Is It Enough? -Chapter Two
Alanna arrived at the Palace about 30 minutes after she left Myles and Eleni. She stared up at the momentous building, taking the beautiful sight in, and wondered what awaited her after she entered those walls that she had so happily fled not 5 months ago. Alanna gently pressed Moonlight into an easy gait, the breeze blowing her curls in her eyes. A young guard looked shell-shocked at her for a second as she rode through the gates, before he remembered his duties, and saluted the woman he recognized as the Lioness.
Alanna got similar reactions inside the walls. They still see me as some hero, some great Protector, she realized. A jubilant cry startled her out of her thoughts, and a great bear of a man atop a majestic looking strider rode up to her. The flash of midnight black hair gave the man's identity away. Raoul dismounted, as did Alanna, and before she knew it, she was swept off her feet and spun around in his arms.
"Alanna!" he cried. "It's really you! I missed you so much! The Palace just isn't the same without you around to knock some sense into the stubborn royal head of His Majesty," he said with a grin. Alanna grinned back at him. Raoul put his strong hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "How are you? You look happy. George treating you well? He better be!"
"I am happy," Alanna said with a slow smile. "The most I've been for a long time. And yes George is treating me very well. Maybe too well. I might even be getting soft," she said, a shadow crossing her face for a second. A shadow that Raoul did not pick up on.
"You? Get soft? Never!" Raoul shook his head, laughing, and then motioned to a lurking stable boy to take care of their mounts, as he put his arm around Alanna and led her into the Palace, saying how she must be exhausted after the trip from Port Caynn. Alanna let herself get lost in the flow of Raoul's unceasing conversation, trying not to think about seeing Jon.
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Later that night, Alanna lay in the luxurious bed in her rooms, that Raoul had shooed her into, saying that he would tell Thayet she had arrived safely, and was now resting. She closed her eyes for what seemed only seconds before she drawn back into her recurring nightmare. Her scream jolted her out of this time. Sighing, she climbed out of bed, wondering if she would ever get a full night's, let alone, a good one, of sleep. Thinking to grab a flimsy robe at the last second, she crept into the corridor, deciding that wandering the halls of the Palace for a while would put her to sleep. Alanna set off for one of the many libraries that graced the building, careful to keep her footsteps light. She paused outside of one, seeing a light on through the crack of the door, unsure whether to enter. Alanna knocked lightly on the door, inhaling sharply when Jon himself, called out for her to enter. Steeling herself she pushed the door open.
Jon's face registered shock, surprise, anger, and something else Alanna couldn't place, as he saw his former lover, King's Champion, and alienated friend standing before him.
"Alanna!" he breathed, standing up, scattering papers and books as he did. "Thayet told me you were coming back to Corus."
Alanna smiled at him shyly, unsure of what to say. What DO you say to your former lover after you go and get engaged to one of his best allies and don't hear from him for months?
"Sit down," Jon invited, gesturing to one of the many armchairs scattered around the room.
"No, thank you, sire, I don't want to interrupt your work. You were obviously busy," Alanna answered, as she gathered the skirts of her robe into her hand, and stood awkwardly by the door, preparing to leave, silently cursing herself. She should have planned for the possibility of running into him. I mean, it WAS his Palace.
Jon was wondering the same thing. He knew Alanna was due back, why hadn't he thought of what to say to her? But then, he didn't even know if Alanna wanted anything to do with him. What kind of friend, even given their convoluted history, didn't write, or visit, or anything at all, for months?
"Alanna, wait!" he pleaded. "You weren't interrupting. Please sit."
Somewhat reluctantly Alanna lowered herself into an armchair across from him. As she looked around the cozy room, the countless hours spent there- conversations that had happened, strategies being planned out, meetings being held, flooded back to her. She caught Jon staring at her out of the corner of her eye, and lowered her head, blushing, as she remembered she was clad only in her skimpy nightgown, and a robe that provided only slightly more coverage. Clasping her hands together, she stood once more.
"Jon," she said quietly, looking straight into his piercing eyes. Jon was the only person she knew who eyes were that deep cerulean blue, she thought to herself.
"I can't stay-this is just too awkward." She turned to the door once more.
"Does he treat you well?"
"What?" Alanna asked.
"Does he treat you well," Jon repeated softly. Alanna shook her head, then looked at him.
"Do you know you're the second person to ask me that today? Why does everyone doubt George now that we're engaged?"
There. It had been said. Alanna took note of the hurt that appeared in his eyes for a second, before it was replaced with its usual expressionless facade.
"Because people care." Jon answered, his tone clipped, formal.
"Oh, really. Are you quite sure you are qualified to count as 'concerned people', considering you didn't seem to show much 'concern' when news of the engagement first broke. In fact, if I remember correctly-you did nothing. Not one visit, not one letter, not one "congratulations-"
Jon's voice interrupted Alanna's enraged rant. "I'm the King of this entire screwed up land that we call Tortall. That entails some responsibility you know! I can't leave whenever I please!"
Alanna ran her fingers through her hair pushing it out of her eyes, trying to calm herself.
"Your Highness, I'd like to take my leave now, if that's fine with you," Alanna said, her tone as icy and clipped as Jon's.
"Just go," Jon spat. "Good of you to return."
Alanna flung herself out of the room, slamming the door as hard as she could, and was greeted by a rather shocked looking Gary. He opened his mouth to say something, and then shut it, thinking better of it after seeing Alanna's expression. He watched her storm angrily down the passageways to her room, wondering what had happened in the library only moments before to so infuriate her.
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Author's Note: I hoped you liked this newest chapter! More reviews means faster updates. R/R please!!!
Alanna arrived at the Palace about 30 minutes after she left Myles and Eleni. She stared up at the momentous building, taking the beautiful sight in, and wondered what awaited her after she entered those walls that she had so happily fled not 5 months ago. Alanna gently pressed Moonlight into an easy gait, the breeze blowing her curls in her eyes. A young guard looked shell-shocked at her for a second as she rode through the gates, before he remembered his duties, and saluted the woman he recognized as the Lioness.
Alanna got similar reactions inside the walls. They still see me as some hero, some great Protector, she realized. A jubilant cry startled her out of her thoughts, and a great bear of a man atop a majestic looking strider rode up to her. The flash of midnight black hair gave the man's identity away. Raoul dismounted, as did Alanna, and before she knew it, she was swept off her feet and spun around in his arms.
"Alanna!" he cried. "It's really you! I missed you so much! The Palace just isn't the same without you around to knock some sense into the stubborn royal head of His Majesty," he said with a grin. Alanna grinned back at him. Raoul put his strong hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "How are you? You look happy. George treating you well? He better be!"
"I am happy," Alanna said with a slow smile. "The most I've been for a long time. And yes George is treating me very well. Maybe too well. I might even be getting soft," she said, a shadow crossing her face for a second. A shadow that Raoul did not pick up on.
"You? Get soft? Never!" Raoul shook his head, laughing, and then motioned to a lurking stable boy to take care of their mounts, as he put his arm around Alanna and led her into the Palace, saying how she must be exhausted after the trip from Port Caynn. Alanna let herself get lost in the flow of Raoul's unceasing conversation, trying not to think about seeing Jon.
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Later that night, Alanna lay in the luxurious bed in her rooms, that Raoul had shooed her into, saying that he would tell Thayet she had arrived safely, and was now resting. She closed her eyes for what seemed only seconds before she drawn back into her recurring nightmare. Her scream jolted her out of this time. Sighing, she climbed out of bed, wondering if she would ever get a full night's, let alone, a good one, of sleep. Thinking to grab a flimsy robe at the last second, she crept into the corridor, deciding that wandering the halls of the Palace for a while would put her to sleep. Alanna set off for one of the many libraries that graced the building, careful to keep her footsteps light. She paused outside of one, seeing a light on through the crack of the door, unsure whether to enter. Alanna knocked lightly on the door, inhaling sharply when Jon himself, called out for her to enter. Steeling herself she pushed the door open.
Jon's face registered shock, surprise, anger, and something else Alanna couldn't place, as he saw his former lover, King's Champion, and alienated friend standing before him.
"Alanna!" he breathed, standing up, scattering papers and books as he did. "Thayet told me you were coming back to Corus."
Alanna smiled at him shyly, unsure of what to say. What DO you say to your former lover after you go and get engaged to one of his best allies and don't hear from him for months?
"Sit down," Jon invited, gesturing to one of the many armchairs scattered around the room.
"No, thank you, sire, I don't want to interrupt your work. You were obviously busy," Alanna answered, as she gathered the skirts of her robe into her hand, and stood awkwardly by the door, preparing to leave, silently cursing herself. She should have planned for the possibility of running into him. I mean, it WAS his Palace.
Jon was wondering the same thing. He knew Alanna was due back, why hadn't he thought of what to say to her? But then, he didn't even know if Alanna wanted anything to do with him. What kind of friend, even given their convoluted history, didn't write, or visit, or anything at all, for months?
"Alanna, wait!" he pleaded. "You weren't interrupting. Please sit."
Somewhat reluctantly Alanna lowered herself into an armchair across from him. As she looked around the cozy room, the countless hours spent there- conversations that had happened, strategies being planned out, meetings being held, flooded back to her. She caught Jon staring at her out of the corner of her eye, and lowered her head, blushing, as she remembered she was clad only in her skimpy nightgown, and a robe that provided only slightly more coverage. Clasping her hands together, she stood once more.
"Jon," she said quietly, looking straight into his piercing eyes. Jon was the only person she knew who eyes were that deep cerulean blue, she thought to herself.
"I can't stay-this is just too awkward." She turned to the door once more.
"Does he treat you well?"
"What?" Alanna asked.
"Does he treat you well," Jon repeated softly. Alanna shook her head, then looked at him.
"Do you know you're the second person to ask me that today? Why does everyone doubt George now that we're engaged?"
There. It had been said. Alanna took note of the hurt that appeared in his eyes for a second, before it was replaced with its usual expressionless facade.
"Because people care." Jon answered, his tone clipped, formal.
"Oh, really. Are you quite sure you are qualified to count as 'concerned people', considering you didn't seem to show much 'concern' when news of the engagement first broke. In fact, if I remember correctly-you did nothing. Not one visit, not one letter, not one "congratulations-"
Jon's voice interrupted Alanna's enraged rant. "I'm the King of this entire screwed up land that we call Tortall. That entails some responsibility you know! I can't leave whenever I please!"
Alanna ran her fingers through her hair pushing it out of her eyes, trying to calm herself.
"Your Highness, I'd like to take my leave now, if that's fine with you," Alanna said, her tone as icy and clipped as Jon's.
"Just go," Jon spat. "Good of you to return."
Alanna flung herself out of the room, slamming the door as hard as she could, and was greeted by a rather shocked looking Gary. He opened his mouth to say something, and then shut it, thinking better of it after seeing Alanna's expression. He watched her storm angrily down the passageways to her room, wondering what had happened in the library only moments before to so infuriate her.
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Author's Note: I hoped you liked this newest chapter! More reviews means faster updates. R/R please!!!