Finally! It took me 2 days to be able to update. Evil demonic computer.
Disclaimer: Do not own Tamora Pierce. If I did I would be in someplace warmer than this icebox in which I am currently stuck.
Chapter 5
The Gift
They found Jon in the main study, pacing the room in front of one of the windows. Alanna sat on one of the chairs, calmly watching the King. Seeing Daine and Numair enter, he stopped pacing and just stared at them before asking. "So this griffin. What did it want? Even with Immortals in the Mortal Realm, it's still quite an unusual sight to see a griffin running through a castle hall."
"A group of thieves were raiding their nest. We decided that the best thing to do under the circumstances would be to bring them to you for trial," Numair answered, sitting down on one of the chairs beside Alanna while Daine sat down next to him.
"What! Numair, we've nothing to punish them for! Raiding a griffin's nest isn't exactly a crime!"
"They're horse thieves. He currently have seven horses in the stables that, according to the horses, belong to you, Jon," Daine replied.
Jon paused, searching his memory for information about the horses. "Oh, yeah. They're from Galla. The ponies arrived a long time ago, but the horses never did that I'm aware of. I just never tried to find them with the war and everything going on."
"Well, you have them now."
"Yes, I suppose I do, Daine. If you'd excuse me, I guess I had better go question our newest additions to the dungeons."
With that, he turned and left the study.
-----
Jon was getting really annoyed with the leader of the small group of horse thieves. The only useful piece of information he found out was that they had stolen the horses in Tortall, not far from the Gallan border.
"So, that lady that talked to the horses…" he began, pausing once he saw that he had Jon's attention.
"Daine, the Wild Mage?"
"Yeah, her."
"What about her?" Jon asked suspiciously.
"Don't you think that your Black Robe Mage, Master whatever his name is, is a little too old for her?" He laughed gleefully at the shocked expression on Jon's face.
"What are you talking about?" he demanded, using his Gift to force the criminal to come closer to the bars of his cell.
"What, you didn't know?" he sneered, but continued once he saw Jon's glare. "We saw them kissing. I figured you knew if they were being public about it. I guess not," he finished smugly.
"It's not public in the middle of the woods with a group of horse thieves."
"It is when the horse thieves like to talk. Wait until we really start to talk."
Using a bit of magic he never liked to use, Jon swept the thieves' memories clean of seeing Daine and Numair in any type of intimate contact.
Then he stormed out of the dungeons, looking for Daine and Numair. Why hadn't they told him?
-----
Daine and Numair took Alanna down to see the newest additions to Jon's stables. Daine was shocked when Alanna looked like she was about to cry when she saw Moonstar.
"What's wrong Alanna?" Daine asked, concerned for her friend.
"Oh, nothing. Just that this mare looks almost exactly like Moonlight, the mare George found for me when I was a page."
"Are you going to be okay?"
"I'll be fine. What's her name?"
"Moonstar."
As Alanna went over to Moonstar, Daine went over to Black, smiling when she saw Numair at Star's stall door, thanking her for letting him ride her home.
She was asking Black if they were satisfied with the stabling provided when Jon arrived. Seeing them with the horses, he smiled before asking Daine and Numair to go with him to his study. They left Alanna in the stables, still talking to Moonstar.
-----
When they returned to the study, Jon shut the door before sitting down in one of the chairs.
"Before I tell you what our little band of horse thieves told me, is there anything that you two would like to tell me first?" Jon asked, a stern look on his face.
"What are you talking about, Jon?" Numair demanded.
Jon smirked. "I had a little talk with the leader of the low-life you two found. They gossip almost as much as the court ladies. They gave me a very interesting piece of information about you two."
Numair and Daine both paled as they realized what Jon meant. Jon continued as if he hadn't noticed their reactions. "Now I know why you two seemed to have skipped over parts about your trip to the Divine Realms. What I don't understand is why I had to find out from a horse-thief instead of my friends?"
" I wonder why, Jon!" Numair spat, annoyed at his stupidity. Of course at least one of those thieves would have noticed him and Daine! "It's not like we haven't all been occupied!"
"That's true, but you could have included this part when you told me about your visit to the Divine Realms. Or did you really think I would disapprove?"
"Yes!" Numair exclaimed, almost drowning out Daine's quiet "no."
Numair sighed. "Gossiping horse-thieves. Just our luck."
"Numair, we were going to tell them anyway. Besides, Alanna already knows. You know she was going to tell Jon whether we told him or not."
"You told Alanna first?" Jon asked in disbelief. "I would have thought you would have told somebody less likely to explode first."
"We didn't tell her, Jon! She found out herself!"
Jon started laughing. "And you're still alive?"
"Barely."
"Numair, she wasn't that bad."
"You only say that because you weren't on the receiving end of her rant, Magelet."
"So, when we arrive back at Corus, is Daine going to be moving in with you?" Jon asked Numair.
"No." Seeing Daine's glare, he quickly continued. "Daine, you have a reputation. And besides, I can't take advantage of your innocence!"
"Numair, what reputation? You seem to have forgotten that I don't have a reputation! The gossips at the palace have had me in bed with you ever since I first arrived at the palace! And I haven't been innocent since I was 13! Or have you forgotten my past so quickly?"
"Daine, we've already had this discussion!"
"Numair, I agree with Daine. Somebody will surely find out anyway. Alanna already has, as you have said. I seen no point in trying to keep it quiet."
"Daine, is this really what you want?" When she nodded, he sighed. "Then it's settled. Daine will move in with me. I just hope you won't regret it."
Putting her hand on his arm in reassurance, she said confidently, "I won't."
"Well, now that that's is settled, we can continue our discussion about the horses. I thank you for recovering them. What do you think of them?" Jon asked.
"Magnificent horses. Some of them are certainly not the warhorse type though," Daine answered.
"Well, let's go see them. I want to see if they actually are the horses I've paid for. I was distracted when I went down to the stables earlier."
-----
When they entered the stable, the found Alanna in Moonstar's stall, combing out the young mare's mane. Jon walked over, leaning on the stall door. "She looks almost exactly like Moonlight, doesn't she?" Jon asked her quietly.
"Yes, she does," Alanna murmured, lost in memories. "I remember when George first showed me Moonlight…"
"Well, now it's my turn."
Surprised, Alanna asked, "What are you talking about? You know I hate it when you are being cryptic."
"What I mean is, she's yours. I know you have Darkmoon, but you need a second, so I'm giving her to you."
Alanna just stared him in shock before stuttering, "Jon, y-y-you can't!"
"And why can't I?"
"Because-"
"Alanna, I see no reason why I can't give a gift to my friend if I want to. Besides, I spent forever finding one like her."
Opening the stall door, she looked at Jon, genuine happiness in her eyes. "Thank you, she's wonderful. But how did you find her?"
"An old friend in Galla, who knows a lot about horses, found her. Found all the horses, in fact." Then, as if just remembering Daine and Numair, he left Alanna with Moonstar and went over to them. He smiled when he saw them outside of Black and Star's stalls.
Looking at the two black horses, he recognized them from their descriptions. The mare was one he had believed perfect for Daine, while he believed the stallion to suit Numair. But, it appeared as if he had been wrong.
"I can see you are getting attached to him," Jon said to Daine quietly, looking at the stallion. "And here I thought the mare ideal for you."
Pulled out of her conversation with the young stallion, Daine looked up at Jon. "What?" she asked, puzzled.
"Well," he began nodding to the mare, who was currently rubbing her head against Numair's chest. "I was going to give you the mare and Numair the stallion, but since you two clearly prefer the other, I see no reason not to give you the one you want."
"J-J-Jon, you can't! I have Cloud, and Black's too valuable," she stuttered.
"But you need a second, and so does Numair."
Daine, do you really wan tot get rid of me so badly? Black inquired, puzzled.
Of course I don't.
Then don't protest.
As Black went over to his water bucket, Daine turned her attention back to Numair and Jon. "Thanks, Jon," Numair was saying. "She doesn't seem like she'll balk if I use my Gift while on her."
"Good, since that's the only horse you'll ever be able to stay on."
"I'm not that bad of a rider!"
"Thanks, Jon," Daine began, before Jon could retort. "But, you really didn't have to-"
"I know I didn't have to, Daine, but I wanted to. Now, I suggest we go eat, especially since you two haven't ate today, thanks to a certain distressed griffin."
Dragging Alanna with them, they went back up to the castle.
Sorry for the delay. Blame the evil demonic computer.
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