Time and Again
Time and Again
Chapter 8
Rated PG (Just in case)
By LynaQT
E-mail: Lyna_Q.T@miakaandtamahome.com
Web site: www.geocities.com/lynaqt
Disclaimer: These amazing characters
belong to Tamora Pierce. I haven't a dime, so don't sue. The plot is mine, however.
Chapter 8: A Little Deception
"Eww, what heck is THIS stuff?!"
"Step inside the room slowly."
The instant Alexis saw red hair her impressive reflexes kicked in to send a
goop of 'vanilla scented body cream' at the object of her enmity. As she observed
her prey she noticed a distinct difference: it was a HE! "Damn it ALL!
I caught the WRONG redhead!"
"What the HELL?! It smells
like…vanilla?" His look of distaste made it seem like he'd been hit on
the face with manure instead of body cream.
"Merric is it? I am sincerely
sorry. I meant to hit someone else. If you could be so kind as to leave the
premises immediately, so that I can regroup for another surprise attack, it
would be MOST helpful." Alexis tossed an extra towel in Merric's direction.
"If it makes you feel any better I think the body cream tastes as good
as any pie, after all it is only composed of edible ingredients. Plus, it makes
your skin feel 'silky smooth and smell good too.'" She gently guided the
bewildered Merric out the door and closed it after letting out a parting. "Sorry
again."
"Ick," Alexis began the
process of removing all the crap she had to put on. Her face clear from cleansers,
her hair free from condition, and her cuticles dry from soaking, she actually
felt half-human. "And this was supposed to be a relaxing experience?! One
that people PAY money for! Insane!"
She again heard a knock on her door
and prepared armaments. "Alex? It's me, Neal. Merric came to invite you
to a study session, but since you have a distinct dislike for redheads they
sent me instead."
Alex opened the door, tilted her
head to the side, and let out a feminine "Oh," before creaming him
too.
Neal wiped his eyes and gingerly
tasted the body cream. "Great Mother Goddess!"
"What?"
"This DOES taste good! Do you
have more?"
"INSANE!"
* * *
Alexis ended up following Neal to
his quarters only to end up outside Wyldon's quarters waiting for Kel with a
number of other pages and soon-to-be-squires. It seemed that Kel was in a skirmish
defending a new page. "Ouch, that's got to hurt! Would you like me to heal
it?" Already Alexis, put her hand at Kel's black eye and called on her
Gift.
Instinctively, Kel recoiled from
that hand. "No, Lord Wyldon will know. Fix Owen."
Alexis did so, while Neal berated
Kel for 'patrolling without us.' Alexis felt a sense of déjà vu
watching Kel. She has the heart of a knight already. "I can heal your black
eye and put an illusion, so that Wyldon would not know I had healed it. In a
matter of days it would dissipate, leaving him none the wiser."
Kel looked at Alex's violet gaze
with her one good eye. "No, I would know of the deception."
Alexis already knew that Kel wouldn't
accept such help, but felt the need to point out a fact Alexis knew from experience.
"A little deception never hurt anyone."
"Deception is not characteristic
of a knight."
"Really? Then what are you
doing now? If experience tells me correctly, haven't you JUST deceived Wyldon
by telling him you 'fell' instead of participating in a brawl? 'Ah. The ground
bloodied Owen's nose, split yer lip and punched ye in th' eye, all to once…'"
Alexis trailed off for and internal chuckle. Goddess, how I've longed to
say THAT! Hindsight is the best! When Alexis regained her composure, she
saw that she had everyone's complete attention. Her tone wasn't chiding or teasing,
just matter-of-fact. Now was a moment for seriousness. "And where would
our King's Champion Alanna be without her deception. If she had never lied about
her gender, do you think the King would have allowed her to try for the sword
and shield? I think not, and where would we be then?"
"Will you try for the sword
and shield?" Kel's tone was matter-of-fact as well, but her gaze never
left Alexis's.
Alexis pondered that question for
a moment knowing that this wasn't time for deception. "Not in this
lifetime. If the situation was different, I would. If I hadn't just appeared
a few days ago like an apparition maybe I'd try to be a knight instead of some
pseudo-semblance of a lady." Alexis broke her gaze from Kel's and started
walking down the hall. With a wry smile and a contemplative air, Alex said the
only thing that she could. "I'll just have to be content living vicariously
through you, Kel."
It was the first time someone truly
wanted Kel to be a knight, except for her mysterious benefactor. This wasn't
merely a girl, but a relative to Alanna herself, who also seemed intent on learning
warrior art as well. Kel should have to earn the admiration and respect
of Alexis, but it seemed that Alexis had already given it, no questions asked.
"Besides, we wouldn't want you to break Neal's record for the oldest Tortallian
Page, right?"
"Dear Mithros and our Mother
Goddess, Keladry of Mindelan made a joke!" Neal clenched a hand
to his chest in mock-heart attack. "I knew that Alex would be a good influence!"
* * *
It was an hour later, when Alexis
made her way back upstairs to her room. It had been an hour of introductions,
storytelling, and laughs. Tentative bonds of friendship were made and strengthened
as well as brain cells being collaborated. The others were marveled to learn
that Alexis had finished all her studying earlier and tried mercilessly to learn
her secret. She would only smile and say some drivel about hindsight…
It was at the doorway of her room
that she saw her prey by the bed stand. "Alanna?"
Alanna saw the signs of ire in the
youth and asked the obvious, "Why are you in such a temper?"
"Why?!? WHY? Wouldn't you like
to know? You are me, so why don't you TELL me?"
"Is this about George? He told
me that he tal—"
"A HUSBAND?! Okay, I could
understand that. I suppose one day VERY, VERY far away that I would become lonely
and want someone to cook for me. THAT I could understand. And George?!? OUR
George, my mentor and friend, if I had to HAVE a husband, he would be a 'good
catch' to borrow Lady Wyldon's words. THAT I could understand!"
"So where is the problem?"
"The problem," Alex emphasized
'problem' with a poke at Alanna's forehead, "was that YOU didn't tell me!
You couldn't tell yourself and I…I had to HEAR it from Wyldon, that chauvinistic
muscle head. THAT I cou—"
"Couldn't understand."
Alanna finished nodding. "I know. I was planning on telling you this and
everything else tonight, but it seems I was too late. I'm sorry, but did you
really want to hear that the second you landed here? Do you want to know the
challenges you will face in the future?
"And I'm not talking about
the Immortal Wars or Roger or any of that. I'm talking about a week from the
day you left your time. Do you want to know what happened on you 17th
birthday? Are you able to hear what I have to say on things that have already
occurred and be able to go back, changing nothing?"
Alexis did wonder about the future,
a LOT now-a-days, but being in the future had changed her opinions as
of late. "Before this experience, I would want to know…. know the terrible
truth, instead of imagining worse, but now I think I shouldn't know. No one
should know her own future. I don't want to involuntarily change this future
with my knowledge of this time."
"So you understand my hesitation,
right? Truce?"
Alexis paced her bedroom floor,
contemplating how to respond, until she was directly in front of Alanna. In
one fluid movement, Alex flung the last of the body cream at her companion.
"Sure, truce."
* * *
A/N. It has been a LONG time since
the last update, partially from my vacation, my comp failure, and the dead server
here. SORRY!!! I do not wanna go to school…I see 'back to school' sales everywhere!!!
So how did you like my sorry attempt
at humor…READ AND REVIEW!!! I need reviews to get me to the next chapter…I kno…PATHETIC…I'm
thinking of starting a new fic….a mix of my fave things. It will be with the
people of Tortall, but a definite alternate universe.
Do you guys like romance? Do you
want a romance for Alex? READ AND REVIEW!!! I need to know otherwise I'd get
people trying to cream me…flame me or something…
How would you like it if some other
people came back? READ AND REVIEW…
Check out my web site. It has anime
winamp skins, my fanfic, and I PROMISE other stuff soon. www.geocities.com/lynaqt
Thanks to those that have reviewed!!!
It make me want to write BETTER!
Plot © LynaQT, August 2001.