A/N: So as I write this I realize something that most of you have probably figured out; this story is close to wrapping up. I'm thinking a maximum of five chapters more. But then again, that can always change, so yeah. Thanks to all my reviewers, favorite-teirs (yes, I do make up words) and followers. I love you guys!
Thanks to: Ann, The Booknerds, Moored Mermaid (even though the review was for the first chapter) ZabuzasGirl, and BamaRose19.
The day of the big exams, Francesca woke nervous. Part of her knew that the chances of failing where slim. Francesca knew the material that she needed to pass; she had easily passed the previous three exams, as well. However, there was something about knowing that if she passed this year's exam, she would be a squire, which made part of her doubt her ability to pass.
If, even minutes after the exam ended, someone had asked Francesca specifics about the exam, she wasn't sure if she could have answered.
Francesca smiled at her friends as they came to congratulate her on passing the big exams. Someone cleared their throat behind her, turning she found herself face-to-face with her parents. She hadn't known that they had even come. Her father was a tall, pale pock-marked man, his face was stern. Her mother was a small-ish woman; she had once been a beauty, but no longer, perhaps due to an almost constant displeased expression on her face.
"Mother, Father," Francesca greeted them with the shock she felt, but did not move to embrace them. They made no move towards her either.
"Well," her mother said, cold blue-green eyes that looked the same as Francesca's own surveyed her, and those around her. "At least you haven't done something foolish, like broken your nose or scared your face. We might be able to save your reputation, and find you a suitable match. Though of course you'll have to stay away from such poor influences." She glared towards Fianola and both lady knights. Francesca gritted her teeth; her mother was saying this knowing full well that she could be heard clearly, as the room began to quiet.
"Mother, please," Francesca felt herself flush slightly in anger.
"Even if we cannot make a match," her mother continued as though she hadn't spoken. "Then you can easily be sent into the service of a god. They rarely turn down even disgraced women from that. We may very well have to go that route. Are you satisfied now that you've made your point," her mother demanded. "Now stop acting like a spoiled child. I refuse to let my only daughter ruin the reputation of her family the way some thoughtless, selfish women do." She gave a pointed sniff, in the direction of the two lady knights. "I raised you to be a proper lady, not some two copper whore."
"Enough," Francesca told her, tone as chilled as her mother's. "You are speaking of my friends and their relatives. More than that, you are speaking ill of knights of the realm, who've done their duty to keep you and others safe when the Scanran's attacked. If you cannot be civil, then please be silent."
The slap came so suddenly that Francesca didn't have time to stop it. One cheek began to glow hot, and she stared at her mother. The room went silent. She wanted to be shocked, but Francesca just felt resigned.
"How dare you speak to me that way," she snarled, eyes narrowed to slits. "I have never been so insulted in my life, and by my own daughter."
"I cannot in good conscience allow you to speak ill of my friends and their family, without speaking up. If you are insulted by that then so be it." Francesca was glad her voice was even, and for once, she didn't care if the entire palace was watching.
"You are no daughter of mine," her mother hissed. Turning on her heel, Lady Florzile of Nond strode from the room. Francesca looked at her father; he'd remained silent through the exchange. He stood, looking between his wife and daughter. He met Francesca's gaze for a moment only, before turning without a word to follow his wife.
Francesca swallowed the unexpected lump in her throat, before she squared her shoulders and turned to face her friends who all watched her with varying levels of pity. Francesca lifted her chin, silently refusing to let anyone pity her.
Aisha walked up to her, and pretended the entire scene hadn't happened. Francesca silently thanked her old friend. Slowly the others followed her lead.
At dinner that night, Francesca could hear the whispers and felt the eyes on her, she knew that everyone was discussing the scene with her mother. When she got back to her room that evening, she found several pieces of paper on her desk, she leafed through them; Francesca found it was the bill of sale for Snowstorm, made out to her. A grim smile touched her lips. This was her father's version of an apology.
She had been a squire for a few weeks, before she was approached by a knight. When the knight finished the offer, Francesca could only stare open mouthed in shock. It was Rain who helped her find her voice – by biting her hand. When she realized how long she'd been silent, Francesca's words stumbled over themself to accept the offer.
"Ofcourse, I'mhonored, I-I-I- Thank you, my lady," Francesca stuttered, staring at Lady Keladry with wide eyes. The next few hours Francesca's head was still spinning. The week after she'd become a squire, Francesca had brought Night to the palace and stabled her there with Snowstorm.
Francesca sat in her new room, attached to her new knight-mistress's courters, thinking.
She knew that it was probably wrong to continue to keep her visions a secret, the chances of her having visions that would either revel part of Lady Keladry's life that wasn't truly her business was very great, at the same time she might have a vision that the knowledge she gained would be important to the knight. She knew that she had to tell her…didn't she?
Francesca ignored the fact that Rain was lying on her bed, watching her pace, as she thought furiously. She couldn't ask any of her friends what to do. None of them were in the palace, and Francesca figured that if she was going to tell the lady knight her secret, the sooner, the better. Francesca didn't notice when the ugly dong, Jump, stuck his head through the connecting door way, she wasn't sure how long he too watched her pace, before he woofed quietly, drawing her attention. Looking at the door, Francesca found herself blushing with embarrassment, Lady Keladry stood in the door way, she looked slightly amused.
"Is something wrong," the knight asked kindly. "Jump says you've been pacing for a while."
"Do you have wild magic, my lady," Francesca asked, surprised. Kel shook her head and explained how Daine had made the dog and sparrows more intelligent. Francesca, looking over at Rain, simply told her knight-mistress, that she wouldn't be sure if that was a good thing or not, had she been in the knight's shoes. The woman chuckled, and asked again, if something was bothering Francesca.
"Well," Francesca began hesitantly. "I – I'm not sure how to tell y- a friend, something." Francesca told her, as she began to pace again. "I know that I probably should tell her, but," Francesca shook her head. "I'm not sure if it's the best thing." She grimaced and sat down heavily next to Rain. "And right now, I'm probably not making much since. Please forget it my lady," Francesca gave the knight, a tight smile.
"The Yamani's have a saying;" the knight told her. "'You need not unsay, anything you did not say in the first place.' Does that help at all?"
"I wish I could say yes, lady knight; but now I'm wondering if I should have told yo - her, in the first place." It looked like the knight was about to respond, when Rain decided to put his two copper sum into the mix.
The bobcat moved to sit on her lap, and put his front paws on her shoulder. Glaring at her, Rain put his face very close to Francesca's and hissed, before she turned and left the room, without bothering to swipe that the sparrows that flew lazily between the rooms.
"Well," Francesca said, rubbing one shoulder where Rain had dug in his claws. "Either he was upset about something, or he is telling be to say what I have to say."
"I've always found," her knight mistress added cheerfully. "That any animal can make itself understood, even without the assistance of a wild mage, when they truly want to."
As the knight turned to leave, Francesca bit her lip and stood.
"Lady Keladry, there is something you should probably know." The knight looked at her expectantly. "I – I'm a seer," the knight's face showed no surprise, but after all she'd heard of her, Francesca expected that. "I think that, if I'm to be your squire, you should know that."
Francesca stood, waiting nervously for the knight's response.
"Well," Kel sighed and scratched her head. "That explains what Irnai said before I left New Hope," she seemed to be speaking more to herself than to Francesca.
"Who," Francesca asked, a bit hesitant, "Is Irnai?"
"A young seer child who lives in the former refugee camp turned town, Sirs Merric, Nealan and I were charged with building and guarding during the war. She told me that I would another seer, I guess that would be you."
Francesca felt a little better, she hated lying to people. Aisha accused her of using her shyness to push people away, so that she didn't have to feel like she was lying to them. Francesca would never admit it to anyone, but Aisha wasn't completely wrong.
Later that evening, Francesca was eating in the now mostly deserted mess hall, when a vision hit her.
The day of the tournament was sunny and beautiful. She watched as the two knights rode their horses to opposite ends of the tilting lane. All around her, people whispered. This was a match that many wanted to see – the conservatives because they wanted to see 'the upstart Mindelan bitch' put in her place; the progressives because they wanted to see someone unhorse Lord Wyldon of Cavall.
Francesca, who had been set away by her knight mistress stood with Alan, Fianola, Liam and their knight masters. Just as the match was about to start, Francesca said loudly.
"Ten gold nobles says that Lord Wyldon gets unhorsed." Lord Raoul and many others nearby quickly took the bet. Alan, Fianola and Liam kept trying to catch Francesca's attention, to ask if she knew how the match would end. But Francesca kept her gaze and focus on the match.
In the first pass, both lances shattered. Before accepting their next lances both knights shook out their arms. When the signal came, the two thundered down the field towards each other. They crashed together, and one of the knights seemed to waver in their seat. Each received a new lance for the final pass. The entire stadium seemed to hold its breath. The last time these two knights had jousted, Keladry of Mindelan had been a squire, and Lord Wyldon, who unhorsed everyone, had not unhorsed the female squire. The signal came, and on rushed to two mounts, carrying their knights towards each other.
There was a splintering crash, the crowd watched as both horses danced to keep their riders in the saddle. Slowly, as though he was falling through molasses, Lord Wyldon of Cavall, slipped from his saddle. After a minute more a struggling, the lady knight found her balance, and looked towards her former training master, who was now picking himself up from the ground next to his mount.
The sound – both cheers and shouts of disbelief – was deafening.
Francesca was grinning as the vision ended, and wondered if she should tell her new knight mistress about it. She decided against it – telling someone about certain event in their future, could sometimes affect the outcome.
The next day, Francesca began training with her knight mistress. After three runs on the tilting field, Francesca found herself looking up at the sky.
'I'm flying,' was her only thought before she slammed into the ground. As she tried to get her breath back something large, white and soft nudged her face. She sat up she saw her horse. At the other end of the tilting lane she saw a knight – both of them were wearing padding a glance around revealed that they were on the practice courts.
"Feel up to another go?" the knight called out.
"Sure," Francesca muttered. "My family already thinks I'm insane – might as well prove them right."
Standing, Francesca remounted Snowstorm, and mentally prepared herself for another pounding. After several more rounds – and more time gazing at the sky – Lady Keladry told her to see to Snowstorm and to get lunch. As she reached the stables, Francesca glanced back at the field, she saw her knight mistress speaking with the handsome sergeant Domitan, from the King's Own. Remembering the short conversations she's had with the man, and the vision concerning the sergeant and lady knight, Francesca smiled slightly, idly wondering when that particular vision would come to pass.
The next day, Francesca rose at dawn with her knight mistress. Days ago, when the lady knight had discovered Francesca's habitual dawn workout, she'd seemed both surprised and pleased, today she'd invited the girl along to the glaive practice between the queen, the princess, and Lady Keladry. Having never used the weapon, Francesca was weary, at best. At the same time, she was eager to learn the strange weapon – eager to learn whatever she could from Lady Keladry.
As the day drew on, Francesca spared with Liam, whose knight master had returned to the palace. Upon returning to her room after, Francesca found Jump and Rain lying on the bed, curled up together. If that wasn't shocking enough, the dog continued shot looked at the door connecting her room to her knight mistress, which was slightly open. At first, Francesca heard nothing from the other room, then as she was about to remove her boots, she heard muffled voices. After a moment's hesitation, Francesca moved to the door. She knocked on it lightly and called to her knight mistress. She came to the door quickly, her face slightly pink.
Francesca opened her mouth to ask about the second voice she'd heard – and the knight's pink cheeks, when peering around the knight, she saw Sergeant Domitan; his face was also slightly flushed. A knock on the knight's door, made all three jump. Francesca hurried to her door. Sir Nealan was in the hallway, knocking on lady Kel's door.
"She's not there, my lord." Francesca told him, the knight turned and asked where she was and when she'd be back. Francesca responded that she wasn't sure, and promised that she would inform her knight mistress of his visit.
Turning to face her room, lady Kel watched her with a mildly surprised look. Francesca looked at the ground for a moment, and shrugged. "I thought that you might want to…" she hesitated for a moment. "Well, it's your business, not anyone else's."
Somehow, that night set a pattern, the sergeant and Lady Kel began to court in secret, it seemed that someone always came looking for one or the other when they were together, so Francesca took to making excuses and misdirecting them, to help the couple keep their secret.
Over the next few weeks, Lady Kel took every opportunity to let Francesca practice various weapons against other knights. As fall came to a close and winter began, Francesca and her knight mistress headed up north. The ride was pleasant, and in a little over a week, Francesca, and her knight mistress arrived at the thriving town of New Hope.