NOTE: To all there are quite a few spoilers for Trickster's Choice in here so do beware. If you have any questions about it just e-mail me. Sorry this has taken forever I had to read Trickster after all. Also sorry that this chapter is short, it actually was quite difficult to write so to me it seems long. Epilogue is on the way…

Now for everyone's favorite Review responses *elevator music ensues*

Muslima: Hope you're reading this! Been a definite while!

Antz: hopefully you meet this is so good te he you said this is so god…strangely enough…someone does make an appearance.

Numair's Magelet2: Thanks for the review I like making George's life miserable te he!

Well that was a short one I know the beginning of the fifth chapter was hard but c'mon. Just kidding. I really love reviews so if you could just let me know what you think I will love you forever (in a Olivia Newton-John Voice)!!!!

"I love ya lass." George sobbed as his wife pulled him closer. She kissed his forehead and petted his head as he cried on her shoulder. Ever since Alanna knew George she was aware something was amiss in his life. Something he held, locked up in his heart. Now she finally knew. The air seemed cleaner and easier to breathe.

"I love you, too, laddie." He looked up into his wife's eyes and grinned through his tears.

"Baron! Lioness! Open up!" George rolled his eyes immediately recognizing Miss Leavly's squawk.

"Maybe someone burnt the dessert?" George mumbled under his breath. Gently smacking her husband, Alanna wiped her tears and opened the door. Miss Leavly had apparently cried her own tears, her eye shade had run down her face.

"He's escaped! Baron! That man 'is gone! He's knocked ol' Josua unconscious!" Alanna's eyes grew large and glanced over at her husband. He viscously wiped the tears from his eyes and leaped out of his chair, hands clenched.

'This can't be happening.' Thayet thought to herself. Her hands were bound and a knife lay across her belly. The queen sat on her captive's wagon, completely still. Her thoughts, on the other hand, were running faster than ever before, 'Where is Jonathan? Who are these people? What do they want? Did anyone see them take me? Will Larse figure out I'm gone?' These thoughts were interrupted by her captor whispering in her ear.

"You think you have all the power. Don't you Queenie? Hah! Well...see where the future of Tortall lies now. Under my knife," The captor, who Thayet realized was a woman, pressed her weapon fiercely against Thayet, "One day we, too, will rule our lands and your gods will have no say-"

"Riella!" The kidnapper stopped short when she heard her own name.

"Barret? How in the name of-"

"Shhh…the man who owns this 'castle' has daft soldiers. Gods, the man himself is daft. But my daughter-in-law is a very good healer I can tell ye that!" George's father moved his shoulder joint back and forth. He stopped when he saw Thayet.

"So the Queens a good shot eh? Who knew?" Barret grinned causing Thayet to shiver. Riella, the kidnapper, seemed to be just as happy about Barret's return as Thayet was. Her grip on the weapon tightened and her hands became cold.

"Did you get his highness?" Barret questioned with an air of frivolity in his voice.

"Course. He's over in the bush there. Drugged him." Riella answered. Barret looked into the bushes. He grinned larger when he saw the King.

"Pity that royal blood must be amongst the worms…or maybe that's how it should be." He threw Jonathan over his shoulder as if he were a feather and tossed him onto the wagon, "Come along now Riella, it's a long distance to where we're headed." Barret took the reins and told his horses to move. Too bad they only moved a few paces.

"Stop!" Barret pulled on the reins and sighed.

"He just doesn't give up does 'e?" The man sighed and left the wagon. Riella began to protest, "What are you doing? Barret leave him he have the royal family-"

"George!" Thayet screamed. Riella plunged the knife into the queen's belly, until an arrow penetrated the kidnapper's heart. Thayet managed to wiggle out of the dead woman's arms and ran to Gary who had loosed the arrow. Dropping the bow he held his queen in his arms while Alanna, who was by his side, began to heal Thayet's wound. At the same time Larse, the talkative soldier, scooped up the King with some difficulty.

This activity seemed to affect neither George nor Barret. Their hazel eyes were piercing one another.

"You want another go?" The father asked his son.

"Certainly." George grabbed his knife from his shoe and threw it at his father. Barret caught it with ease.

"Did you not learn anything from our last experience?" Barret laughed. With this, Gary and Alanna joined George's side. The baron shook his head,

"Go see to Thayet and Jonathan. I have to fight my demons alone." His gaze never left his father.

"Oh is that what I am now? A demon?" Gary and Alanna left with concern on their faces. But they knew there was nothing they could do. George's will was set. He had to kill his father. Barret had hurt the honest thieves of Corus, Scholar, his wife and above all he had ruined his son.

Barret pulled out the dagger and put it in his left hand. He now held two weapons. George had none. Yet George was completely calm, with no one to help him.

The older man charged his son with a yawp. George simply stopped his arms from falling George holding up the man's arms. Barret's knee shook from George's strength and gave out. This was just the opportunity George was looking for. He kicked his father's weak knee causing him to fall to his back. A weapon was freed from Barret's hold and George scooped it up, waiting for his father's retaliation.

"Is that anyway to treat an old man?" Barret replied as he rose from the unforgiving earth.

"Silence, fool, I will have no other word from your mouth." George rushed him and punched Barret in the jaw and then slashed his father's cheek with the weapon. Only then did George realize he held the dagger that filled his childhood nightmares. This caused him to falter. Not suspecting Barret to stab his son in the calf. Out of absolute pain and shock George dropped to his knees. Barret placed himself above his son.

"No more words except these my son: good bye." Barret raised his knife. George Kicked his father under the jaw causing the small gash to break open. Barret's face was covered in crimson blood. He did not even bother to wipe it away. Grabbing his son's neck, he laughed long and loud. George struggled to escape…but he was loosing air…he couldn't…take in air…he couldn't. The Baron went limp. His hazel eyes rolled to the back of his eyelids. It was over.

Barret cackled like a crazed man. He had finally killed his son, who had dared to dethrone him. It was done. Barret dropped his knife, rising his hands to the sky. He was the king of the thieves again, ready to murder those opposed him. Barret was in heaven…about to make his way to hell. His "dead" son plunged Barret's dagger into his father's neck. The old man fell. His son standing over his body satisfied.

"Bravo, Bravo, George!" A voice laughed, "You actually did it without my help who would have thought that would happen?" The man who owned the voice smiled with his whole face with an awful twinkle in his eye.

George didn't even have to look up at the man he knew whom he was, but he was definitely not in the mood to be social. George dropped the blood soaked weapon and smashed it with his good foot. The dagger that stroke such fear into his heart as a child, now lay in pieces. George calmly swept the shards away. The baron limped away as rain began to fall.

"Awww c'mon George I'm happy for you!" The man chuckled. The body of the female assassin lay in George's path. At first his inclination was to brush her aside until he noticed an emblem on her garment. The laughing man's face grew pale and forlorn. George ripped the emblem from its chain and put it in full view of the visitor. The man now giggled very nervously.

"It was a slight malfunction, you know how these things work. I'm too busy watching my wonderful charges…like you…and well I forget to keep watch on the-"

"You sent Copper Isles men to kidnap the royal family…that are treasured by Mithros and the Great Goddess. Are you daft?"

"George it was a mistake I wanted them to-"

"I thought gods didn't make mistakes…or maybe that's only your brother." The man's face now turned red, his hands clenched.

"What do you want George? I gave you everything. I gave you the strength to defeat your father all those years ago. I showed you your future wife for my sake…if you think I'm going to give you children you're wrong, you're in the wrong department." George laughed bitterly.

"I might as well tell my wife now all about you. It doesn't matter anymore she accepts me and my past."

"Please George I'm begging you. Who knows maybe one day along the line you'll need me again…I…I'll break our association. How's that? Just please keep quiet about this whole...thing." George didn't seem convinced, he just continued to stare at the man.

"I swear on my blood…I'll owe you." Sensing the man's utter desperateness, George gave in.

"Fine. But do me a favor Kyporith. If ye are going to stage a revolution against your siblings, keep it in the Isles and far away from Tortall."

"How many times do I have to say that it was a mistake."

"Then how did my father get here…what are you up to any how? Ohhh…I should have known nothing could ever be that simple, coming from you!" George shouted.

"Well I did want to know if you were the prophesized thief 'the one that shall smite his father down'."

"I've never heard that one before…what does that have to do with me?"

"Nothing George nothing at all not with you-" George raised his finger-

"Or your wife and friends! I swear that they are safe. Frankly George, I don't know why you don't trust me…"

"I wonder…"George pointed to his father. The man shrugged.

"Even if you hadn't begged for my help years ago, I think I might have eventually helped you kill him…"

"You hated him? Since when do you hate horrible men?"

"I didn't say I hated him, I only hated his sense of fashion...look at that outfit mixing brown and red he was just asking for trouble…"

"Well," George sighed, "I'm leaving ye. I hope not to see you for a long while."

"So you'll keep it secret."

"I'm a spy, secrets are my job."

"If its is any help George I hope that you and Alanna can procreate." George limped away and nodded in thanks, he never heard the man mumble, "After all I'll have more fun with your daughter then I ever had fun with you." The man smiled with his whole face again. The twinkle was as bright as ever.

Afterward: Dun duh DAHHHH!!! Te he sorry just had to do that! If you are confused it's ok, I'm not even so sure what I'm shooting for. The basics: Kyporith answered George's prayer to defeat Barret when he was fighting for the throne. So George was assisted in the process. The vision that George got of Alanna (or should I say Alan) was also from Kyporith He knew that Ali would help him take back the Cooper Isles. More will be contemplated in the Epilogue so stay tuned. Thanks for reading my fic!