Chapter 15:

Sarah helped Alanna into a standing position before scowling at the clerk. "Stop that, stand up straight." He obeyed, straightening from his deep bow with a look of confusion on his face.

The look soon passed and a hesitant look of excitement crossed his bland features. "Are you here to stay?" At Sarah's nod his grin deepened. "Well, good! That is to say- I didn't mean… Since Mithros last visited I have been focusing on some improvements to your fief; I had thought to bring it up to standard before you returned."

The look on his face reminded Sarah of a puppy seeking a reward after rolling over. She sighed. "What kind of improvements?" Unspoken agreement passed between the three; they started walking towards the tower entrance.

"Well, I've put the village men to work digging mine shafts to access the veins of malachite so we may export it, and I've also put some men to clearing fields for farming, so we may grow our own food." He boasted proudly.

Sarah narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean, 'put the village men to work'?"

He seemed to sense her mood as he replied hastily, "My Lady, they are being paid."

"Sarah." Her eyes narrowed further. "How much, exactly?"

"Three coppers a day." He continued walking even as Sarah and Alanna halted suddenly.

"What?!" Sarah spun him around by the shoulder. "Only three coppers? That is no where near enough pay for digging mine shafts! What kind of safety precautions are being taken?"

He looked nervous for the first time and gulped at her sudden anger. "S-safety precautions, my lady?"

Sarah growled as she pushed him against the wall, hard. She hissed in a dangerously low voice, "You are dismissed, clerk."

Without waiting for a response she turned and strode back through the corridors and down the steps to the main entrance to the tower. She walked purposefully toward the stables, where Topaz and Darkmoon were happy to see them. Sarah saddled the honey gold mare after palming a few apples to the horse and muttered, "At least you seem well looked after."

"M'lady, the Wildmage visited 'is Lordship when you left." A gruff voice said behind her. She turned to see the stable hand she had met nearly ten months ago leaning against the stable door. "She said if 'e ever 'urt the 'orses or didn't treat 'em right, she'd be back wiv an army of animals."

Sarah grinned as she finished saddling the horse and led her past the stable hand, out into the sunlight. When they were outside she mounted the mare; she was soon joined by Alanna on her dark war horse. They trotted down the path to the village, where she sought out a familiar face. She noticed Abigail, the mother of the precocious young child from her first visit to the fief, and dismounted.

"Hello again." She greeted the woman, who sunk into a deep curtsey. "Now stop that, remember, I don't like curtseys. Can you tell me where the mines are?"

"My lady," Abigail began.

"Sarah." She corrected her absently.

"S-Sarah… the mines are to the east, about half an hour's walk… or ten minutes on horse back." The woman seemed unsure how to address a noble if not by rank.

Sarah grinned, "Thanks."

She remounted Topaz and rode to the east, letting the smile fade from her face as she got further and further from the little village. She glanced sidelong at Alanna, who was following at a trot. "Alanna… I'm sorry."

The red head frowned. "What for?"

"You should be racing home to your family, not running around after me." Sarah explained.

"Piffle. Another half a day won't make a difference." Sarah could see the knight's tension even as she answered.

"Thankyou." She replied quietly, and they picked up the pace, and before they knew it they were approaching a large hole in the ground, with a mountain of dirt and stone beside it.

Sarah dismounted and strode to stand over the hole. She cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, "Oi! Everyone out now, I need a word!"

Slowly, one by one, sooty and dirty men trickled out of the hole, confused looks on their faces. A rather tall man who seemed to be the leader approached her, squinting in the harsh day light. "Wha's all this about then? Who're you to call us offa work?"

Sarah shot an amused look at Alanna before replying. "Well, my name's Sarah and I'm the one who runs things around here…" There were whispers among the men as they started to bow. "No, no. Don't bow to me. Anyway, from this moment onwards the mines are closed. My clerk had no idea what he was doing, ordering you to begin construction without proper training or safety precautions, and he has been dismissed. Go home to your families, go back to whatever you were doing before you were commissioned to dig this shaft."

The leader frowned. "But, yer ladyship-"

"Sarah." She interjected firmly.

"Yer ladyship," He ignored her, "We was gettin paid three coppers a day fer our work ere."

Sarah winced. In her rush to stop the mining process she hadn't stopped to think about what would become of the villager's income. "Alright, how about this, I need to go to Corus to speak with his Majesty. I should be back by midday tomorrow, no later. Until then, no one is to enter the mine. I'll need some volunteers to guard the mine until I get back, to make sure no kids get lost or anything, and I'll pay you two coppers an hour. Is that fair? When I get back we can start this mine again, but properly, with buttresses and other such… mining stuff." Sarah trailed off as her ineptitude with mining lingo sank in. "Alright, who's going to volunteer?"

A handful of men stepped forward and Sarah nodded, reaching for her belt purse. When her fingers closed around air she swore, startling the men into grinning. She ignored them, groping in her pocket for her wand before pointing it back at the tower and saying, "Accio belt purse!"

I hope Daine and Numair didn't take it with them when they left for Corus… She had barely finished the thought when the purse came whizzing into her open hand; Sarah grinned.

"Alright, now stop gaping." She scolded the men as they stared. "I'll pay you upfront, a silver each. Split into shifts, organize it however you want, but the mine has to be guarded at all times and none of you are to work more than four hours, understood?" A smattering of nods met her question, and Sarah blew out a sigh. "Okay, now that that's out of the way, Lady Alanna and I will be off. See you all in a day or so."

The two women trotted back to the village, buying a couple of water skins and some rolls stuffed with fruit before setting off in the direction of Corus at a gallop.

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They didn't stop until they arrived at the palace, an hour after dark. When they arrived at the gate the guard barely looked at them before grunting, "Palace is closed for the night. Come back in the mornin'."

Sarah cleared her throat quietly. "I believe the King would rather see his Champion now, don't you, Guardsman?"

The man started and looked at them properly. When he caught a glimpse of Alanna's purple eyes he turned and yelled, "Ho the barracks! The Lioness returns!" He faced them once again, bowing deeply. "Forgive me, Lady Knights. I meant no disrespect…"

Sarah grinned and shook her head. "None taken. Can we go in, or…?"

He froze with embarrassment before hastily pulling the gate open, bowing once again. As they rode past him Sarah saw the doors to the palace swing open; they created a rectangular patch of light that was marred only by a lone shadow, standing stock still. Alanna saw this as well and dismounted hurriedly; the figure rushed towards them.

As they grew closer Sarah saw who it was, and grinned as Baron George Cooper of Pirate's Swoop swept his wife into a bonecrushing hug, before kissing her deeply. There was a chorus of catcalls from the ramparts as the guardsmen watched, and Sarah joined in, until George turned on her. His eyes glinted dangerously. "Next time you've got a mission to go on, lass, I'd appreciate it if you'd keep my wife out of it."

Sarah dismounted and held up her hands placatingly. "I tried to get Mithros to leave her out of it; he'd have nothing of it. I'm sorry…"

His eyes softened and he swept her into a tight hug as well, whispering, "I know the Gods have their own way of doing things, lass. You'd've done your best."

Sarah nodded as they released, but she was saved replying by several calls from the open doors to the palace. "Alanna!"

"Alanna? Sarah? They're back!" That was unmistakably Daine's voice.

Two figures broke off from the group and ran towards the pair; soon they were dwarfed by Numair as he swept them both off their feet, and Daine as she nearly bowled Sarah over. Sarah laughed, "Hello!" Turning to Alanna she said impishly, "You'd almost think we'd been gone ten months or so…"

"Ten months, three days and fourteen hours." George replied. The other two figures from the open door had started striding quickly towards them, and soon Sarah could make out Thayet and Jon, in all their royal finery as they made their way as quickly as was acceptable towards them.

When they were standing before the joyous group Thayet abandoned all formality and launched herself at Alanna while Jon turned to Sarah. "So, the Gods sent you on another mission, and this time loaned you the use of our Lioness?"

Sarah nodded seriously. "I tried to convince them not to, but-"

"Nonsense." His blue eyes sparkled as he said, "You can't convince a god to do anything that doesn't suit their purposes. So, what was it this time?"

Sarah shook her head ruefully. "You'll hardly believe it… I'm dreading telling Numair about it, I fear I'll have to show him at some stage… But watch." She drew her wand and pointed it towards the stable. "Accio grooming brush!" The brush flew towards her, and she caught it easily. "I learnt a lot while I was there. Before I explain, however, can we move this little gathering inside? It's kind of chilly, and Alanna and I need something proper to eat…" She trailed off as a realization hit her. She turned to Daine and Numair. "Where is it?"

They blinked. "Where's what?"

"The baby! Where's the baby?!" She cried, excited.

Daine smiled, an odd light entering her eyes. "Sarralyn is three months old… Onua offered to take her for the night so Numair and I could have some time to ourselves."

Sarah grinned and hugged the Wildmage again. "I'm going to call her Lyn, to save any confusion, alright?" Daine nodded, and Sarah released her. She held out a hand to Numair. "Congratulations." She grinned as he pumped her hand firmly, and they set out toward the palace, stopping only to palm Topaz and Darkmoon off to Stefan, the stable hand.

Thayet asked her where they had been; Sarah just shook her head. "Later, Thayet. It is a long story."

The queen asked another question, Sarah didn't hear as she heard Alanna speaking quietly to George. "Is Thom at the University, or is he back at Pirate's Swoop?"

"At Pirate's Swoop, lass. I'll send word for him in the morning." George answered, his hand gripping hers tightly.

"And Alan?"

"Squiring with Sir Nealan of Queenscove, out near the Tyran border, last I heard. Shall I send word to him, also?"

"No…" Alanna seemed saddened by her youngest son's absence. "What about Aly? Is she still-"

George cut her off softly. "Yes lass, she says she's found her place there."

Sarah saw Alanna nod as she turned back to Thayet. "Hmm? I'm sorry, I wasn't listening."

"I asked where you got that magical stick from." The queen seemed amused.

Sarah laughed and turned to Alanna, who was now striding next to the king. "She called my wand a 'magical stick'!"

Alanna chuckled, shaking her head. "You'll have to take them all to Hogwarts at some stage. It'll be too hard to explain it all otherwise."

Sarah shrugged. "Maybe I will, maybe I'll just hang the possibility over Numair's head so he doesn't bother me about it…"

"Hey!" The lanky mage protested. "Why would I bother you?"

Sarah coughed lightly into her hand. "No reason…"

They had made their way to the king's private study; Daine and Numair left them to gather Sarge and Buri from the rider's barracks. The king sent a messenger to fetch Raoul, Kel and Wildcat from their rooms; they had slept through the announcement of their return.

While they waited the king sent another messenger to fetch refreshments. Sarah was sipping a lemonade when Wildcat swept her off her feet. "So the gods aren't through with you yet?" The Shang whispered in her ear as she crushed a few ribs in greeting.

"Nope." Sarah whispered back, and she felt the pressure ease as Wildcat held her at arm's length.

"Well, in the time you have until you're swept off on another mission I expect you at the training field in the morning, at dawn. Your young friend Riley has been trying to get up in time, but he's always ten minutes late. He has gotten a lot stronger and faster with all the laps he's been running." Wildcat grinned impishly.

Sarah shook her head. "Tomorrow morning, then. But I have work to do at Greenstone for a while… I'll be leaving tomorrow after our training, I have to get the exports sorted."

Alanna, who was being greeted in much the same manner as Sarah had by Sarge and Buri, looked over. "Did I hear something about early morning training? Absolutely not; Sarah needs her rest. She only woke up some eight hours ago…"

Jon frowned. "Woke up from what?"

"She was unconscious for three days after tapping into her life force the day after nearly draining herself and falling about a hundred feet before being caught- barely." Alanna tossed the explanation about in a carefree manner. "Oh, and don't get me started on the other trouble she got herself into…"

Sarah crossed her arms against her chest. "Me? And what about you? At least I didn't go racing off to fight the strongest dark wizard in the entire dimension after draining myself the day before."

"You were going to." Was the retort.

Thayet was giggling, but before anyone could ask for a proper explanation the was a rap at the door; Sarah heard the bawling of an infant from the other side. Onua invited herself in, cradling a small bundle in one arm. "Sarah, Alanna, welcome back!" She hefted the bundle as Daine stepped forward to relieve her of the burden. "I was going to greet you tomorrow, but Sarralyn woke up and just wouldn't go back to sleep, I figured she wanted her mama."

"Aw, come here baby." Sarah was shocked to here baby-talk coming from Daine's mouth. Numair's mouth tugged into a grin as Daine nursed the child.

After the reunions had been made, Jon had forced Sarah to her quarters to sleep. He would hear nothing of her objections, instead focusing on what Alanna had told them of the last few days. As Sarah lay on the hard pallet she felt her body relaxing deeply, and realised how truly tired she was.

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"I haven't had to throw you out of bed since your first week here!" Wildcat crowed as she yanked the blanket off of Sarah, who clawed for it drowsily.

"Come on, 'Cat. I'm tired… you heard what Alanna said…" Sarah drawled as she let her eyes slide closed once again.

"Alanna's always coddling you. If you hadn't used you Gift, instead using what you learnt as a Shang, you wouldn't be so tired." Wildcat said, practically.

Sarah sat up and rubbed her eyes. "It wasn't quite that simple, Wildcat. If I hadn't used my Gift I would be dead several times over by now."

"Hmpf. You're just making excuses for relying on your magic." The Shang insisted.

Sarah shook her head and yawned, flopping backwards onto the pallet. "Another few minutes… I really need the rest." She let her eyes droop closed, and she felt a weight on her bed as the warrior perched on the pallet.

"Alright, young Shang. I suppose you deserve a morning's rest. I'll ride with you to Greenstone, shall I, and hound you there?"

Sarah nodded although her eyes remained closed. "Alright. Just leave me alone right now, I plan to wake at the normal hour. I have a breakfast meeting with Jonathon, and then we'll head off, alright?"

"Don't give an old bag much time to prepare, do you?" Sarah could hear Wildcat's smile even if she couldn't see it.

"Come later, I don't care. Just leave me alone."

Wildcat's chuckle chased her into sleep.

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Sarah rapped on the door to the king's study, but she missed the reply as an angry whistle floated down the hall, and she heard a baby's giggle, chased by the sound of claws ticking on the stone floor. She threw a glance down the hall; there, rounding the corners on all fours at record speed, was Sarralyn Salmalin, followed by a red scaled dragon about two feet long.

Sarah laughed. "Having a bit of trouble there, Kit?" She bent to scoop up the troublesome child and bounced her against a hip. The tiny girl took one look at her and burst into tears. "Oh, no, no, no… come on now, don't cry!"

Sarah looked to the tiny dragon, as though asking for help, but Daine came racing around the corner, panting. "Sarralyn! Come here, shush…" The child calmed down under her mother's ministrations, and a head poked out from the king's study.

"Sarah? Oh, Sarralyn got away from you again?" Jon was amused.

"Again?" The older Sarah was surprised. "She's a handful, then? Can she shape change?"

Daine gave her a look that said, 'Don't talk about it.' Before answering, "Only constantly for the last half of the pregnancy and until my mother told her not to."

"Your mother?" Sarah was confused. "How was she able to come down from the Divine Realms?"

"We christened her on an equinox, she's able to leave my father's land on equinoxes and solstices." Daine explained, and Sarah nodded again.

Jon chose that moment to clear his throat. "Sarah, you said you wanted to discuss your fief? The servants have brought breakfast…"

"Oh, yeah sure Jon. You'll be alright with the little bundle of joy?" Sarah teased Daine.

The Wildmage glared; the baby giggled. "I've heard that term thrown around so oftened…" She mock scowled, before smiling softly, turning down the hall with the dragon at her heels; Sarah and Jon entered his study; there was a platter of fruits and rolls laid out on his desk.

He sat around the other side and picked up a roll, eyeing her as he buttered it. "So, what can I do for you?"

Sarah cleared her throat. "As you know, I'm new to running a fief." He chuckled when heard that. "Anyway, I'm just wondering, the clerk started digging mines for the malachite and clearing fields for farming. The fief doesn't have much money, though, so he didn't follow any sort of safety precautions, and only paid the villagers three coppers a day for working. I think he had the right ideas, but I'm not sure the fief can afford to keep digging the mines; I won't continue without proper safety precautions…"

He was smiling. "You want a loan from the crown."

Sarah blinked. "I can do that? I was just looking for a recommendation to a good merchant that'll lend me the money… And someone who can lead the miners, because I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing…"

"Yes, you can ask for a loan from the crown. As for the expert… I'll have Gary look into it. How much do you think you'll need?"

Sarah bit her lip thoughtfully. "I, ah… didn't think about that, actually. Let's see, a copper an hour for the farmers… does that sound fair?" At his nod she continued. "And… at least three coppers an hour for the miners, because it's fair dangerous…" He nodded again, jotting it down on a scrap of paper. "And I didn't think to check for the quality of the tools, but I may need money for that, and anything the safety precautions will cost…"

He put the quill down and looked at her seriously. "You'll have a problem with the workers."

"Huh?" She was confused; how could he know that without setting foot on the fief?

"You'll be paying half of them three times as much as the other half." He looked amused.

"Shit." His amusement skyrocketed. "Oh be quiet, Majesty. Any other hints?"

"Keep the pay close to fair; no one expects you to manage them down to the copper, not even them, but if you keep someone on the mines for a long time, and another on the farms, then you'll have trouble. Also, make sure they have at least one day a week's rest, even if they argue. Anything else you'll need money for?" He asked.

Sarah thought it over carefully. "Apart from some crops to farm… no, I don't think so. Can you think of anything?"

"Well, how long do you think it's going to be before you can start exporting?" He asked.

"Months, at least. I didn't see the farmlands… Stop laughing. I didn't see the farmlands, but the mine are a few months from operation, at least, I think. As for the farms… even if we get them ready soon, it's almost winter so we can't start growing until spring; that'll be at least five months or so… We may even be able to export the malachite to pay for the crops…" She said thoughtfully, biting a piece of fruit in half.

Jonathon nodded. "Let's not risk it. So we're looking at about a month of preparation for the fields; they should only take about a day to reprep after winter. And the mine, about three months until you can start operations?" Sarah nodded, although she really had no idea. "Doesn't matter, if you need more money just come back to the crown. So it's about twenty gold nobles for the farm, one hundred and eighty for the mine, thirty odd for the tools, and let's say forty for the crops. That'll make it about… two hundred and seventy gold nobles."

Sarah balked. "That's a lot… how'd you get so knowledgeable, anyway?"

He smiled, and his eyes danced. "A leader knows about every aspect of life in his kingdom." She crossed her arms against her chest, an eyebrow raised. "Also, I've sat through entirely too many meetings with the farmer's board."

"That sounds more like it. Are you sure this is okay?" She asked, concerned.

He nodded before standing, the fruit finished. He ran his quill quickly against another scrap of paper, signing his name and passing it to her. "Take this to Gary, he'll draw up the forms, and then you'll need to take them to the treasurer."

She took the paper from him and folded it, sliding it into her pocket. "Thanks Jon. One last thing; in case I'm called away again… what should I do about a clerk? I don't want to pay someone for doing something when I can do the job well enough, but what'll happen if the gods turn up and don't give me any warning? I'll be leaving the fief for who knows how long, and that could be disastrous…"

He perched on the front of his desk, thoughtful. "You could train someone from the village up, and if Mithros or the Goddess require you to go on a mission, they can immediately step in and take over, but you won't have to pay them until you leave…"

Sarah nodded and stood, shaking his hand. "Good idea, Jon. Thanks for all your help. I need to be going; I told the villagers that I'd be back by midday."

He nodded. "You're taking Wildcat with you?"

Sarah shrugged. "She wants to torture me, what can I say?"

He grinned, and led her to the door. "Alanna told us some of your mission, but when you return you really must tell us the rest. It sounds fascinating…"

A/n. Alright, I'll stop it there. The next story will be… drum roll please… Star Wars, I reckon. More specifically around the time when the twins are about… five, six years old-ish (by twins I mean Jaina and Jacen Solo). I would offer a vote, but last time I did that I got very different results and I really didn't listen to anyone (sorry!) So. I hope you enjoyed the story, if you read this far, please, review, and I'll be starting the Star Wars story in the next few… let's say, weeks?