Chapter 21: Jousting
Kel had just entered her room when she heard a scream coming from Adalia's room.
Alarmed, she charged through the office and into her squire's room, but the sight that met her eyes was totally unexpected.
Adalia was pinned on the floor by a very excited and ugly dog that had white fur, scars, and a tail that looked like it had been broken in three places. The dog was licking her face enthusiastically, and the girl was giggling.
It took all Kel's control not to burst out laughing, but she slipped it behind her Yamani mask and addressed the pinned girl. "That's – "
" – Jump. " Adalia finished, having discerned the excitable dog's words.
Kel looked confused, "And you know that because…"
Adalia looked at her confused knight master and rolled her eyes, "I am half crow. But you knew that. Different animals can talk to each other."
Kel shook her head, "I have my very own personal wildmage."
"No, you have your very own personal crow." Adalia corrected.
Kel decided to finish this discussion, and grinned wolfishly, "Well then, it's time for my crow to learn to joust."
"Oh NO! Just about now I would like to inform you of a crow's adamant avoidance of long sticks and big knights aiming for them." Adalia said, frightened.
"Yes, that's quite true. Or I'd imagine so. The problem is that unruly squires have no such limitations."
Kel gently pulled Jump off Adalia and started to lead the girl to the stables.
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"Now, before we do this there are two problems I need to address." Kel said carefully as they approached the stables.
"The first of which is that I refuse to be murdered with that cursed heavy lance that you seem to consider 'just right' – I saw what it did to the practise dummy and have no wish to encounter the same end." Kel said dryly.
"Then what do you propose we do?" Adalia asked lightly.
"You will use a normal one, silly." Kel responded. Adalia looked like she wanted to interrupt, so Kel continued, "What is the other problem, you may ask? Anika is a beautiful riding horse, but she isn't the most ideal warhorse. So that is why I am giving you him." Kel smiled as they reached Anika's stall, and she pointed to the stall next to the chestnut mare.
Adalia's jaw dropped. The gelding was magnificent. He had a light cream coat with silver mane and tail (palomino coat), he was well muscled, and just the right height to look like a formidable opponent on any battlefield.
She greeted him, stepping into his stall, and ran her hands over him. Conversing, she discovered that his name was Sora, which meant 'Sky.' He was actually very calm and caring, even though he was obviously strong.
After talking with him for long moments, she noticed that he was tacked up. It was a brand new high-backed jousting saddle. The back was lightly quilted, to soften the impact when she was hit. Discovering this, she spun around to talk to Kel, trying to figure out why she would give her these obviously expensive gifts for no apparent reason. The problem was, she wasn't there.
Asking Sora to follow her, she stomped out of the stall. She took no notice of the amused ostlers, which broke into laughter seeing the girl striding quickly around the stables, the magnificent warhorse forced to trot to keep up with her.
Adalia found Kel with her own warhorse, Peachblossom, and she quickly strode up to her. She saw Peachblossom flatten his ears back, and she quickly conversed with the gelding, telling him that she would give him apples for a week if they could be friends.
Kel noticed Adalia, with the large warhorse trotting behind her, as she approached. She was just about to warn Adalia of her mount's temper, when he suddenly nickered a greeting to her. She was shocked enough at that, when the girl started on her.
"Why did you get me a mount and a jousting saddle?" Adalia asked, astonished.
Kel gripped her shoulder. "I am your knight master, and as such, I have a responsibility to my squire to provide everything you will need to complete this phase of your training. And in this case it is my pleasure. You shouldn't give me all the credit though, your grandma insisted on contributing the horse." Kel finished with a kind smile.
"His name's Sora." Adalia muttered, still bewildered that she would want to give her these things. She looked Kel in the eyes, willing her to see the depth of her gratitude, "thankyou."
Kel smiled and clapped Adalia on the shoulder, "Don't thank me yet, my crow, because now you are properly supplied, we are going to joust."
Kel handed Adalia a new lance, as well as a quilted practise tunic, gloves, and a shield. Adalia sighed and pulled on the protective clothing, at the same time securing the shield to her saddle. Sora seemed excited about what was going to happen, but he was alone in that notion.
Adalia grimly followed Kel, talking silently with Peachblossom and Sora, and trying to ignore that she felt like she was walking to her death.
Reaching the jousting field, Adalia was annoyed to see that there were some soldiers of the Own practising in an adjacent field. "Did you tell them we were going to do this?" Adalia asked, suspicious.
Kel just grinned and changed the subject, "You are going flying this afternoon."
Adalia gulped. She watched Kel mount Peachblossom, who was overflowing with excitement, much like Sora was at that moment. Cursing crazy horses, Adalia slung up onto Sora's back. Settling down, she became much more relaxed as she connected with him. Feeling the strong muscles walking calmly towards her side of the field, Adalia banished her fears and settled into the rhythm.
They stopped, facing Kel across the field, and Adalia could just see the soldiers approach the fence to watch when Kel signalled to go.
Asking Sora to canter, Adalia kept the light lance steady and focused on a small dot on Kel's shield as they approached. She rose steadily in the saddle.
They collided and Adalia managed to put a fair amount of strength into hitting the target on Kel's shield, but had barely registered this when she was smashed against the high back of the saddle. It didn't stop there, though. Adalia felt Kel force her whole weight behind the lance, and then use it to scoop her out of the saddle.
Adalia was in the air, and she discarded her lance and shield in a flash. With her quick speed, instead of slapping the ground like they were taught, she flipped so she landed squarely on her feet.
Glaring at Kel, who had stopped to watch her decent, she noticed that the knight was shaking her arm out. Adalia grudgingly went to collect her lance and shield, asking Sora to come back, as he had continued cantering on.
There was a funny sound in Adalia's ears, and she thought she was losing her hearing when she spotted their spectators. "I'm glad they found that amusing, because I don't think I did." Adalia commented dryly, addressing Kel.
"That was sight. I don't think I have seen anyone land on his or her feet after being unhorsed. Hmm. If I didn't know better, I'd have said you were a cat. Do you realise the strength you put into it? I could compare it to what it felt like being hit by Raoul when I was younger." Kel shivered. "This is going to be interesting for both of us." She added thoughtfully.
Adalia cursed softly in Kyprish as she mounted Sora again for a second try.
That afternoon, after ten more jousts with Kel, Adalia felt like she was tenderised. Already bruises were appearing on the visible places of her body, and she felt that more would appear in places that could not be seen, like her back, which felt terrible. She had not gotten as good a hit on Kel since the first run, and had constantly been extracted from the saddle.
Adalia was lying on the ground, eyes closed after the eleventh joust.
Kel was observing her; "You did fine for your first time jousting properly, especially since you were jousting me. I would say get back on, but I don't know if you would last another run. You can go untack Sora now."
Adalia was still lying on the ground when she felt Sora nudge her face with his. Hold on, youngling. I will help you up. He told her.
Thankyou. Adalia responded gratefully, and lifted her hands so they were clasped tightly around his neck, and he raised his head, her along with it.
Kel watched this, marvelling that the two worked together so well when they had practically just met. It seems that Alanna chose well. She thought with approval.
The men that were watching at the gate opened it for her as she was walking out, leaning heavily on Sora. Adalia managed to smile at them, but words seemed beyond her capabilities at that moment.
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After dinner that night, Adalia was relaxing on her bed, mostly recovered from her jousting in the afternoon, reflecting that she was very lucky to be half crow, and thus much harder to injure.
Kel poked her head in the door, "Come on, you can help me with this supply list for the Own."
Adalia sighed, but got up and followed Kel into the office.
It was around ten o'clock when Kel and Adalia finished the list, and Adalia was in the process of appreciating just how much work it took to organise everything, and this line of thought continued on to immense relief that she did not have to do it.
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Adalia woke up to a loud banging that made her clap her hands to her ears. Cursing, she sat up in bed and glared at the closed door like it had done her a great person wrong. "Who is it?" She screamed.
"Just guess. Get up! Practise starts now!" Kel yelled through the door.
It took Adalia a few seconds to haul herself out of bed, grab her glaive and saunter out of her room.
Upon seeing Kel, who was thoroughly awake at such an un-holy hour of the morning, Adalia muttered while she passed her in Kyprish, "Why am I cursed with befriending people who wake up early, and insist that I do as well?"
It seemed that Kel got the gist of this, and replied in Yamani, "Why am I cursed with people who like to stay in bed until noon?"
Adalia answered back in Yamani, "Because without us, you would have no one to annoy." Adalia had learnt a number of languages in the Copper Isles, having a love of solving problems, much like her own mother, and she knew that she had a near perfect accent. She reasoned that you never knew where you could end up, her own mother being excellent proof of this fact.
Kel cocked her head, observing Adalia with interest, and replied in Yamani, "You speak the Yamani language?"
"Yes. But I prefer to speak something different so early in the morning. Hmmm… nothing at all would be best." Adalia responded in the same language, still annoyed to be stuck with a knight master who would obviously keep her waking up insanely early in the morning for the next four years.
Kel couldn't help but smile while she led the way out to the practise.
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After washing in the bathhouse, Kel turned to Adalia, "Come on. You can come eat at the Own's mess. I think the food is better, and I have to introduce you to the men of the Third Company sometime."
Adalia agreed, but she was nervous of meeting them all at once. She needn't have worried, however, as there was only about 30 men in the mess.
Collecting a plate of food and following Kel to a table, Adalia glanced around, confused. "Where is everyone? I would have thought there would be more."
"The men sleep in as much as possible, because they can be called out at any time, so they take advantage of any rest."
"You could learn from them." Adalia frankly told Kel.
She laughed, "No, I'm sorry but you have to learn to be good at the glaive sometime."
"You already know me well enough to persuade me. That's not fair." Adalia grumbled.
They stopped light conversation as they ate, but it was a companionable silence. After the meal, Adalia was feeling much more like her cheery self.
Handing her plate over to the cooks, she followed Kel out of the mess, and upon seeing a crowd of soldiers gathered around something she couldn't see, stopped and addressed Kel, "What are they doing?"
Kel looked where she was pointing, and chuckled, "Do you remember that knife you threw in the tree in your second year? That's where they keep it. Hundreds of people must have tried to remove it by now, but no one has managed it. There's been bets on who will do it for years."
Adalia stared at her, incredulous, "They haven't removed it yet?"
"No. I've tried, and I don't think anyone will."
Adalia sighed, "Could we go up there?"
Adalia made her way through the crowd and saw that a man of roughly 20 was desperately pulling on the sheath, the soldiers egging him on. He gave up, a disappointed look on his face and stepped away. "Doesn't look like I will be the one to do it."
He was fairly tall, with black hair and hazel eyes. She heard one of the men say, "Aww, don't worry Steve, no one has been able to do it."
That's when Adalia stepped up, Kel at her back. "I think it's time that this ended."
The soldiers looked at her, surprised. She could feel them swiftly taking in her slender form, long black hair tied back in a braid, and bright purple eyes, and at the same time she got the feeling that they were not impressed.
"This is no place for little girls." A large bazhir man sneered at her.
She felt Kel glare at the man, "Maybe not, but it is a place for my squire."
The man flinched and stepped back. The man called Steve said, "What was that? About ending it? And are you the one to do it?" Adalia was peeved by the man's unbelieving tone, which made her grit her jaw.
She stepped forward, "Yes."
The men laughed in disbelief. "Oh, sure. Go on, if you can, then do it." The man who said this was clearly joking.
Adalia smiled sweetly at him, "Fine."
She stubbornly stepped forward, brushed Steve out of the way, and mockingly grabbed the dagger with one hand and wrenched it out. As it came out, it emitted a crack that was audible to all the men present.
Adalia smiled, head cocked to the side as she turned around, idly twirling the dagger in her hand. "You men better be careful about how you see girls from now on. Oh, and did it ever occur to you how it ended up there in the first place?" Adalia took in the awed looks, which were mirrored on all of the gathered men's faces, with satisfaction.
Her eyes hardened as she got a good idea. Flicking the knife high in the air, she caught it again and pivoted swiftly, aiming it to become newly imbedded in a nearby tree trunk, but this time it was almost at the top. She gave them men one last smile and a Player's bow before turning and walking away quickly.
She only noticed that Kel was following her when she felt a hand on her shoulder. "I think they won't be so quick as to underestimate you again."
"That is what I was aiming for, but I still dislike shows of power." Adalia responded, almost regretting losing her temper – almost, but not quite.
Kel smiled sympathetically, "I can tell how that might be problematic. I've got an idea. I have seen how good you are at sparring with the Shang Falcon. What say you we go get our swords and have a few matches?"
Adalia seriously considered this, but she shook her head, "Would it be alright if I went for a ride with Anika? I'll be back before dinner."
"Yes, of course." Kel gave her one last nod before striding off, sensing the girl's need to be alone.
Adalia quickly ran to the stables and jumped on Anika, deciding to ride bareback.
Cantering through the woods, hands tightly entwined in Anika's mane, Adalia was cursing herself for being an idiot for letting those men's condescending attitudes get to her.
Roughly an hour after setting out, Adalia reached the edge of a lake. She leapt off Anika, allowing her mare to go and graze.
Sighing, she sat down and gazed out over the astonishingly blue water, delighting in the soft warming rays of the sun. Making a split second decision, she removed her shoes and waded out into the water.
She was lazily splashing about when she heard Anika greet a very familiar gelding.
"Hey, Ady!" She looked towards the bank, shocked, to see Rye removing Diablo's saddle and bridle.
"What are you doing here?" Adalia asked, confused.
Rye shook his head. "What am I doing here? Gods Ady, I've been looking for you since yesterday! I heard that Kel took you on as a squire, and I've got to say I am hurt that you didn't think to inform me of this development!"
Adalia grinned sheepishly and splashed him. "Sorry, it slipped my mind between being tenderised while tilting and proving some men wrong."
Rye pouted while taking off his boots, "Still, not impressed. You could have at least let me see you show them wrong! I had to hear about it from a very flustered sparrow that happened to be very near where you threw that dagger."
Adalia raised her eyebrows, "Really. The point is it was near, not hit."
Rye dived into the water and swam out to her. "I guess, but it would have been fun to see it. Your plays are always the best."
Adalia raised her eyebrows, "Be that a compliment, young mage?"
Rye wrinkled his brow, "Why, I think it was, Ady."
Adalia splashed him, "How many times must I tell you not to call me Ady?!"
"At least once more, as always, Ady." And with that he swam closer and dunked her underwater.
Adalia let out a small scream and squirmed out of his arms, yanking him underwater in turn, and then swam away.
They continued that way for a while, playing a teasing game of chasing and catching to get each other back.
Finally, Adalia was worn out and she swam into shallow water so she could rest. Rye swam over to her, and she called out, "STOP! I give up! Please don't hurt me!" She threw her arms up in front of her face in a protective position, totally exhausted.
Rye stopped beside her so his side was touching hers. He grinned mischievously as he grabbed her hands and pried them away from her face.
As Rye lowered her hands, Adalia nervously opened her eyes and noticed his closeness. She was torn between being frozen to the spot and wanting to run away. He was too close.
He held her gaze levelly, before saying, "Now, I am taking advantage of you right now, because I don't think I'll ever catch you worn out again." He leaned in and kissed her softly and carefully.
Adalia registered shock, but could not collect her thoughts long enough to formulate what to do. She found that she could not tear her mind away from Rye.
When Rye released her, she trembled in shock, and turned her face away from his, trying to process what had just happened, trying to place a new feeling that had arisen the second her lips had met his. She felt his hand on her chin, and shivered at the touch.
Rye raised her face to meet his. He gazed into her haunting violet eyes, trying to gauge her emotions, "If you don't feel the same way about me, I'll understand, and we can go back to…to just being friends." He said, uncertain now that his mind had caught up with his actions. He had simply been unable to help himself. She is beautiful even when wet and muddy. He mused while anxiously awaiting her answer.
Adalia gazed into his stormy grey eyes, recognising the emotions now painfully evident in them. Something clicked into place as she looked into his eyes, and she carefully raised her hand to settle on his cheek, "Now, why would I be wanting to do that, my young mage?" She asked lightly, and quickly pulled him into a deeper kiss.
After a few moments of this, Adalia jumped up and ran out of the water, calling back to Rye, "Um, I've ah, gotta get back before dinner or Kel's gonna be worried sick. See ya."
She silently called to Anika, while telling herself I am not running away. I like Rye; I just need to be back on time. Besides, even if I was I am riding not running.
Anika galloped up, concerned because the call had been so urgent. She didn't even stop when she saw her thoroughly wet rider, just continued charging on. Adalia slung up on to the mare's back and waved to Rye, then concentrated on staying astride Anika.
Rye sat in the water for a while after Ady had practically ran off. She just needs time. He assured himself. For gods sake it's a wonder she can trust anyone with the amount of –problems- she has suffered at the hands of the conservatives.
He ran his hands over his lips, still dazed that she returned his feelings. He was shaken out of this pleasant reverie by Diablo. Are you going to stay in there all night?
"No." Rye absently told him.
Well, come on. Rye sighed and lifted himself out of the water, going to fetch Diablo's saddle.
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Next Chapter: Not Running
Disclaimer: I am not Tamora Pierce.
LOL. I bet this is the chapter that everyone has been waiting for! Please R&R, all suggestions welcome (although I can't promise they will be used).