Disclaimer: Tamora Pierce owns these characters; I do not.


"Alanna," he whispered to himself. The name felt foreign on his tongue; he sighed.

How could she have fooled him? He should have been able to tell. He should have suspected something all the times she refused to bathe. But he thought that Alan was just a bit peculiar, and that his fear of swimming was just a strange idea he had.

Delia of Eldorne walked in the door, wearing a pale yellow dress. She sat down next to him, smiling.

"Roger is dead," he snapped at her. "What do we do now?"

Delia smiled wider. The knight glared at her. "What do you know about Roger?" he demanded. The lady did not answer.

He grabbed her shoulders, turning her to face me. "Delia, I love Roger as much as you do. Tell me what you know about him!"

She looked at him coolly, her smile gone. "Don't manhandle me, Alex," she told him icily. "When Roger comes back, he won't appreciate it."

He stared at her in disbelief. "Roger will return?"

Delia glared at him. "Let go of me, Alex."

He released her. "When is Roger coming back?"

She laughed. "Why are you so dependant on Roger?"

The knight sighed. He was powerless without Roger, and she knew it.

"I need him to become the best," he told her honestly. "He can help me, and I can help him." He looked at her pleadingly. "When will Roger return?"

She smirked at him. "When I can find a mage who will raise him from the dead."