Chapter 2

Kel went down the breakfast line, putting everything she wanted on her plate. She chose and apple and a few biscuits, and milk. Once she was finished, she wandered over to the squire table and sat down with Neal, Cleon, and Merric. Seaver was somewhere around, as was Raold.

Kel glanced briefly at her Neal's plate. It was piled high with pastries. Kel rolled her eyes. She couldn't say she was surprised.

Lord Wyldon stiffly walked into the room. The squires and pages quickly rose to their feet. "May Mithros guide us, and bless us in all we do," Wyldon said in his booming voice, then lowered his hands.

"So mote it be," the boys and Kel said out of sync, not expecting the short prayer. They sat with the scraping of chairs on the hard floor.

"What do you think is up with the Stump?" Merric asked. "I think that was the shortest praise he's ever given. And it didn't even have any implied insults in it…"

"Donno," Neal said through a mouthful of a glazed doughnut. About to take another bite, he found that an apple was in his hand.

"Neal, eat something good for a change, will you?" Kel asked Neal wrinkled his nose, but took a tiny bite out of the apple that Kel had given him. Cleon and Merric snickered.

Kel continued eating, Neal continued making faces at the apple, and the rest of the squires at the table continued making fun of Neal.

A loud bell rang throughout the halls, startling everyone who wasn't used to it, which was only some of the first year pages.

Kel stood up suddenly, knocking her chair backwards and jarring her bruised toe.

"Where are you going Kel?" Neal asked, taking the moment of confusion to ditch his apple and take a large bite out of a pastry. "We were going to do some stuff today, weren't we?" he mumbled, his mouth full.

"I'm sorry, I've got to meet Lord Raoul," Kel said, rushed.

Neal shrugged. "Alright then," he said. "But can you please find us again when you're done?"

Kel nodded and scurried out of the room. She walked quickly down the hall until she was around the corner, when she broke into a flat out run.

I can't be late! she thought. Ahh, why didn't I just leave earlier??

Kel dashed up a stairway and down a few corridors when she finally got to Raoul's room. The girl stopped to catch her breath. She smoothed her rumpled tunic and windblown hair. She leaned against the door, breathing hard.

The door opened and Kel fell sideways into the room. Raoul looked down at his squire as she lay, sprawled, on the floor.

"So glad you could join us Kel," Raoul said, suppressing a laugh.

Kel sat up, embarrassed, and found that not only was her knight-master laughing at her, but the king of Tortall was too.

Kel stood and bowed, even more embarrassed now than she had been.

King Jonathan smiled. "Sit, sit, both of you," he said. Raoul sat gratefully in one of the chairs while Kel perched hesitantly on the arm of a chair. Raoul rolled (haha, that sounds funny) his eyes and pushed her all of the way down.

Once the two were "settled" (Kel was scowling at her knight-master and Raoul was cheerfully ignoring the glare) the king spoke.

"Raoul, I have a favor to ask of you," he said.

"I'm not accepting or even considering another one of your crack-brained patrols," Raoul replied flatly.

The king snorted. "No, don't worry, it's nothing like that," he said.

"Alright then, what?" Raoul asked. "And that doesn't mean yes Jon," he cautioned.

"Well, um… it's… uhhh…" the king struggled to find the right words.

"It's me," came a voice from the shadows of the room.

The king chuckled, glad for a break in his "speech". "Spying again, are we smalling?" he asked.

The voice sighed and a young girl stepped into the light.

TO BE CONTINUED!!

Hello all!! Sorry, I took absolutely forever to edit this chapter, and I didn't even change much, now did I? Eh, I'm lazy. . REVIEW!! kitty eyes pwease?? Heheheheheehehe.