Janiya and her friends are mine, except for Anders and Inness...that's about all I own right now.
Chapter 1 – The Royal Palace: It was not easy to convince Grandmama that I ought to become a page. However, I used all my powers of persuasion, and she finally relented. So I was off to Corus. Our chief footman, Calef, would accompany me to the palace and see me settled in before returning to Tirragen. I would be lying if I claimed that I went without fear. Although the only member of my family involved in treason had been my father, I knew my heritage might be reason enough for the training master to refuse me. I also knew it would do me no good to worry. So Calef and I set off, he on a sturdy gelding and I on a mare called Ambryn, the ancient word for amber, the color of her coat. Ambryn would serve me in my training years; she was young and strong.
Three weeks later, we reached our destination. I resisted the urge to gape as we rode through Corus. I had never been further than the two small villages and one medium-sized town that made up Fief Tirragen since I was very young. That was no preparation for the capital. I saw people of all kinds, from thieves to seamen to the proud desert men called the Bazhir. There were all sorts of things for sale, and several different languages were being used around me. It was all I could do not to gawp like some fool.
We passed through the Sacred District, which I must admit did not catch my interest – my family wasn't very religious. At last we reached the Palace. Inside the walls seemed to be a small town. Now I felt a slight sense of familiarity, brought on by the vague memories of my first 3 years, which I had spent here. The memories flooded in, good...and bad. But I ignored them; they were not important right now.
Soon a servant came to see why we were here. Calef drew himself up and said, "I've come with Mistress Janiya of Tirragen to see the training master. Can you take us to him?" The man's eyes narrowed at the name Tirragen, but he signaled for hostlers to take our mounts and then led us inside and down a long hall. He stopped at a door that read, Duke Gareth of Naxen, Training Master of Pages and Squires. Even though I wasn't religious, I prayed to any god listening to get me through this.
The Duke of Naxen was tall and thin, with brown hair and eyes. He was plain, but had a commanding air. The servant introduced us and left. The Duke looked me over; but what he thought, I couldn't tell. I handed him the letter that Grandmama had written, which explained that I wanted to be a page. He read it quickly and fixed me with a piercing look.
"So, Janiya of Tirragen, you wish to be a page. I must say, I am surprised that you dare, after your father's actions seven years ago. Are you sure you want this? The lads may not be too kind; you've two strikes against you, your sex and your lineage." I met that sharp gaze squarely. "Sir, I know the risks. I can't change who I am, and I know what I want. This is it. My family was respected once. All I want is a chance to get some of that honor back." He studied me for a moment, then nodded.
"Very well, then. You shall be placed on 6 months probation so we can ascertain your loyalty. It's standard procedure for those in your position." I nodded, afraid to speak again. He continued, "You are here to learn chivalry and what it means to be a knight of Tortall. You will work hard, at physical training and academic studies. When you are fourteen, you become a squire. A knight may pick you for his body squire; if so, you will run his errands, tend his belongings, and protect his interests. You will learn to defend the weak, obey your overlord, and champion the cause of right. During your first few weeks, an older page will sponsor you and show you how things are done here. Welcome to the palace, Janiya. And good luck. I feel you'll need it." He held out his hand and I kissed it. "Thank you, your Grace," I murmured.
Next, another servant took us to the palace tailors, where I was fitted for my page's uniform. The tailor used a knotted cord to take my measurements and then shouted his findings to scurrying assistants. I was handed several red shirts and pairs of red hose with some gold tunics to match. The man shooed me out with a warning to not be back for three months at least. "You rip 'em, you mend 'em," he said.
At last, I was taken to my room. Here Calef wished me well and left. I swallowed hard. This was it. The servant had said that all pages reported at the fifth hour of the evening ( A/N - 5:00PM to us) to serve dinner. Already I could hear boys talking outside, so I dressed swiftly. Then I yanked my comb from one of my bags and quickly ran it through the circle of black curls my once-wavy hair had become since I cropped it. I faced myself in the mirror, scrutinizing my appearance. I had never looked so fancy before. The bright red and brighter gold shone, and my pale gray eyes blazed in my dark face. My purse and dagger hung from a slim leather belt. In the mirror, I saw Page Janiya for the first time. The sight gave me the courage to unbolt the door.
The moment I stepped out into the hall, the talk stopped. The boys stared at me, plainly shocked. One, a sneering, pimply boy of about thirteen came over. He looked me over, an evil glint in his eye. "And just who are you and why are you dressed like a page, wench?" he demanded. I glared coldly at him. "I'm Janiya of Tirragen, and I am a page. Oh, didn't you know? Girls can be pages now." He sniggered loudly. "Girl, you'll not last a week. Maybe you would, but you're just a worthless bit of trash from a traitorous house." He kicked me, hard. I punched him in the nose. Before he could retaliate, another boy got between us. He was tall with dark brown hair and dreamy hazel eyes. "Stop bullying her, Shaw. You've no right." Shaw growled, "I'm trying to get rid of this traitor's whelp before she turns on us all, Anders!" He spun and stalked away. The other boys seemed uncertain. Most followed Shaw, but three came to where Anders stood, near me. Anders smiled at me. "That was Shaw of Dunlath. Don't mind him; he's a creep. I'm Anders of Mindelan, by the way. This is Jace of Aili," - he indicated a slim boy with messy blond hair and friendly blue eyes - "Galen of Lansar," - this one had red hair and green eyes - "and my brother Inness. He's a first-year too; the rest of us are in third year." Inness was a younger version of Anders. He grinned at me. I was startled. "Um, I don't understand. You, you're being nice to me. I'm a girl, and worse, I'm Tirragen blood. Alexander was my father. You don't care?" They looked at me, obviously amused.
"Why should we care?" Jace wanted to know. "You're not your father, are you? You're you. Why judge you by him?" Galen chuckled. "Lass," he said, "You can't think everyone will hate you. Sure, some will, but we've all got enemies. That's life." Anders added, "You seem like a good person. We want to be your friends." The other boys agreed. I noticed Inness hadn't said anything. I glanced at him and he smiled. "Don't mind me; I'm just quiet. But I'd like to be friends too," he informed me.
"It's all settled, then. We're friends, and if Jace and Galen don't mind, I'll be your sponsor,"said Anders.They didn't mind. "So, Janiya. You like this arrangement?" he asked me. I smiled. "It's Jani. And actually, I don't like the arrangement – I love it. Thanks." They laughed and we went down to serve at dinner. Anders put me in a niche where I could see everything. Then I followed them to the pages' dining hall. It was fun to listen to Anders, Jace, and Galen as they kidded around. Inness, as he said, was quiet, and I was too tired to talk much. Galen said Inness and I were a perfect couple because we both talked little. Inness threw a roll at him and I laughed helplessly as Galen tried to duck.
When I got into bed that night, I was happier than I'd ever been in my life. It was good that the Duke had accepted me for training; I could now pursue my dream of being a lady knight. But what was better was that, for the first time in my life, I had friends. It was a miracle.
A/N: Yes, Anders and Inness are Kel's older brothers. This is about 10 years before First Test, and if they were old enough to be married (was Anders the only one with kids?) when Kel started page training, then I figured they trained at least 10 years before her. If I'm wrong, well, out of Kel's books, I only own Squire. My story, my timeline. Bear with me. And no, she doesn't fall in love with any of these boys. Her future love hasn't been introduced yet.