A/N: Hello! I love the fact the Alanna hates winter (I grew up mainly in the north of the US) and couldn't resist doing this especially considering Gary and Raoul would prank "Alan" this way...enjoy! Any suggestions are welcome
Winter was Squire Alan's least favorite season for many reasons, none of which he shirked from complaining about. It was always cold. Snow made you wet and cold, and it was hard to move around in. No one, not even bandits were out during winter, which meant she didn't have to be. Alanna froze and hated the cold. The Prince's squire was never a morning person, and combined with her hating the cold that was more imminent on winter mornings made her grumpy…well, more grumpy than usual. That being said, most of her friends knew not to mess with her during the cold months. Raoul and Gary, being the pranksters they were at heart, could therefore not resist teasing their little fire ball of a friend.
It was the middle of summer, on an exceptionally cool night. The little lad had somehow escaped coming to another court function and the knights wanted some pay back. Raoul was jealous that Alan's attendance wasn't mandatory like his, and Gary had been trying to get the resilient squire to dance with the court ladies for his opinions on them. The two got together in the early hours of the morning (they had gotten drunk and went down to the Dancing Dove to get sober, only to achieve a higher level of drunkenness before returning) and began planning. They knew very well that Alan hated the cold, and being wet—why else would the little punk avoid swimming so much?—and soon they had the perfect revenge concocted.
Right as the two shook hands a figure appeared out of the shadows behind them, making them jump. Gary grinned at the aforementioned squire's knight master. "So," he drawled, eyes glinting maliciously, "care to help us? Let us into your squire's rooms, perhaps?" Jon's smile was only made more evil by the sparkle in his eyes as the prince looked at his friends and spoke. "Right this way, gentlemen."
Alanna had been having a nice dream. In it, she had just been knighted and no one hated her. It had surprised Alanna, even more so when the dream took turn in which she saw herself practicing magic in the desert…in a nice and warm desert. There may not have been snow that night but it was too cold for Alanna's liking and the coverings she was buried under may have been what muffled the sound of 2 grown men (in body if not in mind) sneaking into her rooms. She also didn't hear the slosh of water in a bucket.
Jon, having gone into his rooms, knocked on their connecting doors. When she didn't answer he knocked harder and louder before shouting "Alann-Alan! Get up!" He grinned when he heard only a groan and some shuffling. He opened the door. The prince nodded at his friends who in turn heaved the bucket onto the unsuspecting squire. She sat up with a screech, which caused the 3 friends to roll on the floor laughing at her comical expression with her sopping wet red hair plastered around her pale face that had 2 blazing balls of purple that promised pain if not death for the offenders. They finally stopped laughing long enough to see her standing above them with Lightning in her hands.
True fear enveloped them and the 3 knights scrambled off of the floor of her room and bolted out the door, the irate squire running after them with 2 shadows, one of a cat the other of a man, following her. Even as she ran Alanna was grateful that she had kept her chest bound the night before after training extra with her sword. George grinned as Faithful took a turn different from where Alanna went and took after the cat. The King of Thieves knew the 'cat' was not all it seemed, and so wasn't very surprised when he found Jon ahead of him, crouched in a small alcove. Rogue that he was, he startled the poor man 5 feet in the air. Jon smiled sheepishly at his older friend who simply put a finger to his mouth to indicate silence.
George leant forward and whispered in the prince's ear. "I'll distract her; you run an' find Gary and Raoul—you lot should head back to the Dancin' Dove and whole up there. Solom will be 'appy to see you 3." Jon had just agreed when his eyes widened in genuine fear. George shoved the prince away and whisper-yelled at him as the wrath of the squire was turned on him. "Run, afore the lass guts the only heir to the throne!"
Alanna was suddenly met with handsome hazel eyes and an all too familiar grin. She scowled and let Lightning drop. "What are you doing here?" The harsh whisper came out more like a growl as she was dragged into the shadows. Alanna let George lead her by the unarmed hand back to her rooms. Once there he shut the door and laughed as she attempted to warm up by quickly applying multiple layers of clothing over her now dry nightshirt (she had changed out of the wet one from under the dry one). Alanna's face twisted into a scowl again.
George had half a mind to offer to tuck her in back decided against it, realizing the sheets would be wet. With his mind thus preoccupied he didn't notice the swinging fist that clipped him on the chin. George ended up on the ground with an irate and slowly calming down Alanna above him. The sight of her flushed face, burning eyes, and wet hair made him laugh even more and that was how Jon, Gary, and Raoul found them—squire and king of thieves laughing to their hearts content.