Alanna trudged down the stairs to the practice courts. Pages were practicing in the middle of the courts, while sergeants were barking out orders for them to complete. She sighed. I wish I could be a page. It would be better then being a lady.

Alanna took out both daggers and looked around for a suitable place for her to practice. Nobody was in the archery courts, so Alanna thought it would be okay to practice her aim. She could throw the daggers at the targets, trying to hit the center. I need the target practice because of that hurrok. I could have killed it faster if I was better with a knife. Alanna thought sullenly as she began to throw.

THUNK! The dagger hit the target head on, although it didn't meet the center. Alanna growled and threw another one.

THUNK! Another miss, although this time, it was closer to the center. Alanna went over to go wedge out the daggers out of the wood. When she got there, she realized that it might take a while, for they were pretty far in. With a sigh, Alanna began to pull on the hilt of the dagger, trying to get it free of the wood.

"Need a hand?"

She looked up. Jonathan was coming over to her. He's everywhere I go. Is he following me? She wondered as she said, "No. I'm fine."

"They're pretty far in there. Where did you learn to throw like that? Not at the convent, I suppose.

He keeps going back to the convent. What's the matter with him? I'm not like most convent girls. "I learned it myself." Alanna snapped, still not forgiving for this afternoon's experience.

He shrugged. "I'll just help you anyway." The Prince said as he walked over to wedge the knife out of the target. Alanna pulled hers harder, and got it loose, but the impact sent her tumbling to the ground. Jonathan stifled a laugh.

"What, never seen a girl fall to the ground before?" She demanded and he shook his head. "There's a first." She muttered under her breath as the Prince managed to wedge his dagger free and hand it to her.

"Alanna, I'm sorry I eavesdropped. I didn't know you wanted to be a knight."

"You don't know anything about me."

"I just wanted to know why. Most girls have no intention to want to be knights."

"None of your business."

"Alanna-"

She spun around on her heels and snapped, interrupting him, "I said, its none of your business." And with that, she stormed off, about to go into the building, but was cut off by a call of a sergeant. "Pages, over here, now!"

From the tone of his voice, it sent people over there in a hurry. Alanna included.

She heard whispers of the boys. "What's she doing here?" and "She's not a page. Just a girl." Alanna ignored the comments, even though they made her even angrier and went to go stand by Thom.

"Alanna, what did you do? He never uses that tone of voice for anything. You've only been here a few-" Alanna cut him off. "I didn't do anything, just wait to hear what he says." She snapped and turned to listen.

He coughed. "As you know, there seem to be Scanrans near the border of fief Montan. We have been required to go over there and check out the border, nothing dangerous. But, I've just gotten word that the Scanrans are coming our way. They should be here by nightfall, and we are going to have to attack them."

Whispers flew through the air. "Attack!" and "We're only pages."

The sergeant put his arms up, signaling for them to be quite. A hush fell over them. "I know your young and unexperienced, but knights closest to our area are coming her to help us prepare for battle. Pages will be sentries and some of you may be placed in battle, if you think you can. You may see battle, you may not. Duke Gareth says you are ready, and I trust his word." The sergeant finished and backed away, letting the pages chatter among themselves.

A million thoughts were traveling through Alanna's head. Attack! Tonight! I can finally become a warrior in one battle. Sir Gareth is a duke? I never knew that. I better go catch up with his Highness and Thom. They'll let me battle, most likely.

Alanna smiled as she trotted up to the Prince and Thom. They were walked next to each other and looked angrily at each other. Alanna decided to break the tension and said, "A battle! Can you believe it?"

Jonathan turned to her and looked at the confidence in her eyes. "Alanna, no. You're staying at the camp with the healers. You have the gift and you are not going to fight."

Alanna turned to face him. "Sure I am! I'm just as good as all of you." And with that, she turned and caught up with a group of boys that were heading to the camp armory. Thom smiled. "Alanna's stubborn, your Highness. She's not changing her mind. She just wants a chance to prove that she is as good as the rest of us." And with that, Thom too walked away from Jonathan, leaving the Prince with a very puzzled look on his face.

Thom walked over to Ralon. "My sister is going to fight." He said quietly. "A girl! She can't fight." Ralon scoffed.

"I know her better then you do, Ralon."

"But she's a girl."

"So? Ralon, do you want to hear my plan or not?"

"What is it, Thom?"

"I plan to get Alanna separated from the rest of the group. Then, she'll have to fight on her own."

A slow smile spread across Ralon's face. "Yes, exactly! Perfect. But, we'll have to figure out the details. . ."

While those two were planning, Alanna had skipped up to the front of the line where the sergeant was passing out armor, muttering about sizes to himself. "A size two for you, maybe four for you, now a five for you. . ." When he got to Alanna, he said, "Three, possibly?" and looked into her face. Stunned, he walked back, rubbing his eyes. "Girls can't fight."

Alanna looked at him with grim determination. "Sure we can. You just can't believe it." She walked up and snatched the armor out of his hands and walked out, leaving a trail of surprised people in her wake.

Alanna, who was now outside, put on her armor. For the pages, it was just a simple chain mail shirt. Putting it on, Alanna realized that it was a lot heavier then she thought it was. Grunting, Alanna managed to straighten it out over her chest and continue on walking.

She had decided to just use her daggers. I don't have a sword, or bow, or staff. Daggers will do me fine, for now.

All the other boys had something else to use to protect themselves. But daggers had defeated a hurrok for Alanna, they could help fight off a couple of Scanrans.

"Miss!" called a man. Alanna turned. The sergeant was holding a lightweight chain mail helmet for her. Panting, he handed it to her and pointed to his head. "To protect head and neck cuts." Alanna smiled her thanks and the man ran back to where he was posted.

Alanna hefted the helmet up onto her head and grunted. Even though it was lightweight for the pages, it was quite heavy and hard to breathe it. I'll soon be sweaty in this thing. She told herself. But I'll keep it on. Then, I might not be mistaken as a girl so much.

"Hullo there! Who are you?"

Alanna grinned inside her helmet. It seems to be working. The speaker was the Prince. Hmph. I'm still mad at him. Perhaps I won't tell him. Or maybe I should.

"It's me, your Highness." Alanna said, immediately regretting it.

"Alanna? You can't fight."

"Shush! Do you want Duke Gareth to hear about it?"

"My uncle? What is he going to do about it?"

His uncle? Duke Gareth was more interesting then he was on the outside. First a knight, then a duke, and now the Prince's uncle!

"He would stop me from fighting."

"Of course he would! Girls have no place on the battlefield."

"Like you know anything. Who do you think fights when all the men in the village are gone, or fighting someone else and there is a raid, huh? The pigs?" And with that, Alanna turned on her heel, saying under her breath, "I'll show him."

"Pages! Over here, now!" The sergeant called. Alanna's heart skipped a beat. This was really it! Now was her chance to prove that she was really able to be a warrior. Jonathan came up to her, his helmet also on.

"Are you sure you really want to do this?" He asked her in a hushed voice.

"I'm not changing my mind now."

The sergeant raised his hands for quiet once again. Most of the pages looked nervous, but some, like herself, were eager to get a taste for the warrior's life.

"I know most of you are nervous, but there isn't anything to be scared of. The knights are here from around the two fiefs, and they will be helping us. Pages will be sentries, since we have enough knights to do the fighting. Now, I'm going to separate you all into squads. . ."

The sergeant pointed to a couple of boys to be sentries near fief Queenscove. The sergeant pointed to Alanna. "Who are you, boy?" He barked. She responded calmly, "Alanna of Trebond, sir." There was a line of worry, but he didn't say anything else.

"Alanna, Ralon, Thom, William, and Douglass." He barked and the four boys and Alanna moved over to the side. He called out other boys, but Alanna was unaware of their names. "You will be reporting on the left side border of fief Montan." He lowered his voice. "It will probably be the most dangerous job, but I'm sure none of you will mess it up." They all nodded and he left. Why did he place me in this squad, then, if he thinks girls can't fight?

"We got placed with the girl?" Douglass muttered. "Just our luck." Alanna glared at him. The boy who was in charge of their squad, William, glared at him too.

"Everyone in our squad is important in their own way." He told him and Douglass went silent.

The sergeant called out, "I'm placing you with a knight in your group. You won't go unprotected." He read of the list, muttering to himself. At last, he got to Alanna's group. "Ah, yes. I shall be placing Sir Henry of Montan with this group." He muttered and the knight assigned to their group came walking over. Montan? Could this man be related to, no. . . not Carriya. Alanna gasped inside her head, thinking of the girl who caused her trouble at the convent.

"I'm Sir Henry." He said with a smile and looked the group over. There was a broad smile on his face until he fell on Alanna, but Sir Henry didn't say anything because he was interrupted by the sergeant.

"Now, we wait."

Nightfall.

Alanna was cramped in the position she was in. She had been sitting there the whole afternoon, and her legs were stiff. "Thom." She whispered to her twin, who was next to her. "How long have we been at this."

"If you can't handle this, go back." A voice taunted, and William's voice came after, although Alanna couldn't hear what he said.

"Just wait, Alanna. They should be coming soon." Thom whispered back to her.

Waiting.

Waiting.

Waiting. . .

A fierce cry pierced the air. Battle cry. The Scanrans charged and their group was silent. They couldn't see who or what was happening, for the large bushes and trees were hiding them.

Sir Henry sniffed and muttered, "I should be fighting, not here on sentry with a girl."

Alanna was sick of his constant moaning. "Then go. Who cares?" She murmured, for he had been complaining about it all afternoon.

He got up and said, "I will," leaving the group unprotected by anyone.

"Nice job, Alanna." Thom whispered to her.

"He was bothering me." Alanna pouted.

A cry came from the battle, but it seemed quite close to them. A Scanran group came through the bushes. "Unprotected pages." They jeered. "Easy meat." They charged and all the pages dove out of the way.

Alanna counted. There were three of them, and about seven pages. The Scanrans were outnumbered. "Listen, now we have to charge at them-" Alanna murmured, but was cut off by Ralon and Thom pushing her into the bushes. "Stay here wench." Ralon jeered, and Thom glared at her. "Wouldn't want the girl to get hurt." Thom pulled something out of his belt.

Rope.

Ralon and Thom started to tie it around her hands and ankles, bounding her to the flat tree stump she was pushed onto. "Thom-, What is this?"

"Shut up, wench."

They left her alone in the forest. Alanna tried to reach for her daggers, but she knew that is wouldn't work. Maybe if I rub my hands across the wood the ropes could break? There is a twig sticking up, mayhap I could make it cut the rope. She wondered and started. The ropes were weak, like twine, thank Mithros, and Alanna was able to get them off in time, although her hands and feet were blistered and sore, from the rubbing of the ropes.

What is up with Thom? He did that for no good reason, and he knows that I won't stay here. Maybe he's overprotective? Alanna wondered but knew that is was not true.

She scrambled up to her feet to see five pages battling. "Where's William?" She wondered as she decided to leave the pages and go find another spot. Maybe I can be on sentry with the Prince. He seems nice enough-most of the times. She grumbled inside of her head and set off.

The battle was bloody. An owl hissed in the distance as Alanna trotted through the forest, trying not to be seen. It was mostly taking place in a clearing, and Alanna was in the forest area surrounding it. Looking for Jonathan, she was able to spot people in the crowd.

Sir/Duke Gareth.

Sir Tuso, another knight.

Sir Henry. I hope he gets himself killed.

Jonathan.

Alanna backtracked. Wait, what is he doing fighting? She wondered as she watched the battle from the place she was hiding at. He was outnumbered by the Scanrans and Alanna decided to act fast. It wasn't a wise plan, but it might work.

Charging into the battlefield, Alanna jumped over bodies, and tried to cut down Scanrans as she ran. One slashed at her cheek, opening the wound she got from a hurrok two days ago. The man who had cut her blocked her way. "Move, I have to fight." He slurred as he tried to get away from Alanna. Dagger and knife in each hand, Alanna tried to defend herself from the upcoming sword that was coming down at her.

Using her force, she managed to block the sword, but her daggers would not hold it for long. She knew that. The Scanran knew that and he grinned openly at her. "You are going to die." He jeered and pressed down harder. Alanna knew what she had to do, but it would be risking her own life.

She quickly jumped down and kicked the man in the shins. It was hard to because of all the armor he was wearing, but it was enough to make his sword rise. You little-" He started but couldn't finished because Alanna had bounded away, trying to avoid fighting with anyone else. The cut on her cheek bled freely now.

Finally, she reached Jonathan. "Get away, your Highness!" She called. "Get into the forest, you're two important to lose."

"Alanna, no, your hurt."

"You're outnumbered."

"I can't-"

"Go!" She pushed him into the forest where he ran, stumbling. Alanna tried to dodge the Scanrans that were attacking her, but she managed to trip over a body. Putting a hand on the heart, it beat with a steady pulse.

Alanna grunted. He's alive. I'd better get him to safety. Alanna pulled the body to the forest, grunting the whole way, for the boy was much to heavy for her.

Finally, they reached a safe haven. Looking into her magic, Alanna pulled a thread out, and put it into the page's body. Nothing happened. He's too far. He's going to die. She thought nervously as she sat near the boy, on her haunches.

Suddenly, the boy reached out for her, grabbing her wrists. "Alanna." He gasped. William? "This . . is William. I know. . you wanted to. . become a knight. Take my place, my name. . . Third year page." He collapsed and Alanna felt his heart. Dead. Those were his dying words. Alanna gasped. To become a knight. . . it was her dream. Hesitantly, she took the helmet off the page's head and took off her own chain mail helmet. The two were different, William's helmet was like the one's knights wear.

Alanna put it on her head. She was going to be a knight.

Later that night.

The sergeant was calling names to see who was there, and who was dead. "Thom of Trebond."

Thom raised his hand.

"Prince Jonathan."

The Prince raised his hand. A rush of relief fell on Alanna. He's alive.

"William of Iros."

Alanna murmured, "Here."

This was to be her new self.

"Alanna of Trebond."

This time, the Prince spoke.

"Missing, after she saved my life."

A/N: Hoped you like it! My longest and favorite chapter yet. Whoo! Alanna's finally a page! Please read and review, it means a lot to hear what you think.