Jes collapsed onto her bed, thankful to finally be back in her rooms, alone
at last. The banquet had just been one mishap after another. Dani had lent
her a spare uniform so at least Jes had looked right, but pretty much
everything else had gone wrong. When they had arrived at the banquet hall
and Dani had introduced her to Master Oakbridge he had responded with such
panic that Jes had been afraid that the ancient old man was going to
crumple into a heap on the spot. Instead he had banished her to giving the
pages new salt shakers to replace the ones that ran out at the tables they
were waiting on.
It had seemed simple enough to Jes until boys started to pour in, their hose and tunics covered with various foods and wines. Master Oakbridge was practically shaking as one page after another was replaced and still more pages seemed to be getting in accidents. Finally Master Oakbridge had told Jes to take over for a fourth year page called Granten of Distart. Jes sunk her head into her pillow, she had panicked and practically thrown the platter filled with bowls of soup at herself.
By the end of the night Master Oakbridge was purple faced with rage and had given them all extra punishment duty. Jes was exhausted, she had just rode in to the palace, and although the ride from her home was short, especially compared with the ride from Rockstream, she was still tired. And Dani said that the new pages would get their sponsors the next day and start their classes almost immediately afterwards. Jes groaned as she buried her face still deeper into her pillow.
* * * * *
Despite her weariness the night before, Jes was awake when the maid who had been assigned to her quarters came in to start the fire. "Good morning, Page Jestinia." The maid said, "I am Shana, I've been assigned to your room by Gower, the headman here."
Jes smiled at the young woman who she judged was probably around eighteen, "Thank you, but please, call me Jes, Jestinia seems so overly formal." She said.
"As you wish," Shana paused, "Jes." She finished as though she was unsure if she was right. Jes smiled at the older girl, "Thanks, do you know how long I've got until breakfast? I've still got to go to Palace Stores and get my things."
Shana smiled, "You've only got a few more minutes but if you'll let me take your measurements I'm sure that I can request the things you need and have them here by the time you return from breakfast." She said, taking a series of strings out from one of the voluminous pockets provided in the outfit of a Palace Maid.
Jes nodded. "Would you do that? It would be a great help to me." She said. Shana nodded and whipped the cords about as Jes looked on in amazement at the quick efficiency of the whole process. Shana straightened and curtsied to Jes, who, unsure what was the proper response, made a quick bow.
Shana snorted. When Jes looked at her in surprise she said, "You're a noble, you don't want to be bowing down to the likes of me."
Jes looked at her for a minute and then shrugged. "Why ever not?" she asked.
Shana stared at her then curtsied and left, muttering something of which Jes only caught the words "crazy" and "noble".
Still lacking any sort of uniform to wear to breakfast, the one she had borrowed from Dani having been irreparably stained by the soup the night before, Jes walked over to where her bags lay by the door, still waiting to be unpacked. Jes pulled out a pair of light flowing breeches which were a dark blue in color, and a tunic in a lighter blue over a white undershirt. Jes looked at herself in the small mirror that hung on the otherwise bare wall and carefully smoothed back her hair. She was the perfect picture of a rich young girl, dressed somewhat boyishly perhaps, but that was to be expected. Jes' face finally cracked into a wide smile, her brown eyes twinkling with the excitement of what she was doing.
* * * * *
"Jes!" Dani yelled, pounding on the door, "Jes, you've got to come out now, you don't want to miss Lord Merric, he wants us all to meet him in the hall here now, hurry!" Jes pulled open the door to see Dani dancing from foot to foot, an impatient look in her eyes.
"I'm here, I'm here." Jes said.
"Just in time." Dani said as Lord Merric came striding down the hall, a large group of pages following him.
"Ahem, first year pages please step forward, I will now assign you a sponsor to show you the ropes of the Palace and get you accustomed to your duties here. You will pay your sponsor proper respect as is due to all of your elders." He turned to look at the older pages behind him, "And if I hear word of any violence or bullying on your parts towards the younglings you will hear from me." Lord Merric said. The older pages nodded obediently.
"He really means that. When M'lord was a page there were some boys who took the traditional hazing too far, Lord Merric was part of the group that stopped them. People might not have taken it seriously then, but Pa says that one of those boys died in the Chamber during his Ordeal. It's not tolerated at all anymore." Dani whispered to Jes, "Kel, Sir Keladry was the leader of that group, she wouldn't tell me much about it, too modest, but Pa says that the gossip was all over the court and that was one of the reasons he took her for squire. Pa likes people who try to change wrong things." Jes nodded impatiently, not wanting to get into trouble for whispering.
Lord Merric pointed to one of the boys who had stepped forwards, "Who will sponsor Nathaniel of Conte?" he asked. Jes looked with interest at the boy, the second son of King Roald and Queen Shinkokami. One of the older boys from the crowd behind Lord Merric stepped forward, "I will sponsor him, if it pleases M'lord."
Lord Merric nodded, "Very well Landon of Seabeth and Seajen." He said. With a bow Landon walked over to the Prince and Nathan looked up at him with a smile. The two obviously knew each other well. Jes didn't pay much attention to the other pairings for the first year boys, she figured that she would come to know the ones worth knowing well enough soon.
Jes watched with more interest as the girls were given sponsors. "Larissa of Elden" beautiful girl with long blonde hair was sponsored by "Tiana of Groten" and "Sarin of Distart" was sponsored by a fourth year boy who looked so much like her that Jes was not surprised in the least when he was introduced as "Warren of Distart". Another girl, by the name of "Michiko of Queenscove" was sponsored by a tall dark skinned boy who Jes judged was probably Bazhir by the name of "Haliz ibn Pazli". Another girl, this one almost rivaling Larissa of Elden in looks was sponsored by a tall third year girl whose name Jes didn't catch after an argument with an even taller second year boy. Finally Lord Merric turned to Jes.
"Name and fief then, quickly now." He said.
"Jestinia of, of Rockstream M'lord." Jes said, attempting to make a bow.
Dani's hand went up at once, followed to Jes' surprise by the hand of a boy who Jes was surprised to see looked quite a bit like Dani. Lord Merric looked at Dani, "Daniella, in this case the preference goes to your brother, who has managed, unlike you to manage to perform generally well in his classes." A few of the pages snickered and Jes looked up to see Larissa of Elden and her sponsor Tiana almost doubled over with laughter. Jes directed a glare at them but straightened her face when Lord Merric looked at her quizzically, one eyebrow raised. "Dandin of Goldenlake, you will sponsor Jestinia of Rockstream." he said after a pause. Dani glared furiously at Dandin and Jes just looked from one to the other, wondering just what she was getting herself into. "Nobles," she thought to herself, "Who's ever going to understand them?"
It had seemed simple enough to Jes until boys started to pour in, their hose and tunics covered with various foods and wines. Master Oakbridge was practically shaking as one page after another was replaced and still more pages seemed to be getting in accidents. Finally Master Oakbridge had told Jes to take over for a fourth year page called Granten of Distart. Jes sunk her head into her pillow, she had panicked and practically thrown the platter filled with bowls of soup at herself.
By the end of the night Master Oakbridge was purple faced with rage and had given them all extra punishment duty. Jes was exhausted, she had just rode in to the palace, and although the ride from her home was short, especially compared with the ride from Rockstream, she was still tired. And Dani said that the new pages would get their sponsors the next day and start their classes almost immediately afterwards. Jes groaned as she buried her face still deeper into her pillow.
* * * * *
Despite her weariness the night before, Jes was awake when the maid who had been assigned to her quarters came in to start the fire. "Good morning, Page Jestinia." The maid said, "I am Shana, I've been assigned to your room by Gower, the headman here."
Jes smiled at the young woman who she judged was probably around eighteen, "Thank you, but please, call me Jes, Jestinia seems so overly formal." She said.
"As you wish," Shana paused, "Jes." She finished as though she was unsure if she was right. Jes smiled at the older girl, "Thanks, do you know how long I've got until breakfast? I've still got to go to Palace Stores and get my things."
Shana smiled, "You've only got a few more minutes but if you'll let me take your measurements I'm sure that I can request the things you need and have them here by the time you return from breakfast." She said, taking a series of strings out from one of the voluminous pockets provided in the outfit of a Palace Maid.
Jes nodded. "Would you do that? It would be a great help to me." She said. Shana nodded and whipped the cords about as Jes looked on in amazement at the quick efficiency of the whole process. Shana straightened and curtsied to Jes, who, unsure what was the proper response, made a quick bow.
Shana snorted. When Jes looked at her in surprise she said, "You're a noble, you don't want to be bowing down to the likes of me."
Jes looked at her for a minute and then shrugged. "Why ever not?" she asked.
Shana stared at her then curtsied and left, muttering something of which Jes only caught the words "crazy" and "noble".
Still lacking any sort of uniform to wear to breakfast, the one she had borrowed from Dani having been irreparably stained by the soup the night before, Jes walked over to where her bags lay by the door, still waiting to be unpacked. Jes pulled out a pair of light flowing breeches which were a dark blue in color, and a tunic in a lighter blue over a white undershirt. Jes looked at herself in the small mirror that hung on the otherwise bare wall and carefully smoothed back her hair. She was the perfect picture of a rich young girl, dressed somewhat boyishly perhaps, but that was to be expected. Jes' face finally cracked into a wide smile, her brown eyes twinkling with the excitement of what she was doing.
* * * * *
"Jes!" Dani yelled, pounding on the door, "Jes, you've got to come out now, you don't want to miss Lord Merric, he wants us all to meet him in the hall here now, hurry!" Jes pulled open the door to see Dani dancing from foot to foot, an impatient look in her eyes.
"I'm here, I'm here." Jes said.
"Just in time." Dani said as Lord Merric came striding down the hall, a large group of pages following him.
"Ahem, first year pages please step forward, I will now assign you a sponsor to show you the ropes of the Palace and get you accustomed to your duties here. You will pay your sponsor proper respect as is due to all of your elders." He turned to look at the older pages behind him, "And if I hear word of any violence or bullying on your parts towards the younglings you will hear from me." Lord Merric said. The older pages nodded obediently.
"He really means that. When M'lord was a page there were some boys who took the traditional hazing too far, Lord Merric was part of the group that stopped them. People might not have taken it seriously then, but Pa says that one of those boys died in the Chamber during his Ordeal. It's not tolerated at all anymore." Dani whispered to Jes, "Kel, Sir Keladry was the leader of that group, she wouldn't tell me much about it, too modest, but Pa says that the gossip was all over the court and that was one of the reasons he took her for squire. Pa likes people who try to change wrong things." Jes nodded impatiently, not wanting to get into trouble for whispering.
Lord Merric pointed to one of the boys who had stepped forwards, "Who will sponsor Nathaniel of Conte?" he asked. Jes looked with interest at the boy, the second son of King Roald and Queen Shinkokami. One of the older boys from the crowd behind Lord Merric stepped forward, "I will sponsor him, if it pleases M'lord."
Lord Merric nodded, "Very well Landon of Seabeth and Seajen." He said. With a bow Landon walked over to the Prince and Nathan looked up at him with a smile. The two obviously knew each other well. Jes didn't pay much attention to the other pairings for the first year boys, she figured that she would come to know the ones worth knowing well enough soon.
Jes watched with more interest as the girls were given sponsors. "Larissa of Elden" beautiful girl with long blonde hair was sponsored by "Tiana of Groten" and "Sarin of Distart" was sponsored by a fourth year boy who looked so much like her that Jes was not surprised in the least when he was introduced as "Warren of Distart". Another girl, by the name of "Michiko of Queenscove" was sponsored by a tall dark skinned boy who Jes judged was probably Bazhir by the name of "Haliz ibn Pazli". Another girl, this one almost rivaling Larissa of Elden in looks was sponsored by a tall third year girl whose name Jes didn't catch after an argument with an even taller second year boy. Finally Lord Merric turned to Jes.
"Name and fief then, quickly now." He said.
"Jestinia of, of Rockstream M'lord." Jes said, attempting to make a bow.
Dani's hand went up at once, followed to Jes' surprise by the hand of a boy who Jes was surprised to see looked quite a bit like Dani. Lord Merric looked at Dani, "Daniella, in this case the preference goes to your brother, who has managed, unlike you to manage to perform generally well in his classes." A few of the pages snickered and Jes looked up to see Larissa of Elden and her sponsor Tiana almost doubled over with laughter. Jes directed a glare at them but straightened her face when Lord Merric looked at her quizzically, one eyebrow raised. "Dandin of Goldenlake, you will sponsor Jestinia of Rockstream." he said after a pause. Dani glared furiously at Dandin and Jes just looked from one to the other, wondering just what she was getting herself into. "Nobles," she thought to herself, "Who's ever going to understand them?"