Tricksters Queen is out!! .::Does happy dance::. It took me a while to update, I apologize. Ok, here is the next chapter.

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Alanna woke up to hear the bell ringing. She was normally up by now. "I must have been up later than I thought." She said quietly to herself. Alanna groggily pulled herself out of bed. She had six days travel ahead of her; that was if they were forced to ride in a carriage. Which, Alanna strongly hoped she wouldn't have to. She couldn't stand being in the gods forsaken convent any longer, or anywhere near Delia.

Once Alanna had gotten fully up she walked over to a chair with a navy blue satin dress with a drape neck. The bottom half of the dress flared out, but not so much as to be an annoyance. She could still ride in this dress. That had been Alanna's sole reason for choosing this one. It didn't look half bad either. She put the dress on and brushed her hair through. Nothing fancy today. The last thing she needed to worry about was her hair.

She walked briskly over to Camille's room hoping to catch her before she went to breakfast. The girl's friend was just coming out of her room as Alanna came within voice range. "Camille!" Alanna called.

"Good morning Alanna. You seem to be, well, not so excited." Her friend said frankly.

"How can I be excited? I am leaving you!"

"Yes, and your leaving this place." She waved her hands about to indicate the convent. "And all of the, ahem, evil priestesses, and all the other fluttery girls, and-"Camille retorted.

"Ok, Ok I get it!" Alanna stopped her.

"Look, as long as you write to me I'll be ok. I promise." She told her.

"I promise. I'll try for at least once a week, maybe more. It will depend on what I have to do." Was the reply.

"That's good enough for me." Camille told her. They hugged. "Look at us! You're not even leaving yet and we are practically saying our good-byes! Let's hurry before we are late to breakfast!" The two girls set off for what would be their last meal together for a very long time.

The meal was over. "I need the three young ladies to come and see me now." The head priestess called out. The three walked up to her. "You have all done very well here. I am very pleased with how you have turned out. Some of you have improved more than others," She looked at Alanna, "because some of you didn't start out as well as others. I wish that you all go with my blessing." She kissed each of the girls in turn on either cheek.

"Your bags have been taken from your rooms and transported to the carriage; yes you will be riding in a carriage. The prince and his guards, as well as some of our own, will accompany you on your journey. You have my blessing as well. Do me proud." She repeated the same ritual as the other woman before shooing them off to say their good-byes.

"What am I going to do without you Camille?" Alanna asked her friend.

"I should be saying the same thing. How am I ever going to get to the inn down town?" Both girls laughed. Camille was more welcome, if not more than Alanna was. Camille at least sat and flirted with the men, Alanna just scared them away.

Ten minutes later Alanna, Delia, and Kayoko sat in the carriage, Alanna a little less happy about this than the other two where. How am I ever going to survive six days with Delia? She thought to herself. Delia was going to get more than she bargained for on this trip. Maybe a few snakes, a frog or two, and an assortment of bugs would curiously end up in Delia's bed, maybe one in the prince's. Alanna shivered at the thought of being so close to the sleeping prince.

Alanna sat back as the carriage started to move. She was not going to cry. She was leaving that cursed place. Why was she so sad about it? Because she was leaving Camille there, that was why. Her only real friend was there. If a tear or two escaped Alanna neither of the other two noticed, or chose not to comment on it.

Alanna woke up to see the sun setting. The carriage was coming to a slow halt. She threw open the door before it had stopped completely and jumped, quite literally, out. A few of the guards looked back to see what had happened. Nothing much, and turned back around. The prince pulled his horse around and walked it back to the carriage. Alanna went red hot with anger at the memory of Sean. "My lady" was all he said when he passed her.

Once they had finished their meal, if you could call it a meal compared to what they had eaten the previous night, once of the guards told the girls they would sleep in the carriage. "Excuse me, sir?" Alanna asked.

"Yes my lady?" He said bowing.

"Would it be possible for me to take a ride a few minutes?" She asked in her sweetest voice.

"I believe that it would be no problem, but I first must ask the prince." He told her.

Crap! "Thank you." She said.

He walked off in the direction of the prince and asked him. The prince looked up at him curiously and stood. Crap, crap, crap! She thought. "My guard tells me that you would like to take an evening ride tonight Lady Alanna." His tone suggested that he was amused and interested at the same time.

"Yes my lord prince, I would very much like to." She said curtsying low.

"Well, I don't see why not, but you shall need an escort to protect you in case something happens. I shall take on this responsibility. I hope that you do not mind."

"Oh, no. I would be greatly honored!" She lied. I want to go alone! She shouted in her head.

"Wonderful, I'll get two of the horses saddled and readied for us then." And I'll see how much I can find out about this whole 'twin' presumption I have as well.

"Thank you, your Highness." That's the last thing that I wanted! Him coming along. What if we meet someone I know? Do I defend them? Or act the soft lady?

When the horses where ready he held the reins while she hoisted herself up. She took the reins from him and set off at a walk with him right at her side. "So," he said, "do you have any siblings?" Jonathon asked.

"Yes I do Majesty. I have one brother, he is my twin." She told him. Why lie? He probably knows Thom any way.

"Ah." He said quietly.

"Why? Would you happen to know him?"

"What? Uh, yes I do." Was the answer.

"Would you mind telling me about how he is doing?" She asked. Alanna couldn't wait to see her twin.

"Of course my lady. He excels in magic, and all other classes, save for the fighting arts."

The girl laughed. He looked at her. "Thom never was one much for fighting. Thought much more highly of sorcery." She shut her mouth immediately. This kind of talk would lead to very awkward questions.

Jon noticed her abrupt stop. "He is a good friend of mine." Jon told her, aware that she was uncomfortable with the current subject.

"Is he now? How did he manage to become friends with the prince of the realm?"

"Various things. I doubt that you'd be interested." He told her.

"I doubt I would." Alanna said.

Should I tell her that she doesn't exist to anyone else at the palace? Tell her Thom was lying about her. Saying she didn't exist? Better not, he didn't want to be blamed for a family war. "We should head back now," was what he chose to say instead.

"Yes, I suppose that we should." She agreed. The sun was completely down now and they were having trouble seeing the ground.

Jon thought as they rode back. She was even less of a baffle-brained lady then he thought, and he didn't think that she was much of one to begin with. How was she going to react to Thom, her twin, ignoring her? I don't know her that well, so what should I expect? Will she get mad at me?

"Thank you very much your highness for letting me take a ride." Her voice broke into his thoughts.

"It was my pleasure."

Jon had just gotten to sleep when a woman's scream came from the carriage. He jumped up, as well as all the other men, and pulled on a pair of breeches. The night was quite hot. They all ran to the carriage and Jonathon pulled the door open to find a sobbing Delia and rather scared Kayoko, but Alanna seemed undisturbed.

"Snake, in my bed." She was sobbing over and over again. She lurched out of the carriage and grabbed onto the prince. She had a blanket around her and was latched onto the prince.

He grabbed her bare shoulders. "Delia? Are you okay?"

"There's a snake." Was all she could manage.

"Its ok, Prince Jonathon, it's a harmless snake." She said and proceeded to pick it up with one hand while the other clutched a blanket around her. The snake coiled itself around her hand. She looked at him with a bemused smile on her lips. He was holding Delia, who was wearing nothing but a blanket, and was wearing no shirt. If Alanna was any judge, a blush was spreading across his face.

Prince Jonathon cleared his throat. Delia pulled herself together, a few sobs still escaped her, but all in all she was okay.

Alanna stepped out of the carriage and walked over to a clearing a couple hundred feet away and let the snake go. She was pleased with herself, she had managed to scare Delia out of her wits and make her look like a little child in front of the prince. When she walked back the two other girls where back in the carriage and only the prince remained, the rest of their guards had gone back to bed.

"You seemed quite calm." He observed.

"Well, yes. I must admit, I don't mind them as much as say, Lady Delia does." She told him. She climbed back into the carriage. She took one last look at the bare-chested prince. "Good-night Majesty." She said and curtsied.

Great, he thought. I bet they liked that. Apart from Delia screaming her head off, he slept quite well that night. He couldn't get the picture of Alanna in a blanket handling a snake out of his head though.

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Ok, that's the end. Well, that wasn't as long as some of the previous chapters, but I wanted to update. Ok, I think I am going to change the rating from PG to PG-13 now. Jon is there, she is there, and George is there, mainly because of Delia though. Tell me what ya'll think of it.

Imogenhm: Thanx much. No, 'update soon'? What, did you not want me to update?

Alenor: Okay, good. Yes, I know. Thanx, I do try.

DestinyHunter: Thank you very much!

Mage Light: Yep, that she is. .::backs away slowly::.

KeeperofthePineNeedles: Well, I would. But I cant e-mail people. I can only receive. Darn that dumb virus protection!

Warrior of tortall: I will. I luv em too!!

Devilsheart: much thanx