The Last Battle: Part 5, Draft 1

This took a while. The first half was an absolute pain to write; two very lengthy stops before I got it done. But it's done now and the second half actually flowed pretty decently. I did take Brogan's name and a few of his character traits from Brogal in "Sea of Unicorns", mostly out of laziness. All names are subject to change, except probably Rayna's.

I don't know when I'll be getting to the next segment. It's tough when I feel like I'm working my way through stuff that's tedious to write in order to get to what I do find exciting. I have been toying with the idea of just writing the next part of Apex 1, but I feel like that's going to reveal too much of what I haven't written yet. Likely you can guess most of what's happening in Apex 1 by now, but there's still a few details I want to hold onto for now.

So how do you think it's going? How do you like the new characters? I'm a little worried that because I wrote the first big scene before anything else, you, dear reader, may not feel particularly attached to Rayna knowing that she's going to die.

Any thoughts? Please?


"Lady Kataya!"

Kata turned around to see who was calling to her so formally. She smiled as she caught sight of the young squire turned knight coming towards her. Kata pressed her fist against her palm in salute. She seldom did this for fellow knights who weren't of a higher rank, but she knew the newest knights were eager to be acknowledged like this.

"Lady Rayna," Kata replied.

Rayna's face lit up and she slumped forward as if Kata had just taken something very heavy from her.

"Finally!" she said. "Everyone else I talked to today called me 'Princess' until I reminded them."

Kata motioned to the seat next to her and Cyra's only child took it. Like most of the newly dubbed knights, Rayna was still wearing her ceremonial garments. These were intended only for special occasions and were of much finer material than the knight's casual attire. Rayna's family crest - the famous white dragon on a blue field - was displayed on the chest.

"I'd nearly forgotten that you would be in the ceremony today," Kata mentioned. It was true. Kata had been quite caught up in preparations for the Great Feast. And it was hard to believe that Rayna was already seventeen. Kata wondered if Cyra was just as surprised by the swift passage of time.

"Your mother must be proud," she added, searching for some hint at Cyra's mood.

Rayna shrugged. "I guess so. She didn't say anything and she left right after the ceremony."

"That's hoe she is at the ceremony." Kata leaned back casually. "She probably didn't want to look like she was treating you any different in front of the other knights. I'm sure she'll let you know how she feels later."

Rayna just nodded in response, but she did look a little more at ease.

"So who are you traveling with?" asked Kata.

"Lady Micanna and Sir Davran. Do you know them?"

"Ah, Dav!" Kata grinned. "He and I were dubbed the same year and we traveled together a couple times. He's about the finest tracker I ever knew and just amazing with a bow and arrow. Could just about take an apple off a tree without hitting a single leaf. Oh, and he's just as good with a story. Ask him to tell you about the helmet and the merchant sometime."

"What about Lady Micanna?"

Kata leaned forward and rubbed her chin with one finger.

"I've never known Micanna particularly well, but of course I know of her. You know she fought in the Independence War?"

"She did?" Rayna looked genuinely incredulous.

"She did. There weren't any age restrictions on fighters back then. Your mother was pretty young herself, so there wasn't much she could do to keep anyone who could hold there own from joining up. Micanna couldn't have been much more than fourteen. She's seen more battles than most. Probably could be a general by now, but I hear she prefers fighting to strategizing. People say she's quiet, not likely to talk about much but the mission at hand. But she's good and I'm sure you'll learn a lot from her."

Kata and Rayna sat in silence for a while. Kata was hoping she hadn't killed the young knight's enthusiasm too soon. Still, Rayna had to understand that being a knight was not easy. Even in her first months, she could well see a border skirmish, or worse even. Better she be a little less excited than unprepared for the work and learning ahead.

Rayna turned as several people called her name. A group of young knights was walking by the table, smiling and waving. Rayna waved back and started to get up. Halfway through leaving her seat, she turned back to Kata apologetically.

"Go ahead." Kata waved her on. "You may not run into them again for a while."

Rayna grinned, saluted the other knight, and ran off to join her friends.

"Feel like an old veteran yet?"

Kata whirled around to hug the stocky dwarf who had snuck up behind her. Brogan laughed, pushing Kata to arm's length to look at her like a proud parent.

"I didn't even know you were back," Kata exclaimed. "How come I haven't seen you at all?"

"Just arrived a few days ago," answered Brogan. "I spent most of the winter with the family and I know how crazy this place is right before Sending. So I've been at the inn. But I couldn't miss paying you a visit, now could I?"

"Of course not." Kata slid over as Brogan pulled himself up onto the bench beside her. He waved a server over to request a drink, then looked out into the crowds at the group of young knights making their way to the dunking booth.

"So," he said quietly. "Cyra's girl's a knight now."

Kata nodded. "I saw Cyra just a few days ago and she didn't say a word about it."

"I'd guess she's not ready to," Brogan replied. "Doubt the girl's been very far from home for man than a few days before now. The queen has some hard times coming, getting used to her daughter being gone."

Kata hadn't really though of this. It was so easy to get caught up in the excitement of the young knights, especially with the ceremony and the feast. But every Sending meant someone was being left behind. Cyra had certainly seen enough of this, but was she ready to go through it herself?

"Still, I think it will be good for Rayna." Kata looked in the direction that Rayna and her friends had gone, but they were no longer in sight.

"Oh aye," Brogan agreed. "Already has been, likely. She gets to be with people around her age. And it'll be good for her to get out and see what the world's like."

Brogan's drink arrived. He took a long swig and wiped at his beard and mustache with his arm.

"And if she does well enough," he added. "and starts making a name of her own, it might take care of all those questions."

The questions were those surrounding Rayna's parentage. Cyra had never been married, as far as anyone knew. There were rumors of lovers lost to the battlefield, but none had anything more than hearsay to back them up. Of greater to concern to anyone who troubled themselves with the question of Rayna's heritage was the lack of resemblance between mother and daughter. Cyra was small and pale skinned with near white hair. Rayna had dark hair with a tanned complexion, and she'd been taller than her mother for years. That, added to the fact that Rayna's age meant Cyra would have been a rather young mother, had given birth to countless tales. Rayna was said to be a war orphan, a creation of magic, the legitimate daughter of a queen who had turned pale from various traumas, and everything in between. Neither Rayna nor her mother ever said a word about the circumstances of Rayna's birth, even to close friends. But Kata knew it pained both women to see the knowing looks and hear the whispers of rumors every time Rayna did anything that marked her as the slightest bit different from her mother.

"She been assigned with Micanna and Davran," Kata noted. "I'm sure they'll teach her well. Though not as well as you would, of course."

"They'll do fine," Brogan said from behind his mug. "I did well enough by you, but I can't be mentor for everyone. 'sides, I think I'm getting too old for it."

Kata raised an eyebrow at the dwarf. He kept a straight face for about ten seconds before he burst out laughing."

"Ah, you got me," he admitted. "Got two of the little runts following me around once we set off. Matter of fact, I'd better go see if I can find them."

"Should I tell them you don't really go mad if anyone calls you short?"

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't."

"You started that rumor yourself, didn't you?"

Brogan looked at Kata with innocent eyes as he got up from the bench. She scowled, trying hard to keep from smiling.

"You know I spent almost a season terrified that I'd slip up and say 'short', even if it wasn't about you."

"It was good for you," Brogan grinned mischievously. "Taught you to think before you said something."

"Get out of here!" Kata raised her hand as if she meant to hit Brogan. He giggled and ran off, making sure to grab his drink as he did.

Kata chuckled as she watched Brogan leave. Seeing him was always fun. It was hard to even remember how nervous and frightened she'd been around him at first. Brogan had seemed a gruff and impatient mentor. It was a long time before he showed her his easy-going, humorous side. One of her fondest memories was meeting him by chance in a small town and joined him for a meal at the inn. Talking with him, she had realized for the first time that Brogan now saw her as an equal and a friend.

She hoped Rayna fared as well with her two mentors.