Forgotten Child

Chapter One: The Lost Letter

Tortall FanFic

((I apologize for any typos, I am not good at catching them))

((This is a story about a long lost child, a child that was not suppose to be, a child produced by a lost love, a child that would be forgotten, a child that could turn the Kingdom of Tortall upside down!  This story is about a child who's parents are a handsome and powerful ruler and a strong and determined knight.  Can you guess who? ~_^ ))

((This story is set in Tamora Pierce's Tortall.  It uses many of her wonderful and beloved characters as well as my own creation.  This story is one that will be done by chapters and I will only continue to try to complete this story if I get feedback, I don't see any point continuing to write if no one likes it.))

((The story starts out after Jon returns home from visiting Alanna in the desserts, after their love affair and fight.))

~*~ Desert of the Bloody Hawk Tribe~*~

It was several months after her fight with Jon after Alanna's anger finally began to fade did she realize the strange feelings overcoming her.  Waking up several mornings feeling sick and sometimes craving the strangest foods at the strangest times, what could be wrong with her?

She was using much of her Gift to stop the sudden sickness and doing so she became rather moody and hard to be around.

"Where are you going?" the young knight demanded.

Somewhere away from you, your crabby, retorted the black feline.  Faithful dogged a pillow thrown by his knight mistress and dashed out the door.

Alanna mumbled to herself about ungrateful pets as she took up her sword needing to kill something.

"I'm going to relieve one the patrols for a few hours," she told the Bazhir on duty.  Mounting up on Moonlight, she urged her companion into a full gallop, eager to get away.

        ~*~ Mean while in the in the Heaven's home to the Gods~*~

The Mother Goddess lounged on a bed of silken pillows, she watched her Daughter from a sliver bowl filled with water from the God's Pool.  She watched as the redheaded knight rode off into the sunset and sighed.

"You must learn to love, my daughter," she said to herself. She touched the water with a finger and its reflection melted into a milky white solution.

"Don't tell me you actually did it," asked Clerino, a minor God that often spent is time running messages for the High Gods and Goddesses.

"Hmmm, I don't think it is any of your concern, Clerino," snapped the Goddess, her voice calm and beautiful as always.

"The human woman is going to kill herself, she isn't ready," he replied, ignoring her last comment.

"She is too strong, now leave me, Clerino," commanded the Goddess.  With a shrug of the shoulders the God left leaving the Mother to watch over her daughter once more.

With a wave of her hand the water went clear once more and a crystal clear image of Alanna appeared in the bowl once more. 

Night fell slowly on the desert, and the air became less hot and more cooler.  Alanna returned just after the sun fell behind the mountains, Coram was waiting for her.

"Going to tell me what's been bugging you, lass?" he asked bluntly when she entered her tent, Faithful curled up on his lap watching her through his bright purple eyes.

"Snitch," she accused the cat, but knew it wasn't he who told her life long companion and teacher.  Coram knew her better than anyone, maybe even better than Thom did, so of course he would know when something was troubling her.

"Don't be blaming others, lass," he told her patting a cushion next to him.

She obeyed and sat down with a huff as she glared at her cat and then buried her face in her hands.  "I…I don't know what it is, Coram," she admitted.

You have an idea, but afraid to admit it, Faithful said with a yawn as he walk over to her sleepily, climbing into her lap.

"I'm afraid of nothing," she lied and tossed the cat of her lap.  Landing in a pile of pillows he yowled is disapproval of flying in the air.  "Oh, be quite, you fur ball," she snapped tossing another pillow at him.

What is it with you and pillows? he asked but left before she could answer.

"Coram, do you think you could ride back to Coras?" she asked in a low voice.

"What for?" he asked not sure what she was leading to.

"To bring back George's mother, if she will come," she said finally with hesitation.

"There are healers here, lass.  You're a healer your self, you did you go and forget?"

"Please don't ask why, Coram, I'll tell you later.  But after I see George's mom," she begged.  Coram seen a touch of fear in the Lioness's violet gaze and it scared him.

Nothing fear's my Lioness, he thought.  "Okay, Lass."  Alanna lit up and she hugged him tightly.

The next morning Coram set out for Tortall's capital city with seven Bazhir tribesmen.  It would be another two weeks before they returned.

 Alanna prayed to her Goddess that Mistress Cooper would honor her wish to see her.  She was scared and only trusted the older healer.  She had been the one that helped Alanna when she first became a woman, and explained things that you don't learn among the training of Pages.  She was also the one that taught Alanna to be a Lady, that just because she was a knight didn't mean she could shop for pretty things or wear pretty dresses.

Alanna spent those two long weeks in her tent, shut out from the rest of the tribe. Her morning sickness continued but soon became less frequent, she also began to notice that she tired more quickly than normal and she was adding a few pounds.

"Please, Mother," she begged the Mother Goddess one night before Coram should be due to return. "Please don't be what I fear most." She stayed up most the night worried before she finally dosed just before dawn.

~*~One Month Later: At the Palace of Tortall~*~

            "Jon, there you are!" called Gary.  "I have been looking all over for you." Jon was just coming from the Royal Forest with a young woman beside him both mounted on horses.

Darkness stamped the ground when the Prince brought him to a sudden stop.  "What is wrong, Gary?" asked the Prince, a little annoyed at being interrupted on his ride with the Princess Josiane.

"Could I please talk with you in private, Cousin?" he asked bowing to the Princess.

"Gary, I'm rather busy at the moment," said Jon sternly.  "What ever it is, it can wait."

"Jonathan, this can't wait," protested Gary.

"Did somebody die?" asked the Prince.

"Well, no...But..."

"Then it can wait," Jon smiled back at Josiane.  "Shall we?" he turned his horse to the side.

Gary stepped out in front of him and Darkness shifted uncomfortable at the tension in his Master.

Jon griped the reins until his knuckles where white, his sapphire eyes became cold.  "Move aside, Sir," he commanded, his voice like ice.

"If your Highness would only give me a moment of his time," snapped Gary, he too began to loose his patients as Jon barley ever got moody with him.

The two young men stared down each other for a minute before the Princess cleared her throat.  Both look back at her and she only smiled.

"Very well," Jon said.  He agreed to meet Gary in his rooms in twenty minuets, giving him time to see Josiane back to her own rooms.

Gary passed Jon's room nervously, he Jon  was angry with him and would not be in a pleasant mood. 

One of the double doors opened slowly, Gary set down a figurine he had picked up off the mantle and look to find a scowling Jonathan standing inside with his arms crossed.

"Jonathan, I am sorry, but it was very import…." he was silenced with Jon's hand.

"It had better be," he said coldly.

"What's your deal, Cousin?  You have been in a sour mood for months now!" snapped Gary.

Jon only gave him a look and Gary decided to drop the matter.  Instead he handed him a sealed letter, on the front had his name and no more.

"Alanna sent me a letter and asked that I make sure this gets into your hands personally.  She seemed strange in her writing, and George told me she had asked his mother to visit her," Gary explained.

Jon took the letter and opened it, his hands began to shake has he read.  Gary scowled as a fear appeared in the Prince's eyes. 

"Jon...?"

He couldn't say a word, he sank down in a nearby chair and stared at Gary horrified.  Gary took the letter from his cousin's cold hand and gave one last look into his pail white face before reading the letter himself.

Dear Jonathan,

I asked Gary to make sure you got this letter; I was afraid that somebody else might be curious and open it.  You never can be too careful.  Jon, do you remember that night in the Bloody Hawk? The night we spent together before our fight. Umm, well I don't know how to say this….But I'm with child, Jon, your child.  I don't know what to do.

~Alanna

Gary read the letter twice over, not believing what his eyes read. He looked the Prince straight in the eyes, "She isn't bluffing is she?" 

            However, they both knew the answer to that and so Jon didn't answer.  Gary joined his cousin in the chair next to him and they both sat in silence.

((this is the end of Chapter One, please comment on it with suggestion or criticism.))