[PRP}Training a New Page Sir Brevian & Kariel

[Shanra the Dragon Bard]

Sir Denigal had wasted no time in presenting Brevian to the King, and getting him knighted in the King's service. About a month had passed since he beat Sir Denigal in the contest, to win his right to claim knighthood, and now here he was preparing to train up a page to serve him. And not just any page either. Kariel was a female, and she came as a package deal with a wolf she had found as a pup. So he had his work cut out for him in the coming months, as he trained both her and her wolf to act appropriately within the court setting. Heck, he was still trying to come to terms with living in the castle environment. Luckily for him, Sir Denigal was not only a good teacher, but he was proving himself to be a good friend.

Brevian was patiently awaiting the young pages arrival in his quarters, as Kariel had been summoned not long ago. It was best to begin at the beginning. Those had been Denigal's words, not his own.

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[Gold Dragonrider Menolly]

Kariel was nervous. She'd received a message from Lord Brevian, to report to him immediately, and she wondered what it might be about. She'd only recently arrived at the castle, and had yet to receive any instruction in what it meant to be a page. Her only comfort in her new setting was her wolf companion. They had allowed her to bring him with her, and for that she would be forever grateful.

Leirak was currently trotting beside her as she ran down the hallway towards Lord Brevian's quarters. It was early enough in the morning that there were very few people in the hallways. The only other people she passed were the servants and other pages who had duties this early in the day. She slowed as she approached his door, and Leirak slowed beside her. As she stood before his door with her hand poised to knock on the worn wood, she swallowed her fear and made the conscientious decision to make the best of it, regardless of what lay before her. She rapped her knuckles on the door and waited for an answer.  

[Shanra the Dragon Bard]

Brevian heard the knock and called out, "Come in!" The young page entered his chamber, followed closely by her wolf. He hadn't expected that, and said, "Kariel, in the future, please be so kind as to leave your wolf in your chambers when I call for you. If I want both of you, I will tell you. Now, let us begin with your page training." He spent the next few hours walking her through what Sir Denigal had told him a page needed to know, and what duties they were expected to perform. From bringing him his clothes,
polishing his armor, oiling his leathers, and a sundry of other menial tasks. The hours ticked by, and his stomach reminded him that he had not yet eaten. So he called a halt to what she was doing, and sent her and the wolf off to the kitchens to fetch them both some food. "And leave your wolf behind when you return."  

[Gold Dragonrider Menolly]

Kariel thanked the Goddess for the break and with Leirak at her side, hurried down to the kitchen. Knowing that the woman in charge of the kitchen did not approve of her wolf, she made sure he remained in the passage while she went in to procure food for Sir Brevian. She hoped she would be able to acquire enough for herself and Leirak too, because neither of them had eaten yet today either, and she didn't think Sir Brevian would appreciate it if she became too weak to fulfill her duties, simply because she had not eaten. More likely, he would place the blame on her for forgetting to eat. She told the cook why she was there, and was rewarded with a tray filled with all manner of food. She eyed the sweet rolls and the fruit, and determined that there was more than enough for the two of them. Leirak on the other hand had a more defined palette, and nothing on the tray was going to meet with his expectations. She took a detour on her way out of the kitchen, and as she passed the table where that nights meal was being prepared, she quickly grabbed a large turkey leg from the platter it was sitting on. She had to hold it under the tray, in her hand as she hurried out of the kitchen and back into the passageway. Leirak was waiting where she had left him, and as she approached, his ears perked up, and he stood, tail wagging excitedly. “Easy boy. I know you're hungry, and I have just the thing for you, but it will have to wait until we get you back to our room.” They hurried through the passageways, and as soon as she had the door to their room open, she balanced the tray on her hip, and tossed the turkey leg into the room. Leirak rushed in after it, and she quickly closed the door behind him. “Sorry boy, but you're going to have to stay here,” she said to the closed door. She quickly made her way back to Sir Brevian's room, taking only a second or two to pop a sweet roll into her mouth as she walked. By the time she knocked on his door and entered, all trace of the roll was gone from her mouth. She placed the tray on the table and stood nearby as he came and sat down at the table.  

[Shanra the Dragon Bard]

He turned at the knock on the door and then watched as Kariel came in, carrying a tray laden with all manner of food. He walked over to the table and sat down in front of the feast. "You realize I hope, that I am not going to be able to eat all of this." He looked up at the young page and smiled. "Take a seat, and fill a plate for yourself. I am not about to let my page fast all day, only to pass out on me later." He watched the look of surprise play across her face. He was definitely stretching the normal bounds of a page and his, or in this case, her knight. He knew that other knights would never think of allowing their pages to eat with them, but Brevian was not like the other knights. He knew what it was like to go for days at a time with nothing in his belly. He did not come from a wealthy family, and hadn't had the benefit of being sponsored by another knight into the service of the king. He had to win his knighthood, by battling a seasoned knight in a public contest. Sir Denigal was that knight, and he had won not only his present title that day, but more importantly, he had won the respect of a well-known knight, and gained a friend within the court. As he watched her putting small bites of food into her mouth he said, "After we have finished, you can take the tray back to the kitchen, and then go take care of my horse and his tack. You do know how to care for a horses tack I hope."  

[Gold Dragonrider Menolly]

Kariel wasn't sure at first if he was serious, or testing her. She had had conversations with other pages, and listened to their stories of how their knights treated them, and she had never heard one of them say that they ate with their knight. Most said they were lucky to have time to eat, which was why she had pilfered a roll when she had the chance. If they didn't wake up early enough to grab something from the kitchen before their day began, then they went hungry until evening. When he smiled at her, and didn't say anything, she took a chance and sat down. So far, so good. He began eating, so she reached for a piece of fruit from the tray and bit into it. The juice from the plump fruit ran down her chin, and she wiped it off with her sleeve. It didn't take long for the vast amount of food on the tray to diminish. When he asked her about caring for horses and their tack she was quick to answer. "Yes Sir! My father had a team of horses, and he taught me everything about caring for them and their equipment." He finished eating, and dismissed her for the rest of the morning, sending her back tot he kitchen and then out to the stables.