Disclaimer: I do not own anything, only Kris and Katina, all else belongs to the great, powerful, and all knowing Arram Salmalin, er, I mean Tamora Pierce.
Several minutes passed, without either of the two people in the mysterious room uttering a word. The only sound to be heard was Kris's just been scared breathing and the other person's calm and collective breaths
As these minutes passed Kris took the opportunity to examine her intruder. `Well, not any more of an intruder than I am,' she thought grimly. He was a fairly handsome man, brown hair, nice hazel eyes, `Stop that you don't even know if he's going to kill you!' Okay, normal, everyday brown eyes `that better?...Yes!' Aw...his nose is much too large for him to be handsome anyway. While she was thinking her finger went to her mouth involuntarily and she started nibbling on it.
"That's not a very good habit, you know," said the man.
Kris jumped almost as high as she had before.
"And do you always jump when you are spoken to?"
"I don't care if it's a bad habit and I do not always jump," was the indignant reply. "I'll have you know that I am a very respectable person."
"Is that why you're sneaking around in my room?"
Several moments pass...
"Uh...this isn't your room."
"Yes it is."
"Darn...well can you prove it?"
"How do you know I won't just kill you? I could be a thief and be here to rob and plunder."
Gulp.
"But fortunately for you,"
Phew!
"I can prove that this is my room. First of all, you are holding a picture of my wife. Second, I am much more noble than you and you must do as I say."
"B..." Kris stuttered just before she noticed how richly he was dressed.
"On the second reason, I am not serious, you so not have to do as I command, but the first reason stands true."
Suddenly an idea popped into her head. "What is your fief?"
"Pirate's Swoop." Baron George Cooper of Pirate's Swoop grinned as he saw the realization dawn on her face.
"You-your Baron George Cooper!"
"Yes I am."
"And your wife must be..."
Yes, yes Lady Alanna of Pirate's Swoop and Olau, First Lady Knight Errant in all of Tortall for who knows how long," said George in a tone that suggested that he had repeated this as many times as there had been years of no lady knight in Tortall.
"Over a hundred, Sir," she said pertly.
"I already know that, and please do not call me sir," he said, slightly vexed.
"This is great, you can help me."
George's ears pricked up, he always like to help. "And how might I be of service to one so beautiful as yourself?"
The flattery worked. Kris blushed crimson and started to tell her whole story."
"Not again," was George's reply as she finished. .
"What do you mean?" Kris asked, slightly puzzled and alarmed.
"Oh, only that I thought I was done with this kind of mischief a long time ago."
Kris noticed an odd gleam to George's eyes.
Then George remembered something that he thought to be pretty important. "You do know about the monthly cycle don't y-" but he was cut off.
"Yes, yes mother told me a thousand times of the monthly bleeding." Kris was now sporting a very deep crimson on both of her cheeks.
"Good. That'll prevent at least one mishap," said a relieved George.
"Well, are you going to help me or not?" Kris was getting impatient, (not to mention afraid of being embarrassed again.)
"I guess so, but first things first. You must promise me not to tell anybody else about this, do you hear me? Nobody."
"I shall tell no one else. I swear on my honor as a noble."
"Good, now we must start talking about what we shall do to make this work." George moved to the door, opened it, and yelled, "Ronny! Send drinks up to the King's room as soon as you can. Oh, and bring some fresh bread and butter too. And maybe some fruit!" Then to Kris he added, "We may be here for a while, you didn't pick an easy route, that's for sure."
Kris looked a little startled. `King?!' she thought. Then it hit her, `I won't be able to explore the city today. Well, I brought this upon myself.' And with that Kris got ready for a long day of making plans and thinking of ways to be a boy.
Several minutes passed, without either of the two people in the mysterious room uttering a word. The only sound to be heard was Kris's just been scared breathing and the other person's calm and collective breaths
As these minutes passed Kris took the opportunity to examine her intruder. `Well, not any more of an intruder than I am,' she thought grimly. He was a fairly handsome man, brown hair, nice hazel eyes, `Stop that you don't even know if he's going to kill you!' Okay, normal, everyday brown eyes `that better?...Yes!' Aw...his nose is much too large for him to be handsome anyway. While she was thinking her finger went to her mouth involuntarily and she started nibbling on it.
"That's not a very good habit, you know," said the man.
Kris jumped almost as high as she had before.
"And do you always jump when you are spoken to?"
"I don't care if it's a bad habit and I do not always jump," was the indignant reply. "I'll have you know that I am a very respectable person."
"Is that why you're sneaking around in my room?"
Several moments pass...
"Uh...this isn't your room."
"Yes it is."
"Darn...well can you prove it?"
"How do you know I won't just kill you? I could be a thief and be here to rob and plunder."
Gulp.
"But fortunately for you,"
Phew!
"I can prove that this is my room. First of all, you are holding a picture of my wife. Second, I am much more noble than you and you must do as I say."
"B..." Kris stuttered just before she noticed how richly he was dressed.
"On the second reason, I am not serious, you so not have to do as I command, but the first reason stands true."
Suddenly an idea popped into her head. "What is your fief?"
"Pirate's Swoop." Baron George Cooper of Pirate's Swoop grinned as he saw the realization dawn on her face.
"You-your Baron George Cooper!"
"Yes I am."
"And your wife must be..."
Yes, yes Lady Alanna of Pirate's Swoop and Olau, First Lady Knight Errant in all of Tortall for who knows how long," said George in a tone that suggested that he had repeated this as many times as there had been years of no lady knight in Tortall.
"Over a hundred, Sir," she said pertly.
"I already know that, and please do not call me sir," he said, slightly vexed.
"This is great, you can help me."
George's ears pricked up, he always like to help. "And how might I be of service to one so beautiful as yourself?"
The flattery worked. Kris blushed crimson and started to tell her whole story."
"Not again," was George's reply as she finished. .
"What do you mean?" Kris asked, slightly puzzled and alarmed.
"Oh, only that I thought I was done with this kind of mischief a long time ago."
Kris noticed an odd gleam to George's eyes.
Then George remembered something that he thought to be pretty important. "You do know about the monthly cycle don't y-" but he was cut off.
"Yes, yes mother told me a thousand times of the monthly bleeding." Kris was now sporting a very deep crimson on both of her cheeks.
"Good. That'll prevent at least one mishap," said a relieved George.
"Well, are you going to help me or not?" Kris was getting impatient, (not to mention afraid of being embarrassed again.)
"I guess so, but first things first. You must promise me not to tell anybody else about this, do you hear me? Nobody."
"I shall tell no one else. I swear on my honor as a noble."
"Good, now we must start talking about what we shall do to make this work." George moved to the door, opened it, and yelled, "Ronny! Send drinks up to the King's room as soon as you can. Oh, and bring some fresh bread and butter too. And maybe some fruit!" Then to Kris he added, "We may be here for a while, you didn't pick an easy route, that's for sure."
Kris looked a little startled. `King?!' she thought. Then it hit her, `I won't be able to explore the city today. Well, I brought this upon myself.' And with that Kris got ready for a long day of making plans and thinking of ways to be a boy.