A/N: Hi! This is part of my Christmas pressie to you guys, my wonderful reviewers! See how much I care about you? Unfortunately, this chappie is not quite as good as I hoped because I had a shortage of entertainment ideas for Princey and I needed a scene with Finn. But now I'm back on track and rearing to go! 

Stolen Lives

Part One: Look For The Dark

Chapter Five: Bound for Life 

Two weeks ago she had come to Corus to visit her friends and relatives after eight years of merciless Shang training. Now, Alianne Cooper of Pirate's Swoop- the Shang Tiger, was standing in front of the King and Queen of the realm and their eldest daughter, utterly unawed by the splendour of the Throne room.

'Please run this by me one more time,' Aly requested.

Queen Thayet sighed. 'I don't see what is so difficult to understand. As potential suitors of our daughter, all the visiting Princes must get to know an associate of ours. That way we can learn about them from someone other than the Princess.'

'I completely understand this part, your Majesties,' said Aly. 'I understand all the political advantages too.'

'Then what do you not comprehend?' demanded the King.

'Why I'm here.'

'Well isn't that obvious? You are to be an associate of ours,' stated Thayet.

'Aly,' Kalasin started, standing up, 'I already have a preference over my suitors. Unfortunately, I have to give all the Princes a "fair chance at winning my hand". But I want someone special- someone I can trust whole-heartedly- not some nameless Royal servant to watch over the man I particularly like.'

Oh no, thought Aly. I can see where this is going and I don't like it- I don't like it one bit. She began to fidget and tried to think of ways she could delay the Princess saying what she inevitably would.

'But why me?' Aly asked. 'Why am I that "special someone"?'

'I've known you all my life, Aly,' replied Kalasin. 'We've been friends all that time. I know you; I know you would do this for me- as a favour for a friend. And we can trust you to look after yourself and be able to spot anything serious- any problems, or any advantages. You understand politics somewhat and war. You know Tortall's history too. But most importantly because you are still my friend today.'

Am I? Sometimes, it doesn't seem like it, your Highness.

Aly sighed. 'You have left me little room for excuses, your Highness.'

'So you will do it?' Kally asked eagerly.

'She will do it,' rejoined Jonathan firmly. 'She has no choice. We have picked her out, and this is a Royal order. She cannot refuse a Royal order and stay in Tortall. It's that simple.'

Yeah, that simple. Aly stuck her chin out, pouting. 'Fine. I will do as you ask, your Majesties. For how long do I have to watch his Highness?'

'Every day until we tell you,' replied the Queen.

There goes my free time and my plans of travelling.

'As you wish,' she replied with a bow, trying hard not to grit her teeth together noticably in her frustration. 'I am guessing you want me to watch Prince William of Maren?' Aly crossed her fingers behind her back, hoping and praying but knowing it was pointless.

Kalasin looked shocked beyond belief. 'Good Gods, no!' She grinned. 'Aly, I believed you cleverer than that! For sure, I thought you would have worked it out long before now! Prince Dart of course!' She laughed her irksome inane twitter.

'Of course,' Aly echoed with a grim smile. Her fear had been confirmed.

'You- Lady Alianne Cooper of Pirate's Swoop- the Shang Tiger- daughter of Baron George Cooper of Pirate's Swoop and the King's Champion Lady Knight Alanna of Pirate's Swoop and Olau- agree to associate with Prince Dartonian Rexam of the Copper Isles, Duke of Tintburne and son of King Yota Rexam. In doing so, you will learn about his personality and character by watching him, accompanying him, talking with him, etc and report back everything you learn to those assembled now- his Majesty King Jonathan IV of Tortall, his Queen Thayet jian Wilima and their eldest daughter, Princess Kalasin Conté,' the King read off a parchment.

Aly blinked. Whoa. 'Um, yes, I agree.'

'Then sign here,' King Jon replied, holding out the document and a quill. Aly made a face. She hadn't thought she would be signed to some legal contract! However, she couldn't refuse now. She crossed the room and- taking a deep breath- signed her name quickly in the space.

 She watched as the three Royals signed the same document, then she was free to go and sped out of the room, her cloak billowing out behind her.

~

Laughing, Aly and Jasson reined their horses in and dismounted. Still chuckling to herself, Aly sat down on the grass and propped her back against a tree. Jasson watched her from the corner of his very blue eye, while pretending to sort his mount out. Finally he patted his mare, and sat by Aly.

'So what did Mother and Father have to say?'

'Hmm?' Aly had been dreamily gazing at the sky and had missed her friend's question. Jasson repeated himself. 'Oh, so you heard about this morning?'

'Yeah, but only because I went looking for you. Don't worry- it's not palace gossip as yet.'

'Good,' Aly replied. 'You'll never believe what I had to sign.'

Jasson frowned. 'What?' he inquired suspiciously.

'A document to say I would keep an eye on Prince Dartonian for Kally.'

His mouth fell open. 'They asked you to be one of their associates?'

'It's a big deal?'

'You'll never escape that signature now. That's signed you to Prince Dartonian for the rest of your life.' Suddenly something seemed to hit him and he made a disgusted face. 'Prince Dartonian? Why not one of the others?'

Aly shrugged. 'Beats me. She tried to explain but all I really got was because Kally's already half in love with him and I'm her friend and not just anybody.'

Jasson glared at the tree. Stupid Dartonian, he thought. Stupid Copper Islanders. Always disrupting things, disrupting plans.

'You don't- you don't like him, do you?' Jasson asked hopefully, but with none of the confidence his sister had had yesterday. He hadn't noticed anything Lianne had about Aly's demeanour around the Prince; he was just hoping he didn't have a rival.

'Like him?' Aly snorted. 'Jas, me saying I don't like Prince Dartonian is the biggest understatement of the year. I can't stand the man! And I've got to spend every day with him!'

'Good.' Aly frowned at him. 'I mean, good that you don't like him- well, you know, good for the Princess-'

Aly laughed. 'You thought I might have wanted Prince Dartonian for myself? And given Kally competition?' She laughed again. 'No- she can have him for all I care.'

'Good,' said Jas. In more ways than you realise, he added to himself.

Gazing at the sky, Aly continued, 'I don't feel like that about anyone at the moment.'

Good again, thought Jasson. That gives me a opportunity to get in your favour. I might have a chance with you, although it's a shame you don't already feel that way about me. Unless you're being coy and trying to play me off you...

'What about you?' Aly asked suddenly, her eyes sparkling with renewed enthusiasm. 'Do you have anyone special in your life at the moment?'

He looked away, fighting a rising blush. 'Well… she doesn't know it yet.'

'Well, I'm sure she'll reciprocate; she's a lucky girl to have grabbed your attention.' Aly stared off into space again and Jas decided against pushing his luck now. Instead, he gazed at her as she gazed at nothing and scrutinised every little feature of her, thinking how wonderful she was- how perfect.

'I wonder who that is,' Aly mused out loud suddenly.

Jasson jumped. 'What?'

'The horse- galloping. Can't you hear it?'

Jasson listened for a moment, his heart returning to its normal pace. 'Oh, yeah, I hear it.'

Aly grinned dreamily at him. 'You okay?'

'I'm fine,' he assured her, carefully keeping his gaze diverted. His fingers began to pull at the gold threading on his shirt collar. Aly reached for his hand and clasped his fingers lightly in her own. He looked straight into her eyes, stunned.

'You'll ruin that shirt,' she reprimanded quietly.

'Aly!' cried a voice. The pair turned and Jas slid his hand out of hers. Thom was riding up on a large gangly horse- but he wasn't doing very well at all. He also looked very annoyed at something.

He pulled up near them and practically fell off his mount. 'The stable hand thought you had come up here.' He began to pace.

'Thom, what's wrong?' Aly asked, a frown creasing her forehead.

He stopped, sighed and ran his hands through his hair violently. 'You know you had to see the King and Queen?' Aly nodded. 'Well, a short time later, I got called before them too.' Her frown increased. 'And they asked me-' he sighed- 'they asked me to look after a mage.'

Aly looked at him, shocked. He sounded like it pained him to talk about it! 'But Thom, I don't understand! I thought you mages loved to get to know each other and argue and compete!'

'That's part of the whole problem, you see,' he replied, sighing again. Resigning himself, he slumped on to the floor next to them.

'What exactly do you mean?' asked Jas.

'What is Anelise going to think when she returns and learns I've been spending every day with a young, pretty mage?'

'Ah- therein lies the problem,' Aly stated.

Jas frowned at her. 'What?'

'This mage is female.'

'Correct,' rejoined Thom.

'Thom, Anelise is Gary's daughter. Of all people, I'm sure she'll understand. She knows how these things work.'

He didn't look convinced. 'Anelise worries enough about competition from mages already. She doesn't believe she works a magic on me no mage is capable of.'

Aly smiled at her brother: sometimes he could be so romantic without even realising it. 'Did you bring this up to the King and Queen?'

He nodded. 'Yes, they more or less said they didn't care.'

Aly chewed on her lower lip, thinking. After some hesitation, she said, 'Maybe you should write to Anelise. If you're that worried about her reaction, you should try and make sure she hears from you and no one else. You can explain the situation, and your feelings.'

'Do you think that will work?' he asked hopefully.

Aly shrugged. 'It's a suggestion.'

'Thanks. I suppose I'll try that then.' Thom continued to sit on the grass, hugging his knees to his chest and gazing back at the palace.

'You really love her, don't you Thom?' Aly asked softly.

He didn't look at her, and replied- equally as gently, 'Love is such a committing word. But yes, I do love her.'

'Then everything will work out fine,' rejoined Jasson, inappropriately cheerful. Aly and Thom gave him identical looks. 'Love is never wrong, and it never dies. It works through all evils and overcomes all challenges. You'll see, it'll all work out in the end.'

Thom gave the Prince a half-hearted lop-sided grin. 'Thanks, Jas. I hope so.' Standing up, he sighed again and brushed himself down.

'So who is this mage anyway, Thom?'

He waved an unconcerned hand in the air. 'Oh, Theo- Prince Dartonian's top mage and chief advisor. If you remember, she was there when we first met the Prince. I've agreed to work with her during my lessons with Numair.'

'Wait a minute, now back up!' Aly said, jumping to her feet. 'This mage is connected to Prince Dartonian?'

Thom frowned at the finger his sister was waggling at him. 'Yes.'

She rounded on Jasson, still sitting under the tree. 'Don't you think this is odd? Both Thom and I have been asked to look after important people from Tortall's biggest current risk and neither of us are technically qualified to do so?'

'Aly, I think it's just a coincidence,' soothed Jas. She glared.

'Yeah, Aly dear, you're just getting worked up because you don't like mister Prince-y!' teased Thom.

'Well you're a bit happier,' she grumbled.

'You two have given me hope,' he replied dramatically. 'Now, I will leave you in peace, my dear friends!' With a flourish of his hands he strode purposefully over to his horse and mounted.

'Thom!' cried Alianne. 'Where's Anelise staying at the moment?'

'At her home- Naxen. But she'll be returning here soon.' Turning his horse, Thom waved and charged off. Yet he seemed to have forgotten his height and as he rode under a tree, knocked his head on a low-hanging branch, nearly falling off in the process.

Aly shook her head and sat back down.

'That brother of yours is a fool,' said Jasson.

'A fool with a heart,' Aly replied; the Prince nodded in agreement. Aly had already decided what she would be doing with her spare time tonight- she would write to Anelise to back her brother up. Sometimes to have another opinion from an old, female friend was the clinch. She hoped a small note from her could help Anelise see Thom's predicament for what it truly was.

'Do you know what I've noticed about Kalasin?' said Aly suddenly.

'No, what?'

'There's hope for her yet.'

'What?' demanded Jasson, becoming both more intrigued and more confused.

'She's not... well completely reformed.'

'What in all the realms are you talking about?'

'The old Kally,' explained Alianne. 'The Kally of our childhood- she's not quite lost yet. There's hope for her. She can overcome this stereotypical Princess stage with a little help from us, I'm sure of it.'

Jas raised his eyebrows at her. 'Maybe she doesn't want to be the old Kally. Maybe that's why she changed in the first place. Anyway, what makes you think this?'

'No, I reckon it was some form of security at the shock of her dreams being rejected. And haven't you noticed? The little things she does- sometimes instead of sitting gracefully she flops down, some of the things she says sometimes, some of the little noises or movements she makes that most people would discard as insignificant.'

Jasson laughed. 'Aly, don't be silly. This is Kalasin we're talking about! She's the most arrogant, self-absorbed female ever! You've just been away from civilised society for so long you've forgotten the way we do things here in the Royal palace!'

Aly sucked her breath in sharply. How dare he! She jumped to her feet, and began to storm off.

'Aly! Wait! Come on Aly, I didn't mean it like that- honestly!' He was running after her; she rounded on him.

'No? Then how did you mean it?' She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him.

'I just meant that- well, you know-'

'No, I don't.'

'You've just been hidden away fighting for so long you've forgotten that not everything has an ulterior motive, or another hidden side! You've forgotten simplicity! You've forgotten how to have fun!'

She continued to glare at him. 'Keep on digging, your Highness. Let's see how deep you can get yourself shall we?'

'Aly, don't get cross-'

'Oh? What else shall I do? What would be better for you?'

'Oh, don't be so obnoxious!' he shouted back. 'So juvenile! Just let it go, all right? Forget it!' She turned her back on him and began to walk once more towards her mount. 'Oh, for Gods' sake, Aly! Hey, you forget who you're keeping company with!'

She had mounted now and looked back at him. Her icy eyes caught his. 'Do I?' Turning her horse, she trotted off, ignoring Jas's indignant shouts.

~

'So I hear you have been having lessons to develop your Sight?'

Aly grinned to herself. 'Not really, your Highness. My family and Master Salmalín keep trying to persuade me but so far I've only attended two theory lessons.'

Prince Dartonian nodded and nudged his horse slightly ahead. Aly rolled her eyes to herself and caught up.

'So... your Highness,' she began. He looked at her, waiting. 'Umm... do you enjoy hunting?'

He considered the question. 'It depends,' he replied finally, 'on exactly what hunting you were referring to. My homeland is a place of pleasure and enjoyment, but I'm also well skilled at hunting out the enemy.' He gave her a significant look and rode on.

Alianne sighed. Great. This was going just great. Every time she asked him a question he evaded answering her. How could she get to know him? An idea striking her, she hurried to ride by his side once more.

'Your Highness, you said your home was a place of pleasure. What exactly do you mean? I am interested in travelling; please tell me about the Copper Isles.'

He gave her a glance of total arrogance, and then looked away- almost pretending she wasn't there. 'I live in luxury at home. Our people are happy. We celebrate the smallest thing and have parades regularly. We enjoy rich foods and vivid colours. We like variation but tradition. Yes, the Copper Islanders have many traditions.'

'So I imagine we seem quite different here, even harsh?'

'Different, yes. But then, everyone is unique.'

Oooh, thought Aly. A bit of a thinker is our Prince.

'But it's very odd not to have slaves everywhere,' he added. Aly jutted her chin out. Okay, he just undid his good work. So even though he might view everyone as individuals, he doesn't see them as equals. Joy.

'You are a good rider, your Highness,' she observed.

He raised an eyebrow in her direction. 'I am a Prince and a trained warrior.'

'Oh yes, Princess Kalasin mentioned to me that you are qualified both on land and at sea.'

'Yes.'

'A general, if I remember correctly,' she tried again.

'A General of the Isles' Navy and a guarir.' [pronounced something like gwah-ihr]

Aly frowned from genuine puzzlement. 'What is a guarir, your Highness, if you don't mind me asking?'

'It is like our equivalent of your knights, only they are a great deal more advanced and restricted. Enough of this questioning now, Tiger.' With that, she let him ride ahead with his guards. So he was quite liberal when talking about his skills, she noticed. But he wasn't very discreet about his snide remarks of Tortall- the lack of slaves, the lack of pure indulgence, the lesser quality of their warriors. Gods help her, how would she ever put up with him!

~

With a sigh of relief, Alianne slipped out into the night. Why did it seem like she had spent near enough every evening of her visit cooped up in a ballroom? Oh yeah, because she had.

She crept through the gardens and made her way to the wall. She would go down into Corus for a little while and regain her sanity. Tonight, try as she might, she couldn't find anything out from Prince Dartonian. Following him around and pestering him, she suddenly realised that everyone else in the room must believe she was infatuated with him! Since she was getting no information from him, she quit for that night.

It was then that she noticed she had been followed herself. She didn't know who the young man was but he wouldn't leave her alone. After dancing four consecutive dances with him, having got him to fetch her five separate drinks and trying to ignore him, she finally managed to give him the slip. She realised how annoying she must be to Prince Dartonian.

And so, at her first chance she escaped into the cool freshness of the night. That typical suffocating feeling had been beginning to set in too, and she couldn't deal with that.

Aly slipped silently through the gates, revelling in the purity and calmness of the dark night. A week now she had been shadowing the Prince. At first she had been irritated beyond belief. Her life, her freedom, her liberty had been taken from her. But who was she to complain? She had been the one to sign the document... And so she had soon resigned herself to her situation. She generally tried not to dwell on her actions of the past anyway, and just get on with the present. Her resignation was helped along by the fact that Prince Dartonian intrigued her. She disliked him passionately, yet he was such an interesting character that she sometimes spent more time with him than necessary. But by the end of each day, she was very fed up.

Tonight, she decided she would just walk through the streets for a while, and then return home. She found the commoners of Tortall very natural people- they were not prejudiced or influenced by politics, wealth or beauty like nobles. They experienced love far more often than their betters and often had wealth all the nobles' riches could never gain.

The streets were dark, lit only by flickering torches hanging in brackets against the sides of buildings. Their flames reflected off the summer's puddles amongst the cobbles like liquid fire. Tonight, clouds- forecasting a potential late summer storm- smothered most of the stars.

Working her way further towards the heart of the city, Aly came across the usual tramps, thieves, prostitutes and such hanging in the dark corners. Some just watched her; some leered or lunged for her, but all sensed she wasn't to be messed with and essentially left her alone. She liked it that way. 

Aly passed many inns and taverns as she walked. All were lit brightly, yet by the time the light came through the dirty windows it did little to disturb the murky darkness surrounding them. Noise filtered easily through the windows, doors and cracks, spilling effortlessly onto the streets. Noise of enjoyment, noise of entertainment, noise of brawls, of singing, of laughter. Aly smiled, and moved on.

She wandered the streets for an unknown length of time, sometimes dawdling, sometimes with a bounce in her step. At one point, she hummed a merry little ditty to herself.

After a while, she realised her stomach was clamouring for food. She didn't hesitate for long before entering a tavern. It was smoky inside, and loud. The lives of the common folk reverberated between the walls and tables. For a single moment, Aly forgot the last eight years and remembered only her birthright. She shouldn't be here. And for that single moment, she felt intimidated. What if they didn't take kindly to nobles here?

But the moment passed her, as moments are want to do and she came to her senses. What was wrong with her? She wasn't usually so weak and fanciful! She was not a noble; she was a noble's daughter. There was a difference. She was the Shang Tiger.

Aly made her way towards the bar. Surprisingly it was less crowded here; most people had seated in groups around tables. Aly was glad: she hated crowds. Slipping onto a stool, she waited to catch the bartender's attention. He soon noticed his new attendant, and rushed to her side.

'How may I help ye, lass?'

'I'll have a pint of your best ale and... a sandwich, please,' she replied firmly.

'Aye lass,' he answered, eyeing her warily as he wiped a tankard with the rag thrown over his shoulder. 'What kind of sandwich was ye looking for? Me wife does a large selection- the best in all town, I swear! Cheese, ham-'

'Cheese,' Aly interrupted smoothly.

He stopped, his mouth wide open. He tried to size her up, but she was sitting down and wearing a large cloak.

'Are you hoping to catch fish, Master Gaper? If so-'

'Aye, that'll be enough lass,' he cut in. 'Can't be doing with your noble's crap in here. Shut up or get out.'

She shrugged. 'I ain't a noble. Now, where's that sandwich?'

The bartender grunted and ambled off. Aly shook her head. So much for nothing! She drummed her fingers lightly atop the worn surface of the bar, tapping in time to a light, jilting tune played somewhere in the background of the taproom. She watched, disinterested but bored, as a prostitute greeted a portly, middle-aged man sitting a few paces down the bar. He couldn't seem to believe his luck, and Aly shook her head in pity of both of them.

A roar of laughter and rowdy cheering from the other side of the room made her snap her head around. A large group of men were enjoying a gambling card game and it seemed that the most unlikely man had just won. He stood up, but his back was to Aly, and his supporters- and the surrounding women- soon smothered him.

The clatter of an old pewter plate against wood reached Aly through the other dim: the bartender had returned with her sandwich. He plopped the tankard down too, and the drink slopped over the side, narrowly missing her food.

He held out a fat, greasy hand for the exchange of coins and grudgingly she handed money over. She wasn't impressed by his attitude, and the food didn't look all that appetising. He counted the coins and slumped off to bring her change.

Dubiously, she picked up the sandwich and bit into it. She was surprised- it was good! She tucked in greedily as the bartender began his steady amble back to her.

A young man a few years older than Aly collapsed onto the stool next to her. She glanced at him quickly, realising he was the man who had just won the card game.

'Hey, Mitch! Bring us some ale, would ya?' yelled the man. Aly looked over at him in shock, recognising his voice, if not the light false common accent.

'Finn?'

He turned to her, and smiled when he saw her face. 'Aly! What a nice surprise!'

'What are you doing here?'

'Me?' he replied with a smirk. 'I think the question is more what are you doing down here, miss?'

Aly glared at him. 'I'm eighteen now, and Shang. I do what I like.'

'And I'm twenty-three and a knight of the realm. I do what I like.' He chuckled and then his chuckles babbled into laughter. 'Listen to us! Like a pair of kids!'

Aly smiled at Sir Gary of Naxen's son. 'Trust you Finn. You always had a happy nature. You're too used to pleasure for your own good!'

He clapped her on her shoulder. 'Maybe, Aly, maybe. But we all have secrets; all have dark parts to our pasts.' Before she could reply, he continued, 'Ah, I see you've tried one of the lady's sandwiches. Great, aren't they? Not much to look at, I'll grant you that, but plenty of taste.'

Aly looked at the remains of the sandwich, then back at the knight. 'Yeah,' she agreed solemnly, her thoughts elsewhere. What could be Finn's secret? What did she know about his past? Not much.

The landlord- Mitch, Finn had called him- banged a massive jug of ale before Finn. 'That's your lot for the night, Mister,' he commented.

Aly raised an eyebrow. 'Have you been drinking a lot, Finn?'

'Nah,' he grinned. 'I can handle my drink.'

'So can I but I know where to stop too.'

'Look, I'll have one last drink and then I'll go home,' he replied, finishing with an unexpected hiccup.

Aly laughed. 'Why don't you come with me in a minute? Just as soon as I've finished my drink.'

He grinned a broad smile, somewhat similar to Thom. 'Sure,' he said, and poured his own ale.

A short while later, Aly and Finn left the tavern, laughing over an old joke. They walked through the dark streets together, towards the palace. Sometimes Finn would stumble, he would laugh at himself, and Aly would chuckle and shake her head at his folly.

The streets didn't seem any lighter than when Aly had set off from the ballroom. The shadows still played thick in the corners, yet the streets and alleys seemed emptier than before.

'Did you know,' began Finn.

'Did I know what?' questioned Aly when he didn't continue. She glanced behind her, having a slight whispering feeling there was someone behind them. She saw nothing.

'Did you know,' Finn started again. 'Did you know that Anelise comes here soon?'

'That was a bit random, Finn. Well, I gathered it must be nearly time for her to return but I hadn't heard. I wrote to her a little while ago but I didn't get a reply.'

'Nah, Anelise doesn't like writing letters.'

'Fair enough,' Aly said, jumping forward to steady him as he tripped. She could have written something though. It has been eight years! she thought. 'Exactly how much did you drink?'

'Never you mind. It's not the drink, it's the cold air.'

'Of course.' She slung his arm over her shoulders, and they carried on down the street.

Suddenly the hairs down her neck stood up on end and she took his arm away, looking behind her. That sensation had returned. She was so sure someone was following them! But there was no movement. Aly frowned into the darkness.

'Aly?' asked Finn. 'What's wrong?'

'Nothing,' she said quietly. 'Nothing's wrong. C'mon, let's get back to the palace.' She went to take his arm but he protested.

'I don't need your help. I'm fine by myself. See?' He stumbled along by himself, and Aly let him. She kept glancing over her shoulder, the feeling remaining in her stomach that they weren't alone.

'Aly something's up,' Finn stated. 'Tell me.'

'I just think we're being followed, that's all.'

Finn shrugged. 'So what if we are? It's them that's got to look out- you're Shang, I'm a knight: we'll kick their butts.'

Aly roared with laughter. 'Where in all the realms did that come from?'

Finn grinned. 'I dunno. Come on.'

He began to trudge up the hill. Aly paused, looking back again. She could have sworn the shadows just moved. There seemed to be a darker, thicker shadow amongst the others…

Now she was just being silly. Aly shook her head and turned around. Her eyes fell immediately on Finn but from the back, for a moment she got a flash of someone else. Then the image went.

'Gods Finn, you just reminded me of someone,' she said, catching him up.

'And? What's so odd about that?'

'Well, it was the last person I ever would have compared you with.'

'Oh?'

'Yeah, but when I think about it the two of you actually are quite similar to look at.'

'Who, dammit?'

'Prince Dartonian,' Aly mused.

Finn's jaw became hard set and he gripped her shoulder tightly, forcing her to look him straight in the eye. 'Don't ever insult me like that again, Aly,' he forced quietly. Aly was taken aback. 'And anyway,' he continued in his usual cheerful tone, freeing her once more. 'How can we look similar? He has dark hair- I have blond; I have brown eyes, he has- well, I don't know what colour his eyes are.'

'Blue-green.'

'Exactly- nothing like mine!' Then Finn paused. 'How do you know what colour his eyes are?'

'I have both Lianne and Kalasin yammering it down my ears all the time, plus I have to spend every day with him.'

'Oh, lucky you.'

'Yes, lucky me,' she replied quietly. Even so, should she be able to reel off details of his features so quickly and so sure of herself? Hah, it was only eye colour for God's sake!

They had come to the palace wall.

'Well, thanks Aly. Nice to see you again,' Finn said.

'What are you thanking me for?'

He shrugged. 'I don't rightly know.'

'Mithros, you're as bad as Thom.'

He grinned. 'Then we shall get on well as brothers.'

Aly raised her eyebrows. 'Is that a hint? Is there talk of marriage already?'

'Maybe. You have been gone a while, Alianne. You've missed a lot. I'm going round to the east gates; see you tomorrow.'

'Bye, Finn.' He waved as he disappeared around the corner.

Aly opened the small gate before her and stepped through. Just before shutting it again, she gazed back into the night. Again, she was sure a darker shadow moved. She watched until her eyes hurt from straining but there was no other movement. As she moved to shut the gate, she was certain two little pinpoints of light- almost like cat's eyes- glinted momentarily at her.

Aly shivered and shut the gate, deciding however good the sandwich had tasted, the cheese had most definitely been past its best.

~

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

~Fyre Thief.