The next day, Alex slept until dawn, enjoying the free "morning" Travis had granted her. When she did wake, she jumped out of bed and began her stretching exercises. When the bel calling the pages to breakfast rang, she was changed into fresh clothes and halfway to the mess hall.

Classes were brief, with the teachers assigning summer homework and then sending them off. After classes, the pages went to the biggest practice courts, where the squires were already in the midst of their own tournament. The winner of the squires would go on to fence against the champion of the pages. And I don't envy that unlucky page one bit, Alex thought to herself.

The pages were called to lunch before the tournament was over, but it did not matter, for the squires joined them halfway through, announcing that Douglas Mason was the victor. That was expected- he was Wilfred's older brother, and both had been taught from birth how to handle a sword. Everyone had known Douglas would win, just as everyone was sure Eddie would win the pages' tournament.

"Maybe he'll get some unexpected competition, though," the Prince commented.

Alex laughed. "From who?" she asked. "He's beaten every page this year at least once."

"Maybe you'll beat him," he answered evenly. "He only beat you that once, the first time you fenced."

"You're being foolish," she told him.

"Am I?"

"Of course." Then the bell rang, and they went to the courts. Instead of listening to more of the Prince's foolishness, she busied herself with making conversation with Francis. Which, she had to admit, was much harder than one could imagine.

Two fencing courts were used so four could fence at the same time, to make the tournament quicker. They started with the newest pages first. Adrian Manning and Walter Dargelis were paired up, and Colin Harkins and Wendell Harrison. The first battle was quickly over, with Walter winning. Alex turned her eyes to Colin and Wendell's match, as Wilfred and Percival entered the other court. After a nicely fought match, Colin knocked the sword out of Wendell's hand. At the same moment, Wilfred pointed his sword tip at the base of Percival's neck in the "kill" position. With a sigh, Alex stood up and went to the second court as Rufus went into the first. Robbie soon joined her, and they bowed to each other before starting. They circled each other, waiting for the other to attack. Finally, Robbie grew impatient and lunged in toward her. Alex blocked the sword and counter attacked, which was blocked, and they broke away. Robbie attacked again, looking for her flaw. Alex's sword never stopped blocking as she looked for an opening. There it was! Deftly, she swung her sword up and around, knocking the hilt out of Robbie's hand and pressing her sword at his neck.

Robbie stepped back in surrender and bowed. Smilling, he straightened. "Well done, Alex!" he told her.

Confused, Alex looked around. Had she just won a fencing match? And was that the sound of her friends cheering? Surely, this had to be a dream. She was the worst fencer in court! She walked out of the court in a daze, and Joshua seized her.

"Where'd you learn to fence like that?" he asked her with a grin. "You surprised us all!"

Alex looked up at his face. "Did I really beat him?" she asked quietly. "It seems like I did, but I couldn't have."

"Well, you did," the Prince told her. "Now rest, your next match won't be until four-thirty."

Alex watched the other pages, paying close attention to Colin and Walter's match. Whoever won this match, she would have to fence against. Colin eventually won, and Alex made her way down to one of the smaller, empty practice courts. Here she warmed up and mentally prepared herself. Despite living in the public eye for sixteen and a half years, she still got "stage" fright. Just don't think of all the people, she told herself. You forgot about them last time, and you did fine. Just pretend it's you and Travis at another of your practice sessions.

Shortly after, Joshua came for her, and they walked to the big court. She put on the padding that was required, picked up the practice sword she was handed, and entered the ring. Colin was already there and waiting; they bowed and circled.

The match went by fast. Alex beat him easily - Almost too easily, she thought later. When she looked at who she was to fence against next, her stomach dropped. Only she and Eddie were left - and then the winner would fence Douglas. Wearily, she returned to the court after a five minute break.

"I promised you wouldn't fence me until you were ready," Eddie told her as they put on their practice gear. "Do you think you're ready? If not, we can call this off..."

"I'm ready," she said decidedly. "If I'm not ready now, I never will be."

"Very wise," he replied, and they stepped into the center of the ring. They bowed, and Eddie quickly attacked. She blocked, and he attacked again. This went on for many minutes, and Alex remembered what had happened the last time they had fenced. He had driven her against the wall. Quickly, as she blocked again, she glanced behind her. He was slowly driving her to the wall, like before. I won't be fooled into that twice, she thought grimly as she attacked Eddie inbetween his blows. He was caught off guard; he hadn't expected her to change the plan. He quickly recovered, and then the real match began. She thrust in with her sword, he blocked. She swept her sword in a large arc, just missing Eddie's free hand. She changed her sword to her left hand and swept the sword in the opposite arc. He barely blocked this arc, and stumbled backwards from the force. Alex's sword never stopped moving, giving her friend no chance to attack. Her eyes never missed anything, however. She noticed the grip on Eddie's sword lessen a bit, and she smiled. "Never let your grip loosen, not even a little bit," Travis had told her. "If you loosen it, you're done for. The sword will slip out of your hand as if you had it by two fingers." She swiftly swung her sword across, knocking Eddie's hilt out of his hand and onto the ground.

As she walked out of the ring, she heard a man comment to Duke Edward, "That boy was holding back the whole time. He must be a third-year page?"

"No, he's a first-year page," the Duke replied with surprise. "Captain Lars, you've done a good job of teaching him."

"'Twasn't me, your Grace," the training master said. "I never taught them half those moves. But we'll be in for a surprise if he beats Douglas." He walked away, shaking his head and muttering, "a first-year page..." to himself.

Everyone then went to supper. Alex was glad for the break, for the day's activities had tired her. "But, do you really think I can beat him?" she asked her friends.

"After seeing you today, I believe you can beat anyone," Francis told her quietly.

Alex smiled. "Thanks, Francis," she said. "My worst problem is now, I'm tired. Douglas hasn't fenced since noon, so he's had the last six hours to rest. I've been fencing for the last six hours." The bell rang, and she sighed. "Well, I guess we'll find out."

"Alexander Tirragen, rise and come to me," he ordered. Alex, still dressed in her sweat-drenched fencing clothes, obeyed, and he held up a golden goblet on a wooden stand. "With this trophy, I declare you to be the champion of all the pages and squires in the country of England." He handed her the cup, and everyone cheered as she bowed again. Then, she descended the few steps to her friends, who immediately enveloped her in a huge hug.

"Joshua, who's that man?" she asked once things had quieted down. The man in question was the one who had been talking to the Duke and Captain earlier.

"Oh, that's Mister Wilbur J. Monahan," he answered. "He's a French ambassador- not native, of course. He likes to come see the tournaments and scoff at our training."

"Why?" she asked.

"Oh, it's just in fun," Joshua explained. "Duke Edward and he have been great friends since they were boys, and the Duke goes and scoffs at the French boys as well. It's expected."

"I don't understand them," Alex concluded. Then she pointed to a man with coal-black hair. "Who's he?"

"I don't know," Joshua said. "He was watching your last match, though, and seemed interested. Maybe he's one of the pages' fathers, come to take him home for the summer. By the way, what are you doing for the summer?"

"Oh, I'm going to visit Sir Otis' estates," she answered. "Stuart, what are you doing? You're not going back home, are you?"

"No," the boy told her, "I'm going to live at Brian's house for the summer. He's coming tomorrow to pick me up."

"Oh good, then I can see him before I leave," she said. "It shall be fun. I haven't seen him since a year ago. Can you imagine, only two more months until I'm eighteen? And Prince Joshua's. I'm leaving my present for you with Jennifer. And I put a spell on it, so you cannot open it until your birthday."

Her brother laughed. "You know me well, Alex," he said with a glimmer in his eye.

"Marek, what are you doing?" she yelled at him once she could see him. "You could have just asked me to come in here!"

The thief smiled. "Yes, but that wouldn't be any fun, would it?" he asked as she sat on one of the tables. "Plus, I didn't want anyone to see me."

"Including me!" Then she sighed. "Why did you come here?"

"I thought I might not be able to see you before you left for the summer," he answered, "so I came to wish you good travelling. And to congratulate you on a job well done in the tournament. You were great, I saw it. I know I was right to send you to Travis."

Alex was about to ask how he had seen it, when she closed her mouth. "You were that strange man!" she finally said, and he nodded.

"Aye, lassie. I can do a disguise just as well as you," he told her with a smile. "And...I also came to give you this." He held out a sword in a sheath. "I just got it back today, I had sent it away to get it sharpened. I was going to give it as a birthday present, but I figured a couple months early wouldn't hurt, since you won't be here and all. Go on, take it." She did take it, and looked up at him.

"Why would you give me a sword, Marek?" she asked him.

"I told you, I don't know how to use a sword," he said. "I wouldn't even have it, but my mother's cousin gave it to me some odd years ago. She got it from her father, who had been in the United States Navy and gotten it in Japan." Alex looked at the hilt and noticed Japanese-like drawings of knights on horses and vines with flowers. When she drew the sword partly out of the sheath, the silver blade had Japanese symbols on one side near the hilt. "My mother's cousin said she had no use for it, since she had never learned to fence, despite her efforts. You see, her mother didn't let her go near the sword, since she had an awful temper sometimes and acted on impulse."

"What about her father?" Alex wanted to know. "Didn't he want someone to follow in his footsteps? He must have, for he gave her the sword..."

Marek shook his head. "He might have, but he died when she was just fifteen. Her mother died ten years later, and she inherited the sword then, since neither her brother nor sister were interested in it."

"Then why'd she give it to you?" Alex asked. "Sure, she didn't know how to use it, but you didn't, eihter. And it was her father's. She must have been close to him..."

Marek nodded. "Yes, she was. A child only gets one father, after all. But, she knew a good sword when she saw one, and perhaps she knew I could find a good owner for it. She always was like that. What are you waiting for, lass? Draw it all the way."

Alex had been so involved in the story behind the sword that she had forgotten about the sword itself. Taking a breath, she pulled the sword out of the sheath and stared in amazement. It was glowing! No, it was shining with its own light, she decided as the light faded. "What was that?" she finally asked once all traces of light were gone.

"I don't know," was Marek's quiet reply. "I've never seen it do that before. That was quite a shock. But here, I want to show you something." Tentatively, he took the sheath and pulled out a dagger from the exterior. "It looks like a decoration, but it's really an extra weapon. Clever, huh?" Alex looked at the dagger. It matched the sword hilt, but just had the flower vines, without the horses.

She looked up into the thief's eyes. "I- I don't know what to say," she finally told him. "Thanks- I owe you my life."

He laughed. "Nay, you don't owe me one thing," he told her as the bell rang.

"Oh, I have to get back to my room," she said. "I have to start packing. Goodbye, Marek. I'll come visit you as soon as I return."

"Goodbye, Alex," he said as he kissed her cheek. "I'll be waiting for ye."

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