Daughter of Darkness

Chapter 3

The next week was a mixture between chaos and slow motion for Sal. There were a many different reactions from the nobles about letting Sal join the ranks of the pages. Some of the nobles, the ones who like Sal, thought it was a good idea, and they were always offering her congratulations. However, there were others, the more conservatives, who argued with the King about his decision to let Sal become a page, but the King wasn't changing his mind.

During the week, those who supported Sal, like Prince Alex, Lucien, and others, were there to help Sal prepare for what was to come. Her and Alex practiced with weapons, while Luc started to teach Sal how to ride a bigger horse, such as his Bitesteel. Fauna was also there to help ease Sal's nerves, and told her that she was going to send Queeny and some other birds to watch over her.

However, whenever Salinda wasn't with friends, Lisha and Rosa followed her around taunting her, but whenever it started Sal would just ignore them because she knew she would have to put up with more taunts when she became a page.

Finally the day before she was suppose to leave for the page wing, she and a servant were packing up her stuff. As she was finishing up her father came in and sat down on her bed, and patted the spot next to him for Sal to join him. As she sat the servant left, leaving just her and her Papa.

"You know, you might not see me a lot." He said. "Even though we'll be in the same palace, you'll be busy with training school."

"I know Papa." She said grabbing his huge calloused hand in hers.

"Is this what you want, what you truly want?" He asked with sadness in his eyes.

"Yes." She said. "I know it won't make mother happy, but I do not care. It will make me happy."

"That's what I want to hear." He kissed her forehead. "Now get some sleep, you have a big day tomorrow."

*****

The sound of cheeping made Sal groan and open her eyes. It was still dark, but there were hints of sun peeking through the horizon. Knowing she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, she got up cringing a bit as her bare feet hit the cold stone floor. She then padded over to her chest that held her weapons, and she pulled out her practice staff.

She moved gracefully around the room swinging her staff in the moves she was taught. As she moved, she felt eyes watching her, and she stopped to see a mixture of bird, ranging from blue birds to sparrows to robins, watching her from the windowsill. "Are you my watchers?" Sal asked walking over to the birds who cheeped slightly as if answering her. "Well, then I guess it's time for your breakfast." Sal went to a table and grabbed a piece of bread that was in a bowl. She broke up the bread into small crumbs and spread it over the windowsill. The birds started pecking at the bread, leaving Sal to continue her practice.

Soon the sun was up, and color of yellow and pink streaked across her room, and there was a knock on the door. Sal put her staff down and opened the door to see her fathers face. "Are you ready?" He asked walking in.

"I'm ready." She put her staff back in the trunk, and her father motioned with his fingers and a few servants walked in and grabbed Sal's stuff.

She and her father took the lead as the servants walked behind them. They walked towards the page wing that was on the other side of the palace. As soon as they reached it she looked down the hallway to see a bunch of different aged boys ranging from 10 to 17 sticking their heads outside their rooms.

They all stared at her as she walked passed. Most of them were glaring at her as if she were some kind of poison that had no right of being there. But there were some that stared at her with an almost curious gaze.