Crispian turned a deep scarlet suddenly.

 

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Toby rose and bowed to teh elf. "es, I am Tobyas. I believe I have heard of you, Ayslyn, yes?"

Ayslyn grinned, "es Father Tobyas, Ayslyn is fine. You do fine work in the Shadow Quarter. All the children speak well of you. This young lass is Tayana, one of the heroines of our land." He smiled.

 

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Scowling at Ayslyn, she poked him in the shoulder quickly. "Why you--I said no such thing!" Fighting a blush she turned to Crispian. "Don't listen te him, m'lord, he's gettin' senile in his old age. I don't wish te bother ye."

Crispian laughed. "Oh, he is hardly senile, and has been of great aid to us both!"

 

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carys blushed softly as he kissed her hand.

She smilingly watched him return to his seat and his drink.


She turned and looked around the room. Everyone was enjoying themselves and she wished she could linger but she felt the pull to return to camelot and deal with issues she has allowed to leap ahead of her.


Softly sighing she heads out of the door into the crisp clear night.


She sat down on the bench by the doors and studied the night sky.


She felt the tears well up and knew she didnt want anyone to see.


She closed her eyes for a moment and allowed the sounds of merriment inside to fill her soul with hope.


"If only Brother Ephriam could witness this." she mused, "maybe he would be able to understand why I follow the path that I do."


The sudden thought of Brother Ephriam being happy at this place or peace any other way than his put a weak smile on her face.


She placed her hand gently on her slightly swollen belly and sighed.

"Tis time to go home little one, and face the music."


With that Carys rose slowly and started to walk away. She turned to gather up one last glance.


She knew if needed she could return and be filled with joy and hope.


She stepped away from the clearing to give herself room. She was weary and no longer wished to wait for home.


She invoked the spirits and brought down the power of the Goddess and with the blue lights swirling around her vanished from sight.

<<ooc: ack gotta learn to change the log-in name! (runs to do that asap)>>


Arieanna sat restless in the grove. She was alone with her thoughts and they were wearing on her. Trying to hunt in the mines had not helped, especially after she had seen Suilebhain. Not bearing to face him she silently moved away and hunted elsewhere in the pit.


With a sigh Arie stood and began walking out of the grove. She needed to move. With a small mew, her kitten Hato followed at her heels, the small bell on his collar jingling merrily. Glad for the company she picked up her kitten and placed it on her shoulder where it slipped into the hood of her cloak before it began to purr. Arie grabbed a horse at Connla and rode to Druim Ligen before catching a horse to the other border keep. A walk in the frontier was sure to help keep her mind off things. She made a brief stop at Dagda to show Hato the cauldron. The kitten didn't seem impressed as it yawned and curled up in her cloak to fall asleep. Chuckling, Arieanna left the keep and wandered through the frontier.


Eventually she came to a clearing and sat for a moment. It was no use. She couldn't keep her mind occupied. She missed her friend greatly. Hato bounded off a short distance to play with some of the wildflowers as Arieanna began to cry softly. In her heart, Arie harbored guilt over Adelia's death. The fight she had inadvertantly caused by her innocent teasing of Suilebhain was still fresh in her mind. Maybe, if she had not happened by the pit that day, Suile and Adlia would not have had that fight and Adelia would not have felt her need to leave for the frontier. Yes she had come back, but whose to say she hadn't been weakened when she was gone?


Feeling something was amiss, Arie wiped her eyes and looked around trying to place it. It came to her with a start as she realized she could no longer hear Hato's collar jingle. Pulling up her hood she stood and hurried over to where she had last seen her kitten playing. Sure enough, his small printts led off into the distance. Feeling that she couldn't be too far behind, she hurredly followed the faint trail.


So intent on following her small friend's trail, she didn't notice when the landscape began to change. Soon she could once again hear a small jingling and she hurried for the sound. Other noises caused her footsteps to slow. Cautiously she crept through the area.


What were the sounds of music doing out here, she thought. Arieanna stared wide-eyed from the shadows as a tavern seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Above the door hung a sign written in many languages. A small mew drew her eyes quickly to the foot of the door. There was Hato pawing the door and mewing softly. Before she could fetch him, the door opened and what appeared to be a barkeep appeared. He looked down and smiled before picking the small kitten up.


"Why what ye be doin here little sir?" he chuckled. "I know what ye be wantin. A nice bowl of milk." With a smile he turned and entered the tavern and shut the door behind him. Arie rushed to the window making sure to keep herself to the shadows and peeked in. The sight that greeted her eyes made them widen even more. There were all manner of people inside. A few from her own realm, but norse and trolls and many other as well.


"What be this place?" she said quietly as she pulled her cloak tighter about her shoulders.

"Oh well, Ays does seem to have a habit of showin' up when ye need him. Or when ye least expect him to," Tayana chuckled. "Good te know he was a help to ye though." Pausing, the heroine realized she'd essentially just wished an Alb well, and she shook her head slightly in disbelief.

Continueing to watch silently through the window Arieanna sees the barkeep set Hato down on the counter before turning away a moment and grabbing a bowl and filling it with milk. Arie sighed as the kitten began lapping up the milk eagerly.


"I'll be having to get ye a leash now i think," she mumbled quietly to herself as she moved around to the door of the tavern. Making sure the hood of her dark cloak was up, she tried to ease the door open quietly before stepping inside. A very slight creaking made Hato's ears perk up and he mewed before jumping down fromthe bar and padding over and rubbing against Arie's legs. She greatfully bent down and picked the kitten up hugging it to her in relief.


"Ah, so the little lord be yers then, miss? Was wondering what he was doin here by his lonesome." Arie started and looked up at the barkeep. She hadn't heard him approach. "Pardon me fer startlin you, miss. Names Morden" He held out his hand to her and she shifted her cat in her arms so she could shake it.


"What be this place?" she asked hesitantly as she brushed a stray emerald lock of hair back under her hood.


"Tis what it looks like. It be a tavern. But i'm friad if ye care to stay I'll have to take yer weapons. They not allowed here. Ye can pick em up when ye wish to leave."


"My... My weapons?" she asked, her emerald eyes widening slightly.


"es, yer weapons. And yer first drink be paid fer with a tale. Now will ye be stayin miss?"


Arieanna bit her lower lip in uncertainty before nodding her head. She set Hato down at her feet and watched him scamper back to the bar where his milk still sat as she began to remove her weapons. Morden smiled at her as she handed her weapons over.


"Just ask fer em when ye want em back lass."


Arie nodded and silently made her way over to a stool at the bar where her cat sat purring and lappin his milk. From under her hood, her eyes continued to scaan the tavern as she listened to the various conversations and tried to struggle to understand what some of the people from the other realms were saying. Now was when she wished she had paid more attention when she was sposed to be learning the other languages.....


She sighed and brushed another stray lock of hair back under her hood aas she began to pet her adventerous kitten.

Ayslyn chuckled merrily at the stricken look on Tayana's face. "The first step in understanding is realizing that we are all basicaly the same. The same things plague us all, and lift our spirits. The same ideals motivate us, regardless of realm or race." He smiled happily.

 

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