A/N: I am writing this chapter purely for my own entertainment. Maybe
somebody else's as well, some kind, quiet person who doesn't understand the
value of reviews. Otherwise it's just me, talking to myself, in the dark...
Well, kind, quiet person, I hope you like this chapter.
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Tan was frustrated. And a frustrated Tan was a dangerous thing indeed. After finding nothing in the farmer's house but a few extra places at the table, Marko had quietly suggested Tan scout ahead, perhaps he would find her on the road. The captain had agreed, and now was taking his anger out on the ground in the beats of his horse's hooves. He knew the river curved east and traveled through the woods alongside the plain, so he set off across the waving grass at a break-neck pace. Only concern for his horse, and losing sight of the river between tree trunks, made him slow down. Quickly assessing the thickness of the foliage, Tan abandoned his horse, trusting it to wander back to the camp alone. With a final supplies check and a glance in the direction of his troop, the captain strode into the forest.
- - -
"I thought it'd been a while since our last capture," Taren remarked as the trio was led into the forest, surrounded by the contingent of witch archers.
"Shut up, Taren," Linnet growled and tried to separate her wrists. None of the group's hands were bound, so to speak, but nevertheless Linnet felt like the bones of her forearms had turned into magnets and she couldn't draw them apart. She assumed the witches had put a spell on them, though she hadn't noticed any of the chanting or burning herbs or animal sacrifices she'd been taught was necessary in all dark magic. In fact, not a single word had been uttered by their captors, not even to keep their captives quiet. Taren had been allowed to make as much of a fuss as he wanted throughout the march among the trees, as long as he didn't stop walking.
Overall Linnet was slightly disappointed with the archers. They didn't fit at all with her image of witches. Their level of cleanliness, first off. They made Linnet feel shamefully filthy; the trio's escape from Irula's hadn't allowed for morning baths. Also, several were male. Each archer was silent, graceful, and alert; keeping a bow strung and at the ready as they walked and their eyes scanning the forest. They did all this while somehow avoiding all treacherous roots or stones the trio couldn't seem to take a step without catching a foot on.
As one the contingent stopped, and the archer at the front, a dark- haired male, walked forward a few steps. He lifted a gloved hand and held it in the air before him. Linnet's mouth fell open as small ripples radiated from the outstretched appendage in the air. The ripples spread across the scene of a peaceful forest glade, which changed subtly. Shapes emerged between the ripples. Squinting, Linnet could barely make out the moving forms of people, the shadows of huts, the glint of fires. When the archer took his hand down, the ripples were fifteen feet high and curving, as if over a giant dome. The air cleared in the place his hand had left, and a busy village was finally revealed. The contingent, with their prisoners, walked into the witches' rebel camp.
It was the same glade as before, but now more resembling a rude village. No building was made of stone, only wood, thatch, and some animal skins. But people bustled about regardless, women here washing clothes at the river bank, young men there making arrows, and a circle of men and women sitting around a fire to which the contingent was bringing their prisoners. There was not a pupil to be seen in any of the villagers' eyes.
"Watch Captain Leo Garfield, back from morning patrol," the archer said.
A look passed among the circle, and a gray-haired man said, "You're not in the Guard anymore, Leo. In fact, they kicked you out." His gaze lifted briefly, and, despite the mask having no pupils puts on a person's eyes, Linnet could have sworn they were twinkling, "You don't have to behave like we can court-martial you."
"Just seems fitting, sir," Leo replied, his voice quieter, but the military tone still present.
"Well," the old man said, "Let's have that report."
"Three prisoners taken on the river, sir. Two men and a woman," he gestured back at the trio, "No overt signs of allegiance to any particular faction-"
"Then why did you take them prisoner? It is highly unlikely that they would have found the village, our barrier is strong." Many other members of the circle who had not been before now watched the proceedings with clear blue interest. Linnet hoped they weren't enjoying watching Leo get grilled like a rack of ribs.
"I, uh- well, I figured better safe than sorry, sir." His answer ended on a firm note, but uncertainty was sickly green-yellow smog in his eyes.
The old man seemed to take mercy, "Very well, Leo," he said wearily, "Put them in a cell."
Leo nodded smartly and turned on his heel, walking away quickly before they could see the bright white relief in his eyes. As they were led away, Linnet glanced at the circle once more. Her gaze fell on a man whose stare had not drifted to watch the action, but stayed fixed on the fire. She would have been able to tell if it had, since gaining some experience with witches, she now knew how well pupils showed where a person was looking.
The village's prison turned out to be no more than a tightly planted circle of two or three dozen tall sapling trees, bent and tied together at the top. There was no visible way of entering or exiting, until Leo lifted his hand again. At once the trunks bent of their own accord until there was a space wide enough to step through. Xandro, Taren, and Linnet were guided in, and as Leo dropped his hand the trunks snapped back into place. Immediately after that, the prisoners' hands fell free, whatever spell that had held them behind their backs broken.
"Try to escape," Leo told them. His eyes were a carefully blank white, "And someone will know. You don't want that." With those parting words, he and the contingent began walking away.
Taren turned just in time to catch Linnet around the waist and cover her mouth before she shouted something very rude at the retreating backs. "Got it, sir," he called over the Princess's muffled indignations, "Won't be gettin' any trouble from us!" He waited until Linnet's body relaxed in the circle of his arms before letting her go, only to have to grab her as she dove again. This time she grabbed hold of the trunks of the prison, but she didn't scream after Leo. Her body sagged against the confinements, pulling Taren against her.
"Somethin' wrong, Princess?" he asked, having been fully expecting a barrage of insults and swears from the caged noble, not a drained silence.
"I saw him, Taren," she murmured.
"Saw who?"
She sighed, and then turned around to face him, "Burke! I saw Burke!" She walked out of Taren's hold as he stood there stunned, blinking, his mouth moving but no sound coming out.
"Where'd you see him, Lin?" Xandro asked.
Linnet was pacing as much as she could in the confined space, "In the circle with all those other witches. With the one who talked to Leo."
"How'd he look?"
Linnet stopped pacing, and said very seriously, "Pensive. I've never seen him look like he did in that circle. He looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders! I probably wouldn't have recognized him at all if normal eyes didn't stand out so much around here."
"What," Taren finally said, "could he possibly be doin' in what was obviously a meetin' o' rebel witch leaders? His hands weren't bound, were they?"
"Not that I saw. Gods, you don't even understand how strange it was to see him like that!"
"You've never seen the man think before?" Xandro asked.
"Whenever I saw Burke it was at some ridiculous Castle function with some dainty chit on each arm and a big, stupid, pompous grin on his face." Linnet's whole body seemed to frown at the thought, "Ugh, I hope he never becomes King. For all his popularity with the public, I simply can't see him as a benefit to the Kingdom."
"Plus," Taren added after sitting against the branches, "You'd have to be the one to marry him."
"That too," Linnet replied, pointing a righteous finger at him. She dropped down beside her friend with a sigh," I guess all we can do is wait."
"Mm-hm."
- - -
Night fell with Tan still trudging through the woods. And it was trudging. He had underestimated how thickly the vegetation grew, and was now knee-deep in bushy weeds while winding through trees and all the while trying to keep track of the flowing river. He heaved a miserable sigh as he realized his sight would be no good to him as the light dimmed, he'd have to track the river by sound. The only good thing he could surmise from the lowering sun was a reprieve from the heat, which had leaned on his shoulders all day, making his uniform chafe more than usual. What he wouldn't give for the loose, soft clothes he wore at home. They had come from the old kingdom, imported to complete his parents' dream of creating a little piece of their former life in their new home. Walking into the Yi house was akin to jumping the countless miles between the two countries. Every inch of the place, from the food in the kitchen to the architecture of the building itself rang with their culture, and Tan missed it.
Not that he didn't love his work at the Guard, but that didn't stop the yearning. He figured the only way he could have both worlds at once was to become an ambassador between the countries, or perhaps marry the Princess and become King. That thought brought a sardonic smile to his sweat-streaked face, marry the Princess, ha, that'd happen. And then silver dragons would fly from the sky and whisk the happy royal couple off to the old kingdom, where he would teach her all their ways, and they would live happily ever after. Tan would scold himself for these thoughts later; they distracted him when total concentration was necessary. Like when he barely spotted a pack of wolves disappear into thin air at the river's bank.
Tan followed the pack without letting himself think about the creepy air-ripples, or the fact that the wolves were slowly turning into humans as they trotted along, because he had that feeling again. Like the feeling he'd gotten when Marko had mentioned the farmer's wife knew the Princess, like he was getting close again. He stayed low in the foliage, for the first time grateful for its near impenetrability. Night had fallen completely now, so Tan's first look at the village was lit by cook fires, torches carried by the villagers, and the one fire in the circle of quietly conversing people. Also, every now and again, a person would walk by with a hand raised that was glowing brighter than any torch. Tan filed that away as well when a familiar head came into view. As quietly as possible, he crept through the thickest of the vegetation until he came upon the circle of bent saplings, where he found the Princess quietly but vehemently conversing with the stable boy.
"And just why can't I simply tell them I'm the Princess, Taren?"
"Because if you do, I won't get the chance, what with them killin' us on the spot, to say I told you so. An' you know how I love doin' that, so let's just keep that' little fact to ourselves fer the time bein'."
"But Burke would recognize me; he wouldn't let them kill us!"
"I ain't riskin' that 'til I know just what his position in this strange place is, alright? An' you shouldn't either. Who knows? He may recognize you, but are ye' really sure you recognized him? You said ye' never seen him like that, are ye' sure it was him?"
"If you ask me that one more time, Taren, you won't live to see if it really is Burke, and your death will have nothing to do with witches."
"Oh, I'm shakin' alright- ouch!"
Tan, while mildly amused, chose this moment to approach the prison. Getting as close as he dared, he whispered, "Princess?"
"Haven't you learned your lesson, Taren?" Linnet snapped at the voice.
"That wasn't me, Lin," Taren replied, peering into the darkness of the forest.
In said darkness Tan rolled his eyes, "Princess, it's Captain Yi Tan of the Kingdom Guard."
Linnet whipped around to try to develop night vision with Taren. Xandro, who'd been alternately trying to sleep and trying not to laugh, sat up and joined his companions.
"Hang on, Princess," Tan continued, rifling through his supplies, "I'll free you in a moment."
The trio jumped back as a saber jutted into the prison near the floor. It pulled back, slicing into one of the trunks. Tan was sawing through one of the trees while still trying to stay under the cover of the plants, extending his arm as much as he dared then pulling back to cut deeper into the wood. Tan silently thanked his father for forcing him to get into the habit of sharpening his blade at least once a week; it made short work of the sapling.
"Can you all get through there?" he asked.
Inside the prison, Taren pushed the sapling, which was still held up by the tie at the top, out of the way and stuck his head through the gap, "Think so, sir."
"Good, now climb out, but keep low, and get into the forest as fast as you can."
Taren, then Xandro, then Linnet darted from their cell and into the foliage, leaving the sapling bouncing in their wake. Tan grabbed Linnet's hands as she came through and the four stood up. What Linnet could make out of her rescuer's features in the distant light of the torches was the handsome ones of someone from her mother's kingdom. She couldn't help but smile, though she wasn't sure why she was smiling, or why it made her smile all the more to see that Tan was smiling too. The moment ended with a beam of harsh light spilling from a witch's hand and illuminating the whole scene. Instantly, Tan and Linnet's hands were ripped apart and trapped behind their backs, as were Taren and Xandro's.
"Come with me," the witch said sternly.
The four only seemed to blink before they were facing the members of the circle, who now stood in a line in front of the fire they had been sitting around.
"You tried to escape," the gray-haired man from that morning stated simply.
The words flew past the censors of Linnet's brain and out of her mouth without so much as a by your leave, "Well, if it isn't Captain Obvious."
One of the circle's members straightened, and peered at the Princess, "Linnet?"
"Good evening, Burke."
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A/N: Review, please.
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Tan was frustrated. And a frustrated Tan was a dangerous thing indeed. After finding nothing in the farmer's house but a few extra places at the table, Marko had quietly suggested Tan scout ahead, perhaps he would find her on the road. The captain had agreed, and now was taking his anger out on the ground in the beats of his horse's hooves. He knew the river curved east and traveled through the woods alongside the plain, so he set off across the waving grass at a break-neck pace. Only concern for his horse, and losing sight of the river between tree trunks, made him slow down. Quickly assessing the thickness of the foliage, Tan abandoned his horse, trusting it to wander back to the camp alone. With a final supplies check and a glance in the direction of his troop, the captain strode into the forest.
- - -
"I thought it'd been a while since our last capture," Taren remarked as the trio was led into the forest, surrounded by the contingent of witch archers.
"Shut up, Taren," Linnet growled and tried to separate her wrists. None of the group's hands were bound, so to speak, but nevertheless Linnet felt like the bones of her forearms had turned into magnets and she couldn't draw them apart. She assumed the witches had put a spell on them, though she hadn't noticed any of the chanting or burning herbs or animal sacrifices she'd been taught was necessary in all dark magic. In fact, not a single word had been uttered by their captors, not even to keep their captives quiet. Taren had been allowed to make as much of a fuss as he wanted throughout the march among the trees, as long as he didn't stop walking.
Overall Linnet was slightly disappointed with the archers. They didn't fit at all with her image of witches. Their level of cleanliness, first off. They made Linnet feel shamefully filthy; the trio's escape from Irula's hadn't allowed for morning baths. Also, several were male. Each archer was silent, graceful, and alert; keeping a bow strung and at the ready as they walked and their eyes scanning the forest. They did all this while somehow avoiding all treacherous roots or stones the trio couldn't seem to take a step without catching a foot on.
As one the contingent stopped, and the archer at the front, a dark- haired male, walked forward a few steps. He lifted a gloved hand and held it in the air before him. Linnet's mouth fell open as small ripples radiated from the outstretched appendage in the air. The ripples spread across the scene of a peaceful forest glade, which changed subtly. Shapes emerged between the ripples. Squinting, Linnet could barely make out the moving forms of people, the shadows of huts, the glint of fires. When the archer took his hand down, the ripples were fifteen feet high and curving, as if over a giant dome. The air cleared in the place his hand had left, and a busy village was finally revealed. The contingent, with their prisoners, walked into the witches' rebel camp.
It was the same glade as before, but now more resembling a rude village. No building was made of stone, only wood, thatch, and some animal skins. But people bustled about regardless, women here washing clothes at the river bank, young men there making arrows, and a circle of men and women sitting around a fire to which the contingent was bringing their prisoners. There was not a pupil to be seen in any of the villagers' eyes.
"Watch Captain Leo Garfield, back from morning patrol," the archer said.
A look passed among the circle, and a gray-haired man said, "You're not in the Guard anymore, Leo. In fact, they kicked you out." His gaze lifted briefly, and, despite the mask having no pupils puts on a person's eyes, Linnet could have sworn they were twinkling, "You don't have to behave like we can court-martial you."
"Just seems fitting, sir," Leo replied, his voice quieter, but the military tone still present.
"Well," the old man said, "Let's have that report."
"Three prisoners taken on the river, sir. Two men and a woman," he gestured back at the trio, "No overt signs of allegiance to any particular faction-"
"Then why did you take them prisoner? It is highly unlikely that they would have found the village, our barrier is strong." Many other members of the circle who had not been before now watched the proceedings with clear blue interest. Linnet hoped they weren't enjoying watching Leo get grilled like a rack of ribs.
"I, uh- well, I figured better safe than sorry, sir." His answer ended on a firm note, but uncertainty was sickly green-yellow smog in his eyes.
The old man seemed to take mercy, "Very well, Leo," he said wearily, "Put them in a cell."
Leo nodded smartly and turned on his heel, walking away quickly before they could see the bright white relief in his eyes. As they were led away, Linnet glanced at the circle once more. Her gaze fell on a man whose stare had not drifted to watch the action, but stayed fixed on the fire. She would have been able to tell if it had, since gaining some experience with witches, she now knew how well pupils showed where a person was looking.
The village's prison turned out to be no more than a tightly planted circle of two or three dozen tall sapling trees, bent and tied together at the top. There was no visible way of entering or exiting, until Leo lifted his hand again. At once the trunks bent of their own accord until there was a space wide enough to step through. Xandro, Taren, and Linnet were guided in, and as Leo dropped his hand the trunks snapped back into place. Immediately after that, the prisoners' hands fell free, whatever spell that had held them behind their backs broken.
"Try to escape," Leo told them. His eyes were a carefully blank white, "And someone will know. You don't want that." With those parting words, he and the contingent began walking away.
Taren turned just in time to catch Linnet around the waist and cover her mouth before she shouted something very rude at the retreating backs. "Got it, sir," he called over the Princess's muffled indignations, "Won't be gettin' any trouble from us!" He waited until Linnet's body relaxed in the circle of his arms before letting her go, only to have to grab her as she dove again. This time she grabbed hold of the trunks of the prison, but she didn't scream after Leo. Her body sagged against the confinements, pulling Taren against her.
"Somethin' wrong, Princess?" he asked, having been fully expecting a barrage of insults and swears from the caged noble, not a drained silence.
"I saw him, Taren," she murmured.
"Saw who?"
She sighed, and then turned around to face him, "Burke! I saw Burke!" She walked out of Taren's hold as he stood there stunned, blinking, his mouth moving but no sound coming out.
"Where'd you see him, Lin?" Xandro asked.
Linnet was pacing as much as she could in the confined space, "In the circle with all those other witches. With the one who talked to Leo."
"How'd he look?"
Linnet stopped pacing, and said very seriously, "Pensive. I've never seen him look like he did in that circle. He looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders! I probably wouldn't have recognized him at all if normal eyes didn't stand out so much around here."
"What," Taren finally said, "could he possibly be doin' in what was obviously a meetin' o' rebel witch leaders? His hands weren't bound, were they?"
"Not that I saw. Gods, you don't even understand how strange it was to see him like that!"
"You've never seen the man think before?" Xandro asked.
"Whenever I saw Burke it was at some ridiculous Castle function with some dainty chit on each arm and a big, stupid, pompous grin on his face." Linnet's whole body seemed to frown at the thought, "Ugh, I hope he never becomes King. For all his popularity with the public, I simply can't see him as a benefit to the Kingdom."
"Plus," Taren added after sitting against the branches, "You'd have to be the one to marry him."
"That too," Linnet replied, pointing a righteous finger at him. She dropped down beside her friend with a sigh," I guess all we can do is wait."
"Mm-hm."
- - -
Night fell with Tan still trudging through the woods. And it was trudging. He had underestimated how thickly the vegetation grew, and was now knee-deep in bushy weeds while winding through trees and all the while trying to keep track of the flowing river. He heaved a miserable sigh as he realized his sight would be no good to him as the light dimmed, he'd have to track the river by sound. The only good thing he could surmise from the lowering sun was a reprieve from the heat, which had leaned on his shoulders all day, making his uniform chafe more than usual. What he wouldn't give for the loose, soft clothes he wore at home. They had come from the old kingdom, imported to complete his parents' dream of creating a little piece of their former life in their new home. Walking into the Yi house was akin to jumping the countless miles between the two countries. Every inch of the place, from the food in the kitchen to the architecture of the building itself rang with their culture, and Tan missed it.
Not that he didn't love his work at the Guard, but that didn't stop the yearning. He figured the only way he could have both worlds at once was to become an ambassador between the countries, or perhaps marry the Princess and become King. That thought brought a sardonic smile to his sweat-streaked face, marry the Princess, ha, that'd happen. And then silver dragons would fly from the sky and whisk the happy royal couple off to the old kingdom, where he would teach her all their ways, and they would live happily ever after. Tan would scold himself for these thoughts later; they distracted him when total concentration was necessary. Like when he barely spotted a pack of wolves disappear into thin air at the river's bank.
Tan followed the pack without letting himself think about the creepy air-ripples, or the fact that the wolves were slowly turning into humans as they trotted along, because he had that feeling again. Like the feeling he'd gotten when Marko had mentioned the farmer's wife knew the Princess, like he was getting close again. He stayed low in the foliage, for the first time grateful for its near impenetrability. Night had fallen completely now, so Tan's first look at the village was lit by cook fires, torches carried by the villagers, and the one fire in the circle of quietly conversing people. Also, every now and again, a person would walk by with a hand raised that was glowing brighter than any torch. Tan filed that away as well when a familiar head came into view. As quietly as possible, he crept through the thickest of the vegetation until he came upon the circle of bent saplings, where he found the Princess quietly but vehemently conversing with the stable boy.
"And just why can't I simply tell them I'm the Princess, Taren?"
"Because if you do, I won't get the chance, what with them killin' us on the spot, to say I told you so. An' you know how I love doin' that, so let's just keep that' little fact to ourselves fer the time bein'."
"But Burke would recognize me; he wouldn't let them kill us!"
"I ain't riskin' that 'til I know just what his position in this strange place is, alright? An' you shouldn't either. Who knows? He may recognize you, but are ye' really sure you recognized him? You said ye' never seen him like that, are ye' sure it was him?"
"If you ask me that one more time, Taren, you won't live to see if it really is Burke, and your death will have nothing to do with witches."
"Oh, I'm shakin' alright- ouch!"
Tan, while mildly amused, chose this moment to approach the prison. Getting as close as he dared, he whispered, "Princess?"
"Haven't you learned your lesson, Taren?" Linnet snapped at the voice.
"That wasn't me, Lin," Taren replied, peering into the darkness of the forest.
In said darkness Tan rolled his eyes, "Princess, it's Captain Yi Tan of the Kingdom Guard."
Linnet whipped around to try to develop night vision with Taren. Xandro, who'd been alternately trying to sleep and trying not to laugh, sat up and joined his companions.
"Hang on, Princess," Tan continued, rifling through his supplies, "I'll free you in a moment."
The trio jumped back as a saber jutted into the prison near the floor. It pulled back, slicing into one of the trunks. Tan was sawing through one of the trees while still trying to stay under the cover of the plants, extending his arm as much as he dared then pulling back to cut deeper into the wood. Tan silently thanked his father for forcing him to get into the habit of sharpening his blade at least once a week; it made short work of the sapling.
"Can you all get through there?" he asked.
Inside the prison, Taren pushed the sapling, which was still held up by the tie at the top, out of the way and stuck his head through the gap, "Think so, sir."
"Good, now climb out, but keep low, and get into the forest as fast as you can."
Taren, then Xandro, then Linnet darted from their cell and into the foliage, leaving the sapling bouncing in their wake. Tan grabbed Linnet's hands as she came through and the four stood up. What Linnet could make out of her rescuer's features in the distant light of the torches was the handsome ones of someone from her mother's kingdom. She couldn't help but smile, though she wasn't sure why she was smiling, or why it made her smile all the more to see that Tan was smiling too. The moment ended with a beam of harsh light spilling from a witch's hand and illuminating the whole scene. Instantly, Tan and Linnet's hands were ripped apart and trapped behind their backs, as were Taren and Xandro's.
"Come with me," the witch said sternly.
The four only seemed to blink before they were facing the members of the circle, who now stood in a line in front of the fire they had been sitting around.
"You tried to escape," the gray-haired man from that morning stated simply.
The words flew past the censors of Linnet's brain and out of her mouth without so much as a by your leave, "Well, if it isn't Captain Obvious."
One of the circle's members straightened, and peered at the Princess, "Linnet?"
"Good evening, Burke."
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A/N: Review, please.