One life In The Hand Of Others

Summary: Lana is thrown back in time to deliver a message to Prince Jonathan, which is easy enough. Her challenge doesn't lie in finding the Prince, it's in finding a way back home. She comes into contact with some of our favourite characters from Tortall, all trying to help her return to the place she came from. But there's only one who is strong enough to do it…

CHAPTER 1

'I need you to come over, there's an errand you must run for me.' The weak voice came softly over the phone, and the girl on the other end sighed inwardly. She loved her Aunt Varnya dearly, but lately Lana felt as though she was being taken advantage of. Then she scolded herself, her Aunt was sick, and she needed help. There was no one else available to do it, and she should be proud to think that her Aunt trusted her more than her own son's with these things, even though most were just monotonous everyday jobs.

'I'll be there in 20 minutes'.

As Lana put on her beloved off-white coat and boots, she wondered why it was that her Aunt didn't seem to be regaining her strength. The current bout of influenza that was encompassing the city had hit her hard, and Lana found it difficult to believe that Varnya was weak enough to catch it in the first place. Maybe it is all that time stuck indoors, pouring over weird maps and old looking documents, and not enough fresh air that had her immune system down. Better get her some vitamin c – it can't hurt her.

She picked up her bag, and checked for her usual necessities – purse, mobile phone, make-up bag, ipod for the car (the stereo wasn't currently on speaking terms with her), sunglasses and keys, and then set off for the short drive to her Aunt's.

'Hello?'

'Come in, Lana, I'm in the lounge room.'

So she's finally migrated out of her study, she thought as she let herself into her Aunt's house. But when she walked in, that thought was immediately squashed as she realised that her Aunt had merely moved her mounds of papers into a more comfortable setting. She was seated on the couch with a red tartan blanket wrapped tightly around her, surrounded by scattered and discarded pieces of paper, old newspapers, magazines and very old looking reports.

'I thought you promised to rest?'

Varnya looked up at Lana guiltily, with the start of a smile working away at the corners of her thin mouth. 'I tried to rest, but you know I can't relax when there's something on my mind.'

Lana knew very well. Her Aunt Varnya was an Animal Rights activist, an ambassador for an Equal Opportunity council, a Legal Aid part time, and Social worker part time, among other things. To Lana, she didn't know how her Aunt coped with it all; her plate always seemed so full – she ALWAYS had those things on her mind. But in more recent times, Varnya's mind seemed to be elsewhere. Of late, her focus had been on the catastrophic events that had been sweeping the world, particularly the disastrous flooding that was overtaking the UK. Yes, it was horrible and Lana felt sympathetic to all that had been affected by it, but what could one person do from the other side of the world? She didn't understand. Her Aunt was undoubtedly an amazingly caring and selfless person, but she was also a mystery.

Unbeknownst to Lana, the mystery was about to deepen.

'Anyway, I have rested, because I've nearly completed my latest work. The only thing left to be done is deliver a message, and that's what I need you to do.'

'What is it you've been working on? What are all these?' Lana waved a hand at the papers littering the table and floor.

'I've been researching the area around the site of the latest floods in the UK, trying to work out how it all happened.'

'Um…that would be because it rained a lot?'

'Don't be smart, Lana, you know what I mean. Some historians specialising in ancient flora and fauna have discovered that there used to be a forest at the end of the valley lining the overflowing dam where the most water has collected, and apparently that used to work as a kind of barrier for most of the heavy flowing waters, causing the water to slow down enough so that the overflow on the other end wasn't strong enough to be destructive.'

'OK, so the historians have worked all that out, but that doesn't tell me what you have been working on.'

'Ha ha. I've been trying to find a way to fix it, and I've finally come up with something, although it is kind of unorthodox.'

'Fix it? How? By organising someone to plant more trees? Rebuilding the forest?'

'No. By making sure the trees were never cut down in the first place.'

I think the lack of fresh air isn't just causing the flu, but causing her to lose her marbles as well! Lana looked at her Aunt like she was out of her mind. 'Aunty Varnya, what do you mean by "making sure the trees were never cut down"? You told me that historians specialising in ANCIENT flora and fauna spoke of the forest. That means it existed hundreds of years ago! What do you plan on doing, going back in time?' At this, Lana laughed, until she saw that Varnya didn't.

'Lana, there's something I should quickly tell you, and then you must be on your way.'

After Varnya had stopped speaking, Lana sat open mouthed and staring for a good couple of minutes. She didn't know whether her original though that her Aunt had lost her mind was really true, or whether to believe the incredible tale she had just told.

Magic. Like something out of a fairy tale. She can't really be serious.

'Are you sure about this? Have you been eating properly?' Lana added as an afterthought.

'Lana, this isn't a joke. I can't do this myself, you can see how weak I am!'

'But Aunty Varnya, who ever heard of sending somebody back in time? Magic doesn't exist, it can't!' Lana was getting worried now; her beloved Aunt seemed to really believe in what she was saying. 'You've been watching too much Harry Potter!'

'That's not real magic, Lana, I don't need a wand. But why can't it exist? People don't believe anymore because they haven't REALLY seen it, haven't experienced it. It used to exist, a long time ago. Now I guess it's not as common as it used to be...' She trailed off in thought for a moment, before realising that she had stopped talking. 'This is something that I've kept from my family for years, because I didn't know how you would handle it. Obviously I made the right choice in not telling, but now this is urgent. Just trust me, you'll believe.' Varnya picked up an envelope off the table and handed it to Lana. 'This is what I need you to deliver for me. Take it to a man called Jonathan Conte. ONLY him, do you understand? No one else is to see the contents; it would only confuse people who didn't understand.'

'But-I-I…' Lana didn't know what to do, this definitely was not what she expected to be hearing when she came around today.

'Put that envelope in your bag, and stand up. The sooner I send you off, the sooner these floods will end and everything will be fine. Just bear with me, I have to gather my strength.' Varnya must have seen the horrified look on Lana's face, for she said 'Child, you know I would never do anything to purposely put you in danger, but you must trust me. This will save thousands of lives.'

'But how can sending me back to God-knows when change ANYTHING? You haven't even told me where I'm going, or how I'll get back, even if this works! Have you done this before? How do you know what will happen?' Lana was terrified now, and the calm look on her Aunts face only heightened her anxiety.

Better get this over and done with, before I use all my strength explaining things. It's better for her to leave now, without fully knowing and understanding the details, than letting hundreds of others die in floods that she can prevent. She will work things out for herself; she's a soldier after-all. As Varnya summoned her last reserves of strength, and prepared to place the spell which would send her favourite niece back to the era of knights, she said 'Remember what I have told you Lana, Jonathan Conte - he is tall with coal black hair and sapphire blue eyes, and he lives on a hill. Give the letter to him.'

I'd better play along with her game thought Lana; she seems to be slipping into delirium. I'll call a doctor as soon as I get her to rest.

'OK Aunt, but how will I return?' Lana sighed.

But to Lana's immense surprise, the world started to fade around the edges, until all she could see was a bright green light. The last thing she heard was 'I'm sorry, but you will find a way'.

A/N: This is my first fic and I would love some reviews - please let me know what you think!