Disclaimer: I don't anything………unfortunately.

She? What? She who? I turned and looked toward my young friend Alan to find a small girl huddling there trying to cover up her exposed skin. My mind started to race and my heart beat faster. She looked up at me, eyes filled with fear and regret. How come she never told me? How did I not know? The signs were so obvious. The way Alan was too private about changing and bathing, how Alan would never go swimming no matter the temperature. I took my tunic and threw it over to her. She quickly pulled it around her small form as I said "Just who are you?"

"Is this really the time to ask that?" she asked.

I just stood there staring. She was so fierce, but she could be gentle. She was determined and never knew when to quit. I felt something stir inside of me as we clasped hands and defeated our enemy. As I was left week, she passed out. I took her into my arms for a moment and just stared into her face. She was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. The strength and kindness she had shown me opened my eyes to show me that I loved her. Some part of me had known her secret all along, but the other part of me just refused to believe it.

I carried her small form out of the Black City and hoisted her up onto my saddle and sat behind her. I rode on to a small oasis outside the city and set her down. As she slept I decided to take the chance and bath while she wasn't looking. By the time I was done she had started to stir. She opened her eyes and looked into mine. For a moment we didn't say anything, she groaned as she tried to sit up. I immediately help her and placed my flask to her lips. She drank with haste and wiped her mouth on the tunic I gave her.

"I suppose you want and explanation." She asked so quietly I almost didn't hear.

"Yes." I answered just as quietly. "First, can I start with your name?"

"Alanna, my name is Alanna."

"So you've been a girl all this time?"

"Yup."

"And nobody knows? Well except for me now?"

"Actually, Coram had known, but that about it."

"Oh, well that's embarrassing. All this time you've been a girl and I didn't even know. All the times you've seen me….without clothes….." I could feel the blush creep up my cheeks. She laughed at this and leaned against the tree.

"Well if you want the real story I'll try to explain it to you without taking 3 days. My brother, Thom, and I switched places. He went to the city of the gods to become a great sorcerer, and I came to Corus to become a knight. The only reason we were able to pull it off is that my brother and I look exactly identical to each other. I knew if I was a girl I wouldn't be able to become a knight. I would just get laughed at and nobody would take me seriously. So I had this idea where I dressed as a boy and acted as a boy to become my dream. You pretty much know the rest." She looked at me with a smile, but it soon turned into a look of pain. "You're not going to tell are you?"

"Are you serious? Why would I tell anyone? It sounds to me like this is your dream and I'm not going to stand in your way." When I looked back at her, she was beaming. Her now more girly looking face had a huge grin on it. The next thing I knew was that her arms were wrapped around my shoulders and I was blushing. When she suddenly noticed what she was doing she quickly let go and turned as red as her hair.

"I'm sorry. I'm just so glad that you would do that for me. By the way where are we?"

"We are in an oasis outside the Black City."

"Oh, well is there a spring nearby because I could really use a bath."

"Yes, there is one right over there."

She got up and walked toward the spring when she looked back at me, violet eyes meeting my blue ones again.

"You better not peak." She said in a harsh tone.

"Don't worry, I respect you too much, and you're too good with a sword."

I could hear her chuckle as she jumped into the water with a splash. My life just got a whole lot more interesting I thought as I stole a quick glance toward the spring.