It was six days later when they arrived in Tortall. "Oh, lets stop here, at the Dancing Dove." Lady Kathrin said in exhaust. They put their things in two bedrooms and went down to the pub. Downstairs they saw that all of the rouge had gathered in front of the queen, Melissa. She was handing out what looked like a map. Julie heard bits and pieces, so did David, and Will. After they got their dinner ordered and they scarfed it down, they told their parents that they were tired. Upstairs they pieced what they heard together. In the end this is what the conversation was:
"This is a map, it is labeled, so that it is easier to find Jimmy, the traitor." Melissa said.
"I hate that bastard, he turned in me only brother, Timmy. If I get me hands on the likes of 'im, He's really gonna get it." A man with red hair huffed. "It's alright, Johnny, we will find him, besides yer my brother, too. It doesn't always have to be by blood." Another guy with brown hair and a shaggy beard said.
There was a rumble of agreement. The rest of the conversation was about trying to catch Jimmy, and what to do with him when they got him.
The next day the family rode to the castle where almost all of their brothers had or were studying at. Registering in with Lord Wyldon, Lord Jaren had a reunion. Both men had gone to school together, and this is the first time they had seen each other in years. "Wow, so you're like Duke Gareth. I'm impressed!" Jaren said. "Well, you can put it that way," Wyldon laughed. "Are these..." "Three, there are three. David, Will, and Julieanna. They are triplets, and brimming with magic!" "My, oh, my, another girl (he said the word as if was on fire), now she and Kel can be friends. I will put her close to her brothers, ok?" Wyldon said, with an evil smile on his face. "Yes, thank, Lord Wyldon," Julieanna curtsied. Julieanna didn't like Lord Wyldon, even if he was one of his father's old friends.
Lord Jaren and Lady Kathrin helped their three placed all their belongings in their rooms. They then went to the squires' wing to see the other two squires. Julieanna had a happy reunion with them and found that all five of her brothers had known about Will and David, they even had met them. Her two oldest brothers even remembered them as babies. Julieanna held no grudge that her brothers hadn't told her. If they had, she would have wanted to find them and there would have been some sort of 'magical explosion.'
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Later that day, Julieanna was just doing last minute touches in her room when a girl her age walked in. "Hello, my name is Kel, you must be Julieanna," the girl said. "Why, yes I am."
"I am so happy that another girl is going to become a page, too. I thought I would be the only one!"
"Oh, I have always wanted to become one, but well, I always thought my parents would want me to become a lady, since I am the only girl in my family. When I told my mom that she was like 'Oh Julieanna, I just want you to do what makes you happy.' She said that in the voice that all moms have." "Oh, yea that voice. Yea, my parents were really supportive, although my sisters weren't. They always thought that I am becoming a knight because no man will marry, oh what do they call me? I think it is a pig or, no it is a cow, yes they call me the cow. They are so lovely and delicate." Julieanna laughed at this statement. "Um, is life here hard? I heard that I am on probation, is that bad?"
"Yes, would have to say that life is hard here. You train 24/7. Yes being on probation is bad. Wyldon, is the man that made girls go on probation. That means that you have to be perfect this year." There was a look of horror on Julieanna's face. "No, don't worry, I was far from being perfect." Kel laughed.
"Oh, ok, I was like, great, I won't last more than a, hmm, day!" Julieanna told the other girl in a joking manner.
"Yea, Wyldon, is pretty strict, but you get used to him, like you get used to a pebble in your shoe," Kel informed Julieanna.
"Oh, um, I never really liked having anything but my feet in my shoes, I would always stop everyone in the hike so the would wait for me, I guess I will have to learn!" Julieanna said.
In her room, Julieanna had curtains put up by the window since the shutters had become very splintered. The next morning Julieanna knocked on Kel's door, still half asleep and in her pajamas. "Kel?" She asked. "What is Mythos's name are those... animals that squeaked me up say about hmm half an hour ago? I tried to ignore them, but no they chirped and chirped. And me, the most sound sleeper in Methraina!" Julieanna said to the door. "Oh, them, those are my friends, they all have names. I feed them in the morning and in the winter they sleep in my room," Kel opened the door. "Oh, your friends! Now that is all better. That's ok that they woke me at hmm, DAWN! Oh no, I don't mind being waken up two hours before usual! Yea, in fact I like it, yea, especially my first day here!" There was much sarcasm in Julieanna's voice. She went back to her room, and fell asleep. When they were walking down to breakfast Kel seemed a little stand- offish. "What's wrong, Kel" Julieanna asked. "You act like I am gonna bite your head off!"
"Umm, don't you remember, this morning. You sorta did. I mean I am sorry that my birds woke you up and all it wasn't my fault. I really am sorry." Kel said.
"What are you talking about? I have no idea about your birds," Julieanna said in bewilderment.
"Um, have you ever sleep walked, or talked in your sleep?" Kel asked. "Yea, I have, maybe five or six times, why?"
"Oh, well, umm make it six or seven times," Kel said with a laugh as she retold Julieanna what had happened earlier this morning. "Really, no way? That is too funny! How did I look, I bet my eyes were still closed and my hair a mess!"
As the two girls walked down to breakfast, Neal ran to catch up with both girls. He caught part of their conversation.
"Oh, it was awful getting all the knots out of my hair! Some days I just want to shave it all off!" The blonde girl said.
"Oh, no! I would die to have hair like that; well at least I would if I was a lady, or after I had become a knight. Wow, it has been so long since I have talked to a girl about, well, girl things!" Kel said.
"Oh, I see you to are to deep in conversation to deal with unimportant people like me," Neal said sadly.
"Oh, no, Neal, stop it! This is Julieanna of Methraina, she is here with her two brothers, Will and David," Kel said.
"Pleasure to meet you Neal of..." Julieanna trailed off.
"Queenscove, Nealan of Queenscove,"
They three talked all the way to breakfast, Julieanna looking all around her to absorb her surroundings.
Will, David, where are you guys? I am about to enter the food room. Julieanna said.
"Boo!" Both boys shouted at Julieanna, Neal, and Kel.
"Oh! You devils!" Julieanna said.
Both boys were surprised that Julieanna had people with her. "Oh, um sorry," they stuttered, both blushed.
This is Neal and this is Kel, he is her sponsor. Kel's room is next to mine, on the right. Julieanna told her brothers.
"Nice to meet you Neal," Will said.
"Nice to meet you, Kel," David said.
"Wait, do we know you? I don't remember meeting you both, how do you know our names?" Neal asked.
"Oh, I told them," Julieanna said.
"When, we were here the whole time," Kel said.
"We can talk through our minds, pretty fun, huh?" David said with a smile at his lips.
"Oh, yea, sure, uh huh," Kel said. "No seriously, we can," David urged. Neal took David across the noisy room. They talked about horses. "Yes, I have a horse, his name is O' Shin, he is so black that he looks blue, its amazing! His eyes are bluer than the sea, or so I've heard. Julieanna's horse was named Rosy, but our parents gave us all new horses. Her horse's name is Win D the color is a piercing grayish silver, with green eyes. Will's is Fye Er who is almost red, and has brown eyes that are red in most light," David explained. Walking back to where the rest of the group was; Neal asked, "What did we talk about?" "Well, about horses, and you know all our horses names, now, and my old horse's name was Rosy," Julie said. "And my horse's name is Fye Er. He is a reddish brown," Will told the now startled Neal.
"Wow, that is so cool!" Kel exclaimed.
They all walked over to get some food before it would be all gone.
