Disclaimer: All characters and locations that are mentioned that are
familiar (i.e. Alanna and Tortall) all belong to the Supreme Goddess Tamora
Pierce, not me (although it would be cool to be able to create such
wonderful stories as she does). Please don't sue me, I have no money.
It was dark and rainy. A young girl with long sandy hair and deep blue eyes was sitting beside a fire inside the common room of her parents' summer cottage. She was in a furious debate with herself. She knew that another girl, Keladry of Mindelan had tried to start her training to become a lady knight, but that she had been gypped on the deal and had to start as a probationary page. But all through Kris of Santander's life, since the knighting of Alanna of Pirate's Swoop and Olau, (then Trebond) she had wanted to become a lady knight. She knew that the road to knighthood would be a long and hard one, and she was delighted that King Jonathon had declared girls to train as page, squire, and finally become a knight of the realm of Tortall. But when the king forced the first girl to try to become a knight openly to be on probation, Kris was having second thoughts. She didn't want to face the torture and taunting that everybody knew was happening to Mindelan. Now, as she was nibbling on her index finger, (a habit that she had been trying to break since the age of three) she was trying to decide whether she should copy Keladry's actions, or mimic that of Lady Alanna's, and disguise herself as a boy. Her parents were busy 6 days of the week and when they came home, she might as well be invisible for all the attention that they pay to her. Her uncle (who had died 6 months ago) had taught her the ways of the sword, bow, and how to ride a horse. She was gifted, but from an early age, she had been taught not to use her gift ever, because it was a crutch. She despised her gift, despite being trained to perform simple healing spells and create fire. So she thought she had what it takes to be a lady knight. But there was one problem: prejudice. She had been thinking about this for several weeks now, ever since news reached Santander that Keladry had been put on probation. She was getting tired, so she decided to resume the consideration of her dilemma after she was fully rested. As she climbed the stairs to her bedchamber, she noticed that one of her pet cat, Katina, was sleeping on a stair, just waiting to be trodden on. Kris, being fond of this particular cat, picked her up and took her to her room. She laid her on a spare pillow that a servant had brought up the day before when she had found a sparrow in need of rest after it had been chased from who knows where by a very nasty hawk. Kris was very fond of most animals and took care of them whenever she could. Now as she was placing a dish of water near where the cat slept, she took a deep yawn. She climbed into bed and within seconds, she was fast asleep.
Kris woke early and abruptly to find a very hungry cat standing on her stomach, digging its claws into her and growling at her. She quickly called a servant to her room and ordered food for herself and Katina, so that she wouldn't have to deal with a cat on the warpath. Kris took a bath and was just getting out when she heard a servant come in and set what sounded like a tray in a table beside her bed. Smiling at the quick service, she decided to take the name of the servant to recommend to her father for some extra pay. "Excuse me, but would you mind telling me your name faithful servant," Said Kris, as she was coming out of her washroom. But she realized that the servant had left. She was wondering why when Katina came strolling into her room. "I should of known, you shouldn't chase the servants away like that, I don't think that they like it." After setting Katina's food on the floor, Kris sat down on her bed to comb her hair and to resume the discussion going on inside her head. 'They say that the page Keladry is not fairing too well in the palace. She is being harassed by most of the other pages and the others won't even go near here. But, on the other hand, Alanna was able to hide her identity until she was knighted, and she was never harassed because everyone thought that she was just another boy. That does it, I'll become a lady knight without the extra trouble of being the butt of every joke.' With that taken care of, all Kris had to do now was to find a way to travel to Corus, and become a page without her parents knowing. Then, an idea struck her. She reached for a quill, parchment, and ink (which she always keeps handy for a bit of nighttime drawing) and started to write:
Dear Mother and Father,
I know this is kind of sudden, but I've decided to join the Convent at the City of the Gods. I've given this a lot of thought and I have decided that I should make something of myself and become one of them. Sincerely,
Kris
Now all she had to do was pack. As she was packing her sword, (a gift from her uncle) a thought popped into her head. She decided to take Katina with her because if she could disguise her sex, she could hide a cat, right? The next night, she saddled one of her parents' horses, and began her journey to Corus.
A/N (actually, more like author's plea.) Please r&r so that I can see if I should continue the story of Kris. Thanks for reading.
It was dark and rainy. A young girl with long sandy hair and deep blue eyes was sitting beside a fire inside the common room of her parents' summer cottage. She was in a furious debate with herself. She knew that another girl, Keladry of Mindelan had tried to start her training to become a lady knight, but that she had been gypped on the deal and had to start as a probationary page. But all through Kris of Santander's life, since the knighting of Alanna of Pirate's Swoop and Olau, (then Trebond) she had wanted to become a lady knight. She knew that the road to knighthood would be a long and hard one, and she was delighted that King Jonathon had declared girls to train as page, squire, and finally become a knight of the realm of Tortall. But when the king forced the first girl to try to become a knight openly to be on probation, Kris was having second thoughts. She didn't want to face the torture and taunting that everybody knew was happening to Mindelan. Now, as she was nibbling on her index finger, (a habit that she had been trying to break since the age of three) she was trying to decide whether she should copy Keladry's actions, or mimic that of Lady Alanna's, and disguise herself as a boy. Her parents were busy 6 days of the week and when they came home, she might as well be invisible for all the attention that they pay to her. Her uncle (who had died 6 months ago) had taught her the ways of the sword, bow, and how to ride a horse. She was gifted, but from an early age, she had been taught not to use her gift ever, because it was a crutch. She despised her gift, despite being trained to perform simple healing spells and create fire. So she thought she had what it takes to be a lady knight. But there was one problem: prejudice. She had been thinking about this for several weeks now, ever since news reached Santander that Keladry had been put on probation. She was getting tired, so she decided to resume the consideration of her dilemma after she was fully rested. As she climbed the stairs to her bedchamber, she noticed that one of her pet cat, Katina, was sleeping on a stair, just waiting to be trodden on. Kris, being fond of this particular cat, picked her up and took her to her room. She laid her on a spare pillow that a servant had brought up the day before when she had found a sparrow in need of rest after it had been chased from who knows where by a very nasty hawk. Kris was very fond of most animals and took care of them whenever she could. Now as she was placing a dish of water near where the cat slept, she took a deep yawn. She climbed into bed and within seconds, she was fast asleep.
Kris woke early and abruptly to find a very hungry cat standing on her stomach, digging its claws into her and growling at her. She quickly called a servant to her room and ordered food for herself and Katina, so that she wouldn't have to deal with a cat on the warpath. Kris took a bath and was just getting out when she heard a servant come in and set what sounded like a tray in a table beside her bed. Smiling at the quick service, she decided to take the name of the servant to recommend to her father for some extra pay. "Excuse me, but would you mind telling me your name faithful servant," Said Kris, as she was coming out of her washroom. But she realized that the servant had left. She was wondering why when Katina came strolling into her room. "I should of known, you shouldn't chase the servants away like that, I don't think that they like it." After setting Katina's food on the floor, Kris sat down on her bed to comb her hair and to resume the discussion going on inside her head. 'They say that the page Keladry is not fairing too well in the palace. She is being harassed by most of the other pages and the others won't even go near here. But, on the other hand, Alanna was able to hide her identity until she was knighted, and she was never harassed because everyone thought that she was just another boy. That does it, I'll become a lady knight without the extra trouble of being the butt of every joke.' With that taken care of, all Kris had to do now was to find a way to travel to Corus, and become a page without her parents knowing. Then, an idea struck her. She reached for a quill, parchment, and ink (which she always keeps handy for a bit of nighttime drawing) and started to write:
Dear Mother and Father,
I know this is kind of sudden, but I've decided to join the Convent at the City of the Gods. I've given this a lot of thought and I have decided that I should make something of myself and become one of them. Sincerely,
Kris
Now all she had to do was pack. As she was packing her sword, (a gift from her uncle) a thought popped into her head. She decided to take Katina with her because if she could disguise her sex, she could hide a cat, right? The next night, she saddled one of her parents' horses, and began her journey to Corus.
A/N (actually, more like author's plea.) Please r&r so that I can see if I should continue the story of Kris. Thanks for reading.