The Knights of Eirelaian Ch 4

Halfling

Chapter Four

"Firefly?"

Leilani found herself back at school feeling as if she'd woken up from a strange dream.  The weird thing though was this felt more like a dream than anything else.  For one thing the classroom was completely empty except for herself and a handsome boy about her own age with rusty red hair and clear blue eyes, and there was no teacher.

"Are you sure you can handle it?"

Leilani looked surprised at the boy.  He was staring at her like someone who stares at a beautiful piece of art that only they can appreciate.  "I'm sorry," she said, trying not to stare too long at his beautiful blue eyes, "but are you speaking to me?"

"Yes, I was." the boy answered her calmly, "I want to know can you handle it?"

"Handle what?"

"The dangers of being an apprentice knight" the boy answered again, "and of allowing someone to steal your heart after you've stolen his own, Firefly.  Or should I call you Apprentice Hanlin?"

"Huh?"

"Apprentice Hanlin? Apprentice Hanlin? Apprentice Hanlin?..."

~*~*~*~

"Apprentice Hanlin?"

Leilani awoke feeling very stiff like she'd been sleeping for years.  Or worse, recovering from a charley horse.  She felt she wasn't alone.  Looking up she saw the boy from her dream leaning over her.

"Apprentice Ha..."

The boy gasped when her eyes met his.  "It's her," he murmured quietly to himself, "The girl from my dream."

"Excuse me, but what did you just say?"

"I could have you arrested you know"

"What??"

"I said," the boy answered Leilani with annoying patience, "I could have you arres..."

"I know you said that," Leilani snapped, already losing her own patience, "but what for??"

"For what you just did"

Leilani thought for a bit then exploded.  "For helping to stop two potentially dangerous men!!" she yelled at him, "What is this place? Death Wish Land??"

"No, you little fool" he answered her, gritting his teeth, "For stealing personal property of a royal official."

"Okay, you're deranged."

"And since you've stolen my heart" the boy went on, taking a very sharp dagger out from underneath his robes, "it's my right to stake my claim on you."  Before Leilani could react he took a big lock of her hair from the side of her head and swept the dagger through it.

"Hey!" Leilani exclaimed indignantly, "It took all my savings to get my hair like that! Who do you think you are??"

Just as she was yelling this, her father and a lady with long dark curly hair and a cheery face appeared in the doorway: the lady was wearing a navy woolen dress and a white apron.  "Oh good," she said, smiling at Leilani as she went over and propped up her pillows, "We were all worried you were a goner."

Leilani tore her glare away from the boy, who was carefully putting the lock of hair into a locket brooch and pinning it to the front of his robe, and stared at the healer. "What do you mean?" she asked puzzled, feeling like someone who'd finally woken up completely from a deep sleep, "I only got stung a few times, didn't I?"

"You got hit by poison darts, Leilani," her father answered her gravely, "If Councilor Cloudthorn here hadn't insisted on helping Diana heal your wounds, we could've easily lost you."

Leilani looked on speechlessly as the boy got up and bowed gracefully. "Allow me to introduce myself, my fiery little lady" he said with calm politeness, "My name is Arnell Ferren Cloudthorn, Head of the Royal Council of Eirelaian."

~*~*~*~

"What happened to your hair?"

Leilani looked up from where she'd been furiously fiddling with her bed-spread. "The stupid fool Arnell lopped a chunk of it off" she answered Kirky moodily, "He made up this ridiculous story about me stealing his heart and because of that it being his right to stake his claim!"

"Well, I think it suits you" Kirky began to say, "It brings out your... Oh my!"

"What?"

"I don't know whether to feel happy or sorry for you"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, um, oh dear"

"Hey! Stop laughing! This isn't funny"

"I'm sorry," Kirky apologized, holding in a chuckle, "that was mean of me.  Laughing at the Head Royal Councilor's own chosen love is not proper manners."

"Own chosen love?!" Leilani asked, a shocked look sweeping across her face, "You don't mean...?"

The young archer nodded her head sheepishly.  "In our world," she began to explain, sitting down at the foot of Leilani's bed, "when someone falls in love with someone else we say that their heart has been stolen.  When this happens to a male fey he has the right to stake his claim by taking a lock of hair from his chosen love and keeping it close to him.  This wards off suitors on both sides.  I think it's very romantic."

"We call people like that in my world weirdos" Leilani responded offhandedly, "They either get taken away or marry supermodels."

"Superwhat?"

"Um, never mind", Leilani answered, quickly changing the subject, "Just a silly human tradition.  Why would you feel sorry for me that some weirdo likes me? Apart from the obvious."

"Don't you know?" Kirky asked, a surprised but serious look on her face, "Councilor Cloudthorn will want to win your heart and marry you as soon as possible.  That means you'll be doing the seven knight apprentice tasks a lot sooner than most.  Straight away in fact, if I'm not mistaken."