A/N – Yet another "What if…" story, only this one is about what might have happened if Neal hadn't volunteered to be Kel's sponsor, and Lord Wyldon had granted Joren's request.

"You are her sponsor then, now, on to dinner," Lord Wyldon ordered, and the boys filed out to the dining hall behind him.

Joren smiled at Keladry and motioned for her to follow him. Kel eyed him wearily; already she knew that he was not planning on making things easy for her.

"See that stairway?" he pointed. "That will get you to all the classrooms."

"But it goes down!" Kel protested.

"Excuse me, but you've been at the palace for how long? A day? Hardly that," Joren snapped, and Kel made a note not to take those stairs.

They were the last to enter the crowded, noisy room. Kel followed Joren to the food line, and, quite stupidly took all the dishes that Joren advised her to and set them on her plate. Somehow, she didn't notice that all the other pages had specifically avoided them. She followed him to a table that also seated 3 other boys.

"Keladry, these are my friends. Zahir ibn Alhaz (sp?), Garvey of Runnerspring, and Vinson of Genlith." All three gave her empty, plotting smiles. She smiled back nervously as she sat down. They were halted from further conversation by Lord Wyldon, clearing his throat loudly from a podium on the dais. The pages and squires silenced and stood. After Lord Wyldon had finished they took their seats again. Kel watched suspiciously as the 4 boys she sat with grinned at each other, but kept her feelings to herself as usual.

"So, Keladry, are you enjoying your first day here?" Garvey smirked at her.

"Not particularly."

"Well, perhaps the next four years will be better," he replied, still exchanging looks with the other boys.

A few days later:

Joren, his cronies, and Kel were supposed to be doing their homework in Joren's room. Instead, the boys were ordering Kel around.

"Oh, Keladry, could you fetch me the third volume of the Life and Times of King Jasson the first?"

"You already have the first two volumes," Kel said, trying to remain calm through gritted teeth.

"Yes, but the answer I need is in the third volume," Joren smiled sweetly. For about the twentieth time Kel jogged off to the library.

As she returned, she began to coach herself. Kel, you cannot put up with this. You never let people push you around! How are you going to be a knight when you let stupid guys order you around? Her courage growing, she walked with confidence into Joren's room.

Slamming the book on the table in front of him, Kel, very unlike her usual self, voiced her frustration.

"Look, I appreciate you volunteering to sponsor me, but I don't recall the word slave in the job description!"

Joren's ice blue eyes blazed with anger and satisfaction. "What did you say, probationary page?" he demanded.

"Stop ordering me the hell around!" Kel burst out in spite of herself. Kel. To angry to think her actions through, had not anticipated the boys' reaction. She certainly had not expected the punch squarely to her eye or the knee to her stomach. Bent over and gasping for breath, Kel looked up into Joren's seemingly happy eyes.

"Do not try us girl, we can do much worse," he warned.

Kel stumbled out the door and scrambled to her room, unsure of what to do. The thought occurred to her to burst into tears and throw herself onto the bed, but was promptly thrown out. What would the Lioness do? She wouldn't let a jerk like Joren get in her way. And neither would Kel.

A/N – This is just the very beginning, and will be continued if any of you so desire. However, I won't know if you want me to continue unless you REVIEW! Probably won't go K/J romance, unless that's what you want. But, you have to TELL me, REVIEW!