Chap 2

6. Break away

Did big-important-grown-ups play with stuffed animals? Crowley didn't think so. He'd just turned eight yesterday, and now considered himself a man. And men definitely did not play with brown stuffed puppies, he decided. With that, Crowley tossed said creature into a wooden chest, trying to look like he didn't care, and shut it. Before he could get three paces however, he stopped to reconsider. Growley might get lonely in there.

When four year old Crowley had gotten it for his birthday, he'd thought it would be extremely cleaver to name the dog Growley, because it sounds like Crowley, you see.

"Growley? Are ya lonely in there?"

It's awfully dark in here. Can I come out?

"No, big men don't play with stuffed dogs."

I thought I was man's best friend?

Gasp! He hadn't thought of that!

"That's right Growley! After all, manly men need loyal hunting dogs, right?"

Woof!

Crowley thought he could hear the joyful wag of his friend's tail thumping the wooden walls of his prison.

"Don't worry! I'll get you out!"

He lifted the lid to see Growley's grinning face.

Woof! Let's go hunt a hippy-pot-a-thing!

"YEAH! C'mon Growls!"

Forty-two year old Commandant Crowley looked around his tent at the annual gathering. No one in sight.

He opened the drawer of his portable desk, and peeked in:

"Are you lonely in there Growley?"

Woof! Grrrr-oof! Just a bit. Can you leave the drawer open a bit? It's awfully dark in here.

"Sure thing Growls."

"Who're you talking to Crowly?"

Jumping in his seat, Crowley shut the drawer loudly, ignoring the indignant Woof from within.

"Me? Talking to someone? Why would I be talking to anyone? There's no-one here!" Crowley said nervously.

Halt's face was as expressionless as always; but Crowley was certain that Halt looked a bit smug.

"Why indeed Crowley?" With that, he strode silently off.

Crowley opened the drawer a bit.

Grrrr! What was that for?

"Sorry, Halt startled me."

Halt, who was in fact watching from a concealed hole in the tent, shook his head and walked off, a hint of a smile around his mouth.

For Halt, that was ROFLing.

7. Heaven

Tall, rich, and stately.

A cake.

That is how kitchen trainee Chubb viewed his masterpiece. After many test batches, a few mistakes, and ABSOLUTLY NO HELP WHATSOEVER, there it was: A beautiful spotless cake, made of whipped egg whites, five rich layers, and whipped-cream frosting; topped with special sugary decorative flowers, beads, and leaves of his own invention, and delicately arranged on an expensive platter, which was heaped with real, and sugar, roses. He had created this confection for Baron Arald and Lady Sandra's wedding anniversary.

And that, for Chubb, was heaven.

A/N Shoutout to JustaBunchaHOOPLA and Luvergirl of Books for telling me Lady Sandra's name! I had "Lady So-andSo" b4. :P Fanks!

8. Innocence

It was the day after Horace, Will, Halt, and Evan- er, Cassandra had returned to Araluen, and the new knight was taking a walk with Alyss. They had a lot to catch up on.

"Alyss? I saw some strange girls in Gallica, outside of a tavern I think. They had really short skirts on."

If she wasn't a trained courier, Alyss might've been fidgeting.

Where is he going with this?

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Halt said that they were couriers, and that they wore those skirts because they might need to run fast to deliver important messages. I'm not sure I believe him though. I thought, since you're a courier, you might know about things like that."

"Ah, I see. Well, I don't know much about diplomatic customs in Gallica."

By now, she was suppressing laughter. That Halt!

Then again, Halt was probably just trying to protect him. Poor innocent boy! I suppose he'll have to know the truth eventually though, for his own sake.

"But, I'm pretty sure they weren't couriers."

"Then why?..."

So she explained it to him in the mildest of terms, leaving out all the seamy details, just barely leading him up to it until he figured it out.

"Oh…"

His cheeks were flaming red.

Alyss smiled gently.

"Don't be too mad at Halt; he was just trying to keep you innocent."

A/N I got the idea for this from a pic I saw on deviantart; it was titled "Daily life of Gilan." It had various scenes of Gilan being, well, Gilan. One panel titled "protecting the innocent" showed Horace asking-

"Is that really why their skirts are so short?"

-and an uncomfortable Gilan saying "sure." But he had to find out somehow, cuz he refers to it in book eight, saying how he can't believe he fell for it or sumthin'.

9. Drive

"No. You most certainly may not."

Tug stamped his hoof and shook his mane.

"I don't understand you the same way Will does, but I'm guessing that you're still adamant?"

Tug nodded up and down exaggeratedly.

"I don't care. Will's not here right now; what I say goes. One apple, or no apple."

Whickering, Tug gestured to Abelard who was grazing placidly nearby.

Come here Abley.

My name, Tug, is Abelard. And I take Halt's side. One apple is enough; at least for you young whipper-snappers. We senior horses need our strength.

Halt looked smugly and the pony.

"You won't be getting any help from Abelard; he's loyal to me."

Throwing his mane defiantly, Tug looked away. Halt tossed an apple to his horse…who, instead of catching it, bumped it with his nose…in Tug's direction.

Catching it neatly, Tug crunched happily. Aghast, Halt looked from one to the other.

"Was that a practiced maneuver?"

Abelard looked innocently back at him, while Tug was wearing a decidedly horsey smile. If a horse can smile.

"Why do you need apples so badly?"

He's a driven young pony.

Halt glared at his faithful horse.

"Traitor."

10. Breath again

With an agonized cry that tore at Will's heart, Alyss crumpled to the ground. His absolute need to be at her side transcended everything else; there was no meaning, no reality but that Will must go to her.

"Alyss, Alyss." He said her name over and over again.

Dropping to his knees, he gathered her limp form in his arms, and held her fiercely; her head lolled back, her graceful arms hung loosely, her hair streamed out across the cold, stone floor, mingling with his tears. Violent sobs wracked his body. Mindless, heedless of everything but her, Will brought her head to his chest and simply held her.

"I-I thought I-I'd lost y-you A-Alyss." He whispered.

Thousands of thought began to race through his mind:

What if Keren permanently damaged her brain? Will she know me? Will she be the same? Will she ever recover? Oh! This is my fault! I should've come sooner; I shouldn't have left her alone; this is my fault, my fault!

A new flood of tears washed over him. Suddenly, the door flew open. Bang!

"Will! Will, are you alright? Is she alive? Where's…"

Horace trailed off when Will took no notice of him.

"I-I…"

"Will, what? What do you need?" Horace rushed over to his friend's side.

"I-I just w-want her t-to b-b-breath uh-again."

A/N There's chap 2! Which was your favorite? Tell me in a review! Please?

Oh-pretty-please-witha-cherry-on-top-an'-whipcream-y? Kfanksbai.