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Son of War Heroes: Harry Potter fanfiction. He wasn't Teddy Lupin, the orphan who lives with his grandmother. He was Teddy Lupin, the son of war heroes. Please R&R if you are a Harry Potter fanfiction. Minor DH spoliers. Two Shot!

by: 4-eyedDragon.

Chapter Eleven: Old friends

Aly raced out the front door of Trebond as soon as word reached her that Maude had returned.

"Maude! Wait a minute!" Aly called. Maude stopped, and waited for Aly to catch up.

"I trust everything went well with...in the city?" Aly quickly amended as she saw two servants walk past them.

Maude patted Aly on the arm. "Relax. We reached the convent, went to the First Daughter, and everything went fine from there."

Aly dropped her voice to be sure no servants would overhear, "Coram and Alanna?"

"They never arrived at the City of the Gods, so my guess would be that Alanna and Coram came to an understanding."

Aly smiled, "Yes, but under what terms Coram agreed to the understanding worries me."

"Well, Thom is fine, and I am sure Alanna and Coram will let you know how everything is once they are settled."

Later in the afternoon, Aly was sitting in the master bedroom, and smiled as she spotted a certain jewelry box. It was a gift from Gareth over 16 years ago. She walked over to the box, lifted the lid, and pulled the latch to open the secret drawer. Inside the drawer were a handful of letters from her mother, Lianne, Jocelyn, Gareth, and even one or two from Roald. Hidden below the letters was a silk white handkerchief, which was where she kept her engagement ring/promise ring from Gareth. She pulled it out now and admired its beauty. She laid the ring in her palm, and closed her fist around it, thinking about when Alan found out about the secret drawer...and the ring.

[FLASHBACK]

26-year old Aly sat in a chair in the master bedroom, reading. She was enjoying the last few minutes of relaxation that she could. The twins were taking a nap.

"OWWWWWWW!"

Aly sighed. The twins had woken up early, or at least one had, and then went to wake up her twin brother. She went to investigate the noise. She walked into Thom's room to find Thom cowering by his small bed and Alanna being held back by Coram.

"What is going on in here?" Aly cried out.

Thom ran to Aly, and hid behind her skirts.

"Alanna, what have you done?" Aly demanded.

I came in here to find Alanna hitting Thom, yer ladyship." Coram said.

Aly raised her eyebrows at Alanna. "Alanna, is that true?"

"Yes! And I'd do it again!" Alanna said.

"Alanna!"

"He used magic on me, mama!" Alanna said.

"It was an accident!" Thom said, defending himself. "Mama, she came in here and woke me up, but she scared me before I knew it and I panicked, and I used a spell Maude taught us and she hit me!"

"Alright, Thom, apologize for using magic on Alanna, and Alanna, I want you to apologize for hitting Thom."

"I'm sorry, Alanna." Thom said. Alanna huffed, and didn't say anything.

"Alanna, what do you say to Thom?"

"Nothing." Alanna said.

Aly put her hands on her hips. "Coram, can you watch Thom for a little while? I am going to go have a talk with Alanna in my room." she glared at Alanna. "Now!"

Coram let go of Alanna, and she walked out of the room. Aly turned to Thom. "Thom, stay here and be my good little boy for Coram, okay?"

Thom nodded.

Aly saw Alanna waiting outside the room. "Get in there, Alanna."

Alanna obeyed, but before Aly walked in, a servant stopped her.

"I'm sorry to bother you, ma'am, but cook needs to see you in the kitchen. He says you didn't tell him what tonight's dinner would be."

"Oh! I forgot to do that while the twins were napping...Alanna, go wait in my room for me, I'll be back in a minute." Aly turned to the servant. "Can you make sure she stays in the room? Even if you just stand out in the hall, that is fine." Aly lifted her skirts a little, and ran to the kitchen.

When Aly was walking back from the kitchen, Aly heard Thom's voice.

"And then Coram and I came in and saw Alanna standing here, and it's broken!"

Oh no! Aly thought, What did Alanna break? She ran into the room, and froze. Alan, Coram, Alanna, and Thom were all looking at a upturned jewelry box...the one Gareth had given her for her 18th birthday...and the secret drawer was open, with it's contents spread out across the floor.

"Alanna! What did you do?" Aly said as she rushed forward to put everything back in the drawer. She gathered up all the letters, but the ring from Gareth was missing. She looked all around the room, but couldn't find it anywhere.

"Looking for this?" Alan asked. Aly turned and saw the ring in his hand. "Yes, Alan, I was looking for that." She stood up to take it, but Alan pulled his hand back.

"Where did you get it? Not from me."

"It was given to me."

"By whom?" Alan asked. "Your father? Your mother? Your grandmother? Is it a family heirloom, perhaps?"

Aly shook her head. "A friend."

"What friend spent so much money on a ring this formal? It is even nicer than our wedding bands. It looks like an engagement ring."

"It is." Aly said.

"But not from me."

Aly shook her head. "From Gareth."

Alan looked upset. "I see." he said, and handed back the ring. "Are the letters from Gareth as well? And the box?"

"The box is from Gareth." Aly said quietly. Why did she feel like a small child being chastened? "The letters are from Gareth and other people as well."

Alan nodded. "I have some work to get back to." he said, and left the room.

[END OF FLASHBACK]

Alan had been distant from the twins since they were infants, though Aly didn't know why, and got involved in as few events for them as possible. But that day was the day he became distant with Aly.

(At the palace-Gareth's POV)

I was sitting in my office when there was a knock on my office door. "Enter." I called. I looked up and saw my servingman, Timon, standing in the entry way.

"Yes, Timon, what can I do for you?"

"A new page to see you, sir." Timon said with a bow. "Alan of Trebond."

I sat up at the familiar name from the past Alan of Trebond. I shook my head to clear it. "Thank you, Timon, send him in."

I remembered Alan of Trebond well. He had been a thin squire when I was a knight. He hadn't even wanted to be here. Had things gone his way, he would have trained at the university, but his father had insisted there be a knight in the family.

Please gods, let his son be different. I barely had patience for the boy's father.

When Alan of Trebond, the younger, walked in, I was a little shocked. The boy's eyes caught my attention first-they were violet. I also noticed the boy was quite small, even for his age. Maybe he would grow in a few years.

Alan walked in with a man I recognized to be Coram Smythesson. I would give him proper acknowledgement in a minute. Alan bowed politely and silently handed me a letter.

"Alan of Trebond, hm?" I frowned as I opened the seal. "I trust you will do better here than your sire. He was always at his books."

I heard Alan audibly swallow hard. "He still is, sir."

I looked at Alan sharply. "Hmph. So I would suppose." I now smiled and nodded at Coram. "Coram Smythesson. It's been a long time since the Battle of Joyous Forest."

Coram bowed, grinning. "I didn't think yer Lordship'd remember. That was twenty years ago, and me but a lad myself."

"I don't forget it when a man saves my life. Welcome to the palace. You will like it here-though you, boy, will work hard." I turned my attention back to Alan. "Sit down, both of you." They obeyed. "You're here, Alan of Trebond, to learn what it is to be a knight and a noble of Tortall. It's not easy. You must learn to defend the weak, to obey your overlord, to champion the cause of right. Someday you may even be able to tell what right is."

By the way Alan regarded me, he was having an impossible time telling if I was joking or not. I was.

"Until you are fourteen, you will be a page," I went on. "You will wait on table at the evening meal. You will run errands for any lord and lady who asks you. Half your day will be spent learning fighting arts. The other half you will spend with books, in the hope that we can teach you how to think.

"If you masters think you are ready, you will be made a squire when you are fourteen. Perhaps a knight will choose you as his body squire. If so, you'll tend to your master's belongings, run his errands, protect his interests. Your other lessons will continue-they'll be harder, of course.

"When you are eighteen, you'll undergo the Ordeal of Knighthood. If you survive, you will be a Knight of Tortall. Not everyone survives." I held up my left hand, revealing my missing finger. "I lost this in the Chamber of Ordeal." I sighed.

"Don't worry about the Ordeal now. You have eight years to think about it. For the present, you will live in the pages' wing. Coram rooms with you, but I hope he'll be able to serve the palace guard in his free time."

Coram nodded, "I'd like that, yer Grace."

I smiled thinly. "Excellent. We can use a man of your ability." I looked at Alan once again. "One of the older pages will sponsor you and show you how things are done. You'll be his charge until you are familiar with the palace and your duties. If you are obedient and work hard, you won't see me often. Misbehave, and you'll learn how harsh I can be. When you prove yourself worthy, you will be granted free time to go into the city. And make no mistake-you'll earn every privilege you get three times over. You are here to learn chivalry, not to have a good time." I looked up at Timon, who had spent the whole time in the room. "Timon, take them to their room. Make sure the boy is properly clothed. Also, a guardsman's uniform for Master Smythesson." I measured Alan with my eyes. "I expect you to begin serving at dinner in five days. You'll wait on me. Have you any questions?"

"No, your Lordship." Alan replied.

"I duke is called 'your Grace.'" I smiled and held out my right hand. "It is a hard life, but you'll get use to it."

Alan kissed my hand, "Yes, your Grace." He, Coram, and I bowed, and the two of them left the office, leaving me with my thoughts.

My thoughts started off with Alan's father. I hadn't been Alan of Trebond's knight master, however his own knight master never really trained him, so I took the task on myself. Roald had called it bullying, and looking back on it, I know he was right.

Soon, however, my thoughts traveled to young Alan's mother.

Alianne, I thought with a smile. I couldn't believe Alan had a child with my Aly. Only...she wasn't mine. Alan had won that battle, all because I erred and didn't ask the Lord of Blue Harbor to court Aly. King Jasson had taken the side of Aly's father, who had arranged her marriage to Alan. It was one reason I enforced chivalry. I had been anything but chivalrous on many occasions with Aly. First by keeping our courtship a secret, then by nearly murdering Alan as a way to endure Aly for myself, although in my defense, I hadn't been consciously plotting to kill Alan. However, the worst thing I did was kissing her when the entire court knew she was betrothed to Alan. We were lucky Alan's twin sister was the only one who spotted us. If a court gossip had seen us, both my reputation and Aly's would have been ruined. Because of all that, I lost Aly. I wouldn't wish that sort of pain on my worst enemy. If that meant drilling the Code of Chivalry into the pages' head until they wanted to explode, so be it!

I got up from my desk. I knew there would be one more person who would want to know about the newest addition to the pages...

I nodded to the guards stationed in front of my sister and brother-in-law's rooms. The guards opened the doors to the rooms, as one announced. "Duke Gareth of Naxen, your majesties."

I smiled to my sister, Queen Lianne, and my best friend from when we were pages, King Roald.

"Gareth, what brings you by?" Lianne asked, as she got up and hugged me.

"A new page who arrived a few minutes ago." I said. "One, Lianne, that I think you will be very interested in."

"Me? Why would I be interested in them?"

"His name is Alan of Trebond, the Younger."

"Alan of Trebond?" Roald asked, a hint of amusement in his voice. "As in the one who went through training with us?"

I nodded. "His son."

"I am not seeing why I would be interested in a page named-"

"Think about what I said, sister. Who married Alan of Trebond, the Elder, about two years after you married Roald?"

"Gareth, I-" Lianne's eyes suddenly widened. "Aly?" she whispered.

I smiled, nodding. "Aly's son has come to the palace. I am praying that he is more like his mother, or else I'll have to resign. I had to deal with Alan when I was a young knight, but I cannot handle it now."

"So, Aly is at court?" Lianne asked, hopefully.

"No, she's not. She and Alan sent their son with a manservant."

"Well, we'll just have to remedy the lack of Aly's presence here." Lianne said. "If Alan is like his mother, it'll save you a lot of paper writing home, because young Alan will be full of mischief."

During supper that night, I kept glancing over at Alan. He sat with my son, Gareth, my nephew, Prince Jonathan, and their friends. I wasn't surprised. Word around the palace was that Gareth was Alan's sponsor...there was also talk that Ralon of Malven was in trouble with Jonathan, but unless Jonathan planned to fight Ralon, or Ralon fought him, I would stay out of that. As I watched Alan with Gareth, Jonathan and their friends Francis of Nond, Alexander of Tirragen, and Raoul of Goldenlake, I hoped they would all get along with Alan. I also hoped to see Aly shining through her son, and not Alan.

I sighed as I thought about Aly. She had been beautiful and graceful. She was one of the best dancers I had ever seen. Her laugh had been contagious, and her smile could have easily lit the entire palace. She had always presented the perfect image of a court lady, allowing only a select few see her fiery spirit or the mischief that danced in her eyes. I hoped that Lianne would be able to convince her to come to court. I would love to see her again. But perhaps, with her son here, she'd come, at least for visits. Maybe I would write her myself, and try to persuade her to come to court...

Disclaimer

1) "Alan of Trebond, hm?"..."I trust you will do better here than your sire. He was always at his books."

"He still is, sir"

"Hmph. So I would suppose."..."Coram Smythesson. It's been a long time since the Battle of Joyous Forest."

Coram bowed, grinning "I didn't think yer Lordship'd remember. That was twenty years ago, and me but a lad myself"

"I don't forget it when a man saves my life. Welcome to the palace. You will like it here-though you boy, will work hard." I turned my attention back to Alan "Sit down, both of you." They obeyed "You're here, Alan of Trebond, to learn what it is to be a knight and a noble of Tortall. It's not easy. You must learn to defend the weak, to obey your overlord, to champion the cause of right. Someday you may even be able to tell what right is."

"Until you are fourteen, you will be a page,"..."You will wait on table at the evening meal. You will run errands for any lord and lady who asks you. Half your day will be spent learning fighting arts. The other half you will spend with books, in the hope that we can teach you how to think.

"If you masters think you are ready, you will be made a squire when you are fourteen. Perhaps a knight will choose you as his body squire. If so, you'll tend to your master's belongings, run his errands, protect his interests. Your other lessons will continue-they'll be harder, of course.

"When you are eighteen, you'll undergo the Ordeal of Knighthood. If you survive, you will be a Knight of Tortall. Not everyone survives."..."I lost this in the Chamber of Ordeal"

"Don't worry about the Ordeal now. You have eight years to think about it. For the present, you will live in the pages' wing. Coram rooms with you, but I hope he'll be able to serve the palace guard in his free time."

Coram nodded "I'd like that, yer Grace"

"Excellent. We can use a man of your ability." I looked at Alan once again. "One of the older pages will sponsor you and show you how things are done. You'll be his charge until you are familiar with the palace and your duties. If you are obedient and work hard, you won't see me often. Misbehave, and you'll learn how harsh I can be. When you prove yourself worthy, you will be granted free time to go into the city. And make no mistake-you'll earn every privilege you get three times over. You are here to learn chivalry, not to have a good time."..."Timon, take them to their room. Make sure the boy is properly clothed. Also, a guardsman's uniform for Master Smythesson."..."I expect you to begin serving at dinner in five days. You'll wait on me. Have you any questions?"

"No your Lordship" Alan replied

"I duke is called 'your Grace.'"..."It is a hard life, but you'll get use to it"

"Yes, your Grace." from Alanna: the First Adventure pp. 27-30

Review Replies

DomLuver: There is the newest chapter!

brezzybrez: Thanks!

ShadowMoonDancer: Deal. I'll keep writing, you keep reading.

Lady Leopard: Thanks! Yes, ALy will pay a visit to both the convent and the capital.

Gallan Princess: I am glad you like the story. Well, this chapter (the part with Gary's ring for her) sorta explains why he is so cold to Aly, and you'll find out more about this and why he is cold to the twins later. Jane of Trebond will also make a comeback in a few chapters. However, I cannot talk about the theory of Alan dying, as that is an important part of the plot.

LittleMissGiggles'94': Sorry about last chapter's shortness...but it was just a filler chapter anyway.

dares to dream: Thanks!

Litara: I am glad you like that Thom listens to his mother. Sorry, I cannot talk about if he listens to his mother when he is the world youngest master. It is part of the plot. There will be a little more about Thom.

Sam White: Thanks! As you can probably guess with Lianne talking and Gareth thinking about writing to ALy, there will be some contact between Aly and her old friends.

a happy camper: I am glad you liked the last chapter, even if it was short. Your idea to show Gareth meeting "Alan" from his POV. That is why it is in the story.

The Shang Kudarung: Yes, I didn't mean you had to litterally keep your eyes open!