Disclaimer: All characters and places that you recognize are not owned by me.

Chapter Three

"Yes," She said confidently. She couldn't bear to disappoint her mother. Her mother had put her life on the line the day the pirates had attacked the Yamani Palace where they had been staying.

Kel now sought to please her mother in every way possible, so that she would not regret saving her life that day. Lord Wyldon sighed. "If you're sure."

He reached once more into his desk and brought out a sheet of paper and a quill, "Copy this down," he grunted. Kel took the paper and balanced it on a plank of wood on her knees, she poised the quill ready to write.

"Your lessons will be everyday for one bell time after dinner, except for Saturday all day Sunday unless your teacher, re-tired Head Priestess, Daughter Sandra, sees fit to release you. Your lessons start tomorrow evening." He paused.

When the scratching of the quill stopped a few seconds after he stopped talking he looked at her in surprise, "You've got all that? Is it neat?"

When Kel gave the affirmative Lord Wyldon asked for the bit of paper. He nodded his approval then gave it back to her. He stood and turned to face the window behind his desk.

"The lessons will be held in your room until further notice. It is up to you to tell who you want, but when the time comes, you must make sure that at least one of your friends knows. As you do not have the time to do the whole six years as the girls as the convent do, you will take an exam where as the other ladies did not. You will take this exam when Daughter Sandra deems you ready. You will be told more about the exam when the time comes closer."

"Did you get all that down Keladry?"

"Yes My lord," she replied with a grin.

The bell that signaled two hours till bed chimed loudly overhead. Kel started. She had yet to even touch her homework and there was no way she was going to get it all finished in time for classes first thing tomorrow.

Some of Kel's dismay must have shown up on her face as Lord Wyldon handed her a small note, saying: 'Please excuse Keladry's unfinished homework as she was in a meeting with me, signed: My Lord Wyldon'

"Thank you," she murmured as she walked out through the door, bowing.

Kel slowly made her way back to her room but stopped when she heard voices coming from Neal's bedroom. She had been about to knock but had thought twice about it and had continued on to her room to gather her study things first.

When she had retrieved them she went back and knocked on Neal's door. The murmur of voices behind the door immediately stopped, causing Kel to wonder what they had been talking about.

Neal opened the door a crack and seeing who it was smiled, causing Kel's stomach to fill with butterflies, and reluctantly opened the door wider, revealing her to all her friends.

"Hi Kel," they chorused.

"Hi," she replied smiling at them. "Hi Merric, how were your holidays?"

"Good thanks, Kel and yours were good I trust?"

She nodded, walking into the room.

When the boys started to move to make room for her she shook her head and sat on the floor. In answer to the questioning looks Kel said, "Sorry, I'm still in Yamani mode, we sit on the floor for our lessons and meals."

"Oh," Neal replied shrugging.

"So what were you guys talking about before I came in?"

All the boys exchanged worried looks, then looked back at Kel uncomfortably. Kel raised an eyebrow in questioning.

"We were…" started Cleon, but stopped when Neal gave him a fierce look.

"Oh, this and that, nothing much." Neal said airily

Kel raised her other eyebrow. She knew he was lying, she held his gaze for a few moments before he looked away.

"You're lying," she said simply.

When Neal didn't reply Kel promptly opened her books and started her classwork. After an hour of solid working Kel found that without the distractions she had all of her homework completed with time to spare.

She looked up for the first time since she had spoken to Neal. She saw him struggling with the math problems that had been set, sighed, and got up to join him on the bed. Neal looked up but quickly looked back down again.

After Kel had sat in front of him for ten minutes with her arms crossed and a look on her face saying that she wasn't going to move and that she wasn't going to talk first, Neal looked up and said in a quiet voice, "I'm sorry Kel, please forgive me."

He looked at her hopefully.

Kel uncrossed her arms and said, "Of course Neal, you know I can't stay mad at you for very long." Neal smiled at her relieved, "and you know that I can't stand you being mad at me in the first place, friends?"

He said as he held his arms out for a hug and gave her his puppy-dog-eyes look.

Kel's heart melted as she lent towards him and gave him a hug. They both hurriedly withdrew when they remembered that they weren't on their own and that their friends surrounded them.

Kel looked around to see Merric, Owen, Faleron and Seaver sniggering behind their hands and Roald and Esmond exchanging knowing smiles. Cleon had this weird look on his face; it kind of looked like jealously. Kel instantly dismissed it. No guy in his right mind would like her in that way.

Kel quickly turned back to a blushing Neal and said, "Well now about these maths problems if any of you want to hear me explain this you had better listen in because I'm only going to explain this once…" she called over her shoulder.

All her friends trying to get a place on the bed around her instantly surrounded her. After a few minutes of everyone trying to fit on Kel pushed them all off the bed and onto the floor while she stayed on the bed. She then continued to explain to them simplicities and complexities of algebra.

Kel woke up earlier then usual the next morning and started her daily glaive practices. She was interrupted by a knock on her door. She looked down at her thin, cotton, night gown.

"I'll be out in a minute." She called through the door.

As she was walking towards her dressing room she heard a small sigh of approval that sounded suspiciously feminine. A minute later Kel stepped noiselessly out of her dressing room, being careful not to wake Lalasa. She slipped over to the door and carefully opened it.

Her sister Oranie, who had been leaning against the door fell through the door way and was closely followed by her other sister Adalia and their three best friends, Lady Lynette of Genola, Lady Sannie of Falonara and Lady Denali of Sallamonia.

Kel couldn't help but giggle at the sight of the five, much-sought after court ladies lying sprawled on her bedroom floor at just past dawn in the morning.

All of them blushed and Oranie quickly hissed at Kel, "Don't just stand there, go close the door or something."

Kel hiding her smile turned to close the door but stuck her head out the door to see if they had woken anyone else up with their loud THUMP as they had hit the floor. To Kel's amusement there were several heads sticking out of their doors, mumbling obscenities, no doubt.

Kel's smile grew as a very awake looking Neal looked out his door. As he looked up and down the corridor at the grumbling boys he caught sight of a grinning Kel. His heart leapt at the sight of her smiling. He quickly stepped out of his room and locked it, eyeing Joren, who stayed a few doors down from him and started walking towards Kel's door.

When Kel saw Neal coming her smile grew wider then Neal had ever seen. She quickly ducked back inside her room and Neal heard her say, "Neal's coming."

This was followed by a chorus of "What?"'s and uncontrollable giggles that sounded distinctly like court ladies.

Neal was suddenly glad that he had woken up earlier than usual today, intending to go for a walk to clear out his thoughts, he had been feeling rather guilty of late having not told Kel, his supposed best friend, about any of his relationships with the court ladies, including the one he had had with her sister, he knew for a fact that the others hadn't said anything about theirs to her either. Well at least he had had time to look in the mirror before he had been interrupted but that loud thump.

Neal leant against the frame of Kel's door and waited patiently for her too come out. Kel slipped out and stood with both of her hands on the doorknob holding it open just a crack and turned to face him.

Neal moved so that he was standing in front of her then in his usual drawl said, "What ever does the ever-beautiful flower, pearl of the ocean, light of my life Keladry of Mindelan having hiding in her room at this hour of the morning?"

Neal could hear gasps and sighs of longing in her room from his terms of endearment as well as a few sniggers from the boys who were looking on from their rooms. They had all heard the giggles from earlier and were moving closer, they wanted to see how the Yamani Lump responded to being treated by a court lady. Kel just rolled her eyes and gave him an exasperating look.

From his place outside Kel's room Neal could hear hushed whispers of the court ladies conversing very fast about what to do. Apparently they weren't dressed properly. A couple of seconds after that Kel's sister Oranie appeared at the door with, obviously, Kel's dressing gown on, owing to the fact that it was all faded and had Keladry written on it in big curly pink writing surrounded by roses.

Neal was momentarily surprised that Kel owned something so feminine. Oranie grabbed Kel and tried to pull her inside but Kel stood her ground.

She turned around to face Oranie and said in an innocent voice, "What is it sister dear?"

Oranie, distinctly aware of all watching males said in a strained voice, "Why Keladry dear, why don't you come in and find out?"

"If you insist, sister dear."

"Oh I do." replied Oranie in a dangerous voice still trying to pull Kel into the room.

Kel looked back at Neal and as she let Oranie pull her into the room but at the last minute she reached out and grabbed Neal's wrist and therefore tugging him into the room as well. Adalia, Sannie, Denali and Lynette all shrieked when Neal came into view.

Denali, Lynette and Adalia had been trying to capture his attentions for sometime but with no avail. They all thought that he liked someone else, as he had never really courted anyone out in the open. For some reason he liked to keep his relationships quiet.

The only definite one they knew of was his one with Oranie, but he had ended that abruptly and for apparently no reason but it seemed that Oranie felt the same as him. She wasn't affected by the break-up at all. Usually she sat in her room sulking for days.

All of the other four court ladies hurried into Kel's dressing room trying vainly not to let Neal see them in their nightgowns. Kel was still in fits of laughter when they came out of the dressing room accompanied by Lalasa a couple of minutes later wearing some of Kel's long coats for midwinter that fitted them surprisingly well.

Neal who had already gotten control of his laughter was now trying to make Kel stop laughing. When Kel finally got control she pushed Neal out of the room saying that she would see him at breakfast.

Neal left with a huge smile on his face as he winked at the court ladies saying, "I guess I shall see you ladies at the next ball being held."

His smile grew when he heard three dreamy sighs behind him. He paused and opened his mouth to say something but Kel went and pushed him out of the room muttering 'flirt'.

Neal just grinned. They were too busy listening to all the boys clamoring around Neal trying to get him to tell them what was happening in Kel's room to see that Neal had left the door slightly ajar. Had that been court ladies they had heard? Which court ladies were they? What was that jolly thump that woke up all up?

Kel sighed and turned back towards the court ladies. When she saw them staring at her she said, "You obviously wanted to ask me something? It is only just past dawn you know."

The other ladies looked outside sheepishly but Sannie replied, "You were already up so it doesn't matter."

Kel just shrugged and sat down on her bed. The court ladies quickly surrounded her and their expressions turned businesslike.

Kel immediately looked suspicious and said in a voice that you might use on a startled horse, "What's your real reason for being here?"

She began to slowly back away but paused when Adalia started speaking, "Oh stop moving away like we're going to attack you or something."

When Kel raised an eyebrow, Lynette, the nicest of the three court ladies started laughing.

"I think you've been spending too much time with Page Neal," she smiled prettily, as if Neal himself was watching, then she, Denali and Adalia let out sighs of longing.

"His eyes are just so green," murmured Denali.

"And he is just so good looking!" replied Adalia.

"Don't you agree sister dear?" said Oranie as she and Kel exchanged amused looks.

"Well..uh..um..maybe?" Kel stuttered. "How do you expect me to answer something like that about my best friend?"

Denali looked at her amused.

"Easy," she retorted, "with a yes or a no."

Kel sighed and reluctantly mumbled, "Yes."

Adalia, Lynette and Denali all sighed longingly.

"Your so lucky you get to see him everyday."

Kel just nodded smiling. The smile on Kel's face grew when she realized that all had gone quiet out in the corridor and that her door was still open. Oranie watched as Kel silent as a mouse walked over to her door and poked her head outside.

All her friends had been standing outside her door listening to the conversation.

"Having fun?" she asked innocently.

They all quickly backed away at the sound of her voice and it wasn't until they were a good few feet back that they saw Kel standing in the doorway.

"I was...ahh...I have to go," mumbled Merric most of the others mumbled their excuses and left as quick as their feet could carry them.

Kel opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by Oranie calling to her from her room, "Come on Kel...It's time to show you how to put on face paint! We can't very well have you knowing nothing about anything to do with court when daughter Sandra arrives tonight..." she trailed off.

Kel, who was still standing outside, went an interesting shade of white. The boys who were left, which included Neal, Roald and Cleon exchanged amused glances.

Kel let out a strangled, "What?" before coming to her senses and, while refusing to go back into her room she said back to Oranie in a haughty voice that she could have only learnt from Neal, "You know full well Oranie that I know how to apply face paints and do my hair up for court...how do you think I would have survived in the Yamani Islands otherwise?"

Adalia appeared at the door and sighed deeply when she saw Kel but was soon deeply blushing when she saw that she was standing next to Neal with the other Pages grouped behind them. When Adalia had control of her blush she grabbed Kel's wrist and pulled her into the room.

The Pages were surprised to hear when her only words of complaint were, "You had better not be making me wear the stuff...I have lessons to attend to today and I do NOT want to be seen in public with that stuff on my face."

The door was firmly shut and locked and nothing was seen or heard of Kel until the first bell of the day. She opened her door to see and very laid-back Neal leaning on her doorframe. She sighed and quickly ushered the court ladies out who seemed to be reluctant to go past Neal. Neal bowed and winked to them and they curtseyed back, before hurrying along the corridor.

Kel looked at Neal and said in the driest voice she could, "You just want to make my life hard don't you?"

Neal sighed and shook his head like grown ups did when a young child asked them a difficult question. Kel sighed, exasperated as she stepped out of her room making sure the door was locked when it closed.

Neal just slung and arm around her shoulders and steered her in the direction of the mess hall.