"This is boring…" a girl with night black hair whispered to the slender redhead next to her.
"Yeah well, it this or nothing… You know we don't have a choice… girls become ladies and boys become officers…" The redhead whispered to her.
"It's still boring…" she grumbled. The redhead giggled.
"Victorie, Justice, it there something you two would like to share with the rest of us?" a tall blonde nun asked.
"Umm, no Sister Heather…" Justice stuttered and she looked down using her long red hair as a shield.
Victorie looked straight at the sister, "We were merely discussing the fact that we will never need to know this, see as all of us will marry MEN who will control every aspect of our lives." She smiled sweetly as an exasperated look spread over the sister's face.
"Princess Victorie, while I value a good debate as much as the next, however," she paused," however, it is your duty to marry a man and have children. There is no use in fighting your destiny." The sister smiled coldly at the black hair- purple-eyed princess.
"Destinies can be changed, Sister Heather. I have no intention of being a good girl after I leave this gods blasted rot-filled snake hole you all seem so affectionate to call a school. After all well-behaved women rarely make history i." Venom filled the princess' voice like wine into a goblet.
The sister stiffened; her lips pursed and demure threatening, "You will leave my classroom and report to the First Sister immediately. No questions and I WILL check with her," She spun around and headed back to the front of the classroom, "Study hall for the rest of class!!" she barked.
Victorie, or Tori, smirked and gathered her books and notes and strolled out of the classroom and down the hall toward the First Sister office. Justice looked at her and sighed it was the third time this week she had gotten into it with a teacher. She knew that Tori was headstrong and independent. Tori couldn't help it, it as just the way she was. She had a hard life, one where she was always expected to act a certain way, talk a certain way and never speak her true feelings and thoughts as a normal girl would. It was sad, Justice thought, that she would never know what it was like to be normal and free of courtly expectations.
"Damn..." Tori muttered to herself as she walked down the long winding halls toward the First Sister's office, "I hate this place. I don't want to be all prim and proper all the time." She had arrived at her destination. The door to the office was a large oak door; it was old aged to the point of black. As new girls to the convent she and Justice had been frightened of it. The older girls would tell stories of the girls who went in threw that door and never come out. Some of the girls said that the First Sister had a secret room that held a flesh-eating unicorn in a deep pit and that is were they put the girls who didn't behave. The thought of that now made Tori snort. She had been in that office a hundred times at least, she knew there was no flesh-eating unicorn back there, only a shriveled old woman that thought she could look down on her because she was a daughter of the Great Mother, destined to train and rear the next ladies of Tortall.
"Bullshit!!!!" Tori screamed in her head. She hated it. The whole thing. She would never admit it to anyone not even Justice, but she didn't want to be a lady. She had dreams and hopes. She knew it would never be though. She was a princess, no not a princess, THE Princess. She had no brother or sisters. She would be Queen; whoever her father made her marry would be King and she would be trapped in a loveless marriage of the State. Tear began to roll down her cheeks, one or two at first but then a constant stream of salty tears fell.
The door of the office flew open. An old woman with silver hair, held back in a cloth of gold hair veil that matched her floor-length habit, stood there.
"Princess, what are you doing out here?" her voice was kind and concerned.
Tori looked at the First Sister, shocked, 'I, umm, I… I was thrown out of Sister Heathers class again." Tori quickly blinked away she tears pretending that they never were.
The old woman's expression changed, "Again? Well, come into my office. We'll talk… again." The First Sister turns and walks into her office. Tori follows.
The Sister is seated behind a large oak desk, "Now let me guess… You told Sister Heather that her class was a act of futility… and then made some comment that angered her… again." Tori smiled.
"Of course I did, do I ever do anything else to anger her?" Tori smiled and looked around the room. There were so many things to look at. Small statues of the Goddess, little pictures of different people, most of which Tori didn't know. The walls were covered in books, all and any kind there was from books on magic to fairy tales to pillow books ii
The First Sister smile knowingly, "Tori, I know you don't like it here at the convent school, and I also know that you are much too strong willed to just go with the flow for a few more years and become the lady your father wishes you would. So I have decided to give you an option."
Tori looked up at the First Sister, again shocked. No adult ever called her Tori. However she was curious by nature, "An option?" Tori was almost scared to find out. A thousand possibilities flashed through her mind.
"Yes, an option. Recently, The head mage here in the City of the Gods has discover an old spell in the library," the Sister took a deep breath and Tori felt her heart jump to her throat. The Sister continued, "This spell will send you back into any time you desire. For any mount of time. While it is dangerous for those who wish to undertake it, I think that you and perhaps Lady Justice of Naxen, would do better in a time in which young ladies are more…. welcome in areas of alternative occupation." The Sister gave an uneasy smile.
"What? I don't understand. Like time-travel?" Tori was confused.
"Well, yes… I suppose that time-travel would be an acceptable term."
"What time and what will I be doing and only if Justice wants to as well." Tori blurted. She hated to admit it, but she was excited. Really Excited. How could she not be though? How many other girls have that chance for adventure?
"You know the stories of the Lioness, correct?" Tori nodded, "The time is right after King Jonathan was crowned. What you will be doing is much more difficult and hard then becoming a lady, but it is more suited to your personality. You will be training to be a Lady Knight."
Foot Notes:
i. Well-behaved women rarely make history- Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
ii. A pillow book is much like the Kama Sutra and other books on sex acts. Why a celibate servant of a goddess would have one is beyond me. I just need to add something that was out there.
Author's Notes:
Hi, this is my first fanfic in a long time...this is something just to entertain me while im on the computer... but I like any writer want people to read my musings... I'm not completely sure where this will go... maybe a Kel fic maybe and Alanna, or maybe a slightly after Aly fic... I have read them all...we'll see where this goes (if anywhere)... Hey it might just end up taking place in the Tortall universe... So please read and review , but most of all enjoy, after all that is the most important thing about writing...