- Alanna of Trebond
Infobox character
image_caption = Alanna the Lioness, featured on the 2003 Hardback edition of Lioness Rampant
name = Alanna of Trebond
age = 44
birthplace = Fief Trebond, Tortall
spouse = Baron George Cooper of Pirate's Swoop
residence = Pirate's Swoop, Trebond, Olau, Corus
occupation = King's Champion, Knight of the realm of Tortall,
children = Thom, Alianne (Aly,) AlanAlanna of Trebond is a
fictional character inTamora Pierce 's "Song of the Lioness" quartet of books. She later appears in Pierce's other series: "The Immortals", "Protector of the Small ", and "Daughter of the Lioness ".Fictional character biography
In "Alanna: The First Adventure", Alanna wants to become the first female
knight in the realm ofTortall in over 100 years- but she is to be sent to a convent and her twin brother, though wanting to be a sorcerer, is to become a knight. They switch places, and Alanna travels to the palace disguised as a boy, though if her secret is revealed, she will be in serious trouble. Alanna is able to undertake the training required to be a page disguised as a boy named "Alan" and befriends several other knights-in-training at the palace, including the Crown PrinceJonathan of Conté and his friends, while trying to keep her gender secret; only her manservant Coram, George Cooper The King of Thieves, his mother Eleni, and eventually Jonathan are aware of her true identity. One of her adult friends Sir Myles of Olau is instructed one night by the Great Mother Goddess to bring Alanna to his fief, where she finds a mysterious and ancient sword in a ruin of the Old Ones. When she returns home she names the sword Lightning. Later she travels with her squire friends to the Bazhir city of Persopolis, where she and Jonathan go to the Black City to fight the Ysandir, also known as the Nameless Ones. It is during their fight with the Ysandir that Jonathan learns that "Alan" is really a girl.In the second book, "In the Hand of the Goddess" Alanna becomes romantically and sexually involved with Prince Jonathan, her knight-master during her time as squire; she is also romantically pursued by George. She distinguishes herself in battle, and passes the tests for knighthood, finally winning her shield. Alanna then discovers a plot by King's nephew Roger against the Royal Family. When she exposes Roger, they fight a duel in
trial by combat , during which Alanna's gender is finally revealed. Alanna defeats Roger in combat and kills him.After defeating and killing Roger in a duel, Alanna decides to leave Corus, and her further adventures appear in "The Woman Who Rides Like a Man". Alanna returns to the Bazhir desert. She becomes a member of a tribe who dwells there and unknowingly becomes the tribe
shaman (though she is later replaced by two of her students). She also ends her romantic relationship with Jonathan after he proposes, though they stay friends, and instead she turns to George Cooper.In "Lioness Rampant", Alanna sets out on a quest to retrieve the Dominion Jewel in the far-off land of Sarain. In her absence she has an affair with a Shang warrior, Liam Ironarm, and picks up many friends, among them the princess Thayet (who eventually weds Prince Jonathan). Upon arriving back home, she finds that her proud brother Thom had resurrected her enemy Roger; she also discovers that the King and Queen have both died, leaving Jonathan as King of Tortall. Soon after, Roger regains his magic and she is once again forced to kill him amidst a bloody coup, in which Liam, Thom, and Alanna's supernatural cat Faithful are killed. At the end of the final installment in the quartet, she has had a relationship and is betrothed to George Cooper.
Alanna appears in "The Immortals" , in the "
Protector of the Small " and again briefly in the "Daughter of the Lioness " books, which feature her daughter Alianne. During "The Immortals", she befriendsVeralidaine Sarrasri (Daine) upon the latter's arrival in Tortall and supports her through her various adventures. In the "Protector of the Small" quartet, which features another young woman trying for her knighthood, Alanna wishes to take this young Keladry of Mindelan under her wing, but is expressly forbidden by the king and the training master as this would result in the rumors that Alanna had magicked the girl to succeed. Instead, she acts as an unknown benefactor, sending anonymous gifts that help Keladry as a knight-in-training. It is also thought that she asks Sir Raoul of Goldenlake, a longtime friend, to take her on as his squire, but in truth Raoul accepted Keladry of his own accord; Alanna takes on Kel's best friend Nealan of Queenscove as squire instead.In "
Lady Knight ", Alanna, as King's Champion and the Lioness, becomes a commander of the army on the coast during the Scanran War with King Maggur. She is stationed at Frasrlund, on the Vassa River, a prominent port in Northern Tortall. She later moves to Fort Mastiff, where she learns that her daughter, Alianne, has been found by her husband as part of the plot in "Trickster's Choice ".Children
Alanna has three children: The eldest, Thom, is named after her brother; he later studies magic at the Royal University and is considered a serious student. He is also said to have a 'knack' with children, and is sought after for babysitting by his fellow students at the university.
She also has a pair of twins, Alan & Alianne, nicknamed Aly. The former is named after Alanna's biological father, Alan of Trebond. This is also the name she assumed while training as a page in the palace. Alan is currently training to be a knight at the Royal Palace in Corus, although he is considerably older than his peers. He becomes squire to Sir Raoul. Alanna's daughter Alianne has her own series, the "
Daughter of the Lioness " duology, affectionately known as "The Trickster Series". These two books chronicle Aly's travels in the Copper Isles.Pierce on her character
On her homepage, Tamora Pierce reveals that in her first draft of her "Song of the Lioness" Quartet, Alanna would have married Prince Jonathan and become Queen of Tortall. However, she recalls that the romance felt awkward because Alanna "did not want to be Queen; she did not want to have to be nice to people she didn't like. She also understood that sooner or later she would embarrass Jon, or that he would want her to start acting like a proper queen and stop doing the things she loved" and her other romantic interest, George Cooper "always valued her for who she is". This why she rewrote the last part of her story, made Alanna and Jon break up with each other and let Jon marry Thayet and Alanna marry George. [ [http://www.tamora-pierce.com/etc.htm#spoilers Tamora Pierce's Et Cetra page with Favorites, Spoilers, quotes - et Cetra, updated 1-06 ] ]
References
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