Deceptions of Alianne.
Disclaimer: Me own these characters? You must be terribly mistaken
Authors note: I probably could and should have updated this earlier, but I have had many pieces of writing to complete. It was crazy.
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Wearing a gown just a little more loosely than fashion required; a fifteen year old Aly glanced sidelong at Teron of Blythdain. She wasn't surprised to see that he was already watching her, not outright, but he was definitely gazing in her direction.
Meeting his gaze, she smiled mildly and battered her lashes before excusing herself from the table. As she walked into the palace courtyards, Aly picked a flower off a rose bush, and tucked it behind her ear.
Aly glanced over her shoulder and saw the most beautiful rose. Cupping the flower in her hands, she tilted her head forward to smell the flower. As she turned back to the pebbled pathway, Aly noted with pleasure that Teron was trailing behind her.
The pathway now forked. Aly took the right path, and quickly hide herself behind a pillar, where Teron wouldn't see her. Not without searching first.
The sound of finely made boots walking down the pathway made her mouth curve into a slight smile. "Aah. There you are." She frowned. That wasn't the voice of Teron; it was much too deep to be so.
Aly scowled at herself and remained perfectly still, listening intently.
"Yes, here I am," a second voice said. Aly recognized that to be the voice of Teron.
"And what, may I ask, are you doing out here, and not in there." The man turned and gestured towards the Dining Room.
"I needed to clear my head." The man shook his head, which prompted Teron to add, "So I thought I brisk walk through the gardens was in order."
"Just don't go getting involved with that Alianne, girl." Aly jaw dropped and mouth hung agape in a perfect 'O' shape. She wasn't expecting that one.
"Now what would make you say that, father?" Father? So that's who the man was, it still didn't explain why he held a grudge against Aly.
"I've been called many things in my lifetime, but I've never been called a fool."
"There's nothing wrong with her," Teron said, slightly defensively. Aly smiled.
"Her mother deceived everyone for years at a time," he growled. "Like mother like daughter. Mark my words, that girl will toy with your heart for a few days then move on. They have no shame, the lot of them!"
Aly winced, perhaps if the lads were more interesting she wouldn't have to move on. She'd show Teron and his father that she wasn't like her mother, she didn't deceive people. At least not those who'd realize that she did.
After a few moments, Aly heard a sigh and the sound of feet retreating. Only when she knew the coast was clear, she moved from the shadows of the pillar, and took another pathway back to the Dining Room.
For the following half hour, Aly sat with her back straightened, her chin held high and her eyes looking down at her dessert. She made no sound other than the clanking of her eating utensils. She spoke when spoken too and waited for the opportunity she was hoping for to arise.
Some fifteen minutes later, than opportunity came, much to Aly's pleasure. Teron's father, the Lord of Blythdain, excused himself from the table in order to use the privy. Aly waited a minute or so, and then glanced up at her mother, looking helpless.
"What's wrong?" Alanna whispered to Aly.
Aly gulped, seemingly worried. "I need to talk with you, Ma."
Alanna scowled, looking over her daughter suspiciously. "Can't it wait until after?"
"No, it can't." Aly shook her head.
After excusing themselves, Alanna and Aly stood and left the Dining Room. Aly lead Alanna down a corridor, in the direction the Lord of Blythdain have taken. The corridors had always echoed, and Aly was going to use that to her advantage.
"I saw what you did last night, Ma." She projected her voice so that it would travel as far down the corridor as possible.
"What?" The lioness was confused. Not only was it evident in her tone of voice, but also by the expression of her face.
"The way you treat Maude! Have you no compassion? It's as if she's a lowly slave."
Further down the hallway, the Lord of Blythdain heard voices and stopped in his tracks. Looking about, he saw another corridor and considered taking that pathway back, but decided to stay and eavesdrop.
"What are you talking about?"
"I won't stand for it, Ma, I wont. She deserves more respect than that. She's not there for you to boss about. She's a human being."
"Aly?"
"I won't watch you use her then throw her away." Aly smiled and hugged Alanna, before casually strolling back into the Dining Room. Alanna stood there puzzled.
Further down the hallway, the frown on the face of the Lord Blythdain dissolved into a smile.
Later that night, when Aly excused herself for the final time, Teron glanced over at his father. The Lord of Blythdain nodded.
With a smile, Teron followed her.
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