Disclaimer: All characters belong to Tamora Pierce. This little side story is mine.

Okay, for my readers who have not read Tamora Pierce's books, do so immediately. Start with the Alanna series. Harry Potter fans, you will love her. In the mean time, a small summary of what you need to know.

Daine-fifteen year old girl with 'wild magic'. Has the ability to talk to, change into, and heal animals (she is from Tortall)
Numair Salmalin-her teacher, a black robe mage (who are the best mages in the world) who, although it is not revealed yet, is beginning to fall in love with Daine. He is about 14 years older than her. (also from Tortall)

Prince Kaddar-heir apparent to the throne of Carthak, where a Tortallan delegation is making a peace agreement of sorts
Lindhall-a Tortallan mage residing in Carthak. Numair's old teacher

Lady Alanna- first lady knight in Tortall (part of delegation), also a mage and healer and a friend of Daine and Numair
Varice-Numair's old lover from when he lived in Carthak

So Numair is being all over protective of Daine who has become friends (nothing more) with Kaddar. He and the Emperor, old friends later turned enemies, were talking privately and Numair tried to punch him when he said lewd things about Daine.

Numair walks over to where Prince Kaddar and Daine are eating (stuffed goose) and starts asking Kaddar personal questions in order to warn him off of 'trifling' with Daine.

'With regard to your position as his heir, has your uncle arranged a marriage for you?'
Daine looked sharply at her teacher. What was he doing, asking such a personal question?
Kaddar passed his goose bones to Kitten. 'He is negotiating with the king in Galla for the hand of one of his daughters. There is also a princess in the Copper Isles who my uncle feels is a possibility.'
'I see. But you are involved with girls, are you not? Students at the university, young noblewomen. Are they aware that you are not permitted to marry to please yourself?'
Daine, cheeks flaring, kicked Numair under the table.
Kaddar stiffened. 'No gentleman deceives a woman in that manner, sir.'
'Indeed not, Stop kicking me, Daine. You understand, she is very important to a number of nobles and mages in Tortall.' Numair's voices was quiet, almost friendly; his eyes were hard. 'Their majesties. Lady Alanna and her husband, the Baron of Pirate's Swoop. Me. All of us would take it amiss if we thought for one moment she was being trifled with, particularly by a young man who wasn't free to do the right thing by her.'
'Numair,' Daine growled. Can I speak to you privately for one moment?'
'No. Stepping on my foot won't work, either. Do I make myself clear, Prince Kaddar?'
The younger man sat up straight, eyes glinting.
'I understand you well, Master Salamin.'
'Good.' Numair stood. It seemed to take him forever to rise. When he was up, he looked taller than ever and faintly shadowy around the edges. 'Lindhall tells me you have an excellent memory. I hope so.'
Daine covered her face with her hands as he returned to his own table and Varice. 'I'm going to kill him,' she whispered, shamed almost to tears.
Kaddar drained his cup of pomegranate juice.
'Nonsense. He was just looking out for you.'
'I can look after myself,' Daine retorted.

15 year old Daine was fuming. How dare Numair be so over protective? 'I'm going to kill him,' she whispered, shamed almost to tears. Set in Emperor Mage, no prior knowledge of the series required.

Veraldaine Sarrasri, better known as Daine, was absolutely furious. She walked to Lady Alanna's suite and knocked on the door.

'Daine,' Alanna said. 'Come in.' Alanna frowned when she saw the look of fury of Daine's face. 'What's wrong, Daine?' Daine's fists clenched.

'I...have several words that I'd like to say to a certain mage...friend,' Daine's voice strained on the word friend, 'of ours. I need you to chaperone again. Stupid rules and regulations,' Daine muttered. 'I would appreciate it if you just let me say what I want to and not join in the...conversation Numair and I are going to have.' Alanna paled. Oh, Numair, what have you done now? she thought apprehensively. 'I also think you should seal the walls. It would not be wise for Carthak to know that two members of the Tortall delegation are at ends with each other.'

'Of course, Daine,' Alanna said as though the impeding conversation was going to be a pleasant chat. 'Lead the way.' Together Alanna and Daine walked to Numair's rooms. Well, Alanna walked at any rate. Daine stalked. When they reached the door of his room, Daine rapped on it sharply, although not before they both caught a giggle from inside it. Numair opened the door.

'What do you-oh, Alanna, Daine. Could whatever this is wait for a while? I'm rather busy at the moment,' Numair said. Daine glared at him.

'No. This cannot wait. You have two minutes to un-busy yourself and whoever you've got in there. We need to talk.' Numair sighed. He walked back in and closed the door behind him. A minute later the door opened again and Varice walked out, looking as though she had dressed rather hastily. She was wearing a curve hugging dress with a very, very low cut bodice.

'Do you want me to come back later?' Varice flirtatiously asked Numair, who was standing in the doorway. 'Otherwise, you know where my rooms are and the door is always open for you.'

'Yes. I'll see you later, Varice,' Numair said. She walked off, hips swaying. Numair beckoned Alanna and Daine in. Alanna sent out a purple wave, the colour of her magic, to seal the door so that nobody could eavesdrop. The scent of Varice's perfume was overwhelming.

'You know you really could have chosen a better time,' Numair said. He wasn't embarrassed at all that Alanna and Daine had caught him in a...liaison with Varice.

'I'm oh so very sorry,' Daine spat at him. 'You would think that we were less important than the current woman warming your bed for you.' Numair stared at her, angry and bewildered. While Daine and he had argued in the past, it had been for the most part trivial and she had never lashed out at his female...companions.

'What are you grumpy about?' he asked Daine. 'I haven't done anything wrong.'

'You don't think you've done anything wrong?!' Daine yelled at him.

'Daine, stop shouting! What's the matter with you?' Numair yelled back.

'How dare you embarrass me the way you did tonight?!' Daine yelled furiously. Numair blinked as he tried to recall how he had embarrassed her.

'You don't mean when I was talking to Kaddar, do you?' he asked.

'Yes, I do,' Daine said. Numair waved a hand at her dismissively.

'I didn't embarrass you, I just made sure he didn't bother you,' Numair said. 'Why are you making such a fuss?' Daine's face was turning red in anger.

'Didn't embarrass me?' she repeated. 'I'll be the one to decide what embarrasses me and you did! I can take care of myself, Numair! You don't need to be there protecting me every step of the way.'

'You wouldn't understand, Daine. Kaddar-young men like him, especially him because he's the heir-are always used to getting what they want, nothing gets in their way. I was just making it clear to him that you were out of bounds. He won't try anything with you now,' Numair said. Daine stared at him disbelievingly. He actually thought he had done her a favour.

'Kaddar didn't try anything to start with!' Daine yelled. 'He was just being my friend! Why did you have to step in and treat me like I'm a child?!'

'Because you are fifteen, Daine. You are a child,' Numair said. He never even saw it coming. Daine slapped him across the face, leaving a bright red handprint. When she spoke, it was in a soft icy voice that scared Numair more than her yelling did.

'I...am not... a child. I have done more in my fifteen years than most people do in their entire lives. I have magical abilities that nobody else does. I have helped save people's lives. I could kill if I wanted to. I am not a child and you had better start seeing that because if you don't, I won't stick around you long enough for you to realise that I'm a woman.' With that threat Daine strode towards the door, but then turned back. 'Alanna, you might want to get rid of that handprint on his face. We wouldn't want Varice asking any questions.' Daine walked out the door with tears streaming down her face and a sore hand. She slammed the door. Alanna and Numair stared at her, dismayed.

'She's right, you know,' Alanna said to Numair. Numair sighed.

'No, you don't need to bother. I'm not going to Varice tonight.' Alanna stared at him.

'You know, for a black robe mage, you can be very stupid at times,' she informed Numair. He gaped at her.

'I wasn't talking about Varice, you numbskull. I was talking about Daine. She's growing up. No, she's already grown up.' Numair continued to stare at Alanna. 'Daine found her family dead. She was shot at because people thought she was mad. Daine survived coming to Corus, becoming part of a society as foreign to her as the world beyond the Copper Isles is to us. Daine helped protect me and mine from invaders, she saved people when you both were at Dunlath, ye Gods, Numair, what else do I need to say to convince you that Daine is a young woman and you can't control her and her life?' Numair raised a hand, indicating he had heard enough. He sighed.

'You don't need to say anymore, you didn't need to say any of that.' Alanna looked at him confusedly. 'I know,' Numair said heavily. 'I know she's not a child. By Mithros, it would be so much easier if she were.'

'You owe her an apology,' Alanna informed Numair. 'You have to let go of her, let her make her own choices and own mistakes. 'Daine is like a bird, in more than one way,' Alanna said wryly. 'Let a bird go free, it will come back to you if it's meant to be.' Alanna's voice became more gentle. 'You need to think about why you are being so protective of her. Is it because she is your student or is there something more behind your actions?' Numair stared at her sharply. Alanna stood up summoned back her magic that had sealed the room and left for bed. Numair lay on his bed, awake for many hours with troubled thoughts. In a room further away, a fifteen year old girl was sobbing into her pillow. Zek the marmoset, her constant companion since she had saved him from drowning when they had first arrived in Carthak, was confused but snuggled closer to her in an effort to comfort Daine. All around the city cats screeched, dogs howled, horses in their stalls reared up and kicked out at their handlers as they expressed their fury over the Wild Mage's distress. At last Daine fell into a troubled sleep. Numair tossed and turned all night. He had been forced to see that he was blind. The girl-child, as he had previously thought of her, his magelet, was no child.

She had grown up.

Soooo...what do you think? It isn't very long, I was just thinking about what Daine would actually do to Numair if she got a hold of him. Please review. To my Harry Potter fans, there is a Harry Potter story in the works which will hopefully make its way to a fanfiction website near you sometime soon. Lol.

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