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Joren of Stone Mountain put his hands behind his head, leaning deeper into his bed and scowling at the dark ceiling. He had spoken true when he told Keladry his knight-master had changed him, hadn't allowed what he now knew as his petty grudges and ways. He knew she didn't believe him. It seemed he would always be that man in the background, the one who hated her, and whom she hated. The one who had tried to make her Page years a living hell. The one who tried to tell her she would be more desirable if she dressed prettier and quit working her muscles to those of a boys...That she should go find herself a husband and settle down.

He closed his eyes tightly at that thought. How stupid he had been, what foolishly doltish comments if he had ever heard them! But why? Why should that bother him? He was supposed to be arrogant and rude. He was the lady knight hater! Was...

He jumped up from his bed with a low growl and grabbed his practice sword, lunging into a series of complicated moves. But the exercises didn't calm and relax him as they usually did. He still felt angry and bewildered, incredibly confused by he knew not what. Flinging the blade to his bed he opened the room’s rusty window and leaped to land on the ground in a silent crouch, the cool night air pleasant on his bare chest. Glancing around, his pale eyes glinting in the dark, he saw no movement and stealthily moved to the tree at the courtyards center with the grace of a Carthaki jungle cat, and the look on his face to match it.

But it quickly vanished when he saw a dark figure sitting with they're knees drawn up on the opposite side of the large tree. His tree! There had never been anyone there at such an hour beside himself, which seemed to be a lot nowadays, he thought with disdain.

And then he saw a small white shape come bounding towards him. Jump! That Mithros blasted dog! And who else would be out with that ugly dog besides it's presumed owner?

Joren paled even lighter than his already white skin color and backed up hastily, turning to run the fastest he had in his life to the open window. But he was much too late.

"Jump?" a light voice inquired and Joren cringed, ducking to lie flat on his stomach. Why did it have to be her? Why not that loudmouth Owen, or pretty boy Nealen? Even that big, red-headed dolt Cleon was better than Keladry!

The figure had stood and was in a readied crouch, hands out in front of her body, hands he knew could do considerable damage.

"Who's there? Neal, is that you? You'd better not be trying to scare me! You know what I can do to you!"

Joren cringed. Nealan. It was painfully obvious to anyone with eyes that she had something for the willowy older squire, who simply seemed to be in love with love.

The dog was now running around his body, jumping over and across his back and legs. Though he soon seemed to tire of the unmoving object on the ground and took off again after the God's know what. But Joren knew he was still in big trouble. There was no way Kel wouldn't see him lying in plain sight on the ground. Even if it was pitch black outside!

Maybe if he tried to slowly roll to the wall, he could creep alongside it to his room...

Wait! What was he doing lying here on the ground, cowering in front of some girl?

He waited patiently until the girl squire was almost in reach and then lunged forward, grabbing her legs with both hands and twisting them so that when she fell she fell on her stomach away from him.

She let out a surprised squeak and then a grunt as her chest took the brunt of her unexpected fall. The wind was knocked out of her by the way she was gasping.

Joren smirked and was about to make a beeline for his room when Kel landed a glancing kick to his right cheek. He groaned softly and rolled off to the side, clutching his face before quickly scrambling to his feet. But Kel was again faster, knocking the legs out from under him. And though he struggled and did managed to knee her in the groin - Doesn't work as well with girls, he thought - she had him thoroughly pinned to the ground.

"God's bless it!" he cursed in a harsh whisper, turning his face away from hers in shame.

"Joren?" Keladry said with incredulity, looking into his face. She sighed. "What do you want now, Joren? I can't even have peace at night anymore? You come and torment me during my only quiet hours?"

She was much too close for comfort. Her body pressing against his, face inches away from his own, short hair brushing his bruised cheek...

He growled and struggled to get up once again.

She shook her head. "No use. You only get up when I want you to."

He smirked twistedly. "Always knew there was a girl in there."

She gasped in disgust and let him up, shoving his shoulders painfully into the ground as she pushed her ownself to a standing position.

He leaped to his feet in one fluid motion. "What are you doing out here anyway Mindelen? Shouldn't you be in bed dreaming of healer-boy?" he asked in a low voice.

Kel had her 'lump' face on and ignored his last statement. "I could ask you the same, Joren. I was here first after all."

"Fair enough. This is my tree, I come out here...a lot."

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why?"

He raised a pale eyebrow, about to throw a scathing remark at her, but merely shrugged, saying, "Probably the same reasons you do."

"Oh." she said after a moment, looking taken a back by his answer though she quickly regained her posture. "I'm going inside before I get caught and assigned mountains of make up work. Good night, Joren." He nodded curtly and turned away himself, but then whirled around again.

"Keladry,"

She paused, turning with a strange look on her shadowy face.

"Sorry about the trip."

She looked at him suspiciously but then cocked her head to the side. "I'm sorry about your, uh, cheek."

He shrugged lazily and even surprised himself when he said, "I deserved it."

Before she could reply he was gone in shadows, ghosting along to his open window.

As Kel walked slowly back to her own room, she heard a creaking noise and then a soft thump. She smiled slightly, wondering how she could have missed the noise of his window opening.

"Getting complacent, Mindelen..."

She glanced back once more Joren's way before climbing over the windowsill and dropping silently to the floor, hoping not to wake Lalasha.

Strange happenings had gone on that night...Joren had been strange...Although a good strange, she thought, besides tripping her. She rubbed her sore chest, which reminded her of Joren, and she blushed a little. It had been hard to school her face to one of impassivity when she had noticed his lean upper half was most definitely shirtless.

She thought against using any more of her bruise balm. This wound would heal quickly. Though she knew Joren would have a nasty blue cheek tomorrow. She laughed quietly at that, wondering what story he would come up with for his friends. Though he seemed to have left most of his obnoxious ones...Maybe Neal was wrong, maybe there really was a new Joren of Stone Mountain...