She tried to walk away; her weakened knees faltered. George caught her instantly.
“It was the death he wanted,” the king said. “We’ll honor him, always.”
Alanna nodded dumbly. Jon reached for her: There was a flash, and a tiny ball of reddish-purple fire leaped from his fingers to her own bloody ones. Gently he took her hand and kissed it. “We did it, King’s Champion. Tortall is safe.”
EPILOGUE
HERALDS WENT OUT TO EXPLAIN TO THE PEOPLE what had happened on Coronation Day. There would be no weeks of celebration that year. Tortall needed time to mourn, repair, and rebuild. Instead the new king planned a festival to mark the first year of his reign, on the anniversary of Coronation Day. Afterward he would travel through his kingdom, the first such royal journey since his grandfather’s day.
Those found guilty by the Courts of Law of taking part in the rebellion lost their lands and wealth; they and their families were sent into exile. For Delia, the only living ringleader, the Courts decreed life imprisonment. The sentences for all should have been death—the laws on treason were strict—but Jonathan would not begin his rule with executions. He granted more pardons in the first week of his official reign than had King Roald in all of his.
A week after the funerals, the king found his Champion in the catacombs, seated on a bench and gazing at the blackened Gate of Idramm. Lightning stood there, thrust into the center of the design. The blade was streaked with soot, the jewels of its hilt cracked and blackened. Jonathan gripped the sword, trying to free it without success.
“It’s all right,” Alanna told him. “I don’t want it. There are other swords, and I like Lightning right where it is.”
Jon released the weapon and looked at his filthy hands. “Good.”
“I’m just thinking. Will you please get away from the Gate? You make me nervous.”
The king shrugged and came to sit beside her. “What’s on your mind?”
She hesitated a moment before saying, “Would you … mind, if I went to the Bloody Hawk for a while? I just need time to think, and I’d like a rest.” She smiled. “I’ve had a busy year.”
“Take all the time you want,” Jon assured her. “I know where to find you if there’s need.”
Alanna to George Cooper, Baron of Pirate’s Swoop, written in late July:
… so Jon has put you to work finding the last of the coronation rebels. I’m not surprised. It is very quiet here. Tell Myles I have enough sleep at last. I miss you …
She entered into the daily routine of the tribe, hunting lions with the young men and hearing the legends of the Bazhir from the shamans. She took her turn at sentry duty, enjoying the quiet and the clearness of the stars. Shortly after her arrival, Alanna saw a new constellation at the foot of the cluster called “The Goddess.” She never found out who named it, but everywhere she traveled in later years she always heard it called “The Cat.”
Young people came from all over to meet the Woman Who Rides Like a Man. Most were youths, but an occasional girl visited as well. Many of the boys were headed north, to join the King’s Own. The girls planned to try their own fortunes, most of them as fighters.
In the second week of October, Thayet and Buri came to the Bloody Hawk escorted by a squad of the King’s Own. Alanna was glad to see them, now that the edge had worn off her grief for Thom, Liam, and Faithful. It wasn’t long before Alanna began to wonder if Thayet had come to talk about a particular subject. Whatever it was, she couldn’t bring herself to discuss it for days. Instead she talked about the school she’d begun with the help of Myles, Eleni, Gary, and George; or the Midwinter weddings for Myles and Coram; and Alanna’s doings. She met Alanna’s friends in the tribe and tried her hand at weaving.
Buri joined the girls who shocked the elders by studying warrior arts. When she showed them K’miri trick riding, she drew the young men, uniting the two groups in their eagerness to learn.
“I’m glad we came,” Thayet told Alanna a week after her arrival. They sat in front of Alanna’s tent after the evening meal. From the central fire they could hear Buri teaching her friends a rude song about city dwellers. “She misses the excitement of the road,” the princess added. “She’s a lot like you in a way.”
Alanna massaged her palms with a wry smile. “If that’s so, she’ll find other things to challenge her. She won’t be able to help it.” She paused, then decided to see what was up. “You aren’t here because you wanted to give Buri a holiday, Thayet. And it’s a long ride just to say ‘hello.’”
The princess looked away. “Jonathan … admires the Bazhir. He let me read their history. He thinks the K’mir, the Doi, and the Bazhir may be descended from one race. Though the Bazhir are more cousins than in the direct line—”
“Thayet.” Alanna sighed.
The other woman knotted her handkerchief. “He wanted me to know everything about you, and about it being over. He said I should have the story straight.” Her voice was soft. “But I have to wonder, because you and he are so close, still—”
Alanna took the handkerchief away before her friend could damage it. “We always were close, long before we were lovers. I imagine we’ll always be close, but not in the same way. We’re friends. And I’m his Champion.”
“But everyone seems to think—When you come back—”
“Everyone?” Alanna wanted to know. “I think someone doesn’t think that at all, or he wouldn’t spend so much time with you.”
Thayet whispered, “If I hadn’t come to Tortall—”
Alanna drew a design in the sand. “Nonsense. I wanted you to be safe; we all did. And I knew you’d make a better queen than I would.”
“What?” yelped the princess.
“Jonathan needs someone who will treat him like a person, not just a king,” Alanna explained. “I can’t. I’m his vassal, for all I’m his friend. You were born and reared to be royalty. It doesn’t frighten you. You won’t let him turn into a prig. You won’t let him be smug.” She hesitated, then said, “I was hoping by now you’d like him.”
“But you’re my friend!” Thayet wailed. “I can’t take your man!”
Alanna hugged her. “He isn’t my man. He’s yours, if you love him and he loves you. I want you both to be happy. I’d prefer you were happy with each other.”
Thayet sniffed and wiped her eyes. “I probably look like a hag.”
Alanna grinned. “Don’t fish for compliments. It isn’t becoming.”
A watery chuckle was her answer. “I was so happy at not having to go through a marriage of state.”
“Well, that was before you met Jon, so that’s all right.”
Now that she didn’t have to worry about upsetting her friend, Thayet wanted to hear about Jonathan when he was younger. When that subject was exhausted, she told Alanna of the changes she hoped to make in Tortall. Buri arrived. When Thayet stopped for breath, the K’mir said, “Glad it’s not me she’s talking to, for a change. People in love are boring.” Thayet made a face at her companion.
Much later, as she and Alanna lay in their bedrolls, Thayet whispered, “Alanna? Is there someone for you?”
Alanna blinked, suddenly watery-eyed. “I don’t know.”