a/n: I'M BACK!!!! anyways, thanks to all who reviewed (I was expecting all bad reviews) and I'll keep in mind not to rush it this time, it was just that I just got the idea and the day before I was going on holidays so I tried to get it all out as quickly as possible… oh well I'll write this chappie now… who knows how this will turn out cause I know that I don't…

Chapter 2: The Name Quest

A few weeks after…

"Keladry I feel that it is time for you to go on your name quest," announced Hakuin Seastone as Kel came in for practice. Just like that fateful day two years ago she stood there, shocked.

"But surely I have years of training left?" asked a dumbfounded Kel.

"Normally you would but I feel that being a Shang is not your true path but will help you in the future. The other Shang have agreed that if you attain a name it will be kept secret so that no one else except you, me and the Shang elders shall know," explained the Shang Horse.

"Hang on, this is going all too fast for me. My true path is not that of a Shang? Does that mean that you think I am not good enough to be a Shang?" asked Kel with a sense of deja vue.

"No, that is not what I meant. Kel, you are destined to be a great fighter; it runs in your family but only after seeing you practicing with Alanna and Neal was it that I realised that although you have the potential to become a great Shang warrior at heart your will always be tied to Tortall because of your past. You will go on your name quest and then you will return to Tortall to fulfil your destiny and settle old ghosts," explained Hakuin. 'Settle old ghosts' he puts it so nicely but perhaps he's right, no matter how hard I try I can't help thinking back to my page days and wish I had been allowed to stay thought Kel.

"If the Shang elders have agreed on this matter then undoubtedly it is best that I do go on my name quest but surely I will not have the skill?" asked Kel worriedly.

"The quest is not a test of your fighting prowess but a test of spirit. I am sure you will earn your Shang name," assured the Shang warrior.

"How will I know what my name is?" asked Kel.

"It will come to you," replied Hakuin with a faint smile as he saw Kel trying to regain control of the situation. He saw her mouth open to ask another question but he quietened her with a motion of his hand.

"I know you have many questions but trust me when I say that you don't need to ask them; I am sure that you will be fine," assured Hakuin.

"What do I have to do for my quest?" asked Kel not knowing what to expect.

"Well, I must say that your skills are very suited to your quest. As you know, there has been increasing trouble with rogue Carthaki pirates. The cost to defeat them is too high; most of the Islands' money has gone to various reconstruction projects after that huge earthquake that Princess Chisakami was killed in. These pirates have agreed to take one of our princesses instead of the sum of money asked for. We wish for you to go undercover and be that princess. You will be the perfect spy and your diplomatic training will make your disguise flawless. We need to catch these rebels; if we catch them we have a strong chance of making a strong alliance with Emperor Kaddar because it seems that they have been giving him trouble too," said the Shang Horse.

"But why do they want a princess?" cut in Kel.

"I think they plan to use the princess' blood to have a link to the Emperor. They will be able to use their mages to trace the whole Imperial family and kill them off. Then they'll use the captured princess to claim the throne," said Hakuin.

"They can do that?" asked Kel incredulously.

"The Emperor was forced to agree that if all his heirs above her are dead she will become heir. Not that the Emperor was worried, he thinks that the family is untouchable. Back to the point, the Emperor has agreed that it is probably best to send someone undercover and you have been chosen to be that person," explained Hakuin.

"Very well, I accept," said Kel coolly.

a/n: I'm feeling lazy (as usual) so please don't shout at me for the shoddiness of Hakuin's arguments… like I said before I'm a lazy person and I also have a very bad habit of starting stories and never finishing them (mind you I've never posted them on the net before so it never mattered) so you might want to bug me a lot if I don't write for a while cause I'll end up getting fed up with all the emails and just write another chapter so they stop coming… if anyone's interested I'm considering getting a beta so any offers would be appreciated… one last thing REVIEW!!!!