Disclaimer: this is not mine. All of it is Tamora Pierce's, except for the characters and places that I made up.

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Chapter 1: Wings

Lia had always been an outcast. She didn't know why, but for some reason it had just happened, one day, long ago. Her mother had stumbled into the village, looking for a place to give birth. Soon after that, the baby was born. The mother died, or went away, or something. Lia had never been given a proper explanation. Her mother had left her with only one thing: a strange brown gem that was patterned with feathers. She never took it off. She was only allowed to go into the tribe's tents when she had it on. She wasn't really even part of the tribe, but they still kept her away. At least they had raised her, and made sure that she survive. She, at least, was partially accepted.

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Rel, on the other hand, had not been as accepted as Lia. She didn't know why either, but the people of her mountainous village treated her like livestock. She had appeared at the village gate as an infant, wearing only a grey gem on a pendant. The townspeople had turned her away instantly, and it was only because the Green lady had appeared and told them to take care of her that she survived. She was made to work as soon as she could walk, and after ten years of service, she was strong. She didn't know that her strength would come in handy.

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Lia was doing her daily task one day, minding the tribe's herds of goats and sheep, when a young boy came running up. "What is it?" she asked, surprised.

"The Headman wants to talk to you." He panted, out of breath. "I'm to mind the herds today."

That was surprising, too. The headman hated her, and wanted her to stay away as much as possible. She started walking over to his tent, inside the village.

As she walked through the village, mothers pulled children inside the tents, as all the adults glared at her. She hurried over to the headman's tent.

"Come inside." Came a voice, old and weary, from inside the tent.

As she walked in, she realized that the Headman was not the only one in the tent. There was another man, with black hair and startling blue eyes, pale skin, and northerner's clothes.

"Hello," he greeted her. He turned to the headman. "She's the demon you told me about?"

"Yes!" snapped the headman, an old, brittle man, with wrinkly skin and permanently glaring eyes. "I want her out of my tent before she disturbs anything!"

"Well. She definitely has wild magic, as much as Daine, if not more. What's your name?" he asked, his last question directed at Lia.

"My name is Liani Kestra of the-" she cut herself off. "Just- just Lia." She cursed herself inside. She was not of anything, especially not of the bazhir.

"Well, Lia," the blue-eyed man said, "would you mind removing that pendant? Just for a moment."

It was an odd request, but Lia complied. She had never actually taken it off before.

Nothing happened.

"Set it down somewhere where your skin is not in contact with it."

She set it down on the floor. The Headman wouldn't like it if she defiled one of his tables with her touch. The moment she set it down, she had the wonderful feeling of floating. She felt her back expanding, and her hair softening into feathers. From her fingertips on, the hairs on her skin were shifting into miniature feathers. On her back… she had grown wings.

The next day, Lia found herself sitting on a bouncy horse, trying to keep from falling off, while riding on her way to tortall. Or, at least, the main part of tortall. To Corus, to learn how to fly, and to be examined by mages. Right now, she was wearing the pendant, so that less people would stare.
"It doesn't matter what they think." a calm voice spoke, startling her almost out of the saddle.

"Yes, your Highness," she replied. She had discovered that the blue-eyed stranger was the voice of the tribes, and the king of tortall.

He sighed. "We'll be at Corus in another two days."

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On that same day, Rel was sitting and dreaming right outside the town gate. She had just finished when she heard the clop-clop of horse's hooves on the ground, and saw a group of riders approaching. They were led by an unarmed man in black robes and a knight in golden armor, who appeared to have trouble getting his curly, red hair under control. She ran through the town, shouting "Visitors! We have visitors!"

People came to see the riders as they rode into town.

The man looked at all of the townsfolk and sighed. "We need to talk to two of you." He said.

"Yes, we need the Headman and the girl named Rel." the knight had a strangely high voice, but what was most startling was that they wanted to talk to Rel.

Rel came forward, and so did the Headman.

"I think that this would be easier if we went somewhere less crowded. The woods, maybe?"

There wasn't much standing room in the woods, but eventually they found a quiet grove with enough room. The knight was shorter when he was off his horse, but the man was much taller. They almost seemed to be opposites. "Rel? You're Rel, right?" asked the knight. "I'm Alanna of Pirate's Swoop and Olau. He's Numair Salmalín."

"You're the Lioness?" Rel practically shouted.

"Yes. Anyway…" she turned to Numair. "Wild Magic?"

"As much as Daine," he replied. "If not more."

Rel stared at them, uncomprehending. She had magic?

"Rel?" it was Numair. "Can you take your pendant off, just for a moment? Set it down."

She followed his instructions. Almost instantly she felt something growing out of her back. Her ears seemed to be changing and shifting, and everything was louder. But… what was on her back? She twisted her arm around, trying to feel it. She brushed against something fuzzy. Then she realized that she could move it. She made it move over to where she could see it.

It was a wing.