Caught!
Chapter Three: Conversations and Traveling
Disclaimer: this is really getting old… *monotone voice * I do not own anything in this story except the plot.
Oo00ooOOoo00ooOOoo00ooOOoo
Alanna opened the door to her room, to the protests of Thom on the bed, and faced her friends.
Jon was in front, looking down at Alanna, who had her head down, her flaming copper locks hiding her face from view. "Alan?" he started. Alanna made a strange noise at this, but said nothing, and continued to keep her head down. Jon placed a hand under her chin and forced her to face him and the rest of her friends that stood behind him. He drew a sharp breath when he saw her.
Her face was red and blotchy, her eyes were swollen from crying, and she looked altogether miserable. All of the boys gasped.
"Alan! What happened in my Lord's office?" Gary asked, startled. Alanna shook her head, but said nothing and looked back down.
"Alan," the prince said gently, "what happened? You can tell us you know. We wont tell anyone."
What does that matter? Alanna asked herself. Its not like the entire court wont know I a day, at the least. She didn't answer the boys, but stepped back and admitted them into her room. She wasn't sure they were supposed to be here, but the duke had not said anything about any visitors. Thom was still sitting on the bed, but stood quickly when he saw the boys enter. All of them looked wildly from Thom to Alanna and back again.
"Alan, what on earth is going on?" Gary asked, and the others, Jon, Raoul, Francis and Alex, all murmured their agreed confusion.
Alanna looked at Thom for a short moment, and then back to Jonathan. "I, I- " she couldn't say it. She shook her head as another wave of tears forced their way into her eyes. She squeezed them shut, refusing to cry in front of any of them. Thom helped her out of the spot.
"Your Highness," he said to Jon, and bowed. "Alan and I are brothers, and His Grace was speaking to us about a personal matter. It really isn't any of your concern." Alanna shook her head at her brother's audacity. She didn't understand how he could speak to the prince of the realm like that. Obviously, neither could Jon.
"I don't care if its none of my business," he told Thom gracefully. "And it is, because Alan is my friend, and I care why he would be cr- sad about anything." he concluded, trying not to openly point out that Alanna was crying.
"Highness," began Alanna sadly, "I – t have something that I … I have to tell you something," she said, clumsily stumbling over her words. Jon and the others waited patiently. She met Jon's eyes for a moment, and finally told someone her secret. "I am a girl," she whispered, and then quickly looked at her boots. She didn't have the courage to meet his eyes now.
The boys said nothing, but Alanna could just imagine them appalled and disgusted. After a few seconds of silence, she chanced a look at them. They were staring at her, their eyes wide open, some of them looked like they were thinking hard, piecing together all that had mystified them about her over the past few months. She looked at Thom, standing on the other side of the room, looking at his own boots. Her eyes wandered over to Coram, who looked at her with some amount of pride. She looked away from him. As far as she was concerned, she had done nothing that was worthy of his pride, or anyone else's. She looked back at her friends then, and wondered if they were ever going to say anything.
"Alan?" Jon asked finally, and Alanna shook her head.
"My name is Alanna, your Highness," she said softly.
"You're a girl?" Alex said, astounded by the sound of it. Alanna nodded mutely, too ashamed to say anything.
"And so my Lord found out, didn't he Alan- err- Alanna?" Gary said quietly, and all eyes turned toward him. He shrugged, but looked at Alanna softly. "What did he do?' he asked her, sounding almost afraid to hear the answer. She shook her head, and wouldn't answer when he repeated the question.
"We are leaving," came the soft reply from Thom. The boys all looked back at him, and then to Alanna as if to confirm it. She nodded, and Jon broke out.
"Alan, I mean Alanna, you can't leave. You're a great page. How came the Duke just kick you out?" Alanna was filled with pleasure for a moment. He didn't think that she was a disgrace! But you are, said a mean and nasty part of her brain that wouldn't let her alone. You lied to them all, and you are no better than scum. She ignored that part of her for the moment, and looked back at the prince and her friends.
They were all nodding, agreeing with the princes words.
"Alanna," started Francis from the back of the group. Alanna looked at him and he continued. "What is going to happed to you? You wouldn't be disgraced or anything would you?" Alanna cringed, and looked again at her boots. They were getting boring to stare at. Francis continued, in that soft voice of his. "Alanna, you are our friend, you know that right? We will always be behind you." Alanna looked up to stare at them, and it was her turn to be open mouthed.
"You, you…" she couldn't continue, but she didn't have to.
"Of course we will," Jon told her. "You will be our friend no matter what, girl, boy or dancing bear." He smiled, inviting her to share his joke with him. Alanna said nothing, but a fresh wave of tears came over her then, and she made no move to stop them. She had the grace to look down at the tears fell, but this time she didn't have to look at her shoes. She could see nothing from the tears building up in her eyes. She sniffed, but whipped her eyes quickly on her sleeves.
She looked back to the boys when she heard a fake sounding cough from one of them. Alex had hi hand over his mouth, and looked at Alanna with a strange look on his face.
"How do we know that you are telling the truth?" Alex asked her slyly. "How can we be sure that you're really a girl?" he looked at her with slit eyes, and Alanna shivered, not sure where he was going with this.
"What do you mean how can you be sure!?" Thom cried, outraged at this strange boy, and his accusations towards his sister. "The fact that we are being thrown out of the palace and disowned isn't enough for you!?" Thom was angry, and Alanna was throwing glances between her brother and Alex, who was still staring at Alanna with the calm of a cat, ignoring the outburst from Thom.
Jon interrupted then, with the skill of his stature. "Alex, we are taking Alana's word as truth. She has no reason to lie to any of us." He said, diplomatic as usual.
"But if what she is saying is true, that she is a female, than she has already lied to us enough for everyone else in the palace," he argued back, not taking his eyes off of Alanna.
Alanna was starting to get annoyed. How could he not believe her? She was spilling her heart out to them, and one of her best friends did not believe her! Jon noticed this, and knew that a famed Alan outburst was not what they needed at the moment.
"Alex, I know that Alanna is telling the truth. I don't know how, I just know it. All right? End of discussion." Jon's voice was final, but Alex didn't look like he had even heard.
"Fine," he half hissed. Still not looking away from Alana's eyes, he turned around and walked out the open door. Alanna was ready to cry again. She knew most people would see it like the Duke and Alex. She had done a terrible thing by wanting to be a knight, and she hated herself for putting everyone in such a bad spot. Jon saw her starting to fall back to despair, and went over to her for the first time. He took hold of her elbow and made her sit on the bed. When she sat, he turned and faced her, meeting her violet eyes with his sapphire ones.
"Pay no attention to Alex, Alanna," he told her softly. "He just doesn't see you the way we do. And I think I speak for all of us when I say that you are our friend, and we will like you no matter who you are." She smiled after his speech, and looked at the rest of the boys behind him. They nodded to Alanna in agreement with Jon, smiling to her as they did so.
Alanna was so overwhelmed that she covered her face with her hands, not letting them see her cry. She had friends who loved her. It helped to ease the pain some. Thom came to her side as well, and sat next to her on the bed.
"It'll be alright 'Lanna," He told her warmly.
Jon looked at them together for the first time, and smiled at how much they looked exactly alike. "Now I see why you two could pull this thing off," he told them, amused.
Alanna nodded. She knew how much she looked like her brother. She had done well to come this far. At least you tried, a sad voice in the back of her mind told her. No, she told the voice, I will not give up. I am going to become a warrior maiden, even if it's not through becoming a knight. I wont give up! With this thought in mind, she turned her attention back to the prince, who was looking at her with a strange look on his face. The look disappeared though, when she looked back at him. He stood up then and stretched.
Just then, a loud bell sounded around them, which made Thom jump into the air. The other boys just sighed. It was the bell for outdoor classes; the training and such. Alanna felt a pang in her heart. She would never be here again to hear those bells that dictated her life. She felt surprised to learn that she would actually miss them, but she knew she would. She would miss everything about being at the palace: the classes, the training, the meals and everything else.
"You guys should leave now," Alanna told the boys quietly, not meeting their eyes. She would never see any of them again, it seemed. She stood slowly, and looked at Jon, tears once again forming in her eyes. She never thought she could cry so much. "Goodbye," she said, her voice filled with sorrow. To her complete surprise, Jon wrapped her in a big hug, and let go just as suddenly. The other boys all sad their goodbyes, shaking Alanna's hand, and Gray hugged her, like Jon had.
As they were walking out the door to their own rooms to get ready for training, Jon looked back at her. "Just remember Alanna, no matter what, we are your friends." He smiled, and Alanna smiled back, for the first time that afternoon. She shut the door, then leaned her head against it and sighed. It was all so confusing. What would she do, now that she was going to be thrown out? Would her father disown her? She hoped not. She didn't know if she could live with that. She bolted the door after a moment, and walked back into the main chamber.
Thom was still on the bed, looking at her with sad eyes. She sat down next to the wall, and put her head in her knees. "What now?" she asked Thom softly.
Thom shrugged, at a loss for words at the moment. He leaned back on the bed and said nothing. Alanna let her thoughts wander. Would her father disown her? It was a fear that would not let her rest. What would she do if she were disowned? Could she find work anywhere? Probably not. How could she ever become a warrior maiden if she was a scorned person everywhere she went? And then the idea hit her like a fire arrow. Shang! She could become a Shang warrior. No matter that she was a bit old. They would have to take her when she told a master her story. She made up her mind. She would join the Shang and become a warrior maiden who took journeys and went on adventures. She could hardly contain her glee. Then a question swam up to the surface of her thoughts. Would she have to face her father at all if she wanted to join Shang? Why not simply escape on the journey to Trebond and go to the Shang place from there? She had no wish to stand in front of her father and hear another lecture like the one from Duke Gareth. She had barely gotten through that. She knew she wouldn't be able to sit through another one.
With that decided, she went to her bed, shoved the already asleep Thom to the side of it, and lay down to sleep through the night.
From the doorway that separated Coram's rooms from Alanna's, Coram watched the young girl sit on the floor, thinking hard about something. He saw her shove her brother over, and fall into the bad and into sleep. It was his turn to let his thoughts wander.
What would the poor girl do now? Lord Alan would not react to this news lightly. Coram knew that the Duke was most likely right about the Lord of Trebond disowning Alanna, if not both of them. It was a horrible thought, but it was the truth of the matter. He would not want anything around the fief that would bring him such dishonor as a daughter who had tried to become a knight. Coram knew that she could have done it, had she been given the chance. She was a courageous lass, and stubborn as a mule when she wanted to be. Her hot temper had kept her safe in some areas of hiding her sex, but it was also her trademark; everyone knew the young 'lad's' temper was as quick to flare as a volcano, and just as hot when it went off. He smiled, having no clue where she had gotten that. She was a warrior, if he had ever seen one. She had what it took, except for the gender. She was a female, which made all of the difference in the world. It was a sad thing, but fitting in the world of Tortall. He shook his head. The poor girl was going to be heart broken when they faced their father. He would not forgive her for this. Thom he might find innocent in this, but Alanna would not in the slightest. He felt sorry for her, and wished with everything that the girl that he had helped raise didn't have to go through that.
He went back to his own room then, wondering what on earth he would do with his own life now that he had been so shamed. He went to his own bed, and fell asleep thinking what skills he held that would be worth anything in the ways of the world.
Oo00ooOOoo00ooOOoo00ooOOoo
The three woke the next morning at the knocking of someone on the door. Thom stumbled to the door, whipping sleep from his eyes, and opened it to reveal a servant in the palace garb.
"Prepare to lave to palace, young sir," he told Thom in a sad, slow voice. "The carriage that is to take the three people is ready in one half hour in the courtyard." The servant turned, and went back down the hallway. Thom sighed, the memories of the past few days catching up with him. He closed the door and went into the room to wake Alanna to get ready. He was surprised to find her already awake, sitting on the bed, her eyes red and exhausted. Thom tried to smile at her, but he knew he failed horribly at that endeavor. He let it go, and went to the changing room to get dressed in his traveling clothes. Alanna did the same in the main room. When they were both dressed and whipping the last of the sleep from their eyes, they went into Coram's room. He was up also, sitting on his bed, staring into space. The twins silently stood in front of him, waiting for him to say something first.
They were startled when he finally did. "I suppose that we should get some things straight before we leave." He told them, his voice slow and the sadness evident. "Firstly, I am proud of both of you, for trying to achieve your goals, and not giving up. Second, we are going to have some hard times ahead of us, especially you Alanna," he said sadly, looking at her. "I hope that all goes well, but it isn't likely. I only want you two to know that nothing comes easy, and if you try hard enough, you can get over all obstacles." He suspended his speech then, as someone knocked on the door at that moment. Coram went to answer it his time, and spoke softly with whomever it was. He came back to the room and announced to the two, "we need to leave now. Let's get going." The twins looked at each other for a moment, and then went to Alana's room and picked up their small bags.
They walked out the door into the hallway, but not before Alanna took one last look around her room. She would miss it. She sniffed, but did not leak any tears. She would not cry in front of any adult now. It would prove to them that she was a weak female, and she would not give them any chances to humiliate her further. They walked quickly to the courtyard where the carriage waited, meeting no one in the hallways or outside.
The reason for the absence of all of the people became evident when they stepped outside. It was still nearly dark; the rays of the sun just barely penetrating the horizon. Alanna yawned as the stepped into the carriage, where the head mother of the convent already sat, a look of stubbornness on her old face. Alanna ignored her, and sat across from the woman, looking out the window. The trip was going to be long and boring, Alanna could tell this already. She sighed. She thought about her promise to herself that night. Would she try to escape their keeper and travel to the Shang? Or would she face her father, and pray that he was compassionate in his punishments. And what about Thom? Wouldn't he want to come with her? No, she thought. He has no dream to become a warrior, he only wants to be a sorcerer, and that was not looking too promising at the moment. She wasn't sure what to do. So she stopped thinking about it for the moment, and just stared out the window as the horses in the front started to move, and they started their long journey to Trebond.
Oo00ooOOoo00ooOOoo00ooOOoo
A/N: Hiya folks!! I updated in about two days! Amazing isn't it!! I think it's a first! Anywayz, I hope you like this chapter, its not too interesting, but has some important things in it. As usual, you all need to review if you want to story to continue!! And I need some feedback about what you think should happen to Alanna. What does every one think she should do? And all flames are welcome, as long as you have some "constructive criticism" in there! Thank you, and good night!
And to some wonderful reviewers:
Dreamcloud: thanks for your help with some parts, I think you know what they are! And I didn't leave it at a cliffie this time!! So I hope that your happy!!!
Cassondra: thank you! I do try and be original in most of my stories! I hate the stupid ones that everyone seems to write over and over again! Look at some of my others for more, hopefully, original stuff!!
Saphire Dreams: Sorry about getting there first!! I've had the idea for a while, just not the time to write it, but you are welcome to write the same thing!! I will read it!!
Latest Redemption: thankx!! I hope this is what you, (and everyone else) thought the others would have thought of Alanna.
And everyone else who reviewed!!! Temptress, Magix Pawn, SerenityLNguyen, Angilina Weasely, Lady knight, blue eyes, and everyone!!! I hope u liked this chapter, and I will try to get more soon!! I have to kinda switch between three that I have right now, but spring break is sooo relaxing that I think I can do it!! ;) So review, and you might get this story as top priority!!!!! TY everyone!!!!
Chapter Three: Conversations and Traveling
Disclaimer: this is really getting old… *monotone voice * I do not own anything in this story except the plot.
Oo00ooOOoo00ooOOoo00ooOOoo
Alanna opened the door to her room, to the protests of Thom on the bed, and faced her friends.
Jon was in front, looking down at Alanna, who had her head down, her flaming copper locks hiding her face from view. "Alan?" he started. Alanna made a strange noise at this, but said nothing, and continued to keep her head down. Jon placed a hand under her chin and forced her to face him and the rest of her friends that stood behind him. He drew a sharp breath when he saw her.
Her face was red and blotchy, her eyes were swollen from crying, and she looked altogether miserable. All of the boys gasped.
"Alan! What happened in my Lord's office?" Gary asked, startled. Alanna shook her head, but said nothing and looked back down.
"Alan," the prince said gently, "what happened? You can tell us you know. We wont tell anyone."
What does that matter? Alanna asked herself. Its not like the entire court wont know I a day, at the least. She didn't answer the boys, but stepped back and admitted them into her room. She wasn't sure they were supposed to be here, but the duke had not said anything about any visitors. Thom was still sitting on the bed, but stood quickly when he saw the boys enter. All of them looked wildly from Thom to Alanna and back again.
"Alan, what on earth is going on?" Gary asked, and the others, Jon, Raoul, Francis and Alex, all murmured their agreed confusion.
Alanna looked at Thom for a short moment, and then back to Jonathan. "I, I- " she couldn't say it. She shook her head as another wave of tears forced their way into her eyes. She squeezed them shut, refusing to cry in front of any of them. Thom helped her out of the spot.
"Your Highness," he said to Jon, and bowed. "Alan and I are brothers, and His Grace was speaking to us about a personal matter. It really isn't any of your concern." Alanna shook her head at her brother's audacity. She didn't understand how he could speak to the prince of the realm like that. Obviously, neither could Jon.
"I don't care if its none of my business," he told Thom gracefully. "And it is, because Alan is my friend, and I care why he would be cr- sad about anything." he concluded, trying not to openly point out that Alanna was crying.
"Highness," began Alanna sadly, "I – t have something that I … I have to tell you something," she said, clumsily stumbling over her words. Jon and the others waited patiently. She met Jon's eyes for a moment, and finally told someone her secret. "I am a girl," she whispered, and then quickly looked at her boots. She didn't have the courage to meet his eyes now.
The boys said nothing, but Alanna could just imagine them appalled and disgusted. After a few seconds of silence, she chanced a look at them. They were staring at her, their eyes wide open, some of them looked like they were thinking hard, piecing together all that had mystified them about her over the past few months. She looked at Thom, standing on the other side of the room, looking at his own boots. Her eyes wandered over to Coram, who looked at her with some amount of pride. She looked away from him. As far as she was concerned, she had done nothing that was worthy of his pride, or anyone else's. She looked back at her friends then, and wondered if they were ever going to say anything.
"Alan?" Jon asked finally, and Alanna shook her head.
"My name is Alanna, your Highness," she said softly.
"You're a girl?" Alex said, astounded by the sound of it. Alanna nodded mutely, too ashamed to say anything.
"And so my Lord found out, didn't he Alan- err- Alanna?" Gary said quietly, and all eyes turned toward him. He shrugged, but looked at Alanna softly. "What did he do?' he asked her, sounding almost afraid to hear the answer. She shook her head, and wouldn't answer when he repeated the question.
"We are leaving," came the soft reply from Thom. The boys all looked back at him, and then to Alanna as if to confirm it. She nodded, and Jon broke out.
"Alan, I mean Alanna, you can't leave. You're a great page. How came the Duke just kick you out?" Alanna was filled with pleasure for a moment. He didn't think that she was a disgrace! But you are, said a mean and nasty part of her brain that wouldn't let her alone. You lied to them all, and you are no better than scum. She ignored that part of her for the moment, and looked back at the prince and her friends.
They were all nodding, agreeing with the princes words.
"Alanna," started Francis from the back of the group. Alanna looked at him and he continued. "What is going to happed to you? You wouldn't be disgraced or anything would you?" Alanna cringed, and looked again at her boots. They were getting boring to stare at. Francis continued, in that soft voice of his. "Alanna, you are our friend, you know that right? We will always be behind you." Alanna looked up to stare at them, and it was her turn to be open mouthed.
"You, you…" she couldn't continue, but she didn't have to.
"Of course we will," Jon told her. "You will be our friend no matter what, girl, boy or dancing bear." He smiled, inviting her to share his joke with him. Alanna said nothing, but a fresh wave of tears came over her then, and she made no move to stop them. She had the grace to look down at the tears fell, but this time she didn't have to look at her shoes. She could see nothing from the tears building up in her eyes. She sniffed, but whipped her eyes quickly on her sleeves.
She looked back to the boys when she heard a fake sounding cough from one of them. Alex had hi hand over his mouth, and looked at Alanna with a strange look on his face.
"How do we know that you are telling the truth?" Alex asked her slyly. "How can we be sure that you're really a girl?" he looked at her with slit eyes, and Alanna shivered, not sure where he was going with this.
"What do you mean how can you be sure!?" Thom cried, outraged at this strange boy, and his accusations towards his sister. "The fact that we are being thrown out of the palace and disowned isn't enough for you!?" Thom was angry, and Alanna was throwing glances between her brother and Alex, who was still staring at Alanna with the calm of a cat, ignoring the outburst from Thom.
Jon interrupted then, with the skill of his stature. "Alex, we are taking Alana's word as truth. She has no reason to lie to any of us." He said, diplomatic as usual.
"But if what she is saying is true, that she is a female, than she has already lied to us enough for everyone else in the palace," he argued back, not taking his eyes off of Alanna.
Alanna was starting to get annoyed. How could he not believe her? She was spilling her heart out to them, and one of her best friends did not believe her! Jon noticed this, and knew that a famed Alan outburst was not what they needed at the moment.
"Alex, I know that Alanna is telling the truth. I don't know how, I just know it. All right? End of discussion." Jon's voice was final, but Alex didn't look like he had even heard.
"Fine," he half hissed. Still not looking away from Alana's eyes, he turned around and walked out the open door. Alanna was ready to cry again. She knew most people would see it like the Duke and Alex. She had done a terrible thing by wanting to be a knight, and she hated herself for putting everyone in such a bad spot. Jon saw her starting to fall back to despair, and went over to her for the first time. He took hold of her elbow and made her sit on the bed. When she sat, he turned and faced her, meeting her violet eyes with his sapphire ones.
"Pay no attention to Alex, Alanna," he told her softly. "He just doesn't see you the way we do. And I think I speak for all of us when I say that you are our friend, and we will like you no matter who you are." She smiled after his speech, and looked at the rest of the boys behind him. They nodded to Alanna in agreement with Jon, smiling to her as they did so.
Alanna was so overwhelmed that she covered her face with her hands, not letting them see her cry. She had friends who loved her. It helped to ease the pain some. Thom came to her side as well, and sat next to her on the bed.
"It'll be alright 'Lanna," He told her warmly.
Jon looked at them together for the first time, and smiled at how much they looked exactly alike. "Now I see why you two could pull this thing off," he told them, amused.
Alanna nodded. She knew how much she looked like her brother. She had done well to come this far. At least you tried, a sad voice in the back of her mind told her. No, she told the voice, I will not give up. I am going to become a warrior maiden, even if it's not through becoming a knight. I wont give up! With this thought in mind, she turned her attention back to the prince, who was looking at her with a strange look on his face. The look disappeared though, when she looked back at him. He stood up then and stretched.
Just then, a loud bell sounded around them, which made Thom jump into the air. The other boys just sighed. It was the bell for outdoor classes; the training and such. Alanna felt a pang in her heart. She would never be here again to hear those bells that dictated her life. She felt surprised to learn that she would actually miss them, but she knew she would. She would miss everything about being at the palace: the classes, the training, the meals and everything else.
"You guys should leave now," Alanna told the boys quietly, not meeting their eyes. She would never see any of them again, it seemed. She stood slowly, and looked at Jon, tears once again forming in her eyes. She never thought she could cry so much. "Goodbye," she said, her voice filled with sorrow. To her complete surprise, Jon wrapped her in a big hug, and let go just as suddenly. The other boys all sad their goodbyes, shaking Alanna's hand, and Gray hugged her, like Jon had.
As they were walking out the door to their own rooms to get ready for training, Jon looked back at her. "Just remember Alanna, no matter what, we are your friends." He smiled, and Alanna smiled back, for the first time that afternoon. She shut the door, then leaned her head against it and sighed. It was all so confusing. What would she do, now that she was going to be thrown out? Would her father disown her? She hoped not. She didn't know if she could live with that. She bolted the door after a moment, and walked back into the main chamber.
Thom was still on the bed, looking at her with sad eyes. She sat down next to the wall, and put her head in her knees. "What now?" she asked Thom softly.
Thom shrugged, at a loss for words at the moment. He leaned back on the bed and said nothing. Alanna let her thoughts wander. Would her father disown her? It was a fear that would not let her rest. What would she do if she were disowned? Could she find work anywhere? Probably not. How could she ever become a warrior maiden if she was a scorned person everywhere she went? And then the idea hit her like a fire arrow. Shang! She could become a Shang warrior. No matter that she was a bit old. They would have to take her when she told a master her story. She made up her mind. She would join the Shang and become a warrior maiden who took journeys and went on adventures. She could hardly contain her glee. Then a question swam up to the surface of her thoughts. Would she have to face her father at all if she wanted to join Shang? Why not simply escape on the journey to Trebond and go to the Shang place from there? She had no wish to stand in front of her father and hear another lecture like the one from Duke Gareth. She had barely gotten through that. She knew she wouldn't be able to sit through another one.
With that decided, she went to her bed, shoved the already asleep Thom to the side of it, and lay down to sleep through the night.
From the doorway that separated Coram's rooms from Alanna's, Coram watched the young girl sit on the floor, thinking hard about something. He saw her shove her brother over, and fall into the bad and into sleep. It was his turn to let his thoughts wander.
What would the poor girl do now? Lord Alan would not react to this news lightly. Coram knew that the Duke was most likely right about the Lord of Trebond disowning Alanna, if not both of them. It was a horrible thought, but it was the truth of the matter. He would not want anything around the fief that would bring him such dishonor as a daughter who had tried to become a knight. Coram knew that she could have done it, had she been given the chance. She was a courageous lass, and stubborn as a mule when she wanted to be. Her hot temper had kept her safe in some areas of hiding her sex, but it was also her trademark; everyone knew the young 'lad's' temper was as quick to flare as a volcano, and just as hot when it went off. He smiled, having no clue where she had gotten that. She was a warrior, if he had ever seen one. She had what it took, except for the gender. She was a female, which made all of the difference in the world. It was a sad thing, but fitting in the world of Tortall. He shook his head. The poor girl was going to be heart broken when they faced their father. He would not forgive her for this. Thom he might find innocent in this, but Alanna would not in the slightest. He felt sorry for her, and wished with everything that the girl that he had helped raise didn't have to go through that.
He went back to his own room then, wondering what on earth he would do with his own life now that he had been so shamed. He went to his own bed, and fell asleep thinking what skills he held that would be worth anything in the ways of the world.
Oo00ooOOoo00ooOOoo00ooOOoo
The three woke the next morning at the knocking of someone on the door. Thom stumbled to the door, whipping sleep from his eyes, and opened it to reveal a servant in the palace garb.
"Prepare to lave to palace, young sir," he told Thom in a sad, slow voice. "The carriage that is to take the three people is ready in one half hour in the courtyard." The servant turned, and went back down the hallway. Thom sighed, the memories of the past few days catching up with him. He closed the door and went into the room to wake Alanna to get ready. He was surprised to find her already awake, sitting on the bed, her eyes red and exhausted. Thom tried to smile at her, but he knew he failed horribly at that endeavor. He let it go, and went to the changing room to get dressed in his traveling clothes. Alanna did the same in the main room. When they were both dressed and whipping the last of the sleep from their eyes, they went into Coram's room. He was up also, sitting on his bed, staring into space. The twins silently stood in front of him, waiting for him to say something first.
They were startled when he finally did. "I suppose that we should get some things straight before we leave." He told them, his voice slow and the sadness evident. "Firstly, I am proud of both of you, for trying to achieve your goals, and not giving up. Second, we are going to have some hard times ahead of us, especially you Alanna," he said sadly, looking at her. "I hope that all goes well, but it isn't likely. I only want you two to know that nothing comes easy, and if you try hard enough, you can get over all obstacles." He suspended his speech then, as someone knocked on the door at that moment. Coram went to answer it his time, and spoke softly with whomever it was. He came back to the room and announced to the two, "we need to leave now. Let's get going." The twins looked at each other for a moment, and then went to Alana's room and picked up their small bags.
They walked out the door into the hallway, but not before Alanna took one last look around her room. She would miss it. She sniffed, but did not leak any tears. She would not cry in front of any adult now. It would prove to them that she was a weak female, and she would not give them any chances to humiliate her further. They walked quickly to the courtyard where the carriage waited, meeting no one in the hallways or outside.
The reason for the absence of all of the people became evident when they stepped outside. It was still nearly dark; the rays of the sun just barely penetrating the horizon. Alanna yawned as the stepped into the carriage, where the head mother of the convent already sat, a look of stubbornness on her old face. Alanna ignored her, and sat across from the woman, looking out the window. The trip was going to be long and boring, Alanna could tell this already. She sighed. She thought about her promise to herself that night. Would she try to escape their keeper and travel to the Shang? Or would she face her father, and pray that he was compassionate in his punishments. And what about Thom? Wouldn't he want to come with her? No, she thought. He has no dream to become a warrior, he only wants to be a sorcerer, and that was not looking too promising at the moment. She wasn't sure what to do. So she stopped thinking about it for the moment, and just stared out the window as the horses in the front started to move, and they started their long journey to Trebond.
Oo00ooOOoo00ooOOoo00ooOOoo
A/N: Hiya folks!! I updated in about two days! Amazing isn't it!! I think it's a first! Anywayz, I hope you like this chapter, its not too interesting, but has some important things in it. As usual, you all need to review if you want to story to continue!! And I need some feedback about what you think should happen to Alanna. What does every one think she should do? And all flames are welcome, as long as you have some "constructive criticism" in there! Thank you, and good night!
And to some wonderful reviewers:
Dreamcloud: thanks for your help with some parts, I think you know what they are! And I didn't leave it at a cliffie this time!! So I hope that your happy!!!
Cassondra: thank you! I do try and be original in most of my stories! I hate the stupid ones that everyone seems to write over and over again! Look at some of my others for more, hopefully, original stuff!!
Saphire Dreams: Sorry about getting there first!! I've had the idea for a while, just not the time to write it, but you are welcome to write the same thing!! I will read it!!
Latest Redemption: thankx!! I hope this is what you, (and everyone else) thought the others would have thought of Alanna.
And everyone else who reviewed!!! Temptress, Magix Pawn, SerenityLNguyen, Angilina Weasely, Lady knight, blue eyes, and everyone!!! I hope u liked this chapter, and I will try to get more soon!! I have to kinda switch between three that I have right now, but spring break is sooo relaxing that I think I can do it!! ;) So review, and you might get this story as top priority!!!!! TY everyone!!!!