This is just a mere, what, fourth? of Kel's past. Enjoy, sorta.

Also, Sorry about the authors notes. I'm not putting anything at the end of the story or it will ruin the effect of Samson's last line. Have you noticed that the summary has the date of the next week it SHOULD be updated? Neat, huh?

Warning: The flashbacks, etc, is when the rating and the genre comes in. K(plus) isn't much, but, just a little warning. I thought T was too strong. REVIEW!

Actually, how I said I wanted 4? 4 LAST chapter and 4 this. If I only get two, then (sniffle) you hurt my feelings...

(hold hand out) Hot cross bun? If you review? Triple Chocolate? Or if you gave up chocolate...A cookie?

"I'm just thinking about what happened when I met her."

"Sure." Ky said, "What happened?"

"Well…"

"Kel's parents, Ilane and Piers, they were in Tortall at the time of the Immortals war.

"When the war started, they told Kel to go and stay with the archers at the castle. She, being her warrior self, even as a small child, trudged along miserably but was also allowed to shoot, for she had already learnt the use of a Yamani bow.

"That was how she saw her parents die.

"They had been valiantly fighting the Immortals and the soldiers. Ilane with her fierce glaive and Piers with his sword. Both of them were there when Ozorne's forces started to activate the battlefire (a/n: I can't be stuffed to look in my copy of RotG). They were the ones that had disguised as enemy troops and deactivated them.

"On their way back, Daine's dragon, Diamondflame, I think it was called, had scorched them and Ozorne's allies that they were fighting. She has hated that ever since.

After the Yamanis found out that Ilane and Piers had been killed they withdrew their alliance and marriage offer immediately. That is why Prince Roald is betrothed to Princess Erika (a/n: don't ask. I just thought that if Ilane and Piers died then the Yamanis would withdraw it but I can't think of a suitable Shinko replacement)."

"So, what happened next, Samson?" Ky asked.

"Well, I found Kel and taught her all I knew about rogue work. She proved to be stubborn and a quick learner. At the beginning when I found her, she refused to tell me what happened, but I kept her on a trust factor. I told her about me and I hoped that, in the end, when she moved on, she would trust me enough to tell me what happened.

"And she did.

"After she told me, she made a decision to go study Shang training. By that time, she was 12, and too old, but the masters accepted her, knowing how fiercely she trained everyday and how determined she was to be a warrior. Even though I learnt she was from a noble fief, she felt Shang was a better option."

Ky didn't know that. "What fief?"

"Mindelan. But Kel didn't wish to return to her Aunt who was looking after it. Nobody else knows how Kel's parents died (a/n: Anders, Inness and Conal went 'Poof!' or something. I don't know! I think Kel would want to return to Anders but not her 'dragon' aunt).

"She also did not want to go to be a Knight because in that year, the training master, Lord Wyldon of Cavall, had put Vivian of Raven's Hall on probation. When her probation was over a year later, Lord Wyldon said that Vivian was not good enough to become a knight. I presume that Kel had heard of that even at the Shang Base."

"Samson, who was her sponsor? Because sponsors are very crucial to a page's success."

"I heard it was that Joren of Stone Mountain." Samson replied.

"Stone Mountain! His family is the most conservative of all the conservative families. How did Raven's Hall get him?"

"He seemed to be the only one that volunteered, besides Nealan of Queenscove. Lord Wyldon said he was in his first year and therefore could not be her sponsor.

"Anyway, At the Shang Base, Kel – or should I say Keladry of Mindelan – trained for six years. Now she is back and I feel it is strange." (a/n: this didn't come out right)

"Has she got a rank?"

"Ky, she didn't tell me. But Gerak, the one who started teaching her how to spy, said that she had ripped her sleeve while climbing up a thorny wall. It didn't seem like she noticed it, for it was the sleeve only – no blood appeared – and on her shoulder (a/n: the flat triangly-shaped bone but I don't think they have a name for it) was a picture of a griffin with an amber aura."

"That's curious." Kyalia said, thinking.

"Very."

"I think we should ask her, Samson."

"No." Samson replied, voice firm, "Let her keep her privacy. She will tell us when she's ready."