Disclaimer: I don't own anything that is recognizable from the magical world of Tamora Pierce's Tortall.

Warning: This chapter made me cry as I wrote it, and my beta said they cried to...so you might want to be prepared with a box of tissues.

Chapter Forty-Five: Roger and Grief

Aly was sleeping in for the first time since Kahlan was born. Gareth had arranged for a servant to watch Kahlan so that Aly could get that sleep. That was why Aly was annoyed to find herself being shaken awake.
"Aly, wake up." the voice was Gareth's.
Aly slowly woke up. "What is it, Gareth? Is it Kahlan?"
"No," Gareth said, "It's Thom. The court just was filled in on what his experiments were on All Hallows."
"What were they?" Aly asked, sitting up quickly. "Is Thom alright? His not hurt, is he?"
Gareth didn't meet her gaze. "Perhaps you should see for yourself what your son was doing. Come on, he is with his experiment in the throne room."

Aly quickly got dressed and headed to the Throne room with Gareth. He stopped her right outside the door.
"What?" Aly asked him.
"You might want to take a moment to brace yourself for what you are about to see." he said kindly, "Because they will not be opening and shutting the doors a lot. Roald doesn't want too many people to know about this quite yet."
Aly sent Gareth a questioning glance, but didn't say anything. She took a deep breath and then pushed open the door to the Throne Room. Aly could count on two hands the number of people in the room that was usually full of courtiers; Lianne, Roald, Jonathan, Gary, the Lord Provost, Baird, Thom, Sir Myles, and then there was one man with brown hair that had his back to her.
"Thom? What's going on?" Aly asked as she walked towards her only son. Just then, the person who Aly couldn't identify turned around, and Aly gasped before stumbling backwards into Gareth, who caught and steadied her.
"Roger." Aly choked out.
"Hello, Lady Alianne," Duke Roger of Conté said smoothly as he walked over to her. "No, wait, Thom told me you remarried and are now the Duchess of Naxen. Congratulations."
All Aly could do for a few moments was stare, completely at a loss for words.
"How…What…When…Why…" Aly's voice was caught up in her throat. This couldn't be happening! Roger was dead! Aly had watched Alanna kill him! She had watched him being buried! This wasn't possible!
"Alanna killed you!" she finally managed.
"Yes, your daughter killed me," Roger said, "And your son brought me back."
Aly turned to Thom. "This was what your experiments were for? This is why you leeched both mine and Alanna's magic? To bring back him?"
"Thom, I get the impression your mother isn't happy to see me." Roger said.
"Yes, mother," Thom said, "My experiments were efforts to bring Duke Roger back from the grave."
"Why?" Aly shrieked. Gareth laid a hand on Aly's shoulder, quietly telling her to calm down.
When Aly would gently scold the twins when they were younger, Thom would cower and beg for Aly's forgiveness. Now she was full out screaming at him, and he didn't even blink. "There were some who didn't believe I was as strong as my title of Master would suggest. This proves to them that they were wrong."
"This was a matter of pride!" Aly yelled. "Of all the gods-cursed, simpleminded, stupid, petty things, Thom! He nearly killed Lianne! He would have killed Alanna had he gotten the chance! He was trying to secure the throne for himself! He is a traitor, Thom!"
"I assure you, Alianne, I left my traitorous tendencies in the grave." Roger said smoothly.
"I will believe that when you managed to prove it to me." Aly snapped, "And I do not believe I granted you permission to use my first name!"
Roger raised his hands in defeat. "My apologies, your Grace," he said, "I will do whatever I must to prove I mean no harm to my aunt, uncle, or cousin."
Aly glared at Roger for a long time. "We'll see," she turned back to Gareth. "I think I'll relieve the servant of her duties with Kahlan, Gareth."
Gareth nodded, and Aly turned to leave.

Later that night, as Gareth and Aly got ready for bed, Aly was ranting.
"I cannot believe that Thom would do something so stupid." she said, "He used to have sense. He used to think before he acted. No one in their right mind would have brought Roger back. What will people say when this leaks out? Because it will eventually leak out, and then people will panic at the thought of a man returning from the grave. It's just not normal…it's not natural! And what of Alanna? He might not do anything to Roald, Lianne, or Jonathan, but I'm a dancing bear if he doesn't at least have thoughts of getting revenge on Alanna."
"Relax, Aly," Gareth said, "We have him under top surveillance; he won't be trying anything."
But Aly wasn't listening. She was too busy pacing around the room in her nightdress. "If he tries to harm Alanna, he's mine. I don't know how to wield a sword, but I will pick one up and run him through if he so much as looks at Alanna in a threatening way, and you know as well as anyone that a person who doesn't know how to wield a sword is a bigger danger than a person who does."
"Aly, please," Gareth said, "Roald has done everything that can be done to keep Roger contained. Will you come to bed?"
Aly sighed, but nodded. She went over to the bed and slid under the covers before sliding up against Gareth's warm body. "I don't like it, Gareth," she said, "He nearly killed Lianne, and she was so weak for so long."
"Good night, Aly." Gareth said, gently telling Aly to drop the matter for the evening.
"She was starting to improve. What will his return do to her health?"
Gareth sighed, but didn't say anything. Aly took that as his sign of defeat. He had realized that she was not just going to forget about everything Roger had done.

A month had passed since Roger's resurrection, and Aly's feelings towards the once-dead Duke had not changed. Lianne seemed to be getting weaker by the day, and now Aly, Gareth, Roald, Jon, and Gary were constantly at Lianne's side. Except for now. Lianne had taken a turn for the worse that day, and Duke Baird had kicked out everyone from the room, except for Roald and Jonathan, though he had tried to convince them to leave as well.
Gareth had suggested that night that the two of them find a servant to watch Kahlan, and they dine with the pages. He said the noise level that came with boys between the ages of 10 and 14 would give them something to distract them from Lianne. Aly had reluctantly agreed they both were in dire need of that distraction.
Halfway through the dinner, however, a servant came into the page's wing and walked over to Gareth and Aly.
"His Majesty asked me to summon you back to the Monarch's Suite. Duke Baird says Her Majesty is fading fast and will be going to the Black God soon."
Aly and Gareth got up and as fast as they could without drawing attention to themselves, they walked out of the pages' dining hall. Once they were in the hallway, they both ran to the Monarch's Suite, not caring who saw them in the hall.
When the servant led them into the bedchamber in the Suite, Gareth and Aly saw they were the last to arrive. Gary was there, but it looked like he hadn't been there long. He and Jon were talking quietly, Jon looking understandably distraught.
Roald was sitting on the edge of the bed next to Lianne, who looked sicker than Aly had ever seen her. She smiled weakly when she saw Gareth and Aly.
"You two came." Her voice was only a little more than a whisper.
"Of course we came, Lianne, how could you think we wouldn't?" Aly asked. She pulled over a chair to the side of the bed opposite of where Roald was and sat down. She allowed Gareth to sit on the end of the bed next to his sister. Gary went to stand between Aly and Gareth, and Jonathan stood next to Roald.
"Roald, I love you so much." Lianne said.
Roald's eyes were full of tears he would not let fall. "I love you too, Lianne. You are my life." he bent down over Lianne's body and kissed her on the lips. This was not the kind of chaste kiss he gave her in public. It was the kiss of a lover, filled with so much fire and passion, Aly felt like she was intruding on a private moment. She couldn't bring herself to look away, however. Lianne's breaths were numbered, and Aly was not about to miss out on her last chances to be with Lianne just to give her and Roald a private moment.
"Jonathan," Lianne said, her voice was growing weaker. Jon quickly took his mother's hand in his and kissed it."The happiest day of my life was the day you were born, Jonathan. You were a miracle, the child I was told I would never be able to bear. I love you, Jonathan, and I am so proud of all you have done and all you will do."
"I love you too, mother. I hope I will continue to make you proud."
"You will, Jonathan. I have no doubt in my mind that you will, and while I may not be here with you in the Human Realm, know I am watching you from the Realm of the Black God, and I am smiling at all you will be accomplishing while you are still a prince, and then later as king."
"Thank you, mother." Jonathan said.
"Gary," Lianne said, smiling at Gareth, "My dear older brother."
"Shh," Gareth shushed her gently, "I know you love me, Lianne, and I love you. Don't use your little energy left to tell me what I already know."
"Don't tell me what to do, Gary," Lianne said, "I never listened to you when we were children, and I will not listen now."
Gareth smiled, but the smile did not reach his eyes.
"I love you, brother. You were always there for me, no matter what you were doing or where you were. You were always so eager to help me."
"I'd do anything for you, Lianne. Anything."
"I know," Lianne said, she turned to look at Gary. Before she could open her mouth to speak to him, Gary took her hand and kissed it, the same as Jon had.
"I love you, Aunt Lianne."
"And I love you, Gareth. I am just as proud of you as I am of Jonathan. It was one of my greatest joys as a queen and a mother to watch you and Jonathan playing together as young children, mischievous as you two were. You were like the brother I could never give him. Promise me you will continue to be that brother for Jonathan when I am gone."
"I promise." Gary said solemnly.
Finally, Lianne turned to look at Aly, "Aly…"
"Lianne," Aly said, taking Lianne's hand in hers. Her skin was already beginning to lose some of its warmth.
"You have always been my sister. I loved to daydream about us being sisters officially when we were young girl fresh from the convent, before you father forced you to marry Alan of Trebond. I loved getting to go over details for your wedding, and I was so happy I was able to be there when you and Gary finally said your vows to each other. I love you, my sister."
"I love you too, Lianne. You are also like my sister."
Lianne laughed weakly, "Do you remember when we first met?"
Aly laughed too, and nodded. "Jane and I were in the middle of an argument. She said she was going to be the next queen of Tortall, and I told her the day she became queen would be the day I moved to Scanra. You stepped into the middle of it and told both of us to shut up. We were making a very public scene in the middle of the hallway, and you said if we didn't shut up, the sisters would come and then we'd both be in trouble."
"And then Jane turned to me and said I was acting like I thought I was destined to be queen. She then laughed, saying that Roald would never take to me."
"How wrong she was." Aly said, laughing again.
"Indeed. How wrong she was." Lianne said. She looked around at everyone in the room. "The Black God is calling me to him, so I must go. I love you all, and I know we will all be reunited once again someday in the Realm of the Dead. Good-bye."
Aly was still holding Lianne's hand as it became limp and lifeless, and the last bit of warmth in her fled her body.
Aly let the tears fall freely. "Lianne…."

After Lianne's death, Aly locked herself away for weeks, and cried for days on end. The only people who she would see were Gareth, Gary, Kahlan, and Jonathan. She even turned Thom away. Gareth also took the death of his sister hard. He resigned from the position of Prime Minister, and Gary took up the post unofficially. Roald took the death of Lianne harder than anyone. He wasn't interested in doing anything more than mourning Lianne. Jon became the unofficial king. He signed documents and passed laws while Roald sat in solitude.
It was about three weeks later that the entire kingdom was turned on its side. King Roald had gone hunting, and the hunting party returned with his dead body. He had tried jumping over a gorge that took skill, and hadn't made it. The official story was it was an accident from the hunting trip, but Jonathan, Gary, Gareth, and Alianne knew better. King Roald had not been interested in life without Lianne, and had committed suicide. Plans were made for Jonathan to be crowned king in July.

Review Reply

sazzysassyangel: Thanks!

SeekDreamsAndFindHope: Thanks for reading, even if after that chapter you had nothing to say.

Elfsquire: I thought we decided Sue....this was MY story, so competent parent or not, I will decide how it turns out.

Soraya the All Speaker: Believe me, Aly WANTS to slap Thom....big time. And that is a nice idea with the blankets, but they are probably made out of a really expensive fabric that those living in the Lower City would never be able to afford, and people would probably believe it was stolen.

Anjalit2624: That is a good idea for me to use if I end up doing the sequel I am thinking about. In this story, Kahlan is not going to get old enough for you to really see too much of her personality.

AddiCullen: If the sequel will happen, I will need ideas from reviewers like you! But I will do my best to make it happen.

xXthenextbookwormXx: LOL. Sorry, no baby-napping allowed. Gary and Aly .?docid=17354497have extra guards posted both outside and inside Kahlan's nursery and outside the suite in general....no one will be getting to Kahlan. And the problem with cracking Thom's head open so the sense can get in is we have no way of making sure it doesn't flow back out before we can close up the crack in his head.

Cry of the Wolf Child: No. I would never dream of replacing Kel. I love her character too much. And I haven't decided quite yet what to do with Kahlan....are you sure the Naxen gift is rose? I thought it was green.

silver cat 777: I love Liam too! He will be in the story, you just have to wait for his turn. And as to him dying or not, I will tell you the same thing I tell everyone when they ask about character deaths...you have to keep reading to find out!

LittleMissGiggles'94': You'll have to wait and see if I kill Thom. Although yes, he is being a prick.

sonotalady: I am glad you like it so far!

Trisana Sarrasari: haha...I always thought it was obvious.

iloveredshoes: Glad you like it!

Evelyn of the Copper Isles: Hmm...a Rider....now there is an idea...and I am glad I could make your day, I love to make people happy like that. Hmmm....Thom vs Numair....that would be an interesting debate....

Tishica: Lol. Glad you liked it.

Mistyrious One: Aww...thanks. I am glad you like it and think I am talented.

Emmason Eppes: Aly doesn't really support A/J over A/G or vice versa. She just wants Alanna to be happy. I am glad you like my story.