Uncommon Attraction
Disclaimer: This story is a collaborative effort between Lotti's Lot and Ally-Marty, writing as Dawn of the Sky. Tamora Pierce owns all of PotS and everything else in Tortall. We just like to play around in her world. Everything you recognize is hers and everything you do not recognize is ours.
A/N: Sorry it's taken so long for this to come along, guys, life is getting way too busy. I hope you like the latest chapter.
"'My name ... is Sir Joren ... of Stone Mountain,' he said, 'And you're going to be ... very sorry that ... you attacked me.' And then he fainted."
Chapter 3: Friends to Report
Five more guards and priestesses stood at the gate where Caelyn and Jori entered into the temple courtyard, waiting to usher in the women from the scuffle outside. A thin, brown-haired priestess shepherded them into the sanctuary of the temple. Before she let the woman escort her inside, Jori gave one last, tearful glance to her uncle, who was yelling and in the midst of the fight. Her final view of Joren was of him struggling to reach her and her mother at the gate. Then he was gone, and they were behind the gray stone walls of their new home.
The young priestess reached for Jori's hand; she had a kindly smile on her bright, but melancholy face. Jori placed her small hand in the woman's grasp. "I am Lisette, or Lissie, if you prefer," said the priestess, and her voice sounded sweet to her two new charges.
Caelyn looked at Lissie with curiosity and replied quietly, "I am Caelyn, and this is my daughter, Jori," She purposely left out their proper family names. Another of Lissie's sweet smiles answered her as the priestess led the two of them into the temple.
Inside of the temple, baby blue obviously stood out as the dominant color. Women of various ages ambled through the hallways and corridors and many of them were dressed in the light blue colors of the priests and guards. Tapestries hung on the walls, some told complex stories of the Great Mother Goddess, while others told of her prophets. On one wall hung a length of cream-colored cloth embroidered with the image of a short woman in gold chain mail. She had short, brilliantly red hair and violet eyes and she stood with her head bowed down as if in prayer or submission. Another tapestry showed a scene depicting a group of children traveling down a sloping green moor; they were led by an indistinct woman carrying a little girl.
Lissie led Caelyn and Jori up a flight of stairs and past a dozen doors, most of them closed and concealing unknown rooms. Finally, they stopped at an open entrance. Inside the room were beds covered in white sheets, some even surrounded by blue curtains. A dozen or so women strolled through the room, occupying themselves at the filled beds.
Some of the occupants of these beds appeared to be fine, while others were bruised and beaten as severely as or worse than Caelyn and Jori. But upon closer inspection, all of them - even those who on first glance looked fine - could be identified as victims, especially by the bags under their eyes or the fear in their gazes. Some couldn't stop moving; many twitched and bit their lips in anxiety at their new surroundings.
One of the healers detached herself from the others. Joining Lissie's side, she spoke in a hushed voice, "Hello, my name is Corrine. Can I help you with these two, Lissie?" Lissie nodded. Corrine led Caelyn to a vacant bed, while Lissie, still holding Jori's hand, walked over to a smaller cot.
Settling Jori on the white sheets of the cot, Lisette began to collect her tools: swabs of cotton and rolls of healing wraps, a bowl of steaming water, and clean cloths. Then she bent down in front of Jori and asked, "Could you show me where you are hurt, please?"
Jori shook her head and pulled her knees into her chest, all the while avoiding Lissie's celery green eyes. The latter sighed, pulled a chair from somewhere behind her, and sat down. She reached out a hand to lift Jori's chin and met her ice-blue eyes. Tears silently rolled down the young girl's round cheeks.
"Hey, don't cry honey. It's alright now. Everything will be alright." Lissie pulled Jori in for a hug and tears continued to fall as the strange healer comforted young Jori.
It took some minutes, but finally the girl slid her sleeves upward, exposing the fading green and new purple bruises all along her arms and neck. Some of the bruises trailed below the silk neckline of the child's bright green frock. Lissie shook her head at each new injury, wondering about the cruelty of men.
"How old are you, Jori?" Lissie chatted gently as the healing began.
"Eight," Jori answered succinctly.
"Eight? Well, you look much younger, did you know that?"
"Yes."
Lissie laughed, "You don't like to talk to much do you?"
A tentative smile graced Jori's little mouth, "Maybe," she replied slyly.
"Tell me about yourself, then, Jori."
"Well, my name really isn't Jori; it's actually Joreena. My Mother named me after my uncle Joren, but I don't like Joreena because it sounds funny." Lissie chuckled at Jori's comments.
At that moment another woman appeared and stood behind Lisette. Her robes announced that she was a guard. She looked exhausted; her dreamy hazel eyes were weary and blank. Her face was like a blank canvas, waiting for a splash of emotion to be thrown upon it.
The guard opened her mouth and declared in a soft firm voice, "The Priestess has assigned me to this child and her mother for the duration of their stay." Then she smiled wanly at Jori, "I'm Kel."
Jori seemed to be retreating back into her shell, so Lissie replied for her, "Kel, this is Joreena, but don't call her that. It's Jori, I guess." She stopped for a moment and surveyed Keladry, "You look beat dear; why don't you take a break?"
Kel shook her head, "No, I can't. Maybe later, but not now." She sighed and pulled her hand across her face, as if to revive herself.
"Trouble?"
"Yes. Some nobleman knight was attempting to get in the gates while we were bringing in the wagons. He said he was after his sister and niece; he claimed he just wanted to see them." She let out a huff and Jori's ears perked up. "Marie got him a good one in the head with her axe. Apparently, he believes it was me who got him, though, after he was trying to assist us. Or so he says, at least. Why can't they just stay out of it?"
Lissie smiled and gently patted Kel on the back in a sisterly way. All the while, Jori listened intently to the conversation, her heart beating faster.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Joren had awakened minutes after he'd been knocked to the ground and he was furious. The street around him was all but empty, and the temple gate was closed. Despair suddenly engulfed him as he fell to his knees in front of the Temple of the Moon. Melodramatic as it was, Joren couldn't stop himself from crying. Slowly his tears turned to anger. Anger in particular toward a certain temple guard. It was her fault he hadn't been able to say good-bye to Jori and Caelyn.
And so he marched off - his rage boiling higher and higher with each passing second - toward the palace. A plan quickly formed in his mind. He would go to Wyldon, that's where he would go. Speaking with his former training master would be the key.
Lord Wyldon had retired from the strains of Training Master just months before and now held dominion over the newer knights he had raised. He was a stocky man, with a hard-worn handsome face and brown hair that grew barely a centimeter from his head, which was beginning to gray. A stiff arm hung at his side, usable but pained. He had received the war wound during the Immortals War, while protecting Princess Kalasin from a Stormwing. It had never fully healed.
Joren had know Wyldon most all of his life. Their fathers had trained together themselves and been very close friends. Burchard had asked Wyldon to be Joren's godfather on the day Joren was born. The former training master had taken a liking to the boy, even though he had been a moody and irritating youth. The years of hard training had changed him into the hardened, chivalrous conservative he was.
Once granted entrance to Lord Wyldon's office, Joren strode in, tall and confident. He gave a slight bow to his superior. Wyldon observed the young knight with a critical eye, "What is it Joren?"
"Sir, I would like to report an attack."
Lord Wyldon looked up again, startled, "Who and when?"
"I was attacked, sir. Today."
"Explain," Wyldon demanded doubtfully.
"Sir, I was picnicking with my sister and niece this afternoon, close to the Temple of the Great Mother Goddess. A scuffle broke out across the road as some temple guards were bringing in women for sanctuary. A group of men, who obviously wanted their wives and lovers back, attacked the women and I went over to assist the guards. I explained myself to one of the guards during the brawl, but she still assaulted me. I request, sir, to file a report against this guard," Joren finished succinctly, knowing that all the while that his story very much sounded ridiculous.
Wyldon sighed heavily, "Her name."
"Keladry Mindelan."
"Mindelan..." Wyldon mused. He knew that name.
The Mindelans were a rich family of silk merchants. It was a huge family, at least four boys and at least as many girls. Their mother was Lady Ilane of Seabeth and Seajen. Ilane's scandalous marriage to the short, common merchant, Piers, was still a topic of gossip at court when conversations became dry. Their union surprised everyone, to say the least, yet both families remained on good terms. In fact, things were so good that some of the Mindelan children had married nobles themselves - progressives, of course. Wyldon paused a moment in his rambling thoughts and finally announced, "I will see what I can do about it. You are dismissed."
Two days later, Keladry meandered quietly through the crowded streets of lower Corus. It was her day off, the first she'd had since before her induction as a temple guard. Many visits were in order to her few friends outside of the temple.
Ambling through the main square, Kel drew in all that her senses would allow. Bitter and sweet scents mingled in the air, along with the smell of the dirty, sweaty humans who were milling around. Shops and stalls lined every corner and street, separated only by the occasional pub or inn. The shops varied, and seemed to be placed randomly throughout the marketplace. An apothecary's multicolor-filled window lined itself right up to the brown-filled window of a bakery, each resonating with their unique décor and aroma.
Kel wove through the crowd, an expert at such things, until she came upon a small, but full, dressmakers shop. Women - mostly nobles - browsed through the small selection of already-made clothes. Two women with exhausted smiles plastered to their warm faces were busy helping all of their customers. At the sight of Kel, one of them left her client and walked over to Kel, embracing her as they met.
"Kel, where have you been? It has been far too long." She hugged Kel again, then stepped back and clucked her tongue, "You are looking far too shabby in those robes. Congratulations on becoming a guard." She beamed through her weary face.
"Thanks Lalasa. I'm sorry to have been gone so long, but this is my first free day in months." Kel sighed happily, "It's a lot of work, but I love it."
Lalasa grinned. She herself had once been in residence at the Temple, after a squire at the castle attempted to rape her twice. It had taken over a year for her to gain any type of confidence. But in that time, the priestesses and guards all had discovered her superb skill with the needle, and had employed her at once. Lalasa's career received a boost from the queen, who visited the temple once a month. Upon uncovering the secret of Lalasa, Queen Thayet immediately commissioned a dress from her and the rest was history.
"Tian and I were thinking about closing soon; would you like to go and visit Stefan with me?" Stefan was a groomsman up at the palace, to which Lalasa had taken a fancy. Oddly enough, he returned her affection. In the beginning Kel had been a skeptic, due to their age difference of more than a decade. Her views since then had changed dramatically.
It took some time for the shop to empty, but finally the only people left were Keladry, Lalasa, and Tian. The former two set off for the palace, softly conversing. Before long, they had entered into the stables which, naturally, reeked of horses and hay.
A/N: Please review (I wouldn't mind some constructive critisim). Thanks! :D