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 Yofina for the lovely review. You've managed to guilt me into posting the next chapter early and to get to work on finishing the story (I've got quite I bit of it done, I just am editing and posting between working on other stories that I haven't finished yet either). Also, Yofina, you know how autocorrect can be about names that are spelt similarly to different words.
Spring 458
When the Progress left Persopolis, it headed towards the hill country and then south along the border. Joren watched in concern as Kel continued to refuse challenges and had taken a few of them himself in her defense. She would scowl and scold him for it but Joren knew that it was common knowledge now that he was courting Kel. Neither had made much effort to hide it, so it wasn't as if his actions drew too many raised eyebrows.
More often though, he would practice with their circle of friends. When they were in Pearlmouth, the group explored the markets and Joren noticed Kel eyeing the work of Carthaki smiths. He discreetly went back later to purchase a dagger for her as a gift to be given at some later time.
When they camped outside Port Legann, Kel took up fletching arrows with some of her griffin feathers. It was around then that Third Company was called away to help people living in an area struck by an earthquake. It was a full month and a half of the Progress moving inland and to the north before Third Company caught up near the river Tellerun. When they did, it was cramped camping and Joren had only realized that Third Company was camped nearby by overhearing a conversation.
He had made quick work of saddling his horse and seeking out where they camped, looking forward to seeing Kel for the first time in months. He got lucky in finding her tent before anyone in the Third Company camp noticed him and yanked her into a tight hug.
"Ah, finally someone was sensible enough to bring you back to me," He stated before kissing her soundly. She asked if he missed her and that earned her more kissing. He didn't press too far, just kisses, though he was annoyed when the kissing was interrupted.
"Kel? Suppertime," Raoul called from outside the tent.
"Blasted Hurroks," Joren grumbled in her ear so that those outside the tent wouldn't hear.
Kel giggled at his reaction which earned her another kiss. Buri spoke up next, "Whose horse is that?" Joren was grateful for his restraint as it meant they didn't have to scramble to straighten themselves.
Kel had accidently hinted that she had a guest in the tent and Raoul poked his head in to check. Joren bowed politely to him and asked if he could join them for dinner, if they had the supplies. He was welcomed readily, and he enjoyed the opportunity to spend a little time with Kel.
When the Progress moved on, there was less time for them to spend together than Joren would have liked. His status as a lord of a fief and the duties it entailed kept him busy while Kel handled squire duties. Still, he enjoyed the small amounts of time they could steal together. The further north they got, the more annoyed Kel was with the pace, Joren got a little amusement from this, having never gotten fully rid of the part that enjoyed seeing Kel react to things.
These days however, his endeavors were to get an obviously happy reaction as opposed to tormenting Kel like he had as a page. When they reached Blue Harbor, Kel went back to putting her name on the boards for matches. That Neal and Lady Alanna planned to disappear at the information of banquets on floating pavilions had only frustrated her more. He found out only when their group of friends had decided on a stroll in the city.
Owen had joined them, which meant that Lord Wyldon was there as well. Joren made a mental note to visit the man in the morning. They had wandered through the city and then headed back to camp. The others abandoned them when they reached the tournament grounds after Kel expressed a desire to see who she was jousting against. They all had ridiculous excuses, that Joren was grateful for, to leave the couple alone.
When they reached the boards, Joren chuckled at the sight of Lord Wyldon's name next to hers. Kel scowled at his humor until he kissed her, "I fully expect you to stay in the saddle this time. In fact, I might even make a wager that you will."
Kel rolled her eyes but allowed him to walk her back to his tent. After he did, he decided to seek out Lord Wyldon as the night was still young. When he managed to locate the tent, he was amused to see that Lord Wyldon was far from alone. His wife and two youngest children, two girls were there. His daughters seemed bent on convincing him to allow them to try for knighthood. It was apparently an ongoing argument as Joren had heard about it from his mother.
He decided to make a little bit of mischief in honor of the god that had probably saved his life and to fulfill his promise of placing a wager on Kel's match in the morning, "Fianola, Katilan, it is a rare thing for a young lady to keep up with men enough that they could obtain their knighthood."
Joren noticed the stubborn set of both girls' jaws and saw his opportunity, "Well, Lord Wyldon, if you are so confident of that, perhaps you might be willing to make a wager with your girls." Joren spoke from the flap of the tent with a smirk.
Lord Wyldon looked startled but waved Joren in, "And what wager would that be?" He asked weary of the response. His wife looked interested. Joren also knew from his mother, that Lady Vivienne was on her daughters' side of the argument.
"If Lady Squire Keladry can stay in the saddle for all three runs of her match with you tomorrow, you let your daughters go for their knighthood, end of argument. If she is unseated in the first run, they stop asking. If she is unseated in the second, they give you a year to think it over, if she is unseated in the third run, they leave you be for a month," Joren didn't want to keep them completely out of the running, just offer Lord Wyldon something as tempting as a reprieve from their requests.
Wyldon considered the idea for a moment before looking to his daughters who were nodding eagerly at the idea that they might be able to break the stale-mate. Wyldon sighed, "Very well, at least I can get a bit of peace for a month or even better a year." He clearly had no expectation of Kel keeping her seat while Joren knew that Kel never made the same mistake twice, he had learnt that as a page.
The next day, he opted to sit with his friends for the match but kept an eye to where Wyldon's family were seated near them. He cheered when she kept her seat the first and second run, Wyldon would get a reprieve of a month at most. Wyldon nearly had her out of her saddle on the third pass but Peachblossom, bless his stubborn heart, managed to keep her in the saddle.
While a field monitor took Kel's lance from her, Joren couldn't help but cheer. He then rushed down to the field when he noticed that she was having trouble with her balance. He got there just in time for him to hear Wyldon talk to Kel, "Mindelan, very well done, very well indeed. You listened to my advice about your shield- but then, I expected no less. I only wish-"
"I know, my lord. You wish I were a boy. But being a girl is more fun… more funner? Is that right?" Kel had cut him off and Joren smiled a little at her response.
"Go lie down, Mindelan. You're tilt-silly," Wyldon advised.
He noticed Joren and nodded his acknowledgement to him. Joren couldn't help but smirk at his former training master while he helped Kel off Peachblossom and provided her with support. He laughed outright when Wyldon ordered Peachblossom to behave for once and the gelding obeyed too. Once he got her back to her tent, Joren went to go fetch Wyldon's youngest girls. He told the other Lord that it would be good for them to get advice from Kel as she and the Lioness were the only living females to go through the training and the Lioness wasn't around to give advice.
Wyldon had grudgingly agreed, "Very well, you can go into training this year. However, since you will be traveling in the Progress with your mother until then, Lord Joren here is going to take responsibility to ensure that you can manage when you reach the palace. I won't have any nonsense of turning back or quitting once you start. If you are training for Knighthood, it's all or nothing, no half-hearted business."
Joren had shrugged, figuring that this was Wyldon's revenge. He had no issue with it though as it would earn him points with his own Lady love. He led Katilan and Fianola to Kel's tent and waited with them outside, not letting them enter until she was awake. A friend of theirs, Yvenne had joined them while waiting. She explained to Joren that she had already convinced her mother to let her go for knighthood so Joren decided to let her stay and wait.
After a while, they started to get impatient, "Is she going to sleep forever?" Katilan asked Joren plaintively.
"I can't believe she stayed in the saddle. Papa says Lord Wyldon unseats everyone," Yvenne decided to strike up a conversation.
"When he hit her that third time? I thought his lance would go straight through her. But he didn't unseat her. He shook her hand!" Joren couldn't help but smile at Katilan's comment, the girl had always worshiped her father, so it was amusing to see her admiration for Kel added in the mix.
"We should go, if she's asleep. It's just, we won't know anything, if we don't ask," Fianola pointed out, looking to Joren as he was in charge of her and her sister.
Joren waved for her to stay and poked his head in the tent to check. Kel had opened her eyes. Jump had immediately fetched her an apple before the sparrows started ferrying over grapes, one at a time. Joren had to pull out and wave the girls in before bursting into laughter.
Fianola got Kel water and then Yvenne started talking away, "You broke his lance! It was beautiful."
"Beautiful is Yvenne's word for the week," Fianola informed Kel, and Joren chuckled a little, but allowed them their privacy.
"Mama and Papa say me and Fianola can train for our knighthood this year," Katilan supplied Kel with why they were there finally. "Fianola will do it even though she's too old."
"Fianola and I," Fianola corrected her sister, an odd tone made Joren curious but Kel's response seemed to settle things.
"My best friend, Nealan of Queenscove, was fifteen when he started. He's the squire to Alanna the Lioness now," Kel told the girls.
"We hoped… if you don't mind…," Fianola sounded shy now and Joren was tempted to go in and prompt the girl but before he could, their friend solved the issue.
"Have you any advice for us? Things we can practice, like archery and horseback riding, except we know those," Yvenne asked.
"Do we have to be as big as you? I don't think I'm going to be very tall," Katilan was more outgoing than her sister.
There was some grunting and Joren realized that Kel must be getting up from her cot, "I'm just lucky that I'm big. Alanna the Lioness is a head shorter than me and she manages. It will help if you run. Up and down stairs, on broken ground. Run for a long time. That builds up your wind and your stamina and your legs. Climb, hunt, really work on archery and riding. Lift heavy things, I worked hard, I still do. Don't let anyone say it's easy." Joren made a mental note of those things to help the Cavall girls prepare for their training.
There was a little more grunting and Joren wondered if Kel was dressed yet. Then silence reigned for a while. Kel finally spoke again, a serious tone in her voice, "More importantly, be ready to put up with things… Insults, practical jokes, dirty tricks. Nobody will make it easy. You'll be called names and accused of doing things you'd expect from the worst slattern who works upstairs rooms at inns. None of that is important, so long as you win through to your goal. Now, shoo, please. I need to go eat."
Joren watched as they exited and waved them off, ordering Katilan and Fianola to go to bed early as they would begin their training the next day. Kel caught him at the entrance to her tent and he smiled before admitting to her what he had done. She slapped him on the shoulder, "What if Wyldon had unseated me in the first run?"
"Oh, please, no one has unseated you in the first run. Well, no one but Lord Raoul but he wasn't your opponent. Besides, I had complete faith that you would succeed. Otherwise, I wouldn't have made the wager. I would have been too fearful of your wrath," Joren teased before kissing her and informing her that he was going to have an early evening and Wyldon had all but ordered him to prepare his daughters for their training as pages.
"This will put out all the conservatives to know that the man they thought was 'their voice at court' is going to let two of his daughters go for knighthoods," Kel looked slightly gleeful at that. "What's even better is that you know that Wyldon doesn't do anything by halves. That means he won't let them quit without good sound reasoning."
"Exactly. I think I will relish in watching the conservatives squirm at the idea of another old family defecting to the 'progressive' ideals of the king," Joren crowed. With this he went back to his tents.
"Hmm… I suppose you haven't completely given up mischief after all. Good, it would be a shame to see it go to waste," Kyprioth waiting in his tent was annoying but Joren let it pass. The god seemed to be there only to give voice to his approval. "I suppose I don't need to visit again. You survived your Ordeal. Good luck."
With this, Kyprioth disappeared. Joren got the feeling that he really wouldn't be seeing the god again and wondered why he had gained his attention at all. Either way, he was grateful for the interference as it meant his life.