Part 2: Heather of Queenscove
At breakfast in the morning, Ari collected her food on a tray and found a spot at the edge of Terence and Colan's clique. To her right was Terence. To her left about four spaces down was a mixed group of boys and girls, among them the brown-haired girl from earlier. The night before, a woman named Salma had helped Ari to grasp a basic idea of the daily events and how things were done.
Lord Welliam entered and said the blessing. The pages and squires sat and ate. Talk clamored all around Ari, old friends seeing each other again having happy reunions and older pages making friends with the new.
Ari glared at her food. No one dared sit next to her, the daughter of Quinden of Marti's Hill a known conservative, and already called untrustworthy by some. Was this what she had come for? To be shunned by both conservatives and ______? Maybe she would have been better off sent to the convent, as Ari's father had previously planned. No, the convent would have been much worse; she wouldn't be able to stand two days, let alone several years. Constantly worrying about proper etiquette, endless embroidering, and having to deal with all the prissy conservative girls was not what Ari consired inviting. Besides, the yearlong battle of wills between her father and herself had finally ended, with Ari as the victor. She had worked hard to get here and would enjoy it; even if the sole reason was the victory over her stubborn conservative father. Ari speared a potato on her fork and began to eat.
"May I sit here?"
Ari started and turned. It was the tall brown-haired girl.
"Sure" Ari said after swallowing.
"I'm Heather of Queenscove," the girl said, holding out a hand.
"Arishea of Marti's Hill." Ari replied, accepting it.
"I love your name, but do you have a shorter nickname or something of the sort?" Heather asked, settling down on the empty seat on Ari's left. "Arishea is three syllables long, and therefore takes quite a while to pronounce."
"Uh, you can call me Ari." Ari was distinctly aware of the stares from Terence's clique and the other pages. If Heather noticed, she didn't let on.
"This is my third year here" The older girl informed Ari. "At first it's tough, but you get used to it. It's especially hard with so few girls. In my first year as a page there were only two, myself and Laurel of Naxen. The lessons are fascinating enough to make up for the work though." Heather paused, selecting a piece of pork on her plate and sticking it in her mouth. After swallowing, Heather resumed her talk. "I'm glad you came. We need more female knights. I do have a cousin, Sara, who is a fourth year squire. She'll undergo her Ordeal this midwinter come to think of it."
Heather continued to tell Ari about her family and page training. Ari didn't talk much at first, but soon found that she enjoyed the other girl's company. At the end of the meal, Heather and Ari dropped their trays off with the kitchen staff.
"Has your brother shown you around yet?" Heather asked.
"Nothing," Ari said flatly.
"Nothing?" Heather said, raising her arched eyebrows. "Do you have your pages uniform yet?"
Ari shook her head.
"Has Terence even told you where everything is?" Heather questioned.
Ari shook her head again.
Heather sighed and ran a hand through her dark brown hair.
"I would think that even Terence would show his sister around." Heather muttered, as if thinking aloud. "As your sponsor he should be the one to do this, but you need to get an idea of this place and I'm not sponsoring anyone this year." She let out an exasperated noise and looked back at Ari.
"Come on, let's get your uniform. Then we can tour this place."
The two girls spent the rest of the day touring the palace. Heather seemed to know a great deal about whatever they saw or whoever they met. When Ari made this comment to the older girl, Heather shrugged.
"My father, Nealan of Queenscove, grew up here." She told Ari. "He began studying to be a scholar, but became a page when he was fifteen."
Heather also introduced Ari to her other friends. Some, like Saunders of Nicoline, only showed a polite interest, but others, like Laurel and Emory of Naxen seemed genuinely friendly.
At breakfast in the morning, Ari collected her food on a tray and found a spot at the edge of Terence and Colan's clique. To her right was Terence. To her left about four spaces down was a mixed group of boys and girls, among them the brown-haired girl from earlier. The night before, a woman named Salma had helped Ari to grasp a basic idea of the daily events and how things were done.
Lord Welliam entered and said the blessing. The pages and squires sat and ate. Talk clamored all around Ari, old friends seeing each other again having happy reunions and older pages making friends with the new.
Ari glared at her food. No one dared sit next to her, the daughter of Quinden of Marti's Hill a known conservative, and already called untrustworthy by some. Was this what she had come for? To be shunned by both conservatives and ______? Maybe she would have been better off sent to the convent, as Ari's father had previously planned. No, the convent would have been much worse; she wouldn't be able to stand two days, let alone several years. Constantly worrying about proper etiquette, endless embroidering, and having to deal with all the prissy conservative girls was not what Ari consired inviting. Besides, the yearlong battle of wills between her father and herself had finally ended, with Ari as the victor. She had worked hard to get here and would enjoy it; even if the sole reason was the victory over her stubborn conservative father. Ari speared a potato on her fork and began to eat.
"May I sit here?"
Ari started and turned. It was the tall brown-haired girl.
"Sure" Ari said after swallowing.
"I'm Heather of Queenscove," the girl said, holding out a hand.
"Arishea of Marti's Hill." Ari replied, accepting it.
"I love your name, but do you have a shorter nickname or something of the sort?" Heather asked, settling down on the empty seat on Ari's left. "Arishea is three syllables long, and therefore takes quite a while to pronounce."
"Uh, you can call me Ari." Ari was distinctly aware of the stares from Terence's clique and the other pages. If Heather noticed, she didn't let on.
"This is my third year here" The older girl informed Ari. "At first it's tough, but you get used to it. It's especially hard with so few girls. In my first year as a page there were only two, myself and Laurel of Naxen. The lessons are fascinating enough to make up for the work though." Heather paused, selecting a piece of pork on her plate and sticking it in her mouth. After swallowing, Heather resumed her talk. "I'm glad you came. We need more female knights. I do have a cousin, Sara, who is a fourth year squire. She'll undergo her Ordeal this midwinter come to think of it."
Heather continued to tell Ari about her family and page training. Ari didn't talk much at first, but soon found that she enjoyed the other girl's company. At the end of the meal, Heather and Ari dropped their trays off with the kitchen staff.
"Has your brother shown you around yet?" Heather asked.
"Nothing," Ari said flatly.
"Nothing?" Heather said, raising her arched eyebrows. "Do you have your pages uniform yet?"
Ari shook her head.
"Has Terence even told you where everything is?" Heather questioned.
Ari shook her head again.
Heather sighed and ran a hand through her dark brown hair.
"I would think that even Terence would show his sister around." Heather muttered, as if thinking aloud. "As your sponsor he should be the one to do this, but you need to get an idea of this place and I'm not sponsoring anyone this year." She let out an exasperated noise and looked back at Ari.
"Come on, let's get your uniform. Then we can tour this place."
The two girls spent the rest of the day touring the palace. Heather seemed to know a great deal about whatever they saw or whoever they met. When Ari made this comment to the older girl, Heather shrugged.
"My father, Nealan of Queenscove, grew up here." She told Ari. "He began studying to be a scholar, but became a page when he was fifteen."
Heather also introduced Ari to her other friends. Some, like Saunders of Nicoline, only showed a polite interest, but others, like Laurel and Emory of Naxen seemed genuinely friendly.