So while sitting and eating my lunch, a bowl of soup, a sandwich and cheese, I began to write the letter to my parents,
Dear Father and Mother,
It's only the first day of classes and already I've gotten hurt. I got into a fight with another student but don't worry we're both ok. But I would REALLY, REALLY like a large container of your bruise balm. I have a feeling I'm going to need it this year. Well, lunch is almost over and I need to be going.
Love,
Tierney
I got up and wrote my parents names on the envelope and headed down to the main office where we can hire couriers to deliver mail. I also took my money bag to pay the courier. I entered the office and went to the main desk and asked for a courier to deliver a letter to the Queenscove Fife.
"Why certainly! In fact there is already a letter going there from the healers so it twill cost you nothing my dear. Now run along or you'll be late for classes!" the cheerful clerk said as she shooed my out, first handing me a candy. I smiled as I stuck the candy into my mouth and looked at my schedule. Arithmetic, History, Writing, Etiquette and Meditation. Oh fun, arithmetic my least favorite subject first. How typical.
My afternoon classes passed without the slightest trouble. All long and boring. I was glad to be done until I was summoned to Brahm's office. I nervously walked through the hallways to his office, knocked and entered.
"Page Queenscove do you have any idea as to why I called you here?" he asked breezily.
"No sir" I mumbled.
"Speak up girl. I'm old and going deaf." He grumbled.
"NO SIR!" I yelled paused and finished by saying, "That better sir?"
"Much. I got a report here that says you and Quinian of Cagney had a spar that got completely out of control and ended in a visit to the healers. The two of you also went against each other quite fiercely in swords. Why?"
'Well sir, Quinian insulted me and my family name. We haven't finished yet though. It has yet to be settled but we have plans to milord."
"What plans?" he said slightly exasperated.
"Tomorrow morning we plan on having a duel in the practice courts, at dawn's first light."
"Very well. I will be supervising the fight because I happen to know that Quinian will stop at nothing to win. Now for your five hours of punishment. You will be working with me on the practice court with a second year page on swords. We will begin immediately after dinner and work for two hours, after that time, you Queenscove, will go to the library copy the 'Importance of Following Orders' thirty times. Now, off to class. Come promptly to the practice courts after mind you!" Brahm yelled after me as I hurried down the hall to my first class, arithmetic. As I entered the small classroom located on the third corridor I looked at the professor as he looked me over.
"Name?" the old man asked me, motioning me to stay standing at the front of the room. I was the first one there.
"Tierney of Queenscove, Sir." I replied, moving to the side as others came in. He nodded in response and began doing t he same to others. After the class had assembled he told us where to sit. All of us quietly obliged his request. I sat in the first seat in the middle row. "Wonderful. Now he'll be able to see how horrible at this I am!" I muttered to myself, looking to see where Adrienne was sitting. She was in the first row. I smiled at her from across the room. She smiled but turned to look at the professor who had begun to talk.
"My name is Sir Jebediah of Lutherian and I will be teaching you all you'll ever need to know about mathematics. All I ask is that you try your hardest in this class. I cannot ask anymore of you than that for it is not ethical. Today you will do these sample problems so I may see how well you know this stuff. Copy the problem down and answer it. You have until the end of class to answer twenty of them when you are done, bring them up to me." The wizen old man said, almost gasping for air at the end of his speech. We all shuffled around, digging for paper and pencils, and then settling down to get to work. The problems were rather easy, all multiplication, division, addition and subtraction. Nothing I couldn't handle. Each class is only forty-five minutes and I finished my paper after fifteen. When I took my paper up to him, the old knight checked it before letting me go sit down.
"Sir, may I go to the library to get a copy of the 'Importance of Following Orders' since I am finished with my work?" I asked him, before I got to my seat, stopping and turning to look at him.
"Why yes young lady, go right ahead, but hurry back!" He said good naturedly. I hurried from the room and down the hall to the library.
"Ma'am? May I have a copy of the 'Importance of Following Orders'?" I inquired of the tall stern lady sitting at the desk.
"In trouble already? My, my. Wait, I know that face! You must be a Queenscove." She said, cackling with delight.
"Yes I am. Tierney of Queenscove." I said with a flourished bow.
"Just like your father. In fact, I'd be willing to bet you got in trouble for back talking." I blushed scarlet, which made her laugh all the harder.
"No need to answer. By that blush I'd say I have my answer. Here you go love, the 'Importance of Following Orders' you may keep it. I suspect you'll be needing it a lot this year." She said, still smiling and not even bothering to hide it. I faked a smile and hurried back to my math class. The Order was a half page long so I could fit four on each sheet, so I'd need eight sheets of paper. EIGHT!! The Order read:
The Importance of Following Orders
"Orders are given not as suggestions but demands in order to keep peace and to protect those under the Order. They are not to be made a mockery of or ignored. Many men have toiled for hours to make this Order so people can understand the importance of following them. In a battle when a soldier does not follow the orders given to him by his commander, he puts himself and others in danger. When a civilian ignores a Knight or other higher authority's order, he puts his self in danger of that person's wrath as well as the danger the order was placed in to stop. Mockery only proves someone's ignorance. If you do not want to be mocked then don't mock others or anything else.
--The Committee of Writing Importance's.
"What a load of crap!" I said to myself after reading it. I looked at the clock I still had fifteen minutes. I wrote the first copy. It took me five minutes, so twenty nine left times five is about 3 hours. Joy I wouldn't be getting to sleep until close to one in the morning and I have to be up at dawn! "Shut up and get to work!" I told myself bitterly as I kept writing until the bell rang. I gathered my stuff up and went to History. This professor was a tall, silver haired man.
"Sit down all of you immediately. We have a lot of ground to cover today. I'll take roll later. Right now let's get this straight. I talk, you don't. You listen to what I say and take notes. My name is Sir Branhan of Smith." He said and then turned around and began writing on the board. I took out the piece of the parchment that I'd been copying on and continued. "I'll get the notes from Adrienne." I said writing as fast as I could. By the end of class I had 13 done, but I hadn't heard a word he'd said.
"Adrienne can I look at your notes later?" I asked.
"Yeah sure, why? You were writing the whole time, notes I assume, right?" she replied as we walked down the first floor classroom.
"Yes I was but I like to compare my notes to others and make sure I didn't miss anything." I said as innocently as possible. She obviously didn't notice and just handed her notes to me. "Score!" I thought to myself. IN writing the teacher didn't say anything, just motioned for us to read the board. I read it. It said: "My name is Jesse of Qwillere and I will be teaching writing. I have lost my voice so practice your letters 5 times each. I DON"T CARE IF YOU ALREADY KNOW HOW, JUST DO IT!"
EASY! I thought to my self. It took me 20 minutes to do it and then I worked on my orders. I got five more done. Only 11 left. When the bell rang I handed in my paper and proceeded to world's stupidest subject. Manners. The Manners professor was a tall prim and proper looking gentleman who introduced himself as "Sir Joseph of Blackweel"
"I am here to teach you how to properly act in public. I will teach you how to walk, talk, sit, stand and dance properly. But today you will just be listening and writing notes on what I have to say. I ignored him and wrote nine more copies. Only two left! I thought joyfully. When the bell rang Adrienne and I walked to our last class. Before we entered she handed me her notes for the class.
"Thanks!" I said.
"No problem." She said as we went into the class room. Instead of having desks, the floors were covered in floor pillows. Adrienne and I took two near the front of the room. A thin wispy woman came in and held up her hands. We all quieted down and looked at her.
"I am not here to tell you how to meditate. Merely to watch you and make sure you do enough. Hopefully one day you will use it when you are a Knight. Now get started!" she said quietly, not mentioning her name to us. Adrienne and I looked at each other and shrugged. Then we began to meditate. I was deep in thought and came to only when the shrill bell rang out. I shook my head to clear my thoughts and got up with Adrienne and left. We nodded goodbye and went back to our rooms. I decided to finish my copying and copied her notes as well until 6:00 when I washed and changed for dinner. I stood looking at my reflection until 6:30 when I headed to the dining hall.
A/N:
Finally! It's done! The End of Chapter two. I'll try to not let chapter three get too long! R/R please!!
~*AnnaBeth*~