The Knights of Aragon

Chapter 25

The eight of us stand, face to face, in silence. Draxum beams at me, clearly excited at meeting new people. Rhydian just observes them, his eyes accessing each individual. Such a stark difference in their reactions. If I believed that they would truly hurt us, I wouldn't have stopped talked to them at all. This band of nomads are peculiar, to say the least. I don't know much of what happened after I was imprisoned in Stormhold, but it is rather odd that these teens are just roaming the wild without any adults.

Curious. "Let us not waste time trying to stare our way into dominance," I begin, "we have a quest to finish and I'm sure you have your own business to conduct." I clap once, making all eyes turn to me. "I am Valencia, but my friends call me Val. We'll see if we can get that far soon enough." I gesture to my left. "This is Draxum," I gesture to my right, "and this is my friend, Rhydian." A corner of his lips twitches.

"We are the Knights of Aragon," I finish.

The armor on our chests glints with the sunlight. Two boys unabashedly stare at them. They both look identical. The same almond-shaped eyes, the same height, the same buzzed cut. The only difference between them is one has a faded white scar running through his cheek down to the top of his upper lip stands out on his bronze skin.

The girl on the far left is far younger than the rest. Her long dirty blond hair frames her delicate oval face in loose curls. She doesn't meet anyone's eyes, staring hard at the ground. The twin boys catch my attention as they break their silence first. "Very nice to meet you," one says. "I am Bo," the other introduces himself. "And I'm Bo." They both reach over to shake hands.

I shake their hands, slightly confused. "I'm sorry," I point between them, "Your names are Bo and Bo?" They grin at our matching expressions. "Yes," one twin answers, "mother had a great sense of humor." The one with the scar nods furiously and continues, "She named my brother Boaz and me, Beaufort." Draxum finishes his handshake and asks, "So, Bo and Beau. That's amazing! I'm Draxum but you can call me Draxe." Rhydian catches me rolling my eyes and smirks. Cocky bastard.

"Right," Vera clears her throat, "the Bors twins. This is Gawain Lot," she gestures to the brooding male next to her, "and that's Goosey." Vera points to the little girl. I give her a little wave; she gives me a shy smile in return. "We can take you to the Fortitude," Gawain tucks his hands in the pockets of his trousers, "however, I won't be protecting you from the monsters of these woods."

"I'm not worried, Lot," Rhydian takes a step forward, "if we need any of your kind of help, I'll let you know." Tension rolls off them as they continue their staring contest. My eyes closely observe Rhydian. His protectiveness towards us is curios to say the least. My power underneath my skin flare at the thought of his feelings for me. Not just me, I mean. Me and Draxum. I immediately snap out of that train of thought. "I think we've introduced ourselves well," I say, touching Rhydian's arm, "We should begin our trek now before the afternoon sun appears."

"I agree," Vera nods, questioningly glancing at Gawain. I raise my eyebrows as I study them. I wonder if Gawain is usually this cold. By the look of it, he isn't. "Are you ready, kid?" I wrap my arm around his shoulder. He has his bow and arrows, and the big pack that Pendragon let us have on his person. "Mhmm," he answers me. His brown eyes look at my green. Draxum's eagerness can be seen through them. He's so happy. I pinch his cheek and walk with him, side by side. I hope Jayda knows how much I care about her son.

*  *  *  *  *

The woods eerily remind me of the woods that surrounded Avalon. Everywhere I look, I see the same oak trees that Gideon and I used to climb, but I know they're not the same. Avalon was farther North than where we are. It's a nice feeling, though. I can somehow hear my brother in the trees, seeing him climb up and look down with that boyish grin on his face. I can hear him say, "C'mon, Atike, don't be scared! The hardest part is taking the first step. After that, it'll be easier to climb as high as you want to go."