Wait for Ted

‘{if Negana = 1}Queen Negana{elseif Denaasi = 1}Queen Denaasi{elseif Alexa = 1}Lady Alexa{else}Amethyst{endif}, I’m Ted, I’ll be your handler. You look amazing, by the way. You are going to be the best {if Negana = 1}Negana{elseif Denaasi = 1}Denaasi{elseif Alexa = 1}Alexa{else}witch{endif} we’ve had, I can tell that straight away.’

Emily had been lost in thought, slumped in a folding chair near the fire pit outside the staff tent. {if Richard = 1}Richard and his group weren't allowed in the staff area, so they had gone back to their own camp site after much kneeling before her and talk of being very happy to be of service. They seemed like nice boys. {endif}Today already seemed to have been full of new experiences and she was about to have another. She looked up at Ted and found herself quite unable to form a coherent sentence in greeting. This man was just beautiful. He wore leather armour over a white cloth shirt and some kind of fur across his shoulders. His arms were thick and strong with tan leather pads from his elbows to his wrists. His large boots were fur lined and his pants were baggy, made from some dark blue velvety material. A thick red sash around his slim waist held a curved sword which hung along the outside side of his left leg.

‘Uh, I’m Emily,’ was all she managed to think of. Ted. Gorgeous, big Ted. Her… handler?

‘Cool,’ he replied, ‘I’m pleased to meet you Emily, but I’m going to refer to you by your character name whenever we are together, I hope that’s okay. It will be better for the patrons when we are in the thick of it.’

Emily was staring at his face while he spoke. She wasn’t sure what he had just said, but she was sure she wanted to dive into his kind blue eyes. He was older than her, but she couldn’t tell by how much. He had little creases next to his eyes as if he spent a lot of time smiling. Or maybe he spent a lot of time adventuring across deserts, shielding his eyes from the bright sunlight. His hair was light brown, bleached by the sun in parts. It was longish, brushed back from his face. He was smiling at her, and she felt herself melting. His jaw looked strong and her eyes traced the lines in his cheeks etched by his smile. He reminded Emily a little of Guy Pearce. Maybe a bit of Hugh Jackman in the X Men films, but not quite. Shit, he was talking again and she wasn’t listening.

‘I hope that’s okay?’

It was definitely okay, whatever it was he wanted. ‘Yes, that’s okay.’

‘Cool. So you’ve read all the information we sent through? You’re okay with everything we’ll be doing with you?’

She was thinking of the things Ted might want to do with her, and she started to blush. {if Negana = 1}Thank goodness for this white make up{elseif Denaasi = 1}She hoped he didn't notice the colour in her cheeks{elseif Alexa = 1}She hoped he didn't notice the colour in her cheeks{else} She turned her face away, hoping he hadn't noticed{endif}. ‘Yes, I’m ready for anything.’

‘That’s the spirit!’ He was smiling at her again with those big blue dreamy eyes. {if Negana = 1}‘So, you’ll know most of this from your notes, but here are your spells.’ He gave Emily a bundle of small cards with pictures and large text on them. ‘You just read out your chosen spell, do the hand gestures shown, then I’ll organise the effects. Here’s your blade.’ This was a long blue sword. It was quite light, Emily mused, with a soft red handle. The blade, such as it was, was thick and rubbery and painted with blue lightning. It felt like there was some kind of hard rod inside a foam shape covered in latex. It was pretty impressive. ‘I’ll keep it until you cast the Blade of Light spell, then you have it until the spell fades. {elseif Denaasi = 1}‘So, you’ll know most of this already from the notes we sent through, but you are Denaasi, Keeper of Dragons. That means during the final battle on Sunday you will have access to the dragon as part of your arsenal. Now, don't worry about it now, I'll give you the details prior to the battle. Here is your sword.’ He passed her a silver sword attached to a slim gold belt. It was quite light, Emily mused, with a golden handle featuring yet more dragons. The blade, such as it was, was thick and rubbery and painted silver. It felt like there was some kind of hard rod inside a foam shape covered in latex. It was pretty impressive. ‘Denaasi is a skilled swordsmith, so try to get some practice in when you can.{elseif Alexa = 1}‘So, to recap some of the information in your notes, you'll be representing The Holy Order in the Tournament tomorrow, and as you know, the reputation and dignity or The Order is at stake! I'll run through the details on the way to the arena, so for now you just need these and you're all set.’ He handed her a large sword and a shield. Both were quite light despite their size; the sword comprised a long straight blade with an ornate golden handle. The blade, such as it was, was thick and rubbery and painted silver. It felt like there was some kind of hard rod inside a foam shape covered in latex. It was pretty impressive. The shield was similar, and felt like a thin stiff board covered in the same foam. Emily clipped the sword belt over her hips and slid her arm into the straps behind the shield. ‘Alexa is a skilled warrior, so try to get some practice in so the contest tomorrow looks as good as possible.{else}‘So, I know we sent you all the details so I won't bore you with a full recap. Here are your spells.’ He gave Emily a bundle of small cards with pictures and large text on them. ‘You just read out your chosen spell, do the hand gestures shown, then I’ll organise the effects. I have your headpiece for later on in the story when you assume your true form, and that's when I'll give you the more powerful spells and powers.{endif} Any questions before I take you to the camp?’

Emily had lots of questions, but didn’t want Ted to think she didn’t know what she was doing.

‘No, I’m good... Ted.’ She paused before the word Ted, unconsciously taking a moment to enjoy feeling the word in her mouth. ‘Let’s do it.’