Caught! Chapter One
Disclaimer: all the characters and some of the parts in this chapter belong to Tamora pierce, and I have no money, so don't bother sueing!
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A/N: Most of this chapter will be from the book directly, but some of it is mine. The rest will be original. The beginning of The First Adventure is when this story starts, but I assure you, it is one of a kind. (Hopefully. If anyone else has done this b4, I am sry…. But I didn't copy.)
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Maude let go of the twins. …. She rocked back on her heels. She looked old and tired. "I have seen many things I do not understand," she whispered finally. "Many things-" The healing woman sighed. "Very well. Tomorrow Thom and I go to the City of the Gods."
Four months later, with Alanna in the Palace…
One day Duke Gareth called her out of class to come and see her. Confused, she went to meet him
He handed her a letter. "Can you explain this?"
Alanna scanned the much-blotted parchment. It was from her father. The letter was short, saying only that he trusted Thom would continue to do well.
Luckily she had her story planned. Looking up, she shrugged, her face a little sad. "He forgets, you see, I don't think he's ever been able to tell my brother and I -"
"My brother and me," corrected the duke.
"My brother and me apart," she crossed her fingers and tried to guess. "I don't think he even let his majesty know when we were born."
The Duke thought this over and nodded. "You're right-he didn't. He hasn't changed." The man sighed. "I hope your brother does as well as you. If your father cannot tell you apart, at least he can be proud of both his sons."
Alanna hung her head, hating herself for having to lie to someone like Duke Gareth. "Thank you, your Grace." She left the room, hating lying, and hating having a father who didn't care. She hoped that Thom was doing as well, and that he was able to lie as well as she had.
The City of the Gods, that same week
A young boy, a messenger by the looks of him, came looking for Thom of Trebond in the middle of the second class of the afternoon: Magic. The messenger hurriedly to the teacher and bowed to her, before delivering his message. As he whispered into her ear hastily, her eyebrows grew closer together and she frowned.
As he was leaving she made the announcement. "Will Thom of Trebond please go to the office of the mother priestess." Thom, sitting in the back, trying futilely to ignore the young girls giggling and looking at him with googly eyes, was surprised, but intrigued at the request. He stood and collected his belongings that he had with him and left the classroom, pondering what the head priestess could want with him.
He entered her office, and bowed, before sitting in a chair in front of her desk. "You wanted to see me, Head Mother?" she stared at him for a while, before producing a small piece of parchment, with familiar writing scrawled on it.
"Can you explain this?" she asked him sternly, glaring at him. He looked over the letter, and felt his heart drop into his stomach. It was from his father, and it told the head mother of the convent that he hoped his daughter, Alanna, was doing well in her lessons to become a woman. He gulped, not prepared for this. He racked his mind, searching for a believable answer as to why his father would ever call him a girl.
"Ummmm…" he started lamely.
"I think I can guess what this is pertaining to," she said to him, standing behind her desk, looking particularly menacing. "If I find that I am correct, heads will roll." She threatened.
Thom gulped audibly, and tried to shrink back in the small wooden chair. He knew then that they had been found out, and it would all be over before there was a chance to begin. The head Mother continued, still staring hard at the young boy in front of her. "I am inclined to believe that either you are a female, pretending to be a male for what ever reason, or your father is insane, and it should be noted to me if that is so. Now, as I have it on good authority that your father is in very good health, I will ask you one more time. Please explain this letter." She took one final glare at him before sitting back in her chair behind her desk. There she sat, waiting for his answer.
Thom was at a loss. Should he tell her that his father was insane? It didn't seem likely that he would believe that. Then what was he supposed to do? Give up Alanna and tell this very scary person that there was a girl at the palace training to be a knight? Some hoe, he didn't think that Alanna would appreciate that very much. Then what to do? This woman needed some excuse to the letter. He couldn't just say his father was absentminded. Could he?
"Well, you see," he began, squirming in his seat a bit. " My father has never been very good at keeping track of my brother and me and…" He paused, unsure how to word it. "Well, he sometimes seems to think that I'm a girl!" He looked up, smiling, at the head mother of the convent. Her only answer was to glare back at him. She opened a drawer in her desk and Thom's heart skipped a beat. She pulled out another piece of parchment and set it on her desk. This one was thinker than the letter had been, and seemed to be a formal notice of something.
"I took the liberty of requesting your birth records from the palace; you and your sister's." She looked at Thom, and he cringed and shrank back in his chair, knowing that all was lost for both him and Alanna.
Disclaimer: all the characters and some of the parts in this chapter belong to Tamora pierce, and I have no money, so don't bother sueing!
Oo00ooOOoo00ooOOoo00ooOOoo
A/N: Most of this chapter will be from the book directly, but some of it is mine. The rest will be original. The beginning of The First Adventure is when this story starts, but I assure you, it is one of a kind. (Hopefully. If anyone else has done this b4, I am sry…. But I didn't copy.)
Oo00ooOOoo00ooOOoo00ooOOoo
Maude let go of the twins. …. She rocked back on her heels. She looked old and tired. "I have seen many things I do not understand," she whispered finally. "Many things-" The healing woman sighed. "Very well. Tomorrow Thom and I go to the City of the Gods."
Four months later, with Alanna in the Palace…
One day Duke Gareth called her out of class to come and see her. Confused, she went to meet him
He handed her a letter. "Can you explain this?"
Alanna scanned the much-blotted parchment. It was from her father. The letter was short, saying only that he trusted Thom would continue to do well.
Luckily she had her story planned. Looking up, she shrugged, her face a little sad. "He forgets, you see, I don't think he's ever been able to tell my brother and I -"
"My brother and me," corrected the duke.
"My brother and me apart," she crossed her fingers and tried to guess. "I don't think he even let his majesty know when we were born."
The Duke thought this over and nodded. "You're right-he didn't. He hasn't changed." The man sighed. "I hope your brother does as well as you. If your father cannot tell you apart, at least he can be proud of both his sons."
Alanna hung her head, hating herself for having to lie to someone like Duke Gareth. "Thank you, your Grace." She left the room, hating lying, and hating having a father who didn't care. She hoped that Thom was doing as well, and that he was able to lie as well as she had.
The City of the Gods, that same week
A young boy, a messenger by the looks of him, came looking for Thom of Trebond in the middle of the second class of the afternoon: Magic. The messenger hurriedly to the teacher and bowed to her, before delivering his message. As he whispered into her ear hastily, her eyebrows grew closer together and she frowned.
As he was leaving she made the announcement. "Will Thom of Trebond please go to the office of the mother priestess." Thom, sitting in the back, trying futilely to ignore the young girls giggling and looking at him with googly eyes, was surprised, but intrigued at the request. He stood and collected his belongings that he had with him and left the classroom, pondering what the head priestess could want with him.
He entered her office, and bowed, before sitting in a chair in front of her desk. "You wanted to see me, Head Mother?" she stared at him for a while, before producing a small piece of parchment, with familiar writing scrawled on it.
"Can you explain this?" she asked him sternly, glaring at him. He looked over the letter, and felt his heart drop into his stomach. It was from his father, and it told the head mother of the convent that he hoped his daughter, Alanna, was doing well in her lessons to become a woman. He gulped, not prepared for this. He racked his mind, searching for a believable answer as to why his father would ever call him a girl.
"Ummmm…" he started lamely.
"I think I can guess what this is pertaining to," she said to him, standing behind her desk, looking particularly menacing. "If I find that I am correct, heads will roll." She threatened.
Thom gulped audibly, and tried to shrink back in the small wooden chair. He knew then that they had been found out, and it would all be over before there was a chance to begin. The head Mother continued, still staring hard at the young boy in front of her. "I am inclined to believe that either you are a female, pretending to be a male for what ever reason, or your father is insane, and it should be noted to me if that is so. Now, as I have it on good authority that your father is in very good health, I will ask you one more time. Please explain this letter." She took one final glare at him before sitting back in her chair behind her desk. There she sat, waiting for his answer.
Thom was at a loss. Should he tell her that his father was insane? It didn't seem likely that he would believe that. Then what was he supposed to do? Give up Alanna and tell this very scary person that there was a girl at the palace training to be a knight? Some hoe, he didn't think that Alanna would appreciate that very much. Then what to do? This woman needed some excuse to the letter. He couldn't just say his father was absentminded. Could he?
"Well, you see," he began, squirming in his seat a bit. " My father has never been very good at keeping track of my brother and me and…" He paused, unsure how to word it. "Well, he sometimes seems to think that I'm a girl!" He looked up, smiling, at the head mother of the convent. Her only answer was to glare back at him. She opened a drawer in her desk and Thom's heart skipped a beat. She pulled out another piece of parchment and set it on her desk. This one was thinker than the letter had been, and seemed to be a formal notice of something.
"I took the liberty of requesting your birth records from the palace; you and your sister's." She looked at Thom, and he cringed and shrank back in his chair, knowing that all was lost for both him and Alanna.