Unknown
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When Lianne opened her eyes, she knew right away something wasn't right. For one thing, the room she found herself in was definitely not anywhere in the palace.
She stood slowly, head spinning as she moved, and looked around. The room, made entirely of smooth silvery-grey stone, wasn't very big. This didn't concern her much, but the fact that there were no discernable doors or windows did. No, this definitely was not a room she had ever been in before. And for some reason, once she got out, not one that Lianne wagered she would want to see again.
Getting out, however, was apparently going to be a problem. Lianne couldn't see any lines indicating an exit anywhere in the stone. It seemed she'd have to try and feel for them.
Starting in the nearest corner, she ran her hands along the smooth surface, feeling for any bumps or crevices. By the time she had reached the mid point of the second wall, she was beginning to grow discouraged.
"You're not going to find a way out," said a voice from behind her. "There isn't one."
Lianne turned. A small girl of about six stood directly across from her, large brown eyes fixed on Lianne and a small smile tugging at her lips.
"Were you there a moment ago?" Lianne asked, unsure. She was quite sure that she would have noticed someone else being in the room with her; there was certainly nothing for the little girl to have hid behind.
"I was," the girl nodded, her thin blond bangs falling into her eyes. "You just couldn't see me."
Lianne thought about this. She supposed it was possible. "Oh. Am I dreaming, then?"
The little girl nodded.
"That makes sense I suppose," Lianne said, sliding down the wall until she was sitting cross legged on the floor. "Though…I've never dreamed anything like this before."
"No, you haven't." The girl closed the small distance between them, sitting on the floor just in front of Lianne in the same fashion. "You and I need to talk."
"Are you a god?" Lianne asked. She had a vague impression that it was probably for the best that she was dreaming after all; she certainly couldn't imagine being so nonchalant about something like this when she was awake.
"Nope," the girl grinned at her, exposing a missing tooth. "No gods this time. Just me."
"And who are you?"
The girl waved a hand dismissively. "Nobody important. We're here to talk about you."
Lianne shrugged. "So talk."
"It's time for you to grow up now. You have to stand, even if nobody else does."
"I don't understand."
"You will eventually, if you pay enough attention."
"Are you being obtuse on purpose?" Lianne frowned at the little girl. "Please don't. My head hurts and I've never had a dream conversation like this before."
The girl laughed, eyes dancing. "All right, but only because you asked really nicely. Stop hiding. It's childish. You're wasting your potential; you need to stand up and face your problems, not just hope they leave you alone. They won't."
"I'm not wasting my potential!" Lianne said. "Well – I don't think I am. I'm not entirely sure what it is just yet, actually, but I don't think I'm wasting it."
"Well, you are," sniffed the girl, apparently offended that someone would doubt her advice. "You've been doing it for ages. Stop making excuses and letting people solve your problems for you! You're making progress, but not enough. You have to make your own path."
"I don't know if I want my own path."
"Well, you're going to have one," said the girl, rather unsympathetically, Lianne thought, "so get used to the idea. You'll like it much better in the long run if you decide where it leads."
"I like the sound of hiding much better," Lianne admitted.
The girl shrugged noncommittally. "Suit yourself, but you won't like how it turns out in the end, trust me."
"In the end? What's going to happen?"
"I can't tell you that. It'd be cheating."
Lianne scowled. "You're not very much good, are you?"
"You should be nicer," the little girl scolded. "I'm only here to help."
"I'm sorry," Lianne said, though she wasn't entirely sure if she meant it.
"You should probably get some rest. You're going to need it." The little girl stood, dusting herself off carefully. "Remember what I told you."
Lianne leaned her head back against the cool stone. Now that the girl had mentioned it, she was very tired. It was funny; she hadn't felt tired before.
"Oh, one more thing," the girl said, her voice sounding as if it were coming from much further away. "If you always have to be told, you'll probably never know. You'd better just find out for yourself sometimes."
As much as she would have like to reply, Lianne found herself much too exhausted to do so. She shut her eyes and slept.
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Lianne opened her eyes again, once again finding herself in completely new surroundings. She wondered briefly if this growing trend was cause for concern; she certainly didn't like it one bit.
At least the surroundings were a little more reasonable this time. Instead of a stone cell, Lianne found herself in a medium sized bedroom that was, to be honest, rather nice, actually. Extremely impersonally, yes – the furniture and all four walls were completely bare and it didn't look as if the hearth in the far wall had ever been used – but nice none the less. Lianne sat up, intending to have more of a look around, when two very important things caught her attention.
Firstly, she was extremely stiff. Her back and knees cracked in complaint when she moved, and her muscles felt as if they hadn't been stretched in ages. Second, and Lianne found this the grossly more important of the two, beyond her loincloth and breast band, she didn't seem to be wearing any clothes.
Lianne clutched the blanket which had been covering her to her chest, shivering more out of extreme discomfort with her lack of clothes than actual cold. It wasn't even just that she wasn't wearing anything, either, but that a look around the room revealed that not only were her clothes gone from her person, but they were apparently gone from the entire surrounding area, as well.
Unsure of what to do, Lianne pulled the bedding over her shoulders and cocooned herself inside it, chewing on her lower lip. Where ever she was, she was certain that Hiresh had brought her, or had, at the very least, been directly involved. She underestimated him, she wouldn't do it again; Lianne didn't even want to think about what George would say to her if he ever learned she completely turned her back on someone she didn't trust.
She couldn't help but wonder if perhaps her conspicuous lack of clothes was intended to keep her inside the room where no one could see it. It was possible, she decided, carefully sliding off the bed and clutching the blankets around her. She crept across the room, mildly worried that at any moment someone would come bursting in upon her. When she reached the tall cabinet on the opposite wall, she pulled the door open hesitantly, peering inside.
Apparently enforced confinement through nudity was not the master plan, after all. The cabinet was almost entirely empty; all it contained was a plain white petticoat and a deep red dress hanging on a wooden rod. Both looked about her size – she didn't want to think much on how whoever had supplied the garments would have known this.
Feeling more than a little silly, Lianne let the blankets fall to the floor and quickly dressed, grateful for clothes, even those of suspect origins. The dress was simple enough and fairly non-descript, but the long skirt was not at all practical for any kind of movement faster than a leisurely walk. This, she suspected, was entirely intentional.
The first thing Lianne tried once dressed as to open the door which she assumed lead outside the room. It was locked, which did not entirely surprise her; not for the first time she found herself wishing her gift was good for more than lighting candles. The more thorough survey of the room she conducted next was not very encouraging. Someone had been very careful to make sure nothing in the room could be used as a weapon or a lock pick. All the furniture was much to heavy to lift and much to sturdily made for Lianne to break; she couldn't find anything made of metal at all.
Frustrated, she stalked to the window, pulling the curtains open. Not at all unexpectedly, Lianne could not, try as she might, get the window to open. The look outside, though, that was useful. At first glance all she could see beyond her window pane was a large, thick forest. It was until she looked again, more carefully, that she realized the vast stretch of green wasn't a forest at all, but a jungle. Wherever she was – and Lianne was beginning to get a good idea – it certainly wasn't Tortall.
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A/N: I'd apologize for the cliffie last chapter, except I reaaaally wanted to stick it in there. =D A big thanks to everyone who gave me Daine's daughter's real name – I've fixed chapters two and three to be accurate, now that I no longer have to stab in the dark to name the poor kid. (Also, a big grumble grumble to Tamora for not telling us in the first place. And by the way – what a poor baby! There is no combination of Sarralyn, Sarrasri, and Salmalin that won't be complete hell for a three year old.) As for Alan and Lianne, they're on the list of things I've sworn myself to secrecy about, so no comment there, but I love to hear your theories!
Arabella: She's around. I had hoping to sneak her into the last few chapters somewhere, but it didn't pan out. Don't worry, I'll be sure and arrange a cameo somewhere.
Pheonix: 'Squick' is a very valuable vocabulary word! I squicked. You squicked. He is squicking. She was squicked. It's especially fun to say outloud! Also, thank you. And no, I'm not a gnome, but I think a few live in my basement.
As always, a huge, delicious plate of THANK YOU to everyone who has reviewed. I am seriously, literally overwhelmed by everyone's kind words. Also, to everyone at The Dancing Dove – you are the nicest bunch on Earth, I think. Lady Adelaide has posted a link in the reviews section – I recommend anyone looking for a really, really great group of Tamora fans to check it out.