Kel pulled Peachblossom to a stop and dismounted. She pulled her
helmet off and tucked it under her arm.
Stefan grinned at Kel, then took Peachblossom's reins. "How's the
border, milady?" He asked.
Kel grimaced. "Two more rouge machines. We know there's more left out
there, but we can't find them."
Stefan shook his head. "I'll get young Tobeis to be feeding and
watering Peachblossom."
"I'm here!" A young boy ran up to them, panting. "Stefan, you know
you can just call me Tobe."
Stefan nodded. "Aye, then, young Tobe. I'll be off then." He turned
to Kel. "Milady."
Kel grinned. "Just Kel, Stefan. Just Kel will do fine."
"Alright then, Just Kel. Tobe." He smiled at the two, and then ambled
back to the stables.
Tobe smiled happily after Stefan, then at Kel, and led Peachblossom
away, whistling a happy tune.
Kel sighed and left.
In her room, Kel found a letter from Lord Raul:
Dear Kel, There's a group of promising senior pages. Go have a look at them. And, there's going to be a peace party going to Scanra. Keep your ears open. -Raul
Kel crossed her eyes and stuck out her tongue at the letter. Then, she changed into blue breeches, a cream shirt with full sleeves, and a green tunic trimmed with cream. Once she's arrived at the pages' practice courts, Kel saw what Raul'd meant. The pages certainly were promising. Two of the pages caught Kel's eyes. One of them rode a black stallion. Kel frowned at the page's mistake. Kel looked the page up and down. The page was obviously a girl; her long blonde hair would have glinted in the afternoon sun, if it wasn't matted with sweat. She had blue eyes, and fair skin. She would have made the perfect wife if not for her muscles. The girl wore spurs, but the training master, HaMinch preferred all the pages to. And then there was the shorter girl. She rode a reddish-brown mare named Shannon Rose, who, as Daine had told Kel, was pregnant. The petite girl wore no spurs. The girl had cropped brown hair with hazel-green eyes that were more green than hazel. She patted Shannon Rose's neck, and walked her not to the end of the practice line, but to Kel. "Are you watching us because we're going to be squires soon?" She asked. "If you are, pick Lyna. She's the best of all of us, even of the boys." Someone spat at the younger girl. It was Lyna. "Scanra?" A voice echoed through the practice courts. Lyna's head jerked up. "Yessir?" "Extra math for the rest of the week." It was the training master, HaMinch. Lyna nodded, looking ashamed. "Yes, my lord." HaMinch left. Kel looked at the smaller girl. "Why'd he call her Scanra?" The girl looked from Lyna to Kel, then down at Shannon Rose's back. She sighed sadly. "She came as an illegal immigrant, and the King's Own took her in. No one told the King, but he found out anyway. He gave her the choice to train as a knight, or. or." "Traitor's Hill?" Asked Kel softly. The younger girl shuddered softly, then nodded. Kel shook her head, then nodded. "Thank you. Back to work then." The girl smiled. Kel remembered to ask for her name, but the girl had already started to walk Shannon Rose back to the practice line. "You won't be wanting to pick young Trebond as your squire." Kel looked up, startled. It was HaMinch. "Sir?" "She started when she was eight. You see, there was a Scanran attack on Trebond," Kel nodded. Trebond was near the border, but it had mountains protecting it! Unless. "so she rode all the way here on Shannon Rose's bare back. I'm surprised you don't know her. She says she stopped at Haven for a little while." Kel felt her eyes sting. "Was she really skinny, with hair longer than Lyna's?" She whispered with sadness. HaMinch shrugged. "Now there's a decent squire!" "Who?" Kel asked. "Lyna." HaMinch sighed. "They're such opposites, Lyna of Scanra and Kara of Trebond." Kel nodded thoughtfully. "I'd better go. Thank you, sir."
Tobe caught up with her as she made her way to her rooms. "My lord HaMinch told me to tell you that you should know that if the Trebond refugee girl isn't picked as someone's squire, she has to repeat her four years as a page over again, as she's eleven now." Kel sighed and shook her head. "That just settles my decision even more." She shook her head. Doing that to Kara, of all people, was just plain wrong. "You're getting a squire?" Tobe asked softly. "Of course you'll still help me," Kel told him, "but you won't be doing everything."
The next morning Kel found her squire-to-be walking her horse, Shannon Rose around the outskirts of the Royal Forest. "You'll want to be careful around these parts," Kel told Kara, "Not even Sir Nealen knows what could pop up." The look on Kara's face was of such astonishment that Kel grinned and laughed. She'd have to try that herself sometime. Kara smiled apologetically. "But Sir Nealen knows everything!" She protested. "He acts as if he does." Kel sighed. "Kara are you really going to have to repeat your page years?" "I'll do it," Kara said, "just to show Lyna." Kel smiled She smiled. She remembered almost doing the same thing, just to show her old rival, Joren. "You don't have to, Kara. I want you to be my squire." Kara hugged Kel with all her might (Kel was tall enough Kara didn't have to dismount from Shannon Rose's back). "I'd love to! I was hoping you'd pick me!" Kel smiled. "Come on. Let's go move you into your new quarters."
In her room, Kel found a letter from Lord Raul:
Dear Kel, There's a group of promising senior pages. Go have a look at them. And, there's going to be a peace party going to Scanra. Keep your ears open. -Raul
Kel crossed her eyes and stuck out her tongue at the letter. Then, she changed into blue breeches, a cream shirt with full sleeves, and a green tunic trimmed with cream. Once she's arrived at the pages' practice courts, Kel saw what Raul'd meant. The pages certainly were promising. Two of the pages caught Kel's eyes. One of them rode a black stallion. Kel frowned at the page's mistake. Kel looked the page up and down. The page was obviously a girl; her long blonde hair would have glinted in the afternoon sun, if it wasn't matted with sweat. She had blue eyes, and fair skin. She would have made the perfect wife if not for her muscles. The girl wore spurs, but the training master, HaMinch preferred all the pages to. And then there was the shorter girl. She rode a reddish-brown mare named Shannon Rose, who, as Daine had told Kel, was pregnant. The petite girl wore no spurs. The girl had cropped brown hair with hazel-green eyes that were more green than hazel. She patted Shannon Rose's neck, and walked her not to the end of the practice line, but to Kel. "Are you watching us because we're going to be squires soon?" She asked. "If you are, pick Lyna. She's the best of all of us, even of the boys." Someone spat at the younger girl. It was Lyna. "Scanra?" A voice echoed through the practice courts. Lyna's head jerked up. "Yessir?" "Extra math for the rest of the week." It was the training master, HaMinch. Lyna nodded, looking ashamed. "Yes, my lord." HaMinch left. Kel looked at the smaller girl. "Why'd he call her Scanra?" The girl looked from Lyna to Kel, then down at Shannon Rose's back. She sighed sadly. "She came as an illegal immigrant, and the King's Own took her in. No one told the King, but he found out anyway. He gave her the choice to train as a knight, or. or." "Traitor's Hill?" Asked Kel softly. The younger girl shuddered softly, then nodded. Kel shook her head, then nodded. "Thank you. Back to work then." The girl smiled. Kel remembered to ask for her name, but the girl had already started to walk Shannon Rose back to the practice line. "You won't be wanting to pick young Trebond as your squire." Kel looked up, startled. It was HaMinch. "Sir?" "She started when she was eight. You see, there was a Scanran attack on Trebond," Kel nodded. Trebond was near the border, but it had mountains protecting it! Unless. "so she rode all the way here on Shannon Rose's bare back. I'm surprised you don't know her. She says she stopped at Haven for a little while." Kel felt her eyes sting. "Was she really skinny, with hair longer than Lyna's?" She whispered with sadness. HaMinch shrugged. "Now there's a decent squire!" "Who?" Kel asked. "Lyna." HaMinch sighed. "They're such opposites, Lyna of Scanra and Kara of Trebond." Kel nodded thoughtfully. "I'd better go. Thank you, sir."
Tobe caught up with her as she made her way to her rooms. "My lord HaMinch told me to tell you that you should know that if the Trebond refugee girl isn't picked as someone's squire, she has to repeat her four years as a page over again, as she's eleven now." Kel sighed and shook her head. "That just settles my decision even more." She shook her head. Doing that to Kara, of all people, was just plain wrong. "You're getting a squire?" Tobe asked softly. "Of course you'll still help me," Kel told him, "but you won't be doing everything."
The next morning Kel found her squire-to-be walking her horse, Shannon Rose around the outskirts of the Royal Forest. "You'll want to be careful around these parts," Kel told Kara, "Not even Sir Nealen knows what could pop up." The look on Kara's face was of such astonishment that Kel grinned and laughed. She'd have to try that herself sometime. Kara smiled apologetically. "But Sir Nealen knows everything!" She protested. "He acts as if he does." Kel sighed. "Kara are you really going to have to repeat your page years?" "I'll do it," Kara said, "just to show Lyna." Kel smiled She smiled. She remembered almost doing the same thing, just to show her old rival, Joren. "You don't have to, Kara. I want you to be my squire." Kara hugged Kel with all her might (Kel was tall enough Kara didn't have to dismount from Shannon Rose's back). "I'd love to! I was hoping you'd pick me!" Kel smiled. "Come on. Let's go move you into your new quarters."