Disclaimer: the characters and the world of Tortall all come from Tamora Peirce's imagination, except Lanen and Jocelin
Acknowlegdements: chirpybookworm-for helping me get through my first fanfic
"So, what did you do while I was away?," Alanna, the first woman knight of Tortall, the King's Campion, Lady of Trebond and Pirate's Swoop, and heir of Barony Olua, asked her son, Thom.
"I met a girl," replied Thom, who had a very strange look in his eyes. Thom, now 16, tall with his mother's red hair and his father's hazel eyes, was quiet handsome.
"Well, are you going to tell me about it or not?!" Alanna demanded. Thom grinned at his mother, reminding her of her husband, George-once the King of Thieves.
" It a started while me'n Dad" "Dad and I," corrected Alanna. "Anyway, it all started when we were in Corus and Dad was showing me all of his old favorite places, when I saw this man drag a girl into the street who was about my age. I thought I knew her from somewhere, although at the time I couldn't tell where; now I know that she used to go to school with me. Well, Dad was to busy dealing with the man at the stand that he didn't notice anything. . .
~
. . "Where the hell have you been?" yelled the girl's father, Roger, dragging her out into the streets of Corus by her arm. The man was obviously drunk and very angry.
"I was working and making some money, which is more than I can say for you!," Lanen replied hotly. She was a girl of 15, standing at an average height of 5'1, a strong build, with auburn/blonde hair and fiery green eyes. Suddenly Roger slapped her across the face, "Don't talk back to me, Bitch!" he yelled at her. Lanen slowly looked back into his cold, glittering eyes, she had had enough. This only made Roger angrier. He swaggered and punched her in the face, and then in her stomach. Lanen, with a bloody nose and gasping for breath, fell to her hands and knees. But she refused to give into his beatings anymore, and started to get up, when he kicked his daughter again and again without mercy. . .
. . . By now, George's attention was drawn to the man and the girl that his son was watching. When George saw, who he was only assuming was the girl's father strike her for a second time, he started at them in a run with Thom not far behind.
As George tackled Roger to the ground, Thom went to Lanen to help her up. Lanen, who was now on her hands and knees fighting for air while she heaved up blood and what little she had eaten, pushed away the helping hands and slowly got up. She wiped her face and looked into Thom's. . .
~
. . . "I'll never forget her eyes when she looked at me," Thom told his mother. "Her eyes. . .," he sighed remembering, "her eyes were full of her emotions: sadness, pain, greatfulness for releasing her from his tyranny,understanding of why he beat her, but. . . I also saw her forgiveness for him.(Thom saw all this in a moment) Then she smiled,despite all that just happened,she smiled, and said 'Thankyou'. Then she walked over to Dad, who was then telling Lord Provost what had happened, bowed, held out her hand and said 'thankyou'. Everyone there was quiet, I don't think any of us will ever forget this, Lanen went to her father, the man who gave her life yet beat her, looked at him with eyes that were cold and said: ' May Mithros have mercy on you and the Black God bless your soul.' Then when he looked up her eyes were full of love and forgiveness; and he couldn't, after all he's done, understand why she looked at him that way. I don't think any of us could, but she earned everyone's respect(now including Alanna's). . .
~
. . . "After Mom and Rosie and Ephinney were killed I felt the same way you did, but I knew they wouldn't want us to live in constant sorrow for them. But you didn't see that, instead you drank and drank drowning your sorrows, and then you got so angry, said it was my fault, and took it out on me. I understand, I wanted to blame it on someone or something but I knew it was no one's fault. So I'm forgiving you now because I don't want it to end this way, and because your my father." Lanen told him. She then got up and started to walk away.
"WAIT!. . . Where are you going?. . . You can't leave me here!" cried Roger frantically.
Lanen slowly turned around and walked back to her father. With tears in her eyes she replied, "I'm sorry, but you still have to pay for what you've done." Then bent down and kissed him on the check one last time, and walked away.
Acknowlegdements: chirpybookworm-for helping me get through my first fanfic
"So, what did you do while I was away?," Alanna, the first woman knight of Tortall, the King's Campion, Lady of Trebond and Pirate's Swoop, and heir of Barony Olua, asked her son, Thom.
"I met a girl," replied Thom, who had a very strange look in his eyes. Thom, now 16, tall with his mother's red hair and his father's hazel eyes, was quiet handsome.
"Well, are you going to tell me about it or not?!" Alanna demanded. Thom grinned at his mother, reminding her of her husband, George-once the King of Thieves.
" It a started while me'n Dad" "Dad and I," corrected Alanna. "Anyway, it all started when we were in Corus and Dad was showing me all of his old favorite places, when I saw this man drag a girl into the street who was about my age. I thought I knew her from somewhere, although at the time I couldn't tell where; now I know that she used to go to school with me. Well, Dad was to busy dealing with the man at the stand that he didn't notice anything. . .
~
. . "Where the hell have you been?" yelled the girl's father, Roger, dragging her out into the streets of Corus by her arm. The man was obviously drunk and very angry.
"I was working and making some money, which is more than I can say for you!," Lanen replied hotly. She was a girl of 15, standing at an average height of 5'1, a strong build, with auburn/blonde hair and fiery green eyes. Suddenly Roger slapped her across the face, "Don't talk back to me, Bitch!" he yelled at her. Lanen slowly looked back into his cold, glittering eyes, she had had enough. This only made Roger angrier. He swaggered and punched her in the face, and then in her stomach. Lanen, with a bloody nose and gasping for breath, fell to her hands and knees. But she refused to give into his beatings anymore, and started to get up, when he kicked his daughter again and again without mercy. . .
. . . By now, George's attention was drawn to the man and the girl that his son was watching. When George saw, who he was only assuming was the girl's father strike her for a second time, he started at them in a run with Thom not far behind.
As George tackled Roger to the ground, Thom went to Lanen to help her up. Lanen, who was now on her hands and knees fighting for air while she heaved up blood and what little she had eaten, pushed away the helping hands and slowly got up. She wiped her face and looked into Thom's. . .
~
. . . "I'll never forget her eyes when she looked at me," Thom told his mother. "Her eyes. . .," he sighed remembering, "her eyes were full of her emotions: sadness, pain, greatfulness for releasing her from his tyranny,understanding of why he beat her, but. . . I also saw her forgiveness for him.(Thom saw all this in a moment) Then she smiled,despite all that just happened,she smiled, and said 'Thankyou'. Then she walked over to Dad, who was then telling Lord Provost what had happened, bowed, held out her hand and said 'thankyou'. Everyone there was quiet, I don't think any of us will ever forget this, Lanen went to her father, the man who gave her life yet beat her, looked at him with eyes that were cold and said: ' May Mithros have mercy on you and the Black God bless your soul.' Then when he looked up her eyes were full of love and forgiveness; and he couldn't, after all he's done, understand why she looked at him that way. I don't think any of us could, but she earned everyone's respect(now including Alanna's). . .
~
. . . "After Mom and Rosie and Ephinney were killed I felt the same way you did, but I knew they wouldn't want us to live in constant sorrow for them. But you didn't see that, instead you drank and drank drowning your sorrows, and then you got so angry, said it was my fault, and took it out on me. I understand, I wanted to blame it on someone or something but I knew it was no one's fault. So I'm forgiving you now because I don't want it to end this way, and because your my father." Lanen told him. She then got up and started to walk away.
"WAIT!. . . Where are you going?. . . You can't leave me here!" cried Roger frantically.
Lanen slowly turned around and walked back to her father. With tears in her eyes she replied, "I'm sorry, but you still have to pay for what you've done." Then bent down and kissed him on the check one last time, and walked away.