Haha! Chapter 12, my favorite number! Yay!
Korona123, I LUFF YOU:huggles:
Plutobaby494, I'm glad you like it! Here's another chappie as a present:smile:
Liquid Earth, you're right. I know I should put more of that in. I tried to do it in Chapter 11. Did I do okay for the scenery in that one? Please review again with your good ideas!
I'm sad, school starts again tomorrow… WAHHH! I think I'm going to make Eragon and Kiatra go to school so I don't feel lonely, but then where would the story go? Ah well. Enjoy the chapter! (I KNOW, I say it every time!)
Chapter 12 – Dance of Happiness
"Don't worry, Kiatra, you look good. No one will doubt you're a Rider."
"Quit trying to patronize me, Eragon."
"Its not working? Darn it." Kiatra rolled her eyes and smiled. Eragon had a way of making her feel better.
"Ah, Eragon & Kiatra. Both Riders." Nasuada stood at the entrance of the tent, the desert wind whipping her hair around her face.
"Hello Nasuada. Thank you very much for the clothes."
"It was my pleasure. I'm glad you like them. Are you both doing well?"
"Yes."
"By the way Kiatra, may I speak to you?"
"What about?"
"Come with me."
Eragon wandered off to a throng of people who were standing and talking. Kiatra followed Nasuada to another, smaller and empty, room.
"Kiatra, what exactly is your relationship with Eragon?"
Oh no, not again. Kiatra thought, her face turning red. "It's not like that!" she said hastily, holding her hands in the air. "He's my friend, but I don't… LOVE him."
"Ah." Nasuada looked unconvinced. "I would just like to warn you, however. You must watch your behavior with him, or… OTHERS might think a scandal was taking place." Nasuada walked out, leaving Kiatra behind.
Kiatra shivered. Did people actually think she…? She felt her face turn red again, before hurrying out of the tent into the larger room. Up on a stage that had been erected, Nasuada stood. All eyes were turned upon her, and the room held a deadly silence, almost like that in a grave.
"Today, we take a break from our labors and pains that brought us the fruits of victory. The Varden now has another Rider on our side. And so, we celebrate." Nasuada's voice was full of joy, leaving no traces of the cold voice she had used with Kiatra mere moments ago. "Here is Kiatra, Rider of the dragon Aseil." Kiatra numbly made her way up to the top of the stage.
"Speech!" Someone cried.
Kiatra swallowed. She was never good at public events. "Umm… well… I'd like to thank the Varden for welcoming me. Also, Aseil and I have enjoyed the wonderful people that are so kind. I hope that someday, we can fight together and create a greater world for us all."
Cheers greeted the end of her speech. Kiatra realized she had been holding her breath and let it out. Nasuada took control again. "Shall we eat now?" Shouts of agreement. "All right then."
While everyone had been listening to Nasuada's speech, people had crept in with dishes of food, and had crept out. A cry of delight went up as the public spotted the food, and the all migrated over, heaping their dishes with food that they rarely saw, such as oranges and roasted birds.
Kiatra slipped off the stage, hoping to avoid detection. She succeeded. Grinning happily, she filled her plate as full of the rest of them. A strip of beef, some strange vegetable she had never seen before, and oranges. She quickly devoured this.
"I love food at parties." she sighed, stretching back. She hurried back for more.
After several rounds of this, she was comfortably full. Wandering around, considerably bored, did not seem fun. However, she did not want to be in the spotlight either. "Ah, if I'm to shy to do it sober, get me drunk and I'm happy!" On the rare times she had alcohol, it made her more daring. You wouldn't know it, but Kiatra was shy around other people.
She grabbed a wooden tankard, bustling past a group of dwarves, and poured herself a small amount. It tickled her nose when she sniffed. Smells good enough… she downed it in one gulp, shaking her head to clear the tickling in her nose.
She sat nearby, waiting for it to take effect. After a while, she began to feel a lot happier and reckless.
Kiatra, how is the party? Aseil asked, nosing his way into her mind.
Good.
Wait, you've been drinking! Don't do anything, now is not a good time to get drunk.
Calm down, nothing is going to happen.
Just you wait. You'll get into trouble and I won't be able to save you.
Kiatra sighed and shut off the connection. Instantly she perked. Dancing contests! And her kind of dancing, too! Kiatra's fellow band of orphans often held dancing contests. She was pretty good, but her legs were too long, and if she tried to do anything complicated she would fall over.
However… what the heck? Its fun!
Kiatra tiptoed over, looking quite comical, as she clapped her hands and bowed to the row of judges. They looked quite confused, but to Kiatra it was a way of honoring the judges of a contest and wishing them judge fairly.
One person was absolutely dreadful; the next was quite good but tripped on a step. A few more people afterwards, a dwarf did what could be compared to a Russian cha-cha. Though he was good at it, he looked quite comical with his beard swinging madly.
Finally, it was Kiatra's turn. She turned to the musicians, turned the pages of their music to a song she recognized, and pointed at it. Returning to the center, she closed her eyes, completely motionless, and waited for the music. It began, slow and steady. Her eyes snapped open as the music went faster and spun, her black hair spinning in an arc, following her moves like a demented dog.
Back, two, now! She jumped into the air and twisted her body so she landed on her hands, her feet in the air. Before she had time to dwell on the fact her skirt was falling groundward, she was back on her feet. Back and forth, she went from air to ground, her movements flowing.
With a flourish, she put her right toe out and gave a complex bow, signaling the end of her dance. Ilio would be proud. She thought, wiping the sweat off her face and smiling.
As it turned out, she did not win, but came in second. A girl from Surda won the first prize, a wreath of roses, but Kiatra didn't mind. It didn't really matter. She was happy, for the first time in a long time.
Whatcha think? I had a hard time writing that dancing scene. I don't dance, so I had to watch some music videos to help me out. I didn't want to put some too modern dancing in, so I settled with a mixture between ballet and Irish dancing.
SylviaSnickers, I shall laugh when she puts you to shame. I must read this story:bustles off:
Khori, it should give a nice twist, huh? I LUFF SQUIRRELS:huggles squirrels:
Hotarya, I think I liked that chapter the best out of all. Sad, huh? Murtagh is harsh. But then again, he's been through a lot. MY FELLOW CAKE CRIMINAL, I LOVE YOU!