Disclaimer: I am cross, because if Tammy has no argument, then neither should you.
AN: Sorry took so long to update, but I was doing my other story, Wyldon's Lover, and was trying to make this chap really good. Hope you like, Aly the Trickster.
Bless My New Home
As Ria left the room, a woman met her at the door. She was wearing a dark brown skirt with a white apron and a white blouse, the palace uniform for servants. On her belt hung a large, brass ring loaded with keys of all sizes and shapes. She had large brown eyes, and frizzy brown hair.
"Hello, I'm Salma. I am the head of the servants for the Squire and Pages wings. If you would like to follow me, I will show you towards your rooms."
Ria walked silently behinds the woman, for though Salma was a servant, she was older and it was respectful not to impose upon her kindness. Besides, Ria did not know her way.
"Do you have a servant with you?"
"Yes, Tamyna of Malorie's Peak has come with me and will hopefully be serving me throughout the year."
"Hopefully?"
"She might have to leave with my father for Midwinter."
"Ah. I'll have a talk with Tamyna, about her duties to you as a pages servant. If you play tricks on her, or on any of the palace servants, you'll do your own laundry and bed making for the rest of the year. Tamyna may not involve herself with any of the Pages or Squires, and if she runs away or leaves she is still your charge. Do not call the Palace Guard, for they will exercise their own judgment."
By now they had walked into a hallway, with doors on either sides, and each door had a slate on it with a name, or two, and they stopped at the end.
"That is my room," Salma said, pointing at the door at the end of the hallway with a copper plate on it. If you need anything, extra sewing, mending, or even hot water, come to me. By the way, I live with Stephan, the head hostler, my husband, so if you have horse trouble, come to me."
She now walked up to a door with no name on the slate and wrote, 'Crealaine of Queenscove and the Yamini Isle's'. Then she handed Ria a key.
"To use this, put it in the keyhole and twist it to the right, then whisper your name. It also works with the lower shutters in your rooms. Your baggage will already be there, so you can change for dinner."
"Thank you, but why do I need a magical key?"
Salma gave her a wry smile. "The last girl page, Keladry of Mindelan, came and her room was wrecked. It cost the servants precious time cleaning it up. This is her old room, we just changed the key word."
"Then thank you." Ria gave her warm-hearted thanks, because she was honored beyond words. Kel's rooms!
"I will tell you the same thing I told Keladry. No need to thank me, I do what they pay me to do, but if you ever need anything, a shoulder to cry on, a sympathetic ear, come to me."
She smiled briefly at Ria, gave her shoulder a squeeze, and then walked away.
Ria took a deep breath, and then walked in to her new home.
It was beautiful. She could tell that Salma had organized this because she could feel the pleasure the woman had while organizing this.
Her practice glaive and her naginata(A/N: The Yamini word for glaive) hung on the wall, along with her shukusen, her Yamini court kimono and obi(A/N: a sash that ties the kimono together), and a beautiful picture of two Yamini's dueling with glaives, a gift from Kel.
Her practice glaive was just a long stick with a dulled metal blade at the end, and it was not very decorative, just for practicing. On the other hand, her naginata was a dangerous weapon, but beautiful. Its blade was the very best steel of the Yamini isles, with a beautiful tan sandal wood, smoothed to its finest, a gift from Princess Shinkokami, when she had found out Ria was going to be a page. Her shukusen was a brilliant piece of work, something she had bought herself. It was edged with green silk that had embroidered bouquets of light colored flowers on it, and it concealed the dangerous knives in between so well, someone couldn't tell they were there unless they stabbed themselves with it. And her kimono and obi were matching the shukusen, green with flowers.
The bookcase already had her incense, books, and special objects and trinkets on it, and the chest was already filled with her clothes. Her bed was made, and the oak desk, with all her slates and chalk on it, had a chair pulled up.
Tamyna's room, right beside the privy, though smaller, was just as nice.
Ria took one last look around, went and lit a stick of incense, and blessed her new home.
"Gods of fire and ice, bless my new home, keep my will as hot as the heart of the volcano, and as hard and implacable as a glacier." She whispered the traditional Yamini prayer in Yamini, always said when in a new home.
After an afterthought, she said,
"And keep Kyprioth and Sakuyo away from it."
A/N: Hope you guys liked it!