A/N: Thank you to all my spectacular reviewers! Yes, it certainly does pay to listen to mother. ;-) Here's another chapter, and I refuse to give anything away about Ainsley. :-) Thanks again for the reviews, and I hope you enjoy!
Kimi worked hard the first month back to keep up. Every morning she got up and stretched and worked out, with more effort than she had ever put out for Hatsumomo or anyone else. She needed to stay to train as a knight, and she couldn't bear the thought that the Shang Boar would ask that she be sent home. The humiliation would be overwhelming, and she didn't believe she would be able to survive the shame. Worst of all, she felt she might accidentally prove to the conservatives that women should not be knights, no matter how many had gone through and passed, and that in turn would affect her Aunt Kel. She could not imagine the pain and embarrassment Kel would feel at the result of Kimi's failure, and she didn't want to. Kimi had trained for an entire year, and she was not going to be sent home now at her own lazy expense.
Kimi pushed herself to be better than the boys, and that seemed like a reasonably high goal to beat. As she was now allowed to parry against more and more of the older boys, their durable strength became more contrasting against her weak arms. She worked hard to gain muscles in her arms, and all her instructors noticed the differences in her performance from week one to week three.
One afternoon, the Shang Boar gave her a pleased smiled after a well executed hit and Kimi felt more joy at the sight of those thick lips curling up with respect than anything she could remember happening in her life.
It was a relief in her mind when after a month had passed; the Shang Boar took her off to the side and commended her improvement.
"I think you will make a very fine knight, indeed, Page Kimiko," the Shang Boar told her with a kind smile. "And I have a letter to write to your former teacher. I believe her judgment of potential has not faltered at all. Keep up the good work."
"Thank you, sir," she stuttered a little as she nearly split her lip with her smile. "Thank you so much!"
That praise left her happy and it improved her mood for days, even when Ainsley made them late for yet another meal, and when one certain page, by the name of Frantisek of Rezek, loosened the straps on her saddle when she wasn't looking, and caused her to fall off while jousting. She was furious about it, but since she had no proof, she accepted the punishment doled out to her by the training master in silence.
It was time again for Prince Jonathan's birthday banquet, and with this came the now annual excitement from the pages.
Kimi was just finishing adjusting her yellow obi on her scarlet kimono when Jon came to the door, dressed in his Tortallan-style finest. "What a great pair we make," Kimi observed and she pulled him over to the full length mirror so he could see. Full length mirrors were not common objects seen in a page's dorm, but Kimi, being the beloved and spoiled child of her parents, convinced them to give her one over the summer holiday. She loved it.
"We look like both our parents," Jon said absently and began rubbing his temples. The movement hinted at painful tenderness and it alarmed Kimi. Without asking, she reached up with turquoise fire-filled hands and touched his head. A glimpse of black flashed before her magical mind before Jonathan drew away.
"Don't do that," he ordered in a cold and commanding voice. "Do you hear me? Never do that again."
Kimi stumbled back from the force of his words. "Jonathan, what's wrong with you? You're sick!" Fear crept into her features as Jon continued to stare coldly at her.
"You had no right to look into my head! I – I could have you killed for that!"
"Jonathan, shut up," Kimi said crossly. No one would allow the boy prince to have her killed, and he was becoming hysterical. "You need to see a healer. You're not well."
"I'm fine! We have to go, anyway," he tried to advert her attention to the time, and he shuffled her to the door.
"No, Jon, not yet. Let me see," she replied gently. She drew her white hand out of his and smoothed the sleeve of his blue shirt. He hesitated, and then slowly yielded to her wishes as her hand crept up to hold his face.
Kimi conjured the fire within her slowly and probed around his head. The black spots had returned and spread out, multiplying and combining. She started to clean them away before she halted. Perhaps she should save some for a more advanced healer to examine? She wondered how she would make Jon see a healer. She knew from past experiences how stubborn he could be, but it was obviously paining him. She pulled away, leaving a few specks.
He snatched her hand and stared into her eyes. "All of it, please, Kimi?" he requested.
Something about the way he asked and the look in his eyes muffled the warning bells that were ringing in her ears. When Jon was truly concerned or upset, he used a royal order. But this calm asking from a friend released some of her worries.
"We should leave some so a healer can look at them later," she advised. His grip on her hand tightened.
"Kimi," he said in a reasonable voice, "It won't come back, I promise. I know what's causing it now. If you heal the rest of it, then I can enjoy the rest of my evening. It is my birthday, you know."
"But Jon, this might be really serious –"
"I know. And the minute the pain comes back, we'll go see a healer." He forced her to look at him. "Please, not tonight of all nights."
"You promise to come tell me the moment the pain returns?" Kimi asked uncertainly. Jon did not want to see a healer, and she was almost confident that he'd lie to her to avoid them. He had always hated healers as a child, and being the only unGifted child in his family was a terrible weight to bear. He trusted Kimi alone for healings, and she had never objected to it. Maybe I should start, she thought.
"Yes," he told her with sincerity in his voice. "I swear."
Kimi bit her lip until it turned red as a berry, then nodded. Jon released her hand and it fluttered uncertainly to his head like a butterfly with a broken wing. Green blue magic surged out of her hand and after a few moments the black specks were gone. Kimi only wished her worries would disappear as quickly as the black spots did.
---
"Ainsley, hurry up!" Kimi cried with an edge of impatience in her voice. In the month she had known the boy he was so slow moving it made her sick. He was often late for everything.
"Come on, Ainsley," Gary called, even more impatient than Kimi. "While the day is young, please." The two friends leaned against the stone wall of the hallway outside the young page's quarters.
"Why do we even bother?" Kimi snapped. It was the third time that week that she knew she was going to be late to dinner. Her stable duty for the year was piling up quickly, but it was nothing compared to Ainsley's lateness duty.
"He is improving," Gary replied, but he looked annoyed. He hated washing dishes more than anything and Lord HaMinch knew it too.
"That's true," Kimi allowed, but she still didn't look happy. She did not know what possessed her to take the page under her care with Gary. Sure, he was a nice enough boy, but he was too shy and blushed far too much. Kimi wasn't even sure she liked him.
"Ainsley!" We're leaving without you." Another long pause and the door finally squeaked open.
"I'm ready," he announced needlessly.
"Thank the Gods! Another minute and we would have been late for sure!" Gary ushered the other two pages down the Corridors to the Mess Hall.
The second the door groaned open Kimi and Gary sighed with great relief. Lord HaMinch had not entered yet and begun the prayers. The three quickly filled their trays with a sort of green bean casserole and pork meat and headed back to their table.