Disclaimer: I do not own Circle of Magic, or any of the associated characters. All credit goes to Tamora Pierce.

Summary: Valden and Darra Chandler disowned their daughter and said that they never wanted to see her again. One day, they did.

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR

One of the first lessons a Merchant child learns is that Traders cannot be trusted. They are always up to something, and it usually involves cheating honest, hard-working merchant families. They were a necessary nuisance, buying and selling goods produced by merchants, but bad things always happened when they were around.

Darra Chandler had known, taught and been taught this fact her entire life, and knew the signs. There were Traders in Emelan right now, where the Chandler family were visiting, Tenth Caravan Indram, and all of them either scowled as soon as they were introduced, or smirked, as if they knew something that Darra didn't. Furthermore, Darra had children, and a mother's instinct of when trouble of some kind was brewing, an instinct that had been fine-tuned when her oldest daughter, Trisana, had still been with them, before they had managed to be rid of her.

Something was going to happen, Darra just didn't know what.

Trisana Chandler had been waiting a long time for this meeting.

It had been far too long since she had seen her foster-family, and letters weren't really the same as being face-to-face with each other.

They had all changed so much.

Tris didn't know how many hearts Briar must have broken by now, and she didn't care to guess. Taking on the responsibility and teaching of another street-kid had given him a sense of maturity to go along with his charm and good looks, and Tris wondered how long it would be until they were interrupted by some hopeful hussy.

Daja had always been steady and sensible, but something had shaken her since they had last seen each other, some kind of loss or betrayal or unwanted realization. If Tris hadn't known better, she would have likened it to when the lightning under her control had destroyed the pirate ships attacking Winding Circle, the time she had truly grasped how much harm her magic could do.

Sandry was as full of energy as always, but the responsibilities that she had been forced to take on as Lady Sandraline fa Toren, along with helping her Uncle, the Duke, and a student of her own had steadied her from the sometimes-flighty girl Tris remembered.

Well, perhaps not too much, as Sandry shrieked and practically flew over to hug Tris and coo over Chime, the little glass dragon that her former student had created by accident.

Daja's embrace was a little more restrained, but no less happy, and Tris wondered if it was really worth giving Briar an electric shock when he tugged on one of her lightning braids. "Good to see you again, Coppercurls."

Daja probably guessed her foster-sister's train of thought, as she quickly intervened. "Tenth Caravan Indram is in town. Shall we go scandalize some merchants with our lack of animosity?"

Tenth Caravan Indram was Daja's 'official' family, the Trader Family who had taken her in and revoked her status of trangshi after the four young mages had saved them from a forest fire. Traders were known for their scorn of anyone who was not a Trader, and saati, non-Traders as dear as family, were extremely rare. Three at once, as Daja's friends were, was almost unheard of, and tended to scandalize anyone who didn't know the four mages personally.

Tris linked arms with her foster-sister. "I have some coloured-glass flames from Chime, if you wanted to make some jewellery. I can get as much as you need, as soon as I get the ingredients that colour glass."

Daja was unique among Traders, in that she made things, rather than trading them. She loved smith-work, and was a talented jeweller, among other things. Briar joined Tris on the other side, pulling Sandry with him. "I have some bonsai and perfumes to sell. How good a price to you thing you can haggle me?"

The Merchant-born girl gave him a condescending look. There was no need to be insulting.

Darra and Valden were walking through the marketplace, observing the vendors and their prices, and thinking of perhaps buying lunch, when she caught the unusual sight that had most of the less-polite market-goers openly staring.

A tall, solidly-built Trader woman was walking through, which was nothing strange, except for her company, all non-traders. One was slim and delicate, with the bearing of a noble. Another was a handsome boy, teasing the fourth, who was somehow familiar. Valden scowled and started to move on, but Darra looked closer.

The long nose and grey eyes were the same that Darra saw in the mirror every day. The red curls, tightly braided bar two thin ones framing her freckled face that were currently being gently tugged by the youth, were the exact same shade as her husband, as was the short, slightly plump, build. The voice – and the tone – were also far too familiar. "Briar Moss, I am warning you now…"

The noble girl giggled. "Tris, do you honestly think that's going to work? Mage or not, he's never listened to us before."

The familiar-looking redhead fixed them both with a hard stare. "That's my lightning braid he's tugging. Much more, and it'll unravel, and Briar will be staggering around like he was electrocuted, and it'll serve him right."

The voice and frame were right, as was the threat of being struck by lightning if she became upset. But it couldn't be.

It couldn't be the girl that they had thought to be possessed by demons, or cursed, or some kind of elemental. Trisana had failed every test the magic-testers had tried, and she certainly wasn't a mage. Sharing a glance with Valden as the girl glared at her companion, Darra fully expected the other three to run, as their family had. To the contrary, the other girls just laughed, while the youth, Briar, dropped the braid, speaking in a tempting tone. "You know, Evvy found a book written by Vasaria Earthshaker…"

Darra barely swallowed a gasp. Vasaria Earthshaker was the most powerful Earth Mage in recorded history, and books written by her were worth a king's ransom. Wherever this boy was trading, they needed to visit him, to see if he had any other such treasures.

Valden was not quite so restrained, and caught the attention of a vendor. "Are you alright, Merchant Chandler?"

The vendor had the voice of one who was used to shouting his wares, and it carried to where the quartret were walking. The redhead girl stilled, and slowly turned to look at them, as did her friends, and her identity was unmistakable.

Recognition sparked in storm-grey eyes, even more stormy as sparks crackled over the braid Briar had been playing with. The Trader nudged her carefully. "Tris, your hair's sparking."

Trisana, their disowned daughter, ran a hand over her hair, the sparks collecting in her hand and fading as she closed her fingers around them, the hard expression turning to one of forced indifference as she looked away again. "Are Lark and Rosethorn around? I've missed our foster-mothers, and I want to talk to Lark about finding a place for Glaki, the weather-mage child I took in…"

The other three closed ranks around her, walking away as Darra and Valden exchanged glances again. Trisana had friends, foster-family, and while she recognized those who gave birth to her, she had no desire to acknowledge them.

They had wanted to be rid of Tris, to never see her again, to have her be someone else's daughter, part of someone else's family.

Their dream had come true, but it had not felt as sweet as they had expected. The old saying was true.

Be Careful What You Wish For.

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A/N: I wondered, what would happen if Tris's parents did see her again, now that she is a powerful mage. Several fics have her either reconciling, or having her foster-siblings confront them. I went a different route. It has been at least seven years since they gave her away, so while the abandonment still hurts, Tris has a new family now, and I think that her indifference would drive the point home more than any kind of recrimination.

As with all of my Character Interpretations, you are free to disagree with me. I have my opinion, and everyone else has theirs.

I'm going away for Christmas on the 20th, and won't be back until after New Year, so I'm posting several updates now to tide you all over. Reviews make wonderful Christmas Presents!

Thanks, Nat.