AN: Sorry it took me so long, but this chapter is longer. And just think, the more reviews I get the fast I write. Oh, and schools going to start soon, so updates will be fewer.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Peter grinned at his sister, "Let me down now please," she asked when they got close to the pages' mess hall. "I don't think I can get away right now."

Paul agreed and almost put her down before Peter snapped, "Don't, trust me. She can get away if you put her down."

Lanna pouted, "What if I promise I won't leave?"

Her twin laughed, "Yeah right. I'm not going to fall for that again. You like to trick people."

Lanna looked thoughtful before she smirked and nodded, "You're right about that, Brother. I do like to trick people."

"Don't let her down till we get into the hall," Peter told Paul.

Kaile opened the door to the mess hall when the small group got there. Lanna glared at her smirk when Paul continued to carry her. Kaile, Peter, and Paul walked into the hall with Lanna over the tall boy's shoulder. The two older pages were already there and glanced up from their lunches, one raised his eyebrow, silently asking why there was a girl over Paul's shoulders. Peter shook his head, replying just as quietly that he didn't need to know.

The three walked over to the line, Peter and Kaile each grabbed two trays, Peter's for him and Lanna, while Kaile's trays were for her and Paul. Peter filled his trays and carried them to the table the group had sat at during breakfast and Paul told Kaile what he wanted before the two of them went and sat next to Peter. Lanna was dumped, unceremoniously, next to Paul, across from Peter, and in front of her plate.

"I was going to have lunch in my room," she complained, the others just looked at each other and shrugged before going back to their food. Lanna poked at hers until Peter snapped at her to eat, she sighed then started eating what was given to her. "Just one more thing," Lanna looked up, "Where's Kash?"

Kaile looked around, confused, "He normally eats with us."

Paul shook his head, "His mom wanted him to spend the day with family, something about his dad and sister getting home from the north."

"The north? I thought that the war was over?" Peter asked.

"The war may be over but there are still things to do, hunt down Maggur's people, stuff like that. The only reason Kel and them are back is because the Third Company needs to recruit and they haven't been home in a year," Jake had finally showed up.

Lanna looked at where the boy was standing; he had told them that he was going to see family for lunch. "What are you doing here? I thought you were heading into the city."

Jake nodded, "We already ate. We don't get along that well, my parents think that we only need one knight in the family, and my oldest brother should be him." He paused, "besides, I'd rather talk with you."

Kaile nodded, she knew Jake rather well, they had been friends since they had met the first day of training last year.

"Peter! Lanna!" Kel yelled from across the practice courts, "It's time for tilting practice."

Lanna looked up (not that she had any choice, she was rather short), "You're still going to train us? Even though Lord haMinch said we could practice with the pages?"

Raoul looked confused, "Wouldn't you want us too? When normal training starts the pages have classes in the afternoon, they'll be in the palace, doing book learning."

Peter and Lanna looked at each other, horrified. "So in the afternoon we can train with you?" Peter asked.

Kel laughed, "Yes, for this year at least. Next year you'll have to join the pages."

Raoul added, "Besides in the summer months off haMinch doesn't hold practice in the afternoons."

Lanna nodded, "I noticed no one was out here, but I figured that it was because they only wanted to come to practice once a day."

Kel shook her head, "Go saddle up and grab your jousting saddles, today we're going to be moving onto harder targets."

Lanna and Peter glanced at each other and then ran to the stables.

The twins found their two mentors inside the tilting lanes, standing in front of a quintain that had a black dot that was a little smaller than a palm print inside the red circle that had been painted in it. Raoul explained what was happening, "You two can hit the quintain inside the red circle all the time now, so we're moving you up a level. You need to hit the black dot now."

Kel walked down to the end of the lane with the two nine-year olds while Raoul stayed near the dummy. Peter squinted at the dot, "I can barely see that dot! How are we supposed to hit it?"

"You can see that?" Kel asked, "I can't, practice is the only way. It'll be hard, and you'll want to quit but you will get it eventually."

Lanna nodded and moved into position, and Cinta charged at the dummy. The horse had learned, after weeks of practice, just how fast to go when Lanna was tilting. To be able to tell exactly where the twins had hit Raoul had covered the tip of their lances with chalk. Lanna leaned forward in the saddle, squinted her eyes and raised her lance to hit the wooden shield, and didn't get hit with the sandbag. When the chalk had settled and Cinta had turned back to the target Raoul went to check exactly where Lanna had hit the quintain.

"Half on the dot, half not," Raoul said, "you did better than Kel her first try."

Lanna nodded, a little upset that she hadn't hit it in the middle, and headed back to the starting line while Raoul reset the quintain for Peter. Peter didn't get hit with the sandbag either, but he also didn't hit the black dot in the center. The rest of practice went well for the twins, they tilted until they horses were covered in sweat, but they only hit the dot completely a couple of times each. Both twins were annoyed with themselves by the end, though Raoul and Kel said they were proud and did really well.

Because they weren't pages Peter and Lanna weren't allowed to eat dinner in the pages' mess. So they went to the Own and Rider mess hall. They sat next to Dom and Kel, who introduced them, for the first time, to Onua. She had been in Galla, getting more ponies for the new Riders. Daine showed up to talk with her old mentor and her new students. Neal and Daine had taken to teaching during dinner on the days that the other had the kids after dinner, it was a hospital wing night for the twins so Daine had showed up to remind the twins of the homework she had given them. The two answered the questions that Daine asked and got most correct. Lanna also asked a couple questions on the reading that she hadn't understood, Peter listening closely.

When dinner was done and the twins had given their dishes to the kitchen help they raced to the hospital wing.

"I won!" Peter yelled.

"You did not!" Lanna yelled back, "you cheated."

Peter stuck his tongue out at his sister, "No I didn't. You tripped on your own."

"You pushed me into the wall," Lanna disagreed. "I felt your hand shove my shoulder." They were still arguing about it when they entered the main room of the wing.

"It doesn't matter who won," Duke Baird said, "just that you're here and not hurt." The twins looked at each other and nodded, resigned to another night of healing the small cuts and bruises of the little princes and princesses.

However, that is not what happened. Five minutes into the siblings arriving at the hospital wing a blood covered mess was rushed in.

"Duke Baird!" yelled the person that had helped carry the injured person in.

Duke Baird and Neal rushed into the room, "Oh my Gods, what happened?" the duke asked.

The man shrugged, "We don't know. We found him like that at the bottom of the wall during a pass."

Neal was busy running his magic through the man, "We're going to need lots of power if we want to save him, and we want to, trust me." Neal looked at his father, "He's one of the Whisper Man's."

Baird nodded at Neal, "You stabilize him, and I'll get the twins." Both men knew that the only two with enough power to save the man were the untrained, untried nine year olds, who were currently making some healing salves for the soldiers to take up north when the passes melted. Neal didn't even glance up as Baird left the room. The men that had carried man to the wing left quietly, going to wait in hall.

The twins were rushed into the room by the duke. They ran to the side of the bed and waited for instructions from the two healers. "Each of you take one of our hands and give us energy," Duke Baird said, holding one hand out. Peter took his hand while Lanna took Neal's. The two older healers were suddenly overwhelmed with the Gift of the siblings.

Neal yelped, "Not too much! We can only take so much at one time."

Lanna looked sheepish and cut down the power she was feeding Neal, Peter doing the same.

Neal and Baird guided the flow of magic from the twins into the body before them; they healed bones, burned out infection, refilled his lungs, and restarted his heart when it stopped. The twins paid careful attention; the saw the magic run through bones, felt it healing as it rushed through the dying man's body. After of what seemed like days of healing, but was really an hour and a half the healers withdrew the magic from the man. Lanna and Peter nearly fainted when the extra Gift they had given the father and son rushed back into them. It was only a small amount of what they had in the first place, and that was the reason for them losing their balance. Neal and Baird picked up the crow-twins and placed them in beds next to the healing man's. Neal bandaged the few non-serious cuts on the Whisper man's spy and left the hospital wing, he had to tell Alanna and George what had happened. Baird covered the sleeping forms of Peter and Lanna with the light cotton sheets on the two hospital beds before returning to his study and sitting in his lounge chair.

The next morning Peter woke up before Lanna. He sat up and glanced around, "Hello? Is anyone there?"

Neal walked into the room with the twin's grandmother, "Good, you're awake." Neal started asking a ton of questions as he tested Peter's joints, checked his eye sight, before getting him a drink of water. Alanna stood to the side, switching between watching her grandson and checking on her granddaughter, before leaving the wing to get the twins food.

Five minutes after Peter woke up Lanna started to stir, and Neal repeated the same process with her, before Alanna walked in with a tray with two full plates and two glasses of milk. Both siblings eagerly took the food given to them and wolfed it down. "What happened?" Peter asked.

Duke Baird walked into the room, "We were healing a man that had fallen down the stairs, when we were down you had used so much of your Gift that you passed out."

"You're going to be a little weak for the next couple of days," Neal added, "but as long as you promise not to do too much work you can leave." Peter nodded and Lanna just looked away, already planning on things she could try to get away with. Neal looked sharply at the younger Alanna, "I grew up with Kel," he warned her, "Don't let me find you at the training courts today."

"Oh, you won't find me," Lanna said quietly enough where nobody heard her.

"Lanna!" Paul yelled when he saw her walk into the training courts after she had bathed and changed in her rooms. Kaile grinned and waved at her before turning back to haMinch. Paul, for his forgetfulness, got a staff to the head when the training master tossed it to him. Lanna smiled and caught the staff aimed at her when she was close enough and paired with an older page, while Jake paired off with Kaile and Paul with the other older page.

"Lanna you better not be here to practice," Kel had found her.

Lanna looked at up guiltily, "Of course not Kel." Lanna said while trying to hide the staff behind her back.

"Mhm," Kel replied, giving Lanna a scolding look. "Lord haMinch, if you would please take Lanna's spot. I have work for her to do."

"Keeeelll," Lanna whined, "I'm fine. Let me train."

Kel shook her head, "Hush, and follow me. Do you have your sword?" she asked quietly.

The girl looked down at her hip, "Yeah, I always do." Kel nodded, and motioned for Lanna to continue to follow.

"Neal will be there soon and you'll be in trouble. You should practice in your rooms," Kel said.

Lanna groaned, "I can't tilt in there."

Kel laughed lightly, "It'll be fine if you miss tilting today, and Raoul's gone anyway. But I noticed that you have a glaive, I want to see how well you are with it."

Lanna nodded, looking curious, "why?"

"Because I spent six years in the Yamani Islands and I miss having new sparing partners. Only Shinko, Yuki, the queen, Buri, and my mom regularly practice, and they're busy a lot. It'll be nice to teach someone. I've learned tricks with the glaive during my few years as a knight," Kel stopped, then added, "and I'm sure you can find them useful too."

Lanna nodded, ready to take any help she could if it could make her a better knight eventually. Kel had already been through page training, and though she wasn't half crow, she would have some good hints for Lanna to use when she finally did enter the page ranks.

The rest of the morning Kel gave Lanna tips about keeping up with the other pages, and told her to pass them on to her friend Kaile. Kel helped out with exercises, like push ups to strengthen her arms, using rubber balls to strengthen her hands, doing curl ups for her abs, and squats with weights to help her legs. Kel showed her some new things with the glaive, and some clue hand-to-hand combat moves that used a person's weight and momentum against them. By the time Neal had finally found them to make sure that Lanna wasn't overworking the two were rolling on the floor laughing as Kel told stories about when she was a page.

To which Neal quickly turned red and left.

Lanna fell asleep early that night; her grandmother had tucked her into bed when she had found the girl sleeping on her comfy chair with a book. Daine had been warned about what had happened the night before and was told not to expect the twins so Alanna didn't worry about it.

"No," Lanna said sleepily, "Don't eat the bunny rabbit Cinta."

Alanna smiled softly at her granddaughter's dreams before leaving the room.

A few days later Lanna was up, bright and early, jumping on Peter's bed. For the first time in a long time- if ever- the female twin was up before the male. She was dressed and ready to go down to breakfast with the pages one last time before everyone else showed up later that day. It was the last time that Lanna and Peter would be allowed to eat with the pages. After this it was a page only hall. The twins might have rooms in the page wing but they still had a year before they actually were pages, which Lanna protested loudly about before Peter had shut her up.

Peter sighed and pushed his sister off of his bed before, rolling over and trying to get back to sleep.

"Peter!" Lanna called, shaking his shoulder again, "wake up. Breakfast starts in five minutes."

"No it doesn't," Peter mumbled from under his blankets, "go away, Lanna, I'm sleeping."

The awake twin got up from the bed, "Fine, don't get up. You're going to be late for breakfast." She skipped to door, "but just so you know, the hall will open in," she paused, "About thirty minutes."

Peter's eyes flew open, "That's not possible."

Lanna laughed at her brother's face, "It is. Look at your candles." Peter had two sets of candles in his room; they both had small spark stones in them. One sent off sparks every hour, so when a bell rang a small spark was sent off from the candle. The other one had the stones set every half hour, with the same principle holding true. The candles lasted for three days before another had to be lit. Lanna had some in her room too. And the flame had just reached the little notch that marked where a stone was on the half hour candle. Lanna giggled and left her brother franticly trying to wash, brush his hair, and get dressed all at once.

Paul and Kaile were already in the mess hall when Lanna walked in. "Today's the day," Lanna said sadly as she sat down. "It's the last day we can sit together for breakfast." Kaile nodded sadly while Paul just looked at his food.

"You act like it's the end of the world, guys," Jake sat down, "we'll see each other during practice."

Lanna glanced at the tall page, "Yeah, but that will be the only times we see each other. We can't eat together, you have classes after lunch that I can't be at, and afterwards you'll have homework that'll get you in trouble if you don't get it done."

"Yeah," Paul added, "and they'll have their own classes with the healers and Daine and Numair."

Kaile had her own input, "Chill out guys, it's just for a year, then we'll all be together again."

Peter joined at that point, "True, but by next year you'll be third year pages, and we'll only be in our first year."

"But you'll have me," a soft voice added.

The group of four whirled to look at the new voice, "Kash!" Lanna yelled, getting up and hugging her friend. Kash chuckled and hugged her back. Kaile got the next hug while the boys each took a handshake. Lanna and Peter had only known Kash for two weeks before he had left for two weeks but Lanna and him had gotten rather close in that short time. The fact that Lanna and Peter had spent every other night with his mom and him didn't hurt.

"I was only gone for two weeks guys," Kash said after he sat down with Lanna on one side and Kaile on the other. Peter was across from Lanna next to Paul. Jake sat next to Kaile.

"But you didn't tell us you were leaving in the first place," Lanna complained. "You just left no good byes or no note."

Peter looked down at the food he had grabbed, "I'm not good with good byes, even if it's just for a little while."

"Well don't do it again," Kaile said, "It worried us when you didn't show up."

Kash nodded his head, resigned to the fact that the girls would worry no matter what.

When everyone was done eating the group headed out to the practice courts. Since haMinch wasn't there yet they started warming up. Lanna and Peter showed the others some warm ups and stretches that they had done in the Isles. The twins had been introducing a few new stretches a day for the past couple weeks, and the pages had taken to liking them.

"You all warmed up?" the training master had finally come.

"Yessir," the group of eight- the two older pages had joined them- chorused. HaMinch nodded, sent staffs around, and set the drills for them to work on.

Soon enough the other pages began to arrive, Lanna, Peter, and Kash moved out of the rooms they had used during the summer and back into their old ones, those rooms had to be used by the new pages this year. Lanna didn't like it but she didn't have much of a choice.

"Please Your Majesty?" Lanna asked, well begged, not that she would admit it the king. The queen sat at the window, smiling because she knew that Jon would give into the young girl's request. Lanna may not know it, but in the couple months she had lived at the castle she had gotten a lot of people wrapped around her little finger.

The king groaned, "Fine," Lanna squealed.

Lanna ran around the desk and hugged the old man, "Thank you so much!" And then she ran out of the room.

"What have I done?" Jon asked himself as he dropped his head onto his hands.

Thayet giggled, "You just made a young girl very happy." Jon had allowed Lanna, Peter, and Kash to set up a few rooms for them. There was a small part of the palace that had a sitting area type thing with three rooms connected to it. Jon had just agreed to let the three nine year olds have it.

Lanna ran to the Own and Rider mess hall where Peter and Kash were eating. She skipped into the room and plopped herself next to Kash across from her brother. "He said yes!" she squealed, bouncing on her seat.

Peter and Kash looked at each other before Kash put a hand on Lanna's shoulder, "He did? Wow, did not expect that."

Lanna grinned, "Well of course you didn't."

After lunch Kel and Raoul gave the three- Kash was to join them in training when he was around- the day off, so they used it to move into their new rooms.

The sitting room had a few sofas, chairs, and a table. One wall was a window with glass doors. The doors opened out to an outdoor sitting area with a pond and small waterfall. There were three identical rooms that led off of the main room. They each had a king size bed, desk, weapon rack, and book shelf. Each bedroom had its own bathroom and closet. Lanna's was blue, Peter's green, and Kash's earth tones. The three were thrilled that they had their own little wing in the large palace.

When they were all set up it was almost time for dinner. Lanna led the way through the palace to the mess hall that they were going to be eating at for the year. They quickly got food and sat down at a table that no one else was at.

"I can't believe haMinch," Lanna complained to the two boys.

Peter shook his head, "Get over it Lanna. We can't do anything about it."

Lanna scowled at her brother, "We can, we'll work as hard as any page and we'll do so well that haMinch won't believe it." Kash chuckled quietly at the two siblings, keeping out of their argument.

When they finished eating dinner the three picked up their trays and handed them to the kitchen staff and headed out to Daine's and Numair's rooms. When Lanna, Peter, and Kash got to Kash's parents' rooms they walked in and stood at the door. "Mom," Kash called, "we're here."

Daine came out from her bedroom, "Good. Today we're going into the Royal Forest."

Lanna grinned and the boys groaned. Daine smirked.

"Now, today we're going to start shape shifting," Daine said and the three nine year olds grinned. "You're old enough now, and you've mastered your Wild Magic fairly well." Daine hadn't let Kash shape shift before, and the twins hadn't known if they could shift into anything besides their crow forms. If they could, however, they didn't know how, so the twins would need Daine's help with unlocking their full potential of the Magic. "This isn't how I learned, but Sarra learned better how I'm showing you now. I'll explain what we're doing as we do it," they sat in a circle.

Daine turned to Kash, "Close your eyes, and start meditating." Kash did as he was told, and the twins did the same. Once the four had called up their magic Daine spoke again, "Find your core, the very center of your Wild Magic," the three turned in. "See the ball of magic there? It'll be earth colors, browns and grays." Daine looked at the siblings and Kash, "Go into it."

Lanna entered the ball of, what looked like, brown fire. When she reached the center she looked out, and saw the world in its purest form. Strings of color ran through everything, but the strings were moving, like a flowing stream. And they were all connected, the grass green turning into the brown of the roots of a tree, the pink in the flowers turning into the dark green of the stems. "It's beautiful," Lanna said softly, though she didn't know if she said with her mouth or with her mind.

"Good," Daine continued, "now, I want you to think of a mammal. Think of how they look, how they move, how they feel, how they act."

Kash thought of a wolf, the one he pictured was brown, the same brown as his hair. Because of how young Kash was, in human years, the animal in his mind was still small, maybe two feet tall from feet to top of the head. He saw the wolf run, his front legs extending and hind legs being propelled out behind it. Kash watched the muscles of the animal as he ran around. He was fascinated by the entire thing.

Peter pictured a dog, a sheppard to be precise. The dog was, again, small because of his age. It was black and brown, mixed together. The dog was sitting, watching something. Its head turning, Peter watched how its fur moved in the gentle breeze. The dog's tongue was hanging out, panting in the summer heat and its ears twitched as it listened to the sounds around.

A horse was Lanna's pick. It was solid black with a white star on its forehead that was partially covered by its mane. It stood stock still, its mane and tail still a little fuzzy and not quite grown out. Then the horse reared, and Lanna watched its muscles ripped underneath its hide. It came down from its rear and started running, legs reaching forward and backward. Lanna watched in awe of what looked to be a year old filly.

"Now," Daine began again, "Imagine that you are what you picked."

Kash thought of his limbs changing, losing his thumbs, and growing fur. He thought of his nails growing and curving down. He thought of his head lengthening and a snout appearing. He thought of his spine adding more vertebrae, a tail. And he thought of his bones changing, becoming the skeleton of a wolf. Peter did mostly the same thing. While Lanna thought of becoming her horse, the slight differences being hooves, hair, =a different type of tail, and, of course, the height, and skeleton.

Daine took up speaking once again, "Leave your magic, and come back. Open your eyes."

Peter opened his eyes first, he was sitting, but he couldn't see colors anymore. His eye's had changed to those of a dog's. His face had elongated, and so had his teeth but wasn't completely canine. His whole body was like that, semi-human, semi-dog. Kash was more wolf than human, but he hadn't made the full change either. And Lanna was mostly human, her ears were pointed and her fingers had fused together, but she was definitely human. She scowled when she looked at herself, realizing that she hadn't changed. Kash looked at himself, and laughed.

"I look ridicules," he managed to get out between his laughter. Lanna smiled at him. Peter was inspecting himself.

Daine laughed, "You all did rather well." Lanna looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "You did, Sarra didn't even manage what you did."

"Okay, if you say so, Daine," Lanna rolled her eyes, "Now how do we change back?"

"Exactly how you got the way you are," Daine explained, "Imagine yourself as a human."

Five minutes late three fully human nine year olds sat on the ground. "Well that was fun," Peter said. Kash and Lanna laughed and the four stood up and left the clearing.

When they got back to the palace Daine sent them to their rooms with instructions to go straight to bed.

The four headed to their little wing. When they got there they collapsed onto the couches, all sprawled out. Peter moaned, the shape shifting had kind of hurt, even if it wasn't a full transformation. Lanna grinned at him, she didn't have that problem. The older sibling glared at his younger one. "Don't say a thing Lanna," Peter said.

"Wasn't going to," the girl replied, "but I can not wait until tomorrow." Peter and Kash groaned at that, tomorrow was the first day of page training, and the three nine year olds would be joining the older pages.

"Don't bring that up, Lanna. I'm trying to forget," Kash said.

Lanna got up from the couch, "Well forget while you sleep. It's time for bed, boys." Peter and Kash also stood up and said their good-nights before heading to their rooms for the night.

Lanna woke up to the sun shining in her window. She grinned when she remembered that page training started today. If there was one thing to say about the girl it was that she loved to prove people wrong. And she planned to prove haMinch wrong. Lanna lifted the blankets off of herself and got up. She went into her closet and changed into her training clothes for the day; a black pair of breeches, a tight black shirt with a loose blue shirt over. She brushed her hair back into a tight braid, but left the strap of leather with spikes on it out of it. The girl also brushed her teeth, and washed her face. When she left her room she put on her softest pair of leather shoes.

Peter and Kash were wearing the same thing when they exited their rooms, except Peter's over shirt was green and Kash's was red. The three walked to the Own and Rider mess hall, where they had decided to eat instead of the noble's dining room.

"Hello," Kel said when the trio sat down next to her and Dom.

Lanna grinned at the straight-faced knight, "Good morning Kel. How have you been?"

Dom answered, "Good, though we are leaving soon. It's time the Third Company got back on the road. We've been cooped up too long."

"So you won't be able to train us in the afternoons anymore?" Peter asked.

Kel shook her head, "Unfortunately, but Raoul and I will give you things too work on. And Lord Wyldon is here for awhile; his oldest granddaughter is being introduced to court. He has agreed to teach you while he is here. He'll be at training today for both the pages and for our afternoon lessons," she paused. "Speaking of which, you're going to be late if you don't hurry." Kash and Peter started scarfing down food but Lanna ate at a much slower pace. When they had all finished, Kash and Peter bouncing in their seats for Lanna, they dumped their trays and nearly ran out of the hall to the page training courts.

The three ran up the group standing just outside the fence, listening to the beginning of the year lecture from haMinch about safety and how important it was to train everyday and to put forth all of their effort. He glared at the three before stating that it was very important to be on time everyday. Lanna glared back while Peter and Kash tried to look properly ashamed that they were late. Paul, Jake, and Kaile smirked at the three and Lanna stuck out her tongue at them. Lanna, Peter, and Kash stayed at the back of the group while the training master continued to speak, then he had a fourth year lead them through stretching exercises while haMinch handed out staffs to the first year pages, the older pages had brought theirs with them after breakfast, the fourth years had swords strapped to their hips. And the third and fourth years had lances in with their saddles in the stable. Peter and Lanna also had swords, but they had also hidden daggers and throwing stars all over their bodies.

After the group had warmed up the training master told the older students to pair up and begin the drills they had learned last year while he took the first years. The twins stayed put, along with Kash. "What are you three doing?" haMinch asked in an annoyed voice. "Pair up, you know the drills." The three nodded and headed over to the older pages. Lanna paired with Kash while Peter paired with Paul and Kaile with Jake. After about an hour haMinch sent the first years to go begin hand-to-hand training with the older Shang Wildcat and younger Shang Panther.

The Shang Horse grinned at the group of pages, "Today we're going to see who kept up their training over the holidays." Some of the pages looked nervous, while others, like Peter, Lanna, Kash, Kaile, Paul, and Jake grinned. Grins they soon lost, while everyone except Peter and Lanna lost. "You're each going to have mock duals, with me." He smirked at the groans made by some of the group, "everyone take off your swords." Lanna had to turn her face away to keep from smiling as she unstrapped her sword from her waist. Peter didn't even blink, Lanna could keep her head on a mission, but give her something easy like hiding her daggers from her teacher and she would blow it. Peter glared at his little sister while he unbuckled his sword from his waist.

Nodding, the big Shang called each page up, there were only about five or six people in each year, not even thirty teens total. When all the pages were done, he looked to Kash, and beckoned him forward; Kash had trained with the pages last year when he was at the palace. Kash grinned and stepped forward, using his quick reflexes to dodge the Horse's first attack. This mock fight lasted longer than the others, Kash using his superior speed to dodge the blows made by the bigger man, getting his own quick hits in. After ten minutes, however, the Horse's experience won out. Peter was next, his fight lasted just as long, and he didn't resort to using his knives. Lanna on the other hand, well her turn was more exciting, but she didn't pull her daggers either, the twins had decided that they wanted as many surprises as possible when they started training for real. Besides, knights who used daggers and throwing stars were looked down upon as many thought that those weapons were for thieves.

The Shang didn't hold back on her, seeing as he had been taught by and with women. Lanna lasted longer than her brother and Kash. At first she simply dodged the attacks, but she did so with her hands behind her back, not moving till the last second, and barely moving when she did. Looking bored, Lanna finally attacked, she struck, in quick succession, four times over the Shang's heart. The man stumbled back, looking winded. (If you do what Lanna just did makes a person's heart skip a beat, well to some people, it doesn't work on me. It also knocks the wind out of people and hurts…a lot.) Lanna followed that with a quick, forceful kick to the side of knee. She knew that if she got to close to the Horse he would take her down so she didn't hook his ankles to trip him. Instead she slipped behind him and pushed a few pressure points in his back and neck that made he's arms and legs seize up so he couldn't move. She placed one hand on the man's throat, "Give up?" Lanna whispered.

The Shang Horse nodded as much as possible, "I yield," he said hoarsely. Slowly clapping began and spread through the ranks of pages, all looking at Lanna with new respect. Lanna nodded, and her hands glowed sapphire blue. She placed them on the Horse's back and let her Gift sooth the stiff muscles so that the man could get up and walk again. "Where did you learn that?" he asked the girl.

Lanna shrugged, "Here and there," she said vaguely. "I've had many teachers over the years, not all of them, shall we say, honest." Peter shook his head, that was about as much information that he had managed to get out of his sister when she first did that in front of him. Peter knew that Lanna was protecting someone. She would disappear for hours at a time and refuse to answer questions about where she had been. It had driven Peter and Nawat nuts, but Aly didn't worry and soon the two had gotten over it.

The Horse looked ready to question more, but the Shang Wildcat interrupted him, "Don't bother. She won't reveal anything. She doesn't have clearance." The old woman then turned to the first year pages, "Get back to work!" and added to Lanna in a whisper, "We must talk, I'll find you after lunch." Lanna nodded.

Soon the group moved to the archery fields. The twins pulled bags from their backs and removed a tube from them. Peter pulled a Tortallan bow from his tube, and Lanna removed the same. The twins easily strung their bows and stepped up to a station; where haMinch came through and placed twelve practice arrows in the metal hoop stuck in the ground.

"First years come over here," haMinch called. "The rest of you, when you hit the center twelve times in a row you may go."

One of the second years spoke up, "But sir, what about riding?"

The Training Master looked over at him, "Most of you just arrived, and your horses will use today and tomorrow to recover. After the two days we will start riding everyday." The pages nodded and turned to the targets.

Lanna was the first done, but Peter followed close behind her. They didn't leave though, instead they retrieved their arrows. Peter returned the arrows to haMinch and the two sat down. They waited as more and more pages finished, mostly oldest to youngest. Kash finished about ten minutes after the twins, and after he handed in his arrows the trio made their way back to the palace.

"Where did you learn that thing you did to the Horse?" Kash asked.

Lanna sighed, "I can't tell you. It's not that I don't want to, trust me I do, but I don't have the clearance to tell you everything, or anything for that matter." Lanna looked at the floor as she walked, "I'm sorry, but it's not my secret to tell."

Peter nodded, "That's more than I got out of you before, I'm still not happy you can't tell me. But I can deal with it." Lanna smiled at her brother.

"Alright Lanna," Kash added, "If it's not your secret to tell I can understand that."

"Thank you," she said softly.

When the three got to their rooms they separated, getting into the baths that were set up by the palace servants assigned to take care of them, until they hired their own of course. Peter, quick and efficient as always, was the first out of the water. He pounded on the door to Lanna's rooms, "Get out of the tub! We still have to eat and we have more training after that. Soak in the tub later."

Lanna groaned, "I'm getting out, hold your horses." A few minutes later Peter, Lanna, and Kash were on their way to the mess hall, Lanna gently poking bruises on her companions' arms. Peter finally had enough, "Either heal them or leave them, don't just poke!"

Lanna grinned, "But it's so fun." At Peter's glare she quickly pulled a jar from the pouch at her hip. She dipped two fingers into it and rubbed the bruise balm into Peter's arms before doing the same to Kash, who smiled gratefully at her. By the time she finished the three were standing in front of the mess hall.

The trio headed into the room and grabbed food. They sat down at their normal table and started eating. The boys dived head first into their food, but Lanna ate a more normal pace.

"You are not barbarians," Diane said as she walked up to the table, "do not eat like it."

Kash grinned at his mother, "but it's so much more fun."

Daine rolled her eyes, "Why couldn't I have two daughters? Why was did I have to have a boy?"

Kash and Peter laughed, but did slow their chewing. Lanna grinned, and pushed her tray away, "I have to get going."

Peter glanced at his sister, "What for? We just got here."

"I have places to be, people to see," Lanna said slyly with a sideways look to her brother.

"Ugh! Can't you just give a guy a straight answer?" Peter complained.

Lanna smirked, "Not in this case, sorry Big Brother." She stood up and gave her tray to the kitchen staff before she walked out. Peter groaned but turned back to his food.

The Shang Wildcat found Lanna running through combat drills with any weapon she had on her. The Wildcat sat back and watched the girl. She started with her sword and ran through the most complex drills she could with that before moving onto daggers and then throwing stars. Finally she started on hand-to-hand drills. Starting slowly and exaggerating each movement the nine year old ran through everything she knew before speeding up to the fastest pace she could manage. That was when the Shang made herself known.

"That was very good, Young One," she said. "You're fast."

Lanna lowered her head, "Thank you. How long were you watching?"

The Wildcat smiled, "Long enough to know."

"Know what?" Lanna asked.

"That you are indeed part of the Society of Roses."

AN: Well that's kind of a cliffhanger. Sorry. Reviews make me happy!