Chapter 2:
On hearing the criteria Jonathan's eye immediately flickered in Alanna's direction. She knew the glance was not really meant for her, but for George. 'No way, Jonathan', she thought vehemently, 'we haven't had enough time yet. I wanted a couple of years at least.' However her rational mind was reminding her of her own sense of duty. It was not to her to come between her husband and his duty to the Crown. Her common sense squashed her unsustainable desire for domestic bliss giving little room for argument.
Knowing Alanna as he did, Jonathan could see the argument he was about to have with the Champion coming from a long way off. He would need to talk this one over with her, preferably privately to spare Myles and Gary the scene that would ensue.
He looked up at Myles slowly nodding- Alanna could practically see the mechanics clicking into place in his head as he settled with the idea, 'I think I know who can help you. He's not done this kind of thing lately and may need some convincing, but he would be an ideal choice for the position.'
Against her better judgement Alanna glared fiercely in the King's direction. She knew that she would have to agree in the end, but that didn't mean she had to be happy about it. Jonathan chose to pointedly ignore the daggers aimed at him and continued to address his Spymaster and Prime Minister.
'I'll let you know tomorrow for certain. Meanwhile, we need to keep alert. If possible our agents need to increase their contact frequency and I want more men in the capital of Tusaine. We are going to have to wait this one out, at least until Galla's intentions are clear.' He stood behind his desk to politely and subtly indicate their dismissal.
'So we meet the same time tomorrow, here again?' asked Gary as he left the weighty stack of decoded dispatches on Jonathan's desk.
'That'll be fine. Here in my study.'
On his way out Myles noted Alanna's hard glare and the pieces fell into place- his son-in-law was most likely going to be in-country within a couple of weeks.
Alanna moved forward to stand directly in front of Jonathan's desk in what she hoped was an intimidating manner. She wasn't quite eye-to-eye but that was never going to change.
'No. I know exactly what you're thinking and there's no way in hell.'
This time instead of ignoring her he returned her glare in full force. This was a well-known scene for both participants- years of argumentative banter had served only to widen both their stubborn streaks.
'You know perfectly well this isn't your decision to make- it's up to George.' The words came infuriatingly matter-of-fact. Until now Alanna's reasonable mind had been mostly in control of her more passion-driven half, but Jonathan's over- assured comment unleashed the outrage she was feeling at life's injustices.
'Not my decision? It may not be all mine, but I sure as hell hope that I hold some weight in it- I'm only his wife after all. And what in Mithros' name makes you think George will take up in all this.'
'Because I know George. He at least has a sense of duty...'He let that sentence hang allowing Alanna to fully appreciate all of it's implications.
Alanna's fury at those words helped to dull the sting that would normally have come which such sayings. How could he even joke that her loyalties were questionable? The lengths she had gone to over the years for both his sake and the kingdom's made any remarks about her loyalty absolutely intolerable. Somewhere in the darker recesses of her mind a voice suggested taking backing the Dominion Jewel- which she had risked life and limb for- and throwing it in the river. Frogs would just not make an appropriate revenge after this argument.
'How dare you presume to know my husband's or my loyalties!' By this stage the level of her voice had raised many decibels above the normal speaking tone and she realised she could probably be heard by anyone who chanced to walk down the corridor. She had barely opened her mouth to continue to voice her indignation when she was cut off.
'You forget who you are talking to Lady Alanna. I presume because I can- or have you forgotten to whom your loyalty is sworn?'
That she felt was dirty fighting. Use of such a comment was against the unwritten laws of arguing which until now had been upheld when the two fought. The King always had the upper hand in an argument, a position held by his power alone, so to keep the playing field even he usually refrained from using his birthright to his advantage. Apparently not so this time.
An assortment of creative insults came to the fore of her mind and she briefly considered hurling a few of the more choice examples his Majesty's way, but pulled herself up short. She ought to hold them in reserve for need later- else she would have to resort to recycling her words, and there was no class in doing that.
Her moment of restraint caused her mind to briefly step outside of herself. On one level she knew that George would have accepted had he been here- he was too honourable to do anything less. Whether he heard of it from Jonathan or her made no difference to the ultimate out come.
The voice of reason seemed to be making a return, until her less rationally inspired side zealously seized the floor.
When she had said she had only wanted to settle down for a short while, she hadn't quite had eighteen months in mind. In the year and a half they had been together there had been much to do between getting married and re- establishing the Swoop- not to mention participating in the gargantuan affair that was the royal wedding. So much to do in fact that they had had precious little time to simply enjoy one another's company. She railed against the unfairness of it all. How dare the rest of the world impose on her carefully constructed life?
'In the end it was George's decision' she reminded herself. She had the feeling that if Galla and Tusaine were at each other's throats then her time of peace and relaxation would be over regardless. Alanna was almost ready to reconcile their differences until she looked back up at Jonathan. He had taken her momentary pause to evaluate the situation as a sign of defeat and had his angry, over-confident, you-know- I'm-right face on and her anger stirred once again. It reminded her afresh of his last comment and she decided she would allow him no concessions in this argument.
'Forget it' she announced flatly, not budging. The frustration surrounding the King was becoming almost tangible. She watched stonily as he resumed his seat and regarded her with flashing eyes.
'Alanna, regardless of your wishes George will be in my study tomorrow morning- come hell or high water- to discuss this with me. That's final. How he finds out is up to you. You can wait until one of my heralds drags him in here, or you can tell him about it yourself tonight. Either way he will find out.'
Alanna searched for something to say and found herself grasping at straws. Jonathan had the upper hand and no matter how unfair she found the whole scenario, she had lost this one. That annoyed her- greatly. She had reached the point where she could easily justify loosing her sharp tongue.
'Quite frankly I don't care for either option, your Majesty,' she returned coolly, before raising her voice heatedly, not caring who heard, 'you can take your gods damned proposition and stick where the sun does not shine for all I care.'
Here she thought it an appropriate opportunity to enact her earlier daydream and quick marched straight out the room throwing her final statement over her shoulder and slamming the door, leaving it shuddering in her wake. At the time she really couldn't have given a rat's arse about being polite or diplomatic, king or no.
She knew Jonathan well enough to safely bet that he was less likely to come after her than sit and brood angrily at his desk. If she avoided him long enough she might even manage to escape with little more than a slap on the wrist for her behaviour. It was clear, even to her that she had most definitely stepped, more like taken a running leap, over the line with her parting remarks. But that knowledge failed to dull the glowing, if somewhat juvenile satisfaction she gained from them.
Alanna stalked down the wide corridor to her apartments paying no heed to the looks she received for her blatantly uncurbed anger. Some, mostly less experienced servants, were obviously startled by the fuming woman, while those more familiar with her temper hid knowing looks and steered well clear of her path.
She hastily threw together her bag of necessities and prepared to leave. Her abrupt departure after only arriving that morning would raise eyebrows amongst some of the courtiers but that mattered little to her. She wanted to come and go as she pleased, irrespective of the gossip at court. This evening she would ride for Pirate's Swoop and George. The least she could do was give her husband the heads up before Jonathan hit him with such news.
* * * * * What did you think? My main goal is to be creative with the characters (and maybe write them in a more realistic way), but without getting TOO 'creative'... you know? So if you think I'm over stepping the bounds of character let me know. And, no, I don't care whether you flame, abuse or whatever- feedback of any kind rocks my kazbaa.
Anyway, give me a bit of time to write and you'll have more soon,
eridani.
On hearing the criteria Jonathan's eye immediately flickered in Alanna's direction. She knew the glance was not really meant for her, but for George. 'No way, Jonathan', she thought vehemently, 'we haven't had enough time yet. I wanted a couple of years at least.' However her rational mind was reminding her of her own sense of duty. It was not to her to come between her husband and his duty to the Crown. Her common sense squashed her unsustainable desire for domestic bliss giving little room for argument.
Knowing Alanna as he did, Jonathan could see the argument he was about to have with the Champion coming from a long way off. He would need to talk this one over with her, preferably privately to spare Myles and Gary the scene that would ensue.
He looked up at Myles slowly nodding- Alanna could practically see the mechanics clicking into place in his head as he settled with the idea, 'I think I know who can help you. He's not done this kind of thing lately and may need some convincing, but he would be an ideal choice for the position.'
Against her better judgement Alanna glared fiercely in the King's direction. She knew that she would have to agree in the end, but that didn't mean she had to be happy about it. Jonathan chose to pointedly ignore the daggers aimed at him and continued to address his Spymaster and Prime Minister.
'I'll let you know tomorrow for certain. Meanwhile, we need to keep alert. If possible our agents need to increase their contact frequency and I want more men in the capital of Tusaine. We are going to have to wait this one out, at least until Galla's intentions are clear.' He stood behind his desk to politely and subtly indicate their dismissal.
'So we meet the same time tomorrow, here again?' asked Gary as he left the weighty stack of decoded dispatches on Jonathan's desk.
'That'll be fine. Here in my study.'
On his way out Myles noted Alanna's hard glare and the pieces fell into place- his son-in-law was most likely going to be in-country within a couple of weeks.
Alanna moved forward to stand directly in front of Jonathan's desk in what she hoped was an intimidating manner. She wasn't quite eye-to-eye but that was never going to change.
'No. I know exactly what you're thinking and there's no way in hell.'
This time instead of ignoring her he returned her glare in full force. This was a well-known scene for both participants- years of argumentative banter had served only to widen both their stubborn streaks.
'You know perfectly well this isn't your decision to make- it's up to George.' The words came infuriatingly matter-of-fact. Until now Alanna's reasonable mind had been mostly in control of her more passion-driven half, but Jonathan's over- assured comment unleashed the outrage she was feeling at life's injustices.
'Not my decision? It may not be all mine, but I sure as hell hope that I hold some weight in it- I'm only his wife after all. And what in Mithros' name makes you think George will take up in all this.'
'Because I know George. He at least has a sense of duty...'He let that sentence hang allowing Alanna to fully appreciate all of it's implications.
Alanna's fury at those words helped to dull the sting that would normally have come which such sayings. How could he even joke that her loyalties were questionable? The lengths she had gone to over the years for both his sake and the kingdom's made any remarks about her loyalty absolutely intolerable. Somewhere in the darker recesses of her mind a voice suggested taking backing the Dominion Jewel- which she had risked life and limb for- and throwing it in the river. Frogs would just not make an appropriate revenge after this argument.
'How dare you presume to know my husband's or my loyalties!' By this stage the level of her voice had raised many decibels above the normal speaking tone and she realised she could probably be heard by anyone who chanced to walk down the corridor. She had barely opened her mouth to continue to voice her indignation when she was cut off.
'You forget who you are talking to Lady Alanna. I presume because I can- or have you forgotten to whom your loyalty is sworn?'
That she felt was dirty fighting. Use of such a comment was against the unwritten laws of arguing which until now had been upheld when the two fought. The King always had the upper hand in an argument, a position held by his power alone, so to keep the playing field even he usually refrained from using his birthright to his advantage. Apparently not so this time.
An assortment of creative insults came to the fore of her mind and she briefly considered hurling a few of the more choice examples his Majesty's way, but pulled herself up short. She ought to hold them in reserve for need later- else she would have to resort to recycling her words, and there was no class in doing that.
Her moment of restraint caused her mind to briefly step outside of herself. On one level she knew that George would have accepted had he been here- he was too honourable to do anything less. Whether he heard of it from Jonathan or her made no difference to the ultimate out come.
The voice of reason seemed to be making a return, until her less rationally inspired side zealously seized the floor.
When she had said she had only wanted to settle down for a short while, she hadn't quite had eighteen months in mind. In the year and a half they had been together there had been much to do between getting married and re- establishing the Swoop- not to mention participating in the gargantuan affair that was the royal wedding. So much to do in fact that they had had precious little time to simply enjoy one another's company. She railed against the unfairness of it all. How dare the rest of the world impose on her carefully constructed life?
'In the end it was George's decision' she reminded herself. She had the feeling that if Galla and Tusaine were at each other's throats then her time of peace and relaxation would be over regardless. Alanna was almost ready to reconcile their differences until she looked back up at Jonathan. He had taken her momentary pause to evaluate the situation as a sign of defeat and had his angry, over-confident, you-know- I'm-right face on and her anger stirred once again. It reminded her afresh of his last comment and she decided she would allow him no concessions in this argument.
'Forget it' she announced flatly, not budging. The frustration surrounding the King was becoming almost tangible. She watched stonily as he resumed his seat and regarded her with flashing eyes.
'Alanna, regardless of your wishes George will be in my study tomorrow morning- come hell or high water- to discuss this with me. That's final. How he finds out is up to you. You can wait until one of my heralds drags him in here, or you can tell him about it yourself tonight. Either way he will find out.'
Alanna searched for something to say and found herself grasping at straws. Jonathan had the upper hand and no matter how unfair she found the whole scenario, she had lost this one. That annoyed her- greatly. She had reached the point where she could easily justify loosing her sharp tongue.
'Quite frankly I don't care for either option, your Majesty,' she returned coolly, before raising her voice heatedly, not caring who heard, 'you can take your gods damned proposition and stick where the sun does not shine for all I care.'
Here she thought it an appropriate opportunity to enact her earlier daydream and quick marched straight out the room throwing her final statement over her shoulder and slamming the door, leaving it shuddering in her wake. At the time she really couldn't have given a rat's arse about being polite or diplomatic, king or no.
She knew Jonathan well enough to safely bet that he was less likely to come after her than sit and brood angrily at his desk. If she avoided him long enough she might even manage to escape with little more than a slap on the wrist for her behaviour. It was clear, even to her that she had most definitely stepped, more like taken a running leap, over the line with her parting remarks. But that knowledge failed to dull the glowing, if somewhat juvenile satisfaction she gained from them.
Alanna stalked down the wide corridor to her apartments paying no heed to the looks she received for her blatantly uncurbed anger. Some, mostly less experienced servants, were obviously startled by the fuming woman, while those more familiar with her temper hid knowing looks and steered well clear of her path.
She hastily threw together her bag of necessities and prepared to leave. Her abrupt departure after only arriving that morning would raise eyebrows amongst some of the courtiers but that mattered little to her. She wanted to come and go as she pleased, irrespective of the gossip at court. This evening she would ride for Pirate's Swoop and George. The least she could do was give her husband the heads up before Jonathan hit him with such news.
* * * * * What did you think? My main goal is to be creative with the characters (and maybe write them in a more realistic way), but without getting TOO 'creative'... you know? So if you think I'm over stepping the bounds of character let me know. And, no, I don't care whether you flame, abuse or whatever- feedback of any kind rocks my kazbaa.
Anyway, give me a bit of time to write and you'll have more soon,
eridani.