A/N: In this chapter, you get a GREAT description of all the knights.
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Tayli woke while it was still dark, early the next morning, with her conscience still weighing on her, and she tried to shake it off by being brisk as she got ready to go. She drank from a nearby stream and then sparingly ate some of the rations she had packed-a campfire this close to the village would be an all-too-noticeable sign that she was there. Moonflight was rested and eager to leave, fidgeting and stamping around the tree that he was tethered to. He seemed to calm down when she saddled him, however, and Tayli slowly crept to the edge of the forest as the sun was just peaking over the horizon. Startled, she saw that the royal party was already outside, waiting for full light to get going. How could she follow them without their noticing? The land was open, and a horse and rider wasn't the best thing for going unnoticed. The risk was unavoidable-she would just have to follow them and trust her luck.
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At midday, the knights still hadn't looked back. Tayli was sweating slightly underneath her cloak, but she had to keep it on. It was her only protection against their eyes. They were going at a steady, trotting pace- the knights were taking it easy on their horses today, which made Tayli glad, because she was afraid of pushing Moonflight too far, and then not have a strong horse when she needed one. She was constantly aware of her bow and arrows bouncing along with her on her saddle, and they made her painfully aware of what she had done the night before. Focusing on the group in the distance, Tayli pushed those thoughts out of her head hard.
The knights ate while riding. Tayli did not eat-she couldn't waste her small food supply.
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It was astonishing to her that these men, who called themselves knights, hadn't bothered to look behind them the whole day. It was twilight, tiny pinpricks of stars just starting to show above her in the vast area of the sky. A cooling wind had replaced the warmth of the day, and the cheerful campfire set up only a few tempting yards away blazed merrily in the darkness. Tayli stood in the gloomy shadows outside of the camp, watching. She had managed to catch a fatefully inquisitive rabbit, and soon, once it was totally dark, she would light her own, small campfire and roast it.
For now, Tayli was content just to observe the men she had followed these last days as they prepared to bed down. By listening, she could hear their names and see much of their personalities. First, she examined the prince, her next sovereign, and the one she was protecting. He was what people tended to call handsome (Tayli did not understand why her fellow humans insisted on judging others by their appearance), and seemed to be ready to laugh at anything. His eyes sparkled in the firelight, and she recognized an urge to be away from home and have an adventure-she felt it too, sometimes. His feet, she noticed, were smaller than she had ever seen, meaning that he had fairy blood in him. His frame was lanky, and he seemed often to bump into the knights, who laughed good-naturedly. He was quite clumsy, but she had seen that he rode with a natural grace and elegance. In all, she judged from his appearance that he was kind and would make a good ruler.
There were, as she had guessed before, 10 knights accompanying him. The oldest she guessed was about 40, but he did not look the older for it-she saw that they all looked at him with respect, and understood that his opinion was an important factor in all their decisions. He reminded her slightly of Master Menlan, kind, understanding, and a good fighter. He was of moderate height, with a thick chest and muscular limbs. He also had a close-cropped beard. 'Michael,' she heard him called. Apparently these men were all friends, not bothering with titles.
The next knight that caught her attention was Sir Luke. He seemed to her to be the comedian of the group, for he laughed the best and oftenest. While they were eating, she saw him get up and do impressions of various people at court, accompanied by the roaring laughter of the others. Luke was built to be funny, unbelievably tall and very skinny, though she sensed a hidden power in his seemingly stretched frame, with which he could do almost any twist or bend. His nose was large, and the warped light from the fire threw even larger shadows around it. He had a square, stubborn jaw, and his eyes large and kind looking.
Sir Bertram, and Sir Jonathan were twins. Their only visible difference was that Jonathan had his hair long, while Bertram's was cut very close to his head. They were both short and stocky, with light hair and square faces. They seemed like grim, wary men, which suited Tayli-the warier you were, the safer. Bertram (or Bert) was a silent, brooding type, though he had to be good by nature to be a knight in the first place. His twin seemed more outspoken about his doubts.
She noticed Garram because he seemed much less of a fighter than his companions. He was in all aspects in-between, from his height to his attractiveness to his personality. Tayli thought,
The next two, she learned to distinguish because they were best friends. Sirs Natal and Frenery were like brothers, and never strayed far from the other's side. There was nothing very noticeable about them except for that fact, but she did see that Natal carried a bow, which she noted with a mental note to see how good his shot was, and that Frenery's sword was not as wide or flat as a normal kind-almost a cross between a saber and a broadsword, making it look like a very agile thing.
Zachary and Jerrold (named for the king, she assumed) were looking over the horses with perfect attention to every little detail, conversing to each other about the animal's performances that day. They were real horsemen, she could tell, and had most likely learned to ride as they walked. Both their mounts tended to follow them around unless they were tethered, and the animals, despite their heftiness, were beautiful and sleek, and showed plainly that they were well taken care of.
Lastly, Sir William. He was obviously the youngest of them, and seemed a little preoccupied. He was handsome, she saw, though not so much so as Prince Terian, with hair that looked neither dark nor light with the light of the fire on it, and an open, laughing face. He was often the butt of their jokes, but took it with good humor, resigned to being the baby of the party.
The men joked and talked, but there was also a grim air that Tayli guessed was the fear of another attack in the night. This time, they would guard more alertly.
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A/N: Thank you all my faithful reviewers! I love you all!
Fearless-Sweep-Gurl: I hope this chapter is long enough! I spent a lot of time on it.
Alqualyn: Well, she's keeping hidden because Menlan told her to, and Menlan told her to because the old gnome told him. There's a reason, you'll see later on! I promise!
Daydream: Thanks! Terian's only 16! Cut him some slack! How would you react if there was a dead man on your floor? J/K, hope you keep reviewing!
TallemeraRane: I know, there will be more dialogue coming up. Pinky swear. Thank you for reviewing! And Tayli will meet Terian in the very next chapter!
Blue-la-shoo: I love my spell-checker! It is so nice; I don't have to proofread it! YES! Thank you so much. Writing is fun :-P! By the way, I like your pen name.
LoniGirl: Here ya go!
PrincessofBarzel: Thanks! I hate it when, in books, characters just kill each other and don't even think about it, don't you?
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Tayli woke while it was still dark, early the next morning, with her conscience still weighing on her, and she tried to shake it off by being brisk as she got ready to go. She drank from a nearby stream and then sparingly ate some of the rations she had packed-a campfire this close to the village would be an all-too-noticeable sign that she was there. Moonflight was rested and eager to leave, fidgeting and stamping around the tree that he was tethered to. He seemed to calm down when she saddled him, however, and Tayli slowly crept to the edge of the forest as the sun was just peaking over the horizon. Startled, she saw that the royal party was already outside, waiting for full light to get going. How could she follow them without their noticing? The land was open, and a horse and rider wasn't the best thing for going unnoticed. The risk was unavoidable-she would just have to follow them and trust her luck.
^^^^^^^^
At midday, the knights still hadn't looked back. Tayli was sweating slightly underneath her cloak, but she had to keep it on. It was her only protection against their eyes. They were going at a steady, trotting pace- the knights were taking it easy on their horses today, which made Tayli glad, because she was afraid of pushing Moonflight too far, and then not have a strong horse when she needed one. She was constantly aware of her bow and arrows bouncing along with her on her saddle, and they made her painfully aware of what she had done the night before. Focusing on the group in the distance, Tayli pushed those thoughts out of her head hard.
The knights ate while riding. Tayli did not eat-she couldn't waste her small food supply.
^^^^^^^^^^
It was astonishing to her that these men, who called themselves knights, hadn't bothered to look behind them the whole day. It was twilight, tiny pinpricks of stars just starting to show above her in the vast area of the sky. A cooling wind had replaced the warmth of the day, and the cheerful campfire set up only a few tempting yards away blazed merrily in the darkness. Tayli stood in the gloomy shadows outside of the camp, watching. She had managed to catch a fatefully inquisitive rabbit, and soon, once it was totally dark, she would light her own, small campfire and roast it.
For now, Tayli was content just to observe the men she had followed these last days as they prepared to bed down. By listening, she could hear their names and see much of their personalities. First, she examined the prince, her next sovereign, and the one she was protecting. He was what people tended to call handsome (Tayli did not understand why her fellow humans insisted on judging others by their appearance), and seemed to be ready to laugh at anything. His eyes sparkled in the firelight, and she recognized an urge to be away from home and have an adventure-she felt it too, sometimes. His feet, she noticed, were smaller than she had ever seen, meaning that he had fairy blood in him. His frame was lanky, and he seemed often to bump into the knights, who laughed good-naturedly. He was quite clumsy, but she had seen that he rode with a natural grace and elegance. In all, she judged from his appearance that he was kind and would make a good ruler.
There were, as she had guessed before, 10 knights accompanying him. The oldest she guessed was about 40, but he did not look the older for it-she saw that they all looked at him with respect, and understood that his opinion was an important factor in all their decisions. He reminded her slightly of Master Menlan, kind, understanding, and a good fighter. He was of moderate height, with a thick chest and muscular limbs. He also had a close-cropped beard. 'Michael,' she heard him called. Apparently these men were all friends, not bothering with titles.
The next knight that caught her attention was Sir Luke. He seemed to her to be the comedian of the group, for he laughed the best and oftenest. While they were eating, she saw him get up and do impressions of various people at court, accompanied by the roaring laughter of the others. Luke was built to be funny, unbelievably tall and very skinny, though she sensed a hidden power in his seemingly stretched frame, with which he could do almost any twist or bend. His nose was large, and the warped light from the fire threw even larger shadows around it. He had a square, stubborn jaw, and his eyes large and kind looking.
Sir Bertram, and Sir Jonathan were twins. Their only visible difference was that Jonathan had his hair long, while Bertram's was cut very close to his head. They were both short and stocky, with light hair and square faces. They seemed like grim, wary men, which suited Tayli-the warier you were, the safer. Bertram (or Bert) was a silent, brooding type, though he had to be good by nature to be a knight in the first place. His twin seemed more outspoken about his doubts.
She noticed Garram because he seemed much less of a fighter than his companions. He was in all aspects in-between, from his height to his attractiveness to his personality. Tayli thought,
The next two, she learned to distinguish because they were best friends. Sirs Natal and Frenery were like brothers, and never strayed far from the other's side. There was nothing very noticeable about them except for that fact, but she did see that Natal carried a bow, which she noted with a mental note to see how good his shot was, and that Frenery's sword was not as wide or flat as a normal kind-almost a cross between a saber and a broadsword, making it look like a very agile thing.
Zachary and Jerrold (named for the king, she assumed) were looking over the horses with perfect attention to every little detail, conversing to each other about the animal's performances that day. They were real horsemen, she could tell, and had most likely learned to ride as they walked. Both their mounts tended to follow them around unless they were tethered, and the animals, despite their heftiness, were beautiful and sleek, and showed plainly that they were well taken care of.
Lastly, Sir William. He was obviously the youngest of them, and seemed a little preoccupied. He was handsome, she saw, though not so much so as Prince Terian, with hair that looked neither dark nor light with the light of the fire on it, and an open, laughing face. He was often the butt of their jokes, but took it with good humor, resigned to being the baby of the party.
The men joked and talked, but there was also a grim air that Tayli guessed was the fear of another attack in the night. This time, they would guard more alertly.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
A/N: Thank you all my faithful reviewers! I love you all!
Fearless-Sweep-Gurl: I hope this chapter is long enough! I spent a lot of time on it.
Alqualyn: Well, she's keeping hidden because Menlan told her to, and Menlan told her to because the old gnome told him. There's a reason, you'll see later on! I promise!
Daydream: Thanks! Terian's only 16! Cut him some slack! How would you react if there was a dead man on your floor? J/K, hope you keep reviewing!
TallemeraRane: I know, there will be more dialogue coming up. Pinky swear. Thank you for reviewing! And Tayli will meet Terian in the very next chapter!
Blue-la-shoo: I love my spell-checker! It is so nice; I don't have to proofread it! YES! Thank you so much. Writing is fun :-P! By the way, I like your pen name.
LoniGirl: Here ya go!
PrincessofBarzel: Thanks! I hate it when, in books, characters just kill each other and don't even think about it, don't you?