A/N: Hi everyone, this is part II of the Phoenix Quest series. Please read part I, 'A Kindled Heart', if you haven't, otherwise things will get very confusing. This was originally planned as one long story, so I didn't write in much in terms of explanations for what happened in part I (it will bore the readers who have read part I, and with the cast of original characters I assume most would have to read part I anyway, so).

I'm aiming for weekly updates, and through part I I haven't missed any week, so I expect to keep up the pace!

Now, sit back, and enjoy. Comments are very very welcome ;)

Chapter 1: Knight Mistress

One fine morning in June, Squire Emmeline of Tirragen set out on the road north with her knight-mistress, Lady Knight Alanna of Pirate's Swoop and Olau, King's Champion of Tortall.

Emmy, as she was known to her friends, couldn't quite keep a grin off her face. Alanna wasn't very specific on where exactly they were headed, but Emmy didn't really care. Despite her initial apprehension at the thought of leaving her friends behind, her complete recovery from a recent bout of injuries had left her feeling much better and hopeful. She was also still in mild disbelief that she was traveling beside a legend, and it left her heart bursting with excitement at the adventures ahead.

It helped that her lover, Princess and Squire Vania of Conté, gave her a long farewell and showered her with warm reassurances six days ago, before she set out for Port Legann with her own knight mistress, Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan, Captain of Third Company of the King's Own.

Still, her eyes lingered on the city streets as they rode through Corus, trying to commit the details of the city she had called home for the past four years in mind. Who knew when would be the next time she would see it again? Alanna was known to not dwell at court for long.

"Missing the city already?" Alanna said when they left Corus behind. She had gestured for Emmy to ride beside her the moment the road became wide enough for her to do so.

Emmy grinned at her knight mistress. "Just taking one last look, my lady. I'm ready for adventure!"

Alanna snorted. "I'm going to repeat this to you when we're drenched in rain and mud with no inn in sight."

"Do you mean to stay at inns, my lady?" Emmy was curious. She had traveled with the Shang Wildcat, Eda Bell, over two summers in her page training. Eda had avoided those entirely when she was on the road.

"One tip for you," Alanna turned to shoot her a look, "I like my baths, and I can be a real bear if I go too long without it."

Emmy smiled. "I'll make sure a hot bath is ordered for you the moment we stop at an inn, then."

Alanna's lips quirked. "You're a fast study."

Emmy bowed from her saddle. "As your squire should be."

It wasn't something that she would have done even just weeks ago. But Alanna had checked in on her almost every day in the infirmary after Emmy agreed to be her squire, and Emmy had slowly gotten more comfortable around the living legend. After all, she had caught Emmy when she stumbled, and seen her embarrassing performance when she picked up her sword again after her recovery. Emmy figured that, if Alanna had seen her at her clumsiest and still did not regret her choice, then maybe Emmy did have a chance with her after all.

As they rode on, Alanna asked Emmy more about her page years. She already knew a good deal, thanks to Vania's letters, though she wanted some of the details, and asked Emmy to explain things from her perspective. In return, she shared some stories from her own page years, and Emmy's eyes were wide for a long time, imagining famous folks like the King, Lord Raoul and Alanna herself as pages.

When they stopped for a quick lunch of bread and cheese under a large tree by the road, Alanna looked at Emmy with an odd look on her face.

"You haven't ask me where we're headed."

Emmy shrugged. "I figured you'd tell me when you want to."

"Next time, ask." Alanna said, taking another bite, "I like my squires sharp. I think you are, but you won't learn if you follow me like a puppy all the time."

"Yes, my lady," Emmy said, bowing her head a little. Alanna was right. Emmy was too careless, indulging only in her excitement for the road. She was here to learn, after all!

"Where are we headed, then?" Emmy asked as she straightened.

"Cresthill. It's a town just north of Barony Olau. There's a mage I'd like to meet, and Cresthill is the latest town where he's said to have passed through."

Emmy frowned. "You're looking for a mage?"

Alanna nodded, turning to check on their horses. "Have you heard anything about magical attacks?"

Emmy's eyes widened, suddenly connecting the dots. She nodded. "I heard about them from Buri and Eda last summer, when the Sandrunners tribe saved Rider trainees from a group of immortals."

Alanna was surprised, and wanted to know the story. Emmy told her about how the tribe received a call for help, and how Emmy joined them. She related the story from Buri afterwards — that there had been an increasing number of attacks by groups of immortals controlled by magical collars.

"Have you found who's behind the attacks, my lady?" Emmy asked eagerly the moment she finished her story.

Alanna shook her head. "I wish that was the case. The mage I'm chasing goes by the name Ilyorn Silversmith, and he's been the one helping to repel these immortal attacks."

"Oh. He's on our side, then?"

Alanna took a sip from her waterskin. "That's a good question. What's interesting though, is that he always seem to be one step ahead of the Riders or the Own that's called to aid these towns or groups of travellers. It took us more than a year to notice it — at first, he stopped a few attacks, and we were glad for the help. It's only when we started tracing the attacks and his location that we realised he always seem to be heading where the next one is."

"You think he's the one starting the attacks?" Emmy asked sharply.

"That, or he's the luckiest mage alive. Or the unluckiest." Alanna said with a crooked smile. "Either way, the towns and people he saved all but worshipped him. Some of the local lords had even invited him to dine in their castles, and he's been building quite a name for himself."

"If that's the case," Emmy asked with a frown, "Wouldn't he be easy to find?"

"Good question," Alanna said, "Next question."

Emmy blinked, her thoughts racing. "But he isn't? He leaves a town before he needs to? He travels alone, and rides fast, or under the cover of night?"

Alanna chuckled. "Very good. You've earned your dinner tonight."

"What do you plan to do when you find him, my lady?"

"I'm going to ask him if he wants to serve the Crown." Alanna said casually, taking another bite.

Emmy stared. Alanna waited while Emmy struggled to find her words. "But… but my lady, you just said we don't know if he's actually behind the attacks. Why… why would you ask him if he wants to serve the Crown?"

"How do you think Numair Salmalín decided to serve the Crown?" Alanna asked with a raised eyebrow. "Because I asked. We may not know if Ilyorn is going to be the next Numair, or the next Ozorne. But how he responds to this offer will tell us more about what he wants."

Alanna grimaced a little. "The Whisper Man's been trying to get more information on him, but it's been difficult. We are quite sure that Ilyorn Silversmith is not his real name. There's no record of this name that goes back beyond the last few years, even though by all accounts, he's Tortallan."

Emmy remembered that the Whisper Man was the codename for the realm's unofficial spymaster and Alanna's husband. He was supposed to be good, and if he couldn't find anything, then Ilyorn must be good at hiding his tracks.

"It's usually not wise to confront someone as powerful as him without knowing more," Alanna shook her head a little, "But we don't have much choice, not with the increasing number of attacks and the dead ends from the investigations. Be careful when we meet him, Emmy." Alanna was already standing up and stretching before Emmy recovered from her surprise.

Emmy jumped to her feet and bent to dust her breeches in one smooth motion.

Alanna eyed her as she stretched carefully, shaking her head. "Youngsters."

The rest of the afternoon went by quickly. Alanna favoured speed instead of looking for a town to rest the night in, saying that the news of Ilyorn being in Cresthill was already two days old, and they could not delay further if they wanted to catch up with him.

When they camped for the night, Alanna surprised Emmy by splitting up the chores with her. Eda Bell had done that, but Eda wasn't her knight mistress.

"My lady," Emmy asked Alanna took their pots out of their saddle bags, "You can just leave that to me. It's my duty —"

"Your duty is to train and learn and obey my orders," Alanna said, fishing out more cooking equipment, "You're to serve me, but not as a servant. Besides, I'm already hungry."

Emmy hid a smile, and continued to set up their tent. Why did folks fear the Lioness so much?

After dinner and clean-up, Alanna drew a big broadsword from her saddle bags. Emmy had seen the hilt poking out when they were riding, but she didn't think that the sword would be that big when it was drawn. The width alone is wider than both hers and Alanna's arms.

She passed that sword to Emmy, hilt-first. Emmy almost dropped it — the dratted thing was heavy!

"I want to see you practice a few basic sweeps with that."

Emmy gulped. This was the heaviest sword she had ever lifted. She had no doubt that she would be making mistakes. If she didn't drop it as she swing it to start with, that is. She adjusted the grip and held it up with a grunt.

"Wait," Alanna said. Emmy was sure that she was smirking, even if the light from their campfire wasn't very strong. "You have it in the wrong hand."

Emmy's mouth fell open slightly. "My — my lady?"

"A good swordsman — or swordswoman — can fight well with both their hands," Alanna said, more serious this time. "It'd saved my life more than once. I want you to start training your left hand."

Emmy gulped again, and nodded. She shifted the sword to her left hand and almost let out a curse.

Alanna watched as she struggled through the basic sweeps, and Emmy felt very self-conscious. Among her year mates, she was considered good with a sword. But with this giant thing, she knew she looked awkward. She knew the mistakes she made before Alanna corrected her, but her left hand just didn't obey her as well.

Alanna called a stop after half an hour, and asked her to switch to her right hand. Emmy managed this a little better, though she still struggled mightily with the weight of the sword.

"Well done." Alanna patted her back as she took the sword back. Emmy was panting, and didn't reply except with a questioning look. "You did better than I expected. And goddess knows you complain at lot less than my previous squire."

Emmy bit back a grin. "Sir Nealan of Queenscove?"

Alanna raised an eyebrow at her. "You know him?"

Emmy shook her head. "Only the stories Vania told me."

Alanna grinned, and adjusted her grip so that she can start her own practice. "Remind me to tell you some when we're on the road. I have much better stories than Vania."

"I will, my lady." Emmy replied with her own grin.

Emmy sat on the grass and watched Alanna for a while, awed that Alanna was pushing herself harder than she had pushed Emmy. This is how you become the best in the realm, Emmy thought, vowing to herself that she would do this every day without fail.

The night was still young, and Emmy didn't want to keep sitting down. She had been riding all day, after all. With a few quick stretches done, she started going through the punches and kicks that Eda taught her. She started with the basics, and moved on to the more complex moves, focusing more on kicks because her arms were tired.

"You need to strengthen your left kicks." Alanna said after some time.

Emmy paused, and turned to see that Alanna was standing a few feet away, the tip of the broadsword planted to the ground in front of her feet. Emmy nodded, and tried her left kicks again, putting more strength into them.

When Emmy finished her final set, she stretched again, breathing deeply. It felt good, to feel strong and limber and ready for anything.

Alanna waited for her by the fire, and handed her a waterskin. Emmy muttered her thanks and drank after she sat down.

"You like training, don't you?"

Emmy considered it a moment. "I like feeling strong."

Alanna grinned. "I know that feeling," She sobered a little, "But be careful not to tire yourself too much on the road. Anything can happen, and you don't want to be tired when we get nasty surprises."

Emmy nodded. "I'll keep an eye on it." She bit her lip, "I do want to keep up with the Shang practice, though, my lady. Eda spent a lot of time teaching me those, and I don't want to lose them. I won't let it interfere with the training you give me, I swear."

Alanna snorted. "You are the weirdest squire I've ever had. And my previous one was strange enough." Before Emmy could figure out whether that meant a good thing or a bad thing, Alanna continued, "I want you to continue with your Shang training. It'd be a waste to lose them, like you said. We'll try this for a few days and see how well you do, and we'll figure out a mix that works without tiring you out."

Emmy smiled gratefully. "Thank you, my lady. I think I can take it — I used to train just as long when I rode with Eda to the desert."

Alanna raised an eyebrow. "Did you?" But she didn't wait for an answer. She stood up and did a stretch again, grunting a little.

Emmy could almost hear her bones creak. She bit her lip, wondering if she should offer. She didn't know Alanna all that well yet, but she had been reasonable and very kind to Emmy so far. The worst Alanna could do was to say no, and think Emmy a little weird. And that wasn't so bad.

"My lady," Emmy said tentatively, "Would you like a massage?"

Alanna stared at Emmy.

"Eda taught me when we were on the road," Emmy explained hurriedly, standing up as well. "And we do it to each other once a week. It's something the Shang does all the time, to keep themselves limber and loose even with their training regimen."

"You're jesting." Alanna muttered.

Emmy shook her head. "Have you seen Eda being stiff at all?"

Alanna frowned a little. "She never said anything. Nor any Shang I know."

"Have you complained about muscle or joint aches in front of a Shang?" Emmy asked, trying not to let her nerves show. She was offering something completely new, and acting as if she knew more than her knight mistress. She knew there were people who would be offended by such a thing, and she hoped that Alanna wasn't one of them.

Alanna wasn't. She grinned. "Who would dare? Everyone knows they push their bodies harder than any of us. What do I do?"

Emmy grinned in relief.

After making sure that their tent was warded properly, Emmy pulled Alanna's bedroll more towards the middle of the tent they shared, and asked her to lie on her stomach. Emmy rolled up her sleeves and got to work, her hands remembering the motions that Eda taught her. Emmy kneaded tensions out of shoulders and muscles, and soothed away aches from limbs and joints.

Alanna resisted her some, like all first-timers do, and even yelped at a few places. But Emmy dealt with her protests the way how Eda dealt with hers, by explaining what the motions do to the muscles.

Almost an hour later, Emmy sat back her her heels with a sigh.

"Gods, Emmy," Alanna muttered drowsily as she turned around, "I would pay good coin for this."

Emmy chuckled, and tucked Alanna in.

"Shouldn't I give you one now?" Alanna asked, trying to sit up.

"Not tonight, my lady," Emmy smiled as she gently pushed Alanna back down. "Eda and I never gave massages to each other on the same night. It'd be far too much like a punishment to move after such a session. Good night."

Alanna chuckled, and was asleep within moments. Emmy lay awake on her bedroll a while longer, wearing a silly grin. Her first day on the road with her knight mistress had gone well.

Alanna was quiet the next morning, and they had breakfast and did their chores in silence. Emmy was beginning to think what Alanna was not a morning person when she came to grip Emmy's arm as she was about to mount up.

"Thank you," Alanna said quietly, "I'm not my best in the mornings. But I haven't woken up feeling so good in a long while."

Emmy smiled in relief. "You're welcome, my lady. I'm happy to give you a massage once a week. Eda says it's not good to have it too often, and once a week is how they do it in the Shang."

Alanna nodded. "Teach me, and I'll give you massages in return."

"You don't have to," Emmy said quickly, "I'm glad to have a way to start repaying you for everything you've done for me —"

Alanna put up a hand. "If they do it in the Shang, it's necessary for peak fighting condition. The Shang hardly does anything for comfort alone." She turned to mount Silvermoon, her mare, and that was the end of it.

Emmy was more comfortable with the silence now, knowing that she was not the problem. It was late morning before Alanna spoke.

"Have you thought about how you can prepare for your knighthood, financially?" she asked.

Emmy tried not to jump. She pushed her thoughts and questions about what Vania was doing out of her mind.

"What do you mean, my lady?" Emmy said, even though she knew what Alanna meant. She wasn't ready to face that yet, having pushed all thoughts of her ten-year ban from the royal purse out of her mind.

"I respect your sacrifice for your people, Emmy," Alanna said quietly, and Emmy looked away, not wanting to see the pity in her eyes, "But you need to start planning for it. You'll need funds for the road. I was lucky that Myles taught me some and prepared me well for it. You have four years of lead time. There's no need for you to starve or depend on charity of your friends when you're a knight."

Emmy turned to Alanna in surprise. She had never thought about it this way before. "How?" she breathed.

"Investments," Alanna said with a small smile, "I was thinking that I would pay good coin for the massage you gave. It's different from those offered in the city, where massages are meant for fat noblemen who want an excuse for a woman to touch them."

Emmy had to hide a smile. Those parlours had horrible reputations, no matter how fine the establishment.

"You can teach others how to do those massages meant for warriors," Alanna said, "Think of how many knights, guardsmen or soldiers there are in the city. How many of them could use something like this to help them get through another day without aching. This could give you a good income if you manage it well, Emmy."

Emmy's eyes widened, suddenly seeing things in a new light.

"I can help you with the initial funding," Alanna continued, "And teach you how to balance your books and such. Myles would be more than happy to advise you as well."

Emmy bit her lip, remembering something. "I'd need to ask Eda. It's something from the Shang, after all."

Alanna nodded. "Ask. Even if she said no, I want you to think about something else. Don't take it as a given that you need to be poor because of your sentence."

Emmy looked down. "Thank you, my lady."

If Alanna noticed her quickly wiping her eyes, she didn't say anything.

As they rode on, Alanna told her about her own investments in the city, and Emmy felt like she learned much more from this than from sitting through an afternoon of classes. She began to see more possibilities to earn an income even without lands or relying on a royal purse, and she couldn't help but wonder why there weren't more nobles doing it.

She asked Alanna that much. And Alanna laughed.

"Good question!" She laughed some more. "Next question!"

Emmy didn't think that Alanna was listening, laughing as she was. Emmy also didn't know the answer, so she kept silent.

Alanna took pity on her after she calmed down. "There are a fair number of nobles who are sharp investors, like Myles. But they have to keep quiet about it, or they are looked down upon. See, there's this notion that nobles shouldn't work or trade for a living. Those were the merchants' jobs. They think that they should just enjoy the fruits from their lands like proper lords. Then they panic when there's famine, or other disasters, and run to the Crown for help."

"Or they struggle when Crown taxes are increased." Emmy added quietly. All her life, Tirragen had the shadow of grandeur, but none of its reality.

Alanna looked sideways at her. "What is it like in Tirragen?"

Emmy stared at the trees as she thought. "Our people hate us, mostly. Most of what they make goes to the tax, and we can't protect them as well, because we can't afford many men-at-arms. No lenders would extend credit to us. We don't even have many servants, but we have a big castle to maintain still. I used to do whatever work that needs to be done, but other children didn't want to be near me even if they see I work just like them."

"And yet you didn't hesitate in giving up ten years of your life for them." Alanna said, an unreadable look on her face.

Emmy snorted. "It is our fault, my lady. Not my generation, perhaps, but a Tirragen's fault nonetheless. I feel sorry enough for them that I'd do anything. I didn't think I could do anything before I got my shield, but it turns out I could." She smiled a little, "I'm glad, really."

Alanna didn't say anything for a long moment.

"They'll change their mind one day," she said finally.

Only if Emmy succeeded in her quest, she knew. Thinking of the events in the past few weeks, Emmy forced a smile, and hoped that it would be true.

They reached Cresthill just before sunset. There was only one inn in town, and Emmy made sure to order a hot bath when she ran upstairs to put their bags in the room while Alanna stretched and ordered a drink. While her knight mistress bathed, Emmy gave both their horses a thorough grooming.

When she returned to their room, she found out that Alanna had ordered another bath for Emmy.

"Train tomorrow morning," Alanna told her as she polished her sword on the bed, "Our work starts tonight. Folks will talk at a place like this, I want your eyes and ears open at supper."

Emmy nodded, some excitement bubbling in her. They would be doing proper knight work at last!

Her excitement turned almost immediately to nerves when she realised that there was no screen to hide behind for her bath. Their room was spacious, with one large bed towards one end of the room, and a small dining table and chairs in the middle, where there was a window that was closed. The privy was a common one down the corridor outside, but on the other side of the room, there was a dressing stand with a basin and mirror. A steaming bathtub was placed next to it, with a towel and clothes stand nearby.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Alanna said curiously when Emmy had just been staring at the bath. "Don't tell me you're shy about undressing. I was looking forward to not having this problem by taking a female squire!"

Emmy forced a smile, and made herself move to their bags to get clean clothes. "I'm just not used to it, my lady."

Alanna snorted, and went back to her cleaning. "Get used to it. If we're to be riding together for four years, I'm not going to stand for such shyness."

Emmy made sure that a towel was placed within easy reach before stepping into the bath, careful to have her back to the wall and out of sight. She scrubbed quickly.

"There's no need to hurry," Alanna said at the sound of her rapid splashing, not turning around, "It's good to get a good soak when you can. We're not having this every night."

Emmy swallowed, and made herself slow down. Despite the wonderful hot bath, she couldn't make herself relax. She didn't want Alanna to see the scars on her back.

"Tell me again what you know about what we're here to look for." Alanna said when Emmy was had gotten out and was drying herself. "I want to know you're ready for supper."

"We're here to look for news on Ilyorn Silversmith," Emmy said immediately. She draped her towel around her shoulders, and grabbed the breast band from the clothes stand. She put it on awkwardly, working under the towel. "He's a mage who was here in town a few days ago, and he stopped an attack by a group of different immortals. We're here to find out where he'd gone —"

"Don't move." Alanna said softly behind her.

Emmy froze, her hand halfway towards her shirt. Why didn't she hear her?

Gently, Alanna took her towel away from her shoulders, and Emmy lowered her hand, knowing that it was a lost cause. She stood still while Alanna examined her scarred back in silence.

"Put your clothes on before you catch a cold." Alanna said a few moments later, her voice quiet. She walked away and sat on a chair while Emmy finished dressing.

"I felt it, when I first met you and healed your bruise, and again after your trial." Alanna said when Emmy was done. She motioned for her to sit, and Emmy did. "I'd almost forgotten about it, but you were nervous, and it made me wonder why."

Emmy lowered her head in shame. She had given herself away.

"Were you planning to hide it from me forever?" Alanna asked, "I'm your knight mistress, and we're to ride together for four years. We have to trust each other."

"I trust you, my lady," Emmy muttered after a moment of silence. "I just don't know what to say."

Alanna poured two mugs of tea from the pot on the table. She must have made it while Emmy was grooming the horses. "Start by telling me what happened."

Numbly, Emmy told Alanna about the night her father was told that Xander was crippled for life. She talked about her father coming back drunk and with a whip in hand, about how she couldn't stop him, and how the only thing she could do to protect Xander was to cover him with her own body.

"He killed himself when he realised what he did," Emmy finished, staring at the wooden floor. "I didn't lie to you four years ago, my lady. He was drunk, and he didn't mean it."

Feeling some movement from her elbow, which she rested on the table, Emmy looked up to see that Alanna's hand was clenched tightly around her mug, so tight that it shook a little. Emmy turned back to the floor, and wished that it would swallow her.

She felt Alanna move, and when she looked up, Alanna was in front of her. She leaned down and wrapped Emmy in a tight hug.

"You didn't deserve it." Alanna said quietly. "No one should have gone through something like that. You did well, coming out of it still fighting."

Emmy swallowed, and dared herself to hug Alanna back. For this wasn't Vania, or her other friends. This was her knight mistress. This was the Lioness, a legend.

"I wasn't going to wallow in self-pity my whole life, my lady." She muttered, "And I hope you won't pity me, either."

Alanna snorted, patting her back before letting go. "I pity you only for being a bad liar. I wouldn't have known to look, if you weren't so nervous."

Emmy blushed.

Alanna clasped her shoulder. "You need to learn how to control yourself better. Later, listen and watch. Let me do the talking."

Emmy nodded gratefully.