A very very very very loud sound rudely awakened her. She opened her eyes
and began to roll over when she remembered what today was.
"Crap!"
Jumping out of bed, she pulled on some skirts, a blouse and grabbed a pair of sandals. Thankfully, she now knew her way around the palace, and so arrived on time, if not early. She was not the last person in, so she felt better. Grabbing a roll and some cheese, she looked around, trying to find a place to sit. It was a difficult decision, as the hall was filled with boys, most of them younger than her. Finally, she spotted a promising place, beside a few fourth year pages.
"Excuse me, is anyone sitting here?"
The fourteen-year-old looked up at her, and she resisted the urge to step back at his eyes. They were filled with so much hate that it scared her. He smiled, which only made it worse; it was the smile that a madman wears when they're about to do something awful.
"Yes my dear, someone is sitting here, a man is sitting here, and he would not appreciate you taking his spot."
Bullshit, she thought, everyone is here. But she smiled. In a voice to match his own, but lacking the sarcasm, she said.
"I'm sorry sir, but I was given to think that all of the pages were here, and I apologize to your invisible man, I'm afraid I don't see anyone here. But I shall take your word for it…"
With a last smile, she turned on her heel, listening joyfully to the guffaws of the page's friends. She found a place at the end of a table, near the dais where the king was going to be. He had not been able to come to dinner the night before, so he was giving his speech that morning. Finally, the king walked in, and she stood up with the rest of the room. He nodded to them, and they sat down. He looked around, and his eyes seemed to settle on everyone in turn, including her.
"Welcome all to the new training session. I pray to Mithros that this year is successful. We all know of the immortals that are now here. Some of you have lost family, friends and loved ones to them. It is now essential to the kingdom that you all go on to become knights. Gods bless you all."
He sat down and Wydlon stood up. Grimacing, he looked at them all in a sweeping glance.
"We have another among us and I expect you all to be chivalrous and kind to her as she goes through your classes. Her name is Xlelon Padrifamay. She is training to become a diplomat of this country and I hope that you will all soon learn to accept her."
He motioned for her to stand up, which she did and curtseyed. Daine had taught her how after shooting lessons. She had adapted quickly, renaissance fairs had been something she had regularly done, and she always curtseyed to the queen during the parade. She snickered at the looks she drew from the pages. Half of them looked as if the sky was falling and half of them looked thunderstruck. The group that she had tried to sit with had sneers on their faces. She smiled and sat down. Soon the room was back to normal. Well, until the bell rang again. The first class she had was mathematics. The priest who taught it was very annoying. The class wasn't much better. It was a class for first year pages, and it was boring. She already knew how to do algebra. The teacher asked questions of each person to see how much they knew. Xlelon knew more than all of them. The teacher quizzed her. Apparently, a sophomore in high school had more than enough math skills to get through the entire page curriculum. The teacher gave her five problems to do while he taught the rest of the class. When the bell had rung, she had done the five problems and was reading a history book. The teacher, quite annoyed, gave her another two problems for reading in class, which she did on the way to reading and writing. By the time the teacher walked in, she was done with all of her math. Again, the teacher tested the class, and again, she was ahead of all of it. She wasn't to fond of that fact, as I meant that the rest of the class hated her. Although, a few boys had already asked her for help in math, which she promised to do during lunch, as she was gone during dinner. She was given a poem to read and copy, then memorize. The rest of the class was given much the same assignment. It was the same poem for all of them, though they only had to copy and read it, she had to memorize it. She didn't mind, it was something she needed to work on. The next class was history, something she was excited for. When Myles came in, he smiled and said good morning to all of them.
"Does anyone know why we are here today?"
A small page piped up.
"To become knights of the realm."
Myles looked at the youngster.
"Yes, but why are you in this class?"
"To learn history."
He smiled at the page that had said it.
"Precisely."
He began the class by giving the history of the immortals, how they were imagined, who they were, and their history on earth. Xlelon was rapt and was taking notes madly. When the bell rang, she sighed, not wanting to leave. Her wish came true, in a backward way. Myles asked her to stay a moment after the class.
"Yes sir?"
"Are the pages pushing you around? I notice them giving you looks."
She smiled, he sounded like some of her old teachers.
"Yes, they have been giving me looks, but they don't act on them. I think it's because I'm good at things that they haven't learned yet. Though I don't know why they complain, it's not my fault they haven't learned math."
He smiled kindly.
"I know. And I wanted to tell you that if you need anything to come to me, I am very interested in your career here Xlelon."
She nodded, knowing why.
"You're the spymaster of the palace aren't you?"
He looked very surprised.
"How did you know?"
She balked, not knowing how explain it.
"Um…have you heard about me? Where I came from?"
He nodded.
"Yes, Imrah told me. In fact, the king asked me whether you were a threat."
"Me?" she squeaked. "A threat? How?"
He chuckled.
"Don't worry, I told him off quite well for thinking you a threat, although you scared poor Kalee half to death."
"WHAT?"
This time he outright laughed.
"So that's why she was following me."
"Yes, that is it. Now go to your next class, I believe that it is magic? Yes, well, you still have time."
She nodded and sprinted off, still amazed at Myles' influence on the world. She skidded into magic just in time, to find an unpleasant surprise. The boy from breakfast was there, standing beside one of the chairs. His fingers sparkled with a dark red fire. She slipped in as quietly as possible and sat as far away as possible. When a large lizard like thing walked in, she nearly fell out of her chair until she realized that it was Tkaa. Will I ever get used to this, she asked herself. No, probably not. Tkaa began to teach the class, and again she listened carefully, absolutely intrigued. Tkaa taught for a half-hour, and then Numair took over, telling them to push the chairs to the sides.
"Time for meditation."
Half the class groaned, the other perked up. Xlelon herself smiled. She had already tried meditating, and it had worked quite well for her. Numair himself had asked her whether she had had magic in her world. She had told him about religion in her world, how some people believed in one god, and others in more than one. She also told him about magic in America, how it was an unsure thing, something that some believed in, and others thought was something that was to be shunned. He had nodded and said that a few people felt that way here. Then he had initiated a long lasting and large conversation of the beliefs of her world. By the end of the conversation for her, a good ten people were listening. They couldn't imagine a world were gods were not sure things. She had smiled and told them that that was why she liked it here, no more questions about that particular part of life. Then she had been called away to go to work. This all ran through her mind as they began to meditate. She settled in very well, shedding every sound from her like water rolling off of a smooth stone. She had lost track of time when Numair called for the to return. He tested them all, to see their magic, asked them questions on what training they had had, and catorigized their magic, wild, healing, or war magic. Not to her surprise, the fourth year boy was a war mage. The next class was horrible. She didn't even pay much attention. The priest droned on and on and on about ethics and the duty of a knight. She listened for the first ten minutes, then lost track. By the time the bell that signaled lunch rang, she was thoughrly bored. As promised, she went to help a few of the boys in math. She also guessed that the age difference was a factor in her knowing more than most of them. If she had decided to be a knight, she would have been a first year squire now. After lunch, Wydlon pulled her aside.
"Xlelon. I have been informed that your mathematics skills are beyond those of the rest of your class."
"Yes sir."
"Your teacher has told me that your math skills are those of a fully taught squire."
"Yes sir, I was taught when I was ten."
He snorted, she tactfully ignored it.
"You will no longer report to mathematics classes, but will instead go to master Numair or Myles of Olau for further training in magic and history."
She strongly resisted the urge to jump and hug him. The look on his face made it easy.
"Thank you sir."
She bowed to him and walked to get ready for work.
**************
Yes! I've finally made it to where I want to be!! GO me! When I get back, it'll get *really* interesting, and your romantic notions will be satisfied! YES! AND I'm LEAVING IN LESS THAN A DAY!!! YAY!! =) bb all
"Crap!"
Jumping out of bed, she pulled on some skirts, a blouse and grabbed a pair of sandals. Thankfully, she now knew her way around the palace, and so arrived on time, if not early. She was not the last person in, so she felt better. Grabbing a roll and some cheese, she looked around, trying to find a place to sit. It was a difficult decision, as the hall was filled with boys, most of them younger than her. Finally, she spotted a promising place, beside a few fourth year pages.
"Excuse me, is anyone sitting here?"
The fourteen-year-old looked up at her, and she resisted the urge to step back at his eyes. They were filled with so much hate that it scared her. He smiled, which only made it worse; it was the smile that a madman wears when they're about to do something awful.
"Yes my dear, someone is sitting here, a man is sitting here, and he would not appreciate you taking his spot."
Bullshit, she thought, everyone is here. But she smiled. In a voice to match his own, but lacking the sarcasm, she said.
"I'm sorry sir, but I was given to think that all of the pages were here, and I apologize to your invisible man, I'm afraid I don't see anyone here. But I shall take your word for it…"
With a last smile, she turned on her heel, listening joyfully to the guffaws of the page's friends. She found a place at the end of a table, near the dais where the king was going to be. He had not been able to come to dinner the night before, so he was giving his speech that morning. Finally, the king walked in, and she stood up with the rest of the room. He nodded to them, and they sat down. He looked around, and his eyes seemed to settle on everyone in turn, including her.
"Welcome all to the new training session. I pray to Mithros that this year is successful. We all know of the immortals that are now here. Some of you have lost family, friends and loved ones to them. It is now essential to the kingdom that you all go on to become knights. Gods bless you all."
He sat down and Wydlon stood up. Grimacing, he looked at them all in a sweeping glance.
"We have another among us and I expect you all to be chivalrous and kind to her as she goes through your classes. Her name is Xlelon Padrifamay. She is training to become a diplomat of this country and I hope that you will all soon learn to accept her."
He motioned for her to stand up, which she did and curtseyed. Daine had taught her how after shooting lessons. She had adapted quickly, renaissance fairs had been something she had regularly done, and she always curtseyed to the queen during the parade. She snickered at the looks she drew from the pages. Half of them looked as if the sky was falling and half of them looked thunderstruck. The group that she had tried to sit with had sneers on their faces. She smiled and sat down. Soon the room was back to normal. Well, until the bell rang again. The first class she had was mathematics. The priest who taught it was very annoying. The class wasn't much better. It was a class for first year pages, and it was boring. She already knew how to do algebra. The teacher asked questions of each person to see how much they knew. Xlelon knew more than all of them. The teacher quizzed her. Apparently, a sophomore in high school had more than enough math skills to get through the entire page curriculum. The teacher gave her five problems to do while he taught the rest of the class. When the bell had rung, she had done the five problems and was reading a history book. The teacher, quite annoyed, gave her another two problems for reading in class, which she did on the way to reading and writing. By the time the teacher walked in, she was done with all of her math. Again, the teacher tested the class, and again, she was ahead of all of it. She wasn't to fond of that fact, as I meant that the rest of the class hated her. Although, a few boys had already asked her for help in math, which she promised to do during lunch, as she was gone during dinner. She was given a poem to read and copy, then memorize. The rest of the class was given much the same assignment. It was the same poem for all of them, though they only had to copy and read it, she had to memorize it. She didn't mind, it was something she needed to work on. The next class was history, something she was excited for. When Myles came in, he smiled and said good morning to all of them.
"Does anyone know why we are here today?"
A small page piped up.
"To become knights of the realm."
Myles looked at the youngster.
"Yes, but why are you in this class?"
"To learn history."
He smiled at the page that had said it.
"Precisely."
He began the class by giving the history of the immortals, how they were imagined, who they were, and their history on earth. Xlelon was rapt and was taking notes madly. When the bell rang, she sighed, not wanting to leave. Her wish came true, in a backward way. Myles asked her to stay a moment after the class.
"Yes sir?"
"Are the pages pushing you around? I notice them giving you looks."
She smiled, he sounded like some of her old teachers.
"Yes, they have been giving me looks, but they don't act on them. I think it's because I'm good at things that they haven't learned yet. Though I don't know why they complain, it's not my fault they haven't learned math."
He smiled kindly.
"I know. And I wanted to tell you that if you need anything to come to me, I am very interested in your career here Xlelon."
She nodded, knowing why.
"You're the spymaster of the palace aren't you?"
He looked very surprised.
"How did you know?"
She balked, not knowing how explain it.
"Um…have you heard about me? Where I came from?"
He nodded.
"Yes, Imrah told me. In fact, the king asked me whether you were a threat."
"Me?" she squeaked. "A threat? How?"
He chuckled.
"Don't worry, I told him off quite well for thinking you a threat, although you scared poor Kalee half to death."
"WHAT?"
This time he outright laughed.
"So that's why she was following me."
"Yes, that is it. Now go to your next class, I believe that it is magic? Yes, well, you still have time."
She nodded and sprinted off, still amazed at Myles' influence on the world. She skidded into magic just in time, to find an unpleasant surprise. The boy from breakfast was there, standing beside one of the chairs. His fingers sparkled with a dark red fire. She slipped in as quietly as possible and sat as far away as possible. When a large lizard like thing walked in, she nearly fell out of her chair until she realized that it was Tkaa. Will I ever get used to this, she asked herself. No, probably not. Tkaa began to teach the class, and again she listened carefully, absolutely intrigued. Tkaa taught for a half-hour, and then Numair took over, telling them to push the chairs to the sides.
"Time for meditation."
Half the class groaned, the other perked up. Xlelon herself smiled. She had already tried meditating, and it had worked quite well for her. Numair himself had asked her whether she had had magic in her world. She had told him about religion in her world, how some people believed in one god, and others in more than one. She also told him about magic in America, how it was an unsure thing, something that some believed in, and others thought was something that was to be shunned. He had nodded and said that a few people felt that way here. Then he had initiated a long lasting and large conversation of the beliefs of her world. By the end of the conversation for her, a good ten people were listening. They couldn't imagine a world were gods were not sure things. She had smiled and told them that that was why she liked it here, no more questions about that particular part of life. Then she had been called away to go to work. This all ran through her mind as they began to meditate. She settled in very well, shedding every sound from her like water rolling off of a smooth stone. She had lost track of time when Numair called for the to return. He tested them all, to see their magic, asked them questions on what training they had had, and catorigized their magic, wild, healing, or war magic. Not to her surprise, the fourth year boy was a war mage. The next class was horrible. She didn't even pay much attention. The priest droned on and on and on about ethics and the duty of a knight. She listened for the first ten minutes, then lost track. By the time the bell that signaled lunch rang, she was thoughrly bored. As promised, she went to help a few of the boys in math. She also guessed that the age difference was a factor in her knowing more than most of them. If she had decided to be a knight, she would have been a first year squire now. After lunch, Wydlon pulled her aside.
"Xlelon. I have been informed that your mathematics skills are beyond those of the rest of your class."
"Yes sir."
"Your teacher has told me that your math skills are those of a fully taught squire."
"Yes sir, I was taught when I was ten."
He snorted, she tactfully ignored it.
"You will no longer report to mathematics classes, but will instead go to master Numair or Myles of Olau for further training in magic and history."
She strongly resisted the urge to jump and hug him. The look on his face made it easy.
"Thank you sir."
She bowed to him and walked to get ready for work.
**************
Yes! I've finally made it to where I want to be!! GO me! When I get back, it'll get *really* interesting, and your romantic notions will be satisfied! YES! AND I'm LEAVING IN LESS THAN A DAY!!! YAY!! =) bb all