A/N: Hello my wonderful and patient readers! Sorry for the long delay, but now that I've gotten over this particular bout of writer's block, the chapters should come more often. Crouchingbunny: LOL! Thank the gods! Someone else shares my twisted humor. Yes, it's supposed to be funny, in a twisted way, because 'slut' is the ONLY word he knows and he's so proud of it. Frantisek really lacks the cleverness to come up with any other good insults, and so he repeats himself. Erutanie: yes, Kimi shouldn't have left the tray, and she still needs to work on becoming more responsible. It's a flaw prepared for another chapter. RunnerNDA: Lol, yes, Gary's defending of her honor does count for something: friendship. ;) And you all will be happy to know that Ainsley's 'problem' is finally revealed in this chapter. I thought about dragging it out some more, but I've decided we've waited long enough, and he really isn't that important of a character to begin with. So, enjoy this chapter and tell me what you think!
Ainsley did not last the rest of the week before being sent home.
"I feel really bad," Gary admitted as they watched Ainsley and his manservant prepare the horses for their departure.
"Me too," Kimi agreed. "Maybe we should have done more?" The pages were on the practice fields waiting in line to joust. Jon finished his run and was circling around as Gary urged his horse into a walk to get in the starting area of the run. He shrugged, kicked his horse into a gallop and aimed for the shield. His lance glanced off of the shield and the weighted bag came around and hit him on the back.
"More focus, Naxen!" Lord HaMinch ordered. "You haven't missed an easy hit in months! Concentrate."
Gary bowed his head and returned to the line of pages, a shade redder than before. Kimi took a deep breath and rode her horse forward. She kicked Sanda into a canter and steadied her lance in the cradle before urging her horse into a gallop. She aimed and her lanced also glanced off the shield. She made a face as the bag smacked her on the back and she circled around the practice fields. Lord HaMinch shook his head at her.
"You need to keep your lance higher and to the left more. Overall, you just need to practice more."
Kimi bowed in her saddle with a "yes, sir," and got back in line behind Gary.
"I think it's defective today," Kimi nodded to the practice jousting target.
"I think it is Lord HaMinch." Gary joked. "He has a power that he's been hiding from everyone that he only likes to use to amuse himself. See? He twiddles his fingers a bit and the target moves a little to the left so we miss every time and he can yell at –"
"Master Gareth?" a voice interrupted him.
"Yes," Gary looked down to see the servant of Ainsley standing before him.
The servant nervously scratched his scalp. "Can I speak with you, sir? It's important, regarding Master Ainsley."
"Um, yes, hold on. I have to ask my Lord HaMinch first," Gary said and dismounted. He walked stiffly over to the training master. Kimi couldn't hear the conversation, but there was a lot of gesturing on Gary's part and a lot of frowning on Lord HaMinch's.
"What do you need to talk to Gary about?" Kimi asked the servant curiously. The servant said nothing, but pulled off his floppy hat and twisted it nervously in his hands.
Gary came back at last. "He says we can if it's quick. What is it?"
"Please, Master Gareth, come over here. I want this for your ears only."
Theo, who was placed in front of Jon, twisted his head around as far as it would go when he heard that. Gary frowned at Theo and led the servant to a corner of the practice field where no one would overhear.
Theo sighed unhappily. "Gary gets to hear all the good gossip," he complained as he set himself up to joust.
Jon rolled his eyes at Kimi. As Theo galloped away, Jon said, "I swear that boy knows every piece of court rumor. I'm going to have to enlist him as my spy master when I'm king."
"Don't tell him that," Kimi advised. "That'll only give him an excuse to be a more consistent eavesdropper." Kimi glanced over to Gary and Ainsley's servant. The servant looked regretful and worried while Gary just looked horrified. Kimi felt as impatient as Theo to hear what the servant was telling her friend.
Gary returned right before it was her turn to joust. "What happened?" Kimi demanded. Her foreign eyes glinted with curiosity.
Gary shook his head so roughly his curls bounced against and cheek. He pulled himself back into the saddle and rode in front of Kimi to get into the ready. His horse must have felt his mood and the mare danced nervously under this violent and angry Gary.
The horse bucked slightly when Gary spurred it forward, but soon Gary and the horse were racing toward the target. The lance hit the shield directly and the training master praised him for his improvement.
Kimi glanced back at Theo and Jon but they both shrugged with confusion.
"That's enough for today," the training master announced, and he ordered the pages to put away their horses and get ready for dinner. Kimi dismounted from Sanda and led her mare towards the stable while telling her mare how well she did. She looked around for Gary but spotted him almost halfway to the stables and not stopping for anyone.
Kimi cornered Gary after he washed up with the other boys and came back to the palace to change for dinner. "What happened?" she asked as she followed him to his room. Gary shook his head again and moved faster through the stone corridors. "Come on, please tell me! Whatever he said must have really upset you. It'll make you feel better if you tell someone. Come on, Gary!"
Gary whipped around and stared down at the female page. "You really want to know?" Gary finally demanded savagely. "Fine then, I'll tell you the mystery of our friend Ainsley." He took a deep breath and leaned against the wall.
"He was abused by his father. His father was so horrible to him, that on his death bed a few months ago, with both his son and his wife in the room, he turned to Ainsley's mother and said something like, 'You disappointed me with having this as our son. The only thing I'm glad about now is that I'll be dead before Ainsley goes off to become a knight and shames the family's name.' Mithros, Kimi, that's why he acted the way he did. He didn't even want to be here because his father had said he was a disgrace his whole life. He only lasted this long because we tried to help him. And you know what, Kimi? If Ainsley's father was still alive I'd kill him. He's ruined that boy for life." Gary put his face in his hands and sighed deeply.
Tentatively, Kimi placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. She could not think of anything to say. Finally, she promised, "I won't tell anyone, even Jon, and especially Theo. No one will know of this. I'm sorry I pressed you so." Regret spilled from her features and her shoulders sagged with shame. "Don't blame yourself," she ordered quietly. "There was no way you could have known and no way you could have help. Just let it rest now."
Gary shook his head tiredly. "I don't know if I can." He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands then straightened out. "I do feel better now, though," he told her with a weary smile. "Thank you, Kimi." Kimi let him walk away to his room alone, then slowly returned to her own. She thought over what Gary had told her. Perhaps it made sense, but it didn't explain everything about Ainsley's character, and the more she thought about it, the more uncertain she became that the servant told Gary the entire truth.
Maybe he did, she thought as she changed shirts. How would I know how an abused boy is supposed to act? I'll probably never know the full truth about Ainsley. The more she thought about it, the more she understood that maybe that was perfectly all right. She didn't need to know the full truth about Ainsley. That was information strictly for Ainsley, and she hoped he would figure it out, someday.