(AN: So I wrote this last night and then went onto FanFiction totally meaning to update this story. First I answered a few reviews, PMs and then logged off without updating, just totally feeling accomplished at writing chapter 8. I realized this as soon right before I fell asleep at like 1 am )

So my computer crashed a while back in October and I lost ALL of my work, including plotlines, outlines, and other chapters, you know, basically the whole damn story. I'm being smart now and backing it up on a USB stick :D

Evan hopped up and down on his good leg, cursing the small blue dragon who had curled affectionately around Selene's feet.

"Damn beast!" he muttered. Kitten looked up at Evan and gave him a reproachful look. Daine was giggling oddly while George and Raoul were trying to hold in their laughter.

"I think Kitten has really taken a liking to you, Selene" Daine came over and scooped up Kitten.

"Sorry Evan I think, you should go back to the infirmary now," George managed to sputter.

"If I'm not mistaken, shouldn't you be at the training grounds right now?" asked Daine, stroking Kitten.

Selene wanted to pound her head against a wall. She had wasted so much time she was defiantly late already. The thought of more chores after her normal day of classes was not a pleasing thought.

"If I run now, I might not get punished too harshly," Selene said hurriedly.

"Wait I'll take you," Raoul had now composed himself. George was still a hopeless laughing mess. "If I come with you I'll see to it you get off lightly." Selene breathed a sigh of relief.

"But what about your class with me?" Evan inquired with a small pout. A silence followed.

"I just came from your class," Selene said slowly. "I ran into those bullies after we were finished."

"OH right," A look of enlightenment appeared on Evan's face while Raoul and George traded a look that clearly showed what they thought of this strange, blonde man. Raoul took Selene by the elbow and walked down the corridor, leaving behind a confused Evan and George saying "Well now, let's take this bloke to the infirmary shall we?" to Daine.

"You're awfully intent on me going to the infirmary aren't you?" Evan's voice carried down the hallway.

Selene hurried along, trying to keep pace with Raoul's large strides. Not for the first time, and probably not the last time, Selene wished she was bigger. At four foot nine inches she was painfully aware of how short she was compared to other boys. They hurried along through bright hallways, sunlight playing along the tiles of the floor and glittering on any golden or shiny surface they passed, which was quite often. Selene's silver wristbands glinted in the beautiful daylight every time they passed a window and the silver hair streaking through Raoul's hair was extremely noticeable. After a while, Selene wondered how much further the training grounds were, and was awed at how big the castle was.

Too damn big, she thought. Thank the gods Sir Raoul is here or I'd be a wandering, lost mess right now. Selene also wondered how Robyn and Leo were doing in training practice. She grinned a mischievous smile. Robyn is probably groaning and bossing people around and Leo is off crying in a corner somewhere. She then dismissed the thought. They were her only friends here and it wouldn't do well to talk badly of them.

At the same time, Raoul looked down to see Selene grinning, and couldn't help himself wondering as to what was so funny at this moment. He let out a small sigh, unnoticed by the tiny black-haired girl and kept up a brisk pace to the training grounds. If she made it through the first week, let alone through the first year, it would be a miracle. Something sparkled in the corner of his eye and Raoul looked down, catching sight of Selene's wristbands. The mystery deepens, he thought. Raoul made a mental note to talk to Numair and the king later about Selene. They walked through a small patch of colored light, and Selene looked up to a large window of stained glass. It depicted the Great Mother Goddess holding the Dominion Jewel in front of her and banished foes laying on a bright red battlefield, obviously slain by the Goddess and her terrible power. Selene had a few moments to take in the brilliant sight before they turned the corner and walked through a doorway into the warm, late summer air.


"You will not stop until I tell you that you may stop, Trebond!" Lord Padraig HaMinch practically screamed into Leo's face. The afternoon sun was beating down on the boys in the training yard and after a while, all the boys were sweating profusely and ready to drop. They faced another four grueling hours before they were dismissed and then had to run to dinner. Leo's bright red cheeks were a horrendous contrast to his brilliant copper colored hair. His bangs repeatedly dropped into his eyes and beads of sweat ran down the strands of hair to his eyes and all over his face. He was so tired already and it was hideously hot. And now HaMinch was screaming is his face. He wished desperately Selene was here with her smart remarks. At least it would provide brief if not comic relief.

HaMinch had first made them run laps, do push-ups, sit-ups and other small physical exercises. He believed, as he had yelled to the first year pages that they had neither the strength nor endurance to practice any of the "knightly" training and wouldn't let them touch, never mind practice, with any of the equipment.

"Yes sir," Leo answered. Right now, they were doing ladder runs. Start out at a white line, run ten yards, run back to the line. Then run twenty yards and run back to the white line and so on until they reached sixty yards. After reaching sixty yards and running back, they ran fifty yards, then forty and so on and so forth. That was only one cycle and Kilkenneth wouldn't let any of them rest until they had done at least six cycles and threatened to make them run more if they faltered.

HaMinch looked down on Leo, rubbed his beard and shouted "First years, thank your red-haired friend here. You'll be doing another two ladder runs after you finished the first six. Don't stop or I'll keep adding them. That is all." He turned and went back to standing against the wooden fence. Leo groaned and finished the fifty yard run of this third cycle. He ran back to the white line and started running for the sixty yard line. He caught up with a blond first year, a boy whose name he didn't know.

"I'm so sorry," Leo apologized shamefully to the boy. He felt that he should apologize to someone.

"No worries mate," the blonde boy grinned. "It was bound to happen and soon other boys will be dropping. That was the whole point of this exercise," he huffed. "Old HaMinch knew someone wound falter somewhere before the sixth ladder. Just have to take it all in stride." Leo was amazed by the boy's easy going nature and took an immediate liking to him.

"Less talking and more running," barked out Lord HaMinch. Leo resolved to ask the blonde boy's name later. Robyn himself was faring better then Leo and was running with another first year page, some boy Timmy or Thomas. Robyn couldn't make out his name as HaMinch had screamed to them earlier about their apparent laziness and noble soft asses unused to hard work. As Robyn turned to finish his third cycle, he saw Selene approaching the training fields, a huge, brown-haired man walking alongside of her. He was suddenly energized and slowed to a stop, along with the other pages. HaMinch took no notice as he stalked angrily over to Selene. Leo came panting up.

"Where was Selene this whole time?" Leo asked, gasping for breather. Robyn shrugged.

"You!" Kilkenneth shouted and pointed a finger at Selene.

"Yes me" Selene retorted.

"Don't get smart with me! You're up to your neck in trouble already!" he breathed deeply, possibly to control himself. "You're forty minutes late to training, on your first day and you're already on probation! Why on earth should I not expel you right here on the spot?" By now the whole training field had gone silent and was staring at Selene, a raging Lord HaMinch and the large and legendary Raoul, but mostly at Selene.

"Because I was so sick of your face already I couldn't stand to endure another afternoon with you," Selene muttered. HaMinch barely understood her, but caught the general meaning. Raoul had to hold him back as the boys looked on, having not heard Selene's remark.

"Let me explain everything to you," Raoul nervously laughed. "It's quite a funny story." He dragged the raging training master off away from the boys. Selene made her way to Robyn and Leo, the latter having his mouth wide open.

"I heard what you said to him," He said in awe. "That was amazing."

Robyn looked at him in astonishment. "How in the name of Mithros did you hear that? I couldn't even make it out."

"I reached out with my Gift and heard it." Leo said.

Robyn threw up his hands in exasperation. "Does everyone have super amazing magical gifts except me?" he turned to Selene in all seriousness. "No, but really, where were you? We were getting worried that you ran into Alden and his cronies."

The two other pages looked at them oddly.

"Do you three know each other?" asked the brown-haired boy who Robyn had talked to.

"No I'm just randomly being stalked by these two," Selene answered sarcastically.

Just then, two of Alden's cronies came running up the training ground. They saw Selene and gave her the evil eye. Selene took two hurried, menacing steps in their direction and they backed off to the other squires, frightened.

"That's two of the boys who attacked me," Selene explained to Robyn. And to Leo, who was hugging her and it didn't seem as if he would let go anytime soon. "I broke Alden's nose and another boy got bit in the leg by Daine's dragon, Kitten." The two other pages were staring at her, as if she had single-handedly defeated a forest troll. Kilkenneth saw the two returning squires trying to escape his attention. Ignoring Raoul, Lord HaMinch came towards them dangerously. The two squires knew they were in trouble with no escape and seemed to submit themselves to HaMinch's rage. As the training master made his way to them, large shadows suddenly appeared on the training field and its occupants from above.

Selene looked up as an unearthly shrieking sound spilt the air, and was repeated over and over again. She covered her ears to try to block out the evil, metallic screeches. Wings of black feathers and rotting flesh flew into her vision. The beating of wings now accompanied the metallic hunting shrieks of the attacking animals.

"Hurrocks!" screamed a frightened boy. The large, black winged horses dove towards the training grounds, intent on its prey below.

Yay another exciting cliffhanger! Review review review like always :D thanks to everyone that already has and everyone who has added this to their story alert and favorite story. Also I found a good picture of Evan, well what I sort of imagined him to look like. I put up the picture on my blog. There's a link to my blog in my profile so check that out. Keep reading!