A/N: Here 'tis. Took me so long to get up due to school, you know all that stuff. Enjoy! And review!



Disclaimer: All characters and credit belong to Tamora Pierce.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`



Kel looked up from the safety the window provided and stared at the bunch. As if signaled by Owen's last words she sprang up and tore after where Vinson had, presumably, headed. The others followed her suit (even the King) and soon their was a large group of people sliding down the corridors of Tortall's royal place. The distance from the study to the throne room is roughly 5 minutes of a walk, it had taken Kel 1'1/2 (Owen had collapsed not to far back from exhaustion).



The group was brought to a halt at a pair of dark wooden doors, inlaid with gold. Keladry slowly pulled open the right door;



"disguised her magic's color green, from her original purple, to make it look like she'd never given any help at all," a loud voice greedily filled the entire room. "But she was not the only one to magically aid this squire, look at all the brown in this pile of dust." As Kel peered farther in she spotted her dust and Merric's, 4 trials from each Numair and the King, worth of it. That was a lot of magic.



Vinson stood in the center of an enraptured audience of the wealthiest, most important people in Tortall.



The King looked through the door and was slowly shaking his head. Alanna face was turning the color of her hair. Numair had on an in sufferable- I KNEW this was going to happen- face. Neal looked ashamed, Merric looked ashamed, Owen was flabbergasted, Kel looked ready to march right in there-- and start crying. Everyone else was staring in through the doorway.



Jonathon turned and took Kel aside. "Keladry, I-I... I don't know what to do..."

Then Vinson's voice boomed once again through the doorway,



"What kind of king has a champion who cheated her way through knighthood? What kind of king allows a woman to be a knight? What kind of king lets his champion magic a page through knighthood, a girl page?"



The audience, from what the group could see of them, were lapping it up. Because that is exactly what they had been wanting to hear-gossip.



The king turned back to Kel. "This puts me in a really difficult position...I know I can't just refuse you your shield, but I know I can't let my entire court, the most important people in my country, I can't have them thinking I'm a cheating fool."



"Maybe it'd be best if you went away for awhile Keladry. You could come back in 10 or 15 years and we could knight you then, when everything's cooled down- in a small ceremony..."



Kel was mouthing the word 'wait'.



"No! No. That's not fair- I mean that's- it's not-- I won't! What am I suppose to do? Go right on back to the life I have turned away from? It's to late now! I can't just go back, and I can't just change my life completely, completely into something I will loathe- like a convent- and then come pick my real life right back up where I left it 15 years ago in a throne room. It doesn't work that way, I will have commitments to the other life, just like I wanted commitments to this one."



"I'm sorry Keladry I can't-"

Another voice broke the king off "Oh, I see the perpetrating group is outside this very door- listening in. Would you care to come in- Keladry of Mindelan- and defend yourself?"



Kel jogged to the door- away from the King and walked in.



"I can't believe any of you would take this man seriously so let me tell you the truth-"



Vinson cut her off "I truth, Keladry of Mindelan, has already been told, with evidence before my very feet to back it up. If you are going to say anything, Mindelan, I suggest it be goodbye.



The court was nodding and clapping for Vinson.



Kel tried speaking again but the crowd only clapped louder. She glanced frantically around her but she was friendless in this court. So she screamed-

"FINE!" They hushed. "Fine. You want me to she goodbye? Well I won't, because you will be seeing me again. I'm not quitting, I'll never quite. But I will save you the trouble of turning me down my shield because I refuse it! I will not take something as important as this if it is begrudgingly given and there-fore, tainted. But, I'll be seeing you again. So in the mean-time I suggest you adapt."



~~~~~~~~~~~



A/N: Well, what do you think? Review, or else- I mean, Pleasssssseeeeeeeee.

I'll try and get the next one up quicker, school is forever at me.



Much Thanks,

Elli