A merry Christmas to all of you!

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Chapter 32

'The fifth witness proved to be...blah...blah...blah...the victim was found laying on the street, partially naked. Her face was not recognizable...blah...blah...blah...the cause of death appeared to be assault and strangulation...'

Lord Quinlan, also known as The Lord Provost, was a man in his youth. Not yet thirty, he had already gained a reputation of being fair, but strict in his judgments. He had held the important position for just under five years and it had yet to bore him — until today.

'The victim's occupation is unknown…She was leaving the Dark Fox in the company of...but the description of the man was unreliable…blah...blah...blah...'

A soft knock sounded on the door to his office before it was opened slightly, the head of an even younger man peering through the gap.

Lord Colton Quinlan lifted his head, his gray-green eyes glazing over with disinterest upon seeing his assistant. "What is it now, Geraldo?" he said tiredly. "It can't already have been two hours since you were last in here disturbing me."

"I'm sorry, sir, but there is an urgent matter to be resolved..."

"Urgent?" Colton asked, sighing as he stood. He looked back down at the papers he had been reading. The interruption was a welcomed break from the case he had been working on. However, he was finding this case incredibly dull for some reason. The outcome would always be the same. They would never find the person who did it. He was beginning to tire of the endless amount of cases as well as the endless discussions he had to have with the king regarding said cases.

Colton looked up, "Well, who are they bringing in this time?"

"Sir Edeson, along with some woman. Although, the woman isn't charged with anything — yet," the assistant replied and ducked his head as curses flew through the air.

"For the sake of — how many times has he been inside my courthouse this week alone? Three?" Colton asked, moving from behind his desk to stomp angrily towards his assistant.

"Actually, sir, if my count is correct, it's the sixth time. He was here twice the other day. You fined him double for being back a mere four hours after you let him go."

Colton pulled on his robe, the one that identified him as Lord Provost, and slid a hand through his short blond hair. He followed his assistant out and stopped short once he was inside the courtroom.

"My Lady. Master Salmalin." Colton nodded to both Alanna and Numair before raising an eyebrow at the other large man, "Sir Raoul, what brings all of you to my courthouse?"

Raoul gestured at Domitan who pushed an angry looking man forth. Colton narrowed his eyes — they had gagged the man. "Lord Quinlan, if you can settle this matter quickly, we'd be delighted. Sir Edeson here was quite obstinate down in the market and refused to pay for the goods he ruined while trying to kick this woman," Raoul finished, gesturing at Kahlan.

Colton smiled wryly at the angry man before him, examining the beetroot colored face. "Did he now? That's not likely to be possible, unless —," he turned his head towards the woman and glanced down over her filthy clothes. He sighed loudly, "Well then, a quick one you said?"

Raoul nodded. "Yes, as quickly as possible. We have more important matters to attend to and no time to babysit him," He said, glancing at the man with an indifferent expression.

Colton nodded, "Of course, I'd be delighted to make this quick." He turned to the other men present in the room, "Please take Sir Edeson away. I think a day or two in prison might help him behave better in the future." He then looked directly at Kahlan, "How much does he owe her?"

"About five gold nobles," Alanna replied, "but given the fact that he also accused her of being a thief and is now causing her to waste her time here instead of making a living, it would only be fair that he has to pay for..."

Angry sounds and exclamations erupted from the gagged man, but he was silenced as Domitan gave him a firm push. Sir Edeson fell on his nose before anyone could grab him.

An uncanny silence filled the room, but it was soon broken by the sound of ruffled clothes. Everyone, including Kahlan, stared at the young man with brown hair and blue eyes. Domitan lifted his hands in defense. "I didn't do it," he said, but the wide smile on his lips gave him away.

Raoul, Alanna, and Numair all shook their heads in disapproval, but Colton only smiled in satisfaction. It was nice to finally see Sir Edeson where he belonged. Colton gave a small sign and two men pulled Sir Edeson from the floor. "Take him out of my sight, please." Sir Edeson spat and scowled furiously as the men dragged him away.

"Was that quick enough for you?" Colton asked Raoul.

The huge commander nodded.

"Good," Colton turned and addressed Kahlan. "Your payment can be retrieved four days from now," he said slowly, "until then, you are free to leave."

The hand that had been around Kahlan's upper arm disappeared. She turned her gaze back to the man who had held her. So she was free, but that wasn't what she wanted. She wanted to be kept with them.

Kahlan dropped down into a curtsy, inclining her head. "Thank you, My Lord Provost." She stood up and walked slowly over to the Commander of the King's Own and glared up at him, "But no thanks to you!"

Raoul only looked down at her before she planted her foot firmly on top of his boot, her heel drilling down. She then tried to move quickly out of his reach, but she miscalculated just how fast he could move.

Firm hands gripped her arms and she was pressed firmly to his chest. Everyone stared at Kahlan and the man holding her firmly. "You little...," Raoul whispered low, but was cut short when blue eyes met his. Uncertain how to proceed, he became quiet as her words finally registered with him. Narrowing his eyes, he growled, "What do you mean by 'no thanks to you'?"

Kahlan gave him a sugary smile, before she answered by spitting on Raoul's cheek. "So you really don't recognize me, do you?"

Numair cleared his throat in hesitation before he continued, "What's going on?"

Uncertainty entered Raoul's eyes as he wiped the spit away and glanced at everyone around him. He found no answer in the gazes of his audience, which consisted of only Alanna, Numair, Lerant, Domitan, The Lord Provost and his assistant. "I'm not sure," Raoul replied honestly, but before he could continue, a hand came flying towards his face. Once more, he was quicker than Kahlan had expected.

His grip on her wrist was strong and powerful, and he was bruising her skin, but Kahlan didn't care. If she was getting herself into this, she had to go all the way. "You left me pregnant!" she hissed, making sure the sentence was loud enough for everybody to hear.

The movement was quick. The blink of an eye would be considered too slow in comparison with the swiftness of Raoul's actions. Kahlan dropped to the floor, sliding over it as she was pushed from the large man. Only the palms of her hands prevented her from sliding further away.

Lifting her head quickly, her hair thrown back to lay along her spine, she hissed again. "That's exactly what I thought," she whispered, her blue eyes cold. "I should have known that every word coming from your lips was a poisonous lie."

Raoul lost all control over his actions and emotions. It was only when he found himself fighting back the black tentacles of anger that he came back to himself. He was sweating and cursing at the young woman who stood pressed up against the opposite wall, her blue eyes frightened and wide.

Suddenly, someone blocked his view and a closed fist landed hard on the side of his cheek, breaking his fit of anger. Unable to protect himself, he allowed Alanna to do the deed. Looking down, he found that Alanna's eyes held a clear warning.

Raoul opened his mouth, allowing his tongue to lick his wounded lower lip. He grimaced as he tasted the metallic taste of blood. Relaxing his muscles, he took a couple of deep breaths and followed Alanna's movements as she walked over to the young woman.

Kahlan looked on with wide, scared eyes — all a part of her own act. She flinched just the right amount as Alanna suddenly placed her right hand hard on her lower abdomen and waited. Nodding to herself, Alanna turned around and left Kahlan to rest against the wall. "You can release him now, Numair," she said casually and walked over to where Raoul stood shaking.

Alanna lifted a finger and jabbed it into Raoul's chest. "If you ever touch her like that again," Alanna hissed, "I'll make it my own personal mission to drag you to Roof of the World and leave you to the mercy of Chitral. For your information, he finds humans amusing."

Raoul rubbed his chin where his lip was pulsing in pain. "You wouldn't," he said slowly, eyeing his long-time friend closely.

The Lioness pushed herself up on toes, her glare piercing, "Try me!"

Silence filled the courthouse until the Lord Provost finally cleared his throat. The few men of the King's Own that had been allowed inside the room stood uneasily, glancing skeptically towards their commander. Such behavior was unusual when it came to Raoul, but if pushed far enough over the edge, it wasn't completely unheard of.

Lord Quinlan wasn't as ignorant of Raoul's lack of self-control as one would believe. Being an enforcer of the law and acting on the behalf of King Jonathan, he had occasionally been the one who had personally gone into the city to retrieve the drunken commander. Occasionally the huge man had started something that was harmful to both the kingdom and the man himself.

With everyone's attention drawn away from Raoul, Lord Quinlan smiled at where Kahlan stood before he turned to Alanna. "I take it that you have confirmed her condition?"

Alanna nodded as she sized up the young woman, assessing her with her violet eyes. Kahlan only stared back. Inside she was smiling, but on the outside she was challenging the Lioness. "She's about two or three months pregnant," Alanna replied calmly.

Colton nodded and turned to Raoul. "I take it that you know what to do next, since the girl is claiming that the child is yours."

"It's not," Raoul growled low.

"Don't be insolent, Raoul," Alanna hissed, "you know very well what the law says about this. If you've forgotten, I am sure that Lord Quinlan will gladly enlighten you."

Everyone stared at the large man, waiting for him to speak. When he did speak, it was with a clear rejection in his tone, "If you think that she is going with us — with me, I can assure you that I can't accommodate her in..."

"That can be arranged," Alanna snapped, interrupting Raoul's speech. She could see where her friend's mind were going, but something about the woman had her intrigued. "As it happens, I'm in need of more hands," she said before pausing in thought, "she can stay with Zofia, my primary lady-in-waiting. I'm sure she will take care of her until we resolve this."

Alanna looked at Kahlan as she spoke, and Kahlan only stared back, unnerved by the odd woman with violet eyes. This wasn't what Kahlan had expected, but she had managed to get herself inside the walls of the castle. That had to be enough — for now.

Onua had brought Daine back to the paddock where she and Numair had spent the night. Back then there had been only horses, now thirty riders stood in a line, beside what she concluded were their assigned horses.

In front of them stood a man that was taller than Numair and beside him, concealed by his shadow, stood the queen. The black-haired woman had excused herself from the table when the king showed himself, forcing every one of the Riders to hurriedly rise yet again.

"Attention!"

Daine jumped in surprise as the huge man — she suspected that he must have been enormous as a child — yelled and the riders turned their attention towards him, but not the young man whom she had seen in the dining area. He was the one who had waved at her. The blond man looked at Daine with mischievous, dancing eyes and muttered quietly, "Someday, they will hear him as far as the Copper Islands."

"Hush!" a young blonde girl hissed, "are you trying to get extra chores?" Daine recognized her as the one who had brought her and Numair's dinner – Miri was her name. She couldn't help but smile over the fact that here, in this foreign country, it seemed that no one was afraid to speak their mind.

The young man leaned over to the girl with a playful smirk on his face. "If it can get me in the same room as you," he said directly to Miri, who flushed scarlet at his words, "then yes, I'm trying to gain some extra chores."

"Rider Evin?" the huge man snapped as he stepped forth, planting his large boots in the mud. He came to stand in front of the blond rider whose eyes still danced with mischief. "Is there something of great importance that you need to share with the group, or are you not satisfied with the one week of latrine-duty you already have?"

Daine had to hide the wide grin on her lips as the man opened his mouth, but Miri elbowed him sharply in his ribcage. The impact most likely hurt the young man, but nevertheless he ignored the glare that Miri was sending him.

"Actually, sir, I was hoping for another week." Evin replied impishly.

The woman, Miri, sighed loudly beside him and covered her face with her glove-covered hands as the large man replied. "Three weeks, Rider Larse, and another word from your slippery tongue and you will have the duty for the rest of the year. Would you prefer that?"

Evin opened his mouth, only to find that two pairs of hands were preventing him from saying anything other than muffled words. Both Miri and the man beside Evin were doing their best to keep their friend from getting into any more trouble than he already was in. "No," the young man answered, while locking eyes with Daine.

Daine looked on as the nearly gagged man saluted clumsily.

"Good. Listen up!" The huge man yelled and the young man's head snapped back, turning his attention away. Daine relaxed slightly, but was still tense enough to notice that others were eying her suspiciously.

"You may wonder why you have been called home and have received further lessons in healing. Duke Baird tells me that you are ready to undertake new instructions, but if you have any questions he will be in the Healer's Wing." The large man gave them all a strict look, eyeing each face in front of him, "And don't go and seek him out for stupid questions. We don't have any time for silliness. Now, you have to improve on your skills in the art of horsemanship, and will be supervised by a wild-mage." He turned to Daine and gestured her forth.

She had been listening in on the conversation coming from the horses as well as the large man's words. However, at the mention of her new position, her head snapped back to her surroundings and the prospect of teaching someone.

Normally, on a day such as this, everyone around her would try their best to ignore her presence. This was a normal thing in her life, but the attention being granted her now was anything but normal. She clearly felt their stares lingering upon her. Some looks were merely curious, but others were distrustful. The distrust was clear in one particular face, a young woman with freckles and dark shoulder-length hair. She spoke before Daine could do anything.

"This is all very fine, Sarge, but why in Mithros's name were we called home in the first place? The only thing we have heard is that the king is calling all the riders home for further training, nothing more! Are we going to war or something?"

Around them, muffled voices sounded, but it was the Queen who replied clearly. Daine noted that her accent was not native to Tortall. "Tortall is not facing war," she said and paused briefly, "yet. The Gallan king has fallen. With his heir too young to claim the throne, the land is facing civil war. As we speak, nobles are fighting each other for the crown and the borders are shutting down. No one is allowed to enter or leave."

"Then what about her?" someone said, and every head present turned to where Daine stood. "What piece of the puzzle is she?"

Daine turned slightly towards Onua. "Does everyone here know who I am and where I'm from?" she asked, concerned.

Onua gave a small smile, "You're in Tortall now. Here, no one can hide for very long. When it comes to rumors or intelligence, we are quite efficient at spreading information. Even the Riders know beforehand what color of underwear our king will wear, before he even makes the decision."

Daine raised her eyebrows, impressed, but she wanted to hear the answer the Queen was going to give.

The woman gestured to Onua and the horse-mistress gave Daine a gentle push. She walked forth with her chin raised high. This was her new life and she better see to it that everyone knew of her.

The Riders standing in line in front of her were several years older then her. Since she was inexperienced with having so much attention turned her way, Daine wasn't sure what to do. She had agreed to help the king, but if the men and women in front of her didn't want her help, what could she possibly do?

As she reached the Queen, Her Majesty spoke with a clear voice, effectively gaining everyone's attention. "Daine is from Galla, which I'm sure everyone knows by now. She is here, as Sarge told you all before, to help you with your horsemanship. She will also help prepare you for defending and aiding refugees from Galla."

Thayet paused before she continued, "We are looking to do this as winter approaches us from the North. Daine knows the country, and on top of that she knows what problems we might face. She is also a wild-mage, so if someone has problems or concerns about their horses, there will be time for that later. Any questions?"

As Thayet finished, a deadly silence filled the air of the paddock. The horses shifted slightly, noticing every small emotion that floated from Daine, but she was careful not to let her control over them slip.

Everyone looked at her. Once again there was an array of expressions directed towards her. Faces spoke of everything from indifference, to hesitance, to distrust.

A young woman with a slightly snub nose spoke up. The grip on the reins of the horse told Daine exactly what she needed to know. As she suspected, the woman questioned her gift. "Anyone can come to Tortall and say that they are the famous wild-mage, but the only thing we know for certain is that she was the 'pet' of the Gallan king. No great tales of heroism ever reached us, telling us that she slaughtered armies the size of thousands or anything like that. We don't even know what she's supposed to look like." The young woman finished her speech with a derisive smirk.

Again, muffled voices filled the air, but Daine only waited in calm silence. She had dealt with people who questioned her abilities before. She just had to wait for the right moment, just the slightest lack of attention on the reins and...

The horse knew exactly what Daine wanted from it and with its own patience used up, it tossed its head, snorted in the startled woman's face and laid down on the ground.

Daine counted to ten and as she reached the last number, thirty horses laid on the ground with their riders still holding their reins. They were not dead, but still very much alive.

She smiled at the Riders' startled expressions, along with Onua's, Sarge's and the queen's.

Daine walked calmly over to the woman who had questioned her gift. "Imagine," she said loudly and paused deliberately, before continuing as she drew the woman's attention to herself, "if you were without horses. Surely, you would not call yourself 'The Queen's Riders'. You would have to do your job on foot. Imagine if you stood in front of an army without a horse to give you the advantage of height and speed. It would not only be devastating for your kingdom, but for yourself as well."

The woman standing in front of her swallowed hard, a nervous twist displayed at the corner of her mouth.

Daine turned towards the other paddock within the walls of the castle, where fifty war-horses stood. As she continued, every one of them laid themselves down. "Imagine that every horse you came near just dropped to the ground," she smiled sadly, "that would be tragic. And it would all be because you didn't believe that the one you were facing was the wild-mage."

Daine became serious and tilted her head as if listening for something — a gesture that each of the Riders in front of her followed. "If I'm not mistaken," she said, "every horse within thousands of feet from here, is now unable to do what they do best. So," she stopped and locked eyes with the woman, "which do you prefer? To do your job on foot or do it from the back of a horse?"

No words came from the woman and Daine had not expected any. However, she also hadn't expected the fright that entered the eyes of the Riders that stood in front of her. 'So much for a warm welcome,' she thought in the back of her mind.