Revised.

Yes, Alanna went to the convent. No, she did not go quietly.

--

Dirt. It was a simple thing, dirt; always being washed away, gotten rid of, stomped down. It was different in all weather, from ice to mud to choking dust. Sometimes, Alanna wished she was that versatile. Bar that, she wished the dirt would at least choke her out of her misery.

The ride to the City of the Gods was laid with a never ending road of dirt, and each step Alanna rode on it made her more and more determined not to go. She could run away and... and… join the Shang, for all the God's sake! She didn't need to go to this convent, no one was forcing her.

She turned her horse around on the road and came face to face with the three Trebond guards behind her. Oh yeah, they were forcing her.

"Going somewhere Miss. Trebond?" well, she had already turned the horse in the other direction, might as well.

"I'll tell you where I'm not going Johnson, the Convent of the Goddess. I'd sooner fall off my horse." Johnson cocked an eyebrow at her stubborn chin and crossed arms. He traded a glance with another guard, Davis, and the two rode closer, one on each side of Alanna. She didn't like where this was going.

"If you insist, Miss. Trebond." He pushed her out of the saddle, hard. If that wasn't startling enough, she landed practically on Davis.

"What?!" Alanna began to understand when Davis pulled her into his saddle. She felt Johnson pull her feet out of her stirrups. About this time she began hitting and kicking. After many bruises, Alanna had landed a kick to Johnson's face and failed at an attempt at elbowing Davis in the groin but still she found herself sitting in front of Davis.

"Tie her hands together and her feet to the stirrups." The guards wearily approached the still struggling Alanna. Johnson frowned at her to obey, "if you're going to act like an animal, we'll treat you like one. The convent will have their work cut out for them if you are to become a lady."

He turned to put a lead on her pony, so Alanna was forced to glare holes into his back. Her legs were tied to the stirrups already, but she got another good punch to some face as they grabbed her arms. As she sat there, trussed up like a pig, she fumed and Davis patting her on the shoulder sympathetically did not help. She looked at Maude with as much pleading as she ever had in her life.

Maude just sat upon her horse watching with a sad, worried look in her eyes.

--

So here's the sitch:

The story has a long plot all planned out, if only I can get myself to write it. I'm also looking (unsuccessfully might I add) for a beta reader but until then I greatly appreciate the corrections. Thank you!

I will try to correct my sentence flow but I'm a theater weenie so sometimes it's written like lines. Sorry. (funny story, right now I'm running sound for Annie Get Your Gun and found out that half way through this chapter in my head Alanna started talking in a southern accent!)

and last of all, I hope you don't mind Sagesther, but I would like to steal that quote to incorporate later on. It could be fun .

A big Thank you to:

Sagesther, Aly-Of-Tortall13, Clouds of Sapphire, Lady Knight Jocelyn, Tomato-Vampire, The Shang Kudarung.

Thank you for reviewing!

Dovebean