"Oh that I wasn't doubting," she said with a bit of a smile. "I've seen the Queen's Riders, who start only few years older than you, and anyone who spends time in the palace gets to hear all about the Lioness when she was a page. This isn't Galla where people think children aren't right to learn to defend themselves. Tortall is safe from within, but there are lots of fiefs on the borders, and everyone there learns to fight."