Chapter 9. Hey, I'm back with another chapter, and a pretty long one since the last one was a little short. To queen-of-sapphires (and others) - Yes, I have to agree the five legged horse was a bit unbelievable and convenient. However, there are births of animals in which, due to a mutation (or something along those lines), extra limbs grow. In my case I tried to use it as a metaphor and I think it got my point across, but in the future, I may go back and change the horse's difference to something a bit more believable. Haha, what can I say? I was a bit desperate for something, anything really. To wild-wizard-women – You're right, 'pocket knife' wasn't the word I was thinking of, I actually meant 'belt knife' and so I'm adjusting that. Thank you all for your reviews and input. On to the story!
Disclaimer: The character, places and events in this story are from the Lioness Quartet, Alanna: the First Adventure and belong to Tamora Pierce. Direct quote from the book are in double quotation marks (""Like this"")
The weather had finally turned fair, and Francis for one was glad of it. The winter had been long, cold, and filled with laundry. He never wanted to see another washboard in his life.
Gary breathed in deeply, "Don't you just love spring?" he asked, spreading his arms out wide, taking in the forest around them. "The sun, the flowers, the birds…"
"Getting out of lessons early…" Jon cut in. The others cheered in agreement. Master Shortfoot had released them early from their hand fighting lesson as a reward for their hard winter's work indoors.
"Yer only young once, maybe twice in a lifetime like in my case," He had said with a wink, "Go frolic and get this spring nonsense out of yer blood now. Tomorrow we start workin' with clubs and ye'll want all yer wits about ye then." Francis, Raoul, Jon, Alex, Alan and Gary had chosen to spent their hour in the shade at the edge of the Royal Forest, too tired to swim with the rest of the boys, but not crazy enough to go inside.
"And don't forget," Alex said, resting his head on his interlaced fingers, "New ladies, fresh from the convent." Alex's insight into the season brought another set of cheers from the boys, but Francis noticed that Alan's cheer was half-hearted. The convent was where noble girls of her age were sent to become ladies. Not for the first time, Francis wondered how and why she came to train as a page instead.
"Fellows," Raoul said, sitting up suddenly from his sprawled out position on the grass, "We're to be squires soon, well, all except Jon and Alan!" He slapped these two heartily on the back.
This comment brought a thoughtful quiet upon the group. These next few weeks would be the last they would probably spend with each other for a long while. They would go off in different directions with different knight masters. Francis might not see his friends again until their Ordeal. He quickly changed his path of thought. He didn't have to worry about his Ordeal for another four years.
The palaces bells broke the silence, summoning them all back to wash up before they had to serve at their tables.
Alex was the first to stand up. "We'd better get our horses back to the stables and rub them down." Reluctantly, the rest stood up and mounted their steeds, heading back to the stables.
Francis took a long time grooming his horse, giving her the proper care and attention that she deserved. By the time he finished, only he and Alan remained in the stables. Yonder, it appeared, was being a troublemaker and refused to sit still and allow his master to give him a proper rub down. Francis knew better than to offer his friend a hand. He knew that she would just refuse. Instead of offering advice to her, he instead directed his comment to her horse.
"He may look little, but I bet he could eat you in one bite if you make him angry enough." Yonder looked at him innocently, then turned his big head to look at a rather red faced Alan and quickly settled down.
"When I get my own horse," Alan promised, finally making progress, "I'm getting a mare. They're much easier to handle." She blew a stray lock of hair out of her face comically.
Francis hesitated, then took a risk. He needed to know something. "Not all ladies are docile, I've come to find," Francis said calmly.
Alan froze. It was only for an instant, but Francis' sharp eyes saw it. Then she let out a very forced laugh, "Like who, Madame Terrace, I suppose?" She had finished brushing Yonder and slipped him a carrot from her breeches pocket.
Francis smiled weakly. So she planned to keep her true identity a secret from even her friends. Fair enough. Francis swore right then and there to the Great Mother Goddess that he would do whatever he could to help Alan get her shield. Gods knew that if she was willing to disguise herself as a boy, earn bruises and broken bones in training, and do all the studying a knight's lesson's required, she would make a good knight.
"I was actually referring to one of my sisters, but Madame Terrace is a perfect example." He shivered at the thought of the laundress.
Alan waved her arm, indicating the door. "You'd better go and get ready for tonight's meal. I'll be along later, I just want to see how my old pony Chubby is doing."
Francis smiled and left the stall with a wave. "See you at dinner."
Outside he encountered Ralon leading his horse, just now returning from wherever it was that he had been lurking. Francis was disgusted to see that the poor creature was covered in sweat and appeared to have not seen water in a good while. Ralon opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again. His eyes measured Francis carefully. Ever since their last encounter, Ralon seemed to have rethought his ability to torment Francis.
Francis, feeling unusually bold at this sign of hesitation from the bully, stopped and stood his ground in the middle of the path to the stable.
"Better get a move on Malven, don't want to be late."
"Move," Ralon growled.
Francis stood his ground and stared up at Ralon, unblinking. Finally, he stood aside and let the other boy pass. "Because I am a gentleman." He explained, then stalked away.
When Ralon was out of earshot, Francis slumped down, letting his breath stream freely out of his lungs. Who was that boy back there? he wondered. It must have been Raoul or Gary or someone else, because it sure wasn't him. He quickly made his way back to his rooms, never looking back.
That night, Francis and his friends met in Gary's room, relishing a bit of delightful news that Alex had overheard a pair of maid's talking about. Ralon would spend his free time for the next month following Stephan's orders in the Palace Stables. Francis loved the stables, but he sure didn't envy anyone who would be spending hours there shoveling manure.
""Serves him right. He just left his tack on the ground. His horse was covered in sweat. That's no way to treat a good horse."" His muscles tensed at just the thought of it.
Alex nodded his agreement. ""I wonder how he thought he could get away with it.""
""He probably tried to make some little guy do it, isn't that his usual."" Raoul said. He looked over at Francis and thumped him heavily on the back.
"It used to be Francis here, but from what I hear, someone's been getting a bit bold." Francis blushed. His friend had been ecstatic when Francis told him of his stand against the bully. He looked over at Alan to find that she was avoiding the conversation by examining the condition of her shoes.
""Alan - you were the last one in this afternoon. Do you know about this."" Gary asked.
""No."" Alan said curtly.
""I'd like to see him mess with our Alan. I'd pound him to a bloody pulp."" This was Raoul, of course.
""I do my own fighting, thanks."" Alan interrupted before Raoul could continue.
The next day, Francis and the others learned just how true this was.
On their afternoon break the next day, the pages went to a nearby swimming hole in the royal forest. Gary, Raoul, Jon and Alex were quick to strip down and jump in with the other pages. Francis took his time, making sure that his horse was comfortable, then took care of his friends' quickly forgotten steeds. It was a hot day and they needed water just as much as the boys did.
When he came back to the pool, he spotted trouble.
"I don't want to swim Raoul!" Alan said angrily, taking a spot in the shade on the pool's bank.
"Come on Alan," Raoul pleaded, "We were going to play beaver's dam, but we'll have uneven teams!"
If Francis was sure of anything, it was that it would be hard for Alan to keep her masquerade up if she had to strip down and wrestle with the boys in the water. They just might notice something was different about their friend.
"It's alright Raoul," Francis jumped in, "I'll sit out for a while, that'll make the teams even again."
"Oh come on guys!" Jon said, whooping as Gary snuck up from behind him and dunked his royal cousin under the water playfully.
Francis stared longingly at the cool water, but shook his head. "I'm too tired," He said plopping down next to Alan. His sitting out served him trice. First, he was tired after a long day of training; Second, this way Alan didn't look like more of an odd man out than she already was; And third, he wasn't sure he wanted a girl to see him only clad in his loincloth quite yet.
"I'm not much for swimming," he remarked quietly to Alan, "It's not something we can do easily up north, can we?"
Alan nodded agreeably, "Too cold." She sat, hugging her knees to her chest, watching the game going on below her.
Understanding that she didn't really want to talk, Francis pulled a stack of letters from his pocket and decided to take care of the needs of Nond, now that he had the time.
Not long after he sunk into his work, a shadow came in front of them. He wasn't surprised to see that Ralon had taken an interest in Alan once again.
""Too good for us, Master Alan?"" he asked, his voice thick with loathing, ""Afraid to get in the same water with us?""
Alan stood up, holding her ground. ""Leave me alone,"" Francis started to get up too, but stayed where he was. This was Alan's battle and she would hate him if he tried to interfere.
""Leave me alone! Too good to swim with us, Alan the Snot?"" Ralon was taunting his worst and everyone around them was silent, waiting to see what would become of it.
""I don't feel like swimming."" Alan decided finally, putting her hands on her hips. The tension weighed down the air, adding to the heavy damp.
""Into the water page, We'll have some fun."" Ralon latched onto Alan's arm, trying to force her into the water, but she was too fast for him. She lowered her fiery head and slammed it into his gut, throwing him back into the water.
Raoul and Jon took care of him from there, holding him under the water, teaching him the errors of his ways and making sure that he remembered never to mess with their friend again.
""Malven! I don't like to swim. Don't try to get me into the water again! And don't order me around either! The next time you try it, I'll break your face! D'you hear me?"" Alan cried.
She sat heavily back down on the ground beside Francis, muttering curses under her breath. She had quite a vocabulary for a girl of her age.
"Don't waste your breath over Ralon," he said looking up from his letters, "He isn't worth it."
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