Author Notes: I just want to pause and thank you all for your wonderful reviews. I also want to know who was the really nice person who put my fic into a C2 community. I want to thank you for being so nice! (And the fic really isn't all that good)
Well, let's get on with the show and see what happens, shall we?
Chapter Five
The banqueting hall in Salamandastron was filled with creatures chatting happily away with each other. There were many long tables about with every seat filled.
Horty sat alone at a small side table alone among the jubilant woodlanders.
Pretty squirrelmaids gossiped with pretty haremaids. Brawny otters clapped young hares on the back. Big hedgehogs laughed with tiny leverets. Strong-looking mice chatted with old hares. Wild-looking shrews sang merry songs of victory with roguish hares.
Horty spoke to no one and didn't smile once. His face was completely clouded over and his ears were bent over.
Delicious food drinks were served; there seemed to be an unending abundance of them.
Horty never once touched his food. He didn't feel like eating.
None of the other woodlanders seemed to notice the young hare's moody demeanor among all the gaiety and celebration.
Neither did Horty notice Windblade standing over him until he spoke.
"Horty?"
The hare looked up, startled, then gave his Lord a stiff look. "Yes, m'lord?"
The Badger Lord looked uneasy for awhile, then, pointing to the seat next to the young hare, asked, "Is this seat taken?"
Horty sighed. "No, it's not."
"Would you mind if somebeast sat next to you?"
"No, I wouldn't."
"Well, good," Windblade said. And with that, he turned and beckoned to somebeast over his shoulder. Horty felt his eyes go round again.
It was the ferret.
"This is Gerrith," explained Windblade. "He's the one who led the woodlanders in the defense against the sea vermin. He used to live here on this mountain before you came to live here. I'd like it very much if you would be host to him."
For a moment there was a pause of uneasy silence.
Then the young hare said through clenched teeth, "Fine."
The ferret, Gerrith, stepped forward and held out his paw, a friendly smile on his handsome face. "So you're Horty. Windblade has told me so much about you."
Horty nodded, grudgingly taking the offered paw as well as a good look at the ferret. Before he had been too far away for Horty to see him properly; but now the young hare realized that this ferret was extremely young. In fact, he was probably even Horty's age.
They told me I was too young to come with them and here he is leading a whole army against a bunch of sea vermin!
Horty felt a wave of jealous anger against all the other hares; resentment against Windblade; and intense hatred for the young, blue-eyed ferret before him.
"I hope you two enjoy tonight's festivities," said the Badger Lord as he went up to the head table to take his seat.
Horty immediately looked down at his plate and began eating, silently refusing to host to a vermin, especially a ferret.
Gerrith seemed to be of a quiet type too. He ate the food before him without comment to the hare beside him.
The celebration wore on, and the feasting began to slacken. Even the hares couldn't lift another morsel to their mouths. Soon creatures began to get up to do little performances (those who weren't stuffed to the gills).
Mice and shrews sang songs. Squirrels and otters did acrobatic feats. Hedgehogs wrestled on stilts; it was this particular thing that got everybeast laughing.
Then a few hares got up to do a few fancy sword tricks. Their rapiers became mere blurs as they whipped them about, causing the audience to gasp in awe. When the hares were finished, they said over the applause, "Ah yes, but young Horty over there, he's the best swordsbeast in all of Salamandastron! Come over here, Horty; show 'em what you've got!"
"Yes, come up Horty! Show 'em all what you got, me lad!"
Horty got up reluctantly, not feeling like doing any tricks. But everybeast was practically screaming for him to come up that he felt like he had no choice. He saw Windblade smile at him, and the young hare felt something within himself lighten.
Drawing his sword, Horty held it in a fighting stance. Everybeast fell silent. Then the young hare swung his sword over his head, around his body, under his feet so fast that it was a blur. Horty whipped the blade through the air like lighting, stabbing invisible foes here and there.
"EEEUUULLLIIIAA!!!" roared the young hare as he lept into the air and drove his sword into a table. Horty bowed among all the wild applause, feeling slightly better.
"Good job, Horty!"
"Well done, young un!"
"I've never seen such skill!" cried one of the woodlanders.
"Nobeast can cross swords like our Horty!" yelled one of the hares.
"Oh really?!" roared a squirrelmaid. Everybeast turned to look at her. "I know a creature who can whip that rabbit's tail without even trying!"
Horty felt a rush of anger towards the squirrelmaid. "Do you now? Well then, bring him forth, and we'll see who whips who in the end!"
The squirrelmaid stood on the table she was seated at and pointed across the room. "Our leader, Gerrith, can turn a sword like no other!"
All eyes zoomed over to where the young ferret sat, who looked petrified.
"Ferrl. . . ." moaned Gerrith, obviously embarrassed. "You shouldn't go around wailing your head off about--"
"I challenge you to a duel!"
All eyes went back to Horty.
It was time for Windblade to look petrified.
"I challenge you to a duel!" Horty said yet again.
Gerrith did nothing. He just stared into the young hare's hard eyes.
The squirrelmaid, Ferrl, cried out, "Go to it, Gerrith! Show that rabbit what you're made of!"
And with that, she leaped from the table, raced over to the young ferret, handed him a sword, pulled him to his feet, and pushed him over to Horty.
Tables were cleared and pushed to the side to provide more room for the two young swordbeasts. Windblade looked as if he wanted to stop it, but knew that there wasn't any good reason he could use without offending anybeast.
The two young ones stood before each other and saluted, then took on fighting stances.
Horty and Gerrith circled each other warily, each holding his sword tightly in his paw.
Suddenly Horty swung his blade to disarm his opponent--
--only to find his blade being blocked by Gerrith's.
Horty loosed himself and swung again . . . and again . . . and again . . . only to be blocked every time. Grinding his teeth, the young hare made more aggressive advances against the ferret, driving him backward, hoping to pin Gerrith against the wall.
Without warning the young ferret suddenly turned around, and for a moment, it looked as though he was about to run away from Horty; but instead Gerrith actually used the wall to jump off from to leap over the young hare's head!
Horty whirled around only in time to block his opponent's blade. As they continued to fight, the young hare began to realize that he had met his match. There had been no hare in the entire mountain who could cross swords with him; not even visiting woodlanders had proved themselves worthy against him. But this ferret . . . he was Horty's equal, and that only added to the hare's hatred against him.
Then, to Horty's shock and horror, Gerrith had disarmed him!
The hare dived for his sword, but the ferret got there first. He snatched it up and stood holding both blades in Horty's face.
The young hare sucked his breath in, staring into the two blade points held by the ferret before him. Suddenly he found himself remembering the day when those ferrets had killed his parents and had left him for dead. . . .
His thoughts were broken by Ferrl the squirrelmaid's loud cheering. Soon the woodlanders joined her, and not long after that, the hares began to clap and cheer as well.
Horty stared up into Gerrith's face, hating it, hating everything about the ferret.
My age, he's my age, and he's a leader of a whole army and better than me at swordplay . . . and no doubt Windblade thinks of him as a son, the way how he told me that he used to live here and tried to make me host to him like that.
Gerrith reached down to help Horty up, a sincere, somewhat apologetic smile on his handsome face. Horty did not take it, but got up on his own. He smiled back, a false, ill-mannered smile, and said quietly, "Good match. You fight well."
Gerrith nodded, still smiling sincerely. "Thanks. You also fight very well. You're the best swordsbeast I've come across."
Horty nodded, still smiling insincerely.