A/N: Hello my wonderful reviewers! Ah, yes, patience is a virtue, or so I'm told. Since that's the case, procrastination should also be a virtue... Anyway, thank you for all your reviews, and be satisfied that all your questions will be answered in due time. I hope you enjoy this chapter!
"Green beans again?" whined Gary slightly. It was his least favorite vegetable and they were soggy; Kimi was echoing his sentiments about the day old vegetable and nodded.
The cook glared at the two pages and waved her spatula at them. "Ye'd best be thankful ye get this meal," she chastised. "Things are not goin' well this year. There is a drought, and ye'd best be thankful for getting food at all when there are people out there starvin' t' death." Gary and Kimi ducked their heads in embarrassment and turned away from the cook with a small "sorry" on their lips.
"Nice going, Gary," Kimi said dryly.
"It wasn't my fault she overheard me! And don't deny it; you were thinking the same thing too."
Kimi rolled her eyes and glanced around for Jon. Instead she saw Ainsley sitting by himself at the usual table. Inwardly she winced, and then shook her head at her lack of sympathy for the boy. I should at least be happy he's on time for once, she told herself, determined to remain positive.
Distracted by her thoughts, she didn't notice the foot that slid out before her legs caught on it. Green beans and whatever else was on her plate flew in several directions, splattering the pages at the nearby table and dotting her hose and tunic with soggy green beans. Kimi slid in the mess then quickly jumped up to face her tripper. The sight of Frantisek calmly brushing off crumbs from his tunic forced a scream up her throat, but her Yamani side stepped in and forced the sour tasting yell down painfully.
Her face turned an unattractive red color as she surveyed the damage of the area. She didn't feel comfortable going up to the cook and asking for seconds after the lecture she gave for complaining about day old food.
There was nothing else she could do except get down on her hands and knees in front of her enemy and clean the floor like a servant. Her pride stung as she kneeled onto the floor and gathered up the big items that did not require a mop. Movement on her left startled a glance from her and she saw Gary yank Frantisek up by the front of his tunic.
"Help her clean it up, you weasel," Gary growled at the boy. Gary was easily bigger than Frantisek, for though he had impressive muscles for a boy of fourteen, he was rather short.
"Gary, stop, the training master will be here any minute," Kimi ordered while glancing nervously around for Lord HaMinch.
"I saw what he did, Kimi, and he should pay for his actions," Gary replied as he twisted the front of the gray tunic so that it was strangling Frantisek.
Dipak of Weirya stood and enclosed his hand on Gary's arm. He was a friend of Frantisek, and though he did not participate in Frantisek's tormenting of the female page, his loyalty resided with his friend. "Let him go, Gary," Dipak demanded.
"I will not help some slut pick up her own mess." Frantisek choked out. Ainsley had slunk up silently behind the group during this time, and he began to giggle at what Frantisek said. Kimi snapped her head around and stared at him.
"Whose side are you on, anyway?" she demanded. She glanced around the room and saw that the other pages were feeling the tension radiated from the group and she made an executive decision. She was going to leave. She got to her feet and her hand became its own identity and no longer did what she told it to. At that moment, the hand decided to slap Frantisek soundly across his face, while her mind reacted with shock at the sight of the red swelling on his face. She turned around and left the Mess Hall as Lord HaMinch was entering it. Perhaps Frantisek will get blamed for the mess, she thought hopefully, but she knew that wasn't going to happen.
She returned to her room with a hollow stomach and sat against the door. She had thought that Frantisek would leave her alone; she thought that they had settled everything when Kimi found out about his niece's true father. She had thought wrong, apparently. The baby was born and everyone knew what the child looked like – a half Yamani child – and she could no longer hold it over him anymore.
And what was with Ainsley? She thought angrily. She did not understand that boy at all. It was starting to make her crazy or ready to burst into tears. She had tried to be a friend to him, and all for not. I wonder if he's related to Frantisek, she thought fleetingly, trying to come up with an explanation for his behavior. Or maybe he's just one sick little boy.
The incident at the Mess Hall that night had few repercussions. Kimi had to mop the entire Mess Hall for not cleaning up her tray; no matter how many times Gary tried to persuade the Lord HaMinch that it was not her fault. Kimi avoided Ainsley, and even Gary found ways not be as nice to the boy as he was before. It broke Kimi's heart to see him sitting alone at meal times and during the breaks as she knew it broke Gary's heart, but they had tried their best.
"Why don't we pass him off to someone else?" Kimi asked desperately a week later during dinner time. Ainsley sat by himself on the edge of the table looking forlorn, and all the pages were trying to pretend they couldn't see him. "Like Frantisek. He obviously thinks Frantisek is really funny, so why can't we suggest that Frantisek adopt him?"
"He's not a puppy, Kimi," Jon told her sternly, but his face softened when he glanced at the lonely boy playing with his food. "Actually, maybe that's not a bad idea…"
"We can't pass him off. He may not want to be passed off. If he wanted friends, he'd actually make an effort," said Gary sadly. "He could have sat with us anyway, but apparently after all this time he feels like he needs an invitation." He sighed deeply and his head sunk slowly. "I don't know what's wrong with him. It's more serious than I thought."