Chapter 2
[Same disclaimer. Why bother typing it again? As always, please review]
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"Sayo Madison, the Shang Mouse."
"Alanna of Olau and Pirate's Swoop at your service and in your dept," said Alanna, slightly taken aback. The Mouse laughed.
"What a prim puss, haven't we got?" she chuckled. "Ah, think nothing of it. Savin' the innocents and all that that we Shang fighters much uphold and so on. Bunch of fussy gits," she said with a fond smile. "And I shouldna be sayin' that to a knight like yourself, miss, should I? I'm more of a wanderer than anything else. Talk a lot, don't I?"
"Yes," said Alanna with amused dryness, still occupied with trying to place the girl's odd accent.
"Well, you know, had no company but the pony for quite a while you know. He bites me when I talk too much. I suppose you could try that." She patted her
"pony", a huge stallion whose shoulder was quite a lot taller than her own.
Alanna chuckled. They were walking further on the overgrown forest path, and she was still feeling dizzy, so she mounted. She glanced at Sayo.
"Are you heading to Tortall?"
"Indeed I am, Milady. Are you asking me to join you, or are you just waiting to see if I am indeed capable of mounting this horse?"
Alanna smiled. Sayo, glacing at her, placed one hand on the saddle and flipped into it with an unbelievable acrobatic ease.
"I suppose he's a big big for a little thing like me, but he would miss me, wouldn't you, Pony?" The horse sniffed. "Shall we continue? I'm not too keen to wait around here."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"'Shang warriors are always welcome in the palace'" Sayo quoted with a snicker. "I love this place. Even if there were some pretty big hints about helping to train pages. When do pages get here?"
Alanna looked at her, eyebrow raised. Something told her the girl was more than she appeared. She certainly had a manipulative streak. A few moments before they reached Corus the girl had stopped to change into her full Shang uniform, although she hadn't personally brought up her saving of the King's Champion's life. Alanna had given up on placing the damn accent, but she would like to know.
Apparently unaware of her enigmatic status, the girl had taken good care of her horse, and left him to his feud with the mean horse next to him, a tall, scarred strawberry roan.
Her rooms were simple, but she was obviously pleased with them. She dumped her saddlebags on the floor, and settled down.
"You, Lioness, may stop tailing me. Go get some rest. Gift or not, you have lost a lot of blood and you need to relax." Another wicked smile.
"I'm not tired, mother. I want to stay up late with you," she joked.
"Alright catling. I suppose you may as well. Tell me a little before about this charming city. I've only been here once before."
"When was that? Were you a Shang Master then?" Alanna inquired.
"Dear, dear. Was that a subtle attempt to find out how old I am? Did an odd, cheerful little mouse like me actually graduate early? What sort of title is 'Mouse' anyway? How dare this common little girl tease the King's Champion?"
Sayo voice rose in volume, her voice a ridiculous tone, and they both laughed.
"Yes," said Alanna. "And where did you learn acrobatics like that?" Referring to her vault into the saddle. She smile, unrepentant, but something in the back or her mind told her not to ask where Sayo came from.
"Alright. I am 18, and indeed I graduated early. I was 16. The 'mouse' is quite an important position, actually. There have been Shang Mouses--mice?--for many years, but it is rather rare these days. A certain persona must bear it, but not many of them are all that interested in Shang." She leaned in close. "And I *am* good, Miss Champion. I am good at a lot of things." She grinned, wicked and charismatic and adorable. "I don't look 16, as I am well aware. Now, go rest, catling. I need to rest, because I am going to help train the darling pages tommorow, aren't I? Go on, darlin'."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"You beastly creatures are back for another year, are you?" asked the Shang Wildcat dryly. "I suppose we are stuck with you." There were far too many boys for the two Shang teachers and their training master, Lord Wyldon. She told them so. "And I expect you to-"
"Oh dear! Sorry, sorry, sorry," Sayo cried as she dashed toward the training yard. "Sorry!" She stopped at the door, glanced at the already assembled troops, and bit back a bad word. "Sorry, sorry, sorry!" she howled, lacing her boot and hopping towards the other Shang, and a training master with a very displeased expression. "Oh dear gods I am *sorry*!"
Sayo caught her breath, calmed down, and bowed low before Wyldon, Eda Bell and Hakuin Seastone. "Your forgiveness, my Lord," she said, eyeing the training master, her eyes round and humble as a cornered rabbit. The entire palace had been finding her cheerful charm irresistible, and even he was not completely immune, apparently, as he simply stated "Continue the training with no more interruptions," and stalked out.
Still panting somewhat, Sayo turned to her fellow Shang, the expression on her face that of a repentant puppy.
"Oh stop that, Mousy," said the Wildcat, not quite able to hide her amusement. "We know you're not really sorry."
Hakuin simply smiled and patted her on the head.
The older boys assigned 'Mousy' to oversee their drill were skeptical. She watched absently as they partnered up for staff work, and said something vaguely about not breaking fingers. But as they began, she was correcting them, in a mild, cheerful voice; stances, grips, swings were all adjusted carefully-she wasn't a good teacher, but she knew what she was doing. They found themselves behaving perfectly as they went through unarmed wrestling, throws, punches and blocks because she took it for granted that they were going to. They were amazed at their exhaustion at the end of the day, while Sayo, cheerfully oblivious to all of it, and fresh as a daisy, went for a drink with her fellow Shang Masters.
[Same disclaimer. Why bother typing it again? As always, please review]
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Sayo Madison, the Shang Mouse."
"Alanna of Olau and Pirate's Swoop at your service and in your dept," said Alanna, slightly taken aback. The Mouse laughed.
"What a prim puss, haven't we got?" she chuckled. "Ah, think nothing of it. Savin' the innocents and all that that we Shang fighters much uphold and so on. Bunch of fussy gits," she said with a fond smile. "And I shouldna be sayin' that to a knight like yourself, miss, should I? I'm more of a wanderer than anything else. Talk a lot, don't I?"
"Yes," said Alanna with amused dryness, still occupied with trying to place the girl's odd accent.
"Well, you know, had no company but the pony for quite a while you know. He bites me when I talk too much. I suppose you could try that." She patted her
"pony", a huge stallion whose shoulder was quite a lot taller than her own.
Alanna chuckled. They were walking further on the overgrown forest path, and she was still feeling dizzy, so she mounted. She glanced at Sayo.
"Are you heading to Tortall?"
"Indeed I am, Milady. Are you asking me to join you, or are you just waiting to see if I am indeed capable of mounting this horse?"
Alanna smiled. Sayo, glacing at her, placed one hand on the saddle and flipped into it with an unbelievable acrobatic ease.
"I suppose he's a big big for a little thing like me, but he would miss me, wouldn't you, Pony?" The horse sniffed. "Shall we continue? I'm not too keen to wait around here."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"'Shang warriors are always welcome in the palace'" Sayo quoted with a snicker. "I love this place. Even if there were some pretty big hints about helping to train pages. When do pages get here?"
Alanna looked at her, eyebrow raised. Something told her the girl was more than she appeared. She certainly had a manipulative streak. A few moments before they reached Corus the girl had stopped to change into her full Shang uniform, although she hadn't personally brought up her saving of the King's Champion's life. Alanna had given up on placing the damn accent, but she would like to know.
Apparently unaware of her enigmatic status, the girl had taken good care of her horse, and left him to his feud with the mean horse next to him, a tall, scarred strawberry roan.
Her rooms were simple, but she was obviously pleased with them. She dumped her saddlebags on the floor, and settled down.
"You, Lioness, may stop tailing me. Go get some rest. Gift or not, you have lost a lot of blood and you need to relax." Another wicked smile.
"I'm not tired, mother. I want to stay up late with you," she joked.
"Alright catling. I suppose you may as well. Tell me a little before about this charming city. I've only been here once before."
"When was that? Were you a Shang Master then?" Alanna inquired.
"Dear, dear. Was that a subtle attempt to find out how old I am? Did an odd, cheerful little mouse like me actually graduate early? What sort of title is 'Mouse' anyway? How dare this common little girl tease the King's Champion?"
Sayo voice rose in volume, her voice a ridiculous tone, and they both laughed.
"Yes," said Alanna. "And where did you learn acrobatics like that?" Referring to her vault into the saddle. She smile, unrepentant, but something in the back or her mind told her not to ask where Sayo came from.
"Alright. I am 18, and indeed I graduated early. I was 16. The 'mouse' is quite an important position, actually. There have been Shang Mouses--mice?--for many years, but it is rather rare these days. A certain persona must bear it, but not many of them are all that interested in Shang." She leaned in close. "And I *am* good, Miss Champion. I am good at a lot of things." She grinned, wicked and charismatic and adorable. "I don't look 16, as I am well aware. Now, go rest, catling. I need to rest, because I am going to help train the darling pages tommorow, aren't I? Go on, darlin'."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"You beastly creatures are back for another year, are you?" asked the Shang Wildcat dryly. "I suppose we are stuck with you." There were far too many boys for the two Shang teachers and their training master, Lord Wyldon. She told them so. "And I expect you to-"
"Oh dear! Sorry, sorry, sorry," Sayo cried as she dashed toward the training yard. "Sorry!" She stopped at the door, glanced at the already assembled troops, and bit back a bad word. "Sorry, sorry, sorry!" she howled, lacing her boot and hopping towards the other Shang, and a training master with a very displeased expression. "Oh dear gods I am *sorry*!"
Sayo caught her breath, calmed down, and bowed low before Wyldon, Eda Bell and Hakuin Seastone. "Your forgiveness, my Lord," she said, eyeing the training master, her eyes round and humble as a cornered rabbit. The entire palace had been finding her cheerful charm irresistible, and even he was not completely immune, apparently, as he simply stated "Continue the training with no more interruptions," and stalked out.
Still panting somewhat, Sayo turned to her fellow Shang, the expression on her face that of a repentant puppy.
"Oh stop that, Mousy," said the Wildcat, not quite able to hide her amusement. "We know you're not really sorry."
Hakuin simply smiled and patted her on the head.
The older boys assigned 'Mousy' to oversee their drill were skeptical. She watched absently as they partnered up for staff work, and said something vaguely about not breaking fingers. But as they began, she was correcting them, in a mild, cheerful voice; stances, grips, swings were all adjusted carefully-she wasn't a good teacher, but she knew what she was doing. They found themselves behaving perfectly as they went through unarmed wrestling, throws, punches and blocks because she took it for granted that they were going to. They were amazed at their exhaustion at the end of the day, while Sayo, cheerfully oblivious to all of it, and fresh as a daisy, went for a drink with her fellow Shang Masters.