I'm really sorry! I finished this chapter, then moved on to the next, and forgot to update! Oops. Thank you everyone who reviewed! Thank you to: Jamsack at ff, flammingirl (Emma's the same age as Elisa, which is… wait… oh yeah, 14. I actually wanted them to be older, but the way I did it that's their age, so, yeah.), Mad-4-Manga (I loved your long-ish review! lol), brain-brat (what do gnomes in LOTR look like, anyway? Um, look at the description of Seek on Chapter 26, that's kind of what they look like), little mimi (well, I didn't imagine him as a mini Santa lol), jubli pebble (I'm not going to ignore you because I think your reviews are very entertaining! Wow, I don't see how u have any free time at all!), Smitten by Marauders (I loved your long-ish review and your sentence-that's-not-really-a-sentence description of my story! lol), Kat (yay! I got 4 reviews from u! thanks for reminding me that I hadn't updated… in my mind I had! lol your experience sounded like fun! heehee), AlexRiderFan401. Thank you all! The next chapter will be nice and fluffy but there isn't much fluff in this one… I don't think so, anyway. Wow, I think this is my longest chapter yet. I hope that'll make up for my forgetfulness.
The next morning we had a late breakfast and got all of our belongings together, which wasn't much. After loading the saddlebags onto our horses, we turned to say good-bye to Seek.
"Thank you so much for everything." I said, but did not express my gratitude in a hug, because I had a feeling it would embarrass him.
"It was nothing," he replied gruffly. "Just remember to bring back the armor and keep your friend here out of trouble." He turned to John who put his hand out to shake. "And you take care of her. I suppose going on some dangerous – and what seems to me – pointless endeavor, is an elf thing."
John grinned. "I guess so. But it's not pointless! We're going to watch over Emma. I'm sure she can watch over herself, but she thinks so, too, and that's what makes it dangerous for her. So, we're just going to keep an eye on her without her knowing. Besides, who would want to miss the Annual Kyrrian Ball anyway?"
The Annual Kyrrian Ball was sort of like our version of Thanksgiving. It lasted five days. Banquets were held at the castle every night for the first four nights. Then, on the final day, everyone was invited to come to the main celebration where everyone feasted and danced all night long. The whole thing was celebrating the prosperity of Kyrria, and, although the religious aspect was taken out for political reasons, it was a feast to thank the Creator for the prosperity of Kyrria and to pray for another wonderful year. It was also when people from many countries around Kyrria came to celebrate the peace between the countries and to continue friendly relations.
Seek stroked his stubbly brown beard in thought, but was satisfied with this explanation. "One more thing." He went back into his shop and came back with two elf-made bows and two fletches of arrows.
"So you'll look like true Elfian warriors. You'd better return these, too. They were a special gift, but I have a feeling I can trust you two.
"Wow," I breathed. "Thank you!"
"Good luck!" Seek waved as we left.
Our journey to Frell was wonderful. We took over a week, skipping over the big cities in case someone was still searching for us. At the small villages, we bought food and necessary supplies. We would go at a leisurely walk, talking or simply enjoying the beauty of the world around us. Then, when our horses were too wound-up from a good night's rest to walk, we'd race, doing short speed races or long endurance races. Cinnamon would win the speed races always by at least a nose, but Moonlight won the endurance races.
During the trip to Gnome Caverns, I hadn't taken the time to look around me at the beauty of the Creator's Work. Plus, we had tried to take the most direct and fastest route going to Gnome Caverns, but now we took the most scenic route and some of the passing scenery took my breath away. Snow-capped mountains in the distance, sparkling blue lakes, rushing rivers and streams, golden fields specked with the last flowers before winter swept in. Leaves of fiery red, orange and yellow fell in cascades around us, and the woods were full of life. I was excited when I saw some wild centaurs watching us from a distance. John and I both saw two stags fighting on the trail ahead of us at one point in time. One time, though I cannot be certain, I thought I saw a unicorn run swiftly through the trees, but as fast as it had come, it was gone. The ride was absolutely gorgeous and I enjoyed every minute of it… especially because I got to share it with John.
On the first night, after we had a small fire going, John produced a small pouch from one of his saddlebags. "I've been thinking about how you will have to disguise yourself. It's obvious that at some point in time we will have to take off our helmets. So I bought some of this," he poured a dark powder into his hands. "It makes your skin darker. If you add water to it, you can dye your hair temporarily."
I was impressed that he had thought so far ahead. Then I stopped being impressed and looked at him skeptically. "Wait a minute… if I can disguise myself like this, then why didn't we just dress up as courtiers or something like you suggested in the beginning?"
John blushed slightly and mumbled, "I needed more time to think our whole plan through. Besides, where would we have gotten the clothing? We couldn't have bought it! We don't have enough money between the two of us for just a dress for you."
I shrugged, and changed the subject back again. "What color will my hair be?"
He grinned. "Raven black, but the green streaks in your hair will still show. The hair dye will last about two weeks, so it should be gone by the time we meet up with Emma if you put it in tonight. When you apply the powder, your skin will be dark brown. I would suggest putting it on your arms, shoulders, neck, face, and legs. You'll have to rub the powder in every day, because it only lasts one day and one night. Also, it comes out with water and a vigorous rubbing. Now hold still while I put the dye in your hair."
Immediately I was immobile. John laughed and proceeded to dye my hair black. I didn't find it nearly as funny. I looked at my reflection in a small pond near our campsite, and I giggled at my reflection. I looked odd with black hair.
"One more thing," he brought something out of his pocket carefully. "Open your eyes wide and be still."
"Must everything be an order?" I growled as my eyes shot open and I was once again immobile.
"Sorry," he mumbled. With much protesting by me, he put two circlets of green in my eyes. When he allowed me to relax and blink a couple of times, I couldn't feel anything in my eyes.
"Don't rub your eyes!" He scolded. I glared at him. He continued, "In some Elfian countries, all of the elves want to have green eyes. It's just a sign of their culture or something. Anyway, they made these to make their eyes look green."
Sure enough, I looked at my reflection and I not only had black hair but green eyes. It almost seemed like magic. Now I almost didn't even recognize myself.
"Good. Now, shall we get some sleep?" John smiled.
"No. Not until you answer this question: Why? Why have you been making so many preparations for the two of us to watch over Emma? Why is this so important to you?"
John turned an admirable shade of red. "Well, I-"
"Tell me the truth. I want to know now," I insisted.
"Fine. The reason is because I care about you and Emma. You wanted to go, and I knew that you are too stubborn to back down, so I'm making sure everything will be all right. Secondly, this is important to me because it is important to you. I bet another reason you want to go is to see your dear friend Rilean, is it not?" He held up his hand to quiet my protest. "I don't want to hear your argument. It's important to you, and I respect that. So, here we are. Besides, like I told Seek, who would want to miss a chance to go to the Annual Kyrrian Ball?"
I smiled, then felt silly when my feelings for John grew. He cared about me. It wasn't liking me, but it was something. I looked directly into his eyes to show him my full appreciation as I expressed my gratitude. I decided I would let him continue thinking I liked Rilean. It made hiding my feelings for him simpler.
"Now can we go to sleep?" He asked.
"Um… wait… oh yeah, what's your disguise? The princes won't recognize you, but Emma will."
"I was going to do the same thing to myself. Dye my hair black, make my eyes green, and make my skin darker. But if it'll make you feel better, I'll do it now."
When his disguise was done, I laughed and laughed. He was still hot with black hair and green eyes.
The whole trip, when we'd stop to rest, John taught me archery. Elves are extremely good at archery, but I was only part elf. I caught on quickly, and by the end of the trip my aim was good and my form was perfect. However, my aim wasn't nearly as good as John. It had been a long time since he had learned archery, but after a couple of practice shots, he shot down an apple about 70 meters away.
So the trip went on. The morning before we arrived at Frell, we put on our armor, just so it would seem more like we were knights as we trotted through more populated lands. I rubbed the powder over my body, and my skin darkened considerably. John just stared, and then burst out laughing. I smiled self-consciously.
"Wonderful! All right, here's the plan." John began, pulling Cinnamon up next to Moonlight. Moonlight began to strut, and Cinnamon pretended to ignore him. John continued, "The plan is… well, actually, I confess that I don't have one."
"Great plan."
"Thanks. I thought so, too."
"So… what are we going to do once we get there?" I asked.
"Well, all knights are allowed to attend the four banquets and then the ball, so I figured we'd go up on the night of the first ball, introduce ourselves as Elfian warriors from Forretha Gladiu. Elfian warriors from there usually attend the ball… let's just hope they'll think we're from a different section of Forretha Gladiu and they won't question our truthfulness. Then, they'll let us in and our search for Emma will begin."
"See? You did have some sort of plan."
"I know. I just said I didn't have a plan just to see your reaction."
Before I could punch him in the shoulder, he and Cinnamon were off. Moonlight and I were at their heels.
A while later we were approaching the inner castle walls. I had a fleeting memory of mailing letters to and for Rilean, but I did not regret not liking him anymore. John and I tried to look like impressive Elfian warriors. Our armor shone, arrows were slung over our shoulders, and our long bows were slung on our backs. Cinnamon and Moonlight held their heads high as they tried to look impressive, too. John and I both took our helmets off at the same time, and I shook my now raven black hair from the helmet. I heard a whistle from one of the soldiers and blushed furiously. John glared at the soldiers angrily, but said nothing. He then saluted the soldiers and called out to them, telling them our names (he called me Adrianna, and he called himself Leglos), and our business in Kyrria. They accepted the information and opened the gates.
"There is no way that should've worked," John breathed as the drawbridge was lowered. I stifled a giggle. I guessed that female Elfian warriors don't giggle.
As our horses strutted over the drawbridge, John whispered to me, "I know you really hate people to order you around, and I apologize ahead of time, but don't say anything in Kyrrian. You may speak in Elfian to anyone who speaks to you, but don't just go up to someone and talk to him or her. It will be better for both of us. Understand?"
I sighed and said, "Whatever."
There were some sniggers at our unusual armor, and some soldiers even pointed and laughed. So both John and I dismounted with ease at the same time, showing the rude soldiers the flexibility of our armor. The laughing stopped after that.
"I like your armor, madam." I heard a voice say in Elfian. They had a distinct Kyrrian accent, and I knew that voice. I spun around and faced the one and only Prince Rilean.
"Ril- um, Your Highness, Prince Rilean, I presume," I corrected myself quickly and bowed. "Thank you for the compliment. It is made by – a friend of mine. A dwarf from Gnome Caverns." I decided not to go into an explanation of Seek being half dwarf and half gnome. "He told me that the metal has been heated in a certain way to make it just as strong, but more lightweight and flexible, and smaller."
"I'll have to tell Father about that. Your horse is beautiful. Is he part unicorn?" Rilean came up to Moonlight, who recognized him and allowed Rilean to stroke his glossy neck.
"Um, yes. His name is- uh, Star Gazer." I made up the name quickly, picking the one name that I had thought about giving Moonlight when I first got him. I cursed myself. Fool! You didn't disguise Moonlight or ride a different horse! I held my breath as I waited for him to recognize me or call me a thief as he did so long ago in the King's Forest.
"I've only seen one other horse like him. Beautiful creatures." Rilean smiled. I blinked. He was oblivious? I refrained from breathing a sigh of relief.
"Wow." Prince Caspian joined him. He said to Rilean in Kyrrian, "I've never seen a female knight. Well, she is an Elfian warrior, so I suppose it makes sense."
His bluntness and lack of manners made me laugh, then force that laugh to be a cough because I wasn't supposed to understand what he said. John turned from his conversation with a soldier to see why I laughed/coughed and saw the princes standing in front of me.
"Your Majesties," John bowed with a flourish. Rilean and Caspian looked at each other and rolled their eyes. Neither of them liked it when people addressed them like that.
"Where are you two from?" Caspian asked.
"Forretha Gladiu." John replied.
"I've always wanted to go there! All of our ambassadors tell me it's beautiful, and the Elfian culture is fascinating!" Rilean said excitedly. John and I exchanged glances. This was going to be a problem.
"Join us for the banquets. I'd love to hear about the many adventures you most certainly have had," Rilean. I had another coughing fit. It was just our luck that something like this would happen; so really all I could do was laugh at it, or rather cough.
"Of course, Prince Rilean," John answered, and I could hear the reluctance in his voice. However, neither one of the princes caught on. I thought that the only reason he didn't decline was because I would've had to join them anyway.
Rilean nodded. "Good. I beg your forgiveness, but we must go now. We'll see you at the banquet. We will reserve seats for you."
Caspian, being less proper, said, "See you later."
With that they left, and John and I just looked at each other.
"Well, I think that went well," I said brightly, and then I laughed at John's grimace. "Do you know anything about Elfian culture in Forretha Gladiu?"
John shrugged. "My mother told me of the legends, which I'm sure both princes know well. Of their culture, I have no idea. I'll make it up as I go along. For now, let's go buy ourselves some new tunics so we look a little like knights and not poor elves."
I rolled my eyes but agreed. We bought the clothes, and after that we spent the rest of the afternoon searching for Emma. Our search was unsuccessful, as we expected for our first search. We hoped to see her at either the banquet or the ball in four days, but we were going to search for her during the time before the ball. Once we found her, we could then keep an eye on her to make sure she wasn't ever in trouble.
That night when we showed up for the banquet, we both gaped at the beautiful decorations and our mouths watered at the bountiful feast laid out on the table. Before we sat down, we scanned the room for any signs of Emma or someone looking like Emma. Embarrassedly, we quietly made our way to our reserved seats across from Prince Rilean and Prince Caspian. They both grinned at us as the banquet began.
Rilean introduced us to the King and Queen. "Mother and Father, these are two Elfian warriors from Forretha Gladiu. They are the ones I told you had the new armor."
Then Caspian introduced his friend. She was very quiet, and wore a hood and veil so that only her eyes showed. I had heard of countries where women had to wear veils, but what was she doing here? "This is my new, um, acquaintance," (Rilean coughed loudly) "and her name is Lisa from Pakist."
The King and Queen exchanged glances and smiled at some unknown joke. "Pleased to meet you all." They said politely.
The feast began, and for the first part of the banquet there was little talking as everyone stuffed their faces… well, at least the people who didn't have very good manners. Wine was served as well as water. I tasted a sip, having never had wine before, and I found it disgusting. I liked the flavor, but the after-taste was awful. Servers came by to refill the cups, and they looked at me questioningly when they saw my wine practically untouched. Then they had to ask if it was too my liking, if I wanted a different kind, but I replied that I just wanted water. The veiled woman, Lisa, did not drink the wine either, I noted. I began to watch her more closely, becoming more suspicious. However, when Lisa was asked why she didn't drink the wine, she replied in a quiet, polite voice with the hint of an Arani accent (Arani was the language of all of the Aranic countries to the southeast of Kyrria. My mother had taught Emma and I some Arani when we were younger.), "In my country, I am not permitted to drink wine until I am seventeen. Please forgive me, I'm sure the wine is delicious."
I sighed. Her accent seemed genuine, so I assumed it wasn't Emma with some disappointment. I had hoped I'd see her during the four banquets before the ball. After the main course was finished, the Great Hall was loud with talking and laughter. I suppose it seems naïve, but I was amazed that the King and Queen had such funny personalities! They joked with the rest of us, and the Lisa joined in the conversation and had a personality of a polite, respectful Aranic woman, but she definitely had a joking, personable side to her. I decided I liked her. John made up many stories, and everyone at our table listened as he wove tales of our adventures. Of course, every one of them was made up, but it was still fascinating to hear him lie through his teeth as a beautiful storyteller. Music was played in the background and there were dancers as well; the whole atmosphere was casual and festive. We had a wonderful time, and I couldn't wait for the next feast. Before we left, John and I bowed (I bowed because I had a tunic on, and not a dress) and turned to leave. I looked back to see Lisa curtsying to the King and Queen. I almost couldn't contain my laughter. I decided to tell John later.
That night, we slept in the barn where we were keeping our horses, since we didn't have enough money to pay for rooms. The princes had offered for a place there, but we couldn't accept such an offer.
In the barn, I relaxed against Moonlight's side and gave a contented sigh. "Well, we found her. She almost had me fooled. She put on a wonderful show."
"Who?"
"Come on, John! Don't tell me you forgot to look for her! I'd know that curtsy anywhere, because neither of us can do it properly. Lisa is Emma!"