A/N: Hello Lovelies! Sorry about the wait, been busy again. I have exams coming up and I've been away working. Thank you for your patience and I hope you enjoy this one!

Thank you very much princesspomegranate, Girl In the Library Corner, Lady of Sign, brandibuckeye and Regin for the wonderful reviews ^^ And thanks to my wonder-worker-BETA princesspomegranate for her help. Love ya Chicka!

. : Chapter 3: Decided : .

We spent the rest of the night with Uncle Darian and Aunt Ana. Neither Papa nor Mama came to fetch us, which could only mean that they were still arguing. Dag finally returned, just as the last embers of the fire were beginning to die. In the soft glow remaining in the room, I could see the dark smudges under his eyes.

His father squeezed his shoulder as he passed, murmured a few words to him, and sent him to bed. As my best friend flopped ungracefully onto his sleeping pallet beside me, I rolled over to face him.

"Learn anything new?" I whispered, referring to his healing lesson. Why he had to have them at ridiculous hours of the night, I had no idea. I would've thought that he'd remember it better if he did it in the day time- when he wasn't freezing his arse off. It was always cold at night, summer or no.

He tilted his head to squint at me in the dimming light. "Not really," came his grunted answer, equally as quiet. "Just more about how to cure fevers."

"Oh… no needles?"

He chuckled. "No, no needles."

"Next time I get a fever, you can practice on me, then." I grinned. It was a lie, of course. I refused to be the practice dummy, even if I trusted him.

He snorted softly, obviously seeing through my words. "Sure, and I'll wear a dress to do it."

I giggled. That would be almost worth it.

We lay in silence for a while. I pulled and twisted my fingers and popped my knuckles- a nervous habit I got from Papa. Plucking up the courage, I reached out from under the fur and poked Dag's cheek.

His eyes flicked open and narrowed on me. "What, Mali?"

"Did you hear anything from our tent?"

He paused for a moment, then shook his head. "No. But ol' Miach had me pack two field kits. And Pa just asked me to bring another bow and quiver to practice tomorrow." His eyes were wide. "Mali, I think…"

"That I'm going with you." I breathed.

oOo

I was woken roughly the next morning by something continuously poking my forehead. I cracked open one eye and blinked repeatedly to clear my blurry vision. When the fuzziness faded, I was able to focus on Dag.

"You got a death wish?" I hissed, voice slurry and laced with sleep. "Go 'way."

He shook his head, grinning slightly. "Get up. We have to be at the target fields by dawn."

My other eye shot open, and I sat bolt upright. "You mean I'm…"

"Training. Yes, Pa said." He wrapped his hand around a stray dark lock and tugged on it. "If we're late, we have to run extra laps. So hurry up."

I scurried to my feet, frantically searching for my heavier woollen dress that I'd taken off before bed. I yanked the material over my head, and then hopped from foot to foot while I pulled my boots on. I narrowly missed tripping over the twins in the process. Then I waited- not so patiently-at the tent flap, bouncing on the balls of my feet while gesturing wildly to Dag.

"Hurry up!" I hissed, bolting out of the tent and into the crisp morning air without waiting for him to reach me. It was cold, and a shiver wracked my slim frame immediately, but it did little to dampen my mood. I would've laughed if I hadn't feared waking everyone else.

There was a soft glow from the horizon, emitting just enough light so that I could see. My breath clouded in front of me, my fingers and nose tingled with the chill, but I grinned nonetheless. As soon as Dagonet appeared, two bows and two quivers full of arrows slung over his shoulder, I grabbed his hand and ran.

It wasn't like I needed directions to the field the men used for archery practice. I'd followed them there often enough.

We arrived just as the sun was beginning to make its appearance over the plains. Uncle Darian, Papa and Milchek were already there, waiting for us. I practically skipped over to them, still towing poor Dag along behind me. He'd said several cuss words on the way here as I may, or may not, have taken a path more suited to my shorter height.

But it didn't matter. He'd live.

My Uncle laughed and shook his head as we neared. Our Elder cracked a smile that brought out all the wrinkles in his old face, and Papa, even through his sullen expression, had amusement in his eyes.

"That has to be the fastest I've ever seen a woman get up." Uncle Darian grinned, trying to lighten the mood. Like always. "Did you dislocate my son's shoulder on the way here, Mali? He looks like he's in pain."

Dag swore and cuffed the back of my head. "She towed me under a tree branch, Pa."

"You shoulda ducked, shouldn't ya?" I smirked at him, jumping back so he couldn't hit me again. I turned my attention back to the men, and said seriously. "He was going too slowly."

Papa sighed, and unfolded his arms. He didn't look pleased. "Mali, you have to take this seriously."

"I am!"

"If you are to…become a knight," it looked like it pained him to say the words. "Then you have to listen to everything we tell you. It isn't a game, and it certainly isn't easy."

"I know."

"No, you don't know, Malise." His voice had an edge to it. One I'd never heard before. And it made a bolt of fear shoot through my veins. "You can't think about what you're doing. You can't feel, or else it'll get too much. If you let it get to you, it will destroy you. If you show weakness, you'll be preyed upon. If you become too much of a threat, you'll be targeted. They'll hate you; treat you like you're the shit under their horses' hooves. You're nothing but a slave; one that has to jump every time the master says to jump." He stared right at me, his dark eyes blacker then the moonless nights. It was the most terrifying thing I'd ever seen. "You'll have to be cold, to everyone. You'll have to be harsh and feared. No one can get close to you. No one can know you're a girl. D'you hear me?"

I nodded, my breath caught in my throat. "Yes, Father."

He nodded sharply. "Good. Let's see what Dagonet has taught you, then, shall we? When we're done here, you're to go to your mother and aunts. You'll have to have tunics and breeches made. You can't very well be a man in a dress."

I gave my consent mutely; my hands had become clammy and shook slightly. It wasn't so much what he'd said; it was more how he'd said it. And his eyes, how black and…and haunted they were. I had his eyes. Would mine be like that after I became a knight? Would mine invoke the same heart-shattering fear that my father's could?

"You scared the girl, Faolan." Milchek chastised Father softly.

I cringed. That was not the right thing it say…

"She should be scared!" Papa spat viciously, his hands clenched so tightly they were white. And his eyes, which had returned somewhat to their normal passiveness, were again as black as the darkest night. "If you ask this of me- to send my own daughter to her death- then I will prepare her! Even if it means I have to destroy who she is now!" He spun on his heel, and stalked away, leaving Uncle Darian to supervise the lesson.

"Leave the training to us, Milchek." Uncle said. There was coldness in his voice to, but it wasn't nearly as pronounced as it was in Papa's. "They are our children. We will train them how they need to be trained."

"Very well." The old man backed down easily, knowing not to push the old knights any further. He looked at me. "Good luck."

As he shuffled away, Uncle Darian sighed. "Come now; we won't get anywhere if we don't get started." He took a bow and quiver from Dag and guided them into my still-shaky hands. "Just breathe, Mali. Your Papa will come 'round. It's hard for him, for us, to do this to you and Dagonet."

I clasped the bow tightly, and stared up at my new teacher with determination. "I will make him proud."

Uncle smiled and ruffled my hair. "He already is."

oOo

A string of well-formed curses left my lips as what was probably my hundredth arrow sailed through the air, completely missing the target by about the width of our fattest horse.

I lowered the bow, scowling. There were arrows strewn all along the ground between me and the wooden target. A quick glance at Dagonet's target had me biting my tongue to stop myself from cursing again. But, I swear if he hit it one more time, I was going to strangle him with my bow string.

"Better."

"Least she sounds like a man."

I glared up at Uncle and Papa, who had returned about an hour after we'd started, having calmed down. We didn't know what he or Uncle Darian did to 'calm down', it was just something we never asked about since it seemed truly private to the old knights.

Huffing, I turned back to the bane of my existence. "It hates me."

Dag stifled a laugh, which he choked on when I swung my glare in his direction. "You'll get better. This is only your first day." He promised me with a smile.

"You've been trying to show me this for months." I stated dryly.

"You've got better teachers now."

"They're telling me the same things you were."

"Well…you didn't hit anything you shouldn't have."

Only just. I'd missed Uncle Darian's foot by a hairs width. I knew it was bad, because then he wouldn't stand beside me, only several paces back. And even then, he still acted like it wasn't safe.

The look on my face must have told them what I was thinking, because Papa cleared his throat and put a hand on my shoulder. "It takes some longer than others. And even then, not everyone becomes gifted at it. You have plenty of talent for other things." He leaned down, so he could whisper in my ear. "I think we've done enough archery today, since you've managed to strike fear into the heart of a fearless warrior." He winked at me as I giggled and straightened.

"Time for your laps." Papa announced, while Uncle eyed him suspiciously. He was purposely ignored. "Malise, you do five then get home to your mother. I promised you'd be there for lunch. Dagonet, the usual."

We both nodded and set our bows down, in my case dropped it, and began the field laps at a steady jog.

"This isn't so bad." I remarked once we were far enough away that we could no longer hear Uncle Darian pestering Papa about what he'd said to me. "I don't know why you complain."

"I do not complain." Dag returned immediately. "And don't you let them hear you say it's easy. If they think that, then they'll make it harder. It's get harder anyway. This is only your first real day, they'll go easy on you for the first week or so, to get you used to it. Then it'll be harder."

I grinned. "Sounds good."

He rolled his eyes at me. "You're so weird, Mali."

oOo

After I'd finished my five laps, which left me fairly puffed and red faced- it was a big field- I trotted home on wobbly legs. I definitely agreed with Papa though, I needed breeches. Badly.

As I passed through the village, I noticed the badly concealed stares. Not so much staring, I suppose, just glances that I couldn't properly decipher. But it felt like staring since there was always one set of eyes on me. I got to our tent and, out of habit, dusted myself off before taking a deep breath and entering. I wasn't quite sure what I expected on the other side.

It was warm inside. It looked the same, felt the same, and even had the familiar smell of Mama's stew cooking over the fire. I didn't know why I thought it was going to be different.

Mama, Aunt Ana, and Mama's younger sister, Aunt Raliah, were all seated around the table. My siblings and cousins were scattered around the floor and I could hear some in the other room.

They looked up as I entered, and it made me nervous. I took my fingers and twisted them, dropping my gaze to the floor.

"Oh, Mali, my girl." Mama said softly. I heard the soft padding of her feet across the pelt covered floor and then felt her arms grab my shoulders and pull me to her.

"Are you mad at me?" I murmured into her stomach, winding my arms around her as she stroked my hair and teased out a twig that I hadn't known was there.

"Gods, no! I am not mad at you, Mali. Never could I be mad at you for this." She tilted my face up so she could see it. Her eyes were glazed with unshed tears as she cupped my face and pressed a kiss to my forehead. "I'm very proud of you…and very scared."

"Of me?" I squeaked, horrified.

"No! Never that either." She shook her head. "For you; I'm scared for you."

"Mama, I'll be alright."

She gave me a watery smile, like she didn't quite believe me. "We can't dwell on it now though. What's done is done." Her voice had a touch of bitterness to it. "We can only prepare, and hope for the best. How was training?"

She led me over to the table and sat me down, placing a steaming bowl of stew in front of me. Both my Aunts smiled at me, and I was glad that my third Aunt wasn't here. Aunt Henna was Mama's older sister, and by far my least favourite Aunt. Papa didn't like her either.

I shrugged, blowing on the spoon full of food before putting it anywhere near my mouth. I'd learnt that lesson the hard way. "Alright. Papa got really cross at the start; I thought he was gonna run Elder Milchek through right there. Then we did archery," I scrunched up my nose. "I'm no good at archery. I nearly shot Uncle Darian in the foot. Then we did laps, then Papa sent me home. Said he'd promised you I'd be here for lunch. Dag's still running laps."

"You've had an easy morning then?" Aunt Ana chuckled. "I would've loved to have seen the archery incident."

I grinned meekly. "The other two thought it was funny. They don't stand close to me now."

They laughed.

"You'll get it, dear." Aunt Raliah smiled, but her blue eyes showed her worry over the whole thing. I was used to that. "You've got your mother's stubborn streak. You'll surely master anything you put your mind to."

I beamed. "Thanks, Aunt Rali."

She winked at me. "Anytime."

"Now; you'll be needing tunics and breeches." Mama said, seriously, eyeing the state of my dress. "And soon, by the looks of it."

I nodded. "That's what Papa said."

She sighed. "Between you and Dagonet, we'll go through more fabric than any other village."

"And I haven't even done any combat training yet." I said brightly.

She sent me a disapproving look.

A/N: Tadar! A bit longer one to make up for the wait ^^. Hope you liked it.

Now just a couple of points, a few people have mentioned about this being a Dagonet/OC story…the truth is…I haven't settled on a pairing yet. I was thinking to have the big man as more of a brother though. I'm really not sure yet lol.

And I will be away again next week for work. I leave on Sunday afternoon and probably get home Thursday night. So yeah, I won't have internet there therefore there won't be any updates until next weekend, sorry! Need the money though, story of our lives right? Lol.

Thank you for reading, please review!

Love,

~Meg x x