A/N: 35 reviews!! ::squee:: Way to make me feel loved, guys :D
Fyli: Heehee, thankees...I love it too, it took ages to think up XD
emikae: ::grin:: Any and all ideas are appreciated at this point, LOL...I've got big plans for ickle Meg's gift...::evil cackle::
miamouse: ::wince:: Yeah, I'm sorry about that...I have absolutely no idea how a page's first day is supposed to go, so I lifted heavily from the Kel books...hopefully, I won't have to do that again. Thanks for pointing it out, hehe, I'll try to stear clear of this strategy ::sheepish grin::
Rubber Duck: Not at all, I appreciate the constructive criticism. I know it's going a bit too easily...she's gonna be really sore later, though, LOL...but after a few weeks, when she slips into routine, she'll be surprised at the things some of the boys have in store...::thunder crashes ominously:: Anyway, I'm struggling not to make Meg a Mary Sue...her weaknesses will definitely show in future chapters. Thanks for the help, lemme know if I start slipping again ;D
blackflyer: I'm honoured that people keep comparing me to the great Tammy! ::blush:: Thanks a lot =D
Lizai: ROFL, Rick is a bit of a dolt, isn't he? ::giggles:: That's why I love him so much...and thank you so much! I'll definitely be taking you up on that offer. XD
elfin2: Indeed, the boys are sweet, aren't they? ::huggles them:: Thanks!
So, here goes...this chapter's kinda slow, kinda boring, and much shorter than the previous ones...::apologetic grin:: I promise the next one'll be worth it, though, so skim this one at least ; I'll try to get the next one up ASAP...
Disclaimer: As usual, Lord Padraig ain't mine...neither is the palace, nor Tortall...howe'er, Meg and the boys are mine...as is my beloved Rick. ::giggle::
:: Chapter Six: Thoughts ::
Riding didn't come as easily to Meg as she had hoped. She'd gotten riding lessons at home, of course, but riding Ram proved to be a lot more difficult than riding the mares and ponies at home. He seemed to like her, but he proved contrary and tempermental, living up to the stubborn animal she'd nicknamed him for. Also, he was slightly oversize, and she was more than slightly undersized, which made for an uncomfortable difference. By the end of the riding lessons, Meg had fallen off of Ram five times, each time catching herself just a little too late and thus accumulating bruises all over her body.
"I hate horses," Meg grumbled to Rick when he showed up at Ram's stall to escort her back to the palace. "I hate those stupid animals. I wish Tortall had never heard of such an animal."
"It's good to see you alive and well," Rick replied jauntily. "We're off to lunch, and then to afternoon classes."
Meh groaned, leaning against her friend. "The day's only half over? Mithros, I feel like I've been pummeled by an army...first the falling, then the exhaustion of staff fighting, then falling off Ram..."
"I thought you liked Ram," Rick said mildly. "Adair said you two got along quite well."
Meg was too tired to think of the oddity in discussing her relationship with her horse in human terms. "We do...he's just ornery. I think he's trying to test me before he finds out if he likes me or not. Besides, he's big and I'm small. And I'm clumsy, and I was tired and sore..." She suddenly stopped, blushing. "I'm complaining. I should stop."
Rick clapped her shoulder, making her wince. "If you think this is bad, wait 'til you wake up tomorrow. Go wash up, I'll meet you in the mess hall." He walked off, leaving Meg with his cheerful words of wisdom.::::::
That night, Meg lay awake, unable to sleep. She went through the day's events, from the bruises she'd gotten from falling to the intense physical effort it had taken to strike with a staff, to the falls she'd taken from Ram. It didn't help that she still felt the bruises of eleven years' abuse from her father; Elris had left lasting scars and bruises while refusing to allow Meg to see a healer. It was part of what had made her so frail, part of what had made her feel today's bruises so strongly. She knew that she wasn't under her father's control, but she still couldn't shake her feeling of self-sufficiency. She had to prove that she could put up with page training, despite her affinity for archery and her liking of staff fighting.
Yes, Meg did still feel all of her bruises from the day, but she also felt the mental exertion that her afternoon classes had taken on her. She'd barely been able to concentrate, being so bruised, but she'd muddled through it. Reading and writing hadn't been too hard - as a noble's daughter, those were skills she'd had to learn - but mathematics had been something of a struggle. Faleron had taught Meg bits of accounting so that she could manage King's Reach in his absence when they both grew older, but the figures were hard for Meg to work - she was sweet but not a quick thinker. She had struggled long and hard into the night with the homework problems, willing them to make sense before they had finally worked out.
History and law of the realm with Sir Myles of Olau fascinated Meg; she'd been surprised when Myles had let her know what a good student her brother had been, and jokingly added that he expected great things from her. She'd blushed and scurried away. Lindhall Reed, their teacher of plants and animals, had been a nice man, and the subject was an interesting one for Meg, since it didn't require prior knowledge or over-average intelligence. The final class, etiquette, hadn't been a problem either - the only trouble Meg had was not falling asleep due to her exhaustion.
The one class Meg hadn't looked forward to was magecraft; using trickles of her Gift to help her aim, eavesdrop, and the like was a usual occurance, nothing to worry about. But learning other things to do with her Gift...that scared her. She didn't want to do great things, as she'd told Faleron, didn't want the Gift that she knew was part of her exposed. If she ignored it, perhaps it would go away and she wouldn't have to deal with all the things that came with being a mage. She'd feigned a stomachache and had gone to her room for the whole class period. She knew she couldn't hide from the class, nor from Master Salmalín forever, but she could try, and try she damn well would.
Regardless of the physical and mental effort of her first day, though, Meg was content. She knew she'd tried her best in most everything; she'd been surprised at the difficulty, yes, but more so by the fact that it was fun. She enjoyed all of it more than she'd hoped to, which was wonderful. She'd never felt so free in her entire life - for the first time, there was no shadow of her father flickering over her shoulder.
When Meg finally slept, her final thoughts were those of peace, happiness, and finally finding a place where she belonged.
::::::
Two weeks later that Meg caused her very first storm at court; it was the day Sir Elris of King's Reach arrived at the palace to take his daughter home.