A/N: Rachel of Tirragen and her great-aunt Eliza belong to me. Tyra, Tortall, Jon, Alex, and Alanna belong to the great goddess, Tamora Pierce
Rachel
Rachel of Tirragen had only been a little girl when her big brother, Alex, had committed treason against the crown. She had loved her brother very dearly, and they were extremely close. Her family was afraid that she had been in on the plan to overthrow Jon and kill the King's Champion, so they exiled her to Tyra soon after his death. She had pleaded with her family, telling them time after time that she had known nothing, that Alex would have been foolish to tell a small girl his plans, because she would have told someone, anyone. Still, for many, many long years Rachel was forced to live with her great-aunt Eliza in the small fief of Wefosa. Now, finally, Rachel was being allowed to come back to her homeland of Tortall, to be presented at court and allowed to find a husband. She was only 13, but her parents feared that it might take a while for her to find a young man from a house that wasn't in disrespect, to take away the awful shame that had been placed upon Tirragen. Great-Aunt Eliza had been a beautiful, proper young maiden back in her era, and Rachel was completely trained as a lady. She stood 5'5" and had long, curly brown locks, with green eyes. Many of the knights in Tyra had asked for her hand in marriage, but she was forced to refuse them all. Now, at the brink of womanhood, she was going back to a strange land which she could hardly remember, with different customs and traditions that were foreign to her. This was the beginning.