Pride

When I wrote my first TP fic it was just supposed to be a one off, but I have had such great reviews (spare a moment for my head swelling) that I decided to write another.
It’s not really about much it’s just something I decided to write.
Radar 
Thanks and Enjoy…
The attractive brunette young women watched the battling page with amusement. Her lightly tanned face crinkled up with a smile when the page swung a punch that connected with enough force to drive back her opponents head with a crack. Horse Lords is he going to wish that his ma had never given him the gift of life when that shiner comes out tomorrow. Her wry consideration of the battle halted as she winced when the squire on which she focused received a booted kick to their midsection in retaliation to their punch. She studied with a professional eye the skilled way in which the page rolled and slapped the ground after that kick had caused them to lose their balance. The effect of that slap and roll eased the impact of their fall and enabled the page to spring to their feet ready to attack or defend. 
‘She’s strong, trained and fast.’ The far sent contemplation breeched the mental barriers that the brunette had built up during her analysis of the battle. The purple crystal that she held in her hands flickered around the edges with a coal coloured fire dancing with sparkling lights that was like the starlit sky overhead. 
‘Powerful truly, but has lax in her movements that show she has not had her exercises cast in stone. Her body is willing to learn more’ The brunette sent her reflection inwardly and out towards the crystal in her palms. Her ability to see the aura of magic allowed her to watch as a tiny thread of copper fire floated from her torso into the crystal lit black fire surrounding the violet jewel. The magical fire transformed the copper thread into whitely lit one and then it fed the former copper strand into the jewel.
The sense of amusement that the young women had felt returned, but the emotion did not come from her own heart but from a woman miles away. ‘I remember thinking the same of you not so long ago my dear’ 
The pleasure that the other woman’s comment made was nostalgically warming. The young woman’s mind ran over images of arguments, tantrums and stubbornness, scenes that at the root were all based in friendship and love. ‘I only pray to Mythross that she is not as stubborn and grumpy as me.’ The Young women expressed through the copper fire that was her magic, into the crystal. She grinned in genuine humour a few moments later at her friends retort.
‘Would that you or I be any other way. Our faults are our greatest charms!’
The scrap that the young squire had gotten into with the two other boys’s had now been broken up by a rather large serious looking man. The man’s face seemed to shift and change in the dull torchlight of the stable where the fight had taken place, but that movement was only created by the flames light caressing and picking out the pattering of white scars down the mans face. Scars that were an attribute to his bravery but also to his mule headed nature for he had refused the aid of a healer in removing them. She listened to the comical denial by all three pages that they had been fighting. Cubs testing one another out for generations had used the falling down defence, and now it was merely a convention that preserved pride, but lessened the punishment not a whit. 
‘Is that the line that George uses over you to win an argument?’ The brown haired young woman communicated back to her mental conversation partner. 
‘No, the one he uses when he is aiming to get back into my good book’s!’ The warm voice in the woman’s head paused for a moment, and laughingly concluded ‘

And when he is aiming to get back into my sheets!’
‘Numair hasn’t been an ass to often to need a line that rouses my humour.’ Was her naughty rejoinder to her friend.
‘Yet! Give him time my dear and I’m sure he will learn to crawl with the best of them’ The brunette laughed out loud into the dark room in which she meditated at the wicked sense of fun her friend sometimes possessed.
The young page in the woman’s vision walked stiffly and dejectedly back to their rooms. The page’s one eye was closed due to the fluid swelling its neighbouring tissues. Bruises only showed that hurt flesh was healing but most times they just ended up looking down right nasty and on this particular page they didn’t look pretty. It was a shame really, the world isn’t about a persons looks but about their actions, yet as the forlorn little page was a girl she did sometimes want to look nice. The punishment for fighting and for lying about fighting for the Lady page was to muck out extra stables after lessons for two weeks She supposed that she wouldn’t look or smell nice now for weeks.
‘Have you seen enough tonight Lioness?’ The young woman who in her mind eye observed the Lady page, tilted her head of naturally ringleted curls to one side as she conveyed her thought. Exhaustion was beginning to spread not just from her mind but also to her whole body. Purple fire glittered up from the jewel in her palm and she felt a light goodnight kiss press from that light onto her high cheekbone. 
‘Get some rest, can I observe her two days from now? I want to see if she puts my bruise balm on her eye. Thank you for allowing me to watch her even if I cannot help her.’ The mellow voice in the young woman’s mind was softer and quieter before as if snow had gently blanked down upon her ears.
‘Of course you can, I like doing this I think it is helping me centre my energy more. It’s only irritating that I’m banned from seeking her out. I don’t know what possessed the Training Master to only allow her to come to me and not the other way around’
‘Idiotness? Lets not get into that now, I’m storing my anger till I can do something about it. Dream well little one. Well I suppose you can guaranty pleasant dreams when you know their maker personally’
‘G’nite Alanna. I’ll be sure to put a thought out to Gainel for you before I close my eyes’ Then the feeling of sharing her mind with three people was gone. Only one other awareness still speckled in her mind, that of a little brown sparrow.
‘Thank you Crown for allowing me to use your eyes. You were so right to tell me that you wanted to befriend the girl who smelled of the faraway sunny places. Kel is worthy of your affection. Roost well Crown.’ The young woman stretched her lithe body as she rose from the floor on which she had sat for the last two hours, while sensing the tiny birds pride over what she considered her girl, the page.
The woman broke her connection with the bird that now settled on the pillow of the girl page in her room. She travelled the corridors and halls to her rooms. To a large door that had imprinted in a brass plate her name, and that of her lover.
She was aiming to put her spelled key into the lock when the door flung open and a dishevelled but handsome man stood in its archway.
‘I have been attempting to call you for hours.’ Was all that the man commented. The state of his clothing proved that he had been desperately needing to talk, however she was not his possession like in some relationships. 
‘I was chatting’ The brunette walked into their suite and settled eventually on a sofa. Her tall lover sprawled beside her and lifted the now opaque jewel from her lap. The bright amethyst of before had vanished from the glowing surface. 
‘I ask to whom at this hour of the night but I know it is absolutely none of my business. I can guess however’ He twisted the crystal in his large hand. He had crafted the crystal as a gift for her only a few months ago, and now she never went anywhere with out it. It allowed her to transform her Wild magic thought his powerful Gift in doing so enabled her to transmit her thoughts to whomever she wished, as long as that person possessed the Gift also. He returned it to her with a smile on his soft mouth and in his warm brown eyes.
‘I hope you told her hello from me Magelet.’ 
Veralindaine Sarrasri stood and took the large hand her mate offered, pulling him to his feet. She smiled up into his face, and urged him along to their bedroom. ‘Let’s go to bed Numair.’ She walked a few steps before confusion caused her to halt, and in doing so his arms rose up around her body. ‘Why did you want to talk to me so urgently anyway?’ Daine felt the tingle as his warm chuckling breath swirled around her hair. 
‘To tell you to stop nattering like an dumpy old merchant on his last buying voyage home.’ He grinned as she swung around in indignation. After a second her face melted into a snooty and all worldly smirk. 
‘The Lioness just told me the line that George has to use to make her smile after he has joked too much. You had better come up with one fast!’ Numair started to roam his hands up and down her back.
‘And why would I want to do that, you look, well all fiery when your angry’ he whispered throatily. His breathing becoming more erratic.
Daine skipped a couple of steps back, and commented ‘You be all wired up and fiery out here on your own while I’m in there asleep if you don’t think of a line and quick.’ She crossed her arms under her breasts so that his wondering hands couldn’t capture them. ‘Our poor ol’ Baron of Pirates Swoop doesn’t get to play unless he can soothe his Lioness’ mood. Perhaps I should learn another lesson, from my combat teacher.’ Numair backed her up against the door of their bedroom. His head lowed as he nibbled on her collarbone. ‘Here’s a line my sweet, how about if I’m just so very, very bad?’ The brunette woman’s, suddenly ragged breathing, caught and realised with a moan.
‘Ok that’ll do’ Her one hand snaked around the waist of Numair and the other found the large handle of their bedroom door. 
‘Oh yeah, that’ll do…’ 
Their soft laughter echoed with the snap of the closed door just as it did for a purple-eyed woman and her roguish husband miles away on the coast. In a small room in the pages wing of the Palace the muted bang of the door closing was not accompanied by laughter but by the raggedy drawn in breath of a strong young girl aiming not to cry. She was hurting now but she would come through, like Daine and Alanna before her, their strength hadn’t come from their lovers but from within. Alanna’s and Daines happy relationships started with them being proud of their own achievements and selves. 
Keladry of Mindalen’s laughter and sense of self pride was still to come…