Disclaimer: This is not mine, it belongs to Tamora Pierce.

Author's Note: This is set during the beginning of "King" Jon's reign, but he is still unmarried. Alanna is his Champion, and Thayet and Buri are around, but Thayet is marrying Gary--screw Cythera.

Full Summary: What starts as a mission to pull Kadina of Reliem's family out of debt, and make her Queen, becomes much more when she learns that she could possibly be the last of the Horse Whisperers, a mysterious tribe who were bonded with horses. As if this isn't enough, a man who calls himself Lord Canhoy comes seeking Kadi--asking for the last of the Horse Whisperers.

Kadi is swept up in magic she thought she had avoided by being born Giftless. As her world changes from what she is used to, Kadi must befriend her horse, Everglade, past the realm of reality, and into the realm of the unknown. Kadi must live the prophecy that is given to the last of the Horse Whisperers--to bring them back. . . or die trying.

Chapter One

Horse Whisperers

"Did he ask you to dance?" Lorena sat on the edge of her saddle, looking expectantly at Kadi, her best friend.

Kadi shook her head, her black curls falling across her face. "Why should I care anyway? Mother and Father want me to marry him, sure, but what about what I want? I don't want to marry our King. I'd prefer to stay a noble--I don't want to be Queen."

Lorena shook her head, adjusting in Storm's--her horse's--saddle. The two were riding in regular saddles, clothed in shirts and breeches--they had met Sir Alanna.

"But King Jonathan is gorgeous!" Lorena cried, shocked. Storm shied away from his mistress's cries, but Lorena easily calmed him and moved him back onto the trail that wound through the Royal Forest.

"Oh, pfft," Kadi said, stopping Everglade--her horse--and turning her to face Lorena. "I know he's gorgeous, but that doesn't mean I want to marry him, Lorena! Why can't anyone see this?"

"I thought you'd do it for your parents," Lorena said quietly, stroking Storm's gray neck; he tossed his head in pleasure.

"And I probably will," Kadi went on, "but I'd prefer if not everyone at Court, least of all you, cares what I do involving King Jonathan. For my family I will probably marry him, you're right. But if I take my damned time over it, than that's for me to choose. Now buzz off, Lorena."

Kadi turned Everglade around; back to the path. She squeezed with her heels. Everglade's muscles bunched, and sprung. She threw herself forward, black body pumping with power, mane flying, head held high.

Kadi let out a whoop of joy at the sheer pleasure of the flight. She only wished that she could fight too. But Sir Alanna had promised to teach her staff fighting, and Thayet said she would teach her a bow.

On and on Kadi and Everglade went. Far behind Kadi heard Lorena calling to her, but she knew Storm would never catch Everglade--she was too fast, too big. In the distance a log crossed their path.

Kadi leaned down over Everglade's ear. "What do you say, girl? Think it'll be fun?"

Everglade nickered in response, tossing her head. Kadi lengthened the reins ever so slightly, and sat up a little higher in the saddle. She dug her heels downwards, and grabbed a bit of flowing black mane.

As they got closer, Kadi realized the log was bigger than she had thought. But Everglade continued her charge with passion. Her front feet lifted off; Kadi pulled her head back so as not to be hit. Everglade's rear legs lifted off, shoving them forward.

The next few seconds seemed to happen in slow motion.

Everglade reached the top, powerful muscles strong. Her front legs extended, and she landed jarringly. Kadi grabbed a fistful of mane, trying to stay on. Everglade's hind legs curled under her, and she sprung forward. Kadi lost balance, and threw her stirrup, dropping to the side so she wouldn't get trampled.

"Umph," she grunted.

Everglade ran a few feet and came to a halt, then returned to her mistress. The giant black horse nuzzled Kadi softly.

"I'm fine you big loon," Kadi assured Everglade, fishing in her breeches pockets' for a cube of sugar. She fed it to Everglade, who gobbled it up willingly, then nuzzled her for more. "You did good anyway."

Kadi grabbed two fistfuls of mane and dragged herself up, using Everglade's mane. She hung there for a moment, feeling dizzy.

In the distance she could hear the thundering of hooves. Oh please don't let anyone see me like this! she thought desperately, struggling to get onto Everglade's saddle.

She slipped though, her world spinning dangerously.

The cavalcade of hooves stopped; for, from her place on the ground, that was all she could see.

Kadi felt sick with dread. What if they were bandits? But the fear was wiped away when someone on a black horse dismounted, their legs covered in blue silk breeches.

Everglade thumped Kadi with her head, and Kadi gripped her mane, trying to haul herself up. "Steady there," someone--a man--said, gripping her shoulders as she clung to Everglade's mane, her face buried in the mare's neck. "Are you alright?" he asked, sounding genuinely worried.

"Hmm," Kadi managed, gulping down the bile that loomed in her throat. "Fine thanks," she choked out.

Everglade whinnied, stamping a foot; obviously she disagreed that Kadi was alright. She heard the smile in the man's voice when he spoke again. "If you don't mind me saying, your horse doesn't seem to think the same thing."

"Jonathan," Kadi heard someone else say. "We should really get her back to the palace and finish business, the ambassador arrives tonight."

"Yes," the man called Jonathan said, "Just a minute Gary." Then to Kadi, "Will you let me see if you're hurt?" he asked.

Without waiting for an answer, he took her by the shoulders and turned her to face him. Kadi gawped.

She hadn't put it together when the other man had called him Jonathan. She had been stupid. Kadi had seen drawings--very good ones, very real--of course, but King Jonathan in the flesh was entirely different indeed.

His face was sculpted as if by a crafter of the world, his eyes glowing the richest shade of sapphire imaginable. His black hair had grown down to ear-length, and was pushed haphazardly back; the result was that it fell into his eyes a lot.

"Your-Your Majesty," Kadi said, bowing since she had no skirt to curtsy with.

King Jonathan's face crinkled with amusement, and he smiled. "You don't have to do that," he told Kadi with another one of his heart-throbbing smiles. "Are you alright?"

Kadi gulped, feeling the nausea come back. "Yes," she croaked.

"What's your name?" His hands were firm on her shoulders as he held her up, his eyes worried.

"Kadi--Kadina of Reliem. This is Everglade," she added. The mare nickered, tossing her head with something--pride probably.

"Are you sure you're alright, Kadi?"

Kadi couldn't hide a smile. No one ever called her by her nickname--except Lorena. "Yes, Your Majesty. I will be anyway."

"Please, if I'm to call you Kadi, then you must call me Jonathan, or Jon." He took her hand and kissed it, his other hand still holding her up.

Kadi felt lightheaded. Oh you silly girl! she snapped at herself. You've gone and got yourself a crush on King Jonathan! This won't do, now will it? You're heart has already been promised to someone, so stop feeling all fuzzy!

"I have to go," Jonathan said, looking embarrassed. "But I'll have Raoul escort you back to the palace."

Kadi started to complain, but Jonathan put a finger teasingly over her lips, smiling broadly. His eyes flashed with amusement. "Please don't tell me we're going to have Sir Alanna all over again? Now, please, don't argue. You might have a concussion if you fell."

Jonathan squeezed her shoulder and went back to his horse--a big blue roan, though clearly not a warhorse. "Raoul, take her back, make sure she's safe--alright? Then join us in the briefing room. I'm sure Ambassador Kukinwawa will understand."

The man called Raoul--a big burly one with a layering of brown-black hair, smiled at her, moving his horse towards Kadi. "Kadi is it?" he asked with a smile. "Pleased to meet you. Can you still ride?"

Feeling a bit shaken, Kadi flung herself onto Everglade's saddle. She sat there for a minute, willing her world to stop spinning. "Yes," she finally said, gripping the front of her saddle. "Everglade will make sure I'm fine."

Raoul and Kadi set off down the path, the way Kadi had come from, moving around the log instead of over it. "You're from Reliem then?" Raoul asked, making small-talk.

"Yes," Kadi replied, fidgeting in her saddle.

"That's a fairly new fief, isn't it? Are you from Tortall?"

Kadi shook her head, and instantly regretted it. "No, we came from Maren a few years ago--apparently we accidentally avoided the worst of the war." She smiled, beginning to feel easier with the big knight called Raoul. But she was still nervous. "What's your horse's name?"

"This ol' boy?" Raoul asked, patting his chestnut's neck. "Valiant. And true to his name, he saved my life more than once. But he's too old to be a warhorse. I still ride him for the hunt though, and the thrill of riding. How about your precious there. She's a beauty if I ever saw one. Not a white point on her, is there?"

Kadi shook her head, glad to have something the knight admired. She stroked Everglade's neck with one hand. "This is Everglade. I grew up with her. She's the only thing from my home in Maren that remains. I still have my family, of course. And I guess she's part. But everyone changed when we came to Tortall--she didn't."

"Were you there when she was foaled?"

"I was there when she was foaled. I was there while she was reared and cared for. She won't let anyone else ride her--no one ever has. She knows me and my commands. She trusts me."

"It's nice to have a bond like that with a horse," Raoul said, his eyes turning dreamy. "I've never had it, but a few of my friends have. They say a good mount can save you. But a great mount will save you. . . and be your friend. Take Valiant for instance. I called him Valiant the Gallant in his younger years. I wasn't there when he was born though. But I trained him--with some help of course. I wish I had that bond with my new warhorse!" He laughed thickly. "If Rebel was as good at listening as Valiant was, then I'd never have to worry."

Kadi smiled at the big knight--she had a feeling they could be friends. "Horse problems, sir Knight?" she joked.

Raoul grinned. "What are you--the Horse-Lady or something?"

"As a matter of fact," Kadi teased. Then she grew serious. "In my home town everyone said I had a gift with horses. That I was a 'horse whisperer'."

Raoul frowned. "It could be true. In history there were a group of natives who called themselves the Horse Whisperers. They had a bond with horses that not even people with the so called 'Wild Magic' had with them. Horses would listen to the Horse Whisperers' as if they were horses too. They would do anything, and the Horse Whisperers could talk to them. Throughout history it says that breeding with humans caused the Horse Whisperers valuable talent to be seeped out of them. Too much blood without that talent. Until they were thought to all be gone. It's possible you could be one of the last of their race."

"But they were just human," Kadi pointed out. "So it's not really being one of anyone's race. They have an ability, but they were still human--right?"

Raoul grinned. "You catch on quick, Kadi. I'll have to tell the others to watch out for you." Then he laughed.

Kadi frowned. "So they're human?"

Raoul nodded.

"And you think I could be one of these. . . Horse Whisperers?"

Again, he nodded.

"But," Raoul said slowly, "They were supposed to be able to understand horses, talk to them the same way people with Wild Magic--if that really exists; Numair's a bit eccentric--can talk to all animals."

Kadi laughed, though a bit hollowly. "So you're saying that I may be the last 'Horse Whisperer', and all we have to point us there is an eccentric man called Numair?"

"Arram actually," Raoul said with a grin. "The ex Arram Draper to be exact. But mages aren't named Arram Draper--no! He had to go and change it to Numair Salmalin! Anyway, I suppose I should stop talking your ear off about things that probably don't exist. Numair's new anyway, so I have to wonder if he's even right. The King seems to trust him though. . ." Raoul frowned thoughtfully. "Oh, either way, here we are! Think you can go see Duke Baird without me?"

Kadi grinned. "You mean you want me to tell Jonathan that you took me?"

Raoul smiled, and chucked her across the cheek. "Exactly. Think you can manage?"

"I'll be fine," Kadi assured the big knight, a smile dancing across her mouth. "Everglade will take care of me until I hobble off with my. . ."

"Concussion," Raoul supplied helpfully.

"With my concussion to Duke Baird," Kadi finished, smiling. "Yes, I can manage. And I promise not to tell the King anything."

They entered the stable-yard and Kadi and Raoul dismounted. "Alright then, I'm off. Stefan!" Raoul bellowed.

A pudgy, somewhat red-faced man leapt out of the loft and hurried to take Valiant away from Raoul. "Take care, Kadi. And if you ever want to talk. . ." Raoul broke off, smiling. "I think we can be good friends, you're a lot like Sir Alanna."

"So I'm told," Kadi replied dryly.

Thank you all for reading this! Please review--let me know what you think. And I prefer it if you explain WHY you think that, but it doesn't matter much. -Kat