Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Stolen ❯ Heated Up ( Chapter 3 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Chapter 3

More men filed into the hall by the minute. Terra felt at ease with most of the men, and she was grateful to have her Companions around her. Jesse turned to the conversation next to him and Lesley leaned over. "Are you all right? You look pale."

She gave him a quick smile. "I'm fine."

Just then Beth came over, bearing a tray with tall glasses filed with the golden mead. Apparently she and Rena had switched tables, the reason being obvious to Terra since Beth had feelings for Tarrin, and both Rena and Terra knew of them. Beth placed two of the glasses before them, paying great attention to Tarrin. As she walked away she kept glancing back over her shoulder at him. She was a patient girl, but her patience was slowly starting to wear thin. Terra sighed, knowing that Beth would soon be looking elsewhere.

She turned her concentration back to the plate before her, which had a hunk of pork on it. She reached over for a roll and buttered it before starting the consumption of her meal.

There were many conversations going on. She was having one with Riven, who had come in not too long after Jesse and Lesley, about the possibilities of new trade routs and alliances. "The Norcalan pouch would like to form an alliance with us to open a new trading route. They are weak, and need the help of someone," he stated.

She nodded. "It may be beneficial to form one, for all help would be needed if ultimate war was ever declared against us."

"True, but they would not be able to offer much help. As I said, they are weak."

"Yes, I agree with that, in man power they are weak, but they are nevertheless wealthy."

"They are also fairly close, so the trading would be both profitable and quick," Lesley added, joining himself to the conversation.

"We will have to send an ambassador sometime soon to negotiate treaty conditions," Terra concluded. By this time everyone was done eating and the girls started to clear the tables. When they were done, Terra told them that they could leave if they wished. Only Rena and Beth stayed behind, sitting on stools behind Terra. When the doors closed behind the others, Terra stood up and raised her hand.

"Your silence please. The meeting shall now commence." A hush fell over the room as Terra lowered her hand. All eyes were on her. She gulped. No matter how much time her father had spent teaching her, talking to a crowd still made her nervous. "I thank each one of you for being here. I would like to first of all commend all those who took part in the raid today for an amazing outcome, even though some may doubt it's size." That last remark she had meant to be aimed at Thomas. The room gave a soft cheer. Terra continued. "The courage that you displayed today was truly awe inspiring. It's not often that such a great feat is undertaken, and certainly not an easy task either. If anyone has a final tally as to what it all amounts to, we would be happy to hear it." She perceived one of the men stand up hesitantly.

"I took the final count, and we have the value total." All eyes now shifted to him, so Terra sat down and nodded for him to continue. He gave her a nod back and returned his gaze to the rest of the crowd. "The total coin value would be approximately seventeen thousand, five hundred golds, five thousand silvers and eight hundred coppers." A murmur of approval went through the crowd. Terra saw the speaker smile with pleasure. She looked over to Thomas who had a sour, yet surprised look on his face. He stood.

"Preposterous! It's not possible that, that...dust pile would amount to that much!" The man looked at him, speechless.

Brodrick stood up beside him. "It's true though. Some of the jewels were extremely good cut and excellent quality. The size of some of them was rather impressive. Most of the items were also gold. Very few were silver or bronze. There were also pearls from eastern shores, which have great value and..." He went on to list numbers of items, such as how many rings, brooches, necklaces and so on. With each word, a bigger sneer spread over Thomas' face. The dispute, which Terra had anticipated, erupted.

"These details are unnecessary!" This was from Jared, one of Thomas' supporters, his right hand man.

"Do not talk in such a manner to someone who is merely laying down the facts!" Jesse spoke with great empathy.

"The facts show that there was still possibility for more! One of my men went up to survey the aftermath, and saw many nobles still wearing jewels and their money purses!" Thomas took a risk by saying one of 'his' men, but the comment was lost in the following outbursts.

"It's impossible to get everything!" Now the two sides of the room were exchanging remarks.

"Maybe impossible to get everything, but had there been more men, we could have gotten a great deal more."

Terra stood up. "I could not risk anymore men then I did!" Didn't they understand that?

"A dozen more men would have not made a difference in the confusion, but greatly in the income, ma'am." The speaker tried to show respect, for had he not called her ma'am, he would have been slain by some of Terra's more supportive men for showing disrespect to their monarch.

Jesse stood, temper flaring. "It was crowded at the fair grounds. The getaway was slow as it was. It would have been much harder to get everyone out quickly with more men."

" Maybe, but as it was shown, we had time to spare in the end."

"We could not have know this in advance!" Jesse was absolutely livid.

"Then perhaps we should have gone at a later hour when it was not so crowded, to give faster escape."

"All the nobles would have been gone by then!" Tarrin snapped.

"Not the royals! They are to have dinner and entertainment at the fair."

"They would have not provided half the loot we gathered today. Plus, more Daggers would have been present."

"They would have let their guard down by then! Not that many nobles would have left."

"Daggers don't let their guard down!" Lesley's voice echoed on the walls strongly. Everyone looked at him. Up until now he had been completely silent. None could remember ever hearing him raise his voice so. "Daggers do not let their guard down," he repeated more quietly, but still his strong voice resounded against the walls. " If you all will take a moment to remember the raid of Carancoth. All the men who had participated used that same reasoning, that they would let their guard down. That assumption made one hundred and thirty eight hang at the Falachon prisons. Do you remember? Do you?"

There was a stony silence in the air. Then, one by one, the men stood up. Only two dozen including Hiroshi remained seated. Then even one of them stood.

"Lesely's is right. We could not have risked more men, then or at a later hour. What was done is amazing in itself. It should be greatly valued. The decision of Terra was filled with wisdom and insight, even though some including myself may not like it." He then bowed in her direction, and everyone standing followed. She could feel her face going red.

Jesse shifted his eyes up, as everyone straightened up, and smiled. He then whispered, "Your turning red." She gave him a momentary glare. As soon as everyone was standing agian, Thomas stood and glared at the whole room before turning his attention to Terra.

"You'll see. One day, you'll realize to mistake of it." On the word 'it' he pointed at Terra, and then spun on his heel and headed to the doors. The men who had been sitting also got up and followed him out. Terra could feel Lesley tense and quickly put her hand on his shoulder to stop him from following them. As soon as the door shut behind them, Jesse spoke up again.

"I pledge my undying loyalty to her highness, Queen Terra of the Torquilian Pouch." At this he bent over and kissed her hand. The whole room shook as all men simultaneously repeated what Jesse had said.

"I pledge my undying loyalty to her highness..." Tears welled up in Terra's eyes, her cheeks burned, and she was flushed from the kiss her hand had received, but she held the tears back. She bowed slightly at the waist and put her hand on her heart.

"I thank you in your trust and confidence in my. I swear it that I shall not let any of you down, and I will not let this pouch fall apart, or any of its citizens harmed. Justice will be the ruler during my reign, and fairness shall be its mistress. This I solemnly promise on the ground that I stand on!" At this the room exploded in cheers. Then Riven stood up.

"My fellow men, today has proven to be an experience that none of us will forget. We must also never forget our fallen comrade, who gave his life to save another. He will be honored in a proper way. May his name never be forgotten." There was a moment of silence, and then the men started to talk amongst themselves again and eat of the fruit bowls and drink the mead which had been left. Terra smiled and sat down. A feeling of worry settled on her heart though, since Thomas' words still echoed in her head. She could sense and air of rebellion rising….maybe. She only hoped that this would not be the spark to motivate Thomas. Probably not, but she could not help wondering.

A few men grabbed some musical instruments and started to play. Some even sang to the well-known tunes. She sipped on her mead.

"So, how do you feel?" Lesley was smiling at her from ear to ear.

"Amazing. It's beyond words. I can't believe the dedication and confidence of these men in me, even after all that has happened today. I am utterly baffled!"

He chuckled. "You know, they don't really have a choice either way."

Terra smiled. "Well, actually they do. They have to be loyal to me to a degree, but personal feelings and doubts can still be there. They could all think that I am incapable of handling my position, but are not allowed to say so." She leaned back in her chair. "But Thank you.” She then looked at Jesse."Thank you for everything. You didn't have to pledge your loyalty to me though." Or kiss my hand, she thought.

"I know. But I wanted to. It's not everyday I can embarrass the monarch like that." Both he and Lesley laughed. She bowed her head and before she could respond, both Beth and Rena were at her sides.

"I'm so happy for you, Terra! I'm so glad that we stayed, other wise we would have missed all this excitement!" Rena was smiling so hard Terra was sure she had glued her face to look like that.

"Tarrin, what you said was so beautiful!" Beth had all her attention turned to Tarrin. Both Rena and Terra looked at each other and smiled.

Tarrin had gone red in the face slightly. "Umm...thank you Beth, that's very kind of you." Beth smiled then looked to Terra and Rena. She knew they would tease her about it later when Tarrin was no longer around to hear, but at the moment she didn't really seem to care.

Before anyone could say anything else, someone from the crowd called Terra's name. She looked up and saw Tarrin standing over by where the men had been playing. "Terra, come and sing for us!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_veJgg-y2zg
She gaped. "Uhh, no that's all right. I think I'll pass tonight."

"Oh come on. You never sing. You say that every time. None of us have heard you sing and you have heard all of our scratchy voices!" Tarrin prodded, causing all the men to laugh.

She shook her head. "No, I can't sing. My throat is soar from our discussion and all the yelling I did at the fair." It was a lie, but she really didn't want to sing.

"Oh come on..."

"Sing for us..."

"Don't be shy..." The jeering would not stop until she went up, and she knew it. She looked to Lesley desperately for help.

His smile gave him away. "You can pick the song," he told her. She glared at him. He shook his head and then turned to the men. "She's tired. It's time to retire for the night anyhow." There were low groans and grumbles through the crowd, and reluctantly people started to pack up.

Terra stood up and stretched. Slowly, men started to file out of the hall. Terra walked out into the dim cave. The oil had been dimmed to give the illusion of nighttime. They had a house, which stored the oil and a valve with which they could control the amount being let out. Soon the oil would be completely shut off. Riven and Thomas' supporter, Aaron, the one who had stood up for Terra, were the last two to walk out. They had extinguished the fire and now closed and locked the doors. There was no real point to lock doors, but one never know what could happen, and there were some valuable and irreplaceable items in the Prime Hall. There was a chorus of goodnights and farewells, and everyone split up.

Terra walked behind a group of very merry men who were singing all the way. Lesley, Jesse, and Tarrin walked with her as they lived in the same residence as she, since they were her three closest Companions. Arron lived not too far away so he joined them.

"I want to thank you for your courage tonight. It meant a lot to me that you took my side rather than Thomas'." He had truly moved her.

"I stand for what is right in this world. I am deeply honored to serve under you," he replied with a warm smile.

Terra once again smiled. It felt good to know that she had people who supported her and stood behind her. "I must depart now, for we have reached my residence." They said their so longs and Aaron disappeared behind the door of his home.

A yawn escape from Terra's mouth as they resumed walking. "It's going to be a long day tomorrow." she said.

Jesse turned his head towards her. "Yes, it will. When do you plan for us to depart?"

"Before the sun is fully up." As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Tarrin laughed.

"That should give us about an hour of sleep."

Terra grinned. Most likely he was right. The evening had gone on longer then Terra had wanted. There was nothing she could do about it now though. Having the trip brought back to mind suddenly made her very grateful that all three would be coming with her on the journey. They would be gone a month, and that was a long time to be without close friends.

They reached the house and entered. "G'night you three. Get at least some sleep." She heard a few mumbles of agreement as she walked up the stairs to her room. She approached her door. It was going to feel so good to fall into the soft downy sheets of her bed and drift off to sleep.

She stopped. From beneath her door she saw a light, something that made her feel rather uneasy. All her senses were alert, and every muscle in her body tensed up. She drew her sword silently and reached for the doorknob. Holding her breath she swung the door open and jumped into the room, ready to wound or kill anyone who meant her harm. She looked up and saw that her sword tip had stopped right in front of the face of a man who wore the garments of the Merchant of Sianne. He was a messenger that was lodged in the city for years, delivering messages for the Merchant in the surrounding cities. He stared down at Terra with stone gray eyes, an amused look on his face.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, lowering her sword.

"Waiting for you. Do you have the ring?" His voice was icy and taunting, daring her to say no.

Terra put her hand to her pouch. "Yes, I do. Why are you here?"

He eyed her pouch greedily. "To see if the job was done."

"It was. I leave tomorrow for your masters stronghold. We shall arrive in two weeks. Your master can expect us then."

The smile dropped from his face. "We?"

"Yes, we." She cocked her eyebrow. "Three of my Companions will be with me." Something was not right.

"I thought the Merchant had said that you would be traveling alone."

"No, he said nothing. I will not travel alone. It's too dangerous."

"You do not fear danger, I can see it in your eyes. For protection he would allow it, but not for mere companionship."

"And why not? It shouldn't matter to you as long as I deliver the ring."

He shook his head. "The reason is purely trust and my own, as well as the Merchant's, safekeeping. If many knew the way to him, he would soon have ambushes to take care of. He is taking a risk just by letting one person know where he is, never mind three. I simply won't allow it." This man was starting to seem very strange.

"My men are completely trustworthy. I would stake my life on their reliability to hold their tongues."

"I do not care. Either you come alone or the deal is off.

Tera smirked. "You wouldn't. The ring means too much to you and the Merchant to risk losing it."

His face twisted into a snarl. "He will get that ring from you, whether on good terms or by force. I'm warning you, two weeks from today come to the Master with the ring, alone, or you shall face the consequences of my wrath as well as his, both you and your people." With that, before Terra had a chance to respond, he stormed out of the room. Had he not threatened her people, she would have let his wrath come upon her with laughter. But now she knew she must go. Alone she could take him on, but she could not risk anyone else's life. She knew he was powerful, and could cause a lot of trouble.

Terra sighed as she sat down on the bed and removed her boots. The journey will be lonesome without my comrades, she thought, but it was still necessary. She took off her breeches and vest and lay down beneath the covers. Although her thoughts were racing, she fell asleep almost instantly.