A/n: I don't own any of the characters (besides 'Tia'), locations the only thing that I own is the plot you 'borrow' it I'll find out were you live and send armed assassins to take 'care' of you.
Even though I have written the whole story already, I am open to any ideas you might have.
P.S this story is 'based' on something that happened in real life to someone I know, I can't tell you anymore about her because if I do I'll ruin the ending and to 'make' this story I had to change some of the details about the person I knew to fit into the Tortall theme/story line.
Chapter 1 MemoriesAlanna sat gnawing her thumb remembering what she had done to get her into this hopeless situation it all began seventeen years ago when she was stupid enough to share a bedroll with the Shang Dragon Liam Ironarm.
Ever since then she had made good decisions and bad ones, mainly bad ones.
About five months from then she gotten married to George and a week after that Alanna had discovered that she was pregnant with Liam Ironarm's child then she and Maude went to Tyra to give birth to her child, Maude would raise the child to the age of four then present it to the Shangs, if the child was accepted she or he would stay there until the Shangs saw fit.
If the child did not pass once again Maude would raise the child to the age of eleven if the child was a girl she would be sent off to the convent, if a boy to the palace for knighthood training at Tyra with the risk that Alanna would fight her own child in future wars.
The whole idea seemed pretty good then but in reality it wasn't.
Alanna left with Maude bound for Tyra all the while Alanna swelling with a child she wasn't suppose to have, they made it there safely staying at a local inn upon arrival then the month waiting for the baby to arrive was excruciating but eventually the child was born.
Alanna smiled in remembrance her child was a beautiful baby girl with her own purple/amethyst eyes but with black hair, nonetheless Alanna went ahead with her plan Her child was going to the Shangs but before that she had to recover and name her child, the name she chose was Tia.
Once Alanna had recovered she went back home to the Pirate's Swoop leaving Maude there for several years, she kept in touch with Maude though, sending her money so she could support Tia and herself and letters, plenty of letters.
Maude sometimes had Tia write letters or draw pictures so Maude could send them to Alanna.
About a week before Tia was going to be presented to the Shangs (Tia is now four) Alanna sent Maude a necklace with a locket shaped like a diamond with the initials A.C (Alanna Cooper) outside and inside the initials T.I (Tia Ironarm) and with it was a note saying give this to Tia, the paper was all smudged as if Alanna was crying (and she was) when Alanna wrote it. When Maude read it she shook her head at Alanna's mistake and gave the locket to Tia who liked it immediately.
The next day Maude took Tia to the Shangs, Maude wasn't the only person there, and there were heaps of other parents hoping that one day their children would bring them great wealth.
Finally the Shangs showed up and one of them raised an eyebrow at all the children and immediately started splitting the children into groups, even though Alanna wasn't there she still tried to imagine what her child went through.
A week after that Alanna got a letter saying that her Tia had made it through and Maude was on her way back to the Pirate's Swoop.
Alanna heard footsteps and looked up she saw an adult Tia walking toward her and stops as she regarded Alanna's purple eyes that were very similar to her own.
She stood up as was expected of Tia's rank; Tia just nodded and took the furthest seat away from Alanna in the waiting room.
Tia was lost in thought as she wondered why the lady knight was staring at her so blissfully and why the king had called her to his chamber; evidently he had called the Lioness as well. Tia sighed and played with her locket as she recollected the past events that had led her to this station It all began with her oldest memory of when she was younger and Tia vaguely remembered a face, a person who was calming and was nice.
Tia had always assumed that this person was her mother and then Tia's memory went blank then returned when she was eight and she tried to make friends but they all disappeared or died of mysterious accidents and never returned once again Tia assumed that she was never meant to have friends and leapt into her studies excelling far beyond any other student of the Shangs.
Tia continued to do well and her teacher the Shang Fox decided she was ready to take the final step at the age of sixteen (most undergo the final test at the age of 17-20 depending on experience.)
Once again Tia jumped the final hurdle without much apparent difficulty and was awarded the rank of Pegasus the highest female rank she could achieve.
After receiving the rank Tia left Tyra and headed for Tortall where it was rumored that bastards such as herself where welcomed she based this on a story she heard in an inn, the tale itself was about a young teenager from Galla called Daine and was given a job as assistant horse mistress.
Tia didn't particularly want a job but she wanted something to do and on her way Tia got a bit lost and ended up in a town near someplace called the 'Pirate's Swoop' that's where Tia heard the most awe inspiring stories about the Lioness and the Shang Dragon and also found out Tortall's capital was less than four days travel away.
Off Tia went to Corus on her way to a local inn Tia heard a rumour about how Shangs when they went to the palace they received a royal welcome because it wasn't often that Shangs came to the palace.
Tia stayed at a inn called the Dancing Dove the night and the next morning she went to the palace when she was about to enter the gates something caught her eye and she went to investigate it was a memorial to someone called Liam Ironarm the Shang Dragon it went on how he died heroically for Tortall and how he helped the Lioness get the Dominion jewel.
Tia continued her journey through the palace gates lost in thought would she too die heroically if she served a virtually unknown country and king?
Tia pondered this thought for a while until she was stopped by one of the guards guarding the doors into the inner palace grounds.
"What is your name, tittles (if any) and what is your business here at the palace?" the guard asked business like.
"My name is Tia the Shang Pegasus and I'm here seeking work." Tia replied dismounting from her steed.
"How'd we know if she's telling the truth?" one of the guards asked the other.
"Ummmm...perhaps we try to grab her and if she is the Shang whatcha ma call it she'll disarm us with cunning speed." The guard said nervously to the other guard not sure if he was making the right choice.
Tia smiled at the memory she did disarm them but it wasn't till she gave them back their weapons that they was aware that Tia had got their swords.
After that it was kind of a blur Tia didn't remember who she talked to or how she got the job of teaching the senior Pages and Squires but it was some Duke.
On her first lesson she wasn't sure how to go about the senior Pages training was she suppose to be strict? Or was she supposed to be kind? Tia eventually learnt that she was supposed to be strict.
Upon arrival in the training courts Tia realized that she was alone with a bunch of Pages Finally she reached a verdict the Pages were going to get similar training to what she experienced.
Tia stood up in front of the pages quietly watching the Pages talk about the Shang who was meant to teach them and how he or she wasn't here.
Occasionally one or another of the Pages would glace at her only to see Tia smile sweetly.
After a few minutes of this Tia yelled "Drop and give me twenty push-ups you worthless sacs of meat!!!"
The Pages were so shocked to see the transformation between the two women that they nearly fell over themselves.
"I said DROP AND GIVE ME TWENTY PUSH-UPS!!!" Tia yelled even louder if that was possible.
This time the Pages fell to the ground and as quickly as possible did twenty push-ups.
Tia was a demon never letting the Pages catch their breath and driving them to the point beyond exhaustion.
Tia gave harsh punishments to anyone who was slow or complaining that meant that by the end of the lesson they were all fit to be buried.