Disclaimer: I do not in any way own anything in relation to the original Tamora Pierce stories. All flamers used to vandalize public property. (The school down the road hates you)
Mages Council
Chapter 4
Kel's morning routine was the same as always. She rose before dawn and practiced with her glaive, did her exercises and tended to her animals. She gave Lalasa some tasks for the day, and dressed, before leaving her room for breakfast. On her way down the hall, she ran into Neal, who was waiting in front of the door across the hall from his own. Wondering what he was doing, she stopped.
"Umm...Neal? What're you doing?"
Neal started. "Kel! Hi! I'm waiting for our newest page. I've been appointed her sponsor."
Kel blinked. "Her? It's a girl? Are you serious?"
Neal nodded. "She'll be out in a minute. Wait with me and I'll introduce you properly." Just then the door opened. Kel turned quickly, almost knocking into the girl. "Oh." It was the girl from last night, followed closely by her dog. She was wearing a page's uniform, tailored to fit, and her long golden hair was pulled back into a tight braid, which was wrapped around her head. Today, one of her eyes was purple, the other green. She didn't blink, but merely stuck out her hand. Kel took it automatically, glad to find that there were no staring games or tests of grips.
"You must be Keladry. I'm Ariel." The girl's slightly accented voice was soft.
"Kel. Pleased to meet you." Kel kept her voice light as she looked Ariel over. Neal smiled gallantly, as if the whole thing had been his idea.
"Great! Now, lets get to breakfast shall we?" Never a lively one in the morning, he was eager to eat and be done with it. Both girls smiled and followed him down the hall. When Merric and Seaver joined them, Ariel dropped back to talk to Kel.
"I hear you use a Yamani glaive?"
Kel nodded cautiously. "Oh, good!" Ariel said, with surprising enthusiasm. " I fear my skills have been dulled by lack of use for several years, but will you deign to practice with me?"
Kel started. "You know how to use a glaive?"
Ariel nodded. "My mother believed in knowing how to protect oneself. She taught me the use of the glaive. I used to be quite good at it." Kel's mouth fell open. "Of course I'll practice with you! It's been a while since I've had a chance to fight properly with a glaive!" She exclaimed.
Ariel smiled. 'Thanks. This'll really help." Kel nodded. Just then, they reached the mess hall, and anything else they had to say was drowned out in the noise.
––––
Ariel was happy. She had been delivered slightly too large clothes this morning and had used a small amount of magic to fit them properly. She'd spoken to Neal about what she could do with her hair, then withdrawn to fix it. Once she'd woken Chester, she'd stepped out into the hall. Neal was waiting outside, talking to the girl from last night. Ariel stuck out her hand, not allowing the other girl to surprise her.
"You must be Keladry." The other girl returned her handshake firmly. As they set off down the hall, Ariel did her best to diffuse the tension between them, seeing that the girl might consider her an enemy or rival. By the time the reached the mess hall, the tension was forgotten. Ariel had a feeling that this would be the beginning of a friendship.
The morning was taken up in combat lessons and riding. Ariel held her own easily in each class, guiding her assigned horse effortlessly, and easily moving in sword work. She and Kel were assigned to work together quite often. "They must think that we deign to be twins." Kel muttered to her as they were assigned yet again to practice sword blows and blocks together. Ariel laughed, drawing the attention of Lord Wyldon, who had been thoroughly offended at having another girl thrust upon him. "Is there something funny? Would you deign to share it with us?" He swooped down on them. Not waiting for an answer, he proceeded to quicken the pace, until some of the pages began to make mistakes. He cracked down on any who did, causing much grumbling and a couple of dark looks to be directed at Ariel. She ignored them.
Eventually, the bell rang and everyone gratefully left to ready themselves for lunch. Ariel walked back to the castle with Kel and Neal, trading insults about Wyldon. "Seriously," Ariel commented, "He must believe that we contrive to be twins, I haven't sparred with anyone else all day." Neal nodded. "I did attempt to partner Kel or you once or twice but he kept assigning me to spar with the first years. It was quite annoying. They aren't very good you know." Kel elbowed him. "Of course they're not very good, it's their first day, you idiot." As they rounded a corner, they ran directly into Joren and some of his first year squire friends, whom Kel had whispered were Zahir, Garvey and Vinson. They stood directly in the center of the hall, barring the way. Kel, Ariel and Neal stopped. Joren stood directly in the center, flanked on both sides by Vinson and Garvey. Zahir hovered in the background, his eyes on Ariel. Both groups stared at each other silently.
"We don't believe you deserve to be here." Joren finally informed Ariel. Neal growled. Ariel glanced at him and the expressionless Kel. "I'm sorry you feel that way," She responded. "But I don't think it's any of your concern what the crown decides to do." She stepped around him. His arm shot out, grabbing her shoulder. "Take my advice, and leave now, before we ensure that you can never return." Ariel looked over her shoulder at him and grinned. Her eyes flashed purple, then shone a disconcerting green. "I'll remember that, Squire Joren." She shrugged her shoulder out from under his hand and continued on down the corridor. Kel and Neal followed silently, pushing past Vinson and Joren.
"I don't like him." Ariel commented as they turned the next corner. Neal smirked. "Just a hunch here, but I'm pretty sure he doesn't like you much either." Kel elbowed him. "He especially didn't like it when you called him 'Squire Joren'," She told Ariel. "I think he took it as an insult. You should be careful, he may shed his flakes on you." Ariel nodded gravely. "You're right. I wouldn't want to be infected with anything that came from him." Neal snorted. Ariel glared at him. "You are a sick minded savage. I hope you are nibbled to death by ducks." She informed him. Kel smiled. They continued on.
----
The rest of the day passed quickly. Ariel had no need to attend afternoon classes, as she already knew how to bow, address different levels of nobility, in addition to being a mathematical magician (as she was dubbed by Neal after she was tested by one of the Mithran priests) and a well learned young woman, so she explored the palace instead. She ran into Daine in the gardens, accompanied by Chester, who had disappeared mid-morning. She greeted Ariel warmly, and invited her to sit with her on a bench. "Your dog there is a confusion to me," She told Ariel. "He isn't like any other animal I've ever met. He speaks to me like any other, but as if he was something more than an animal, more intelligent than even something I could cause." Ariel smiled, and reached out to rub the dog's ears. Chester's eyes closed, and he pressed his head into her hand. "Chester isn't a normal dog," Ariel told Daine. "He's a familiar. Kind of an advisor. He's only young yet, but this is as old as he will get until I die." Seeing Daine's frown, she explained. "A familiar is what comes when you perform a certain life changing magic. They are more than animals, they're higher beings. Some call them a gods blessing, as they are awarded to those who willingly give up themselves to save more. More than a few people, but a nation, maybe. Chester appeared when I gave up my life and power to hold the land together when an enormous wave hit Jirajen, and endangered everyone on the island. I'm not quite sure what happened, and I probably never will, but apparently, that act was a sin purifier. Only they know why, but the gods let me live, and, better yet, they gave me Chester, to help me. He is bound to me, and me to him. If he should die, I would probably die, and if I die, he would definitely die. He's my biggest weapon and my greatest weakness." She fell silent. Daine watched her quietly. "I won't tell anyone." She said after a moment. Ariel smiled her thanks. She spent the rest of the day with the older woman.
----
That night, Ariel once again sat with Neal at a table, this time accompanied by Kel. Kel, Ariel discovered, was big on vegetables, and bullied Ariel into finishing a plate full. Neal, laughing, was also forced to finish a (larger) plate of them. This time, Ariel was introduced to more pages, and had others pointed out to her. By the end of dinner, and dismissal, she knew most of the pages by sight. When dismissed, she excused herself and went to visit Daine and Numair.
----
The feeling of being watched came upon Ariel suddenly, as she made her way back to her rooms from seeing Daine and Numair. She glanced over her shoulder. There was nothing there. The halls were deserted. She pressed closer to Chester, and readied her magic. Something wasn't right. As she turned a corner, she was slammed into a wall. She heard a thud, and growls, as she pulled her leg in and snapped it out, hitting her attacker in the leg. The person collapsed. Another was on the ground, with Chester standing on his chest, snarling. The last threw themselves at her. Ariel's hand flew up, and they froze in midair. She looked down at the person on the floor. Unsurprisingly, it was Joren. The one guarded by Chester was Garvey. Vinson floated in midair, cursing. Zahir was nowhere to be seen.
Ariel knelt down beside Joren, who had propped himself up against the wall. "Stupid." She remarked. "You forgot I'm a mage." He spat at her. Ariel dodged it easily. "That's not nice." She nudged him in the leg, causing a gasp of pain. With a wave of her hand, Ariel let the still cursing Vinson drop to the ground. "Next time, try to remember the magic." She stood and moved off down the hall. At the next corner, she paused and whistled for Chester. The dog leaped clear of Garvey, and trotted down the hall to join her. The last she saw of the three boys was Garvey and Vinson lurching to their feet. She continued on her way, and reached her rooms without further trouble.