One Thing
Disclaimer: Don't own squat.
ElvenStar5: Oh, I'm afraid that it will be slow. Thank you, I hope to keep you interested.
lucillaq: Thank you. Hope you can stick with it. I'm reading Black Cloak and am utterly hooked.
A/N: My flashbacks scenes are not that long and are not before every chapter. And since they will not fall in any particular order, they will have to be pieced together. :) Oh, I have been asked about Teagan's name. I just love it, is all. And to pronounce it, it is Reagan with a T.
Victor Imperioli grabbed Teagan by the hair, pulling her roughly against him.
Teagan pulled with all her strength, twisting as she moved, pulling her dagger out of her belt. She moved just fast enough, that he loosed his grip on her hair.
Imperioli moved again, this time grabbing for her arm.
Teagan was faster. As she stepped back, she brought her dagger up, stabbing him in the forearm.
Imperioli pulled back, holding him impaled arm. "You little bitch. I will see you hang for this."
Teagan looked at the commander defiantly. "Why? Because I am no longer under your rule?"
Victor Imperioli moved close to Teagan. So close that they were nearly touching. "Because I will see you back here. And when I do, I will make you wish you had come to me willingly."
0o0o0o
Cursing the dream, Teagan spent time looking at the ceiling, trying to calm her rattled nerves. At least this time, it wasn't a nightmare.
Deciding that she really didn't want to stay asleep and waste the day, she pulled on some breeches and a worn tunic. Picking up her bow and quiver, she made her way outside, greeting those people that she had come to know. Eating a piece of bread, she stopped by the stables to check her horse, Aodh. He was a magnificent Arabian, a ghost horse. Very fast and powerful. His mane and tail were nearly the same shade as her hair. Deep red. He had become her very good friend. Sharing her bread with him, she quickly gave him a once over, making sure there were no injuries. Seeing that he was settled nicely, she then made her way to the soldier's training area near the back of the fort.
As she practiced with her bow, she didn't pay attention to the noise outside. She figured that it was the knights returning and knew she would meet some, if not all, of them this evening when she went to work. They may be famous, but not that famous to her. To her, they just be men.
Above, Teagan heard the call of a hawk.
She was oiling her bow when she heard several men come into the training area. Quickly glancing at them, she noticed that they didn't pay her any attention at all. Which was fine with her as she needed to fine tune her bow.
Figuring that she had better get moving, she got up from the bench and walked toward the target. At the moment it was at the 100 pace mark. Picking up the target wasn't happening, so she pushed the thing over and scooted it with her boot to the 200 pace mark. Setting the target upright, she walked back to her bench and notched an arrow. Letting it fly, she let out a soft curse, knowing that it wouldn't hit center. Bringing the bow down, she adjusted the tension and let another arrow fly.
THWUMP!
"Yes!" It hit dead center. And as it did so, it drew the attention of the two men who had arrived earlier.
"Nice shot!" The blonde said. "Can you do it again?" He actually sounded impressed.
Teagan nodded. Stringing another arrow, she let it fly. It hit flush with the arrow before it.
"Very nice. She might be able to out shoot you Tristan." The dark one she assumed was Tristan just snorted. "My name's Gawain by the way. What's your's?" The blonde said.
"Teagan." She regarded the two men. Gawain was huge, with blonde hair that hung past his shoulders. He seemed to have a ready smile. His friend, Tristan on the other hand, was almost the opposite. Oh, he was big all right, but he was not as tall and dark. With uneven hair that looked like it had the tendency to be unruly. He had tattoos under both eyes that were faintly familiar to her. She smiled sweetly at the two men.
"Are you new here?" Gawain asked.
"Yes." She said simply as she notched another arrow.
"Where do you work?"
Teagan let the arrow fly. "The tavern."
Gawain let out a frustrated snort. He got enough one word answers from Tristan. "Have you been here long?"
Teagan shook her head. "No."
Gawain gave Tristan a look, then back at Teagan. "Okay, Teagan, do you say much?" There was a touch of annoyance in his voice now.
'Oh, this game is fun.' Teagan thought. 'Let's play some more.' She notched another arrow. "Usually, only what needs saying." The arrow flew.
Gawain shook his head and laughed. A nice, deep laugh. "Oh, Tris. She sounds just like you."
Teagan laughed along with Gawain. "Actually, I do talk, and sometimes quite a bit. Now, if you will excuse me, I must collect my arrows." Smiling, she walked off toward the target. She knew both men were watching her, and she also knew that she looked pretty good. Even in breeches and an old tunic. Collecting her arrows, she took her time returning to the bench. As she did, her eyes caught sight of another man high on the wall, looking down at her. This one was devastating. His dark, curly hair fell near his eyes. A small, trim beard surrounded a very nice mouth. Then he smiled at her, his smile was all teeth. Teagan noticed that when he smiled, his eyes smiled too. Raising her bow in greeting, she continued to the bench.
0o0o0o
Lancelot, walking on the upper wall, heard laughing. Female laughing. And this drew him to the edge. Looking down, he watched as his two friends, Gawain and Tristan, laugh with one of the most striking creatures he had seen in a while. She wasn't very big. Not that he could see much in her breeches and tunic. But she had deep red hair, falling in curly waves to her waist. He watched as she went to collect her arrows. She had a swagger that exuded confidence. His kind of woman. It seemed as though she knew that the men were watching her and took full advantage of it. He made a mental note to himself to get to know her better. Much better.
0o0o0o
Gawain handed her quiver to her, holding it as she placed her arrows inside. "Would you care to have a contest?"
Teagan shook her head. "Sorry, I can't. I must go back to rest, I have a shift at the tavern tonight. Vanora says that I'm to meet the knights."
"Well, you just met two of us. That's Tristan, by the way." Tristan bowed his head to her. Never taking his eyes off hers. "And that up there is Lancelot."
Teagan slung her bow and quiver over her shoulder. "It was a pleasure to meet you. Both of you." She gave both men a bow of her head. "I'm sure I'll be seeing the two of you this evening then."
Both knights watched as Teagan left the training area. Gawain was the first to comment. "Wow. I think things are about to get interesting."
Though Tristan didn't say, he agreed.
Up above, Lancelot watched Teagan depart the training area. He wondered how long it would take him to bed the red haired beauty.
Here's the sext chapter. Hope it brings you back for more. I still have to Pair Teagan up with one of our heros. Who shal it be?
