TRAINING & TRAVELLING
Ali looked at herself in the mirror. It was the first true day of training and she wanted to look her best yet didn't want those idiots playing any tricks on her again. Trying to make her go home wasn't going to work, she had inherited her mother's fierce will. Ali had heard all the possible tricks from Kel and her Ma and was prepared for the worst, yet still prayed to the Great Mother that they wouldn't do anything too bad on her first day. Arriving at breakfast she sat with her sponsor, Owen, and listened to his friend's conversations. It was quite far into the meal that Ali realised that Neal wasn't there. At a brief pause in the talking she asked, "Where's Neal?" Owen nodded where was Neal? "Oh, you guys weren't there last night!' Kel exclaimed "He got chosen by the Lioness and they left this morning, gone to the North." Ali's heart was swept with fear. In her mother's line of work many died and no matter how many wars she had survived Ali worried about her every time. "Don't worry." Roald had read her expression, "They'll both be fine." Alianne silently prayed that Roald was right and that her Ma would return for the Midwinter festival.
The day was full of surprises and challenges for Ali, enough to keep her mind from wondering about her ma and instead thinking on the task at hand. The Lioness had already taught her the basics, like how to fall, shoot an arrow and direct a staff but it was still hard going for her. Her favourite lesson was in Shang, this was because all of her teachers new of her parentage yet the two Shangs here didn't hold that against her and treated here like any other new page. By lunchtime she was exhausted and was nearly late to lunch. Her new friends found her more than grumpy, she had just met the hill she was meant to run everyday from now on and she didn't like it one bit. Kel talked with her a lot and was a comfort but it turned out that she was leaving the next day and so would Roald, some of her closest friends at the palace. She had known Roald since she was born and Kel had been more than nice and supporting, she would miss them. Her next classes she found more boring than the morning classes and as consequence to that her attention constantly drifted, though she loved her magical creatures class and, of course, history in which her grandfather taught. Her first lesson with him was surprising, he simply sat and talked about current events. After receiving greetings he turned on the new pages and struck up a conversation with all of them and when it came to Ali he frowned and murmured, "I'm sure I've seen you before." Some of the class giggled or chuckled and he launched into a discussion along the lines of what other had previously talked about with him. She instantly liked her grandfather's classes and they were the highlight of her day.
Late at night Ali studied with her sponsor and his friends yet she had left a book in her room and went to fetch it. On the way she ran into the King. At first she gasped in fear of it being someone important but then sighed with relief when she realised that it was only Jon. "Hi Jonathan. What are you doing here?"
"I came to see you, actually."
"Why?" asked Ali, quite rudely.
"Just making sure that you are settled in nicely."
"Yep, its all pretty good. Except that I keep stuffing up."
"In what sense?" Jon could hardly imagine Alanna's daughter making that many mistakes. "I, according to Roald and Neal, keep acting like ma. Do I act like her?"
"You are the apple of her eye. But don't worry, they're all gonna find out soon enough. Good night Alianne."
"Good night Jon. Hey, keep me updated on Ma, would ya?"
"Of course."

Keladry thoroughly enjoyed the ride up to the north with Raoul and a company of the own at her side. She had come to know him as a good friend over the past few days in which, late at night and while training, they would spend hours talking. Kel never knew that she could be as talkative as the court ladies could, yet it certainly seemed that way. Kel enjoyed being around Raoul, he was always making jokes and complaining. In a way he had the same humor as Neal. Raoul was still unsure of her preferred title and she of his. He finally brought this topic to discussion. "Keladry or do you want me to call you Kel?"
"Kel please my lord knight-commander."
"Well I was thinking, isn't it a bit of as mouthful saying all those titles when you could just call me Raoul, or Sir Raoul?" Kel gasped at this, yet it sounded a lot easier than calling him all those titles. "Does my lord mean that I would call you by your first name?"
Raoul's eyes light up at Kel's reaction and nodded. "Well then, I guess I will, Raoul." Raoul met the girl's eye and smiled. He had chosen the right squire for the job.
The next few days were spent on their horses with Raoul showing Kel how to tend to Chain mail and how to ride in it. She also taught her tactics and strategies, using the example of the Tusaine and North Immortals war, and she taught the basic things that a knight master was meant to plus a little more fun. Both Kel and Raoul had a great time in each other's company but they were approaching a battlefield and soon became wary. After all, it was war.

Alanna looked over the scene before her. She and Neal weren't due for another few days and Alanna had planned it so that she would be able to spend a few days at Trebond, in which old Coram, her first teacher, was now in charge of. She had missed the old soldier and it would be good to see Rispah again, she always reminded the knight of her youth spent at the Dancing dove and with Johnny, the rich young merchant boy. Alanna grinned at that. Yes, it certainly would be good to see those old friends again.