Disclaimer: Alanna, Thom, and any other characters created by Tamora Pierce do not belong to me. Nor does the plot, I suppose: although I thought of it before I came to FanFiction.net, it has been done so many times I doubt it belongs to anyone.

Summary: She was meant to be a knight, but the queen of chaos interfered. Now Alanna is struggling to become a lady at the convent, and Thom is having trouble with being a page at the palace. Will long years at the convent be able to turn Alanna from her path, or will she succeed in what she was meant to do- even if it is in a way different from what was planned?

Author's Note: This was actually supposed to be a story about Daine's daughter, but I'm having trouble starting on that, and I wrote this instead. I've been wanting to write it for a long time, but was unable to, because of all the Tamora Pierce books, the only one I didn't own was Alanna: The First Adventure. Now, using it for reference, I am able to write this story, but it's been done so many times I doubt it will be any good. Please give it a try, if not for your reading pleasure, then in an attempt to give me feedback. Reviews are always appreciated, and thank you so much for reading.


Change of Fate, Chapter One:

Interference

It had been a month since the twins had left Trebond. Lord Alan was at his desk, as usual, looking at a book. He looked up, startled and annoyed, when he heard the door to his study open and close, and saw a young man standing before him, a messenger of some type, with a letter in his hand. "It's from the palace, Lord Trebond," he said quickly, his voice nervous. "From Duke Gareth. Him that's in charge of training the pages. I don't know what it's about-"

"Thank you," Alan said shortly. "You may go." The man put the letter on his desk, and left the room. Alan scanned the page one more time, and then put down the book he was holding. The letter was brief, a single paragraph. He read it quickly.

Lord Alan of Trebond:

Your presence is requested at the palace at once. It seems that there has been some deception on the part of your children, Alanna and Thom of Trebond. Apparently Alanna was supposed to go to convent, but she disguised herself as a boy, and switched places with her brother, who I believe is now in the City of the Gods, learning sorcery. Alanna tells me that you had no part in this, indeed, that you sent Alanna to the convent and Thom to the palace. If this is true, I believe it is your duty as their father to bring Thom to the palace and Alanna to the convent.

Duke Gareth of Naxen

Alan read the letter again, more carefully. He had never like Gareth, but the man had no reason to lie to him. The letter sounded exactly like him- and exactly like Alanna. It would have been her idea, of course. Thom would have followed along: he had always wanted to be a sorcerer, but he would never take the initiative to say so to anyone but his twin. Lord Alan sighed. The Duke Gareth was right. He would have to leave his study and go bring them back to the places where they belonged. It was only his duty. He did not notice a small creature, cloaked in shadow, watching him.

***

Duke Gareth called Alanna to his study after she had been at the palace for a little more than a month. She was worried as she entered, but even more so when she saw who was inside- her father! "I don't understand," Duke Gareth was saying. "I never sent such a letter."

"Yet you say there is a boy here who claims to be my son yet who calls himself Alan. I have no son by that name."

"Well we will find out the truth when he- or she- arrives." He saw her waiting at the door. "Alan, come in. This man is your father?" She nodded, confused. "Is your name truly Alan of Trebond?" When she said nothing, he asked. "Or is it, as your father claims, Alanna?" She nodded again, miserably. How had they found out? Her disguise had been working so well. "Lord Alan claims that I sent him a letter claiming that you were Alanna, and yet I had no idea at the time. Do you know anything about this?"

She shook her head. "No, your Grace."

Her father fished something out of this pocket and handed it to the duke. He read it over once, and then gave it back to Alanna's father. "I've never seen this before in my life. Who would be impersonating me?"

"I've no idea, your Grace, but the fact remains. This is not Thom, or Alan, as she calls herself, but Alanna. It is my duty to take her to the convent, where she belongs, and to bring Thom here. I hope your Grace doesn't mind."

"I do not believe it was right of him- her- to deceive you, but she has done well here. If she were a boy, I would be sorry to see her go." If she were a boy. How many times had Alanna heard that statement? She held back the fury she felt, knowing it would get her nowhere.

"She is not a boy, and she belongs in the convent. Come, Alanna." She followed him obediently, raging on the inside. "I must get her to the convent as soon as possible. I will be back for Coram." He turned again to his daughter. "And please tell me he had no part in this. Although how you would manage to trick him-"

"He knew nothing about it father," said Alanna, looking to the duke for help. He owed Coram his life. Surely he would not be unwilling to help him now. "We rarely see each-other, since I'm a page and he's a part of the palace guard these days."

Hiding a smile under his hand, Duke Gareth said, "She is right. He'd hardly have time to realize something was amiss." Alanna smiled at him gratefully, and followed her father out the door. She wished there was time to say goodbye to the boys she had thought of as friends during her short stay: Prince Jonathan, the leader of their group; Gary, the duke's son, who was her sponsor; big, friendly Raoul; quiet Alex, who had helped her with mathematics; and Francis, who she didn't know very well but seemed nice. But that was not to be. The convent was a long way away, and her father wanted to get there as quickly as possible. The tiny shadow-creature, which seemed to have followed Lord Alan from Trebond, smiled as they left.

***

The convent looked like a prison from the first time she saw it, when she and her father reached it several days later. Lord Alan had quickly explained the situation to the First Daughter, given her several gold pieces in apology. Before he left, he told Alanna: "Any more trouble out of you, and by Mithros, I will disown you. Stay here, and don't cause mischief." And he had left Alanna standing alone, still in riding clothes, her hair still cut short from her days at the palace, in front of the First Daughter. She was a tall woman, with long dark hair streaked with gray pulled back into a tight knot at the back of her head. Her dress, although elegant, was a garment made rather for usefulness than beauty: comfortable, easy to walk in, and warm. In a way, she reminded Alanna of Duke Gareth. This was not a woman to cross.

"So your are Alanna of Trebond."

"Yes, your Gra- I mean, yes First Daughter."

"I heard most of your story from your father. You wanted to be a knight. I do not believe that girls who do not want to be ladies will become well-mannered ones. I know that your father is paying for you to stay here, but it is almost impossible to teach those who do not want to learn. If you are to be allowed to live at this convent, you must apply yourself. If you do not want to be a lady, then pretend you do. I can not make you like this, but I can make you leave if you are not acting like you do. I want you to fit in here." Alanna decided she like this woman. She did not like what she was saying- it would be almost as hard to pretend to be like the other girls who came here as it would to actually be one of them- but she was right. It was hard to teach someone who didn't want to learn. And if she did not like it here, she could at least do well. Be better than everyone else. It couldn't be that hard to learn- could it? Whatever happened, she couldn't go home. Her father had said he would disown her- and she believed him. It felt a little cowardly now, but there was nothing she could do. And she had to stay at the convent.

"I will apply myself, First Daughter."

"Good. Now, here at the convent, we usually have an older girl show a new girl around. A sponsor, so to speak."

'Like at the palace!' Alanna almost said, but stopped herself.

"Delia!" The First Daughter called to a pretty, brown-haired girl who was walking toward them. "Alanna, this is Delia of Eldorne. She will be the one to show you around. Delia, this is Alanna of Trebond. She not acted quite- as a young lady should in the past, and I trust you can help her fit in here, as you are such a good student." Delia blushed at the compliment, and turned toward Alanna, looking at her curiously as she took in the younger girl's dress and short red hair. "If you would like to hear her story, perhaps you can ask her some day. Now why don't you show her to where the new girls sleep."

Delia nodded. "Come with me, Alanna. I hope you will like it here. When you're new, you sleep in dormitories- with about five other girls. When you turn thirteen, if you're doing well in all your classes, you'll get your own room. I don't have mine yet- I'm only eleven. Almost twelve." Alanna didn't know what to say in reply, so she simply kept silent. Around her, the convent walls were gray and drab. Again she thought of a prison. "Here's your room," Delia said, as they reached a door, small and wooden, with the number 38 painted on it in black. "Remember the number: thirty-eight. If you get lost, say you're staying in room thirty-eight. You've come in late, so all the other girls who will be sleeping there are probably already here." The older girl opened the door, and Alanna stepped inside.

"Err- thank you for showing me to my room," she said, feeling that Delia deserved some gratitude. Although talkative, she was friendly, and hadn't been cruel to Alanna because of her past. Of course, she didn't really know what that was.

"Your welcome. Now why don't you get changed and wash up? You can't go to lessons looking like that! They start in the morning, but you can start during the second half. You can just get settled in. I'll give you a pass to explain why you're late." She walked out of the room, and soon was back with a small, silvery object. "This is the pass. Just show it to the teachers and they'll know you're new. They'll even give you directions, if you ask." Alanna nodded. "Well, I have to go. Lunch is soon. Remember, just show that pass to anyone and they'll give you directions. You'll have to have it memorized soon enough, though." When she opened her trunk, expecting to see her things from the palace inside, she discovered her father had packed several of her dresses from Trebond. She sighed. Better get used to them now, she thought, and changed into the one on top, and uncomfortable-looking thing that she had never worn before, made almost completely out of lace. As she washed her face in a low basin at the other end of the room, she heard someone else come in.

"Alan?" A female's voice asked, and she turned. A large, dark-haired girl, who looked very familiar, was standing behind her. "But- you're a girl!"

"Umm…" she replied, extremely confused.

"Sorry, but my cousin wrote me about this boy who was a page- and he looked exactly like you. Red hair, purple eyes, everything. My cousin's a page, too. Raoul of Goldenlake. I'm Rose of Goldenlake. You must be the new girl."

"I know Raoul!"

"You do? But-"

"Well, actually-" said Alanna uncomfortably; "I am Alan. I disguised myself as a boy- switched places with my twin brother. I was a page at the palace until my father caught me. But- don't tell anyone. The First Daughter wants me to fit in, and-" Alanna stopped, wondering exactly why she did want it to be kept secret.

"Don't worry, I won't. But you wanted to be a page! That might be fun. I wish I were as brave as you were. Except I don't have a twin brother. And Raoul knows exactly who I am." I wonder if everyone is as talkative as Delia and Rose, Alanna thought to herself. Somehow she doubted it. She had always imagined 'proper' girls at the convent to be quiet and distant, and she still imagined them that way. It seemed to be a coincidence that the first two girls she met were different. She grinned at Raoul's cousin.

"It would have been nice to have another girl there."

Rose grinned back. "Come on, it's lunchtime. I'll show you were we can get food." She followed the girl outside. "It'll be fun having you as a roommate." Somehow, this made Alanna feel better about the place. At least she had one friend.

It was a long way from room thirty-eight to the place where they ate lunch. Alanna might have been tired if she hadn't just gone through a month of harsh physical training. Rose looked completely unaffected by the long walk. They reached a door marked Dining Room, which Rose opened to reveal a long line of girls of all ages, waiting patiently for their food. "You go ahead," Rose whispered, "I'm not that hungry, I'll be behind you." Alanna took her place in line, attracting the attention of the girl in front of her. She gave Alanna a scornful look, and then turned to whisper something to the girl in front of her. Both of them turned back around.

"So you're the new girl," the first one said. She had dark blond hair that had been arranged in an elaborate style, and huge, blue-green eyes that looked Alanna over, sizing her up. Finally, she spoke again. "Elliva of Greenpoint. And you are…?"

"Alanna of Trebond."

"Trebond. I haven't heard of it. Who- Is that Goldenlake behind you? What possessed you to stand near her?"

Alanna met the girl's gaze. "Rose is my friend. She is showing me around," she replied calmly.

The girl in front of Elliva twisted so that she faced Alanna. Imperious looking, with dark hair and a cat's yellow-green eyes, she reminded Alanna somewhat of Alex of Tirragen. "Goldenlake is your friend?" she repeated haughtily. Alanna nodded, trying to keep her temper in check. "No she is not your friend. I'm sorry, but Goldenlake is no one's friend. You are not to talk to her, and she is not to speak to you."

"I'm sorry, but I'll do what I please," Alanna replied angrily, wondering who this girl thought she was.

The girl just looked at her. "Do you know who you are talking to?" she said finally. "I'm surprised Goldenlake failed to tell you. I am Lady Eirenna of Galla, cousin to her most royal Highness, the Princess of Galla. And you will not do what you please. If you want to stay here, you will do what I tell you. And what Elliva tells you. You will go nowhere near Goldenlake again. Goldenlake, go to the end of the line." Meekly, Rose obeyed- she walked to the end of the trail of girls that had formed behind them while they were talking. Alanna watched her go. How dare this girl boss her around like this! "If you want to get anywhere in convent, you will not associate with people like Goldenlake. She is simply not ladylike." Alanna said nothing, as fury built inside of her. She had been right. Girls like Rose and Delia were not common here. "Now: apologize for your earlier comment about doing what you please, and you will be allowed to sit with us." I want you to fit in here, the First Daughter had said. Sitting with these girls would mean fitting in. But sitting with them would mean apologizing, and that was something her pride would never allow her to do.

"Why in the name of all the gods would I want to sit with the likes of you?" she said, in her most scornful voice, and stalked off to the back of the line to join Rose. "Why did you listen to them?" She asked the large girl.

"They'll make life miserable for me if I don't. I hate them." Alanna's friend hit the wall. "Eirenna's not even from Galla, she's from a fief near mine. She just pretends she is, to get more friends. And everyone listens to her- I'm not allowed to talk to you, I'm sorry- Why are you back here?"

"'Lady' Eirenna said I had to apologize for sticking up for you and saying I would do what I pleased, so I went back here."

"But- you shouldn't have done that- you could have been friends with them! Now I've ruined everything for you."

Alanna felt a sudden surge of pity for the outcast girl. "It's alright- I'd much rather be your friend than theirs. They're horrible!"

When Rose looked at her again, her eyes were filled with relief. "Thank you!" she whispered.

"Just one thing," Alanna said. "Don't do whatever they tell you. It will just make them think you're easier to bully." She remembered her own bully trouble, back at the palace: Ralon of Malven had decided her didn't like her on the very first day. Luckily, she'd had her friends there to help her. Now all of them were very far away. She sighed. She missed the palace, but she had no choice. She had probably ruined her chance to be popular here at the convent, but she decided that was a good thing. How could anyone want to impress girls like those? All in all, she was happy with what she had accomplished here so far. It was Thom she was worried for, who had absolutely no skill for the fighting arts, and who hated them to boot. Alanna felt something was not right about her father's finding out about the switch. Now was the time to ponder the letter that the Duke Gareth said he hadn't written. Who else but Thom, Coram, and Maude knew about the switch? Had it been one of them? Or was there something going on that she didn't know about?

Endnote: So there's the end of chapter one. I hope you liked it, and didn't find it to unoriginal. Reviews, apart from giving me feedback, will give you something as well: chapter two, in which we will see how Thom fares in Corus. Thanks again for reading, and again, I hope this was enjoyed.