you again." Has anything changed "-the other says as then his twin finishes. "-with Torak?" Does he still slumber?"
"Old Burnt Face hasn't moved at all since the Warder Brand struck him down. Now who is this skinny girl and where did she come from?" the old man says as he looks Ranko over as she watches him back. The twins tell him how Belgarath found her and brought her here to be looked after and raised. As they talk the twins give him a bowl of stew and a tankard of beer as Ranko settles down on a window sill with her own bowl and cup of milk to watch the hunchback. Beldin looks over at the girl and makes a face at her and she blinks and then grins making one back at him. They then spend the next hour making faces at one another while the twins looked on as each face they made were worse then the last. Soon Beldin is laughing as he picks up Ranko and says. "I like this girl; she got fire in her a lot like Pol but doesn't talk as much as she did. I guess she can stay in the Vale but I'm going to help teach her some things while I'm here. Can't have her turning out like you two now can we?"
And so started the time where for part of the week she would spend it with the twins in their towers learning from them and the other part with Beldin who taught her of the world and his views on the different Peoples. Beldin also taught her a lot of words that would send the twins into fits if they heard them. Beldin stayed in the Vale for 5 months before he left to return to watching Torak. It was soon after he had left that Ranko had started to explore a small ways outside the Vale.
At first the twins would take turns following after her in different forms. But then one day they got to see her deal with a group of Murgos who were after Algar horses. The Murgos had thought the small red haired girl might make a good slave. The twins had watched in shock as she not only beat them but then stripped of all they had and watched them run as some Algar horsemen were seen coming. The twins had spoken with the horsemen who from time to time would visit the Vale to bring news of the world to them. During the talks one of the riders offered to teach Ranko how to ride and use an Algar sword and bow. The twins had agreed and so for a few months she lived with the horsemen traveling the plains and learning from them. When she returned she had several horses of her own and some cattle also that she had bought with money she had gotten from some Murgos she caught during her training. The twins had set aside some land for the herd near their tower as Ranko had gone to the Tree and spent the next week in its branches.
Time rolled on in the Vale and Ranko grew and learned from the twins. Then during the summer of her third year in the vale she vanished. At first the twins were worried till their Master came to them and told them he had asked Ranko to run an errand for him a she would be back in a few months. After three months Beldin returned to the Vale with Ranko who had changed some while gone. She now wore black leather boots that almost reached her knees and in the tops of them small daggers. A long red tunic belted at the waist with a wide black leather belt, with the rest flaring out some and almost to her knees leaving some of her legs bare. Her belt had four sheaths on it each holding a knife and she wore a pair of black leather gloves with the fingers cut out that reached up her arms to her elbows with metal sew onto the outside. She had smiled and hugged the twins and then gone to Aldur's Tower and spent a few days inside. Beldin had told them he had found Ranko learning from a Nadrak woman in how to dance and in their style of knife fighting. He had spent a lot of time trying to convince the woman he was Ranko's uncle before she would let him take her.
When she left Aldur's tower she smiled at the old men making the twins smile back but Beldin just frowned as he said. "Aright we are back in the vale. Now can you tell me just way the Master wanted you there and why you were learning to dance?" she grins as she looks at him and then says. "He needed me to look in on someone for him and while I was there I wanted to learn to move like they do. It was a lot of fun Uncles but now I'm ready to get back to my studies."
Beldin grumbles as he stomps off while the twins sigh and then go to start dinner to welcome her home. And time flowed on as it was know to do. Five years had passed since Belgarath had found Ranko on his way to Faldor's farm and she had grown in the Vale to a girl around 11 or 12 her bright red hair braided in a long tail down her back the tip slightly pass her knees. Her figure had started to bloom and her skin shown with a golden tan from the time spent outdoors training. Her mind was sharp from learning from three of the wisest men in the world. On this day she was outside sitting in the branches of the Tree dressed in what had become her customary costume. A red silk dress cut short just above her knees with tight black pants under it that showed off her legs. Black leather boots with the hilts of two of her many knives showing from the tops. An she wore a wide black leather belt with a silver buckle wrapped around her waist, with four more of her knives resting in sheaths on it ready to be used at a moment's notice. Then on her hands she wears her fingerless gloves with the metal plates sewn into the tops protecting her lower arms, and a smaller plate on the backs of her hands. Around her neck was a black choker with a small blue stone set in silver on it, a gift from her uncle Beldin meant to protect her from Grolims who used mind tricks.
She was bored at the moment when she feels a thought brush at her mind and she looks towards Aldur's tower and then grins. With a leap she races from the Tree to the towers of the twins. They both look up as she rushes inside an to her room pulling out changes of clothing and stuffing them into a pack along with some of her weapons and she picks up her Algar sword and with the strap on it's sheath places it to rest on her back. She then pulls out a long cloak red on the inside and black on the outside and settles it on her shoulders. One of the twins coughs into his fist as he then says. "Ranko, where are-"
"-you going child?" The other finishes and Ranko flashes them both a smile as she starts to fill a saddle bag with food as she says. "Belgarath has got a problem. Aldur's Orb has been stolen by Zedar some how. He wants me to meet with him and a few others while he gets Polgara." The twin look at each other in slight shock as Ranko then rushes over and gives them each a tight hug and many kisses on their cheeks as she says. "Don't worry I'll be alright Uncles. I'm the best after all and no one can beat me" she giggles seeing them both grin at hearing that. They then help her pack up supplies for the trip as she leans out the window and whistles and her horses come over to the tower.
Soon two of her horses were loaded with her supplies for the trip and the other two she would ride switching off along the way a she had been taught. She then takes off giving one last wave to her uncles as she heads for Sendaria.
In a café in a city there is an older woman her grey hair streaked with red and in a long braid. Her blue grey eyes watch the people as they walk pass as she sips her tea. She was dressed in a red silk dress with a black vest tied closed with red threads. She also wore soft brown leather boots and a leather belt with many pouches for holding things. She had spent her time in this world learning much about it and the Science of Alchemy. She was in Central City at the moment relaxing from her latest trip. Reaching into one of her pouches she takes out a pocket watch that was also the symbol of a state alchemist. She had become one when she had learned they held many kinds of books in their library but only allowed the state alchemists to see them.
So she had spent a year learning the science of Alchemy and mastering it to a level few could reach. She kept most of her skill hidden so that they would only call her in on missions where no one else wanted to handle them. She had been given the name the Ironfist Alchemist due to her using her skills as a fighter with her alchemy. Most of the time she would be called in to help young children who wished to one day be alchemists train and study.
She then looks up as two people walk pass her. The first who drew the most stares was a figure dressed in full armor and looked most impressive. It was even more so to her eyes as she saw no one in fact was wearing the armor it was alive with a familiar Ki aura, as was the aura of the boy with him, who moved with the skill of a trained fighter. He held himself with a confidence she knew might even match her own. With blonde hair, dressed in a long red jacket and white gloves on his hands as he carried a suitcase the boy looked like one of the many who would come to the city to try and become State Alchemists.
She then snaps her fingers as she remembers where she knew them from. When she had first found herself in this world she had stayed with the boys and their mother. She had enjoyed it but soon left to learn more about where she was and if there might be a way home for her. She remembers that Ed was the one who had a gift for alchemy while Al tried to keep up with his older brother. She frowns as he watches the two make their way towards the State Alchemist building. What had happened to them and mainly to Al to leave him in such a state? Where was the boys' mother? She sighs as she finishes her tea and then stands dropping some money on the table to make her own way to the main building in hope of getting some answers. If worst comes to worst she could spend the trip there annoying Mustang. She now knew why Kun Lon found bothering Ranma so much fun. She laughs as she walks along the road.
AN: wow another chapter done and we are going to soon be starting the quest for the Orb. Well now we know where most of the Ranmas ended up save for one. Now where could he be? Well you might find out in the next chapter on I might wait a while before I let you all know.
Vampwriter: Would love to send it to you but all that showed up for your email was this, Vampwriter. None of the rest showed up. So if you want me to send you my stuff to beta for me I'll need the rest.
Max Krungman: It's Not Pern. The next one who says it is I'm going to sic the flying monkeys on them. As for dropping any parts of the story, Nope sorry not going to happen. You see normally I tend to get distracted by ideas from my Muse when I'm working on a story but since this one needs to be juggled six different ways it's helping me write and keep writing.
Dragon Man 180: Yes at some point way down the line the different parts of Ranma will meet. But that isn't for a good long while. As for Spring of Stone, I've tried to do some work on it but the same spot in chapter 3 is still blocking me and I end up beating myself in the head with a phone book to remove the block.
Well back to work for me. If this keeps up I might even finish the first story arch of this. I've already beaten my own record for a story by quite a few chapters. R&R people or my Muse might run off with one of my invisible friends and then we all would be out of luck.