Chapter 24: Strange Apologies

They watched Lancos until he disappeared from sight, and then stood around looking at each other, the tension heavy in the air around them.

After Muriel finished praying for Cinnamon's safe return, she couldn't take the silence any more and said loudly, "Alright, I'm sorry, but she shouldn't have been aiming where any one would be. One of us could have been killed!"

"Muriel, do you really think me so reckless as that?" Sharmon said quietly, her tone of voice warning everyone that she was seriously angry — angry enough to demand satisfaction even from a close friend, should an apology not be forthcoming.

Muriel looked up in shock as she realized just how angry Sharmon was. She quickly went over in her mind what she'd said and realized that she was wrong. She'd allowed her fear and anger to cloud her judgment. "No," she sighed, as she hung her head in shame. "No, you wouldn't be that reckless. You'd be sure to instruct her properly. I'm sorry Sharmon. Please forgive me."

Sharmon looked at her for several tense moments, and then nodded.

As she nodded, the others let out a collective sigh of relief. The last time they'd heard her speak in that tone of voice she killed the offender in a duel.

"So, how did Cinnamon's arrow end up over here?" Vanessa asked.

Sharmon looked away. "The bow proved too strong for her."

"What?" Muriel yelled, getting angry again. "You let her use a bow she couldn't handle?"

"No, I didn't, I checked her out on it before I gave her an arrow. She just took too much time aiming, and lost control before I could tell her to stop."

"That still doesn't explain why Cinnamon shot her arrow over here," Vanessa said, before Muriel could say anything else.

"I'm not sure you'd believe me if I told you, Darling. Frankly I'm not sure I believe it, and I watched it happen," Ernon said.

"Tell me!" Vanessa said, getting exasperated.

When Ernon finished explaining, starting from the moment they began walking towards the path to arriving and finding Lancos shot, Vanessa said, "You're right, I don't believe you," and then shivered.

Ernon rolled his eyes while he wrapped his cloak around her, and guided her back towards the fire.

Harnley followed, saying to Vanessa, "What more proof do ye need, lass? Me beard's singed, and the lad got an arrow in the ass."

With just the two of them left, Muriel approached Sharmon and asked, "Is that how it happened, Sharmon?"

Sharmon nodded. "I am sorry Lancos got hurt, but I wouldn't have given Cinnamon an arrow if I didn't think she could handle it."

Muriel sighed, sadly. "I know, and I'm sorry I yelled at you and Cinnamon. It's just when Lancos got hurt I," and her voice trailed off.

"I understand," Sharmon said softly, and then they hugged.

Lancos quickly followed Cinnamon's trail. He heard her crying before he saw her. When he did, she was sitting perched on a boulder crying. Her clothes were disheveled and covered in dirt.

Lancos intentionally scuffed his boot to alert her to his presence, and then said, "There you are."

Cinnamon looked up with a gasp. Then, with a cry, she pushed off the rock, took a lurching step, and fell to the ground, sobbing.

Lancos shouted, "Cinnamon!" and ran to kneel at her side. He helped her sit up, and asked if she was hurt. He tried to get her to look at him, but she pulled away, backing away until her back was to a boulder. She then curled into a ball, her forehead on her knees, with her arms around them as she cried.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I really didn't mean to do it. I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm sorry, please don't hate me," she said as she sobbed.

"Hate you? I don't hate you. Why would I hate you? It was a accident," he told her, baffled. He moved closer to her and put his hand on her arm. "Cinnamon, I don't hate you," he said gently.

"B-b-but I shot you," Cinnamon replied.

"Not on purpose," Lancos replied back.

"B-b-b," Cinnamon started. Lancos stopped her, saying gently but firmly, "Cinnamon, it was an accident. I don't know why you were aiming towards the creek, but I know you didn't mean to hit me."

"But I wasn't aiming towards the creek," Cinnamon said defensively as she looked up. "I was aiming at the tree on the other side of the path."

Lancos blinked in surprise. "If you were aiming at the tree, how did you manage to hit me?"

Cinnamon shrugged and then sniffled. "I don't know. The bow hit me and knocked me down. Then you yelled." She started crying again.

When he'd gotten her to stop again, Lancos asked gently, "Is that what happened to your face?" He'd been very concerned when he finally got a look at Cinnamon's face. There was a large welt running from her left eyebrow down to her chin. It was swelling, and her lip and eyebrow were split open.

When Cinnamon nodded, Lancos winced and said, "I'll have Muriel heal it for you."

Cinnamon seemed to shrink away from him, and said, "She hates me."

"She doesn't hate you Cinnamon. She was just scared, Ok? She doesn't hate you, I promise," he told her quietly.

"Promise?" She asked him doubtfully.

"Promise," Lancos confidently replied.

"But what about Sharmon? She was trying to teach me and I messed it all up."

"She doesn't hate you either,"

"How can you be sure?" Cinnamon asked, and then sniffled again.

"She was about to hand Muriel her head. She wouldn't have done that if she hated you," Lancos said gently.

"But now they hate each other," Cinnamon said with a sob.

Lancos rolled his eyes, and looked up at the sky thinking, Why me?

"Those two have been through a lot together, believe me. They may fight occasionally, but they'll always make up. In fact they're probably sitting next to each other now worrying about you."

"I'm sorry," Cinnamon said again.

Aargg, women!' Lancos thought.

Just then a large clap of thunder sounded, making Cinnamon jump and bury her face in Lancos' chest.

Lancos put his arms around her to comfort her, and enjoyed the feel of her clinging to him. He briefly had thoughts of how she'd feel clinging to him naked, but quickly shoved them out of his mind. Doing anything with the Chosen One would be disastrous. Not to mention Muriel would personally hand over his nut-sack to Sharmon to turn into a coin purse; if he was lucky.

Lancos sighed as he gently pushed her back and said, "Come on, we've got to get back to camp. Can you walk?"

Cinnamon shook her head. "I hurt my ankle coming around the corner there," she said, pointing towards the bend they'd come from.

"Let me see," he said, and moved to put Cinnamon's foot in his lap. As soon as he touched her ankle, though, she jumped with a soft cry of pain.

"Well, you can't walk like this, so I guess I'll have to carry you."

"What?" Cinnamon asked, alarmed.

"I'm going to carry you," Lancos said, and scooped her up into his arms.

Cinnamon gave a cry of surprise, and said, "Lancos, you can't carry me like this."

Lancos, with a mischievous smile, said, "You're right, you're far too heavy," as he placed her onto the boulder she'd been leaning against earlier.

Cinnamon's mouth opened and her eyes widened in shock. She then cried, "Lancos!" and smacked him on the arm when he started laughing.

Actually, Lancos could have easily carried her back that way, however he was worried about how it would look to Muriel and Sharmon.

Lancos took off his cloak, and before Cinnamon could ask him what he was doing, he draped it over her shoulders, causing her to blush as well as sag from the weight of it.

"But don't you need it?"

"I'll be using it, it'll just be easier to carry you if you wear it for me. Now open up." The last was said as he patted the inside of Cinnamon's right knee.

Cinnamon gasped, "What?" as her face went white with alarm.

Lancos, ignoring her fear, said, "I'm going to give you a horsey ride, unless you'd rather I carry you like a sack of taters?"

Cinnamon blushed. "A horsey ride would be fine, thanks."

Lancos grinned. "Then climb on, Milady," as he turned and crouched down for her.

Cinnamon nervously said, "Ok," and then carefully climbed onto his back.

"Ready?"

When Cinnamon said "Ok," he stood up, making her gasp. He couldn't help grinning lustfully at the feel of her body pressed against his back, the feel of her thighs in his hands, or the way her hands and thighs instinctively gripped him tighter when he stood. He briefly wished she was pressed against the front of his body before thrusting thoughts of him and Cinnamon together from his mind, saying, "Let's go," and starting back towards camp.