Authors Note: I know slow updates and what not, my usual aopologies for that.
Now, a quick question for all of you still actually reading this, and it sounds like something from my first fic haha, should I even continue this? I mean I hate leaving this up when updates are so few and far apart. I knew this was goign to be my last multichapter fic on here but I was thinking taking it off completely and maybe repost when I have it done. Any thoughts from anyone?
I am Not Tamora Pierce.
Alan sighed as fell back onto his bed. The royal wedding would not be for another month. His friends from page training were all either in the city in their family's town houses or on their families' lands. Alan was stuck here in the palace. He tried finding Lianne and Liam but he could only seem to find time to spend with Liam, and that time was rare. Lianne was often with her elder sister, Kalasin, whose was in the middle of negotiations with the Carthaki ambassadors discussing the marriage contract that was being drawn up for Princess Kalasi of Conte annd the Emperor of Carthak, Kaddar.
Lianne looked for Alan but sadly whenever she did it seemed like all she wanted to do was sharpen her tongue on the good natured boy and then make everything better between them by smiling and apologizing for taking her anger out on him.
"You seem to be the only I can really talk to," Lianne told him as they sat in the sitting room she shared with Kalasin. "Everyone else gets mad or ignores me no matter what I say."
"Don't worry about it Lianne, but I think your father is trying to keep us apart." Alan sat back and leaned on a plush pillow. "Should I fear for my life?"
Lianne snorted. "He's worried about nothing. How do I have anytime to do anything with him constantly sending me away to do useless and boring little things? His next plan is to send me to Carthak with Uncle Gareth to speak with Emporer Kaddar about Kally. To 'encourage my future foreign dignities' or some such nonsense."
Alan's face instantly fell. "Carthak? When?"
"Oh, probably this winter season. I could speak with a few more people there about my Gift. Father wants me to go down into the Bazhir tribes thins spring with the pages so that I can spend a week or so with the Bloody Hawk tribe and their school for shamans."
"The Bloody Hawk were my mother's people," Alan told her and smiled at the thought about having Lianne tag along on the page's summer camp.
"That's what father said. He told me he would be putting me in their shaman's care for a little while, Kora, Kerremm, Kourrem, something like that." Lianne sat up off the couch she had been laying across. "Hide, Alan," she hissed.
"What?" Alan looked at her with confusion in hazel eyes as she shoved him towards the window.
"Get out on the ledge, someone's coming and you can't be found, you and I aren't supposed to be talking. We're 'bad influences on each other'. So come on, out on the ledge, walk across to Roald's room and use the servant's stair form there." Lianne helped him over the edge and rushed back in latching the window without a glance behind her.
Alan clung to the side of the wall and listened carefully hoping to see who it was. Then he heard that voice of the prime minister, Sir Gareth the Younger of Naxen. Alan sighed and crept along the wall to find Roald's room unlocked, and slide into the window so that he could rush to his own wing.
Alan walked into the page's wing sighing. His only friend he could see could be leaving soon. She said it would only be for midwinter but they had the traveling to go through. They would have to ride to Legann or Port Caynn before taking a ship to one of Carthak's ports. Alan would be alone again, but he supposed he could get over that. He was used to being the odd man out.
He went into his room finding letters pushed under his door. He scooped them up off the floor and fell onto his bed, breaking the first seal. Holding the paper over his head he read the first line.
Alan,
My warmest regards to you in the palace, the university let out for summer a while ago, I saw mother off, but luckily I've been allowed to examine some newer scrolls with one of my professors, wonderful man he is, said I was one of the brightest men of my times. Anyway,the scrolls are from Maren, talking of some of their explorations on magic being used by non mages. How odd!
Since I will have nothing to occupy myself for some time I will be visiting you in the palace soon. Father and Alianne said that they will also be here soon. So do not fill your days with too much beatings, royalty, or riffraff.
Your Elder Brother,
Thom
Alan rolled his eyes at his brother's theatrics. Sometimes Thom enjoyed Alan's business more than Aly did, and that was really saying something.
The second letter, which was more of note, opened to reveal a simple message summoning him to his grandfather. Alan set both letters on his desk before leaving his room and walking through the palace to find his grandfather's small but cozy suite of rooms. As the young page knocked on the door he heard laughing inside.
The door opened and Myles looked down at his grandson, "Alan, it's about time. Come in, come in." He shut the door behind the youth and smiled at him. "I told you I would help you with your problems in the city."
"How are you going to do that, Grandda?" Alan ran a hand over his strawberry blond head. "Da has people roaming around here somewhere, I know it."
Myles grinned down at the boy. "You forget, some of them are mine, too," he whispered near Alan's ear. "I was doing this type of thing before your Da knew what a whisper was." Myles straightened his back. "Get in here you riffraff," the knight called into the study.
Alan's face broke into a grin as he saw a girl dressed in the Olau colors. The green cloth with red stitches set off her dark green eyes and her black hair was pulled back into a simple braid.
She walked into the room with a small limp that was barely noticeable, but she grinned at Alan. "What trouble did ye an' tha' princess get into t' other day?"
Alan laughed and folded his city friend into a quick embrace. "Mary! I had no idea what condition you've been in. How you really were. I've had one note from Elly and it was simple, you know how articulate she is."
"Enough of tha', Alan," Mary chided and wagged her finger at him in mock anger, but the side of her twitched into a grin. "Now, I'm on my feet and walking."
"With a limp," Myles pointed.
"How did that happen?" Alan demanded while guiding Mary to a seat.
Mary's eyes darkened. "Me an' the Rogue don' get along well Alan, ye know tha'."
"But-"
"An' that's all ye'll be gettin' from me, too." Mary straightened the front of her dress and looked up at Alan. "Now what nonsense did tha' princess fill your head with?"
Alan sighed as Myles rolled his eyes. "I've got a bit of work to do, my boy." He ruffled Alan's hair. "If you need me I'll be in my study."
The two teenagers watched Myles exit the room before Mary looked at Alan's hazel eyes, staring off into a memory, before her eyebrow climbed up her forehead. "Well, Alan?"
"She's something else."
"I knew that."
"When we left you, we weren't ready to go back up to the palace, so we took off on this ride through the city, galloping the whole way."
"Getting a lot o' folks hurt," Mary mumbled, but Alan didn't listen.
"We were headed towards...gods I don't know where when two Provost's Guards--"
"Dogs, Alan. Tha's wha' we call them and it's much easier t' say."
Alan barely listened as he looked back at that day in his memory. "Dogs, well a couple of them grabbed her reins and mine and hauled us in to the nearest station."
"Kennel."
"Then we were locked up and my Da came with an order from the King to let us out into my father's care," Alan finished with a sigh and leaned back into his chair across from Mary's.
Mary watched his carefree attitude and shook her head at him. "Ye could've got hurt, Alan."
"Don't you start in on me, too," Alan snapped, coming out of his fantasies of having another day like that. "I've heard it from everyone. Even the king himself. I don't need to hear it from you, too. I was told I'm not to leave the palace until page training starts again and I rarely get free time then any way. It was fun, I don't care what anyone says! And I'd do it again!" Alan had come out of his seat while he ranted. Now he dropped back down and looked at Mary's stony face.
Her emerald eyes were as dark as when she spoke of the Rogue. "Ye don' care 'bout the people tha' got hurt trying t' get out t' way of ye horses. Ye don' care that for the past weeks ye've only two words of how Uri an' I've been? 'They're okay', tha's all she sent and ye're fine with tha'. Tha' princess is no good for ye Alan. Look how ye're actin'."
"I'm happy!" Alan told her and looked past her. "Lianne reminds me to think of myself and not worry about all the expectations around me. She makes me stand out on my own without all the other people seeing my family. She's sees me, Mary!"
"Tha's not you, Alan, ye're kind, and ye care, and ye don't mind tha' much if other people get all th' attention. Ye're not con--con-concealed. No, conceited, is wha' Elly said." Mary stood and looked down at Alan, anger and hurt filling her.
"I'm Tortallan nobility; I have the right to ride my horse where I please." Alan looked her right in the eye without a hint of comforting softness.
"Tha's the ye that the princess has made of ye. I like the real Alan." She dipped into a low, clumsy curtsy and kept her eyes down. "Please forgive lowly city folk like meself, Page Alan of Pirate's Swoop and Olau, " Mary sneered. "I'll be goin' so I don' 'cause no more trouble. Please thank yer grandda, Sir Myles of Olau, for helpin me get in t' see ye, Page Alan." Mary stood and walked stubbornly towards the door so that Alan couldn't see her limp or her tear filled eyes. She pulled the door open and walked out, leaving Alan to stare at the wood.
Alan glared at the door before throwing himself back into his chair with a huff. "Lianne wouldn't have acted like that."
"You wouldn't have yelled at Lianne like that," Myles told his grandson from the doorway. The knight settled himself in the vacant seat and pulled a small side table with a chess board set up between them. "Appease an old man, Alan."
The page nodded and made his first move. "No, I wouldn't have yelled at Lianne like that. She's more easygoing. She wouldn't have taken me so seriously."
Myles nodded and inspected the board. "The princess doesn't like to take things too seriously. She and your city friend were raised in two very different worlds. "
"Like Lianne knows how to have a good time, and Mary can only have fun when it suits her and not be happy for anyone else." Alan didn't even bother to really pay attention to the game.
"No I think that they just like to see different sides of you, Alan. You're an adaptable boy, you get along with most but you don't want to stand out too much. You're a good lad, you just aren't sure what you really want from life." Myles shook his head at the boy's move.
"I am very sure what I want in life," Alan informed the older man.
"And what is that?"
Alan opened his mouth to reply but stopped suddenly, pondering the question. Realization came across his hazel eyes and he looked down in shame. "I want to not fight with my friends, and for them to get along as well."
Myles nodded and smiled. "I always knew you were my favorite," he chuckled. "You write her a letter and I'll have it sent. We'll see if we can mend things up between you three. And you're in check my boy."