A/N: Yeah! Another chapter! I'm going to try to get on out every week. So far, I have done that three times in a row. * grins * Not much to say in this note… I hope your lives are going well, no school trouble, or boy trouble… here I go rambling again. On with the thank yous!
American Pie: Oh, that sucks that you were grounded. But at least you can read my story now! I'm glad you're still interested in this. Thanks for your reviews!
Tigress FN: You get to find out the problem, but I'm not going to comment on it, yet. Yup, the story should be on a roll now. Yeah! Enjoy this chapter.
Lady Knight: Thanks for your review. I'm glad that my first ever cliffhanger worked out. Thanks for noticing it.
Aer: In your last review you said, "You are best with your banter between the boys." What do you mean by that? Yes, Cyrus is complex. Not what I expected him to be, but some characters have a way of taking on their own personalities. Let me know how this chapter works out.
Lilith Ha: Everyone seems to like Cyrus! He isn't the typical bully, nor does he seem to be one at all. Hmmm… Thanks for the review. Enjoy!
Moranar: Yeah! She is a page now! But things will start to get a little more complicated with chapters to come. Thanks for your review!
Chapter 8: Revelations
The room held a constant murmur of small voices. The air was thick and getting heavy; all the windows in the classroom were closed. Pages sat huddled over parchment and notes, trying to figure out just why the famous philosopher Kwanbito Zoiromin was so famous. Peter was interrupted from his thoughts when pencils and paper flew behind Christina as she ran out of the room.
"I wonder why she's in such a rush," whispered Peter to George, who looked up just in time to see her turn the corner. He shrugged.
"Maybe she remembered something…" George remarked.
"I don't know… she seemed in a hurry to catch up with Cyrus." George visibly stiffened when Peter said that.
"What would she want with him," was the firm reply.
Peter shrugged and raised his hands in defense, "How should I know?"
~*~
Cyrus stared at the ground, tracing the stone patterns with his eyes. He was musing to himself whether or not to tell her, after all, she was a friend of his, George. He took a breath, raising his head to look down at her. She stared up at him with big blue, pleading eyes. Somehow, he felt he could tell her, just by looking in those eyes.
Christina could tell that he was uncertain. After all, why should he tell her anything? It was his business, and she really didn't know him at all. It was a very personal question, but she needed to know. She looked up into his chocolate eyes, begging without words. Then he spoke.
"About five years ago," he paused a moment, "my sister, Lady Adelpha of Xiphoron, was at age to come to court to find a husband. She was radiant, and gorgeous with flowing yellow hair and the brightest brown eyes you've ever seen," his eyes were sparkling with happiness at the memory. "She was so full of life, until," he gulped, and Christina noticed that his eyes darkened again, "George's brother, Sir Taren of Amictass."
'George's brother? I didn't know he had a brother. What does he have to do with this?' she thought to herself. Cyrus continued.
"He raped her."
"Oh, gods," Christina whispered in full shock at the statement.
"He raped Adel," his voice was sad. "Of course she became pregnant, and left court immediately. Her chances of a happy life are ruined. She now spends all her days at home moping with her child. Who would want her now? But that's not the worst of it. She's… different. She's not happy. She never laughs. I miss her smile, and her beaming demeanor. The sister I knew and loved is gone forever, Sir Taren killed her…" Cyrus trailed off in his thoughts.
"But wouldn't Sir Taren see his mistake and marry her, reestablishing her honor?" she asked, trying to find some hope in the situation.
Cyrus only shook his head, and gave no further explanation as he continued to gaze over Christina's head at nothing in particular. She could see the sadness enclose him like a cloak in the dead of night. She felt for his sister, for who could understand more than another girl could.
Suddenly, Cyrus became angry. "But what would you care? You don't know me. Your friends with George, the same scum that ruined my sister's life."
"Wait a –"
"Who knows, maybe my sister's not the first to have crossed with Sir Taren." He said the word with absolute disgust. "Who knows how many girls there have been or will be. I bet the same ruthless genes run through George. If you chose to consort with that type, you may. But I have no wish to associate with George or anyone who chooses to." He glared at her, almost blaming her for the misfortune of his sister. Before she could protest to anything he had said, he stalked off towards his room.
She was stunned at what had just happened. 'I can't believe that George's brother would do such a terrible thing! But surely Cyrus can't blame him for what his brother did to his sister. That's just not fair.' She looked down the hall, which Cyrus had used. 'I almost feel bad for him, not being able to deal with what happened. It had to have had a serious effect on him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have gotten so angry with me for no reason at all.'
She shrugged and continued on her way towards her room. She entered, and saw her packed things. She put down her notes, and started to unpack, all the while trying to make connection with what she had just learned with the George she knew.
~*~
The afternoon dragged on for Christina. Whenever she looked at George, she couldn't help but wonder about him and his family. He noticed this change in her attitude towards him. She had distanced herself from him, but now he felt it more than ever. Training was had work for her. Since she had been raised as a noble's daughter, she didn't have any training, except for the bow, which she was able to teach herself, with some help form a friend. Her gender didn't help either; she was much weaker than her year mates were. She accumulated many bruises and scraps, the result of being too slow with her blocks.
She was relieved when it was time for the bow. 'A nice break from hard work,' she thought to herself. The archery master was very impressed with her skills at the short bow. Too bad for her he came up with the idea of having her shoot while lying on the ground. It was terribly hard, and she went the whole hour without hitting the target at all.
Christina was grateful when training was over, and she was allowed to return to her chamber to soak in a nice hot bath. She scented water worked well on her aching muscles and scattered bruises. She changed into a fresh pair of breeches and a linen shirt, which fit a little too loosely for her taste. She twisted her hair into a braid. She thought about adding a blue ribbon, but decided against it. She didn't want to be made fun of by the boys. There came a knock on her door.
Opening the wood door, she saw George. She was surprised to see him, but not that surprised. She was bound to talk to him sooner or later. George decided that it would be sooner rather than later.
"Can I come in?" he asked
"Yeah, sorry," she said.
"You seem to have a habit of leaving your visitors in the hall," he joked. She gave a weak laugh, and he frowned. "What's wrong? You haven't been acting yourself lately."
"And how would you know? We haven't known each other for very long," she pointed out.
He shrugged. "So, you're not the same person I met three nights ago in the library. That person was more assertive. You're more distant now. Something has changed."
"I'm just more tired now," she defended. "I'm busier than I was before. I don't have time," she lied. The truth was, she just wasn't herself around George. For some reason, she felt like he could see strait into her when she was honest with him. That scared her more than anything. It frightened her that someone she hadn't known that long knew so much about her.
"Alright," he said mockingly, raising his eyebrows at her. "Whatever you say." She knew he didn't believe her. There he went again, seeing right through her lie. "We best get going though."
"Where? We have an hour before diner," she said.
"Yeah, Gift Lessons. Those who have the gift, like you, go to Master Leodonis to train."
"Great," she groaned. "More training." She followed George out into the hall, as he smiled at her displeasure the whole time.
~*~
The pages who had the Gift were lined up in a row in the magic room. The walls were high, and they came together at the ceiling in an arch. The room was globe shaped. It was cold. The stone walls had no tapestries to keep the draft out. The only thing that was in the room was a table with a single candle on it. Master Leodonis entered the room. He was tall with gray hair and beard. His smoky blue eyes were dazzling as he looked at the group before him.
"Good afternoon, or should I say good evening. These days just keep getting shorter and shorter, darker and darker. That's why we are going to start with a smile spell. Lighting a candle," he said as he pointed to the one on the table. "Let's see, who should go first?"
He scanned the group. Not one page raised their hand to go first. He would have to choose. As he looked again, he saw a new face. 'How could I have missed the new one? They didn't tell me she had the gift. No matter.' He walked towards Christina. "You. Your name please."
His blunt tone startled her. "Christina, milord."
"You have the gift?"
"Yes sir." He took up one of her hands and checked. He pushed his red Gift into hers, but it was blocked. He tried to push around it, but he couldn't escape the shield that was there. He did, however, sense her Gift's presence. He just couldn't tell how strong it was.
"Hmm…" He mused. "Yes, you do have to Gift, but there seems to be something blocking it. Can you use it?" He questioned.
"Yes sir," she answered.
"Let's see then. Light the candle." He stepped aside, giving her some space. She sighed. Christina focused on the candle, and blinked her eyes. Instantly, the wick was engulfed in rose flame and with a spurt, lit. 'Easy,' she thought to herself.
"Interesting," he thought to himself. 'Strange. I'm not able to get to her Gift because of these shields, but she can get through them to use her magic. I'll have to write to Master Numair. Maybe he knows something.'
The rest of the class proceeded to try to light the candle with their Gift's. It took George five times, but he finally got it. Some of the pages didn't get it at all. Christina was bored the whole time, having done the spell on the first try, and every time after. The homework was to work on this skill for next week's class. They only met once a week.
When it was over, the group went to the dining hall for dinner. Christina spent the rest of the night doing homework and finishing unpacking her room. It was getting a little annoying having to jump over bags here and there. When she was finished, she fell into bed and sleep consumed her almost immediately.