At dawn Allena woke, similar to the previous day. She opened her eyes
wide in realization that everything began today. She was really starting.
As she was making her bed, someone knocked on her door. Throwing on a robe, she went and opened it. A blonde girl stood outside. She was probably only a few years older than Allena herself and a head taller. She wore a servant's uniform and carried a bucket of steaming water.
"Good morning!' she said cheerily, her horsetail bobbing up and down slightly. "I'm Danielle, or Dany, Stone. You're Stuart?"
"Yeah," said Allena, slightly taken aback.
"Nice to meet you. Where're you from again?"
"Tirragen."
"Really? I've never been there. You'll have to tell me about it sometime. Right now I've got a whole list of things from Selma to tell you. Let's see. I bring hot water in the mornings and at other times if you ask for it, I light fires and I sweep and dust and so on. Most everything else, you do. You make your own bed and look after your own thins. I can't remember if I'm supposed to repair clothing or get it repaired, but I like you so I will if you want me to help. That's all I can think of. If you get in trouble about it, blame me." This girl could out-talk Esmond, Allena thought. Easily.
"Great, great." she said breathlessly. "I'll try to remember all that."
"The last part's the most important," Dany said, blue eyes twinkling. She winked, handed Allena the pair of water, and shut the door. Allena could see having Dany around was going to be interesting.
However, even the oddness of the servant girl couldn't compete with thoughts about what the day would be like. Pulling a rough practice shirt over her head, Allena wondered what her classes were going to be like. As she washed her face, she thought about what kind of horse she'd like to have for tilting. By the time the breakfast bell rang, she had gone over every little thing she could think of at least twice.
After what seemed like a lot of practice, she could find her way to the dining hall without assistance easily. On her way there, she met Prosper and Teron and fell in with them.
"Hello," they greeted her.
"Hi Teron, hi Prosper. Are you nervous about today?" she asked.
"Kind of," Prosper admitted.
"I'm not," boasted Teron. "My older brothers told me exactly what to expect."
"Lucky!" exclaimed Allena.
"I know," said Teron. "Have either of you got brothers?"
"No," Prosper made a face. "Only sisters."
"Too bad. Girls can't do anything," said Teron scornfully.
What about the Lioness? thought Allena resentfully. What about Kel?
"Teron, you only have brothers, right?" a voice from behind them said. It sounded vaguely familiar to Allena.
"Yeah," said Teron slowly, looking over his shoulder.
"I wouldn't make a claim about something you don't' know, then," said the voice. "Excuse me." Seaver of Tasride edged around Prosper and walked briskly ahead of them. Allena started after him. Prosper looked surprised and Teron scowled. All three waited in line and then carried their breakfast to a table.
Allena took a seat next to Seaver, across from Neal. "Good morning," she said to him.
"Morning," he replied. "Scared?' he sounded sympathetic.
"Fairly," she admitted. He didn't' question her further.
Starting to eat, they were joined by Merric, Kel, and a few others, including Prince Roald and the boy he was supposed to be sponsoring. Allena noticed that although Roald seemed to be friends with Neal's crowd, he had sat with Vincent and his friends at lunch yesterday and with the juggling boy at dinner. No one had met the other page yet, because his uncle insisted on giving him a complete tour of Corus. He hadn't been at the castle for any of yesterday's meals.
"Everybody," said the prince, "This is Owen of Jesslaw. Owen, on the end there is Seaver of Tasride, and Stuart next to him. Across from them are Kel and Neal of Queenscove, and next to Neal are Prosper, Teron, and Merric. Faleron's across from him, and Esmond was next to Faleron, 'though I don't' know where he went."
Owen, a short, stout boy with dark curls, seemed to take all the introductions in stride. He gave everyone an enthusiastic grin.
Sitting down next to Allena, he exclaimed 'Isn't this jolly?"
She was spared answering by the arrival of yet another page. This boy was big, broad-shouldered, and shorter only than Neal.
"Cleon!" Merric cried. "Where were you? You left Teron all on his own!"
Cleon smiled. He had a wide, slow grin. "I was rescuing the lovely Daine from...Neal! That's right. This Neal is only an illusion. The real one had captured Daine and was telling her all his boring history stories until I gallantly intervened!" he claimed.
"Shut up," someone told him. Esmond, who must have returned, leaned around to say to Merric "Look who's talking! Remember yesterday?" On her other side, Allena could hear Kel asking Neal seriously if he was an illusion. "Where were you, actually?" Prince Roald asked Cleon. "Oh, talking to Yancen about the stuff he heard fourth years have to do," answered Cleon, and he and the Prince, who was apparently also a fourth year, launched into a long discussion about things that Allena mostly didn't understand. As she listened to all the conversation, she could sense a peace she hadn't expected to find. She liked the palace and thought she could belong there. She was surprised at the acceptance she received. Her happy feeling vanished when who she was and what she was hiding came crashing back into her mind. Trying not to squirm, she imagined telling everyone who she was. It hurt to imagine Neal and Prosper's faces. And Kel! How Kel would hate her! She, Allena, was the most incredible coward ever born. Can't face a year of probation, she thought angrily. Teron's contemptuous voice rang in her ears. "Girls can't do anything." "Stuart? Are you all right?" someone was saying. Allena blinked and looked up into Esmond of Nicoline's freckled face. "What? Oh yeah, I'm fine. I'm just nervous. About today." "I bet I was just as scared as you were when I first started. Maybe more so, even. Which is just as well, since I probably had more cause to be. But my point was everything worked out okay. Bear up! There's no permanent damage, right?" Esmond said consolingly. "Don't answer that," Neal advised jokingly. Allena laughed nervously and smiled weakly at both of them. "Thanks." "Let's go then," Neal suggested. He, Allena, and Esmond got up and got rid of their dishes. "Need anything or can we go straight to the courts?" Esmond asked. They decided to walk straight there.
As she was making her bed, someone knocked on her door. Throwing on a robe, she went and opened it. A blonde girl stood outside. She was probably only a few years older than Allena herself and a head taller. She wore a servant's uniform and carried a bucket of steaming water.
"Good morning!' she said cheerily, her horsetail bobbing up and down slightly. "I'm Danielle, or Dany, Stone. You're Stuart?"
"Yeah," said Allena, slightly taken aback.
"Nice to meet you. Where're you from again?"
"Tirragen."
"Really? I've never been there. You'll have to tell me about it sometime. Right now I've got a whole list of things from Selma to tell you. Let's see. I bring hot water in the mornings and at other times if you ask for it, I light fires and I sweep and dust and so on. Most everything else, you do. You make your own bed and look after your own thins. I can't remember if I'm supposed to repair clothing or get it repaired, but I like you so I will if you want me to help. That's all I can think of. If you get in trouble about it, blame me." This girl could out-talk Esmond, Allena thought. Easily.
"Great, great." she said breathlessly. "I'll try to remember all that."
"The last part's the most important," Dany said, blue eyes twinkling. She winked, handed Allena the pair of water, and shut the door. Allena could see having Dany around was going to be interesting.
However, even the oddness of the servant girl couldn't compete with thoughts about what the day would be like. Pulling a rough practice shirt over her head, Allena wondered what her classes were going to be like. As she washed her face, she thought about what kind of horse she'd like to have for tilting. By the time the breakfast bell rang, she had gone over every little thing she could think of at least twice.
After what seemed like a lot of practice, she could find her way to the dining hall without assistance easily. On her way there, she met Prosper and Teron and fell in with them.
"Hello," they greeted her.
"Hi Teron, hi Prosper. Are you nervous about today?" she asked.
"Kind of," Prosper admitted.
"I'm not," boasted Teron. "My older brothers told me exactly what to expect."
"Lucky!" exclaimed Allena.
"I know," said Teron. "Have either of you got brothers?"
"No," Prosper made a face. "Only sisters."
"Too bad. Girls can't do anything," said Teron scornfully.
What about the Lioness? thought Allena resentfully. What about Kel?
"Teron, you only have brothers, right?" a voice from behind them said. It sounded vaguely familiar to Allena.
"Yeah," said Teron slowly, looking over his shoulder.
"I wouldn't make a claim about something you don't' know, then," said the voice. "Excuse me." Seaver of Tasride edged around Prosper and walked briskly ahead of them. Allena started after him. Prosper looked surprised and Teron scowled. All three waited in line and then carried their breakfast to a table.
Allena took a seat next to Seaver, across from Neal. "Good morning," she said to him.
"Morning," he replied. "Scared?' he sounded sympathetic.
"Fairly," she admitted. He didn't' question her further.
Starting to eat, they were joined by Merric, Kel, and a few others, including Prince Roald and the boy he was supposed to be sponsoring. Allena noticed that although Roald seemed to be friends with Neal's crowd, he had sat with Vincent and his friends at lunch yesterday and with the juggling boy at dinner. No one had met the other page yet, because his uncle insisted on giving him a complete tour of Corus. He hadn't been at the castle for any of yesterday's meals.
"Everybody," said the prince, "This is Owen of Jesslaw. Owen, on the end there is Seaver of Tasride, and Stuart next to him. Across from them are Kel and Neal of Queenscove, and next to Neal are Prosper, Teron, and Merric. Faleron's across from him, and Esmond was next to Faleron, 'though I don't' know where he went."
Owen, a short, stout boy with dark curls, seemed to take all the introductions in stride. He gave everyone an enthusiastic grin.
Sitting down next to Allena, he exclaimed 'Isn't this jolly?"
She was spared answering by the arrival of yet another page. This boy was big, broad-shouldered, and shorter only than Neal.
"Cleon!" Merric cried. "Where were you? You left Teron all on his own!"
Cleon smiled. He had a wide, slow grin. "I was rescuing the lovely Daine from...Neal! That's right. This Neal is only an illusion. The real one had captured Daine and was telling her all his boring history stories until I gallantly intervened!" he claimed.
"Shut up," someone told him. Esmond, who must have returned, leaned around to say to Merric "Look who's talking! Remember yesterday?" On her other side, Allena could hear Kel asking Neal seriously if he was an illusion. "Where were you, actually?" Prince Roald asked Cleon. "Oh, talking to Yancen about the stuff he heard fourth years have to do," answered Cleon, and he and the Prince, who was apparently also a fourth year, launched into a long discussion about things that Allena mostly didn't understand. As she listened to all the conversation, she could sense a peace she hadn't expected to find. She liked the palace and thought she could belong there. She was surprised at the acceptance she received. Her happy feeling vanished when who she was and what she was hiding came crashing back into her mind. Trying not to squirm, she imagined telling everyone who she was. It hurt to imagine Neal and Prosper's faces. And Kel! How Kel would hate her! She, Allena, was the most incredible coward ever born. Can't face a year of probation, she thought angrily. Teron's contemptuous voice rang in her ears. "Girls can't do anything." "Stuart? Are you all right?" someone was saying. Allena blinked and looked up into Esmond of Nicoline's freckled face. "What? Oh yeah, I'm fine. I'm just nervous. About today." "I bet I was just as scared as you were when I first started. Maybe more so, even. Which is just as well, since I probably had more cause to be. But my point was everything worked out okay. Bear up! There's no permanent damage, right?" Esmond said consolingly. "Don't answer that," Neal advised jokingly. Allena laughed nervously and smiled weakly at both of them. "Thanks." "Let's go then," Neal suggested. He, Allena, and Esmond got up and got rid of their dishes. "Need anything or can we go straight to the courts?" Esmond asked. They decided to walk straight there.