AN: And here is chapter…9 yes that's right, chapter nine. Lol I almost forgot what chapter I was on. Anyway I hope you like it. OH and does anyone have a fictionpress account?? If you do please tell me I would love to read your stories! If you want to check mine out I have the same pen name just plain old Saharian. So yeah if you do just drop me a review or send me an email and tell me your pen name and I will be sure to check out your work. OK so here is chapter 9!
Pirates Swoop, Tortall
Sir Alanna of Pirates Swoop and Olau, Champion to King Jonathan IV and wife to Baron George the King's Spymaster sat in her husbands private study, a mug of ale cradled in her hands as she tried to digest all that Kylaia al Jmaa ,the Shang Unicorn and a good friend of hers, had just told her. Well at least one of the many puzzles that drifted through her head- and Tortall- were solved. Tatiana, the youngest daughter of Marcus and Careina haMinch, who had been missing for a year now had been traveling in the company of the Shang Unicorn and Griffith. Alanna rubbed her eyes with one hand. This just created new problems. With the girl and the two Shang warriors back in Tortall it would be inevitable for someone to notice who she was. Those startling eyes, if nothing else, would give her away.
What really shocked her was the fact that Tatiana, wait no- Tanya- was now registered in the Book of Shang as an apprentice. No person of noble blood had ever been accepted into the Book. While some nobles, Alanna included, might learn the techniques and study with numerous Shang warriors they had never actually become one. This little 10 year old girl had just made history –and that intrigued her. Having broken so many pretences and setting so many new records herself Alanna felt she and Tanya were kindred spirits.
"Alanna?" Kylaia spoke and broke the silence within which Alanna had taken time to think. She glanced at the Shang Unicorn and saw that right now Kylaia wanted her to think of her as a friend- not another warrior. "There is one more…" Kylaia continued and then paused before continuing. "…Minor detail about Tanya." Alanna looked at her in surprise. There were already enough 'minor' details about this girl to write a book.
"And that would be…?" Alanna finally questioned when Kylaia made no move to continue. Kylaia sighed and Alanna remembered what it must be like for her old friend. Not only was she one the best warriors in the world but she was getting older- she was not even forty and yet people remarked upon the fact that she was still living. Considering the life-spans of most Shang Immortals this was not a strange thing but now Kya had taken an apprentice and if she died before the apprenticeship was finished…
"Tanya is a mage…she may be able to wear a Black Robe with proper training. Even Numair Salmalin said so," Kylaia finally said in a rush, successfully shocking Alanna out of her reverie. The Lioness went deathly pale.
"Numair has seen her then?" she asked hoarsely and Kylaia nodded, glad that out of all the questions she could have asked first that was the one she chose. Alanna whistled. "Wow. That's….that's umm….wow." Kylaia resisted the urge to laugh. She had never seen the Lioness this speechless. Then a fierce understanding filled Alanna's eyes. "You want me to teach her don't you?" she asked, even though she already knew the answer.
Kylaia nodded. "Someone has to. I though it would be fitting for the first woman knight and King's Champion to teach the first Shang with magic in more than a thousand years, not to mention the fact that she is noble."
"Yes it would be, wouldn't it?" Alanna mused quietly. In her head she was adding up the pros and cons. "You will give me time to decide of course?"
Kylaia smiled and nodded. "Of course. But now I must go and find my wayward apprentice…knowing Griffith and Tarak they are feeding her more embarrassing tales from my childhood." Alanna laughed.
"Until later then." Kylaia nodded.
"Until later."
"TARAK!" Tanya's yell echoed in the stone courtyard. The man in question grinned cheekily at her and saluted before running up the western ramparts and onto the battlements. "Oh you evil bastard!" she muttered under her breath but she was smiling as she followed him. "Give me that back!"
"No!" he called over his shoulder. "You want it? Come and get it!" he continued cockily and added a small burst of speed as he turned a corner and ran into –Kylaia. "Uhh, hi cousin," he greeted warily. "I'll just um…" he was interrupted by Tanya jumping on him.
"Give me my hat you useless lump!" she growled fiercely –before she noticed Kylaia. Turning a deep shade of red she slowly let go of Tarak and took a step to the left, turning an even darker red when she heard the sentries laughing quietly. "Hi," she whispered. Kylaia just looked from one to the other before taking Tanya's hat out of Tarak's hands and slowly walking in the other direction, taking the hat with her.
When she was out of sight Tanya promptly slapped Tarak in the arm. "Ow," he yelped. "What was that for?" he asked, his voice lowered back into it's usual growl. Having grown used to his attempts at being cold hearted by now Tanya just grinned cheekily up at him, mocking the grin he had shot at her just minutes ago.
"That my friend was for stealing my hat!" she said and grabbed his before running off. Tarak laughed and then caught himself. How had he let himself become such good friends with her? He was an 18 year old man but no one would have guessed that. With the horrible scars that evoked memories of the battle that left him disfigured and killed his twin brother and his harsh gruff manner most thought he was closer to Kylaia's age –or older. Now he found himself having the childhood that he had missed out on. All because of the whirlwind of energy and enthusiasm that he had once resented and feared. She knew his story and thought more of him for it. She managed to see through this mask and instead of seeing the disfigured creature that most saw when they looked at him she saw the man he was without the scars and the boy he might have been given the chance.
That all shot through his head in less than 30 seconds and he took off after her, a huge smile lighting up his scarred face.
"Tanya," Alanna began and the girl in question looked up quickly from her soup, her raven black hair swirling around her head as she swivelled to face the Lioness. "What do you think about me teaching you magic?" she continued. Tanya's eyes widened and the look of confusion on her face was replaced by one of immense shock as she glance from Alanna to Griffith to Kylaia and back to Alanna until her icy blue orbs met Alanna's own purple ones.
"I…uh…I mean….that….that would…be…uh…great," she stammered slowly and felt her cheeks turn red when she read amusement in Alanna's violet eyes. "That would be great," she replied again this time without stuttering.
"Good," Alanna responded. "I'll see you in the library after dinner."
"After dinner?" Tanya squeaked, her eyes widening once more. The Lioness's dark red eyebrows raised and Tanya gulped. "After dinner is great."
AN: Ok Part One of the story is over. I know this chapter I a little short but that is because it is the end of part one and I couldn't think of anything else I needed to add. So I hoped you like it. I am really really really really super sorry if any of Tammy's characters are out of character. I never meant to and I greatly apologize and I would love it if you think that someone is out of character if you would tell me so and where you thought it happened to I can go back and change whatever needs changing. And I think that's it until chappy 10. Thanks so much for reading and reviews are greatly appreciated!
Queen's Own: Haha thanks! I hope this chapter was as good as the last!
Rubber Duck: Thank you so much! I really tried to go for something different. I wanted to do a Shang story because ever since Woman who Rides Like a Man I have been fascinated with them. But I also wanted to shy away from the Alanna/Kel become Shang stories so I came up with this. I am so glad that you like it!
mystic fire demon: I would love to answer your question: unfortunately I am going to be using quite a bit of what you asked later in the story and I don't want to give anything away. So I hope that you liked this chapter and I promise the questions that you asked will be answered later in the story!
calico-tabby: Thank you very much! I hope that this chapter was everything you hoped for!
Lady Taliana: Thanks! And yes I do remember but it's all good. I am just so glad that you took time out of your busy life to read my story much less review it! And thanks so much for the advice, I love getting advice! It makes me feel like a real author. You know with an editor and all. Except I have quite a few of editors…