Disclaimer- my mind is not inventive enough for me to come up with everything included in this story. Therefore, anything that you recognize as Tammy's is probably hers. So please don't sue.

Oh! I broke 50 pages today! This story is now officially 51 pages long! So you are guaranteed 50 pages of my not-so-wonderful writing!

And thank you to my wonderful reviewers! I'm so very happy that you all like my story! *Bounces around happily* Okay R&R. And about the Lia in love part, hehehehehehe, we shall see what we shall see won't we??????

~Chapter 5-To See the King~

"I will be a page. And I will be a Knight." Lia said in an even-tempered voice that betrayed the emotions spinning within herself. This man was smug he didn't expect her to go far. He had chased one girl page away; he thought he could do it again.

         "In that case," he said, still very smug. "You will be treated in no way differently because of your sex." He raised his eyebrow at that, as if daring her to protest.

         "I would have thought no differently, sir." She said, disgustingly polite. He continued not disturbed by her actions.

         "If there is a man in your room the door will remain open. The same if you are in a mans room. You will bathe in your room instead of the public baths. And you will serve your first year as a probationary page." He smirked. Lia immediately cut in, furious, she would have slapped him upside the head had he not been in a position above her own.

         "I thought you just said I would not be treated differently because I am female?" She asked fuming, she was positive her face was red with anger. At the moment she didn't care.  "Or did I misunderstand? Sir." She said the last part very sarcastically. He got a funny mixed up annoyed I-don't-know-what-to-do-next look on his face. He still looked that way when Alex came back with my dinner, and-a note that he dropped in my lap before he returned to his table, which also seated my sponsor. Lia opened the note, it read-

Don't interrupt ha Minchi while he's thinking it makes him crabby.

God's all bless.

She looked up surprised. The boys at the table all smiled encouragingly before going back to stuffing their faces. Lia hadn't expected this kind of support right away; she had expected to earn it. Looking around she saw some faces tentatively smile encouragingly and she nodded and smiled. But then she saw faces that were downright cruel and knew they were going to cause her trouble.

         "We'll go to the king. Follow me." ha Minchi said standing up. Lia got up to follow him realizing sadly she hadn't eaten anything. She followed two steps behind. {As she knew was customary from endless equitette lessons}. Ha Minchi walked funny, a stomping striding walk that was hard to keep up with, it was also noisy, Lia's walk was light and airy, if you ever heard sounded it sounded like a cats walk.

         It seemed to Lia that they went down endless corridors that twisted deeper into the heart of the castle. She knew they were being tailed by the Mindelan boy and his friends, but figured that Minchi was ignorant to the fact. Which she was unobliged to inform him of. They finally stopped in front of a small but ornately carved oak door, was everything in this country oak? Minchi knocked on the door. Lia thought she heard muffled arguing.

         "Come in." A voice that said that sounded a wee bit stressed out. Lia grinned; maybe fighting with the king wouldn't be so hard after all.

         Minchi opened the door, revealing none other than an angry Keladry of Mindelan and Alanna the Lioness, who looked absolutely furious. And the King who looked nearly defeated. Whatever the two Lady Knights had been trying to get him to do they had nearly convinced him. Lia felt sorry she had interrupted.

         "Yes?" The king asked tiredly. He was looking at ha Minchi like he was insane.

         "Well, sire, Lady Yazlia asked me a question that I am not entitled to answer.'' Lia observed the man called king. He looked old, tired, almost defeated. He was almost fifty years old. He looked as though he needed a very long vacation. In observing these things Lia realized she wasn't afraid of him, yes she respected him, but did not fear him.

         "And what was it you wanted to know that your training master could not answer Page Yazlia?"

         "Nothing to big. I wanted to know why it is that if I am to be treated no differently than a male, correct?" He nodded. "Than why must I go on probation? And why must I have special rules that apply only to me? And before you tell me that male pages are able to be put on probation also, remember that you told that to Kel fifteen years ago." By the end of her lengthy speech she had thumped her hands on his desk and was yelling and glaring straight into his face. 'Sire.' she added sarcastically at the end, just to show her respect.

         The king looked highly surprised, and slightly angry. A flush had risen to his face and his knuckles where white from clenching them too hard. The Lioness looked like she wanted to do a happy dance, Kel was grinning and trying not to laugh. And Minchi? He looked ready to faint.

         "Your tone and actions border on insubordinance.' Lia smirked, they didn't just border on insubordinate, and they were insubordinate. But he pretended not to notice and continued. "But you are correct. I may no longer be the most respected king, but I will still be fair. The rules that would have guarded your life are now the same as guard the boys." He seemed to think that was enough. But Lia was still not satisfied.

         "And the rule that keeps the Lioness from seeing me?" Lia asked with a raise eyebrow.

         "That rule may not be modified.  As I have to do something to keep the conservatives happy." The last part made sense but it still made Lia a tiny bit crabby.

         "Thank you." Lia bit her lip to keep from sounding endlessly sarcastic, the king didn't seem to notice, Kel and the Lioness did though they had both gone into coughing fits the minuet Lia said that.

         "If there is anything else?" Lia shook her head. "Well than you are dismissed." Lia bowed before exiting the room.

Hello again! So yeah, that's a short chapter, or at least to me. I did go over this one again to see if I could make it go any faster. So if ya think it's better than the last few tell me. If it isn't any better don't tell me because then I can pretend you forgot. So Review!

-Ana