A/N: This chapter is one I originally hadn't put into the plot, but I decided that it could work out very well. It's kind of weird, and once you get halfway through it your head will hurt but I happen to like it. Anyway, on with chapter 5!

End of Chapter 4: Sarralyn looked at the letter and grinned. You bet I'll be finding out who I'm supposed to be she thought with bitterness. And there's nothing you can do about it.

Identity, Training, and Dreams

When Alanna had told Sarralyn that there was someone that she needed to meet before she began her training, she never dreamed it would be because of this.

She entered the front hall where Alanna had summoned her to, clad in dark breeches and a light blue tunic. Daine's daughter was very partial to soft blues and lavenders, just as her mother had been.

Alanna grinned when Sarralyn entered the room. "Nice choice of clothing" she remarked "you'll need the comfort for what we're doing today." The young girl arched her eyebrows suspiciously and went to her godmother's side.

"Sarralyn Salmalin, I'd like to introduce you to someone very important." The older woman's eyes swam with amusement as she spoke, making Sarralyn wary. The girl didn't notice as a nearby door opened a crack. "This is Sarra of Caramein, your new identity."

The door Sarralyn hadn't noticed opened wide. The Gifted Wildmage spun around quickly, startled, and gasped.

There in the doorway stood a young girl who looked no older than ten. The stranger smiled shyly at Sarralyn before approaching slowly and gracefully, her stubborn chin lifted high into the air, her blue-grey eyes sparkling with curiosity as a golden disc hung from her neck. Sarralyn felt her jaw drop.

The girl, Sarra, the Gifted wildmage remembered, was too familiar. She looked exactly the same as the Salmalin child. Sarralyn knew she was staring but she didn't care. It wasn't everyday that someone's carbon copy walked into the room.

Sarralyn and the new girl looked at each other in shock at each other, Sarralyn taking in the wild look of her skin, the full, pink lips, and the knowing spark in those same grey depths. The only obvious difference between the two was the expressions on the identical faces. The Salmalin child had no idea what to do.

"Well, this is interesting" the girl called Sarra said after what felt like hours. Sarralyn's eyes widened at that musical voice- it was the exact same high alto as her own. The raven-haired girl turned towards her godmother. It took all of her strength to turn away from the girl across from her, the girl with her image.

Alanna the Lioness was grinning broadly, a wicked grin on her face. At the incredulous look from her goddaughter, she burst out in deep-throated laughter. "Sarralyn!" she gasped finally, controlling herself "this is your disguise" she gestured to Sarra, who stood innocently curious.

When Sarralyn only stared, Alanna shook her head, still grinning. "If you would kindly remove your amulet, Sarra?" she asked, eyes full of laughter.

The young mage turned back to the girl who was her twin. Sarra grinned sheepishly, looking from Sarralyn to Alanna and back. Slowly, she raised her small (if callused) hands to her necklace and slid it over her head.

At first, nothing happened, and Sarralyn felt the overwhelming urge to cock an eyebrow. What prank was her tricky godmother playing on her? Then, the change began.

All at once, Sarra's features began re-arranging. The high cheekbones rose, giving the face a heart shape as the stubborn chin rounded out. Where the stormy eyes had been round, there was now a very slight slant, and the skin lightened, as did the hair, causing a halo of caramel blonde locks to drape across the creamy face. The entire transformation took but seconds and Sarralyn was left looking wide-eyed at a very different girl, one that bore only slight resemblance to her.

Sarra looked from Sarralyn to Alanna, her strange smoky-blue eyes, just a few shades lighter than Sarralyn's, blinking curiously before she finally began to speak.

"Where to begin…" Sarra took a deep breath, clearing her throat daintily at the same time "ah, yes. I was born in Scanra to Baron Gregorian and Baroness Corrine of Caramein. My mother and father had just lost their two oldest sons, my only siblings, to the civil war, and were elated that they would have the chance to begin again.

"They raised me at Caramein so I would be far from the fighting that was tearing our country apart. They thought that if I was with them, I would be safe." Sarralyn noticed the pain in Sarra's high soprano voice as she spoke of her family. What had happened to them? "Father and Mother were allies of your King Jonathan and his Queen Thayet. They wanted to stop the war."

A wistful smile crossed the Scanran girl's soft face "'To ensure that no one would ever have to lose a child again' they'd said. But our King at the time, Bornan found out about my parent's alliance with your king and sent a squad of warriors to find them." Sarralyn could see tears in the girl's eyes. "The last thing mother and father said to me was; 'Run to Tortall, find the woman known as the Alanna the Lioness and have her teach you magic. Never leave her side.'

That was three years ago. I've been here ever since, with Sir Alanna. She's been kind to me, and I'm so glad that I can finally pay her back."

Silence filled the room when Sarra finished. Sarralyn tried to process the words that Sarra had said. She couldn't imagine being orphaned at such a young age. Even though she'd left her parent's home, she didn't know what she would do without them.

"So, this is how we're going to make this work" Alanna's voice sounded so loud after the quiet that had pervaded the room. "You, Sarralyn, are now Sarra of Caramein. The King and Queen know Sarra, but not well enough that they'll notice the difference in personalities. I'll make a charm for you that will keep others from figuring out your secret, similar to the one Sarra has." Sarralyn glanced at the gold disc that the other girl held tight in her fist.

"Not even your parents will recognize you; you'll look exactly like Sarra and even your Gift will be… discolored. You'll have the perfect disguise. Just be yourself, and no one will notice. First though, you need to memorize your new identity."

The Lioness handed Sarralyn a roll of parchment with Sarra's name and title written at the top. The stormy eyed girl scanned the words on the paper. It was a complete record of Sarra's history, dating back to the birth of her parents and ending with this meeting now. Sarralyn was astounded by the sheer amount that had happened to Sarra in her lifetime.

As the raven-haired girl raked over the sheet for the second time, Alanna was giving Sarra the same instructions. She would be masquerading as Sarralyn, after all, but she'd have to learn to act like the Salmalin child as well. Sarralyn glanced at the girl for any signs of resentment as she was given her rolls of parchment, but all she saw was fierce loyalty and trust in those blue eyes.

"For the rest of the summer, you two will be in training." Alanna looked from Sarralyn to Sarra, a small smile on her face. "You, my lovely, will continue training your Gift like your parents wished you to, and you, Sarralyn, will train your body. But along with this, you two will also be training yourself to be each other."

The older woman's eyes were sharp as she looked from Sarralyn to Sarra and back. "This will not be easy, but it is the path that has been laid out for you. Now, go to your rooms and read up. You have a lot to learn."

And with that, the Tortallan Gifted Wildmage Sarralyn Salmalin assumed an identity that would take her to the ends of the earth- and deep within her own destiny.

For the next three months, Sarralyn- now the dark-blond Sarra of Caramein- trained in secret under her godmother Alanna at Pirate's Swoop, learning the basic crafts of survival. She knew most of it, of course; she was as unbeatable with a bow as Daine was and she knew how to make up and take down a camp. She was skilled at staff fighting, and she was glad to see that she was competent with most bladed weapons but there were still so many things for her to learn. And all the while, she was teaching herself to be more inconspicuous than she'd ever been before.

Sarralyn quickly found that Sarra was a rather interesting girl. According to her cheat sheet, Sarra was a strong, natural fighter who had trained under the Caramein men-at-arms. She was noted at a curious and quick learner who liked to keep the extent of her skills secret. This was all well for Sarralyn, whose own skills would quickly draw attention if she flaunted them. She learned to fend for herself.

Sarra herself was also finding it difficult to adjust into her new personality. Where the Scanran girl was more accustomed to being by herself, Sarralyn was constantly around large groups of people. Eventually, Sarralyn knew, Sarra would get used to others, but the page-to-be had little time to worry over her new friend, as Alanna pushed her harder and harder.

The Lady of Pirate's Swoop and Olau made her young goddaughter run and run and run, to get up her endurance, and to teach her to be as uncaring about pain as a true knight should be. Sarralyn forged swords and learn the lance, at least a bit, since she as a female would be criticized by the boys from the very beginning.

During the whole summer of training, Alanna held fast to only three rules; 1) never complain, always do what you are told 2) never use magic to help you while you are in training and 3) always keep your head clear and your identity close. Sarralyn bit her stubborn tongue many a time and often longed to use her Gift to give herself a pick-me-up. She never did it, though, no matter how strong the desire was and she strived to become like Sarra. She never used either of her magics at all, tuning out the People and ignoring her Gift.

Sarralyn worked long and hard, from sunrise to sunset, earning her stay and her right to be trained under the Lioness. She never complained, never cried, never broke the rules. She wanted this too badly to be negligent, a fact that Alanna could see right away.

The day before Sarralyn was to leave for her page's training, Alanna called her into the study from her practicing.

"Sarralyn" She said, amethyst eyes meeting her goddaughter's stormy grey-blue ones "you've worked hard these last couple months, and you've proven to me that you can do what you're trying to do" Sarralyn grinned widely, but Alanna's gaze was sharp.

"These next seven years are going to be hell for you, Sarralyn. I can promise that. As a girl, you will be teased and prodded and nothing will be easy. You absolutely cannot let anyone find out about who you really are. You'll have to be careful of your Wild Magic as well, since Sarra doesn't have it. Despite that, I believe that you will do well. Please prove me right." And with that, Alanna sent the blonde page-to-be to bed. You will do excellent Alanna thought as Sarralyn left the room.

Sarralyn walked slowly back to her quarters in the castle of Pirate's Swoop. These last few months had been hard, harder than she could have ever imagined, but she knew that it would be even harder as a page, and that it was all worth it. Lady Knight Sarralyn she thought with a smile as she extinguished her lamp. She liked the sound of that. Her head hit the pillow softly, sleep claiming her.

She walked barefoot and naked through a forest, the wild surrounding her, the moon huge and full overhead. Animals chattered about her, looking at her curiously. She called to the People, but none would respond. She listened closely and heard what it was that they were saying.

"Mage"...

"Don't trust her"

"Not one of us"

"Two-legger"

Their words broke Sarralyn's heart, and she again tried to call to them with her wild magic, but when she reached for the copper fire within her, all she could find was the sparkling blackness of her Gift.

"What have you become Sarralyn?" A familiar voice asked near the confused girl. Daine the Wildmage floated in front of her, among the People. "Why have you forsaken the People? You are no longer welcome here."

Daine's words cut her to the core and she cried out in shock and grief making all the People flee from her. She could feel the essence of her People half being torn from her, and screamed. The world dissolved.

Sarralyn blinked and looked around. The forest and the People were gone. She now stood on a battlefield, Destiny clutched tightly in her hand, fighting faceless foes in the colors of nightmares; gray and black uniforms fought against the dark blue of Tortall.

Far away, a man in a blue tunic and black breeches fell at the hands of an enemy sword. King Jonathan lay dead, the ground stained with his blood. "NO!" Sarralyn screamed, heaving Destiny. Closer, an enemy was approaching another man, one that was very tall with raven-black hair and a long black robe… Numair Salmalin…

Sarralyn ran to her father, to save him from the enemy, but she was too slow, and her arms too weak to raise her sword. She didn't know how to wield it; she could not fight.

In a flash, the battle was over, fallen men and women lay dead all around her. She saw her father bloodied among the dying, his breathing ragged. Sarralyn screamed and ran to him, jumping over bodies and fallen weapons to reach Numair.

Stopping by her father's side, she examined his wounds- they were bad, but she was trained to heal. "Papa! I'll heal you! Stay still" Sarralyn cried as she dove inside herself for her Gift, her healing magic. Nothing happened. All she had inside of her was her coppery wild magic.

"Sarralyn" Numair said weakly, turning his head towards his daughter. "Why did you choose to let me die? You are no mage of mine" and with that, he took his final breath and was no longer among the living.

The once-Gifted wildmage sat, shocked, beside the body of her father, her heart almost stopped. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them, all she could see was darkness. She reached for her magics, to light the air and found that she was looking inside of herself.

And nothing was there.

Sarralyn awoke with a gasp, sweat pouring down her cheeks. She sat bolt-upright and checked her magics. There they both were, safely nestled within her; ready to be called upon at a moment's notice. The young girl sighed with relief and fell back into a dreamless sleep.

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Dun-dun-dun… So, do you guys like Sarra? I mean the real Sarra, not Sarralyn masquerading as Sarra. Yeah, it's a little weird but you should live. I wonder how Alanna came up with the plan for the girls to switch places… hmmm… well, in any case, it makes for a good story. Did anyone actually get what that dream was supposed to represent? If you don't and want to, just ask in a review and I'll gladly explain. This chapter was pretty important, so you might wanna re-read it. Anyway, are you ready for Sarralyn's adventures as a page to begin? Well, you better be. Check back in soon for the update!