Summary: This is yet another Aly story with a twist. I've set it in two different times, the 'future' of TP's world and the 'current time' (the time the books are all written in). Basically the part with Aly takes place 5 or so years into Dove's reign (that might be subject to change), and the other part in the 'future' follows a character/s and their search for what happened to the cunning one.

A/N: That probably didn't make sense. Go on and read the chapter and try and figure it out hopefully you'll get the idea…after all this is just another completely random idea…-friends reading the screen behind me groan- What! You shouldn't be reading this over my shoulder anyway!...

Disclaimer: The world and characters you recognise all belong to Tamora Pierce.

Chapter 1: The Ruins

Lilith stood before the ancient ruins, blackened husks stark against the horizon, seeming to cry for the people of an age long past. The stories that surrounded this place were legendary. This Kyprish history, with all the tales of the Raka and the Luarin, –her own ancestors- and the most famous tale of all; the one that told of the rebellion and the Kyprish prophecy:

From the Kyprish Prophecy, 200 HE In a time of fear the one who I promised will come to the raka, bearing glory in her train and justice in her hand. She will restore the god to his proper temple and his children to her right hand. She will be twice royal, wise and beloved, a living emblem of truth to her people. She will be attended by a wise one, the cunning one, the strong one, the warrior and the crows. She will give a home to all. And the kudarung will fly in her honour.

The tales fascinated her and many theories had been voiced as to the prophecy's meaning. It could not be simply disregarded as the fancy of an early civilisation. Indeed the flying horses or Kudarung, though now nearly extinct, did exist, and there had certainly been a rebellion some where around the year 463 HE.

None of the old religions statues that had been found, depicted the trickster god, who was believed to be the patron god of the Isles after the rebellion and before the Luarin had invaded many years before. Those bits made a kind of sense but then there were the completely nonsensical parts, like where it referred to the crows.

Caught up in her thoughts she stepped into the ruins, following a well worn path through the ancient walls to what had been the throne hall. There on either side of the steps, though ancient, stood the headstones. They were the evidence that supported the prophecy. That ensured it could not be discarded as myth along with the tales of mages, magic and other fantastic beings.

They stood sadly beside the cracked and worn stone steps as though guarding them. Carved deeply into each one were the epitaphs; The Strong One, The Wise One, The warrior, The One Who I Promised, there was even a crow shaped statuette sort of thing inscribed with: (in memory of ) The Crows.

All had names, dates of birth and death…and then there was the strangest one of all. There was the blank space where The Cunning One should have rested. It was commonly held that the spymaster of the Isles had died in the inferno… none knew where her body rested.

There were to theories relating to this. The first she had died her body lost…but the other, the other suggested she had lived. Escaped the inferno and watched the destruction of all she had known. Watched and fought the rival government that had orchestrated the half-blood queen and her governments down fall.

Something had happened to that ruling body, swift and deadly, attacking from the shadows. It then went on to say that Aliane (or Aly as she was more commonly known) lived. That she did not die, but rose to serve the trickster.

Whether the fabled Cunning One had been behind the falling of the government or not none could deny something had happened, and so the legend of the girl, unsurpassed in history continued to grow, through the era's and into the modern day.

Lilith sighed. As highly unlikely as it was, something in her seemed to favour the second theory despite any arguments or evidence that said otherwise. Closing her eyes she tried to imagine the night the palace had fallen, centuries ago.

……………………

The flickering light cast by the flames set the thousands of upturned faces aglow. The Spymaster of the Copper Isles stood along with the gathered crowd, her face a mask, reflecting the morbid fascination of the crowd. She looked on with the rest, her heart like ice as the grey palace burned.

Try as hard as she could she couldn't keep a small sob from escaping her mouth as all she had built in this country she now called home burned. Dove, the half-blood queen of the copper Isles had been pulled out of that inferno by Fesgao. Badly injured it was unknown if either of them would live. Besides them many were trapped in that fire, friends…family. All killed in a fire that should never have occurred, had no right to exist. The healer that tended Dove rocked back on his heals his face ashen and smudged with soot, eyes mournful.

Aly's world seemed to shatter like glass, each piece slowed as it fell so she could see every minute splinter of the fragments that spurted out as they crashed to the ground around her. Another sob escaped her, as her heart seemed to break apart with the knowledge that all that could have been done was done. An aching pain filled her very soul, fuelled by a slow burning anger. Dove was dead, Winna, Nuritin and many of the most powerful nobles; Fesgao, Taybur…Nawat…Everyone. The palace would burn to the ground…and worst of all, she had failed, failed her friends, family even the network she had built. Racking sobs shook her, and she forced herself to commit every minuscule detail of this scene to memory to examine later when she could focus…could get her mind around her loss.

The palace seemed to explode suddenly outward, and stones fell from above in a deadly rain.

There was a cry of fear from the crowd and suddenly people were pressing away from the palace. It was move or be trampled. Aly let the crowd sweep her along with it, working her way towards the edge then collapsing in a side alley. Letting her composure drop she sobbed trying to thank whatever god had kept her alive but found she was incapable of doing so. No god should have allowed this, this slaughter. Wrapped in her cloak she pulled her exhausted body further into the shadows, her cloak hiding her form from prying eyes as she slipped into unconsciousness.

A/N: So should I continue this or should I delete it before. Plea? Hopefully you get the gist of what I was trying to explain se review and tell me what you think!