Disclaimer: The characters you recognise obviously belong to the fab Tamora Pierce, * drum rolls if u please* any way, anything you don't recognise belongs to moi : ^P

Ok A/N: Daine doesn't work for Onua longer then a year. After she finds Kitten,, she goes and studies with Numair, touring around Tortall with him, learning all about her power etc….  oh and also everyone is meeting up for breakfast so they can get introduced to Anissa… u know Jon, Thayet, Alanna, Numair, Daine already knows her, Buri, sarge etc…cant think of ne more….Just had to add that so I don't confuse everyone, are you confuddled yet?? No?? Well, ill just have to try harder…he he no I wont really, promise * bats eyelids at everyone to show her innocence* anyway, since these characters are Tammy's I better get on with the story so all you other fan fic folks can get on with your writing too!!!

Chapter One:

The gong in the palace sounded, telling everyone that they had to get up.

"Onua will be here soon" thought Anissa and with a half-hearted groan, got out of bed and got dressed. Anissa was Onua's new assistant after Daine left to study more about her magic, in fact if it weren't for Daine, Anissa wouldn't be here today.

Standing up, Anissa started swaying, her head pounding like a child pounding on a toy drum. Lately, visions of time to come and of her former life had been plaguing her, sent by her uncle, the Emperor Mage of Carthaki. Afterwards his face would taunt her with words she didn't want to hear.

With a grin, Onua walked in to Anissa's room. As soon as she saw Anissa, her happiness soon faded. Her face clouded with worry. She hurried to the other side of the room, catching Anissa just before she hit the floor

. A/N sorry for leaving it like that, I don't know why I did it. If you read this will you please review?? Its my second fan fic ever, my first being a English assignment so it finished pretty quickly. Neway, if you read, and review( I should be so lucky) , will anyone mind please telling me what flames are??? I don't know. Anyway I'm going to start with chappie 2.

Chapter 2

Onua carried Anissa to her bed and laid her down as gently as she could. " Alanna, Buri, anybody, help" she cried when Anissa didn't respond to anything that she was doing. It seemed as if she was in an extremely deep trance, hearing and seeing things that Onua couldn't. Buri came running in, her outer clothes flapping the air behind her, as she hadn't done them up properly.

"What's the matter?" she gasped when she had half caught her breath back. "I don't know, something's wrong with Anissa, she's just fainted or gone into some weird thing or something…" Onua's voice trailed off their majesties followed by Alanna, Numair and Daine entered the room, all of them, like Buri, breathless and gasping for breath. Onua told everyone what she knew, which admittedly was very little. "Listen" she said.

At the back of the room came a noise. It sounded like a weaker, fainter version of Anissa's voice

"If you're going to beat me again, why don't you just go ahead and do it?" Anissa's voice could be heard saying. "Or are you going to take more of my magic, or even kill my family, Oh I forgot you've already done that"

Anissa was standing in the corner. Her back was straight, her hands clenched and her face showed a lot of hatred. She had no clothes on, and her arms and body was littered with bruises.

"She looks like she did when I first found her" muttered Daine. Anissa was now muttering something under her breath. "NO!" this seemed to come out of nowhere. "You think you can play games, just like my own sister did, you think you can tempt me with your body and not expect to pay the prices?" Everyone in the room gasped. They all this voice because the voice belonged to Ozorne, the Emperor Mage of Carthaki.

"Tempt you? Tempt you? . Excuse me dear uncle for saying so but what are you talking about? I have no idea what you mean by tempting you. No don't come here, noooooooooooo!!!" Anissa's voice rose to a scream. Her body appeared to be knocked to the floor by something but Alanna and the others could not see by what. Tears were now cascading down Anissa's face. She now sat cowering in the corner, her thin arms hugging her legs, rocking back and forth. " Not again, never again, cant I just die now, oh Goddesses what did I do to deserve this?

Then all of a sudden, Anissa stood up "Hi guys, what are you all doing here? I knew Onua was coming so we could both go to breakfast but you all didn't have to come" She appeared to be unaware of what had just taken place. The people in the room all blushed and glanced away. Anissa looked down and realising that she was naked said: "It happened again, didn't it?" "Look Anissa, why don't we leave you to get dressed and get something to eat, and then come see us in the meeting room in say an hour?" this came from King Jonathon, and with that everyone left the room.