A/N: For those who have read the sequel to my first (quite long and considerably terrible to some) fanfic: Intertwined between Love and Death 2: Daughter Mage, you will probably remember that I put Sarralyn and Shalem together. Well, if memory serves, I believe Sarra was a year younger then Shalem. Remember Kel said quite a few chaps earlier: "He was going to turn six this week" Well…that would make Sarra five.
On with the story now.
Midori set an arrow to the string and fired, watching as the arrow went off center while Amyl's smacked dead center. The bow was her best weapon after all, and Midori wasn't surprised. Amyl suddenly fit two arrows to the string and fired, both arrows hit the center and broke the previous arrow in shards. Midori's eyebrows rose as Amyl bowed her head and tried to hide a blush as red as her hair. "It was nothing Midori, you've mastered both that sword of yours and the Yamani glaive, Oriana has mastered the sword, Emrys has the lance, Kalen the crossbow, Sheba the battleaxe and I've mastered the bow. We've got different weapons we're good at."
"No need to be embarrassed, Amyl" Midori clapped her friend on the shoulder as she saw Kalen speaking to the wildmage. A five-year-old girl stood beside her, black hair braided, and looking excited at something her mother was saying. Midori left Amyl to practice and walked over. The girl ran to the stables, giggling all the way, where new mounts were kept ignoring the calls of Daine. Rolling her eyes, Daine chuckled. "Come on Kalen, Sarralyn wants to show you the horses." "Slow down Sarra! Let us catch up!" she shouted.
Midori walked beside Kalen, noticing his quietness, and kept silent as Daine led them to the stables.
Sarra saw them, came over and tugged on her mother's shirt. "Come on, ma, I found a big horse for him."
"Do you remember which stall?" Daine asked.
Sarra nodded and tugged on her mother's shirt again as the group finally followed her. The horse they were led to looked very angry at the moment and shied away at Kalen's reach. Sarra tried to open the stall door to go inside but Daine quickly snatched her from the reach of the horse's teeth.
Holding a struggling Sarra Daine followed close behind Kalen as he began to look for a new mount. Daine finally put Sarralyn down and watched as he paused at bay-colored stallion's stall, watching in wonder as the horse put his nose up to Kalen's hand to sniff it. "His name's Copper and he seems to like you." The wildmage remarked.
"He does" chuckled Kalen.
"And you'll be glad to know, Kalen," Daine continued, "Copper was bred from desert horses and, if you wished for a mare to breed with him, for a pony to raise, you are able."
Kalen nodded in thanks, "Could I take him to my mare's old stall?"
Daine nodded, "You'll need my help."
Midori watched the two lead Copper out of the stall and out of the barn. She looked around and found Sarralyn missing, gazing around the stall, to her horror she found the girl trying again to open the angry horse's stall and almost had it open.
"Sarralyn!" she practically screamed, running to the girl. Sarra turned around, hearing Midori's outburst and, in doing so, unlatched the stall! The horse neighed in anger and knocked the stall door from its hinges, sending Sarra to her knees and smacking her head on the wood floor. Midori willed herself to run faster and felt her sword sway in its sheath, banging against her thigh.
Finally reaching Sarra, she checked the girl to make sure she was unscathed and just in a bit of a shock, and stood to face the prancing horse. "Shh, horse, it's alright, shh." Midori slowly made her way to the horse, which backed off further into the stall, eyes showing only the white. The horse reared and Midori dodged the hooves as she swiftly mounted and guided the horse away from Sarra with her knees, hanging onto his mane as he bucked and threw his head. "Run, Sarralyn! Now!" Midori shrieked, trying to keep the angry stallion away from the girl.
The stallion bucked and Midori was knocked from its back onto the ground, the horse's hooves above her. She gasped and rolled, nearly dodging the hooves. Gasping for breath, she yelled as a hoof smashed brutally against the side of her head, sending her immediately into darkness, blood running down her face and bruises littering her face and back.
Sarralyn ran from the stables without a word. But she needn't go far to reach her mother who was running for the stables with Kalen not far behind. "Oh gods, Sarra!" Daine exclaimed, picking her daughter up and holding her close. "What happened?"
"Midori saved me, ma." Sarra replied in a whisper.
At that answer Daine put Sarralyn down and told her sternly to not move. Kalen had already rushed in and was trying to drag Midori from under the stallion's hooves. Daine took control and took a rope and used it as a lead, tying it around the horse's neck to restrain him and to calm him down. "Hush, hoof-brother, hush" she crooned, patting the stallion's muzzle. "Take her to Baird." She told the squire.
"So much blood…oh gods please… he thought.
Kalen bent down to Midori and winced at the blood on her face. Kalen also noticed a broken nose and split lip as he picked her up and cradled her in his grasp, running to the infirmary and feeling Midori's frail breathing like a rattle in his ears.
"Please don't make her die…" he hoped. Reaching the infirmary, Midori was from his grasp by healers, taken to a bed and examined with Gifts of many colors. Kalen was sent to a waiting room where Amyl sat. "You heard?" he asked, his voice sounding hollow. "Yes." she said, wringing a handkerchief in her hands, even though her eyes were dry."It wasn't purposeful that she got hurt. Sarralyn, Daine's child, was in trouble with stallion and she tried to help."
"I know Kalen." Amyl replied, touching his arm. "I just hope she's going to be alright."