Of Centaurs and Practice Swords, a song of the lioness fanfic

Title: Of Centaurs and Practice Swords

Disclaimer: No characters named, referenced, or suggested in this story belong to me except Nana – Liam, Lianne, Jasson, and everyone else are Tamora Pierce's creation, as is the world they're living it. I'm just borrowing them a little. :)

Author's Note: Just so everyone knows, I'm using the same age set up for this as I'm using for Smaller Stars (not that one had to have read one to read the other - they're not linked). During the story, Liam is about six, Lianne is about five, and Jasson has just turned three.

"In the war, a party of centaurs and hurroks attacked the royal nursery. The Stump fought off the hurroks and centaurs all by himself. He saved Prince Liam, Prince Jasson, and Princess Lianne." (First Test, pg. 43-44)

Roald didn't have to wait in the nursery.

Liam moved the small doll in his hand across the floor slowly, scowling. It wasn't fair. Roald got to go off and see all the immortals and the soldiers and the fighting just because he was a page now, and here he was, stuck in the nursery playing dolls with Anne like a baby. And he was not a baby.

He was going to practice all the fencing that his aunt had showed him with the wooden practice sword he had gotten for his last birthday. He probably still could, but Anne wasn't used to being "cooped up" like Nana had said on nice days, and had started crying almost as soon as they had locked the door. Nana was busy with Jasson, and so Liam had thought it was probably his duty to make her feel better. He just wished it didn't have to involve dolls.

"How about," he said, reaching for another doll abandoned on the floor, "we make them do marching."

Anne looked at him sourly. "No. My dolls don't march. They dance. It is a ball." She nodded firmly as she said this, and then looked back down to Auntie Cythera, the small blond doll which she was turning in small circles on the floor.

"But what if a bad guy comes in to the ball?" he demonstrated with what he thought was probably Uncle Raoul, rushing the little cotton figure around on the floor.

"Uncle Gary is not a bad guy."

Liam glanced at the small head with the mop of messy black wool sewn atop and tried to figure out why this particular doll had been named Uncle Garry. He knew better than to ask. "He could pretend."

"No he couldn't." Anne swung her legs around and stretched out on her stomach, chin on the floor and dolls dancing before her at eye level.

Hoping he wouldn't be noticed, Liam began to march his dolls back and forth anyway, doing his best to create the formations he had seen the soldiers using with only two hands. There were lots of soldiers around lately. Alan had said it was because the immortals were mad. He would know – they had been at Pirate's Swoop. With dragons, too. Liam wished he had been there, but he had been too little. He was a baby then, but he was not a baby anymore.

So it was really unfair he had to sit in the nursery. He hated the nursery; he hated everything about it. The colors on the wall were too bright, and the toys were too stupid, and Jasson kept crying, and Anne always wanted to do girl things. Nana was all right, but she was busy. Liam wished he was back in his own room. He had been there, practicing with his sword, when a big man had come in and said Liam had to go with him on "his father's orders". That meant Papa said so, and so Liam went, but he had thought he would be going further than to just down the hall, where another man was standing, holding onto Anne's hand. Anne was making scared faces and had grabbed onto Liam's arm as soon as she had seen him. Even after the men locked the door behind them and Nana had promised it was only for a little while, Anne hadn't let go until Liam had gotten the dolls out.

Outside it was very quiet. It had been really noisy earlier in the day, before Liam had gone to the nursery, and he had been able to see lots of people running around from his window. It had been normal after that, and then very loud again, for a very long time. Liam wondered if the noise would be back later. He hoped it wouldn't – he bet whatever was going on was what was keeping him in here.

The bell sounded seven times, and Liam poked at his vegetables, sighing. Even though it hadn't been noisy outside for a very long time, he still hadn't been allowed to leave the nursery. Nana wouldn't even let him open a window.

Across the small table, not seeming upset at all, Anne was sticking cut up pieces of meat into her mouth with her fingers. Normally Nana would scold and tell Anne that it wasn't proper for princesses to eat with their hands, but she was busy, and Anne seemed to be enjoying her freedom.

"Mama wouldn't like that," Liam said, moving his peas into a triangle.

Anne paused, her hand halfway to her mouth. "She's not here," she said once she had thought about it, popping the duck into her mouth.

Liam shrugged. "You'll get in trouble."

"Don't tattle."

"Princess Lianne." Nana stood in the doorway that went to the bedroom, carrying Jasson and making a mad face. "You know you have to use a fork!"

Frowning, Anne put the meat in her hand back down on the plate delicately, and then picked up a fork. Liam laughed, and she kicked him under the table for it. Hard. He finished the rest of his dinner in silence, shin still sore.

People were yelling. Liam didn't like it and he covered his ears to keep the noise out. He sat up and looked around, but there was nobody else on the raft. There were too many voices for him to hear the words…except 'stop'. He could hear 'stop'.

Someone grabbed his shoulder from behind him and shook it.

Liam opened his eyes and rolled over. Anne was standing by the bed and holding her bear very tight. "Something's happening," she whispered, climbing onto the bed next to him.

He had woken up, but the yelling hadn't gone away. It sounded like it was close too, and even though Anne was holding onto his nightshirt, Liam sat up and tried to hear where it was coming from. In another room, Jasson was crying.

Suddenly, the yelling stopped, even though the crying didn't. It was very quiet, and then something made a loud crash. Anne hid her face in the pillow, and Liam could feel her shaking. Something crashed again, and Nana ran into the room, holding Jasson, who was half crying and half babbling a lot of words that all sounded like "bad." By the time Nana put him down on the bed, Anne was crying too. Nana didn't hug her like she usually did when Anne cried; she ran back and shut the door instead.

"Help me, Liam," she said, but all Liam could do was stare at her. She was trying to pull Anne's toy chest in front of the door, but it must have been too heavy, or maybe she couldn't move very well in her nightdress, which he had never seen her in, because she wasn't moving it very far. Her hair was coming all out of her braid, which never happened, and Liam thought maybe he heard wrong, because she always called him 'Prince Liam', even when he said not to. When she said "Your Highness!" it sounded like she was maybe going to cry too. That got Liam out of bed.

He ran to help pull the chest. Something crashed again; Jasson started crying louder and Liam started pulling harder. When they had it pressed up against the door, Nana grabbed his hand and pulled him back towards the bed.

"Don't move." Nana told him. Anne reached for her, but she turned and ran into the washroom. Liam let Anne hug him instead, even though she was squeezing too hard.

She came back out and she had a bow, which Liam had seen in there before, and arrows, which he hadn't. There were a bunch of them held in her teeth, and she was putting one up against the string. Jasson tried to climb over Anne and go to her, but Liam grabbed the back of his nightshirt and held him still. He wasn't allowed to play by people holding weapons yet, not even their Aunt Alanna. Not even Nana, even though Nana never ever used weapons.

There was another crash, and time it sounded like something really big broke. Still hugging him tightly, Anne hid her face against his shoulder. "I want Mama," she was saying, over and over, and Liam wished she wouldn't, because she was making him want Mama too, and Mama wasn't here.

"Be quiet," he told her, and she tried to listen, but he could still hear her making little hiccup noises, and that meant whoever was walking around in their play room – and somebody was, he could hear them – might hear her too. Nana stood a little bit away from the door with her arrow pulled all the way back. Liam wondered if it was supposed to be shaking like that.

It was very quiet for a minute, except for the footsteps, and Anne's hiccupping, and Jasson's whines as he tried to get away. Then something hit the door very hard, and it stopped being quiet. Anne started screaming, so Jasson started screaming, and Nana started saying lots of words very fast that sounded like the prayers she had taught Liam all mushed together. He wanted to tell everyone to be quiet and they might go away, but now he was crying too.

Something hit the door again, and again, and again, and it broke off the doorframe in three pieces and fell to the floor. Nana fired her bow, and there was a yell from outside the room. As she was putting another arrow onto the string, someone stepped through the doorway and Liam wanted to scream, too.

He was a horse on the bottom but a person on the top, and Liam knew he knew the name, but he couldn't remember. He couldn't remember anything but cutting himself on a very sharp spear he picked up once, and that was what the man was pointing at Nana. Nana fired again and the arrow hit the man in his shoulder. He stepped backwards, and then switched the spear to his other hand as Nana tried to put up another arrow. She had gotten it, she was going to fire – and then the man had moved forward very fast and the spear was sticking out of her belly. She fell.

In his ear, Anne's screaming stopped sounding like "Mama" and started sounding more like one high note that went on forever.

The centaur – that was the word – looked at them, and they tumbled off the bed almost in unison, backing away. Jasson wasn't good at walking backwards, and Anne was practically dragging him. They hadn't gone more than few steps when another centaur came through the door.

Behind him, Anne stopped moving. They had reached the wall. Liam glanced to the left. There were curtains hanging over the window, but they had been spelled to stay up after Jasson had pulled them down once. He glanced right. Nana had piled their clothes on a chair. One of Anne's dolls had been left on the floor and next to it…. Liam looked at the centaur, still advancing, and then ran to the chair. The wood made his hands sting, but he turned back around to the monster, practice sword held tightly in front of him.

The centaur looked at him and laughed. So did the one behind him. Liam's mind went suddenly blank, and even though he tried, he couldn't concentrate on the very sharp point of the spear. When Liam tried to move back towards Anne and Jasson, the centaur took another step forward. He smiled as he pointed his spear right at Liam's face.

"Go away!" Anne shouted, holding Jasson to her and stepping back very slowly towards the other corner.

Liam tried to remember the things his aunt had showed him. He was supposed to watch the centaur's chest to see where he would move, but he was so much taller and he had so many legs Liam wasn't sure where to look. He was looking so hard at the first centaur that he didn't notice the second coming closer until he had grabbed the sword and pulled. Liam struggled to hold onto it, but the second centaur turned it, and something in Liam's shoulder popped. Pain worse than anything hit him, and the sword slipped out of his fingers.

The centaur with his sword kept watching Liam; the other one moved towards Anne, huddled in the corner with Jasson. "Liam!" She screamed and he tried to run to them. The wooden end of a spear hit him across the chest and he fell backwards, trying very hard to breath. The centaur leaned forward and grabbed him, pulling him away from the wall – and then he stopped. People were shouting again, and both of the centaurs were looking at the door. They turned around and faced it, pointing their spears that way. Still gasping a little, Liam crawled across the floor to Anne. She grabbed onto the arm that hurt, and he bit his lip to keep from shouting. It tasted like blood.

The noises in the play room were just like the ones Liam had heard earlier in the day, but much closer. Someone was yelling very impolite words, and there was a noise that sounded like sort of like a scream, except it didn't sound like a person, and it hurt his ears.

The centaurs weren't watching them at all anymore. Someone said something, Liam couldn't hear the words, and there was another scream and a very loud thud. Then it was quiet again.

The centaurs stepped towards the door very slowly, spears up. Before they got there a man came in, and Liam had the wild hope that it would be Papa. It wasn't, but it was a real knight, with a sword held out in front of him the right way, just like Aunt Alanna. The arm that wasn't holding the sword was just hanging at his side, all cut up and dripping blood on the floor. Liam had the sudden thought that Nana would be very mad at him for making a mess when she got up, but she still hadn't moved.

"I hereby arrest you in the name of –" the man didn't get to finish what he was saying. One of the centaurs tried to hit him with his spear, yelling. Just in time, the man swung his sword up in the way and blocked it. The centaur tried again, but the man dodged and then moved forward very fast. His sword went into the centaur's chest. The centaur didn't move for a moment, and neither did the man. When he pulled his sword out, though, the centaur took a step backwards, and then collapsed. With a start, Liam realized it was dead. He had never seen anyone die before, and he wished he hadn't.

The other centaur - the one who had taken Liam's sword - stepped forward now. Liam couldn't see his face, but he bet it was mad.

"Yield for the Crown's mercy," the man told it, moving his feet to fight and bringing his sword up. The centaur spat and swung the wooden part of his spear at the man's hurt arm. He tried, but the man didn't move fast enough to get out of the way, and he almost fell over when it hit him. He stayed up, though, and Liam's heart beat very fast as he watched the man cut the centaur's shoulder with his sword. The man didn't look very good. His skin was all white and Liam could see that when he moved he sort of swayed a little bit, like he was tired.

Liam opened his mouth to shout and warn the man, but before he could, the centaur had moved his spear forward again. The man jerked his head away, but it hit his face anyway, and the man shouted as he fell. Liam could see a big cut going from his eye towards his hair. It was bleeding an awful lot, and Liam was struck with panic, knowing the man was going to die and that meant they all would too.

The centaur stood over the man, spear pointed down as his throat, and Liam's chest felt tight, like someone was squeezing him. Then suddenly the centaur was on the ground, his front legs bent and bleeding underneath him and his spear dropped on the ground. Liam wasn't sure what had happened, but the man was pulling his sword away; he must have cut something.

The man climbed to his feet slowly, and the centaur tried to do the same. It couldn't, and when it reached for its spear, the man kicked it away. It rolled under Liam's bed, and the man held his sword up against the centaur's throat. "Yield for the Crown's mercy," the man sounded a lot angrier than it had the first time he had said it, and Liam wasn't sure he wanted the centaur to yield at all.

It didn't. Its hand moved forward like it was going to push the sword away, but before it could, the man swung, and the centaur fell, a long cut across his neck.

The man stared down at the centaur, which was making little gurgling noises, until it stopped moving. Then he looked up and around until he saw Liam. "Your Highnesses," he said, taking a step towards them. But his knees bent suddenly, and it looked like he was going to fall; the man put a hand against the wall and leaned on it. He was still, and then stepped forward a few more times, reaching Anne's bed and sitting down on it heavily.

Liam tried to get up, but Anne's grip on his arm – which still hurt very much – was too strong. She had pressed her face against his back during the fighting, and was taking big gulps of air. Jasson was holding onto her nightshirt with one first and crying around the fingers of his other hand, which he was sucking on. "Anne," Liam tried to pull her hands away without hurting his shoulder too much; it didn't work. "They went away. Let go."

She did, slowly, and looked up at him. Her face was all wet from crying, and her lip was still shaking. "I want Mama," she said again, very quietly.

"Stay here." Liam stood up slowly, a little bit dizzy. The man was leaning back against the wall behind Anne's bed, face looking grey. He was holding the cut up arm close to his chest, and the blood was dripping over his fingers and making stains on the blankets.

"Are you hurt?" the man asked him when Liam approached. Liam wanted to say yes. He wanted to say his shoulder felt like fire and his chest was sore, and his shin was still sore, and he wanted Mama, and he had splinters in his hands. But the man's face was still bleeding, and his arm looked so bad. Liam shook his head. "Is there any water?"

Liam nodded and turned, running towards the door. He had to be extra careful not to trip over the centaurs or – or Nana, who still hadn't gotten up. The man called after him to wait, but Liam had already reached the door.

The playroom was a mess. The doors that went to the hallway had been broken off the wall, and there were horses all across the floor. Some were centaurs, like the ones inside, and some were horses all over, except they had wings. Liam had seen pictures of these, but he didn't know what they were called. Outside the doorway, there was a man lying on the floor with his eyes open, but Liam didn't think he was awake. Everyone was dead.

He didn't want to, but after a deep breath, he walked across the playroom to Nana's room. There was a pitcher of water next to the bed, and a cup that was half empty. Liam took both and brought them back. Seeing all the horses on the floor of the playroom made him feel like crying or throwing up, but he didn't want to do either of those things. He kept his eyes on the walls the whole way back to Anne's bed and tried to pretend they weren't really there.

When he got there, Anne and Jasson had left the corner, and were sitting on the bed next to the man. Jasson was still crying, but Anne had stopped, and Liam could tell she didn't know what to do anymore. "Nana's not moving," she said, hugging Jasson close.

Liam filled the cup the rest of the way and handed it to the man, who drank it. "I don't think she's gonna." He said. His throat hurt and his eyes stung; he wiped at them with his sleeve quickly.

The man was looking at him with a very serious face. "You're very brave," he said, but he looked sad when he said it.

Even though he tried not to, Liam couldn't help it. He started to cry again. He didn't want to be brave anymore; he wanted to be back in his room, in his bed, with no centaurs and no horses. No one said anything for what felt like a very long time. Liam and Jasson kept crying, the man kept taking very slow breaths and holding onto his arm, and Anne watched in silence, chin shaking and knees pulled against her chest.

She was the first one to say something. "Papa!" Liam looked up. Anne had let go of Jasson, climbed off the bed, and was running to the door where their Papa was standing, looking grey just like the man. When she reached him he picked her up and held her very close. Liam could see Uncle Gary behind him, and a lot of other men he didn't recognize.

"Get a healer," Papa said to someone behind him. He came towards the bed; Uncle Gary moved past him and picked Jasson up.

"Your Majesty –" The man's voice sounded funny, like it was hard to talk.

Papa shook his head, and took Liam's hand as he stood up. "Tell me later." The man nodded and closed his eyes; Papa added, in a quiet voice, "Thank you."

"Your Majesty," Liam looked over his shoulder. A man was bent over Nana, and looking up at Papa. "The nurse is de –" Papa made a funny noise and an angry face at the man, who looked at Liam and then at Anne before talking again. "She's D-E-A-D."

"I learned what that spells," Anne said. At first she was quiet, and then started to cry again, hiding her face in Papa's neck. It wasn't the loud crying she had been doing before; Liam could only tell she was crying at all because her shoulders were shaking. He wasn't sure if it was better or worse that way.

"They can't be here," Papa was using an upset voice that Liam didn't hear very often, and it scared him. He held Papa's hand a little bit tighter and leaned in a little bit closer; with a whimper, Anne wrapped her arms around his neck.

"They're not going to let us take them, Jon." Uncle Gary was rubbing Jasson's back, but Jasson was still crying. "I'll fill you in later."

Papa didn't look happy, but he nodded. Uncle Gary gave Jasson to one of the other men – Liam thought he might be a knight too – and sat down on the edge of Anne's bed. The man opened his eyes and looked at him, but didn't say anything.

"I'm taking them to see a healer," Papa finally said. "Find me as soon as you can."

Liam tried not to look down as Papa led him and the other knight out. The men were already pushing the horses out of the way. In the hallway, the man Liam had seen was covered with some a sheet; cloth was pulled over two other men, too, but Liam could see their feet. He hoped Anne wasn't looking.

Halfway down the staircase they passed some men running towards them. Normally when people passed Papa they would stop and bow, but these men didn't. Liam watched over his shoulder as they went towards the nursery. He knew one, he was pretty sure. Duke Baird was Papa's friend. Liam had seen him lots of times.

Papa squeezed his hand. He was trying to make Liam feel better, and Liam was glad for it. But it didn't work.