Disclaimer: I own the plot, though I apologize if it's been done before. Everything relating to Tamora Pierces novels, obviously, belongs to her. (This fic was inspired by the second episode of the first season of Hercules, the Legendary Journeys, and I don't know who that belongs to, but its not me.)
WARNING: AU: Alternate Universe. Don't like? Then DON'T READ!
Queen of the Amazons
Chapter 1: Warrior Women?
By Jess S
"Well, I don't know, what'd you think about all this, Jon?"
The Prince shook his head before offering his friend and cousin a good-humored smile. "No idea, Gary," he then nodded to his uncle and his other cousin, Duke Roger, who were riding ahead of them. "What about you, uncle?"
"None," Duke Gareth, brother to the Queen and the Champion of Tortall shook his head, "but you are correct in assuming that this should be interesting. It has been quite a while since anything of this sort has come up."
"Of this sort?" Alex inquired from his place a short distance behind his former knight-master. "I wasn't aware anything of the sort had ever come up."
"Oh it has," Duke Roger cut in, offering an amused smile. "The peasant folk are an under-educated lot in general, and very superstitious. Therefore they often don't know what to make of what they perceive as a threat. If it is something common to their area, such as wolves, then they've no trouble in saying so, but anything new sends them running for help, often in sheer terror."
"Hmm, that's quite a generalization, Roger." The older duke offered. "Not all of them are like that. But they're all aware that we exist primarily to help with problems of this sort. It is what we are trained for, and therefore what we do."
"Of course, your grace," Roger acknowledged with a nod, though the mimicked nods of the younger knights seemed far more serious then that of the younger duke. "It has been awhile since any tales of ghosts or demons reached the court, though."
Flashback
"Your majesty," one of the guards bowed deeply from the entrance of the council chambers. "A man has just arrived, from the Tusaine Mountains. He begs an audience with you."
"Who is he?" King Roald inquired calmly, any curiosity or alarm he might have felt much more carefully concealed then the reactions of many of the younger nobles around the table, his son included. The Tusaine Mountains were called that because they had once been part of the Tusaine, before his father's time. Then they were taken, and given the name they now bore out of an odd form of respect. Nonetheless, they were right along the border of Tusaine itself, and the people there would be the first to see it should King Ain change his mind and decide against the treaty his ambassadors had recently brought him. Tortall had been at war with the Tusaine people for almost four years now; many hoped that it would finally be over, as many men had lost their lives in the consecutive battles.
"A farmer, milord. He claims his people are under attack and in desperate need of aid."
"Attack by whom?"
"He is not sure, my king. The people of Waterside believe their enemies to be demons, or so he claims."
"Demons?" the king frowned, then after a moment's consideration shook his head before waving his hand and nodding, "Very well, let him in."
The guardsman nodded before stepping to the side, and holding one of the doors to the room open more widely, so that another guard to help the farmer stumble in. The man was filthy, and he looked to be both half-starved and dehydrated. What he wore for clothing were little more then rags, covered in filth, what appeared to be some blood, and grime, undoubtedly from a long and painful journey. The mountains were several days' travel by horse, undoubtedly weeks by foot if the man had walked the whole way.
The king nodded to a servant, waiving him to bring one of the side shares over to the table so that man could sit down. He was honestly surprised that the man was able to walk at all, considering his state, and from the look on Duke Baird's face, he felt the same. As the servant brought a chair over and the guardsman helped the man over to it, he met the eyes of the desperate man before offering a gentle inquiry. "What is your name?"
"I-I'm sorry...m-my name is Er-Eric." The man replied worriedly, attempting to bow even as the guardsman almost threw him into the waiting chair. Though the movement undoubtedly pained him, the farmer went on quickly, his tone no less desperate then the look in his dark eyes. "I--I'm a farmer in W-Waterside... We're under attack. You h--have to help us!"
"What kind of attack?"
The farmer was silent for several moments, apparently thinking as he took several gulps of water from the goblet a maid had just brought him. After a few moments, he shook his head and continued with a heavy sigh. "D--Demons: v--vicious demons that live in the forests and higher up in the mountains around our village. Th--They come in the night, attacking us as we sleep, stealing our livestock, and destroying our crops."
"Can't you fight them?" Raoul inquired with a frown. He knew from the time he'd spent with some in the mountains nearby Goldenlake that the men up in the mountains and around them didn't lead easy lives, and they were a tough lot. The Goldenlake was only a few days travel from the Tusaine Mountains by horse.
"We've tried!" the man insisted, the desperation in his voice rising again as he set the now empty water goblet on the table with shaking hands. "W--We sent our best fighters and hunters, into the woods. They never returned."
"They were killed?" Prince Jonathon inquired, receiving a shaking nod from the farmer.
"They d--didn't return... So it's just us simple men left now; fishermen and farmers. The demons have turned us into prisoners in our own home!"
"But then," Gary shook his head, frowning, "how is it you were able to get out and come here?"
"Only by the Gods aid..." he shook his head, looking down into the empty water goblet on the council table before him. "Six others left with me, they're dead now..." He looked up to meet the king's eyes, his voice filled with complete and utter desperation once more. "P--Please, your majesty, they may have already attacked again! If they haven't they will soon! And I don't know if my people can survive this time!"
"How far is it to Waterside?"
"It took me three weeks," the man replied shakily, a glimmer of hope beginning to show on his face. "And I didn't stop, not once!"
"Then it will take mounted warriors several days," King Roald nodded, before looking over at Raoul. "Waterside is near Goldenlake, is it not?"
"A day or two's ride away," the knight nodded.
The king nodded, waving the servant forward again, "Get this man some food and a place to rest." In response to the man's desperately inquisitive look, he nodded, "A company will be leaving early tomorrow morning."
"Oh, thank you, your majesty! Thank you!"
End of Flashback
"Well, one thing's for sure." Gary shook his head, "That had to be the strangest village I've ever seen!"
"I know what you mean," Raoul nodded in agreement. "I mean, raiders usually snatch one or two pretty girls, but all of them?"
Flashback
"Look everyone!" Their guide yelled to his townsmen as the member of the Kings Own he'd been riding with helped him dismount. "They've come to save Waterside! The King sent them to help us!"
The knights nodded politely as they dismounted, looking around the village as the men came out to greet them.
It was an odd village. Everything looked like it was barely staying together, and there seemed to be a communal fire at the center, where a stew was brewing under the attentions of an elderly man and some boys. There were several other boys coming out behind there fathers too, all looking up at them in awe.
That wasn't usual, they were knights and the soldiers behind them were members of the Kings Own, and therefore the best in Tortall. Young lads always looked upon them in approbation, as they were the stuff of bedtime stories and legends.
But there was still something...off about the place...
"You know," Gary shook his head, " there's something missing in this town..."
The prince nodded in agreement. "Eric..." he shook his head, looking around at the almost pitiful excuse for a village, "where are all of your women? Your wives and daughters? Mothers and sisters? Aunts and grandmothers?"
"Well, um, they... they're..." the man look down, shaking his head, "They were taken by the demons." He nodded towards the largest house in the village, a short distance away from the community fire. "Some of the grandmothers are still with us, but many have passed on since the younger women and girls were stolen."
"They were stolen? By the demons?"
The general assent the echoed around was supported by nods.
"When?"
"Years ago," the farmer replied, still looking down.
"Well," the prince shook his head, meeting his uncle's eyes. "That certainly makes it more complicated..."
Duke Gareth nodded, but stopped halfway through the gesture, his eyes resting on a young boy a short distance away. The boy was probably around ten years old, but the crying child he was struggling to calm down was just a babe. He shook his head, nodding to the boy, "Wait; that boy can't be more then a year old..."
"Well..." the farmer looked over at the child, his expression sad, before turning back to them, looking up into the dukes eyes. "Sometimes babies are left on the riverbank."
"You mean they are abandoned?" Duke Roger frowned, his expression puzzled, "Whose are they?"
"They belong to us."
Gary's father quickly picked up on what the younger duke was getting at, "But whose were they?"
The farmer shook his head; "We raise them as our own."
"But where did they come from?"
"I told you," he insisted, "they're left on the riverbank."
His townsmen all echoed this statement with expressions of agreement, forestalling any more arguments from either duke.
End of Flashback
"I don't think they were giving us the whole story," Duke Roger comments, his expression perturbed.
Duke Gareth nodded in agreement. "I agree. As Raoul pointed out, some of the women missing would make sense if we were dealing with raiders, but..." he shook his head in frustration.
"They certainly seem to think that they are being attacked by demons, not raiders." Prince Jonathon pointed out.
"Yes, they seem to," his uncle agreed, shaking his head. "They're terrified, every one of them."
The others nodded in agreement.
Flashback
The prince shook his head, "Have any of you ever seen the demons?" at the general consensus he received from all around, he went on, "What did they look like?"
Eric frowned shaking his head, "Well, I saw one that looked like a wolf."
"The one I saw had a face of a bear!" A fisherman called from a few feet away.
"I saw one that looked like a hawk!"
End of Flashback
"What do you think of all this, Roger?"
The younger duke shook his head in response to the Champion's inquiry. "I'm not sure what to think, your grace. Their descriptions didn't bring anything to mind, and I've been going over all of the demonic lore I can remember since we left." He shook his head again, "But I have a feeling we'll find out as soon as we meet the creatures face to face."
"Indeed," Duke Gareth agreed, his eyes setting on the forest the villagers had told them the demons 'territory' began at. He quickly turned his attention to the two companies of the Kings Own that were behind them. "Proceed with caution, and keep your eyes open."
They crept into forest slowly, keeping their mounts at a slow, careful pace as they eyed their surroundings. The horses didn't have much trouble riding through the woods, as the ground seemed to have been at least partially cleared, enough so for the horses or creatures of similar size to slip through.
"Well at least we know these demons aren't massive monsters." Gary pointed out quietly, trying to lighten the serious atmosphere, which was also becoming boring very, very quickly. "Maybe we're just dealing with unusually sized beasts of the forests."
"Mountain lions, perhaps?" Duke Roger offered with a soft chuckle.
"Be that as it may, we don't want them to hear out approach," Duke Gareth told them quietly, slowly dismounting and gesturing for the others to do the same before proceeding quietly onward, leaving a few men behind to watch the mounts.
After a few hours of walking, the patience of the younger knights was quickly growing thin, and it showed in their actions and words.
"So where are these beasts?" One of the soldiers inquired of a comrade.
The man nodded in agreement, shrugging, "Don't know... Hope we didn't come all this way for nothing."
"Oh be patient, we'll find them soon enough." Another sighed, shaking his head. "Though I personally wouldn't mind not finding them."
Several chuckled at that last comment.
Silence ensued for several more minutes of careful movement through the trees, cautiously keeping an eye on their surroundings, the sounds of wildlife, birdcalls and other such creatures, not serving to lighten their anxiety at the possible danger of the situation.
Many men would agree that the worry and fear that comes before a battle can be much worse then anything you might feel during said battle, as during the battle you have the battle itself to distract you, while beforehand you are alone, and prey to your fears.
A sudden shout of mingled shock and fear made at least half of the men jump and spin around towards the soldier that had issued the cry. He was one of the ones up near the front of their line, moving along through the woods. He was staring up at some of the trees, his expression a mix or astonishment and horror.
"What is it?" Duke Gareth called, his commanding voice still relatively quiet as he made his way over to the man, many of the other knights and soldiers around him or already congregating around the soldier in question. "What's wrong?"
He didn't receive a verbal answer from the shaken man; just a gesture to look up at the trees as he stepped into the clearing the man had been standing in.
There were six men hanging from the trees around them, the duke had walked right by the base of one of the trees holding one as he entered the clearing.
Six dead men. Covered in filth, blood and grime, bugs already burrowing into their flesh, picking away at their carcasses.
"What do you think this is?" the Champion inquired of the younger duke as he step up beside him, keeping his voice down, eyes on the surrounding wood. "Some kind of warning?"
The Duke of Conté shook his head, frowning. "Maybe... I've read that Spidrens used to leave drained bodies on the edge of their territory, but they'd be partially wrapped in and hung by webs, and these look like someone with the Gift set them up..."
"Drained?" Alex asked, frowning up at the display around them.
"Of their blood. Spidrens were what we called huge spiders with the heads of men and the teeth of large cats, but they were, or perhaps are, in essences gigantic spiders. So they drank our blood and the blood of other creatures."
"So we might be dealing with these...Spidrens?" Gary asked, glancing around nervously, his grip on his sword a little tighter then usual.
"No," Duke Roger shook his head. "They were banished to the Realm of the Gods, centuries ago with all of the other Immortals. Unless the barriers are failing and the Immortals are coming back I don't see how any Spidrens could come to be here..."
"What if the barriers are failing?"
"They aren't," Duke Gareth told his son, "Anyone with any form of magic or connection to magic would feel it if they had totally failed."
"And the mages of every realm keep a close eye on it anyway." The sorcerer told them, shaking his head as he continued to look around. "But I don't have a clue as to what else this could be..."
"Maybe it's just the way these demons have fun?" Gary offered half-heartedly, shaking his head.
"A few centuries ago it was quite common for people to place the bodies of slain foes along the edge of their borders," Sir Myles offered, "as a way of warning off intruders... But that's been out of practice for centuries."
"What was that?!" One of the soldiers jumped looking around wildly, his eyes wide.
"What?" Duke Gareth demanded, looking around also, while the others did the same.
"I thought I saw something... Something in the trees!"
"Well there are six dead men--"
"Something moving!" the soldier insisted, before jumping again, and pointing towards the treetops. "Over there!"
It suddenly seemed very quiet, even as they continued to hear the occasional, peculiar birdcalls around them, accompanied by the sounds of other creatures, some that they couldn't identify at all.
"The demons are watching us right now, I can feel it." One of the soldiers insisted.
The others nodded in agreement, looking around warily, tense and ready for combat.
After a couple moments of complete, apprehensive silence a loud bird cry echoed through the treetops around them, and they suddenly found themselves surrounded by strange creatures, some coming from the ground itself, while most seemed to drop out of the treetops using ropes, or nothing at all...
Before Duke Gareth could order anything, the creatures attacked, whipping long ropes, much like those some had used to drop out of the trees, at them, catching some around the neck, others around the wrists and ankles. Several soldiers had already been brought down, hopefully only unconscious, when the Champion gave the order to attack, quickly followed by a caution to his nephew.
"Jonathon, be careful!"
The prince didn't reply, as more of the creatures appeared...these ones wielding swords, daggers, and other paraphernalia of war. "What the...? What is this?"
He received no reply, as their attackers came at them, dancing around them with quick, agile steps, swinging their weapons in intricate techniques, like one would expect from those trained for war. Their assailants were unhindered by the heavy chain-mail armor the knights and soldiers wore, and their elaborate masks didn't appear to encumber them at all.
For indeed, that was all they could be. These were warriors. Warriors in fairly strange attire to be sure, but warriors nonetheless. The masks they wore were made of metal and the same leather-like material that seemed to make up much of their attire.
In a few moments, the Tortallian warriors found themselves on the ground, brought down by their alien foe with speed and ease of battle-hardened veterans. They hadn't been drastically outnumbered, but the members of the Kings Own hadn't lasted long against their obviously superiorly-trained foes, and the knights could only take so many at once...though none had actually managed to harm any of their attackers, and had surprisingly received few major wounds themselves.
The prince caught his cousin's eye as their opponents moved in for the kill and nodded, quickly grasping hands with the older mage and sending some of his Gift towards him.
Roger shouted something and blue and orange fire shot out around them, surrounding their men protectively, before surging out towards their attackers...
Only to hit and dissipate on slivery-white shield, faintly tinged with purple a few feet from them.
Their aggressors, apparently completely unconcerned by the magical attacked continued to move towards them, their weapons raised.
"No, stop," an authoritative woman's voice resounded through the clearing and they turned to see another one of the strangely dressed warriors stepping into the clearing. As they did so, the warrior sheathed their sword and brought a leather-gloved hand up to remove their mask, sliding it up until it rested atop their head, to reveal the breathtaking, heart-shaped face of a woman with sky-blue eyes. "The Queen wants them alive."
As the others stepped back, the woman made a gesticulation with her hand, and pale blue fire leapt from her hand to surround all of them, solidifying once it had securely bound their hands behind their backs, and those with Gifts found that they could not wield them.
Alanna sighed as she leant back in her golden throne, letting the scepter that the Dominion Jewel dwelt atop rest across her lap. She looked up to meet the warm hazel eyes of her most trusted advisor, "They're coming," she told the dark haired beauty.
Kalasin, the former queen of Sarain nodded, her eyes hazel eyes gentle as she set a glass of warm, honeyed wine on the table beside the thrown. "Drink."
The Amazon Queen obliged, quickly picking up the elegant drinking goblet and bringing it up to her lips, releasing a soft sigh a moment later as the first sip seemed to send a rush of strength throughout her weary body.
Intentionally wielding the Dominion Jewel's power always seemed to do that. It required a certain amount of control and precision that she could only barely managed. The training that the priestess to the Mother had given her only went so far, and even the small amount of crucial training the Goddess offered only did so much. It really came down to strength of will, which was why she was among the few that could wield the legendary gem's power.
It was true that the gem had a seemingly bottomless well of power, just as the legends said. She could sense it every time she delved even slightly into its recesses. But she didn't dare use a large amount of it. And she made a point of not utilizing any of its power too often.
That trepidation that she'd always had as a younger girl, of using her Gift, was a thing of the past but it had left a healthy impulse within her against using too much magic. Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Therefore she used the Jewel as little as possible, but there were times when nothing else would satisfy the circumstances. Goddess knew that she wouldn't have been able to nullify the Duke of Conté's spell and suppress the Gifts of all the men in the forest on her own. That was a spell she had had in place for a long time: a safety net to ensure that men with magical training could not harm her people, not within their own territory...
"How long?"
She shook her head, forcing herself to reply steadily, "It should take them a few hours to reach here... Around sundown."
"They let them wander that long?"
Alanna nodded, "It made the most sense... but the smaller party should arrive sooner."
"Their horses and those left to guard them?"
"Yes."
"Very well, we will make preparations for them... In the mean time though, you need to get some rest. We can prepare for their arrival easily enough on our own, and you don't want to be half-asleep when they arrive."
"No," the 'Lioness' as some of the younger Amazons had affectionately named her out of deference for her mask, shook her head in concurrence. "You're right... I'll go lie down, and then I'll take a bath... We'll have supper late this evening. The men can be held in the dungeons until then. They may be given water and any medical attention they need, but nothing else. And no one is to speak with them save Elise and yourself if you so desire, but keep them in the dark as much as possible."
"But surely you don't want to explain our existence to them this evening."
"No, I'm sure they'll figure out something when they're brought in, and Elise will make much of our way of life clear, but little more than that is superfluous."
"Of course, my Queen," Kalasin half-bowed, half-curtsied, as had always been her way, before gesturing to the hall that led to the Queen's chambers and making her way out. "Sleep well."
"Thank you." Alanna smiled as she watched the older woman leave, marveling at how much trust she and affection she was able to feel for someone she'd only known a few years... But then, she'd only known most of her people for a few years; a few long and rewarding years. The Amazons weren't a very old nation, but they were nonetheless a very proud and indomitable one.
They had come into being when Alanna and several other noble-born girls had decided to leave the convent, vanishing into the mountains. A short time later they ran into the Shang Unicorn who, though more then a little dubious at first, had -- after several weeks of failing to make them return to the convent by both persuasion and force -- agreed to help them, teaching them how to fight and survive in the wild. They had made their way to this region of the kingdom, stopping here for one, it's remoteness, which had kept them a secret for a number of years, and two, to help the women that had lived in the relatively nearby village down by the waterfalls.
The men of that village were worse then any even the Shang Unicorn had seen, abusing their wives and the other women and girls of their village without any qualms or remorse, seeing them as little more then slaves. It hadn't taken much to convince the women there that anything else could be better, though some unfortunately chose to stay behind -- and didn't last long because of the escalated abuse that followed -- most did come, disappearing into the forests and mountains with their newfound leaders.
The Unicorn had finally decided that staying with them and helping them was a worthy cause for any Shang, but especially a female Shang. Some women from other villages in the area had come as well, as rumors spread of the existence of a growing community of warrior women who lived free of society's restraints.
But that was only the beginning. Much of this city was ruins when they first found it and the valley it resided in. It had been strange that no one lived there, or even seemed to know about it beforehand, but any worries on that regard the Goddess very quickly dismissed during the first of the semi-frequent visits she offered the Amazon Queen.
It hadn't taken long for their city's population to rise up into the hundreds, nearly as high as a thousand, before it became obvious that they needed a leader. Alanna probably shouldn't have been surprised when the vote almost unanimously selected her to be the new Queen, but...
After that, she had known that they would need something more to protect them and help their society flourish. They had already set up a system for children, and trained warriors and healers and mages, but they'd needed more. At least that was what Alanna had felt, that they'd need an edge to ensure their survival and continued prosperity.
And when she'd brought it up the Goddess had agreed with her. Going so far as to suggest that Alanna undergo a quest, to obtain the legendary Dominion Jewel, and thereby almost guarantee her people's survival.
With some investigation and several insinuations from the Great Mother, they had finally discovered the Jewel's location: the Roof of the World. So Alanna and a few other volunteers, Elise among them, had left on that quest. They had come across the Queen of Sarain along the way, and her daughter, Thayet, and had eventually returned with reason for their quest, and a much larger group of followers.
Kalasin had been considering leaving her husband and leading her people of birth to other lands for some time, but after the Saran King had sent his troops down upon them, slaughtering most of the men, more then half of all her people, she had had enough... And the opportunity that Alanna provided had been too good to pass up. So the K'mir had awaited their return from the Roof of the World, and when they'd come they had quickly left Sarain behind, heading for a new life in the mountains of Tortall.
It still amazed Alanna that they'd managed to slip through without any real difficulty. With so many people you'd be sure someone would notice. But Tortall had been at war with Tusaine, and everyone had heard about the genocide that Adigun jin Wilma had been committing, so when the 'refugees' caused no genuine trouble, seemingly disappearing into the mountains, the royal court had paid it little mind. Hearing of that had quite honestly shocked her, but their spies in the palace were good and loyal women, so she didn't doubt it.
Some of the women from the nearby village had, at first object to K'mir men being welcomed into the Amazon Nation, but they quickly backed down when Alanna announced her support for their involvement, stating that they couldn't be completely cut off from the other half of their species, and the men of the K'miri tribes had, for the most part, always been sensibly respectful of their female counterparts.
With a shake of her head, the Lioness reminded herself of Kalasin's gentle commands, and slowly forced herself up out of her throne, walking slowly out of the throne room, towards her chambers, and the marvelously soft bed that awaited her weary self there.
"Well..." Gary offered with a sigh as he and his friends were hustled further along a path through the forest. They had been walking on this path for several hours now, in chains. The group of the Kings Own that had come with them to protect the prince was also in chains, being half dragged and half run down a path through a forest in the hours of daylight. "This has certainly been an interesting day. A droll conclusion to the last few weeks."
"We've been captured by a group under the command of a woman..." Raoul shook his head, "I'm sorry, Gary, but I honestly don't see much humor there."
"Not humor," the Duke's son agreed, "more... uniqueness." He paused as they were brought around a bend in the trail, using his impressive height to look over the heads of the numerous warriors ahead of them to see where they were going. In retrospect, it was actually kind of odd that none of the warriors were noticeably tall, but he didn't pay that much mind, thanks to what he did see. "I think we're almost out of the woods."
For indeed, there was more light seeping in through the foliage up ahead, and the trees seemed to be thinning as they neared their apparent destination. They were not allowed to see more then that however; as their captors suddenly drew to an evidently scheduled stop, forcing them to halt.
The woman that had ordered that they be kept alive was looking back towards them. After a moment of looking them over, she met the eyes of some of the warriors around them, and nodded. As a few of their captors began moving about, she looked back at them, calling; "Do not be alarmed, you will not be harmed so long as you cooperate."
Before any of them could ask questions, the warriors that had been moving about came up to them and held a piece of black clothe up to their eyes, wrapping it around their heads. A few of them immediately began struggling, but were quickly subdued.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Duke Roger demanded furiously, even as he tried to lash out with his Gift once more, only to find it was still scrupulously restrained.
"A simple precaution, your lordship, nothing more," the woman told them, her tone wholly neutral.
And then she must have given a signal to move on ahead, for they were suddenly being dragged forward again, only this time a little more slowly and cautiously. It seemed that their guides honestly did not want to harm them, for the time being, at least.
They stumbled onward for a while longer, noting that the ground beneath their feet had become rockier, then later it seemed to be solid rock, and their footsteps seemed to echo faintly around them, but other then that they had no way of telling where they are, other then that they were traveling uphill. The blindfolds were very securely tied; their captors had used long pieces of black cloth and had wrapped them around their prisoners' heads several times, to ensure that no light passed through. After what was undoubtedly more then an hour, maybe more then two, the ground seemed to soften a little, though it was still rocky, and they were heading downhill. As they drew near what sounded like a distant waterfall, the ground became distinctively softer.
They were brought up alongside the river and helped into what appeared to be several boats. Once inside, a few prisoners and a few warriors to each boat, all of the Tortallians were chained to the boat, to make sure that they didn't try anything rash. Then they were off, being rowed undoubtedly down stream due to the speed and ease with which they were traveling, but the prisoners could not tell much more then that once again.
An hour or so later, perhaps a little more, the air was conspicuously cooler and they had slowed down. The blindfolded men could hear several sounds they would associate with civilization drawing near, and could only assume that they were drawing near their association. That was indeed the case, as a few moments later a loud whistle resounded around them, and their captors stopped rowing to reach back and remove their blindfolds.
Now that they were allowed to see around them, they could do little more then stare in astonishment. This wasn't a small, out of the way village they were being brought to, it was actually a city, one that may have been as large or larger then even Corus.
"Welcome to Thalami," the female-commander called to the prisoners, smiling slightly at their astonished countenances. Then she whistled again, this one just a little bit different from its predecessors, as most of the whistles the Tortallians had heard earlier had been, and her soldiers began rowing again, drawing the rest of the distance across the lake that they'd been halfway across when they had stopped towards the impressive, and obviously very old city that was currently backed by the day's setting sun.
"Where are we?" one of the men in the Kings Own inquired in an awe-struck whisper as they were drawn closer towards the point of his astonishment.
None of their captors deigned to answer the question, and none of his comrades could.
As they drew up along one of the many vast docks that stretched out into the lake, they could see some of the daily activity. It was late, but there was a large group of children out a short distance away from the docks, apparently being instructed by the tall, dark haired woman that was moving around and through them, watching careful as they moved through moves that many of them seemed to know very well.
It did not escape the men's notice that all of the woman's young students were girls.
"The enemy may look insurmountable, but he is just flesh and blood... Use his strength to destroy him, to defeat him. His strength will be his weakness, and his pride will be his downfall," the woman was telling them. "We fight because we have to fight. We fight for our way of life. The day we do not fight for who we are and what we can be is the day that they will take it away from us again. As they always have before."
By then all of the men had been pulled out of the boats and were being pulled down the dock, past the students and into the city. All of the young girls noticed them but they studiously ignored the men, even as their teacher chose to glare at them.
Being pulled through the city was a decidedly strange experience for the men, as this city seemed to have the same problem that the village of Waterside had, only in reverse! Where were the men?
"If you're looking for men you won't find any, not in the city of the Amazons." The blue-eyed female leader of their captors told them, at the same time removing her mask from her head and placing it on the saddle of the horse she was mounting, brushing her long brown hair back over her shoulder and trusting the intricate braids she'd already had in place to hold them back. At the same time, her troops hustled her prisoners into large cages on wheels that had been waiting for them. "You're the only ones. And I don't think you'll last very long." She didn't wait for a response from any of them, just as she never had before, choosing instead to whistle again, and thereby continuing on their journey.
This part of the journey only lasted for a little under a half an hour. By that time they could see the large castle that they were being brought to.
"It looks like a design of the Old Ones..." Sir Myles breathed quietly, studying the castle carefully.
"Pardon?" Duke Gareth inquired, turning to the other knight with interest.
"The older part of the design to the whole city is almost identical to some of the ruins near Olau. They've obviously made a number of improvements, and tidied up quite a bit, but... the primary outline is still there....
The others nodded in agreement. Most of them had seen some of the remains of cities built by the Old Ones a long time pass. The palace in Corus was even built right on top of some, which were used as the foundation. They were a people that had sailed across the inland sea to start civilization there. Then something had wiped them out, no one really knew what, though many mages that took interest in it claimed that the Immortals were responsible, while many priests claimed that the Old Ones must have displeased the Gods. Either way, all that really remained of the ancient society were ruins, bits of parchments that had some how endured the trials of time to make it to present day, and great mosaics that showed incredible white cities with tall towers stretched to the heavens.
This city the warrior-women had rebuilt, the blue-eyed leader of the capturers had called it Thalami, looked a great deal like some of the cities in those mosaics. And it was really no less extraordinary in appearance. In fact, it was undoubtedly more impressive to see the great city as it had once been in its real form, rather then depicted in an age-old picture.
"Fascinating..." the minor knight continued, looking around in awe, even as his companions did the same.
Their inspections were cut short, however, as they neared what appeared to be the front entrance. The entryway itself was several floors above them, but the striking steps they were brought to led up to them, and there was a group of new guards waiting for them there.
A few steps higher up there was an exceedingly beautiful woman watching them with cool grey eyes. She was flanked by a guard on each side. All of the guards were women, and all of them were bearing arms, though only the ones at the very top of the stairs had any of their weapons drawn, and that seemed to be for more appearances sake than anything else. There were undoubtedly guards there at all times of the day, guarding the entrance to the palace...if they were right in guessing that that was what they building was. It certainly looked like one.
When they reached the bottom of the stairway, they stopped, and their guards let them out of the cages they'd just been transported from the docks to this place in, before moving away as the guards that had been waiting at the bottom of the steps took over.
The blue-eyed leader looked over at them, nodding after a moment's thought. "You have done well. Enjoy the rest of the evening. You'll be notified if there's any need for further activity."
As the warriors moved off, it became very clear that all of them were women. Now off duty, they removed the helmets that hid their beard-less faces, their long eyelashes and full lips, and their long hair, worn back in delicate braids so that the intricate helmets they wore could conceal and guard it.
They did not have much time to think about this though, for while these women were moving off, so was the gorgeous lady that had been waiting for them a small distance up the steps. Obviously someone of rank and stature, judging by her clothing and the way the other women deferred to her, she had spent only a short a moment looking all of them over, before moving turning and making her way up the steps. Their new guards forced them to follow.
When the reached the top they were led inside, and followed her through a maze of multiple hallways, stairwells and passageways until they finally reached what appeared to be the dungeons. They were very nice dungeons as dungeons went, remarkably clean and well kept, a small drinking fountain in once corner, a walled-off privy in another, a relatively large bath in another, a relatively large table in the center of the room, surrounded by quite a few chairs, and several small cubicles; each with a small bed, a trunk and table for their comfort. Judging by the number of wards the mages could feel in the air, any use of magic would be very limited, but that was how they kept the privy, bath and room clean.
The lady that had led the way here stepped to the side of the doorway, merely watching as they were jostled past her and into the large containment area. Inside, several of one of the small groups of men that had already been placed there rose and bowed to their commanding officers and lords. Obviously these men, who'd been left behind to guard the horses had been captured some time before them. The others appeared to be commoners, though a few may have been of high birth in foreign lands.
Once they were all in and seated, their guards backed off, some exiting while others took up a flanking position around the door as the dark-haired lady stepped in.
She was beautiful, to be sure. With long, dark black hair framing a delicately featured face and cool gray eyes set in a face with skin so flawlessly pale that it could easily be mistaken for porcelain, off setting dark red lips. All this with a tall and slender yet shapely form made a very appealing picture to all the men present, especially since this was the most lady-like woman they'd seen all day. She was even wearing long skirts in a gown of soft, silvery silk that accentuated her lovely eyes, which were currently still looking them over in silence.
After a moment she spoke, her tone regally-cool but nonetheless courteous. "Welcome to Thalami. I am Kalasin, first councilor to the Queen and Stewardess of Thalami."
"I beg your pardon," Duke Gareth inquired with a frown, shaking his head as he continued, "But are you Kalasin of Saren? The Warlord's wife?"
"Yes. If Adigun jin Wilma is still Warlord."
"He is, as far as we know. The mercenaries he hired last spring have been having some trouble dealing with zhir Anduo's rebels, but have managed thus far." Sir Myles offered.
"Fascinating," the Saren Queen summarized, though her tone and expression demonstrated no enthusiasm at hearing of her husband's continued survival. "The Queen has ordered that you receive any necessary medical attention your require at this time. Are any of your people wounded?"
Duke Gareth replied after a few moments of looking around and considering, "No, thank you... Who is this Queen?"
"My Queen is sovereign, here. The supreme ruler of Agerlea, and the capital, Thalami."
"Then this is not a Saren colony of some sort?"
"Certainly not." Kalasin replied, shaking her head at the question. "This land was given to the Amazons some time ago by the Great Mother Goddess herself, and has since served as a sanctuary for the women of the world who wish to better their lives and those of their families." She raised a hand when several of the men opened their mouths, undoubtedly to question this story, as ridiculous as it seemed to them. "I will say no more," she told them, before turning to address all of them. "You may select up to ten from amongst your number to dine at the Queen's table this evening, the rest will be served supper here, at the same time. An escort will arrive shortly after the seventh bell. Good day." With that, she turned and left them, her guards backing out, closing and locking the prison-chamber door behind her.
The Queen of the Amazons sighed as she readjusted the tiara that one of her handmaidens had chosen for this evening's meal. It was of a simple design; delicate strands of white-gold wound together and around a few precious rubies, amethysts and diamonds, the largest of which -- a diamond -- hung down slightly to rest before the center of forehead. The gems glittered in her long, flaming locks, giving them a more elegant, regal appearance, as was the primary function of a crown, and undoubtedly why this particular tiara was chosen.
Perhaps she should be wearing one of her crowns for a meal with the crown prince of Tortall and a number of his highborn relatives, and one would think that she wouldn't want to offend the nobles from other lands as well. But...she really couldn't bring herself to care. Not now that he was here...
"The seventh bell was some time past. Our guests should be on their way to the throne room by now." Kalasin offered from her place beside her daughter and her other adoptive-daughter by the doors that led out into the Queen's main chambers.
"Hmm..." Alanna nodded with a small sigh, her thoughts still turned inward as she smoothed down the charming folds of her skirts, which were, like the rest of the gown, made of a soft, luxurious and moderately pricey material that was some kind of cross between silk and cotton. It was all dyed a soft lilac color and then lined with silver embroidery, with a few amethysts and diamonds mixed in.
"We should probably be going," Thayet offered after several more moments of silence, while coming over to help her friend secure a necklace or pearls from the Copper Isles around her neck; small and flawlessly precious pearls that matched the ones that hung from her earlobes.
"Um-hmm..." Alanna agreed, nodding again after her foster-sister had seen the necklace secured. She couldn't help but wonder, as she looked into the mirror, how her life might be different, how it would have all played out, if she had been granted her wish and had had a chance to try for knighthood. Would she have ever worn gowns like this? She was of a noble bloodline, to be sure, one that was in the Book of Gold.
Thom was of that same bloodline...
She hadn't sensed his presence at first, but she could now. And even though she knew he was coming, it was something of a shock. She couldn't help but be nervous. After all, her twin brother had at one time been the most important person in the world to her...and then he had betrayed her.
"My Queen?"
Alanna closed her eyes before taking a slow, deep breath while pushing down her apprehensions and the anger that her memories brought, and releasing it, before turning to her three closest companions.
The Amazons were her people now. And these three women were her family, her loyal family. Kalasin took the place of the mother she had never had, a wise and astute advisor, a loving mentor, and a devoted friend. Thayet and Elise had essentially taken her brother's place a long time ago, as dearly beloved sisters and dependable friends. Thayet was more like her mother though, and therefore the older sister that she often turned to for advice. Elise was the younger sister, also good for advice on occasion, but more often then not there to make her lighten up and enjoy herself. She didn't know what she would do without the three of them...
"Well..." she offered with a small smile, shaking her head slightly as she moved towards the doors of her chamber. "Shall we?"
End of Chapter 1.
Translations:
Thalami - Abode of women
Agerlea - Land of the Lionesses
Thanks To: Jules, MistyFox14, Wytil, Weird13one, Star Mage1, Liedral, XxInsanityxX, Liath, Fyliwion, Elvengoddess696, Sly Vixen, Moons-Grace, Alianne of conte, Clair-a-net, Theaskerofthequestions, Mia, Riversong, Rhapsody's Song, Lady Night4, Demonkitty2007, Princess Amara of Conte, Wolflady, nothing else worked, Dilandau's Lover, Brierhart, b, blakmagevamp, Fire, crazywolfgrrl, imogenhm, Caitlin, Sey- Sey Wolf, Caitlin ), inu-yasha-sakura
Author's Notes: Hi everyone!
Wow, 34 reviews. Not bad for the first chapter. Thanks!
I'm glad you like this so much. I'd basically given up on Tortallian stories due to the feedback being either non-existent or generally negative. It's nice to see that some people still like new ideas for Tortall! Though honestly, I'm a bit surprised that no one has ever written a story like this before... Oh well! I guess I'll just have to be extra careful!
Some of you mentioned that the stories of Alanna not trying out for knighthood, either because she couldn't due to some kind of interference, or she didn't want to (those stories are rather extreme OOC, though aren't they?), or something else, have become rather common. I agree.
That's one reason I haven't added to Regina Flamma. I did actually have what I believe is an original idea for that story, but I got quite a bit of negative feedback for the beginning of the story, so I've yet to work up the desire to put the story in motion. Sorry.
Quite a few people will probably be turned off by this chapter, I'm sure. For some reason people don't seem to like the idea of Alanna being a lady at all, so I'm sure there will be some flames about the formalities here, but some of that will be explained later and this story is, of course, AU and a piece of fan fiction, so you really can't object too strongly. Not if you actually have a life. (Hint: If you're thinking of flaming this story: Don't. Just go away. Have a nice life. You shouldn't even be reading this. So why are you still reading this? NOW!!! Thank you. Wait! Stop reading! Go click the little X up in the right hand corner of the screen, or the back arrow. NOW!!! Click it!) leaves back a few minutes later looks around Are they gone?
Okay...back to talking to friendly people. :-D
All I'm going to say on pairings is this: I don't like all of the shipping that everyone else seems to be so fond of. A story should not be focus around pairing. They just usually don't turn out very well if they are. So whom is Alanna going to end up with? I don't know. I'm not paying it any mind yet. Sorry.
A few of you complained about the fact that I'm starting another story while I still have many others going. I'm sorry if that inconveniences you, but that's the way I write fan fiction. I write whatever I feel like, when I feel like it. Maybe I'll update "Regina Flamma" in a few day. Maybe "Consanguina." Maybe "There and Back Again." Maybe V-Star will feel like writing her parts in the end of the first part of the "Lady Serenity" series. I don't know. That's why I get so many stories out there. I start them. Then I work on them. Hopefully I'll manage to finish all of them, but I'm not going to always focus on one over the others. The only time I do that is when I've either promised to update at a certain time or I'm caught up in that particular story. At the moment, I'm suffering from a rather strong case of writer's block. So when will I update and possibly finish my stories? Who knows? I certainly don't.
As Moons-Grace pointed out, this is an AU story. So while I'm still trying to stick to a general timeline, I've changed the fate of the K-mir and Thayet and her mother. If you don't like it, look up at the message about flames, please. AND someone mentioned that this was "a very Alanna thing to do," I'm not sure that's true, that's why I keep saying this is AU, but...I hope everyone enjoys it anyway.
I know that this is probably a bit confusing. That's why it took me so long to update. I was trying to fix it (and I wanted to get a bit further in the story, but I decided around 20 pages was a fairly good size update). All I can say to that is that I will be trying to explain more as the story unfolds. Please be patient. (And if you don't like it, please reread the message about flames.)
I'd like to thank everyone for their compliments and well-wishes, and I hope you've enjoyed this addition to the story.
Now, those of you that have read my other stories know that I usually respond to a large number of reviews directly. I've decided that, in order to save time and space I'll just be doing that in a general response (as demonstrated above) and then I'll pick one reviewer to respond to directly per chapter.
Princess Amara - Hi!
I'm glad you like Lady Serenity, and honestly I haven't the slightest idea of when another update will be ready. And your review didn't scare us at all, it may have scared the school librarian though. V-Star and I read it during a free period and school, and as we're usually very quiet, she wasn't quite sure of what to make of us when we kept bursting out laughing. Anyway, we found it very amusing. Can you recommend an "A.M.I." for V-Star? She needs one sometimes.
No, we haven't update Lady Serenity because of writer's block, lost scenes, and a desire to work on the future and past rather then the present. It's terrible, but it's not your fault. We're trying to finish LS, there's actually only a few chapters left. But I don't have any idea whatsoever as to when an update might be ready.
What do you think of this fic so far?
Sure, I'll take a look at your story. Just send me either the story itself or a link to it by email (it should be on my profile page).
Thanks for Reviewing!
Bye!
Jess S