Chapter 20: Knight Master

It was the morning of Adalia's fourteenth birthday and she was in the process of following Flick through the palace. In the last few months, the Shang had insisted that she join in a glaive practise that took place insanely early in the morning, and the women that practised included Queen Thayet, Princess Shinkokami, Lady Yuki, Lady knight Keladry (when she was not out with the Own) and other Yamani ladies living in the palace.

"Why can't I have a day off on my birthday?" Adalia grumbled, rubbing her eyes.

Flick just ignored her. She knew that Adalia knew very well why she couldn't have a day off; warriors who had days off usually met an untimely end on the battlefield. Flick also knew that the girl wasn't too bitter; if anyone had a right to be annoyed it was Flick because she could only occasionally beat Adalia at any kind of combat these days. Instead of being annoyed, she was proud that the girl had gained such mastery at so early an age.

They arrived at the courts, and those already practising gave them cheerful greetings. Flick hoisted a glaive and started a sparring match with Yuki, while Adalia reluctantly paired up with Thayet.

Adalia had learnt early on that the Queen tolerated no one going easy on her, and in any case, she was almost a master, having been practising it every morning for Adalia's lifetime and longer. Thus Adalia felt guilty that her own somewhat unconventional and random education on the uses of the glaive, although Flick had continued her education after Kula started her squire years, were enough for her to beat the monarch.

Thayet just laughed when Adalia sheepishly admitted this, and said it was good for her ego, as she was evenly matched with the Yamanis. Adalia easily twirled the glaive around and disarmed the Queen, because just as usual, she was too tired to temper her abilities so early in the morning.

After they had been practising a few minutes, Thayet addressed Adalia teasingly; "I think I am going to leave you to someone who may be able to help your ego. I know mine's bruised."

Adalia just stood where she was while Thayet moved off to start sparring with Yuki. She was all too tired to worry about finding someone. She decided that since there were no more partners left, she would start a pattern dance.

She only had time to just begin when another glaive collided with her own, stopping her smooth downward cut.

This threw out her concentration, and she looked up, surprised. She kept on looking up when she noticed that the woman standing in front of her wielding the glaive was nearly six foot tall, with brown hair and hazel eyes.

Adalia grinned at her, "Milady, I didn't think you'd be back so soon."

Kel smiled back, and removed her blade, moving it into a ready position. "Glad to see you too, Adalia, but remember, call me Kel."

All drowsiness forgotten, Adalia mirrored her movement and concentrated hard, feeling excitement pulse through her veins. Kel was on a level of her own, and Adalia hadn't yet managed to defeat her.

A lightning fast display of skills ensued. Glaive's flashing, the two started a conversation.

"So, how was Elyve?" Adalia inquired while spinning away from Kel's glaive.

"Terrible. There was a large nest of spidrens that we had to exterminate before we could return." Kel responded, while blocking Adalia's onslaught.

"Any casualties?" Adalia continued her attack, limiting Kel to defence.

"No, thank the gods. It was a bloody battle though, one man lost an arm." Kel responded gravely while successfully blocking Adalia, and then feinting to her left side, while swinging around the blunt end of her glaive to rap her legs.

Adalia winced when the end hit her legs, and quickly took a few graceful steps backwards to avoid further injuries. Now limping slightly, she patiently waited for Kel to come in again.

Kel complied, and the two continued to spar furiously, all conversation forgotten, as full concentration was needed.

After a long battle, Kel disarmed Adalia, making her glaive fly across the court, and in the same move, resting her own at the girl's throat. "You've still got a bit to learn, page Adalia."

Adalia broke into a big grin, delighted, "Finally!"

Kel laughed, and finally manage to say, "What?"

"Finally! Do you realise how much my teachers have said lately that they have nothing else to teach me?" Adalia's violet eyes were dancing with glee.

Kel shook her head, "Well, it would seem as though you have a lot to learn from me."

Adalia did a handstand to express her delight, startling laughter out of the ladies gathered around. It was around then that Thayet said, "Well, ladies. I think that's enough practise for today. We better freshen up."

Adalia joined them in the women's bathhouse, and then headed off for breakfast in the mess.

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Two short weeks later, Adalia, Dameon and Kaden were waiting nervously in the page's mess along with the other fourth years to take the dreaded exams that would determine if they could start their years as squires.

A servant came into the hall, "All fourth years, follow me."

Adalia whispered, "Good luck" to her two friends as they all got up and filed slowly out of the hall.

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A bell later Alanna and Kula were waiting nervously for Adalia to exit the exam. Alanna was pacing back and forth, "It can't take this long! It should not be allowed to take this long!"

Kula tried to make herself as unnoticeable as possible, as she had had much experience with her knight master's temper in the past year, and had no wish of bringing it upon herself.

They both looked up as the door that they were waiting by opened and Adalia walked out, face grim. They stood shocked while the girl walked towards them slowly.

"I – I…" She began slowly… "I passed!" She screamed delightedly, dropping her pretence of being sad.

Alanna and Kula stood there, mouths open absorbing that she was intentionally trying to make them believe she had failed. "Don't ever do that again! Honestly…" Alanna began, trying to keep her voice stern, but failing miserably as she swooped in to pull Adalia into a hug. "Congratulations! Was there ever any chance you could fail?"

Kula joined the two, and after a few minutes they calmed down. Adalia said brightly, "Now all I have to do is find a knight master."

"Yes." Alanna agreed. She then bid farewell to her granddaughter, leaving her to pack.

Kula followed Adalia to her room, and the two discussed Kula's recent mission.

Adalia started packing, and Kula watched amused as her friend unceremoniously threw her clothes into a small bag. She had to laugh when Adalia had been looking for a particular dagger, only to find it imbedded in the roof.

"How did it get up there?" Adalia muttered to herself, hand on her chin. She shrugged the question off and jumped up to grab the flat hilt, extracting it from its bizarre perch.

Tucking the dagger into the small of her back, she pronounced, "I have finished packing."

Kula rolled her eyes, "Did that even qualify as packing? It was more like seeing how much you could stuff into that bag!"

"Of course it was packing!" Adalia replied. She then threw the bag into a corner of the room. "Dinner awaits, and by my reckoning I get to eat with you at the squire's table because I am a squire!"

Kula kept her face passive as inside she suffered with her own urge to either laugh or groan. She followed Adalia out of the room towards the mess. They gathered Dameon and Kaden on the way, both of which had also managed to pass.

They all crossed the hall to raucous cheering.

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"Up you get!" Flick wrenched the blankets away from her obstinate student. It was early in the morning, the day after the exams.

Adalia cracked an eye, and upon seeing Flick standing over her, groaned. "This must be a nightmare."

"Nope." Flick informed her happily. "Come on, or you'll be late!"

Adalia groaned and propped herself up on her elbows, glaring at Flick. "I am not a page anymore. You are no longer my teacher!" She said, delighted.

"Don't sound too happy or I'll be sad." Flick joked, and then lifted Adalia bodily out of her bed; pleased to see she had slept in practise clothes. "I am your teacher by choice, so you will practise with me while I am around, small squire."

Adalia twisted out of Flick's hold, but decided it was too much trouble to argue, so she grabbed her glaive and followed the crazy woman out of her room silently.

Adalia perked up when they arrived at the courts and she spotted Kel doing a complex pattern dance.

Grinning mischievously, she snuck up and braced herself to step in. When Kel spun, glaive flashing viciously in a lunge, Adalia blocked her, the noise of the collision ringing out loudly over all the other sounds of practise.

"Can I beg another lesson?" Adalia asked mockingly.

Kel grinned and started to make chopping cuts for Adalia's legs.

At the end of a spectacular bout that finished with Adalia on the ground, Kel's glaive at her throat, Kel offered her a hand. Panting, Adalia found her feet and eagerly accepted a water bottle from a servant that had stopped in his work to observe the spectacle. Kel received one likewise, in much the same condition as Adalia.

Still panting, the two made their way over to a seat, which they collapsed upon. It took a few moments to catch their breath, and consume enough water, for them to be able to speak.

After a few minutes of silence, Adalia realised that Kel was observing her closely. She looked up to her questioningly, shielding her eyes from the sun's glare. "What?"

Kel seemed to check herself, and slid on her Yamani mask, then asked offhandedly, "Would you like to be my squire?"

Adalia's violet eyes widened, and she could do nothing but register shock for a moment. She then stuttered, "I-I would love to! But… you haven't ever taken a squire before…why would you start now?"

Adalia noticed that Kel ever-so-slightly displayed relief at her answer, and the knight responded thoughtfully, "Well, lets see…"

She put up four fingers, and started ticking them off. "One. I suppose you know by now that there is going to be another Grand Progress next year? The King released the news last month. That means that I have to take a squire. Two. The reason I picked you is that you happen to be the best squire ever produced, Three: you are a girl, meaning there will not be some stupid scandal among the conservatives. Oh, and Four: I will enjoy teaching you the finer points of the glaive – as well as jousting."

Adalia looked up at her new knight master, stunned into silence.

Kel laughed, "I do believe that that is the first time that I have ever seen you lost for words."

"First and last." Adalia muttered. She then abruptly stood up and bowed to her knight master. "What will you have your most humble squire do?"

Kel got herself under control quickly and responded, "Well, my 'humble squire' would do best to collect her bags and deposit them into the room in my suite that is specifically there to host squires."

Adalia bowed, "Very good, milady." She started off in the direction of her window, not bothering to go the long way through the palace. Before she was more than a few steps away, she span around.

"And Thankyou." She added more seriously.

Kel just waved her off, and muttered "what have I gotten myself into?"

Flick, who was close enough to hear this, laughed. "You have no idea."

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Adalia hesitantly entered Kel's suite, and saw a small door off to the side. She had to go through an office, but on the other side was a room much like her old one in the pages wing – except it was much cleaner.

She got a surprise after she had dropped her bag when something large and hairy bowled into her, knocking her to the ground, and she screamed.

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Next Chapter: Jousting

Disclaimer: NOT TP

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