A/N: So here it is. Just a random idea, but this ficcie was born. A lot different than my others, I know, but I think it has a possibility. And don't mind the summary. I suck at writing them. Blah. Oh yeah—new note- none of Kel's friends are at the palace yet because training hasn't started yet. But Kel stayed in Corus all summer, so she left for the Palace as soon as she could, to begin training. Rae's there early because she's new and scared, and her fief is really far away. Yet another note-Rae just seems like Kel in this chapter, but you will see. I just sort of had to follow the FT basic idea.

Disclaimer: If you recognize it, then I don't own it. Simple. Rae, Tersion, Aularee, Aele, and Corvidae Peak, (and the plot) are entirely mine.

Keladry of Mindelan stared thoughtfully at her porridge, her face Yamani-smooth. The sparsely populated mess hall was abuzz with whispers. She herself was silent. Of her friends, only dark-haired and dark-eyed Faleron had returned. He sat with some of his year-mates, reveling in the glory of fourth-year pagehood. The rumors had been spreading all day, despite the lack of pages. Kel was sure that the story had circulated the palace at least three times already, for all it was early in the morning.

She sighed, inwardly elated. Lord Tersion and Lady Alauree of Corvidae Peak had written to King Jonathon, just as her parents had, to inform the court that their daughter, Raecell, wished to train as a page. Like Kel, Raecell would have to undergo a one-year probationary period. And Kel intended to help her through it. Not as a girl, but as a friend and fellow page. If she wants to be my friend. Kel finished her porridge in silence, thoughts swirling around her head. Putting her saucer into the large dish basin, Kel turned slowly towards the pages' wing. Towards home. I had better get unpacked, then, she thought lazily.

Several hours later, her clothes lay in their chest, her Yamani cats waved from their shelves, and her weapons hung from the rack in the corner. She flopped on her bed; glad to be back, as Lalasa swished through the door. In her arms hung the weighted harness that was the terror of the older pages. "Lady, I'm going to have to measure you again for this," she sighed, holding up the infernal leather straps of the training device. "Goddess knows how fast you grow," she said with a crooked smile.

Kel got up from the bed, suppressing a sigh. She had grown over the summer, and now she was five feet five inches tall. Holding her arms straight out from her sides, Kel stood perfectly still as Lalasa whipped the measuring string around her body. "Good thing I measured you now" Lalasa sighed, "Instead of using last month's measurements. You've grown again, and I need to get this adjusted." With a nod, Lalasa gathered up her things, and swept through the door, heading towards the tanner's.

The next day, Kel woke at dawn, her body buzzing with excitement. Raecell of Corvidae Peak was arriving today! She did one of her most complicated pattern dances, glad for the exercise that kept her mind occupied. She fought to keep her mind blank of everything but her glaive. Despite her Yamani calm, she felt as if she was going to burst with questions and excitement. Who is Raecell? What is she like? Who would sponsor her? Could I sponsor her? She pushed the questions to the back of her mind, focusing on her weapon. So much for a quiet return to the palace, she thought, and training still doesn't begin for another week.

Kel got her first look at Raecell during breakfast. She was tall, taller than Kel by about an inch. She had deep brown hair, cut short and held up in a horsetail. Her eyes were sharp and a shade of light brown, which, when she turned, glowed a tawny-yellow color in the light. Freckles spread like a mask across her face. She entered the mess hall half-way through the meal, escorted by a tall, stocky, man with silver-grey hair, who Kel guessed to be Raecell's father, Lord Tersion. They approached Lord Wyldon gravely. He spoke a few words to the Training Master, who beckoned a servant. The young servant girl, Aele, Kel remembered, came to Wyldon's side. He gave the girl her instructions, and the girl hurried off, followed by Raecell. Tersion took a seat next to Wyldon, and a servant brought him a plate of breakfast which looked much more appetizing than the pages' meals.

When Rae entered her room, she was fortunate to not have been graced by the same warm welcome that Keladry had received from her fellow pages. She had been warned that such a thing might happen, but because of Kel's war on hazing, the pages thought twice before acting against The Other Girl. She quickly unpacked her things, spreading her books out on the shelf. Her clothes went into the large trunk at the foot of her bed. She stuck her box of paper and writing tools on the desk, and her other equipment went into one corner.

Quickly washing her face in a basin of water that stood in her privy, she pulled on a pair of soft brown breeches, a white shirt with three-quarter sleeves, and her second-best tunic, a light green one that was made specially, to hang all the way down to the top of her knee. She retied her hair back, tying a green cloth strip around her forehead. With one last look in the mirror, she left the room, trying to smooth her travel-wrinkled clothing. She walked down the hall proudly, heading towards Lord Wyldon's office.

Thankfully, there were few people in the hallway. Rae was too nervous to talk to any passersby, except when she found herself so hopelessly lost that she HAD to ask a servant for directions. When she finally reached his rooms, she smoothed down the unruly fabric one more time, and knocked on the door. She could already hear her father and the Training Master inside, though their words were muffled. Their voices didn't sound angry- that was a good sign.

"Enter," Wyldon's voice was now loud enough for her to distinguish his words. With a deep breath, she turned the doorknob and stepped inside, closing the door softly behind her. She walked towards the two men, who were seated together at a table.

She bowed to the both of them, saying "My lord; father," in a quiet voice. She stood in front of them; her hands now clasped behind her back.

"Good morning, Raecell. Please, sit." Rae walked over to a chair beside her father and pulled herself into it. Wyldon's face was pulled into a small scowl, and his grave face no longer showed the harsh animation that it had when the old Training Master had talked to her father. They had both been pages at the same time, she remembered, though they were not year-mates. Despite her father's older appearance, Wyldon was his senior by three years.

"You understand, Raecell, that you are here on suffrage. You have one year to prove yourself that you are just as capable as the boys. If you have not proved yourself acceptable after one year, you will be sent home. I will be the one to judge your capability on that count."

Raecell nodded. "Yes, my lord," There was no animosity in her voice, only fierce determination and pride. She was not angry that the conservatives had made King Jonathon accept these terms. They all just didn't understand that girls were just as good as boys. She would just have to prove that girls and boys were equals. Then they would see.

"You will receive no special treatments or privileges, despite your sex. I will not stand for any foolery." Wyldon's brown eyes were hard and stony. "If there is a boy in your room, the door must stay open. This is the same if you enter a boy's room. If you are disobedient, you will be sent home immediately."

This annoyed Rae, even if she understood. She was not here in the palace for romance or flirtations; she was here to become a knight! "Yes, sir," She looked up determinedly. There was no way that the formidable Training Master would scare her away. She was here to stay.

Wyldon pulled a piece of paper from his desk. "According to this, you claim to have a magical Gift. Is this true?"

"Yes, sir. I have a healing gift." Tersion put his hand on his daughter's shoulder. She straightened.

"Well, then," Lord Wyldon's face was dark, his voice expressionless. "You will attend magic lessons with the other Gifted pages. You will be notified when those are to be held." Turning to her father, the training master asked, "Has she brought a servant with her?"

Tersion gave a blunt shake of his head. "She has not."

"Very well," The stuffy Training Master cleared his voice quietly. "Then the palace has staff to clean her rooms." Turning back to Raecell, he said, "Being a page will be hard work. Your father knows this. I had hoped he would have convinced you otherwise, but…Do not expect to have anything given to you. You will work hard, or you will go home. Do not expect to be coddled along. Nowadays, the Royal family usually dines privately. On the Great Holidays and specially occasions, there are feasts held with other visiting nobles and delegates. The pages will be required to serve the royal family and the other nobles on these nights. You will also be required to run any errand or deliver any message for any lord or lady who asks it of you. Page Raecell, do you have any questions?"

Rae shook her head, though one thought rang through her mind: What will it take to make you believe that boys and girls can be equals?

"Then you may go into the farewell chamber to say you goodbyes. Page Raecell, I believe that you have already been assigned a room? He did not wait for her nod. "Then you will report there after you are finished. You have free time until the fifth bell, when supper is served. Meet in the Pages' hallway fifteen minutes before then. You will be assigned an older page as a sponsor at that time. Lord Tersion, Page Raecell," he gave a curt nod, standing up from the chair.

Rae and her father bowed, and then left the room. It was time to begin her life as a page. She was going to prove to Lord Wyldon that girls and boys could be equals.

A/N: So, how was it? A lot longer than One Wish, eh? Press that button and let me know! Note to readers: All flames will be doused in my new blue fish tank. Jolly.

MoD