Disclaimer: I don't own any places or characters from Tamora Pierce's books.

A/N: Yeah, this is an Alex fic. I was sad when he turned evil. Actually, I wasn't sad. it was cool, but then people didn't love him anymore, and that was sad. Evil people are cool, though. Especially when they were good then iturnedi evil. That's always fun. And I'm ranting. Okay so I was sad and thought, one day when I was sick and reading Lioness Rampant. "Poor Alex. You're evil and you get killed in a rather. nasty way. But that's cool! I know! I'll write a story about you!" and so I did. And this is the type of Author's Note you get after eating four boxes of Gobbstoppers and drinking three cans of Cherry Coke. They were the Easter egg gobbestoppers, which are really, really cool, but now I ate them all and I have to go to the dollar store and buy about fifteen more. Hehe. I need to get to the story. No more gobbestoppers and cherry cokes when I'm writing.

Chapter One

A Tortured Mind

Alex of Tirragen stabbed his knife into the wooden table ::She chooses now to come back! Now!::

:: But she's back.::, his heart argued, :: She came back to you. ::

:: Not to me.:: he sighed sadly. :: she came back for Jonathan's coronation. ::

:: It doesn't matter! She's still back! ::

Alex stood and paced. The timing couldn't have been worse. Roger should just kill Jon in his sleep. This plan's too dangerous.

"You didn't think that a week ago." Alex turned to see Roger standing in the doorway.

"Are you reading my mind know, my Lord?" Alex snapped.

Roger brushed off the harsh tone of his voice. "No, no. of course not. You were talking aloud, my former squire."

"We shouldn't go through with it. It's dangerous."

"Are you turning chicken, Alexander?"

Alex's eyes turned harsh and he glared at his former knight master. "No."

"You shouldn't be worried about her, my friend. After all, she DID leave you."

Alex was silent. Roger stared at him for a while, then left.

::A tortured mind.:: Alex mused. ::I train to become a heroic Knight, and all I get is a tortured mind::

~*~*~*~*~*~

And that's the first chapter. It's short because I'm evil, and it's a teaser chapter so that I can see 1.) Whether the italics and centering work and 2.) If you guys like it and want me to continue.

The italics and centering didn't work. If anyone knows how to get them to work on Microsoft Word, can you tell me? Thanks!