I just wanted to thank all of the readers that have been reviewing up to now. You make me smile and type! The chapters are getting longer and this part of Eleni's tale is almost over.
The young pair made a quick stop at a room on the second floor of the inn. Perci told Eleni to wait a moment while he retrieved something, and she paused to wonder if her grandfather had a permanent room at the Hart. When Perci reappeared, he was carrying a long and thin wooden box. With a gesture, they continued on to the next floor and Eleni's room.
Setting the box down on the desk, Perci waited for Eleni to invite him to sit. A part of him refused to forget his manners in light of Eleni's current company. He had always prided himself on being an example of gallantry, and he was going to remind Eleni of their station in life. They were not common riffraff like the boy downstairs with George Cooper, they were aiming to be knights of the realm, and they were expected to behave a certain way.
"Oh, just sit down, Perci." Shocked, Perci was too distracted by how easily Eleni sat on her bed while there was a young man in her room. Did she always behave like this? Even with Merle Brown? "And close your mouth, silly. And before you start, I will not change my behavior. I may be wearing a dress, but I don't have to start acting like some addle-brained maiden."
Snorting at the though of his friend batting her eyelashes and flirting with some knight, Perci sat down at the desk chair. "If you order me to, milady. "He really couldn't resist teasing her. Ever since he had lost contact with Cerid, he hadn't engaged a girl in sincere conversation. He leaned around the chair as he said, "If you would come here, I have something to show you." Laying the box out across his lap, he waited until he had her attention. "The Baron had wanted to give you this himself, but I suppose that I will have to do the honors now."
The case was simple and unassuming, but a lifetime of gifts from her grandfather had taught her to not measure things by their outward appearance. She was right. When Perci opened the case, he revealed a gleaming sword beneath, laying on plush cloth. The mark on the steel blade was all that Eleni needed to see to measure the sword's value; it came from Raven Armory.
"This is my gift?" she whispered. The sword was so beautiful that Eleni was afrai to touch it just yet, although, it was very shiny and tempting.
Almost amused by her childlike wonder, Perci laughed a little. "Yes, it is. Would you care to hold it?" As Eleni reached to the sword, he added, "You should get used to the blade before we start our lessons."
Thinking that she had misheard, Eleni stopped her movements. "Lessons?"
"That's right. Your grandfather wanted to give you a new sword for the fencing lessons I'm to give you."
"When was this decided?" she asked hesitantly. Eleni wasn't opposed to lessons from Perci, he had always been a natural swordsman, but she was getting tired of people making decisions for her.
"He asked me when Sir Nealan and I returned two days ago," he answered. "We're to return to the palace tomorrow afternoon and begin private lessons until the beginning of training." Too wound up to notice Eleni's face, Perci continued on a little too smug. "Personally, after seeing the kind of people that frequent the establishment, I'm glad that you'll be returning to the palace with me. A lady shouldn't be around people like Master Brown, an-"
"How dare you!" Eleni shouted. There were plenty of things she could tolerate, but having her friends judged like this by initial appearances by people who thought thye knew better was grating on very sore nerves. "A lady," she bellowed. "Merle is a wonderful friend! And who decided that I would go back before I needed to, and that I would be your student?"
"You are a woman! And after what happened with in May…"
Ignoring Perci's explanations, because he was certainly not offering an apology for his criticisms, Eleni stormed to the door, wrenching the door open with more force than necessary. She didn't mange to get far, however. On the other side of the door was George Cooper, poised to knock.
"I take it you told her?" he asked curiously.
"Yes, sir."
Not one to be ignored, especially not now, Eleni pushed past her grandfather. "I refuse! Take your bribes and judgements back, and leave me alone."
Graceful for once, she stomped away from her room, intent on leaving as quickly as possible. She was almost the bottom of the staircase when she finally tripped over her skirts. It was expected, given the way she had been going about, but what wasn't expected was the pair of arms that caught her as she fell.
"Careful, little one," a voice whispered in her ear. Avery, for all of her pretty looks and elegance, was a man, and certainly had the strength of one. Steering the angry girl away from the main room, they headed for one of the many alternate exits. "Are you sure, you're the master's granddaughter?" she asked teasingly. "Because I can tell you that you were not subtle in anyway about your displeasure."
"How did you know I was angry?"
They had just passed through a concealed doorway into the back of the Hart and were casually strolling somewhere. People were still out at this time of the day, closing up their shops and heading home or to a tavern. A few torches had been lit already, and more would be lit soon. Corus was winding down for the night, and the slowing pace of life helped Eleni calm down.
"How did you know I was angry?" she asked, leaning into Avery's side for support, physical and emotional. The gorgeous man just put an arm around the young girl's waist and pulled her close. To anyone who saw them, they appeared to be nothing more than good friends, perhaps sisters.
"Besides the way you were trying to bring down the stairs? Oh, I think it was the way I, and a few patrons, heard you hollering." Giving Eleni a smile, Avery tightened her hold on the girl, in case she decided to bolt. "Tell me what happened, darling."
Over the weeks, Avery had coaxed bits and pieces of an account of the examination day out of Eleni. He really hoped that it wouldn't take her another to months to hear this tale; they didn't have that kind of time. Judging from the way the girl was frowning and worriedly biting her lip, it looked like he wouldn't get the story without some effort.
Reaching a hand up, Avery placed his hand under Eleni's chin, stopping the action. With unyielding tenderness, he asked again, "What happened?"
Sighing in defeat, Eleni admitted to what had happened. "They want me to go back to the palace."
"What's so bad about that?" They had started walking again. Avery might have been very capable with a dagger, but he wasn't going to lag about the same spot as the night swallowed the streets. "You knew you'd go back soon, anyway."
"They were trying to bribe me into going back early. Perci insulted Merle, too, and he called me a girl."
Laughter was not what Eleni had been expecting. "Loevly, in case you hadn't noticed, you are a girl."
"He was suggesting that I couldn't defend myself!" she retorted. "And you're missing the point. Perci was being a pretentious and arrogant fool. He judged everyone at the Hart from just a glance."
"Don't be offended on my account; I'm used to unfair judgements." It was true, given the path that Avery had chosen in life. There would always be people making assumptions without knowing all of the details, but that was life, and Avery had learned to let go of grudges. "That can't have been all that riled you up."
"I didn't like the way he spoke about Merle, made him sound like some tramp instead of the upstanding person he is." Mulling the brief conversation over, she furiously added, "And insinuated that I can't take care of myself!"
Without letting Eleni realize it, Avery had led her back to the Hart. The three-storied building was lit from within, the candlelight in the windows casting a soft glow. Even with the merry music heard from the main room and the welcoming laughter within, Eleni was uncertain about going back in. Perci and grandfather would still be waiting for her, and they would still insist on taking her back to the palace tomorrow.
Kneeling down to be eye-level with the much shorter girl, Avery clasped Eleni's face between his hands. "That pride of yours is a part of you, a very important part, but there are times that you need to keep it on a tight leash." He placed a chaste kiss on her forehead. "Thank you for trying to defend us, but that was not the way to go about proving a point. Storming out and avoiding the issue will only prove your friend right. It makes it look as if we're turning you into a little Scanran savage." Eleni chuckled at that, because Irina was infamous accidently setting things on fire when angered. "Go up there, and prove to them that you can reason without letting appearances and prejudices clouding your mind. Can you do that for me, darling?"
Trying to live up to Avery's expectations, Eleni straightened her back and nodded. It wasn't as if she could avoid her grandfather forever. She would have to face him eventually.
The door to her room was closed, but Eleni could still hear voices from within. Not even bothering to listen in or to knock, she pushed the door open and walked past the two men. They were certainly startled to see her back so soon. Sitting on her bed, Eleni tried her best to appear in command of her emotions and the room.
"I am willing to listen to what you have to say," she said to George calmly. "But," she interjected before he could speak, "Percival has to leave the room."
To say that the way Eleni addressed him so formally had hurt would have been an understatement. He had grudgingly admitted, if only to himself, that he might have reacted to Merle more harhly than necessary, but to have Eleni reject him like this frustrated him. After learning about her lies, her deception, Perci had forgiven her without thinking twice. Obviously, Eleni was incapable of doing the same. He left the room without George agreeing to Eleni's terms. If she would choose some urchin over him, then he wouldn't argue with her anymore.
Looking on as the angry squire slammed the door in his wake, George spoke to his granddaughter. "He told me what happened."
"Did he also tell you that he acted like a bigoted snob?" As easily as that, Eleni's attempt to be mature about the ordeal left the room with Perci.
"Not in so many ways, but yes."
"I don't want to go back. Not just yet." She would beg, but she'd be damned if she left without putting up a fight. "I like the Hart, it feels like home. People don't whisper about me."
"Not even after tonight?" George asked in all seriousness. "You're going to recognize very soon that you caused a scene tonight, and that the gossips won't forget it soon enough."
He was right. Why was it that everyone was right but her tonight? Eleni gleaned a little satisfaction from knowing that Perci, at least, had also been wrong; she wasn't alone. All the same, shame at her behavior made her bow her head.
"As to why I want you back sooner for fencing lessons, is was Alanna's idea." That made Eleni look up. "I know, but she knew that the boy was good with a sword and that he would be around for a time. There are worse teachers out there, Asher for one. Give him a chance and forget whatever he might have said. Perci means well enough, it's just that young noblemen don't know how to speak to a girl, for all that their lessons in chivalry are worth."
"That's the problem," Eleni said as she kumped down from her bed. "I don't want to be treated like a girl!" The very point of her disguise had been to avoid this, to sidestep the assumptions and idiocy that came with being female in a man's domain. "I just want to be treated like everyone else, and not as inferior."
"Who ever said you were inferior?"
Furious at how she was losing any ground she had gained, Eleni shouted out, "You did! You and Grandmother!"
George alone stared at Eleni, reliving various quarrels he had endured with his wife and daughter over the years. The third generation was living up the thei legacy, that much was certain.
"We are not saying that you are weaker, only that you should be opportunistic," George said carefully, knowing that Eleni was at the brink. "think of this as a chance to learn under someone who is gifted and willing and nothing more. You'll have a chance acquire training that the others won't have."
Eleni sat back down. There was truth to what George was saying, but she was still upset about it. Illogical as it was, Eleni was tempted to go against their wishes and remain in Corus, just to spite Perci. However, she reasoned, he was her friend, regardless of what he had to say about the staff and patrons of the Hart. He had accepted her as she was, she should be able to do the same for him. Also, George was right; Perci would make an excellent instructor, almost as good as Alex had once been.
Tensing at the the thought of her once friend, Eleni let out a grunt and crossed her arms. Shamelessly grinning, George knew what the gesture meant. Clapping his hands in joy, he got leaned off the wall and walked over to his unruly grandchild.
"I'll see you at breakfast, little one."
With a goodnight kiss he was gone, probably to seek out Perci and to keep the squire from doing something foolish. Laughing to himself, George thought back to how his granddaughter had dealt with the obstacle. Eleni had lashed out, livid that someone had chosen for her, and returned promptly enough to deal with the damage with just a hint of attitude. Just like Alanna would have done.
The lion cub was being to show its claws.
And her temper makes an appearance, because it's not a full show without her getting angry. And don't worry, they'll get over their fight soon enough.
Like I said, this part of Second Chances is almost over. I haven't decided if I'll be marking this as complete and starting up a second story as the continuation of the story, but it's looking like it. I want to give this part of Eleni's story a clean cut and go on to the more exciting parts of her life. Tell me what you think when you review.