A/N- Oh dear God!!! It's been two and a half YEARS since I last updated. ((falls over)) I'm very, very, VERY sorry. I've been buried under schoolwork here at home, and I barely have enough time to sleep, let alone write, and when I have free time, I don't do anything. ((sigh)) Anyways, here it is at long last, the next installment of "Bring On The War". It basically just sets the scene for some of the upcoming chapters. Enjoy! And thanks to anyone who is still reading this after my über-long break…

Disclaimer- I, unfortunately, still do not own any of this except the plot and the cherry tart. Everything else belongs to the wondrous Tamora Pierce.

Bring On The War

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Previously:

Alanna snorted. Their prank was going perfectly.

Soon the hall was filled with the sound of Jon and his team farting and Alanna and her team laughing hysterically. Wyldon glared at them and roared, "WHAT IN MITHROS'S NAME DID YOU DO?!?"

Raoul grabbed a cherry tart as he remarked, "Thank you for the dinner Jon, but unfortunately, now we must go!" They all jumped up from the table and sprinted from the room, closely followed by George, Eleni, Myles, and Yuki.

The Yamani officials forgot all their training of not showing emotions and watched this with looks of sheer terror on their faces. They looked at each other as one of them remarked yamani, "That's it, from now on, we stay in the Islands."

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Chapter Four:

Reinforcements

"I cannot believe that she would stoop so low!" roared an outraged Jon to an exasperated Thayet as he paced in their main room, "I mean, of all the times to pull childish stunts, she had to choose in front of the Yamani dignitaries!" He sat down heavily on the couch and ran a hand through his hair. "We'll be lucky if they don't cut off all relations with us."

Thayet laid a gentle hand on her husband's back. "I know that you're angry, my love. But you have to admit, you haven't been acting very proper yourself lately."

Jon jumped up, fuming. "Thayet, I'm King! I demand to be respected!"

The Queen crossed her arms, her beautiful face shadowy. "Don't you think that to be respected, you should respect others?" She pursed her lips and stormed out of the room, calling over her shoulder, "And I don't appreciate being talked to like that, Jonathan!"

He sighed deeply and buried his head in his arms, a muffled gripe seeping into the room, "But I'm the King!"

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"Lass, what were you thinking?!" George demanded, pacing the room, "Humiliating the King like that in front of the Yamanis!" He shook his head. "I don't know what would compel you to do something like that."

Alanna's eyes flashed. "Don't chastise me, George. I'm not a child."

"I just don't see how you could be so foolish."

Alanna gave a small smile, and leaned back in her chair. "Foolish? I seem to remember a certain someone who burst out laughing and congratulated everyone on a job well done as we ran down the hall."

George gave a reluctant grin. "I suppose it was rather funny. And from what you've told me, Jon did deserve it..."

"So you'll be joining us, then?"

George stared at her, startled. "Alanna, I never said I'd-"

"Oh, George!" exclaimed Alanna, a mischievous glint in her eyes, "You know you want to join in!"

For a moment, he looked uncertain, but his days as King of the Thieves, as well as a love for excitement got the better of him. Trying to sound unwilling, but sounding a little too eager for someone supposedly against the plans, he growled, "All right, I'll join your little group."

Alanna, hearing the horribly masked enthusiasm in his voice, roared with laughter.

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"Nealan, what were you thinking, insulting the Yamani dignitaries like that?!" cried Yuki. The fiery little Yamani stood in the center of the room, her hands on her hips. Sitting directly in front of her were Neal, Dom, and Kel, all three of whom were looking as if Mithros had just answered their greatest prayers.

"I wasn't alone in this, you know!" retorted Neal indignantly. "In case you've forgotten, there were quite a few of us involved!"

"Neal, you are a grown man," Yuki hissed, her petite hands clenched into fists, "You do not have to do what everyone else does, especially when it involves you in something so childish!"

"Oh, Yuki," began Kel, her eyes twinkling, "If I know you half as well as I think I do, you enjoyed that at least a little bit."

Something in Yuki's face changed. Quickly, she snapped open her fan and hid her face. A harsh-sounding Yamani phrase issued from out behind the fan, a sound that seemed to contrast greatly with the reluctantly smiling eyes.

Kel let out a bark of laughter and responded in Yamani. For a split second, Yuki's eyes looked shocked before the two women doubled over with laughter, Yuki's fan trembling violently in her hand. Neal and Dom peered at each other over Kel's convulsing form, not quite sure what was happening.

"Fine," said Yuki as she used one of Kel's numerous handkerchiefs to dab at her tear-streaked face. "I will join your little group. But only," she added firmly, "because I doubt you will be able to succeed without me."

Neal burst out laughing and bounded over to his wife. In one fluid motion, he picked her up and spun her around. She giggled, looping her arms around his neck and kissing him on the mouth. When they broke apart, they found Dom and Kel kissing madly on the bed.

"Oh, not again," mumbled Neal, "Oi, love birds, won't you admit that you're dating yet?"

Dom snorted. "Dating? Who said we want to date each other?"

Kel gaped at him, her nose wrinkling and her eyes narrowing in disdain. With a powerful shove, she sent Dom sailing off the edge of the bed. He landed on the floor with loud thud, looking up in just enough time to see Kel swing the door open and stalk angrily out of the room.

Yuki snapped open her fan, and the men caught a glimpse of annoyance in her eyes as she hurried out of the room after Kel.

Dom gawked at Neal. "What did I do?"

Shaking his head, Neal sat down on the bed, eyeing his cousin with a look of mixed amusement and disbelief. "And you call me the Meathead."

"What? What'd I do?"

Neal sighed.

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Myles stood in front of the large window overlooking the grounds outside the rooms he shared with Eleni. "I can't believe Alanna would do something like that, especially to Jonathan! And at such an important dinner, to top it all off!" He threw his hands over his head. "Sometimes I feel as if she's still a child, leading a group in this so-called 'prank war'."

"Myles, Alanna has always been an adventurous girl, you know that," replied Eleni softly, "Besides, she and Jon are good friends. He would never hold something like this against her." She looked thoughtful. "And remember, Jonathan is leading his own group in this little battle they're fighting. He isn't exactly an innocent bystander."

Myles sighed heavily. "You're right. I just hope she doesn't get into any trouble."

Eleni walked over to wrap her arms around Myles' waist. "If I know my George, he'll be fighting right beside her. His days as King of the Thieves may be long over, but this is something he will never be able to keep his nose out of."

A chuckle rumbled in Myles' chest. "Too bad they lack the wisdom to see things our way."

The two stood in silence, staring out at the moonlit grounds.

At long last, Eleni spoke. "So are we going to join them?"

Myles turned, his teeth flashing in the darkness. "Of course we are."