(-a/n- Sorry, sorry, sorry! Blame J.K. Rowling for releasing her seventh book; I haven't been able to think of anything other that Harry Potter for weeks because I've been so excited. Thanks for the amazing review response for the last chapter, I was blown away! You really can't know how much I love to read all your reviews :D It makes me a very, very happy person :P
Firstly, Kel and Alex are not related :P And secondly thanks to everyone who explained what Independence day was, I feel very educated know :P) Finally before I continue I wanted to mention that I'm a member of Group Askew and have just written the third chapter in our chain story Eldorne's Atonement, so if you wanna check that out sometime it would be great :D )
kulash, Transfiguration, LadyKnightSusan, the. dead. addict, Uncertian Destiny, Tsumetai Taiyoukai, Right or Ryn, ShadowofScribeNight-Player, Ayswen, SeriousPiper, BlackWidow12, Nyleve, Golden23, Orohippus, seyyada, NotAfraidToLive, SarahE7191, insane-i don't think so mangolady, hyperbookworm, Tranquil InsanityK.D. Rai, Pie of Doomeh, SOPROL, Hunchbook, ShadowDancer181, Elentariel, Erynfaer, Yabberli, epobbp, Rycr, ella plain and simple, bookworm, bookworm-4-ever2012 queenofthehostlers, Grace of Masbolle sheko, Kel, CelticGoddess09, Dark Emo Shadow, x17SkmBdrchiczxxJaBoyYa, AmyObSeSsEd WiTh ROXAS, Enno Vynightwisp, sabriellyn, Aly the Spy summer, Ashen, mylovelyminion, truffletruffle01, ThJaFl, Sushiandmanga, Amaya130, bBobboky, Michi, inhuman grace darkakane, Galaen LB, Dowop, Waiting To Be Inspired, Macko & darkjewelledassassin.
Lady Muck nope, I'm just making it all up! Lol. I had a go at fencing years ago on a holiday camp but I was rubbish –I kept getting poked in the stomach by my friend. Anyway…
TheBrassPotato: Fuzzy reviews are fine by me!
zeurinThanks! I think the "Protector" series is my favourite…although it's really hard to decide. Kel is definitely my favourite character to write though :D (As you might've guessed!)
Frog's princessI know what you mean about music learning techniques! Lol. Practise, practise, practise, but then I guess it's the same as anything you want to improve in. What music do you do? I play the flute :D
neverlife: No. Alex was originally going to be some kind of guardsman or warrior but whilst skiing I had a brainwave and thought that making him a spy would be sooo much cooler! Lol.
I love Fallen!: Unfortunately I've know idea how I did in my exams, we have to wait for results day which is August 23rd…:(
Dante Inferno: Yes I've got plans for after the tournament but you'll have to wait and see :P
GuitarBlonde: GCSE stands for General Certificate of Secondary Education or something similar…Basically they're the exams you sit at the age of 16, that are set by the Government :S
AlannaandGeorge4ever: The only reason I use 'these' instead of "these" is that 'these' are easier to reach on a keyboard! Lol. Also J.K.Rowling uses 'these' which I noticed when reading Deathly hallows, man that is a good book!
On top of cloud 9: Man you can learn to drive! I have to wait until I'm 17 ;( How's it going? I'm terrified of being trusted in a car! Lol!
Confusedknight xxx
Despite the icy wind that was howling through the valley and the flurries of tiny snowflakes that it was bringing Kel was in high spirits. She felt free from all of the pretence that been slowly suffocating her over the past few weeks.
Atop a sturdy horse, whose shaggy coat and large hooves made it an ideal mount for the harsh conditions in which they were traveling; she rode alongside Alex on Prince.
Traveling up North in December wasn't the easiest of journeys and for this reason Kel and Alex found themselves alone on what little road could be found beneath the covering of snow. This suited their purposes however and allowed them to talk freely for hours on end.
It was also fortunate that Alex knew exactly where they were heading, because Kel didn't have a clue. The drifts of powdery white snow had obliterated any sign of a path or trail, muffling the landscape, which made it hard to see exactly how far they had come; as all of their surroundings looked identical.
Kel shivered, it was just over three weeks till Midwinter and the further North they progressed, the harsher the weather became. Kel had heard tell of the arid Northern tundra, mountains that reached up to the sky and almighty glaciers.
Both riders were wrapped up in several layers. First came the shirt and underclothes, covered by a fleece-lined leather jacket and trousers. On top of that they wore fleece-lined boots, mittens and hat. For extra warmth they each wore a padded jumper, fur-lined cloak and a headscarf wrapped around their face to deflect the worst of the icy wind.
Despite all of her clothing Kel was really beginning to feel cold now and the snow falling from the ever darkening sky was getting heavier. Kel had never used to mind the cold much, but after almost freezing to death earlier on in the year, the bone-deep chill was bringing back unwelcome memories.
Just when Kel felt as though she was about to die from cold the shapes of buildings loomed suddenly out of nowhere.
Alex considered the buildings for a second or two before dismounting and hurrying over to one. Kel followed suit and as she clambered off of her horse, her legs sunk into the knee-deep snow.
The man conversed briefly with Alex before coins were exchanged and then he motioned for Alex and Kel to go around the back.
Her teeth chattering violently, Kel stabled the horse, brushing snow out of it's mane and tail before throwing a rug over it's back. With Alex's supporting hand on her back to guide her, they entered the Inn.
The warm air hit Kel in a wave and she stood for a moment, her face tingling.
'Come on little one,' said Alex firmly, 'let's get you warmed up.'
Kel allowed herself to be led upstairs. There was a fire already burning merrily in the grate, filling the room with warmth and dancing light. Alex peeled away Kel's outer layers and threw a blanket over her shoulders.
Kel staggered towards the fire, and sat down, basking in its warm glow whilst Alex got changed in the privy. She was utterly exhausted and when it was her turn to use the privy, it took all of her determination to leave the fire.
Once changed into a clean shirt, breeches, fur-lined boots and a warm sweater, Kel plonked herself back in front of the fire. Alex joined her a minute later and together they sat, enjoying the heat.
'Remind me why we are traveling in Scanra, in winter?' Kel asked with a groan.
'And you thought that Tortallan winters were bad,' said Alex smirking. 'Anyway the good thing about all this snow, is that Maggur's armies will all be bedded down for the winter-'
'Like any sane person should be,' muttered Kel.
'So this a perfect time for us to get inside the clans and find out what is really happening.'
For the last couple of months all of Maggur's attentions had been firmly on the alliance between Sekholm and Rokang, so it made sense that in spring, those would be the first clans that he would target. By arriving a couple of months beforehand, Alex felt that he had a chance to try and subtly forewarn the clans, delaying Maggur's advance. There were also rumours about the good-for-nothing Stenmun Kinslayer and what he was getting up to in the North.
Kel and Alex had journeyed in a north-easterly direction and had passed fief Rathhausak two days previously. Kel had been surprised to find see Rathhausak castle silhouetted against the sky, unaware that the clans had such buildings. Alex had informed her that the main base for the Rathhausak clan had settled on the site about twenty years ago, and since then saw no reason to move and the land had become a fiefdom.
Staring deep into the flames Kel savoured the warmth, knowing that the next day would be yet another day spent in sub-zero temperatures.
'I've been thinking,' said Alex slowly, also entranced by the flames, 'that the time has come to leave the horses behind.' Kel looked up at him quizzically. 'We'll continue by sled,' explained Alex.
'Oh,' said Kel quietly.
'I assume that you've never traveled by sled before?' said Alex.
Kel nodded, her mind suddenly full of images that she'd only seen in story books of great dogs bounding across ice floes.
'If we use a sled, we'll cover more ground per day and should arrive within the next week and a half. Which will leave us plenty of time to get settled and we can start work in earnest just after Midwinter.'
Precisely what the 'earnest work' was, Kel wasn't too sure, but she knew that Alex would tell her when she needed to know and to be honest she was too weary to care about anything at all just then.
After eating a hurried meal of warm casserole and freshly baked bread, Kel buried herself under a pile of blankets and fell asleep almost immediately on her soft pallet.
One upside to all of their exhausting journeying was that Kel's nightmares did not disturb her slumber. She slept so deeply that she didn't dream at all.
When Kel was shaken gently awake it was still dark outside, although this did not reflect on the time as the days were short and the nights long in winter's grip.
Kel opened her bleary eyes and saw Alex was already dressed and ready to leave. Alex looked as awake and as alert as ever, but Kel could see the deep shadows below his hazel eyes, the eyes that spoke of wisdom beyond the years of his young face. Kel knew that he, like she, could do with several hours more sleep.
'We need to get going; Rinicht is just readying the sled.'
Kel forced her stiff limbs into movement and extracted herself from her warm nest. She was still wearing the shirt and breeches from the previous night and not bothering to change, began to put on the extra layers that Alex handed her. All of her gear had sent the night drying in front of the fire and was therefore toasty warm.
Fully dressed Kel picked up her sword, her mitten-clad fingers fumbling to strap it to her waist. Seeing that she was ready to leave, Alex picked up their packs that lay waiting next to the door and Kel followed him down into the dark, starless night.
It had stopped snowing but Kel and Alex had to wade through great drifts of snow just to reach the other end of the village. Despite carrying their packs Alex used his free arm to steady Kel and at one point heave her up as she tripped over.
They reached the far end of the village within minutes, guided by the distant glowing light of two lanterns. As they drew closer Kel could see that the lanterns were attached to the sled.
From the bright glow cast out, Kel could see a thin but long sled, rigged to five pairs of shaggy grey dogs, all of whom were fidgeting, eager to be off. Each dog was the size of a wolf but there was nothing aggressive about their demeanor.
There was already a bundle of supplies strapped tightly to the sled and Alex secured their packs on top of the others. He conferred in undertones with the owner of the sled whilst Kel stood patiently, watching the dogs sniff and paw each other.
'We'll get going,' said Alex. 'I'm going to sit you on here for now,' he said. 'I want you to try and get some sleep. Later on when it gets light I'll teach you how to drive.'
The man, who Kel presumed was lending them the sled, picked up something from the ground and unfurled what looked like a bed roll, made of thick material and sewn together on three sides.
Alex helped Kel into it and then lifted her onto the front of the sled. The other men then attached a piece of canvas to the front of the sled, tying it in place. It attached to the front and halfway up the sides, forming a tent under which Kel could shelter.
Peeking her head out, Kel watched Alex climb up onto the supplies and settle himself in a comfortable position; leaning on their packs for support.
Alex thanked the man for his kindness.
'It was an honour, an honour,' said the man with a bow. 'May the gods all guide you on your journey.'
'We'll see you at the end of February,' Alex replied, inclining his head slightly and with a piercing whistle they took off, smoothly gliding through the snow.
Kel yawned. Unable to see much of the landscape she ducked beneath the canvas. Making herself as comfortable as possible in the confined space she drifted off to sleep.
When Kel woke it took her a few seconds to remember exactly where she was. Uncurling herself she poked her head out of her makeshift tent into dazzling sunlight. Blinking she twisted around. Alex was smiling down at her.
'Had a good rest?' he asked.
Kel nodded, taking in for the first time her surroundings. It was a breath-taking sight. The land had leveled out and Kel could see for miles. All was covered in snow that sparkled in the early morning sun. Everywhere she looked was just a white plain stretching around them.
Despite the sun that shone in the brilliant blue sky the temperature was still very cold and the air that rushed by as they hurtled onwards make her eyes water. They were traveling at an incredible pace, much faster than they had on horseback. The powerful, muscular dogs pounded onwards, their tails aloft, reveling in the chance to be out of their kennels.
'There's some food in that bag if you want it,' said Alex, without taking his eyes off of the horizon.
Kel rummaged around and found some beef jerky which she ate, offering a piece to Alex who declined. As she ate, she looked up at his face. Alex's cheeks were pink from cold but his eyes seemed to shine in their sockets. This was freedom; this was witnessing the raw beauty of nature. No words were needed; Kel sat on the sled, unable to remove her eyes from the landscape before them. Never had she seen anything so beautiful.
At around midday Alex whistled again and the dogs slowed, eventually allowing the sled to stop dead. Kel wiggled out from underneath the canvas and stretched her legs. Alex was freeing the dogs, allowing them to romp in the snow and relieve themselves.
Kel and Alex settled on the sled. The food that they traveled with was full of energy but not particularly tasteful, nevertheless both tucked into their food without delay.
Finishing his mouthful Alex gazed about.
'You can never get used to a place like this,' he said softly. 'But beware; it's as deadly as it is beautiful. One wrong move out here will get you killed. This afternoon I'll teach you the most important points of surviving, ones which it is essential you learn and remember.'
Kel nodded. Although he did not say it, Kel knew that he had to teach her, so that if something happened to Alex she had a chance of surviving. They finished their meal in silence, sobered by Alex's words of warning.
'First thing you need to know is how to work the sled,' said Alex getting up.
He proceeded to show her how to harness in the ten dogs. It wasn't difficult but the dogs had to be in the correct places. The two "leaders" were trained to be at the front, just as the two "wheel" dogs at the back were strong and powerful to pull the sled out of the snow. Alex told Kel that all the dogs were trained to build up their stamina and could run for hours on end.
He continued to teach her the verbal commands that the dogs would respond to, as well as various whistles or physical indicators such as tapping them on the shoulder with the long willow stick. Alex taught her that the dogs would navigate minor obstacles by themselves but it was essential for one person to be keeping an eye out for hazards at all times.
Kel spent a very enjoyable afternoon driving the sled, using the sun's position as a guide to help her navigate. Alex supervised, but the dogs were so well trained that it wasn't a difficult job.
About two and a half hours later, Alex told Kel that they needed to stop. Whistling to let the dogs know, Kel looked at Alex confused; they had at least an hour and a half left of daylight. She mentioned this to Alex who laughed.
'You've got a lot to learn little one,' he said. 'It's going to take us that long to build a camp.'
Kel's eyes opened in surprise. As the sled came to a halt, Alex explained.
'On these plains we're completely exposed to the elements. Our camp will be the thing that keeps us alive until the morning. As soon as that sun sets the temperature will plummet and we'll need all the shelter that we can get. If our camp is made properly we should be able to outlast anything the weather throws at us, but you hear too many stories of poorly made camps being destroyed by the wind, leaving the people to freeze to death.'
Kel shuddered; she'd almost frozen to death once and was not keen to repeat the experience.
Together they began to un-harness the dogs. Once the final dog had been set loose, Alex rummaged on the sledge and bought out two short handled, but wide-headed shovels.
'We need to dig a shallow trench here,' said Alex, drawing a line in the snow with his shovel. He passed Kel the second shovel and together they began to shift the loose snow.
When a satisfactory trench had been dug, they both straightened up. Kel watched as Alex removed the rest of the supplies from the sled. He then dragged the sled and tipped it up into the shallow trench. It now stood on it's side and Kel realised suddenly why they had dug the trench where they had.
'It's a wind break,' she said. Alex nodded in confirmation.
'But it needs more work doing to it than that,' said Alex. 'We need to build the snow up on either side to make it stable, and we also need to enlarge the windbreak.'
An hour of hard digging later, Kel surveyed the result. They had dug a protective, semi-circular barrier. Having used the snow from the middle had made it deeper still. Alex smiled, obviously satisfied with their work.
'Now we just need to set up our shelter.'
He extracted from the pile of supplies the largest looking bundle and extracted a large piece of canvas which he threw into their hollow. Alex also extracted food for the dogs. Whilst the dogs were guzzling hungrily on the meat, Alex jumped into the hollow and arranged the canvas.
It wasn't a tent, for no poles held it up –Kel presumed it would be too susceptible to strong winds if this was the case. Instead it was simply a huge sheet of canvas. Alex crawled underneath it, dragging their remaining packs. Kel followed.
'This is a survival shelter,' said Alex gesturing around at the unimpressive expanse of canvas under which they were sitting. 'It's incredibly simple. We and the dogs will get under here and I pull on this cord,' Alex indicated a leather string, 'and it will tighten underneath us. Our body heat will keep us warm.'
'What about our bed rolls?' asked Kel, surveying the snowy floor.
'Once this is tightened there should be space for us to pull parts of the canvas underneath us. We've got waterproof bedrolls anyway,' replied Alex handing Kel her dinner rations.
Twenty minutes later Kel and Alex were tucked inside their bed rolls, sharing their shelter with ten dogs. The dogs, who were no doubt used to sheltering like this, settled down without fuss and one had even sneaked up to lie beside Kel.
In the fading light Kel could just make out Alex's face, his eyes glazed, staring at something only he could see.
Kel lay on her right side facing Alex; if she lay on her back the canvas draped itself across her face and to her left was the warm form of one of the lead dogs. It was early despite the near pitch darkness, was Alex expecting her to sleep?
Her question was answered as Alex said quietly but distinctly,
'I used to take my younger brother sledding.'
Kel was stunned. Alex was a very private person as indeed she herself was and he had never given her any information about his past.
'How old was he?' she ventured.
'Ten when I last saw him,' said Alex, his voice oddly thick. 'Younger than you I think, but oh so similar.'
Kel was unsure of how to respond. Inside she was buzzing with any information about the man whom she'd come to love and trust as an older brother, but she could sense that great hurt had been done and that Alex's wounds were still sore. Not dissimilar to my own situation, thought Kel.
'He's dead,' said Alex roughly.
'I'm sorry,' Kel replied, uncertainly. For what could she say?
'Out of all my siblings he was the one whom I was closest to, despite our age difference. He had such empathy and compassion, such enthusiasm for everything he did. You're so alike. I've seen it in you from the day we first met and you asked me to teach you to fight.'
Kel squirmed inside, unable to respond. Now that night had truly fallen, any warmth evaporated from the air and Kel was truly grateful for the warm, solid presence of the dog at her back.
'I'm sorry,' said Alex abruptly, 'I didn't mean to burden you…' he trailed off.
'If you ever want to talk…,' said Kel, trailing off like Alex, feeling that he would understand what she had been trying to say.
'And the same to you,' said Alex, reaching across to find her hand in the dark and giving it a quick squeeze.
Kel lay in the dark for a long while thinking things over and judging by the lack of deep-breathing from Alex's bed she was not the only one who was doing so. Kel thought of Neal, Lucie, her parents and so many others whom she missed fiercely. But at least they're still alive, she thought. I can see them again and I will see them again.
(-a/n- I know that it was a filler chapter, but I hope you liked that juicy titbit on Alex's past :P (You'll know the whole story eventually, just be patient :P) Please review and tell me what you think, I'll update sooner if you do :P )
Confusedknight xxx