Disclaimer: Some of the commoners and priestesses are mine the rest belong to TP.
Aly never went to the Copper Isles. The pirates sold her to a Yamani convent. Where she was punished regularly for the smallest of things. She worked as a maid for a girl two years older than her and when her mistress was in classes she worked in the stables.
She was sitting on the wall of the stall that belonged to her favourite horse Nightstorm when a guest clopped into the courtyard to be greeted by one of the teachers.
" Girl." He called and Aly trotted up to him, taking the reins of the horse and holding him as the rider dismounted. She led the horse into the stables, not noticing the rider watching her intently. She led the mare into a spare stall, hanging the saddle and bridle on the wall before combing her coat.
" One moment." She heard the guest say and footsteps sounded inside the stables. Aly didn't look round but continued to care for the fine mare.
" Excuse me sir but you shouldn't bother with her. Good for nothing brat." She heard the teacher say and blinked back tears. When the teachers were around she was terrified and nervous but on her own or with her mistress she was happy and confident.
" I think you are wrong." Said a very familiar voice. It was the voice of her father George Cooper. Aly didn't look round but stopped and rested a hand on the horse's neck as she heard footsteps come towards her. Hurriedly she began brushing again only to have the brush taken from her hand.
" Aly?" a voice asked and she looked up into hazel eyes matching her own.
" Da." She cried and threw her arms round his neck as he enveloped her in a bone crushing hug. A moment later she was pulled away and the teacher raised the crop he kept in his belt, bringing the leather down with a crack across her face. He raised it again and she slipped past him, into Nightstorm's stall. She buried her aching face in his mane as the teacher raised his crop again only to cry out. Aly looked up to see Nightstorm had snatched the crop from the man's fingers and trodden on his foot at the same time. When the teacher saw her looking her slapped her so hard she fell and yelled,
" Go and care for your mistress." Before turning on his heel and leaving. Aly took the crop from Nightstorm's teeth and tossed it up into the loft. She put a hand to her face and realised the crop had opened a thin cut through her eyebrow.
" Aly? Are you all right?" George asked and she nodded. She pulled a stolen sugar lump from her pocket and fed it to the stallion before trotting away.
" Aly. Wait." George called and she stopped before swinging up into the hay loft and burying her face in the straw as sobs escaped her lips. George swung up beside her and she moved away, feeling ashamed and dirty.
" Aly." A female voice called after a minute and a young Yamani girl swung up, " Oh stop it Aly." She cried and put an arm round her friend's shoulders, motioning for George to leave them for a moment.
" What can I do Yakima?" Aly whispered, " I'm a bloody coward."
" You have every right to be." Yakima said softly, touching her cut with a sparkling finger and healing it.
" No I don't." Aly sobbed, " I was fine at home. Nothing scared me. Now look at me, crying over something that I would have blocked at home. A tiny little thing."
" Of course you are because you haven't known anything else for nearly a year." Yakima murmured, " Now pull yourself together and tell me why a man with your eyes was up here." Aly sat up and wiped her eyes with one hand.
" He's my father." She whispered and Yakima stared at her.
" Then what are you doing up here girl?" she cried. Aly laughed and dropped to the floor where George put an arm round her shoulders.
" You all right?" he asked and Aly grinned.
" Yep. I'm fine." She said as Yakima dropped beside her.
" You really should go and find out where you are to stay." She said to George, " They'll only punish Aly if you stay."
" What?" George cried.
" Hush Da." Aly said, " Go and find out where you are staying. We'll talk later. I spend most of my day here anyway." George rolled his eyes and left.
" He's quite nice actually." Yakima murmured looking after him.
" Yakima." Aly cried before lowering her voice and whispering, " He used to be the King of Thieves."
" Even better." Yakima giggled sarcastically and they both went up to the room they shared giggling. They left the door open and Aly saw George go into the room opposite.
" He's across the hall." She murmured to Yakima who giggled and crept across the hall to knock on his door and then flee back into her own, ducking behind the door and giggling hysterically.
" Yakima." Aly laughed, " You are so immature."
" And miss little Aly?" Yakima asked and shoved Aly out into George's view. Aly leant against the wall giggling as George raised an eyebrow at her. She flapped a hand and shook her head. Yakima peered round the door and then pulled back giggling.
" You…you…" Aly gasped and finally pulled herself together, " You are the worst friend."
" Oh really." Yakima asked and Aly rolled her eyes.
" Aly?" George asked and Aly glared at Yakima who came out from behind the door.
" Sorry Master Cooper. Did I disturb you?" she asked and Aly shoved her gently.
" She's a little crazy in case you haven't noticed." Aly said to George who looked a little taken aback at her change from terrified slave to this laughing young woman with shining eyes.
" Me crazy." Yakima cried, " Look who's talking." Aly cuffed her and Yakima flapped her hands in Aly face, squealing. They both burst out laughing again and Yakima swung the door shut. They finally stopped laughing and Yakima sat at the dressing table. Aly pulled the pins from her hair and pulled it into two neat braids before brushing her own.
When the supper bell rang Aly had changed her dirty dress for a clean one with full skirts and an apron was tied round her waist. She trotted down to the kitchens and was told to serve the guest his dinner in the hall. When Aly walked in with the first dish she saw him sitting with the teacher who had hit her that morning.
" I am very sorry but once we buy a slave they are not sold on to anyone." She heard the man say and felt the colour rise in her cheeks as she set the tray down and hurriedly walked away to stand by the wall opposite her father. She looked at him and he met her eyes, pity showing in his, fear and anger in hers. Once they had finished the man turned and motioned to her angrily. She hurried over and placed the dishes on the tray.
" Next time hurry up." He snapped.
" Yes sir." Aly replied bobbing a small curtsy before taking the tray away to come back with the desert. She saw her father talking angrily with the man and told him not to with her eyes as she set the tray down.
After supper Aly was given a bowl of broth and a roll. When she walked out of the kitchen George tapped her arm and whispered,
" We need to talk."
Aly nodded and led the way to the stables where the other three slaves were waiting in the loft for her.
" This is my father." She said as he swung up behind her.
" What?" one of the slaves cried, " What'll happen if they catch us up here talking to him?" Aly glared at the woman.
" I think he'll get extremely mad, which is not that pretty." She murmured, sipping her broth.
" And why would I get mad?" George asked, sitting back against a pile of hay.
" Never mind." Aly said with a grim smile. The slaves talked as they ate and when Aly finished she looked at her father and asked,
" What's happening back home?"
George laughed and began to tell her what had happened since she had left.
" Girls." A cold voice suddenly called from outside the stable. They grabbed their bowls and dropped from the loft, George following them. They stood in a line as another teacher, a woman this time walked in. She saw George and slapped each girl soundly before ordering,
" Go and see your mistresses."
The four fled leaving George yelling at the woman. Aly ran into her room and sat heavily on the bed as Yakima turned to raise an eyebrow at her.
" What is wrong?" she asked.
" Da just started yelling at one of them for slapping us." Aly murmured and stood, beginning Yakima's nightly lesson in hand-to-hand combat.
A week later George left looking thoroughly put out.
" We're working on a plan that should get us out in a while." Aly hand signed to him as she held the horse for him to mount. He nodded with a smile and rode off.
Three weeks later Yakima was waiting for Aly when she walked into the room, the special saw for cutting through slave collars in her hand.
" I did it." She whispered and hurriedly cut through the iron ring. There was a red line running round the base of Aly's neck but she didn't care. Her collar was gone and she could leave. She got her supper and met the slaves in the stable as usual.
" Yakima stole the saw." She whispered and the slaves stared at her as she pulled it out of her sash and cut their collars off as well. They thanked her and vanished into the gathering darkness. Aly went back to her room and packed a small bag as Yakima packed one of her own. They pinned veils over their faces and slipped out into the night, running through the darkness until they came to a road, utterly exhausted. They sat down for a rest and soon a group of riders came by, stopping to peer at them.
" Who are you?" Aly asked softly.
" Travelling priestesses of the Goddess." Came the whispered reply and Aly leapt to her feet. She had heard a rumour of these women from her father.
" Please, take us with you. We can't stay here." She whispered and they nodded, swinging the two girls up to sit behind two of the women in the middle and riding on.
Aly told their story to the woman she rode with loud enough for others to hear as they rode.
" You must have real talent then Aly, with the old King of Thieves and the Lioness as your parents." One of them murmured.
" Would you like to join?" the woman who was obviously the leader asked.
" Oh yes." Aly and Yakima breathed in unison and they smiled as they dozed off, leaning against the women they rode double with.