Dragon

was her twin.

"hurry up now, kris!" she hollered down the hill. "We'll be late!"

"I can't with you running ahead of me like your life depends on it!" kris puffed. "and you're in much better shape, i can tell you that!"

katie laughed. "Oh really? i can tell you that you will be in shape by the time we get to the festival...or at least slightly better shape anyway."

kris glared at her. "and why is that, my lovely sister?"

"Because if you don't, i'll tell Rose that you wish to marry her, and she won't be surprised like you want her to. in fact, she'll be so upset that you didn't tell her yourself, that she'll refuse when you finally pop the question!" katie taunted.

kris turned bright red. "you wouldn't," he growled.  he stared at katie with reverance and irritation. he loved her to death, but she was also the bane of his existance. she loved to tease him, and the whole of Ellicus knew it. daily she made him want to scream his frustration and laugh at the same time while somehow deepening the bond between them. it was like he was under her spell. each of her tricks had a method to it, or lesson for him. as much as he hated it, he thanked her for it.  she was wise beyond her years, and was the town jester. she was also the beauty of the town; the pride and joy of Ellicus. she had marriage proposals daily, but she would refuse all of them.  one day when he asked her why, she shrugged and said that she loved her freedom, and that being the slave of an ungrateful man was not how she pictured living her life.  she was smart, with black hair down to her knees, and the skin of melted caramel, just like the treat she treasured with reverance. her tunic and skirt were held together by a leather belt, and they were earthcolored. the skirt was modest, and had slits up the side that allowed easy movement without risk of injury, and hung down to her ankles, where she sported laced up sandals like the romans used to have. the total outfit covered everything but her arms, shoulders, neck and head.

she was no stranger to hard work, for the muscles in her body showed sugns of great strength due to the hard work she'd been doing since she could toddle.  sometimes kris looked at her and wondered how the gods created such a remarkable creature. katie was gentle and tough at the same time, but could also put her joking manner away when the time came to be serious.  the thing he loved most was her good-nature and ability to laugh at herself. but she was also ruthless when it came to teasing him.

"wouldn't i? dear brother, i think you underestimate me!" and with that, katie took off, taunting kris to come along or she'll tell everyone about him and rose

crashing through the brush, and cursing under his breath, kris ran after her, yelling and puffing until he lost her, and had to find his way to town on his own.

when he finally arrived in the square, two hours later, katie was already there, taling to his beloved rose. his clothes were ripped and dirty from crashing and parading through the undergrowth and his hands and face were covered in dirt. he had a couple leaces stuck in his hair, a sign that he hadn't found the main road into town. then again, it would be helpful if katie actually told him where it was.

"MY DARK LADY"  a pretty blond exclaimed. "kris, dear, what happened?"

"Rose relax," a tired kris soothed, "just a bit of trouble getting here."

katie couldn't help but full out guffaw at her brother; it was just too funny to pass up. he looked absolutely ridiculous. sometimes she wondered how they were related. kris looked nothing like her, with his blonde hair, and a complexion the color of cotton white clouds. he had blue eyes, like hers, which was the noticable comparison between them. he was tall, while she was just a tad shorter than him.