Disclaimer: I own none of these characters, places etc. They all belong to Tamora Pierce. I own the plot though! Anything you might find familiar is probably a quote from TP's books. Hang on, I own: Ked, Salin, Jamil and Ked's Warrior Lord, Lord Parrton.
A/N: Right. This is a corrected version of the chapter. I've been going through correcting the chapters, so if you find any mistakes, let me know! I've tried to sort out everything, but I'm no where near perfect so I'm sure you'll be able to find some mistakes. I've completely changed Kel's reactions because everyone was saying that she was completely OCC, and quite frankly, I agreed. On with the story…
Chapter two: Training
Neal walked down to the training yard yawning and trying to flatten his brown hair. It was late in the morning, but as far as he was concerned, it was far too early. He stumbled over to the fence around the training yard, and stood watching the two people who were sword fighting. He could make out one of the blurs to be his knight-mistress, Alanna. The other appeared to be female, and had long hair that swung out as she twisted and turned to avoid Alanna's sword. In a sudden shocked thought, he realised that it was the Yamani girl that he had met yesterday. How on earth had she managed to stay in for so long against Alanna? She was one of the best swordsperson that he had ever met, no one had beaten her. Neal blinked, and when his eyes opened again he saw a sight that left him shocked. Alanna was lying on the floor, her blade a few feet away, and Jhedy's sword was rested lightly on Alanna's neck.
"I yield," Alanna said.
Jhedy just nodded and sheathed her sword.
Alanna gripped Jhedy's hand and pulled herself up. "You're good. Who taught you?"
"Who else but the Emperor's training master? I've been there for five years. But I've learnt as much from my Warrior Lord Jamil of the Yamani Islands in the last year as I did from the training master in four."
"And why's that?" Alanna asked curiously.
- - -
"I'd rather not say, my Lady." A true Yamani would not talk so much and Kel kicked herself for slipping back into eastern ways. "I should not say."
"Oh. Yamani etiquette. I see."
Kel nodded.
"Squire, come over here," Alanna shouted as she spotted Neal.
Kel spun around in horror and saw Neal approaching.
"I really need to go my Lady." Kel backed off, trying to get away but being as polite as possible.
"Stay, please. I want you to beat my squire."
"No, I'd really rather not. I've got to go. My Warrior Lord is expecting me," Kel lied and ran off.
Alanna stared at Neal. "What did you do to her to make her that afraid of you?"
"Nothing! I swear. I hadn't met her since yesterday. Honest, in the name of Mithros, I haven't," Neal said fervently.
Alanna stared at him disbelievingly. "Just don't go scaring any more of the Yamani delegates, especially not that one, she's a fair hand with a sword."
- - -
Kel ran off as fast as possible.
"Mithros! That was close!" she said to herself.
"What was?" a voice inquired from behind her.
Kel spun around, immediately unsheathing her sword and worked hard not to point it at the man's neck as was her first instinct. If she did that, Jamil was bound to hear of it and he wouldn't be happy. "Who are you?" she demanded roughly.
The man held up his hands in mock surrender. "I'm Domitan of Masbolle, Sergeant of the Third Company of the King's Own."
Kel thought hard, the name was familiar. Neal had mentioned it a few times in her year at the palace, usually in some of the comic tales he told. He was Neal's cousin. There was a slight hiss as she sheathed her sword.
"Hello. I'm Jhedy of the Yamani Islands. I came with the army," she explained.
"Aren't you too young to be in the army?" Dom asked inquisitively.
"Technically yes," Kel admitted. "But my Warrior Lord is the Captain of the army, so he insists that I am a member. He's a slave driver."
"Oh, so you're the girl that Meathead won't shut up about." Dom smiled.
"Meathead?" Kel echoed in surprise. "Who's that?"
"My cousin, Nealan of Queenscove," Dom replied.
Kel fought back the urge to snigger at Neal's nickname. "You call Neal that?" she asked.
"You know him?" Dom asked surprised.
"N-no," Kel said too quickly.
Dom raised his eyebrows delicately. "You're lying," he accused in a friendly manner.
"No!" Kel said firmly again, probably too firmly. "I don't know him."
"Why do I get the idea you're lying?" Dom asked with a grin.
"I'm not, okay?" Kel asked, struggling to keep her face Yamani calm.
Dom shrugged, sensing that he would be better off leaving it at that. "Alright. Maybe I'll see you around."
- - -
The next morning, Kel was up before dawn as always, completing her chores for Jamil. Once they were done, she went for a walk around the palace gardens.
With disgust she noticed Joren and hid behind one of the bushes while he passed.
"You know Garvey, I heard that there is a girl in the Yamani army." He said the word girl with such hatred that Kel shuddered.
"Really?" Garvey replied. "What have you got in store for her?"
"I'm going to make myself her training partner and I'll make her wish she'd never lifted a sword..." The voices faded as Joren and Garvey walked away.
So, I'll regret lifting a sword will I? Kel thought. We'll see about that.
A bell rang, and Kel hurried to the practise courts.
The Tortallan squires were gathered in one corner, and the Yamani calawabis were gathered in another.
Kel ran to join Ked and Salin, a fourth year calawabi.
"Hey guys. Do you know who's taking these sessions?" she asked, hoping that her worst nightmare wasn't about to come true.
"No," Salin replied, "But I expect the Tortallans know. We could ask."
"You can. I'm not," Kel said with a slight glance to the Tortallan squires.
"No, you can," Ked said. "After all, it is you who wants to know."
"No!" Kel said firmly.
Ked dragged her over to the Tortallan squires.
Kel sighed, she knew Ked would just force her to stand there until she asked. "Excuse me, who's taking these sessions?"
She recognised Merric among the crowd and it was he who answered. "Lord Wyldon is."
Kel swore fluently in Yamani and stalked away. "Why me?" Kel asked Ked. "Why does the one person who hates female warriors have to be taking this session?"
Ked grinned at her. "Oh well. You'll have to learn to get on with him."
"I could try until I was blue in the face and it wouldn't work." Kel said with frustration. "He doesn't like female warriors so he probably already hates my guts."
Lord Wyldon strode into the practise courts. "Right. Pair up. I want one Tortallan to every Yamani. Do it now!" He walked over to Kel. "Who are you?"
"I'm Jhedy of the Yamani Islands my Lord," Kel replied smoothly.
"Well what are you doing here?" The question was rough and Kel bit back the urge to tell him that he was meant to be being polite to the Yamani delegates.
"I'm with the army, my Lord. I'm a calawabi," Kel saluted and bowed, being extra polite so that he could fault her for that.
"Go home girl. You'll only get hurt here."
"No she won't. She beat my knight-mistress yesterday, my Lord," Neal butted in.
Wyldon rounded on him. "If I want your opinion Queenscove, I'll ask for it!" He turned back to Kel. "Go!"
"But..." Kel protested.
"Go!"
"Fine!" Kel replied calmly. "When my Warrior Lord comes to ask why I'm not training, I'll tell him you wouldn't allow me to. I'll be doing my punishment work instead." She waved slightly to Ked and started to walk away.
"What is it?" Wyldon demanded.
There were chuckles from those who had witnessed Kel's telling off two days previously.
Kel turned back and bowed. "I believe that is a matter between my Warrior Lord and myself sir." She continued walking towards Balor's Needle.
Wyldon wheeled around and confronted Merric. "What is it?"
"She has to run up and down Balor's Needle twenty-two times, my Lord," he told Wyldon. A wide grin spread over his freckled face.
"Great Mithros!" Wyldon swore. He turned to the squires standing in front of him. "Hollyrose, Queenscove and Kennan, get her down!"
- - -
"That's five," Kel said to herself as she set back up the stairs for the sixth time. Looking down to the ground and saw three boys, one of them was Neal. "Mithros!"
"Look," Cleon said as they reached the foot of the rickety iron stairs. "It's her!" He pointed to a slender figure that was sprinting up the stairs without care. She didn't seem to realise or care that many of the stairs were missing and that the hand rails were falling away.
"Mithros save her!" Neal gasped. "She'll fall!"
The three boys stood watching horrified as she reached the top, and turned around to come back down.
Kel swore as she saw Neal, Cleon and Merric at the bottom of the stairs. Sighing she ran down the stairs, just hoping that they wouldn't try to force her to stop. Whilst she should be behaving politely to the Tortallans, she wasn't allowed to stop her punishment work, Jamil wouldn't be happy is she did.
"Stop!" Neal ordered in a commanding voice that he had picked up from Alanna.
"No! I've only done six, I've got sixteen to go," she explained, and set back off up the tower, dodging Neal's attempt to hold her still.
"Curse her!" Neal shouted and swore fluently. "Merric, get Lord Wyldon."
"Going," Merric said and ran off.
"Hopefully that will stop her. I can't imagine anyone disobeying him," Cleon commented.
Minutes later Wyldon ran up, with Merric close on his heels.
"What's the matter?" he snapped at them.
"She won't stop," Neal snapped back.
"Who's her knight-master?" Wyldon demanded.
"Warrior Lord Jamil of the Yamani Islands, Captain of the Yamani army."
"Go get him," Wyldon ordered and Neal scurried off to do the training master's bidding. Wyldon turned his attention to the girl running up and down the stairs. "Stop this instant!" he yelled loudly at her, making sure that his voice carried over the wind.
The girl shook her head. "No! I can't do that."
"We're getting your Warrior Lord," Wyldon warned.
"You'll be sorry," Kel shouted back over the wind. With a slight grin she turned around and started to come back down again. "He won't be happy that you told me to leave the training, and furious that you won't let me do my punishment work." She wriggled out of Cleon's grasp. "Look, there he is!"
Wyldon turned to see a large man storming towards him, he looked perfectly calm and Neal was trailing along behind him with a slightly bemused expression on his face.
"What do you want?" Jamil asked. His voice was nearly calm, but it held a slight edge to it.
"Your squire won't stop," Wyldon informed him calmly.
"She isn't a squire, she's my calawabi. And she's meant to be at the practise yard. Why isn't she?"
"She's a girl," Wyldon stated flatly.
"And? She's beaten fully trained Emperors Warriors and she beat the Lioness yesterday. Just because she's a girl doesn't mean she can't fight, or train like any boy would. Though I'm not surprised that you won't let her, I heard that you got rid of a female page about four years ago, just because you believed that girls shouldn't be knights. That's idiotic."
Even from the top of Balor's needle, Kel could hear what he said and she swore gently. Why did Jamil have to bring her into the conversation? Next time he'd probably tell Lord Wyldon that his first female page was back! Why?
"How many have you done Jhedy?" Jamil called up to her.
"Me? I've done nineteen," Kel shouted down.
"Only?" Jamil yelled, sounding slightly angry. "You should have done better than that! Get a move on!"
"Yes, my Warrior Lord," Kel shouted and started to run even faster. Up and down, up and down, up and down. "Twenty-two!" she yelled in triumph.
"Now get down here," Jamil ordered and Kel sprinted down. When Kel was standing in front of him he bawled, "Get to the practise yard, and show them what you can do."
Kel ran.
Neal stared at Jhedy, then Jamil. The two of them were a right pair. He ordered and she obeyed instantly. He had her trained as his slave.
"I'm glad I'm not his squire! I pity the girl," he whispered to Cleon.
"Mmm. Does she look familiar to you?" he asked.
"Yes, I thought that when I met her, but I can't place her."
"Get to the practise yard Queenscove!" Wyldon yelled.
Neal sighed, and started running. As he ran he said to Cleon, "Well, it's a problem to consider for a rainy day."
Cleon snorted.
- - -
Kel ran into the court yard to be greeted by Joren.
"Hello fair maiden," he said bowing courteously.
"Hi," Kel replied cautiously. While nothing would please her more to be rude to him, she knew she couldn't do that. "What do you want?"
"Kel!" a voice said from behind her.
Kel turned to face Ked. "Yes?"
"I believe that your Warrior Lord told you to greet the Tortallans nicely. He won't be happy, 'what do you want' is hardly a polite greeting."
"Well this sapskull and I don't get on," Kel said fiercely in Yamani so that Joren didn't understand. "I have no desire to talk to him nicely. I don't care what my Warrior Lord thinks." As long as the Tortallans couldn't understand, she figured she'd be safe insulting them.
"He'll punish you again," Ked replied, switching the conversation into common so that everyone could understand.
"And? So what? I'll just be up and down Balor's needle again. It isn't that bad you know."
"Ah, but I beg to differ my Lady," Joren said sweetly. "It must be torturous to run that, it might fall down at any moment."
Kel snorted. "I've already run it today, and it was easy. Also, it case you hadn't noticed, it didn't fall down!" She walked away just as Wyldon strode back into the yard.
"Pair up," he ordered again. "Tortallan with Yamani and grab a staff."
Kel found herself with Joren.
"Great, just great. How in the name of Mithros did this happen to me?" Kel asked herself. She grabbed a staff and held it in her hands, ready to fight.
Joren grabbed his staff and took a look at the way Kel was holding hers.
"You're holding it wrong," he said spitefully.
"No I'm not. This is the Yamani way to hold a staff. Just in case you hadn't noticed, I am Yamani!" Kel replied, successfully fighting the urge to smash him in the shins with her wooden staff.
"Fight!" Wyldon yelled.
Kel blocked Joren's first attack and the memory of her first staff fight with him came flooding back. She would not let him get the better of her this time. Kel's anger towards Joren and anything Tortallan flared up and she fought both Joren and her anger. She blocked attack after attack and in between kept tapping his knuckles with her staff. He would have horrible bruises there tomorrow. In a quick movement that Jamil had taught her, she hooked her staff underneath his and yanked. Joren's staff went flying into the air and landed with a thump on the stable roof.
"What is going on here?" Wyldon demanded jogging over. He stared at Joren's annoyed face and then Kel's perfectly calm one.
"I beat him," Kel said loudly in a slight break from Yamani etiquette, causing everyone to turn and look at them. "His staff is over there." She pointed to the stable roof. "If you so wish, I guess I could climb up and get it."
"Stop being insubordinate girl," Wyldon ordered and Kel wondered exactly what she had said that was insubordinate. "What did you do to his knuckles?" Wyldon asked as he noticed the raw red knuckles that his best squire had.
"They got in the way," Kel said, wearing her stone mask. "I hit them a few times." She studied Joren thoughtfully. "Actually, it may do him some good, it'll teach him to keep up his defence."
"Shut up girl. It's rude to say that," Wyldon snapped hypocritically. "You will report to the armoury and clean the armour for a bell of time on Sunday." He studied Kel carefully looking for any sign of emotion. He found none.
"Yes sir." She deliberately missed out his proper title of Lord.
"That's all for today," Wyldon yelled out, the staff fights stopped immediately at just the sound of his voice.
Kel sighed and walked away with Ked.
Joren caught them up.
Kel spun around to meet him. "The Yamani Lump is back," she hissed, leaving Joren with a look of horror on his face.