Disclaimer- (do I really have to do one of these every chapter?) Nothing in the particular chapter is mine, it is Tamora Pierces… hers and hers alone… 'CEPT FOR GEORGE I DIBS HIM!!!
Her mind ran through the possibilities. Her father was coming the stay, her mother wasn't really dead, Thom wasn't really her brother, they didn't have to steal anymore cause they found so much money in the basement of their old house, George was giving her a horse, a cat, her own room.
"Ye're going to work Alanna!"
Thom dissolved into a fit of giggles, rolling around on his chair. Alanna just looked at George carefully, trying to sense if it was truth.
"Where?" She said it slowly, trying not to show how disappointed she was. George smiled and inclined his head a small bit, pointing his chin out the window towards the majestic view but Alanna didn't comprehend. She kept staring at him blankly until he all but yelled.
"The Palace!!! Ye're working in the stables girl!!"
Alanna's mouth slowly opened into a tiny O. Eventually, when her mouth had reached a open mouthed grin she leapt forward.
"Thank you George!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!" she wrapped her arms around his huge body for a second before leaping up again and dancing around the room.
"The palace… Oh My Goddess… the palace!!" she screamed as she ran down the hallway to tell her favourite bar maid.
George grinned at Thom, who sent a tight lipped smile back. Even past the huge teeth Thom could tell George was as worried to send Alanna away as he was.
"The lass'll be fine." He lied to both himself and Thom "Let her have some fun with this aye?"
It was a long time since Thom had seen Alanna this happy. She had been moping around ever since their Mother had left them with George, and though she loved him, she could never love him like a parent. He was grateful, more than saddened, by the idea of this distraction. He loved her to much to stop her, no matter what his instincts told him.
The palace was like a different world. Alanna was actually glad she wasn't going to be staying in the main quarters; she would be living in the stables themselves. She watched the groups of servants, nobles and more servants, not one stopped to offer her help, even though she was standing, with 3 bags, totally lost in the middle of a hallway. She wandered a bit until she found she had been walking in circles. Exasperated she dumped he bags next to a wall and sat on them.
"Maybe the palace isn't all I thought it would be." She muttered, on the verge of tears. "I've wanted this for so long…"
As she sat there a group of young boys walked past; too well dressed to be servants, obviously not Knights. As they walked past a few looked at her, then one boy, walking near the back with his friends stoped and looked at her. He was dressed even more regally that the others, red velvet and gold trim, and his eyes the most astonishing shade of blue. He looked down at her, clearly astonished by her eye colour as well, and possible the fact a person as commonly dresses as she was sitting in the halls of the palace.
Without speaking he offered her his hand. She used it to get up from her bag, but even standing he was head and shoulders taller than her. Still wordless he headed off down the halls. After walking a few steps he turned, looked at her and jerked his head. She picked up her bags and ambled over and, still silent, they walked together down the halls.
A/N- so chapter 2 is up, sorry it took so long, sorry its pretty short… I opened this document almost every day for so long, never ended up writing anything, sorry and enjoy… AND REVIEW!!!