Emma's Viewpoints
Where I Am.
Laylia turned up the next morning, with no work done, and not saying a word to anyone. Emma finally cornered her after lunch.
"Where were you last night?" She hissed. "We looked all over, and no one could find you."
Laylia put on a look of sweetly innocent puzzlement that was as false as a silk rose. "What are you talking about? I was in my rooms all last night."
Emma snorted with derision. "Oh, come on, Laylia. Amice looked in your rooms. You were nowehere to be found."
A mix of anger and fear crossed Laylia's face. "What business do any of you have in my rooms? You had no right!"
Emma would have pursued the matter, but at that most convinient moment, the warning bell rang, and Laylia scurried off like a mouse. Emma stared after her, thinking, I wonder what her problem is?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
After that, the only person Laylia ever spent more than a grudging five seconds with was that Thom-of-something-or-rather. Emma put it out of her head. Porcelain dolls could stay with pretty boys. Emma was going to be a knight.
She spent a lot of time with Amice. Emma liked the matter-of-fact manner of the stocky redhead. Amice even spoke a little different, with a peasant's influence inherited from the baron George. While Emma knew the delicate swordplay, it was Amice who was master of the staves and unarmed combat. From Clarinda, the quiet little mouse, they learned tilting grips to improve accuracy, and from Creshan of Sand River, a boy who was deemed to be "as good as the rest of us" they recieved help on history and law.
Hazing was a little different from what it had once been. 'Earning your way' now especially applied to the girls. To make sure no girl slipped through, everyone added his little bit to make it a little tougher for them. This was useful, though. The general population by now accepted that girls could, and would, be knights, so they were demanding that no allowance at all be made for the girls. In practice, this was all very well and good, but it provided for grumbles in the study group at night. Emma finally put her foot down.
"Why are you complaining?" she demanded of the older girls, emerald eyes blazing. "Do you mean to say you'd like for them to go easy on us? That girls can't do it? Well then, I do believe the Queen's Ladies has a couple of spots open!" she flung the library door wide. "Well, who's for staying, and who's for being a bunch of skirts?"
No one spoke for a minute. Then Clarinda spoke up. "I think I like breeches better anyway."
They all laughed, but some of them eyed the open door almost with longing.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"No, not like that." Gessa drew back her staff. "Up a litle more, in an arc, and harder. Much harder."
Beside her, Creshan winked at Emma. "She just wants to get walloped."
Gessa stuck her tongue out and resettled her weapon. "You're supposed to wallop me."
Emma swung her staff up in an arc, swishing up and coming down to collide with the older girl's staff. A few splinters came loose from the force of the impact, but Gessa's arms didn't waver. She inspected the chips. "The varnish was a little thin."
Emma eyed the fourth-year with respect. Gessa of Stanzin was strong. Her arms were thick and muscular, as was every other inch of her large and well-built frame.
The rest of the study group looked at the splinters with awe. Amice took the staff herself. "Splinters in oak." she said, impressed despite herself. "Nice work."
That from Amice, and the looks from everyone else, was so much to Emma. As Gessa swung her staff into the block position, she thought, there's nothing else that I'd rather do right now. I pity the ones that go to convents.
Where I Am.
Laylia turned up the next morning, with no work done, and not saying a word to anyone. Emma finally cornered her after lunch.
"Where were you last night?" She hissed. "We looked all over, and no one could find you."
Laylia put on a look of sweetly innocent puzzlement that was as false as a silk rose. "What are you talking about? I was in my rooms all last night."
Emma snorted with derision. "Oh, come on, Laylia. Amice looked in your rooms. You were nowehere to be found."
A mix of anger and fear crossed Laylia's face. "What business do any of you have in my rooms? You had no right!"
Emma would have pursued the matter, but at that most convinient moment, the warning bell rang, and Laylia scurried off like a mouse. Emma stared after her, thinking, I wonder what her problem is?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
After that, the only person Laylia ever spent more than a grudging five seconds with was that Thom-of-something-or-rather. Emma put it out of her head. Porcelain dolls could stay with pretty boys. Emma was going to be a knight.
She spent a lot of time with Amice. Emma liked the matter-of-fact manner of the stocky redhead. Amice even spoke a little different, with a peasant's influence inherited from the baron George. While Emma knew the delicate swordplay, it was Amice who was master of the staves and unarmed combat. From Clarinda, the quiet little mouse, they learned tilting grips to improve accuracy, and from Creshan of Sand River, a boy who was deemed to be "as good as the rest of us" they recieved help on history and law.
Hazing was a little different from what it had once been. 'Earning your way' now especially applied to the girls. To make sure no girl slipped through, everyone added his little bit to make it a little tougher for them. This was useful, though. The general population by now accepted that girls could, and would, be knights, so they were demanding that no allowance at all be made for the girls. In practice, this was all very well and good, but it provided for grumbles in the study group at night. Emma finally put her foot down.
"Why are you complaining?" she demanded of the older girls, emerald eyes blazing. "Do you mean to say you'd like for them to go easy on us? That girls can't do it? Well then, I do believe the Queen's Ladies has a couple of spots open!" she flung the library door wide. "Well, who's for staying, and who's for being a bunch of skirts?"
No one spoke for a minute. Then Clarinda spoke up. "I think I like breeches better anyway."
They all laughed, but some of them eyed the open door almost with longing.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"No, not like that." Gessa drew back her staff. "Up a litle more, in an arc, and harder. Much harder."
Beside her, Creshan winked at Emma. "She just wants to get walloped."
Gessa stuck her tongue out and resettled her weapon. "You're supposed to wallop me."
Emma swung her staff up in an arc, swishing up and coming down to collide with the older girl's staff. A few splinters came loose from the force of the impact, but Gessa's arms didn't waver. She inspected the chips. "The varnish was a little thin."
Emma eyed the fourth-year with respect. Gessa of Stanzin was strong. Her arms were thick and muscular, as was every other inch of her large and well-built frame.
The rest of the study group looked at the splinters with awe. Amice took the staff herself. "Splinters in oak." she said, impressed despite herself. "Nice work."
That from Amice, and the looks from everyone else, was so much to Emma. As Gessa swung her staff into the block position, she thought, there's nothing else that I'd rather do right now. I pity the ones that go to convents.