A/N: Ok, so this is my first time trying to write a Tamora Pierce fic, so benice. I know thisprologue mightbe a little confusing, but this is just two different people thinking. Read and Review please!

Disclaimer: Iown nothing but the plot.

Summary: Twins, seperated at birth, will now find each other once again. One, despising her life as a court lady, longs to get away from it all and become Shang. The other, raised in a foriegn land, is now on her way to Tortall as part of the embassy, and longs to fit in at court.

Silence and Shadows: The Prologue

Hands grasp cold bark, feet replacing hands as the climb continues. Impatiently, hands grasp for holds, while feet try to keep up. Shadows reach for me as I continue to struggle upwards. Reaching for another handhold, I am stopped short by a tug: my dress had caught on some of the branches. Impatient, I grasp the bottom of my dress and pull. The silence of the night is broken for a moment with the sound of a small rip, and I continue upwards. Winding the way to the top, swaying with the wind, I break free of the leaves and come face to face with a clear, dark sky, a million stars gazing down.

The beauty of the stars shining down takes my breath away, and for a moment, I forget why I have come here. I sit and admire the stars, but the soft rustling of leaves in the wind reminds me where I am. My mood returns, and I turn away from the brilliant sky for a moment, but I turn back, for the brightness of the stars draws me, and I can't look away.

Dropping my gaze for an instant, I survey the brightly colored palace not a hundred feet away, and sigh. The tree gently sways in the wind, echoing my sigh. I hear the laughter of the ladies, the quiet melody of the music, and sigh again. A soft shadow in front of me draws my attention away from it all, and I deliberately turn my back on the palace. The familiar form in front of me leaps from branch to my shoulder, and I stroke my cat softly, not daring to break the silence. The stars make the sky seem infinite, yet at the same time, it seems as if I can reach up and touch one, bringing it down to where I am.

The sheer white veil flutters in front of my face, and I push it away. The waves rock the boat gently, and the boards beneath me seem to sway. I return my gaze the starry sky, wondering at the beauty of it all. I drop my gaze to the disappearing shoreline, already dark and misty, soon to fade from everything but my memory. My sigh is whipped away by the wind, and the stars seem to dim for a moment, before regaining their luster.

The sadness wells within me again, and I want to wail my longing to the wind, but I dare not break the silence. The night is so perfect, with the lapping waves, the winds, pushing us along, and the stars guiding us. A slight shadow approaches me, and rocking back on its heels, transfers its weight from the deck to my shoulder in a leap. Undisturbed by this motion, I stroke my cat softly, still staring up at the sky. When I look back, the shoreline has been replaced by the shadows. The veil, pushed by the wind, flutters into my face again, and this time, I refuse to push it away as the tears run silently down my cheeks.

A/N: So, what did you think? Good, bad, not so good? Please tell me if I should continue, I wrote this on a spur of the moment thing. Please review and tell me what you think! No flames please!

Purple Eyed Cat