"Ye are a girl, lass."
"So? Just because I am a girl doesn't mean I have
to act like one." She said rebelliously.
"Lass stop
fighting' what ye are. Ye are what ye
are and nothin's gonna change it."
Alanna snorted.
"I'll never
forgive Thom for not letting me come here."
The city wall waas now in sight.
Alanna spurred her horse into a gallop wanting to get to the city as
soon as possible. Coram sighed and
followed.
Once
inside, a short stout man who introduced himself as Stephen, led their horses
away and called upon another nam to lead them to their rooms. He opeded the door and Alanna peered
in. Her room was furnished in pale
lavender. She supposed this was Thom's
work.
The man who
led her to her room left. Coram also
had left her. She didn't want to be
alone in a strange palace. Suddenly a
knock sounded at the door. "Come in,
it's open," she called. The door opened
to reveal not inly Thom, but three other boys.
She stared at them.
"This isn't
a parade, Thom," she said coldly. The
others burst into laugher.
"I didn't
believe you, Thom!"
"I told
you!"
"She is a
firecracker!"
"Feisty,
are we?" Alanna looked up at this last
comment. The speaker was a tall boy
with coal black hair, and sparkling blue eyes.
They danced with amusement as he spoke.
"No I am
NOT feisty!" she yelled stepping right up close to his face and looking him
square in the eye. "Why do you ask?"
her voice was low and threatening.
"I like
her." The boy with black hair said to Thom.
"Why
wouldn't you like me?" she asked mockingly.
"Alanna
meet the Prince." Said Thom purposely.
Alanna could have hit herself.
"Your
Majesty," she murmured, curtsying deeply.
She remembered her other guests.
"Please make yourselves at home."
The boys burst out laughing again.
"What?" she demanded. "I'm
trying to be hospitable." She snapped.
"The daughters at the convent told me that's what I was to do." She said
with deep regret.
"Why are
you so sad about it?" asked a boy with
curly chestnut hair and sharp eyes.
"Because I just am, that's why."
The boy looked at the others and cautiously sat down.
"I am not
going to bite you," she said calmly.
"Yet, he
muttered. Thom bit back a laugh he
himself sat down.
"So sister
dear, what brings to you the palace?" he asked innocently, knowing the answer.
"Togetahusband."
She muttered darkly.
"What was
that?" he asked mockingly.
"TO GET A
GUSBAND!" she yelled. "I'll be damned
if I'm going to do that, though." Alanna said, her voice restored after its
outburst. The others laughed. "The only reason I came was to watch you all
fighting and see if I could pick up some things."
"Are you
interested in such things?" The dark
haired boy asked with a smile. "Somehow
it would not surprise me in the least."
"Yes I am,"
she replied bitterly. Alanna shot a
look at Thom and continued. "I wanted
to come here, to the palace."
"But you're
a girl!" protested the chestnut boy.
"So?" she
countered. "I could have cut my hair. I don't know what I would have done about
these." She said, gesturing to her breasts.
"but Iwould have found some way or another to cover my being female up."
Thom looked and dared her with his
eyes to go on. She took his challenge. "I was the one who suggested the
switching. Thom wouldn't have it. He didn't want to come here anymore then I
wanted to go to the convent. But he
wouldn't switch so now I'm here to catch myself a husband." She concluded
gloomily.
"Why was Coram traveling with you?
Shouldn't you have a least one female escort?" the black haired boy asked. (not Alex, Raul.)
"Oh that," Alanna said airily. "I talked them out of it. That's what they wanted too. But I said that I wouldn't try al all if one
of the daughters came with me. So they
gave in. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm
off to explore the palace," she said sweeping out the door.
The boys all stared at each other
for a moment. Thom broke the
silence. "She's always been like that
you know." The others stared at
him. "It's true. Although, I had better go find her. Knowing Alanna, exploring the palace is her
way of saying 'I going to the city.
Alanna waited with bated
breath. When she finally saw the four
boys leave, she ventured back to her room.
Once in it, she found a pair of worn breeches and old blue shirt. Throwing these on she quickly tied her hair
back with a leather throng. She stared
at herself in the mirror for a moment, knowing something wasn't right with her
disguise. Her eyes traveled down her
body and landed on her chest. She
grabbed some bandaging and hastily bound herself. Satisfied with her reflection, Alannna of Trebond set of toward
the stables.
Thom, Gary, Rauol, and Jon started
towards the stables as well. They strode
quickly and confidently and soon reached their destination. Once there, Thom immediately headed to the
stall where Alanna had her horse in. He
peered inside the stall and, with a feeling of panic in his stomach, saw there
was no horse. The others hurried to
where Thom was standing wide-eyed and gaping.
They too saw the empty stall and turned to look at each other.
"Your can stop looking for that
horse, 'cause you're not going to find her." Said a voice from behind them. "She and the red headed lad set off for the
city about 15 minutes and you lot got here.
Matter 'o fact the lad looked a lot like you." They turned to see a
stable hand, was nodding at Thom as he
spoke.
Thom gulped. "Did the boy you speak of tell you where he
was going by chance?" he asked knowing the answer. Alanna never confided in anyone unless she had too.
"Nope. I can tell you one thing though.
The way he was riding sure made it look like he was off to meet someone." With these words, he turned and started
mucking out a stall. The boys glanced
at each other again. A nod was passed
around and they all headed towards their own horses. After saddling hastily they met at the front gate, looked at each
other once more, and galloped off to Chorus.
Alanna meandered through the
streets simply looking. She was staring
at a large painting for sale in a window, when someone tapped her on the
shoulder. She whirled around, fists
raised, ready for a fight. The hand
that had tapped her belonged to a young man of around20 she guess. He chuckled seeing her fists. "I'm not here to do ye harm youngling. I'm simply making sure you knew how easy it
ould be for some people to snatch you purse, whilst you were gazing at yon
painting." He held up her purse and
placed it gently in her hand. "Also that's
not the proper way to hold your fists."
He rearranged them and when he was done she staed at him in awe.
"Where did you learn to do that?"
she asked breathlessly.
"Do what?"
"To fight of course."
"Las when you love out here as I
do, learning to fight is a necessity. I
can tell you're a noble, yet I take it your not learning at the palace."
"No," Alanna said bitterly. "My father is a scholar. He thinks book-learning is more important
then learning to be a knight."
"Oh."
"I have been looking for someone
for a long time to teach me to fight in secret, and I seem to have found that
someone.." she said looking directly at him.
"Who? Me? Why me?"
