Disclaimer: Everything you recognize is Tamora Pierce's.
April 25, 462 H.E.
Aly's still nowhere to be found, according to my parents. They keep asking me if I can tell where she is, if she's safe. I keep telling them that I can only sense if she's really scared or if she's in pain. From what I can tell, she's not either of those. I can't tell where she is at all or what kind of trouble she got herself in this time.
I overheard something Da was muttering as he left the last time he asked me. I think it was something along the lines of, "slaver ship". Does he think Aly was taken by slavers? She probably was, that's just the kind of trouble she gets into when I'm not around.
We were known as terrors when we were children, actually until I left for page training. If there was trouble, we were blamed for it. Most of the time we had caused it. The rest of the time it was just Aly. But people don't understand how Aly is. She always gets herself into trouble – always. And she can always get herself out of it. If she's left alone though, she gets into big trouble, really big trouble, like now. When I was with her, I let out her trouble making in small doses. Pirate's Swoop should have thanked me instead of all the punishments.
I haven't been around in a long while. I saw her maybe once, twice during her visit here. HaMinch is a slave driver, and worse, a conservative. He makes my life extra hard, just because he hates my mother, the Lioness. Idiot.
As if I don't have enough on my plate. I'm the son of the lioness so everyone expects greatness from me. Aly told me they would, but I ignored her. I hate that she's always right. I don't feel as if I have a great bone in my body.
That's Aly – once she gets to do something she'll be the best at it. She'll end up spying, mark my words. It's been her dream for so many years, I won't be surprised I she leaves Tortall to do it.
My dream was to be a Knight, I suppose. I've never really been driven enough to defy expectations like Aly is. And I don't have the studying urge that Thom has – I wouldn't fit in at the University, even if I had the Gift. What else was there to do but become a knight?
I like it well enough. I love the fighting – the jousting, the dueling, the archery. I'm good at most of it, too. Archery's my best, though the sword might be a close second. But all the court manners and chivalry? Those I despise. I suppose I'm like Grandfather in that I don't agree with the Code. As for matters of court, I hate attention, for all that I always get it, as a 16-year-old page and son of the Lioness.
At least I'm not the oldest page in recent times. Sir Nealan of Queenscove was 23 when he had his Ordeal, only three years ago. And when I take my Ordeal, I'll be 21.
I have no plans for after my Ordeal. Should I stay in Corus, should I travel? Will the war still be going on? Will a new one have started?
Gods I hope not.
Alan
April 25, 462 H.E.
Toradine, "Tora" as she liked to be called, was gasping for air on the bed. The sickness was strong within her. The healer that had finally been called said it was a testament to her strength that she had lasted so long. He thought she would make it through this alive. But that wouldn't matter if the other thing he said came true!
Her sight was fading fast. She dared not close her eyes. She had overheard the healer saying it was a possibility she could lose her eyesight forever.
She couldn't go blind, she wouldn't allow it! If she couldn't see, how would she ever finish her Shang training? How? She needed to see!
She heard footsteps approach, the healer was back. He crouched down beside her and she could feel his hand on her forehead.
"The fever is about to break." He told her, "It looks like you'll finish okay. I'm surprised. I've never seen a case as bad as yours survive without losing anything."
She should have known that that would jinx it. Almost as soon as he stopped speaking, darkness descended on her.
Had the fire gone out? Had she fallen unconscious? Had she closed her eyes? She strugged to open them, to let the light back in. Nothing changed.
She lifted a hand to her face, to feel to her horror what she had already known. Her eyes were open. And she still saw nothing.
The healer sighed, "I suppose I spoke to soon." Tora turned to the man about to curse him to the Realms of Chaos for jinxing it, when she heard a new voice.
"Do not fear, my young one." The voice was strong, yet gentle, reassuring, yet frightening. The voice was of a goddess, Tora knew imeaditly. She could not say which one, but it was definetly a goddess.
"Are you here to give me my sight back?" She sat up eagerly, facing the direction she heard the voice coming from.
"Ah, if only I could, young one. You are marked for greatness, now your journey will be all the greater." The goddess's voice boomed out. "My young one, I cannot give you your sight back as it was. But you shall not be blind."
"What do you mean?" She asked but her question was not answered.
She felt a hand touch both of her eyes. The goddess spoke and Tora could feel the power in the words that raced into her. "Sight will be of Life and in Light, no longer contained to the eyes, but freed to the entire body." With those words, the goddess vanished.
And Tora knew she had for, from the moment the words had been spoken, she could sense and see (that was the closest word she had for it) everything alive in a mile in each direction.
She wasn't sure if she should be happy or mad at the goddess's gift. This would be good enough to fight with. But she couldn't see the walls.
A/N: Does it seem good? Review! In case anyone couldn't tell, the first part of the prologue was a journal entry of Alan of Pirate's Swoop. The second part was an important part of life for Shang in training Toradine. It'll make more sense later, I promise. (I hope)