This is three days after chapter 2, but five days before chapter 3. If you're confused email me and I'll explain it to you.
As the sun rose over the sleepy convent two girls stood behind the stables performing pattern dances. Sweat glistened down their necks and faces. One girl had long golden blond hair and she struggled with the weight of her weapon while a girl with shortly cropped hair went through a complex pattern dance with the ease of a Yamani lady.
Kel stopped her dance with a move called "the broom sweeps" and watched Jocelyn, until she also finished.
"You're really progressing for only using the glaive for three days. At least you can lift the glaive now. Keep working on keeping your hands and feet in the right position. Why don't we go inside before someone sees us and faints from at the sight of us with weapons?" Kel said smiling.
"Well of course we wouldn't want any ladies to faint and fall in horse manure" Jocelyn said laughing," What would a proper young lady be doing outside by the stables anyways."
"Well I'll see you in Yamani history since I'm fasting again."
"Okay I'll save you a roll."
Kel went back to her room and took a warm bath. As the bell rang she quickly slipped on a green skirt, which went down to her ankles, then a pale green blouse.
She ran to her history class just barely making it, to find that Jocelyn had saved her a seat. She half listened to the instructor's monotone voice since she had already learned about the Yamani's history while her family had stayed at the Yamani Islands. She was set out of her trance when Jocelyn shook her and pointed towards the doorway of the room.
There stood a short stocky woman with shortly cropped hair just like Kel's except this woman's hair was a copper red color. On the woman's belt lay a Raven Armory sword. Kel's mouth dropped open as she saw her idol: Alanna of Pirate's Swoop and Olau, the King's Champion, the Lioness.
Alanna bowed her head in acknowledgement to Kel and said, "I would like permission for Lady Keladry to accompany me as a guide around the convent. Seeing as I've never been here before." She said slightly smirking.
"Yes she may go," The teacher said through pursued lips,"and have the rest of the day off, but I want a two-scrolled essay on the pirate's raid of the Yamani Palace in attempt for the swords of law and duty." Kel smiled. 'This is going to be the easiest essay yet. I have first-hand experience.'' Kel could hardly contain her glee when she left the classroom and was standing in front of her longtime idol.
"My lady what would you like of me?" she asked the King's Champion.
"One, call me Alanna and two, lead George and me to your room." With that Kel looked behind the Lioness to see the Baron of Pirate's Swoop.
"My lord," she said bowing.
"I see they haven't broken your page habits if you're still bowing instead of curtsying. George said ruefully. Kel began to blush, but her mask quickly covered it.
'Why would both the Lioness and her husband be here? It surely wasn't for pleasure.' She thought as they arrived to her room. Skye came and flew onto Kel's shoulder as the other birds used Alanna and George. She saw her glaive was partially sticking out from under her bed. 'Oops, I have to hide that better next time.'
"So I see you still want to be a knight." She said dryly. Kel blushed under Alanna's cat-like gaze.
"Yes m'lady"
"Its Alanna remember, or else I'll call you Lady Keladry." Kel grimaced.
"Okay m'- Alanna."
"Good now that we are past name, we can help you get out of this nightmare." Kel blinked.
"Excuse me, I must not have heard you correctly, you said that I was going to escape the convent?"
"Yes that's right, this nightmare."
"How? When?"
"So many questions so little time." Alanna said dramatically. She sounded so like Neal that Kel felt like she was already back at the palace.
"Well first of all you do want another chance, right?"
"Another chance for what?" Kel asked ignorantly.
"Knighthood of course."
"But how, I can't go back again after I was declined the chance."
"Kel, do you know how I became a knight?"
"Yes of course, you dressed up like a boy so no one would recognize--you--"she said as the idea dawned on her.
"Exactly we're going to help you get into the palace as a boy."
"But how?"
"Well, we'll go to Trebond and get you back into top condition; we have two and a half months after all."
"Won't it be suspicious if I'm not at the convent though and I just disappear out of thin air?"
"That's why we have brought a simulacrum with us. It has the potential to be you, to an extent. I've been working on it for months. I thought that Wyldon might not let you stay after one of our meetings with the kings so I began to make it."
"Well if it can be me to an extent doesn't that mean someone will have to help it?" Alanna shifted on her feet.
"Well we had hoped you had made a friend by now who had enough loyalty to you that they could keep it a secret."
"Okay I see, well I do have a friend like that her name's Jocelyn."
"George can you go fetch her." Kel jumped, she had forgotten he was even in the room.
"I am m'lady's humble servant." He said bowing, a wicked gleam in his eyes.
After he left Kel asked, "How will I change my appearance? I can't just give myself a shorter hair cut since everyone at the palace already knows me."
"I already thought that part out. I made a very strong illusion spell that only black robe mages will be able to see through. It will make you appear, as you want to. The only tricky part is that you must use your own will power to decide what you want to look like. Would you like to try it?"
"Yes since I will have to eventually." Kel saw Alanna's purple magic fall over her like rainThe purple rain hit her skin in a tingling sensation before seemingly absorbing into her skin until it stopped falling.
"You can turn into any look. Male or female. Turn into me."
"Turn into you?"
"Yes."
"Okay." 'Will power, think of a powerful thought you would do anything to do. That's will power. I want to be a knight.' She harnessed all the power and thought of Alanna's purple eyes. Next she tried the flaming copper hair, but lost control of the power and was whip lashed backwards against the pink wall.
Alanna watched all of Kel's changes until Kel's amethyst eyes, and she was suddenly thrown against the wall. Alanna ran to her side and used her healing magic to probe Kel's body looking for injury. The Lioness only found a malnourished girl with slight bruising from being hit against the wall. With that Kel sat up groggily.
"I lost control of the will power." She said to Alanna's questioning look.
"That must have been a lot of will power. What did you think about?"
"Becoming a knight." Kel replied with a shaky smile.
"Well I won't doubt you about wanting your shield now, but be careful next time. Next time take bit by bit of power that way you don't lose it." Kel nodded as a silent reply and made an attempt to stand up, but her rubber legs gave out beneath her. Alanna helped her to stand up and said," Now try again."
Kel did as she was told and closed her eyes in concentration. Alanna watched as an aura around Kel became golden. It kept getting brighter, so bright she had to temporarily look away. When the light died down again Kel had the same copper hair as Alanna. The lady knight went to lie down on Kel's bed figuring that it would take her awhile to finish her entire transformation.
Alanna was shaken awake. She had the oddest sensation to wake up to an identical reflection of her then Alanna remembered what she had told Kel to do. "Very good! I thought I was looking into a mirror." Kel blushed at the praise.
"Alanna your husband is outside the door."
"Why didn't you let him in?"
"I thought we'd have some fun." She said smiling. "Ready?" she asked Alanna.
The King's Champion nodded with a small smile. Kel walked to the door trying to impersonate Alanna's swagger. She let Joselyn into the room.
"Finally love, we we're getting rather bored. I can only show Joselyn so many tricks." He said leaning in for a kiss, but Kel swiftly turned away pretending to not have noticed.
"Joselyn! I've heard so much about you from Keladry. Let's go see her shall we?" They went into the room to find the real Alanna leaning against the side of the window.
"Well call me a blind rogue; I'm seeing double of my wife. I could get used to this." George said grinning wildly.
"George that other me is Kel." The real Lioness said in an undignified voice.
"Oops, well the illusion spell works very well." He said cheekily.
"Kel?" Joselyn asked with her eyes wide open.
"Yes it's me. Alanna put an illusion spell on me so I can put on any disguise to be a boy. By the way Alanna, how do I change back into myself? I like my height better." Alanna sniffed.
"Well Lady Tree you are getting a different view of the world, and you just have to say the word naginata. As boy you shouldn't end up talking about lady weapons from the Yamani Islands."
"Naginata?" As Kel spoke the word a blazing light was formed around her and the light died down for Kel to appear as herself.
"So is anyone going to tell me why Kel did that or why she needs to dress up like a boy?"
A bell later all three of them got to the part where Joselyn could help Kel's simulacrum. "Of course I'll help. I love this! You'll get to prove yourself to the whole kingdom, and then show that chauvinist Cavall that you should have been able to stay. It'll make more girls want to come after two lady knights. They were awfully discouraged when he kicked you out. I can't wait to tell Joren about this."
"What Joselyn are you not thinking clearly? Joren doesn't want me to succeed. He wants me to fail. I need you to cover for me. Tell Joren I'm here that way I don't just disappear. Make up stories if you have to."
"Okay, but I do wish you would trust him more."
"Maybe he'll give me a chance while I'm a boy, but he would never give me respect or kindness while I'm a girl."
"If you say so..."
"Oh yes and make sure that whenever someone comes to see me that, you should hide the simulacrum and tell them I'm visiting Mindelan or the palace."
"I will, I promise."
"You can keep my practice glaive, because I don't want to cause suspicion with me carrying around two lady weapons. I'm going to keep my blue tempered glaive. Keep practicing. When it comes time for "me" to go to balls I'll have to work something out, but we have five years before that."
"Kel," she turned around surprised to hear another voice. She had completely forgotten the adults were there.
"We have to leave tonight. I don't think the convent will appreciate me being here more than I have to be. They think I might try to kidnap a girl and make her become a knight." Alanna said ruefully.
"Tonight? Can you give me three bells to get ready?"
"Yes George and I will go to Jocelyn's room and smooth things out with her. Just remember to turn yourself into a boy or else you won't be able to get out of here."
Alanna, George, and Jocelyn left the room and Kel once again started packing up her things, but this time leaving all her lady and Yamani things, except the shimmering blue glaive. She put in her chest breeches, shirts, and weapons.
She set to work the tedious task of changing her formation. She tried red hair again, but found that black hair better suited her face. She had gotten the shade of black from thinking of Roald's hair.
She then started working on her nose, which she made be like Cleon's but smaller. She made the nose look like it become broken before. 'The lips,' she thought, "I'll dedicate to Joren. Now whenever I swear it will come from his mouth and not mine.'
She changed the green part of her eyes to the blazing emerald of Neal's eyes. Her eyes were now emerald with brown smudges in them. She smiled thinking of her friend and was excited that she would get to see him. She decided to add something all her own, so she decided to add a small scar across her left eyebrow, 'for character,' she thought.
She tried to give herself a more muscular and toned body but found that it wouldn't allow. 'Guess I got to get more muscle by myself, no magic can grow them for me.' She decided to leave her height the same, because she loved being tall. 'Plus I could use as much of an advantage as I can get.'
She tried in vain to flatten her breasts, but found after the third time of being thrown into the wall that she couldn't. So she put on her most restricting breastband she had and pulled on some breaches that matched her hair. She then slipped on a green shirt that was remarkably close to her new eye color. She grabbed her trunk and walked out of her torture room without another look back.
She strolled down the hall until she saw a group of young girls whispering and giggling. Kel had never liked court ladies' giggles it made her uncomfortable and nervous. It made her think they had a dirty little secret about you. At first Kel took no notice of it, but then she saw that they were pointing at her.
She wondered if she had done something wrong to her disguise when one of the girls stepped out of the group and asked, "Hello, what is a fine young man like you doing all by himself in a girl's corridor?"
'They're attracted to me,' Kel thought incredously. 'How can that be? I'm a girl.'
'Yes, but you are disguised as a boy remember.'
'I think I've hit an all time low when I'm arguing with myself.'
She realized the girl was waiting for an answer. "Lady...?"
"Lady Cleo of Tasride good sir." She said curtsying.
"Yes, Lady Cleo, could you direct me to Lady Jocelyn of Stone Mountain's room please. I am helping her get some things from her home."
"Right this way, you were heading the right way. Are you and Lady Jocelyn friends?" she asked timidly although I knew she was asking not only for herself, but the rest of her group.
"Alas we are not, but we are very good friends. I have nothing to do during the summer months, but work the fields and my mother gave me the week off to see friends."
"Well here we are." She said with sadness in her voice.
"Lady Cleo until we meet again." The lady lifted her hand and Kel had no other way to escape it. She begrudgingly took the lady's hand and touched it to her lips. Cleo left her to join her group of friends beaming widely.
'I don't want to ever have to do that again.' She thought as she knocked on the door. Jocelyn opened the door and said, "What may I do for you my lord?"
"Jocelyn it's me." Kel hissed.
"Okay sorry, it's just, it looks so real. But now that I'm closer I see slight bulges at your chest. And now that I'm even closer I see the scar you gave yourself. Nice touch." She said smiling.
"Yes I have to ask Alanna about my breasts." She said awkwardly. "Speak of the Goddess." Alanna had stepped into the room.
"Kel, I like your look, very charming, yet with a sharp edge."
"Alanna, what do I have to do with my breasts?"
"Well we'll have to bind them flat, so no one sees them. Would you like to try putting it on now?"
"Yes, I might as well get used to it if I'm going to wear the bindings for eight years."
"All right, I'll let you try and do it yourself, but if that doesn't work I'll have to do it for you." Kel went into the washroom and stripped her shirt and breastband off, and then she replaced it with the bindings. She gasped in shock of how much it hurt. 'Well at least they're small,' she thought dryly as she put her shirt back on and headed out of the privy.
"Very good. You'll get used to it after awhile. But a word of caution, they'll be extra tender during your monthlies. Well the only thing left to do would be to release your double." Right on cue George brought out a crate, and opened it to reveal a sleeping Kel.
"It looks so real." Jocelyn said in awe.
"I hope it does. I put enough magic into making it, for it to be almost human."
"Alanna what's my name going to be? When I met that girl in the hall I couldn't introduce myself since I didn't know what my name was."
"Well you will be of Trebond and we thought we would leave the name up to you."
"Okay, then I want my name to be...." Kel thought about it for awhile, "I will be Kile of Trebond."
"Well Kile say farewell to the lady we must be leaving for Trebond now."
"Yes m'lady." She said as she watched Alanna scoff. Kel ran to her friend's side and they hugged each knowing they would not see each other for several years if not more.
"Promise me you'll write, Kile."
"I will Jocelyn, I promise. "
"Be nice to my brother, I don't want letters complaining about him getting beat up by Kile of Trebond." She said smiling.
"Goodbye Lady Jocelyn." Kel said pulling away. She felt her eyes water, but she wouldn't allow herself to let them fall.
"Goodbye Page Kile. You will become a great knight some day."
With that Kel grabbed her chest of things and stepped out the door. When Kel was out the door she put on her Yamani mask remembering that boys didn't cry. She headed to the stables to her new life as Kile of Trebond.
Thanks again to those selective few that did review rolls eyes
Imperfectionist ;D- thank you so much for reviewing I love your reviews since they always tell your true feelings and i'm trying to get across in the next chpater why Burchard acted so ooc. My sis is already big-headed so i'll leave it for a stormy day to tell her. I was also planning on doing a letter from Joren to Nicole, because he would act more like his true self on paper i think since no one can see him. and the same goes to me i've ranted more than is healthy. thanks for reviewing gives a cookie
Gwennie- you have been so supportive of my story and so nice. i'm trying to type as fast as i can on the next chapter for you. I hope you get over yur cold. luv ya huggles
now ppl please review i only got two reviews, but technically one. Thats very depressing. I only write my stories to get them out of my head, but i still like to hear if people enjoy. So plz review...
Edited 7/1/09 (So Kel's fake name was revised to be Kile still pronounced as Kyle, I just figured it looked less modern, let me know if I missed any Nicoles or Kiles)