Chapter 2

*

The Housekeeper, Gaytha, had done better than a shared room; she had managed to find two interconnecting rooms, one big and one small. Alberich explained that this was normally used for adult Chosen who brought young children with them; fortunately there weren't any of those in the colegium at the current time.

The big room was slightly larger than the norm for a mere Trainee, and as well as a bed, contained a table, two comfortable chairs, a bookshelf, a fireplace and a storage chest. The two small bedroom opening off this area held a bed and another chest.

Lanai, with the curiosity of any five-year-old, had immediately explored the rooms, eyes wide with avaricious glee. Arenne agreed with her. Compared to the miniscule attic they had shared on their farm in Karse, these basic rooms were palatial.

Having explored their new domain and evidently found it to her liking, Lanai returned to the housekeeper still hovering with Alberich at the entrance. She bestowed a hug and a kiss on the pleased Gaytha, who left briefly and returned with a doll, obviously a discard from some more fortunate child. Arenne hid a smile as Gaytha presented it to the delighted little girl; Lanai was very adept at completely charming adults.

"It is late," Alberich informed them. Arenne jumped; she had been lost in her own musings. "It is almost the dinner hour for the colegium. Am I right in thinking you will prefer not to meet the other Trainees yet?"

Arenne shuddered, and agreed. It would be very intimidating to be surrounded by strange, confident children who could not even speak an understandable language.

"Then I will have a servant bring some food here. Normally we do not encourage Trainees to eat in their rooms, but for you, we will make an exception." Alberich spoke briefly to Gaytha and left.

The woman herded them towards what was apparently a bath house; the first either Arenne or Lanai had ever seen. In Karse, their parents had heated kettles of water over the hearth fire, and Lanai and Arenne had used that. To their poor, country bred eyes, the bathing room was as outlandish as anything they had ever seen.

When they were both clean and dry, Gaytha presented them with new clothes. Arenne's were grey and drab, of a strange cut. Not remotely familiar, Arenne noticed with distaste.

Then she remembered that 'familiar' was being burnt alive, and pulled on the tunic and trews - another unfamiliar item, for a girl - with a will.

Lanai did not wear a uniform; Gaytha presented her with a soft woollen frock of a pale pink. Then Gaytha brushed Lanai's silver hair back, leaving Arenne to groom herself. Arenne wondered idly if Gaytha had any children; from the way she reacted to Lanai, she would be a very good mother.

Alberich brought the promised supper to their rooms, and as they ate, he told them about life at the colegium. Arenne knew with a horrible certainty, that she would be at the bottom of her class in everything; Karse was not very keen on education , and as a girl, Arenne was barely taught to write her own name.

"Alberich," She said quietly, "I know you're going to teach me Valdemaran, but - could you show me how to read?" She flushed slightly. "I don't want to be the bottom of my class."

Alberich smiled a little bit, and his expression was a mixture of pleasure and surprise. "I'm no teacher," he warned.

"I can't read either." Lanai remarked forlornly.

Alberich smiled at her. Arenne noticed that the expression, though easy on his face, was not his accustomed expression; the lines on his face came from frowning rather than smiling. "There are classes for the Queen's pages." He told Lanai. "Some of the pages are your age; you will certainly be able to join them in their classes. But I will teach you Valdemaran first." Lanai smiled, certain again that she was the most important person in the room.

By the end of the meal, Lanai was yawning openly, and Arenne felt like yawning too. Alberich gave them both an understanding look, and stacked all the dinner plates back on their tray. "Get some sleep," He advised, taking the tray and leaving. "Someone will come for you at the second bell."

Arenne found cotton nightdresses for both herself and Lanai in their storage chests, and put the little girl into her bed before returning to her own room. It was certainly unusual to sleep in a different room from Lanai, or even to have the resources to do so.

*

Later that night, Arenne was awoken by her younger sister. Through a crack in the curtains, moonlight glinted on a tear-streaked face.

"'Renne?" Lanai asked. "I had a nightmare. Can I sleep with you?"

As Lanai burrowed under her covers, Arenne reflected with a faint, drowsy amusement, that having separate rooms would only become reality when Lanai stopped having nightmares.

*

First were the Valdemaran lessons with Alberich. That was indeed a trial. "This language makes no sense!" Arenne complained at one point. "The verb is in the wrong place! How do these people understand each other when the verb comes before all the other information?"

Alberich smiled at her. "No one will mind if you put the verb at the end of your sentences," He pointed out. "I myself do so when I can."

Natan helped her as much as he could. As he pointed out, the mind has no real language, but when he needed to, he could insert information directly into her mind.

Finally the language lesson was over, and another lesson began. "You asked if I could teach you to write," Alberich said. "I agreed, but that is not my subject of teaching. Would you mind if I asked another Herald to help you? She speaks Karsite well." At Arenne's cautious nod, and Lanai's apparent indifference, Alberich sent a quick thought to Kantor.

A few moments later, there was a knock on the door of Arenne's room. Alberich opened it, and another Herald entered.

She made an unusual sight indeed; she was plump and her curly brown hair was in disarray. But open her face was a very strange contraption; bits of glass held on her nose with wire and leather.

"This is Herald Myste," Alberich introduced her. "Myste, this is Arenne and Lanai."

"I am pleased to meet you," The woman said in slow, but clear Karsite, hindered only by a trace of accent.

"If you don't mind, I have to beat some sense into thick Trainee skulls," Alberich excused himself, leaving the room.

"I think I will teach you both at once," Myste declared, after scrutinizing both the girls through her strange, glass contraptions. "And I shall begin at the beginning. Karsite and Valdemaran use the same letter-symbols, so there is a good place to start."

*

The lesson lasted until lunch time, when once again, on Arenne's request, they ate in their quarters. Then it was declared that they would have free time all afternoon; a luxury that apparently no other Trainee had. Arenne decided to visit Natan, with Lanai in tow.

Natan was certainly pleased to see them, and advised Arenne that he wanted to be groomed. The stables were much warmer than the snowy outdoors, so Arenne had no objection in complying. So while she groomed the utterly contented Natan, Lanai seated herself on a pile of straw and played with the doll Gaytha had given her.

She was so quiet in her play that Arenne did not even notice when she had left. Arenne was not overly concerned; they were safe in the palace, and Lanai was dressed warmly enough for the snow, but she did wish Lanai had told her she was going exploring.

Bidding Natan a fond farewell, Arenne followed Lanais foot prints as the meandered through the field. As the left the field and re-entered the palace gardens, Arenne heard a faint crying, and quickened her steps, breaking into a run.

As she entered a formal, snowy garden, she saw Lanai, crying, and reaching vainly for the doll held out of her reach by a well dressed boy a little older than Arenne.

Fury broke out in her, and she marched over to the sniggering boy and punched him square in the face.

*

Kantor spoke into Alberich's head just as he was dismissing a class of Trainees. :It seems your chicks have gotten themselves into trouble,: He remarked sardonically. Alberich groaned.

"What happened?" He asked.

:According to Natan, they came out to visit him. While Arenne was grooming him, Lanai snuck away. She followed, of course, and found Lord Delick's younger boy teasing Lanai, holding her doll out of reach, and making her cry.:

"Curse the boy," Alberich muttered, moving towards the entrance of the salle, where Kantor awaited him. "What did Arenne do?"

:Gave him a black eye. Nicely done, for someone with no training.:

Alberich muttered a curse. Although he could not fault Arenne's judgement, for the thirteen year old Bryen was one of the rudest and most arrogant little highborn bullies it had been his displeasure to meet, he really had not wanted her to get into trouble this early on.

"Where are they now?" He asked.

:The Provost Marshal found them, saw the Grey uniform, and hauled the three off to Teren's Office. Oh - and Teren wants you to come join him. You'll intimidate Bryen, and the girls will trust you.:

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Ahah - next chapter you will see what happens!