A/N: Okay, I've never done this before so I'm a bit nervous. Firstly, ignore the title of this story; I couldn't decide what to call it so picked a word at random out of the dictionary. Secondly I have no beta so should anyone like to volunteer for the job I would be soooo grateful. Thirdly the first bit of this chap up to the line is out of Alanna the first adventure by Tamora Pierce, I do not own it or any or the other character's, places or situations you recognize from this story. Fourthly this is the one and only time I will use excerpts from the book and it is only there to make the story low better. Hopefully you'll enjoy! Newspaper taxi 

"Face it," Thom told Alanna "tomorrow you leave for the convent and I go to the Palace. That's it"

"Why do you get all the fun?" she complained. "I'll have to learn sewing and dancing. You'll study tilting and fencing-"

"D'you think I Like that stuff?" he yelled "I hate falling down and whacking things! You're the one who likes it not me!"

She grinned "you should have been Alanna they always teach the girls magic-" the thought hit her so suddenly that she gasped. "Thom. That's it!"

From the look on her face, Thom knew his sister had just come up with yet another crazy idea "what's it?" he asked suspiciously.

Alanna looked around and checked the hall for servants. "Tomorrow father gives us the letters for the man who trains the pages and the people at the convent. You can imitate his writing, so you can do new letters saying we're twin boys. You go to the convent say your to be a sorcerer. The Daughters of the Goddess are the ones who train young boys in magic, remember? When you're older, they'll send you to the priests. And I'll go to the Palace and learn to be knight!"

"That's crazy" Thom argued. "What about your hair? You can't go swimming naked either. And you'll turn into a girl- you know, with a chest and everything."

"I'll cut my hair" she replied "and- well, I'll deal with the rest when it happens."

"What about Coram and Maude? They'll be traveling with us and they can tell us apart. They know we aren't twin boys."

She chewed her thumb, thinking this over. "I'll tell Coram we'll work magic on him if he say's any thing," she said at last. "He hates magic- that ought to be enough. Maybe we can talk to Maude."

Thom considered it, looking at his hands. "You think we could?" he whispered.

Alanna looked at her twin's hopeful face. Part of her wanted to stop this before it got to out of hand, but not a very big part. "If you don't lose your nerve," she told her twin. And I don't lose mine, she thought.

"What about father?" he was already looking in to the distance, seeing the City of the Gods.

Alanna just shook her head. "He'll forget about us once we're gone." She eyed Thom "d' you want to be a sorcerer bad enough?" she demanded. "It means years of studying and work for both of us. Will you have the guts for it?"

Thom straightened his tunic. His eyes determined "just show me the way!"

Alanna nodded "let's go find Maude."

Maude, the village healer, listened to them and said nothing. When Alanna finished, the woman turned and stared out the door for long minuets. Finally she looked at the twins again.

"No." she said "I will not help you"

That was it that was all she said, "No. I will not help you" the slight chance that the twins had had of escaping their unwanted fate. Gone. Over. It no longer existed.

Alanna stared at her "No. you can't say that. You can't do that!" she shouted "you can't just refuse." Her voice shrunk as she saw the look on Maude's face. She was furious.

"Do not tell me what I can and can't do!" she thundered "Alanna you are a girl! The law of Tortall states that no woman may become a knight! It has been decreed so by our monarch's girl! Who are guided by the gods! You shall not break the law to attempt to for fill this foolish dream of yours!"

"But Maude" Thom reasoned "Alanna is the best hunter and tracker in all of Trebond. She is far better at any weapons that I am and she likes it. I'd make a shocking knight, and besides I want to be a sorcerer I want to slay demons and walk with gods! I want to-"

"Alanna is a girl," the old woman interrupted calmly; "she shall go to the convent and become a Lady. Thom is a boy; he shall go to the Palace and become a knight. As your father whishes."

Silence filled the hut as what Maude had said settled in, the twins simply stared at the old woman. Alanna had been so sure so very sure that this would work, that Maude would agree to help them and that she would avoid going to the convent and become the knight that she dreamed she could be. But Maude had said no. Alanna was to become a Lady, no more hunting or archery or wearing breaches or ridding with one leg on each side of a horse. No more of that. She was to go to the convent. At this thought her eyes darkened from their usual amethyst shade to indigo. Alanna was very very angry. She stood up "I HATE you." Those three words where filled with such venom that Maude opened her mouth and almost agreed to help them. The old woman recovered herself just in time, "you had better start packing for you will be leaving tomorrow."

Alanna did not move and continued to glare at Maude. Thom sighed "c'mon Alanna" he murmured, she didn't move, "come on" he said as he graded her hand and yanked her out the door and back up to their rooms.

Thom watched his sister sit down on her bed and looked up at her twin with wide eyes, full of helplessness and hopelessness, "Thom" she whispered, "what are we going to do?"

"We'll do what we have to"

"You can't mean that, I can't go to the convent, I can't!" she cried

"You can and will and must!" he told her, then dropping his voice "it was just a dream, only a slim chance, you shouldn't have worked yourself up; it was never going to happen." He was telling himself as much as her, "I'm sorry."

Alanna turned and looked at her twin through tear streaked eyes, he was a disappointed and sad and hurt as she was. "I'm sorry too" she sobbed.

Alanna sat and cried silently, whilst Thom stared blankly at the wall contemplating the slim chance that he had just lost. Silence fell like a thick woolen blanket on a cold winters night, it was safe secure and warm as the twins contemplated their shattered dreams together.

"c'mon, we should pack," Thom was the first to break the silence

"O-okay"

Thus the twins began to accept the positions that where expected of them and began to prepare for their futures.

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A/N Please r and r, feedback is good!