A flood of pages greeted Allena in the corridor. What seemed like a
horde of boisterous, chattering boys swept her along to the dining hall.
There were no empty tables. She took her plate to the end of one of the long trestle tables where three boys about her age sat.
"Hello," said the boy on her right, looking at her with open hazel eyes. "I'm Prosper of Tameran. Who're you?"
"I'm Stuart, of Tirragen," she replied. She liked the name Stuart. Her mother had once told her that that was what she would have been named if she were a boy. "This is my first year, is it yours?"
"It is," Prosper told her. "And I'm so nervous!"
"I know, me too," she agreed. She liked Prosper already. They watched the older pages at the other tables. Allena immediately picked out Keladry of Midelan, the Girl, who had to undergo a year of probation before becoming a real page. Being The Girl didn't seem to have impaired Keladry's ability to make friends. There were almost a dozen boys sitting with her, laughing and talking animatedly.
She recognized the boy who had knocked on her door by mistake. He was holding Keladry's arm in one hand and waving the other. They appeared to be having a dispute of some kind. After a little while, the girl said "Oh fine" and the boy put his hand to a large bruise on her arm. Green light flashed and it shrank and disappeared.
"Wow," Allena breathed. "Did you say something?" asked Prosper, who had been gazing at the training master's table.
"Never mind," muttered Allena, and she continued to stare around the room.
"It's unusual, really" a tall boy with very red hair was saying to a dark-haired boy who Allena recognized as the crown prince, Roald. "They always do sponsors first, don't they?"
She didn't' hear the prince's reply because she was too busy wondering what a sponsor was and whether she should know. It didn't preoccupy her for very long, and she returned to looking around.
A boy two tables away was juggling rolls, to the applause and cheering of his companions. She watched him until the person next to him shifted, revealing someone very stunning at the next table. He had high cheekbones, white-blond hair, and perfect blue eyes. "That's ridiculous, Vincent!" he was snapping at the boy next to him. She thought his cheeks were flushed with anger, but they remained rosy after the boy apologized and a satisfied smile replaced his infuriated expression. She couldn't help laughing a little bit. She turned to Prosper and was about to say: "he looks more like a girl than I do!" before she realized—much more to her surprise than was to be hoped—that she wasn't supposed to look like a girl. Allena bit her lip and finished her soup, which was getting cold.
Lord Wyldon rose, and the room fell silent.
"I would like to see all the first year pages. Immediately," the training master said stiffly.
Allena got up, as did Prosper and the other two boys at their end of the table. One other joined them in a nervous line in front of Wyldon.
"Don't think you'll have an easy time this year," he began. "You will work when you're tired, when you're ill, and when you can't possibly work any more." The older pages were listening now. Allena hear someone whisper "That's the same speech he gives every year!"
"You have one more day to laze," Lord Wyldon continued. "Your sponsor will show you around the palace and help you collect those things which the crown supplies to you. After that, we begin.
You! Your name and fief!" he barked, suddenly rounding on one of the boys from Allena's table. "Teron of Blythdin, sir," he replied smartly.
Wyldon turned to the watching pages. "Which of you will sponsor Teron and teach him our ways?"
The tall, broad-shouldered senior page who Allena had seen talking to the prince raised a hand.
"You will, Cleon of Kennan?" asked the training master, with an unnerving stare at him.
"If you please, my lord?" the boy bowed.
Wyldon nodded slightly and he went to stand behind Teron, who looked as nervous as Allena felt.
The training master addressed another boy. "You! Your name and the holding of your family."
"O-Owen of J-Jesslaw" the stout, curly-haired page stuttered.
Prince Roald cleared his throat quietly. "It would be a privilege," he said in a near whisper, smiling softly at Owen.
Lord Wyldon gave a curt nod of acknowledgement. Then he pointed at Prosper. "You!"
The wide-eyed blond boy was ready. He bowed deeply and said "Prosper of Tameran, my lord," in a level, clear voice. As Allena sighed inwardly, relieved to have been shown the proper response, she noticed that none of the older pages came forward.
Please, she thought, clenching her fists behind her back, someone sponsor Prosper.
Another redhead, younger than Cleon, raised a cautious hand.
"Merric, I would have preferred that you spend your extra time improving your archery skills, but as there are no other volunteers..." Allena didn't think it was very nice to respond to such an offer with a rebuke.
Relief broke on Prosper of Tameran's face as Merric came to stand behind him.
"You!" said Wyldon, taking Allena completely off guard.
"Stuart of Tirragen. My lord." She hastily added. She forgot to bow. Wyldon gave her a hard stare before turning to the older pages. There was a slight pause before someone spoke up. "I suppose," he began in a slow drawl. Allena went up on her tiptoes to try to get a look at him.
"Neal!" someone hissed, just as she succeeded. He was tall-very tall- and he had emerald eyes and light brown hair. When he saw her looking, he arched elegant eyebrows.
The boy continued like no one had spoken. "That my lord Wyldon would prefer another sponsor, to prevent me from passing along my atrocious insolence, but I just cannot resist assisting my fellow pages!" He finished dramatically in a voice that was educated as well as theatric.
He looked at Wyldon, not seeming at all apprehensive of the response he might receive. "I'm sure you will be then pleased to assist them by helping the laundry maids for two bells next free day" the training master snapped. "As for Stuart, you have permission to sponsor him, providing there are no more suitable volunteers."
There was whispering when Wyldon gave the other pages a hard look, but no one else raised a hand.
"Than me it is!" Neal declared, standing behind Allena. She heard him mutter "Or is it 'I'"? Dermid of Josu's Dirk, the last new page, was sponsored by Vinson of Genlith, who Allena had seen sitting with the blonde page earlier. The other new pages and their sponsors stood while Dermid nervously gave his name and Wyldon admonished Vincent for not asking respectfully.
"Dismissed!" Wyldon barked.
Allena turned toward her sponsor. Neal towered over her. "I know you!" she exclaimed. "You knocked on my door this afternoon, by mistake."
"Yeah," he said. "Sorry about that. That's I, Neal of Queenscove."
"Nice to meet you, near," Allena said quietly. She held out her hand.
Jokingly, Neal got down on his knees so he was about at her eye level. He shook her hand. "Nice to meet you, Stuart."
Neal walked her back to her room (so she wouldn't get lost and knock on the wrong door, he explained) and said goodnight. Opening the shutters so the dawn would awaken her in the morning, Allena lay down on her new bed in her new home and fell asleep.
There were no empty tables. She took her plate to the end of one of the long trestle tables where three boys about her age sat.
"Hello," said the boy on her right, looking at her with open hazel eyes. "I'm Prosper of Tameran. Who're you?"
"I'm Stuart, of Tirragen," she replied. She liked the name Stuart. Her mother had once told her that that was what she would have been named if she were a boy. "This is my first year, is it yours?"
"It is," Prosper told her. "And I'm so nervous!"
"I know, me too," she agreed. She liked Prosper already. They watched the older pages at the other tables. Allena immediately picked out Keladry of Midelan, the Girl, who had to undergo a year of probation before becoming a real page. Being The Girl didn't seem to have impaired Keladry's ability to make friends. There were almost a dozen boys sitting with her, laughing and talking animatedly.
She recognized the boy who had knocked on her door by mistake. He was holding Keladry's arm in one hand and waving the other. They appeared to be having a dispute of some kind. After a little while, the girl said "Oh fine" and the boy put his hand to a large bruise on her arm. Green light flashed and it shrank and disappeared.
"Wow," Allena breathed. "Did you say something?" asked Prosper, who had been gazing at the training master's table.
"Never mind," muttered Allena, and she continued to stare around the room.
"It's unusual, really" a tall boy with very red hair was saying to a dark-haired boy who Allena recognized as the crown prince, Roald. "They always do sponsors first, don't they?"
She didn't' hear the prince's reply because she was too busy wondering what a sponsor was and whether she should know. It didn't preoccupy her for very long, and she returned to looking around.
A boy two tables away was juggling rolls, to the applause and cheering of his companions. She watched him until the person next to him shifted, revealing someone very stunning at the next table. He had high cheekbones, white-blond hair, and perfect blue eyes. "That's ridiculous, Vincent!" he was snapping at the boy next to him. She thought his cheeks were flushed with anger, but they remained rosy after the boy apologized and a satisfied smile replaced his infuriated expression. She couldn't help laughing a little bit. She turned to Prosper and was about to say: "he looks more like a girl than I do!" before she realized—much more to her surprise than was to be hoped—that she wasn't supposed to look like a girl. Allena bit her lip and finished her soup, which was getting cold.
Lord Wyldon rose, and the room fell silent.
"I would like to see all the first year pages. Immediately," the training master said stiffly.
Allena got up, as did Prosper and the other two boys at their end of the table. One other joined them in a nervous line in front of Wyldon.
"Don't think you'll have an easy time this year," he began. "You will work when you're tired, when you're ill, and when you can't possibly work any more." The older pages were listening now. Allena hear someone whisper "That's the same speech he gives every year!"
"You have one more day to laze," Lord Wyldon continued. "Your sponsor will show you around the palace and help you collect those things which the crown supplies to you. After that, we begin.
You! Your name and fief!" he barked, suddenly rounding on one of the boys from Allena's table. "Teron of Blythdin, sir," he replied smartly.
Wyldon turned to the watching pages. "Which of you will sponsor Teron and teach him our ways?"
The tall, broad-shouldered senior page who Allena had seen talking to the prince raised a hand.
"You will, Cleon of Kennan?" asked the training master, with an unnerving stare at him.
"If you please, my lord?" the boy bowed.
Wyldon nodded slightly and he went to stand behind Teron, who looked as nervous as Allena felt.
The training master addressed another boy. "You! Your name and the holding of your family."
"O-Owen of J-Jesslaw" the stout, curly-haired page stuttered.
Prince Roald cleared his throat quietly. "It would be a privilege," he said in a near whisper, smiling softly at Owen.
Lord Wyldon gave a curt nod of acknowledgement. Then he pointed at Prosper. "You!"
The wide-eyed blond boy was ready. He bowed deeply and said "Prosper of Tameran, my lord," in a level, clear voice. As Allena sighed inwardly, relieved to have been shown the proper response, she noticed that none of the older pages came forward.
Please, she thought, clenching her fists behind her back, someone sponsor Prosper.
Another redhead, younger than Cleon, raised a cautious hand.
"Merric, I would have preferred that you spend your extra time improving your archery skills, but as there are no other volunteers..." Allena didn't think it was very nice to respond to such an offer with a rebuke.
Relief broke on Prosper of Tameran's face as Merric came to stand behind him.
"You!" said Wyldon, taking Allena completely off guard.
"Stuart of Tirragen. My lord." She hastily added. She forgot to bow. Wyldon gave her a hard stare before turning to the older pages. There was a slight pause before someone spoke up. "I suppose," he began in a slow drawl. Allena went up on her tiptoes to try to get a look at him.
"Neal!" someone hissed, just as she succeeded. He was tall-very tall- and he had emerald eyes and light brown hair. When he saw her looking, he arched elegant eyebrows.
The boy continued like no one had spoken. "That my lord Wyldon would prefer another sponsor, to prevent me from passing along my atrocious insolence, but I just cannot resist assisting my fellow pages!" He finished dramatically in a voice that was educated as well as theatric.
He looked at Wyldon, not seeming at all apprehensive of the response he might receive. "I'm sure you will be then pleased to assist them by helping the laundry maids for two bells next free day" the training master snapped. "As for Stuart, you have permission to sponsor him, providing there are no more suitable volunteers."
There was whispering when Wyldon gave the other pages a hard look, but no one else raised a hand.
"Than me it is!" Neal declared, standing behind Allena. She heard him mutter "Or is it 'I'"? Dermid of Josu's Dirk, the last new page, was sponsored by Vinson of Genlith, who Allena had seen sitting with the blonde page earlier. The other new pages and their sponsors stood while Dermid nervously gave his name and Wyldon admonished Vincent for not asking respectfully.
"Dismissed!" Wyldon barked.
Allena turned toward her sponsor. Neal towered over her. "I know you!" she exclaimed. "You knocked on my door this afternoon, by mistake."
"Yeah," he said. "Sorry about that. That's I, Neal of Queenscove."
"Nice to meet you, near," Allena said quietly. She held out her hand.
Jokingly, Neal got down on his knees so he was about at her eye level. He shook her hand. "Nice to meet you, Stuart."
Neal walked her back to her room (so she wouldn't get lost and knock on the wrong door, he explained) and said goodnight. Opening the shutters so the dawn would awaken her in the morning, Allena lay down on her new bed in her new home and fell asleep.