[Update 1/12/09] Again, still just covering any grammatical errors and whatnot.

Sorry about the slow update this time around. I have my finals in my classes for this semester, and that has definitely slowed down my production rate. Hopefully, however, I will be able to get another chapter (at least) done once I finish my finals next week! Anyways, I hope you enjoy this next segment of…

The Lady Knight's Squire


Journey: passage or progress from one stage to another or a traveling from one place to another, usually taking a rather long time

I was surprised when I was able to spend the rest of the day lazing about, but knowledge that I would be leaving soon hung over me, and kept me from enjoying what little time I had left. All of my friends among the squires had left with their knight masters already, adding even more boredom to the day.

By evening, however, I had finally given in, and began making a true effort to pack. Clothing was stacked in a pile that grew surprisingly large; books were next. My elder brother's sword and dagger, the only piece of weaponry that I had that did not belong to the castle. I whistled, finding it almost amusing that my life was summed up in three piles that didn't even stand as high as my waist.

"It seems you've read my mind." The violet eyes were uncanny, and took a step back, startled.

"Lady Alanna-"

"Let us dispose of that right now. I am not a lady, not in the traditional sense. I've spent far too much time in breeches to deal with the title 'lady' from someone I'll be spending the next four years of my life with. Please just call me Alanna, or if you feel that you must employ a title, Sir Alanna is fine." Alanna informed me firmly. "I've come to bring you a traveling pack- it's got a bed roll, a flint, and so on. Stow it with your packs. Now come with me, I'd like you to show me your horse, and on the way tell me what you've got in terms of weaponry. I need to know what I need to outfit you with when we get to Pirate's Swoop."

"We're going to Pirate's Swoop?" I was astonished to find my normal stride matched that of Alanna's, who was walking briskly. My long legs usually forced others to struggle and keep pace with me; here it was the other way around.

"Yes. I've still got the better part of a month of leave left, and I intend to use it. While we're there, we'll get you some armor, a shield…" she eyed me critically. "We'll take a look at some swords and then some bows, both long and cross. That'll also give me a chance to learn first hand where your skills are. While we're at Pirates Swoop, you're going to be put through your paces." Her impish smile had my heart plummeting like a stone.

"I have a sword and a dagger," I quickly said deigning not to comment on her eagerness to see what I could do, and the answering purse of her lips did not bode well.

"I'll review them when we get back to your room. Oh, just so you know we'll be leaving no later than a bell past dawn, because we've got a good three days of travel ahead of us." Her smirk at my sigh didn't manage to bolster my spirits any more than her declaration to 'put my through my paces' had.

By that time, however, we had reached the stables, and I was surprised to find that Alanna walked right up to Stefan and enveloped the man in a hug. "Are you keeping out of trouble?" she asked, eyes glittering with laughter.

Stefan put a hand behind his head, laughing a tad nervously. "Well, you know, George likes to keep me busy." My ears perked, and I wondered if the George that Stefan spoke of was the same on who was married to Alanna. My knight mistress's eyes flicked to me, and turned back to Stefan.

"That's good," she agreed neutrally. "I would hate to have you relaxing on hay bales all day."

"No, Lioness, not me," Stefan said, voice respectful.

Alanna smiled. "Can you take me to Neal's horse?" she asked.

"Neal yer squire?" Stefan asked, eyes widening. At Alanna's short nod he shut his mouth and obediently led us over to my horse. I itched to say aloud that I was perfectly capable of taking her to my own horse, but I managed to bite my tongue.

Instead, I waited for Alanna to come to the same conclusion that I had had for the last two months. Zephyr was still in excellent condition, but he was aging, tiring over distances that he used to make effortlessly. He still had enough energy for at least another page, but he simply wasn't up to the standards that I would need as a squire.

Her clucked tongue was answer enough, and she turned, finding the same knowledge in my eyes. "You already know what I'm going to say," she began. "We need to get you another horse." She put her hands on her hips, staring thoughtfully into the air. Her gaze cleared. "Actually, I think I have a horse that would suit you down at Pirate's Swoop. You'll have to take Zephyr down with you, but next time someone comes to Corus I'll have them take Zephyr back. Would that work?"

I hadn't expected this generosity. Most knights left their horse and horse's armor to the squire and squire's family, feeling they did enough as it was with regular armor. "Yes, of course," I finally answered.

Alanna nodded, smile spreading on her face. "Good then. Now, I expect you to meet me at the main stables tomorrow morning at dawn. Bring Zephyr, loading with your packs, and we'll head out as soon as we are able."

My knight mistress barely waited for my nod of agreement before she was bustling out of the stables, clearly on errands of her own.

"I hope you two do good." I jumped, having forgotten that Stefan was still in the stable.

"Excuse me?"

"Hope you do good." Stefan nodded in the direction that my new knight mistress had headed off in. "She's a good lass."

"Lass?" I asked, amused.

Stefan sniffed. "I've known her fer ages. Since she was but a page."

The news was fascinating. "Really?" I probed, staring hard at Stefan. He matched me look for look, until finally I rocked back on my heels and whistled in appreciation of his obvious loyalty to my knight mistress.

I waited for the hostler to say more, but Stefan was already wandering back to his charges, and I was left with some more information to digest.

I ambled back to my rooms, cool stone of the palace walls feeling pleasant compared to the heat of the stables. I wasn't ready to finish packing quite yet. I rolled what I knew of the Lioness in my head, matching it with my first hand impressions. I had already discovered it wouldn't be four years of hell on earth, but I had no idea of what else to expect from it. The page years were easy enough to describe; long hours, grueling work, chores that normal boys could never complete in the assigned time, even hazing.

But every squire I had spoken with had a different experience. Some knights simply traveled where the King told them, using a squire as little more than a servant who could use a sword. Then there were others, who tried to teach their squires a broader range of information than they had been exposed to.

Then there were still others. Sir Raoul was one, Gareth the Younger, even- Mithros bless- the Stump. They were the great knights; the ones who had seen and done more than a mortal had any right to experience.

I normally would have dwelled on my impression ad nauseum until experience had told me what to expect. However, I suppose spending four years with Kel had done more than teach me a few fighting tricks. Instead of immediately dwelling on my knight-master, I struggled to not to stress over what I couldn't control.

I didn't manage it.

On the other hand, I didn't kill myself with worry either. I packed, eventually changed into my nightclothes as day turned to dusk and spent a good portion of the night alternating between staring at the ceiling or tightly closing my eyes.

Sometime after the midnight bell tolled I must have fallen asleep, because I awoke to the five ringing clangs that signaled the hour before dawn. Rolling out of bed, I stumbled over my packs. I heard the door open, and my bleary eyes watched as a servant expertly poured my some warm water with which to rinse my face. I managed to croak my thanks, and made my way over to the basin. I splashed my face, and finding myself able to fully open my eyes (even though I was thus far unable to form complete sentences), I dug through my pack, exchanging my nightclothes for a fresh shirt, pair of breeches, and boots. I hurriedly drew them on, stretching after I was done. I ran a comb through my hair. Rubbing my face tiredly, I buckled my sword, dagger and belt purse, settling them on my waist within easy reach.

Now that I was decent and ready for riding, I hauled the pack that had my clothes and my three favorite books onto my shoulder. The rest, packed neatly into another bag, would be given to my father for safekeeping.

And then I was saying goodbye to my room. I would be leaving the palace that had been my home for the last four years. I shut the door almost reverently, practically hearing Kel tell me to stop being dramatic and get a move on. I smiled at her unspoken words, and turned.

My father was just getting up when I arrived, and from his face, I knew Alanna had told him the night before that we would be leaving. His face gentled into a smile, and he swept me into a hug. I flushed, but hugged him back.

"I'll miss you, Nealie," My father said, using his nickname for me as a child. It only made me hug him tighter.

"I'll miss you too," I admitted and was rewarded by practically suffocating as my father tightened his hold.

He finally drew back, eyes damp. "You'll write," he said, voice cracking. "Because if you don't, you won't have to worry about me hunting you down. It'll be your mother that you should look out for."

And if either of our laughs were a little choked, it didn't matter. My father walked me down to the main stables where Alanna was waiting. He kissed her on both cheeks, smiling fondly at my knight mistress. "Take care of each other," he informed us, smile crinkling the corners of his eyes.

Our exasperated sighs held the same tones of annoyance, amusement, and wistfulness, causing my father to start laughing. He tousled my hair, and gave a final bow to Alanna. Stefan, who had brought out Zephyr, silently held out the reins to me, and I fastened both my pack and the one that Alanna had given to me to the saddle. Alanna mounted. I followed without looking back.

Alanna took the lead, taking her horse, which I dimly remember being called Darkmoon, through the main gates of the palace. Zephyr followed, patiently weaving through the streets that were already bustling with people.

I couldn't imagine a time when the city had a tense atmosphere, yet I had read time and time again of the first years of King Jonathan's reign, when Roger of Conté had returned from the dead by Alanna's own brother. I couldn't imagine being worried about assassination attempts, or any of the other signs of instability that had once filled the city- it was so calm now. I exhaled, steadily following Alanna's lead.

Before long we were out of the city and following the coast south-west down to Pirate's Swoop. At first she, like I, was silent. Most of the morning passed that way, for the two of us had yet to truly wake up. We stopped for lunch just as the horses sides began to heave a little. We led them off the main road, Alanna taking us to a stream that she must come to every time she comes this way. While Darkmoon and Zephyr drank from the stream and nibbled on grass, Alanna handed me some dried beef, bread, and two apples from her pack. We munched contentedly as we sat on the grass near the stream.

After that Alanna seemed to be completely awake. "Alright, ready?" she asked, her first words of the trip.

"Yes," I said as I stood. We dropped our apple cores on the ground. Alanna attached her pack to Darkmoon's saddle once more, and for the first time I took stock of what she was wearing.

Gold-washed chain mail was covered by a dark grey tunic. Belted on top was her sword, dagger and belt purse. Sturdy leggings of a lighter grey than the tunic were covered at the bottom by worn black boots. Her red hair had been pull back, revealing a surprising feature- pierced earlobes, which had grey pearl drops hanging from them. Alanna noticed me staring at her, and snapped, "What?" in an irate tone, but the harsh word was offset but the hint of a blush that was invading her cheeks.

I smiled. "Nothing," I said innocently.

Alanna growled incoherently and mounted again. I did the same, and she led us back to the main road.

The silence that sat between us wasn't uncomfortable, but it was heavy in the air. I cleared my throat. "So, what's Pirate's Swoop like?" I asked, more to break the silence than out of curiosity.

Alanna glanced at me for a moment. The glance turned to intense scrutiny, but she seemed to find what she was looking for. Alanna smiled, and the pressure of the air flowed away. "There are a lot of crags," she admitted as her gaze returned to the road.

I nudged Zephyr up. "Well, crags can't be all there is there," I teased. She looked surprised at my audacity for a second, and then truly relaxed.

"We're right up against the ocean, so even in the summer it's cooler than you'd expect. Our home always seems to smell of salt water," Alanna laughed, and the light sound seemed so different from the preconceived, fiery-tempered vision that Alanna was in stories. "It's right on the Endless Sea, and the village is nestled right against the barony." I nodded, interested in seeing her face so alight with joy.

"I heard that Daine visited Pirate's Swoop the first year she was here," I said.

I was unprepared for Alanna's bright, pealing laugh. Her smile widened even further. "Do you know how I first met her?" she asked.

I shook my head.

"It actually begins with Onua," she corrected herself. "Numair had been at a fief, spying on the lord, who we had suspected of dealing with Carthak…"


The afternoon flew by. She regaled me with story after story. I enjoyed hearing them as much as she enjoyed telling them. I was curled in my bed roll, watching the flames snap and curl as they slowly died out. Alanna's breathing had long since evened out, but I was still unable to sleep.

We were safely warded, an exercise that I had taken part in, (mostly following Alanna's footsteps this time around), having been tartly informed it would be my job the next two nights ("So if we get killed, I'm blaming you").

I watched as she breathed quietly, across the embers. She was curled up under her bed roll and close to the fire even though the night air only held a hint of autumn chill.

Once again, my night was late, as anxiety drove me to mull over every detail these last couple days. It was only the vague brightening in the east that drove me to catch two meager hours of sleep.

The morning passed mostly the same as the day before. A silent breakfast was eaten around the smoldering ashes of our fire. We packed, covered our latrine, brushed away signs of our passing until eventually the campsite might not have been disturbed at all.

The worst part was changing, I have to admit. It's one thing to know that Kel is a girl and changing- with all her…girl parts-in her room. It's another thing entirely to know that if you turn around while the Lioness is changing, your head might lose its attachment to your neck. Even worse was seeing the back of Alanna's head while I tried to change into fresh clothing as fast as humanely possible.

It was an awkward business, made worse by the inability to look at each other in the eye for the rest of the morning. Instead, we mounted (silently) and continued down the coast (silently). Eventually we stopped for lunch (also under crushing silence) with the added bonus of flinching every time I had to touch her hand in order to take the proffered food.

No, a morning filled with awkward silence successfully cancelled out the camaraderie that had begun to develop as yesterday afternoon progressed.

The first hour after lunch continued in the same vein, until finally Alanna cleared her throat awkwardly. "Okay, this needs to end," she announced forcefully, stopping Darkmoon. "I know this entire situation is awkward and not the utmost joy, but I think I'm going to kill you if we spend the next four years like this."

My mouth twitched into a grin, and shook her head. "No, seriously. If I deal with this everyday for the next four years, I'll have my husband help me bury your body."

I laughed this time, outright. Permanent headway I could deal with. For better or for worse we were knight and squire now. I stuck out my hand, copying her impish grin from two nights before, and said, "Truce?" in my driest voice.

Alanna steadfastly shook my hand. No blushing, no glancing at one another and looking away. Just camaraderie and easiness, which finally floated between us.

I took it upon myself to start our conversation once more. "So how did you become friends with my father, if you are a healer?"

Alanna's nose wrinkled for a moment, ire clear on her face. "Actually, I'd prefer not to discuss when I first met Baird. It was during the war with Tuisaine, while Roger still had his greedy little finger's in everything."

"Alright," I accepted, deciding not to push.

Alanna chuckled, sensing my affronted tone, and quickly began her story a different story. "Well, when Baird took up the position as healer, it's true I couldn't have really cared either way. He was good at his work, but I simply rarely never interacted with him after that war because I was busy as a squire, and then knight. However, I do have a good story. Now, when the Yamani's first agreed to sign a treaty with use, thanks to Ilane of Mindelan, they refused to set foot on Tortallan soil, while also refusing to allow our ambassador's into the inner sanctum. The only neutral meeting ground was out at sea, and despite all my protests that it wasn't necessary for me to be there while they even started ironing out a treaty, Jon made it very clear that I had to go."

I couldn't help interrupting her, saying, "But don't you get-"

"Seasick?" she cut in. Her wry smile had no joy in it. "Yes. Horribly, disgustingly seasick. To a degree that makes me never want to step foot on a boat ever again."

I raised an eyebrow at the intensity of her words. Alanna continued, sharp tongued, as she complained, "And some bumble-headed idiot with a rock where his common sense should be, somehow managed to 'forget' all of the seasickness medication that we were supposed to bring so that I wouldn't be retching over the sides of the boat from the second I stepped on to the second I stepped off." I cringed a little at the description.

"Of course, since I had taken some medicine before I had walked on the boat, I didn't know it was missing until we were almost a day out- whenever I'm on a boat, I keep at least three doses with me at all times. It was too late to turn back." Alanna shook her head, automatically tucking back errant locks of hair. "So I spent the entire trip magicking myself up to my ears to get rid of my seasickness. Consequently, I also spent most of my trip exhausted and cranky." Her smile was still wry, and she glanced in my direction. "I don't think I came out of my room the entire trip. Feeling the waves rock the boat were bad enough, but watching?" Alanna shuddered. "That's even worse."

She shrugged her shoulders. "So we were finally on our way back, the most primary of negotiations done, I was still surviving on little sleep and a small tendency to bite off the heads of people around me. We were maybe two hours from the port in Corus when we were hit by a Scanran ship. Some jumped up clan had gotten it into their heads that they could attack our ship, get away with whatever our profit was, and escape. We beat them, of course, but not without exhausting the healer on board, getting a man killed, and me getting cut from my hip to my knee because I had drained so much magic the last few weeks that I could barely fight." Alanna shook her head.

"Anyways, the story ends with me unconscious, ignorant of the fact that we came into port and were rushed to the palace, and being healed by none other then Baird himself. I ended up sleeping for a day an a half, and when I finally woke up, it was to Baird and a plate of steaming hot food and water."

Alanna shrugged. "The end of the story isn't that interesting. I polished off the food and water in record time, and then talked with Baird for a little before I fell back asleep. It wasn't until later that I heard he had ridden down to the port to meet us, and made sure I was stabilized before anything else was done." Her violet eyes were clear as she faced me again. "Your father's a good man."

I sat a little straighter in the saddle, filled with pride at my knight mistress's words.

During my silence, Alanna took the opportunity to crack her back, twisting rapidly from one side to the other. "So." Alanna said.

"Yes?" I returned, wondering what Alanna wanted.

Her smile was a wicked one, one that I was sure I was going to become very familiar with. "So, Neal. I've shared two stories with you. Do you know what that means?"

I blinked. "No. No, I don't."

Her smirk had me leaning back, wary of her request. "I get to request two stories from you."

It still wasn't sounding too bad, so I agreed. "What two stories?"

The pondering look on her face was about as reassuring as a hungry wolf's grin. "I want to know how you came up with the name Stump."

I froze in shock after half a second spent in confusion. I had to force the words past a suddenly thick throat, "You know about that?"

Alanna just raised an eyebrow, and my mortification rose. I knew that if Lord Wyldon ever knew that I called him that I would be out on my ear faster than you could say 'Mithros'. "It's not a very long story," I began, almost hoping that she would discard her curiosity if I gave that as an excuse. Of course, she only waved a hand motioning for me to keep going.

"It started the last week I was at University. My friends were holding a party, and we may have had some drinks faintly alcoholic in nature to use in our celebration. Ulric, my best friend there, had spent a month as a page before escaping to University. And while we were, uh, might have been consuming inordinate amounts of said faintly alcoholic substances, Ulric may have complained about Wyldon having as much emotion as a block of wood. Between that, and meeting him in person, the nickname Stump, just…works."

There was a beat of silence before Alanna said in her most serious voice, "And just as you might have been drinking something that may or may not have been alcoholic, I might agree with a certain nickname that may or may not exist."

Her smirk was echoed on my face, and I couldn't help but break the faux-solemn air with a snort of laughter.

And so the second day disappeared with even more speed than the first. Setting up camp turned into something a little more routine, with Alanna and me trying to do the same chores less often. We built up a fire and once it was burning brightly, we cared for Zephyr and Darkmoon, and once everything was set, ate a light dinner filled with wry comments and stories. The last event of the evening was creating the ward, carefully mimicking Alanna's words and movements from yesterday until we were successfully shielded from sight and sound.

We rolled into our beds late; the moon and stars were high in the sky, but I barely noticed them, for I fell asleep almost instantly.

We awoke as the sun rose, and this time the chores were divided easily and without much thought. I covered the latrine and removed the remains of our fire, while Alanna packed our things and saddled up the horses.

Changing was still awkward but we managed.

We were both still bleary eyed, so the morning was once again spent in silence as we rode back to the main road, finishing the last leg of our journey.

It wasn't until mid morning that I finally felt truly awake, and after one last yawn, I asked, "When do you think that we'll get to Pirates Swoop?"

Alanna seemed to do a mental calculation. "Sometime late afternoon, I believe." I nodded my understanding. "You'll meet George, Thom my oldest and my twins, Alan and Alianne. Maude will be there too." Alanna volunteered, and I saw that same shine that all mothers had when they spoke of their children.

"How old are they now?" I asked.

"Thom will be fourteen soon, while Alan and Aly are eleven. They've all agreed to come home while I have leave."

"That's wonderful," I said in my most appreciative tone.

Alanna smiled widely at the thought of her children, but something made it dim. "Are you alright?" I asked, trying not to sound nosy while also getting an answer to my curiosity.

"Yes, I'm fine," she reassured me, eyes clearing. "I'm just very ready to be home."

"Does Pirate's Swoop really feel like more a home than Trebond?" I asked. I suppose the question might have been rude, but rudeness or not I wanted to know.

Alanna shrugged. "Until I became a page, my childhood wasn't exactly my dream. I wanted a world where I could fight with swords, or fire arrows into the hearts of enemies. I wanted to be the greatest hero there had ever been. But the cold reality at the time was that there was no place for a female to learn to fight. So except for Maude, Coram and Thom, I didn't have many friends. I was supposed to be learning how to be a 'lady'." I could practically see the quotation marks surrounding the word.

"My father wasn't much of a father, either. When he died, I felt sadness, but…" Alanna shook her head. "To be honest, he paled in comparison to Myles or Sir Gareth. So I suppose the best way to say it is this. Trebond will always be my place of birth, and I wouldn't ever want to change that. But Pirate's Swoop and Olau have become my home in ways that I never had the chance to have at Trebond."

I absorbed Alanna's response, filing it away for closer study. "I can understand your feelings," I agreed. "Sometimes the family you choose is far better than the family you're given."

Alanna's smile was brief.

Even more depressing than her words was when the weather began to echo the somber mood, chasing away the sunlight as heavy cloud loitered on the horizon. We picked up our speed, stopping our idle conversation about Tkaa and his rock-creating ability in order to concentrate on successfully leading our horses through a trail that was initially slipper, but turned to mud in an alarmingly short amount of time.

Huddled miserably in our cloaks that didn't stop us from getting damp despite our best efforts and watching as our packs slowly soaked through, we didn't make it to Pirate's Swoop until long past the time that our stomach's began to grumble.

We had to practically drag ourselves off of the horses, handling them to efficient hostlers who led Zephyr and Darkmoon to the stables and took care of them. The gate closed behind us, and we took our packs, shouldering them with wet and despondent grunts as we tried to shield ourselves from the elements as we made our way across the open courtyard into the open hall that led into the rest of Alanna's home.

A man I could only assume was George was already there waiting for us. I assumed it was George because I highly doubted that Alanna would allow any other man to kiss her like that. I decided to study the ceiling.

It was like some invisible sign had been highlighted, alerting everybody and anybody that we were there. Within two minutes of entering the keep, it seemed as everyone converged on us.

The children where the first to dart in, careening down the main steps at a pace that I was sure would lead to- at the very least- bruises and broken bones. Ignoring my prophecy of doom, Thom, Alan and Alianne safely hurtled down and slammed into their mother, who gave George another swift kiss before being enveloped by her children's form's and eager voices.

I felt a bit of the outcast, for quickly after Thom, Alan, and Alianne came to greet Alanna, Maude, and many others came into the hall to greet their mistress.

"So you're Neal." It was a statement, a question, a judgment and a teasing comment all in one.

I turned, startled to see George standing next to me. I hadn't even seen him leave Alanna. "Yes sir."

His hazel eyes twinkled, and I grinned, a little nervously. I waited for George to speak, but he seemed content to watch his wife greet everyone.

Soon one of the servants had Alanna out of the rain-proof cloak, which reminding me that I was still dripping all over the stone floor. I unclasped it, gathering it in my arms, only to have that same servant rush busily over to me, snatch the cloak from my hands an bustle off- I assumed to take care of it all.

By this time, most of the hubbub had died down, and only Alanna, the children, George and a servant remained.

Thom, Alan and Alianne clustered around their mother, clearly eager to speak with her, and I wondered how long it had been since they had seen her. A month? Six months? More? "Maria, would you mind showing Neal to his room?" Alanna indicated with her head towards me and smiled apologetically. "I'll meet you down here for some dinner in a little while. Is that alright?"

"Sure," I agreed faintly, and Alanna turned her attention back towards her family.

"So I have some stories for you," I heard her begin, and she began walking towards the steps, children still clustered around her, and George following, gently teasing Alanna about how she started her story. I took a second to marvel at the genuine happiness before the disappeared up the stairs, and then there was no one but Maria and me left.

"Squire, if you could care to follow me," she said demurely. I shouldered my pack silently once more and followed her up the stairs, down the hallway on the left, with two more rights until I was standing outside a reasonably sized room that overlooked the sea, which was currently thrashing against the coast. Maria took her leave, and I dropped my bag on the floor, deciding to unpack it later. I stripped out of my wet clothing, eager to get rid of the clinging and dingy feel that had started to coat my skin.

Someone had stocked the room well. Some fresh towels, clearly placed in the room in preparation for drying someone off, a clean dresser, a bed, a nightstand with candles already lit, curtains pulled back to give a view of the dynamic weather that stormed right outside my window.

I dried myself off, already feeling that much more refreshed and warm. I ran a comb through my hair, listening to the rain slam against the keep's walls, and still unpleasantly cool, I decided to huddle under the covers for just a few moments to gather some warmth…


TBC