Disclaimer: The marvelous world of Tortall and all its occupants (except ones of my own creation, and I haven't been all that creative yet) belong to the fabbity-fab-fab Tamora Pierce. If you haven't read any of her novels, go and read them now!!
A/N: The premise behind this fanfic is that Jon & Thayet are married, and have a teenage daughter (Princess Kalasin), who wanted to study to be a knight, but Jon (as he tends to be a prig at times) refused and sent her to the convent. Alanna and George are also married, and living at Pirate's Swoop, but have no children. This takes place around the time of Page, so perhaps Kel will make a surprise appearance... No. No promises yet! *smiles* Anyways, I'm all for A/J, so if I get a little sappy.. Remember this is my first fanfic and I LIKE fluff! Fluff and reviews are my first loves...
Jon frowned slightly as he went through his past belongings, sifting through tunics patched until the patches were threadbare themselves, discarded hose from hours spent a'courting (when all he really wanted was his squire), and... What was this? He shook out a long forgotten saddlebag, expecting to find naught but a few silver nobles or perhaps the remnants of one of Gary's numerous practical jokes. Instead --- It fell out upon the floor, clattering amongst a charm given to him by the Bazhir when he voyaged to the Black City, long ago. He remembered the charm - and who was with him when he received it. What he discovered while in the Black City...
He bent down to pick It up, brushing the charm aside with a swipe of his hand. He knew what it was, even before he carefully flipped It over on his palm, revealing its magic. It was her. No, not her, but an image, capturing her beauty in a way not even the most carefully worded sonnet could, although Mithros knew that he had tried - to write poetry, to sketch, to do anything to portray her loveliness, his lust, in one perfect package, detaining it for his own pleasure. But this was better. Beautiful as she once was, beautiful as she was now. Beautiful. She always was beautiful to him, her hair, her eyes, her very spirit setting her apart.
Alanna sighed, leaning over one of the numerous balconies that haunted the walls of Pirate's Swoop. The sea breeze sieved through her hair, sweeping her ginger curls around her face. The ocean - she always had loved the sound, even if it made her sick. Love... Sick... George... It didn't seem like all was right between them, as before.
"Our relationship..." she sighed to herself, the wind carrying off her words for none to hear except as the faintest lilting of despair, the smallest musical note of sadness. "It's lacking the passion, the excitement that it once had," she sighed, again. Alanna smoothed her cotton breeches with her hand, noting that they were both sensible and comfortable, just like... George and herself? "Is that why I agreed to marry George? Because our relationship was safe, and he trusted me and I trusted him? And because George was convenient and there, and He was not?" Still, Alanna liked the way the pants moved about her legs as she walked from one end of the balcony to the other, allowing her freedom of movement and the knowledge that she had, no, earned, the right to choose what she wanted to wear: frilly skirts (which she did enjoy, on occasion) or the loose feeling of pants that swum about her body.
"Alanna?" George's voice could be heard echoing throughout the courtyard below. "My Lioness, I know you're lurking around here somewhere, fighting the forces of evil - Stormwings and kraken and whatnot." She grimaced at the sound of his voice, naming off malicious mystical creatures, as it lilted with the accent of a commoner's. She used to love how he almost entirely skipped his "r's," as it reminded her of who he was, who they were. Now it just reminded her of who he wasn't.
She had been thinking about that a lot lately. About who they were, why they were together. "Coming, George," she replied, her voice a tad bit too sweet. Alanna searched her memory, trying to remember exactly why they were together, anyways. Had she tried to forget?
A/N: I'll post a new chapter soon.. Math test tomorrow, and track regionals are this Saturday -- I'm competing (the real world.. *sighs*) but I'll make an attempt to post something new this weekend. R/R?