Amber - 2001-02-02
elene looked at him, her head tilted, clear teal eyes on his. He reminded her of a story she'd once been told, by a grisly old gypsy when their train had camp outside her family's gates. The woman had broken her arm, so Selene's father had allowed her and a young woman by the name of Ti'reske to stay inside their villa. She'd rewarded them by telling them the most fantastic stories; stories of old men and women transformed into young heroes and heroines, stories of dragons and of the old kind of knights, the ones that had traveled the lands with no reason except to serve. She could remember one story, about a young princess who'd been kidnapped by a wicked witch. The princess had escaped, only to wander about the forest for days at a time. She'd been captured by a dragon and was about to become its food when suddenly, a knight in silver and black armor rode up and rescued her. Selene could remember sitting at the gypsy's feet, staring up at her wrinkled, benevolent old face as she told the children of how the knight and the princess had fallen instantly in love. The witch had come back to try and separate them, to wreak vengeance on the princess, but the knight defended her with his very life. The gypsy's voice had gotten hushed, taking on a strangely wondrous tone as she told of how the princess' tears had revived the knight, who, it was revealed, had been a prince separated from his parents. The prince killed the witch and saved the princess yet again, riding off with her to his castle. Their families had given them their blessings, and they'd married, and, of course, lived happily ever after.
'I wonder, if Trevor is such a knight, a prince in disguise..' Selene wondered with a laugh at her own whimsical thoughts. She turned her attention back to Trevor at the soft touch of his hand on hers, her cheeks tinting a bit red. She wasn't used to people touching her; she was a noblewoman, and that wasn't the custom at her home. But, .. his touch didn't feel at all bad. Shaking the thoughts from her mind, she listened attentively to Trevor, noticing the slight embarrassment he seemed to part, the underlying confusion evident in his posture. He was worried, confused about something.. what? She hoped she wasn't the cause of it..
Covering Trevor's hand with hers, she looked at him. "It's just as much my fault. I'm sorry I'm not very good with this camping and wilderness stuff.. I'm used to having servants to do all this for me, .. and it's daunting when there's no one there except you and you feel as if you have to prove yourself.." She bit her lower lip at this; that was a bit too much, she didn't want him to think he'd made her feel that way.. The truth was, he had, but of no fault of his own.. He'd been so smart and wise, knowledgeable about these things; in her court, the slightest sign of ignorance gave them leverage over you, and leverage was bad.. You had to be the one with all the leverage. Contrary to popular belief, the court people were not stupid. Ignorant of the ways of the world, certainly, but far from stupid. They were simply caught up in the glamour and gossip so abundant in their world, always looking for the way to gain more power, the way to become stronger, more influential, to secure their place in the court of the Baron.
The snapping of Trevor's fingers brought her back to reality, her cheeks flushing with anger at the humor before she realized he was indeed just joking. Forcing herself to calm down, she looked around the forest, brushing her hair out of her eyes again. "Yes, the hounds were after me.. Thankfully my tricks seem to have diverted their attentions for the time being.. Oh, and Trevor? Please don't call me M'lady or Queen.." She smiles at him. "I'm neither right now and I don't intend to exert that sort of influence by force. I want you to treat me as your.. friend." She said after finding the right word. It wasn't a word she was used to using. "Friend.." She said to herself, turning to look at him. Would he indeed consider her his "friend"? Or simply his charge? She hoped she meant more to him than someone he HAD to protect...
"I think we should find Tiel and Starstruck.. I hope they're all right." Of course, no mention of that woman. Selene would have her say with Azari, now that she and Trevor were on better grounds and there was no chance of Selene being left alone. Or was there?? Trevor had said he'd wanted to train Azari, help her become a knight; Selene had heard that before she'd burst in. Now that Trevor was her Champion, where did that leave him? Surely he wouldn't leave her to fulfill his word to Azari!... Or would he? Suddenly plagued by doubts, Selene turned to look into the forest on the pretense of searching for either of the two beings she WANTED to see, praying all the while that Tiel had found Starstruck and would find them. Then, perhaps, they could get away from that WOMAN before she had a chance to change Trevor's mind.
No such luck, for over the treetops, on the breeze, there was the sound of a soft, echoing call.. Selene groaned. It was Azari....
Spellbinder - 2001-02-07
revor enjoyed the soft pressure of Selene’s hand on his and the slight hint of a blush on her smooth cheeks that his touch had incited. Her eyes were clear, peaceful for the first time since they had met. He was gratified to know he had a favorable effect on her. Trevor sighed and shook his head, his mouth twisted in a rueful smile. “Selene, you don’t have to prove yourself to me, although in the course of events you have proven yourself quite resilient.” He considered Selene’s proposal carefully. Friendship would be a definite improvement in their stormy relationship. He decided he could live with that. He certainly needed time to sort out his feelings for both women. He realized he was behaving in a most unknightly manner. A knight had to be courageous, virtuous, and decisive. He had demonstrated his courage many times over, but virtue was something he struggled with. His heart tended to betray him and had a mind of its own. He had indeed been decisive when it came to combat, but in affairs of the heart he was anything but. It was obvious that he had a lot to learn. Hopefully he would make the right decision in this situation.
Trevor returned Selene’s gaze with a twinkle in his blue-gray eyes. “What a relief! I couldn’t imagine addressing you as ma’am. Perhaps when you are a queen, but not as my friend.” He bowed his head briefly and said in a voice bordering on formal, “I would be honored to be counted as your friend. I hope I will remain worthy of that lofty title.” At the mention of Tiel and Starstruck Trevor chuckled. “I would not be concerned about your horse. He is too stubborn to be injured. As for Tiel...” he shrugged, “I believe she is adept at taking care of herself. But, you’re right, of course. We should collect them.” He noted the sudden change in Selene’s demeanor..and the fact she had omitted Azari from her list of those causing her concern. His eyes narrowed slightly at the unintended revelation of an underlying current of resentment he had heretofore been in ignorance of. It would certainly explain Selene’s outrage at discovering Azari in his company. Trevor stifled a sigh. Just another complication in an already volatile scenario. He slowly stood, Selene’s hand still grasping his. He felt a thrill pass through his body. She really was quite stunning, a prize worth fighting thugs, a wyvern, and a panicked horse for. He stiffened as he heard the voice of Azari crying out for help. Selene groaned and her expression spoke volumes. Trevor impetuously leaned close to Selene and kissed her cheek gently. He whispered in her ear, “I will still be your Champion, regardless of what happens now.” He turned quickly and whistled for his horse. The stallion responded promptly and Trevor swung aboard. He held out his hand to help Selene aboard. “We will have to retrieve Starstruck later. I hope you don’t mind riding double again. It appears Azari is in trouble. I must help her, like I did you.” he said, his eyes apologetic.
Pedro - 2001-02-13
The chamber-pot, thankfully unused, flew through the air, its trajectory taking it through the space occupied by the young man's face only moments before.
"You don't understand! I hated my brother. I hate what he did and I hate what I must do."
His back was itching again. Leydon turned away from the wall, covering his face with his hands.
Crash. The small wall-mirror had fallen from the wall, shattering even before it hit the floor. Shards of glass flew all over the place.
Leydon's mouth tightened. This had to stop. The young man's hand moved underneath the cloak he still wore, reaching for the back of his belt, fingers closing around the familiar leather grip of his blackjack.
"I offered you a duel so you could have a fair chance. So I would not have to use this..."
As the mage's hand reached into his pocket, Leydon lunged. The heavy cosh swept down towards the base of the mad wizard's skull...
Gavin - 2001-02-13
ngra had barely got the artifact out of his pocket, when he felt a stunning pain. The last thing he saw was the worn floorboards rushing up to meet him.
The magical object slipped from his hand as he hit the floor and rolled to Keleos' feet...
Copyright (c) 1999-2001 Abigail Laughlin and the members of the Circle of Stone.