Well now, here goes my second attempt at a story. If you bother reading this, could you please check out my other story too? *makes puppy-dog eyes* Pwease????
Summary: Ever wonder what Lord Alan was like before the twins' mother died? Here is my version of what happened.
Disclaimer: Tamora Pierce, not I, came up with all these wonderful characters and I own none of them. Well… yeah, let's just leave it at that.
Lord of Trebond. My new title echoed through my mind. I stood at my father's grave at my mother's side. When the ceremony was over, we walked back to the castle.
As we walked down the path, my mother spoke, her voice hoarse from disuse. "Alan, my son." Each word she spoke was stone cold, laden with her grief.
"Yes, Mother?" I waited patiently.
"You must marry." No, are you well; no, how are you holding it together; no comfort- just simple, cold, solid fact.
Of course, I would have preferred to ignore this particular fact. I sighed impatiently. "I know, Mother."
"Do you, Alan?" My mother stopped and peered closely at my face. "Really, son? Do you truly understand just how important it is for such a time to come about?"
"Yes, Mother." I wish she would just go back to not speaking anymore. Wait, sorry, Goddess that was mean.
We walked along a little longer; we were nearing the castle gates now. I decided to break the uncomfortable silence, "Mother?"
She gave me a small, but brave, smile. "Yes, dear?"
"How about we take a trip, you and I, when all this is over, to, say, Corus?" I kept walking, trying to act nonchalant, even as my mother stopped in surprise. I turned back around, "Mother?"
She was standing in the middle of the road, her hands over her mouth, eyes shining with wonder as she looked at me.
"What?" I pretended to be self-conscious, enjoying myself.
"Where in Corus, my love?" she looked at me with a knowing suspicion on her face. "You wouldn't, perhaps, be thinking of Court, now, would you?"
I looked back at her with mock surprise and feigned innocence. "Why, yes, actually, I was thinking of going to Court! However did you guess?"
"Speaking as a court lady does does not become you, Sir Alan," she winked at me. Catching up, she took my hand and we set off down the road again.
"You would know, Mother," I grinned. I loved the lady of Trebond.