Disclaimer: I do not own Tortall at all; I have created this story using characters and a world created by Tamora Pierce.
000000000000000000000000000000000000
H.E. 427
Faithful padded across the empty room towards the open window and leapt onto
the sill. He noted the position of the sun below the horizon of buildings and city wall, and
purred. It was his personal favorite time of day. People were getting ready for the
darkness of night and all the ensued. He had enjoyed many pilferings of fish at sunset, for
the shadows were long and his dark coat prevented notice until too late, much to
multiple fishermans dismay. He didn't steal often, but when he did, it was always from
those who could afford it.
Time passed as he contemplated his exploits on the docks and when he rejoined
the present world, night had truly fallen. Searching the stars he found the constellations
one by one; the dog, the great goddess, the tauros, the centaur, the oak, the hero, the
ram, the twin dragons, and many others. But there was one more constellation he didn't
find but there was a reason for that, he laughed to himself but if there had been any
unknown listeners all they would have heard was a ripple of mrts, Kora had been right
the constellation 'the cat' was known to wander.
George opened the wooden door to the chamber he shared with Alanna, hoping to
find her, but all he found was a room devoid of anything but furniture and Faithful, who
happened to be gazing up at the stars. Chuckling he strode towards the open window and
its occupant. "Communing with your brethren among the stars, or just enjoying the
view?" George didn't expect a reply. Faithful never really talked to anyone besides
Alanna with much consistency. Yet to his well hidden amazement he received an answer.
Neither. Tonight is for memories. And with that confusing conundrum still lingering in
George's ears Faithful jumped off the sill and into the room then slinked out to remember
elsewhere.
That was different, George thought to himself watching Faithful's tail flick as he
brushed past George. Faithful, being a cat, of course never gave a straight answer, though
that had been the clearest riddle he had ever heard from Faithful when he did talk to
George besides warning when Alanna was in trouble. George wondered what memories
he could have been so into that he slipped in showing the world a normal cat with
abnormal eyes.
George eventually discovered Alanna searching a storage room. "What are you
looking for?" She blushed. He raised his eyebrows. "Not that it's really important I was
just wondering why you had disappeared after sword practice."
"I ran out of bruise balm and Rispah mentioned that you had some in here."
"Oh that's alright lass but I was trying to find you and ran into Faithful and he acted
strange."
"Strange?"
"Yeah he gave me a straight answer when I asked him something and the fact that he
answered was enough reason to mention it to you."
"Straight answer? This the same Faithful who is a black cat been with me since being a
squire? He never gives a straight answer."
"I know that's why I was wondering if you had given him any catnip or something that
can explain his statement."
"No not that I know. What did you say that you didn't get a riddle, and what did he
respond with?"
"I asked if he was communing with the stars or just watching the night life. He had been
staring at the stars in the heavens quite intently. He just said 'Neither. Tonight is for
memories' and left."
"Hmm I guess he was just remembering something, hopefully it will wear off within a
couple of hours."
And with that George leaned towards Alanna and she forgot all about silly cats, for
George kissed her and led her back to their room, after checking to make sure Faithful
wasn't contemplating anything else in them.
The next morning………………
George opened the oak chest and gazed at everything contained in its silk covered
insides. Most of what occupied the chest was from his childhood; a bag of marbles, his
first dagger, and the statue that his mother had shown him when he was just a stripling
and started to steal. His mother had given him the statue from the shrine when he became
the Rogue. She had thrown up her hands in mock and real despair and cried out,
"Goddess help me I've got a thief for a son and he is the King of them all."
She had eventually accepted it and got used to it but she had given him the statue
and shrine 'to protect him from what he came from' and he had placed it in here. He
lifted it out and gazed at it and remembered what him mother had said about their famous
ancestress, "She had blue eyes, the color of ice, that people said could see the dead, so
the story goes, but she also never really confirmed it, but if she did have it, it was bred
out of our family centuries ago for I hadn't heard about it in anyone in any late
generations. At that point a young George had pointed at the cat sitting at the woman's
feet, "Who's that?"
Eleni had replied with, "That's her cat, in the tales I've heard he had special gifts
too, apparently he could talk to people but I think that's just ridiculous I mean cats are
smart but not that intelligent."
George then asked, "What color where his eyes" looking up at his mam.
She searched his face for a moment before replying, "They say that they were purple, but
how did you know they were odd and not the normal green?"
George brushed at the statue with fingertips, "I dunno it's just seemed that despite the
paint being worn off they weren't supposed to be green."
Then Eleni told him the story of Rebakah Cooper and her violet eyed cat Pounce.
George now recalled that conversation despite it being buried in his past in the
Lower City, because it had been the first time his mother had told the tale of Rebakah, he
grinned, she had reprimanded him many times after that when he stole with the tale, but
then the grin faded away, he now really wanted to have a real conversation with Faithful
and ask him some questions especially if what he had been remembering had to do with
multiple centuries past. For that statue bore a remarkable resemblance to Faithful.
The next day…………
George had searched all over for that blasted cat but it seemed that when he had
left the bedchamber the other night he had effectively disappeared. He had even gone to
the courtyard where Alanna practiced her sword work, which Faithful usually watched,
but not today. After regarding Alanna's fancy foot work to avoid Marek's daggers he
abandoned the shadowed doorway in search still for Faithful.
Alanna bathed after weapons practice in the iron tub that had been placed in her
now empty chambers which she had emptied after joining George in his chambers. To get
all the sweat out of her hair she dunked her head under the water and scrubbed it briskly.
Coming up gasping for breath she noticed out of the corner of her eye Faithful sitting on
the towel placed on a convenient stool near by. Grabbing the towel, making Faithful jump
off she told him "George is looking for you," conversationally.
He gave her a dirty look.
"Does it have to do with your past?"
Another dirty look.
"Of course, it's not everyday you let something out that you generally wouldn't and to
him of all people. He will not tell anyone else, but he mentioned it to me 'cause I guess
I'm the one who knows you best, but even I don't know you entirely."
Good, that's how it's supposed to be. It was her turn for giving a dirty look. She sighed.
"Are you going to talk to him? "Perhaps. "George is quite persistent in satisfying his
curiosity, in fact almost like a cat." Faithful stared up at Alanna's purple eyes, so like his
own, and remembered a different time.
58 H.E.
The man looked around him at what the king had gifted him with. He let loose a chuckle.
"Now that's what I call a gift." He had been given a parcel of land and knighted for his
efforts for the crown. He had in fact defeated an entire gang of bandits single handedly,
though it had helped that his Gift was a major one.
He had risen quickly at the Mage school established in Corus, the new capital. Though
the fact that he had to hide most of his Gift's abilities. It wouldn't have been a good thing
for his teachers to question anything about the orphan they had taken in just a decade
before. His purple eyes had caused him enough problems as it were without him
revealing everything he knew. He was young in many of the Gods' eyes but he would
prove himself worthy of his mission, strange as it was, but he did understand why it had
to be done. After all it wasn't wise to let mortals know that immortals, roamed the land.
He started to plan what had to be done to protect his land. He would need a home, and a
name for his land. Sanfer, for that was his name here in the mortal realms, needed a
name for the land that he would be lord of,…………… perhaps Trebond would work.
H.E. 427
He came back to himself to find Alanna staring at him. "I see you are back with the
living. He stalked off.
It had been strange to be a man after being cat for so long, but very ability of
being able to avoid the questions of people who were curious helped. People were always
wondering why had had god eyes, his purple irises stood out, but what people didn't
know was that they weren't god eyes at all. That had been a one time thing though, being
human in the Mortal Realm with a mortal body. Every other time he had been a cat, his
true form. He wondered why all his memories had been crowding his thoughts.
Pondering it, he came to the conclusion that once again his life in the Mortal Realms was
drawing to a close.
A few days later…………………
Faithful raced through the debris on the floor and dodged still more falling to the
ground. The earthquake was ripping the palace apart and he had to find Alanna. He found
her in Thom's chambers clinging to his cooling hand. He called her name several times
but she didn't reply. He got her attention finally by latching onto her leg with his claws
and teeth, kicking ferociously until the pain roused her.
"What are you doing?" she screeched.
Wake up, King's Champion! he angrily replied. You have no time for this—he's
going to rip the earth open!
"Where's Si-cham?"
As is in answer, the old man staggered in, clutching a bloody right arm. Alanna grabbed a
towel and swiftly bandaged the priest before he lost more blood. Si-cham's right hand
was gone. Without the rough tourniquet he wore already, he would be dead.
"Don't use you Gift- " he warned as she worked. "Brandy."
Alanna handed him a bottle and watched as he gulped its contents. Si-cham put
the bottle down. "I am a fool." His voice was stronger. "Never challenged in all these
years, thinking I could be bested. It's not enough I pay for my folly. You will, too." He
gripped the table with his left hand and met Alanna's eyes. "Open you mind."
She stepped back. "Why?"
"There's no time to explain. You waste what time we have! If you don't know all,
you risk disaster. Do you doubt me?" he whispered. "I made a mistake. Because I didn't
make two we are alive. You cannot even make one."
Alanna closed her eyes. A second later she fell flat on her back, out cold. Faithful
noticed at that point that an attacker was trying to get into the room. Si-cham noticed too.
He screamed and Faithful yowled. Si-cham was hit with a double-headed axe in the
collarbone and dropped. Josiane stood in the doorway, splattered with his blood, trying to
work her blade free.
"Why didn't you blast me, you old fool?" she panted. Alanna watched her.
Josiane freed her blade and stepped over the old man's body, smiling. "He told me you'd
be here," she explained. "He said that he didn't think I could take you but I was welcome
to try. You aren't doing well, are you?" She inched forward, ready to pounce.
Maneuvering for room, Alanna tripped over a footstool. Josiane darted forward, her axe
high.
They'd forgotten Faithful. Screeching, he flew into Josiane's face, clinging as she
howled and dropped the axe.
Stop Roger! He ordered as Josiane gripped his body. The Princess hurled him
down and stepped with all her might. Faithful cried with agony. He didn't see what
happened next but he did feel it when Alanna picked him up. Time to go home, he cried,
and was gone.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000
He rejoined his brethren in the Divine Realms and was once again among the stars.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000
H.E. 659
A black cat sat with its slender tail twitching at the foot of the tribute statue to
Alanna the Lioness H.E.430. A black haired toddler with copper eyes raced down the
palace courtyard steps and skidded to a halt in front of the statue. A plump blond haired
green eyed nurse soon followed from a doorway, puffing heavily. When she saw that the
toddler had stopped he slowed down and called, "Your Highness Thayet get you small
butt back here." Thayet turned around to look at her nurse, shook her tiny head, and
turned back to the statue and raised her chubby hands to the black cat.
"Kitty." She cooed at the cat perched on the base. The nurse came up behind her
and scooped her up in her arms.
"Your highness, now is not the time to play with cats, we have to get you all
ready to go play with your cousins from Carthak."
Thayet turned in her arms and reached again toward the cat and called, "Kitty."
Not until the sticky fingers period is over and not a second before will you be allowed to
touch me. The cat told Thayet as he leapt off the statue base and followed Thayet and her
caretaker back into the palace. Thayet giggled. "Pretty kitty." The cat sighed.
000000000000000000000000000000000000000
I wrote most of this but a portion I took from Lioness Rampant with slight alterations to
make it more from Faithful's pov. ……… is the almost word for word section from the
book. Just a slight disclaimer. Please Review.