When they came out of the gloomy and seemingly endless forest that was
common in this part of the world into the fields surrounding the prosperous
fief, Kel squinted anxiously into the son ahead.
"Stop Yuri!" she called, looking worried. Yuri pulled Cirrus to a halt, turning back ready to obey orders but feeling rather confused as to why.
"Yurimi, do you have a sword with you?" Keladry asked urgently.
"No, my lady, I don't know how to use one anyway."
"Any weapon?"
"No, my lady."
"You should never ride out here without a weapon. Take my glaive. We're being raided."
"R-raided?"
"Yes, Scanrans unless I'm much mistaken. Tie Buttercup to your saddle and ride as fast as you can for the postern gate. You know where that is, don't you?"
"Yes, of course."
"Don't be pert. If you're attacked, fight, but avoid it if possible. I must stay and help the farmers, but you're untrained and young, and I want you safe. Now, go!"
Yuri stared nervously at the village, took the glaive, and pressed her heels to Cirrus's sides. As they sprang into a gallop, Yuri swished the Yamani blade. It was a beauty, made of fine Yamani steel and was far better than hers, which was her mother's old practice one.
Most of the men Lady Keladry had seen were a long way off and on foot. She didn't know why, but the Scanrans didn't tend to have mounted soldiers in the same way as Tortall. Thanking the gods profusely that she had been taught to ride without reins, Yurimi clutched the weapon tightly with both hands. Five swarthy Scanran men had seen her and were waiting in her path to cut her down. Yuri swerved to one side of them and slashed at the left most man. He fell, clutching his open chest as if to stop it bleeding, although he must have known there wasn't a chance with a wound that deep. His neighbour stabbed at her with a rusting sword. She parried, knocking it down away from her unprotected chest and a searing pain shot through her body. With all the energy she had remaining to her, she grimly pushed the edge of her glaive into his neck. Then Cirrus bolted of his own accord towards the now open gate.
When she was safely in, she collapsed gladly into Lord Tobe's arms. He laid her gently on the dusty ground by the stable, and put comforting hands on the horses' backs as he led them off to the stable. There were times when he was very glad of his horse magic. However Yurimi of Queenscove, page to Masbolle, had quietly fainted.
When she came to a few seconds later, he was back and bending anxiously over her.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yes, my lord," Yuri groaned. Tobe looked doubtful. She tried to sit up, and yelped. Now he was sure something was wrong.
"Your leg!" he exclaimed. "Stay still and I'll bandage it for you until the healer can see you. This will hurt."
Carefully the young lord cut back her hose to bare a gaping red wound in her thigh. He looked at it grimly and began to work. Yuri took one look at it and vomited the contents of her stomach onto the ground beside her. Tobe dabbed away at the blood and dirt then bound it up tightly. Yuri gritted her teeth, determined not to disgrace herself again by crying out, throwing up or fainting.
"There, that's done," he said at last. "It sounds like the fighting is over too. I'll go and help with the horses. You stay here, and that's an order. There's nothing more that you can do today since you're wounded."
"Can I have some rags, my lord. To clean Lady Keladry's glaive?"
"Of course, she has some in the stable. Here you are, remind me to put them pack when you're done."
"Yes my lord, thank you."
During the next hour, Yuri busied herself with returning the prized weapon to its shining original state, diligently mopping off the blood. The are around the stables was bustling with soldiers and villagers coming back and returning to their everyday work. The stable boys were kept busy grooming, and a few of the more gravely wounded combatants were helped off by their friends to the infirmary. No one had time to worry about the new page, sitting by herself cleaning her knight mistress's glaive. After all, that was her job.
When at last the corpses had been buried, the dead men's weapons and armour picked up and Lady Keladry satisfied that all was safe again, she herself returned at last and came over to see Yuri.
"I'm glad you made it through, I don't know what I'd have said to your parents if you got killed in your first week. Oh well done, I'm not sure many first timers would have cleaned their weapon afterwards - I was already planning your punishment work. Why are you still here? I would have thought someone would have pressed you into service."
The hazel eyes twinkled cheerfully down at where the page was sitting, comfortably propped up against the stable wall.
"My leg - Lord Tobe said that the healer would see to it and to wait here until he came to collect me. He bandaged it for me when I came in."
"You're wounded? Still, it can't be too serious if her left you here. We'd better go to the healer anyway: sometimes his bandages are somewhat rudimentary. Don't worry, I'll help you in."
With a strong pull, Keladry had Yuri on her feet, and pulled her unprotesting body up onto her strong back. She wasn't going to risk letting the girl walk and possibly make her wound worse.
"We'll teach you sword as soon as you're proficient with a staff, which I suspect won't be long since you're so good with a glaive. Now, this is Sir Martin of Nicoline, our resident healer. He's the son of a friend of mine. Tobe cleaned Yurimi's wound and bandaged it, Martin, but I think it's probably pretty bad."
"Come on then youngster," the young noble said comfortingly as he removed the bandage. "Hmmm, yes, quite nasty." He placed a cool palm over it and green fire flowed steadily into the wound. "There, it'll heal now. Stay off it for the next few days, and no weapons training for at least a week. I'll decide when you start, so don't do anything of that sort without my express permission. Academics you may do of course, and if you must be useful, you can do something sitting down like cleaning tack. Anything wrong with you, Lady Kel?"
"No Martin, not a scratch. I'll get Yuri up to her rooms for now. You've just increased your own workload. I'm intending to double her academics if weaponry is forbidden, and you're teaching her about magic, immortals, and also plants and animals. You're not Gifted, are you Yurimi?"
"No, my lady."
"Then that will be it for you, Martin. I'll take her for etquette and most of the weapons work. My clerks can handle reading, writing and mathematics. Then, I'll have Sir Geoffrey take history. No assignments, but Yurimi, you'll also be attending all of the militia's evening lectures on tactics, field medicine and surgery which we all agree you need to know even if it isn't on the standard curriculum."
"I have a class in all that every day my lady?!"
"Oh yes, and in the afternoons, when you've recovered enough, we'll be doing unarmed combat, archery, staff fighting, fencing, jousting and riding. You're also Yamani, and your mother wouldn't want you slipping, so we'll work out with glaives as well."
Martin and Keladry laughed at the expression on Yuri's face.
"Come on then, Page Yurimi," she said, "let's get you up to bed."
"Stop Yuri!" she called, looking worried. Yuri pulled Cirrus to a halt, turning back ready to obey orders but feeling rather confused as to why.
"Yurimi, do you have a sword with you?" Keladry asked urgently.
"No, my lady, I don't know how to use one anyway."
"Any weapon?"
"No, my lady."
"You should never ride out here without a weapon. Take my glaive. We're being raided."
"R-raided?"
"Yes, Scanrans unless I'm much mistaken. Tie Buttercup to your saddle and ride as fast as you can for the postern gate. You know where that is, don't you?"
"Yes, of course."
"Don't be pert. If you're attacked, fight, but avoid it if possible. I must stay and help the farmers, but you're untrained and young, and I want you safe. Now, go!"
Yuri stared nervously at the village, took the glaive, and pressed her heels to Cirrus's sides. As they sprang into a gallop, Yuri swished the Yamani blade. It was a beauty, made of fine Yamani steel and was far better than hers, which was her mother's old practice one.
Most of the men Lady Keladry had seen were a long way off and on foot. She didn't know why, but the Scanrans didn't tend to have mounted soldiers in the same way as Tortall. Thanking the gods profusely that she had been taught to ride without reins, Yurimi clutched the weapon tightly with both hands. Five swarthy Scanran men had seen her and were waiting in her path to cut her down. Yuri swerved to one side of them and slashed at the left most man. He fell, clutching his open chest as if to stop it bleeding, although he must have known there wasn't a chance with a wound that deep. His neighbour stabbed at her with a rusting sword. She parried, knocking it down away from her unprotected chest and a searing pain shot through her body. With all the energy she had remaining to her, she grimly pushed the edge of her glaive into his neck. Then Cirrus bolted of his own accord towards the now open gate.
When she was safely in, she collapsed gladly into Lord Tobe's arms. He laid her gently on the dusty ground by the stable, and put comforting hands on the horses' backs as he led them off to the stable. There were times when he was very glad of his horse magic. However Yurimi of Queenscove, page to Masbolle, had quietly fainted.
When she came to a few seconds later, he was back and bending anxiously over her.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yes, my lord," Yuri groaned. Tobe looked doubtful. She tried to sit up, and yelped. Now he was sure something was wrong.
"Your leg!" he exclaimed. "Stay still and I'll bandage it for you until the healer can see you. This will hurt."
Carefully the young lord cut back her hose to bare a gaping red wound in her thigh. He looked at it grimly and began to work. Yuri took one look at it and vomited the contents of her stomach onto the ground beside her. Tobe dabbed away at the blood and dirt then bound it up tightly. Yuri gritted her teeth, determined not to disgrace herself again by crying out, throwing up or fainting.
"There, that's done," he said at last. "It sounds like the fighting is over too. I'll go and help with the horses. You stay here, and that's an order. There's nothing more that you can do today since you're wounded."
"Can I have some rags, my lord. To clean Lady Keladry's glaive?"
"Of course, she has some in the stable. Here you are, remind me to put them pack when you're done."
"Yes my lord, thank you."
During the next hour, Yuri busied herself with returning the prized weapon to its shining original state, diligently mopping off the blood. The are around the stables was bustling with soldiers and villagers coming back and returning to their everyday work. The stable boys were kept busy grooming, and a few of the more gravely wounded combatants were helped off by their friends to the infirmary. No one had time to worry about the new page, sitting by herself cleaning her knight mistress's glaive. After all, that was her job.
When at last the corpses had been buried, the dead men's weapons and armour picked up and Lady Keladry satisfied that all was safe again, she herself returned at last and came over to see Yuri.
"I'm glad you made it through, I don't know what I'd have said to your parents if you got killed in your first week. Oh well done, I'm not sure many first timers would have cleaned their weapon afterwards - I was already planning your punishment work. Why are you still here? I would have thought someone would have pressed you into service."
The hazel eyes twinkled cheerfully down at where the page was sitting, comfortably propped up against the stable wall.
"My leg - Lord Tobe said that the healer would see to it and to wait here until he came to collect me. He bandaged it for me when I came in."
"You're wounded? Still, it can't be too serious if her left you here. We'd better go to the healer anyway: sometimes his bandages are somewhat rudimentary. Don't worry, I'll help you in."
With a strong pull, Keladry had Yuri on her feet, and pulled her unprotesting body up onto her strong back. She wasn't going to risk letting the girl walk and possibly make her wound worse.
"We'll teach you sword as soon as you're proficient with a staff, which I suspect won't be long since you're so good with a glaive. Now, this is Sir Martin of Nicoline, our resident healer. He's the son of a friend of mine. Tobe cleaned Yurimi's wound and bandaged it, Martin, but I think it's probably pretty bad."
"Come on then youngster," the young noble said comfortingly as he removed the bandage. "Hmmm, yes, quite nasty." He placed a cool palm over it and green fire flowed steadily into the wound. "There, it'll heal now. Stay off it for the next few days, and no weapons training for at least a week. I'll decide when you start, so don't do anything of that sort without my express permission. Academics you may do of course, and if you must be useful, you can do something sitting down like cleaning tack. Anything wrong with you, Lady Kel?"
"No Martin, not a scratch. I'll get Yuri up to her rooms for now. You've just increased your own workload. I'm intending to double her academics if weaponry is forbidden, and you're teaching her about magic, immortals, and also plants and animals. You're not Gifted, are you Yurimi?"
"No, my lady."
"Then that will be it for you, Martin. I'll take her for etquette and most of the weapons work. My clerks can handle reading, writing and mathematics. Then, I'll have Sir Geoffrey take history. No assignments, but Yurimi, you'll also be attending all of the militia's evening lectures on tactics, field medicine and surgery which we all agree you need to know even if it isn't on the standard curriculum."
"I have a class in all that every day my lady?!"
"Oh yes, and in the afternoons, when you've recovered enough, we'll be doing unarmed combat, archery, staff fighting, fencing, jousting and riding. You're also Yamani, and your mother wouldn't want you slipping, so we'll work out with glaives as well."
Martin and Keladry laughed at the expression on Yuri's face.
"Come on then, Page Yurimi," she said, "let's get you up to bed."