When she went threw the open door there were many whistles. Jewls blushed a
deep red and her eyes flashed a ruby red and then changed back. "I don't
think we've the pleasure of meetin'. Yer sure a pretty thing. My name is
Faleron and these are my fellow pages." The boy waved his hand at a table
full of boys. When Jewls looked closer she saw that there were two girls
there.
"My name is Jewls and I am from Carthak. And thank you for the compliment."
"You sound like a noble and you look very familiar. Do you have a title Miss
Jewls?' A very handsome boy asked her.
"Well, if you promise not to go all royal on me I'll tell you." Jewls told
the group which consisted of nine people.
"We promise," They all chorused at once.
"Well, I am Princess Jewls and my brother Emperor Kaddar and his wife is
Empress Athena. I believe that one of the mages at the castle, Veralidaine
Sarrasri, Daine for short was in Carthak not long ago. I never meet her
though. They kept me in the southern castle. I was too immature they said."
"Let me introduce everyone, Princess Jewls. I am Quinden, this here is
Merric, you already meat his sponsor, Faleron. Kel here is the first girl
page and Neal was brave enough to be her sponsor."
"Oh, I'll beat you down next wrestling practice, you know I can win, too."
Kel said in a jokingly manner.
"Sorry, Kel. Now, let me finish. This is Min; she wants to be a Shang.
Sever and his sponsor His Royal Highness, Prince Roald."
"Oh, Your Highness. I am sorry." Jewls said with much embarrassment. She
did a deep curtsy and fanned her skirts around her and sat with her head
facing down.
"You said you did not want to be treated like Royalty, neither do I." The
handsome prince said.
"He always gets the pretty girls likin' him. He is already engaged, too.
Plus it's my birthday." Quinden grumbled.
"Oh, well Happy Birthday, Quinden. Since I didn't get you a birthday gift
I'll give you something better." Jewls walked closer to the boy and stood up
on a chair and then bent down to kiss the boy on the lips.
"Well, I think that that's the best birthday gift I have ever been give!"
Quinden exclaimed.
"Hey, my birthday is in two months, can you give me an advanced birthday
gift?"
"Yeah, me too."
"My birthday was three months ago, do I get a gift."
Jewls laughed, her laugh was like the ringing of a glass bell. She threw
her head back and her hair came out. "That's the first time I've laughed in
a long time."
"Where are you heading, Jewls?" Min asked.
"Well, I was going to go to the castle and become a Shang, like Min. If I
can't do that I'll be a page hoping the king doesn't ask where I am from."
"You a Shang or Page? That is the funniest thing that I have ever heard."
Merric laughed.
"Oh really? Well, how about a little match in the back? Shang fighting, no
weapons. I'll be right back, wait here for me while a change." Jewls
commanded, not asking if it was ok.
"Can I come with you while you change?" Quinden asked. This comment brought
mean stares from both Kel and Min.
"Let's go upstairs. Come on Kel we have to help our kind." Min said
They went up stairs the whole time both girls asking what in Mithros
possessed her to say she would challenge Merric, who was a good fighter. She
told them that she knew how to fight Shang ways very well. Jewls explained
that she had been training with many different Shangs since the age of three.
None of them would ever let her rest, all saying that her previous trainer
hadn't worked her hard enough. Both girls thought that Merric was in for a
surprise. Jewls put on black breaches and a white top. Then she took off
her jewelry and put on leather shoes. "Can you please tie my hair back,
Min?"
"Sure," the girl answered. The girls walked down together. "Let's go to the
back." Jewls said.
Both Jewls and Merric started to do their stretches. Jewls was aching a little from riding bareback yesterday. They stood up and got into fighting positions. "May the fighting begin." The prince said
Merric rushed forward and Jewls threw him over her hip. "Bad move"
someone whispered. Merric was surprised but thought that that was the only
move Jewls knew, well he was wrong. Jewls threw some more Shang tricks at
him, though wincing every time her thighs moved in and out quickly. She had
learned to ignore pain from her previous teachers. The end, she pinned him.
"Good job, Jewls that was a great fight." George complimented. He had just
come out when the fight had started.
"Yes, well said George. I think that I will go home to the castle and
tomorrow I will have a black eye, bruised stomach, a sprained ankle, and
three broken fingers. I think we all misjudged you, you are regal and you
can fight." Merric admitted.
"Thank you, Merric. You fought well, but I had a head start in a way. I
have been practicing with Shangs since I was three, even before they let
others become Shangs. You see the captain of the ship always let people
'hitch' a ride. Most of the time a Shang was on board." Jewls said
matter-a-factly. Jewls made them go and see her horse and Prince Roald told
her that Opal was a full-bred Arabian, which cost a lot of money. Although
the horse still looked quite thin and wild. She had been very lucky on
finding Opal. They had to say good bye around one in the morning. They had
snuck out of the pages sleeping quarters and needed some sleep.
"Bye, we'll see you tomorrow. It was nice to meet you." They all said.
"Thank you all very much. You all are very kind. I would be happy if you
would let me be your friend." Jewls hinted.
"Oh, you don't need to ask. We will see you at the castle a lot, and then we
will be able to decide if you are worthy." Min said. Jewls had a look of
horror on her face, "No, I am just joking, we can't really say that we are
friends if we only have known each other for 3 hours."
"Oh, I am sorry, its just that I have never have a friend," Jewls said in a
low voice.
"Well, if you act like you did tonight, I am sure you will have many at the
palace, just be your self." Sever said.
"Good bye, I'll see you tomorrow." They left quickly, barely making a sound.
Well they seem very nice and I would make very good friends. I won't mind living at the castle. And I was nervous that they wouldn't like me. Jewls thought.
"Time to get up, Princess. Rise and shine. Today we are gonna see my
beautiful wife, Alanna." George bellowed in a too cheerful manner.
"How could you be so damn cheerful. George what do you drink?" Jewls asked
groggily.
"I'll be waiting for ye in the stables in ten minutes."
Jewls washed her face and put on her blue tunic and her white breaches. She looked good since her eyes were sapphire colored. Then she put on her favorite necklace, it was all of the stones that her eyes could become and in the middle was a small chamber that was the color of her eyes. It was one of the only things that she owned that was magicked. Then she put on the matching eardrops. Jewls put her hair back with a leather tie. Then she packed all of her things and went down to the kitchen and had an apple and some bread.
Jewls went down to the stables and took some hay from the loft and pumped
some water in a bucket. "Opal, Jewls brought you some food. That's a good
girl." Then while Opal was eating Jewls went to look for George. She
couldn't find him so she went back to the inn and placed the money from the
night in a draw in a desk. She would tell George where it was on the way to
the castle. Jewls then went out to the stables and borrowed a currycomb for
Opal.
"Jewls, are you in here?" George called.
"Yes, Baron George, I am over in the last stable. Do you have a saddle that
I could buy, I don't like bareback very much." Jewls said.
"Just call me George. Yes, we can go to the market to get you a new saddle.
And you mean to say that you rode all the way from Port Cayan Bareback? How
did ye come bye such a beautiful horse, anyway? I am sure you did not sneak
it off of the ship, too." George questioned.
"No, I rode all the way from the forest that separates Port Cayan and Corus.
This horse, Opal, I found in the forest." Jewls told the man.
They rode to the market; Jewls was still riding bareback. When they
reached the area where horse supplies were sold, they got off and started to
look around. At the seventh stand that they were looking at Jewls found the
most beautiful saddle and reigns. There even was a matching blanket. The
saddle was brown leather and had jewels all around it. The reigns were the
same and the blanket was a beautiful array of colors. I must have this set,
Jewls thought. "How much is this?" Jewls asked while pointing to the
beautiful set.
"That is way out of yer price range, young 'un." The man said a little humor
in his voice thinking that such a small child could buy something so
expensive.
"I asked how much the set is. Do not disappoint me kind sir. I am much more
important then I look." Jewls said in a very royal manner.
"I said it would be way out of yer price range." The rude man stated again.
"George, I will be right back." With that Jewls walked off.
A few minutes later Jewls came back in her deep red dress, her eyes were
the color of blood rubies. Her hair was piled neatly on her head with a lock
fallen on her cheek. Her necklace had the large ruby in it, to match her
eyes. Same were her eardrops. Jewls padded along in her delicate red
slippers. She had also put her crown/tiara on for the full effect. Everyone
stared at her wondering what a royal person, a girl at that was doing in the
market with out a bodyguard. They all moved out of her way. "Excuse me
sir." Jewls said to the man. "I would like to buy that set, now." Jewls
commanded.
"Oh, I am so sorry little girl but I said that I think that it is out of your
price range. And I will call a guard if you think fit." The man's back was
to her.
"Yes, I do think I need a guard to settle this." She walked out and called
for a guard, the closet one came, along with a man on a horse behind him.
Jewls immediately recognizing the king, for he look a great deal like the
prince curtsied. "Oh, Your Royal Highness, I am sorry that I have to bother
your guard, but there is a man in there who will not let me buy the saddle
that I want." Jewls said while her face was still facing the ground and her
dress was fanned around her.
"Get up, child let me go and talk to this man." King Jonathan told her.
They walked to the tent and the man was still cleaning with his back to
them. George was watching from the corner. "Excuse me sir, please let me
buy that saddle." Jewls said in a very regal manner.
"I thought that I tol-" the man didn't finish his sentence because he turned
around and saw that Jewls was dressed as a princess or a lady and the king
was with her. "Oh, I am very sorry your highnesses. Forgive me." The man
begged.
"Why didn't you let young..." The king waited for Jewls to fill her name in.
"Princess Jewls of the Carthak islands, my brother in Emperor Kaddar."
"Why didn't you let Princess Jewls buy the saddle set?"
"Well, um she looked poor and I didn't want her to be taking my most prized
saddle for such a little price." The man mumbled.
"Now, sir will you please let me buy the saddle?" Jewls asked for the fifth
time.
"Um, you can have it as a gift. I am truly sorry that I ignored you." The
man said with a little hesitance.
"Oh, well, thank you. You are most kind. We will not pursue the matter
further." With that Jewls left the tent.
Even the king didn't pursue the matter further. He thought that Jewls
was very young to be out in a city by herself, let alone a city that she
isn't familiar with. I must invite her to lunch. He thought. "Princess
Jewls, will you please accompany me to lunch?' King Jonathan asked.
"Oh, yes that would be fabulous. Oh, wait. What about George? Can he come
too?" She pleaded.
"Yes that is fine. Who is this George?"
"Highness, You must remember me." George said.
"George Cooper, why didn't you say so. Come on let's go and eat."
They headed off to the stables and Jewls saddled Opal up. With that they
left to go to the palace.
