Lady Knight with a Twist
Disclaimer: I don't own any of this but the plot and any character you don't recognize.
Summery: What would happen if a girl from our world ended up at Haven? Would she use what she knows to change what will come or let the Protector of the Small do her task?
The Newcomer
Jessica was sitting in her bean bag chair in the corner of her room after getting into yet another fight with her parents about college. While Jessica was smart she always felt like she never belonged. Jessica loved her family but she hated the way she felt. That was why she was once again reading the book by Tamara Pierce that she loved the most, Lady Knight.
As she finished the last page Jessica closed the book, when she felt the floor of her room begin to shake. Griped with fear Jessica could not move. 'Was this an earthquake? It can't be, I don't live on a fault zone. What the hell is going on? I'm dead.' was all Jessica had time to think as the ground split beneath her and swallowed her whole.
Jessica's point of view
"Will she ever get up, Lady?" asked a tiny voice near my ear.
"Neal is anything wrong?" asked a female voice from the other side of the room. My mind was razing at the speed of light when I heard that name. My original thought was that I was dreaming until I woke up in a strange room to say, "Nothing except I have a pounding headache."
"Here let me help." said a man's voice as I tried to sit up. Peering over my shoulder I found an older man who was tall and gangly with red hair and dull green eyes in deep sockets propping me up so I could take a drink from a mug held by a younger man with reddish hair matted down by sweet and bright green eyes that were optimistic regardless of troubled times, how I knew I could not say. The younger man had the same nose as the older man which made me think they were related.
As I looked around the room I saw rows of cots lined on each wall with wounded men sleeping in the ones furthest away from me. A girl about my age was sitting on a stool beside my cot. She had short cropped dirty blond hair, hazel eyes, and a strong muscular body. Her body was clad in what was, I believed, chain mail over what looked like Renaissance clothing.
Once I finished the mug of what tasted like apple cider with something else in it that I did not recognize, though it was good. I sat all the way up taking my weight off the older man. Who then went to check the men who had just woken up. As I sat there the girl my age looked me over as if she was sizing me up to see weather or not I was a threat. At last she spoke, "Pardon, but what is your name and where did you come from?" At that I looked down at what I was wearing witch to me was a normal pair of faded jeans and a tight shirt that showed a portion of my flat stomach with my simple cuff belly ring in. I knew my hair was up in a messy bun with pieces dangling in my face and I had no makeup on. To these people I looked strange.
"Um", I coughed to get my voice working and continued, "My name is Jessica. Jessica Parmelee. I am from The States." When all the people round me stared bewildered I added, "The United States of America." They were still confused and I did not know what to say to them. After a moment of silence a very tall lanky man with black hair in a ponytail at the base of his neck stumbled in looking worn out. However, he got to my cot and sat with out help.
"My apologies Lady Knight. I believe this is a result of what I did in the battle." said the newcomer
"How so?" asked the Lady Knight. At that time I thought and discounted the notion that I may be in the fictional world of Tortall all in one breathe.
"I thought I felt my magic tangle with something in my last working. I believe that is how she came to be here with us. I have read about a supposed other realm in which mortals live."
"Um", I started as everyone in the room with in ear shoot looked at me, "Not to be rude or anything, but where the heck am I?"
It was the man on my bed that replied. "I am sorry young lady. You are in the realm of Tortall." Misinterpreting my baffled look he continued, "We, well I, believe that you come from another realm or a similar plain of existence."
Disgruntled I replied, "I got that from what you said before but how is that possible, the realm of Tortall is just a fictional place in fictional books. How can this be real?"
"You said books right?" asked the girl, Lady Knight. "What books?"
"Well in chronological order there are four books about Alanna the Lioness, four about Diane the Wildmage, four about Keladry of Mindelan, and the last two were about Alanna's daughter Aly." I replied as every pair of eyes, with in hearing, bulged at what I said.
"If ya 'no who we are den tell us 'umten." Said the small voice I heard at first. It belonged to a small boy of about ten with short cropped brown hair.
"Well since most of you balked when I said Kel's name and you" pointing to the tall man on my bed "called her Lady Knight, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that she is Kel; that little guy is Tobe; the older man from before, the one who helped me sit up is Duke Baird of Queenscove; the one who gave me the drink is Nealan of Queenscove; and the guy at the end of my cot is Numair Salmalin. And we are at Haven. Dose that please every one?" After my little speech it was so quiet that one could here the crickets chirping.
Then Numair broke the silence by saying, "So where did you come from might I ask?"
"Well where I come from all of this is in a book. I live in the United States of America. There we have no king or queen."
"What?", interrupted Kel, "Then how is the government run?"
"Well the people of the nation, those who are allowed, vote on who will be our president for the next four years. And in each state the votes vote people into different offices such as the Senate and the House of Representatives for both the state and federal systems. It can get kind of confusing; in school there is a whole class on civics that one has to pass in order to graduate. Well at least in my old school that is. I just graduated from Seaford High School. Which means I completed twelve years of basic school and I can now either get a job or go to college to further my education as my parents want me to as long as it is close to home. It is an on going debate with them. So can I leave because I really don't like everyone staring at me, if you want to know more I would be happy to talk somewhere else with a minimal amount of people, please?"
"Oh yes. Of course. How about you take dinner with us in the officer's mess?" responded Kel
"Sure. That would be fine. But where can I go now I kind of don't like being the center of attention. It's not my style." I replied to Kel.
"If you don't mind Kel I would be happy to accompany Miss …"
"Jessica.", I supplied Numair, "I'm not very big on formality."
"Yes, Jessica, to the Officer's mess till the rest come to dinner. Would you like that Jessica?"
"Sure. Whatever. You could even help me to understand this place better, seeing as how I'm guessing you don't know how to send me back."
