I didn't put a disclaimer on the first chapter, so I'll put it here.

Disclaimer: I don't own Tortall and some of the characters (unfortunately).

I don't know if it happens to anyone else, but after I write something, I can't tell if it's good or bad, so review please!

Sorry for the wait. Here's chapter 2!

A week later, the three of them finally arrived in Corus. During the trip, Gammon had told Sera and Kat the identities they were going to use, and made sure they memorized it. Sera and her sister came from a small fief in the outskirts of Tortall called Maegi. Her parents were killed when they were younger, and they now lived with their uncle Gammon.

Here, Sera had interrupted him, "Wouldn't the king notice if we came from a fief that didn't exist?"

Gammon had replied, "The king is one of the few people who know your true identity, along with Sir Myles. Others might suspect, of course, which is why you'll have to be careful."

Corus was a very busy town, packed with many different types of people. Back in the castle, Sera and Kat weren't allowed to go into the city. The only people they saw were their teachers and the other trainees, with the exception of their parents, who visited occasionally. Unfortunately for Sera and Kat, they couldn't explore the city right away. Gammon dragged them away, and led them to the castle.

Padraig haMinch was a tough man. He wasn't handsome and he wasn't young. The only word Sera could find to describe him was hard. This is what I would imagine a real knight would look like, Sera thought, not one of those fairy tale heroes. His clothes were plain, and as she glanced around the room, Sera saw that the furniture was also plain and practical, without any decorations. Lord Padraig surveyed Sera, disapproval showing through his eyes.

Sera was a rather plain girl. She has dark brown hair that falls to her shoulder, though she usually ties it back into a tiny ponytail. Her eyes are dark brown, like her hair. A bit on the short side, her lips are full, and she has a slightly crooked nose. Since she prefers to wear long sleeved shirts and breeches, people usually don't see her muscles. They naturally assume she is weak. However, starting at age four, she had been trained in swordsmanship, riding, archery, tilting, and all different sorts of weapons. She has even been taught by a Shang master on hand to hand combat.

Lord Padraig snorted. "What kind of joke is this? This lass wouldn't even be able to hold a sword. Mark my words. She'll be running home before the week is done."

Sera had never been affected by insults. She thought they were a waste of time, and they, most often than not, weren't true.

Gammon tightened his jaw, not as unaffected by the words as Sera was. "If her work is unsatisfactory, then you may tell her so. However, she hasn't done anything yet so you shouldn't judge her."

"Of course, that is correct. If she cannot keep up, we will send her back home, but it is not because she is a girl. We would also do the same for boys. This is for their own good. Not everyone can survive knighthood." This last comment seemed to be a warning directed towards Sera. Sera met his gaze unflinchingly.

He nodded, impressed by her courage, and went on to explain the rules and expectations of the pages. When he finished, he asked Sera, "Are you still determined to do this?"

Sera nodded, not intimidated.

Lord Padraig sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Alright. Since it is morning, you will have the rest of the day to unpack and tour the castle if you wish. But you must be ready for supper when the supper bell rings. That is when you will get a sponsor. Try not to get lost before then. Any questions?" He paused, waiting for an answer.

"No, my lord."

He nodded, satisfied. "Salma will lead you to your room now."

That was the dismissal. Sera and Gammon exited the room, to where Kat was waiting. She was standing with a short and thin woman in servant liveries. The woman had frizzy hair and large, dark eyes. A large ring of keys hung from her belt. "Sera!" Kat said gleefully. "Look, I made a new friend. Her name's Salma." She turned to Salma. "Salma, this is my sister Sera and uncle Gammon."

Gammon said, "Salma and I have already met and discussed our sleeping arrangement. Since I am staying at the palace, Kat will be staying with me. I have already moved our bags there." He motioned for Kat to go with him. "I'll take Kat to our room and Salma can show you to yours, Sera. Afterwards, I have some things to take care of, so you can take a look around the castle."

Sera nodded and they left, leaving her alone with Salma.

Salma smiled at her. "Hi, welcome to the palace. I'll show you to your room. Did you bring a servant with you?"

Sera shook her head.

"Then I'll have to assign a servant to you. Every morning, we bring you hot water for you to wash with and we start your fire. We do your laundry and mending, make your bed, clean your room, and so on. If you play any tricks on the servants, you do all of that by yourself for the rest of the year. Also, we don't look after your weapons, armor, or other equipment. That's one thing that you're supposed to learn here." While she was speaking, Salma had walked down the corridor and stopped in front of a room. "This is my room. If you need anything, just come to me.

"The ground floor is the pages' wing and the squires' rooms are the next floor up. Here is your room." Salma stopped in front of a door. There was a piece of slate on front of it with Sera's name written in chalk. "Do you have any questions?"

Sera began to decline, but then remembered something. "Can you tell me where the stables are? I want to go take a look after I pack."

Salma thought for a moment. "Unfortunately, I have some things I have to do, so I can't show you myself. However, I'll send someone to guide you."

Sera thanked Salma and went into her room. After unpacking everything neatly and strapping her sword to her belt, Sera stood outside her room, wondering what to do. Salma had said she would send someone, but there was no one in the pages' hallway. Just when she started worrying that Salma forgot, someone called, "Hey there!"

Sera turned towards the voice. It was a boy with hazel eyes and light strawberry blonde hair. She eyed him warily as he got closer. Gammon had told her not all the boys would welcome a girl page, and might even try to drive her away. Was he one of them?

He stuck out his hand. "I'm Alan of Pirate's Swoop. Nice to meet you."

Sera shook it. "I'm Sera of Maegi," she replied, remembering to use her fake identity.

Alan's eyes widened when they shook hands. "Wow! Your hands are really rough."

"Are they not supposed to be?" Sera inquired, keeping her annoyance hidden.

"No, it's not that," he replied, "It's just that I expected a gir – new page's hand to be smoother."

"That's only for people who have never worked in their lives," Sera told him placidly.

Alan grinned. "You know that you just insulted most of the young ladies and nobles in Tortall right?"

Sera didn't say anything and started studying her nails.

"I like you," Alan declared. "Let's be friends."

Sera continued to stay silent. It was hard for her to trust anyone, much less a person she just met.

Alan continued chattering. "I heard you wanted to go to the stables? Salma snagged me out of the kitchen and told me I have to show you around. Come on, I'll show you where they are." He started walking down the hallway. Sera followed. "I'm a third year page, but I started late, so now I'm fifteen. As for girl pages, there haven't been many, even after girls were allowed to try for knighthood. Though I heard there was another one starting this year."

Sera nodded, because she felt like she needed to respond in some way. They had reached the stables as they were talking. The stables were big with a lot of horses. Sera trailed along the stalls, admiring the horses inside. Alan went directly to a solid black horse.

"This one's mine," he told her, "His name's Aslan." He gave the horse a sugar cube that he had in his pocket.

"Mm," Sera absentmindedly said as she continued looking at the horses. Suddenly, she stopped in front of a white horse with brown spots. She stared in its eyes for so long, that Alan came over, wondering what happened.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked her.

"It's just the look in its eyes. It reminds me of…" She trailed off.

"Reminds you of what?" Alan prompted.

Sera shook her head, as if trying to get rid of a thought. "Do you have a sugar cube?" she asked Alan, changing the subject.

"Here," he gave her a sugar cube, wondering what she had been about to say. "I believe that horse is new. I haven't seen it around here before."

"Nay, she's not new. Daine's been working with her, so she's not been in the stables often," a new voice said from above their heads. A stocky man swung down from the lofts. "Her name's Aridee."

"Air-uh-day," Sera repeated slowly, sounding out each syllable.

The man bowed. "I'm Stefan, the head hostler. Pardon my rudeness, but what were you gonna say 'bout Aridee's eyes?"

Sera thought for a moment. She wasn't going to tell them that Aridee's eyes reminded her of many of the girls she had grew up with as a little girl. Sera couldn't put it into words, it was a mixture between loneliness and hopelessness. Eventually, most of the girls had been worked to death or killed when they were trying to escape. Sera had often wondered if her eyes held the same look. Realizing she still hadn't answered Stefan's question, she carefully said, "Her eyes…I've seen the look in them before. It's hard to explain. I guess, it feels like she's been in a bad situation."

Stefan had been watching her intently while she spoke. Slowly, he said, "You're right. Aridee's been through a lot. Her previous owner's a harsh one, and overworked her. Daine, the wild mage, has been helping her recover on her, but she just hasn't the spirit to continue anymore."

"That's a pity," Alan exclaimed. "She's a beauty."

Sera frowned. "Is there no way for you to help her?"

"There is," Stefan replied. "To start, she needs an understanding owner."

Alan grinned, catching on quickly.

Sera also realized something suspicious was going on. "Do you know of anyone like that?"

Stefan and Alan traded knowing glances. "There's one right in front of us," Stefan said.

Sera stared at him. "Are you saying…?"

Stefan's eyes twinkled. "I sense that you would take good care of her. I would like you to have her."

Sera froze, flabbergasted.

Alan smacked her on the back. "Congratulations! You just got yourself a new horse."

"But, I don't have any money," Sera recovered enough to start arguing.

"Don't you want her?" Alan asked.

"Of course, but why would they just give it to me?" Sera retorted.

Stefan replied, "Many other people don't care about animals enough to actually pay attention to them. You were able to see the hurt in Aridee. I'm sure Daine would also agree with me. Since we didn't really buy her in the first place, you won't need to pay for her."

"Just accept it," Alan told her. "You shouldn't look the gift horse in the mouth, literally."

Sera didn't reply. She was too busy getting to know her future mount.

End of chapter 2

This is my first fanfic, so I don't know: Is this chapter too long?

Also, if it's Padraig haMinch, would it be Lord Padraig or Lord haMinch? I have been using Lord Padraig.

Thanks for reading!