Hey guys I made it back safe and sound. And I tried putting in the tabs and itallics and stuff. If it doesn't work I don't know why and I'll have to try something different. I didn't realize they didn't come out in the other chapters either. For those of you wondering I'm still working on Changing fate and Trying Times. In fact I even had a couple chapters ready for changing fate but then my computer decided to eat them so I have to retype. Anywhoo hope you enjoy this chapter!
Aurora felt horrible the rest of the day. She was trudging slowly back to her room with the other pages when she ran into the back of Cherdan. She looked up and saw that all the pages were standing in the hall with a stunned look on their face. "What's going on?" she asked Cherdan. "Someone broke into a few rooms," he responded. Quickly the ones whose rooms were destroyed started to get angry and accused one another. Kemran came up and shoved Aurora into the wall. "It was you, pig. Wasn't it? Commoner scum always steal things. They can't be trusted especially a pig like you," he snarled. Before she could protest Cherdan shoved him off of her, "You idiot! Her room was one of the rooms broken into. Why would she break into her own room? And besides, we were all with each other all day long." Kemran balled his hand into a fist and looked as if he was about to punch Cherdan when Lord Wyldon burst into the hall. "Just what is all the commotion about?!" he bellowed. Timothy, a page in his fourth year pointed to one of the rooms, "Lord Wyldon someone ransacked our rooms." Wyldon ordered Damion to go retrieve some of the palace guards and the rest of the pages whose rooms were intact to continue to their lessons. He then told the pages left to see if anything was missing from their rooms. When Aurora tried to open her door the rest of the way it fell off the hinges. She gasped and looked around the room. Her mattress and pillows were slashed as were the wall hangings. Her clothes were torn and thrown around the room. The desk drawers were taken out and the desk toppled over. The chair had been smashed and the shutters torn from the windows. The door to the washroom was broken down and she could see an equal mess from here lie in the washroom. The clothes press had been splintered and the wall had been marred. Suddenly she remembered Gavin's letter but found it stuck between the bed and the wall where it had fallen in the middle of the night. Then she saw the note attached to the wall and quickly read it,
'My darling daughter. Here is to the hope that we will meet soon. Let us hope ye have the opal I want and perhaps I will let ye off easy. I wouldn't tell anyone either, if you wish to keep yer head.'
Hearing footsteps she shoved the note into her belt purse and turned when Jasson said from behind her, "It looks like stormwings got loose in here. None of our rooms are this bad." Aurora didn't say anything. She knew why hers was the worst. Her father still felt she had the opal and probably destroyed the other's rooms to get her to make it seem like no one in particular was the target of the attack. Lord Wyldon came in then and scowled when he saw the mess. Aurora wouldn't look at him. "Sorry sir I'll have it cleaned up-" "Page Aurora this is no fault of yours and the servants will see to the fixing of the rooms. Since all your uniforms are ruined you may go to classes dressed as you are. I've ordered all the pages to go to their classes and their rooms will be dealt with," he said shaking his head with disgust, "We'll find whoever did this." He left the room then and Jasson looked at her, "Come on, you heard what he said. I'll walk to class with you," "I'll be out in a minute," she said and retrieved Gavin's letter and stuck it in her belt purse before meeting Jasson in the hall.
She couldn't concentrate in classes that day at all. Between the river incident and the break in her stomach was tied up in knots. She was making herself sick and by the time Master Oakbridge's rolled around she was down right nauseous. Unfortunately for her he had decided that they would be learning dance steps today. It had been decided that the girls would learn ladies steps and they would switch partners many times when they were taught dancing. She was paired up with Cherdan and he couldn't twirl her right and she ended up having to spin round and round for a long while. Aurora couldn't take it anymore and finally doubled over and groaned. Cherdan bent down and gave her a concerned look, "Aurora, are you alright? Master Oakbridge, I think something is wrong with Aurora," he called. Someone knelt by her and Master Oakbridge's face was thrust into her own, "What is wrong, page?" Aurora shook her head and straigtened. She just wanted to be left alone, but looking at Master Oakbridge's face she knew that was not an option, "Nothing Sir, Cherdan has just spun me a few times to many," she said trying to cover her uneasy thoughts by cracking a joke. Master Oakbridge was not fooled, "To the healers with you. I don't want anyone who is sick to contaminate others. Off with you," he said getting to his feet and pointing towards the door. "Nice job Cherdan. The court ladies will just love you," someone laughed as she left the room.
Aurora stopped by her room and threw up in the privy. She had just stood up when she threw up again. Tears streamed down her face, 'Mithros what am I to do?' she pleaded silently. She splashed water in her face and made her way to the healers, fretting the whole time about the situation with her father. Duke Baird declared she just had a nervous stomach and rather than send her back to classes he told her to take the rest of the day easy. Aurora laughed silently at his orders, 'Easy, yeah right. There has to be something I can do,' she thought silently as she sat down on a bench near a suit of armor. She frowned as something poked her from her belt purse and she angrily removed the culprit. It was Gavin's letter. Suddenly she bolted up and headed for the servant's door to get out of the palace. She'd go to Gavin and ask him what to do! As soon as she had cleared the palace she ran all the way to the city and smacked into Smith who was making his way out the back entrance of the Dancing Dove.
"Aurora!" He cried in surprise, "What are ye doing 'ere?" Aurora kept her hands on her legs trying to catch her breath, "I...I...need....to...to speak with G..Gavin," she sputtered. Smith crossed his arms and studied her, "Why do ye need to talk to 'im?" Aurora was still breathing hard but managed to straighten and look at him, "Please. It's important and I don't want to be caught missing. I'm in enough trouble as it is. Please Smith just this once will you help me?" she begged. Smith snorted, "He's not in. Neither is Malven or Dirk. They had to go to Port Laygann to sort out some business with a rogue there so I guess yer stuck with me." Smith saw the girl go pale. "I....I see," she said softly. "Sorry to bother you," she added as she turned to go. Smith grabbed on to her arm, "Wait, mayhaps I kin help ye," he told her, surprising himself.
Aurora nodded sullenly and started to hand him her father's note from her belt purse when someone jumped them from the roof. A rough had grabbed her and shoved her into the wall and a voice hissed in her ear, "Well my darling daughter we finally meet. Have ye missed me?"
So what did ya guys think? Review please... Oh yeah the people you recognized belong to Tamora Pierce as does Tortall. Tootles for now!
Aurora felt horrible the rest of the day. She was trudging slowly back to her room with the other pages when she ran into the back of Cherdan. She looked up and saw that all the pages were standing in the hall with a stunned look on their face. "What's going on?" she asked Cherdan. "Someone broke into a few rooms," he responded. Quickly the ones whose rooms were destroyed started to get angry and accused one another. Kemran came up and shoved Aurora into the wall. "It was you, pig. Wasn't it? Commoner scum always steal things. They can't be trusted especially a pig like you," he snarled. Before she could protest Cherdan shoved him off of her, "You idiot! Her room was one of the rooms broken into. Why would she break into her own room? And besides, we were all with each other all day long." Kemran balled his hand into a fist and looked as if he was about to punch Cherdan when Lord Wyldon burst into the hall. "Just what is all the commotion about?!" he bellowed. Timothy, a page in his fourth year pointed to one of the rooms, "Lord Wyldon someone ransacked our rooms." Wyldon ordered Damion to go retrieve some of the palace guards and the rest of the pages whose rooms were intact to continue to their lessons. He then told the pages left to see if anything was missing from their rooms. When Aurora tried to open her door the rest of the way it fell off the hinges. She gasped and looked around the room. Her mattress and pillows were slashed as were the wall hangings. Her clothes were torn and thrown around the room. The desk drawers were taken out and the desk toppled over. The chair had been smashed and the shutters torn from the windows. The door to the washroom was broken down and she could see an equal mess from here lie in the washroom. The clothes press had been splintered and the wall had been marred. Suddenly she remembered Gavin's letter but found it stuck between the bed and the wall where it had fallen in the middle of the night. Then she saw the note attached to the wall and quickly read it,
'My darling daughter. Here is to the hope that we will meet soon. Let us hope ye have the opal I want and perhaps I will let ye off easy. I wouldn't tell anyone either, if you wish to keep yer head.'
Hearing footsteps she shoved the note into her belt purse and turned when Jasson said from behind her, "It looks like stormwings got loose in here. None of our rooms are this bad." Aurora didn't say anything. She knew why hers was the worst. Her father still felt she had the opal and probably destroyed the other's rooms to get her to make it seem like no one in particular was the target of the attack. Lord Wyldon came in then and scowled when he saw the mess. Aurora wouldn't look at him. "Sorry sir I'll have it cleaned up-" "Page Aurora this is no fault of yours and the servants will see to the fixing of the rooms. Since all your uniforms are ruined you may go to classes dressed as you are. I've ordered all the pages to go to their classes and their rooms will be dealt with," he said shaking his head with disgust, "We'll find whoever did this." He left the room then and Jasson looked at her, "Come on, you heard what he said. I'll walk to class with you," "I'll be out in a minute," she said and retrieved Gavin's letter and stuck it in her belt purse before meeting Jasson in the hall.
She couldn't concentrate in classes that day at all. Between the river incident and the break in her stomach was tied up in knots. She was making herself sick and by the time Master Oakbridge's rolled around she was down right nauseous. Unfortunately for her he had decided that they would be learning dance steps today. It had been decided that the girls would learn ladies steps and they would switch partners many times when they were taught dancing. She was paired up with Cherdan and he couldn't twirl her right and she ended up having to spin round and round for a long while. Aurora couldn't take it anymore and finally doubled over and groaned. Cherdan bent down and gave her a concerned look, "Aurora, are you alright? Master Oakbridge, I think something is wrong with Aurora," he called. Someone knelt by her and Master Oakbridge's face was thrust into her own, "What is wrong, page?" Aurora shook her head and straigtened. She just wanted to be left alone, but looking at Master Oakbridge's face she knew that was not an option, "Nothing Sir, Cherdan has just spun me a few times to many," she said trying to cover her uneasy thoughts by cracking a joke. Master Oakbridge was not fooled, "To the healers with you. I don't want anyone who is sick to contaminate others. Off with you," he said getting to his feet and pointing towards the door. "Nice job Cherdan. The court ladies will just love you," someone laughed as she left the room.
Aurora stopped by her room and threw up in the privy. She had just stood up when she threw up again. Tears streamed down her face, 'Mithros what am I to do?' she pleaded silently. She splashed water in her face and made her way to the healers, fretting the whole time about the situation with her father. Duke Baird declared she just had a nervous stomach and rather than send her back to classes he told her to take the rest of the day easy. Aurora laughed silently at his orders, 'Easy, yeah right. There has to be something I can do,' she thought silently as she sat down on a bench near a suit of armor. She frowned as something poked her from her belt purse and she angrily removed the culprit. It was Gavin's letter. Suddenly she bolted up and headed for the servant's door to get out of the palace. She'd go to Gavin and ask him what to do! As soon as she had cleared the palace she ran all the way to the city and smacked into Smith who was making his way out the back entrance of the Dancing Dove.
"Aurora!" He cried in surprise, "What are ye doing 'ere?" Aurora kept her hands on her legs trying to catch her breath, "I...I...need....to...to speak with G..Gavin," she sputtered. Smith crossed his arms and studied her, "Why do ye need to talk to 'im?" Aurora was still breathing hard but managed to straighten and look at him, "Please. It's important and I don't want to be caught missing. I'm in enough trouble as it is. Please Smith just this once will you help me?" she begged. Smith snorted, "He's not in. Neither is Malven or Dirk. They had to go to Port Laygann to sort out some business with a rogue there so I guess yer stuck with me." Smith saw the girl go pale. "I....I see," she said softly. "Sorry to bother you," she added as she turned to go. Smith grabbed on to her arm, "Wait, mayhaps I kin help ye," he told her, surprising himself.
Aurora nodded sullenly and started to hand him her father's note from her belt purse when someone jumped them from the roof. A rough had grabbed her and shoved her into the wall and a voice hissed in her ear, "Well my darling daughter we finally meet. Have ye missed me?"
So what did ya guys think? Review please... Oh yeah the people you recognized belong to Tamora Pierce as does Tortall. Tootles for now!