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Character Study Chapter 8 - Coggle Diagram

- - - - "They aren't wild, exactly," she protested as he left the room, closing the door.
  - - - The man nodded to her face. "Looks like the sun's about to come up in your eye. Nice color."
        "Thank you, I think."
  - - - Kel sighed, her shoulders drooping. He wasn't a bully like Joren. Last night had been about bullies, not about a silly custom. "What is it this time?"
  - - - His guests that night, two grizzled warriors from the northern army, spent the meal telling jokes about women who were never prompt. Kel had to remind herself often to be as stone.
  - - - Kel practiced with Esmond, and found she enjoyed it. Sword work was completely new, so she never had to worry about confusing it with anything she had learned in the Islands.
  - - - No one handed a practice sword to Kel.
  - - - Kel had thought long and hard about her gifts. Neal was easy: she gave him one of her lucky cats, since he never came into her room without looking at them. "With your tongue," she wrote on her note to him, "you need all the luck you can get!"
  - - - Kel had thought long and hard about her gifts.
  - - - The morning after the longest night of the year, the fourth day of the seven-day celebration, was the time when gifts were exchanged. They all took their packages to Salma so that when the servants came to lay the first fires of the year, they could also bring each page's gifts. Kel had thought long and hard about her gifts. Neal was easy: she gave him one of her lucky cats, since he never came into her room without looking at them. "With your tongue," she wrote on her note to him, "you need all the luck you can get!" Gower received a silver noble for the work he did in her room. Money would not have been right for Salma. Instead Kel gave her a silver hummingbird pin from her trinket box. The prince had been a source of worry. She thought it might be presumptuous to give him a present, but she really wanted to. She gave him a small Yamani painting of a bridge over a forest stream. The colors were dreamlike: grays, faded 96 blues and greens, stark browns. It always gave her a feeling of peace, and she hoped it would make Roald feel better about his coming marriage. For Crown and the other sparrows, she had gotten raisins and dried cherries, a rare treat for the birds. They were pecking at the fruit when Gower knocked on Kel's door.
  - - - Kel grinned. "You're welcome. Neal, who do you think sent me this?" She handed the jar to him. Neal opened it, sniffed, and frowned. He sniffed again, then waved a hand over the jar. "Ouch!" he cried, startled. "Well, label me very impressed and ship me to Carthak." "Are you hurt?" she asked. What if the ointment was some kind of nasty trick? "What happened?" Neal replaced the lid and offered the jar back to Kel. "There's serious healing spelled into this," he informed her. "It's worth its weight in gold."
  - - - "You watch," Kel informed him stubbornly. "I'll do so well he'll have to let me stay."
  - - - "I try not to show anger," Kel explained. "The Yamanis won't talk to you if you let your feelings out. To them it's like picking your nose at table. Besides, haven't you noticed how tiring losing your temper is?"
- - - - "That's another thing," grumbled Neal. "You're happy about that fight." Kel buttered another scone. "Yes." "Great griffins, why? Do you like getting hurt?"
  - - - She put her butter knife down. "Don't you ever get tired of asking questions?" "Never. They're mother's milk to me. Answer, please."
  - - - To Kel's surprise, Neal practiced with the oldest pages. As a nobleman's son he'd been tutored in the use of a sword for the last seven years.
  - - - Neal banged on her door as she finished dressing. Kel let him in, remembering to leave the door open. "I love that little cat," he said, ruffling her hair. "Thank you."
  - - - Neal saw them bunch up and came to Kel's defense, dragging Zahir's friends out of his way. When Vinson hit Neal from behind, the prince yanked Vinson off him. Merric threw himself onto Joren's back.
- - - - Someone groaned.
        Wyldon bore down on the groaner, the first-year page named Quinden. "Do you think spidrens sit indoors in the winter?" he rapped out. "They've got nice furry coats. They don't care if it's freezing. Killer centaurs and killer unicorns hate drifts, but they'll attack in shallow snow. Get used to fighting in it." He turned to include the rest of the pages in his lecture. "Once a knight could take his ease in winter. Pirates, bandits, Scanrans, and Carthakis stayed home. We practiced our snow hunting skills, being polite to ladies, and polishing our armor. Winter was our easy season.
    - - Wyldon was irate at the boys (and girl) for fighting and as a result punished them to arly-evening duty in the palace laundry.
        
        Lord Wyldon was livid. He sentenced all of them to a week of early-evening duty in the palace laundry. The laundry maids, a set of rough, no-nonsense women with muscles that Kel envied, had a field day with the lads assigned to help them.
  - - - For her late arrival, Wyldon assigned Kel to wait on his table through the month
        of January. His guests that night, two grizzled warriors from the northern army, spent the meal telling jokes about women who were never prompt. Kel had to remind herself often to be as stone.
  - - - Before the pages left the mess hall, Lord Wyldon made an announcement. As
        long as the snow continued to fall, Shang combat, weapons practice, and archery would be held at the indoor practice courts.
      - For her late arrival, Wyldon assigned Kel to wait on his table through the month
        of January. His guests that night, two grizzled warriors from the northern army, spent the meal telling jokes about women who were never prompt. Kel had to remind herself often to be as stone.
  - - - Lord Wyldon took Neal's place in the first-year pairs, with Merric as his partner.
- - - - "Good morning, teardrop of my heart," he greeted her. Kel sighed, her shoulders drooping. He wasn't a bully like Joren. Last night had been about bullies, not about a silly custom. "What is it this time?" Cleon blinked. He'd expected a refusal. He recovered quickly. "My quiver, if you would, my pearl. I took it to my room to sharpen the arrowheads last night, and of course I will require it. Return soon to my side, or I will pine."
- - - - "Turning around after she locked up, she nearly tripped over Merric. He shoved her. "I didn't ask you to come bullocking in!" he yelled. "I don't need you to defend me!"
  - - - "Just because you're a stupid probationer girl doesn't mean you can ignore custom like that, either!" Merric informed her.
  - - - Merric glowered at her, and Kel waited for the explosion. Instead he shook his head, smiling wryly. "Don't you get mad about anything?" he demanded in amused exasperation. "You know they call you the Lump."
- - - - smelly. Locking up, Kel set off briskly. Two steps, and her feet skidded out from under her; down she went on her back. When she finally managed to get to her feet, there was oil on her clothes and in her hair. The light cast by the hall torches had not shown her oil smeared on the gray flagstones.
- - - - The prince had been a source of worry. She thought it might be presumptuous to give him a present, but she really wanted to. She gave him a small Yamani painting of a bridge over a forest stream. The colors were dreamlike: grays, faded blues and greens, stark browns. It always gave her a feeling of peace, and she hoped it would make Roald feel better about his coming marriage.
- - - - Zahir growled, "A woman out of her place is a distraction to men!" and struck her repeatedly until Kel kicked him in the stomach to make him back off.
  - - - Zahir growled, "A woman out of her place is a distraction to men!" and struck her repeatedly until Kel kicked him in the stomach to make him back off.