DISCLAIMER: We own nothing but the plot. Everything else is by Tamora Pierce. However some characters you may not recognise because we created them (eg. Georgina, Dana).

A/N: This chap's a little longer then the first, so we hope you enjoy it more! Anyway, please R&R (read and review)! We'd love to hear your opinions and suggestions.

Also, I couldn't think of any names so we have used the names of stars. At least they sound better then pizza toppings!

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They rode until lunchtime, when Maude suggested that they have a break. Usually Alanna would have argued, wanting to hurry, but the convent was one thing she did not want to hurry towards, plus she was glad for a chance to rest and freshen up. She was starting to regret her decision to come to the convent after all. Georgina didn't need her! She'd make friends a lot easier then Alanna would and would definitely enjoy it a lot more! Where else could she go? It was too late to go to the Palace now. perhaps she could *accidentally* get herself lost in the village. Then she could live her life as a peasant, and finally be free to do what she wanted. Why did she have to be a Noble? It must have been a curse from the gods! There was no point in complaining though. She had come this far by choice and she was NOT going to give up now. She NEVER gave up! No, she would have to go the convent, even if it was going to be torture.

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As Georgina swung herself off her horse (Scarlet), she noticed Alanna looked very grim. She'd have to try and cheer up later, but right now she was too hungry to think of that! Maude had packed them lunch that morning, so there was plenty to eat and they both ate up well, not knowing what the food would be like at the convent. None of them talked much that meal, all being too absorbed in their own thoughts, until it became time to continue their journey.

"Maude, will you write every week?" asked Georgina.

"Of course I will. To both of you" she replied, glancing at Alanna.

"So, Alanna, did you pack a dress like I suggested?" Georgina queried.

"No, she didn't, but I did," laughed Maude, while Alanna glared at her. "That doesn't mean I'll wear it. Dresses are so uncomfortable, and impractical. They have no sensible use."

"Except to make you look nice and decent and pretty, for a change" she replied snootily.

Making sure her skirts were laying flat, she lifted herself back onto Scarlet. Once Maude and Alanna were on their horses as well, she ordered Scarlet forward and rode ahead, eager to be the first to see what would be their home for the next few years.

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Thom and Coram stopped for a break much sooner, as Thom really hated horses, and anything to do with riding.

"I don't know how you're going to cope at the castle, Master Thom" Coram sighed. "You hate riding, and everything to do with being a knight, and you don't even seem to try. I don't know if you be able to manage the other boys teasing you, because they will you know."

"I can manage," snarled Thom nastily. "They'll only have to have a few visions before even the stupidest one of them will get the point. I can arrange for them to have nasty views of what may happen in the future, and I'm sure that'll stop them."

Coram turned rather pale at the thought of this. "It's not very honourable to fight them like that," he growled. "Alanna would never have resorted to using her magic like that, and come to think of it, neither would have Georgina."

Thom had no answer to this, and fell silent, thinking about what Coram had said. He was certainly right; there were no doubts about that. Unlike her siblings, Alanna wasn't fond of her gift. She thought it was dangerous and unpredictable. She thought of it as being an unfair advantage against other people, and she refused to ever use it as a crutch. If she was ever taunted she would taunt right back, and being insulted would not hesitate to throw herself at her adversary. She did, however, seem to get in more trouble due to her temper than Georgina or Thom ever did. Thom remembered an incident when the three of them had been about seven. Georgina had cut her leg climbing onto the roof of the stables, and she couldn't go inside with it bleeding because their father had banned them from going on the roof a few days earlier. If he had found out about it she would have been in big trouble. Alanna had tried to heal it with her magic, but being untrained and unexperienced she had made a mess of the job. She had totally healed Georgina's leg, but not in the usual way. The cut had disappeared off Georgina's leg, and appeared on Alanna's. In the end Thom had had to heal it himself, and their father never knew. From then on Alanna had been even more scared of her magic than before, and rarely used it. Thom knew he'd never be able to physically defend himself like Alanna would, and Georgina had good enough looks and brains for no-one to want to tease her, and that really only left magic for him to use.

Coram may be right, he thought to himself, and it may be dishonourable, but it's the only thing I have, and I'm going to use it.

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Georgina watched Alanna's face as they rode into the paved courtyard of the convent. The convent itself was immense! It was almost twice the size of her home in Trebond. It must have been built hundreds of years ago she realised as she noticed a lot of the stones in the walls were starting to crumble.

This was the place they were to stay at until they were fifteen, at which age they could go to Court at the Palace to look for a husband if they wished to. She wondered what Alanna was thinking, and felt sorry for her. She quickly brushed that shred of pity from her mind. Alanna was being silly. They would have great fun in the years here, and they could learn sensible and useful things, not things like archery and sword fighting which girls did not need. She was so deep in thought that she was thoroughly startled when she heard a voice and felt someone reach for the reigns.

"Your horses, my ladies," said a young man dressed in black and grey robes.

Georgina guessed he was an apprentice priest learning at the convent. She was about to make a charming answer when Alanna butted in.

"Oh we're not ladies sir, that's what we're here to learn." He grinned up at Alanna as he helped her to dismount, while Georgina sat fuming in the saddle. Couldn't he see how uncomfortable she was? And she was much prettier than Alanna. Alanna wasn't even interested.

A few minutes later and they were following the Priestess Arcturus to the 1st Priestess (Priestess Rigel)'s office. As the office door was being opened, she started feeling rather nauseous. Gathering her courage though, she lifted her head high and walked in with Alanna right by her side.

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Duke Gareth of Naxen was tall and thin, with dull brown hair and eyes to match. Even with his lack of good looks Thom was slightly intimidated, which didn't happen often. After greeting both Thom and Coram the Duke had gone through what it meant to be a knight, and the huge amount of work involved. Thom noticed that Coram and the Duke seemed to know, and like, each other, and thought that might be useful in the future.

"I expect you to begin your serving duties in five days, as soon as you have acclimatised. Have you any questions?"

"No your Grace," Thom answered, "Well actually yes your Grace. Do you teach magic at all here at the castle?"

"No, we don't, and there are many here who are glad of that. You will find your luggage in your rooms. You are both dismissed." They bowed as they left the room. Coram left to find some of his old friends, leaving Thom to go and find his room in the pages quarters.

Thom was so overcome with worry for his sisters that he didn't notice where he was walking. With a thud, he fell over and in doing so dropped all of his luggage. Cursing loudly, he realised that he had accidentally crashed into someone and quickly scrambled upright to apologise.

"Oh geez, I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking."

"That's alright, I wasn't in a hurry" replied the man as he knelt down to help Thom pick up the clothes that had spilt on the floor. "You must be the new page."

"Uh yeah, umm sorry but I didn't quite catch your name."

"Oh of course. Sorry, I didn't mean to be quite so rude" he said, grinning broadly, "my name is Jonathan, but I prefer Jon. and you are?"

"Oh my name is Thom" he muttered

"Ok Thom, look I'm meeting up with my friends in an hour in the library. Would you like to come?"

What was he meant to say? He generally wasn't very sociable. the only company he needed was himself! He didn't want to seem rude though so perhaps.

"Ok, I'll come"

"Great, well I'll see you there then! Bye." Jon shouted back behind him as he jogged off down the corridor.

Thom having finally re-packed his bags, continued his search for his room.

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.and now the Priestess Arcturus will show you to your rooms" said Priestess Rigel as she busied herself in paperwork again. Knowing that this was a dismissal, Priestess Arcturus stood up and showed them out of the office.

Alanna and Georgina had been given separate rooms, which were next to each other. Maude had been in a hurry to get back to the village, and had already left, so the girls were on there own.

Georgina had already unpacked her clothes neatly and hung them up in the closet supplied, whereas Alanna had simply piled them all into the drawers.

Alanna was in a hurry to get out and explore. If she was going to stay in a place like this for years, she would at least like to go find all the escape routes!

"Georgina, do you want to come?"

"I would Alanna, but my hair is all dusty from the road, and I have to clean up." - typical, thought Alanna,

"All right, but you might miss out on meeting that apprentice," Alanna replied evilly.

"Alanna, do you have to be so annoying! I did not like that priest."

"You did so, I saw the look on your face when he helped me down form the horse. You're jealous!" She hurried away just in time to avoid being hit by the shoe that came flying out of Georgina's room.

"What an UN-lady-like thing to do," she called back over her shoulder.

She roamed the corridors herself for a while, before she heard a voice call from one of the rooms.

"Hello, are you new here?"

"Yes, my sister and I just arrived this morning." Alanna answered.

"I'm Dana of Anglesea, Nice to meet you," the girl replied, stretching out her hand.

"I'm Alanna of Trebond, and my sister is Georgina. We also have a brother, Thom, but he's at the palace. When did you arrive?"

"Oh, yesterday night, so I've only been here a few more hours than you. I haven't met many people yet, only the Priestess Arcturus, Rigel and you," she added.

By now, she had stepped out of her room and into the brightly lit corridor. She was around the same height as Alanna and had a mischievous look in her sky blue eyes. Her hair was a silky auburn colour and fell about gently, just below her shoulders. She was extremely pretty and even though she hated to admit, Alanna was rather jealous.

"Did you WANT to come here?" Dana asked suddenly, interrupting Alanna's thoughts.

"To tell the truth, no," Alanna replied, coming to sit on the bed next to Dana. "I would have much preferred to become a knight or something like that"

"I know what you mean, though I'm not sure if I want to be a knight. I think I'd just like to be free to do what I want. I spent a few years in the Yamani Islands and learnt to fight with a glaive (kinda like a long spear with a blade)! This may be fun however. Have you seen the convent cats yet?"

"No, are there really cats here?" Alanna asked, amazed.

"Yes, heaps of them. They always gather at the kitchen, begging for scraps of food. Come on, I'll show you. We have plenty of time before dinner."

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Georgina had just finished drying her hair from her shower when she heard a knock on the door.

"Hello, anyone here?"

"Hello? Who is it?" Georgina asked.

A very pretty face wearing a fancy meadow green frock peeped inside. "Hello, I'm Delia of Eldorne. What's your name?"

"I'm Georgina of Trebond. I'm here with my sister Alanna."

"Does she have red hair and purple eyes, like you?"

"Yes, why do you ask?" Georgina replied, puzzled.

"Oh, it's just I saw her earlier talking to another girl. She looks rather a messy type." Delia said snootily.

"Oh she is, terribly, and my brother's not much better."

"You have a brother?" Delia asked, suddenly very interested.

"Yes, Thom, he's at the palace. He's quite nice, you might meet him sometime."

"Oh I'd like to." Delia replied.

Georgina then noticed how Delia's eyes seemed to be wandering around the room, measuring every little detail. They had just danced over half the items in the room when they spotted an object on Georgina's dressing table.

"What's that over there?" queried Delia,

"That's some special hair lotion our village healer made up for me. I use it to keep my hair smooth, and slightly less red."

"Ooh, can I try some?" Delia questioned,

"Sure, come over here, and wet your hair. I'll set it up for you."

She had been worried about making friends here. She had always been so popular in Trebond and wanted to be popular here too. Delia was obviously the most gorgeous girl, and she had just made friends with her! It looked like she would fit in after all.

A/N: You'll have to wait for the next chapter to see how their first lessons go! Also, what will Thom do when he meets Raoul, Gary and Alex? How will he react when he finds out Jon's the Prince! You'll find out soon enough!

Ok so that was about twice as long as our last chapter! Anyway, hopefully it made sense and was interesting for you all to read! Now we would really like some suggestions, comments and ideas so please zoom down to the little blue box in the corner and review!

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