1
Nealen of Queenscove paced the room while his wife, Yukimi Noh Diamoru and his daughter; Teresa sat in chairs by the unlit hearth.
"Why did this happen to me?" he whispered as he stopped pacing. "Do you really want to be a page?" he asked his daughter.
She said in reply, her expression mimicking her father's well used teasing one exactly, "Father, you have always told me stories about your page years and about Kel and how 'a Knight from Queenscove has always served the realm'! And the things you did in your page years sounded like fun."
"Why when I had a daughter did she have to like the things I told her about being a page?" he cried to no one in particular.
"Because she has a love for adventure," Yukimi said just as a servant came in.
He said clearly, "I announce Lady Keladry of Mindelan, Sir Lord Cleon of Kennan, Sir Merric of Hollyrose, Lord Knight commander of the kings own, Raoul of Golden Lake and Malorie's peak, Sergeant Domitan of Masbole, Lady Alanna and Baron George of Pirate's Swoop and the rest of your old crowd, m'lord."
When they appeared in the doorway Neal started to ask " Why…", when George interrupted, "We just happened to be in the neighborhood."
Alanna and Kel chorused, "We also heard that your daughter's going to be a page."
"That's not definite." He said, agitatedly.
"Well, is she going to be a page?" asked Raoul.
"Father, I really want to!" Teresa said.
" Neal, you know it's fine with me." Yukimi said.
" Oh all right, you can be a page," he declared with a sigh.
The training master, Padraig HaMinch, reviewed the letter from Queen's Cove about Nealen's daughter and said to the king, " She looks like she'll do well as a page, squire and knight."
King Jonathan asked, "Will you accept her?"
" I will, Sire." Padraig replied.
"Does she have the Gift?" Jonathan asked.
"Yes, and Wild Magic. Should she have lessons in Wild Magic with Daine?" the training master said.
"I think that would be a good idea, I'll talk to her about it later." Replied Jonathan. Rising the training master bowed as the king left his office.
King Jonathan paused outside Mistress Salma's door then gave a firm knock. A few moments later the door opened with a slight creak. "Augh, that hinge needs more oil again!" Salma grumbled.
"I'm sorry, have I come at a bad time?" Jon politely asked.
"Oh no, Sire, not at all. Is there any thing I can do for you?" She asked, surprised.
"Oh, I just wanted to let you know that we have another female page coming in. Her name's Teresa of Queenscove." The king remarked, kind but slightly imperious. The woman's face took on a scowling expression as she tried to think where she heard that fief before.
As enlightenment struck her she exclaimed, "Ah ha, I knew that fief! Wasn't that the boy with the loose tongue in his head, practically swimming in irony's, fief? Hhhm, what was his name again?" she thoughtfully remarked.
Clearing his throat Jonathan muttered, "I believe it was Nealen of Queenscove, Keladry's friend." Nodding, Salma agreed. Then, with a nod the king strode down, out of the corridor.
Jumping off of her horse, Storm Cloud, Tess took in the scene before her: the servants taking her and her father's things, Stefan approaching the horses, and the castle walls rearing up before her.
"Tess, come on we have to meet with the training master," her father beckoned. Hurrying after him, she wondered who else would be in the page's wing with her besides Alexah of Oakwood and Jordan of Golden Lake and Malorie's peak, her closest friends. Curious though she was, her father would tell her nothing of Padraig HaMinch. Finally, they reached the training master's office and a servant announced them. As the door opened Tess and Neal saw two familiar backs talking animatedly with the king and Padraig HaMinch.
Numair Salmalin and Daine the Wild mage turned around to say hello to their new student and old friend.
"How are the twins, Neal?" Daine asked although she already new the answer.
With a heavy sigh he replied, "A handful as always!" Jason and Jewel were Tess's two younger siblings and had fun by annoying their father.
The training master cleared his throat and said, "Let us continue with our purpose for being here today, shall we?"
Daine smiled sheepishly and said, "Sorry, sir, I couldn't help it."
After the "examination" Tess said good-bye to her father as he went off with Daine and Numair. Then she was shown to her room at the end of the page's wing. Salma left her with a smile, a nod and an extra set of keys to her room. Gazing around the room Tess wished that her servant and friend, Liana, was with her. Then she changed for dinner as she heard the other page's coming down the hall.
Dressed in loose green breeches, a cream shirt, and chocolate brown tunic Tess walked out of her room to wait for the training master and other pages. Standing outside her door, she looked down the hall to see Alexah, Jordan, and several other first years standing and looking nervous, but she was confident. She also recognized Arielle of Pine Wood, Alexah's cousin, with her hand on a black wolf's head. A few doors down was a tall red headed girl, she was Mikael of Kennan's little sister, Natalie.
Everyone straightened their posture as Padraig haMinch came down the hall leading a gang of older pages. Amidst them was Mikael talking avidly to a handsome dark haired boy with a familiar nose.
Tess rubbed her own nose as she tried to figure out who he was when the group stopped, and the training master said, "Alright, all of you new pages will be sponsored by an older page to teach you the ropes. You in the green tunic, state your name and feif."
Tess swallowed and stated, "I am Teressa of Queenscove," after a moment's thought she added, "sir."
The dark haired boy raised his hand as Master Padraig said, "I hope I will not receive more insolence out of you, Queenscove, for you are too like your father. Who will sponsor this girl?"
A moment to look around, then he said," Yes Derek of Masbole would you like to sponsor her?"
Derek only stared and said, "Yes, sir."
Padraig thought for a moment then replied, "I do not believe you will be a good influence on her. Why should I allow you to sponsor her?"
The boy only shrugged and said clearly, "You see, sir, she is my cousin." With that, the training master only nodded and Tess's cousin, her Uncle Dom's son, came to stand beside her. After everyone had a sponsor the pages trudged off to dinner in silence.
The pages got their food from the servers and were happy to see a special treat. Blueberry and peach cobbler. Derek sat next to Tess. Alexah's sponsor was Annabell of Jesslaw and Jordan's was Terrin of King's Reach. The dinner that Tess was so regally ignoring was beef stew with carrots and potatoes. Derek looked at her and said, "You should really eat your dinner first, you know."
She glared up at him and asked, "Why? It doesn't taste as good as cobbler."
He just shook his head and said, "It's good for you. That's why they give it to us!"
With that he turned back to his own meal. Arielle, who was sitting across from with her own sponsor, James of Laurel valley, was looking up at the dais and remarked, "The training master's got visitors." Everyone within hearing turned or looked up to see a man, a woman, and two 7 3/4 year old twins, one girl, one boy.
As Tess recognized them her expression turned to one of horror. She turned back to her friends and, looking down at her plate, muttered, "HIDE ME! HIDE ME, NOW!"
Derek, good naturedly slung his arm over her shoulder and said, "Tess, you should really expand your vocabulary to more than just 'hide', 'me', and 'now'."
She glared at him in mock hatred and whispered, "Those are my parents and siblings! If Jason and Jewel notice either you or me, Derek, we better be prepared to feel as if we've just been in a jousting tourney!" her friends looked over to where it was obvious the twins had noticed their elder sister and cousin, and smiling gleefully were whispering to the beautiful Yukimi Noh Diamoru. She nodded and the twins started walking over to the tables looking, for the first time in their lives, meek and innocent.
Tess immediately turned back and pushed her tray away from herself and advised Derek to do the same as she placed her arm where her head might be cushioned from the impact. A few moments later, her head was pushed onto her arm and Derek's went into the meaty stew.
Jewel and Jason smiled angelically at the others and said, "This revenge was long awaited for!" They released the pressure on the two inert forms on the table.
When the two relatives sat up there was a red mark on Tess's forehead and meat, vegetables, and gravy all over Derek's face. Jason looked appraisingly at him and lifted his hand to wipe some food from Derek and taste it. The little boy said thoughtfully, "Hmmmmmmm, it needs more salt."
Tess looked down her nose at her siblings and simply replied, with one arched brow delicately raised, "Oh, since when did you become the expert little chef?"
"Since I was born!" he replied indignantly.
Derek, after cleaning his face on a napkin, said, "My mother would make ride in a wooden saddle in the rain for four hours if she saw you do that!"
Alexah looked at him confused, and asked, "Who's your mother?"
The four relatives replied simultaneously, "Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan, wife of Domitan of Masbole, second in command of the King's Own."
"But now she's of Masbole too, not Mindelan." Derek added.
After everyone recovered a little from the shock of his reply, Alexah gaped at him and said, "Your ma's Lady knight Kel! THE Lady Knight Keladry!"
Derek only shrugged, "I didn't know there was another Keladry of Mindelan."
Everyone resumed eating their dinner and after awhile Jewel tugged on her sister's arm, whining, "Tessie, Tessie! I have to tell you something really cool!"
Teressa looked down and said, "What do you have to tell me?" just as a girl squire came over and sat down on Jordan's other side.
When Jewel took a breath the older girl said hello to Jordan, Alexah, and Tess and answered Terrin's questioning look by saying, "I'm Lela. Jordan's older sister." Derek only raised his eyebrow (in a very Neal-ish way).
Jewel glared at the new comer and tried to shoot a streak of topaz lighting at her, and said to her sister and cousin (and everyone else), "Tessie, the Shang order finally accepted me! Isn't that great!"
The pages exchanged a few looks with each other before Lela of Goldenlake and Malorie's Peak said, "But if you have the Gift why would they accept you?"
Jason cut in for his twin and replied scornfully, "She's going to have a magical harness on to hinder her Gift, you ninny!"
The great double doors opened to show Lela trying to grab Jason and the two cousins, Tess and Derek, grabbing the highly annoying twins' hands to stop them from using magic. Those same twins were sticking their tongues out at Lela, who was being held back by her sibling, Jordan and his sponsor, Terrin of King's Reach.
King Jonathan took two steps forward and surveyed the scene before him. The fight at the first table for pages was breaking out into more than just trading insults, Lela had given Jason a solid thump on the head before the child had put a stiffening spell on her, misaimed because of his cousins grip on him, causing the squire's hair to stand up in five inch long spikes. Jon sighed and paced over to their table and made the quietest noise of clearing his throat and the youths broke apart to stand at attention with their heads hanging in shame, but casting laughing glances at each other. "I'd like to see all of you pages, and squire, tomorrow, after dinner, for your punishment work," was the king's only reply.
Neal and Yuki had come over by now and took the hands of the insolent twins saying, "We're very sorry, Sire, it won't happen again. We promise!"
Jonathan snapped his fingers and blue sparks radiated around Lela's spiked hair. she looked up at him and said, "BUT JO-O-o-o-on! I liked my hair spiked!" the king only shook his head and said with a grrin on his face, "I don't think you could fit your helmet in your head for jousting practice tomorrow." the girl's only response was a pout and a muttered, "I don't NEED jousting practice I'm as good as my Da!" Jon just passed on to the pages. "Tsk, tsk. I didn't expect you to get into trouble so fast Teressa! But then again your father was the same way." Tess only grinned and nodded, while a blush crept up Neal's face.
The pages and squires cleaned up their dinner while the adults started talking. The twins were kept closely by their parents' sides awaiting their punishment.
Walker of Graham's Hollow grumbled, "I don't see why all the famous knight's kids get all the adventures!" The young people said goodnight to the knights and went to bed.
The eight pages, and Lela, walked out of the mess hall last, laughing. As the group stopped at an intersection of the halls, Lela wished everyone a good night and walked off down the female Squire's Hall. The page's continued until they reached another intersection of halls.
Still giggling, Alexah, Natalie, and Annabell went off down the hall to the right, while Terrin, Mikael, and James went down the hall to the left, and entered their rooms. Derek, Jordan, Arielle, and Tess remained at the crossing.
Smiling, Jordan shook hands with the two girls, clapped Derek on the back, and looking over his shoulder, called, "Hope you have luck with her, Derek!"
Tess looked from her cousin to her friend, who both had knowing and exasperated looks on their faces, confusedly. "What was that all about?" she questioned the two pages standing with her.
Derek blushed and replied, "Nothing, it was nothing, Tessie. Good night." And he kissed her on the cheek. She was still confused, but said good night, and asked Arielle if she was coming.
"Oh, in a moment, Tess, in a moment. You don't have to wait for me," the brunette replied. Her wolf, Midge, or Midnight, was out in the Royal Forest, running with her pack for dinner.
"O.K. I'll see you in the morning, guys!" and with those final words Teresa turned her back on the other pages and walked down the torch lit hall on the right to her room.
"Goodnight, Arie," Derek whispered, holding Arielle's hand.
"Goodnight, Derek," she replied, her wavy brown locks falling into her eyes. The torches flickered and the ten-minute bell rang for those dawdling outside their rooms.
Derek leaned closer to his cousin's friend, brushed the silky locks out of her face, and went to kiss her. Arielle turned her head a little to the side, so that his lips pressed her cheek, not her mouth.
"Later in time, Derek, later in time. My heart's not that easy to win," Arielle remarked teasingly as she turned down the hall to her own room.