A/N: I'm BACK! And so is Naira, and she's better than ever! And different, I assure you. See my note at the end for further details! Thank you so much to Kate of Carlay for all of your help with this original story and one of its reincarnations, and the most special thank you and huggles ever to KrisEleven, without whom I would not stay up late crying with my fingers bleeding, trying to make Naira better than she ever has been.
Disclaimer: I'm not Tamora Pierce, I just play with her characters.
Chapter One
Willow Astor waited in a line of children her age, hands clasped, head down like they told her. She glanced up through her lashes at the man who was coming through town, picking children to train as Shang warriors.
No one knew what made the Shang warrior pick the little ones he did, but somehow he knew who would be successful and who wouldn't.
Willow didn't know if she wanted to be picked or if she wanted to stay with her mama and papa. She was the youngest of three, with one sister and one brother. They were much older than she was, and she always saw them going out on adventures. Well, she wanted an adventure, too.
The man stopped in front of her, and she quickly dropped her eyes, knowing that looking at the man was disobeying the orders she was given. "This one," she heard him say.
"Yes, sir," another voice said.
No one else from her village was chosen.
Willow was allowed a brief goodbye to her family, and her mama and her sister helped pack what few possessions she was allowed to bring along. She had a stuffed animal that her mama had made for her and a few changes of clothes.
Willow was placed in a cart that carried three other children. None of them said anything, and a few moments later, the cart started moving. Willow watched as her village slowly disappeared into the distance.
They stopped for dinner and to rest long after the sun had gone down. Willow stuck her thumb in her mouth after laying out on the bedroll provided for her, and curled her arm around her stuffed bear. Her eyes fluttered closed with very little coaxing, and she fell deeply asleep.
xXx
It was only a few days before they reached the City of the Gods, where the Shang Temple stood. Willow watched with wide eyes as the city, with all its temples, passed by. On the outskirts of the city, the temples were small, well built, and practical looking. There were no more than a few steps leading up to the temple doors, and one or two guards at the entrance to the temple grounds.
As they got further into the city, Willow's eyes widened. The temples were bigger as they neared their destination, more impressive. It seemed to Willow that the more important the temple was, the more steps there were leading up to the doors and the more guards there were on the grounds. The guards looked fiercer, too.
When they finally reached the Shang Temple, Willow was surprised to see that there was no one on the grounds, unlike all the temples they had passed. It was a large, reddish building with multiple levels and plenty of windows to let in the natural light.
Willow and the three other children were herded into the temple, and they passed several rooms while walking to the back of the temple complex, where the stairs to the upper levels were.
Willow peeked in, and saw the people, children not much older than she was, fighting with their hands and feet. Some, a little older, were fighting with swords and knives.
Willow and her three companions were ushered up the stairs to a room on the highest floor. It was small and bare, with four beds. Each of the children chose a bed, and Willow got one close to the window by sheer luck. She set her stuffed bear on the bed, and looked around. This was home, now.
xXx
Willow quickly fell in with a girl named Danna. Danna was three years older, but despite that, she was in Willow's class. Willow liked the girl and was paired with her frequently. Danna wasn't stuffy like some of the other children, and she always saved Willow a seat at mealtimes.
As the weeks passed and Willow and her classmates advanced, she started to notice that Danna was dragging behind. She was strong, but she was slower than the others as far as reflexes went. Her mind was quick, and in their other lessons, she was quicker than most of the students her own age and even a couple of years older, but when it came to fighting, it was clear that she just couldn't keep up.
Danna helped Willow study languages and healing during their allotted study time in the afternoons, and in return Willow practiced the simple punches and blocks they were learning in class.
They were in Carthaki class, learning the language and the customs, when the Shang Crocodile, the master of the temple, came in. All of the students scrambled to their feet and bowed deeply.
"Danna," he said. "My office."
Willow sent a curious look over to her friend, who slowly straightened and left the room with nary a glance at anyone. When she'd left, the Shang Crocodile behind her, the children stood straight and glanced at each other. No one was ever taken out of classes unless there was bad news.
Their Carthaki master, the Shang Hyena, snapped them back to attention by rapping a fist on the table. "Take your places and let us continue," she said, but the children noticed that her eyes drifted toward the door and she hesitated a moment before recalling herself to the lesson.
Willow was distracted the rest of the class time. They were learning about the different forms of address and the noble hierarchy. With only half her mind on the lesson, taking notes, Willow thought about the reasons that Danna could have been pulled out of class.
She couldn't come up with much of anything. Maybe they were arranging for private fighting lessons? That seemed like something they might do, especially since Danna was top of all their other classes. Willow supposed that Danna might not have study time in the afternoon, due to her extra fighting lessons, and thought that maybe they could practice together.
They were let out of class, and Willow raced toward the room Danna lived in with seven others her age. Danna's bed had been stripped of its linens, and there was a nearly full sack set on top of it. Danna was transferring what few belongings she had into the sack methodically.
"Danna?"
Danna turned, and Willow saw that her cheeks were tearstained. "They're arranging my passage home," she said quietly. She reached out and hugged Willow to her. "I'm so sorry."
"Why?" Willow looked up at her friend.
Danna shook her head. "Nothing. Just...do what they tell you, okay? For me. It'll be better that way." She took Willow by the shoulders and shook her. "Promise me you won't do anything to be kicked out."
Willow nodded, horrified. "I promise."
Danna nodded, satisfied. "Be good." She closed the sack on her bed and picked it up, carrying it out of the room. Willow watched her go, uncertain of what her next move would be. Danna had been her only friend.
She heard the bell signaling the hour and realized that she was late to her next class, medicinal healing. She ran as fast as she could and bowed to the Shang Tiger, a redheaded man who was notoriously fierce.
"Take your seat, Willow," he said, and she scurried to do as she asked, trying not to dwell on the looks that her classmates were giving her. The Shang Tiger usually punished latecomers with caning, but it seemed that Willow had somehow managed to avoid it.
She was sullen the rest of the day, hardly keeping her mind on her studies as night fell and the candles were lit. All she could think about was Danna's tear-streaked face. She fell into a restless sleep, plagued with nightmares of being turned out of the temple like her friend. She missed her family dearly, the meals her mother made, her sister's laugh, the way her father would swing her up onto his shoulders for a while, even her brother's teasing. But she didn't want to go home. She liked it at the Temple. She got to learn how to defend and protect herself, and her masters didn't expect much of her other than diligence.
The next day, Willow cleared her mind for lessons. During kick-fighting the next morning, the Shang Raven declared that she was doing well enough to be promoted to the next group. She joined the slightly older children across the room, ignoring the glares sent her way by the children her age.
The Shang Crocodile made another appearance the next week, while the children were studying hand-to-hand combat. They all halted and bowed to the Crocodile, who searched the group with deceptively lazy river-green eyes until he found Willow.
"Willow, my office," he said. She blinked at him and then straightened, walking past him out of the room and down the hall to his office. It was spare, nothing on the walls, only an inkwell and a sheaf of papers on his desk. She took a few shallow breaths as the Crocodile followed her in, wondering if she was about to be tossed out like Danna had been.
He sat down in a chair behind his desk, and Willow remained standing. "We received information about your village this morning, Willow." Before she could wonder what it was, he said, "Your village was overrun by bandits earlier this week. Very few survived the attack, and they've all left the area. I'm sorry to say that your family was not among the survivors."
Willow ducked her head, her eyes went wide, and she started breathing shallowly. Her family was...dead? Her mind raced. When she'd left for the Shang Temple, she understood that it was unlikely she'd see her family again for years. But now...now she would never see them again.
She thought of what Danna had said when she left. She'd made Willow promise not to do anything to get kicked out of the temple. At least she would have had somewhere to go. Now she had nothing. She had the Shang Temple, she had her masters, she had her classmates. That was it.
She looked up at the Crocodile. He was looking at her as if wondering if she was going to faint. She bowed deeply to him. "Thank you, sir, for the information."
"You may take the rest of the morning to grieve," he said.
She nodded her head. "Thank you, sir." She tried to hold in her tears, but she wasn't succeeding.
The Crocodile bowed his head. "You're dismissed."
Willow started to leave the room, but before she'd gained the doorway, the Crocodile spoke again. "If you work hard and go on as you have been, the Shang will be your family," he said quietly.
Which meant she would have no one if she didn't do well. She wouldn't have the security of a family anymore, there would be no one to care for her. She gritted her teeth and bowed to her master again. "Thank you, sir."
She went to her bed and flung herself face-down into the pillows. Her tears dampened the case on the pillow as she wept for her family.
She repeated the promise she'd made to Danna in her head. She would do nothing that would cause her to be kicked out of the temple. She added another promise. She would do better than everyone else. She would work harder, train longer, study more. She would be the perfect Shang warrior, and nothing could touch her.
xXx
Willow rose before dawn every day, careful to remain silent in the room she shared with her three companions. She tied back her blonde hair and drew on her practice clothes before treading downstairs to go through her kick-fighting and striking and blocking drills.
By the time the sun rose each morning, Willow was soaked with sweat and her body was shaky from exertion. She ate breakfast sitting beside her three roommates and promptly left them to have a quick wash before starting her lessons.
They practiced fighting in the morning, and Willow proved herself an able warrior, taking to the weapons with almost astonishing quickness, except for the sword, which she had the most difficulty learning.
In the afternoons, they studied languages including Common, Scanran, Carthaki, Tyran, and the Yamani tongue, medicinal healing, etiquette, and horsemanship, among other things.
Willow kept no company with her classmates, even her roommates. She rarely spoke unless called upon by her masters. She was the last one to sleep and the first one to rise every day, without fail.
When Willow was fourteen, her masters began to talk about the fights that would grant them Shang warrior status, including the battle for mythical status. Few had ever gotten that far, and even fewer lived long lives, but it was the greatest honor that could be bestowed by the Shang Temple.
For the next four years, Willow had her sights set on mythical creature status. She rarely slept, instead training until her body and mind were exhausted and she could hardly move her limbs or drag herself into her bed.
When she was seventeen, Willow had her first Shang fight, against a boy a year older than she was. Three judges sat to the side of the room, checking for technique. They were Shang warriors that had long since been out of the Temple, come back only to judge the fights.
Willow and her opponent bowed to each other, straightened, and began to circle. Willow had the patience to outwait her opponent. He was taller and heavier than she, but she was quicker. He tended to give away his next movements with subtle shifts of the muscles in his chest.
He struck out and Willow dodged easily, coming up under his guard to punch him twice in the stomach before retreating out of his reach. He tried again, coming at her with his feet and following with his fists. Willow took a kick to the chest and flew backward, but tumbled over backward and got to her feet. They circled each other again, and the boy reached out. Willow knew this was her chance. She watched his chest for his movements, trying to avoid being hit.
He landed a solid punch to her cheekbone, and her arm came up inside his elbow, wrapping around his upper arm, yanking him down to her height. She hooked a leg around his and pulled them out from under him, toppling him to the floor. She landed on his chest, forcing him to gasp for air, and grabbed his neck, twisting it, nearly snapping it before the judges rang the small bell on their table. She let go immediately and stood up, holding out a hand to help up her opponent.
He was breathing hard, his cheeks red from exertion. Willow looked at the judges and clasped her hands behind her back, waiting for the results.
The judge in the middle wrote something down on a piece of parchment in front of him and looked up at Willow. "The winner is Willow. Congratulations. You've passed your first test. We will inform you when your next match will be. In the meantime, study as you have been."
Willow bowed deeply to the judges and left the room, heading straight for the room with the practice dummies.
xXx
Over the next year, Willow had several more matches, with other young fighters like herself. She advanced quickly among the ranks of people trying to make it to mythical creature status.
She won them all. Some matches were more difficult than others, especially as her opponents got better and better. There were a few that made her sweat, she wouldn't deny that a couple of times she had wondered if she would be able to beat her opponents cleanly. Thoughts like that made her redouble her efforts to come out on top.
Soon after her eighteenth birthday in January, she got a notice that she would be fighting for mythical creature status the next day. Her opponent's name was at the end of the letter, and her eyes opened wide.
She heard light footsteps coming down the hallway to the bedroom and looked up. "Good morning, Willow," Janie said, smiling as she tossed a piece of parchment onto her bed. "You've heard that we're going to be fighting tomorrow, right?"
Janie had been one of the three other children who arrived at the Shang Temple with Willow so many years before. She was a tall brunette, a good student, a good fighter. Willow didn't pay her much attention, didn't think the other girl deserved it.
"Yes, I've just gotten the notice," Willow said, holding up the missive in her hand.
"Good luck." Janie smiled brightly.
"Thanks." Willow wasn't quite sure what to say. She didn't expect to be meeting any of her roommates on the way to mythical creature status. "You too."
Janie edged out of the room then, leaving Willow to her thoughts. This was the same as the rest of her matches, she reminded herself. She was proving her skills, that was all. She wouldn't fail. She couldn't fail. She was the best, and she knew it.
xXx
Willow and Janie bowed to each other. The match today was not only judged by three impartial judges, but by all of their masters. The sides of the room were crowded, but no one said a word. Hardly anyone reached this point. Willow knew that she and Janie were the only ones in consideration for mythical creature status right now. It was between them, and only one of them would receive that highest honor.
Willow looked at Janie from under her lashes. Janie looked nervous. Good, she should be. She wasn't nearly the fighter that Willow was.
The girls started to circle. Willow usually had enough patience to outwait her opponents, and today would be no different. Janie struck out first with a foot, which Willow caught, flinging the other girl to the side. Janie rolled into a crouch, her dark eyes watching the other girl.
Willow was standing tall, waiting. Her hands curled lightly into fists, and her eyes narrowed, but that was the only expression she allowed herself. Janie came closer, not quite within range, and they circled again, watching for an opening, watching for any signal of what was to come.
Janie leapt forward, curling into a ball at the last moment, putting her leg out to catch Willow above the knee, causing the other girl to stumble. Willow started forward and used her fist on Janie's jaw. The other girl's head jerked, and Willow was able to land a kick to her abdomen. Janie recovered quickly and swiped her foot under Willow's legs, and Willow tumbled to the floor.
She was on her feet nearly as quickly, and lunged forward, her fists and feet so quick that the judges were wide eyed. But Janie's eyes were cool and devoid of emotion. She'd studied Willow's technique and used the other girl's split second decisions to her own advantage. She was unpredictable, shifting from high punches to low kicks in the blink of an eye.
She knocked Willow down again, and Willow kicked her feet out from under her. Suddenly, Willow was on top of Janie, then their positions were switched. Janie flipped Willow onto her stomach and pulled her hand behind her at an unnatural angle. Willow froze for a second, then wrenched her arm out of Janie's grasp, pulling her shoulder out of socket as she went, rendering her right arm useless.
She planted a kick into Janie's chest, but Janie just rolled backwards and came back to her feet, rushing at Willow, delivering a kick to Willow's stomach that made her double over. Janie's leg shot out again and Willow was on the ground. Willow kicked Janie's legs out from under her again, sending her sprawling to the floor. Janie grabbed Willow's good arm and twisted it until she was sitting on Willow's chest, her feet pinned Willow's legs, and the bell rang, signaling the end of the fight.
Janie got up and stuck a hand out to Willow, who took it grudgingly and stood. "Janie, if you'll come through to this room to my left," one of the judges said. "And Willow, to the room on my right. We'll have the decision in a few minutes."
The girls went to the separate rooms, and Willow finally felt the pain from her dislocated shoulder. It was almost enough to make her vision go grey, but she held strong. She had other things to worry about. She had been pinned, unable to move or pull her way out. She wouldn't get mythical creature status. She had failed.
The door to the room she was in opened a few seconds later, and the Shang Tiger came in. He didn't say a word as he came up, grabbed her arm, and forced her shoulder back into socket. Willow gasped from the pain but didn't say anything.
The Tiger kept quiet and motioned to the door. Willow headed through it and stood beside Janie in front of the judges table. "Willow, congratulations, you will henceforth be known as the Shang Hawk. You are a credit to your teachers and have fought well this last year."
Willow bowed. "Thank you." She stood straight and kept her face impassive as the judges turned their gazes to Janie.
"Janie, congratulations as well. You are a credit to your teachers and this Temple. We are proud to confer upon you the title of Shang Centaur."
The other Shang masters in the room began to clap for Janie. Willow put her hands together as well, but dropped them after a moment. She knew that she was free to leave.
She pulled the tie from her hair, setting the blond locks free, and shook her head. She had failed. With every step, the words repeated in her head. Shang Hawk. Failure. Disgrace.
A/N: All right, guys. Let me know what you thought! I accept anonymous reviews, as always, and am MORE than willing to answer (almost) any question you might have about this story.
It's been two years almost exactly since I started Naira for the first time. I've spent most of those two years trying to make this into the best story I can make it. I have no illusions that I'll ever be done with it, or that it's perfect by anyone's standards. I know Naira isn't even in this chapter. I promise this is still about her. I just had to change some things around and come up with a different plot. Naira is still Naira, she's just a better version of herself. I hope you all enjoy my return to Naira and extreme multichapter fanfiction. Love, Sarah.