A Strange Summers Day

Here is the 2nd chapter. I've had it done for quite some time, just haven't put it up here.

And as always, I don't own any of Tamora Pierces' characters, places, etc. I DISCLAIM them!

Timeline: Sorry I didn't tell y'all earlier. This is between the end of Page and the beginning of Squire. Before the knights choose they're squires. I know, old news, and of course AU, (poor Joren!) but I wike it! ^_^ I may have some things wrong, just because I'm too lazy to go get my Page book, but hey, cut me some slack, eh? And be nice when you correct me, lol! Not that anyone has been mean! ^_~

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"Nealan you will never impress a one of the court ladies if you continue to bow in such a distasteful fashion! Again!"

Keladry of Mindelan smothered another yawn as she watched Neal try again to get his long body to cooperate with the intricate bows their etiquette teacher was having them practice. Finally the master pronounced him 'able to keep from making a fool of himself but not of impressing a duck' and her friend rejoined her with a roll of his emerald eyes.

Owen, who was on her opposite side, leaned over her. "Don't let Cleon hear that one, Neal, he's likely to start calling you 'my swan'!" the boy thought this very funny and while he fell in fits of laughter he was unable to dodge the blow to the back of his head from an indignant Neal.

Kel fought down a frown. "You guys never tire of annoying each other, do you? Could you both stop for a moments time?" the mostly sleepless night had made her a tad bit cranky.

"Meow, leave the kitty alone!" Neal said, smiling at her with mischief. She ignored him and was glad when the bell rang and they were dismissed from the boring activities to change for afternoon training.

As she made her way down the hall to her room, ahead of the chattering Owen and younger pages, her thoughts ran back to the previous night. And almost as if they conjured him, Joren appeared with a handful of papers from the upper level stairs. He nodded saying in a low voice, "Keladry," in passing, and continued on his way. She studied his back, wondering at the change in him. Neal brought her back to herself with a push. He glared at Joren's back before turning to her.

"Kel? You all right?"

She nodded curtly and moved forward from the warm hand on her back and snapping, "Of course I am." he held up his hands in surrender and peeled off to his own room.

As she opened the intricate lock to her door she realized she was being slightly testy with her friends, but something about Joren always seemed to unsettle her, make her someone she wasn't. "Nevermind, Neal nor Owen ever take things like that seriously,"

Afternoon training was as grueling as ever. With everyone on their best working behavior and up to their best form, for knights were watching...Kel had gone over with herself again and again that one question. Who would want the Girl as their squire? She had pledged to not worry about it again. But it was hard to keep such pledges with huge men in shining armor standing not five horse lengths away. And to her dismay last night had left her jittery and easily distracted. Lord Wyldon had given her more than one sharp command to get her head out of the clouds.

Keladry brought her mind back, quickly whispering for Peachblossom to charge and they set off to joust with Owen.

Finally, she thought she had managed to get her mind focused, as it should be!

But then a flash of white caught the corner of her eye, and for some foolish reason she turned quickly to asertain the source. There, she met the sharp, scrutinizing pale blue orbs that belonged to Joren of Stone Mountain.

She was surprised to see him watching the squires in training. And that was her last thought or sight before she was thinking in pain and seeing the dirt.

She closed her eyes tightly as she came to a rolling stop and soon heard the thumps of hurried footfalls.

"Kel! I'm so sorry! Y-you almost never miss!" she opened her eyes, trying to fight a look of humiliation as she smiled at the worry filled, round face peering into her own anxiously. "It's all right, Owen, completely my fault. Well done!"

He smiled weakly as if he didn't believe her and gave her a hand up. She didn't even glance at the knights who she was sure were all laughing at her.

A scowling Lord Wyldon bellowed for her to get her horse and go again if she was unharmed. With a red face Kel nodded and ran off to collect her wayward gelding, who was having a jolly time snatching up huge tufts of grass in the pasture beyond the jousting field. She pulled herself shakily into the saddle and turned to see Neal hurrying towards her. He had been performing his own joust, just now finding she had been unseated and had begun trotting over to her, eyes wide with concern.

"Queenscove! Get-back-in line! Squire Keladry needs no cosseting!"

Kel cringed for her friend and steadied her helmet, lining up for the joust with an still sheepish-looking Owen.

This joust went well, Kel was determine to keep her mind on duty and the two friends each bounced they're lances off each others shields to both of their great relief.

The end of jousting practice saw them all leading their sweaty, dusty, and tired horses back to the stables. Kel mentally steeled herself for the questioning she was sure to get once they were in the stables and out of the Stumps hearing.

"Kel! What happened out there?" Neal cried as he came level with her before they reached the stable entrance.

"I was distracted." she said in a monotone, leading Peachblossom into his stall and tying him before the big gelding could try to take a chunk out of the lanky boy.

Neal scowled at the horse and then at her. "That's pretty obvious, but what distracted you? It was Joren, wasn't it? Wasn't it?"

Kel fought the blush that was coming to her cheeks, at the same time wondering why she was blushing! She could just explain the whole thing to Neal, tell him about last night. But what would he say? Think? What if he thought she liked Joren, and not him anymore...but that made no sense! Since Neal didn't even know she liked him! Goddess help me! Why, when life starts to get great, does it always have to get complicated!

She smoothed herself mentally and made sure her voice was steady before speaking. "Yes, it was, I think he must have moved his head quickly and the sun hit his hair funny. You know how light it is, blinding. It's no big deal, Neal, and you'd better get your horse put up before the Stump has your hide."

He looked at her with narrowed eyes and then sighed, leaving her. She echoed his sigh in relief and continued putting her horse up.

That night all were in the library studying as usual. Though also as usual, there was a lot of cutting up and messing around. But Kel just couldn't seem to get herself into it, as usual. She was feeling anything but usual. The boys tried repeatedly to draw her into the conversations, to lighten her up. But they soon realized it did nothing but draw her into herself even more.

Finally she shut her books and bid them all good night well over an hour early.

She entered her room, not caring when the door didn't click shut fully behind her. She had developed an insistent headache and was feeling very claustrophobic. The fall that day had given her some nasty scrapes, and though Neal had practically ordered her to let him heal her, she had vehemently refused.

And then with a jolt of curious nervousness she realized where she wanted to be, where she wanted to go. The tree... Before she fully realized what she was thinking she had silently opened her window and leaped quietly to the soft, grass-covered courtyard.

A glance around assured her, as like the night before, no one was around, and most all the windows had the candles snuffed out. Looking to her left she saw the library's own lights soon extinguished, and Kel figured that she had been the reason for the early disbanding. She frowned as she settled her back against the tree. She hadn't meant to be so disagreeable.

She wrapped herself backward around the tree, closing her eyes and relaxing in the steadfastness of it. Here was something that didn't just uproot on a moments notice and leave. It didn't change overly much, and was predictably always there. But, the tree couldn't hug her back, couldn't reciprocate her emotions of relaxation and contentment. No, that was a human beings right.

Someone cleared they're throat. Keladry froze.

"Wouldn't your affections be better placed on something that was breathing?" came a slightly sneering voice from the dark just over her right shoulder. She knew that voice. And for some reason she relaxed from her frozen position and closed her eyes again.

"Hello, Joren. Nice night, isn't it?

A quiet grunt and she heard him settle himself on the opposite side of the tree.

She had spoken true, the air was clean and crisp, the sky free of any cloud to shadow, though the moon had already gone dark.

"So what brings you out here again?" he asked in a quiet, low voice.

"Fresh air, quiet, to think. And you?"

She heard him shift himself slightly. "Basically the same." a long pause, and then, "And...to say I'm sorry if I distracted you this afternoon. That was a nasty fall."

Keladry opened her eyes slowly in amazement. Another apology from Joren? She turned halfway and almost jumped out of her skin when she met the same piercing blue eyes of that afternoon that had caught her off guard.

Her mind went completely blank of what she had been about to say. It was as if his gaze had wiped her mind clean of any thoughts other than his face inches from her own. Slowly they began to come back and she struggled to speak. "Um, no, it wasn't too hard. And it wasn't your fault. If something as simple as your hair distracts me I'm in sad form."

Joren chuckled. "My hair was what distracted you? And here I thought it was my mere presence that overwhelmed you."

Kel rolled her eyes, thankful the tense moment had passed, and praying that Joren hadn't felt it. "Whatever you say." He snickered as she turned back around.

"Why are you still at the palace, Joren?"

"Lord Paxton's wife insisted on coming to court for the season. We had to escort her and her ladies to the palace. I'm not sure how long we will be stuck here." Kel heard his disgust on the word 'ladies', and she fought a smile, no doubt he had had to fend of more than a few advances from flirtatious ladies in waiting.

"And you? No one has asked for your service as a squire?"

Kel searched his voice for hints of malice or jesting, and heard nothing but quiet interest.

"Not yet."

"Soon, I'm sure." Kel heard him crack his knuckles slowly. She frowned. "How can you be sure? I'm The Girl, remember? You ought to, for all the nasty things you did to me and said to me."

He cleared his throat. She didn't know if she could handle an apology for all that. "I made you stronger, did I not? Would you have worked as hard without my prodding's? I don't believe so... Good-night Mindelan."

Before she could whirl around and face him he was gone. How did he do that?

And with a feeling of great dissatisfaction, Kel made her way back to her room. As she shut her window and readied for bed, she remembered the door she had left partially open, and went to complete the action.

But she didn't have to. It was already closed.