A/N: For everyone NO this is not in an AU.

Chapter 2

*~*~*~*~*~* (An hour later)

Keladry knocked on the study door but instead of waiting for an answer she let herself in. Faleron sat in the same place as he was when she had left him, though now he looked out of it, slightly disoriented. Kel walked over to the desk and laid her hands on it. "Faleron, are you dead?" she asked.

"Hunh?!" he cried coming out of his trance.

"I asked you if you were dead. It seems that you're not so we should be going it's been an hour. Come on now get up. I've stopped by three people today who all asked me why I was here. No one must have seen you."

"Yes, they must not have," he whispered, "Let's go."

The two people walked in silence down a long corridor. When they reached a wall where the corridor branched in two directions Keladry stopped and said, "Go rest. I'll talk to the others and come back later. Don't worry." Faleron nodded and turned down the left corridor while Keladry took the right one.

~~

Keladry stopped on the path she had been using when a small tavern with a sign that read 'The Dancing Dove', also known as her band's hide out, came into view. Sighing she thought,' I'm glad no one knows how I get the money to help my family. Especially them.' Pushing the heavy tavern door she entered and found a crowd of young men and a few women sitting around a large table chatting loudly. "Oh good, we're all here," she called addressing the entire group and halting all conversation.

"Kel, what are you doing here?" a voice asked. The voice belonged to a young man sitting near the back. He was one of Keladry's first friends in Corus.

"Well Neal, I had Fal working on a job plan but he was working a little too hard and has now exhausted himself. Everyone as soon as I get the plans we start getting ready for the next job. Got it?!"

"Got it!" everyone chorused.

~~

That evening Keladry sat on a plush chair in her room at the palace thinking about the day's events and the job Faleron was planning. It seemed like a good idea. She was weighing the pros and cons when a flashback hit her.

Keladry was floating in and out of memories. First she was in a round room. She saw herself sitting at a table with a middle age couple. She then realized that they were Alanna and George of Pirate's Swoop. Alanna had been her child hood hero because she had been the first women knight in over one hundred years. Bits of conversation came her way. "..And George was the King of thieves," Alanna said.

"Are they still there?" Keladry heard herself ask.

"I've been told that they are," George said.

~~~~~

The scene changed and she was in her parent's sitting room. They were sitting behind a desk and Kel was sitting in a chair in front of them.

"Where are we going to get the money for all this?!?!" her mother cried.

"I don't know dear. I don't know." Her father answered.

"I just got some money from the king for a service I did you can have it," Kel said.

~~~

Again the scene changed. Now she saw herself searching out the King of thieves and joining his group so she could support her family.

~~~

The scene changed for a third and final time. She was sitting around the table with all her friends when the leader of the thieves came over and said, "I am retiring and I need a replacement. Anyone who doesn't wish to be a candidate should leave now."

Keladry got up to leave but her friends pulled her down into her seat. Even if she didn't think she would be a good leader, they did. The leader also said that each candidate had to participate in a test of wits and strength. Keladry refused and was not there when the leader resigned his post to the new leader.

It was a few days before she went to the tavern to meet the new leader and talk with her friends. "So who's the new leader, Neal?" she asked sliding into a chair next to the youth.

"Oh no one, Kel, no one," he said jokingly.

"NEAL! Unless the leader didn't retire then there has to be a new leader. Who is it?"

"It's you," he whispered almost inaudibly.

"What?" she asked. "I said that the new leader is you," he said as he got up and walked out.

"Me," she squeaked, "No. No. No. Not me. It can't be."

Keladry's head snapped forward bringing her out of the trance she had been in. 'Wow. I'm really tired,' she thought as she crawled into bed.

~~

When Keladry woke that morning something was bothering her but she couldn't quite remember what it was. As she went through her morning routine it hit her. What was bothering her was that she never wanted to be the leader of her band. Never. She had been forced into the role but didn't want it. She thought about her duty to the others. That didn't matter to her now; she had to get away from the job and Tortall.

I'm not sure if I'm going to continue from here so please let me know via review or e-mail me at dragontamer_15@hotmail.com.

Thanks so much for reading!! -Kellen