Title: Knotted Destiny
By: QT
Edited By: Buttons7

Summary: A new era is arising as darkness sets over the vast kingdom of Tortall. People are slain ruthlessly, cities are destroyed, people's hope diminishes rapidly. The only one who can turn the tide and return things to a balance is an unknown and unexpected hero.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of Tamora Pierce's characters, however, I do own this plot.

"..." Talking
'...' Thinking
blah Dreaming

"So, the girl survived the waterfall," said a liquid voice, "she's tougher than I expected, however, she will be no match for me! As soon as I kill her for attempting to oppose me, I will take the throne of Tortall."

Two round, red-brown eyes gazed into a pool of water at the image of a petite black-haired figure. The water rippled and the image faded until all that could be seen was the viewer's own reflection. Full pink lips curled up into a cruel smile. "Kalasin of Conté, you're mine," the voice said as a hand balled into a fist.

A groan of protest emitted from Kalasin as a rather annoying shaking refused to stop. "What?" she asked, as her eyes opened to see Lerant hovering over her. He had been shaking her to wake her up and after a few moments it had finally worked.

Putting a finger to his lips, the boy pointed next to them, covering Kalasin's mouth when she opened it to scream. His dark brown eyes worriedly looked at Kalasin as he bent down closer to her, his lips brushing against his ear. "That was a bandit scout I found sneaking around over here. I knocked him out when he came near enough to me. We have to get back to the Own, Kalasin, we just have to," he whispered. "If we don't, we'll be no match for the rest of them; we have no weapons."

Remembering Mithros' words from his speech to her last night, Kalasin glanced beside her and slipped her hand onto the hilt of the sword. "We do have a weapon, Lerant. If it comes to that, at least we'll be able to fight but, for now, let's get back to our friends."

Nodding in agreement, Lerant grabbed Kalasin's small hand and pulled her up with him. Not waiting a moment longer he took off at a run, towing the Princess along. "We have to climb," he said, his voice throaty, "since there is no other way to escape."

"I know," the girl said as she looked behind her, the area where they camped for the night becoming smaller and smaller as they neared the cliff.

"If we get seen while we're climbing, we'll be sitting ducks with no where to go."

The Princess, who was now breathing heavily, nodded, concentrating on keeping her feet moving at a fast pace. Once they reached the wall, Lerant let her hand slip from his as they both found spots to put their feet and hands. They pushed off from the ground, Kalasin a breath behind Lerant. Carefully, yet quickly, they searched for grooves for their hands and feet, expanding the distance between themselves and the ground.

Lerant was now fully in front of Kalasin, searching for a spot where they could rest. His hands were aching as well as his toes, and he knew that Kalasin wasn't in any better shape. She wasn't used to labor, as he was from being in the Own, so her delicate skin would be protesting against this rough treatment. Grasping a piece of rock, Lerant pulled his body up, blinking when he saw an area worn away to create what looked like the mouth of a cave. It was big enough to hold them both and they would be able to rest a while here.

Smiling at his discovery, Lerant pulled himself up a bit more before climbing onto the ledge. Laying his body on the ground, he inched near the edge and held his hand down to Kalasin who was struggling with exhaustion. "Grab my hand, Kalasin."

Looking up, Kalasin shook her head and slipped her booted foot into a groove. Using that as leverage, she pushed herself up and grabbed hold of a rock, closing the space between herself and Lerant's waiting hand. Carefully she reached up with her own hand and slipped it into his, feeling comfort in his firm grip.

By the time she was pulled up to the ledge, her cheeks were flushed and her hair fell into her eyes. The sky was growing dark and the air became chilly. The girl's body ached in protest to the harsh treatment it had received. Feeling exhausted, Kalasin looked out beyond the niche in which she sat and blinked several times. Where she Lerant had been camped out, a group of twenty or thirty people were roaming, setting up a camp of their own while a few went to scout the area.

Lerant moved up next to Kalasin, gazing at the sight below them. Shaking his head he sighed in relief, "We'll be safe here for tonight, but we'll have to press on and pray that they don't spot us. It would be best to leave now but there's no moon out tonight, so it will be dark and hard to see where to step, and also you're drained, and need rest."

Nodding, the Princess crawled to the back of the secluded cave and leaned against the stone wall, adjusting herself until she was comfortable. Closing her eyes, she let her mind wander as thoughts ran in and out of her head.

Lerant, when he was sure the girl was slumbering, made his way to the back of the inlet. Sitting next to the girl, he looked over to her, his brown eyes taking in her features. She was quite attractive with full lips and a small, straight nose. Her skin was flawless, no blemishes could be spotted, and her long dark lashes accentuated her eyes. Lifting his hand, Lerant ran the backs of his fingers over her soft cheek, a smile crossing his lips.

Tilting her head so that it now rested against his hand--he had re-positioned it when he noticed her moving her head--she ran her tongue across her dried lips. "Lerant, can I ask you something?"

Her voice, it was like music to his ears, and the way she re-moistened her lips...Shaking his head at his thoughts, he responded to her, "You just did, but go ahead and ask another question." Seeing her wrinkle her nose at his answer made him grin.

"When you figured out who I was, you said that you knew what it was like to never be able to change who you were...remember?" Hearing a faint "yes" from him, she continued. "What did you mean by that?"

His expression, which had been so happy moments ago, faded into a sour one. 'Why does she care?' he wondered to himself as he remained silent for a minute. Withdrawing his hand from her cheek, he let it slip into his lap and closed his eyes, thinking back a good ten years, give or take a few.

"My aunt was Delia of Eldorne. She was crazy, you know, and because of her treason to the Crown, all others have mistreated my family. No one wants to be in ill favor of the Crown, and so when I tried to be accepted for knighthood, I was turned away. No one would take me under their wing for fear of the reputation that traveled with me."

His eyes glazed over as his body tensed at the bitter memory. "People talked behind my back, whispering about the past of Delia. She would get made fun of as an insult to me. I tried to not listen to them, I tried to run away from it all, but every where I went, that wench's bad reputation followed."

Taking a breath, he continued, "Then, when I was turned down from trying for my knighthood, I met Sir Raoul. He saw who I was, not what my Aunt did. He let me be a standard-bearer for the King's Own. I do know how to fight, though I don't have the proper training. I had to deal with people whispering about me for quite some time after joining the Own, but it eventually stopped and the members of the Own grew respect for me during battles and whatnot. I pitch my own weight, I'm able to keep up with the others, and I'm not afraid to die for someone I care about. I took arrows for Sir Raoul, you know."

Kalasin, who was now watching him with interest as emotions of pity and anger flashed in her eyes, smiled and tilted her head slightly. "No wonder you understand. I'm sorry for what happened to you, but at least you're with good people now."

"What would you care anyway? You're a Princess, an heiress to the throne. My relative tried to kill your father, Kalasin, doesn't that bother you?"

"No," she said softly, frowning at the thought that she wouldn't care. "It doesn't bother me one bit. You aren't her, and you're faithful to the Crown or else you would have killed me in my sleep. Instead, you're helping to save me and let me fulfill my destiny."

Startled by her taking his hand in both of hers, he opened his eyes and stared into her mesmerizing gaze. 'She's so unusual...judging people as they are and by their actions, not by the actions of others. She cares about anyone and everyone, not just herself,' he thought.

Leaning towards him, Kalasin smiled, her eyes never leaving his. "I don't think I'd want to be with anyone else other than you right now, Lerant. You're kind, courageous, intelligent..." She let her voice trail off just before she closed the distance between them, pressing her lips against his.

Momentarily stunned, Lerant just stared at her when she closed her eyes as their lips met. Warmth filled his insides, spreading throughout his body as he responded to the kiss, his hand still in her now shaking ones. 'She's nervous,' he realized as he moved his free hand up to the side of her cheek.

Kalasin felt her whole body go wobbly at his touch. She didn't know why she was doing this, only that she wanted to. It felt right, and it felt good. Her stomach felt like it had butterflies fluttering about, trying to escape, but the fluttering stopped when Lerant slowly pulled away. A knot formed in her throat, 'am I doing something wrong, or am I not as good as the girls at Court? Has he even been with anyone before?' she found herself wondering as her eyes drifted open to find him gazing at her, his cheeks flushed.

Blushing, the girl looked away from him, muttering an apology.

Lerant shook his head at her folly. Grasping her two hands tightly, he pulled her closer and met her lips when she turned to look at him, confused as to what he was doing. This time, unlike last, he kissed her deeply, running his hand through her hair as his body made it obvious he wanted more than a kiss.