Rahallow, Tortall
End of summer, 458 H.E.
Andera was exhausted and covered in dust and mud from head to toe, but she had never been more satisfied with herself. She could once again see the roofs of Rahallow and there was no one near her—ahead or behind. She'd lost track of many of the other riders during the two and a half days she'd been running the race, but she knew for sure she'd stayed ahead of most of them. Kaji jumped from her saddle horn to her shoulder, catching her excitement. Clicking her tongue, she started her mare again and trotted down to the edge of the town.
A large crowd greeted her, which confirmed that she'd come in well. Above the cheering, Andera picked out the sound of her own name. Searching the happy faces flooding around her as she crossed the finish line, she spotted Kel, Iness, Daecon, Evin, and his family. She smiled at them and waved before dropping gratefully from the saddle. Mere moments after her feet hit the ground, Daecon picked her up in a tight hug. Kel patted her back.
"Third place." She said, a huge, proud smile on her face. "The boy from Trebond came in first and then someone else ridding for the Rider's Own."
"The boy came in this morning." Evin explained as he and Iness joined them. "But Kevan only beat you by a few hours, and he knows all the short cuts." Evin added with a wink. "The tavern's real proud of you, lass."
"We all are." Iness said as Daecon finally set her back on her feet and gathered her mare's reigns.
An older man was pushing his way through the crowd towards them, and Iness and Evin moved aside so he could stop in front of Andera. He was tall and wrinkled, with tufts of gray hair growing out of the sides of his head, but his boyish grin lit up his face. "Name's Adam Arlingtan and I sponsor these races." He introduced himself, holding his hand out to Andera. As he studied her face, a strange expression crossed his face. "What's your name, then, darling?" He said at last.
"Andera of Mindelan."
"And how old are you? Just for curiosities sake." He asked, still studying her closely.
"Eleven."
He grinned again. "Well little one, here's your winnings." He handed her a heavy brown leather purse. "Hope to see you ride again. Next year maybe."
"Maybe." Andera answered with a smile directed at Iness. He grinned back at her despite himself.
"Well, good day to you all." He waved at them then started back through the crowd, to watch for the rest of the finishers, though Andera had won the last of the prize money.
"Congrats, Kit." Evin said, his tone preoccupied. "I'll meet you back at the tavern tonight. Horses will be up for sale tomorrow." With a frown, he followed where Adam had pushed through the crowd.
"I wonder what's on his mind?" Kel asked, watching Evin leave.
Daecon looked between Kel and Andera, a frown creasing his own brow. Andera was too excited to notice much. Strangers where patting her back or shoulders and congratulating her as they passed. Her winner's purse was heavy in her hand, and the thrill of the race was still pounding through her veins.
"You should get a bath, Kit." Iness said, messing her hair. "I'll make us reservations at the tavern for a celebratory dinner tonight. And I wrote to Pa saying we'd leave tomorrow afternoon. You can get Oranie's horse in the morning."
"I'll come with you, Iness." Kel said, following her older brother as he started off towards the tavern. "I wanted to talk to you about something."
Daecon pulled on her hand. "Come on, let's get your mare unsaddled." He said, drawing her off towards the corrals.
"Why's everyone frowning?" Andera asked, watching after Kel and Iness, and annoyed at them for not being as happy as she was. "And why's Iness in such a hurry to get back to Mindelan. They've found me after all, and it's not like I'm getting in trouble or anything here."
"I agree with Sir Iness." Daecon said, sounding slightly preoccupied. Andera looked sharply at him, but he ignored her. "Sir Iness just doesn't like having all of you out and about. It just ain't safe, 's all. And Lady Kel don't want to go one bit. She likes it with them tavern people, learning t'fight and such. I think that's what she wants t'talk t'Sir Iness about."
"And what's wrong with you?" Andera demanded after she'd absorbed all he'd said about Kel.
"That boy who cam in first—" Daecon began then shook his head. "Nothin' much. Never mind."
"Daecon." Andera warned.
"He just looked mighty familiar, tis all. It's got me curious." Daecon answered, still sounding preoccupied and not looking at her.
"You're not making any sense." Andera said, giving up. "Take care of her while I bathe. I'll see you at dinner." Without waiting for a response, Andera turned around and headed back to Evin's house.
"So what do you want to talk about?" Iness asked when they reached the tavern, which was fairly empty as the crowd was still waiting along the finish line. Kel had been forcefully quiet during their walk.
Taking a deep breath to gather her nerve, Kel looked up at Iness. "When you ride home tomorrow I want to stay here." She said. Iness froze and stared at her. "Just a little longer, Iness, I promise. And this has nothing to do with Kit, so don't even think about yelling at her. I want to stay for me. All I'm asking for is half a year at the most, Iness. I'll agree to come back by Midwinter if you say so, and I'll go to Corus next year without a fuss. But I like the Rider's Own. They're teaching me to fight, and I just want to learn." Kel paused and took another deep breath. That was one of the longest speeches she'd ever given. "This is the happiest either of us have been since coming to Tortall." She whispered, looking down.
Iness grabbed her shoulders then forced her gaze up to meet his. He studied her without speaking for a long moment. Finally he said, "Alright. You can stay and learn, Kel. I'll speak with our parents when I get back to Mindelan, and we'll let you know when we need you back home."
"Thank you." Kel whispered.