Chapter 11: Friendship
"What have you found out?" Sam looked at Cori, eyes worried.
"It concerns Nat, Lachran and you." Cori traded a look with Lachran and continued. "If I told you that Nat was beaten up all last year, because he protected Lachran, and that he is beaten up this year because he protects you, would you believe me?"
Sam didn't seem to be surprised. She looked at her cousin and Lachran who sat opposite to her. After a while she nodded slowly. "That explains a lot."
"What does it explain?" Lachran bent to her. "The earning your way custom is still alive. I know that. But there are no bullies any more. My aunt finished with that. The pages are patrolling if there is any trouble. And now you want to tell me that this is wrong? I can't believe that."
"If you really believe that bullies are past, you are very naive. To control them doesn't mean to abolish them. They still exist, they are only hiding. And your patrols ... well, do you really think that anybody cares about the traitor's nephew?" Sam shook her head. "None of you have ever accepted him. Yes, I believe he is beaten up regularly. How do I know it? I saw his bruises. I saw the pain in his eyes. And I saw the behaviour of each of you against him, and against me after I joined him. If you were told that any of the other pages did for you what he did, you wouldn't look as shocked as you do now. After him being your sponsor you act like everybody else, although you should know better." Now Sam was angry. 'I hate this ignorance. Nobody wants to see what's obvious, and if they are pressed to see the truth nobody wants to believe.' She wanted to go away before she lost control over herself. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up. "Nat!"
Nat smiled at her. "Don't be angry. Please, sit down. Everything is fine."
Lachran and Cori stared surprised at Nat. None of them had ever heard him speak so kind to somebody. He looked at Sam as if she was something he had searched for his whole life. He seemed to be ... happy. Nat sat down next to Sam. Then he looked to the two other pages. "What's the problem?"
Lachran glared at him. "The problem? Well, the problem is that you were beaten up a whole year because of me, and you didn't say a word. Why didn't you tell me? I could have helped you. It's not right you being the only one being bullied of all the pages. Not because of me."
Nat shook his head. "It wouldn't have changed anything. I have been beaten up since I arrived at the palace. I'm a Malven. That's the reason. But I have sworn to myself that I would go through this. And I was successful. Then you arrived and they thought they could use me for their dirty tricks. But nobody uses me. And this year they thought I would have enough beatings behind me to obey their orders. But now I'm used to it. Only this year and the next year, then I will be a squire, and things will change."
Lachran looked shocked. "You don't want to do anything against it? You accept it?"
"Of course not. I strike back. But I don't have a real chance against three pages."
"You have to do something against them. You need help. I will help you against these cowards:"
"We will help you." Cori added.
"No, it's my fight. It's my problem. My honour is everything I have."
Lachran and Cori looked helpless.
"It isn't a question of honour anymore." The three pages stared at Sam. She looked at Nat, eyes very serious.
"Three against one isn't fair at all. They have shown that they have no honour. I can understand that you want to be the one who fights them, but it's not acceptable that you are beaten up regularly." She looked at Nat. "I can't go on watching you being hurt every day. You will have to do something against these people. We will have to do something. I don't like the way they look at Cori and the other girls. We've already talked about it. I want to propose something." She looked at each of them forcefully. "From now on we will help each other. Each of us will teach the others what we know. I have some skills in self-defence which aren't taught neither in Tortall nor at the Yamani Islands. And you Nat, you've already had two years of education as a page. Lachran has some skills from his aunt, and Cori was taught by her father. We will train together, secretly. Nobody needs to know. With time we will become better. Then we will take care of our three friends. Do you agree?"
After a few moments of hesitation the others nodded. "We agree."
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The next morning, Cori got up cursing. Every muscle in her body ached. "Terrific. Of course we had to start practising yesterday. And of course we have to get up much earlier and start practising." After washing and changing her clothes she felt better, a little bit. Then there was a knock on her door. The others were waiting for her.
When the four pages arrived at one of the empty training courts they heard somebody training. A big woman with brown hair was training with a glaive.
"Aunt Kel!" Lachran cried out surprised. "You are here?"
Keladry of Mindelan stopped the pattern dance and turned to her nephew, smiling. "Good morning. I thought I would be the only one getting up this early.
"We want to practise together, and it's the only free time we have," he explained.
Kel nodded. "I also trained in the morning when I was a page."
She looked at her nephew's friends and Lachran started to introduce. "That's Corvina of Kourell, Samira of Pinehollow and Nathan of Malven."
"I'm glad to meet you."
Cori smiled back happily. "It's a honour to meet you."
Sam and Nat only nodded towards Kel.
Cori looked puzzled at them. 'Can't anything in this world impress them. They are acting as if they were twins. The same unfeeling facial expression.'
Lachran explained his aunt the reason for their training. Kel agreed with their plan and offered her help. "I don't know how often I can join your group, but I can show you some tricks. I would be glad to help you."