"Ali eat your fruit."
Alianne of Pirate's Swoop jumped, spilling her juice all over herself, her food, and her mother. Shoveling the fruit into her mouth at light-speed, she hardly - if at all - noticed the fact that, not only were they mixed in with her pancakes, but they were soggy too. She also was oblivious to the fact that her mother was glaring at her and she was sitting in sopping wet clothes.
"Look Ma, she's talking!" Ali cried, still staring at Keladry of Mindelan.
"Really," Alanna asked dryly, still giving her daughter the evil eye for the fruit juice bath. "Isn't that amazing."
Ali nodded vigorously. "Ma! She's eating . . . " She got a dreamy look in her eyes. Imagining all the adventures she'd have and all the people she'd help when she was a knight, she continued to shovel her food in - only she was eating air. There was nothing on the plate.
"Do you think it's really true? About her going up to the Needle? On the day of the Big Examinations?"
Thom made a very rude noise. "Alianne . . . " he said, almost too slowly. "If you want to know . . . then why don't you ask her?"
Ignoring him, Ali continued to gaze at Kel and dream up trouble they could get into together and other interesting things they could do. She sighed impatiently. "When will I get to meet her?"
"I think . . . " George had started to say that he thought Ali would get to meet Keladry at lunchtime that day, but trailed off once he realized her head was in the clouds.
Alan was the only one sitting at their end of the table - which included his family, a knight he didn't know, Gary, and Raoul - who wasn't annoyed by Ali's incessant staring and asking. Growing up with a twin, he had gotten used to her strange behaviors. Switching his concentration to the strange knight, he tried to puzzle out who it was.
The man - whoever he was - had the Gift, though not a very strong one. Thom could tell that much. But that didn't help too much, seeing as he wasn't really sure which knights were Gifted and which weren't . . . unless he knew them. Sighing, he switched his attention to other traits that could identify him.
He did notice that this man seemed to have a tick below his left eye. And everytime Ali mention the girl, Keladry, it would go wild. He was jerked out of his thoughts by Ali kicking him from across the table. "Look, she's talking about Ma!" Straining to hear, she nearly jumped for joy. "And me!"
It was true. Kel was indeed talking about Alanna and her daughter. "I'm so excited to meet her! I can't wait . . . so, have you decided who'll sponsor her yet?"
Owen nodded. "I think I'm going to." Iden and Warric sent him looks that could have broken the Lioness, giving the others the impression that they had lost the fight for Alianne.
Hiding a grin, Roald said, "You know, there's always Alan. He's got to have a sponsor too."
Quickly both Warric and Iden said, "I'll do it." Warric said it first, though Iden was only a second behind.
"Fine Warric . . . You can do it," muttered Iden.
In an attempt to distract the pages from their fights, Roald said, " Hey Kel, are you excited about maybe getting to meet the Lioness?"
Their table got so quiet you could have heard a spidren spin a web. Kel picked at her food with a fork. "Well, yeah, of course I am, it's just . . . " She bit her lip. This was hard, spilling out her deepest, most private thoughts and emotions like this. Especially after six years in the Yamani Islands. "I mean, she's a great knight; she's famous everywhere. Me, well . . . the greatest thing I ever did was climb a tower." She laughed bitterly. "What's she going to think of me? I'm not anything great. What if she doesn't like me?"
"But you are great!" Warric protested.
"Yeah, don't be so hard on yourself. You're only fourteen." Roald agreed.
Owen nodded vigorously. "And don't forget the Battle of the Hill. You took charge because - "
Faleron groaned. "Because I froze. But you didn't. I'd say that's pretty great."
"And," Neal added, "What about your war on hazing?"
Alan pulled himself out of their conversation - it wasn't polite to eavesdrop. But Ali was already shaking their mother's arm. "Ma, Ma! Guess what! She's talking about you! And me too! Oooooh . . . I think she likes me!"
"She doesn't even know you, Ali." Thom attempted to be the voice of reason, but Ali ignored him.
Alanna smiled at her only daughter, pleased by her excitement. She was not so optimistic about her daughter being a page. But at least she was allowed to speak to her. The only Lady Knight shook her head. She was not going to concentrate on Jonathan's attitude problem right now, she was going to spend some time with her family before her youngest children went to stay in the pages wing. And Gods be damned, she was going to enjoy it.
Suddenly, the unknown knight jumped up, and stormed purposefully over to Keladry, on the way knocking into both Alanna and Ali. Thom thought it looked intentional.
Grabbing Keladry's arm, he hauled her up. The room went silent, all eyes on them.
Shaking her arm out of her brother's grasp, Kel attempted to control herself. Fighting the urge to punch him and walk away, she said quietly, "What do you want Conal?"
Leaning close, he snarled, "Just for you to know that you should be extra careful." Then, he tried to throw her backwards, but Kel stood her ground. Discouraged, and pissed, Conal of Mindelan stalked out of the mess hall. Kel's eyes followed him until he was out of her view, then she sat down. Everyone - even her friends - was staring at her. When she just ignored them, talk slowly resumed, and then eventually hightened to its usual deafening level.
Ali even went back to her staring.
"Hey Kel, don't look now, but somebody's looking at you." Faleron prodded.
Turning around, Kel's eyes met Alianne's, and the younger girl nearly fell off her seat.
"I thought I said 'don't look now'," Faleron hissed.
"Well, have you ever noticed that whenever anyone says that, the person they're saying it to always looks?" Kel hissed back. Then, turning her full attention to the violet eyes before her, she smiled. "Want to come sit with us?"
This time Ali did fall off her seat. "Me - you want - sit, me?" she gasped, so shocked that her words jumbled and she couldn't get a coherent sentence out.
Kel laughed. "Yes, you."
Ali looked at Alanna, then back to Kel and back and forth between them for a long time, until Thom feared her head might fall off her neck.
Alanna shook her head. "Go on." She gave her daughter a push forward, and added, "Go!" When she paused.
Being young and self-councious and nervous as hell about meeting her idol, Ali grabbed her twin's hand and dragged him with her. Alan, caught by surprise, grabbed Thom's tunic and dragged him along for the ride.
Sitting down, the three children greeted everyone, and introductions were passed around. When Kel introduced herself, Ali began to stare again. Thom moaned. "Here we go again."
"Can I ask you a question?" Alianne said in a small voice.
"Sure, why not." Kel told her, cocking her head. "What is it?"
"Did you really climb the Needle?"
Kel shuddered. "Yes. And it was not a fun experience." She shook her head. "And not one I'd like to repeat either." Then, cocking her head, she asked, "Did you know you're all wet?"
~~~~~
A/N: You all can thank Jae for this being out so soon...if it wasn't for her bugging me and begging me and threatening me it wouldn't be up yet! And, also, thanks for beta-reading it for me....even if it was only cuz you wanted to read it first....
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters they're all Tamora Pierce's, don't sue me...it's just not worth it.
Please R/R...I looooooove feedback!
Alianne of Pirate's Swoop jumped, spilling her juice all over herself, her food, and her mother. Shoveling the fruit into her mouth at light-speed, she hardly - if at all - noticed the fact that, not only were they mixed in with her pancakes, but they were soggy too. She also was oblivious to the fact that her mother was glaring at her and she was sitting in sopping wet clothes.
"Look Ma, she's talking!" Ali cried, still staring at Keladry of Mindelan.
"Really," Alanna asked dryly, still giving her daughter the evil eye for the fruit juice bath. "Isn't that amazing."
Ali nodded vigorously. "Ma! She's eating . . . " She got a dreamy look in her eyes. Imagining all the adventures she'd have and all the people she'd help when she was a knight, she continued to shovel her food in - only she was eating air. There was nothing on the plate.
"Do you think it's really true? About her going up to the Needle? On the day of the Big Examinations?"
Thom made a very rude noise. "Alianne . . . " he said, almost too slowly. "If you want to know . . . then why don't you ask her?"
Ignoring him, Ali continued to gaze at Kel and dream up trouble they could get into together and other interesting things they could do. She sighed impatiently. "When will I get to meet her?"
"I think . . . " George had started to say that he thought Ali would get to meet Keladry at lunchtime that day, but trailed off once he realized her head was in the clouds.
Alan was the only one sitting at their end of the table - which included his family, a knight he didn't know, Gary, and Raoul - who wasn't annoyed by Ali's incessant staring and asking. Growing up with a twin, he had gotten used to her strange behaviors. Switching his concentration to the strange knight, he tried to puzzle out who it was.
The man - whoever he was - had the Gift, though not a very strong one. Thom could tell that much. But that didn't help too much, seeing as he wasn't really sure which knights were Gifted and which weren't . . . unless he knew them. Sighing, he switched his attention to other traits that could identify him.
He did notice that this man seemed to have a tick below his left eye. And everytime Ali mention the girl, Keladry, it would go wild. He was jerked out of his thoughts by Ali kicking him from across the table. "Look, she's talking about Ma!" Straining to hear, she nearly jumped for joy. "And me!"
It was true. Kel was indeed talking about Alanna and her daughter. "I'm so excited to meet her! I can't wait . . . so, have you decided who'll sponsor her yet?"
Owen nodded. "I think I'm going to." Iden and Warric sent him looks that could have broken the Lioness, giving the others the impression that they had lost the fight for Alianne.
Hiding a grin, Roald said, "You know, there's always Alan. He's got to have a sponsor too."
Quickly both Warric and Iden said, "I'll do it." Warric said it first, though Iden was only a second behind.
"Fine Warric . . . You can do it," muttered Iden.
In an attempt to distract the pages from their fights, Roald said, " Hey Kel, are you excited about maybe getting to meet the Lioness?"
Their table got so quiet you could have heard a spidren spin a web. Kel picked at her food with a fork. "Well, yeah, of course I am, it's just . . . " She bit her lip. This was hard, spilling out her deepest, most private thoughts and emotions like this. Especially after six years in the Yamani Islands. "I mean, she's a great knight; she's famous everywhere. Me, well . . . the greatest thing I ever did was climb a tower." She laughed bitterly. "What's she going to think of me? I'm not anything great. What if she doesn't like me?"
"But you are great!" Warric protested.
"Yeah, don't be so hard on yourself. You're only fourteen." Roald agreed.
Owen nodded vigorously. "And don't forget the Battle of the Hill. You took charge because - "
Faleron groaned. "Because I froze. But you didn't. I'd say that's pretty great."
"And," Neal added, "What about your war on hazing?"
Alan pulled himself out of their conversation - it wasn't polite to eavesdrop. But Ali was already shaking their mother's arm. "Ma, Ma! Guess what! She's talking about you! And me too! Oooooh . . . I think she likes me!"
"She doesn't even know you, Ali." Thom attempted to be the voice of reason, but Ali ignored him.
Alanna smiled at her only daughter, pleased by her excitement. She was not so optimistic about her daughter being a page. But at least she was allowed to speak to her. The only Lady Knight shook her head. She was not going to concentrate on Jonathan's attitude problem right now, she was going to spend some time with her family before her youngest children went to stay in the pages wing. And Gods be damned, she was going to enjoy it.
Suddenly, the unknown knight jumped up, and stormed purposefully over to Keladry, on the way knocking into both Alanna and Ali. Thom thought it looked intentional.
Grabbing Keladry's arm, he hauled her up. The room went silent, all eyes on them.
Shaking her arm out of her brother's grasp, Kel attempted to control herself. Fighting the urge to punch him and walk away, she said quietly, "What do you want Conal?"
Leaning close, he snarled, "Just for you to know that you should be extra careful." Then, he tried to throw her backwards, but Kel stood her ground. Discouraged, and pissed, Conal of Mindelan stalked out of the mess hall. Kel's eyes followed him until he was out of her view, then she sat down. Everyone - even her friends - was staring at her. When she just ignored them, talk slowly resumed, and then eventually hightened to its usual deafening level.
Ali even went back to her staring.
"Hey Kel, don't look now, but somebody's looking at you." Faleron prodded.
Turning around, Kel's eyes met Alianne's, and the younger girl nearly fell off her seat.
"I thought I said 'don't look now'," Faleron hissed.
"Well, have you ever noticed that whenever anyone says that, the person they're saying it to always looks?" Kel hissed back. Then, turning her full attention to the violet eyes before her, she smiled. "Want to come sit with us?"
This time Ali did fall off her seat. "Me - you want - sit, me?" she gasped, so shocked that her words jumbled and she couldn't get a coherent sentence out.
Kel laughed. "Yes, you."
Ali looked at Alanna, then back to Kel and back and forth between them for a long time, until Thom feared her head might fall off her neck.
Alanna shook her head. "Go on." She gave her daughter a push forward, and added, "Go!" When she paused.
Being young and self-councious and nervous as hell about meeting her idol, Ali grabbed her twin's hand and dragged him with her. Alan, caught by surprise, grabbed Thom's tunic and dragged him along for the ride.
Sitting down, the three children greeted everyone, and introductions were passed around. When Kel introduced herself, Ali began to stare again. Thom moaned. "Here we go again."
"Can I ask you a question?" Alianne said in a small voice.
"Sure, why not." Kel told her, cocking her head. "What is it?"
"Did you really climb the Needle?"
Kel shuddered. "Yes. And it was not a fun experience." She shook her head. "And not one I'd like to repeat either." Then, cocking her head, she asked, "Did you know you're all wet?"
~~~~~
A/N: You all can thank Jae for this being out so soon...if it wasn't for her bugging me and begging me and threatening me it wouldn't be up yet! And, also, thanks for beta-reading it for me....even if it was only cuz you wanted to read it first....
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters they're all Tamora Pierce's, don't sue me...it's just not worth it.
Please R/R...I looooooove feedback!