The All Important Disclaimer: None of the characters belong to me (except the obvious) but are Tamora Pierce's. Wish they did- I could use the money.
A/N: Sorry this has taken so long- you'd think being on holiday would mean I'd write more than usual, but no apparently not. I found this and the next chapter hard to write (it was going to be one but I realised how bad Ive been at updating and thought Id just post the first bit now) but I hope I'll be better at updating in future. Thanks for the extra few reviews though- it does help a lot. Someone pointed out that Dom was acting a bit like Neal being all outrageous. I guess I was trying to get his flirty side. Anyway please help and add more reviews- if only to give a poor first time writer confidence. Lol. Anyway enough babbling and here's the next installment.
Just so you know- italicsare aflashback.
Chapter 3
Jay pulled her dark grey skirts into some sort of order while trying to make her way through the heavy wind to the centre of the soldiers camp. She was sure to find Tally there, yet again in the company of a certain Sergeant. It had been two days since the Bandit raid and they had made fair progress towards Corus. They had finally set up camp for the night near Irontown, just south of the river Olorun and a short distance from the Great Road South.
She'd been told that they expected to arrive tomorrow afternoon and Jay was nervous with anticipation. If only she could keep Tally from running off every time she turned around. Mind you she was fairly sure some kidnapping was taking place on Dom's behalf. She had the feeling that he did so not only to spend time with the endearing toddler, but to tease Commander Raoul. Despite his intimidating appearance he was visibly uncomfortable, and often exasperated at the irrepressible youngster sitting in on their meetings.
Sure enough Dom was keeping Tally entertained by the main fire, surrounded by the sturdy grey, green tents belonging to the third company. Rather than disturbing what seemed to be a riveting story that Dom was animatedly telling the girl she instead sat herself opposite the two, where Kel was quietly sharpening her glaive. The girl squire was wearing her customary breeches and shirt under a green tunic with yellow trim.
There still seemed to Jay to be something at odds with Kel. Despite the clothes and weaponry, even her height, she appeared more of a dreamer than someone capable of the events a few days before. But then again she keeps that same level of calmness in battle, Jay thought to herself.
Kel looked sideways at her quiet companion. "You come looking for Tally again?"
Jay nodded and glanced towards the two sitting across the fire. "He seems to get on with her so well. Does he have his own children?"
Kel smiled slightly. It seemed to Jay she rarely showed much animation adding to her rather thoughtful and subdued appearance. "Dom have children? As a man of the Kings Own marriage is not permitted. Even if it was, I would doubt him becoming a married man anytime soon. He enjoys playing around too much. He's funny, kind and considerate but… well he's not the settling down type yet. He has younger brothers and sisters in Masbolle though"
Jay listened thoughtfully as she examined Kel's face. It was a mask but there was something in her words, an irony that suggested she was less than indifferent to the tall, dark sergeant. A young crush maybe, but there nonetheless. She decided to change the subject.
"How long have you been training to be a knight? Do all Tortallan parents encourage their children to fight?" she paused a second "Sorry for all the questions but where I'm from women fighting is not… permitted." In fact it was frowned on by all at court and women if they were to express such a desire (though none ever would) would have been shunned by society. With a smile on her face she decided not to inform Kel of her dubious moral character according to the stuck up nobles at the Carthaki court.
Kel showed her slight smile again. "No not all parents encourage there daughters to this lifestyle. In fact most disapprove. My parents understood my ambition though and the Gods know that my mother has proven women can protect what is theirs with arms."
Intercepting Jay's questioning look she explained. "I was raised in the Yamani Isles where noble women are taught to use the glaive for defence" she slided her hand down the handle of the weapon reverently. "They gave their permission and five years later, here I am, the second girl squire in three hundred years, though they didn't know the first time round."
Jay nodded again. She had of course heard the story of the infamous Lioness disguising herself as a boy to gain her shield. She thought she'd even caught a glimpse of her once when the renowned knight was visiting the palace six years earlier, part of the Tortallan delegation accompanying the wild mage.
"How about you? How did a Bazhir come to join a Tortallan merchant family?" Kel questioned.
Bemused by the question momentarily she realised that Kel thought her one of the Bazhir tribesman, with her light tan complexion. "Oh I'm not Bazhir. I'm from Carthak."
Kel's eyebrows lifted in a gesture of surprise "Whats Carthak like? All I know I learnt from my training, I've never been able to actually talk to anyone who lived there." She stopped a moment before continuing. "Well there is Numair but he hasn't been back to Carthak since Emperor Kaddar was crowned."
Jay stared at the fire thinking back on her childhood while rubbing the back of her hands. "It's… different."
Six year old Jay swung her legs over the edge of the platform which held the water pump. She'd started working in the kitchen a little under a week ago and she decided she didn't like it. It hadn't taken her long to decide. Within hours of her first day the witch of a head cook, Muvami, had hit her on the back of her head with a wooden spoon for getting underfoot. Beyond a half hidden glare there wasn't much she could do so she had taken to hiding under the huge wooden table to do her work.
The weather was sweltering as she fanned her skirts in an attempt to keep her legs cool. There'd been a drought in Carthak as long as she could remember and this was the only well in the capital, the country even, to be used so sparingly. Her lips were dry and cracking in the unforgiving sun and her usually lightly tan skin was darker than ever. Not that she minded, her childish logic had decided that if she stayed in the sun long enough she might go as brown as her mother.
She glanced around her and finding the courtyard empty she quickly cupped her hands into the bucket of water beside her and carefully sipped. Licking her lips in relief she took another guilty look around, this time seeing a patrol of palace guards turning the corner.
Quickly she jumped down the short distance to the ground rather than taking the shallow steps, and heaved the bucket down to carry to the kitchen. Hugging it to her body with both arms and attempting to take some of the weight on her hip, she struggled across the white paved ground.
She entered through the slave's entrance, trying to adjust her eyesight from the brightness of the outdoors. Keeping an eye out for the bad tempered head cook she carried her load slowly, trying not to slosh the contents of the bucket with each step.
She'd been gone far longer than her task permitted. She'd simply sat and soaked up the suns rays on her too light skin to escape the constant orders she was now expected to obey. Even at six she knew that she was worth less than those she was to serve; she'd been brought up a slave after all. Yet she still resented being taken away from her mother. She knew she was bound to be in trouble if she wasn't careful of those who saw her return.
Her entrance did not go unnoticed though. Too many people didn't see past her appearance and background. A teenage girl, barely fourteen, crept up behind her before reaching out and viciously pinching her right upper arm and then quickly passing by. This was all it took for Jay to yelp and drop her too heavy load. The bucket clattered to the ground, the noise attracting the eyes of all in the kitchen. Water spread over the hard tiles seeping into the cracks and running away from her in an ever-spreading puddle.
Still staring at the waters progress, too afraid to lift her eyes, she felt an iron strong grip grab her bruised arm where the girl had pinched her. She flinched as the cook Muvami dragged her across the floor, violently jerking her forwards. They stopped before the great stoves where Muvami could usually be found watching hawk-like over lesser slaves as they followed her precise directions.
Her unforgiving gaze was now directed solely on Jay as her voice cracked through the unusually silent kitchen "Why they permitted a God's cursed child in my kitchen I'll never know" Her usually harsh voice hissed loud enough for all to hear "You, child, are lazy and worthless, out sunning your pale skin in the sun while others work their load and yours. We cannot afford to lose so much water even in the palace. What you have lost today will be taken out on others. Our betters may expect this behaviour from a bastard but I will not abide it in my kitchen."
She clasped one of her hands around Jay's left wrist and the other round her fingers, so tight Jay could feel the bones grating together. She felt her hand being moved towards the stove and with widened eyes she squirmed and whimpered against the cook's surprisingly strong grip.
Slowly the old woman pressed the back of Jays hand against a large pot of water boiling on the stove. She must have held it there for no longer than a few seconds, ignoring the child's screams and fierce struggles, but to Jay it felt much longer; immeasurable, as the sharp pain reverberated round her body as her delicate skin blistered.
Once she'd removed the girls hand from the pot,Muvami threw the child back, watching as Jay sheltered her hand to her chest, sobbing and curled up on the cool stone floor. "Remember child, any further misbehaviour shall be dealt with likewise. Go and clean up the mess you have made." Jay stood, still crying but silently now, as she went in search of a cloth to mop the floor.
Jays mind returned to the present but still she remembered the past. Never again did she linger by the well or leave herself open to the jabs of others, both physical and the taunts which followed her. She worked withdrawn and obediently but the burnt hand was not an isolated occurrence.
Each time she was blamed for a misdeed within the kitchen she returned home nursing her hurt and her mother did her best to clean and bandage cuts or would hold a cold press to bruises and burns, all the while reminding her daughter that she could not afford to be clumsy or standout more than her differences already dictated. Jay accepted the words silently but all the while inside her head her imagination ran free.
She sighed and turned back to Kel. She explained how Emperor Kaddar had changed things and permitted her freedom but she didn't mention her past in any detail. It was behind her now and no one else need know about her background. Kel was a noble for all she was a warrior and Jay didn't want her opinion of her to go down anymore than it was already.
Seeing that Tally had fallen asleep with Dom, she bid Kel goodnight and walked around the fiercely burning camp fire. Rather than handing the child over and disturbing theher sleep Dom stood up and nodded for Jay to take the lead. He fell in beside her while they made their way towards the travellers' camp, set slightly apart from the soldiers.
They walked in companionable silence until they started approaching the wagon. "You don't need to worry so much about the past you know" Dom's voice rose over the quiet bustling of the merchant families getting ready to sleep, not whispering but softer than his usual clear voice. She glanced up in surprise. He had noticed her reticence on talking of her past when watching her and Kel talk by the fire.
"The people who matter here won't judge you. I'll admit there are those who still hold a grudge against Carthak for the Immortals War but people are more open-minded here than Carthak I'm betting."
She still hadn't uttered a word, surprised by his understanding. She nodded her head in thanks, grateful that he didn't ask her questions, instead only offering comforting words. Carefully he limbed up into the wagon and placed Tally inside before stepping out again.
"Right, I better get back to work. Still need to write my reports before we get to the palace." He wrinkled his nose with distaste but carried on "Hopefully I'll see you tomorrow but if not, I hope you enjoy it here in Tortall." He held out his hand and she took it with hers. They'd known each other only three days but the gesture seemed oddly formal to her.
"Thank you Dom. Goodbye if I don't see you tomorrow". They dropped hands and she waved him off before getting into the wagon and preparing for bed, all the while thinking on Dom's words.
The next morning after breakfast they prepared to leave. It was the last time Jay would help them pack up camp and observe them move in the odd synchrony of the well travelled. She paused a moment to watch them as they moved around each other, almost like a dance, knowing each ones tasks and their own.
Their life represented a freedom she had never had; they moved without restraint between towns and cities trading goods for their own profit. She'd miss that but she yearned for the city again. She hadn't been able to venture much into the bustling capital outside the palace walls but what she'd seen during her childhood fascinated her.
In a citya person could move anonymous through the crowds amongst all the wealth of colour and sounds. It seemed almost magical to herwhen all her life she'd thought there was something not quite right about her in comparison to those around her.Shaking herself from her daze shesuddenly became aware of the bustle around her. Quickly snapping out of her daydreamingshe turned back to her chores.
Hours later from the crest of a hill Jay looked down on Corus. Lying on the bank of the River Olorun she saw great towers raised against the back drop of a setting sun. She saw a maze of houses, both rich and poor and temples set apart from them all. Amidst all this were gardens and a view of the royal forest beyond. It was not as grand or as large as Carthak but in Jay's mind she saw herself roaming the varied streets, discovering its secrets and making it her own. She smiled deeply and with Tally's hand in her own she followed the wagons down.