The next morning Lanen awoke before Thom from habit. Careful not to disturb him she quietly got dressed and went to the practice courts. The Lioness was there going through her morning stretches, she smiled and waved hello, while Lanen followed suite. They had practiced together for the last two years almost every morning. Slowly, the yards filled with knights and members of the King's Own up for morning practices. Thom entered looking very worn out, and waved hello to his mother and friends. He stretched and decided to start with wrestling. Lanen came over and watched Thom with interest. She knew a few moves from what George and Alanna had taught her.

"Can I wrestle?" said Lanen. Some of the men looked at her and laughed.

"I'll wrestle you anytime" leered a younger knight as others laughed.

"No offense Lanen, but you couldn't last two minutes" Thom told her.

"What, against you? Are you willing to bet on that?" asked Lanen with a defiant look in her bright green eyes.

"OK, you're on" grinned Thom.

"This is going to be fun" muttered someone as people gathered around to watch. Alanna was grinning broadley as she bet George that Lanen would win.

Lanen stripped off her boots and tucked her shirt into her breeches. Circling, Lanen carfuly measured her opponent. He's bigger than me, but I'm smaller and faster, she thought as she grinned and went in for a shot. She grabbed his arm above the elbow, and with her other arm through his legs she flipped him over her shoulder and onto his back. She quickly went over to where Thom now laid on his stomach. Lanen grabbed his arm and pulled it behind his back, while, at the same time shoving his head into the mat. He caught her off-gaurd and flipped her onto her back, where she rolled onto her stomach, working to get her feet free form his grasp. She kicked, rolled backwards, and pushed up with her arms to land on her feet.

Thom was on his feet, circling. He had underestimated her, she was alot stronger and smarter than she appeared. Both were sweating heavily, breathing hard, and tiring. Thom went for Lanen legs, she kicked back and landed, with all her weight, on top of Thom. While keeping pressure on his head, she swung around behind him, grabbed his ankle, and pulled it out from under him where he fell flat on his stomach. She slammed her wrist across his face and forced his head to the side, while, at the same time she grabbed his leg, locked her hands and pressed her knee into his back.

Thom's head now met very painfully with his head as he grunted with the effort to break Lanen's grasp. Crossing his feet, Thom kicked out with all his strength and rolled over, pinning Lanen on her back and sitting on her stomach. Thom grinned down at Lanen, "Give up?" he asked.

"Never" said Lanen, breathing hard and struggling to get up. Lanen flung Thom over her head and landed sitting on top of him. "Ha..." she cried as she got up, defiance and victory now glittering in her eyes. Thom grabbed her wrists and pushed her agianst the wall. They were both sweating hard and gasping for breath as Thom bent down and kissed her hard. Everyone watching whistled and cheered, Alanna was grinning at George with an 'I told you so' look in her eyes. At that moment the pages and squires came pouring into the practice courts.

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Thom and Lanen were eating lunch, when a page entered the room.

"Been lookin' for ye, Sir Thom, m'lady. The King's goin' ta ride into the city an' he says ye're to join them." the page said as he bowed and exited the room. Lanen and Thom exchanged looks, sighed, and got up to go to the stables. The King, his champion, George, Myles, Gary(the Prime Minister), Numair, Daine, Rauol, and a group of the King's Own were mounted and ready to go when they arrived.

Together, the large group rode through the gates, past the temple district, and into the city.

"Why, King Johnathan, did you request we ride into the city with you?" asked Lanen, who was quite curious- usually he only asked those to come with which he wished to speak.

"I'm glad you asked that, Lanen because I wanted to talk to you about something..." Jon trailed off. Dozens of arrows came soaring at them from archerers on the surrounding rooftops, injuring a few of the King's Own. Bows were pulled out and being aimed at the enemy archers, most dismounted to fight the men that were attacking from the alleys.

Alanna screamed a war cry and attacked the two men nearest to her, George was pulling knives from hidden selths and throwing them, Rauol and the King's own formed a tight circle around King Jonathan and Numair- both of who were shinning with the light of their gifts, Jon a deep sapphire blue and Numair a shimmering black flecked with white. Battle raged around them as archers fired at the small group.
White, hot pain seared Lanen's thigh as she screamed in agony, an arrow was protruding through it. She broke off the head and pulled the arrow through, screaming in pain. She stumbled off her horse and grabbed the sword that flung out of a dead man's grasp. Spinning it in her hand, she advanced on an attacker who pulling his sword free of the dead man's body, fury glittering in her eyes. The attacker, a Scanran from the looks of it, swung it sword up just in time as it connected with Lanen's.

The Scanran stumbled backwards with the force of the blow and grinned. Lanen quickly swung her sword to where it was pointing behind her and trust with all her strength. As it connected with flesh, she thrust once more and pulled her sword free, to hear a body fall behind her.
Once again she advanced on the Scanran, who backed into the wall of a shop. She picked up his fallen sword and swung both blades to cross inches from the man's neck. She hadn't studied the sword for two years and not learned a trick or two.

"Why did you attack us? Who sent you? What is it you want?" she asked, breathing hard and sweating.

"W-we were s-sent to capture the one with The Essence of Life. The o-one who has the power to destroy the world and bring back th-the dead. Our king didn't say y-you could fight. We were just to bring you to him alive and we would get a reward." Thoughts raced through Lanen's head, she-poor useless Lanen had the power to raise the dead, to destroy the world. How come no one told her?

Her thoughts were cut short, as a voice she knew well cried out in agony. She looked over and saw Thom with a sword being pulled out of his stomach. George threw a knife into the back of Thom's killer, as Alanna ran to her son. Lanen slit the throat of the Scanran she had been questioning her eyes bright with tears. A sharp pain was welling in the pit of her stomach, her leg throbbing, and she screamed out her pain and her fury at the attackers. There was a blaze of white light and when it cleared all the attackers lay dead.

Lanen limped over to Thom who was slowly slipping away.

"I-I'm sorry mo-mom, dad. I-I...love you." Then Thom turned to Lanen, who now knelt beside him,placed his hand on her cheek, and with his last breath whispered,"I love you."

"No...No, Thom...you can't die! W-we're goin' to travel the world. You-you can't leave me, you're all I have left. GODDAMN YOU, THOM! YOU CAN'T DIE!" she screamed "I love you." whispered Lanen as she kissed his cold lips. Alanna was crying into George's shoulder, who wept softly as he held his wife. Lanen was sobbing into her hands and rocking back and forth.

Men all around them gasped as they were blinded in the flash of white heat that engulfed Lanen and Thom. They stared in utter silence as the young knight who just died sat up. Where, only a few minutes ago there was fatal sword thrust, there was now a bright red scar. Thom stood up and walked over to his mother and father, who staring at their son as he walked over and hugged them. The king and Numair were explaining about the essence of life and the attackers.

Lanen, too weak to stand, stared at Thom with a confused look. Was it true? Was she the possessor of the essence of life? It must be true, because Thom was standing right before her eyes when she thought he was dead. She knew she wasn't seeing things because everyone was staring, opened mouth. Lanen struggled to her feet and over to Thom.

"So, you have the power to raise the dead? Why didn't you tell me?" Thom asked as he looked into her face.

"I just discovered it." She smiled at the man she loved and threw her arms around his neck as he kissed her passionately.

"I love you, Lanen."

"and I love you, Sir Thom."