A/N: Hey everyone! I know that long doesn't even begin to describe the amount of time it has taken me to get back to this story and believe me I am truly sorry! For those of you who are reading Broken and read my most recent author's note, you probably know some of my reasons for the lack of updates. Again, I can't apologize enough!

Anyway I'm excited to have started part 2 in the Gallan Return series. I don't know for sure how long this particular story will be or how many more there will be to follow. All I know is the exact events that will take place for the story line. I have several original characters that will be playing major roles in this story, so I hope you enjoy that too.

Disclaimer: I had wanted to put something witty or funny here, but for once I really can't think of anything, so all I'll say is that I don't own anything you recognize from the Tamora Pierce books…sigh boring, I know…lol

Tiny flakes of snow began falling around the company of Gallans as they pushed forward on their journey back to their homeland. It fell onto the long branches of tall coniferous trees that covered the forest through which the small party traveled. It covered the forest floor with white like a blanket, leaving a clear trail with every step the travelers took. The air smelled richly of pine and fresh snow; the scent of Gallan winter.

There was a soft crunch as the party of knights and nobles padded on horseback through the dense Gallan forest. The forest path was small, only allowing three men on astride their horses to ride side by side at a time. At the front of the part of travelers rode a large man atop a surly black war horse. He sat proudly in his saddle, chest puffed out in strict authority. His long, raven black hair flowed awkwardly down his neck to rest on his broad shoulders. His eyes were dark, as dark as still hot coals from a fire. He donned what was obvious, even to the untrained eye, high quality armor. The armor had been crafted into intricate designs and was burned to a deep black that complimented his physical appearance and stern demeanor.

The knight was known by his men and all of Galla as Sir Donovan of Bertram. He was feared by all of those below him in rank, and even his few superiors considered him with suspicion. In Galla, he was favored by the king, Jarlath of Jerkins. He had reigned many years as the King's Champion, the most envied and sought after rank that a warrior in the king's army could receive. It was certain that so long as he was alive, none would ever be able to take his title. Being the confidant and proud man that he was, he was not against these rumors.

Behind the King's Champion rode a much smaller man astride a small gray mare. This man served as a herald in the king's court and on this journey, his purpose was to bear the flag of Galla and announce the company's arrival wherever they ventured. None of the men in the delegation knew more of him than his first name, and even then many managed to forget that. To most, he was only known as Herald, his title. He was not a noble such as the rest that surrounded him. He rode amongst knights and noblemen, but he himself was nothing more than one of the king's many servants. It was no more than pure luck, or what some would consider misfortune that he rode among these well-bred men this day.

After the herald rode the handful of knights that King Jarlath had commissioned to accompany his Champion on this expedition to retrieve the wildmage. They had been sent for both protection and show. Though the delegation had been unchallenged since leaving Galla nearly a month previously, it was no secret that bandits lurked everywhere in the Gallan woods waiting to come upon weary bands of travelers to rob of their valuables. If the bandits or any of the other riff raff that made the woods its home dared to bring trouble upon the king's delegation, these knights would discourage it. They were each seasoned warriors, all having seen their days in war. They were not ones to be fooled with.

At the back of the party rode two who seemed to be unlike the rest. One was a young man no more than twenty-five years of age atop a sorrel gelding. Like the rest, he too was a knight of the Gallan Realm. He was far younger than the other knights sent along, though he had seen his share of battles. He was a scout for the king's army, going wherever ordered. He would ride ahead of whatever infantry he rode with to be certain of what was ahead. He knew the Gallan terrain well, perhaps better than any other nobleman. He was small for a man, tall and lean. He had a handsome face, and when he cared to show it, a boyish smile. His hair was a cornflower blonde, flowing rhythmically with the chill wind that blew lightly through the trees. His eyes were a forest green, marking his passion for being in the woods, lost in the sea of green. The rest of the knights on the delegation were not particularly fond of the young man, most of them against him because of his success in their field at such a young age. They also envied his skill as a scout and a tracker. He was not noble in the typical sense of the word. Though noble blood flowed thickly through his veins on both his father's and his mother's side, he did not act as most nobles did.

That was how Edwin of Carmel had befriended the companion he had riding beside him. The young woman to his right was one who at first glance, one could never associate with the delegation she now rode with. Everything about her utterly contrasted the group of men that surrounded her. She was not dressed lavishly to please the eye, nor did she sit as high as her saddle would permit her with her chest puffed out in self pride and arrogance. She was not noble born. Even if she was entirely familiar with her line of ancestors, she would know that there had never been a noble amongst them. She was a mere common born country girl; a fatherless bastard. Well, perhaps in the recent months that last detail had become untrue, but for most of her life it had been a terrible truth she was forced to face daily. She sported not the lavish silks and satins and precious jewels that the others, even the soldiers, wore. Instead, she was dressed in plain working breeches, a thing unheard of to any Gallan woman who knew what was well and proper, and a white cotton shirt. But this was perhaps what had attracted Edwin of Carmel to speak to her, to befriend her.

Veralidaine Sarrasri, Daine as Edwin had come to know her these past weeks of travel, had not spoken a word to any of her traveling companions through the first week of their journey. Her silence had caught the attention of a few of the more compassionate knights, but for the most part, none could begin to care about what they had come to think of as a worthless brat. Edwin though, was intrigued by her presence. She was unlike any young woman he had ever come across, and as a wealthy young bachelor with a large estate, he came across a good many. He spent the first week watching her, studying her every movement. Being a scout, having a good eye was a necessity. He did not miss anything that she did, but still she was a mystery to him. His curiosity over her soon clouded his mind. Few people ever crossed his path that he could not read like a book within a few meetings. But this young wildmage, she was a mystery to him. A mystery that he intended to uncover before this journey's end.

It was this train of thought that had spurred Edwin to approach her that night nearly two weeks ago. She sat at the edge of camp outside her personal tent. As the only lady on the delegation, she was not forced to share a tent with any of the others. She sat now on a log beside a small fire that she had built on her own. Edwin had seen one of the other men offer to build her a fire earlier that evening, but as she always did, she refused him. Every night since they had left Corus, she had insisted upon pitching her own tent and building her own fire. She even tended to her own horse. Edwin was unsure of how things were done in Tortall, but in Galla, women were not fond of handling their own affairs. Galla was ruled and defended by men. But this Daine, she showed signs of being more than able to handle her own and he would wager that she had her value in wartime.

"You don't care much for talking, do you Milady?" Edwin called out to her as he approached. His tone was a friendly one, for he hoped to extend his friendship to her if nothing else. "Or is it that you can't?" His statement was playful; offering her kindness that none of the other men on the delegation had bothered to show her. Surely she had grown lonesome since leaving the only home she had known since she was a young girl. Edwin felt certain that she would accept his advances with open arms.

But as she always did, she surprised him, defying his expectations. She raised her head from where it slumped, atop her shoulders. Her blue gray eyes that had previously been fixed on the flickering flames of the campfire now leisurely slid up to meet his. They traveled over his lean form, as if sizing him up and storing his appearance in her memory. She kept her stormy eyes locked with his for several moments before once again turning back to the fire as if she had not a care in the world. She did not speak a word to him, further baffling him. How could it be that after being silent for nearly a week, she turned down the first attempt anyone had made to befriend her?

"Come on now, you can't stay silent forever, you know," Edwin pressed on, unwilling to give in to her stubbornness. He would not allow this mystery to elude him forever. When she would not even acknowledge his continued presence or his words, he began moving slowly towards where she sat. He soon stood inches from her still form, and yet she did not move a fraction. Taking her stubborn silence as an invitation to press onward, Edwin moved in the rest of the distance and took the empty place beside her on the long before the fire. He let his forest green orbs follow her gaze to the swirling fury of flames that made the campfire, wondering what it could be that kept her so transfixed on the campfire. "I'm Edwin of Carmel," he voiced at last after moments of sitting beside her in silence. He had expected her to rise from where she sat as soon as he took his place beside her and hide herself away in her tent for what remained of the night. The rest of the men had already turned in.

"You could speak to me. It wouldn't hurt at all, I assure you Milady," Edwin continued, still wanting to uncover the mystery that surrounded this beautiful young woman. "I won't bite."

"What is it you want?" Finally, she had spoken. He had almost begun to succumb to his fears that she never would. He let a small smile play on his lips, his green eyes twinkling as the firelight danced on his face.

"I only wanted to meet you, Milady," Edwin offered politely, not wanting to waste this new chance that was suddenly thrust before him. If she suddenly went back to her silence, he might not get the chance again as they neared the Gallan capital. "You've not said a word to anyone and I wanted to offer you my friendship. You seem lonely." He held out a hand to her as proof of his offer. She gazed back at him blankly, looking down at his offered hand with what appeared to be disbelief.

"Well I'm not lonely and I didn't ask for your interest." she snapped at him, her sudden change of demeanor revealing to him that she did indeed have something to be bitter about. He pitied her then. Edwin had almost expected her to continue snapping at him, perhaps add more to her attempt at insulting him, but she did not. She once again turned to the fire, adverting her attention from him.

"I know that you didn't, Lady Veralidaine, but I wish to offer it anyway," Edwin still would not give up. He had come too close to turn back now. Again he pressed forward hoping to break down some of the many walls that surrounded her. "I understand what you must think of me. You must think that I'm just another man amongst these brutes that is stealing you from your home. You'll find that I'm not, Milady. If it were up to me, we would not be having this conversation right now because I would not have sent a delegation to fetch you from Tortall. I would have let you alone as Jarlath should have. Now you can continue to sit here alone every night and refuse to speak to me or anyone else, or you can accept my company because I swear to you that I mean you no harm."

"Most folk call me Daine," she said after a few moments, still not turning to meet his gaze. She did not move a muscle away from the fire, but at least she was acknowledging him once more, he thought to himself. Her tone was somewhat lighter this time, and if he was not mistaken, he could swear he could see the tiniest of smiles playing at her lips. He knew then just from that shadow of a grin, that tiny fragment of how she displayed happiness, that she was indeed the type of woman he had thought her to be and hoped that she was. He was certain that had he met her under any other circumstances, they would have liked each other very much. She did not seem to be rude by nature or character.

"Pardon?" Edwin asked, hoping that by feigning confusion, he could spur her into saying more. Slowly, he was chipping away at her walls.

"Back home, in Tortall…."she continued, suddenly making somewhat of an effort to take up his offer to befriend her. "Most folk there call me Daine."

"But why not Veralidaine? It's such a beautiful name. I can't say I've ever heard it before," Edwin ventured, complimenting her. He could hardly believe that mere moments ago she had refused to speak a single word to him. "And surely they call you Lady in Tortall. You dine amongst nobles." Edwin found it odd that she, one who had been taken in by the highest of Tortallan nobles could be so common in behavior. It was as if she lived among peasants, who in his opinion were more interesting than noblemen and women of the court anyway. He came across a good few peasants as a scout, and had several that were his dear friends.

"Veralidaine is such a mouthful and I've never really liked it anyway," Daine explained, that shadow of a smile once again gracing her face

"Daine it is, then." Edwin flashed a grin at her, hoping to lighten the air further. He found himself speechless. He was amazed that she had finally allowed him to get through her walls, if only this little bit. Slowly though, she was beginning to open up and he hoped that she would continue. Her company would be a breath of fresh air amongst all of these stuffy noblemen. "You didn't answer my other question, though. Do they not address you as Lady in Tortall?"

Her head snapped up immediately in his direction. She looked almost surprised by his statement. "Oh, I'm no lady," she voiced shyly, almost flustered that he had mentioned it. " I'm fair certain that if I'd allow it, Thayet would have already given me the title of Duchess, but I won't hear of it. I'm common born and I like things that way."

"Thayet? You mean Tortall's queen? You speak of her so casually…." Edwin was both amused and astounded at her casual mention of the queen. It was almost as if she spoke of a dear friend that she saw everyday.

"Oh, I'd forgotten how formal everything is in Galla," Daine explained quickly, a look of nostalgia washing over her pale face. Sparks went flying up from the nearby fire as a log split at its base, causing it to collapse. Edwin moved his leg forward, kicking the log back into the fire pit with his boot. "In Tortall, formality is much more relaxed. Thayet was one of my dearest friends in Tortall. I'll miss her."

He was at a lack of words. He could not imagine what she must be going through just now as she had just been stripped away from the home she loved. She was probably still clinging to the hope that this was all just some terrible nightmare that she would soon wake from. Perhaps she thought that the king would change his mind and return her. He hated to crush any hopes she might have, but he knew that Jarlath would never change his mind. To him, she was a valuable pawn and he would not let the Tortallan king have control of her once again.

Gazing past the fire and into the night sky, Edwin felt satisfied that he had finally broken her vow of silence. He had enjoyed himself immensely for if he was honest with himself, he knew that he too had been lonely. She was not the only one that the other avoided like the plague. He did not long for their company in any case. He found them to be distasteful brutes. Every one of them was a cruel man, one who had taken the lives of countless innocents in their time. No, he did not care to associate with them and he was glad that he had found a companion who agreed.

"It's been wonderful talking to you, Daine, but the both of us ought to be resting now. We shall be up with the sun tomorrow and the night is nearly gone." Edwin said, turning his body around to face hers. She faced him now and he gazed deeply into her blue gray orbs. In them he saw dreams and fantasies of far away places and a keen sense of adventure. He saw sadness and longing such that he had never seen before. He did not question now that she had given her heart to someone. It would explain a lot of things that he had noticed about her reserved nature and it made him feel even worse about her predicament and the circumstances under which they had been forced to meet.

"Thank you, Edwin," Daine replied, forcing a small smile for him. His heart beat in excitement at making her smile. He hoped that such a beautiful occurrence would grace her face often, for it was a sight to see.

"Whatever for?" he questioned, seeing no reason for her to be grateful to him. He was after all amongst those who had stolen her from her home, whether he cared to acknowledge that or not. A grin spread across his boyish features as a light chuckle erupted from deep within his throat.

"For your kindness. I needed it." And with that, she rose up from the log, stretching out her legs and gazing down at where he still sat. She flashed a sad smile his way once more before turning to walk away. He watched in silence as she lifted her tent flap and disappeared inside. He waited a long while before rising himself to venture off to his tent, staring at the dancing flames. He was glad that he had spoken to the fair wildmage this night. It had proven to be another mystery solved, one that he was rather fond of. He was sure that they would become as good of friends as it was possible to be under the circumstances these next few weeks it would take them to reach Galla. With that thought in mind, he lifted his body up from the log and walked off to his own tent, his boots crunching audibly against the snow covered ground.

A/N: Well, what did you guys think? I'm REALLY nervous about posting this because of how long it's been. Again, I can't apologize enough for that. It feels really good to be writing again and I'm excited to continue with this story. Hopefully I'll add the last chapter to Wolfish Desires soon too. Please, feedback on this chapter would be immensely appreciated! Don't forget to review! I'll try to add more to this soon if you guys like it. I need to get back into the hang of updating.