Hey Everyone:

New story! This is Jascanna of Mindelan's story, sequel to Midwinter Luck. It's quite different, with much less of a humour sub-genre, and the focus is on completely different characters. I think I'm going to enjoy writing this; I get the opportunity to do my own thing with my own characters. Hopefully, you'll enjoy reading it too!

Disclaimer: Tamora Pierce owns the setting of the Tortallan world, the names of the Mindelan adult family and a few names of minor characters that papered in her books. All other names, including Jascy, Riet, Keatin, Kitani and Myrindah, belong to me, as does the plot and places not mentioned in any of Tamora Pierce's books.

Pronunciations:

Jascanna is pronounced (JESS-Can-Ah) and Jascy is pronounced (JAS-Kee)

Myrindah is pronounced (Mih-RIN-Dar) and Myri is pronounced (MIH-Ree)

Chapter 1: Life Is What You Make of It

Jascanna of Mindelan sat on her four-poster bed in her room, looking out through the gauzy curtains of her window at the sun as it set behind the mountains. At eleven, she was already a pretty girl. Her long golden sandy red hair, naturally waved, was brushed down her back. Her eyes were green with the slightest hint of hazel. Jascy had everything most girls her age could ever dream of. She was a high-ranking noble, her mother's family pre-dating the Book of Gold, her father's in favor with the King for the Yamani treaty.

Her dowry was big enough to gain her any husband she could ever want. She also had a strong gift for healing and general magic, and a good ability with a shukushen, naginata, longbow and horse thanks to her Grandmother Ilane's training. She had wardrobes full of gorgeous dresses and drawers full of expensive jewels. And she was due to ride to the convent tomorrow, to take up position as one of the premier ladies-in-training.

But Jascanna didn't want any of that, none of it. She wanted freedom, adventure and danger. And the only way to get that at her station was to become a page. When she had asked on Midwinter's End, her father Anders had agreed to let her go to the palace and train as a page. Then her mother found out, and all hell broke loose.

Lady Coralie, her mother, wouldn't even talk to her anymore. If she had her way, Jascy would already have been disowned from the family. Jascy shook with a mixture of rage and trepidation, remembering their last encounter. For the first time since she was five, her mother had hit her. But none of that mattered anymore. She only needed to get through one more night, and then she would be riding to the palace.

The door to her rooms flew open. Her mother walked in, teary-eyed and distraught. With her were her aunt, Lady Oranie, and her cousin, ten-year-old Lyrah.

Jascy stood up, her chin sticking out stubbornly. One more time, she thought. Just get through it one more time, and you'll be riding to the palace come tomorrow. Her mother stalked up to her, grabbing her by the collar of her dress.

She shook her, talking harshly between tears. 'I gave you everything you ever wanted, Jascanna! You could have been the finest of all the court ladies! You could have married well, upheld the honor of my family, your family! Why, Jascanna? Just tell me why?' Her mother's voice was distraught. She was at her wits end.

'You're so stupid!' Lyrah cried, throwing a vase at Jascy and hitting her in the stomach.

'Why are you doing this to your mother, you selfish girl?' That was her Aunt. 'Look what it's doing to her!'

Jascy just stood there as her mother shook her. She could feel the tears streaming unchecked down her face, her lip was bleeding from where she had bitten it. 'This is what I want, Mama,' She pleaded 'I want to go to the palace and become a page so that I can have adventures. But I wish you could understand that, that you could be happy with me, that you could still love me.'

Lady Coralie looked at her, astounded. Her voice was bitter when she spoke, hissing with hatred of her own daughter. 'How can I love a daughter who is turning into a battle wench like her aunt?'

Lady Coralie slapped her daughter with all her strength. Unprepared, Jascy was thrown back into the stone wall. Her skull met it with an audible crunch, and she collapsed in a dead faint from the violent scene.


Dawn was not yet over the horizon when Jascy came to. Myrindah, her seven-year-old cousin, was kneeling over her. Myri held a wet cloth in her hand, and was wiping away the blood from Jascy's skull. Her head was throbbing and the cloth stung, making Jascy hiss with pain.

'I'm sorry, Jascy,' said the smaller girl as tears coursed down her cheeks for her cousin's injuries 'Mama and Coralie were like mad people last night. They didn't mean it, they were worried out of their minds and just went too far.'

Jascy struggled to sit up and put her arms around the younger girl. 'It's the price I have to pay. I don't want the life Mama wants for me. I want adventures, I want freedom, I want to be able to fence and shoot and ride like Aunt Keladry. And I even want to do great things that don't just include killing people as a Knight,' Jascy looked at Myrindah sadly 'I'm not cut out to be a lady like Lyrah, Myri.'

Jascy struggled to stand. Using the wall as a prop she took a deep breath to compose her thoughts and made her decision. 'I'm going to leave before dawn for the palace. I don't want to see Mama or even Papa again. Can you help me get my things ready?'

Myrindah nodded. They spent the next half hour packing. She packed her bow and arrows, her Yamani shukushen and glaive, the purse that Aunt Keladry had given her.

The few breeches Jascy owned were thin and worn. Jascy put on her best pair, navy blue, under a pleated navy blue skirt that reached a little above her knee. Her shirt was dusty blue, and her fur cloak a traveling black. Finally, she brushed and braided her long golden sandy red hair down her back, and placed the brush on top of her small pack. As a final hesitant thought, Jascy took her favourite dress, wrapped it in black cloth and stowed it in the bottom of her bag. Just in case.

She picked up her bag and turned to look at her childhood room one final time. Then she ushered Myrindah out, shut the door on her old life and stepped into the new.


The two girls walked down the hallway ever so cautiously so as not to make a sound. After several nerve-racking minutes, they emerged in the stables where Jascy made quick work of saddling her horse. Dreamer was a dark mahogany brown mare, with beautiful brown eyes like worlds of their own. Jascy led Dreamer out and to the back bridge over the moat. There, the two young girls exchanged a long hug, each knowing it would be years before they saw the other again.

'Goodbye,' Myrindah whispered to her as Jascy climbed onto Dreamer 'And good luck on your wonderful adventures.'

Jascy gave her one last smile. 'Thank you, Myri. I'll never forget this.' Then she turned Dreamer towards the rising sun, and set off towards a whole new world.

'Life is what you make of it,' Jascy thought as she galloped through the northern forests, finally free 'And I'm going to make it unforgettable.'


Thanks for reading! Please review!

StarryEmeraldNights