A/N: Hi, guys! Sorry it's been forever since I updated last. Again, real life gets in the way. I'll be completely honest that updates might not happen very often, but I am NOT abandoning this story. I've worked too hard on it to give up. Thanks to Kate of Carlay for putting so much effort into the original story and the subsequent editions. Super thanks to KrisEleven for loving me even though I write weird things sometimes. And for loving me even though I love raunchy!writing. :)

Disclaimer: Not TP, I just play with her characters.

Chapter Three

Naira and George went with Nawat to Port Caynn the next day to watch him leave on the ship. "Well, lass, looks like you're all ours now," George said with a smile when Nawat had gone. He clapped a hand on Naira's shoulder and looked down at her, noticing she had a light sheen of tears in her eyes.

"I've just got one more thing to do here before we go," he said softly, and Naira looked up at him. "Come, lass." He led them through the city before stopping at what looked like a paddock in the back of an inn.

"George!" a big voice called out as they approached the fence.

"Hugh," George said in reply as the men gripped each other's forearms in greeting. "Got something for me, lad?"

Naira looked the man over before he noticed her. He was a big man with beefy arms and large hands. He looked friendly enough, despite the cutting brown eyes and carefully shorn black hair that didn't quite cover the scar leading from his left eyebrow to his temple and down to his jawbone.

"If ye care to look." He grinned and then looked down to the little girl holding on to George's hand. "Well, what be this little'n doin' with ye?" he asked, surveying the young girl.

"This is my granddaughter, Naira. Naira, this is Hugh. He's a friend."

Hugh knelt in front of Naira and held out a hand to her. "It be nice to meet ye, Naira."

She tucked her hand in his without hesitation, and he smiled. "It's nice to meet you, too, sir," she replied seriously.

Hugh laughed. "Call me Hugh, lass."

"Hugh, you have something to show me?" George asked, and Hugh glanced up.

"Aye, George. Come." They followed him inside the inn's stables to where a horse was standing in a stall munching hay from a trough. "Here ye are. A beauty, isn't he?"

"What do you think, Naira?" George asked, looking down at the girl.

She whistled lightly in response. "He's gorgeous." She looked up at her grandfather and Hugh. "May I?"

They both nodded and then smiled when she went into the horse's stall. "Polite, ain't she?" Hugh muttered.

George grinned. "Her Ma wouldn't have it any other way."

"Her Ma?"

"Aly."

"This be Aly's babe?" Hugh asked, incredulous. "How old?"

"She just turned ten this week."

Hugh clucked his tongue. "Shame Aly didn't come with her."

"Aly's busy in the Isles. But I'll pass on a message for you."

"Thank ye, George," Hugh said, and then glanced over as Naira appeared from the stalls. "Well, lass? What do ye think?"

"I think he's perfect. Who is he for?"

"For you, lass," George said.

"For me? But you already gave me a horse."

"On loan. I wanted to get you one that you'll use for page training," George said, tucking his hands in his pockets.

Naira threw her arms around him and hugged tightly, trapping his arms momentarily. "Thank you, Grandda," she whispered.

He waited for a moment, grinning widely at her reaction. "Come on, lass. We've got to get back to Corus before nightfall or your grandma will have my head," he said gently.

xXx

Naira hurried to where George was finished saddling the gelding he was giving her. He picked her up and tossed her on. "What are you going to name him, lass?" he asked as he led the gelding out of the stables.

She thought about her horse. He was a big black gelding with a black mane and tail, and she knew he was only a couple of years old after looking at his teeth. "I rather like Nightfall."

"Nightfall it is, then," George said, mounting his own horse when they reached it.

They rode toward Corus in companionable silence until Naira spoke up. "Grandda, what will it be like?" she blurted out.

"What will what be like, lass?"

"Training to be a knight."

George looked over and saw how nervous she was by the worry in her eyes. "Well, when your grandma was training, she was tired a lot, mind and body. It's hard work, lass. Hard work, but it gets easier with time. And we'll be here, your grandma and me, to watch over you, and help you if you need helping."

They crested the hill. "Your ma ever tell you about when I ruled over all this?" he asked with a smile.

Naira shook her head. "Over what?"

George laughed. "Ah, lass. Over the thieves." He launched into stories Alanna wouldn't kill him for repeating, and they laughed together as they rode down through the city and up to the palace.

They stabled the horses and walked up to their rooms side by side. George opened the door to the apartment, and Naira raced in to find Alanna. "Grandma! Grandma, the most wonderful thing has happened!"

Alanna came out of the part of the apartments that served as a study with two men in tow. They both reminded Naira of her ma, but in different ways. They were both tall, but where one was a true redhead like Alanna, the other had the same strawberry blonde hair as Naira's own mother.

"Da," the men acknowledged.

"Alan, Thom. This is Naira. Your niece."

"Nice to meet you, Naira," the redhead said, smiling. "I'm Thom, this is Alan."

Alan smiled warmly when Naira glanced at him. "It's nice to meet you," she said, holding out a hand. "Again, I mean."

Alan laughed. "It's nice to meet you again, too."

"What wonderful thing happened?" Alanna asked in the silence that followed the introductions.

"Grandda got me a horse!" she said excitedly.

Alanna glanced up at George, who shrugged lightly. "Oh, did he? What did you name it?"

"Nightfall."

"What does he look like?" Alan asked.

"He's all black, and very pretty. You should see him."

"Well, then, I will." Alan grinned.

"Go on and wash up, now," Alanna said.

"Where are we going?" Naira asked.

"The city. We're going to buy you some things you'll need for training." She shooed Naira inside her room. "I'm not going to say anything about the horse, George," she said, and sat down to wait for Naira.

"She needs it for page training," George said. "And it's a good solid warhorse. She'll do well with it."

Alanna rolled her eyes and smiled, thinking about the horse George had found for her when she was a page herself. When Naira emerged a few minutes later from her room, Alanna stood up. "Are you ready?"

Naira nodded. She waved goodbye to her uncles and followed her grandmother out of the room. "Are you mad at Grandda?" she asked as they were walking down into the city.

Alanna sighed. "No, I'm not mad. I just wasn't expecting you to come home with a horse. It was a surprise."

Naira ducked her head, thinking. Home, she thought. Even though she'd only been in Tortall for two days, it felt like home. "When are we going to meet King Jonathan?" she asked next.

"Tomorrow," Alanna replied. "And he'll be with the training master. You know what to expect, don't you? Your ma warned you?"

Naira nodded. "She told me everything."

Alanna looked down at the girl and then nodded once. "Good."

The next morning, Alanna woke Naira up just after dawn. "Why are we up so early?" Naira complained after getting dressed.

"Because you have a meeting with the king," Alanna reminded her.

Instantly, Naira was awake and alert. Her green hazel eyes searched the hallways on the way to the meeting place, and saw a lot of different people on the way. Most of them nodded at Alanna and then glanced curiously at the child walking beside her. Some stopped the Lioness and made conversation. And a few didn't say anything at all, just watched the King's Champion and her granddaughter pass without acknowledgement.

Alanna knocked on a door and then opened it without waiting for a reply, ushering Naira in ahead of her.

The first thing Naira saw was the man behind the desk. He was looking at her with sapphire blue eyes under black brows. His smile showed straight white teeth, and an abundance of charm.

Naira smiled back shyly and curtsied. "Your Majesty."

"Jon, this is my granddaughter, Naira. Aly's daughter. Naira, this is King Jonathan."

"Welcome to Tortall, Naira," Jon said, smiling. "How do you like it here so far?"

"I like it, sire. It's different from the Copper Isles."

Jon nodded. There was a knock at the door that had him turning. "That will be haMinch. Come in."

Naira watched the man who came in closely. He was average height, taller than Alanna but shorter than George, and had brown eyes and closely cropped brown hair with silver threads running through it.

"Your Majesty? You sent for me?"

"Yes, Lord Padraig, I did," Jon replied. "First, Alanna, Padraig, you two know each other. Padraig, this is Naira, Alanna's granddaughter. Naira, this is Lord Padraig haMinch, the training master here."

Lord Padraig nodded at Naira, who blinked up at him, not sure of what to do.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, I have a lot of work to do to get ready for the start of term tomorrow," Lord Padraig said, looking up at his king.

"This shouldn't take long," Jon assured him, and then looked at Alanna. "Well, my Champion. Why have you called this meeting?"

"We're being formal?" Alanna asked, raising a copper brow. "My granddaughter, Lady Naira Crow of Kynlang of the Copper Isles, wishes to become a knight for Tortall."

They waited for some reaction from the training master and the king. Lord Padraig finally shrugged a shoulder and looked at Jon. "Well, haMinch?" Alanna asked.

He turned to look at her. "I'll accept His Majesty's word," he said simply. "If the girl wants to do it, and His Majesty agrees, I have no problem taking her on."

They all turned to look at Jon. Naira blinked her big hazel eyes at him. "Your Majesty, with all due respect, I'd like to say that I know I would be expected to pledge myself to Tortall when I became a knight, and I know that I wouldn't be able to see my family much, either, but I'm willing to do whatever I need to. It feels like this is what I'm supposed to be doing."

"Why don't you let her train for the probationary period and then see where she stands at the end of it." Alanna asked reasonably. "That's the policy with everyone else who comes to train." She was trying hard to be respectful, Jon could see.

"She's from another realm," Jon reminded his Champion.

"One who you're allied with," Alanna replied. "Doesn't it show goodwill toward the Kyprish Isles that you're willing to let the Duani's daughter train for her knighthood?"

"The Duani's daughter," Jon repeated, rubbing a hand over his beard.

"If I may say something?" Naira asked. Jon nodded. "I may not be what you were looking for in the next female page, but I'm willing to put in the hard work and do everything I have to in order to be a knight for Tortall. I won't give up the first time I get hurt, and I bet that's more than you can say for some of your other pages." She looked down, and then back into Jon's blue eyes. "Your Majesty."

Jon looked at the girl for a while, and decided she would be a real asset to the realm. He kept looking at her, and then glanced at his Champion. Alanna had a thoughtful look on her face. She glanced up at Jon and shrugged a shoulder before turning back to Naira, who was still staring at Jon. He finally turned back to her. "The realm could use someone like you. But why didn't you stay in the Kyprish Isles?"

"Because I didn't feel like I belonged there, Your Majesty," she said truthfully.

"Very well. Welcome to the palace, Naira."

Naira bowed to the king. "Thank you, Your Majesty. You won't regret this." She turned to Alanna. "May I go find Grandda now?" she asked.

Alanna nodded, and Naira left the room. Alanna turned up to her king. "Well? What do you think?"

"I think she reminds me of you," Jon said, rolling his eyes when Alanna laughed.

"Lady Alanna, does she have the Gift?" Padraig asked.

Alanna shook her head. "Not the Gift. She's got some wild magic, though. She's half crow."

"Can she shapeshift?" Jon asked curiously.

"Yes, I believe so," Alanna replied. "I'll tell her not to while she's training, though."

"I assume she's got a good hold on it, considering her parentage, but we might have Daine just take a glance and make sure everything's under control," Jon said, and Alanna nodded her agreement. "One more thing to address, then."

"My involvement," Alanna said, knowing what was coming.

"Your Majesty, may I go?" Padraig asked uncomfortably. He knew what had happened when Keladry of Mindelan had been allowed to train, and didn't want to witness it, or be caught in the crossfire.

"I'll let you know my decision later," Jon said, nodding. Padraig bowed his way out of the room.

When he had gone, Alanna looked her king straight in the eye. "I know you wouldn't let me in when Kel was training, but this is my granddaughter."

"The gossip will be worse, especially when it gets out that she's from the Kyprish Isles."

"I doubt she'll care, Jon."

Jon sighed. "Look, Alanna, the restrictions that were in place for Keladry of Mindelan are the same as the ones in place now. You still have the Gift, and conservatives still think girls cannot fight."

"People will say what they want to say, you know that. You've known that your entire life. But this is my granddaughter."

Jon sat back in his chair and didn't reply for a minute. "Very well, my Champion. But be careful."

Alanna raised an eyebrow. "Aren't I always?"

xXx

The next morning, Alanna walked Naira down to the page's wing. They finished putting Naira's belongings in their proper places in her new room when a woman walked by. She put her head in and saw Naira getting ready.

"Miss, hello. I'm Kyriel. I run the page's wing. Have you come with a servant?" She stepped all the way in. Naira looked her over quickly. She noticed the hard arm muscles under the woman's sleeves and the no nonsense look on the woman's face. She looked young, only around Naira's mother's age, and had brown hair and eyes that matched.

"No, I haven't," Naira replied.

Kyriel nodded to Alanna. "My lady. I apologize for my rudeness."

"No worry," Alanna replied. "I just came to help my granddaughter with her things."

Kyriel looked at Naira again, startled this time. "Oh, I see. Well, miss…"

"Naira, please."

Kyriel nodded. "Naira, then. I brought your keys." She explained how they worked so that none of the boys could break into her room, just in case they had a thought to. "I'm the only one with copies, though I'll give a set to a maid if you decide to hire one. In the meantime, one will be assigned to your room."

"Thank you, Mistress Kyriel," Naira said.

"Of course, Naira. If you need anything, you let me know."

Naira nodded, and the woman left the room. Naira looked up at Alanna. "Are we going to be allowed to see each other?" she asked softly. Her green-hazel gaze was serious meeting Alanna's violet one.

"Yes, we will. I spoke to Jon about it, and I'm allowed to visit you."

"Even though people will think you used the Gift to help me succeed?" Naira asked, glancing away.

Alanna sighed and ran a hand over Naira's hair. "Even though," she agreed. "It's about time for me to leave for now, though. I'll see you now and then, and you know where to find me, okay?"

Naira nodded and then threw her arms around her grandmother in a fierce hug. "Goodbye, Grandma."

Alanna left the room and Naira fixed a couple of things in her room before poking her head into the hallway. There were a couple of boys standing outside their rooms, waiting for something.

Padraig ha Minch came down the hall with a group of pages at his heels. There seemed to be about ten or twelve in this group, though Naira knew there were more pages than this.

"Probationary pages! Turn out!" Lord Padraig called out loudly. Two more doors along this hallway opened and boys came out. Lord Padraig surveyed the new pages one by one.

"You probationary pages will each be assigned a page sponsor. They're at least a year older than you and have been through their probationary years, so you should listen to their advice and pay attention to what they tell you." He waited a beat, and then continued. "We'll go around and introduce ourselves, then, shall we?" He pointed at a new page halfway down the hall. "You there. Name and fief."

"Niko of Goldenlake," the boy said, voice shaking lightly.

"Who'll sponsor him?" Lord Padraig asked. A couple of pages raised their hands, and Lord Padraig pointed at one. "Grant of Harprill." A boy with messy black hair and dark brown eyes stepped up.

Lord Padraig went around the rest of the new pages. Each was placed with a page sponsor. Finally, Lord Padraig turned to face Naira. "You, probationary page. Name and fief."

Naira raised a brow as if to remind the training master that he already knew her name and fief. He stared back at her, waiting, until finally she glanced away from him. "Naira Crow of the Kyprish Isles," she said clearly. She looked at the training master and then at the others, daring them to say something against her. She heard the phrase 'Lioness' granddaughter' more than once, and 'spy' a few times, as well.

"Who will sponsor Naira Crow?" Lord Padraig said, looking around. Naira could tell he didn't expect anyone to pick her, and mentally shrugged. She would deal with whoever was assigned to her. She saw a few hands were raised, oddly enough, and her brows pulled down in a frown. Lord Padraig pointed at one of the pages. "Dreahnn of Queenscove, you will sponsor Naira Crow of the Copper Isles."

"Yes, my lord," a girl said. Naira couldn't see her for a second because of the others in front of him, but slowly, the boys moved out of the way, looking at the female page, and a girl with straight black hair and bright green eyes came to stand next to Naira.

She glanced down at Naira and smiled. "Nice to meet you." She stuck out a hand and waited for her to shake it.

"Nice to meet you, too," Naira replied. She stuck her hands in her pockets and leaned back against the door to her room, waiting for Lord Padraig to finish. When he had, she straightened, but kept her hands in her pockets.

"All right, pages. Time for breakfast, then lessons. I'll see all of you on the practice courts after midday." He walked down the hall. The other pages began to follow, and a couple of the older boys bumped Naira's shoulder with theirs.

"Don't worry about them," Dreahnn said. "They do that to all the probationers."

Naira rubbed her shoulder slightly, narrowing her eyes. One more page came up from behind and hit her shoulder, nearly knocking over the smaller girl. Naira started toward him, and Dreahnn caught her by the wrist.

"As funny as it would be to see you take them on, now isn't the right time. If you wait until later in the morning, you'll get the chance to throw them in hand-to-hand." Dreahnn paused. "If you're good enough."

Naira let out a shocked laugh. This girl wasn't what she expected. They caught up to the rest of the group just outside the mess and were at the end of the line. They got their trays and piled them with food. Dreahnn led Naira down the rows of tables and sat down with a couple of other pages that were already seated.

They smiled at Dreahnn and then studied Naira for a few seconds before turning back to their conversations.

"So, Probationer, you're from the Kyprish Isles?" one of the others asked. She recognized him from earlier. He was the page sponsor of one of the other boys.

"It's Naira. Yes, I'm from the Isles."

He stuck his hand out over the table. "Grant." Naira shook his hand and then looked down at her plate. "So, where in the Isles are you from?"

"My family has land on Ikang Island, a place called Kynlang, but we live at the palace in Rajmuat."

"What's it like there?"

Naira looked around, confused. "I don't know. Probably the same as it is here."

"Have you met the spymaster? I heard it's a woman," one of the other pages said.

"The Duani? Everyone has met her at one time or another," Naira replied, and her brows quirked.

The pages heard the doors to the mess open, and Lord Padraig came in. He stepped up onto the dais and faced them.

"Before we eat, let us pray," Lord Padraig said. "We ask blessings on the start of the new term and ask that the Goddess and Mithros watch over all of us."

"So mote it be," the pages said in unison.

I hope everyone enjoyed this! Please feel free to ask me any questions. If I get them more than once on a particular chapter, I'll write them down in an FAQ. Thanks to everyone reading! Love, Sarah.