"Good grief Neal, if they ask me any more questions, I think I am going to
go mad!"
He laughed and smiled at her disposition. It was after dinner on the same day as the stormwings. She had been questioned for nearly three hours after cleaning up. Slowly, details of the original battle had come trickling down to them. Apparently, Lipiah and his late queen's flock had heard from a renegade stormwing that the king himself had killed their queen. They had decided to get revenge and had come to the palace to receive their due. An hour after dawn, the flock had descended on them, and killed about ten, however their numbers were vastly reduced. They had gone form 13 to 7 in one battle. Daine pointed out that there had only been six, and the servants had told her that the seventh had died in the retreat, its corpse was half way to Barney Olau. The six others had then decided that they would get revenge or die trying. Xlelon admired them for it, though no one else shared her reasoning. They had loved their queen so much that they would die for her, which was saying something. She wished that that kind of loyalty was so deep set in her world. Well, she thought, it is, sort of. Sighing, she took another sip of the soup they were having. It was thick and rich, with mutton and vegetables. She smiled, mutton was one of more expensive meats in America, and here it was a staple. How things change when you switch dimensions, she thought, then giggled, it was the most obvious thing she could have possibly thought. Neal gave her a strange look, and then shrugged, being used to her randomosity. It's amazing how well she fits here, he thought. I've known nobles who didn't adjust this easily. If its true that she came from another world, which I'm beginning to believe, then it must have been fair similar to this one. Suddenly, a pageboy came to the table and handed a note to Xlelon.
"Damn. I was hoping to avoid him."
"Which him? There's a few I can think for you to avoid."
She smiled, it was so true.
"Numair…and the…king. Shit. I am in so deep."
Neal laughed.
"They aren't that bad!"
"Oh yeah, how long did you spend with him today in questioning?"
"None today, but my first year as a page, I spent one and a half hours with him in classes every day."
"Only your first year?"
He nodded.
"Yes, firstly because I didn't need much training, and secondly because my second year was the year that the Immortals began to come."
"Ah, that makes sense."
And it did. By her reckoning, The immortals had begun to be obvious when Daine was thirteen. Now she was sixteen. That was three years, and this was Neal's first year as a squire.
"How many years are you a squire?"
"Four years, just like a page."
"Oh yeah, you start at ten, and are knighted at eighteen."
Catching the look on his face, she added,
"If you pass the ordeal."
He nodded.
"You know, for coming from another world, you seem to know an awful lot about this one."
She sighed.
"Yeah, that world had a time that was similar to this. They then got smarter and 'advanced' meaning they found more ways to kill people."
"Have you always been such a cynic?"
She nodded.
"Yep, since I was in seventh grade, oh wait…"
His face was very confused. She had a good laugh at that, because he looked like her friends when she was attempting to confuse them.
"Sorry, since I was eleven or so."
He let a breath out.
"Oh."
She laughed at him again, and got up.
"Oh dear. Which way are my rooms?"
Now it was Neal's turn to laugh.
"Go ask Daine, she'll probably let you sleep with her."
She snorted, she didn't know when Daine moved in with Numair, but she was pretty sure that it was very soon.
"No thank you, not anything against her, but she has…other problems."
Neal smiled, catching her meaning. News of their semi engagement had traveled across most of Tortall by now. It made sense, two of the most famous mages in the land, save the lioness, engaged? It was probably the talk of the dinner table by now, even though it had only been a week. A week, she had been here that long? Wow, time flies no matter where you are.
##################
There you have it, I meant to do this last night, but my mom got a stick up her butt and decided that I couldn't use the computer. Who knows? Her excuse was that I didn't read enough…go figure… *g* ah well, z ya…
He laughed and smiled at her disposition. It was after dinner on the same day as the stormwings. She had been questioned for nearly three hours after cleaning up. Slowly, details of the original battle had come trickling down to them. Apparently, Lipiah and his late queen's flock had heard from a renegade stormwing that the king himself had killed their queen. They had decided to get revenge and had come to the palace to receive their due. An hour after dawn, the flock had descended on them, and killed about ten, however their numbers were vastly reduced. They had gone form 13 to 7 in one battle. Daine pointed out that there had only been six, and the servants had told her that the seventh had died in the retreat, its corpse was half way to Barney Olau. The six others had then decided that they would get revenge or die trying. Xlelon admired them for it, though no one else shared her reasoning. They had loved their queen so much that they would die for her, which was saying something. She wished that that kind of loyalty was so deep set in her world. Well, she thought, it is, sort of. Sighing, she took another sip of the soup they were having. It was thick and rich, with mutton and vegetables. She smiled, mutton was one of more expensive meats in America, and here it was a staple. How things change when you switch dimensions, she thought, then giggled, it was the most obvious thing she could have possibly thought. Neal gave her a strange look, and then shrugged, being used to her randomosity. It's amazing how well she fits here, he thought. I've known nobles who didn't adjust this easily. If its true that she came from another world, which I'm beginning to believe, then it must have been fair similar to this one. Suddenly, a pageboy came to the table and handed a note to Xlelon.
"Damn. I was hoping to avoid him."
"Which him? There's a few I can think for you to avoid."
She smiled, it was so true.
"Numair…and the…king. Shit. I am in so deep."
Neal laughed.
"They aren't that bad!"
"Oh yeah, how long did you spend with him today in questioning?"
"None today, but my first year as a page, I spent one and a half hours with him in classes every day."
"Only your first year?"
He nodded.
"Yes, firstly because I didn't need much training, and secondly because my second year was the year that the Immortals began to come."
"Ah, that makes sense."
And it did. By her reckoning, The immortals had begun to be obvious when Daine was thirteen. Now she was sixteen. That was three years, and this was Neal's first year as a squire.
"How many years are you a squire?"
"Four years, just like a page."
"Oh yeah, you start at ten, and are knighted at eighteen."
Catching the look on his face, she added,
"If you pass the ordeal."
He nodded.
"You know, for coming from another world, you seem to know an awful lot about this one."
She sighed.
"Yeah, that world had a time that was similar to this. They then got smarter and 'advanced' meaning they found more ways to kill people."
"Have you always been such a cynic?"
She nodded.
"Yep, since I was in seventh grade, oh wait…"
His face was very confused. She had a good laugh at that, because he looked like her friends when she was attempting to confuse them.
"Sorry, since I was eleven or so."
He let a breath out.
"Oh."
She laughed at him again, and got up.
"Oh dear. Which way are my rooms?"
Now it was Neal's turn to laugh.
"Go ask Daine, she'll probably let you sleep with her."
She snorted, she didn't know when Daine moved in with Numair, but she was pretty sure that it was very soon.
"No thank you, not anything against her, but she has…other problems."
Neal smiled, catching her meaning. News of their semi engagement had traveled across most of Tortall by now. It made sense, two of the most famous mages in the land, save the lioness, engaged? It was probably the talk of the dinner table by now, even though it had only been a week. A week, she had been here that long? Wow, time flies no matter where you are.
##################
There you have it, I meant to do this last night, but my mom got a stick up her butt and decided that I couldn't use the computer. Who knows? Her excuse was that I didn't read enough…go figure… *g* ah well, z ya…