Kallanna stepped out onto the courts, looking around at the pages and squires. She saw a few squires practicing archery by a fence. She dashed over to them. "Hey!", she called, "Can I give it a shot?" Being about as tall as a squire herself, nothing like her lanky cousin, they thought nothing of it. Kallanna strung her bow, checked it, loaded an arrow, and loosed. Her bow struck the target, around 4 or 5 inches from the middle. "I'm not that good, but I live with-" Kallanna looked down. A few flowers popped out of the ground. "Oh, no, not again. Daine!" Kallanna fainted. The flowers had spelled out, I knew I'd find you.
Kallanna woke up in a castle room, Alanna, three squires, Daine, Numair, Jon, Thayet, and Onua surrounding her. "Daine, I'm so sorry. My father... I'm so sorry... I didn't mean. My father's sorry. He came to ... he's sorry, Daine. I'm sorry, I did it. I'm very sorry. My da made me. So sorry, Daine. your ma was so pretty. I'm so sorry, Diane" Daine gasped. "It was you who... Kallanna, why'd you do it? why'd your father make you?" " My father was an evil, evil man. I had to Daine. I'm so sorry. The dog.. I tried to save him, but da shot him. I'm so sorry Daine. Da hated your Grandpa for having such a nice daughter. so da made me exactly like your ma, dressin' me up the same. See, thinkin' about it is makin' my english go. I'm so sorry Daine. I didn't mean to kill em'. My da put that evil thing on me." The others, besides Numair, had left. Numair looked down at Kallanna. "So Uncle Hetren killed Daine's grandfather and mother. And you killed the animals." Kallanna started to cry. "I'm so sorry Daine. My father controlled me, Daine. He was pure black hearted. He just wanted to have a pretty, nice daughter and granddaughter. But he got a fairly attractive, hot tempered, I-wanna-be-a-knight, blue and copper curls daughter and a granddaughter who died right after birth." Numair stared at Kallanna. "You had a daughter?" "Yeah, I had a daughter. I had it in a storage closet in the castle, during when I was being like Alanna, pretending to be a boy, gettin' through knight hood, after I got my shield." Kallanna looked slightly horrified. "I didn't just say that did I?" Alanna came from out in the hall. "How'd your baby die? Who was the father?" Kallanna took a deep breath and started," Well, Let's start at the beginning. I became a page around the same time as you, Alanna. No one noticed me. I was Kalan of Rosenbaum, the boy who talked to his horse. The only people who knew I was a girl were Jake and Francis. Francis was one of your friends, Alanna. Jake was the person who came with me. Francis truly loved me when I was a squire. After I became knighted, Francis told me how he felt and we became involved. I speak of it so lightly to make myself feel better, but really it hurts me so to continue. I really shouldn't be telling you so much. I'll be in trouble with the king, and then I won't become a rider mage. So, onto telling you about how my daughter died. Well, when she was birthed, there was so much magic inside me that it nurtured her. And when she came out, the magic was no longer in the place around her. She died." Kallanna turned over in bed and cried into her pillow. Alanna shooed Numair and Daine away, playing mother to kallanna and treating her like her own daughter.
Kallanna woke up in a castle room, Alanna, three squires, Daine, Numair, Jon, Thayet, and Onua surrounding her. "Daine, I'm so sorry. My father... I'm so sorry... I didn't mean. My father's sorry. He came to ... he's sorry, Daine. I'm sorry, I did it. I'm very sorry. My da made me. So sorry, Daine. your ma was so pretty. I'm so sorry, Diane" Daine gasped. "It was you who... Kallanna, why'd you do it? why'd your father make you?" " My father was an evil, evil man. I had to Daine. I'm so sorry. The dog.. I tried to save him, but da shot him. I'm so sorry Daine. Da hated your Grandpa for having such a nice daughter. so da made me exactly like your ma, dressin' me up the same. See, thinkin' about it is makin' my english go. I'm so sorry Daine. I didn't mean to kill em'. My da put that evil thing on me." The others, besides Numair, had left. Numair looked down at Kallanna. "So Uncle Hetren killed Daine's grandfather and mother. And you killed the animals." Kallanna started to cry. "I'm so sorry Daine. My father controlled me, Daine. He was pure black hearted. He just wanted to have a pretty, nice daughter and granddaughter. But he got a fairly attractive, hot tempered, I-wanna-be-a-knight, blue and copper curls daughter and a granddaughter who died right after birth." Numair stared at Kallanna. "You had a daughter?" "Yeah, I had a daughter. I had it in a storage closet in the castle, during when I was being like Alanna, pretending to be a boy, gettin' through knight hood, after I got my shield." Kallanna looked slightly horrified. "I didn't just say that did I?" Alanna came from out in the hall. "How'd your baby die? Who was the father?" Kallanna took a deep breath and started," Well, Let's start at the beginning. I became a page around the same time as you, Alanna. No one noticed me. I was Kalan of Rosenbaum, the boy who talked to his horse. The only people who knew I was a girl were Jake and Francis. Francis was one of your friends, Alanna. Jake was the person who came with me. Francis truly loved me when I was a squire. After I became knighted, Francis told me how he felt and we became involved. I speak of it so lightly to make myself feel better, but really it hurts me so to continue. I really shouldn't be telling you so much. I'll be in trouble with the king, and then I won't become a rider mage. So, onto telling you about how my daughter died. Well, when she was birthed, there was so much magic inside me that it nurtured her. And when she came out, the magic was no longer in the place around her. She died." Kallanna turned over in bed and cried into her pillow. Alanna shooed Numair and Daine away, playing mother to kallanna and treating her like her own daughter.
