A/N: So, what're we on now? Six, seven? Oh, right, it's six. Thanks to all you guys who are still reading. I'd beg you to bear with me, but I don't think I have to if you've already kept to it this far. Anyway, please enjoy this one, it's a bit shorter than the last two have been. Consider it a break. Read on!

End of chapter 5: Sarralyn awoke with a gasp, sweat pouring down her cheeks. She sat bolt-upright and checked her magics. There they were, safely nestled within her; ready to be called upon at a moment's notice. The young girl sighed with relief and fell back into a dreamless sleep.

Return to the Palace

The next day

"Wake up, child, and greet your home!"

Sarralyn shook herself awake from her sleeping place upon the young mare that Alanna had lent her for the journey and looked up at her new- or was it old?- home. The palace that had once seemed so ordinary now loomed above her, full of strange promises and hidden dreams and destiny.

Alanna and Sarralyn waited outside a door marked Duke Gareth the Younger of Naxen, waiting their turn in the small line of young pages that were to be initiated into their new life. Ten or fifteen years ago, all the young men would have turned to stare at her, making rude comments about her sex, but today it was the Lioness who was the center of attention. Young boys stared at the famous woman with wide eyes, both shocked and amazed to see the normally secluded knight.

A pair of twins emerged from the chamber- a boy and a girl, and then it was Sarralyn's turn. She took a deep breath to calm herself then strode forward into the room.

Gary of Naxen had been a good friend of the Baron and Baroness of Caramein, so Sarralyn didn't have to pretend like this was her first meeting with the burly Prime Minister. The cheerful knight smiled at the young girl and then at his dear friend as they settled into chairs in front of his desk.

"Another lass? That's two new ones this year! That's a first!" And so it was. "Good to see you again, Sarra of Caramein in Scanra, it's been quite a while, hasn't it? You were just a babe the last time I saw you." Gary stopped for a moment and squinted, his eyes going hard. Sarralyn felt her heart stop. She could feel the amulet that disguised her appearance and gift resting against her skin, but what if the Duke saw through it? Sarralyn braced herself for Gary's words.

"I'm terribly, terribly sorry about your parents, they were good people" was all he said. Sarralyn let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and dropped her gaze.

"Your Grace is kind to remember them" Sarralyn said quietly, acting just as sad as if it was Numair and Daine who had been the ones to die.

Gary nodded and sighed. "You remember the Knight Commander, don't you, Sarra? Yes? Well, he and I are supposed to share this job but he seems to be in Goldenlake with his girls at the moment." Gary winked slyly at Alanna "Three girls! Who would've guessed" The desk knight shook his head as he began to brief Sarralyn on the life of a page.

All Alanna could do through the entire thing was smile, remembering her first day at the palace, being told the rules of page hood by Gary's father, Duke Gareth the Elder. She looked down at Sarralyn, who stood rapt with attention, soaking in Gary's every word as though it was law. Alanna stifled a giggle as she realized that Sarralyn's situation was much, much like her own had been.

"Now Sarra" Gary said, after he was finished with the usual speech "I know about your magical issue." Sarralyn opened her mouth in shock. Gary mistook her parted lips and held up his hands

"No- don't speak. It's been awhile since we've had a female page with the Gift, but times are changing again." Gary's gaze went to Alanna as he said this, and she cringed mentally. It was true; there hadn't been a Gifted female page since she had been there. The Lioness had forgotten about that. She thought of all the people that had spread lies that she'd used her magic to cheat and grimaced. She didn't want Sarralyn to go through that.

"You will not be alone, however," Gary was saying "and I'll be damned if anyone's going to say that you used magic to help you cheat during your years here." The big knight folded his massive hands on the table in front of him. "An untrained Gift is a hazardous one. You cannot simply ignore it." Again, his eyes flashed to Alanna's. The Lioness blushed crimson.

"Therefore, you will receive magical instruction from a palace mage. Not now: today you've got to move in and sponsors must be chosen." Gary rose to shake hands with Sarralyn. "Good luck." The girl-child nodded, a serious look on her face, and walked briskly from the room, Alanna just a step behind.

The two went first to the palace tailors, where Sarralyn was measured for a palace page's uniform by a plump, cheerful woman. "With all th' lasses that 'ave been showin' up teh be pages, we 'ad a special uniform made" the woman said with a proud smile after she had written down Sarralyn's measurements. "It'll be brought to yer room tonight so yeh can have it fer supper."

A special uniform?! What other new things would they do to make Sarralyn stick out? The young girl smiled nonetheless, saying her thanks before leaving with Alanna.

The next stop was the page's wing, where Sarralyn's room would be.

This seems alright the girl thought as she opened the door with her name on it. It was a small, ordinary room, with a comfortable-looking bed and a sturdy desk. Alanna went to inspect the dressing room as Sarralyn looked about. Her eyes fell on another door half-hidden in the corner of the room. Curious, the smoky-eyed girl walked to the door and opened it. She heard a gasp escape her lips.

There was another room behind the door. An occupied room. A small, dark-haired figure jumped at the gasp and wheeled on the innocent Sarralyn. The figure was a young girl, no older than Sarralyn with shoulder-length black hair and wide sapphire-blue eyes.

"Good to see you've met Kira" a voice said from somewhere behind Sarralyn. The surprised child jumped and turned to see Duke Gareth smiling down at her.

"I forgot to mention something when you two left your sessions with me" the large knight said, a slight smile on his face. "Because we have two female pages this year, it seemed appropriate that we… keep you together. These two rooms are connected to help you two become acquainted."

The stormy-eyed girl looked at the child that Gary had called Kira. She was only an inch or so taller than the blonde child, with eyes that were very slightly slanted and skin the tan of the Yamani islands. She had looked fierce when wheeling on Sarralyn, but now the magelet could see the kindness on her new roommate's face.

"Introduce yourself, child" Sarralyn did not notice Alanna coming out of the dressing room, but she did not jump this time.

"I'm Sarra of Caramein" the foreign name felt natural on Sarralyn's tongue after the summer's training, but she mumbled it anyway, slightly embarrassed, as the other girl inspected her from top to toe.

"My name's Kirei" the raven-haired girl finally said, a small, kind smile playing on her lovely face, "but everyone calls me Kira." Sarralyn held out her hand for Kira to shake, which she did, before mumbling something about her brother and retreating. Sarralyn thought she saw a guarded look on Kira's beautiful face.

The smoky-eyed lass sighed as she turned back to the grinning Alanna. She was glad to know that she wasn't the only one with secrets.

After her strange encounter with her new roommate, Sarralyn accompanied Alanna to the stables, where the Lioness' things were already packed up for her ride back to Pirate's Swoop. It was a sad sight to see. Sarralyn threw her arms around her godmother, her heart thundering with panic in her ears.

"Shhh... don't worry." Alanna said, petting the girl's dark-blonde hair. "You'll be alright."

Eventually, Sarralyn straightened and looked at her godmother's horses. One of them, the caramel-colored one with the midnight mane and white star on her forehead, on which Sarralyn had ridden on to the Palace, was unsattled.

The girl pointed to the unsattled horse "Aunt Alanna, you forgot one of your horses." At this, amusement covered the older woman's face.

"Lass, do you know what day it is?" Sarralyn wracked her brain and came up with nothing. Alanna laughed outright. "It's your birthday! How could you forget? That mare- she's yours. I know you will get on as well with her as I did with her sire, and your mother with her dame."

Sarralyn's eyes became as huge and round as dinner plates at Alanna's words. This was the offspring of Darkmoon and Cloud! Overwhelmed with excitement, she ran to the young mare, calling to her excitedly. Her wild magic was rusty after the months without use, but Sarralyn got it to cooperate.

"Did you hear that girl?! We're going to stay together!" She called with her voice and her magic, giving the copper fire the push it needed to work. The young mare whinnied her approval and pranced around in a small circle, making Sarralyn laugh. The child turned to Alanna, to ask what the horse's name was, but the Lady Knight had already gone.

I am Starlight the mare answered the girl's unspoken question as Sarralyn turned dejectedly back to the beautiful animal and I am so happy to be yours, Gifted Wildmage.

Somewhere far off, a bell sounded the time. Sarralyn had only two bells to get ready for and to supper. She had been sitting on a comfortable stool having a pleasant conversation with Starlight, working out the kinks in her wild magic, and hadn't noticed the time.

The Gifted wildmage groaned, displeased at having to leave her interesting new companion. Horses were so much more… tame than humans sometimes.

Starlight heard her mistress's thought and smiled an odd horse-smile. Go she said, bumping her nose against Sarralyn's chest you don't want to be late for your first dinner.

Sarralyn smiled up at the horse; How is it that you know what's good for me better than I do?

Starlight snorted with pride. Because I pay attention was all she would say

After promising to bring her new horse a carrot from the page's dining hall after supper, Sarralyn rose and raced out of Starlight's stall. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to run or not in the stables, but surely being late to dinner was worse than a bend of the rules when no one was there to watch it? It just so happened she was about to find out. She saw the boy a second too late, coming out of a stall near Starlight's with a bucket of water in one hand. His eyes went wide as she crashed into him.

There was a sickening thud as Sarralyn's head hit the hard stable ground. Somewhere close by, a boy's voice was asking her if she was alright, and she saw a flash of deepest blue before everything went dark.

"Whoa" the young boy said to himself, his deep sapphire eyes peering down at the stunningly pretty girl who had barreled into him, now unconscious on the floor of the stable. She had come out of nowhere, and almost ran him down. The boy shook his head, his black hair tossing about, marveling at the situation.

Better wake her up he thought to himself, grabbing his still-full bucket. He glanced down at the girl, looking so peaceful in her unconscious state and sighed as he drenched her.

Almost instantly, the girl came up sputtering, her smoky blue eyes flashing like steel. The boy winced at the blonde girl's reaction. I should have kept her asleep he thought as she began to demand to know where she was in a harsh tone.

The sapphire-eyed boy grinned slightly as the young beauty paused for breath. Apparently there would be no need for polite and formal introductions. "You're in the stables, steely-eyed lady" he said, his voice carrying a hint of amusement rather than sarcasm "where you happened to run into me then pass out on the floor."

He watched as the girl's sharp eyes softened with memory, and saw the pale skin relax. "Oh, that's why my head feels like it's broken in two" Her voice was beautiful as the song of a sparrow.

The boy felt the grin become more pronounced on his face. He was beginning to enjoy this odd situation. "My name's Jasson" he smiled warmly enough and stood up, offering a hand to the fallen girl. "And what might be the name of my lady?"

A smile crept onto the face of the girl, easing her stubborn features as she stood. Her eyes were just about level with the tip of his nose.

"I'm Sarra" she said, once she was steady on her feet. "Sarra of Caramein. I'm a page."

For Mithros' sake! Jasson thought, his eyes widening a bit. This is the one his Majesty and the Lioness had been speaking about! The blonde girl noticed his shocked expression and cocked an eyebrow. Jasson quickly recovered, looking at his feet. "Oh- I'm a first-year too" he mumbled as a bell chimed in the distance.

The boy panicked slightly, looking down at his messy clothes and at the dripping Sarra. "We've only got one bell 'till supper, Sarra. We need to hurry."

The two bid a rushed goodbye once they reached the page's wing, the blonde girl-child turning into her room and Jasson to his. What a day! The sapphire-eyed boy thought to himself as he tugged off his breeches and tunic and pulled on the crimson-and-gold page's uniform. He'd never thought that his first day as a page would be so hectic. A smile crept onto his face, however, as he thought of Sarra. He'd just made his first friend as a page.

And she doesn't even know who I am… the eleven-year-old smiled. Sometimes it all can be just too much he thought as he turned to the mirror and felt his smile turn into a devilish grin. He looked just like any other ordinary page. And that was exactly what he wanted.

In her own room, Sarralyn was facing a dilemma. She'd walked in to find a sleek crimson and gold bundle lying on her bed and had been overjoyed that her page's uniform had arrived. But now, turning this way and that in the mirror, the young mage couldn't help but think that something was very wrong.

Her uniform consisted of a crimson hose and long-sleeved shirt, both of which were to be worn under a gold tunic. For some reason, though, the tunic was too long; it fell to just above her knees with slits up the sides to allow her freedom of movement. There was a curve in the design of the thing, to make it more form-fitting around her body. She cringed as she looked at herself in the mirror. It looked like she was wearing some kind of fitted nightdress!

A knock at the door that connected her room to Kira's ripped the Salmalin girl's gaze away from her image in the mirror. The raven-haired child came into the room, wearing a costume identical to Sarralyn's. It was obvious that there would be no shyness between the new roommates.

Kira's dark eyes were ablaze. "What are these things?!" the girl plucked at her uniform, pulling its clingy material away from her body with shaking fingers. "We'll be laughed at! This is no way for a page to be uniformed!"

Sarralyn couldn't agree more, as she looked at herself in the mirror again. She looked so… girly. "We're going to get hell about this from the lads" the stormy-eyed girl remarked.

Far away, another bell clanged, calling the pages to dinner. Sarralyn and Kira exchanged a horrified glance at each other before stepping out into the hall to join the boys.

Poor, poor Sarralyn and Kira. Why would the tailors go out of their way to set the girls apart? Well, anyway, the next chapter is up as well, so why don't you go on? Happy reading!