Miri rode along beside Paige and Evin. They joked and laughed as they traveled. They were off to fight a pack of bandits that had terrorized the northern woods for so long. Three rider groups had been put together for this excursion (it was a big gang of bandits) and she found herself in the presence of Evin Larse. He had been her friend for a long time, through training and fighting bandits together in the woods, than they were moved groups and she thought she was free of the feelings that held her down- she wouldn't admit what they were- and now she found her stuttering self in the presence of him once more.
"What?" she said- she hadn't been paying attention to the conversation around her.
"Tell him about the dream!" said Paige teasingly.
"No!" she exclaimed.
"What dream?" asked Evin.
"Last night she dreamed you two were kissing on the forest floor!" She said "maybe it was one of her prophetic dreams!"
Miri was known to have her small gift give her prophetic dreams half the time an insane dreams the other half. She was almost a seer, though her dreams only affected her.
"It was not!" she said- blushing crimson "It was an insane dream I'm sure!"
"And how are you so sure?" Evin mocked.
"Because it was me kissing you!" she yelled and turned and rode to the back of the riding party upsetting many people on the way.
She sat there shaking with shame. She shouldn't have shouted, she usually could control her temper.
She looked up. She had been so preoccupied with her thoughts that she hadn't notice Evin come to ride beside her.
"I'm sorry- I didn't mean to make you angry" he said
"I-i-i I suppose I shouldn't have yelled" she said stuttering. How could he have this affect on her? She was a Queen's rider- the rule was NO ATTACHMENTS.
"Here" He flipped his hand and a sweet appeared, a magic trick of a player. "An apology gift"
"Stay close back there! We don't want to get split up!"screamed Sarge.
"Thank you" said Miri "I'm sorry I yelled"
"Speed up!" shouted Buri "we don't want to be caught off guard!"
Miri and Evin ignored the comments and laughed and talked until Miri stopped and said "Did you hear that? I heard a stick snap"
"Probably and animal, there are plenty in the woods" He teased "a squirrel or a…"
A pack of bandits flew through the trees yelling war cries at the top of their lungs, catching Miri and Evin off guard! They streamed in fighting of the riders- separating Miri and Evin from the group. They moved forward to help their friends but five bandits looked their way. They ran towards them cutting them off from the group. Evin and Miri fought and fought but there were too many bandits after them. They rode hard- plunging into the depths of the thick Northern forest.
"Why are they chasing us?" yelled Miri.
"They must think we have something valuable in our saddle bags- or are cocky enough of their attack that they think they can send five men to kill us off"
"We have to keep going- those horses of theirs don't look like they tire easily- and they don't look as if they are going to give up! They might want our horses too." Miri replied.
They rode hard and fast, but the bandits stayed on their trail. Miri and Evin had the advantage- their horses were well bred and fierce, though the thieves' horses were no pushovers. They kept at a run well into the night, until they could no longer see the bandits, than slowed to a walk, though Evin would have kept going.
"Look at them, their sides are streaked with sweat, we'll be worse off with a dead horse" said Miri.
"You are right" he sighed. Than an odd look crossed his face. "You know, when you came here- to the riders- you couldn't tell a horse's head from his but, but now you are an expert, and you ride as if you were part of the horse itself."
To her horror, Miri blushed furiously. She looked down and said nothing. Than looked up and said "Which way is out?" with alarm "are we lost?"
"You silly sea folk wouldn't know lost if it hit you in the face!" Evin said humorously, but there was a worried look in his eyes. "We merely don't know where we are, we will simply keep going west until we reach the end of the forest, because we were facing eastish when we went into the forest.
"You're sure?" she asked.
"It will take longer to get out than in because we don't know the exact direction, but we'll make it."
"How do you know all this?" inquired Miri. "Your folk are players."
"I paid attention during rider lessons, Miri." He said, rubbing her hair.
"What!" she said stuttering. "I did too!"
"You were always staring into space, daydreaming." He said.
Miri tried to hide her blush, not wanting him to know what she had been daydreaming about. "Let's stop- we have to get some sleep."
"Ok, I think we lost the bandits for good, we might as well get some rest, too bad we didn't have one of those tents in our saddle bag, but I have a blanket." said Evin.
"Me too, let's tie up the horses and get some shut eye."
The next morning they woke up early, unsure of the time, had breakfast from the food in their saddlebags and set out. They got into talking about nobles.
"Always saying yes Milady, no Milord, can't even talk right!" said Miri giggling.
"Bowing and curtsying, do they realize how foolish they look." Evin said laughing.
"But they are romantic with the courting they do." Miri stated before realizing what she said- she loved romance, but to talk about it in front of Evin was too humiliating.
"Oh yes, that does make sense to me, I'm quite romantic." He said.
"You are!" Said Miri, surprised, "umm we should stop to eat lunch soon," she said quickly to change the conversation, "this is a good place"
"Sure," he replied. "May I help you off your horse Milady?"
"Yes, and make it quick!" She joked in reply.
He walked up and held out his hand and she took it, feeling tingles go up her arm. Silly me, she thought for no particular reason. As he helped her down their eyes met and she heard his heart beat with hers. He brushed a piece of loose hair out of her face, putting his other hand around her waist. She thought her was going to jump out and kiss Evin itself! He kissed her deeply. Her knees sagged and she put her arm around his neck unthinking, but than backed away, furious.
"What are you doing?" she asked, but mentally she was thinking, what am I doing?
"Uh..." he said blushing.
"We're riders, remember the rule, no attachments?" she practically screamed. "I like being a rider, I want to keep my job, and relationships aren't aloud!" She stormed off, than realized she had nowhere to storm to, and plopped onto the forest floor.
Hmm, thought Evin, she didn't say anything about not loving me, I best leave it be though, I don't want her mad at me for too long.
After lunch they kept riding, but Miri stayed furious with Evin, no amounts of sweets out of sleeves could cure this fight. They stopped to sleep and continued on in the same angered fashion. The next day Evin came up to Miri and said "we're almost out of food- it'll last us another day, we will have to cut out lunch, and I don't know how much longer we'll be in here" He said quickly.
To his surprised, Miri gave a half-hearted smile. "Thank you for telling it to me strait." She said "at least you didn't try to protect me from 'the truth'" she said rolling her eyes. They rode on a deer trail until Evin spotted something moving oddly in the thick of the forest. They dismounted and walked over to see what it was. As they drew closer, they realized, to their horror, that it was the bandits they had outrun just a few days past. They tried to creep away but it was too late, the bandits had spotted them. Miri tried to grab her bow, but it was too late for shooting and she was forced to take her spear. Fear gripped her; she had never truly fought head to head on foot before. Luck was with them, there were only three bandits, and one was wounded by what appeared to be a bear or wolf. One bandit came after her and two after Evin. Funny, she thought, she was more frightened for Evin than herself right now. She needed to help him, he was over matched. She ducked and swerved, stabbing him in the stomach- a move she had seen the Lioness do many times in the practice courts. Than she felt a fiery burn in her arm and almost fainted and she realized she had tried to run him through with the wrong end of the spear. She quickly flipped the spear around to cut him but he blocked it and grabbed hold of her shirt, which ripped. She kicked him in the stomach than he punched her, splitting her lip. She turned and with out even looking ran him through Blood splattered everywhere and she threw up, Evin came to join her, he had managed to beat his opponents much faster than she had.
"Come on, I heard a stream over here, you should get washed up" he told her. "Than get some sleep"
After washing Miri settled down and drifted of to sleep almost instantly.
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" screamed Miri, waking with a start, it was still dark out.
Evin was at her side instantly. "Just a bad dream" he said. "Everything's OK, are you OK? Would you like tea? Anything? I'll get it!"
He sounded anxious. Miri looked up into his deep, green eyes and felt herself be pulled in, his eyes were like the beautiful whirlpools of the sea, sucking everything around it in, and she could do nothing but kiss him, and hold him, and try not to let go. And when she opened her eyes it was morning.
"Good morning" said Evin. "I'm sorry if I got… carried away last night, I well… couldn't help it, you may not know it but I- I love you."
"I love you to" said Miri, surprised to here herself say it "but we are riders, and I love being a rider, I can't give it up." Her voice wavered as she said it.
"So! We keep it secret! You don't stay in the Riders forever! They kick you out around 25, unless you get promoted! It'll be romantic and daring! Tell me you'll do it!" Evin said hurriedly. "I'll die without you!"
Miri giggled. "Do you realize how funny you sound? Like a player, which is funny because you almost are!"
Evin glared at her. "I just made the most romantic speech of my life and you laugh!" He said angrily.
Miri looked up frightened, but than saw that his eyes danced with laughter. She went to stick out her tongue at him, but he swept down and kissed her. She grinned and said "We better get going if we want to get anywhere today!"
Two days later they came out of the woods in a small fief called Seabeth and were sent home by ship and their relationship existed secretly between them even from Daine and Paige, their best friends.