Hello, everybody! This is a new story I'm trying out. I might scrap the idea if nobody reviews though, so please read it.
This story crosses over with the Song of the Lioness series by Tamora Pierce. I do not own the dialogue if it is in the Song of the Lioness series, and I also do not own Alanna, Thom, Maude, or any other characters from said series that may appear in this story. However, if I create a new character, they are owned by me.
The story so far for those who are new to this series: Alanna and Thom are twin brother and sister. Alanna is supposed to be sent to the convent to learn how to be a lady and Thom will be sent to the palace to undergo the training of knighthood. However, Alanna comes up with a plan for the twins to switch places so Thom will learn to be a sorcerer and she will fulfill her dream of being a knight.
Enjoy A Sorcerer's Tale: The Story of Thom!
Maude sighed heavily and rubbed her temples after hearing what Alanna had thought up. As she sat, eyes closed in thought, Thom shifted uneasily. He was growing impatient. "Well?" he finally dared to ask. Alanna nudged him gently in the ribs, awarding her a glare from her twin brother.
Maude finally opened her eyes, looking very tired. "I cannot make this decision without help. I must try to See, in the fire."
Thom frowned, slightly confused. "I thought you couldn't. I thought you could only heal," he pointed out.
Maude wiped a bead of sweat from her brow. "Never mind what I can or cannot do," she snapped absentmindedly. "Alanna, bring wood. Thom, vervain."
Thom got up to gather the herb, his frown deepening. Maude had looked extremely nervous. He chanced a look over his shoulder and saw the healing woman making a sign of prayer to the Gods. He shuddered slightly, knowing that what Maude was about to attempt could be dangerous for all of them. A thrill of excitement mingled with his fear as he sat beside Maude, glancing at Alanna on her other side. Alanna gave a nervous little smile which he returned shakily.
Maude built up the fire and grabbed the hands of the two youths. Power spread throughout Thom's body as she plunged his hand into the flame, which was turning purple and green from the combination of their Gifts. He struggled and grunted, biting back pain. He looked to his sister and saw something strange. It was if she was looking at something in the fire. Thom frowned; he couldn't see anything, but Alanna looked as if she were in a trance.
The fire slowly died down and Maude released the twins' hands. Thom immediately looked at his hand, searching for burns or scars, but there was nothing to show for its long exposure to the fire.
Maude sighed, overcome with relief. Quickly regaining her composure, she looked at the twins. "I have seen things I do not understand...many strange things," she whispered softly.
"Did you see the city?" Alanna said just as softly.
Maude turned sharply to look at the girl who looked confused and frightened. "I saw no city," Maude said, looking at Alanna strangely.
Fired up with interest, Thom began questioning his twin. "YOU saw something? But Maude cast the spell..."
"No!" Alanna interrupted. "I didn't see anything! Anything!"
Since she looked so shaken, Thom decided to save his questioning for another time. "Well?" he asked Maude.
"Very well," Maude said after a few moments. "Tomorrow Thom and I ride to the City of the Gods."
Thom smiled with pleasure. Alanna had praised him greatly for his forgery letters. Nobody would be able to tell that not the Lord of Trebond but his ten year old son was actually the one that wrote them.
The day they set out, the twins disguised themselves as each other to avoid suspicion. Thom made a face as he reluctantly pulled on skirts and a bonnet.
"I'd say Alanna has the better part of the deal in this department," he thought rebelliously. He looked in the mirror and adjusted his clothes. He looked enough like Alanna to fool nearly everybody. He smiled grimly at his reflection and went to mount his riding horse.
As soon as Thom mounted his steed, it shifted uncomfortably. The horses knew that Thom was not a good rider and often tried to buck him. Thom drew a bit of his gift out to keep the horse quiet and turned away from Coram, one of the twins' teachers, so that he wouldn't recognize him.
"Where is she? She's taking awhile," Thom thought after a few uncomfortable minutes. Just as he was about to dismount and go look for her Alanna came out from the healing woman's tent, dressed as a simple country boy. Thom had to admit that Maude had disguised her well: she looked just like a boy.
Coram and Maude left the twins alone so that they could say their goodbyes. Thom and Alanna grinned shakily at each other.
"Well," Alanna whispered nervously, "this is it."
Thom gulped. "I wish I could say have fun," he said frankly, "but I don't see how anybody could have fun being a knight." He grinned slowly. "Good luck though. If we're caught, we'll both be skinned."
"No one's going to catch us, brother," Alanna said offhandedly. Thom saw through that at once. He knew that she was just as nervous as he was. Coram called to Alanna. She looked at him quickly and grabbed her twins hand one last time.
"Good luck," she whispered. "Watch your back."
"There will be a lot of tests ahead of you. Watch YOUR back," Thom replied.
"I'll pass the tests," Alanna said in that same offhand tone.
Thom smiled. He knew she was only acting confident for him.
"Let's go," Alanna growled, sounding for the entire world like her twin brother. She clucked to her pony and went off toward the palace.
Thom watched her leave before nudging his own pony and readjusting his skirts. He nearly fell off the horse but managed to grab the reins. Maude sighed and rode ahead, leaving Thom to catch up.
They were off to the City of the Gods.
Okay, I know that not only is this chapter short, but it also takes dialogue directly from the first book. The dialogue does not belong to me. I just thought it would be interesting to see the story from Thom's point of view.
Please review if you like the idea. I promise that the next chapter will be more original.