True Justice

Shay sighed. "It's kind of hard not to obey when you're the one who straightened my reins for me. Nevertheless, I would obey when my own fate depended on it. Other than that, you're probably out of luck." She lifted her shoulders in a shrug.

Her indifference was short-lived. Her eyes widened in shock as she stared at him, and her jaw fell open. "You have quite the nerve, Mr. Rowland!" She reverted back to her own habits of calling him by his last name, then inched away from him as if he had the plague. "I will sleep without a blanket if it comes to that, thank you very much!"

Legends of Erandor

Ainsley felt a fair bit of relief when Ellion stopped choking and surfaced for air. "I'm glad you're all right," she said, her eyes wide, thinking about what could have been. "A pie isn't a very honorable way to die."

Ainsley blushed again when Alex spoke to her. It was rare that she met and talked to anyone of the male gender. She quickly recovered her composure, her eyes sparkling. "Yes, be very careful. I've got a strong, quick slap and you should see me with an iron skillet."

~

Xeras smiled as Jade clung to him. It felt good to be needed. Gave him a sense of power, of pride. He let the smile show as he glanced over at her, and his pride intensified as her sparkling green eyes stared at him. Gazing, watching, waiting. Waiting for him to make a move. "To the pie stands, then? You haven't told me what kind of pie you want yet, and I must say, I'm quite interested to find out." He inhaled sharply as he led the way, dipping their toes into the sea of people. "Is it strawberry, perhaps?"

Legends of Erandor

Alex chuckled at the spunkiness that was suddenly showing through Ellion's little sister. "You're definitely related to Ellion, then. I'll try not to appear unannounced at the kitchen door if I ever drop by." he added the last bit with a wink.

Elaina rolled her eyes slightly as her sort-of boyfriend good naturedly flirted with the sister of the boy that had death wish for him. "How is your pie, Alex? I suppose you like it since it's almost gone..."

"Oh, yes. It's really good. Thanks for free slice, Kye."

Legends of Erandor

"She is a solid hit and marvelous aim with that skillet." Ellion confirmed, "It would be wise to stay away from our house." His eyes, though, conveyed that his sister was not the only reason to stay away. Suspecting this comment might warrant some reaction from his sister, he quickly busied himself with finishing off his delectable piece of dessert, having sat back down on the barrel and retrieved his pie plate that had miraculously survived his spell of coughing.

****

"Strawberry..." Jade purred beside Xeras, tossing her head and feeling black ringlets of hair dance. "I do like strawberry, very much, but that is not my favorite." Her dark emerald eyes glittered with mischief. She wanted to keep him guessing as long as possible.

Around them the groups of people became thicker, and the indistinct chatter louder, but it seemed, when some individuals of the masses turned and looked directly at Xeras' face, they were taken with a consuming desire to scuttle out of his way.

Legends of Erandor

Torin's killer smile turned into a grim face of actual death, which was odd because he continued dancing. "Oh yeah, I know your brother. He's the man who voted to raise taxes to fill his filthy pockets, oh look, ole Mr. Money Grubber himself has arrived." he glanced past Aedra's shoulder towards Xeras.

The dance was ending now, "It's been a pleasure Ma'am, however may I suggest not mentioning your brother until the second date next time around?" he deadpanned, with his trademark smile brightening up his face once again. After all, she couldn't be blamed for being related to the scumbag of a man, secondly she was really pretty and therefore he couldn't afford to shut her down completely.

Legends of Erandor
Erivale Festival

Ainsley's eyebrows knit together in a frown. "Ellion. That's rude. Alex is welcome at our house anytime he likes." She felt a niggling of hesitation due to Alex's reputation, but her urge to share hospitality won out. She then turned to Alex, a smile playing at her lips. "As long as you knock first. Appearing unannounced would probably end badly."

She turned over her shoulder and glanced at Ellion, hoping he didn't choke to death on his pie again. "Thanks for your compliments on my aim, Ellion. I suppose you of all people should know." She punctuated the sentence with an impish smile and a wink.

~

"Then what is your favorite, my dear?" Xeras asked this in the most doting tone possible, but his mind itself was distracted taking in the sights and smells. "Blueberry? Pumpkin? Apple--?" He stopped abruptly when he caught sight of the couples dancing. One of them had her back turned to him, but her form was unmistakable. Aedra.

"Oh, the little waif has found herself a companion, I see." He muttered, half to himself, half to Jade. He paused as strains of the dancing couple's conversation met his ears, loud enough to be heard above the raucous music. Aedra's partner, a youth of about 18, made direct eye contact with Xeras. "Oh look, ole Mr. Money Grubber himself has arrived."

Xeras narrowed his gaze as the dance came to a close. He crossed over to his sister and her new friend with long, commanding strides. "The name is Xeras Tain." He extended his hand to Torin. "Nice to meet you, I'm sure, though your respect for authority is definitely lacking. As for the taxes, I'd love to hear your thoughts on that." Xeras raised an eyebrow, and in his dark, cold, steely gaze there lurked a challenge.

~
Ainsley and Xeras look like and get a general idea of who they are. Hopefully this will help you picture the scenes better. ))

Legends of Erandor

Torin extended his hand in turn, and shook Xeras outreached appendage. The meeting of hands was similar to the meeting of their personalities, Torin's hands were calloused, dirty and his skin was cracked from years of hard work and fighting, meanwhile, Xeras' hands felt soft as a babies bottom and were completely clear of any unruly mar.

The two young men were testing each others strength in this ancient ritual of manliness, an experienced player of this game could learn many things about his opponent with little less than a handshake, what type of living he had, what his temperament was and you could easily tell if a person was a wimp or not from the style of his handshake. Because of that, Torin could just as easily tell that Xeras wasn't a wimp, just a different style of tough than he was used too.

When Torin finished sizing up his opponent, he released his grip and waited while Xeras finished up his introduction; which wasn't exactly gentlemanly,then he responded with just as much sarcastic venom and much more anger than the man standing across from him.

"Well sir, in my opinion respect has to be earned and in order to be a leader you must have the respect of your followers. You sir, have done nothing to earn my respect, and therefore you are not my leader sir. In fact sir, your actions as a councilor have done nothing to garner respect for you. You've raised taxes on those who need their money just to put food on their table, meanwhile you've grow fat on choice foods. I respect authority, but I only the authorities who have earned it. To put it quite simply sir, if there weren't so many women and children around here I'd probably break your nose."

True Justice

Terence laughed and held up a hand. "Calm down, calm down. There will be no cuddling...tonight."

He couldn't help himself. Seeing her ruffled and flustered was entertaining.

~~~

Legends of Erandor

Festival of Erivale

Kye watched the scenes unfold before her. In one hand, she held an empty plate that a child had returned once he finished his pie. In the other, she held her drink. She jumped slightly when Ellion's hacking coughs reached her ears, but she let Ainsley take care of her own brother as she set down the plate and looked at Alex. "You're welcome, Alex, but remember, it's our little secret." She laughed lightly.

She nodded in agreement with Ainsley and Ellion. "When we were younger, she hit me in the eye with a wooden spoon. An accident, of course, but I had a black eye for days afterwards...I've learned to duck and dodge when I cook with Ainsley now." She grinned.

---

Aedra frowned. Things could not have gotten worse.

Well, actually, they could and they did. How on earth Xeras had managed to show up just when Torin was flapping his lips about taxes and her brother in a most disrespectful way was completely beyond Aedra.

Before she could defend or oppose her brother, the two men seemed to spend the next moments in a silent, and not so silent, battle.

She cleared her throat when Torin made a comment about breaking her brother's nose. Her brother was a handsome man and she would hate for his appearance to be ruined or altered in anyway.

With a nervous laugh, she said, "Really, Torin, breaking his nose would be a bit extreme, hmm? It would be rather pointless, too...He wouldn't change his tax laws because of a bloody nose! That's ridiculous!"

Turning toward her brother, she smiled, but it resembled a grimace at the same time. "I'm so glad you could make it, dear brother. I just wish you would learn to enjoy the festivities as most of us do..." She threaded her arm through his and looked at him with pleading eyes. "Would you do the honor of giving me this next dance? I know within the next two minutes, you'll be completely claimed for the rest of the afternoon and I won't have a chance..."

Legends of Erandor

With a laugh, Alex playfully backed away from the pie stand. "I'll keep that in mind for future reference, miss Ainsley. I'm used to swords and molten steel, but cook wear? That scares me."

Fortunately the boys were behaving themselves, but there was still an air of unease with both Alex and Ellion being in the same close area together.

"The dancing has stopped for a bit and if I remember correctly... you owe me a dance, mr. Valon." Elaina said with a flirty smile.

".. wait, what?! Why do I owe you a dance??"

"For services rendered in aid of dear Torin." Elaina replied in a very business like tone before returning to her normal self. "Soo, unless you want me to ruin your reputation as an honest man.. which you barely have anyway... you should ask me to a dance."

After a startled pause, Alex gave a defeated shrug and extended his right hand to the herbalist. "Would you care for a dance... Greeny?"

"Why, I never thought you'd ask, mr. Valon! I'd be honored to take the next dance." Elaina said in exaggerated surprise and pleasure that Alex had asked her.

"Farewell for now then, ladies... and Ellion." Alex said with a slight bow and wave of his free hand as he escorted Elaina to the dancing area of the festival.

Legends of Erandor
Erivale Festival

Xeras and Torin's hands met in a handshake. In Xeras' perceptions, the lad was a strange mix of inexperience and knowledge. Still green and young to life, yet smart about many things. This was further reinforced by Torin's long monologue about taxes. At first Xeras was impressed by the lad's forward manner and persuasive way of talking, but as Torin continued, Xeras felt feelings of anger and rage swell up in him.

Aedra spoke before Xeras had a chance, and he shifted from one foot to the other, anxious to speak. The delay didn't help him calm down however, it just allowed his anger to increase.

When Aedra asked for a dance, he shushed her. "Not now, Aedra. Let me speak."

He inhaled deeply before launching into a monologue of his own. "You have a good head on your shoulders, Torin, but you should learn to curb your tongue." Xeras spoke briskly, his sentences clipped and subdued as he tried to restrain his anger. "I'm your leader because I've been placed as such. Whether you respect me or not is your problem. You may choose to disrespect me, but there will be consequences. And I can tell you right now that if you break my nose, you'd lose your head." He glanced at Aedra before continuing. "And my sister, as persistent and annoying as she may be, is very right. Breaking my nose would help nothing. It would only seal your own death and also increase the taxes for your countrymen."

He turned back to Aedra, remembering her request for a dance. "I think you've failed to notice that I already have a dance partner." He nodded to Jade. "I can't just neglect her for the whims of my sister. If you really want to dance, wait over there. I shall attend to you when I'm finished." With that, he whisked Jade out onto the dance floor.

"I hope you don't mind having your piece of pie delayed for a bit, but this is the only way I could get away from Aedra." He rolled his eyes dramatically. "My sister has no sense of decorum." He tightened his grip on Jade as they twirled. He gifted her with a charming grin. "Besides, this will give me more time to guess your favorite flavor."

~

Ainsley let a laugh loose as she playfully (and gently) whacked Kye on the arm. "Hey, I'm not that bad!" She paused. "Well, okay. Maybe I am. Considering the wooden spoon incident... I really did give you a black eye, didn't I? Maybe I should tone down my violent cooking skills. I just can't help it. Kitchen utensils are my absolute specialty. And if I ever need to defend myself, they should come in handy."

She laughed long and loud at Alex's comment. "Exactly! Perhaps once you learn to master the skill of cooking, we can have a duel."

She waved to Elaina and Alex as they departed to the dance floor, and then turned to elbow Ellion in the ribs. "Hey, Ellion. Alex has the right idea. Are you going to ask me to dance, or are you too dull and serious for such activities?"

Legends of Erandor

Ellion said nothing further about Alex visiting their house, but it was apparent he was not in agreement with the possibility. Ainsley and Kye continued on in the conversation pertaining to his sister's cooking ferocity and he did not see a fit opportunity, nor reason, to interject. While they talked, he finished his pie and slipped the plate onto the wooden table behind him. After this he stood, eyes trained upon Alex as he talked with Elaina and then slipped off to dance in the next jig. An amount of relief was given to him as the other man departed, but, then, came Ainsley's unexpected request. He grunted at her elbow in the ribs, then swerved pale blue irises to look down at her. "Dance?" came his quiet question, a degree of disbelief in his tone.

Ellion felt something within him began to shrink away, willing him to give a curt refusal and stride in the opposite direction. In the crowd that waited upon the dancing floor he saw the faces of those whom he had scuffled with before, and, he considered the possibility of a mishap occurring, an accidental bump or stumble, and then being dragged off to have to fend for himself in a fist fight. Again his eyes looked upon his sister, seeing the request upon her features and the playfulness in the way she stood. She would expect him to refuse. Yes, it would be the thing he normally would do, and leave her standing, without a partner. Hadn't he already caused her sadness today?

Ellion turned his head aside for a moment, breathing, thinking. The music was going to start and it would be too late. In a quick movement, he took his sibling's arm and whisked her out into the midst of the dancers. "Just once, Ainsley." he whispered.

~*~

During the encounter between Xeras and Torin, Jade had been silent. Her eyes had watched every move, detecting the flexing of her partner's jaw, the grip of their handshake, and further on to the miniscule exchanges, whether between gazes or tones. She had felt it was not her place to speak, but her expression told enough of what her lips dared not. She had let go of Xeras' arm when he had strode toward the young man, and through it all stood resolutely behind him, paying attention to little else but him and the spunky, defiant peasant, ignoring any side glances she received.

Then it was over, Xeras' finishing it, giving no chances for any rhetorical phrase, but instead sweeping her off onto the dance floor after a few short words to his sister. To his question she responded, "I do not mind delaying the pie. Dancing is quite enjoyable..." As he twirled her a bright smile lifted her pink lips and sent her ebony ringlets flying, coming back down to rest in bouncy waves near her shoulders and neck. His smile was near devastating and she could not help the soft chuckles that slipped from her, "Yes, you must guess. I will help you along in saying it has not been anything you have guessed so far. It is something...wilder."

Legends of Erandor

Festival of Erivale

Aedra groaned as she watched he brother whisked Jade away. "Ugh, I cannot stand those two sometimes!"

She placed a tendril of hair behind her ear and turned to face Torin. "Don't misunderstand me. I love my brother. I don't always like him, but I know he will always be there for me, just as he has in the past. He just...he can be so annoying, especially when that witch is with him."

"Anyway, I hope he hasn't ruined this beautiful day for you, but I'm sure he has. I'm so sorry, Torin." Aedra placed a slender hand on his upper arm. "And I sure hope he didn't ruin your opinion of me..."

---

Kye smiled when Ellion asked his sister to dance. She took his empty plate and put t in the large, wooden bin with the others. At the end of the day, she would wash and dry them.

Someone behind her said, "And how is it that such a beautiful young woman like you is not dancing?"

Kye smiled and turned to face Tristan. "I've been waiting for you!"

Tristan smiled and Kye nearly melted at the sight. He offered his arm and led her to the dancing crowd.

Legends of Erandor

Torin set his teeth and wound his hands into fists all in a suprisingly successful attempt to prevent himself from interrupting Xeras' diolog. When his advisary finally finished his rant, Torin prepared his comeback statment.

Then, he was left hanging as Xeras' left him standing there and shut down Aedra's request for a dance in the same sentence. How a man who had that much power and that much influence could refuse to use it for the betterment of the people was completely beyond Torin's comprehension.

"No, you are your own person and until proven otherwise you are not anything like your brother" He smiled, reached over and took her hand off his shoulder and kissed it.

"Now I'm sure your friend, Orlando I believe? Is getting rather worried that you have run off with a certain dashing young man and so shall I escort you back to him? You did only promise a few more dances. Unless of course you would like to see something totally awesome and then you'd have to run off with him. Its your choice either way." he offered his arm, leaving it hanging there in ambiguity.

Legends of Erandor

Festival of Erivale

Aedra smiled and glanced over at Orlando, who seemed to be preoccupied with a blonde barmaid. Usually, jealousy would overtake her, but today she didn't care. "Actually, one more dance would be nice. He's managing quite well without me."

---

Kye and Tristan laughed as they danced. The sun was at its peak in the sky now, but a light breeze had set in. Couples whirled past them and Kye stepped further in to his embrace as the band slowed the music down.

"Kye..." Tristan whispered a few moments later, seeming to slow more in his dance steps. "Perhaps we should sit down."

Kye observed him and she noticed the pale color of his normally tan skin. His eyes were a bit droopy and red. He looked exhausted. She had seen very little of him in the past few days, but she did notice the tired look in his eyes when they were together.

"Absolutely," Kye said, concerned. She took his hand and led him toward a crate. "What's wrong?"

"Just tired, is all." He smiled lightly, running a hand through his hair. "From work and the festival."

Kye shook her head, not buying it. "How long have you been feeling sick?" She sat beside him.

"A few days. I didn't want to ruin the festival for you, so I didn't mention it." Tristan said. "I'll be fine. I just need to rest."

Kye frowned and shook her head. First Ainsley, now Tristan.

"I'll get you some water." She squeezed his hand and then ran toward the well. She filled a mug with water and walked back, but she quickened her pace when she saw him slump to the side.

"Tristan!" Kye lifted her skirts slightly and closed the distance quickly. She set the mug down and shook him. "Tristan!"

Legends of Erandor

Torin glanced over at Aedra's extremely distracted escort and he grinned "Oh, that's just Eye-Candy. Mr. Riley down the road can't brew a beer or cook a chicken wing to save his life and so he hires pretty girls to bring in customers. It works pretty darn well, but eventually half of the patrons come running to my Uncle's place, just to wash the horrid taste from their mouths."

He began to lead Aedra back out onto the dance floor, albeit off to the side and in one of the corners. No need to bump into an angry Xeras at this point in time, while Torin certainly welcome such a confrontation he did have a bit of common sense and his senses were telling him that they wanted to stay firmly attached to his torso.

Since the two of them had been on the dance floor last, the music seemed to have slowed down and Torin responded appropriately. Placing his left hand her hip, and leading her with his right. Then he continued on in silence until mid-song, he noticed the young man who the Dravien girl was dancing with, appeared to fall unconscious. Figuring that it was an alcohol induced stupor, Torin was forced to uphold the sacred bar tending duty of always helping out when someone fell that drunk. After all, it was never good for business when someone died of alcohol poisoning.

"If you'll excuse me, Aedra, this was quite lovely but that man over there appears to be in need of assistance, I'm terribly sorry but it seems that you'll have to head back to Orlando by yourself. I hope to meet you again, however." with that, he kissed her hand and dashed over to Ainsley and Tristan, instantly however he knew that his was no alcohol induced sickness. For while many of the apparent symptoms were similar, there was no smell of booze on this man's breath.

Instantly realizing that this was way above him, he looked at Ainsley who he barely knew and said "I'll get help!"

And so, Torin rushed off to the other side of the dance area in hopes of finding Elaina and Alex.

Legends of Erandor

Despite not being one for dancing, Alex was actually having a good time with Elaina. Mostly it was because he was around the striking brunette, but still.

Though Elaina would have preferred her partner to be more active in the dancing, she was still enjoying being with the younger mr. Valon. "Next time I'm in Erivale, I really do need to teach you to dance!" she said with a good natured laugh to Alex over the music.

"You may find I'm a hard learner..." Alex replied with a mischievous grin.

The band slowed their music down to a classic folk waltz, which was beautiful, but meant a slow dance.

"I think I've had enough dancing for one festival, Greeny." Alex said with a bow. "Could I interest you in a pleasant stroll?" he added with his right hand outstretched for the taking.

"That actually sounds very nice, Alex." Elaina curtsied before taking Alex's hand. "I hope I haven't been too much of a bother to you this year..." she trailed off slightly not wanting to make Alex feel overly uncomfortable since it was just the two of them.

"Hmm? Nah, you've only been as much of a bother this year as you always are." Alex replied with a genuinely kind smile. About that time, a familiar figure was running towards the pair.

"Oy! Torin! What's the rush this time? Did the Pie Girl have a jealous big brother or something?" Alex said teasingly as his friend approached.