I don't own any of the Tamora Pierce characters


"You're soulmates." Numair repeated. Ivy and Matthew stared at him, then Matthew shook his head.

"No!" he said, "there's got to be a mistake. We can't be soulmates!"

Numair raised an eyebrow. "Why not?" he asked quizzically.

"Because. . . because. . . because I don't do relationships. Its one night, sometimes two or three if I like them, I haven't ever been in a serious relationship, I don't believe in love and I really don't believe in soulmates!" Matthew stood up and walked over to the other side of the room. Numair glanced at the King and nodded in the direction of Matthew. Jonathan nodded, then stood and went to talk to him.

When Jonathan had reached Matthew, Ivy looked at her Uncle. "Soulmate doesn't mean love does it? Its just someone whos like you right? Someone doesn't need to be your lover to be your soulmate . . .right?"

Numair sighed. "I hate to say it Ivy, but soulmate generally means lover. I don't know if the King will allow you to be Matthews Squire anymore. It could cause a stir in the castle if word slipped out, and both of your reputations would be ruined."

"What?" Ivy gasped. "But I'll never get another Knight Master, especially notone like him!" She stopped, realising what she had just said and regretting it. It wouldn't do to sound as though she was protecting Matthew.

"Perhaps Jonathan will let you stay with Matthew, there is definitely a risk if he gets out of control . . ."

"What?" Ivy interrupted. "What kind of risk?"

"Well, until he learns how to control his powers, he won't be able to be away from you for long periods of time." Numair explained.

"Why not? What will happen if he is?" Ivy asked.

"Well, he could go Pyrotic and destroy every living thing in his way before he reaches you. Then he'll have to work out how to stop using his powers, and he'll be relying on you to look after him." He looked at her carefully. "Ivy do you remember when I told you about the dependancy all Pyros feel?"

Ivy shook her head.

"Well I did. Until Pyros are in control, they need someone to look after them. I didn't tell you about the Soulmate relationship, because it didn't seem important at the time. I never thought you'd need to know this, and I wish you didn't. . ." he took a deep breath. "Matthew is going to be very protective over you from now on, he won't like you to leave him for more than a few hours, and he won't want you in any fights. There's a chance you won't be able to do much from now on. But he'll want something from you, until he controls his powers. . ." He paused then sighed. "Ivy, he'll want to take your virginity. He'll want you to be his and you won't be able to convince him otherwise. At the moment he'll live in denial, saying you're not his soulmate. You have to try and get him to be in control. It doesn't matter what he thinks, he'll still listen to you. Can you do that?"

Ivy stared. "Whats being a Pyro got to do with soulmates?"

Numair sighed. "Mithros knows Ivy."

"And why's he going to be so clingy, I thought it was meant to be nice, not a bloody fight to get them off." Ivy looked at her hands.

"If he controls himself, you won't have the clinginess, you'll be normal lovers, you'll have arguments, you'll make up." Numair looked at her carefully. "I hate that you landed with this Ivy, if it could have been anyone else, I wish it was, but you're going to have to see it through. If you want, I could spell him so that he forgets about you, then we could get you away from each other and he won't remember you."

Ivy looked over at Matthew. "What would happen to him though?"

Numair looked down. "Who knows, he could be fine, he could curl up in a ball somewhere and die. I'd hope it would be the first option, but I can't promise anything." He looked at her again. "Ivy, the question is do you want to be responsible for him?"

Ivy ignored the question. "Will I feel the same about him? Will I always be obsessed with him?"

Numair raised an eyebrow. "You sound as though you already are." He sighed. "I don't know, the other five or so there have been have all been securely locked in a relationship with them. Except for one. Baron Marek of Meron, about five hundred years ago I think, was absolutely besotted, the woman who was said to be his soulmate didn't feel the same, she slept with hundreds of men behind his back and it was said she only married him to get in his will. She murdered him in his sleep two weeks after their wedding."

Ivy shook her head. "Thats sick." she looked over again. "I'll try, but I don't want to do anything with him. Especially not right now."

Numair nodded. "In that case, you should go to bed. Its alot to take in." Ivy nodded and got up to hug her Uncle, settling against his chest.

"Thanks Uncle Numy." she muttered.


Jonathan joined Matthew and rested a hand on his shoulder. He resisted pulling back when he felt the burning heat under his hands. "Sir Matthew." he said quietly. The Knight looked at him and managed a smile.

"I don't know what you two are on, but there is no way that Ivy and I are soulmates. I couldn't have a serious relationship even if I wanted to." Jonathan shook his head.

"Have you ever wanted to?" he asked quietly.

Matthew paused then shook his head. "No. But I don't want to start my first serious relationship with my Squire. It wouldn't be right."

"If you wanted to, I could make it so she wasn't your Squire anymore." Matthew stared at the King for a second.

"I couldn't let you do that. It wouldn't be right. I'd feel responsible. She'd hate me, then what would be the point anyway, even if I wanted to see her, I couldn't because she wouldn't want me to." He rested his head on the stone wall.

"Would you want her?" Jon asked carefully. "Do you want her?"

Matthew hesitated. "There's been times I thought I did. There's been times I've flirted with her a bit. It never meant anything though. It never could."

"What would you have done if she took you up on your advances though? What then?" Jon took his hand away from Matthews shoulder.

"I won't lie to you . . . I'd probably have done something I'd regret in the morning. I might have kissed her, I might have gone further. But I'd be an idiot to. Lord Raoul would have my guts for garters. I'd be as good as dead then." He sighed. "Isn't there a way to get rid of it? This pyro thing, can't you and Numair burn it out of me?" a glimmer of hope shone in his eyes, and Jonathan wanted to say that there was, but he knew it would be lying.

"There's no way Matthew. If there was, we'd do it, I swear." he sighed. "You need to get your powers under control. We can't have you exploding into fire at every turn." Matthew nodded.There were several minutes silence, before Matthew spoke.

"What would happen if I didn't get them under control? What then?"

Jonathan sighed. "You'd kill everyone between you and Ivy. Numair said he'll put fireproof spells on the walls of your rooms. Until you're in control of your powers though, there'll be no Spidren killing. We need to make sure you're safe to let out." He rested a hand on the Knights arm. "I know you feel like we're being over protective, but what good will you be to us if you kill the people in the villages that you're supposed to be saving."

Matthew nodded. "I know your Majesty." he paused. "Whats going to happen to me then? Whats going to go on in my head?"

Jonathan shrugged. "I wouldn't like to say, you'll hate being apart from her until you can learn how to control your powers. You'll want more from her than she will be willing to give, and you will probably be angry with her from time to time.You'll hate it if any other man touches her, and you won't want her to fight."

"I don't think for a second she'll care if I do or don't want her to fight, she'll do it anyway." Matthew added.

Jonathan grinned. "Its a definite possibility. She has been brought up around many feisty women fighters."

"How do I control it though?" Matthew asked.

"I'd suggest meditation, and reliving the moment that you discovered you were a Pyro. When you're transformed, you'll have to learn to hold onto the person you were before, the person inside you whos not a Pyro." Jonathan smiled at him. "And Numair and I will be happy to help in any way we can."

Matthew smiled back. "Thank you. I just hope I won't need anything from you two. . ." he froze as he looked across the room to see Ivy hugging Numair. He felt himself heating up, sweat poured from his forehead. Fire gathered around his body, wrapping him in a blanket of heat and light. There was a dim male voice in the distance, but Matthew didn't hear it, all he heard was his own mind, screaming at him to kill the man who held his soulmate. As more and more fire grew around him, he heard a female voice. It was familiar. He knew that voice. Who was it?

"Matthew," who was it? He couldn't think. "Matthew stop!" then he remembered. The fire fell away, and he collapsed to the floor.

"Ivy." he said. "Where are you?" his vision went dark, but he could still hear and smell his surroundings.

"I'm here." she was close. Where was she?Hecouldn'tsee her.Matthews fingers twitched, then he felt a hand in his. He recognised it. He'd felt it before, in the spidren cave.

"Ivy . . ." he muttered. Suddenly he was Matthew again. His vision came flooding back, and he could see her leaning over him, concern on her face. She looked beautiful, he had never seen her so breathtaking. He blinked and realised that two black haired men stood behind her, both keeping their distance. He sat up, feeling Ivys hands under his arm and feeling suddenly helpless. "Sorry." he muttered to nobody in particular. Then he passed out.


Ivy watched as her two Uncles carried her unconscious Knight Master to his rooms. She tried not to think about all that she had heard that night, and tried to forget the look of Matthew burning from his core. Part of her thought that if she went to sleep she would wake up and it would all have been a terrible dream, but having laid her hand on his head and felt his burning skin, she knew that wasn't going to happen.

"He might not let anyone else near him for several days." Numair explained to her when Jonathan had left. "You'll probably need to take control of looking after him. We'll have food sent to the room for the two of you, and Jon said he'll think of something to tell Raoul. We both know Raoul won't be too happy finding out you and Matthew are meant to be soulmates." Ivy nodded.

"What will he do when he sees you?" she asked. "Won't he go mad again?"

Numair shook his head. "No, he'll remember it, but he won't hurt me unless we hug again before hes in control." Ivy smiled and went to hug her Uncle, only he held her back.

"Best not." he explained. "Right now he's probably completely focused on you, if he woke up now and saw us, I don't think either you, me or him would be safe." he smiled at her. "Goodnight Ivy." he said, then left.

Ivy waited until he had gone, then slipped into Matthews room again. She sighed and sat on the edge of his bed. "Right mess we're in now Matthew." she whispered. Hesitantly she kissed his forehead and lay down next to him.


If its crap I will scrap. If its good . . . I'll think of something to put there later lol.

Please review.

Hope the length is better

Mage of the Heart