Chapter 6. Some Things Never Change
Disclaimer: All characters, settings, etc. belong to Tamora Pierce A/N Thank you to all the nice people who reviewed! I hope you like this next chapter.
Raoul woke up with a groan. Why were his legs so cramped? Then he remembered. He was sleeping in one of the tiny beds in the pages wing. Why couldn't they have just let him have his room? Why did they have to lock him out and make him sleep here? He groaned again and carefully slipped out of the small bed, trying not to disturb Buri. Maybe if they behaved really well they'd give them a room in the squire's wing. The beds there were marginally bigger then this. He couldn't remember how they'd fit into the bed last night, and he didn't want to. Oh well. At least they had a bed. Thayet was so angry at Jon, that as well as locking him out, she'd assigned him a room the size of a broom closet. He suspected it had been a broom closet, and Thayet had just cleaned it and put a extra large pillow in there for a bed. He sighed as he checked the time and gently shook Buri awake. They got ready and headed to the mess hall. **************************************************************************** * Gary woke up quickly, due to the fact that his feet were very cold, hanging off the edge of the bed. He got up and stretched. Well if he was going to do this he might as well do this the whole way. He got right back into the routine he'd had when he was a page. Wake up. Do Exercises. Get changed. Brush Teeth. Comb Hair so it looks half-decent. Make sure there was nothing hanging above his door waiting to drop on him. Go out to wake others up. Don't forget the bright and cheery smile! He told himself and set off towards Alanna's room. **************************************************************************** * Jon woke up stiffly and sat up quick, thumping his head on the low ceiling of his "room". Unfortunately, yesterday's events had not been a extremely weird bad dream. He gave a large grunt of regret to his behavior yesterday. He should have controlled his temper. He got up slower this time, taking care to bend down as he did so. He had not bother to change out of his clothes last night, and decided it was for the best as if he didn't hurry he'd miss getting any food. He tried to open his door but it was stuck so he mearly ran into it to open it. Then he headed out in search of breakfast. **************************************************************************** * Alanna woke up to a way too cheerful Gary knocking on her door. This isn't happening .... This just can't be happening ... she thought to herself and got up. " Come-on Fire top ! You're usually up early! We've got to get breakfast" he yelled from outside her door. I really should have went to sleep before midnight last night she thought as she dragged herself from the bed. Well At least I fit into the bed, she thought, grinning with the idea of how strange it must have been for the others. "Just a minute" she called and opened the door to that same disgustingly cheerful Gary as she had in her page years. They headed off to the mess hall. **************************************************************************** * The pages and squires were treated to a very unusual sight that morning. When they entered the mess hall they were greeted by the sight of one very disgruntled looking King sitting next to his wide awake cheerful looking prime minister, who was sitting next to a dozing Raoul, who was sitting next to an uncomfortable-looking Buri who happened to be sitting next to one VERY grumpy looking lioness whose hand was fingering her sword hilt with longing and her purple eyes were so intense they made most of the pages and squires gulp. A few of the braver squires went and took seats at the tables farthest from the group. Others hurried to do like wise. When a extremely nervous page took one of the last seats in the hall, which happened to be by Alanna, he eyed her nervously and she snapped "I don't bite you know." Gary smiled encouragingly at the youngster and said "Alanna move your hand away from your sword. And your daggers, and your knives, and whatever other weapons you're carrying. Don't worry she won't hurt you. She's actually in a good mood." This earned Gary a hard kick in the legs. He should have known better then to move to a seat beside her and then tease her. She was defiantly NOT in a good mood. "Don't worry," she told the page " I'm not angry, except maybe with Jon. He's being such a prig. " She informed him. The page just stared at her. " What's your name?" she asked " D-d-darren of W-w-ellam m'lady uh, baroness, uh Lioness uh Sir?" he replied nervously. " Well Darren of Wellam, don't worry about us, we'll be here for a week. We got in trouble because Jon over there was upset about us putting frogs in his bed and got very angry. Duke Gareth, not Gary, Duke Gareth the Elder, he was our training master, he sent us here for punishment." She told him. " You can still get in trouble from the training master when you're a knight?" Darren asked astonished. Raoul groaned. "You never escape it. Jon tried to pull his little "I'm King you can't do anything to me" stunt and earned himself five weeks of mathematics." The idea of anyone talking back to the King seemed unliklely to Darren. " Yah Jon, if you just weren't being such a prig none of this would have happened" Alanna informed Jon and Darren stared in shock. "I resent that!" replied Jon. "Yah, well you are!" Alanna snapped back. By this time they'd had the entire attention of everyone in the room. "Oh, I'm a prig! Look who's talking! You're the one who refused to talk to me for three years." "Yah well that's because you were being such a conceited brat to Kel!" Alanna yelled back "Don't you go dragging that up again." Jon snapped. They were now standing on the table. "Well you never even told her you're sorry, cause your spoiled so spoiled and everything must go exactly the way you say!" She yelled furiously. "Oh ya!" he seethed with rage " Well you're unlady-like!" That had done it Alanna whipped out her sword but was pulled back by Gary and Raoul. "Calm down Alanna, put the sword away, you're going to hurt somebody." Raoul said "You bet I am." " Alanna sword down resolve things peacefully." Gary told her. "Fine" she snapped putting away her sword. "Jon you are going to go to your room and not come out until you have to for class." She informed him in her most dangerous voice. Jon stomped out of the room. " Stupid prat." Alanna said under her breath. Then sat back down. "What are you all staring at?" she snapped at the room. Everyone hurriedly found something to do that did not involve looking at or near Alanna. "Better. I just hate being the center of attention. I just hope Jon will grow up soon." Darren left the mess hall that day with a very different view on the people who governed this country.
As far as Alanna was concerned, this week couldn't be over soon enough. **************************************************************************** *******
A/N Sorry to any of you who like Jon for the major Jon bashing in this chapter, he's sometimes a pretty nice guy and a good King, but I was feeling slightly angry with him. Please R&R.
Disclaimer: All characters, settings, etc. belong to Tamora Pierce A/N Thank you to all the nice people who reviewed! I hope you like this next chapter.
Raoul woke up with a groan. Why were his legs so cramped? Then he remembered. He was sleeping in one of the tiny beds in the pages wing. Why couldn't they have just let him have his room? Why did they have to lock him out and make him sleep here? He groaned again and carefully slipped out of the small bed, trying not to disturb Buri. Maybe if they behaved really well they'd give them a room in the squire's wing. The beds there were marginally bigger then this. He couldn't remember how they'd fit into the bed last night, and he didn't want to. Oh well. At least they had a bed. Thayet was so angry at Jon, that as well as locking him out, she'd assigned him a room the size of a broom closet. He suspected it had been a broom closet, and Thayet had just cleaned it and put a extra large pillow in there for a bed. He sighed as he checked the time and gently shook Buri awake. They got ready and headed to the mess hall. **************************************************************************** * Gary woke up quickly, due to the fact that his feet were very cold, hanging off the edge of the bed. He got up and stretched. Well if he was going to do this he might as well do this the whole way. He got right back into the routine he'd had when he was a page. Wake up. Do Exercises. Get changed. Brush Teeth. Comb Hair so it looks half-decent. Make sure there was nothing hanging above his door waiting to drop on him. Go out to wake others up. Don't forget the bright and cheery smile! He told himself and set off towards Alanna's room. **************************************************************************** * Jon woke up stiffly and sat up quick, thumping his head on the low ceiling of his "room". Unfortunately, yesterday's events had not been a extremely weird bad dream. He gave a large grunt of regret to his behavior yesterday. He should have controlled his temper. He got up slower this time, taking care to bend down as he did so. He had not bother to change out of his clothes last night, and decided it was for the best as if he didn't hurry he'd miss getting any food. He tried to open his door but it was stuck so he mearly ran into it to open it. Then he headed out in search of breakfast. **************************************************************************** * Alanna woke up to a way too cheerful Gary knocking on her door. This isn't happening .... This just can't be happening ... she thought to herself and got up. " Come-on Fire top ! You're usually up early! We've got to get breakfast" he yelled from outside her door. I really should have went to sleep before midnight last night she thought as she dragged herself from the bed. Well At least I fit into the bed, she thought, grinning with the idea of how strange it must have been for the others. "Just a minute" she called and opened the door to that same disgustingly cheerful Gary as she had in her page years. They headed off to the mess hall. **************************************************************************** * The pages and squires were treated to a very unusual sight that morning. When they entered the mess hall they were greeted by the sight of one very disgruntled looking King sitting next to his wide awake cheerful looking prime minister, who was sitting next to a dozing Raoul, who was sitting next to an uncomfortable-looking Buri who happened to be sitting next to one VERY grumpy looking lioness whose hand was fingering her sword hilt with longing and her purple eyes were so intense they made most of the pages and squires gulp. A few of the braver squires went and took seats at the tables farthest from the group. Others hurried to do like wise. When a extremely nervous page took one of the last seats in the hall, which happened to be by Alanna, he eyed her nervously and she snapped "I don't bite you know." Gary smiled encouragingly at the youngster and said "Alanna move your hand away from your sword. And your daggers, and your knives, and whatever other weapons you're carrying. Don't worry she won't hurt you. She's actually in a good mood." This earned Gary a hard kick in the legs. He should have known better then to move to a seat beside her and then tease her. She was defiantly NOT in a good mood. "Don't worry," she told the page " I'm not angry, except maybe with Jon. He's being such a prig. " She informed him. The page just stared at her. " What's your name?" she asked " D-d-darren of W-w-ellam m'lady uh, baroness, uh Lioness uh Sir?" he replied nervously. " Well Darren of Wellam, don't worry about us, we'll be here for a week. We got in trouble because Jon over there was upset about us putting frogs in his bed and got very angry. Duke Gareth, not Gary, Duke Gareth the Elder, he was our training master, he sent us here for punishment." She told him. " You can still get in trouble from the training master when you're a knight?" Darren asked astonished. Raoul groaned. "You never escape it. Jon tried to pull his little "I'm King you can't do anything to me" stunt and earned himself five weeks of mathematics." The idea of anyone talking back to the King seemed unliklely to Darren. " Yah Jon, if you just weren't being such a prig none of this would have happened" Alanna informed Jon and Darren stared in shock. "I resent that!" replied Jon. "Yah, well you are!" Alanna snapped back. By this time they'd had the entire attention of everyone in the room. "Oh, I'm a prig! Look who's talking! You're the one who refused to talk to me for three years." "Yah well that's because you were being such a conceited brat to Kel!" Alanna yelled back "Don't you go dragging that up again." Jon snapped. They were now standing on the table. "Well you never even told her you're sorry, cause your spoiled so spoiled and everything must go exactly the way you say!" She yelled furiously. "Oh ya!" he seethed with rage " Well you're unlady-like!" That had done it Alanna whipped out her sword but was pulled back by Gary and Raoul. "Calm down Alanna, put the sword away, you're going to hurt somebody." Raoul said "You bet I am." " Alanna sword down resolve things peacefully." Gary told her. "Fine" she snapped putting away her sword. "Jon you are going to go to your room and not come out until you have to for class." She informed him in her most dangerous voice. Jon stomped out of the room. " Stupid prat." Alanna said under her breath. Then sat back down. "What are you all staring at?" she snapped at the room. Everyone hurriedly found something to do that did not involve looking at or near Alanna. "Better. I just hate being the center of attention. I just hope Jon will grow up soon." Darren left the mess hall that day with a very different view on the people who governed this country.
As far as Alanna was concerned, this week couldn't be over soon enough. **************************************************************************** *******
A/N Sorry to any of you who like Jon for the major Jon bashing in this chapter, he's sometimes a pretty nice guy and a good King, but I was feeling slightly angry with him. Please R&R.