((YEE-HAW! A whole new chapter! Lyssie meets Alanna! Happy days are here again! Anyway...so many thanks to my BETA, Alianne. She is so helpful. So, I'm going to try and finish one of my other stories so I'm probably going to take a break from this one...not that I actually think anyone is even reading this : ( so...well just read, review and enjoy.))

Sir Nealan sighed; he hated latrine duty with a passion. Shovel in hand, he walked out to where the latrine was and began to shovel dirt over it to dig a fresh one. Suddenly, he heard a soft voice, a child's voice. The child, a girl he assumed, was speaking Scanran. Silently, he drew his dagger and began creeping towards the voice. When he saw the young girl talking to her cat, he nearly dropped the dagger in surprise; she looked like Lady Alanna…only shorter. Her hair, the same shocking red, and her eyes, the same vibrant purple; Alanna had never mentioned a daughter other than Aly and that was most assuredly not Aly.
"H-halt! Who-who goes there?"
She looked up at him, fear in her eyes. He stepped forward, sheathing the dagger.
"Who are you?"
She said something, softly, quickly and in Scanran.
"I-I don't understand what you're saying, miss."
She spoke again, louder this time but still in Scanran. He sighed and reached out to grab her arm. She flinched back and pulled a small sword from her belt.
"Calm down, calm down, I'm not going to hurt you."
She looked up at him, violet eyes wide. She sheathed the sword back in her belt and followed Neal.
"I'll get you something to eat, alright?"
She smiled, a clueless smile that showed her lack of understanding. Numair walked out of a nearby tent.
"Mithros Mynoss and Shakith! That girl looks like Alanna!"
"Observant, Master Numair…."
The girl looked at her cat and spoke softly and then laughed.
"Is she?"
"Talking to the cat? Yes, I think so…"
"Wild mage?"
"Not so far as I can tell."
"Perhaps…"
"Master Numair, I think we should give her some food, she looks awfully hungry."
"Oh, of course."
Neal turned to the young girl again.
"Come on."
She silently followed him to the mess tent and ate the biscuit and sausage he handed her hungrily, breaking off a bit for her cat.

"Fai'ful, you want more?"
"Yes, please, silly girl!"
Lyssie laughed and handed Faithful another piece of sausage.
"I likes him, the knight, he be silly."
"We're going to have to work on your grammar…"
"I got good grammar! Dan sayed so! He be smart, he was the smartsest boy back home!"
"Then we have a lot to work on…."
"Shut up, kitty…"
A woman walked into the mess tent and began speaking to the man who had given Lyssie the food. Her hair was the same red as Lys' and it caught her attention. The woman turned and her purple eyes focused on Lys. She spoke slowly and carefully but in common.
"I…can't un'erstand what she's sayin', Fai'ful."
"She says she's Lady Knight Alanna, the Lioness."
"THE LIONESS????"
"Yes, you don't need to repeat everything I say."
Lyssie glared at the cat and then stared up at the Lioness in awe. Alanna continued talking, hoping something was getting through to the little girl. Finally, Lys recognized something in all she said.
"…Alysianna…"
"That's my name!"
"Very good, silly Lys."
"Can you talk to her too?"
"Lets think about that…YES!"
"You don't hafta be mean, ya know…"
"Don't pout, it's unbecoming of a future knight."
"HUH?"
"Oops, you don't know that yet…darn…I did it again…anyway…why did you want to know if I could talk to Alanna?"
"Ask her if she be my ma, please?"
"Alright…I suppose…"
"Well?"
"You are ridiculous…"
"Just ask…"
"SHE IS!"
"REALLY?"
"YES! You really are the silliest girl on earth…"
There was a semi-stupefied look on Alanna's face as she stared at Lys talking to her cat.

Faithful, it was Faithful. But how? Faithful had died or something like it. So many questions were buzzing through Alanna's head; she could barely hear herself think. Predominately, there were questions about this girl, Lys, her Lys, her daughter.
"Lys, how did you get here?"
The girl stared at her blankly. Damn, thought Alanna, she doesn't remember common.
"Please, try to understand what I'm saying."

Lys met the older woman's eyes and suddenly a flash of recognition shot through her and memories came back to her. She shut her eyes and saw her memories play back before her. A girl and two boys, older but all redheads like Lys. A game, a sword, a duke, a brother. A man, not Da but Da. Grass, green grass, blue sky, trees, a castle, water. Where was this place? What was it? A loud noise, crashes, metal to metal, sword to shield. Raiders! Lys shuddered and then opened her eyes again.
"M-Ma?"
"Lyssie?"
Tears fell from Alanna's eyes and she pulled her daughter into her arms.