3) Outcasts
Thom began to seriously question if he had made the choice – not only did he now have to put up with Coram's drunken singing but as they neared the City of the Gods he discovered how desolate and cursed ugly the place was. His unimpressed look was shared with Alanna who beginning to wonder whether being married off early was so bad an idea if it would get her out of here.
They entered the gates of the city, passing the formidable stone wall surrounding the city as Alanna muttered dryly to Thom "Is the wall was to keep people out or to lock people in do you think?"
As they arrived at the Convent of the Mother of the Mountains, a woman, presumably a Daughter came out to greet them. "Welcome Lady Alanna, Master Thom." Nodding politely at them. "I trust you journey was uneventful."
"Yeah, a bit too much so…" Alanna mumbled as Thom replied politely.
"The First Daughter will see you now." She informed them and then beckoned them to follow.
The First Daughter was an elegant looking woman who was beginning to grey. She wore a cloth-of-gold habit that all First Daughters of wealthy convents donned and was writing what looked like a letter and did not look up when they walked in.
Alanna was slightly surprised; she had imagined the first Daughter to be a lace-covered, soft lady who fainted at the sight of hard work but the woman sitting at the desk in front of her did not look in the least "soft". In fact, she looked like a woman who would not have a first, let alone a second thought about ordering a regiment oftough soldiers to stand up straight.
The formidable looking lady looked up and smiled which softened her features greatly. "Welcome Lady Alanna and Master Thom. I hope that you have had a comfortable journey." With pleasantries over, she became more businesslike "Alanna, you are here to learn to be a lady and Thom you are to be a sorcerer, of which I am sure you are aware. Both of you are here to learn, not to have fun and I expect the highest of you, both in your studies and in the way that you conduct yourself. You will both learn in over the next few years the importance of discipline and obedience. If you work well, you will be rewarded with consent into the city of market days but if you misbehave, I will have to show you our ways of disciplinary action. Thom, you will only be with us for two years before you go to the Mithran Cloisters but I still expect you to adhere to our rules. Alanna, you will be with us for six years before you are introduced in court so I trust you will be eager to learn our ways. Helen – show Alanna to her rooms please and Peter – please show Thom to his rooms. I hope you two will settle in quickly."
Alanna was silent as Helen, the Daughter who first greeted her and Thom, led to the girl's chambers. Thom wasn't with her since the boy's rooms were in a different section of the Convent. She surveyed her rooms with dislike as the girls outside started to gossip about the "new girl". She sighed and collapsed onto her bed. Mithros! I'm going to be bored out of my mind! She thought.
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Later on that day, Helen came to check on her while Alanna was unpacking. "How goes it?" she asked.
"Oh. Fine. I'm just unpacking." Alanna sounded a bit preoccupied as she wrestled out dresses that she personally thought were absolutely disgusting and scowled at the wrinkles that she made.
Helen smiled. "Just to say that there will be a bell in about half an hour's time to call everyone to supper. You should be able to find canteen easily enough – just follow the girls."
Surely enough, Alanna had to follow a group of girls to find the canteen. She was hoping that no one would try to talk to her since she had no interest whatsoever about what everyone seemed to be talking about, which mainly consisted of classes, boys, betrothal, face paint and once or twice, Alanna, since she was the new girl.
As soon as she entered the canteen, she spotted her brother and gave a sigh of relief. "Thom! You won't believe how air headed the other girls are! You -" and stopped: the boys who were sitting at the same table as Thom, ogt up andleft.
Thom glared "Great… and I'd thought that they were actually mature for their age. Well – since you gave me some elbow room, you might as well sit down for your pains."
Alanna looked confused "They got up because of me? I thought boys stopped doing that when they were six – obviously not…"
"It's not as if the girls are any better – notice how the genders don't mix?"
Alanna looked around. Thom was right - nobody was sitting closer than three yards away from the opposite gender and since she was conversing with a boy, she got quite a few disgusted looks.
"Oh well. Not as if we were going to be popular anyway. So how do you like not being a knight?" she smiled at Thom who grinned back.
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Alanna woke up as a bell rang. She opened a bleary eye and saw that it was a while past dawn. Urgh. My first day at a convent. Yay.
She soon discovered that although the girls were in training to be ladies, that was not quite all that was required of them. Her lessons in the morning consisted of the Thinking Arts, which included Literature, Languages, Mathematics, History and Geography and for the Gifted ones, Study of Magic.
Alanna first lesson was History and Geography but since she was still new to the convent, she understandably became lost and only found the right room after half an hour. The Daughter in charge, Daughter Magraene was livid. "And just where have been, girl?"
Alanna's eyes flashed at the word "girl". "Considering I only came here yesterday, surely it isn't that surprising that I got lost."
"Why didn't you ask for a guide, girl? Honestly, you would think that you didn't have a brain at all! Sit down, girl, before you disturb the class any further."
Alanna saw that the only empty chair was next to the girl who had given her a disgusted look in the canteen yesterday and hesitated.
"Sit!"
Alanna heard a girl giggle behind her and decided to sit before the hag shouting at her had a fit.
The rest of the lesson continued without incident and demonstrated to Alanna just how bad the next six years would be.
As she left the History and Geography class, Alanna shook her head. "What's the use of learning geography if most of us aren't going to see anything but lace and the inside of a groggy old castle once we're married off?" she muttered to herself.
A girl next to her gave an unladylike snort. Alanna turned round and notice a pretty girl with blond hair and blue eyes – the average beauty. Obviously she had heard Alanna's comment.
"You're going to get into a lot a trouble with that tongue of yours." She told Alanna with a grin. She held out her hand and introduced herself as Saethea of Diartel's Point.
Alanna was a little taken aback. Diartel's Point was one of the noblest houses of Tortall and she didn't think a lady brought up in a family like that would be so down to earth. Alanna shook her hand. "And why do you care if I get into trouble or not?"
"You're rather direct aren't you? Simply because I find your getting in trouble is rather funny is not enough to justify it. Besides – I think you're the first girl I have met who is actually normal."
"Ha! No-one's ever described me as normal before."
"Well compared with the parrots round here, nearly anyone is normal." She smiled. "So – I've heard you need a guide?"
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Alanna wouldn't have thought it possible but the lesson in the afternoon were even worse - all the stereotypical subjects that went with becoming a lady: dancing, sewing and embroidery, etiquette and household studies - the stuff of nightmares for someone like Alanna. The only thing that kept her sane were the regular pert comments from Saethea about the personl habits of the Daughters, or the dry comments of why they were learning something something as "useful" as the difference in how to accept flowers from a married man and from a potential suitor. In fact, because od Saethea, Alanna had a lecture about how "ladies of noble origin do not snort".
By the time that the lessons were over, Alanna felt as it she had been put through days of torture - not only were her toes throbbing from being stepped on during dancing class, but she also had a pulled a muscle in practicing a "curtsy stuitable for duke", and poked sharp needles into her fingers several times during sewing and embroidery.
"Aaaargh! When can I get out of this place?"
Saethea laughed. "Don't worry - it's can't get any worse." She glanced at Alanna who looked unconvinced. "Well, considering it's you - it probably will..." she joked.
A/N: What do you think? I know this chapter is a bit boring - it will get better soon! Oh and don't forget to review!
p.s. Thankyou to Elfsquire90, warrior of tortall, Bambolieblueto and claireanet for your lovely reviews and to claireanet - you're going to have to wait to find out what that symbol means...