Jon ran down the hall, trying to catch up with Alanna. "Alanna Wait!"
Alanna walked faster, ignoring Jon's words. She rounded a corner, but found herself facing Raoul. She threw up her hands. " What is it with you two!?! Let me through Raoul!"
Jon, who had caught up, and Raoul shared a look. Jon shook his head and motioned for him to let Alanna pass. Raoul moved to the side of the hall, but Alanna didn't leave.
Instead, she spun on Jon. " I want to make this clear Jonathan. You may be king. And a mage. And have the Dominion Jewel, but I want to tell you one thing." Raoul turned and started to leave when Alanna pointed back at him." Don't take another step Raoul of Goldenlake." Raoul stopped and waited. It was best not to argue with her when she was like this.
" Tell me Alanna." Jon managed to say.
" I. Refuse. To. Take. This. Lying. Down."
* Why am I not suprised?* Jon asked himself. " I never expected you to."
" I'm not going to take this quietly. I will not stand here while she is getting treated unfairly. It was unfair to put her on probation in the first place. Don't interrupt me. I know good and well that Tortall couldn't afford to lose its' training master. But this is going to far. I know what it was like when I or Roger rather revealed that I'm a girl.
It's even harder to pretend to be a boy, so luckily she doesn't have to go through that. But dammit Jonathan. I wouldn't use my magic to help her. in order to learn the skills right, she has to them on her own. I realize that Lord Wyldon doesn't like or trust women-me of all women, but this is going to far. I will pick a squire tomorrow, with all the other knights, but don't expect to see me regularly for the next four years Jonathan." She was about to go on, but Jon broke in.
"Alanna." His voice hit a nerve in Alanna. Earlier in life it would've made her resolve crumble, but now it just made her mad.
" Don't 'Alanna' me Jonathan of Conte'. I'm leaving day after tomorrow, and I won't be back for a year, and nothing you do or say can or will change my mind." Alanna walked past him, furious towards her room to begin to pack. She hadn't planned on leaving so soon, but with the lioness, plans change.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It wasn't hard to spot Neal out on the grounds as he was so tall. As soon as he spotted him, Faleron ran over.
" Hey Neal! Who's the girl?" Faleron called out when he was about three feet away.
" Faleron!" Neal groaned. When Faleron reached them and got sight of Kel, he bowed.
" Faleron! Stop that!" Kel snapped giggling.
Faleron's eyes got big. " KEL?!?!"
Kel grinned. " Hi Faleron. Where's Seph?"
Faleron could barely speak, but he managed to croak that she had gone up to her room because she had peace talks in the morning or something like that.
" Will you stop gaping? people think you're nuts!" Neal hissed after a few moments. Faleron nodded and wandered off.
" Well that was interesting." Kel commented.
" Yeah it was." Neal laughed. " Hey, I'm gonna go find Merric, and Seaver, and Owen all right? "
" Yeah. See you later then."
" Have fun." Neal waved, and walked off.
" What fun." Kel muttered. " All alone on the night of a ball." Her loneliness didn't last long. She had just sat down by a large fountain when Roald came over.
" I thought I'd find you here."
Kel spun around, startled. " Oh. Roald. Hi. Were you looking for me?"
" Yes as a matter of fact. I was."
" Why would you be looking for me except for math homework or to use as practice for fencing?" She asked with a grin.
Roald managed to keep a straight face. " Just to talk. You seem lonely."
Kel kept the yamani mask on her face. " Why do you say that?"
" Why else would a beautiful girl be sitting all alone at a fountain staring aimlessly into space?" He asked turning her face gently so they gazed into eachother's eyes.
" Perhaps its just a mask that she wears. And she's just masquerading as a beautiful girl."
Roald smiled. " Some maybe, but not this one. This one is genuinely beautiful." Kel blushed and looked down.
" Thank you." She said, her voice barely above a whisper.
" Thank you." Roald told her. Then he squeezed her shoulder reassuringly, and went to join the rest of the festivities.
Kel sat on the bench for a while. She lost track of time. She got so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't even notice when someone came up behind her. She was suddenly snapped back to reality when she realized that they were kissing her. She pulled away. There sat Roald looking sheepish. Kel gave him a smile and stood to go inside.
" Goodnight Kel."
" Goodnight Roald." Kel turned her back on him and began walking back towards the castle.
" Kel! wait a moment!" Roald called. He ran up to her and gently kissed her again. When they parted Kel turned around quickly so he wouldn't see her flushed face.
When Kel reached her room, she was practically dancing. She was so giddy. She put on a summer nightgown without sleeves, and she did dance. She replayed the entire night and danced with her shadow in the soft silver moonlight.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Although Roald had thought no one saw him kiss Kel, someone had. Afterwards Neal stepped out of the shadows, letting the rose he held in his hand fall to the ground. * So much for saying goodnight.*
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: I know I know. Fluffy and kinda depressing. And its another cliffhanger, which I'm gona get flamed for. I can't help writing cliffhangers. Its just the way I write. I'm sorry, and I'll have the next one out by next Sunday i PROMISE!!!
~Cass
Alanna walked faster, ignoring Jon's words. She rounded a corner, but found herself facing Raoul. She threw up her hands. " What is it with you two!?! Let me through Raoul!"
Jon, who had caught up, and Raoul shared a look. Jon shook his head and motioned for him to let Alanna pass. Raoul moved to the side of the hall, but Alanna didn't leave.
Instead, she spun on Jon. " I want to make this clear Jonathan. You may be king. And a mage. And have the Dominion Jewel, but I want to tell you one thing." Raoul turned and started to leave when Alanna pointed back at him." Don't take another step Raoul of Goldenlake." Raoul stopped and waited. It was best not to argue with her when she was like this.
" Tell me Alanna." Jon managed to say.
" I. Refuse. To. Take. This. Lying. Down."
* Why am I not suprised?* Jon asked himself. " I never expected you to."
" I'm not going to take this quietly. I will not stand here while she is getting treated unfairly. It was unfair to put her on probation in the first place. Don't interrupt me. I know good and well that Tortall couldn't afford to lose its' training master. But this is going to far. I know what it was like when I or Roger rather revealed that I'm a girl.
It's even harder to pretend to be a boy, so luckily she doesn't have to go through that. But dammit Jonathan. I wouldn't use my magic to help her. in order to learn the skills right, she has to them on her own. I realize that Lord Wyldon doesn't like or trust women-me of all women, but this is going to far. I will pick a squire tomorrow, with all the other knights, but don't expect to see me regularly for the next four years Jonathan." She was about to go on, but Jon broke in.
"Alanna." His voice hit a nerve in Alanna. Earlier in life it would've made her resolve crumble, but now it just made her mad.
" Don't 'Alanna' me Jonathan of Conte'. I'm leaving day after tomorrow, and I won't be back for a year, and nothing you do or say can or will change my mind." Alanna walked past him, furious towards her room to begin to pack. She hadn't planned on leaving so soon, but with the lioness, plans change.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It wasn't hard to spot Neal out on the grounds as he was so tall. As soon as he spotted him, Faleron ran over.
" Hey Neal! Who's the girl?" Faleron called out when he was about three feet away.
" Faleron!" Neal groaned. When Faleron reached them and got sight of Kel, he bowed.
" Faleron! Stop that!" Kel snapped giggling.
Faleron's eyes got big. " KEL?!?!"
Kel grinned. " Hi Faleron. Where's Seph?"
Faleron could barely speak, but he managed to croak that she had gone up to her room because she had peace talks in the morning or something like that.
" Will you stop gaping? people think you're nuts!" Neal hissed after a few moments. Faleron nodded and wandered off.
" Well that was interesting." Kel commented.
" Yeah it was." Neal laughed. " Hey, I'm gonna go find Merric, and Seaver, and Owen all right? "
" Yeah. See you later then."
" Have fun." Neal waved, and walked off.
" What fun." Kel muttered. " All alone on the night of a ball." Her loneliness didn't last long. She had just sat down by a large fountain when Roald came over.
" I thought I'd find you here."
Kel spun around, startled. " Oh. Roald. Hi. Were you looking for me?"
" Yes as a matter of fact. I was."
" Why would you be looking for me except for math homework or to use as practice for fencing?" She asked with a grin.
Roald managed to keep a straight face. " Just to talk. You seem lonely."
Kel kept the yamani mask on her face. " Why do you say that?"
" Why else would a beautiful girl be sitting all alone at a fountain staring aimlessly into space?" He asked turning her face gently so they gazed into eachother's eyes.
" Perhaps its just a mask that she wears. And she's just masquerading as a beautiful girl."
Roald smiled. " Some maybe, but not this one. This one is genuinely beautiful." Kel blushed and looked down.
" Thank you." She said, her voice barely above a whisper.
" Thank you." Roald told her. Then he squeezed her shoulder reassuringly, and went to join the rest of the festivities.
Kel sat on the bench for a while. She lost track of time. She got so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't even notice when someone came up behind her. She was suddenly snapped back to reality when she realized that they were kissing her. She pulled away. There sat Roald looking sheepish. Kel gave him a smile and stood to go inside.
" Goodnight Kel."
" Goodnight Roald." Kel turned her back on him and began walking back towards the castle.
" Kel! wait a moment!" Roald called. He ran up to her and gently kissed her again. When they parted Kel turned around quickly so he wouldn't see her flushed face.
When Kel reached her room, she was practically dancing. She was so giddy. She put on a summer nightgown without sleeves, and she did dance. She replayed the entire night and danced with her shadow in the soft silver moonlight.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Although Roald had thought no one saw him kiss Kel, someone had. Afterwards Neal stepped out of the shadows, letting the rose he held in his hand fall to the ground. * So much for saying goodnight.*
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: I know I know. Fluffy and kinda depressing. And its another cliffhanger, which I'm gona get flamed for. I can't help writing cliffhangers. Its just the way I write. I'm sorry, and I'll have the next one out by next Sunday i PROMISE!!!
~Cass
