Hey, my third (second) fanfic. It's NOT classic. It's very different from other "Alanna goes to the convent"s.

Chapter 1: The departure

Maude shook her head. "I cannot make such a decision without help. I must try and See, in the fire."

Thom frowned. "I thought you couldn't. I thought you could only heal."

Maude wiped sweat from her face. She was afraid. "Never mind what I can do and what I cannot do," she snapped, "Alanna, bring wood. "Thom, vervain.

The twins rushed and did as they were told, returning with the required things. Maude knelt before the fire and tossed the leaves onto the fire, her lips moving silently with the sacred words. Power from her and the twins filled the fire and it turned green and purple. Maude drew a deep breath and grabbed the twins left hand, thrusting them into the fire. Power shot up their arms.

Alanna frowned. There was a picture, forming in the fire. But that was impossible- Maude was the only one who should See anything. But anyway it was there, growing and spreading. It was a city all of black, shiny stone. Alanna leaned forward, squinting to see it better. The sun beat down on the towers and walls of the city. Alanna was afraid.

Suddenly Maude let go of the children and the picture vanished. Maude rolles back on her heels. She looked old and tired. "I have seen many things I do not understand," she whispered finally. "Many things…." She sighed. "Very well. Tomorrow Thom and I go to the city of the gods."

The next day Alanna, Thom and Maude arranged everything for the swap. While Thom climbed into a riding shirt, Maude took Alanna to the dressing room to cut her hair. Alanna looked at the floor and waited for the first lock to fall. As it fell, the door burst open. Maude and Alanna turned around and gasped in shock. Lord Alan of Trebond stood in the door frame, his eyes wide and his mouth open.

"Maude, what are you doing?", he shouted. Then he saw the pair of scissors in Maude's hand and the red lock on the floor. "No…no…you…you wanted to cut her hair? How dare you?"

Alanna stepped towards her father and took a deep breath. "Father, please. I can't be a lady, and Thom can't be a knight. Why don't you understand that?"

"Because there is nothing to understand! You will be a lady, like all of the other noble girls. You're not supposed to be a knight! No girl is! Today you're leaving for the convent, but not with Maude, because she just showed me that I can't trust her. You'll be travelling with the maid Charina. Go and change your clothes now." When Alanna was out of the room he looked at Maude. "We'll talk later.", he said and went away.

"Thom!", Alanna cried, knocking on the door to the room in which Thom was dressing. After a few moments he came out, a questioning look on his face.

"What is it?"

"Father. He was here. He saw Maude, cutting my hair. Now he decided that another woman will be travelling with me. What was her name? Char….Charina, I think. I don't think she will agree with the plan and I'm also sure that our dear father will watch over our departure. What do we do now?"

Thom's eyes widened. Their plan wouldn't work and he would have to become a knight….if he would survive. Thom swallowed. "Well, I think there's nothing we can do about it now. We have to put up with it."

Alanna thumped her head at a wall and began to cry. "No," she cried, "No, no, no! I…I can't be a lady!"

Thom laid a hand on her shoulder. "It's not the end of the world, Alanna. You'll go to the convent for six years and I'll become a knight and when that's done, we'll go away. We'll leave all this behind us and we'll go on adventures together. Agreed?"

Alanna turned her head and smiled weakly. "Ok, it's a deal. We'll make it." She put forth her hand and Thom grabbed it. Then the hugged and went out to saddle their horses.

When the twins and their servants came to the meeting of the Trebond Way and the Great Road they stopped their horses to say good-bye.

Alanna smiled a bit at her brother. "So here we are. It's not what we wanted….but we'll make it. Watch your back, Thom"

"I'll have to. Don't forget to write to me. I'll need encouraging letters.", Thom said and tried to smile, too.

"I will. And after six years we'll see again and then we'll do what we want. Look forward to it, Thom."

"Of course. It's the only thing I can look forward to."

The twins hugged one last time and rode in different ways.

When Alanna was out of Thom and Corams sight a tear rolled down her face. It could have worked, but it didn't. Do I deserve that?, she asked herself. I've never done a wrong thing. All I wanted was being a knight, nothing more. Why can't that be. She looked up. The sky was grey and it was about to rain in a few minutes. The wind pulled on her cloak and made the thin trees bent. It was exactly how she felt. She smiled ironically at her view.

The woman who was travelling with her, Charina, watched her, confused at what she saw on the little girl's face. She didn't know much, but someone had told her that Alanna had wanted to switch places with her brother to become a knight. She couldn't understand that. Why would a little girl want to fight with a heavy sword that she probably couldn't even hold?

Charina decided to talk with Alanna. It made her sad to see a little girl like her staring desperatly in the distance, her eyes blank.

"Lady Alanna, are you sick?"

Alanna quickly turned her head and became red all over her face. "No, no, I feel just fine, thank you."

"What is it then?"

Alanna didn't want to share her thoughts with a maid that she didn't know. She disliked people who barged in other people's businesses. "It's nothing. But the weather is a bit afflicting, isn't it?" She turned her head to the sky and a raindrop fell on her nose.

The maid smiled and shook her head at the secretive and stubborn little girl.

Please R&R! I promise it gets better. WARNING: It's NOT one of those "Alanna becomes a lady and everything's fine." No, nothing will be fine…..but interesting. I think it will be A/J but really not soon. I'll do the whole "Alanna's life at convent."