Ruth got up. "Where are you going?"

Like all her questions from the night before, this one fell on deaf ears. Her parents refused to tell her where they were going, just as they wouldn't explain why they didn't join in the chanting. "Have a good day!" they said and departed.

She didn't worry about it. Her parents had always been odd. Ruth wished Issie was here, though, so at least she'd have someone to talk to. Somehow, she didn't think her school friends would care much. And they certainly wouldn't understand.

Besides, Ananda and Samantha were too busy chattering about the parade to listen. This conversation carried them through most of the day - about the colorful costumes and the handsome men who marched - and they didn't have any interest in another topic. By lunchtime, Ruth was bored out of her mind.

But still it went on. "And did you see the servant who carried the Lord? The one on the right?" Ananda wanted to know.

Samantha fairly squealed. "You were looking at the servant? I was looking at the Lord!"

"Well, him too. But the servant... mmm, those muscles!"

"Are you two going to talk about anything else?" Ruth finally had to ask. The monotony had driven her to grumpiness.

"Ruth doesn't want to talk about other men. She's got her soldier man!" Ananda teased.

"My what?"

"Oh, everyone knows." Samantha waved her hand. "You and the leader of the soldiers, Mir or whatever his name is, have been seen together practically every day where the soldiers dine. What are you doing there anyway?"

"I can't believe your parents let you go there every day." Ananda added. "If my father learned that I was going anywhere near a soldier gathering..."

"So like I said..." Samantha interrupted Ananda. "What do you do there?"

Ruth opened her mouth, trying to come up with a safe answer, when something landed in her lap.

"What the...?" Ananda leaned over to investigate and got hit in the back.

Elsewhere in the yard, girls began to yelp and scream.

"It's rotten fruit!" Nannie shouted, horrified. Lena promptly burst into tears.

"Who's doing this?" shrieked Samantha, but it was impossible to tell. Only the strong arms of ordinary Trillaglans were visible over the fence; they kept their faces down.

Miss Lisette and Miss Barbara heard the commotion and came running. They assessed the situation quickly and paled. "Girls!" the teachers shouted, "Come inside now! Now!"

It was a chaotic scene. Young schoolgirls abandoned their lunches in the middle of the yard and scurried for the doors, amid torrents of rotten fruit. Something hit Ruth in the cheek and she felt a bruise begin to form. She tried to dodge the missiles, but they came in all directions. Spoiled juice splattered all over her dress and the odor was overwhelming. She was ever so glad to duck inside the safety of the schoolroom.

"Ruffians." seethed Miss Lisette moments later, as she paced the classroom. "No good peasantry. They've lost their respect for their betters, they have."

"Yes," her sister agreed. Miss Barbara brought towels and water to the girls so they could scrub themselves clean as best they could.

"Did you see who did it?" Miss Lisette pressed.

"No, ma'am." the girls admitted.

Their head teacher nodded, nonplussed. "The soldiers will know. The soldiers will find out who was behind this appalling attack. And whoever did it shall pay."