I know I'm horrible. Sorry again. I had a bunch of reports and exams in the last two weeks or so. Even now I'm trying to study for my Oceanography exam. I hope this can make up for the wait.
Stifling a groan that could have been caused by pain or exasperation, Eleni did as custom dictated and gave her neighbor a passive "Good morning".
And still Schuylar the Fool wouldn't stop grinning. That damned smile was fixed onto his face and no amount of glaring could diminish it. Just as she was reaching her wit's end, Warren of Dunlath, the fool's sponsor, stood before Schuylar.
Warren was a lagre boy, but there was not an ounce of fat on the boy's body. His body was all muscle, thanks to years spent on training in his home fief and the two years he had trained under Lord Paidrag. Thankfully, he didn't get the Training Master's personality, as evidenced by his warm smile.
The boy was kind, there was no doubt about it, considering that he had let Schuylar live after spending a day with the buffoon. Warren was a good page sponsor, and had made the new page feel welcomed.
As the two boys joked with one another, the icy claws of dejection began to wrap around her heart. Her sponsor had tried to kill her. Why, she had no idea, but she did know that she would never go near him again. Even now, as her eyes searched for him, she knew that last night had been real. The bruises certainly were, so the rest of the night must have been.
There he was, the little viper, waiting with his master and fellow lackey. Although, looking back, Eleni thought that maybe, just maybe, there might be a power struggle between the two lads. Both were loyal dogs of the girl page, and both looked capable of becoming rabid at her command.
"Myles," a gentle voice called, pulling Eleni out of her mind and back to the real world. Warren had been speaking to her.
Turning red from the embarrassment of being caught while drifting, Eleni apologized profusely. "I'm sorry, I was not paying the proper attention to an olde-"
"Don't be so serious, Myles!" The fool was touching her. He was leaning his taller, and heavier, frame on her delicate shoulders. It hurt, but Eleni didn't notice. No, not when the bumbling moron had the nerve to touch her so casually.
"Get off me." It was a tone that was easily recognized on the Islands. It was the same tone her mother used while interrogating spies. It was the only warning people ever got. Schuylar was born lacking common sense. Just before Eleni lost her temper, Warren stepped in.
"Let him be, Schuylar." Warren was a kind soul. Who he saved in that instant was not clear, but he probably saved both pages. "Pirate's Swoop," was all it took to get Eleni's focus. "I heard that Tirragen will be unable to perform his duties as a sponsor properly." Her eyes flew to where the damn snake was laughing with Pier. "If it would not bother you, and since Schuylar has agreed, would you mind sharing a sponsor?"
And so, with a small shake of her head and a happy smile, Eleni went off with the two boys. Breakfast was a peaceful affair, with Eleni's only worry being protecting her food from Schuylar's wandering fork. Warren was proving a very good sponsor, carefully answering the questions his two charges had, even if some of them were less than meaningful.
Through Warren's gentle guidance the two new pages managed to take care of all manner of tasks, not least of which was getting regular and formal page clothes. The seamstress and her two assistants caused both pages to turn bright red with their teasing. That their joint sponsor was there to witness the teasing did not make the situation any better.
Schuylar, being as lanky as a willow, had to have all of his uniforms taken in drastically. The poor lad had to stay still as one of the assistants pinned his tunic, all the while commenting on his physique.
"Don't they feed lads anymore?" Giggles sounded from the other two women. "Don't worry, lad, I'm sure that you'll fill out your clothes in time."
"Jane, let the boy be." Though Warren had a traitorous grin set on his lips, he did feel sorry for the poor boy. Gods knew it was torture when these women saw fit to tease. "The boys will grow soon enough. Did you forget what I looked like two years ago?"
"Begging your pardon, my young lord, but I recall a small devil who would let us fit his clothes. I suppose you have grown in the past few years." A wicked grin passed by Jane's lips. "Although now you are nothing more than a larger devil."
As more giggles sounded and Warren turned red along with his charges, Eleni realized that her turn was soon approaching. With a wink from the assistant, Schuylar was finally allowed to hide behind his sponsor.
Eleni let out a sigh and let the women prod and pin her clothing. It was embarassing to hear the comments, but the process itself was nothing new. Women, even little women, were always being fitted for one dress or another.
"You're pretty quiet lad, not shy are you?" More giggles. It seemed that the pages were to be the day's entertainment. Eleni was nobody's fool, that profession could be left to Schuylar. "Come on, lad, won't you give us a pretty word?"
"My mother always had my clothes tailored. " Silence. Blessed Mithros, how sweet silence could be! "My sister and I did this many times. I've learned not to argue." Eleni's words sobered the room, at least for the few minutes it took to finish altering her clothes.
However, by the time they were finally able to leave, the women were back to their happy chatty selves, and the pages were trying to leave as quickly as possible. As Warren led the way back to the pages' wing, Schuylar felt the need to fill in the silence.
"You have a sister, Myles?"
"A twin." Eleni did not feel up to talking. She had barely managed to get the women to be quiet, and now the fool felt the need to speak. Why, Mithros? I liked him quiet.
"Are you the older or younger twin?"
"Older." Well, she thought, Myles is older than me, if only by ten minutes.
"Any other siblings?"
Aggravated by his consistent prodding, Eleni let out a disgruntled noise. "Two younger brothers, also twins, a mother and father, a murder of crows that live in the palace courtyard, and a dog that my sister is now caring for. Anything else, Schuylar of Nicoline?"
"Favorite color?"
Schuylar knew he was tempting fate, but he never expected Eleni to tackle him to the ground. He never expected something so small to be able to knock him off his feet.
Acting as if it was an everyday occurrence, Warren pulled Eleni off of Schuylar. "Now now, boys. Play nice or you won't get to play at all."
Warren knew that taking on the quiet Myles while already having the inquisitive Schuylar would cause some friction, but he never imagined that Schuylar would annoy Myles so readily. In his opinion, Myles needed to learn patience and Schuylar needed to learn how to control his tongue. Both pages left much to be desired.
"If you refuse to get along, I will refuse you my company and banish-"
"Who would want your company?"
"Schuylar you can stay in your room until dinner." For once, Schuylar's ready smile faltered. "Now, Schuylar. You will learn obedience and you will learn respect." As the dejected boy walked away, Warren called after him, "I do it because I care!" It didn't make the punishment any better.
"Are you going to say anything, Myles?" Warren half hoped that the little page would say something smart, but only recieved a small shake of the head from the girl. "You can speak, you know."
"Mother taught us respect." She had. Aly Crow was a reknowned woman, wife, and mastermind. One did not cross her, as her children learned early on.
"You just tackled another page onto the floor," he reminded her with a grin.
Letting out her first laugh since arriving at the palace, Eleni corrected her statement, "Mother taught us respect for those who are our superiors."
Warren couldn't deny the smile he had. The girl was quick, that was for sure. Maybe, just maybe, Myles of Pirate's Swoop would make it past page training. He already had the wits, now if only something could be done about his size.
"Have you always been that scrawny?"
Put off by Warren's word choice, Eleni retorted in a way that was definitely less than respectable. "Have you always been so nosy? You're worse than Schuylar!"
The smile broadened and Eleni knew that she had done exactly what had Warren wanted. She had lost her temper.
"You, Myles have just granted me a free day. You are dismissed to your room until dinner." A wave later, he was walking back down the hall to a farther staircase. "You are to remain there until I come to collect you and Schuylar."
Dumbstruck at how the day had turned out, Eleni trudged her defeated self back to her room, unaware of the predatory eyes that watched from an alcove.
Sorry I could do more. I promise that after this horrible "let's test the students thorugh essays at the same time" phase dies, that there will be a nice chapter. Thanks for reading!