Disclaimer: You all know what this is going to say but I'll say it anyway.
The characters you recognize belong to Tamora Pierce (Kaddar, Daine, Numair
etc.), the ones you don't recognize are mine.
Prologue: Missing
"Numair! Numair! Numair!" Veralidaine Sarrasri burst into the classroom where Numair Salmalin, her husband, was teaching some of the pages about magic. All the of the pages - eight boys and three girls - looked up in surprise. Numair looked at her with an amused look.
"Yes, Daine?" he asked calmly.
"She's gone, Numair! She's gone!" Daine yelled.
"Who?" Numair asked just as calmly as before.
"Numair, our child is gone! Rehani is missing!" Daine answered frantically as tears welled up in her eyes.
"Rehani's gone? Have you checked everywhere?" Numair demanded. The pages had started talking quietly amongst themselves.
"The animals within my radius have checked everywhere for her. She's gone." Daine had started to sob.
"Boys - and girls - stay here. I trust that you will be responsible and respectful as you wait for me to return. No fighting or screaming until I get back, understand?" Numair commanded. The pages nodded and Numair and Daine raced from the room to King Jonathon's study. Numair pounded on the door. Jonathon answered almost immediately.
"What is it Numair?" Jonathon asked, the surprise on his face obvious.
"It's Rehani. Our daughter - our six-year-old daughter - is missing. I've checked everywhere within my seventy five mile radius." Daine explained. There was a gasp from behind Jon. Queen Thayet, Sir Gareth the Younger, Sir Alanna of Pirate's Swoop and Olau, and Alianne of Pirate's Swoop stood up and hurried over to the doorway. They must have been having a meeting about Alianne - Aly - and her spy information from the Copper Isles.
"Oh, Daine, are you sure?" Thayet asked in horror. Daine nodded, blinking back tears.
"Numair, you should get back to the pages you're supposed to be teaching. Daine, come in." Jon commanded. Numair went back to the pages and as soon as Daine answered, Jon closed the door. Everybody took seats around the table.
"Will we be able to find her?" Daine demanded.
"I don't know, Daine. We'll search. We'll warn the King's Own and the Rider groups about her disappearance. There's a good chance that we won't find her." Jon replied quietly. Daine burst into tears again. She ran from the room. Alanna and Thayet followed. Daine flung herself onto an armchair once in her quarters, leaving the door open. Alanna and Thayet came up and began to comfort her.
"Daine, Jon is very pessimistic. I prefer to be optimistic. I believe we will find Rehani. I know we will find her." Thayet murmured, hugging her friend.
"What if I never see her again?" Daine whispered through her tears.
"You will, Daine. We'll find her. I personally will find her if nobody else does." Alanna soothed.
Prologue: Missing
"Numair! Numair! Numair!" Veralidaine Sarrasri burst into the classroom where Numair Salmalin, her husband, was teaching some of the pages about magic. All the of the pages - eight boys and three girls - looked up in surprise. Numair looked at her with an amused look.
"Yes, Daine?" he asked calmly.
"She's gone, Numair! She's gone!" Daine yelled.
"Who?" Numair asked just as calmly as before.
"Numair, our child is gone! Rehani is missing!" Daine answered frantically as tears welled up in her eyes.
"Rehani's gone? Have you checked everywhere?" Numair demanded. The pages had started talking quietly amongst themselves.
"The animals within my radius have checked everywhere for her. She's gone." Daine had started to sob.
"Boys - and girls - stay here. I trust that you will be responsible and respectful as you wait for me to return. No fighting or screaming until I get back, understand?" Numair commanded. The pages nodded and Numair and Daine raced from the room to King Jonathon's study. Numair pounded on the door. Jonathon answered almost immediately.
"What is it Numair?" Jonathon asked, the surprise on his face obvious.
"It's Rehani. Our daughter - our six-year-old daughter - is missing. I've checked everywhere within my seventy five mile radius." Daine explained. There was a gasp from behind Jon. Queen Thayet, Sir Gareth the Younger, Sir Alanna of Pirate's Swoop and Olau, and Alianne of Pirate's Swoop stood up and hurried over to the doorway. They must have been having a meeting about Alianne - Aly - and her spy information from the Copper Isles.
"Oh, Daine, are you sure?" Thayet asked in horror. Daine nodded, blinking back tears.
"Numair, you should get back to the pages you're supposed to be teaching. Daine, come in." Jon commanded. Numair went back to the pages and as soon as Daine answered, Jon closed the door. Everybody took seats around the table.
"Will we be able to find her?" Daine demanded.
"I don't know, Daine. We'll search. We'll warn the King's Own and the Rider groups about her disappearance. There's a good chance that we won't find her." Jon replied quietly. Daine burst into tears again. She ran from the room. Alanna and Thayet followed. Daine flung herself onto an armchair once in her quarters, leaving the door open. Alanna and Thayet came up and began to comfort her.
"Daine, Jon is very pessimistic. I prefer to be optimistic. I believe we will find Rehani. I know we will find her." Thayet murmured, hugging her friend.
"What if I never see her again?" Daine whispered through her tears.
"You will, Daine. We'll find her. I personally will find her if nobody else does." Alanna soothed.