Luck

Alanna ached all over.

It was that busy time of the year when all of the neighboring kingdoms sent their dignitaries to the capital of Tortall to see King Roald's lands and try his knights. As the very small squire to the prince, Alanna was shown off a lot. People who had heard of her wanted to try her on for size. People who had never heard of her or her sword had to be shown.

Though she usually delighted in knocking the large men on their butts and gloating about it in her head, she hadn't had a real break in weeks, and she was tired.

Gary laughed as he watched her leave dinner. "You look halfway to dead," he said with a grin.

Alanna growled. "Funny, is it? I don't see you having to spar with every idiotic knight who wants to boast."

"That's because they aren't boasting about beating me," Gary replied. "Face it, Alan, once you get a reputation you have to live up to it, and that takes work."

"I've done nothing but work to keep my gods-cursed reputation for a month," the squire snapped back. "Someone else can have it for all that I care."

"You say that now, but wait until you win your shield. Being well known may well save your life one day, fire hair. Don't you forget it."

"That's all well and good for then," Alanna responded. "As for now, I am heading to my bed." She bade her friend farewell and made her way back to her room, thankfully without further interruption.

She undressed and washed herself off, wincing as she hit the bruises that never seemed to go away. There was a knock on the door that connected her room to Jon's, and for the briefest of moments, Alanna considered ignoring it. She wanted to sleep, damn it, and when Jon was around, sleep was the last thing they did.

Still, it had been a while since she had seen her lover, really seen him. His mother still wasn't in the best health, so the prince spent most of his free time sitting with her. They saw each other at the many banquets that were held in honor of their guests, but they had to be Prince Jonathan and Squire Alan then. Truth be told, she had missed her prince. So she called for him to come in.

Jonathan was dressed for bed when he entered. He winced when he saw the state of Alanna's body. "Mithros," he said. "Those must hurt."

Alanna glared at him. "I can thank you for most of them."

"You've not been in my bed for weeks now, Alanna. I don't think I am the cause of this."

"No, but all the fights I have to go through because I am your squire are. However indirectly, this is still your fault."

The prince laughed. "Very well. I will accept the blame if it means accepting that I have the best squire at court. I suppose you're for bed then?"

Alanna was surprised to hear the note of longing in his voice. It was obvious that she was not the only one who had missed their time together. "I am," she answered. "Though I suppose your bed is just as good as my own."

Jon smiled. "Better I would wager." He blew out her candle and took her hand, leading her into his room.

He went around blowing out candles while Alanna got into his bed and snuggled under the covers. She watched the prince move around the room, admiring the muscles that bunched under his skin. He was really a very attractive man, Jonathan. She marveled yet again that out of all of the women he could be with, he chose to be with her.

"You've got that look in your eyes," he said suddenly.

"What look?"

"Sometimes you look at me like I'm some sort of god and you're a mortal not fit to bask in my presence," Jon explained.

Alanna blushed. "Isn't that pretty much how it is?" she asked.

"Not in the slightest." He pulled back the covers and got into the bed, pulling his squire into his arms. "Have you any idea how lucky I feel to be with you?"

"No," the girl answered truthfully. "That doesn't really make any sense."

"And why not?"

"You're the heir to the throne, Jon. You're the one the women flock to."

"They would flock to you too if you showed a little interest."

Alanna snorted. "It's better not to lead them on. It's not like I can go as far as you or Gary can with them."

"True," Jonathan admitted. "You are the one that knights come from miles around to fight though. Your name comes up just as often as mine these days."

"But why do you feel lucky to be with me? It's not like there is a lot of competition," Alanna returned.

"Because, dear Alanna, you're here accomplishing a dream against unspeakable odds. You're a girl, for the Mother's sake, and you're still better than most of the men here. I feel lucky to be with you because you have made room for me in this dream."

Alanna was quiet after that. The prince had a very good point. She was somebody fairly important in this world that she was really denied entry to. People wanted to test their skills against hers. And Jonathan, the heir to the Tortallan kingdom, was her knight master and lover.

She smiled ruefully and snuggled closer to the prince. "I think Gary was trying to tell me something similar earlier. Not about you, of course, but about myself."

Jonathan closed his eyes and yawned. "We all see it. I suppose it's just as well that you don't. Keeps you from being arrogant."

"Oh shut up."


A/N: What's this? An update? I don't know if anyone is still reading this, but I told myself that I wasn't going to let the year end without at least two more updates. So here's one. I also realized that every one shot I have written for this thus far has involved Alanna and Jon being in the bed at some point. I attribute that to the fact that one of my favorite scenes between them is when they are in the bed in In the Hand of the Goddess and Jonathan tells her that she should tell Gary that she is a girl and that he loves her. Even so, I'll try to get them out of the bed and into the world in the next one!