Chapter 3

Myles walked into his adopted daughter's room. Alanna had just arrived from Corus and she was looking extremely angry.

"Hello Alanna, did you enjoy your trip?" Myles asked his daughter. He hadn't been told the latest gossip concerning the royal couple and the lady knight. Alanna turned to face him.

"Did I enjoy my trip?" she started to yell at him without thinking. "Did I enjoy fighting bandits for five weeks? Did enjoy being insulted and falsely accused of sleeping with Jonathan? Did I enjoy losing two of my best friends and getting kicked out of Corus?" By the time that Alanna had finished she was red faced and breathing hard. Myles looked at her in shock before he finally walked over to his daughter and put a hand on her shoulder. Alanna almost fell into his embrace when the tears started pouring down her face. Myles comforted her as best he could. It was the first time the lioness had cried since George had died. The lioness wasn't known for giving into tears. All this time Myles was wondering how it could be that he didn't hear about any of this from his spies. He had been worried lately; most of his men in Tyra had disappeared. Normally when one of his spies had to go undercover, they send word a week or so before. Something was happening to his spies, in Tortall and in Tyra.

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Even though Jonathan and Thayet were happier now that Alanna was gone. Their marriage still wasn't getting any better. They only ever saw each other at dinner when their family was present and even then their words were clipped and sharp. Shinko and Kally had been spending a lot of time together in the past week. They both knew that Kally and her husband Kadder had to go back to Carthak within the next week. The two young women were also confusing the hell out of their husbands.

"The rapid mood changes, crying at any small thing, the morning sickness, the complaints and even the random food cravings. What's wrong with them?" Kadder and Roald had gathered together one morning after breakfast and were comparing their wives behaviour.

"Whatever it is, I hope it stops soon, or we figure out what's happening. I don't like to see Kally looking so worried and depressed half the time." Kadder's concern about his wife was obvious.

"Maybe they have some new disease or illness. Have they gone to the infirmary yet? I know that Shinko hasn't. Every time I ask her what's wrong, she looks at me with a strange look. Like she's happy about something and wants me to guess it." Roald's face had become even more confused after remembering Shinko's face. Kadder had to agree. "Kally is the same. I ask her if something's wrong, she gives me this mysterious look. I don't know what it means." Roald would have felt sorry for his brother-in-law if his own wife wasn't doing the same thing to him.

"We'll figure it out soon enough. We're smart men, after all you run Carthak and I'm heir to Tortall. Come on, we better go to breakfast before we're late."

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"Dancing Mouse, I want you to go into Tyra and find out where Horse Hooves is. We have lost contact with him and he is essential to the realm. Take five other men with you and spread them around Tyra."

"Yes Chief Lions Mane. I shall depart as soon as I can." Dancing Mouse said before he left the room.

"Laughing Banana. You can go to Corus and look for Sobbing Orange. I have received no reports from him. I'm worried that something is going wrong. I was informed by a source that shall remain anonymous that things have happened in Corus, we have received no notice of it."

Laughing Banana left immediately, after all, Laughing Banana cared for his brother Sobbing Orange and was even more worried than Chief Lions Mane.

"Right." Chief Lions Mane said to the remaining spies. "Eloquent Doe and Moving Deer I would like you both to go to Corus as nobles. You are you become friends with the king and queen. I want you to make sure that there are no attempts on their lives. Also, if you can, try to get Thayet and Jonathan back together again." Chief Lions Mane finished his sentence before he walked out of the room. Eloquent Doe and Moving Deer looked at each other before Moving Deer walked up to Eloquent Doe and offered his arm.

"Well my dear. I do believe that Chief Lions Mane wants to us be married. Should we go find the local priest?" Eloquent Doe almost rolled her eyes at Moving Deer's jest.

"If I didn't know you any better, I could have sworn you were serious just then. We better get going if we are to reach Corus within the next month." Eloquent Doe took Moving Deer's arm and he led her from the room.

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The day after Eloquent Doe and Moving Deer left for Corus, Kally and Shinko were having their own little meeting.

"We have to tell our husbands sometime soon, Kally. You'll be leaving with Kadder for Carthak in five days. We've tried to make them guess and it's not working. They'll never figure it out." Shinko said. Kally nodded her head.

"I agree. They can't figure it out. We'll have to tell them at breakfast tomorrow. We will tell Roald and Kadder before Mama and Papa come, they are always late now so it won't be hard." Shinko looked thoughtful at Kally's suggestion.

"Ok then. We better get back to our rooms. The seamstress is coming today and we need new gowns. I don't know about you but my clothes are becoming tighter around the stomach." Shinko and Kally got up and made their way to Shinko's room where they were measured for new clothes.

(A/N- ok…so…Kadder and Roald may be great mages and really smart people (most the time) but they are sooooooo clueless in this chapter. And BTW- I know the symptoms of Kally and Shinko are a little messed up. But I've never been pregnant…and I don't really know the order of the symptoms.)

(another A/N- I've had 11 reviews so far….give me more…I know that something like 190 people have looked at my story. without Reviewing…..REVIEW please…before I start singing…and I will… ask whiteroseblackrose if you don't believe me but…and i DID see thay people have my story as their favs...GRRR--thanks but please review...