"Come in," a voice boomed from inside the chamber. Taking a deep breath,
Tayli put her hand on the doorknob, twisted, and swung the door open.
If she'd thought the hall was luxurious, she'd been gravely mistaken. This room was, so far, the most expensively furnished thing she'd ever seen. It was a large room, with 12 doors leading off of it, into, presumably, bedrooms. The walls were dark wood paneling, intricately decorated and gilded in places. Spaced out along the walls and hanging from the high ceiling were large gilded candleholders that held 10 candles each, all lit. The floor was covered in a plush, dark red carpet.
On the opposite side of the room there was a long window-seat with glass on all sides of it, so that whoever sat there had a 180-degree view of whatever was outside. The window-seat was covered in a dark red fabric, which looked like velvet, edged in gold. It had pillows scattered around it, and curtains on either side, so that a person could be completely secluded if they wished. The curtains, too, were made of dark red fabric decorated with gold. On either side of the window-seat there were two large desks, made of a dark wood that matched the walls, equipped with all the materials that could possibly be needed. Above each desk there was a bookshelf, filled with books, which Tayli could only guess at.
There was a long, ornate table that stood, ready for use, in front of the window-seat, but the room was so large that it could never look crowded. The chairs around it were carved also, and upholstered in, of course, dark red. The door that Tayli was standing in was, from her point of view, at the far right of the room, and to the left of the door was a large stone fireplace, carved with intricate designs. In front of this were several large sofas and chairs, each a dark red with golden edgings. A dark wood and glass coffee table was also there. And, with this, were all the usual things that accompanied a room, all the usual knickknacks and decorations, only made impossibly luxurious. The chess-set that stood in an open cabinet on the left side of the room, for example, was made of minutely carved ivory, with the details gilded on.
The knights were scattered all over the room, some sprawled in the sofas, some standing, one at a desk, and some sitting at the table. All talk and movement ceased as they caught sight of their visitor, and Tayli swore she heard someone murmur, 'Speak of the devil . . .' It was quite funny, actually. Terian was sitting in the sofa, mouth agape and staring; all of them looked shocked, half looked aggressive, some looked confused, others looked relieved, some even looked a little scared-which was definitely how Tayli felt. She held her hand on her sword hilt as a silent warning.
In the next moment, all the knights had their hands on their swords, and Michael had drawn his and was walking towards her.
"Who are you?" he growled, "And what do you want? Show yourself!" At the barked order, Tayli slowly raised her hands up to her hood and saw the knights all hold their breath, almost apprehensively. Slowly, ever so slowly, she took the folds of her hood in her hands and drew it back, away from her face, to fall back so that the light could illuminate her features.
"My name," she said, "is Tayli." And, as she watched their reactions, she had to stifle a laugh, and couldn't help letting a small smile escape. They were all blatantly staring at her. She knew that they'd expected a man, and were shocked, but she hadn't thought they'd have reactions this obvious. What she didn't know was that it was not only the fact that she was a woman, but also her beauty that stunned the men.
For a minute, no one spoke. Some of the knights moved their jaws as if trying to form words, but no sound was heard. Then Michael came out with,
"It was you . . . all along? You did all that?"
"Of course," she replied, extricating her ponytail of raven locks out of her hood and letting them fall down her back.
Sir Jonathan scoffed. "I don't believe you. A lass couldn't do any of that." He said lass as if it was a direct insult to Tayli, and she understood that he was making a slur on her sexuality based upon how she was dressed. She stood defiant and proud, however.
"Care to try me?" That was a direct challenge, and Sir Jon could not honorably refuse now, not that he was in any doubt that he would win. Tayli knew that he was not one of the best swordfighters-Michael would have picked the two best to verse her a few days ago, and he had not been among them. She could have taken on their best fighters alone fairly easily, and Sir Jon could not be any harder.
"Very well," he said disdainfully. "First person to draw blood wins." Tayli just nodded silently. The whole room was silent, and she knew that this was a test. It was without preamble, true, and they still did not know what she was there for, but it was a test all the same. Sir Jon moved to an open area, Tayli followed, and they squared off there. Tayli had drawn her sword, and caught some of the men looking at it admiringly-she couldn't blame them. They bowed to each other; Tayli using the Kiin bow amongst equals, both hands on the hilt of her sword, but she looked Sir Jon in the eye, making the bow mocking-although he had no way of knowing it. It was Tayli's secret victory (Tayli didn't have a very high opinion of knights in general, really. It was an old saying amongst the Kiin-and, sadly, true- that if you wanted to become the best, you went to the Kiin; if you wanted to get the credit and the status that belonged to the best, you became a knight). Then they both stood tall, and began to fight.
It was surprisingly easy, even for Tayli. She didn't even work up a sweat. After the first few ringing blows from Sir Jon, easily blocked, she swung, got blocked, feinted, swung and was blocked again, feinted, and then swiftly nicked his shoulder in quick succession. The poor man didn't know what hit him.
Tayli stepped back, breathing lightly, looking at the knight, who was panting, and looking from his shoulder to her and then back. Tayli raised Kanai el' kumme for a minute, showing everyone the bit of blood at the tip and acknowledging her victory, surreptitiously wiped it on the carpet and then sheathed it and bowed to Sir Jon, the same bow, but changed in meaning, her eyes now trained somewhere around his knees. (A/N: Double kudos to anyone who can tell me how it's changed!)
By this time, Garram had stepped forward and was administering to a shocked Sir Jon, and Tayli turned back to Michael, who seemed the only one who'd regained his senses. Tayli bowed again to him, and knew that Michael saw that it was a different bow-the bow of a student to a master, which she used out of respect for his position and experience. He did not understand the difference, of course, but he saw it all the same.
"I am Tayli," she said, wondered if she should add 'of Bast', but decided against it, since it wasn't completely true. "I have been following your party since Bast, protecting you, and now present myself to continue doing so, but not hidden." She left out the part about the gnome's warning-that was for her to know, and no one else.
Michael absorbed this information, and then countered, "But then there was the experience with the thief, during which you fought us."
"Ah, yes," Tayli said, smiling grimly, "but whereas I am still suffering from the consequences of that fight, you might have noticed that none of your knights have anything more serious than shredded clothes." Michael nodded pensively, and then waved her back a pace or two. His knights and Terian came and stood around him, and they held a hushed conference, to which Tayli politely didn't listen, though she could have if she wanted to. After a minute or two, they straightened up, and Tayli noticed that not a single sword was drawn-a good sign. Michael came up to her, smiling.
"Well, then, Tayli who is not quite of Bast-" if he saw the surprise on her face he did not show it, "-we welcome you to our group. We are-"
Here Tayli interrupted, smiling. "Sirs Michael, Bertram, Jonathan, Natal, Luke, Frenery, William, Garram, Zachary, and Jerrold. I know. And," she added as an afterthought, "Prince Terian." She bowed to him, and knew that Sir Michael noticed that it was another different bow.
"Come," he said, "take off your cloak and come sit down. Tell us about yourself." * Ha, * Tayli thought privately, * but you'll get precious little out of me about that. * But she complied; grateful that being accepted had gone so smoothly, even though she knew that some would still harbor grudges. She didn't turn her back on the group, who were all sitting on the sofas, for a moment as she removed her cloak and laid it on the long table, the dull black cloth contrasting sharply with the brightly shining wood. She saw their surprised and, once again, apprehensive expressions as they saw the 3 daggers she always carried. She chuckled softly and took her shoulder belt off also, secure in the knowledge that she had another dagger in her boot.
"For throwing," she explained, referring to the daggers that now lay gleaming on top of her cloak. Then, looking around, she took a seat where she could see all of the knights and Terian. Her underlying warrior's instinct had assessed the room the minute she set foot it in, labeling everything that could be a potential danger and marking the exits. She saw some of the knights looking at her clothing and couldn't blame them-it wasn't every day that you saw a woman dressed in man's clothes.
"Who was your swords-master?" Frenery asked. That, at least, she could tell them.
"I trained with Master Jaedon until I received the orders to follow your party."
"Jaedon! It is no wonder you are so good then. I take it that you were his best pupil?"
"I was," she answered truthfully, proudly. "So far I have been his only match."
Frenery whistled, impressed. "I met him once. He is the most amazing swordsman I have ever seen."
"Yes," was her simple answer.
"So why are you following us?" Bertram asked, still slightly suspicious.
Tayli put on a closed expression. "I was under orders."
Suddenly Terian spoke up. "Thank you for saving me, those three times." She looked him in the eye and smiled.
"You're welcome, Your Highness."
He blushed a little. "Don't call me that. I'm Terian."
Tayli was taken aback. That was downright disrespectful! A Kiin was always respectful. "Of course not," she answered. "You are the Prince, to be addressed as such." Terian looked at her, amazed, and Tayli caught several of the knights hiding grins or having sudden coughing fits.
"All right then," Terian shot back, mildly aggravated, "then I command you, as your Prince, to tell me why you're dressed like a man." Several of the knights gasped at his rudeness, and Michael made to rise, but Tayli was up before him, stretching languidly.
"Because, oh Prince," she answered a little sarcastically, "it's just a little bit harder to fight in a corset, 3 petticoats, and a skirt with flounces." Terian flushed and most of the knights grinned. "Although," Tayli mused as an afterthought, "it just might provide extra protection for the legs. I'll have to look into that." Now most of the knights were laughing, and Terian was smiling through his blush.
Walking over to the table, Tayli whisked her cloak back around her shoulders, pulling the hood and veil up, and buckled her daggers back on.
"I have to go get my horse. Where can I stable him?" Sir Zachary explained, and then, shyly, asked if he might have a look at it later. Tayli agreed, and then left, leaving 11 very flustered men behind her.
If she'd thought the hall was luxurious, she'd been gravely mistaken. This room was, so far, the most expensively furnished thing she'd ever seen. It was a large room, with 12 doors leading off of it, into, presumably, bedrooms. The walls were dark wood paneling, intricately decorated and gilded in places. Spaced out along the walls and hanging from the high ceiling were large gilded candleholders that held 10 candles each, all lit. The floor was covered in a plush, dark red carpet.
On the opposite side of the room there was a long window-seat with glass on all sides of it, so that whoever sat there had a 180-degree view of whatever was outside. The window-seat was covered in a dark red fabric, which looked like velvet, edged in gold. It had pillows scattered around it, and curtains on either side, so that a person could be completely secluded if they wished. The curtains, too, were made of dark red fabric decorated with gold. On either side of the window-seat there were two large desks, made of a dark wood that matched the walls, equipped with all the materials that could possibly be needed. Above each desk there was a bookshelf, filled with books, which Tayli could only guess at.
There was a long, ornate table that stood, ready for use, in front of the window-seat, but the room was so large that it could never look crowded. The chairs around it were carved also, and upholstered in, of course, dark red. The door that Tayli was standing in was, from her point of view, at the far right of the room, and to the left of the door was a large stone fireplace, carved with intricate designs. In front of this were several large sofas and chairs, each a dark red with golden edgings. A dark wood and glass coffee table was also there. And, with this, were all the usual things that accompanied a room, all the usual knickknacks and decorations, only made impossibly luxurious. The chess-set that stood in an open cabinet on the left side of the room, for example, was made of minutely carved ivory, with the details gilded on.
The knights were scattered all over the room, some sprawled in the sofas, some standing, one at a desk, and some sitting at the table. All talk and movement ceased as they caught sight of their visitor, and Tayli swore she heard someone murmur, 'Speak of the devil . . .' It was quite funny, actually. Terian was sitting in the sofa, mouth agape and staring; all of them looked shocked, half looked aggressive, some looked confused, others looked relieved, some even looked a little scared-which was definitely how Tayli felt. She held her hand on her sword hilt as a silent warning.
In the next moment, all the knights had their hands on their swords, and Michael had drawn his and was walking towards her.
"Who are you?" he growled, "And what do you want? Show yourself!" At the barked order, Tayli slowly raised her hands up to her hood and saw the knights all hold their breath, almost apprehensively. Slowly, ever so slowly, she took the folds of her hood in her hands and drew it back, away from her face, to fall back so that the light could illuminate her features.
"My name," she said, "is Tayli." And, as she watched their reactions, she had to stifle a laugh, and couldn't help letting a small smile escape. They were all blatantly staring at her. She knew that they'd expected a man, and were shocked, but she hadn't thought they'd have reactions this obvious. What she didn't know was that it was not only the fact that she was a woman, but also her beauty that stunned the men.
For a minute, no one spoke. Some of the knights moved their jaws as if trying to form words, but no sound was heard. Then Michael came out with,
"It was you . . . all along? You did all that?"
"Of course," she replied, extricating her ponytail of raven locks out of her hood and letting them fall down her back.
Sir Jonathan scoffed. "I don't believe you. A lass couldn't do any of that." He said lass as if it was a direct insult to Tayli, and she understood that he was making a slur on her sexuality based upon how she was dressed. She stood defiant and proud, however.
"Care to try me?" That was a direct challenge, and Sir Jon could not honorably refuse now, not that he was in any doubt that he would win. Tayli knew that he was not one of the best swordfighters-Michael would have picked the two best to verse her a few days ago, and he had not been among them. She could have taken on their best fighters alone fairly easily, and Sir Jon could not be any harder.
"Very well," he said disdainfully. "First person to draw blood wins." Tayli just nodded silently. The whole room was silent, and she knew that this was a test. It was without preamble, true, and they still did not know what she was there for, but it was a test all the same. Sir Jon moved to an open area, Tayli followed, and they squared off there. Tayli had drawn her sword, and caught some of the men looking at it admiringly-she couldn't blame them. They bowed to each other; Tayli using the Kiin bow amongst equals, both hands on the hilt of her sword, but she looked Sir Jon in the eye, making the bow mocking-although he had no way of knowing it. It was Tayli's secret victory (Tayli didn't have a very high opinion of knights in general, really. It was an old saying amongst the Kiin-and, sadly, true- that if you wanted to become the best, you went to the Kiin; if you wanted to get the credit and the status that belonged to the best, you became a knight). Then they both stood tall, and began to fight.
It was surprisingly easy, even for Tayli. She didn't even work up a sweat. After the first few ringing blows from Sir Jon, easily blocked, she swung, got blocked, feinted, swung and was blocked again, feinted, and then swiftly nicked his shoulder in quick succession. The poor man didn't know what hit him.
Tayli stepped back, breathing lightly, looking at the knight, who was panting, and looking from his shoulder to her and then back. Tayli raised Kanai el' kumme for a minute, showing everyone the bit of blood at the tip and acknowledging her victory, surreptitiously wiped it on the carpet and then sheathed it and bowed to Sir Jon, the same bow, but changed in meaning, her eyes now trained somewhere around his knees. (A/N: Double kudos to anyone who can tell me how it's changed!)
By this time, Garram had stepped forward and was administering to a shocked Sir Jon, and Tayli turned back to Michael, who seemed the only one who'd regained his senses. Tayli bowed again to him, and knew that Michael saw that it was a different bow-the bow of a student to a master, which she used out of respect for his position and experience. He did not understand the difference, of course, but he saw it all the same.
"I am Tayli," she said, wondered if she should add 'of Bast', but decided against it, since it wasn't completely true. "I have been following your party since Bast, protecting you, and now present myself to continue doing so, but not hidden." She left out the part about the gnome's warning-that was for her to know, and no one else.
Michael absorbed this information, and then countered, "But then there was the experience with the thief, during which you fought us."
"Ah, yes," Tayli said, smiling grimly, "but whereas I am still suffering from the consequences of that fight, you might have noticed that none of your knights have anything more serious than shredded clothes." Michael nodded pensively, and then waved her back a pace or two. His knights and Terian came and stood around him, and they held a hushed conference, to which Tayli politely didn't listen, though she could have if she wanted to. After a minute or two, they straightened up, and Tayli noticed that not a single sword was drawn-a good sign. Michael came up to her, smiling.
"Well, then, Tayli who is not quite of Bast-" if he saw the surprise on her face he did not show it, "-we welcome you to our group. We are-"
Here Tayli interrupted, smiling. "Sirs Michael, Bertram, Jonathan, Natal, Luke, Frenery, William, Garram, Zachary, and Jerrold. I know. And," she added as an afterthought, "Prince Terian." She bowed to him, and knew that Sir Michael noticed that it was another different bow.
"Come," he said, "take off your cloak and come sit down. Tell us about yourself." * Ha, * Tayli thought privately, * but you'll get precious little out of me about that. * But she complied; grateful that being accepted had gone so smoothly, even though she knew that some would still harbor grudges. She didn't turn her back on the group, who were all sitting on the sofas, for a moment as she removed her cloak and laid it on the long table, the dull black cloth contrasting sharply with the brightly shining wood. She saw their surprised and, once again, apprehensive expressions as they saw the 3 daggers she always carried. She chuckled softly and took her shoulder belt off also, secure in the knowledge that she had another dagger in her boot.
"For throwing," she explained, referring to the daggers that now lay gleaming on top of her cloak. Then, looking around, she took a seat where she could see all of the knights and Terian. Her underlying warrior's instinct had assessed the room the minute she set foot it in, labeling everything that could be a potential danger and marking the exits. She saw some of the knights looking at her clothing and couldn't blame them-it wasn't every day that you saw a woman dressed in man's clothes.
"Who was your swords-master?" Frenery asked. That, at least, she could tell them.
"I trained with Master Jaedon until I received the orders to follow your party."
"Jaedon! It is no wonder you are so good then. I take it that you were his best pupil?"
"I was," she answered truthfully, proudly. "So far I have been his only match."
Frenery whistled, impressed. "I met him once. He is the most amazing swordsman I have ever seen."
"Yes," was her simple answer.
"So why are you following us?" Bertram asked, still slightly suspicious.
Tayli put on a closed expression. "I was under orders."
Suddenly Terian spoke up. "Thank you for saving me, those three times." She looked him in the eye and smiled.
"You're welcome, Your Highness."
He blushed a little. "Don't call me that. I'm Terian."
Tayli was taken aback. That was downright disrespectful! A Kiin was always respectful. "Of course not," she answered. "You are the Prince, to be addressed as such." Terian looked at her, amazed, and Tayli caught several of the knights hiding grins or having sudden coughing fits.
"All right then," Terian shot back, mildly aggravated, "then I command you, as your Prince, to tell me why you're dressed like a man." Several of the knights gasped at his rudeness, and Michael made to rise, but Tayli was up before him, stretching languidly.
"Because, oh Prince," she answered a little sarcastically, "it's just a little bit harder to fight in a corset, 3 petticoats, and a skirt with flounces." Terian flushed and most of the knights grinned. "Although," Tayli mused as an afterthought, "it just might provide extra protection for the legs. I'll have to look into that." Now most of the knights were laughing, and Terian was smiling through his blush.
Walking over to the table, Tayli whisked her cloak back around her shoulders, pulling the hood and veil up, and buckled her daggers back on.
"I have to go get my horse. Where can I stable him?" Sir Zachary explained, and then, shyly, asked if he might have a look at it later. Tayli agreed, and then left, leaving 11 very flustered men behind her.