Redemption

Disclaimer: Tamora Pierce owns PotS. Anything you recognize is hers, anything you don't recognize is mine.

A/N: Thank you, thank you, thank you to those of you who sign in and review my writing. I appreciate it so much! Just letting you know - this chapter jumps around quite a bit.

Silver and Stone

Stone and silver, silver and stone.

Mend the Mountain;

Make it your own.

Numair Salmalin ran his fingers through his hair and pondered the massive piles of fallen rock that blocked the main passageways up to Stone Mountain and Fort Stonebridge. General Vanget had sent word that his soldiers could not get through the western passages, either. The two places were still completely isolated. Every time Numair attempted to move the stones with one of his powerful spells, other rocks and boulders rolled down to continue blocking the way. Something definitely was not right. Numair knew instinctively - from his own personal experiences with his in-laws and their meddlesome friends - this whole situation reeked of divine intervention.

Two days after the earthquake, Kel was able to send reports to General Vanget and to Corus via messenger birds and let everyone know that the damage was manageable. So far, the soldiers and villagers were fine because they had already stocked up enough provisions to last through to spring. They were used to the winter snows making travel quite difficult anyway. The fact that they were now truly cut off from the rest of the realm was not too alarming for the hardy mountain folk. They had plenty of work to keep them busy until the roads were clear again.

Exciting news came from the mines of Stonebridge and the quarries of Stone Mountain. The earthquake had uncovered a rich vein of silver ore, the likes of which no one had ever seen before. The quarry workers predicted that the unusual brownish green and blue colors of the marble stone, which had pushed upward and were now exposed, would be in high demand once people saw it cut and polished. It was as though that old mining song about the 'silver and stone' was a prophecy that came true.

"Seven years." thought Joren. "I was asleep for seven whole years. My father is gone. My uncle is gone. I'm the Lord of Stone Mountain now. How am I supposed to do all the things I must do? This was not what I expected - a year or two, maybe, but not seven years! What have I gotten myself into now?"

Joren leaned backed against the pillows and closed his eyes. His mother had tried her best to fill him in on everything she could think of that had happened since he went into the Chamber of the Ordeal and came out unconscious. She told him about the deaths of his father and his uncle, as well as various other relatives and friends. Joren was sad to hear that two of his favorite horses and his best hunting dog had died, too. He was sorry he had missed the Scanran War and the awful killing machines. One of those evil machines had killed his friend, Ansil of Grotin, who left behind his still-grieving widow, Celeste. It seemed to Joren that every time he asked about someone or had an idea to do something, he discovered more changes, more deaths, and fewer options. He felt robbed and cheated of his life.

"Oh no you don't," warned the voice in his head. "You don't get to feel sorry for yourself at all. The reason you missed so much was that it took you so long to learn your lessons. If you hadn't been so hard-headed, maybe you could have returned earlier. You should be glad you're here at all."

Joren made a rude noise and shook his head. After three days of struggling within himself, he was finally able to move different parts of his body without assistance. After five days, Joren could walk across his room slowly and go to the privy by himself. After seven days, he could walk up and down the long hallway twice before he had to rest. He still felt a bit numb and tired easily, but Sir Alwin was very optimistic given his progress so far. Joren was eager to get out and about - he knew he had a lot of work to do, even if he was stuck at Stone Mountain for the time being. He had never been a patient person, and his body's weaknesses were extremely aggravating to him.

"Lord Joren, we were able to keep your body healthy while you slept, but you will have to work hard to regain your former strength and abilities," explained Sir Alwin. "Perhaps we can find a trainer, or ask one of the soldiers to help get you back into shape. I would help if I could, but my own injuries are the reason I'm a healer today."

Sir Alwin of Jennsmont had been severely injured when he was a knight during the Immortals War. His own latent Gift had kept him alive until he was rescued. When he recovered, he decided to follow in his father's footsteps and become a trained healer. Sir Alwin would always walk with a pronounced limp, but he had a cheerful demeanor and a kind smile, in spite of his constant pain. Now his widowed sister, Lady Celeste of Grotin, had come to visit with him for a while and help him with his patients.

"A trainer, you say?" replied Joren. "What about old Commander Dermid of Marti's Hill, over at Fort Stonebridge? I always liked him - and he never seemed to mind me being underfoot. I remember a time ..." and then his voice trailed off as he noticed the way his mother suddenly looked stricken.

"Joren, dear, seven years is such a long time," began Lady Virryn, gently placing her hand on her son's arm. "Dermid went to the Peaceful Realms shortly before your father did. We've lost so many good men over the years while you were asleep. It's hard to remember them all."

"Alright then, who is the commander over at Stonebridge now?" asked Joren, eager to find out who else might be available to help him get back into shape. "Really, since they're just as stuck as we are, we may as well ride over to their barracks and train with them. There's nothing better to do. It's not like anyone is going to need guards for deliveries to Corus any time soon. I'll just explain my situation to the new commander. He'll probably welcome the distraction."

Lady Virryn and Sir Alwin exchanged glances, which immediately made Joren wonder what was going on at Fort Stonebridge.

"Son," she hesitated and then continued in a rush, "I don't think that going over to Stonebridge would be such a good thing for you right now. Perhaps you should just get used to riding a horse again. You could spar with our own men-at-arms for a while. Our people should see you more now that you're up and about. Maybe you can ... visit ... the fort ... later."

"Yes, I agree with your mother, Lord Joren." said Sir Alwin. "Let's see how you are after a full week of walking around here. Perhaps you could ride down and check on the progress in the quarries. Have you seen the new marble the stonecutters are so excited about? It really is remarkable."

Joren was irritated by their evasion and said tiredly, "It doesn't really matter anyway - whoever it is will have to visit us soon out of courtesy. Isn't he supposed to come here at least twice a year, so that we may coordinate the guards for our deliveries to Corus? Really, Mother, just tell me who's in charge of Stonebridge now."

When Lady Virryn said Kel's full name and title, Joren swore and had his first temper tantrum since waking up. He even mustered enough strength to throw a pillow at the frosty window across the room. All of the birds sitting on the windowsill flew into the air and then around the courtyard before resettling in the bare branches of nearby trees. All except for one very observant little bird, who flew up higher and higher until she disappeared over the ridge toward Fort Stonebridge.

Kel stood on the span of the stone bridge for which the fort was named. She could hear the sounds of excited miners from one side of the mountain to the other. Kel pondered the words of the miners' 'Lazy Lord' song again as she raised her spyglass to the sky; it seemed that was all the miners sang now as they got back to work. Soon enough, she saw the majestic eagle swooping down toward her. The fact that none of the ever-present sparrows bothered to flinch when the bird of prey came closer told Kel that this was indeed her friend, Daine the Wildmage.

When the King's surveyors discovered that massive rockslides had blocked all the passageways and halted the rescue efforts, it only made sense for Daine to be the one to find out what help Kel needed. After Daine reported that the Lord of Stone Mountain was awake for certain, Kel sent her back to Corus. King Jonathan and his advisors all thought it would be a good idea for Daine to travel back and forth and stay with Kel from time to time. Those who remembered Duke Roger's return were especially wary, even though Numair had explained the difference between death and Joren's Deep Sleep to them. So Daine also agreed to spy on Joren and act as a messenger when needed. Daine usually took on the form of a sparrow or some other small bird when she spied on Stone Mountain, but she almost always flew back as an eagle. Kel gave Daine a room of her own room within the fort so she could transform in private.

Kel wasn't sure she wanted to hear what Daine had to say about the newly awake Joren, but she also knew that it was much better for her to have as much information as possible about her former nemesis. It was also nice to have Daine to talk to. Sir Aron of Aili, as well as the other officers who had been away on midwinter's leave, were not able to get back to the fort just yet. While Kel felt comfortable around the soldiers, she knew they didn't always want their commander hanging about. So the two women ate their meals together and talked about everything Daine observed so that Kel could prepare reports for her to take to General Vanget as well as the King.

"Well, it's official," said Daine, stuffing a piece of warm bread in her mouth. "Lord Joren of Stone Mountain really is up and about and he seems to be doing well. At first, his mother and his healer had to support him when he tried to walk; he looked just like a newborn colt on his wobbly legs." Daine swallowed her food and giggled at the thought. "Now he's walking a bit better. I can tell he's trying very hard to get back to normal. "

Kel stopped eating and sat quietly for a moment before she asked, "Does he ... look ... normal?" She resisted the urge to make the sign against evil.

"Look normal?" Daine mused, "There's nothing 'normal' about a man who sleeps for seven years and then wakes up looking like a young Balcus Starsworn, that insanely handsome springtime god. Mithros! Joren's gorgeous - and I ought to know because I've seen the real Starsworn. Of course, Numair is more my type, but a girl would have to be blind not to notice that face and those eyes." A/N: I see Joren as a young Joe Anderson sort of guy. He played Henry Austen in 'Becoming Jane' and Max in 'Across the Universe,' in case you don't know who I talking about.

Kel remembered how beautiful Joren looked on the outside, but she knew from personal experience that he was rotten on the inside. So much had happened in the past seven years; she wondered if his 'Deep Sleep' had changed him in any way. Even Kel could admit that she wasn't exactly the same person Joren had threatened in the hallway after Vinson's Ordeal. She hoped for all their sakes that the 'Lazy Lord' of Stone Mountain had changed for the better - otherwise, she just might have to make him go back to sleep for good. Then Kel chided herself for thinking such unkind thoughts. For all she knew, he could be 'Lord Sweetness and Light' now. She promised herself to refrain from judging him until she had the chance to see him and speak with him directly.

"Kel, I've been meaning to ask you," Daine began, "what's that 'thing' you just did with your face? One moment you looked quite bothered by something, and then the next moment your face was as blank as new fallen snow. How do you do that?"

"Oh ... well, the Yamani people think it's shameful to show their emotions on their faces." Kel explained. "As an ambassador's child, I learned very quickly to adapt to the local customs, like using the glaive and knowing how to calm myself by thinking of peaceful images. I realize it's been several years, but that particular custom of making my face a blank mask has always stuck."

"Wow!" exclaimed Daine. "That must come in handy when you're playing card games or chess. Numair always figures out what my next move is just by watching my face. I give away every move. Even our children know what I'm going to do next. Can you teach me how to do what you do?"

Kel laughed. "I can try. But I'll warn you - a blank face really seems to annoy some people. It used to irritate the boys so much when we all were pages. They tried to make me angry and they tried to make me cry, but I would just blank them out. It especially got on Joren's nerves. He and his cronies tried the hardest to get me to quit. They used to call me 'the Lump' - even to my face."

"Ouch! That wasn't very nice." Daine winced and then asked, "Why didn't anybody stop them?"

Kel paused as she thought about Lord Wyldon and Lalasa and Balor's Needle. "I suppose that back then, nobody expected me to succeed, or at least very few people did. I had to prove I was worthy to stay and train with the boys. And some of those boys, Joren in particular, were very good at being charming to other people; they saved all their venom for me. Anyway, that's all in the past. Except that now Joren is back. I certainly hope he has changed enough to just accept things the way they are today."

"All we can do is hope for the best." Daine remembered the thrown pillow, but decided not to mention it yet. "I'll bet Joren's like a bear in the springtime - most of them wake up and just want food. Some of them are looking around for their mates, while others are just plain grumpy."

"In that case, let's hope Joren doesn't come out of his den fighting," Kel replied.

"Yes. It'll be such a waste of mortal beauty if he is still as mean-spirited as you say," Daine mused. "No one who looks that good in his skin should be that bad in his heart."

"Ha! From your mouth to the gods' ears." Kel slowly shook her head as she finished eating her meal.

A/N: Silver for Kel and Stone for Joren - get it? I guess you could turn it around and have Silver for Joren, with his white-blonde hair and Stone for Kel, with her Zen-like calm, too. Either way, I hope you liked it. Please R&R. Thanks!