The castel was quiet when the night watch man called three after the hour of midnight hour. Everyone was asleep and in bed. No one saw a man climb over the wall closest to the practice courts. No one saw him quickly and quietly set up his tent with the efficiency of one who was constantly on the road. He unrolled his sleeping bag and promptly fell asleep.
Jaz woke up the morning after her bought with Fred and sensed a presence that was familiar yet unfamiliar. She could sense that the presence was close and very distressed. The presence was so distressed that it was bordering on evil.
Jaz got dressed and went to breakfast. The palace animals where edgy and even though Jaz wasn't a wild mage she could tell that. When breakfast was over Jaz went and dressed for training.
Jaz arrived at the practice courts after the pages and she had to push past them to see what they where stairing at. Jaz saw a tent and she realised that she knew who the owner was. She was scared because she thought that the owner of that symbole was dead. She though this because the heir of that fife was her late husband and as far as she knew he didn't have any brothers or sisters.
Jaz was shocked and even the thickest of the pages could tell that something was wrong. "Who are you and what right do you think you have wearing the crest of my late husband?" Jaz demanded in a loud voice.
"I'm your late husbands brother" came the reply from the tent. "And my name's Michial"
"what is your business here" Jaz asked in a shocked voice.
"I'm here to kill you for killing my brother" Michial replied "I can see that you aren't mourning his death anymore. You have already found yourself a whole bunch of new potential suiters."
"I'm the training master here and for your information I mourned for your brother for twenty years and I am still mourning for him. And just in case you think I don't know that it is my fault that he is dead I'll tell you this, I was trapped in stone for twenty years just left to think about what I had done. It wasn't my fault that that bitch had a grudge against me yet killed my husband and the potential father of my child." Jaz screemed close to tears.
"I still have to kill you" came the calm reply from the inside of the tent. The man came out and Jaz gasped because Mikail looked exactly like her late husband.
"do I look to much like him for your comfort" Mikhail sneered.
Mikhail grabbed his sword and lunged at Jaz. Jaz just barely escaped being stabbed through the heart. Jaz could tell that Mikhail was a very experienced fighter, maybe even better than her. While Jaz was looking around for something to defend herself with Mikhail hit her across the head with the blunt edge of his sword. Jaz dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes. Mikhail stepped forward so that he was standing above Jaz and positioned his sword so that he could plunge it into her heart.
"I wouldn't do that if I was you" said a man that was standing at the fence watching everything that was going on.
"And why pray tell shouldn't I kill the murderer of my only brother that I never even got the chance to meet?" Mikhail asked looking towards the tall muscular man with obvious distaste.
"Well I wouldn't do that because she is my sister but I don't think that you should do that because I will have to kill you if you do. Please tell me that you haven't been away from home for so long that you don't recognise me?" He said
"What is your name?" Mikhail asked starting to get worried.
"Runihura" the man replied
Mikhail immidiatly dropped his sword and bowed to Runihura. "please don't hurt me" he begged suddenly dropping to his knees.
"I won't hurt you young one . I can see that you are under a lot of stress." Runihura said in a regal voice.
Liam bent over Jaz and llifted her up.
"and who do you think you are and where do you think that you are taking my sister?" Runihura demanded noticing Liam taking Jaz towards the tower.
"I'm taking her to her room and I am the crown prince of Tortall Liam" Liam responded.
"oh sorry prince. I wonder can you please tell me where my brother is please his name is Jack and it is vital that I see him soon." Runihura requested
"he will be in his room I suppose" Liam said "I'm sure that one of these boys will be able to escort you to his room"
"I will take you sir" came the voice of Fred "I owe Jaz that much at least"