Kaden didn't wake up to the cheerful sounds of birds making thier way south or the normal clatter of the days work at the palace, but of a loud stomping and talking in the conjoined rooms. 'What time is it?' She looked out the window. It was still dark outside, and the moon was slowly making it's way underneath the horizon. She slowly lurched out of bed and knocked on her brothers chamber door. When nobody answered, she walked in.

"Adish? What are you doing? It's hardly da-" She was interrupted by her brother.

"Kaden, what are you doing up, go back to bed!" Adish hurried her into her chambers. She yawned as she sat on the bed. Suddenly, she woke up.

"Why are you dressed? And who are those other men in your room? And why were you making so much noise! You woke me up. It's hardly past dawn."

"One at a time, Kaden." He sighed as he put her back under the covers. She was too old for this. She was seventeen, for Mithro's sake! She didn't need someone to tuck her in!

Kaden jumped out of bed and walked calmly to her dresser to get the morning's clothing out. She gave her brother the I-need-some-answers-now look.

"I'm leaving tonight,"

"What? Why-"

"Let me finish, Kaden." He cleared his throat. "Lord Raoul has the Own going to fix something with centaurs and a raided town."

"When will you be back?" She asked, her panic level rising.

"I'll be back as soon as I can. I don't know when, but I promise I will be back." He walked over to her, an anxious look on his face. "Promise me that you'll let Allan take care of you. Wherever he goes, you'll go. Promise?" He held out his hand. They had a special brother-sister handshake. She shook it, though her expression didn't change and her mood didn't falter. When he hugged her, stinging tears glossed her eyes and she let them drop. "Goodbye."

"I'll miss you, Adish." She forced herself to smile, even if it was weak. "You take care of yourself." He stepped into his room again. Kaden stood there, not budging until she heard the door shut in his room. Only then did she run to her bed and cry until she fell asleep. She kept wondering about things. She didn't know anyone except for Allan. She also wondered what she would do until he came back. Of course, Galen and Lalita were coming. At least that would cheer her up.

She woke up again later that day after noon. It was lunch time already! She scrambled out of bed and got dressed as quickly as possible. Then, she ran to the mess (how she remembered to get there, she didn't know) and got her breakfast.

Then, she realized that Allan wasn't here to sit with her. She chose a seat by herself, and ate her lunch in silence. At least it was silence until someone started to talk to her.

"Do you realize you're sitting at our table?" The boy said it in a mock tone, it almost sounded mean.

"Shut up, dolt! She's not used to your mouth!" Another voice said nicely.

"She? I thought that was-" She turned to look at them boldly with a blank look on her face. Beside her sat two boys - almost men. One had bright green eyes that were almost mesmerizing and the other was a curly, red haired boy with a huge smile on his face.

"Merric, does she remind you of someone?" The green eyed boy asked the other boy, whose name must have been Merric.

"No, why?" She cleared her throat loudly so that they both turned to her. She smiled slightly.

"Yes? May I help you two?"

"Lady, I am Merric of Hollyrose. This big mouth is Nealan of Queenscove."

"Very nice to meet you." She said and went back to eating her lunch silently. She didn't refrain herself from evesdropping on their conversation, though.

"Who does she remind you of, Neal?"

"What?"

"What you said before. You know," Merric carried on.

"Oh." Neal said as he took a last bite of vegetable soup. A confused look crossed his face. "That face? The calmness? You didn't think of-"

"Oh, you mean Kel?" Kel? Kaden didn't think she heard right, but Merric just mentionned the girl page - the one Kaden so badly wanted to meet. "Yeah, kind of. You think she's from the Yamani Islands? Cause she doesn't look it."

"No, I just think, well, I don't know. Kel was written all over her face just then." He finished off his bowl of soup and got up from the table. Merric did the same. So she was alone yet again. Not for long, though, because Allan came to sit at the table, grinning foolishly as he set his tray next to hers.

"Good morning."

"Morning." She hesitated before taking a breath. Should she tell him? He looked up from his lunch. He'd been eating it like he hadn't eaten in weeks. His mouth turned upside down into a frown - something Kaden would soon figure out he would rarely do.

"What's the matter?"

"You didn't hear?"

"Hear what?" He asked suspiciously.

"The Own set out last night. Something about some centaurs and a raided villiage... I can't remember. Adish left with them, of course." Her sapphire blue eyes showed the hurt she had faced that morning as they looked into Allan's hazel ones.

"What?" Allan's face held clear confusion. "What about you? Where are you going to go?"

"Adish said you would care for me." She looked at him hopefully. "Will you? I've nowhere else to go, elsewise I go home." She used the word her brother liked to use so often.

"No. Of course I'll take care of you! I wouldn't leave you for the wolves, would I? I didn't think I was that cold hearted." Nothing dampened Allan's spirit. He smiled reassurringly. "You'll be okay. I can take good care of you."

"I hope you're right, Allan. I don't want to be fed to the wolves." She joked. That made both of them laugh. They sat in silence eating for the rest of lunch together. After they finished, they went for a brisk walk around the palace.

"I saw you talking to those squires. What did they say to you?"

"Oh, you mean Merric and Neal? Neal made fun of me, Merric apologized for him, then I made them introduce themselves. Although, I didn't introduce myself." She smiled, trying not to laugh. Allan laughed a little, though.

"Neal and Merric? Those are Kel's friends. Neal is always in trouble because of that mouth of his, and Merric is just, well, Merric."

"You know them?"

"I did. Well, I used to talk to them."

"What happened?" She asked curiously.

"Well, I just got new friends. I am a lot older than them." He smiled and sighed. "What about you? Do you have any friends?" Kaden punched him in the arm jokingly, and he was surprised from the impact; he didn't expect her to be so strong.

"Excuse me?" She said with a smile on her face. He laughed and punched her just as hard. It didn't hurt her, though, surprisingly.

"Race you to the practice courts!" She challenged.

"Oh, you're going down!"

A/N: R&R! Please I need you to give me ideas. I think I have it planned out thanks to Thayet1231! She helped me out a lot!