12.29.2132 - Light's Hope Chapel

[Dray]

Harrison almost had his entire weekend pack finished and was a little more than concerned that Clive had yet to return. The weather was fowl and it would take at least a hand this night to make it to Lakeshore on horseback.

The weather was so bad in fact, that almost none of the kids had left for weekend plans and Harrison could here many still passing and fooling around in the dormitory hall.

Just in time, he heard Clive's familiar knock on the bedroom window.

[Griznuq]

"Oh, there you are, you little turn coat," Harrison playfully to his little friend. Clive had taken to spending more time with Emma these days than he did with Harrison. Who could blame him? Harrison reasoned. Besides, she needs him a little more than I do these days.

Harrison flipped the latch and opened the window. Clive took a running leep only Harrison's robe and scurried up to his shoulder.

[Dray]

Five years ago, when Harrison had first met Emma, Clive was but a young pup. The little guy had been content, back in those days, to eat a treat on his shoulder while Harrison took the note from the squirrel's satchel.

Nowadays thing were different. Nowadays the squirrel was always impatient to return to the cinnamon smelling girl.

Nowadays, Clive wouldn't even come to a full stop before the little rascal was already pulling the note out of his own satchel with little claws. And before Harrison could reach up to take it from him, the future hat decoration would whack him repeatedly on the side of the face with it.

Tonight was no exception, and Harrison had to chuckle at the little beasts antics...as he always did.

He read the note as Clive took his treat and jumped from his shoulder to the writing desk.

"Good news. My jailor is going out of town in preparation for...well, something to big to explain on this small parchment. I have managed to get duty out at Light's Hope and I am hoping that you will be there this evening...as I certainly will be. We have much to discuss and I need your help with something. Do you think Zedd will mind another acolyte around? Until then...lieutenant, stay safe."

'Lieutenant,' it was what she called him after the meeting, after that kiss she had planted on him a thousand years ago.

A tapping on his thigh broke him out of the pleasant memory, and he looked down already knowing what it was.

Clive was standing at the edge of the desk, whacking his leg with his pen, wanting a return note to be scribed immediately. Crumbs of the quickly inhaled treat all over his fur.

[Griznuq]

"You know little fellow, there was a time you cared for my company as well," Harrison said a little hurt. Clive's head hung a bit, and his whiskers wilted. Harrison patted his little head.

  Yes, I'll be there, I was just packing up to head out there now. See you soon.

[Dray]

Clive departed with his charge in a hurry. With his things all stuffed in his backpack, Harrison stepped out into the corridor and waded through the other kids traveling or playing in the dormitory corridor. It was days like this he almost missed the solitude of the summer days at the orphanage.

He couldn't help but be in an incredible mood though, for it was quite the nice turn of events which would put him in close proximity with his pen-pal friend Emma. It would be the largest block of time he had ever spent with her.

[Griznuq]

It was exciting and scary at the same time. These were uncharted teratories for him. What if he did something wrong?

Well, he shrugged. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

What was her father planning that required him to go out of town, he wondered. What a shame it would be for something to cross his path outside of town and kill him ruthlessly.

Harrison was almost shoked to realize the thrill he felt with just the thought of watching the life slip from Fresenius's eyes, his lifeless body, hitting the ground with a satisfying dull thud.

Realizing he was grinning at the thought, he shook the macabre image from his head and got back to the task at hand.

[Dray]

It was half a hand later and Harrison was on the back of his horse Triumph[/b], a muscular quarter horse that Zak had given him this past Summer.

As he rode on the horse's back through the driving snow Harrison smiled with the recent memory of the horse's antics upon seeing him earlier. Triumph had given him more than an earful in neighs and stomping hooves on his arrival at the barn. Harrison hadn't been able to visit him for two whole days in order to give the stallion his daily comb down. It took a bit of buttering up (and an apple) before the horse would allow the saddle.

As he rode now through the deep snow, he was glad he wasn't on a rental horse, which would have turned back home by now. Triumph would get him there safely and as quickly as he could.

The pole-mounted covered lantern which stood in Harrison's left stirrup was shaking so violently in the wind that it had even managed to crack earlier. The light was now dancing frantically with the wind. So much so that Harrison considered putting out the flame to stop the annoyance. But riding blind would even be more to ask of his horse, so he dealt with it by simply withdrawing himself into his hood.

This was the reason he didn't note the light of a rider up ahead until he was almost on top of it. (50 feet ahead, going the same direction, towards Lakeshore).

[Griznuq]

Harrison really didn't feel like company, but he knew there was strength in numbers, so he gently coached Triumph into moving just a bit faster to sooner catch the other rider.

Perhaps he'd get lucky, and whoever it was wouldn't want to talk.

[Dray]

Within moments of getting close enough to the rider ahead he knew who it was. The form, covered in winter gear like his, was riding atop an honored mare from the Circle of the Flame. The rider could be no other than Emmanuelle herself.

Harrison was kind of surprised that the second-most important person in the kingdom was without any guard.

[Griznuq]

Harrison pulled up beside her. He said nothing, merely looked at her with a warm smile.

[Dray]

Emma looked back at him from under her hood, a scarf was pulled over her mouth to block the dry and icy wind, but her eyes conveyed the smile below.

The two teens rode along the remainder of the journey side by side in the freshly fallen snow. Triumph matched pace with the larger Deaconess mare without any issue, Harrison even had to reign him back once in awhile.

"He's showing off eh?" Emma giggled from behind her scarf.

Lakeshore was as quiet as one would assume on such a snowy night. The guards watched the two riders go bye without much interest and in no time Harrison was leading the two horses, with Emma still riding, thru the large doors of the chapel's barn.

Emma slid off her horse as they got inside and started to unwrap as Harrison lead Triumph to the first stable.

"Hello Lieutenant," she said with a smile before she even had the scarf fully off her face.

[Griznuq]

"Hello guildmaster," he said while tending to Triumph's gear.

As he began to remove the bit and bridal, he cocked his head and looked at Emma and said, "Did you bring my rat?"

[Dray]

"Oh?! My apologies...of course," Emma replied and opened her winter coat to reveal the tiny turncoat sitting in her breast pocket.

As Harrison moved to hang Triumph's bit on the wall, Emma walked over to him to allow the squirrel to jump to his shoulder. Clive nuzzled Harrison's neck to butter him up in apology.

"I don't believe this is actually happening, I don't believe I am actually here and away from that dreadful church," exclaimed Emma in a very nervous but excited voice.

[Griznuq]

"Yeah," Harrison agreed. "It really does seem too good to be true."

Harrison scratched Clives chin, and handed him a wafer.

"You be courteous to your new stable-mate, Triumph," Harrison said to his friend. The name felt cumbersom on Harrison's tongue. Looking the horse over, he felt like the name wasn't exactly fitting. Sure, he was magnificent, and "Triumph" wasn't a BAD name...

Harrison had found that people tended to name their animals without much consideration for what the animal liked. To Harrison, Triumph just didn't seem to like the name much. It seemed like more of a nickname.

Harrison pursed his lips, rubbed the horse's snout and said whispered "We'll work on that later. You think about what you want your name to be."

Harrison realized he was paying more attention to Horse than to Emma. He glanced side long at her. Fortuntely she knew Harrison well enough that she wouldn't find it strange that he was talking to a horse.

She was pretending to fuss with the top button on her sweater.

Harrison glanced back at the horse and winked. We'll talk later friend, he said in his mind.

He walked over to stand in front of Emma. "How's a warm cup of tea sound?"

[Dray]

"Sounds great," Emma said a bit quietly. Harrison noted she was blushing a bit.

He turned her towards the barn door that would lead to a covered breezeway to the chapel. As they walked she began to talk as if they had seen each other every day for the past five years, when in fact most of their communication had been via squirrel. Face to face conversation was intermittant at best, although the last face to face was the most memorable to the young lad.

Oh yes, she was talking...

"...it's going to be neat to see your home away from home. Do you think Zak is still up at this hour?"