Fan Fiction ❯ The Emergence Of A Legend ❯ Chapter 5

Nikki Kelly

Disclaimer: All of the characters portrayed in this story are completely

fictional and the sole creations of moi. Any resemblance to any

living person or other fictional character is purely coincidental.

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Chapter Five

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Coress sat at the kitchen table strumming her fingers. She was totally and utterly bored out of her mind. She shifted her weight in the chair, making it give a little groan. Olban was sitting across from her, and was looking at some scroll intently. The raven-haired beauty sighed dramatically, and sat back in her chair, making it sound once more. Her brother didn't even glance up at her. What is he looking at that could be so important? Coress wondered. She cleared her throat, trying to get his attention once more, but Olban just kept staring. She could think of nothing else to do, so she finally spoke. "What's that you're looking at?" She tried to sound casual, but failed miserably.

"Oh just something." Olban looked up at her with innocent eyes. "Why do you want to know so bad?"

Coress started, but quickly recovered. "I don't need to know. I just noticed it now," she attempted to cover herself.

"Then why were you staring at me as if you could suck something out of my head?" He had a sly grin on his face.

Coress growled low in her throat. "Well what is it then? You know I wanna know, so tell me!"

"Oh, it's nothing really. Te Lady Walrona just invited me to tea this afternoon, that's all. It seems as if I've caught her eye. I wonder if I should go or not?" he had tried to act nonchalant, but Coress could see the excited gleam of a child in his big brown eyes.

"Of course you shouldn't go! That woman is nothing but a low-life, bottom-feeding, scum-sucking tr…"

Olban effectively cut her off, "Well then, I guess that settles it. You'll just have to find someone else to bother today. I'm going to visit my lady." He said it in such a righteous tone that it only further enraged Coress. But he gave her no time to protest, quickly walking upstairs to his room and locking the door. After trying to lure him out for about an hour, Coress realized it was of no use. She went back down to the kitchen to try and think of something.

Coress was no fool; she had seen that lustful shine in his eyes, and it had made her sick. Lady Walrona had a reputation in the city, and it wasn't good. She was said to have used men, playing with their hearts, then crushing them to bits and pieces. Coress had to do something; she would not let her brother be hurt in that way.

Suddenly, a plan unfolded in her mind. It was perfect. She'd never be able to pull it off by herself, however, and she knew just the boys for the job.

Coress hurried to her wardrobe to retrieve her coat, then ran through the shop, startling some customers on her way by, and shouting Barnovo a quick goodbye. If she was going to pull this off, she had to be quick. Her brother was meeting the Lady Walrona in two hours.

Even with the heat of her body building in excitement, the freezing wind of the island nation hit Coress like a deathblow. She shivered fiercely, but rushed onward, instinctively heading towards an abandoned barn on the east side of the city. They hung out there most of the time, and that's where they'd all be, she had no doubt of it. It was just too cold to do anything else that day.

Coress slowed as she approached the old barn, trying to catch her breath. She took the time to look about her at the city of Danir, her home. The block-style city streets were wide and full of busy people, even on this blustery day. The endless buildings were closely packed together, all with the same dreary stone facades. Many were taverns, for the men of Danir had special interest in visiting that kind of establishment often. Inns were also abundant, providing the city with people of every cultural background, most of whom moved to Danir permanently. The seaport's economy was growing extraordinarily, and those who owned any type of business, even the lower part of the population, had begun to reap the benefits of this new wealth.

The people of Danir, just like the people from all over the island of Belstine, were not of a single race. Something attracted foreigners to the island, and now the "true islanders" were a rare sight. These people were of light colored, peachy-like skin color, with sandy blonde colored hair and varying shades of blue eyes. The only person Coress knew on personal level that fit that description was Olban. This confused her. He's my brother! If he's an islander, then why am I not one? I look absolutely nothing like him! As she neared the entrance of the barn, she vowed to ask her brother about this peculiarity later.

The barn had been built hundreds of years ago, and was made of wood, which only further accentuated its age. People had long since learned that tightly-set stone didn't burn and it kept warmth inside. The door to the barn had been blown off during one of Danir's frequent coastal storms, and the four friends had replaced it with a giant stone slab. Coress smiled to herself, remembering how much of a struggle there had been when trying to place the stone. Tosorin had fumbled with it for hours, trying to shape it and put it on the frame somehow. Eventually, he had realized that it was useless, and he had just laid it against the open space. There was an opening between the rock and wood that was closed off from the wind. It was just space enough for the largest of their group, Tosorin, to squeeze through.

The little hideout was theirs and theirs alone, its previous owner long since forgotten. No one else ever came in, except for an invited few, which was definitely to their liking. They had furnished it, making it a lot more comfortable than when they had first discovered it. Now pillows lay here and there on the floor, and stools were placed around a big table near the small stone fireplace they had constructed in the center of the room.

Goods of all sorts, most of which Coress had doubts of their origins, were stacked in the storage bins and the stables. She had been nervous about the surplus of possessions, but Kiltees had reassured her, "Oh babe, ain't no need ta worry. Me and Ty just be keeping these for a friend of ours, ya know, he don't got the space ta hold it all." Coress didn't believe a word of it, of course, but decided there was no point agonizing over it, since her stubborn friends would never get rid of it all anyway.

Coress slid silently through the thin shaft of a doorway and peeked in. There were the three boys, as she had expected, all sitting at the table playing some rude game of cards. There was one with them who she hadn't thought would be there, but she was glad she was; she would make the scheme much easier to execute. Kiltees's girlfriend Lorenna was perched on his knee, not some much paying attention to the game as she was to her beloved. She was known around town as "one of" Kiltees's lovers, but Coress knew she was his one and only.

The situation was terribly complicated. Eeda, the daughter of Lord Gewin, head of the diplomatic relations in Danir, had taken a liking to the kooky little redhead. Being used to getting what she wanted, the girl told her father to get him for her. So, Lord Gewin went to Kiltees's father, Lellhort, to inform him of Eeda's demand. The nobleman offered him money and a place at court in exchange for the custody of Kiltees. Lellhort was a greedy man, and was thrilled with the offer, and he immediately went to his son, ordering him to go with Lord Gewin. Kiltees simply laughed at the proposition. He told the aristocrat that he had already found his true love, and that he wasn't about to become the plaything of some stuck-up, little brat. Lord Gewin stormed out of the little farm and back to his carriage. Lellhort begged the noble to return, and when he did not, the man went after his son. That was when Kiltees ran away from home, only about a year ago. He stayed at assorted places, most times at the barn or at Lorenna's place. Since his mother had been caught in the middle of the situation, Kiltees returned home when his father wasn't around, just to visit with the lonely woman. She never said a word, being content with the little time she spent with her son, and sympathizing with his situation. Kiltees did, of course, run into his father now and then, but the quick-minded son always ended up escaping.

Coress noticed that Kiltees lived his on-the-run life as if it was normal. He acted like he didn't care at all; but she had seen him once, crying to himself. Her heart ached for her closest friend, but she knew he still had all the love he needed. He and Lorenna were overcome with passion for one another. The pair tried to spend every waking moment with each other, and were planning on getting married when Lorenna finished her apprenticeship as a dressmaker.

This total infatuation infuriated Coress at times; his heart had belonged to her before (not that she had ever returned the affection). She had even gone as far as to confide her distaste to her friend towards the beginning of his new relationship, but he had simply shrugged it off and said, "Oh babe, ya know how much I love my Lorenna. But we have somethin special. We's got a connection. Don't tell her this, but it's somethin she could never be a part of, no matter how hard she tried."

Coress couldn't really hate the girl anyway. Lorenna the sweetest person she had ever know; she was utterly selfless, always putting others before herself. She was also extremely intelligent, although being with Kiltees had an effect on that sometimes. He made her think with her heart, not her mind. Coress often thought that was what attracted the girl most to her lover.

Appearance wise, Lorenna was stunning with her long flaxen-colored hair, rosy cheeks, and wide blue eyes. But she was also a product of her living situation; farm life was hard on the island, and even tougher with seven smaller mouths than her own to feed. She was sickly thin, and tried to hide it, but her bony wrists and haggard neck always protruded into sight. She had worked outside the farm since the age of eight, and was almost complete in her training as a dressmaker. And that's exactly why Coress needed her expertise assistance. She knew, however, that she couldn't just blurt it all out to her friends, they would just get too excited. She had to approach the situation subtly, yet swiftly.

Tosorin was the first to notice her, smiling broadly at her presence. He stared openly at her, and it didn't take long for Kiltees to follow his strong friend's gaze. He too smiled. "We was wonderin how long it would take ya ta get here. Well, come on in, it's really, really cold out today, and I don't need ya gettin no chill or somethin." After carefully removing Lorenna from his lap, he ushered Coress towards the fire.

"Thanks, Kiltees. It is extraordinarily cold out today, isn't it?" Coress didn't realize her mistake until she had closed her mouth.

Kiltees grinned and went on, "Oh yeah! I heard some guy talkin bout how it be the coldest day we's had in a long time. But I ain't so sure! I mean, it ain't even snowin or nothin! So I says ta him..."

It was then that Tystan slammed his cards down on the table. "We don't need to hear what you said to some damn dirty old farmer!" he growled, glaring at Kiltees. When the babbler gave him a confused look, Tystan scowled and retreated to a pillow mound by the fire.

Kiltees turned to Coress and she shrugged. She had no clue what was with Tystan. But you know with him, do you? The confused boy turned to Tosorin, and the younger brother sighed. "Don't look at me, I have no idea what's wrong with him today."

Still not understanding his friend's sudden outburst, Kiltees tried Lorenna. She stared at him helplessly, and he melted in her gaze, seeming to lose all sense of what had happened. He smiled lovingly at her and moved to embrace her passionately. Tystan saw them in their intimate position, and swore in revulsion.

Kiltees immediately broke away and returned to his puzzled state. Tystan decided to elaborate this time, "Do you have to do that here?! Go back to the farm or something! We don't all need to see it! You disgust me!" He said it with such anger that Kiltees stumbled back, as if he had been attacked. No! Coress thought. This wasn't supposed to happen! Not when I need them all! We can't waste time fighting!

Kiltees fumbled for his words. "What?...I ...No!...You...I'm gonna..." He lunged at Tystan, his face color matching his hair. Tystan stepped up to meet the attack, but both were stopped when a massiveness blocked their way.

"Get out of my way, Tosorin!" Tystan said between clenched teeth, trying with all his might to get at the jumping redhead.

"No," Tosorin said simply, and he kept his ground.

Lorenna, meanwhile, had been grabbing at her love, trying to get him to regain his senses. "Kiltees! Stop it! Stop it right now!" she pleaded in her high-pitched and now frantically squeaky voice. "This is all nonsense! He's your friend! And he's just in a bad mood! Let it go!"

Finally, seeming to sense seriousness in her voice, Kiltees backed off. He stalked to a corner of the barn, and then paced back, trying to release his anger. By then, Tystan had also calmed himself and was at his former place on the floor.

Coress knew that one wrong word could tip them off again, so she decided to change the subject, and get right to her point. "Hey, you guys know Lady Walrona?"

Tystan smirked. "Oh, yes. I know her quite well. Me and her spent quite a while together, and we got to know each other very, very well." He seemed to go into another world, recreating the time in his mind.

Kiltees, forgetting his prior hostility towards Tystan, flashed a devious and knowing smile and Lorenna, whose neck he was kissing, blushed furiously. Tosorin rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I remember too. You told me all about it. But, if I remember correctly, didn't you get your ass dumped out on the street when you were done `getting to know her'?"

Tystan scowled at his little brother, and Coress had to bite her lip to hold in her laughter. She didn't want to start another argument. She went on, "Anyway, that tramp has called for my brother this afternoon, and I really don't want him getting so acquainted with her."

Tystan growled slightly, and fell back into his pillow in annoyance. "Olban's a big boy, Coress. I'm sure he knows what he's doin. You shouldn't get involved."

Coress glared at Tystan. She had known he would be the hardest to convince. "Oh but he doesn't! He has no idea what he's gotten himself into. Just cause you fell for it, doesn't mean he has to! Now you're either gonna help me willingly, or I'm gonna have to make you!" He eyes dared Tystan to push her further.

Instead, he smiled in satisfaction, and Coress realized that he had got her on that one. Why do I let him make me so mad?! I know him better than to let him do that! She decided not to make any further point of it and went on. "I need all of you guys' help. I wanna make Olban see her for what she really is."

Tystan sat back up, one eyebrow arched in obvious curiosity. "What did you have in mind?"

Coress knew she had him now; he was hooked. She folded her arms across her chest and wrinkled her forehead in feigned contemplation. "Well, I don't know...I'm not really sure if I can trust you." She bit her lip.

Tystan jumped up, coming towards Coress, wringing his hands in the air with anger. "What do you mean, "if you can trust me"? When have I betrayed you? When have I done anything at all to hurt you?" He shouted with such intensity that it seemed to shake the whole barn.

Coress had done this all on purpose, of course, but his words ran through her mind and she gave thought to them. Well, actually, he has hurt me a lot. And he is very unpredictable. Then there's the fact that he loves every girl but me. Coress closed her eyes, silently reprimanding herself once again. Stop that! You don't want him! Your goal in life is to fight with him! When she opened her eyes, Tystan was still staring at her, his eyes bulging, waiting for her response. "Got you," she said with a small smile.

Tystan's shoulders slumped. He sighed heavily. "Alright, alright. Whatever. Now can you please tell us your plan? As you can obviously see, I'm dying to know."

"Yeah, me too!" Kiltees said with a whine, bouncing up and down like an impatient child. "Come on, Coress! If you make me wait any longer, I'm gonna burst! Tell me, tell me, tell me!"

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End of Chapter Five

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~~Ooooooff...sorry this chapter took me so long...they made us start getting passes to go to the comp lab in school during study...damn administration...oh whatever... oh yeah, sorry if this chapter ends funny...my original chapter for this section was like 23 pages long...and I wasn't about to type all that up wicked fast...yeah...so...Hope you like it!!! LEAVE FEEDBACK!!!!