This is a fan made story. I don't own the rights to the Protector of the Small series, any of its characters belong to Tamora Pierce… Much to my disappointment. This goes AU about midway from the book Page. Fair warning. Constructive criticism is welcome but if you don't like it simply because you don't like the line of thinking, please don't attack me for it. This is mostly centered on Joren. This is also a slow build Kel/Joren.

AN: Thank you to bkwyrm15 for the lovely review. Yes, Joren goes OOC, but that is the point. And I hate people just making a character completely switch without reason or any transition. I think that is just plain lazy writing, so of course I transitioned Joren carefully. That is what the majority of these first chapters are for.

Late Summer 456/ Fall 456

When Joren woke the next morning, Kel was gone. Lalasa came by to inform him that she was called away for a mission in the middle of the night. Joren felt his stomach drop at the news but only because he knew that it was unlikely that he would see her for an extended length of time. As a distraction, he dove back into his extensive research all things being discussed for the last week of congress.

There would be a lot of voting and he wanted to be making informed decisions. His uncle had made it clear that while he was legally in charge of the voting for the moment, Joren's input would be extremely definitive so long as the teen could defend his stance. Thus, he wanted to be able to show that he truly did understand what was being said and its purpose as well as his stance on the matter.

By then end of the week, he felt completely drained. He had to defend vigorously his stance on every vote before his uncle agreed to vote the way he wanted. Sometimes he had almost given up on a few of the smaller points, especially as he knew that many others weren't in agreement with him. However, there was one thing that Sir Paxton taught him in the past two years, and if he was honest Lord Wyldon had tried to instill in him before then.

The fact that the code of Chivalry should apply to all nobles, regardless of how long their families have been noble or their wealth. They were all responsible for the welfare of those below them or in their care. Joren had failed to understand that until he had faced a god. His behavior as a page had been beyond reprehensible. He now understood exactly why Kel had gotten into so many fights with him, regardless of their effectiveness. She at age ten could fully comprehend what he still struggled to fully comprehend at age sixteen.

The earning the way custom was fine if it was limited to small tasks, that taught respect for your elders in a way and was similar to the expectation of pages preforming errands for nobles and such. What he and the others had done though was inflict pain for their own pleasure and amusement. Vinson had clearly taken that to a new level. Garvey might not be horrible if he distanced himself from Vinson. Zahir had come to learn that it was wrong before Joren did. He let his thoughts drift as he packed his bags.

He and Sir Paxton were for the hill country in the morning and after the last week, he couldn't wait for the chance to skirmish with bandits. He had heard that Kel was hunting a group of them that included centaurs. That night he drifted off to sleep, hoping that maybe Kel's hunt would take her in his direction. In a way, he knew it was wishful thinking. It was unlikely that those they chased would go so far as the hill country, but he still hoped.

Eight days of solid riding later, Joren and Sir Paxton arrived at a local army outpost. It was the same one that Kel had apparently visited after her skirmish with bandits during her second summer as a page. It was after he had become a squire, but he was still impressed. The captain from that time had long since been replaced, no one wanted a leader who would take bribes from those he was supposed to be capturing. The new army captain was more than willing to accept the extra help, even if it was just two men.

They spent a full two months in hill country. There was plenty of work hunting small bandit groups. The conditions weren't too bad either. The local commander of the army outpost had done a good job of keeping the groups to a minimum. Also, it helped distract Joren from less pleasant thoughts while teaching him the finer points of combat. Still, he was happy when fall truly set in and Sir Paxton declared he had no desire to ride back to the palace in snow. He could only hope that Kel and his other friends had returned as well.

When they reached the palace, it was almost evening. He and Sir Paxton had barely enough time to brush down their horses and drop their bags in their rooms. Sir Paxton told him they could resume his studies in politics the next day and to simply go to supper. When he entered, it was to see most of the pages and the squires in residence the palace already seated. He quickly got a tray of food and headed towards the squires' tables. He debated for a moment before joining Neal and Cleon rather than Zahir. He still nodded to him but Zahir was sitting with Garvey. Garvey was too close to what he wanted to avoid becoming.

Neal and Cleon didn't bat an eye when Joren joined them, instead they started talking about what they had been up to. Cleon had arrived two days before and Neal almost a week before that. Neal informed him that Kel had returned only for a short while before going off again with the Own. They also informed him that she had been eating with the Own as well. At this point, Neal eyed Joren and glanced at the other table with Zahir and Garvey. Joren raised his eyebrow at him before turning to Lord Wyldon who was entering the mess hall with another knight.

Once the training master finished with the prayer to Mithros, they all started eating. As the meal progressed Cleon and Joren discussed various events that had occurred while they were away. Neal was surprised that the two got on so well. He had interacted with Joren since Kel had seemed to be friends with him and so had Cleon, but he had thought that perhaps it had been a show to get them to drop their guards. However, Kel wasn't around to see him with Garvey and Zahir. Zahir wasn't even that bad anymore. He could easily have claimed he wanted time with his other friend but hadn't.

"Ok. What gives? Are you really serious about this whole 'changed' thing?" Neal finally blurts out while Joren and Cleon talked about the comparisons of hill bandits' verses Scanran raiders.

"What are you talking about?" Joren looked completely baffled. He had thought that Neal had, like the others, accepted that he really had walked away from his old life.

"This whole thing. Is it a very convoluted plan or are you actually serious?" Neal questioned seriously. He kept his voice down, not wanting to draw attention from others at different tables.

"What has he done to make you think this is a plot?" Cleon asked, his voice carefully neutral. Cleon eyed both of them wondering if something had happened.

"How about the first two years that Kel was a page? Does that ring a bell? He isn't exactly a stranger to cruelty or plots. Remember midwinter service when you were both fourth year pages?" Neal didn't let up while Cleon simply shook his head.

"You've spent a summer and fall with your knight-mistress. Did she not teach you anything? Have her teachings altered the way you look at the world? Circumstances change. That makes people change," Cleon pointed out. Joren stayed quiet while the two argued over him.

"It's real. It has to be real. I die if it isn't," Joren finally stated in a pause of their bickering.

This caused both of them look at him. They realized that they had touched on a sensitive topic but didn't understand why. Joren's pale face had gone sheet white and his words sounded ominous.

"What do you mean you die if it isn't?" Neal asked finally which caused Joren to go even whiter if that were even possible.

Joren shook his head, "Not here. I will explain in my rooms after we finish eating if you insist but not here and you have to swear not to tell anyone else."

Cleon and Neal shared a look. Cleon's expression was of actual concern. He and Joren had become good friends the year before, despite their past. Neal looked confused but he lived for information and so he nodded his agreement. They both finished eating quickly. Joren had lost all appetite and went to dispose of his tray while they finished. He then went to his rooms and paced. Not even a quarter an hour later there was a knock on the door and Cleon and Neal were both let in. Once they entered, Joren locked the door and gestured for them to sit on the chairs near the closed window.

He paced and opened his mouth than closed it several times. When he finally spoke, it lacked the confidence he had previously shown, "W-when my first fall with Sir Paxton came… Well… originally, we were supposed to go to the palace since he doesn't like really spending much time around his parents, they are too conservative. A-any ways, right before we left our summer posting, Sir Paxton's father ordered him to go to Nond instead. This meant we took a different route then we had originally intended, and Sir Paxton delayed wherever he could.

"We passed through Trebond and spent several days there. The second day, Sir Paxton or-ordered me to the library to find reading material to study. Wh-when I got to the li-library, a- a-…" Joren stopped and looked at them, pleading for them to believe him.

"A god appeared. He said his name was Kyprioth, th-that because of all my pranks and such, I honored him. He said that he was going to help me because of it. He told me that the path I had been walking was dangerous. Then, he showed me my fate if I continued along it. Apparently, Keladry is favored by Mithros. If I… If I didn't change my ways, my fate was death a-at the hands of the Chamber of Ordeal," When Joren finally finished he stopped and stared into the fire. Neal was about to speak when Joren continued. "Lady Rispah came a short while later and told me the Trickster told her to give me a few books, which she did."

Joren pointed to the two books on the table next to Neal. He hadn't put the third book with them, that was private information for him. It was bad enough that he was telling them this. He wouldn't tell them the Trickster wanted him to court Kel, not when it was obvious that at least one of the others had feelings for her.

Neal picked up the books and nodded in understanding. He spoke carefully, "Normally, I would say to be careful of the advice given by Kyprioth. Lady Alanna's husband, the Baron of Pirate's Swoop honors him. In this case though, I think any mischief he seeks to cause is mitigated by the fact that he is directing you towards a better way of life. Did he say why exactly he was doing it?"

Joren shrugged, a great weight off his shoulders to know that he was believed, "Only that he didn't want the attention brought on him by my causing issues. I didn't really push for details. I was a bit distracted by an image of my death."

Neal nodded. Cleon was now also as pale as a ghost. When he finally spoke, it was to Joren's relief, "Well, all gods have their favorites. I remember Sir Miles saying everyone has an encounter with a god in some way at least once in their lives. He also said that just doing what the gods wanted was simpler. I get why you didn't want to talk about this in public though."

"I'm surprised he can talk about it at all. Normally the gods don't like it. I hope that doesn't mean we will be dragged into whatever mess the trickster gets into in the future," With this Neal shrugged. Joren and Cleon both wondered at his easy acceptance but moved past it.

"Are you ever going to tell Kel?" Cleon asked suddenly.

"Please don't. She has enough going on. There is so much pressure on her about her success or failure to gain her knighthood. She thinks that if she fails that it will be next too impossible to convince other noble families to let girls become knights. If she learnt gods were invested in her knighthood she might really collapse under such weighty pressure," Neal spoke before Joren could.

Cleon and Joren nodded. Cleon smirked suddenly, "As if anything could make Kel fail. She thrives on the challenge. She would have withered away in a convent trying to be a 'proper lady'. Those old conservatives can eat their own hearts out. She'll probably be the best knight out of all of us. You know, I heard she bested a centaur by herself on that bandit hunt she was on this past summer."

They all eased into the less serious topic comfortably. If Neal looked between Joren and Cleon more than he spoke, Joren only assumed it was because of worry rather than anything else. Neal, however, was now suspicious for a different reason. He no longer doubted that Joren was sincere about his change.

You couldn't fake tremors and blood draining from the face like that. Not to mention that he had used his magic to check Joren's emotions when they first entered, and the fear was very real. No, he was noticing how Joren's eyes seemed to light up as they talked about Kel. It was like the memory of a god visiting disappeared with the mention of her most recent exploits. Cleon, Neal knew had at least a crush on Kel, it was obvious as the sun. Joren was a revelation though. He had no intentions of sharing this line of thinking and contributed when asked about his adventures with the, currently only, lady knight of Tortall.