Dawn

by Marcus LaGrone

  He smiled and waved and soon joined the crowd, “Good to see you. You were coming to watch practice today, yes?”

  Dawn nodded enthusiastically, “But where is your armor, how will you practice?”

  “Oh, we’re doing Live Steel drills today. No armor needed, or allowed.”

  “It’s wild to think that something like Live Steel can be tame enough to practice with.”

  “Wild indeed! You get hit and the pain will make you all but delirious for a second or two, but it quickly passes and does no physical harm. Keeps you on your toes and makes sure you don’t get sloppy.”

  “Sorry to interrupt,” interjected Maria, “but if you two want to just go ahead and go to the practice field, we will catch up with you later.”

  Dawn and Gavin both nodded and started off together.

  “You look a little stressed,” noticed Gavin, “Gwen? Lily? Me?”

  Dawn laughed and shook her head, “No. Just a girl… Kate. She’s so mean!”

  Sudden realization flashed over Gavin, “Oh, her! Yeah, she thinks she can follow in the footsteps of her mother. She had been an only child for a long time, and wasn’t nearly so rude. But her baby sister came along and Kate turned into a serious grouch! She is sharp, I’ll grant you, but she talks behind everyone’s back. She isn’t winning herself any long-term friends.” Gavin laughed, “My Second Mother says Kate has delusions of grandeur. My big sister says Kate has delusions of adequacy!”

  They both had a good laugh at that.

  “She seems to have eyes for you, Gavin.”

  Gavin laughed so hard it almost floored him. “Oh that is fresh. Three months ago the word she used to describe me was ‘whelp!’” Gavin smirked and mused aloud, “I wonder if Tobias knows Kate is shopping around on him. That will make him, oh, so happy.”

  “She already has a boyfriend?”

  “Yeah, Tobias, big guy, about seventeen or so. Very nice guy, but a little slow when it comes to girls. He likes her a lot, a whole lot. But he’s not the type to do something stupid for her. That may be why Kate is looking around―she can’t manipulate him easily enough.”

  “And you are easier to manipulate?” Dawn cocked her head.

  “I guess so―all you have to do is bat your eyelashes and I turn to mush on you,” joked Gavin.

  Dawn gave him a half serious frown, “Just so long as you keep your eyes aimed this way.”

  “Like I have any choice! Those eyes…”

  “Stop it!” barked Dawn as she put a finger over his mouth. “Save it for the dance this weekend.” She paused. “You will come to the dance with me?” Dawn asked as she batted her eyelashes.

  Gavin gave a hearty laugh, “Yes, ma’am. That is if you will have me.”

  “Silly boy,” Dawn kissed him on the nose and all of Gavin’s fur turned dark and shot up on end. Gavin stood there speechless as he tried to recompose himself.

  “Better get it under control, fuzzy boy. It looks like practice is about ready to start,” smirked Dawn.

  Gavin quickly spun around. Sure enough they were already at the practice field and most of the others were already there. It was an older crowd today. The eldest were around seventeen while Gavin at fifteen was definitely the youngest. Dawn knew he was supposed to be good beyond his age. He was going to need to be! There were all manner of boys with an arsenal of different weapons, each itching for a chance to prove their worth.

  Llewellyn started the group through a normal set of stretches and warm-up drills before launching into the normal safety lecture that always accompanied such outings. He then squared up Gavin and a large boy of about seventeen.

  “Tobias,” began Llewellyn, “if Gavin here is your opponent what will your approach be?”

  Oh, so that is Tobias! Dawn suddenly had mental images of the towering boy in the evil clutches of Kate.

  “Well, I’m taller and stronger than him and have a longer reach, but he is very fast on his feet. I need to exploit my reach and not let him get too close.”

  “Excellent! But what would you do with a really short target? Dawn, could you come out here?”

  Dawn was shocked, but not half as shocked as the boys on the field. Odd murmurs filled the field.

  “Dawn, this is Tobias. Tobias, this is my daughter, Dawn. Enough pleasantries, how would you take her down?”

  Tobias, towering overhead, alternated between shocked and amused, “By stepping on her, sir?”

  Llewellyn grinned slyly, “Dawn, Live Steel, defensive posture.”

  Dawn grumbled to herself. This was the wrong outfit for things like this. I’m going to get grass stains everywhere. Grumbles or no, she obliged her father and she went to a low squat position and two curved short swords appeared in a blue flourish. One held forward and out maximizing her reach while she held the other over head in line with the first.

  Shocked looks engulfed the field. Dawn stole a few quick glances and saw while Tobias was flabbergasted, Gavin just had a broad grin. Good, at least that didn’t freak him out, she thought to herself.

  Llewellyn carefully, articulately, and somewhat fatherly tried again, “Tobias, how would you take her down?”

  His confidence shattered, Tobias composed himself carefully, “She’s very short, so she has little reach. She’s fast on her feet, so she can close. She apparently likes fighting with two weapons so that means she’ll probably try and foul my weapon and then close. She’s your daughter so she’s probably very good at this. I am much stronger than she and I have excellent endurance. I have two options. First―keep her at the full reach of the sword so she cannot close and then try and wear her down.”

  “You said two options.”

  “Yeah, the other option is to not try at all…”

  Llewellyn smiled as he addressed the crowd, “There will always be times when you will have to look at a bout and decide if it is really worth it. You must learn to choose your battles. If you are out gunned and out classed, but the tide must turn, what should you do?”

  “Find a friend,” offered Gavin.

  “Excellent choice! Sword work for real is rarely ever a solo proposition. Teamwork pays off instantly. And that is the theme for today: teamwork. Tobias.”

  “Sir.”

  “If you had to pick a partner today, who would it be and why?”

  “I’d pick Gavin. Our strengths and weaknesses play well off each other. I can set a frontal attack, while he has the speed and footwork to protect my flanks, and the poise to close when needed.”

  “Excellent! So that is how we will start. Who wants to fight Tobias and Gavin? Choose your partner wisely.” Llewellyn grinned broadly as he gave Dawn a quick hug. “Thanks, little one! They haven’t been so shaken in months.”

  “You’re welcome, I think,” replied Dawn. She hesitantly approached Gavin, who was still grinning like an idiot. “Um, you okay with me playing with swords?”

  Gavin glowed, “Dawn, can you get any more incredible? That was fabulous!”

  Dawn’s fur rippled briefly as she made her way back to the sidelines. Well, at least that was one less secret she had to keep. What of the other secrets?

  Chapter 16

  Dawn bounded down the stairs and skipped into the kitchen. With a quick flourish, she spun showing off the flow of her new dress. It had come out perfectly and was flattering in almost every way.

  Maria beamed, “I think someone is happy with her new dress.”

  Dawn smiled back, “It’s gorgeous! I’ve never had anything like it. Those people at the shop are amazing!” She giddily looked around. Gwen was at the table holding Lily while Maria was cleaning up Heather for the outing. “Where are the others?”

  “Oh, Ivy and the twins headed out just a little bit ago. They have a bit of setup to do before the dance starts.”

  Dawn nodded to Gwen, “Is she going to be playing, too, or just helping with Lily?”

  Gwen smiled broadly and giggled as she rocked the infant.

  Maria smiled, “Whatev
er she wishes to do, we’ll make it work out.”

  Dawn noticed a small leather bag on the table by her chair. As she peered at it, Gwen started to giggle at her. “A new set of bells is it?” Dawn guessed.

  Gwen nodded enthusiastically.

  Dawn opened them up to find a new set of bells, all on white satin ribbons like the set Gwen had showed off at the store. The bells were polished to a brilliant shine and were intricately carved. Each bell was a work of art unto itself.

  “Wow! Um, these look a little pricy for me to be wearing,” gulped Dawn.

  “They are a gift from Gwen. It is up to the giver to determine their value. It’s your job to enjoy them,” said a motherly Maria.

  “Sorry,” she replied, more than a little embarrassed on two counts. Turning to Gwen she said, “Thank you, Gwen. They are very lovely.”

  Gwen smiled briefly back at her and then returned her attention to Lily.

  “Oh, before we go,” began Maria as she reached in her pocket, “Llewellyn had a gift for you too.” She produced a small narrow box with a single bow on it. “He said it’s not for the dance, but you deserved it anyway.”

  Dawn accepted the box with more than a small amount of curiosity. A quick tug at the ribbon pulled it clear and she opened the box. Inside was a silver key. Key. Dawn’s face lit up, “Is this a key to the library?”

  Maria smiled back, “Yes, indeed. Do take good care of it. Honestly, I’m a little ashamed I didn’t get you your own key early on. You are quite the young lady already.”

  Dawn looked around hurriedly, “Dad’s gone too? How am I supposed to give him a big hug if he wanders off?”

  Maria laughed, “Well, he does come and go quite a bit. He headed out more than an hour ago. You might have noticed, but I do believe that was right when you got back with your new dress in a box.”

  Dawn grinned sheepishly, “I guess I was a little preoccupied.”

  Maria smiled broadly, “Don’t worry. We’ll probably catch him at the dance.”

  Dawn was struck by that, “You mean he won’t be there for certain? I figured he’d dance with one of you at least.”

  Maria struck a serious tone, “He’d probably like to. I got the impression that he and Owen were going to be busy tonight. Trying to make sure there isn’t any trouble.”

  Dawn nodded, suddenly aware again of the seriousness of the situation.

  Maria struck a smile, “Don’t worry, we are all in good hands. Say, why don’t you go put that key up before we go. You don’t want to lose it!”

  Dawn smiled and nodded before racing upstairs to put the key in her room. Thundering back downstairs she made the round trip in a flash.

  “If we could bottle that energy,” began Maria, “we’d make a fortune.”

  Dawn grinned broadly and fidgeted with the bag of bells. She didn’t want to put them on yet, but her dress had no useful pockets.

  “Oh, just give them to me. I’ll put them in my purse,” offered Maria. “So, we all ready to go?”

  Heather suddenly sprang up from the table and ran to the bathroom.

  Maria laughed, “Well, better now than later.”

  Gwen carefully passed Lily to Maria who tucked the sleeping infant in her sling. They gathered up their bags, and with Heather’s quick return, the five headed out.

  The path was so familiar to Dawn now that she easily enjoyed the company and the stroll. Heather was slower than normal; her somewhat restrictive but quite festive dress seemed to slow her down to merely hectic rather than whirling blur. Gwen walked along with them smiling as always without seeming to pay attention to anyone or anything in particular.

  Dawn smiled to herself. Gwen was definitely an odd young lady, but the town accepted her as she was and she always seemed to find her own place. Maybe there was hope for her, as well.

  “Maria?” began Dawn.

  “Yes, dear?”

  “Um, we are all different I understand. But what if someone is really different?”

  “What about it? I’m married to a High Silver and some of his best friends are Shukurae. How different do you want?”

  Dawn wrinkled her nose, “Well. I don’t know, just different different.”

  Maria laughed softly, “Different enough to make Llewellyn run away screaming in terror?”

  Dawn laughed back, “No! Not that different.”

  “Then why should it matter to me?”

  Dawn probed, “So Llewellyn hasn’t told you?”

  Maria smiled back, “He doesn’t keep secrets from me. But he hasn’t told me anything out of the ordinary either. So it obviously isn’t that big of a deal.”

  “Yes, but Father has an odd sense of humor, and an even more odd sense of ‘normal.’”

  “Shocking revelation!” Maria laughed before shifting to a more serious tone, “If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s all right. Just please remember if you ever, ever want or need to talk for any reason, I am here. Any time, any place.”

  Dawn hugged Maria, “Things just seem so confusing at times.”

  Maria smiled and hugged her back. Unfortunately that woke Lily up and it took no small amount of coaxing to get her back asleep. By that time they could already see the lights for the dance in the slowly fading sun.

  Dawn gritted her teeth as they hit the edge of town; there was Kate. She was looking polite enough as she waved and greeted people entering town, but Dawn didn’t trust her. She had always been so mean! Dawn took some small satisfaction that Gwen smiled at Kate with her teeth flashing in the vanishing light.

  “Good evening, Mrs. Stratford,” offered Kate with her most practiced smile.

  “Good evening, young Kate. Ready for a night of dancing?” beamed Maria.

  Maria and Lily

  Dawn was amazed at Maria, she could turn on her charm no matter how muddied the waters. Kate almost seemed to offer a sincere smile back, almost…

  “A long night indeed! Everyone is looking forward to the music that your House is so well known for.” Kate’s smile was holding…

  Maria smiled broadly and honestly, “It is always nice to know our House can bring so much joy to so many people! Oh! Speaking of bringing joy: you didn’t get a chance to hold little Lily when were in town last time. Your First Mother seemed to have monopolized the time. Would you like to hold her? She is quite a darling…”

  Dawn had to strain from breaking out laughing. It was obvious Kate had no interest in holding little Lily. Yet it was polite company to show interest in infants.

  Kate, to her credit, was trying to present herself in a positive light. Her smile, thoroughly rocked, held fast, if not a little stilted as she replied with as much enthusiasm as she could muster, “I’d be delighted.”

  “Well if you don’t want to…” grinned Maria as she cooed to little Lily.

  “No…” countered Kate as her face twitched, fighting to maintain a smile. “Please. I’d be… delighted.”

  Maria beamed as she passed the infant to Kate. “Your little sister, Astrid, is what, three now?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” replied Kate as she fought to hold Lily correctly. “Astrid is trundling about the house. Quite a handful.”

  Dawn would have enjoyed watching Kate squirm, but little Lily was not having a good time of it. Kate did not know how to handle infants and any spite on Dawn’s part was replaced by concern for her little sister.

  “Oof! It looks like Lily may be too much of a handful as well,” offered Maria diplomatically. “Here, pass her back…”

  Kate smiled politely as she tried to quickly pass Lily back. Lily, on the other hand, was upset and not too shy about telling the world about it. Everyone cringed as little Lily started bawling and it was Gwen that swooped in, carefully cradling Lily and cooing to her. Maria’s pack and purse, however, took a tumble and all of Lily’s effects scattered on the ground. Kate, desperate to recover some dignity, quickly helped Maria repack the errant items.

  Heather, for her part, suddenly wanted to se
e little Lily and Dawn, eager for the distraction herself, picked Heather up so she was eye level with Lily. Heather giggled and grinned at the tyke and the favor was returned! Heather started to squirm and Dawn took that as her cue to return the ever hyper young girl to the ground. Not a moment too soon; Heather was getting heavy!

  “There! All packed back up!” offered Kate with a sincere smile.

  “Why thank you, young Kate. That was most helpful,” offered Maria with a broad smile of her own. “Come on everyone. Let’s all get ready for the dance.”

  Kate bobbed politely with a smug grin as they left and Dawn had no choice but to bob politely in return. She may not like Kate, but she wasn’t going to drop her social standards around her. Dawn still felt uncomfortable, but the dance was calling!

  All of Dawn’s cares and troubles seemed to fade away as they made their way to the town square. Everything was on a far grander scale than for the last dance and far more festive. There were more people than ever showed up for the market day, and they all seemed to enjoy the carnival-like atmosphere. Dawn was more than a little surprised at the size of the crowd; she had been told there were usually a lot of people for the four big dances, but people must have come from miles around to account for a crowd this size. Even more food and drink of an even wider variety was laid out for the revelers, and frowns seemed to be the rarest thing in town. The five of them threaded through the crowds to make a quick social call on Ivy and the twins. The three were ready to begin playing with their instruments tuned and in easy reach. Expectation seemed to fill the air and it was infectious!

  “Uh, oh,” murmured Maria.

  “What is it?” asked Dawn.

  “I can’t find your bells. I’m sure I packed them.”

  Dawn all but panicked; everything had been going so well, “No! What could have happened? Do you think we dropped them out on the trail? When Lily woke up?”

  Maria shook her head, “I’ve no idea. We may have dropped them on the edge of town when my purse went flying. But don’t worry, we’ll find them.”

  Suddenly someone tapped Dawn on the shoulder, “Miss?”