Spring, Day 30, 514AV
Oriah's eyes snapped open as she woke with a start. She had been expecting the feel of hard earth beneath her and sounds of tweeting birds in the budding canopies above, having forgotten once again she was back within the city proper and not out with Mora in the woods on another one of their peculiar lessons.
Blinking slowly, the squire realized she was in a bed. A cramped one, and sharing a room with five other girls who were already up and about, stuffing their feet into boots and yawning sheepish greetings at one another.
"Oy, time to get up, Ori," one of them prompted before tugging on her simple tunic. "Don't want to be running laps on your first day here!"
"Ah, yes," Oriah responded with an embarrassed grin, extracting herself from course blankets as she reached for her clothes. "Thank you for the warning. I do not like running."
"Better hurry then!" the other girls chorused in unison as they marched out in to the mess hall for breakfast. One of them--Adi, the kindest of the five who had taken time to grant Oriah a nickname--peered at the Benshira's scrambling form with a sigh of envy before she closed the door. Adi was only fourteen, still coltish and awkward in her pubescent years. It was no wonder she chafed a little at her own, slow growth in the presence of the former dancer.
In fact, most of the other female squires were very much the same, since many had begun as pages. Oriah felt more than a little self conscious amidst all the budding youths. With the girls more so than the boys, because at least boys were transparent in their interest. The girls whispered amongst each other when they thought she wasn't listening and feigned politeness when they were caught sharing rumors.
One way or another, it had been let slip that the Benshira had formerly been a dancer, but was recruited as a squire barely a season ago. She was visiting temporarily at the dormitory due to the nature of Sera Mora's work and would be training with them indefinitely until her patron returned. For the most part, Oriah shrugged it off and accepted it as yet another one of Mora's tests. The Chaktawe was eccentric at the best of times, and a downright mystery at the worst.
Whatever it was that Mora wanted her to learn, she would learn it, Or face even more cryptic, trying tests upon her return.
****Twenty Chimes Later, After a Hearty Breakfast****
She squinted up at Syna's rising form, then back down at the line of targets. Two groups of squires, one male and one female, had joined together for archery lessons that morning. Amongst the rowdy teens, Oriah stood much taller than the rest, though she noted several of the boys surpassed her in their spurts of sudden growth.
"Silence, eyes up front!" their teacher, Sera Freya snapped. "If you lot handle your bows like you do your tongues, we'll all be making a trip to the infirmary by the end of the day. Think that's funny, Arin? Two laps around the field. Go."
A blond haired, gangly boy grimaced as he detached himself from his group and broke out into a brisk jog. His peers sniggered at his retreating back, though not loud enough to catch their teacher's further wrath.
Sera Freya scanned the collection of squires with narrowed eyes. She stopped at some point, then barked out, "You, boy!"
All eyes swiveled to fall on a well built teen with fire red hair and a nervous look about him. The Benshira wondered briefly what the boy's crime at been. Daydreaming? An untucked edge in his shirt? The suspension was palpable.
"What is your name, rookie?" the knight inquired as she stared him down, despite being several heads shorter than him.
