A/N: I've added Qatar, Bermuda, and South Africa to my list of visitors from around the globe! God I love it. I'm just waiting on someone from Finland to pop up. –waves her flag-
Is there a glitch going around? I'm getting reviews and they're not showing up on the review page, I don't mind too much as long as I get to read them and respond, but I had a review send me one, and not even the short cut link work to it because it told me, "It doesn't exist yet so you can't respond to it." And that bothered me. ._.
WE'VE HIT 50 REVIEWS! As a celebration you guys get a chapter early!
Chapter 8: Gratitude
Kel and Neal glanced at each other before stifling a laugh. It was finally the end of the probation on study groups, and they had just been informed that some diplomats and their families would be dropping by the castle. Not that it had anything to do with the pages, but it had much to do with Roald. As the prince, he would be required to attend. He had just told them, while waiting for the others to arrive, that he would be required to attend the meetings as well as entertain the daughter of one of the diplomats, something he was not looking forward to. He smiled wryly at them, "I'm glad to see you're enjoying yourself at my expense."
Kel hushed and gave him a half-smile, "Sorry Roald."
Roald shook his head, he hadn't intended for her to actually feel bad about it, but joking around came hard for him with most people, well, other than Faleron and Neal, who was still laughing.
"Did the king tell you to play nice?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.
If Kel hadn't been in the room he might've thrown something at him. He made a face and leaned back in the chair he was occupying. "He should have known I would have done it without his commanding me, after all, in many cases a part of arranging a successful deal is sealed by the family or friends around the diplomat in question. I play that part," he explained. 'Even if I don't want to.'
It felt wrong to him, to seem like he was maybe flirting with another women, when he was already engaged to someone, ignoring the fact that he had never even met the young lady and knew nothing about her other than her name. It was a lovely position, being prince, all the riches in the world, and domination over people, and yet no say so in his own life. "It's a lot of fuss, but it's an important job."
Kel smiled reassuringly at him, a nobles life was filled with enough etiquette and rules but a princes, even if he was a male and had it easier than his sisters would, had a much more secluded life style. "You know, no one would think less of you if you voiced yourself sometime," she tentatively suggested, unsure if this might be a sore subject for him.
"But that wouldn't be what proper princes do," Roald replied with grim humor.
"It's good you behave properly. See. If Neal were any worse he'd be behaving like a commoner," Merric said from the doorway, Cleon, Esmond, and Seaver, chuckling.
"And what's so bad about being a commoner?" Kel asked with a frown, unusually opinionated. But, she had just told Roald that he shouldn't close himself off to other people, she couldn't give a bad example to him after her 'preaching'.
Merric seated himself at the foot of Neal's bed again and shrugged, "They're dirty, uneducated, most of them steal, a lower level people."
Kel almost glared at him, but kept her face Yamani smooth. She knew she would regret the words she would utter later, and quickly considered whether or not she should walk away after saying it or stay. "You know, Mindelan became a barony only two generations back. When it comes down to my roots, I'm common born. Is that how you think of me?" she asked calmly, not putting emphasis on any of the words in her sentence.
There was a small hush in the room, even Faleron who had just walked in with Owen were silent, staring at her. It was true, most of their families were old book nobilities. You were made noble by the king if he felt the family worthy enough. Perhaps they had done a great deed, sacrificed a large amount for their kingdom, or in many cases, donated large sums of money. Heroics is how even long ago a common man could be allowed to attempt to claim his knighthood.
Kel didn't mention that most of them probably had some commoner in their family. Instead, she stood and gathered her books, dodging around her friends as she left the room, walking towards her own. For some reason, she suddenly felt like studying with the quiet Lalasa, even if he mousiness and skittishness annoyed her. After all, she was a friendly girl, and that her maid could not talk to her and be around her comfortably and happily bothered her. But now, even that quiet awkwardness would feel better than the damage she had left behind her in the other room.
The boys watched Kel walk out the door, unsure of what to say or think. Most of them didn't spend hours contemplating the position of nobles, how they achieved it, just that they were, and it was their birth right to be 'above' society, better regardless of the type of men they were, or women. "She's right," Roald said at last, breaking the silence in the air.
"I never realized," Merric said. For the most part he had little to do with commoners other than what he heard from others, growing up other than the maids he had stayed 'close to home'. He had never even thought about the possibility that new nobilities could be created like that. "My head hurts, I don't want to think about it," he said finally, pulling out his math work and then realizing with a curse that Kel had left.
Neal patted him on the back, the air in the room relaxing, "You've doomed yourself, now live with it."
They studied in a library like quiet, filing out of the room one by one as they finished the work they had finished. Roald was the last to leave before Merric, who was waiting for everyone else to go. He fiddled nervously with his bright red hair, twirling it around his finger. He stopped at the doorway, looking both ways and turned around to face Neal who raised a curved eyebrow in question. He stammered for a second.
"You don't think she's mad at me, do you?" he finally got out, looking down at the floor, and anywhere else that wasn't Neal.
Neal's heart went out to his younger friend. He wasn't heartless, and he knew that even to him Kel's friendship was a corner stone of strength. He laughed and stood up, patting Merric on the shoulder with a comforting hand. "She cares about commoners, and just wanted to make a point, she probably won't even remember it by the end of today," he said reassuringly.
He knew Kel well enough to know that while she didn't agree with the treatment her peers gave others around them, she knew well enough not to hold it against them. It was a common belief, to them, a 'right' belief, and she couldn't change that, it is how they were raised. In addition to that, it wasn't as if her friends were going out of their way to make the lives of commoners miserable. She just felt like bringing something of interest up for her friends to chew over. Kel wasn't immature enough to behave any less of a friend towards Merric because of his comment.
"Trust me, now off, I need to get ready for bed," he told his red-headed friend, pushing him out the door and shutting it.
From behind the closed door he heard a muffled, "Thanks Neal."
Roald walked lazily, too busy thinking so he didn't notice Faleron standing behind a corner, running into him. He blinked confused for a moment before realizing he had run into someone.
"Steady," Faleron said with a concerned look, he quickly hid it with a smile. "Come with me."
Not having anything better to do he followed, forgetting completely that they were to start heading to their rooms, and you weren't allowed out in the halls after a certain amount of time. He followed his friend blindly before realizing that they were going outside. He tried to protest but Faleron silenced him.
"Excuse me, you're not allowed to be going out," a guard said, stepping in front of them.
Before Roald could say anything Faleron responded, "The prince needs some fresh air."
Roald stared at his friend confused, just what was he doing? He was about to tell him that this wasn't fair, it shouldn't matter if it was him, but the guard took a look at him, nodded, and then let them pass, Faleron pushing the reluctant and slightly aggravated prince ahead of him. Once they had gotten past the ear shot of the guard he glared at him.
" 'The prince needs some fresh air?' We're out after hours, it doesn't get more special privileged than this," he said, wondering why his friend would ignore one of the things he hated to do the most.
Instead of answering Faleron smiled and tugged him forward. They had reached the training grounds, Roald quietly glaring at him. His quiet friend walked to the shed, opened the tiny lock on it with ease and walked in, grabbing two staffs out of it and tossing one to Roald, who caught it easily, his body reacting before his mind did.
"You block first, start low," he said as he stood to face him, the prince didn't have time to argue as Faleron lifted his own, hitting down forcing the prince to block.
Every time Roald tried to open his mouth for an argument Faleron sped the pace up a little, so that he would have to concentrate on defending himself instead of talking. After a few attempts at talking he finally gave up, relaxing as they took a comfortable rhythm, his mind going blank as his body answered each of his friend's blows automatically.
"Feeling better?" Faleron asked out of nowhere, after suggesting they switch.
Roald looked confused for a second as he swung his own staff to hit his. "Oh." He said realizing what he was referring to, his mind having gone blank. He smiled despite his want not to, and shook his head.
"You've spent a week brooding, and yes, we," he meant Neal and himself, "can tell."
Faleron and Neal had talked after the day building the stables. Neal's method wasn't working, he was the one that usually had the talks, he had a better way with words than Faleron did, even if the difference wasn't much, he also had the age working in his favor. Although the prince had tried his best to not let the subject bother him, hiding it from those he felt might notice, he had failed. His friends watched him when he was on his own, after being separated from anyone to talk to. They hadn't liked the frown and the troubled expression that covered his features.
"Well…" the prince responded, trying to think of anything he could say that might indicate otherwise. He thought of nothing.
Instead of trying to keep him talking, Faleron smiled and sped up their pace again, switching to offense so that he could control it better, switching up where he hit so that the prince didn't have the chance to brood. By the time they had finished, the sun had gone down, and the air was getting chilly, fall was on its way. Faleron took their staffs and placed them back in the shed, locking it and walking back towards the castle, thanking the guards as they passed. They walked in quiet, until they reached the point where they would separate to go to their rooms.
"Thank you."
Faleron punched his friend lightly in the shoulder. "You're not just you anymore, Roald. You've got us, and new friends. We won't care if you loose that mask of yours every now and then. As much as you and Kel love your facades and your masks, we like to know what you're thinking."
Roald watched Faleron walk away, wondering what he had done to earn himself such good friends, even if he couldn't think of a reason he shouldn't. Instead, he shook his head, smiled, and went to his room.
Merric lay awake in his own room, eyes fixed to the ceiling. He rubbed his arm absent mindedly and popped his shoulders. He had a lot to think about, well, not necessarily a lot, but heavy topics to him nonetheless. He liked Kel, but wasn't sure what to make of her view on commoners, and her mention of her own status. It bothered him to think that he had, in his opinion, insulted a friend of his, and worried that because they had gotten off on the wrong foot to begin with she might hold it against him. He was hot tempered and raised like most nobles. Merric closed his eyes and groaned, unless he settled the issue he was not going to get any sleep tonight.
Despite Neal's reassurances he climbed out of his bed, and quietly opened his door, sliding a piece of cloth in the door to wedge it to keep it from closing so that it wouldn't make any noise when he returned. He glanced around to make sure no one was walking the halls and snuck out, making his way to Kel's room. Once he had found it, he paused, unsure of whether or not he might be waking her, though, judging by the light coming from underneath her door she was still up. He knocked on the door his heart racing, he didn't like apologizing.
Kel heard it and opened it, her face open with confusion. She tilted her head, her face blank as she saw Merric. A small silence passed between them before he asked her, "Are you mad at me?" His head never lifted from staring at the ground at his feet, fidgeting a little but trying not to show it.
Kel laughed, relief spreading through him, "No. I'm not, I let my own temper get the best of me. You've done nothing wrong."
Merric smiled and lifted his head. "I know I didn't," he replied, trying to regain some sort of composure, he was already embarrassed enough, "I just wanted to see if you were okay."
Kel hid a smile, appreciating greatly that he had been concerned but knowing that she should let the subject drop, her friend had a man's pride, even if he had a boy's body. "I think I hear a night watch coming," she said instead, giving Merric an escape route to take, which he did gladly.
She closed her door and returned to her desk, Lalasa meekly asking who it was.
"A friend."
A/N: Okay, I know I'm going to get some comments about the conversation here so let me explain my reasoning behind it. Most nobles think that commoners are really less than nothing, and while I doubt Merric would change his entire theology because of a comment, he appeared much kinder than other nobles towards commoners by Lady Knight, and I doubt he would have come to that conclusion by himself.
Although we've had lots more coverage on Merric than some of the other smaller characters, I had a hard time trying to decipher how he might react to certain things. Although he's got a temper and then some, I think he has a soft core, worried about other people, especially his friends, opinion of him and their standing with them, specifically Kel's. I got that mainly from that one scene in Lady Knight, after the refugees got taken and he said, "Sorry for failing you," or something along those lines. Even tho' Wyldon and Neal responded, I'm pretty sure the comment was directed directly at her so. Yeah.
