A/N: Thank you for the reviews everyone - and a HUGE thank you to Merrybeansfor BETAing the chapter! And I hope you enjoy the next chapter!

Chapter 2

After a two day journey and a night's stay at an inn, Alan and Vern arrived at the gates of Corus.

Although Alan had wanted to see Thom at the Royal University, he was required to go straight to the palace to begin his page training – a visit to his brother would have to wait until later.

As they grew closer to the palace, Vern and Alan grew steadily quieter until over time, they lapsed into silence.

They drew to a halt as they approached the palace. Vern's eyes grew wide (he had only ever been to Corus once and even then, he had roamed around the city with his friends that lived in the local area) as Alan paused at the gate looking slightly confused.

The older boy cleared his throat, clearly eager to enter.

"Sorry." Alan apologised, "I was just wondering when everything got so small…"

"Small?" asked Vern in disbelief, "You're calling this small!" He waved his hands towards the palace causing passers by to have to swerve out of the way to remain unharmed.

"Well, I was a lot shorter last time I came…" Alan muttered defensively.

"Sometimes I have to wonder whetherwhat you're short of is your wits" Vern retorted playfully. Giving his companion a nudge, he continued, "Now if we could actually go inside?"

Handing over their mounts to one of the trainee hostlers, Alan scanned their surroundings - looking for the familiar faces that he had expected to see. To his disappointment, he found none. Approaching one of the stable hands, he inquired after Stefan, a family friend. In response the trainees mumbled something about a wounded horse, and Alan racked his brain for another person that might be in the stables. Suddenly, arriving at the palace without someone older was a little overwhelming.

"What about Daine?" he asked of the girl trainee. She blinked, completely perplexed.

'Veralidaine Sarrasri,' repeated Alan.

The girl's face turned to one of surprise and she shook her head. 'We don't know the movements of such important courtiers, sir. We're only stable hands.' Alan let the girl go, and later discovered that Daine had flown north just the night before he arrived.

Drawing away from the stables, Vern and Alan decided on a course of action.

"We can go to Lord Raoul first and then we'll see the training master. I think we've got at least half a bell until we need to see him," said Vern confidently. However, his confidence seemed to have been left out back in the city; as they neared the knight commander's office, he grew uneasy and nervous, his eyes twitching at every sight. Following Alan, he found himself facing a large door. Vern decided that he'd changed his mind. Maybe he didn't want to be a part of the King's Own anymore…

Before he had the chance to turn, Alan was already knocking on the door. No, there was no going back now. The door was thrown open to a large man known as the 'Giant Killer'.

"Alan!" he grinned and clasped his adoptive-nephew's shoulder, ruffling his hair (since he enjoyed Alan's annoyance – particularly when there was nothing he could do to stop him). "What brings you here? You've finally decided to grace the crown with your services? However clumsy they may be," he added to Vern with a wicked smile. Vern ventured for a small, nervous smile as Alan just rolled his eyes.

"Something like that. Anyway, it's not my services that we're here to discuss."

"Oh?" Raoul raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you come in and we'll discuss in more detail?"

After twenty minutes of conversations, Vern had been happily accepted into the Own. He was about to walk away with Captain Flyndan when he remembered his duty to Alan. After staying with him long enough to make sure that he was settled, Vern felt that he should do the same for Alan.

Alan brushed away Vern's protests – he could take care of himself (according to him, at least). In the end, Alan had silenced his friend;

"I doubt that you'd be allowed inside anyway…"

That settled, Alan rushed towards the training master's office – after all, tardiness would give the wrong impression and it would be a shame to start his training on a negative note.

Just as his name was being called out, Alan scrambled over to the wooden door. Taking deep breaths to steady his racing pulse, Alan pushed. The door swung open to reveal the man who would be responsible for the next eight years of Alan's life.

The training master: Lord Padraig haMinch.

-Hollyrose-

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