Stolen Lives

Part One: Look For The Dark (When There Is Light)

Author: Merry of Masbolle

Rating: Pg-13 for now, I suppose.

Theme: Romance/ Mystery/ Adventure

Summary: This is actually a very hard story to come up with a summary without giving everything away. Alianne is the daughter of Alanna and George. She blossomed as she grew up in a happy childhood. Although often faced with the possibility of death to someone she loved dearly, she was always faced with love. Yet, she never felt she had that spot in life or a certain future. She was always competing for things that didn't matter to her. At the age of ten, her twin brother left for the palace to train as a knight. Her other brother, Thom, was at the City of the Gods. Desperate to find her niche in life, she left home. Eight years later, she returns to Corus, believing she has found what she set out to look for. But when she returns, things have changed and she's no longer so sure of herself and those around her. Someone in particular elicits curiosity in her and she is determined to find out everything she can about him. Yet she has no idea how intensely the information she learns will affect her... in everything she does. When forced to make a choice, what will she choose: herself, or her realm? And how is her fate similar to her mother's? How is Alianne's future twisted into the events of Alanna's past?

Author's Note: Ok. This is the first chapter of my long-awaited (not) Alianne fic. Originally, I was going to base this story on what I've heard about Trickster's Choice but the plot just grew and grew, expanding and developing over time as it continually sizzled at the back of my mind, inspired by the oddest things. Eventually I had to write the plan down, and I'm still writing it! What was going to be a fic about the length of Moving On with a possible opening for a sequel has turned into a trilogy:-

Part One: Look For The Dark (When There Is Light)

Part Two: Capture The Memory

Part Three: Song Of The Sea, Life Of The Stars (iffy title).

And now, I'm afraid, my fic is hardly anything like Trickster's Choice. Hopefully, its much better. Lol, just kidding!

I'm afraid the first chapter might be a bit boring because I've had to start introducing people and setting the scene. I'd like to say now that my aim is to post a chapter a month BUT this does mean that (hopefully) the chapters will be longish (say, the length of this chapter as a rough guideline- and this chapter is a long first chapter for me!).

Oh, by the way, I actually prefer "Ali" to "Aly" but TP uses the second apparently, so I decided to stick with that. I've tried to work out ages as best as I can and if you want me to post a list of character ages please say in a review and I'll pop it on the next chapter. This starts off three years after Lady Knight.

Oh, and another thing- we never really learnt that much about any of Alanna's children in the books and we only met the eldest two of Jon's children so I've made them into the people I want them to be for the purposes of this fic. I'm sorry of this offends anyone. And I don't know if Gary ever actually had children- again, TP never mentioned it (or I missed it if she did)- but for Stolen Lives he has two- a son and a daughter (and if you can't remember, he's married to Lady Cythera. At least, I think that's right).

It's pure coincidence that the Copper Isles features so highly in both Moving On and Stolen Lives and the two fics do not cross over in anyway.

I would also like to point out that I have only ever read one Alianne fic and I think that was before I even posted the first chapter of Moving On. I only read something like three/four chapters of this particular fic anyway. So I would like to say that all these ideas are mine and if any author has previously wrote an Aly fic with the same plot line as mine (at which I would be very surprised) then I am terribly terribly sorry and I have not consciously copied you.

With regards to characters seen in the SotL, I and PotS books, (i.e. Alanna, George, Jon, Gary, Raoul, Thayet, Buri, Daine, Numair, Harailt, Lindhall, Kel, Neal, Dom, etc etc) you will be seeing them a little bit (some more than others) but this fic is firstly and foremost a fic about Alianne. For example, this chapter focuses on Aly, Prince Jasson and Princess Kalasin but Kel, Neal, Alanna, George, Alan, Thom, Raoul and Buri are among some of those others mentioned.

Disclaimer: Anything at all that you recognise does not belong to me, but Tamora Pierce. I do not pretend to own her work. However, I do own the plot, Dartonian, the Black Falcon, Reon and any other thing, person, or place you don't recognise. This applies to the whole of Stolen Lives.

Dedication: I would like to dedicate this first chapter to those people I have gained the most of my inspiration from: Tamora Pierce (oddly enough), Daphne du Maurier for her book Frenchman's Creek (my absolute most favourite book ever), Robin Hood, Juliet Marillier for her band of loveable outlaws in Son of the Shadows, Baroness Orczy for inspiration in disguises (from the Scarlet Pimpernel), James Horner for his inspiring music scores to both Titanic and The Mask Of Zorro and Dana Glover for her song It Is You (I Have Loved) which truly sums up Stolen Lives but which I didn't discover until a few days ago. I would also like to thank Kerm for that chat on at the bus stop and on the bus, Lauziek for beta-ing (which she hasn't quite got round to in time…) and Vanessa and Courtney for their encouraging feedback before this was posted.

While I'm here, I'd just like to talk about Moving On quickly. Yes, I am still writing it. I've actually just done the unthinkable and asked one of my absolute closest friends (who is, like, a BRILLIANT author) to have a look at it because I'm so stuck with it. If she got the email in time (which I think she did) then she's taken it on holidays with her and as soon as she's back, I know she'll be able to tell me exactly where I need to improve it (i.e. everywhere) and I'll be back on track. My target was to get Moving On finished before August (when I go on holidays) but that's not being very realistic. But maybe- there's only two chapters left. But big apologies for taking so long. SORRY!!!

Stolen Lives

Part One: Look For The Dark (When There Is Light)

Chapter One: An Ocean Of Memories

The year was 463, the twenty-fourth year of the reign of King Jonathan III and his queen, Thayet. Their large court was well known through out the Eastern and Southern Realms and many established nobles travelled to Tortall to pay their respects to the unconventional monarchs. The palace was also always full of native Tortallans of varying livelihoods. Most of the palace's inhabitants, be they a foreign or a local, lived for the court gatherings, the gossip that came from these and the challenges of keeping a clean reputation while committing the dirty crimes of getting a particular spouse.

Therefore at today's court ball, it was no surprise to see nearly all the attendants smiling, dancing and chatting animatedly. Not everyone was of the same state of mind however, and the young lady with flowing red hair currently coming down one of the lesser staircases, unannounced, into the room was not particularly looking forward to this evening.

Her hand gently grazed the polished banister as she glided down the staircase. That hand was trained to hold weapons- not ladies fans. The skin was deeply tanned from all the time she spent outside and was not particularly smooth. A scar ran across the top of her hand - a soft, pink band against the rough olive. The nails, though perfectly clean, were not painted or decorated as every other woman's in the room were.

She stepped off of the last stair and moved a few paces into the crowds of courtiers to try and merge in with everybody else. Her skirts- cream and pale blue- swished irritatingly around her legs as she walked, and a frown of annoyance crossed her forehead.

'Aly! There you are!'

The frown left her face as Alianne turned around to face the speaker. Aly smiled at the striking young woman who stood in front of her, noticing how her beauty actually radiated from her form.

'Kalasin- how good to see you again! It's been so long!' Alianne moved closer to the eldest Princess.

Princess Kalasin grabbed her friend's hands in her dainty, pale manicured ones. 'Aly, my dear, we absolutely must go and chat- never mind the court or anyone else.' She began to drag the younger woman over to a window seat. 'Oh, you're right- it's been so long! Too long. Aly, I must insist that you never stay away from the palace for any length of time like that again. Do you promise?'

They had reached the window seat and Alianne, daughter of Baron and Baroness of Pirate's Swoop, sunk gratefully into the plush red cushions. She looked up at the woman before her and wondered at the change that had taken over her friend. The Kally she had known would not have behaved in such a pompous or demanding manner; the Princess had always wanted to grow up like any other common Tortallan girl.

'Kally,' Aly began. 'Now that I have my title, now that I'm free to do as I please, I'm hardly going to stay put forever. You knew that ever since a child, I wanted to travel. Now I can do that. I will visit you often- you know that, but I cannot promise to stay here for great lengths of time. It would be… against my character.'

With a sigh, Kalasin flopped down next to Alianne. 'How come after all these years you're still the one that's always right?'

Aly laughed. 'Because I'm better than you, remember?'

'Oh yes, how could I forget?' teased the Princess. 'But you better watch yourself, young lady - do you realise you're talking to the Royal Princess?'

'You've hardly changed at all, Kally,' grinned Alianne, deciding that her earlier suspicions were false- a momentary fluke in the Princess's demeanour.

'I'll take that as a compliment, old friend. Now you must tell me everything about yourself and everything you've done since I last saw you which was absolutely ages ago!'

'Yeah, just about eight years, Princess dear,' smirked Aly. 'Where to start...' How could she even begin to recap the last eight years of her life? 'Well, when I left home, I -- ' She was cut off by a young man, bowing low.

'Excuse me, your Highness,' he said in a voice that reminded Aly of warm honey dripping over hot coals. 'But the dancing is beginning and I wondered if I could dare to hope to be so honoured with your hand.'

Aly rolled her eyes- what an idiot! Didn't he realise that anyone could see through that ridiculous act? She was about to ignore him and continue talking to Kally when she realised the Princess was actually accepting his offer! Aly stared, nearly open mouthed, as Kalasin rose gracefully and rested her hand on his proffered arm. A fake, well-educated blush gently grazed her powered cheeks and she spoke nonsense to him in her silky yet powerful voice as they wandered over to the dance floor, without a backward glance at Alianne.

Well, thought Aly, so much for not changing. The Kalasin I knew would never have ignored her friend for some creep of a courtier who --

'Copper for your thoughts?'

Aly jumped and turned to the youngest of the Royal children, Prince Jasson. Like all his siblings, he had the sleek black hair and the sapphire eyes that signified a Conté. Aly smiled at the young man, one year younger than her.

'Are all the Conté children going to seek me out tonight?' she asked with a grin. 'If so, I think I might retire early.'

'Well eight years is a long time and you have been deservedly missed,' he replied in his smooth voice.

She laughed, and he joined in. To her surprise the young prince swept her into his arms for a bone-crushing hug. Jasson had always been the closest of the Conté's to Aly during their childhood but she guessed the show of emotion in front of the court was hardly acceptable even for good friends.

'Oh, so you really did miss me then,' she said in answer to his embrace.

'No, not at all, I just felt like leading you on.' His blue eyes danced wildly with mirth.

'Well at least you haven't changed,' Aly mumbled.

'Aah- yes, I saw you talking to Kally. She has become a bit of a problem.' At Alianne's raised eyebrows, he added, 'Well for Anne and me anyway. Anne as in Princess Lianne,' he hastily put as an after thought.

'I'm not stupid, Jas. You think I'd forget all our nicknames for each other? Crooked God, it was only eight years!'

Jasson faced her off with an icy-blue stare. 'Well who's to say you'd remember us?'

'Prince Jasson Raoul of Conté,' hissed Alianne, each word carefully controlled. 'I grew up with you spoilt Royals- ten years- all my childhood. Do not insult me so.'

'We're not that spoilt,' grumbled Jasson, his eyes downcast and for a fleeting moment Aly thought how adorable he looked like that. She shook the thought away but couldn't help but muse that he would probably be capable of heart-wrenching puppy dog eyes. (?)

'You think so?' Aly replied. She grunted in answer to her own question. 'Anyway, you were going to tell me about Kally.'

'Oh, yeah. Right.' Jasson collected his thoughts together with a deep intake of breath. 'Well, you know how she always wanted to be like your Ma? You know, be a lady knight?' Alianne nodded. 'That was still her dream by the time she was old enough to become a page. But Father wouldn't let her. I don't know why - he never gave her a proper reason. Maybe he was afraid she would remind him too much of your Ma.' Jasson shrugged. 'For whatever reason, he said "no". At first Kalasin was devastated, as you can well imagine. But it didn't take long before she was back on her feet. She never even put up that much of a fight.

'From then on she changed.' He sighed, and gazed across the room at his eldest sister. 'She became more feminine- delighting in things like dancing and sewing and the latest fashion. Her new past time was walking through the gardens with her ladies, talking the hind legs off a donkey. She became, I suppose, a stereotypical princess.

'But the change in Kally had other effects too. Lianne changed. It was almost like they swapped roles. You remember how Anne always used to be the girly one as children?'

Alianne nodded, a grin passing over her face at happy memories.

'Well as Kalasin became more feminine, Anne became less so- but more subtly. And she was clever too- she didn't set her heights too high only to be knocked back to the ground. She told Father that she was willing to serve her realm in every way she could and to do so, she wanted to be trained in the skill of archery. Now how clever is that? She would get her fair share of battle but for her parents' peace of mind, she was at a less risk because she would only be fighting from long distance. And archer's protection is improving nowadays. Special chain mail shirts are being produced that are specifically designed with archers in mind.

'Anyway, I welcome with open arms the new Anne but Kally's a different matter. She doesn't like to talk to us much anymore- after all, we're just the young ones and what can we really do to help, as she so frequently reminds us. She calls court functions and orders us to come, taking away the little spare time we have. She gets us into trouble with Ma and Pa for trivial things that she blows miles out of proportion. She even orders clothes to be made for us for particular excursions without first asking our opinions. And now with the Princes'--'

'Princes?' interrupted Alianne.

'Oh,' Jasson replied with a grimace. 'I thought you would have heard- they're looking for a suitor for Kally.'

'Yes, well I had but I didn't think anything was actually going to come of it.' Aly frowned. 'I mean, she always would have renounced an arranged marriage.'

'Key words there: "would have". She's revelling in the attention she's getting, basking in the confidence she feels in herself and here she comes right now!' Jasson finished the last in a hurry, having chanced to turn and see the topic of conversation getting considerably closer. The Prince pasted a smile across his handsome face; Aly didn't bother.

'Jasson!' exclaimed Kalasin. 'How nice to see you actually talking to a young lady for once! Do you know, Aly dearest, that we have so much trouble getting him on the dance floor. It's unbelievable, you know--'

'You completely ignored me,' Alianne interrupted. Her voice was devoid of emotion but her eyes had begun to blaze.

'What dear?'

'When that- that courtier came to you, you totally blocked me out to pay attention to him instead. It was like I had never existed. You could have at least excused yourself from me or apologised. That's not too much to ask, is it "old friend"?'

'Aah, I see what's going on here,' answered the Princess softly. 'Aly, get used to it, dear- I'm the Princess. I'm better than you. I don't have to apologise to you because men want to dance with me. I understand your jealousy dear, just please try and control it in future.' With a sickly smile and a flutter of her hand, Princess Kalasin swept off, a vision of silk, jewels and perfume.

'See what I mean?' quietly said Jasson, taking a sip of his wine. 'She believes she's the best now, no-one's better than her. She thinks she can boss people about and degrade them as if they have no feelings at all.'

Alianne was practically fuming. 'I think I need to hit something,' she hissed through gritted teeth.

Jasson put his goblet down on the windowsill. 'No, you just need to calm down. Come dance with me.'

Aly snorted. 'Well you really know how to charm a girl.'

'Come on, Aly. It will make you feel more relaxed,' tried Jasson.

'I don't dance,' she growled.

'Sure you do. Just as well as I do, at any rate.'

'What's that supposed to mean?' Aly's eyes narrowed with suspicion as she looked at him sidelong.

'You heard Kally--' Jasson put on a high, squeaky voice-- ' "We have so much trouble getting him on the dance floor".'

Aly smiled slightly but her anger was still there, bubbling just below the surface. 'That was a pretty bad impression, Jas.'

'But it worked- it made you smile,' he replied. 'Oh, come on Aly, one little dance. Its hardly going to harm, is it?'

'It might harm you if I make a fool of myself,' she muttered under her breath.

'Go on Alianne- one more time for old time's sake?' he pleaded. 'Remember? As kids we used to dance out in the gardens when we could hear our parents in the ball room.'

'And now we're standing here along side them,' she sighed, taking a gulp of wine. 'But then we were kids and we were alone and being silly,' she addressed Jasson.

He shrugged. 'So? Let it be like that now then. We're only mucking around now- only picking fun at the courtiers and our parents like we did eight years ago. We're still young and no-one's going to pay us all that much attention.'

She glared at him; then with a sigh, her scowl disintegrated into a small smile and a shake of her head. 'You are terrible. You're even more determined than I am. Well, its a good thing I'm not particularly resolved on this topic or we could be here all night. Come on then, let's get this over with.' And with that, she marched onto the dance floor, not waiting for him.

He grinned and began to follow her. 'That's my girl,' he commented wickedly and she hit him lightly over his head. She was nearly as tall as him- height genes were one thing she hadn't inherited from her mother. With a mocking "ouch", Jasson took Aly in his arms and began to whisk her expertly around the room.

'I thought you said you couldn't dance,' she demanded calmly.

'Well, that's what I'm so often told,' he retaliated.

'By who? Kalasin? Because I might be a bit inexperienced but I would say you were very good.'

'Why thank you. You're not bad yourself.'

She snorted. 'Hardly. But it was nice of you to say so.' Aly glanced briefly at the other couples on the dance floor. She smiled at the sight of a particular couple; Jasson followed her gaze.

'Ah- the Giant Killer and his wife,' he said, watching Raoul and Buri on the edge of the dance floor. 'They're an odd couple, aren't they? You're lucky to have seen them anywhere within ten feet of the dance floor, actually.'

'So marriage hasn't cured Uncle Raoul's aversion of social activities?' inquired Aly.

'As much as it did for your mother.'

Alianne chuckled and looked over other couples. She frowned. 'What's the deal with Keladry and Nealan?' she asked Jas quietly. 'I thought Neal was engaged to some Yamani lady.' She nodded in the general direction of the pair. Jasson looked their way; the two were wrapped so tightly in each other's arms, you could barely see the air between them. Jasson smiled.

'Ah- young love.' He laughed. 'Yes,' Jas sighed and lowered his voice. 'Neal was engaged to a Yamani- her name was Yuki. But a few months before the wedding, Yuki abruptly ended the relationship. Neal was absolutely devastated. I think he even made himself ill for a while due to emotional stress. Anyway, he went after Yuki and found her body just off the Lesser Road North. She had been brutally attacked by a group of Scanrans that had escaped from a local holding of war prisoners. She was barely still alive when he found her. She spoke to Neal- apologised, said she had always loved him but had also loved another. She had been seeing this other man secretly for years- long before she came here even. He was an old friend of her family and a native Yamani. She had broken up with Neal to return to him permanently. Neal tried to heal her, promising to let her return to her other love once she was well but she died on the side of the road.

'Neal was wracked with grief. For months he wandered around like a ghost. Kel spent time with him every day, just trying to get him through the pain. Slowly he recovered. As he did, he became closer to Kel.' Jasson shrugged. 'And you can guess the rest yourself.'

'And all of this is common knowledge?' remarked Alianne sceptically.

'Of course not. I only know because of Roald being close with both Kel and Neal. And his wife being close with Yuki.'

'Oh.' Alianne watched the knights for a bit longer. 'Well at least they're happy together.'

'Since Yuki's death, Neal has done a lot of work on prisoner holdings, reforming them and reinforcing their guards. Hardly anyone has escaped since he made his changes.'

'Well something productive came out of her death,' mused Aly. 'Does Kel mind?'

'No,' replied Jasson with a shake of his head. 'Remember, Yuki was her friend too. She was cross that Yuki had been cheating on Neal all that time, but sees Neal's work as respect for her death and the great memories they have of the Yamani. Kel's even helped from time to time when she hasn't been too busy commanding forts and war camps and such.'

'Oh, so she does a lot of commanding work then?'

'Yeah- people like Lord Wyldon and Lord Raoul realised that she had the potential for being a great commander. As commanders are so vital yet so hard to come by, they have made sure she almost always has some kind of commanding work. She works a lot with the King's Own- in particular Lord Raoul and Neal's cousin, Sergeant Domitan.'

'Yes, I think I've heard of him,' she muttered as they whirled over the floor. For a while, neither spoke yet instead of watching other people, they watched each other. They had no idea that Queen Thayet and her husband were watching them.

'So Mister Know-It-All,' teased Alianne. 'Do you know when my family are getting here?'

'Well, Miss Idiot,' he jested back. 'Your brother is actually here.'

'Alan?' she asked, surprised.

'Yep- he's to take his accolade in a few months.'

'Of course! What about you? When's your Ordeal?'

'Oh, not until next year. Father did consider making me take it a year early but didn't see any particular advantage by it and guessed the extra year of training wouldn't do me any harm. The rest of your family- Alanna, George and Thom- should be arriving tomorrow. They'll be pleasantly cross I think, they were hoping to get here before you.'

Alianne laughed. 'That's just like Pa. So you make it your business to know the ins and outs of every one in court, do you?'

Jasson chuckled at her insinuation. 'No but if you'll remember I'm a year younger than Alan. Since we grew up together and got knight masters who are friends, we've spent most of these last eight years together. He kept reminding me of both your arrival and your family's. Like I could forget.'

'Tomorrow I must go and see Alan. Any ideas where I might find him?'

'Hanging around the practice courts usually. Oh Gods, here comes Kally with one of her darn Princes!'

'Prince Jasson- watch your language around females!' teased Alianne.

'Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't think such a masculine female mattered.' His eyes danced and she stood on his foot. But before he could react or retaliate, the Princess had reached him, trailing a Prince behind her like a dog.

Kalasin put her hand on Aly's arm, pulling her away from Prince Jasson slightly. 'Alianne, dear, I want to introduce you to a friend of mine. Prince William, this is Alianne of Pirate's Swoop and an old friend of mine. Alianne, this is Prince William of Maren.'

Prince William, a thin, sickly looking man, snatched up Aly's hand and bent low over it. 'I'm honoured.'

Alianne had never felt more uncomfortable; she wanted to pull her hand out of his but knew this would be rude. She didn't know what to say to him either. Noticing Jasson stood slightly to the side, not introduced, she said, 'Have you met Prince Jasson of Tortall?'

At hearing his name, Jasson looked up, surprise etched in his features. At Alianne's beckoning fingers, he came to her side, ignoring his sister's ugly looks of disapproval. The arrival of this new Prince made Prince William drop Alianne's hand in haste.

'Prince Jasson, Prince William; Prince William, Prince Jasson,' introduced Alianne. 'Prince Jasson is Princess Kalasin's youngest brother, Prince William. Have you met before?'

'No,' replied Prince Jasson since Prince William seemed unwilling to talk. 'No, we have not met before but I have seen Prince William about and heard of him.'

'So, Alianne,' said William, completely ignoring Jas. 'To what do we owe the honour of you gracing the halls of Corus?'

Alianne looked disdainfully at him. Was it a rule that all courtiers had to speak so ridiculously? 'Family,' she replied calmly.

Just then, another young man joined their party. He gave Aly, Jas and William quick glances before turning to the Princess and asking for her partnership in the next round of dances. Seeing Kalasin disappear with this new Prince, Prince William glared at those around him.

Jasson took hold of Alianne's arm. 'Excuse me,' he said to Prince William. 'But we would like to continue our dance.' And with a short bob of his head, he pulled Alianne away to a different part of the dance floor.

'Well wasn't he nice,' muttered Aly as Jasson spun her around in his arms again.

He chuckled. 'As pleasant as always. Competition is a vital part of life between these Princes. If the Princess shows you one of her friends, show interest in her friend but not more interest than that which you show in the Princess herself. And never allow another Prince to take the Princess's attention when you are addressing her friend. Dear Prince William failed and he knows it.'

'If those are the kind of things you have to keep in mind I am so glad I am not royal.'

Prince Jasson laughed heartily. 'Oh but as a Royal you are the centre of attention, dear friend.'

'But is that always a good thing?' she asked, a wicked grin forming.

He grinned back. 'Not if you take a more than friendly interest in the wrong woman.'

'And what, by definition, would be the wrong woman?'

'Lets see... someone who isn't Royal, or of noble birth or noble livelihood. Someone like... you.' He laughed mischievously.

'But I'm of noble birth. Well, more or less.'

'Ah- but not of noble livelihood.'

'So how come you're risking your reputation by dancing with me?' she retorted.

The music swirled around them, spreading wildly on the breeze whisking through the windows. Her skirts swished gracefully as Prince Jasson glided her across the room, pulling Alianne closer to his chest.

'Maybe,' he replied after a moment's pause, 'Maybe as the youngest of the Royal children, I don't feel I need to worry so much about my reputation.'

Alianne only raised her eyebrows in response to this, and their conversation ebbed as the musicians reached their height. However, the lack of communication was not uncomfortable and both reflected on childhood memories of times spent together. As soon as the dance finished, Jasson led Alianne out onto a star-lit balcony, passing her a goblet of wine.

Taking a sip of the drink, Aly cast her mind back over the night's conversation. The Prince joined her in leaning against the balcony's railings. For a while the relaxed silence continued, until suddenly Alianne remembered something she had meant to ask Jasson about.

'You remember you said Thom was travelling up with my parents and should be here tomorrow?' Jasson nodded, his eyes still caught by the sparkling stars. 'Is he coming from home- from Pirate's Swoop?'

Jasson shrugged. 'I suppose so,' he commented lazily, barely looking her way.

'I don't quite understand- has he already left the City of the Gods?' she frowned slightly, trying to make the connections in her head work.

The Prince looked at her bemusedly. 'You really had no connections with your family while you were training, did you? Thom qualified as a Master eight months ago. He's been hanging around your mother, apparently. But he's coming to stay here- he's going to do some extra training while working with Master Numair and the Dean of the Royal University- Harailt of Aili. Or so Alan tells me.'

'He passed the Mastery examinations when he was 19?' Aly squeaked.

'Yes- apparently just a year older than your uncle.' Alianne nodded, still shocked at her brother's actions. 'Alan said Thom wrote he had done something wild with his hair as a celebration but he won't tell Alan what. Wants it to be a surprise. I think your mother had a fit though.'

Alianne snorted. 'Sounds about right.' She took a large gulp of wine. 'So Alan hasn't seen Thom since he became a Master either?'

'No, your twin was off gallivanting with his knight master and has only recently returned to the palace.'

'Well at least that makes me feel a bit better,' muttered Aly. 'So is there any other news I should know about?'

'Umm... not as far as I can think off. Oh, yes- Anelise has been staying at Pirate's Swoop as well. She, of course, heard about your return and asked me to tell you that she will be here as soon as she can but she has to return briefly to Naxen.'

'What was Anelise doing at Pirate's Swoop? Shouldn't she be here at court?'

'Well technically yes, but her father- Gareth the Younger of--'

'I know who her father is, Jas,' interrupted Aly.

'Well he let her visit Thom on a short respite from court.'

'And how long has this "short respite" lasted?'

'Oh, all of five and a half months,' grinned Jasson.

'Oh, so not long then. And dare I inquire what she and Thom have been getting up to all this time?'

Jasson laughed as he took a gulp of wine, nearly spraying the liquid everywhere. 'I think you'd do better to wait until tomorrow and ask your dear brother himself.'

'Hmm, so do I.'

The doors behind them opened and a young black-haired, blue-eyed man burst onto the balcony, closely followed by a similarly looking female and the noise of the ball. Alianne and Jasson jumped round in surprise, immediately springing into defensive positions. Jasson recognised his siblings and promptly relaxed.

'Jasson!' cried the male, 'How dare you keep Aly all to yourself?!' He turned his head to the red-haired, smiling woman. 'I may still call you Aly, right?'

'Of course, Liam,' replied Alianne with a laugh as she made her way towards him. 'How are you?'

'I'm much the better for seeing at least one of you mischievous red-heads.'

'Anne!' cried out Alianne as she recognised the young woman standing behind Liam. 'Come here! How are you?'

'Oh, Aly- its been so hard with Kalasin,' moaned the Princess, a year Aly's elder. 'And I've missed you so much.' The two young women hugged.

'How come I don't get a hug?' demanded Liam. 'Don't I sweep you off your feet, Lady Alianne?'

Aly and Lianne laughed. 'Not particularly, Li. Have you become over confident with women now that you have that splendidly shaped beard of yours?'

'Hey- don't degrade the beard!' cried Liam. 'The young women in court like it very much.' He smoothed his fingers over his black beard. Aly laughed again.

'Oh Liam, you always were the one to try and impress the girls.'

'I don't need to try, Aly- they're impressed enough by my reputation and appearance.'

'As anyone told you how big a head you have?' dryly commented Alianne.

'Yes- these two. Repeatedly.' Liam nodded at his younger siblings; they grinned.

'Yet you take no heed of their words?'

'Of course not- they're younger than me,' he teased. 'Anyway-- ' he swept Aly up into a brief hug-- 'I have to go now. Things to do, people to talk with, girls to impress. See you all later.' And with a wave of his hand he had disappeared back into the crowds of courtiers. Anne shut the balcony doors behind her brother.

'So what have you two been doing out here, or don't I want to know?' inquired Lianne.

'I've been filling our dear friend in on everything she's missed,' replied Jas, ignoring his sister's insinuation.

'Like what?'

'Like the lives of her brothers, the lives of particular courtiers, the changes in particular members of the Royal family.'

'Oh, so he'll have bragged to you about how masculine I've become then, Aly,' said Lianne, leaning against the wall.

Aly smiled. 'I don't quite think bragged is the right word, more like "mentioned". He tended more to moan about the changes in his other sister.'

'Well, you know Jasson, likes to concentrate on the negative things in life. Anyway, I came here to get you Jas. Father said something about some foreign courtier or ambassador wanting to speak to all the Royal children. Sorry, Aly, I'm going to have to rid you of company. Come and see me tomorrow some time- we can have some fun then.'

'Sure, Anne,' replied Alanna's daughter.

'Tomorrow then,' Lianne said with a grin. Grabbing her brother's arm, she dragged him back into the ballroom.

Alone, Alianne quietly closed the doors before once again leaning against the railings. It had been a long day and an even longer evening. Her friends had all subtly changed and she wasn't yet sure if it was all for the best. She was immensely tired and couldn't understand how so many people spent hours socialising like this, day in, day out. True, she had learned a lot tonight but surely that was only because of her eight-year absence?

Aly looked around. She was completely alone; nobody was near. Surely, she could slip off to her room now and not be noticed? She really needed to get some sleep and she wasn't doing anything productive here. Her mind made up, Alianne slipped discreetly back into the ballroom. Sliding along the wall, she soon came across the door that led down into the gardens. Opening the door, she slunk out into the cool night air and breathed a sigh of relief. Her sigh was quickly followed by a yawn and this prompted her to set off on her short walk.

Passing through the gardens, Alianne saw many couples sharing private moments in the shadows. She wasn't particularly jealous- at eighteen and unhindered from the restrictions of a court life, she had already had plenty of experience with men. Yes, they could bring you an evening of pleasure but that was about as far as she would go in complimenting relationships with a man. She didn't really feel she needed that special someone in her life right now-- she was still finding herself-- and anyway, she knew she hadn't met him yet. That is, if there was a special someone for her. Her Father's words popped into her head: "someone is always someone else's one". Aly smiled at the thought of her Father and a warm feeling filled her chest as she realised she would be seeing all her family the next day.

Flitting through the courtyards and stable yards, she came to a door in the wall, smaller than most of the others. She passed through it and up the stairs beyond it, holding her skirts high and treading softly. Reaching the top of the stairs, she turned right down the corridor and wound her way through similar passageways until she came to the door of her rooms. It's a good thing I can remember my way around still, she thought as she let herself in. Having spent much time at Corus as a child and being childhood friends with the Royal children, Aly and her brothers had soon picked up the ways of the palace and the ways around it.

Crossing the first room and entering her bedchamber, she sluggishly threw her shoes to a corner by her chest and began to undress. As she pulled the plain and simple white nightgown over her head, she wondered how court ladies could stay in skirts, slippers and corsets all the time. True, she wore them more than her Mother but Alanna was a bit of an exception.

Alianne crawled into bed, yawning loudly. It was hardly late and it wasn't unusual for her to have a hard day so she put the exhaustion down to the reunions she had been forced through. Luckily, there hadn't been that many although it was a bit of a disappointment they were all Contés. With a grin at herself, Aly snuggled down amongst the warm, crisp covers, looking forward to a good night's sleep. It didn't take long before her unusual coloured eyes closed and her breathing shallowed.

Suddenly she was being roughly shaken by her shoulder and a woman was whispering in her ear, but Aly could not make out what she was saying. Slowly Aly sat up. The room she was in was not the room of the palace; it was small, with gaps between wooden beams filled with wattle and daub. The room glowed orange by the light of a few meagre candles and shadows scattered just outside the reach of the candlelight. Unexplainably, fear swelled up in her breast, and while feeling her mouth open, she heard a young boy ask the woman, 'Ma? Ma, what's going on?'

Aly couldn't see the young boy but had a good view of the mother. She was young and pretty and had the copper skin that usually marked a native of the Copper Isles. Her dark glossy hair was swept back into a bun on the back of her head, although a few wisps had escaped. The sleeves of her chemise were rolled up just past her elbows and she re-positioned her shawl irritatingly as it attempted to fall from her shoulders.

'Come, son,' she said softly. 'We must go now. Hurry- your brother already waits downstairs.'

'But what's happening, Ma? What's wrong? Why do we have to leave?'

Aly could feel her bare feet move slowly towards the bedroom door, pattering on the wooden floor boards and dried rushes.

'Don't ask so many questions, dear,' said the mother, who grabbed her son's clothes and started ushering him out quicker. 'We haven't got time now. Run downstairs and meet your brother.'

'Where are you going?'

'Nowhere- I'm coming right behind you.'

Aly felt her feet fly down the wooden stairs, her hand reaching unsuccessfully for the simple banister.  She saw a boy, about ten or twelve years old, standing by the front door, a bundle under his arm, fully dressed with shoes on his feet.

'Why do you always have to take so long?' snapped the older boy, grabbing Alianne's hand as she reached his side. Yanking Aly roughly, he began to drag her out of the cottage. Aly felt herself turning around to look for the young mother. She was at the base of the stairs, trying to stuff spare clothes and food into a few packs. Aly resisted the pull on her arm.

'Mama!' called out the youngest boy. 'Come on Mama!'

'I'm coming, darlin', I'm coming.' The mother picked all the belongings up and scampered after her boys.

'Where's Papa? Are we going to see him? We haven't seen Papa in ages,' asked the young boy again. Aly was walking quickly between the older brother and the mother. The mother looked down at Aly as the brother said frustratingly, 'Oh, not this again. How many times do we have to go over this?'

'No sweetheart, you're not going to see Papa,' replied the mother, ignoring her eldest son. 'You won't see Papa again.'

'Ever?' Aly felt her chin tremble and tears grow in her eyes. The mother crouched down in front of Aly.

'Your Father passed to the Black God some time ago, sweetheart. He's gone to a better place. We've been over this before.'

Aly felt tears begin to run down her cheeks and sadness overwhelmed her. The mother threw her arms around Aly and tried to comfort her but at a sudden cry in the distance, the mother jumped back with an anguished gasp.

'We must go. Now. Quickly. If you can carry a few of these packs, I'll carry your brother.' She handed a few worn packs to her eldest son and picked up Aly. Then they began to run, always heading towards the harbour.

Slowly, Alianne opened her eyes and blinked. She was back in her room in the palace- it had only been a dream. She sat up gradually and rubbed her forehead, throwing her hair over her shoulders. That had to be the strangest dream she had ever had. She was actually seeing the dream through the eyes of the little boy, as if it was a memory. She wondered if that was how Seers had visions- through the eyes of someone else. Climbing out of her covers, she walked over to the window and pulled a corner of the gauze and coloured material back so that she could see out. The stars were still out; the sky was still dark. She yawned and looked back at her bed. A couple more hours of sleep sounded good...

Pattering across the floor, she slumped back into bed and lazily fell asleep once more. This time, she wasn't disturbed by any unusual dreams.

~

Please review! I want to know what you think!

~Merry.