Woo! Another Chapter!
BREAKING NEWS! Did you know there is a real person named Marion? I didn't! It's author Marion Zimmer Bradley! She wrote the Mists of Avalon! Well, on to the story!
Disclaimer: Everything in this story except the plot and my original characters (Marion, Ryons, and Stormbreeze and any other random characters I stick in this story) belong to the great Tamora Pierce. And whatever else I'm supposed to say in a disclaimer insert {here}.
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Marion of Naxen woke to a beautiful sunrise, only to remember that she was yet to arrive at court. 'If it wasn't for Saito-cham and his promise to father then I would be at court training to be a knight by now!' Slowly she got out of bed and got dressed into her tunic and breeches that she stole from her older brother when he moved out of the house. She was walking down the hall when Elise turned a corner, walking towards her.
"Oh! I was just coming to get you! We need to get you fitted for dresses," Elise said as she pulled at Mari's tunic. "And since when did noble-born girls start wearing breeches?"
"Why do I need dresses? I'm going to be a knight, not a fancy pants lady!"
"You'll need them when you serve at the Midwinter dinners and other dinners they require pages to serve at."
"Oh, I forgot about those."
"Okay then, let's go visit Oriel Tailor. She's the best seamstress in the Convent!"
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"Hmmmm… Green really goes well with your brown eyes. Try this," the very tall Oriel Tailor said as she handed Mari a green narrow bottomed dress with elbow length sleeves and a low neckline. Mari walked behind the curtain and began to change.
"How much does this cost?" she asked as she put one leg into the dress. Realizing this way wasn't going to work she pulled it back out again. As she pulled the dress over her head Oriel told her the amount. Mari practically fell down when she heard this. "But I don't have that much! There's no way I can afford this dress!" she exclaimed as she looked herself over in the mirror. She like the way it looked on her. "Plus I'm going to be growing and this won't fit me for more than a year!"
"Nonsense! When you can't fit into it you just send it to Lalasa in Corus. She's the best seamstress in Corus! She'll be able to make your dress bigger and it will look just as good!" Oriel said as she leaned over to adjust the dress on Mari's slim frame. "This fits you perfectly."
"But I still can't afford it!"
"How bout I buy it, for a birthday and going away present!" Elise said as she pulled the money out of her pocket.
"I can't let you!"
"But I insist!" Mari ran over to Elise and gave her a hug that forced the breath out of her.
"Well, I better go put this in my room before I get it dirty!" Mari said as she went back behind the curtain and changed back into her breeches. "Thank you so much!!" she screamed as she ran out the door and back to the building she was staying in.
"Spunky little thing, isn't she?" Elise asked Oriel with a smile.
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Mari spent the rest of the day preparing to leave. She scouted the whole Covent grounds for an escape route. She memorized where there were sentries, and where there were gates. She finally had the perfect plan. Now all she could do was wait.
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Night finally came. Mari was so excited she was shaking. She snapped and her sea foam-green gift appeared at the tip of her finger. She threw it towards her baggage and the bag disappeared. Well, it wasn't actually as much gone as it was invisible. She then performed the same trick on herself. "I'll never get used to not being able to see myself," she whispered quietly as she locked her door behind her. Walking quietly down the hallway, she tripped over a stone that was sticking out of the ground. 'Why do I have to be so clumsy!' she thought as she massaged her foot. Her route was uneventful, and she got to the door to the courtyard with no problem. Unlocking the door was a different story. She tried throwing her gift at it, she even resorted to using a hairpin. She finally remembered something her uncle had taught her. Her uncle, Stefan Groomsman, is the stable manager at Court, and is an ally to the Rogue. 'Ok, he said that if I reach into myself then I can grab my gift and force it into the lock,' she whispered to herself. Clearing her head she reached inside herself and found her sea foam-green gift. Grabbing a strand of it she forced it into the lock. An explosion jolted her back to reality. When she looked around she saw shards of the wooden door all around her. 'Wow, the door must've exploded. I better not use as much power next time!' she thought as she picked herself up off the floor. 'I better get going.' She started out the door, once again pulling her bag behind her.
"Over here! The sound came from over here!"
'Uh oh,' thought Mari as she pulled at her bag more frantically. She finally got out of the doorway just when two men rounded the corner. She stopped dead in her tracks. One side of her mind was screaming at her, 'THEY CAN'T SEE YOU! KEEP GOING!' but the other side of her mind was wondering why the younger man was looking straight at her, his piercing blue eyes were very unnerving.
"Do you see the door? SOMEONE BLEW IT UP!" the older man yelled, the light gleaming off his bald spot in his graying hair.
'HE CAN'T SEE YOU!' 'But then why does he seem like he can?' 'JUST KEEP GOING!!' Mari gave into her more sensible side and picked up her bag trying to make as little noise as possible. The younger man turned towards the older man and ran a hand through his sandy colored hair.
"I can tell you right now that whoever did this is not a threat. They were trying to get out, not in," he said with a crooked grin.
"How can you tell?" asked the older man, scratching his head.
"Because we would've passed anyone trying to get in on the way here."
"Oh. Well then, no worries here," the older man said as he turned around to walk back. The younger man gave one last look in Mari's direction and set off after his counterpart. So Mari continued her journey to the gate.
"Ok, I have to time this just right," she whispered to herself as she hid around the corner from the gate. She was watching the sentry and waiting for the moment when the next watch came. She knew from watching them change earlier today that they had to sign off on a paper. That split second where neither of them is watching will give her enough time to sneak out the gate. Finally the time came when they were signing the paper. She picked up her bag and ran for the gate. She snuck past the guards with no problem. She then walked along the wall of the outside of the Convent. A while later she stumbled upon her horse. Elise had tied it out there for her. Now all she had to do was ride to Court and she'd be on her way to Knighthood!
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R&R!!!
~tiptapcandy