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After having gotten approval to submit this, I am happy to share the story that I have been working on for Shanda Fantasy Arts, Katmandu II: Tambo.

This is the story of Emilio Tambo, his mother, Kichoro Tambo and the family Leonius.

This story came to me as I thought over the character, Emilio. Emilio had been referenced in the Katmandu universe quite a bit, but we've only seen two panels in which he was featured and even then, it was only a small portion of him. So, from that I created a character design for Emilio and gave him a bit of history including his mother who plays a heavy role in the story.

I also wanted to explore the Leonius family a bit as well. Thorin has three brothers; two elder brothers (Achilles and Trajan) which are only mentioned by name once, but never shown and one who was shown (Layn) who was his littermate. I love stories that feature siblings so I wanted to incorporate them into this one as well. As I worked, and developed the characters, I realized that I was quite taken with Trajan and wanted to give him a bigger part in the story, and so he found himself thrust into the forefront of the story as well.

Now, I'm a hopeless romantic so I just couldn't resist telling the story in this way, but this is by no means a love at first sight sort of thing. There are highs and lows and things that make you laugh while others that make you cry and through it all, I hoped to have the reader wondering, what's going to happen next?

So, that is how this tale came to be. I really and truly hope that you enjoy this first chapter and will read the others. Feedback is more than welcome, so please comment if you like or even if you don't, I'm quite open to constructive criticism. Thanks so much for reading and please enjoy!

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Chapter One: Join Us.


“Practice was hard today, Loanzah. But, you did real good.”

“Yeah. Daddy says that sometimes he thinks I was born to fight.”

“I wish I was better at fighting.”

“Well, at least you’re good at other things.”

“Like what?”

“Like…like…oh! Like walking on fences.” she said, pointing to the fence that he was walking along even then.

“That’s nothing. What can walking on fences do?”

“I don’t know. But, it’s still kind of neat, Emilio.”

“Yeah. But, I want to learn how to fight, better.”

“I bet I could teach you.”

“No you couldn’t.”

“Yes I could.”

“No you couldn’t.”

“Yes I could! Especially since Daddy got me a new sword.”

“You got a new sword?”

“Yeah. Daddy got it for me. Wanna see it?”

“Yeah!”

“Come on! I’ll race you to the house!”

“1…2…3…GO!”




**********




“MILPUL!” Leahtrah yelled, after hearing a loud crash erupt from the kittens’ room. “What was that?” she asked, rushing to him.

“Aw, it was just the dresser, Mama.” her son said, as clambered from behind it. “I was looking for my truck. The one Daddy helped me build.”

“You mean after I told you to clean this room?” she asked, as she checked the child for any cuts or bruises from the crash.

“I was cleaning, Mama. But, then I remembered that Uncle Layn told me that he wanted to see what I had built since the last time we saw him. So, I had to find it.”

“Well, I suppose that’s true. But, I still expect you to have this room cleaned by the time dinner is ready.”

“All by myself?”

“No. Loanzah will help when she gets home from practice.”

“What’s Kemal doing?”

“He’s helping me in the kitchen. Besides,” she added, holding up a wooden sword and shield while gesturing to a host of other pretend battle tools. “I know that he wasn’t responsible for this mess.”

Milpul had nothing to say to that. She did have a point. Instead, he nodded his head and started to gather the litter that was strewn about the floor.

“That’s my good boy.” Leahtrah said. “I’ll tell you what. If you finish up here before your father and uncles get home, you can help me make cookies for them.”

“Really?” he beamed.

“Yes. But, you have to have this room totally clean, understand?”

“I will, Mama! You’ll see.” he replied as he picked up the pace in his cleaning. Leahtrah smiled as she exited the room to join Kemal in the kitchen where he was sitting on the floor, stirring a mixture in a large ceramic bowl. He looked up from his mixing as she entered.

“Is Milpul alright, Mother?” he asked with concern.

“He’s fine, Love.” she answered as she kneeled beside him. “He just tipped the dresser, is all. I’ll have Daddy set it back up when he comes home with your uncles. How’s that batter coming?”.

“I think I got all the lumps out. I don’t see them anymore.”

“Very good. Then, we’re ready to-…”

“Leah?” a voice called.

“In the kitchen, Kiki!” Leahtrah called back. After a moment’s passing, the head of a woman peered into the kitchen, shortly followed by the remainder of her. She was a hoplite like Thorin and his kin, but uncommonly small by their standards, even for a female. Dark, ebony eyes mirrored the rich portions of hair that peeked out from beneath a colorful headdress that bound whatever more locks she might have possessed.

“Sorry to barge in, Leah, but your door was open.” The woman, Kichoro Tambo, said.

“That’s alright.” Leahtrah replied. “It’s no bother. We were just preparing dinner for tonight.”

“We?”

“Here I am, Mrs. Tambo.” Kemal chimed from behind Leahtrah’s kneeling form. He peeked out from behind her and smiled, timidly.

“Well, hello, Kemal. Busy helping Mother, I see.”

He smiled and blushed a bit, then simply nodded his head.

“Have you been practicing your piece for the festival?”

“Yes!” he exclaimed with excitement. “I’m going to show my uncles when they get here. …because, Mother said that she would sit with me if I did.” he added, shyly.

Leahtrah patted her bashful child’s head and smiled down at him, fondly. She then turned her attention back to her lady friend and asked, “So, what brings you over, today?”

“Well, actually I’m looking for Emilio. After school practice was over quite a while ago. Still, he hasn’t come home yet, so I figured that he might be over here.”

“Hmm…I haven’t seen him or Loanzah just yet. But, they do have a habit of straying a bit. I’m sure that they’ll be tumbling through the doors any-…”

“YEEAH!” was the rebel yell that sounded through the house, interrupting Leahtrah in her thoughts.

“HEY! NO FAIR, LOANZAH!” came the cry from another.

“Never mind. “ Leahtrah and Kichoro sighed in unison.

The two mothers left the house and journeyed to the backyard where an epic battle was being waged. Pinned against a tree with a wooden sword pressed against his chest, holding him at bay was Emilio. While at the other end of the weapon, Loanzah reigned in triumph at her defeat of the scoundrel she had cornered. She paused in her conquest to address the lad’s exclamation.

“What’s no fair?” she asked.

“I didn’t know that we were going to fight.” Emilio replied, as he attempted to sidestep his way away from the end of the sword. Yet, Loanzah wasn’t at the top of her junior self-defense class for nothing and nimbly followed his movements with her harmless, yet somehow effective weapon. “Besides,” he continued. “I don’t even have a sword. How am I supposed to fight back?”

“You’re not supposed to be fighting at all.” Kichoro interjected.

The kittens turned to see two disapproving mothers glaring at two disobedient kittens. Dropping her weapon at her side, Loanzah quickly took up a position of submission standing beside her friend. This was not going to be pretty.

“You know you’re supposed to come straight home when practice is over.” Kichoro continued.

“I’m sorry, Mama.” Emilio said. “I guess I forgot.”

“It’s not his fault, Mrs. Tambo.” Loanzah said, valiantly coming to her friend’s defense. “I asked him to come over so he could see the new sword that Daddy got for me.” she added, holding the toy before her.

“And weren’t you supposed to be helping your brother clean up that room?” Leahtrah said. “Your father will be back with your uncles soon and that room looks like a tornado ran through it.”

“Oh, yeah. I guess I forgot, too. Sorry.” the girl said, absently tugging at her ear in an embarrassed manner. Leahtrah picked up on her daughter’s behavior and decided that the awkward situation she was in was punishment enough. She was truly sorry.

“Never mind, Loanzah.” she said, her tone significantly softer than before. “Why don’t you just run along and give your brother a hand.”

“Okay, Mama. Bye, Emilio.” she said, as she trotted away and into the house.

“Bye, Loanzah.” Emilio called out after her.

“We’d better be getting back ourselves.” Kichoro said. “I’m sure you’ve got homework to do.” she added, tapping her son lightly on the head.

Emilio frowned before replying, “Yeah. Teacher gave us twice as much as usual on account of the holiday. He said it would help to keep us out of trouble.”

“He must not have kittens of his own.” Leahtrah giggled.

“Indeed not.” Kichoro agreed, chuckling along. “At any rate, I am sorry for the inconvenience, Leah.”

“Don’t give it another thought. It was no bother.” She paused for a moment then added, “In fact, why don’t you and Emilio join us for dinner tonight.”

“Oh, I don’t know!” she answered, quickly. “After all, you have family coming over tonight and…”

“And that’s exactly why I’m inviting you over. When Thorin, the kittens and I moved here, you and your family were the first and truly the only ones to openly welcome us. Now, I want to open my family to yours.”

“I-…I don’t…”

“Please, Mama?” Emilio chirped. “I promise to do all my homework! I’ll even take a bath if you say yes!”

“You’ll take a bath even if I say no.” she retorted.

Emilio smiled at that then asked, once again, “Please, Mama…so I can play with Loanzah again?”

Kichoro sighed, deeply. “Very well. If it pleases you, Leah, then Emilio and I will join you and your family for dinner tonight.”




**********




The sky had donned her evening dress, her beautiful magenta cloak coloring the plains in its brilliant hue. Beneath her enchanting expanse, Kichoro and Emilio strode on their way to their rendezvous with the Leonius family. Although the world was light and at peace, its earthbound inhabitants were less so... at least, one of them.

"Emilio, Dear, don't kick up the dirt like that." Kichoro chided. “You'll get your clothes all dirty and dusty."

"Aww, Mama!" he grumbled. "It's so long to Loanzah's house and it's no fun walking when you can't run."

"I know it isn't. But, with this cake in my hands I wouldn't be able to keep up with you if you did."

"I could hold the cake for you!" Emilio offered, reaching up to relieve Kichoro of her confectionary burden.

"But then," she started, holding the dessert just out of his reach. "If you held the cake, how would you be able to run?"

"Oh, yeah." he said, turning and kicking a pebble in his path.

Kichoro smiled. "Cheer up, my dear. We are not far from Leah's house."

"How much farther until we get there?" he asked, his attention still focused on the pebble at his feet.

"Oh, I'd say we're... there."

"Huh?" Emilio said, as he withdrew his attention from his game to look up at his surroundings. Sure enough, there, just beyond a rocky wall leading to a shallow clearing was the Leonius house. A look of sheer merriment lit up the child's face as he sprinted off toward the modest home. Suddenly, he stopped in his flight and turned to his mother asking, "Is it okay if I run ahead, Mama?"

"I think I can manage from here. You may go."

"Thank you, Mama!" he exclaimed and was off.

Kichoro watched her son scamper off and smiled at his mirth. For that reason and no other, she was glad that she decided to accept Leahtrah's offer. Alone to her thoughts, she sighed in trepidation. She was not looking forward to the evening. Yet, as it was, it was too late to turn back, now. Resolutely, she continued on.

When she finally reached her friend's home, she saw that the house had been decorated with small, ornate lanterns and streams of thin colored banners. The children had made pictures and signs to welcome their kin to their home and had plastered them all about the house. Kichoro could very easily see the love the children held for their family. Her heart slightly lightened by that thought, she approached the front door and gave it a gentle knock.

"If that's you, Kiki, come on in!" she heard Leahtrah roar from the other side of the enclosure. Following her instruction, Kichoro opened the door and strode in.

"Oh my!" she gasped, for the house that Leahtrah and the kittens worked to clean earlier that day lay in utter ruin. A chair was overturned at her feet and a portion of food stained the floor to her left. A lamp lay shattered by a table that somehow managed to lose a leg. For a moment, Kichoro entertained the thought that bandits had ransacked the abode, but, if that were the case, surely Leahtrah would not still be within it. Still…

"Leah, are you alright?" she called.

"I'm fine." she all but growled. "But my house, on the other hand..."

Following the sound of her friend's voice, Kichoro navigated the house until she came to the kitchen where she found the woman kneeling on the floor scrubbing ferociously at something that was stuck there. The scowl on her face and the dirt and water stains that colored her clothing suggested that she had been at it for quite a while.

"Stars above, Leah, what happened?" Kichoro asked, setting the cake down upon a vacant spot on the counter and kneeling down before her.

"Let's just say, there were too many kittens to hold under one roof." she replied.

"I didn't know that Thorin's brothers had kittens." she said, reaching into a nearby bucket and pulling out a soapy rag.

"They don't." she said, flatly. "But, you wouldn't know that from the looks of things here."

"You mean they did all this?"

"And Thorin and Loanzah and Milpul!"

Kichoro chuckled. "But, not Kemal?"

Leahtrah sighed then found herself chuckling, too. "You know, it's never Kemal. My sweet, shy son. And speaking of shy, just what do you think you're doing?"

"Huh?" she replied with genuine confusion.

Gently, Leahtrah took the damp cloth from her friend's hands and replaced it into the bucket. "This is not for you and neither is this where you should be."

"But, I-"

"Go." she ordered. "Enjoy yourself. Have a little fun. We all need to, now and then."

Kichoro sighed, deeply. "Very well. If it pleases you." Heavily, she rose to her feet and retrieved the cake she had brought. "What shall I do with this?"

"That isn't one of your honey cream cakes, is it?"

"It is."

"Hmm..." she mused, playfully. "It would almost serve them right if you and I sat here and enjoyed that. But then the way Thorin's nose works I'm surprised he hasn't-"

"Hey! I smell cake!" Thorin said, poking his head into the kitchen.

"Right on time." Leahtrah grinned.

"Well done, Leah." Kichoro giggled.

"What was that?" Thorin asked, not privy to the joke the two women shared.

"It was nothing, Dear." Leahtrah chuckled.

"Nothing, eh?" he mused, a cheeky grin coloring his visage. "Well, I guess since Ki brought cake, we can leave it at that. Smells like... honey cream!" he declared, reaching for a taste of the milky icing that covered the cake.

"It is," Kichoro said, moving the cake out of his reach. "And you'll get none of it until Leah is relieved from this work."

"She's right, Leah." Thorin agreed. "Join us. We can only do so much damage in the backyard. You can finish this later."

"I... can?" Leahtrah replied, pointedly.

"Uh-... that is to say, the kittens and I can finish this, of course!" he amended, hastily.

"Ah, well since you put it that way..." she said, climbing to her feet. "Oh! Kiki, let me take that for you."

"Tut, tut! You've done enough. I can manage this. Why don't you... have a little fun." she said, wisely.

Leahtrah smiled, warmly. "I suppose I can't argue with that."

"Indeed, you cannot." she agreed.

"You know, if you must hold something..." Thorin said, extending his arm to her.

A sensation of sheer romance overtook Leahtrah as she gently encircled his arm with her hands and fell into his warmth. He lightly pulled her against him and, together, they strode to the door that lead to the back of the house. In an instant, they were gone.

Kichoro watched them go, a profound longing tugging inside her breast. Her legs suddenly became weak and shaky. It took all the resolve she held within her being to stay standing. She had come all this way and would not surrender to the ghosts of her past, now. Rigidly, she set one foot before the other and took a brave step, then another and another until she, too, was gone.

Outside, she found that the decoration in the backyard mirrored the decoration that adorned the front. The lanterns that were strewn along the facade of the house, along with the few that hung from he branches of nearby trees and the couple that sat upon the food-filled tables she saw bathed the area in a peaceful, golden glow. Although Leahtrah and Thorin were nowhere to be seen, she could hear the sound of laughter and shouting coming from the side of the house. She smiled at the thought then moved toward the tables to set her cake there, when…

”LOOK OUT!” she heard someone shout.

”Huh?” she gasped, turning just in time to see someone running straight toward her. There was very little space separating her from the oncoming person and no time to react. With her options nil, she shut her eyes tight, raised her hands high, holding the cake above her head and hoped that it would survive the collision. All at once she felt the stranger plow into her and felt her feet leave the ground. Although, to her surprise, she didn’t feel the pain she anticipated one would feel after suffering through a crash. Instead, she felt as though she were flying. She was literally spinning in the air. She wondered how long it would take her body to return to the earth. Surely, then, the hurt she expected to feel before would come once she did.

”STOP! STOP! EVERYONE STOP!” she heard someone shout. “We’ve got a lady on the field.”

”Does that mean the ball is out of play?” she heard another ask, followed by a loud whacking sound and an “OUCH!” from the one who has posed the question.

”Milady, are you alright?” she heard someone, the first one, ask.

She was alright. She couldn’t believe it, but she was unhurt. How could that be? Slowly, she opened one eye and then the other, yet somehow, something wasn’t quite right. The world seemed smaller, somehow. There were faces looking at her, some she had never seen, while others she recognized immediately. Yet, one thing puzzled her…why were they so far down beneath her?

”Uh, here, allow me to take that for you.” a voice said, followed by a hand reaching up passed her own. Surprised, she followed the hand down to the arm and finally to the body which it belonged to. There, she found a pair of rust-colored eyes looking up beyond her while a strong arm held her firmly about the waist. So, he was the reason why the world looked so small.

”Ah, there we are.” he said, once he secured the dessert from her hands. “If I set you down, do you think you can stand?”

She nodded her affirmation. Gently, he lowered her lithe form to the ground, which was quite a journey from the position where he held her. She noticed that he actually had to bend his knees to get her back to solid earth.

“I’m very sorry, Milady. We probably shouldn’t have been running around the corner of the house like that. Are you hurt at all?” he asked.

”No. I am alright. Thank you.” Kichoro replied.

He smiled. “I’m glad to hear it. Oh! I’ve been rude.” he said, as he extended his hand to her. “My name is Trajan. Trajan Leonius.”