The Fort: Lions first roar

Chapter Seven

They were an excellent mood at the Coffin that night. Everyone laughed and the tournament got retold in hundreds of versions, often with dramatic theater. Lizzie said over and over again she would have horsehair in her mouth for the rest of the year and Hal demonstrated how Cae had disjointed his poor arm. But the best part was saved for Medea and Neva.

"...so I'm coming out on the yard, with Samantha gibbering in my ears, and we see the yard and she goes – "oh, oh dear...!"

Everyone laughed high, even Samantha herself. "You make me sound like a hag."

"Have you ever met yourself?!" Ray shouted.

"Anyway, so we see them, and I can tell you, it looked hilarious; the big white orc and the red dwarf, holding his huge ax..."

"...like it was a teddy bear!" Neva ended the sentence. Now Ray laughed so much they couldn't sit straight.

"The mighty lord himself!" Owena warbled.

"In all his glory!" Bruno sang.

"And he got welched of his victory with a handkerchief" Medea smirked.

"Oh no!" Neva put her glass down with a thud. "All he would have got was a taste of my halberd!"

They chuckled and laughed and drank and talked. Twig, Penny, and Nebula all came and joined them. He laid an arm around her shoulders.

"Seemed like I missed something"

"You really did" Twig smiled.

"And that's good. You would just have gotten yourself into trouble" Nebula told him. "Penny! Cups!"

He snickered at Nebula when Lizzie jumped up and stole Medea's hat. It was way too big for her.

"I am Medea!" She said, standing in the middle of the table. "I am a tricky, witchy, sorceress that will bewitch you all! I am the one who stole the lord of his victory! With my pointy shoes and big, purple, hat!" she jumped up and dragged the hat down over his ears. They gave Lizzie a round of applause and she bowed deeply. Dea laughed too.

"I don't know if purple is your color."

"Isn't it?" he looked at her from under the hat. She chuckled. He took of the hat and placed it on her head instead. "It fits better here."

"Twig, where is Penny? Where is she...?!" Nebula started to nag Twig about Penny and Owena demonstrated how Lizzie looked hanging from Talroze tail.

"Wait! Now I know!" Adam exclaimed.

"Know what?" She laughed.

"Why I remember teal blue! You hate teal blue!"

She got quiet. Everyone else still talked and laughed. She was quiet for a long time. When she spoke again it was with a low voice.

"Yes. I hate teal blue. What's with teal blue?"

"Nothing really. Just a thing at the Board this morning" he kissed her cheek and then spoke with a low voice. "Do you want to get out of here? Be...alone? With me?"

She looked at him and kissed him back.

"Not just yet," she answered and leaned against him. He held her tight, stroke her back. He could feel that she smiled.