The Knights of Eirelaian: Halfling (Ch2/Pg1)

[Angel Andz]

Chapter One

Leilani woke up that morning not feeling in the best of forms. In fact, to be brutally honest, she was in the worst possible form anyone could imagine. Well, at least, it felt that way to her. She had slept in half an hour; tripped over her bed covers as she climbed out of bed; and had fallen flat on her face as she tried to put on her slippers. Not the best way to start your sixteenth birthday.

Trudging down the stairs, Leilani scowled until she reached the bottom stair and rounded the corner to the kitchen: greeting her mother with a face that could put the whole of Mexico into an Arctic Winter. Her mother greeted her with a beaming smile. "Aloha, Firefly" she said chirply, her dark eyes forming little half moons as she called Leilani by her pet name, "And how do you feel on this beautiful day?"

Leilani didn't hold anything back. "Why did you let me sleep in??" she wailed at her mother; an attractive cuddly Hawaiian lady with healthy cafe aulait skin, "It's a big turning point in my life and you made me miss half an hour!"

"And a very good morning to you too, Moody Mim" Leilani's mother answered her calmly, "There's cards for you on table." Without any second thought, Leilani dived into the pile of Birthday Cards; ripping open each decorated envelope with unbridled passion.

Happy Birthday from Aunt Hana; Best Wishes to a wonderful granddaughter from Nana Li and Grandpa; and a beautifully made birthday card with the usual "Dear Leilani, sorry I couldn't be there for your birthday, blah blah blah" letter from her father. "Typical Dad" Leilani sighed, dropping the letter on the kitchen table along with the rest of her birthday cards and torn envelopes, "Always conveniently away on my birthday."

"Now Firefly," her mother gently chided, "your father loves you very much and would dearly love to be with you on your sixteenth birthday. It's just unfortunate that he goes away for the whole of winter and that your birthday is during that time." Leilani wanted to say that it was stupid of her father to go away for the whole of winter, but she thought better of it and began to get her breakfast.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" her mother exclaimed with childlike excitement on her face, "Your father left something for you for your birthday, but the silly man left in the bottom of our bedroom wardrobe along with the rest of his junk. You can go up and look for it and I'll make you a nice cooked breakfast; my treat for my beautiful daughter on her sixteenth birthday."

~~~~~~~~~~

The bottom of her parents' wardrobe certainly was an array of junk. Leilani's father wasn't the type for throwing something away unless it was completely broken and no longer of any good us: a habit which she, herself, had inherited from him. What Leilani didn't realize was how strange the stuff her father kept was.

An antique looking crossbow with golden bolts; an intricately carved long bow; and a small bronze dagger. Was this what her father did during the winter? Played part time mercenary? Leilani shook her dark head. 'Don't be silly, Lei' she chided herself, 'Your dad scream like a girl at the sight of a common grass snake. No way can he be brave enough to be a mercenary.' As she was saying this, an ancient looking scroll fell out onto the floor. Picking it up and opening Leilani discovered that the scroll was actually a letter. It read:

To Lieutenant Commander Hanlin,

Regards as to the request to sign up an outsider for knight apprenticeship.

The request you sent for knight apprenticeship, did cause a lot of concern. As you know, yourself, it is against Eirelaian Law for an outsider to train to become a Knight of the Fey. However, since your ward is half fey, the Royal Council of Eirelaian has decided to allowed her passageway to Fernlie where she shall begin her knightship with one of our seasoned knights.

Enclosed within the chest is the equipment that your ward will need for her knightship, as well as a key to the gates of Fernlie. Give these to her on the first day of her seventeenth year and make sure she uses the key on the hour that her sixteenth year ends. Too soon or too late and she'll be locked out from Eirelaian for the rest of her life. I trust that no mistakes will be made.

Signed
Arnell Cloudthorn
Head of The Royal Council of Eirelaian

Leilani had no time to question the letter, or the fact that her father seemed to be an officer in an army she'd never even heard of, for she found at the back of the wardrobe, a big oblong box almost half her size, decorated in delicate white wrapping paper with intricate gold writing and wispy gold ribbon wrapped around it: knotted in a fancy bow in the middle. Attached to it was a small card reading:

To my beautiful daughter Leilani

You have blessed your mother and I in so many ways. May the contents of this gift from us bless you on the next part of your journey in life

Love always

from Ginger Pops

Leilani giggled a little. Ginger Pops was a pet name she had given her father when she was little, because of his red hair, and somehow it had just stayed that way ever since.

After carrying the box to her room Leilani opened it carefully and peeped inside. She couldn't believe what she saw. A silver chain-mail tunic; a green over-tunic with silver thread stitching on the cuffs; a small crossbow with several crossbow bolts; a curved sword made of silver; and a key.

[Angel Andz]

Chapter Two

"So Firefly, do you like your present?"

Leilani looked up from her mother's world famous Hawaiian cooked breakfast and shrugged her shoulders. "It's certainly interesting" she said, feeling the soft suede material of the over-tunic, "Dad doesn't usually give me this kind of stuff for my my birthday. Is something up, Mum?"

"Nothing's up" Leilani's mother answered her casually, giving her a cheered smile, "I can't imagine what gave you that idea. Why don't you eat up the rest of your breakfast and try on your present."

"But Mum..."

"Is that the time? Quickly Leilani, time's running out."

Leilani shrugged her shoulders and quickly polished of the rest of her food. Her mother was acting so strange but Leilani decided to not question her in case there was a method to her madness.

"You've no time to change," Leilani's mother said matter-of-a-factly, busily tidying away the empty breakfast dishes into the kitchen sink, "so you'll have to put them on over your pajamas."

"Mum?" Leilani asked as she put on the chain-mail tunic then the over-tunic, "How did you and Dad meet?" She wanted to distract her mother from the worrying that would result from her being too busy and this seemed the best way.

Leilani's mother stopped for a moment and sighed. "Your father is most unusual but very mysterious and has an otherworldly romantic hint about him" she said wistfully, looking as if she was remembering something long gone in the past, "This was what drew me to him when we first met."
It was when I first came here to Ireland as a student from Hawaii. I was visiting what they call a fairy glade; I was fascinated with all things mythological at that age. Your father walked out from behind a tree and we almost collided for neither of us was looking where we were going. I can still remember your father staring at me dumbfounded then asking me 'Are you an earth goddess?'. When I told him my name he asked me to come away with him. Of course he was so handsome with his blood red hair and eyes the colour of palm leaves that I fell for him straight away, yet I was such an independent young lady I asked him to come away with me instead. And, well, you can guess, the rest is history."

Just as Leilani's mother finished talking the cuckoo clock in the kitchen sounded off the hour. "My goodness, is that the time!" she exclaimed, as if being woken up suddenly from a deep sleep, "We've only a few minutes or so left." Before Leilani could ask, her mother was shoving the weapons that made up the rest of her present and the key into her hands and was bustling her out of the kitchen. When Leilani's mother started leading her down to the basement Leilani felt more and more puzzled until she stopped at the basement door and looked at her straight in the eyes.

"Mum, what's going on?"

"Open the basement door and you'll find out"

Leilani frowned at her mother puzzledly then turned to open the basement door: half expecting to be confronted with some sort of surprise party. Instead when she opened it Leilani was confronted with something completely different behind the basement door. For no apparent reason the basement floor was covered with sand and there was two huge intricately carved wooden doors with a huge lock three feet in front of her.

"Mum?"

"Leilani, the key opens it."

Not questioning her mother, Leilani walked the three feet across the sandy basement floor and placed the key in the lock, turning it ever so carefully. Once the key was turned Leilani opened the doors and was met with what felt to her like a mini hurricane.

"I love you very much, Leilani" her mother yelled over the gushing winds, "Stay safe, okay?" Leilani felt bewildered yet found herself nodding in response to her mother's request. "Here, take this" Leilani's mother yelled, shoving what seemed to be a bottle of water into a pocket in Leilani's overtunic, "This'll help you communicate with me if you need to talk to me." And before Leilani could ask what was going on, her mother pushed her through the doors and shut them behind her with a tremendous thud.


~~~~~~~~~~


The other side of the doors was very strange. Everywhere you could see was covered with sand except for a few trees dotted here and there and a small sign with strange foreign writing on it. She didn't know how but Leilani found herself able to read it. The sign said:

Fernlie Town is up ahead
Please enjoy your stay
Be careful were you tread
And be wary of dragons on your way

'Be wary of dragons?' Leilani thought puzzled to herself, 'What dragons?' As if to answer her question a loud screeching roar erupted three yards away from her. Turning around Leilani saw a figure in a hooded tunic carrying a bow and a quiver of arrows and supporting a limp figure beside them: both were running from a dark and huge shape soaring through the sky after them.

"Run!!"

Leilani didn't need to ask twice. Turning fast on her feet she ran; not knowing or caring where she was going as long as it was to safety. However, whenever she was within minutes of the small walled town up ahead, Leilani glanced back and saw that the hooded figure behind her was beginning to struggle greatly.

"Here, let me help you!" she called as she ran back to them, "You'll never get to safety on your own." Up close Leilani noticed that the hooded figure was actually a young girl about her own age with curly brown hair and blue eyes; the limp figure was a tall girl with pale alabaster skin and so deep red it looked almost black. In no time at all both girls had the weak girl rested safely between them and were headed towards the walled town.

"M'name's Kirky. What's yours?"

"Leilani

"Strange name. I've never come across you in Fernlie."

"Fernlie?"

Before Leilani could ask further they'd reached a small gatehouse set in the walls of the small town. "Open up!" Kirky yelled desperately as she thundered her upon the wooden door, "I helped Rubi-Ahn complete her task to complete her way to becoming full dragon fey, so please let us in!" A yard away the dragon roared: ready to strike.

Seeing for herself that Kirky was occupied, Leilani turned to face the dragon. "Look here, Smokey Breath!" she yelled up at the huge monster, "Go roar somewhere else! You're not welcome here!" And without know how she knew how, Leilani locked and loaded her small crossbow, aimed it and fired a bolt into the dragon's right eye: sending it screeching away in pain.

Leilani couldn't believe what just happened. Had she really sent a dragon running away with it's tail between it's legs? If only the school bullies could see her now. They'd think twice before picking on Lady Leilani, Knight of the...

"I say, Hanlin! Strange clothes your humans make your younglings wear!"