Daughter of The Lioness - Trickster's Choice

"I proclaim the shallowness of the world and of fashion. I scorn those who sway before each breeze of taste that dictates what is stylish in one's dress, or face, or hair. I scoff at the hollowness of life." - Aly (while teasing her father)

Alianne of Pirate's Swoop - normally called Aly - is the daughter of George Cooper, Baron of Pirate's Swoop, second-in-command of his realm's spies; and Alanna the Lioness of Pirate's Swoop and Olau, lady knight, King's Champion of Tortall, and a living legend. However, far from wanting to follow in her mother's footsteps, the career Aly wishes to follow is her father's; that of a spy.

Frustrated with her parents, (who refuse to allow her to become a spy), Aly takes her boat, the "Cub", and sails down the coast, but is captured by pirates along the way. Despite being a pretty girl in a very bad situation, Aly keeps her head, intentionally getting herself bruised and starving herself so that she won't be bought as a sex slave. She also utilizes the self-defense training her father gave her to keep other slaves from bothering her.

The pirates try to sell her as a slave in Rajmuat, capital city of the Copper Isles, with no success. Aly is eventually given away as a general-work slave to the noble Balitang family, which consists of Duke Mequen, his wife Duchess Winnamine, their children Lady Petranne and Lord Elsren, and Duke Mequen's two daughters by his first marriage to Duchess Sarugani, Lady Saraiyu (Sarai) and Lady Dovasary (Dove). (She is later informed by Kyprioth, the Trickster god, that he was the one who kept her from being sold because he wanted her to go to the Balitang family.)

However, shortly after Aly's arrival, the Balitang family falls out of favor with King Oron of the Copper Isles, and are forced to sell most of their slaves and household goods. When it is Aly's turn to be reviewed by a slave matcher the Balitangs hire, a god appears to her and the Balitangs. Aly sees the god Kyprioth, the Trickster God and patron of the raka, who wagers her a quick, safe journey home and a recommendation to her father that she begin work as a spy, provided she can keep the Balitang children alive until the autumn equinox. He, posing as his brother - the Great God, Mithros - appears to the Balitangs and tells them to keep Aly as his messenger to them and trust her insights.

Aly travels with the Balitangs to the highlands on Lombyn Isle, where they own a fiefdom called Tanair. There, Kyprioth sends Aly help, in the form of the native crows, who, after agreeing to spy for her, begin to teach Aly their language. At Tanair, Aly also learns of the raka conspiracy: the native raka people of the Copper Islands, led by many of the Balitangs' pure-blood raka servants and slaves, plan to overthrow the luarin invaders who oppressed them centuries ago, and put Lady Sarai, on the throne. They believe Sarai, whose father is fourth in line to the luarin throne, and whose mother was one of the last descendants of the old raka queens, is the prophesied Twice-Royal Queen who will lead the raka to greatness. Aly figures out the conspiracy and helps indirectly, though she doesn't officially agrees to join the conspiracy and serve as its spymaster until the next book.

Meanwhile, many things happen in the Copper Isles. The Balitangs are visited by Prince Bronau, a close friend of the family who has also fallen out of favor with the king, and who flirts constantly with Sarai. One of the crows, named Nawat, transforms himself into a man and begins to work as a fletcher at Tanair. He falls in love with Aly, and despite the fact that she tries to act professionally around him at first, Aly is attracted to him as well. Aly is also visited by Kyprioth, who takes her on a journey in a dream to Rajmuat, to see the death of King Oron and the coronation of King Hazarin, his son from his first marriage.

During this time, Mithros, (the sun god), and the Great Mother goddess appear to Kyprioth and Aly, demanding why their brother is so far from the seas that they banished him to. Aly covers up for Kyprioth, remembering the training she received about lying to the gods and managing to fool the two deities by telling only part of the truth. They leave, and Aly grins at Kyprioth and tells him that he owes her.

Prince Bronau returns to the capital, but politics in Rajmuat change quickly. Before long, King Hazarin is dead of apoplexy, and King Oron's three-year-old son Dunevon is king, with his sister Princess Imajane and her husband Prince Rubinyan as regents. Prince Bronau, who is Prince Rubinyan's brother, attempts to kidnap the new King, and soon there is a warrant for his arrest on a charge of treason. He returns to Tanair to visit the Balitangs, but, when they try and convince him to turn himself in, he brings in soldiers and tries to take Tanair by force. His plan is to marry Sarai, kill the king and, when Duke Mequen is King, force him to abdicate in Bronau's favour. However, the raka conspiracy, prepared for a fight, defeats Prince Bronau's forces with the help of the crows. In the fighting, Bronau mortally wounds Duke Mequen, and Dove kills Bronau with two of Nawat's specially-fletched arrows.

At the end of the book, Aly's father arrives to take her home, but Aly decides to stay with the Balitangs as they live at Tanair through the winter, before their return to Rajmuat in the summer. She has grown to love the family, and wants to help them defeat the mad rulers of the Copper Isles. She does, however, require that Kyprioth give her father his boon (which he used to make Kyprioth release Aly from her wager) back, and scolds him for tricking her into falling in love with the Copper Isles.