Disclaimer: This is a Tamora Pierce fanfic. All the orignal people and places belong to her. My own characters, however, are Linya, Lady Melain, and Lord (Baron) Ishraa. Storm Head's Peak also belongs to me. Miasma belongs to Miranda, she's letting me borrow her.
Late July,
Storm Head's Peak,
Northwestern Tortall;
in the 20th year of the reign of
King Jonathan the IV and Thayet, his Queen
459 H.E. (Human Era)
Chapter 1 Dreams
Linnorria of Storm Head's Peak shook as she approached her parent's chamber's. For a girl of ten, she might be considered small at about four and a half feet tall, but she had a big mind. Her hair was a little past her shoulders, and her eyes held an intelligent gleam. She just had to convince them today. It was her last chance. Training would start in three weeks and it took almost two weeks to get to the palace.
"Sop trembling," she told herself as she lifted a hand to knock. When she heard a, "Come in," from the room she opened the door and stepped through.
Her parent's were alone in the room. She had known they would be. In fact she had made sure of it. She didn't want any witnesses if this turned bad. "Hello Linya," her mother, Lady Melanie, greeted her. "What brings you to us today?"
"Mother, Father," Linnorria began, "You know I want to be one, and I have all my life. So please let me go to the palace and be a page." It all came out in a rush.
"Uh," said her parents as they absorbed the meaning of her words. "Dear, we've been over this," Linnorria's father told her. "If Keladry of Midelan gets her shield this midwinter we'll let you be a page next year. Right now you'll have to be patient."
"But I'm old enough to be a page this year!" Linya pleaded. "I don't want to be older than everybody else my year." Calm down! she told herself, knights don't plead and neither will you.
"Linya, please dear try to understand. Your mother and I are worried about you. We don't want to throw our youngest daughter to the wolves; and that's what it would be like if we sent you off right now. If you still want to, next year I'll take you," said her father gently.
"It's more than me being a girl and small isn't it. You don't think I can do it, do you?" She took their worried glance as a yes. "Well you're wrong. I can do it! I'll show you and everyone else. Just because I'm different doesn't mean I can't do things other people can," she yelled as she stormed out of the room.
Her mother's voice called after her, "We didn't say you couldn't, just not yet." 'So what,' starting late would be even worse as far as she was concerned. She determinedly ignored the voice as she ran outside. The soldiers called to her at the gate but she ignored them too. She ran singleheartedly until she reached a clearing by the creek there. She sat down and dissolved into tears.
"It's no fair!" she sobbed, "Why do I have to wait. It's not like I want to be a thief or threatened to be a criminal!" 'Get a grip on yourself Linya!' she told herself as she stopped
crying. 'You of all people know that life isn't fair so stop pretending it is. Now you know that mother was right. You can't be a page when you cry every time life isn't fair. Maybe if you learn to control yourself mother will let you be one next year. So what, the other part of her argued back, being a page has been your dream for years she knew that. If she meant to say no then she could have said so earlier.
But she did say no earlier. You're the one that kept arguing that you should be able to.'
"Ahhhhg", Linnorria yelled, "I seriously need to get a grip. Next thing ya know I'll be talking to myself out loud then everybody would think I'm crazy." Then she muttered, "it's to late for that as it is. I already talk to myself and they all think I'm crazy, though for different reasons."
Linnorria started to get up, "No; I think I'll stay here a while and avoid punishment." She was not looking forward to going back, 'Oh why did I have to yell at them? That was so stupid.'
After about half an hour (and Linya guessed that tempers had cooled enough that she could go back and live) she started strolling back to the castle. It wasn't a very big one, only four towers and the wing's in-between them. But they had a wall to be proud of. It surrounded the whole castle with enough extra room for the nearby village to shelter there at ease when needed. It also included a large herb garden, the stables, mews, and some pastures. It was about 35 feet tall and 10 feet wide at the top.
Storm Head's Peak itself wasn't a very big fief. They had plenty of lands but they were mainly forests with not a lot of room for farming. They weren't at all close to the Emerald Ocean being quite a bit west and a little south of Trebond. They were close to the Northern border but far enough away that the war that was brewing between Scrana and Tortall wouldn't come very close.
Linya's father, the Baron of Storm Head's Peak, had his hands full right now. He had had to send half of the men-at-arms and many of the other men to the border. If the war got any worse, as it threatened to, then they would have to start making shipments of food there. That is, if they had any left.
Linya told herself this as she walked back home. She knew her fief wasn't the best off and that her parent's were worried about her but that didn't make her change her mind. She wanted to be a knight and nothing would stop her. She'd be patient and wait a year but after that she'd run away if she had to.
It was a beautiful day. Rather hot this morning, but Linya enjoyed it. She knew that come winter, they'd be snowed in half the time. She continued to calm down as she walked back. At the gate a guard called down to her, "You all right milady? You gave us a right scare you did. It's not safe to be roaming free these days. Not even for you; without one of these," he held up a horn. "You never know what's going to be in t'forest!"
"Sorry," she yelled back up. "I'm coming in now. So don't worry." she was ashamed of herself. She knew it wasn't safe. There had been a spidren attack on one of the nearby villages last spring. She'd seen the results and been sick for the next whole next day. She shuddered at the thought. That was one of the reasons she wanted to be a knight so badly. She wanted to keep more people from being hurt.
She walked slowly through the herb garden, relishing the complex web of odd scents, to the horse pasture behind. She stepped onto the fence and gazed dreamily at a mare with a three-month colt. The foal was a beautiful yellow-red with a wild sprit, always bounding around. Even better, he belonged to her. She had eagerly watched his mother ever since they had realized she was pregnant. Not only that, but Linya had been there when he was born. She had since named him Firemane Heartfelt, and couldn't wait to be the one to train him in two to three years.
"Dreaming about your boyfriend?" came a taunting voice with a practiced drawl. Linnorria flinched. She knew that voice all to well. "That was the best you could find wasn't it, Linya?"
"Shut it, Rosy," Linya flung back at her sister. "It's much better than you would ever be able to find. Even with your big drowy. Firemane will be a right good stallion someday and your sharp tongue will drive all your suitors away. Besides he's not my boyfriend. He's my horse."
Her fifteen-year-old sister turned red with anger. She hated to be called Rosy. Her real name was Rosemary and ever since she had turned eleven and gotten grownup and "dignified" she had wanted to be called by her real name. "While at least I'm not a Freak!" Rosy yelled.
Linnorria turned white, suddenly deadly serious. "What did you say?" each word dripped off of her tongue like ice-cold swords. She turned around slowly and deliberately.
But Rosemary had already run away. Linya turned back. Her eyes were full of a burden and knowledge greater than any regular ten-year-old had a reason to bear.
Late July,
Storm Head's Peak,
Northwestern Tortall;
in the 20th year of the reign of
King Jonathan the IV and Thayet, his Queen
459 H.E. (Human Era)
Chapter 1 Dreams
Linnorria of Storm Head's Peak shook as she approached her parent's chamber's. For a girl of ten, she might be considered small at about four and a half feet tall, but she had a big mind. Her hair was a little past her shoulders, and her eyes held an intelligent gleam. She just had to convince them today. It was her last chance. Training would start in three weeks and it took almost two weeks to get to the palace.
"Sop trembling," she told herself as she lifted a hand to knock. When she heard a, "Come in," from the room she opened the door and stepped through.
Her parent's were alone in the room. She had known they would be. In fact she had made sure of it. She didn't want any witnesses if this turned bad. "Hello Linya," her mother, Lady Melanie, greeted her. "What brings you to us today?"
"Mother, Father," Linnorria began, "You know I want to be one, and I have all my life. So please let me go to the palace and be a page." It all came out in a rush.
"Uh," said her parents as they absorbed the meaning of her words. "Dear, we've been over this," Linnorria's father told her. "If Keladry of Midelan gets her shield this midwinter we'll let you be a page next year. Right now you'll have to be patient."
"But I'm old enough to be a page this year!" Linya pleaded. "I don't want to be older than everybody else my year." Calm down! she told herself, knights don't plead and neither will you.
"Linya, please dear try to understand. Your mother and I are worried about you. We don't want to throw our youngest daughter to the wolves; and that's what it would be like if we sent you off right now. If you still want to, next year I'll take you," said her father gently.
"It's more than me being a girl and small isn't it. You don't think I can do it, do you?" She took their worried glance as a yes. "Well you're wrong. I can do it! I'll show you and everyone else. Just because I'm different doesn't mean I can't do things other people can," she yelled as she stormed out of the room.
Her mother's voice called after her, "We didn't say you couldn't, just not yet." 'So what,' starting late would be even worse as far as she was concerned. She determinedly ignored the voice as she ran outside. The soldiers called to her at the gate but she ignored them too. She ran singleheartedly until she reached a clearing by the creek there. She sat down and dissolved into tears.
"It's no fair!" she sobbed, "Why do I have to wait. It's not like I want to be a thief or threatened to be a criminal!" 'Get a grip on yourself Linya!' she told herself as she stopped
crying. 'You of all people know that life isn't fair so stop pretending it is. Now you know that mother was right. You can't be a page when you cry every time life isn't fair. Maybe if you learn to control yourself mother will let you be one next year. So what, the other part of her argued back, being a page has been your dream for years she knew that. If she meant to say no then she could have said so earlier.
But she did say no earlier. You're the one that kept arguing that you should be able to.'
"Ahhhhg", Linnorria yelled, "I seriously need to get a grip. Next thing ya know I'll be talking to myself out loud then everybody would think I'm crazy." Then she muttered, "it's to late for that as it is. I already talk to myself and they all think I'm crazy, though for different reasons."
Linnorria started to get up, "No; I think I'll stay here a while and avoid punishment." She was not looking forward to going back, 'Oh why did I have to yell at them? That was so stupid.'
After about half an hour (and Linya guessed that tempers had cooled enough that she could go back and live) she started strolling back to the castle. It wasn't a very big one, only four towers and the wing's in-between them. But they had a wall to be proud of. It surrounded the whole castle with enough extra room for the nearby village to shelter there at ease when needed. It also included a large herb garden, the stables, mews, and some pastures. It was about 35 feet tall and 10 feet wide at the top.
Storm Head's Peak itself wasn't a very big fief. They had plenty of lands but they were mainly forests with not a lot of room for farming. They weren't at all close to the Emerald Ocean being quite a bit west and a little south of Trebond. They were close to the Northern border but far enough away that the war that was brewing between Scrana and Tortall wouldn't come very close.
Linya's father, the Baron of Storm Head's Peak, had his hands full right now. He had had to send half of the men-at-arms and many of the other men to the border. If the war got any worse, as it threatened to, then they would have to start making shipments of food there. That is, if they had any left.
Linya told herself this as she walked back home. She knew her fief wasn't the best off and that her parent's were worried about her but that didn't make her change her mind. She wanted to be a knight and nothing would stop her. She'd be patient and wait a year but after that she'd run away if she had to.
It was a beautiful day. Rather hot this morning, but Linya enjoyed it. She knew that come winter, they'd be snowed in half the time. She continued to calm down as she walked back. At the gate a guard called down to her, "You all right milady? You gave us a right scare you did. It's not safe to be roaming free these days. Not even for you; without one of these," he held up a horn. "You never know what's going to be in t'forest!"
"Sorry," she yelled back up. "I'm coming in now. So don't worry." she was ashamed of herself. She knew it wasn't safe. There had been a spidren attack on one of the nearby villages last spring. She'd seen the results and been sick for the next whole next day. She shuddered at the thought. That was one of the reasons she wanted to be a knight so badly. She wanted to keep more people from being hurt.
She walked slowly through the herb garden, relishing the complex web of odd scents, to the horse pasture behind. She stepped onto the fence and gazed dreamily at a mare with a three-month colt. The foal was a beautiful yellow-red with a wild sprit, always bounding around. Even better, he belonged to her. She had eagerly watched his mother ever since they had realized she was pregnant. Not only that, but Linya had been there when he was born. She had since named him Firemane Heartfelt, and couldn't wait to be the one to train him in two to three years.
"Dreaming about your boyfriend?" came a taunting voice with a practiced drawl. Linnorria flinched. She knew that voice all to well. "That was the best you could find wasn't it, Linya?"
"Shut it, Rosy," Linya flung back at her sister. "It's much better than you would ever be able to find. Even with your big drowy. Firemane will be a right good stallion someday and your sharp tongue will drive all your suitors away. Besides he's not my boyfriend. He's my horse."
Her fifteen-year-old sister turned red with anger. She hated to be called Rosy. Her real name was Rosemary and ever since she had turned eleven and gotten grownup and "dignified" she had wanted to be called by her real name. "While at least I'm not a Freak!" Rosy yelled.
Linnorria turned white, suddenly deadly serious. "What did you say?" each word dripped off of her tongue like ice-cold swords. She turned around slowly and deliberately.
But Rosemary had already run away. Linya turned back. Her eyes were full of a burden and knowledge greater than any regular ten-year-old had a reason to bear.