Alanna of Trebond and Olau smiled, letting her mind wander as the priest began to wed her and George. Of course, she heard little snippets of the speech, but that was all she felt like listening to at the moment. Slowly, she began to drift off into memories….memories of the past, and her love life…..
Jonathan lifted the gold charm off her throat, examining it. "What's this?" he asked. His voice was soft and warm.
"You didn't mention you were planning to leave today." In an effort to keep her temper, Alanna sounded clipped and terse.
The things Jon had said in return had scarred her as badly as any sword or dagger wound.
….."Think carefully before you annoy me further, Alanna of Trebond! There are women would would do anything to marry me-"
Does he still think that of me? Alanna felt a pang of sadness in her middle, but it was a small one. Then Liam had come out of the gloom….
Alanna had fallen straight out of her saddle into the mud, cursing. At the sound of approaching hoofbeats, she scrambled to her feet, flustered. If it was Liam…..and unfortunately for her, it was.
"Nice morning for a ride," he greeted her. "A little wet, though."
Liam….she sighed slightly, and a single tear trickled down her cheek, remembering the Dragon's fate. George saw it and brushed it away softly, his hazel eyes gentle. Alanna smiled at him gratefully. He'd known Liam, too….
"Are we finished, then?"
"I don't know, kitten."
"I AM sorry. I know it doesn't do any good, but I am.
If you'd awakened, you'd've stopped me." She was apologizing for commanding
Faithful to bewitch the magic-fearful Liam while she set out to claim the
legendary Dominion Jewel.
"Seems like there's nothing we can do, right? I can't
help the way I feel. Not about the Gift. And you can't help but use it, nor
should you. A tool is meant to be used." After a moment, he swallowed and
added, "I'm sorry, too." His voice was cracking. "You probably saw I had my
things moved to another room."
"Can we be friends, still?"
"I promise it."
He'd been everything…..flirty, adventurous, valiant, and
quite an impressive warrior….but it was not meant to be. She closed her
eyes, remembering her last look at Liam Ironarm as he lay on the alter, a
bundle of arrows lying next to his motionless form….
And Faithful. Alanna swallowed as she remembered the
insane look of fury in Josianne's eyes as she threw the cat down and stamped on
him, and then the rush of adrenaline that coursed through Alanna's body. She'd
never felt so angry before, and she WANTED her sword to pierce Josianne's
heart. She WANTED to kill. That had frightened her then, as it still did
now….was she a cold-blooded killer?
Stop being silly. Alanna scolded herself. This is your wedding day….shouldn't you be happy?
But there was one last thing Alanna wanted to dwell on
before she was officially the Lady of Pirate's Swoop….and that was her beloved
fiancé himself.
George loved me in the beginning. A smile brightened
Alanna's face as she recalled their first kiss. She'd had her hands full, and
he'd taken advantage of her for it….
He's always been kind to me. She looked sideways at him
and saw him wink, making her blush. He was never afraid of the Gift. He was
never spoiled by Court ladies, and he never cared how I looked: in dresses or
no….he loved me just the same. And didn't Thom say he approved? Of course, I
would've done it anyway….A sudden pang of loneliness struck her at the
thought of her late twin brother.
And Jon. Jonathan was a good friend. But a friend was always all he really was, deep down. I loved him at the start, but somehow, I always had something inside of me….some kind of warning, I suppose, that said it wasn't meant to be. I tried my best to ignore it, but in the end it won me over.
And now I'm marrying George! Hadn't he been the first
to vow love to her? Hadn't he still had some kind of faith in her, even when he
knew she was having affairs with Jon and Liam? Hadn't he indeed been true to
his word, and waited to the day until she was ready to wed?
George had been her friend, her teacher, her lover. And
now, she was ready. She was ready to become what she should have been years
ago…..a wife.
A trail of words entered Alanna's mind just in time, reminding her that she had been recollecting long enough. "I do," she whispered.
The priest's words dissolved completely, as did the rest of the chapel. It was only George, and Alanna, as they melted into each other and kissed….sealing their love forevermore.
A/N: Yeah, I know…1/2 of this is not mine. It belongs
to Tamora Pierce, and I will admit it, so DON'T SUE ME!! I'm a HUGE A/G fan, as
you've probably noticed. R/R!
