Double Dare

AN: The last time I updated was last year. Oops. Sorry, I know I’ve abandoned my stories for god knows how long. Apologies, love, and the next chapter.

)O(

He woke with a hangover.

He expected the hangover; after all, he had downed more drinks than was healthy for anyone last night. The knowledge didn’t help with the fact that his head was aching and every muscle in his body felt hammered.

Groggily, he pulled himself out of bed and splashed his face with some cold water, which made him feel a little better. He then got dressed in a simple shirt and breeches and stumbled out of his room to eat. Training would have to be put off for a time when he was more awake. Luckily, nobody in their right mind would require a squire to train during the Midwinter celebrations, especially not with his Ordeal coming up soon. It was well known that any amount of strength and skill could not get one through the Ordeal easily.

Dressed, Joren stumbled into the corridor just as the palace bell chimed. The bell just before the one for midday, judging by the position of the sun. He yawned. Despite sleeping overtime, it felt as if he hadn’t slept at all.

Halfway down the corridor, he was met by Garvey also emerging from his rooms. Garvey looked as tired as, if not more than, Joren. They exchanged a sloppy greeting and fell into step with each other, both silently acknowledging the still-drunken state of the other squire.

“Are you going to the ball tonight?” Garvey asked.

“Of course,” Joren replied. “This Midwinter has been ball after ball, it seems. Even though we don’t have to serve, I still want to be there for the ladies.”

Garvey made a noise between a snort and a sigh. “I’m getting sick of court ladies. They’re Too attainable.”

Joren nodded his agreement. “I just wish there was a challenge.”

One might argue that the mind of a hung over, teenaged boy would be hard put to come up with a clever plan. But as they rounded a corner and the dining hall came into view, Garvey’s mind worked out a plan. An entertaining activity, really.

“I know someone who would be a challenge,” Garvey said slowly.

“The Lump?” Joren read his mind immediately.

“I dislike saying this, but neither of us could possibly snatch Keladry of Mindelan.” Garvey was sober enough to know he had to goad and bait Joren into the plan he was hatching.

“Maybe you can’t, but I’m certain I can.” Joren was his usual confident self.

“Care to wager?”

Joren’s pride was easily triggered. When triggered, it overtook his common sense and his other emotions. “You’ve lost enough to me already.” He said through barely contained irritation.

“Ah, but this time I’ll win.” Garvey told him with a confidence he didn’t necessarily feel.

A few feet from the mess hall, Joren stopped and turned to face Garvey. “We have a wager.” He told him.

Slowly, a smile crept onto Garvey’s face. Win or lose, he was definitely in for some fun.

The subject of their wager had awoken over three hours ago. After completing her various morning routines, she was now with her knight-master, carefully calculating the total price of supplies for a squad of the King’s Own. The work was slightly tedious, but mathematics came easily to Kel. She planned to finish before midday, thus leaving the afternoon to herself. Knight-masters usually gave their squires a lot of free time during the Midwinter celebrations.

As she worked, she let her mind drift to the previous night. She had enjoyed herself more than she expected, and Merric was playing easily into her hands.

That thought stopped her dead. It had been a completely unfair thought, and moreover, something that would never have occurred to her before. A sense of confusion swept over her. What was she thinking? And why was she thinking that way?

Kel shook her head. It was probably a comment spawned from lack of sleep, or something equally trivial. She couldn’t have meant it. It was a dare, a complicated and time-consuming dare, but one all the same. As guilty as she felt for it, it was still a dare, and she knew it couldn’t possibly change her that much.

The day passed, and night fell on the palace. A ball rolled itself into full swing, with squires walking between guests, serving drinks and making the most out of the occasion. Neal, Kel noticed, was absent from the ball. Wondering where he might be, Kel overfilled a wine glass and hurried to clean up the mess before it could ruin the carpet.

Neal took the tray of food from the maid and muttered a word of thanks, wondering if the others were having fun at the ball. His knight-mistress had informed him earlier that day that just because the king could guilt, goad, bribe and order her into one court function, didn’t mean she would be attending them all Midwinter. The Baron, however, had decided to attend without his wife and take their children instead.

Thus, there Neal was, asking a servant girl to deliver their supper to the Lioness’s rooms. Setting it down on the table, he knocked on Alanna’s study door and called for her to eat.

The Lioness walked out of her study, shaking a cramp from her hand. She gave Neal a small smile as she sat down, and shook her head when Neal started to serve her. “You’re not expected to wait on me when it’s not a formal occasion, you know,” she pointed out. “I certainly didn’t get a squire so he could serve me.”

Neal stared back at her. Even after two years, he still couldn’t get used to the fierce-tempered lady knight’s nicer side. She was a demon on the battlefield, but she was often so human.

He sat, smiling. The smile soon turned into a worried frown as he wondered how Kel was doing with her part of the dare, and the woeful question of how he was going to do what he said he would. When he had made the dare, all he wanted was some fun. The question of how he would complete his task simply failed to occur to him.

“What are you thinking about?” The Lioness’s voice snapped him out of his reverie. “It’s odd to see you contemplate.”

“I love you.”

)O(

-evil grin- cliffie! And who knows how long it’ll be till I write the next chapter, hey?