Title- Not Everything is Expected
Category: Action/Adventure, Romance
Keywords: Alanna, convent, Thom, knight, Tortall
Rating: PG for mild cussing
Summary: Thom chickened out of the plan, and Alanna was forced to go to the convent. Now she's 16 and visiting court in order to find a husband, or that's what was supposed to happen. However, she's arrived at the wrong time, and the palace is chaotic. The queen is deathly ill, Thom is worried, and everyone is suspicious of certain nobles. The commoners are rioting in the street, and George Cooper is having problems controlling the thieves. No relationships in this story are written in stone, so all shippers are welcome.
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Tamora Pierce and various publishers. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
A/N: I'm sorry but the spacing got a bit messed up. It shouldn't be too hard to read, though.The Reunion of the Twins
The carriage pulled to stop and Alanna was woken by her maidservant. "Lady Alanna, we've arrived."
Alanna yawned and stretched. She waited as the door was pulled open by some squire. The boy offered his hand, which Alanna took. She stepped down and looked up to see who the squire was. "Thom?" she asked, slightly shocked.
Her twin grinned and bowed. "And here I was thinking you had forgotten all about me," he said.
Alanna rolled her eyes and pulled him into a hug. "Damn, I've missed you," she whispered softly into her twin's ear. It had been a long 6 years since they had last seen each other.
Thom laughed. "Nice language for lady," he said smirking at his sister.
Alanna glared. "Shut up, Thom," she snapped.
Thom laughed again. "Would you like me to lead you to your rooms, Alanna dear?" he asked. "The servants will get your luggage."
Alanna shrugged. "Sure, why not," she replied. She linked hands with her brother.
Thom grinned at her and started walking towards the palace. "I take it you're here to find a husband?"
Alanna rolled her eyes. "Something like that," she said. "Although I'm only 16. Too young to get married."
Thom raised an eyebrow. "Some girls are engaged when they're 15," he commented.
Alanna just shrugged. "Yeah, well, that's some girls," she said shortly. By now they had arrived at the palace, and Thom moved to open the door.
Thom shrugged in reply. "So why didn't you reply to my last letter?" he asked.
Alanna glanced sideways at him. "What are you talking about?" she asked. "I sent a reply ages ago."
Thom frowned. "I never got it."
Alanna stopped in her tracks. "That's odd," she said slowly.
Thom sighed and continued walking. "Not really," he said. "There's been weirder things happening lately."
"Really? Like what?" asked Alanna curiously.
Thom glanced around and shook his head quickly. "I'll tell you later," he muttered.
Alanna frowned at the secrecy, but she only shrugged. "So tell me how training has been going."
Thom groaned. "It's alright, I guess. Hard as ever, you know."
Alanna grinned. When they had been younger she was always the stronger one. "How are you compared to the rest in your class?"
Thom shrugged. "Mediocre, I guess. I can hit a target with a lance about 3/4 of the time. As for bow and arrow..." Thom trailed off. "Let's just say that I will never use a bow in battle."
Alanna laughed. "You never could hit a target when we were younger," she said, smirking.
Thom glared. "Yeah, well, I can use a sword."
Alanna raised her eyebrows. "Really?" she drawled dubiously.
Thom smiled slightly and nodded. "Yeah, Coram's been after me. You should hear him."
Alanna shook her head slightly. "I wonder what Coram would have done if we had switched places." She glared at her brother, who just looked away.
"Alanna, don't give me any of that crap. I've got enough of it from other people," Thom snapped.
Alanna frowned. "What's happened?"
"Jon won't talk to me since I had an argument with him. The magic classes are a waste of time. The teacher is...actually, I'll tell you about him later. The queen's ill and everyone in the palace is short tempered." Thom glanced at his sister. "Let's just say this isn't the best time for you to have come."
Alanna nodded slowly. "There's more, isn't there?" she asked.
Thom nodded. "Yeah, but not here." The urgency in his voice was evident.
Alanna nodded. "Sure. Where is my room?"
"Around the corner," Thom replied. "If you need help, just ring for a servant." He smiled slightly at her as they rounded the corner. "Although, knowing you, you'll just wander around the palace by yourself."
Alanna grinned. "Probably," she agreed. Thom had stopped in front of a door and opened it. She gasped once she had gotten a glimpse. "Is this my room?" she asked in astonishment.
Thom grinned. "Yeah, they only give ladies the best, of course."
Alanna was too amazed to take the bait. She pushed past Thom and entered the room. "Damn, it actually looks comfortable."
Thom rolled his eyes. "She arrives at the palace and expects to be given damp, cold quarters. What else could you expect from Alanna of Trebond?"
"Shut up, Thom," his twin replied good-naturedly.
Thom laughed and stopped abruptly as a bell rang. "Damn, got to run," he said. "Afternoon classes." He made a face.
Alanna laughed and waved him away. "Go away then. I'll talk to you some more later."
"Why does it seem like there's a threatening tone behind that?" Thom muttered.
"Maybe because there is," Alanna replied innocently.
Thom rolled his eyes. "Come down and eat supper with me. I'll be at the squire's table."
Alanna shrugged. "Sure. Will I get to meet your friends?"
"Yeah, at least the ones that are still talking to me." He made a face.
Alanna laughed and moved to close the door. "See you later, Thom," she said.
He grinned and ran down the hall, off to his classes.
Alanna shook her slightly and closed the door all the way. She moved to the window and opened it, gazing out and admiring the view. A few minutes later she heard the door open again. Two servants entered carrying her luggage, and her maidservant followed them.
Alanna smiled and thanked the servants, who then left. The maid said quietly, "I'll unpack for you, Alanna."
"Thanks, Eiyeen. I'll get some sleep then," Alanna said. She dug through one of her bags for a moment before pulling out a night robe. She quickly changed out of her travel clothes and lay down on the bed. Before falling asleep, she said to the maid, "Wake me up before dinner, please. I'm eating with Thom tonight." She barely heard Eiyeen's reply before drifting off to sleep.
***
Later that day Alanna found herself at her brother's side, and trying to learn the rest of the squire's names.
"This is Gareth, commonly know as Gary, of Naxen," Thom was saying. Gary grinned at Alanna, who smiled back. Thom went onto the next person. "This is Prince Jonathan." His tone was neutral, but Alanna could tell that there was a lot of tension between the two of them. She wondered what had really happened. "This is Alex of Tirragen, and this is Raoul of Goldenlake and Malorie's Peak" Alanna smiled at each one in turn. She wished she could remember everyone's names. Thom had introduced her to basically everyone at the table.
Alanna grinned at all of them. "Well, it's good to meet you all at last. Thom writes about you in his letters."
Gary grinned back. "Good stuff I'd hope."
Alanna shrugged. "You'll never know."
"Oh, do tell us," Raoul said, with a wicked grin. "We all need the chance to get back at Thom."
Alanna looked at her brother. "What did you do this time?" she asked, grinning slightly.
Thom looked interested in his plate of food. "I was just testing out some new magic that I learned...." he explained.
"He fooled us into chasing people around the palace," Raoul interrupted, mock-glaring at the red haired squire.
Thom sunk in his seat, with an equally fake scared expression. "Oh please don't hurt me, brave knight," he begged.
Alanna smirked. "If this is how you all treat him, I think I'm going to have an enjoyable stay at the palace."
Thom sat up. "Thanks, Alanna," he said sarcastically. "I knew I could count on my twin."
Alanna just gave him an innocent smile. "Who, me?"
Thom rolled his eyes. "No, it's just pure coincidence that we look alike, are the same age, and have the last name," he said, still sarcastic. "Yes, you."
Alanna grinned and shrugged. "Just clarifying matters," she said, smirking.
Thom let out an exasperated sigh. "Yeah, whatever."
Jon smirked. "Trebond here is a very serious person." His matter wasn't all that joking. Thom frowned slightly, but said nothing. Alanna glanced between the two of them, and at the others, who just looked uncomfortable.
Gary broke the silence. "We'd better get to the library and do our homework," he said.
Thom grinned, relieved the awkward silence had been broken. "What? Gary deciding to do his homework?"
Raoul shook his head. "Will miracles never cease?"
"Probably not," the prince said, pushing back his chair and standing up. He glanced at Alanna. "You coming with us."
Alanna shrugged. "Sure, why not," she said. "I've got nothing better to do."
Jon glanced at Alex, who was talking to some squire whose name Alanna couldn't remember. "Alex, you coming to study with us?"
Alex shook his head. "I might show up later," he said. Jon shrugged and glanced at the others.
Thom stood up, quickly followed by the rest. They put their trays away and walked down to their rooms. Alanna waited in Thom's room until they were all ready. The walked to the library, where they all sat down in the comfortable chairs.
Alanna conversed with Gary for a while, enjoying his good company. She kept glancing at Thom and the Prince, who were sending each other glares over their books.
"Is there something going on between those two?" she asked in a quiet voice to Gary.
The squire shrugged. "I'm sure Thom's told you they got in an argument." At Alanna's nod, Gary continued. "Well, Thom hasn't taken back his words, and Jon's stubborn."
"So's my brother. It's a Trebond trait," Alanna said.
Gary raised an eyebrow. "I take it you're headstrong as well?"
"Yeah, probably worse than Thom," Alanna said grinning.
"What's that?" Thom asked, hearing his name.
"Oh, just saying how the Trebond family is notorious for being stubborn," Alanna replied.
Jonathan rolled his eyes. "I second that," he said grinning.
"Shut up, Jon," Thom snapped. Jon locked his eyes, and to the other three onlookers it appeared as though they were battling with just their eyes.
Raoul glared at them. "Stop it, you two," he snapped.
Thom broke the stare and lowered his eyes to his work. He didn't say anything. Jon frowned for a minute, and then just shrugged. He sent an apologetic glance at Gary, Raoul, and Alanna.
"Where's Alex?" Thom muttered. "I need the math whiz."
"I'm right here, Thom," the squire in question replied, coming through the door. He shut it behind him and took a seat in between Alanna and Thom. "What's the problem?"
"This stupid math," Thom muttered. "The damn problem is too hard."
As Alex explained the problem to Thom, Alanna turned back to Gary and Raoul. "Would you guys mind telling me exactly what Thom said to the prince?"
Gary exchanged glances with Raoul. "It's better if you here it from Thom," Raoul said slowly.
Alanna rolled her eyes. "Fine," she muttered. She moved her chair over and glanced at Gary's homework. "Fun," she said sarcastically.
Gary looked up and grinned. "You think this is bad? You should check out some of the other homework we have. The only teacher that's ever interesting is Sir Myles. His classes are everyone's favorite."
"He's a good teacher, even though he is kind of odd. He's a knight who believes in books more than the fighting arts," Raoul said, shaking his head in disbelief.
Alanna grinned. "Can I meet him?"
Jon, who had been listening to the latter part of the conversation spoke. "Sure, he'll be at the ball two nights from now."
Alanna grinned. "Thanks," she said to the prince, who smiled back before turning his attention back to his homework. Alanna once again what Thom and Jon had wondered about. She sighed softly to herself. Whatever it was, she wasn't going to let Thom's opinions influence her. She sincerely like Price Jonathan, even if he did seem a little imposing.
A few hours later that night, Alanna decided to call it night. She stood, muttering a good night. Alex looked up and offered walk her to her room. Alanna accepted.
"So do you like what you've seen of Corus?" Alex asked as they walked down the halls.
Alanna smiled sleepily. "Yeah, it's great," she murmured.
Alex nodded. "That's good." He hesitated a moment before saying, "Don't let the argument between Jon and your brother bother you. They'll apologize to each other eventually."
Alanna nodded. "Yeah, I just wished I knew what they were arguing about."
"Thom will tell you, I'm sure," Alex said. By this time they had reached Alanna's rooms. "Goodnight, Alanna," he said.
Alanna opened the door. "Goodnight, Alex," she said in reply. After the squire had left, she shut the door, changed in her night robe, and fell asleep. This time she would dream until morning. A/N: Jon and the rest of his group are going through the Knight's Ordeal in the winter, which is in a few months. That is why they are all squires at the moment.
Next chapter: Alanna learns why Thom is worried and what his suspicions are. We learn about how George Cooper is faring, and how the commoners feel about the events happening up in the palace. There's to be a ball, and Alanna has to choose a partner. Who will she choose? Raoul? Gary? Alex? Jon? Someone else completely? Read to find out. There will also probably be a flashback of Alanna's time at the convent or of Thom's time as a squire. Maybe even both.
I hope you've enjoyed reading the first chapter. Please don't forget to read and review. Constructive criticism is welcome. Thanks for your time.
Category: Action/Adventure, Romance
Keywords: Alanna, convent, Thom, knight, Tortall
Rating: PG for mild cussing
Summary: Thom chickened out of the plan, and Alanna was forced to go to the convent. Now she's 16 and visiting court in order to find a husband, or that's what was supposed to happen. However, she's arrived at the wrong time, and the palace is chaotic. The queen is deathly ill, Thom is worried, and everyone is suspicious of certain nobles. The commoners are rioting in the street, and George Cooper is having problems controlling the thieves. No relationships in this story are written in stone, so all shippers are welcome.
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Tamora Pierce and various publishers. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
A/N: I'm sorry but the spacing got a bit messed up. It shouldn't be too hard to read, though.
The carriage pulled to stop and Alanna was woken by her maidservant. "Lady Alanna, we've arrived."
Alanna yawned and stretched. She waited as the door was pulled open by some squire. The boy offered his hand, which Alanna took. She stepped down and looked up to see who the squire was. "Thom?" she asked, slightly shocked.
Her twin grinned and bowed. "And here I was thinking you had forgotten all about me," he said.
Alanna rolled her eyes and pulled him into a hug. "Damn, I've missed you," she whispered softly into her twin's ear. It had been a long 6 years since they had last seen each other.
Thom laughed. "Nice language for lady," he said smirking at his sister.
Alanna glared. "Shut up, Thom," she snapped.
Thom laughed again. "Would you like me to lead you to your rooms, Alanna dear?" he asked. "The servants will get your luggage."
Alanna shrugged. "Sure, why not," she replied. She linked hands with her brother.
Thom grinned at her and started walking towards the palace. "I take it you're here to find a husband?"
Alanna rolled her eyes. "Something like that," she said. "Although I'm only 16. Too young to get married."
Thom raised an eyebrow. "Some girls are engaged when they're 15," he commented.
Alanna just shrugged. "Yeah, well, that's some girls," she said shortly. By now they had arrived at the palace, and Thom moved to open the door.
Thom shrugged in reply. "So why didn't you reply to my last letter?" he asked.
Alanna glanced sideways at him. "What are you talking about?" she asked. "I sent a reply ages ago."
Thom frowned. "I never got it."
Alanna stopped in her tracks. "That's odd," she said slowly.
Thom sighed and continued walking. "Not really," he said. "There's been weirder things happening lately."
"Really? Like what?" asked Alanna curiously.
Thom glanced around and shook his head quickly. "I'll tell you later," he muttered.
Alanna frowned at the secrecy, but she only shrugged. "So tell me how training has been going."
Thom groaned. "It's alright, I guess. Hard as ever, you know."
Alanna grinned. When they had been younger she was always the stronger one. "How are you compared to the rest in your class?"
Thom shrugged. "Mediocre, I guess. I can hit a target with a lance about 3/4 of the time. As for bow and arrow..." Thom trailed off. "Let's just say that I will never use a bow in battle."
Alanna laughed. "You never could hit a target when we were younger," she said, smirking.
Thom glared. "Yeah, well, I can use a sword."
Alanna raised her eyebrows. "Really?" she drawled dubiously.
Thom smiled slightly and nodded. "Yeah, Coram's been after me. You should hear him."
Alanna shook her head slightly. "I wonder what Coram would have done if we had switched places." She glared at her brother, who just looked away.
"Alanna, don't give me any of that crap. I've got enough of it from other people," Thom snapped.
Alanna frowned. "What's happened?"
"Jon won't talk to me since I had an argument with him. The magic classes are a waste of time. The teacher is...actually, I'll tell you about him later. The queen's ill and everyone in the palace is short tempered." Thom glanced at his sister. "Let's just say this isn't the best time for you to have come."
Alanna nodded slowly. "There's more, isn't there?" she asked.
Thom nodded. "Yeah, but not here." The urgency in his voice was evident.
Alanna nodded. "Sure. Where is my room?"
"Around the corner," Thom replied. "If you need help, just ring for a servant." He smiled slightly at her as they rounded the corner. "Although, knowing you, you'll just wander around the palace by yourself."
Alanna grinned. "Probably," she agreed. Thom had stopped in front of a door and opened it. She gasped once she had gotten a glimpse. "Is this my room?" she asked in astonishment.
Thom grinned. "Yeah, they only give ladies the best, of course."
Alanna was too amazed to take the bait. She pushed past Thom and entered the room. "Damn, it actually looks comfortable."
Thom rolled his eyes. "She arrives at the palace and expects to be given damp, cold quarters. What else could you expect from Alanna of Trebond?"
"Shut up, Thom," his twin replied good-naturedly.
Thom laughed and stopped abruptly as a bell rang. "Damn, got to run," he said. "Afternoon classes." He made a face.
Alanna laughed and waved him away. "Go away then. I'll talk to you some more later."
"Why does it seem like there's a threatening tone behind that?" Thom muttered.
"Maybe because there is," Alanna replied innocently.
Thom rolled his eyes. "Come down and eat supper with me. I'll be at the squire's table."
Alanna shrugged. "Sure. Will I get to meet your friends?"
"Yeah, at least the ones that are still talking to me." He made a face.
Alanna laughed and moved to close the door. "See you later, Thom," she said.
He grinned and ran down the hall, off to his classes.
Alanna shook her slightly and closed the door all the way. She moved to the window and opened it, gazing out and admiring the view. A few minutes later she heard the door open again. Two servants entered carrying her luggage, and her maidservant followed them.
Alanna smiled and thanked the servants, who then left. The maid said quietly, "I'll unpack for you, Alanna."
"Thanks, Eiyeen. I'll get some sleep then," Alanna said. She dug through one of her bags for a moment before pulling out a night robe. She quickly changed out of her travel clothes and lay down on the bed. Before falling asleep, she said to the maid, "Wake me up before dinner, please. I'm eating with Thom tonight." She barely heard Eiyeen's reply before drifting off to sleep.
***
Later that day Alanna found herself at her brother's side, and trying to learn the rest of the squire's names.
"This is Gareth, commonly know as Gary, of Naxen," Thom was saying. Gary grinned at Alanna, who smiled back. Thom went onto the next person. "This is Prince Jonathan." His tone was neutral, but Alanna could tell that there was a lot of tension between the two of them. She wondered what had really happened. "This is Alex of Tirragen, and this is Raoul of Goldenlake and Malorie's Peak" Alanna smiled at each one in turn. She wished she could remember everyone's names. Thom had introduced her to basically everyone at the table.
Alanna grinned at all of them. "Well, it's good to meet you all at last. Thom writes about you in his letters."
Gary grinned back. "Good stuff I'd hope."
Alanna shrugged. "You'll never know."
"Oh, do tell us," Raoul said, with a wicked grin. "We all need the chance to get back at Thom."
Alanna looked at her brother. "What did you do this time?" she asked, grinning slightly.
Thom looked interested in his plate of food. "I was just testing out some new magic that I learned...." he explained.
"He fooled us into chasing people around the palace," Raoul interrupted, mock-glaring at the red haired squire.
Thom sunk in his seat, with an equally fake scared expression. "Oh please don't hurt me, brave knight," he begged.
Alanna smirked. "If this is how you all treat him, I think I'm going to have an enjoyable stay at the palace."
Thom sat up. "Thanks, Alanna," he said sarcastically. "I knew I could count on my twin."
Alanna just gave him an innocent smile. "Who, me?"
Thom rolled his eyes. "No, it's just pure coincidence that we look alike, are the same age, and have the last name," he said, still sarcastic. "Yes, you."
Alanna grinned and shrugged. "Just clarifying matters," she said, smirking.
Thom let out an exasperated sigh. "Yeah, whatever."
Jon smirked. "Trebond here is a very serious person." His matter wasn't all that joking. Thom frowned slightly, but said nothing. Alanna glanced between the two of them, and at the others, who just looked uncomfortable.
Gary broke the silence. "We'd better get to the library and do our homework," he said.
Thom grinned, relieved the awkward silence had been broken. "What? Gary deciding to do his homework?"
Raoul shook his head. "Will miracles never cease?"
"Probably not," the prince said, pushing back his chair and standing up. He glanced at Alanna. "You coming with us."
Alanna shrugged. "Sure, why not," she said. "I've got nothing better to do."
Jon glanced at Alex, who was talking to some squire whose name Alanna couldn't remember. "Alex, you coming to study with us?"
Alex shook his head. "I might show up later," he said. Jon shrugged and glanced at the others.
Thom stood up, quickly followed by the rest. They put their trays away and walked down to their rooms. Alanna waited in Thom's room until they were all ready. The walked to the library, where they all sat down in the comfortable chairs.
Alanna conversed with Gary for a while, enjoying his good company. She kept glancing at Thom and the Prince, who were sending each other glares over their books.
"Is there something going on between those two?" she asked in a quiet voice to Gary.
The squire shrugged. "I'm sure Thom's told you they got in an argument." At Alanna's nod, Gary continued. "Well, Thom hasn't taken back his words, and Jon's stubborn."
"So's my brother. It's a Trebond trait," Alanna said.
Gary raised an eyebrow. "I take it you're headstrong as well?"
"Yeah, probably worse than Thom," Alanna said grinning.
"What's that?" Thom asked, hearing his name.
"Oh, just saying how the Trebond family is notorious for being stubborn," Alanna replied.
Jonathan rolled his eyes. "I second that," he said grinning.
"Shut up, Jon," Thom snapped. Jon locked his eyes, and to the other three onlookers it appeared as though they were battling with just their eyes.
Raoul glared at them. "Stop it, you two," he snapped.
Thom broke the stare and lowered his eyes to his work. He didn't say anything. Jon frowned for a minute, and then just shrugged. He sent an apologetic glance at Gary, Raoul, and Alanna.
"Where's Alex?" Thom muttered. "I need the math whiz."
"I'm right here, Thom," the squire in question replied, coming through the door. He shut it behind him and took a seat in between Alanna and Thom. "What's the problem?"
"This stupid math," Thom muttered. "The damn problem is too hard."
As Alex explained the problem to Thom, Alanna turned back to Gary and Raoul. "Would you guys mind telling me exactly what Thom said to the prince?"
Gary exchanged glances with Raoul. "It's better if you here it from Thom," Raoul said slowly.
Alanna rolled her eyes. "Fine," she muttered. She moved her chair over and glanced at Gary's homework. "Fun," she said sarcastically.
Gary looked up and grinned. "You think this is bad? You should check out some of the other homework we have. The only teacher that's ever interesting is Sir Myles. His classes are everyone's favorite."
"He's a good teacher, even though he is kind of odd. He's a knight who believes in books more than the fighting arts," Raoul said, shaking his head in disbelief.
Alanna grinned. "Can I meet him?"
Jon, who had been listening to the latter part of the conversation spoke. "Sure, he'll be at the ball two nights from now."
Alanna grinned. "Thanks," she said to the prince, who smiled back before turning his attention back to his homework. Alanna once again what Thom and Jon had wondered about. She sighed softly to herself. Whatever it was, she wasn't going to let Thom's opinions influence her. She sincerely like Price Jonathan, even if he did seem a little imposing.
A few hours later that night, Alanna decided to call it night. She stood, muttering a good night. Alex looked up and offered walk her to her room. Alanna accepted.
"So do you like what you've seen of Corus?" Alex asked as they walked down the halls.
Alanna smiled sleepily. "Yeah, it's great," she murmured.
Alex nodded. "That's good." He hesitated a moment before saying, "Don't let the argument between Jon and your brother bother you. They'll apologize to each other eventually."
Alanna nodded. "Yeah, I just wished I knew what they were arguing about."
"Thom will tell you, I'm sure," Alex said. By this time they had reached Alanna's rooms. "Goodnight, Alanna," he said.
Alanna opened the door. "Goodnight, Alex," she said in reply. After the squire had left, she shut the door, changed in her night robe, and fell asleep. This time she would dream until morning. A/N: Jon and the rest of his group are going through the Knight's Ordeal in the winter, which is in a few months. That is why they are all squires at the moment.
Next chapter: Alanna learns why Thom is worried and what his suspicions are. We learn about how George Cooper is faring, and how the commoners feel about the events happening up in the palace. There's to be a ball, and Alanna has to choose a partner. Who will she choose? Raoul? Gary? Alex? Jon? Someone else completely? Read to find out. There will also probably be a flashback of Alanna's time at the convent or of Thom's time as a squire. Maybe even both.
I hope you've enjoyed reading the first chapter. Please don't forget to read and review. Constructive criticism is welcome. Thanks for your time.