Alright, please tell me who you think Torah should end up with! The choices are Zamar, Rikash, Jakkin, or Jassikam. Please, please send in a review and tell me! If you don't review, I will be very sad and not post another chapter! (Okay, I probably will because I love writing about Torah. She's really interesting!) If you don't review, I will cry and get very mad!

By the way, I really am Tamora Pierce. (If you actually think that I'm serious, then you have problems!)

Okay, here's the next chapter, The… Fanfare!

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When Torah walked into her first class, she was greeted by applause. She smiled slightly before bowing low to her uncle. Thom laughed and waved his arm towards a seat in the back row. Torah sat. She was pleased to see that she wasn't by Mel or Rikash. She didn't really want to explain why she had been crying last night.

A girl in the green robe for Intermediate sat in front of her. She spun around. Torah smiled at her. The girl was pretty. She had long blonde hair and blue eyes. She was tall and had ivory skin.

"Hi, I wanted to tell you how much I loved your entrance at breakfast this morning. It was splendid. Of course, we all know that it's the only way to get men to notice us girls. I think I'll do an entrance like that tomorrow. Want to sit by me at lunch? I'm Gemelle, by the way, Gemelle of Kennan."

Torah smiled back. "Torah of Conte and Olua. I guess I'll see you at lunch then."

Gemelle giggled and turned back around. Torah didn't pay attention in class. She was trying to figure out if she liked Gemelle or not. When Thom yelled her name, she jumped. She looked up at him, confused and embarrassed.

"Class is over, Torah. Are you okay?" Thom looked concerned. Torah nodded and sprinted out of the room to get to her next class.

At lunch, Gemelle pulled Torah up to the front of the lunch line. Torah was introduced to a pretty red robe named Felcia of Mae's Mountain and another green robe, Lalita of Hadar.

"Torah, dear, why don't we sit over here today? No one likes Melaniah, Rikash, or Gaviena. If you want to be popular like us, you have to act like it. You'll be able to get all the boys, dear. In fact, we were hoping that you would want some tips from us. Watch." She waved to a boy wearing a red robe. The boy raised an eyebrow and shook his head. Gemelle giggled and turned back to Torah. "You see, he was totally in to me. Now why don't you try?"

Torah raised an eyebrow of her own. She usually didn't brag, but Gemelle was really starting to bug her. "I bet you that I can go up to any boy here, flirt with them, and get them to kiss me."

Gemelle and Felcia laughed. Lalita looked interested. "Now, now, dear. Let's not get ahead of ourselves, right?" Gemelle said. "Well, go on and try, dear, but don't cry if he breaks your heart."

Torah grinned. "Name the guy."

Gemelle and Felcia looked at each other and started to giggle. Gemelle pointed to a tall, muscular man in a white robe of a Master. Torah smiled and got up. The man was only twenty, or so. That wasn't too old.

Torah sat down across from him. She could tell right away that this man was a flirt. She smiled and fluttered her eyelashes. "Hello, I'm Torah."

He smiled back. "I know. I liked your entrance this morning." Torah giggled. "My name is Amitz. It's nice to meet you."

They flirted for a couple more minutes. Finally Amitz reached across the table and kissed her. Torah kissed him back before breaking apart. "I'll talk to you later then. I have to get back to my 'friends'." Torah dashed back to her table. Gemelle looked shocked.

Torah turned to her and smirked. "Amitz is a really good kisser, you know, but he wasn't as good as Prince Jassikam or Prince Zamar of Carthak. I'll talk to you later." Torah put her tray of food away and ran to her room.

Mel entered her room without knocking. "What was that for? I thought you were in love with his highness Zamar."

Torah smiled sadly. "I'm going to miss flirting. Mel, I don't know what love is. I love Zamar as more than a friend. I can't figure out if I love him as a brother or as a husband. I'll tell you when I figure that out. Anyways, if I do, we aren't married and he isn't here. I just wanted to show Gemelle and her friends that they aren't as good as they think they are."

Mel laughed and hugged her. "Maybe there's love for you closer to home."

Torah snorted. "Zamar is he only boy who loves me. The rest just like flirting with me. Who do you think likes me closer to home?"

Mel shrugged. "That's for him to tell you. Come on; we'll be late for healing and then the Duke won't be happy. Let's go."

Finally, it was time for weather magic. Torah and Gavi were taught by Toma. Toma stayed by Gavi the whole time as Torah flew around the sky, talking to the clouds. They were boring. Torah wanted to talk with something more lively. She wanted to talk to the sun. She flew up to it and yelled out to it. There was a loud sound and Torah fell as something hard pounded into her. She fainted and fell out of the sky.

Torah woke to a loud yell in her ear. She throat felt raw, as if she had swallowed a flame. Her nose was bleeding, and her ears pounded. She sat up slowly and winced as Toma yelled at her again.

"You idiot! What were you thinking?! You tried to talk to one of the Great Gods! You can't do that! Now look at you! You're sitting in a Healer's room, bleeding to death! You're lucky that the Great Sun God decided to punish you instead of kill you! Can you even talk?!"

Torah shook her head. "Not really." She said. It came out as a croak. She winced and held her throat. Toma gave her some water which she gratefully drank. Toma hovered over her.

"I was so worried. My cousins and siblings would never forgive me if I let the lightning queen die. Also, I like you. You're nice and feed me pink stuff."

Torah couldn't help it. She burst out laughing. As soon as she did that, seven people raced into the room. Torah stopped laughing as Duke Baird, Thom, Numair, Mel, Rikash, Gavi, and to her surprise, Lalita of Hadar rushed to her side.

"Are you alright?" Duke Baird asked, concerned.

Torah nodded. "Apparently I attempted to talk to Mithros. It was an accident, and someone didn't tell me that I wasn't supposed to." She glared at Toma.

Toma snorted. "Maybe I thought that you would be smart enough not to try that. I forgot that you are a human, though. All humans are dumb." She sniffed and flew to the other side of the room. "You should have known better, Lightning Queen!" She called.

Mel was the first to speak. "Are you sure that you're okay?" Torah nodded.

Numair looked awed. "Since when can she talk? Isn't she a bolt of lightning?"

"I heard that! Yes, I can talk now!" Toma called.

"Why'd she call you lightning queen?" Gavi asked. Torah shrugged. Rikash and Lalita looked very worried. Thom looked at the little lightning dragon, which was ignoring Numair. Torah giggled. "Toma, stop teasing him! He's old! No offense, Uncle Numair!"

Numair laughed. Thom looked at Torah with a raised eyebrow. "Toma?" He asked.

Torah giggled again. "Yes. Toma is named after you, sir!"

Baird gave Torah a nasty thing to drink for her throat. She gulped it down, wincing as it burned her throat. The three men left, leaving Torah with her friends and Lalita of Hadar.

Torah raised an eyebrow at Lalita. She blushed. "I'm tired of Gemelle and Felcia. The only reason I sit with them is because Gem's my second cousin and I have nowhere else to sit. I want to be friends with you."

Torah grinned. "Of course. You should sit with us from now on. When am I allowed to get up?"

"Tomorrow." Rikash said. He was staring at Torah weirdly. She glared and turned to Mel. Mel shook her head.

"I am getting up right now! Since when do I follow rules?"

"I wouldn't advise it." Toma said from across the room."

Torah stuck her tongue out. She slowly stood up and held on to the bed post. "And why not?" She asked as she let go of the bed.

"That's why." The dragon said as Torah fell. Rikash and Gavi were closest to her. They caught her and helped her back into her bed. Gavi frowned.

"Don't, Torah. Listen for once." She said anxiously.
Torah sighed loudly. "Fine. What am I allowed to do now?" Lalita and Mel put a stack of paper on the nightstand. Torah rolled her eyes at her homework. "Maybe I should just tell them that I don't feel well enough to do homework."

Rikash grinned. "If you said that, then you'd be stuck in here forever."

Torah sighed loudly. "I know!"

The next day, Torah ran out of the Healer's room. She was so glad to be gone! She hated that place! Every time a Healer saw her, they would raise their eyebrows and shake their heads. Torah was glad to be out.

She returned to her rooms and got dressed in a simple light green kimono. She put a cinnamon one over it and fixed a forest green obi over it. She put a fan in her obi. Torah wasn't allowed to go to classes for a couple of days. She was glad that her four friends were allowed off to keep her company.

She answered the knock on her door. Gavi entered. She also wore a dress, but it was pale orange. Any lighter, and it could have been white. She wore a bright orange obi over it. Torah grinned at her and stepped aside. Toma flew over to rest on Torah's head. Torah sighed.

Mel and Rikash entered a few minutes later. They both wore plain breeches and tunics. The last person to enter was Lalita. She wore a beautiful, simple, blue morning gown. Torah smiled and hugged the girl around the shoulders.

"You look nice, Lalita."

She grinned. "Thanks. I don't look as pretty as you, though. And, please, my friends call me Lila."

Torah grinned. "Then so will I."

Later that night, Rikash sat on his bed thinking. There was a knock on his door. He opened it, thinking it was Mel. It was Torah who stood there. She looked beautiful even in her tousled nightgown. She grinned and handed him a book.

"You left this in my room earlier. I just found it." She turned to go. "Oh by the way, I wanted to thank you. It was so nice of you guys to come and spend time with me so I wasn't bored. Thanks."

Before Rikash could say anything, she kissed his cheek. "Goodnight!" She called over her shoulder as she walked away. Rikash could do nothing more than stand there, his hand over the spot where she had kissed him.

Torah walked back to her rooms. What was with Rikash lately? He wouldn't even talk to her. She shrugged. Maybe he was just tired or sick. She walked to her rooms. She didn't know why she had kissed him.

But, it wasn't like the kisses she had given to Zamar. But still. She hadn't kissed her prince until years after she met him. Was it possible that Torah had fallen in love again? No, it couldn't be! She gave a little chuckle and went into her rooms.

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There! I added a little bit of fluff at the end! I think I'm falling in love with Rikash! I even added some more robe colors! Yay! Well, what did you think??? Please review. Tell me who you think Torah should end up with! Thank you a lot! Next chapter will be up in a little bit. Today or tomorrow I think. It depends on how many reviews I get!

PS. These are the robe colors:

Novice – blue

Intermediate – green

Adept – red

Master – white

Powerful Sorcerer – black