A/N: I'm going to try to update this every day, in an attempt to finish it before school starts in three weeks. That's 21 days, so, um, I guess somewhere btween fifteen to twenty chapters?

Chapter Three: Apprentice's Life

"Tigress?"

The woman blinked, then smiled serenely. "Yes. I didn't think you would recognize me, Kieldra."

Kieldra snorted. "I don't know anyone who wouldn't, Tigress. Um, is there anything I can do for you?"

"I'd like to talk to you, if you don't mind."

"Sure," Kieldra stammered, then gestured towards the inside of her room. "The bed's the only place to sit..."

The Shang Tigress' calm smile didn't waver; instead she said, "That's fine. I don't need to sit."

As Kieldra sat down on the bed, she watched the Tigress intently. It easy to see how the woman had gained the title of that particular cat: by all appearances, she seemed calm, but Kieldra could barely see she was on alert, not relaxed in the least.

"So... um... You said you wanted to talk to me?" Kieldra squeaked, fighting to keep her voice normal, and not quite succeeding. The Tigress was legendary, one of the best.

The Tigress turned to Kieldra. "Yes. I've noticed that you have a lot of talent in hand-to-hand combat."

Kieldra shook her head, more nervous than she had ever been.

"Yes, you do. You and Drystan Franger are at the best at the school, and you know it."

She had known she was good; she could beat Iseult and Sam easily, but she had always figured it was the influence of growing up around Shang, and nothing more. Besides, she had been there longer than anyone else, with the possible exception of Drys.

The Tigress continued, "You could benefit a lot from time fighting other people. That's not what I wanted to say, though. I've come to ask you whether you'd like to be my apprentice."

Kieldra gasped involuntarily; her eyes went wider than she'd previously thought possible. "Me?" she croaked.

"You."

"Um, Tigress, are you sure you want me to be your apprentice? I'm sure there are a lot of other people out there who are just as good as I am and could benefit more from working with you than I possibly could--" she babbled, only to be cut off by the Tigress saying, "Yes or no, Kieldra."

Her mouth answered automatically,"Yes."

The Tigress smiled. "Good. We'll leave the day after tomorrow."

---

When the dawn bell rang, Kieldra was awake in an instant, the nervous excitement that had kept her up most of the night back.

She got straight out of bed, fully awake. After dressing, she started for Drys' room, wondering if a master had spoken to him last night.

She banged into him halfway there. He was paler than she had ever seen him -- in fact, he looked just like she felt. "Who?" she asked.

"Centaur." His voice, like hers had been last night, was a croak. "You?"

"Tigress."

They glanced at each other, then walked in silence to the mess hall.

---

Iseult and Sam were in awe of their two friends. Sam gaped through the entire meal, only stopping when Kieldra poked him and said, "Why are you amazed, Mr. My-Parents-Are-Two-of-Tortall's-Most-Famous-People?" He had gagged, then drawled, "She's cured!"

"I hate you, I hope you know that," she had chirped back.

They had gone to lessons as usual. Even after seven years, Sam still had a hard time carrying his sword, halberd, quivers and bows to the weapons training area, which this morning was outside. Several of the new kids gawked and pointed at the fifteen-year-old student struggling through the hallways. After he threatened to attack two or three, the rest left off.

The weapons master, the Shang Basilisk, treated them no differently than he ever had, and pushed them hard all morning, occasionally moving fallen tree branches into their way and digging small holes in the earth before them with his sky-blue Gift.

Lunch and the afternoon were the pretty same as breakfast and the morning, though the training was indoors. After dinner, Sam, Iseult, and Drys congregated in Kieldra's room and helped her pack.

She didn't have much, and most of it fit in a canvas backpack. As she shoved five tunics into her bag, Iseult commented, "I'll miss you, Kieldra."

"So will I," Kieldra answered. She gazed thoughtfully around the room, then marvelled quietly, "This is the only room I can remember. All my life, I've lived here. It will be hard to leave."

"Aw," Sam smiledc mockingly. "Poor, poor Kieldwa."

Kieldra dived for his throat.

---

After Iseult had disentangled her friends -- Drys was laughing helplessly on the floor -- she glared at Sam. "Yet another lesson: do NOT mess with Kieldra, on pain of death!"

Sam gulped, then scowled at Drys.

Kieldra chuckled as she finished packing her clothes. All her weapons needed taken care of, and she polished her sword before sheathing it andplacing it next to her pack. She glanced up to grab her bow, only to find that Iseult had it and was packing it away. "Thanks," she murmured. Iseult smiled brightly. "It's the least I can do."

Iseult also took care of Kieldra's quiver, bolts, and crossbow while her friend polished and packed her morning star.

They spent the rest of what little time they had talking about many things, varying from who Iseult and Sam wanted their masters to be someday to the things that they had done in the past to what they wanted to do in the future. Drys thought that when they left in a few days, the Centaur would take him either to Tyra or Tortall. "If you're in the Tyran capital, do you think you could give this to my family?" Iseult requested, and gave him a note from her pocket.

Under ther friend's questioning gazes, Iseult blushed and said, "I've been wanting to mail them that for a while, but I keep forgetting."

When the last bell rang, her friends departed, leaving Kieldra alone. She was becoming accustomed to the fact that she would be travelling with the Shang Tigress for the next few years, but she still was nervous. She didn't knwo the Tigress at all, except by a few stories that had circulated through the school. She was originally from the Yamani Islands, or her parents were -- nobody was certain -- and she had, according to rumor, been a trickster once, though sometime during her apprenticeship to the Shang Wildcat she had changed, and was now quiet and reserved, though one of the best fighters in the history of Shang combat.

Thinking about what her life might be like over the next few years, Kieldra lay down in bed, and eventually fell asleep.

---

The Shang Tigress and Kieldra left early the next morning. Kieldra barely had enough time to say goodbye to her friends before they were on the road.

After an hour's walking in silence -- neither the Tigress nor Kieldra had a horse -- the Tigress interrupted it. "Kieldra," she began, "To tell you the truth, I'm still not used to being the Tigress, and as I know your name, I would prefer it if you would call me by my name, Chanda."

"Thank you, T-- Chanda." Kieldra noticed a trace of true amusement in Chanda's face, and smiled in return.

"So, tell me about yourself," Chanda commanded, and her new apprentice, sensing that she was going to like travelling with the Shang master, began to narrarate her life story.

---

They stayed in a relatively run-down inn that night. The food was good, though, and Kieldra enjoyed not sitting in the mess hall for once. She observed the other guests while Chanda talked to someone nearby.

"Kieldra!" she called, waving. "Come meet Gretchen!"

Reluctantly leaving her meal, Kieldra walked over to Chanda and her friend. "Hi!" Gretchen welcomed her cheerily.

Seeing the confused look on Kieldra's face, Chanda explained, "Gretchen went to Shang school for a few years, then quit before she got to apprentice rank."

"Decided to see the world," elaborated Gretchen. "Never got farther than this inn. I'm one of those rare bouncers who've studied Shang."

Kieeldra decided she liked Gretchen. The young woman's sunny disposition and friendly, down-to-earth manner reminded her of her friends.

Then Gretchen's face broke into a wide grin. "This is one of the cushiest bouncer jobs in the world, though. Everybody knows that the Shang school is just down the road, and not many people are willing to tangle with a Shang."

"That makes sense," Kieldra conceded sagely. "But why didn't you go any farther?"

"Stayed here and got into a fight. Manager offered me a job as bouncer and fired the old guy. Anybody could see that I'd studied Shang if they watch me fight once, and besides, the job pays well."

They chatted with Gretchen for the rest of the evening, then retired to their rooms. Kieldra was reveling in being up and around later than nine-thirty at night.

Lying awake on the cheap mattress, Kieldra thought: I'm going to love this life.