Author's Note: Thank you to Live-eviL-07, dracorium, Lady-Kitty, Midnight
Unicorn, Lady Light and Daughter of Death for reviewing.
Kel woke up at her usual time the next morning. Captain Taro was already up and working on perfecting his Tortallan. He sent her out to train as she was expected to do every day, rain or shine. Kel picked up her weapons without complaint and jogged out, fetching some rolls from the kitchen as she went and eating them piping hot as she made her way out. A few of the other samurai soon joined her and they warmed up together. Many of them were apprehensive about staying in Tortall because it was so alien to what they were used to. Kel couldn't really understand this view, but then she'd been moving between Tortall and the Yamanis since she was tiny. The pages came out about three bells later, many of them still bleary eyed and yawning widely. Kel smiled at that, but resolutely turned her back and began a complex pattern dance to keep her mind off them. The less she said, the less likely she would be to let something slip, and to be revealed on her first day would be beyond bearing.
During the time between two of the pages' lessons, Hiroshi and some of the other samurai went over to talk to them. Kel looked over and recognised Neal and Merric in the group. She took a deep breath, resisting the urge to run over and say hello, and turned away.
"Akio!" Hiroshi called in Yamani. "Come over here!" So much for her good intentions, Kel thought as she laid down her glaive and jogged over. She bowed deeply, her eyes twinkling with mischief, and said in Yamani,
"How may I serve you, O mighty samurai?" Hiroshi clouted her playfully, not understanding that she really did not want to be there.
"Tell them we are pleased to be here. I don't speak Tortallan, remember, and I know you do." Kel dutifully repeated this in Tortallan. One of the other samurai's Tortallan was quite good, especially compared to Hiroshi's non-existent language.
"I am Yasu," he said, somewhat stiltedly. "This Hiroshi and this Shizuko. This Akio, the, how you say it, boy wonder. He only thirteen and already is takuro!"
Kel desperately wanted the ground to swallow her up. Neal was looking at her curiously, so were many of the others, and Kel could guess what would inevitably come eventually.
"I'm Neal, these are Merric, Seaver, Esmond, Owen, Iden and Warric."
"You're all samurai?" asked the boy Neal had pointed out as Owen. "That's like a knight, isn't it?"
Kel translated this rapidly for the benefit of her friends.
"Yes," said Yasu. "Like knight - warrior of emperor. Akio is takuro. He learns to be samurai and serves Captain Taro."
"Like a squire then? Takuro," Neal pronounced carefully, with the look that Kel knew meant that he was storing this away for future use.
Suddenly, Hakuin, a Shang warrior who taught the pages, cleared his throat. The pages jumped guiltily and Kel grinned. She had seen him coming, but the pages had been looking the wrong way. She bowed to him politely, Yamani style since he was Yamani.
"Training Master Nariko sends greetings to you sir," she recited to him, politely in Tortallan so that the pages could understand. "She hopes you are doing well and when you return to court that you will be able to show her some new moves. Nariko bid me tell you also that if you'd stayed, she would have made a master samurai of you." He laughed at that, and Kel smiled, somewhat uncertainly, since she knew that Nariko had been his first teacher. "She?" Merric asked curiously.
"The Training Master?" Hakuin replied. "Oh, Nariko's a woman alright. She's a tremendous fighter, although she's getting on in years now. She teaches the ladies of the court as well as training the sakuros."
"What's a sakuro?" Neal asked.
"Like a page," Hakuin explained.
"Nariko is as good as samurai," Yasu added in agreement. "But is not samurai. Akio is special protégé of her."
"Yasu!" Kel groaned as her heart sank to the vicinity of her boots. She could tell what would come any second... Sure enough, "Would you like a bout, Takuro Akio?" Merric asked. Kel sighed, knowing that her honour and that of the Yamanis required her to accept. "I would be honoured, Page Merric."
Everyone, pages and samurai, gathered round one of the sectioned off practice courts. The Yamanis were desperately hoping that Yasu's boasts wouldn't be proved wrong. They knew that Kel was good, but just how good the page was was impossible to tell. Hakuin, out of curiosity to see one of his master's later students, agreed to delay the lesson a little longer so that he and the pages could watch, reasoning that it would be educational for them. Even Lord Wyldon came over from his tactical discussion with Captain Taro. Of course, Kel knew that he didn't know that she was the probationary girl page whom he had sent away a few years before, but she was still going to take a certain pleasure in showing off in front of him. Kel glanced at her own samurai master and he nodded approvingly to her. He, at least, had no doubts about her abilities.
The two opponents drew their swords and stepped into the court. They bowed to each other, crossed swords and began on Hakuin's signal. Merric would one day be a very respectable knight, Kel felt, but just now he was nothing amazing and Kel dealt with him quickly and efficiently. Lord Wyldon looked impressed.
"You are a credit to your master, takuro," he said approvingly. Kel almost scowled. "If only you were Tortallan." Kel glanced at Captain Taro, whom she had told about her eviction from the palace. He raised one eyebrow at her and she let it drop. Yasu however had no such restraints, and probably would have ignored them anyway.
"But Tortall has some brilliant warriors too, my lord. Of Lady Alanna we have all heard (Lord Wyldon glowered particularly at mention of that name) and Lord Raoul of Goldenlake. Your own prowess with the lance is famous. I was also told there was a page here who showed much skill. May we be permitted to meet Keladry of Mindelan?" The faces of the older pages grew grave, and Neal was positively glaring at Lord Wyldon, who looked slightly embarrassed.
"She was required to return home, her family wished it." The fourth years, the only pages who had known Kel, looked mutinous at that, but managed to hold it in while the Yamani visitors were there so as not to show up their country.
"Shall we continue then?" Lord Wyldon asked.
"Certainly," Captain Taro replied. "Akio, you may work with the pages for the morning, since my Lord Wyldon has consented, although I believe they do not train in the afternoon."
"Yes, Captain."
"On second thoughts, join them for lessons if Lord Wyldon will permit. You can make up your training for a further four bells in the evening." Kel bowed, hoping she wouldn't be set assignments like the pages, because if she was, she wouldn't have any sleep at all for the next few nights.
For Kel, the highlight of the morning was jousting, something she hadn't tried since she'd left the palace. Then, she'd just been getting the hang of it, and this came quickly back to her. However, she was not anything special, having no particular gift and no special training. Indeed, she thought the pages seemed relieved that she was finding it harder, since she'd managed to show them up in everything else.
In the afternoon, she wasn't so much of a success. Maths went well and history okay (it was Tortallan history after all, not Yamani history, and there was only so much she could remember. Etiquette was easy, but only because they were doing Yamani court etiquette. The advanced reading and writing was impossible, and in a few of the others she didn't know where to begin. The masters had obviously been briefed because she wasn't set anything to do in her non-existent free time.
"How come you didn't get any assignments?" Owen asked enviously. "Is it because you're Yamani and they're going easy on you?" Tact, Kel had noted, was not his strong point. She smiled and shook her head.
"I don't have time to do any more academic work. We train for much longer hours than you, although I do less now I'm a takuro than when I was a sakuro because I have more duties. I still have four more bells to make up before I'm through for the day. I'm still not sure that's the right amount, but that's what my master said."
"Another four bells!" asked Owen incredulously. "And you were out before us this morning?"
"Sure, two bells before dawn." Owen was speechless.
"I don't think I'd last a week as a Yamani," he said at last.
"How was your day then," Captain Taro asked later that evening as she reported back, her hair still damp from her bath.
"Enjoyable sir, but their training is so easy!!! They're much less serious than sakuros."
"They are much younger, younger than most sakuros if not younger than you. You still learned things working with them?"
"Yes sir."
"Then you may go to bed, and work with them again tomorrow."
Kel woke up at her usual time the next morning. Captain Taro was already up and working on perfecting his Tortallan. He sent her out to train as she was expected to do every day, rain or shine. Kel picked up her weapons without complaint and jogged out, fetching some rolls from the kitchen as she went and eating them piping hot as she made her way out. A few of the other samurai soon joined her and they warmed up together. Many of them were apprehensive about staying in Tortall because it was so alien to what they were used to. Kel couldn't really understand this view, but then she'd been moving between Tortall and the Yamanis since she was tiny. The pages came out about three bells later, many of them still bleary eyed and yawning widely. Kel smiled at that, but resolutely turned her back and began a complex pattern dance to keep her mind off them. The less she said, the less likely she would be to let something slip, and to be revealed on her first day would be beyond bearing.
During the time between two of the pages' lessons, Hiroshi and some of the other samurai went over to talk to them. Kel looked over and recognised Neal and Merric in the group. She took a deep breath, resisting the urge to run over and say hello, and turned away.
"Akio!" Hiroshi called in Yamani. "Come over here!" So much for her good intentions, Kel thought as she laid down her glaive and jogged over. She bowed deeply, her eyes twinkling with mischief, and said in Yamani,
"How may I serve you, O mighty samurai?" Hiroshi clouted her playfully, not understanding that she really did not want to be there.
"Tell them we are pleased to be here. I don't speak Tortallan, remember, and I know you do." Kel dutifully repeated this in Tortallan. One of the other samurai's Tortallan was quite good, especially compared to Hiroshi's non-existent language.
"I am Yasu," he said, somewhat stiltedly. "This Hiroshi and this Shizuko. This Akio, the, how you say it, boy wonder. He only thirteen and already is takuro!"
Kel desperately wanted the ground to swallow her up. Neal was looking at her curiously, so were many of the others, and Kel could guess what would inevitably come eventually.
"I'm Neal, these are Merric, Seaver, Esmond, Owen, Iden and Warric."
"You're all samurai?" asked the boy Neal had pointed out as Owen. "That's like a knight, isn't it?"
Kel translated this rapidly for the benefit of her friends.
"Yes," said Yasu. "Like knight - warrior of emperor. Akio is takuro. He learns to be samurai and serves Captain Taro."
"Like a squire then? Takuro," Neal pronounced carefully, with the look that Kel knew meant that he was storing this away for future use.
Suddenly, Hakuin, a Shang warrior who taught the pages, cleared his throat. The pages jumped guiltily and Kel grinned. She had seen him coming, but the pages had been looking the wrong way. She bowed to him politely, Yamani style since he was Yamani.
"Training Master Nariko sends greetings to you sir," she recited to him, politely in Tortallan so that the pages could understand. "She hopes you are doing well and when you return to court that you will be able to show her some new moves. Nariko bid me tell you also that if you'd stayed, she would have made a master samurai of you." He laughed at that, and Kel smiled, somewhat uncertainly, since she knew that Nariko had been his first teacher. "She?" Merric asked curiously.
"The Training Master?" Hakuin replied. "Oh, Nariko's a woman alright. She's a tremendous fighter, although she's getting on in years now. She teaches the ladies of the court as well as training the sakuros."
"What's a sakuro?" Neal asked.
"Like a page," Hakuin explained.
"Nariko is as good as samurai," Yasu added in agreement. "But is not samurai. Akio is special protégé of her."
"Yasu!" Kel groaned as her heart sank to the vicinity of her boots. She could tell what would come any second... Sure enough, "Would you like a bout, Takuro Akio?" Merric asked. Kel sighed, knowing that her honour and that of the Yamanis required her to accept. "I would be honoured, Page Merric."
Everyone, pages and samurai, gathered round one of the sectioned off practice courts. The Yamanis were desperately hoping that Yasu's boasts wouldn't be proved wrong. They knew that Kel was good, but just how good the page was was impossible to tell. Hakuin, out of curiosity to see one of his master's later students, agreed to delay the lesson a little longer so that he and the pages could watch, reasoning that it would be educational for them. Even Lord Wyldon came over from his tactical discussion with Captain Taro. Of course, Kel knew that he didn't know that she was the probationary girl page whom he had sent away a few years before, but she was still going to take a certain pleasure in showing off in front of him. Kel glanced at her own samurai master and he nodded approvingly to her. He, at least, had no doubts about her abilities.
The two opponents drew their swords and stepped into the court. They bowed to each other, crossed swords and began on Hakuin's signal. Merric would one day be a very respectable knight, Kel felt, but just now he was nothing amazing and Kel dealt with him quickly and efficiently. Lord Wyldon looked impressed.
"You are a credit to your master, takuro," he said approvingly. Kel almost scowled. "If only you were Tortallan." Kel glanced at Captain Taro, whom she had told about her eviction from the palace. He raised one eyebrow at her and she let it drop. Yasu however had no such restraints, and probably would have ignored them anyway.
"But Tortall has some brilliant warriors too, my lord. Of Lady Alanna we have all heard (Lord Wyldon glowered particularly at mention of that name) and Lord Raoul of Goldenlake. Your own prowess with the lance is famous. I was also told there was a page here who showed much skill. May we be permitted to meet Keladry of Mindelan?" The faces of the older pages grew grave, and Neal was positively glaring at Lord Wyldon, who looked slightly embarrassed.
"She was required to return home, her family wished it." The fourth years, the only pages who had known Kel, looked mutinous at that, but managed to hold it in while the Yamani visitors were there so as not to show up their country.
"Shall we continue then?" Lord Wyldon asked.
"Certainly," Captain Taro replied. "Akio, you may work with the pages for the morning, since my Lord Wyldon has consented, although I believe they do not train in the afternoon."
"Yes, Captain."
"On second thoughts, join them for lessons if Lord Wyldon will permit. You can make up your training for a further four bells in the evening." Kel bowed, hoping she wouldn't be set assignments like the pages, because if she was, she wouldn't have any sleep at all for the next few nights.
For Kel, the highlight of the morning was jousting, something she hadn't tried since she'd left the palace. Then, she'd just been getting the hang of it, and this came quickly back to her. However, she was not anything special, having no particular gift and no special training. Indeed, she thought the pages seemed relieved that she was finding it harder, since she'd managed to show them up in everything else.
In the afternoon, she wasn't so much of a success. Maths went well and history okay (it was Tortallan history after all, not Yamani history, and there was only so much she could remember. Etiquette was easy, but only because they were doing Yamani court etiquette. The advanced reading and writing was impossible, and in a few of the others she didn't know where to begin. The masters had obviously been briefed because she wasn't set anything to do in her non-existent free time.
"How come you didn't get any assignments?" Owen asked enviously. "Is it because you're Yamani and they're going easy on you?" Tact, Kel had noted, was not his strong point. She smiled and shook her head.
"I don't have time to do any more academic work. We train for much longer hours than you, although I do less now I'm a takuro than when I was a sakuro because I have more duties. I still have four more bells to make up before I'm through for the day. I'm still not sure that's the right amount, but that's what my master said."
"Another four bells!" asked Owen incredulously. "And you were out before us this morning?"
"Sure, two bells before dawn." Owen was speechless.
"I don't think I'd last a week as a Yamani," he said at last.
"How was your day then," Captain Taro asked later that evening as she reported back, her hair still damp from her bath.
"Enjoyable sir, but their training is so easy!!! They're much less serious than sakuros."
"They are much younger, younger than most sakuros if not younger than you. You still learned things working with them?"
"Yes sir."
"Then you may go to bed, and work with them again tomorrow."