Caught!
Chapter Five: The Shang
Disclaimer: I take it you all know that I don't own any of these ppl? Good!
And now, enjoy!
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Alanna spent the morning's ride blissfully happy. She forgot her exaltation from the palace, her father's supposed disownment, and everything that had happened in the past few days, and enjoyed the ride. It was the first time she had actually been on a real horse, having only Chubby to ride for lessons. With the beautiful mare, which Alanna had christened Joy, underneath her, and her twin at her back, Alanna was at peace, for the moment at least.
They stopped an hour past noon for a lunch break, turning the mare into the forest along the road for shelter. Alanna and Thom agreed that it was best that they weren't seen traveling, at least until they got far enough away from Coram and the Head Mother behind them.
When they were situated, Thom and Alanna with scraps of meat and a small chunk of meat that Thom had managed to steal from the kitchen on their way out. Alanna let Joy off of her reigns to graze nearby. She trusted the horse was far enough away from her stable to take off for home.
As the two sat and ate, they discussed their plans for the road.
"Do you know how to get to the barony Pirate's Swoop?" Thom asked her doubtfully.
Alanna was indignant. "Of course I do," she snapped, though in truth she remembered little from the maps and roads that they had learned in the palace. Truthfully, she had no desire to try and recall her lessons at the palace. They only reminded her of what she would never be able to accomplish, and those weren't the thoughts she wanted to have at the moment.
Thom looked at her with one eyebrow arched, but wisely said nothing. He hadn't lived with his twin for ten years not to learn that she had a temper not to be trifled with. Alanna stared back, willing him to argue. They played the game of stares for a few moments, before Thom began to smile, then giggle slightly, then he outright laughed, breaking eye contact. Alanna laughed with him, and soon, after much laughing and eating, they were finished with their lunch.
When the twins got back on Joy and took off for a second time they were in high spirits. They rode on for many hours, talking and eating apples that they took off trees on the side of the road. They did not pause until an hour before sunset, when Alanna began to worry about what they would do for the night. She voiced this worry to Thom.
"Well," he began slowly, from behind her, "I suppose we could find a place to camp in that forest," he said, indicating with a tilt of a head to their left. Alanna wasn't sure she wanted to risk it in there. "Or," Thom continued, jovially, "we could find a nice looking way house and sneak in the kitchens or sleep in the stables or something." Thom seemed to like this idea, as he bounced with childlike glee in the saddle.
Alanna had misgivings about sneaking in. it seemed too likely that they would be caught. "I suppose we should make camp for tonight," she told her brother, though not happy about it. "I don't really think we should be going to any inns along the way this close to Corus or our 'guardians.' I suppose that leaves the woods." Alanna decided, leading Joy off the road and onto a dirt path. It looked safe to her, and they could find a nice clearing someplace a way off the path and make camp. Yes, she decided, this won't be so bad.
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The only problem with Alanna's theory was actually finding a 'nice little clearing' that they could make a decent camp in. Everywhere both children looked was trees, trees, trees. Alanna was beginning to grow a deep dislike for trees. Thom, behind her, was fidgeting consistently, and Alanna was starting to get frustrated.
Finally, after about thirty minutes of searching, Alanna gave up on finding a nice little clearing, and headed for a clump of trees on their right. We'll just have to camp under them, she thought glumly. She was not looking forward to it.
When they finally shoved their way under the large willow tree's branches, Alanna sighed. This wasn't so bad. There was even a small black pit in the center, obviously where past travelers had made a fire. Alanna was eager to follow. She was cold, now that it was almost completely dark, and hungry. She doubted Thom was in a much better mood.
She immediately dismounted Joy, and Thom followed her, looking around at the space.
"Not bad," he muttered to himself, "not bad at all."
Alanna nodded, but said nothing. She simply wanted to start a fire, eat, and sleep. She was deeply tired after not enough sleep the night before, then a day's ride. "Why don't you try and find some dry wood?" she told Thom, who nodded, and began walking around looking at the many pieces of discarded wood on the ground.
Alanna started to unpack their bags, and get their supplies out where they could be used. She noted with some despair that they didn't have much food left, and knew that they would have to go hunting somehow. She shook her head, and looked at the rest of their items.
They had two good sleeping sacks and Alanna couldn't wait to fall into one and drift off to dream land. But first things first, she told herself resolutely. We need to make a fire, and eat something. So she dug out the last of their rations, and went back to the pit that was to be their fire.
Thom, she saw, had collected many good pieces of dry wood for the use of burning, and she congratulated him for this. He simply nodded, and Alanna figured he was as tired as she was.
She quickly got a small fire going, trying to feed it bigger and bigger sticks until she had a nice blaze in the small pit. Alanna sat back and let the fire warm her through and through. It felt wonderful.
Soon after, she gathered their food – two pieces of fowl leg and a large slice of bread – and skewered the meat on small twigs to set over the fire, and set the bread on a small rock close to the flames. They would both get warm soon, and then they could eat.
Alanna smiled, and caught her sleepy twin's eye.
"This isn't so bad, is it?" she asked him out loud.
"Naw," Thom said with a grin. "I think I can stand the outdoors when needed." He winked at Alanna, and she burst out laughing.
Sure, she thought to herself gleefully, Thom can love the outdoors as much as I love dresses!
The two tins laughed together for a while, before Alanna decided their meat and bread was done, and took them away from the fire. She handed Thom his piece of meat, and began to devour her own. It tasted wonderful. They quickly finished both the meat and the bread, and then Thom gave a huge yawn.
Alanna giggled slowly, tired herself. Together, they put out their fire, and rolled out their bags. Both tired twins crawled in to their own sleeping bag, and said goodnight to each other quietly. Alanna fell asleep immediately, not waking until birds chirped above her and the sun's rays reached their camp.
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The next few days of travel were similar to the first for the two. They rode during the day, doing there best to stay off the main roads where they would be recognized. At night, they camped in any place they could find, Alanna trying not to be as picky as their first experience. They stayed on course as well as they could, not always sure of where they were going. Alanna was forced to ask another trader in an inn one night where the barony Pirates' Swoop, much to her discomfort. Nothing seemed to come of it though, except directions that told them they were headed too far east, and had to change directions.
After three full days of riding and camping, both twins were exhausted-and in desperate need of a bath-but they had found the town that held the Shang training grounds.
Walking into the town with Thom at her side, Alanna was nervous. They had hidden Joy and their packs in a nearby forest, and come into town together. Alanna fidgeted with her hands, but tried to appear calm as they walked down the main road of the small town. She could see many run down buildings and farms, but what caught her attention was the sturdy building at the end of the lane. It was obvious that this building was newer than the others; it did not have crumbling ceilings or dirty walls. Walking slowly towards it, Alanna could see that behind the building opened up enormous fields, each a training ground of some kind. As the twins got closer, they could see people in those different arenas, all different ages, from young children-obviously beginners- to adults, who were noticeably more experienced in the art.
Alanna stopped in front of the entrance to the main building, trying to gather courage to face the unknown. /Come on/ she chided herself, /it cant be worse than anything else you've gone through. Can it?/ Alanna wasn't sure. /The worse that could happen would be you'd be turned down, and why would they ever do that? You just have to not let them turn you down./ With that resolved, she stepped up and walked through the door, her twin at her side.
She had to wait a moment for her eyes to adjust, but she was startled when they did. it looked like a normal waiting room, though she could see no one behind a worn looking desk. Alanna had no time to ponder what to do, however, as a tall woman in breeches and a light shirt came walking around the corner at that moment.
She paused, startled at the two children standing in her 'office'. "Can I help you?" she asked them politely, a hint of southern accent in her voice.
Alanna stared for a moment, taking this rough woman in. She was tall; at least a foot taller than Alanna herself, and wore her hair in short cropped curls at her earlobes. She looked like a sweet grandmother to Alanna, but still seemed to have an under layer of tough warrior to her. Alanna admired her immediately.
"Yes, ma'am," she finally answered the woman. "My name is…" she paused here, unsure whether to let this stranger know who she really was, a female, an exile form the palace. In a moment, she decided to risk it all. "My name is Alanna. Alanna of Trebond. And I want to become a Shang warrior." She let this sentence sink in on the woman, who looked thoughtful for a long moment, taking Alanna in as she stood.
Alanna could see her eyes travel from her travel worn boys' breeches and boots, to her dirty tunic, and finally to her face. There, the women started, and Alanna knew she had come to her eyes. Everyone always reacted strangely to her and her brother's eyes. Alanna was used to it by now, but the fact that this warrior women did made Alanna nervous for some reason.
She did not have time to dwell on it at the moment, though, as the women briskly stepped aside, and motioned for Alanna and Thom to walk in front of her.
"This way, please," she told them, following at a brisk speed. She led them down a dark hallway, with many doors leading off to the sides. The woman led them into a small room on her left, where she motioned for the twins to sit in chairs that were placed in front of a wooden desk.
"So," began the woman, "you're here because you want to become a warrior, correct?" she did not wait for an answer before continuing. "And what of you?" she asked, looked pointedly at Thom. "Do you too, wish to become a Shang trainee?"
Thom grinned. "No, ma'am. I just came to help my sister."
The woman nodded at this, and looked back to Alanna, who was now fidgeting in the chair. "Now, young lady, I need to ask you a few questions." Alanna nodded, but said nothing, and the woman continued. "But first, let me introduce myself. I am Eda Bell, the Shang Wildcat, the trainer of the Shang, for now." Alanna only nodded. The Wildcat looked sternly at her, before continuing. "First of all, I want to know why you want to become a Shang warrior, you're a bit old as it is, and we cannot train every runaway girl or boy who happens to be mad at their fathers, and so to retaliate, they join the Shang. Most of the time we just send those ones back home." with that she starred pointedly at Alanna, as if trying to get the girl to admit something.
If she was counting on it, she was disappointed. Alanna's only reaction was to straighten in her chair, and stare back at the wildcat. After a moment of awkward silence, Eda continued.
"Well? Why did you come girl?" she snapped at Alanna.
Alanna felt her face flush at the thought of telling this woman everything. But she didn't know what else to do? Should she lie, and make her believe that she was not running away, but really banished? Wasn't that true though? Surely her father had already looked up long enough from a scroll or whatnot to sign her banishment? She wasn't sure, but she knew that if she lied now, she would be lying her entire life to everyone at the Shang, and she was tired of lying enough. Hadn't it just gotten her into trouble in the first place? That decided, she squared her shoulders, and faced the warrior maiden in front of her.
"I… I…" this was harder to say than she thought…. "I was in the palace," she blurted out. It's out now, just continue with it, Alanna told herself resolutely, and looked at the wildcat again. "I was in the palace, in Corus, training as a knight. I disguised myself as a boy and trained with the pages." Alanna, staring at her knees, ventured a glimpse at the wildcat. She was gazing at the girl with an expression Alanna couldn't decipher. It looked like a mix of wonder and humor. Alanna hurriedly looked back at her knees and continued before she lost her nerve.
"I was found out though, and forced to leave the palace, with my brother, Thom," she said, not looking up, but nodding her head in her twin's direction. "so I escaped and came here, because I want to be a warrior more than anything else, and I will do anything to get it." she added, emphasizing her last statement.
When she looked up again, the Shang master's eyes were not on her. She was writing a note on her desk. Alanna was curious, but did not venture a peak. She didn't want to risk any wraths for inconsequential things like curiosity. When the woman was finished, she looked back at Alanna.
"I think you have spirit, Alanna of Trebond, but you'll need more than that to join the Shang. 'Tis a hard life we lead, and training is not easy. But we shall see. We shall see…" she trailed off, and then got up from behind the desk. She started out into the hallway, and said, "follow me please, I will show you the training grounds, and you can meet come people."
Alanna was overjoyed. She was going to be a Shang! Oh joy! Her spirits soared as they walked outside into the sunlight, and Alanna took in everything that was happening around her.
She could see the training grounds fully now; groups of men and women, boys and girls, drilling hard and long in the hot sun. Alanna was warmingly reminded of the palace training yards, and she felt sadness and joy at the thought.
The Shang Wildcat led them through the practice yards and past the trainees. When she finally stopped, Alanna had worked up a sweat, and Thom was panting behind her. The Shang wildcat was talking top another warrior, this one a male, broad shouldered and muscular. Alanna was reminded of Duke Gareth, and she could tell this man maintained a rigid training ground just like her favorite training master at the palace. She liked him at once.
When Alanna and Thom stood calming next to Eda Bell, the man in front of her sized Alanna up. She felt like she was being viewed naked, his gaze was so piercing. She tried hard not to squirm, but looked him directly in the eyes, stare for stare. The man said nothing, but turned and led the group back to the main building, the Wildcat following him, with Alanna her shadow, and Thom bringing up the rear.
After a short journey back to the building-the two warriors in the front talking in whispers, and Alanna and Thom silent behind them-they went into a different office, the man's, Alanna presumed, and sat there. The Wildcat stood behind the man, and Thom and Alanna sat in front of them. Looking at the hard warriors staring at her fiercely, Alanna couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding at this journey. Maybe she shouldn't have come. Should she try to escape now? No! she told herself fiercely. I will be a warrior, and no one is going to stand in my way. I am not afraid! Her resolve hardened, Alanna willed herself to stare back at the two, unblinkingly, and seemingly unafraid.
After a short moment, the man spoke.
"Hello, Alanna of Trebond, is it? My name is Antony, the Shang Griffin. I am master hear, trainer of the initiates. The Wildcat tells me that you wish to become a warrior of Shang, and that you were in fact disguised as a boy in the palace?" he paused, waiting for Alanna to confirm this.
She nodded, slightly, and the Shang Griffin continued.
"Very well," he said, nodding. "I am not sure what to do in this situation. You obviously have much determination and courage to fulfill your dream, however, you are older than most who begin-"
Alanna tried to interrupt, but the Griffin held up a hand. "No, young lady, hear me out. The fact remains that you are too old to begin training, (Alanna's heart broke at that moment) However," he said pointedly, and Alanna perked up a bit, "seeing as you have been training in the palace with pages I see no reason to disregard your application on that reason alone." He smiled slightly at Alanna, and she tried a small smile herself.
It was going to be all right! She was going to get in! Alanna could barely sit still in the chair she was so excited, but the Griffin noticed this.
"Alanna, you will need to remain calm as I have a few more questions for you." Alanna nodded, and resolved in her seat. "Very good," he commented, and looked down at a sheet of paper in front of him. "Right, Alanna, I need to know, is your wish to become a warrior the only reason that you come to us, or are their alternative motives?"
Alanna considered what he was asking for a moment before answering. "No sir, I have no wish to betray my father. As far as I know, he has already disowned me, and wants nothing to do with me. I want to become a warrior maiden for me, and only me."
The Griffin seemed contented with her answer, and looked at his paper a final time. "And one final question Alanna." She nodded, and he continued, slowly, holding the girl's gaze sternly. "Do you, or anyone in your family, have or practice the Gift? This is vital, and I will know if you lie to me, girl." He was back to stern and foreboding, and Alanna shrank back in her seat.
"Yes sir." She told him, quietly, afraid of his reaction. "Yes, I have the Gift, and in plenty," she added, just for good measure.
The warriors' reactions were instantaneous. They looked at each other with hard gazes, and then turned back to Alanna. She didn't like those looks. They held sorrow, rigidity, and most of all blank refusal in both pairs. Alanna knew what they were going to say before it came, and opened her mouth to argue.
Before she could make a sound, The Wildcat spoke.
"Child, I am sorry. I can see how much you work for this dream, but we do not allow students with the Gift to train in the Shang. It is unheard of, and most un-allowed." The Griffin nodded in agreement, and Alanna broke.
"That's not fair!" she cried, getting to her feet. She could feel the heat rise to her cheeks, and she knew she was loosing what short temper she had, but at the moment she didn't care. These people were being discriminatory against her, and she was not going to take refusal so easily. This was her last hope, she /had/ to accomplish her goal! "You can't not let me join simply because I have the Gift! Why? It can be useful, used to heal and al that!" By now she was yelling at two full-grown Shang masters, but she had lost her temper. "Why?" she cried out once more, before throwing herself back into her chair, and glaring outright at the two in front of her.
Their reaction would have been amusing, had Alanna not been so angry. They both were staring at the girl in front of theme with downright bewilderment. It was amazing, this small girl yelling and telling them they were wrong. Their eyes were slightly out, and the Griffin was speechless. The Wildcat, however, was quicker to collect her wits than her counterpart.
"Young child, I will not be spoken to in that tone!" she snapped at Alanna, whose only response was to glare harder. "we have perfectly logical reasons for our actions, and if you were inclined to listen, and not throw a tantrum like a child, you would know what they were." Alanna muttered incoherents under her breath, but listened, nonetheless. "The reason that we refuse to allow those with the Gift to train as Shang is simply because Shang is a strict lifestyle. It is never easy, and always difficult. Those with the Gift would require additional training to maintain their magic, and that is not possible in Shang. You need to focus all on one subject, or both will fail." The wildcat finished, and sat on the desk in front of Alanna, willing the girl, whose head was now down, to look up.
Alanna was not willing to go down with out a fight. "But Ma'am," she began looking up from her knees. "I am not afraid of work. I will train harder than anyone, with my gift and the Shang. I can do it, I can!" she cried desperately, willing them to listen to her, to see her point.
"That is enough, girl," boomed the Griffin from behind the desk. Both Alanna and Thom beside her jumped. "I will not listen to the whining off a girl-child who cannot deal with the truth. We have told you that you cannot join Shang, for a variety of reasons. Now deal with it like an adult or go home." The man looked to be at the end of his own temper, but Alanna cared not.
/I'll show you!/ she though ferociously at him, glaring defiance. /I will be a warrior maiden, no matter what anyone says to me!/ She took one last look at the two masters before turning on her heel and walking out the door, Thom following closely.
Alanna practically ran out into the now fading daylight, towards the end of this horrid street, and back into the woods. She knew that Thom was having trouble keeping up, but she didn't care at the moment. She was filled with intense pain, and she wanted to run away from it all.
She left her brother, and ran blindly into the woods, ignoring his calls behind her. She ran, just for the sake of running, and tried desperately to ignore everything around her.
She knew not where she was, or what direction she was headed, she only knew that she wanted to get away from everything. She felt a sea of wild emotions blow through her. She was angry, angry with the Shang masters and angry with herself for everything, coming up with the plan to switch, getting caught, everything. She was terrified also, terrified of what lay ahead. She had no plan anymore, and she felt completely lost without one.
But more than anything she felt misery, for everything that had happened to her in her whole retched life. Her father hated her, always ignored her, she was cursed with the dream of becoming a warrior maiden, and when she tried to achieve this dream, she was shot down at every turn. She felt undoubtedly sorry for herself, and though she knew that was a useless feeling, she clung to it, for the sack of numbing all of the other pains in her heart.
And still Alanna ran. Whether she ran for minutes, hours, days, she had no idea, but she did know that she was running, and she cared about nothing else.
When Alanna finally began to grow tired, she slowed, and finally stopped, wheezing, her lungs burning with exhaustion. It took long moments for her breathing to return to normal, and when it finally did, she leaned onto a tree trunk for support, surveying her surroundings.
She was not in a part of the forest she was familiar with, but that was not surprising. She had only been in the area for a few days; she couldn't be expected to know everything. She did continue to look around though, to find any tree that might do for shelter for the night. It was indeed night, and Alanna began to feel regretful for running off on Thom. He had not done anything except be there for her, putting aside his own dreams for hers, and how did she repay him? By leaving in a moment of weakness. She was disgusted with herself, though not enough to head back the way she had come.
Alanna sighed. What would she do now? Nothing ever went right for her, did it? Poor Alanna, she thought tiredly, always gets the short stick. /Stop it!/ she scolded. Feeling sorry for yourself with do no good. Think Alanna. Alanna tried hard to think about what she could do, about her present situation and the long run. Nothing worked; she couldn't control her thoughts.
Alanna cursed under her breath. She tried to close her eyes for a moment, and think. It wouldn't work.
Suddenly, the sneezes hit her three at once. Alanna looked up wildly, before ducking back and sneezing four more times. When she was finally able to wipe her nose and clear her eyes, she looked up, and gasped.
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A/N: well??? Whaddya think?? Please review! It means a lot! ty. And thank you everyone who reviewed last time: Fearless Gaia, crazNM, TigerEyes, Temptress, Jilla Kalla, Kiria, Lady Cythrea, and everyone from earlier chappys!! Luv ya all!! thanx so much!
Chapter Five: The Shang
Disclaimer: I take it you all know that I don't own any of these ppl? Good!
And now, enjoy!
Oo00ooOOoo00ooOOoo00ooOOoo
Alanna spent the morning's ride blissfully happy. She forgot her exaltation from the palace, her father's supposed disownment, and everything that had happened in the past few days, and enjoyed the ride. It was the first time she had actually been on a real horse, having only Chubby to ride for lessons. With the beautiful mare, which Alanna had christened Joy, underneath her, and her twin at her back, Alanna was at peace, for the moment at least.
They stopped an hour past noon for a lunch break, turning the mare into the forest along the road for shelter. Alanna and Thom agreed that it was best that they weren't seen traveling, at least until they got far enough away from Coram and the Head Mother behind them.
When they were situated, Thom and Alanna with scraps of meat and a small chunk of meat that Thom had managed to steal from the kitchen on their way out. Alanna let Joy off of her reigns to graze nearby. She trusted the horse was far enough away from her stable to take off for home.
As the two sat and ate, they discussed their plans for the road.
"Do you know how to get to the barony Pirate's Swoop?" Thom asked her doubtfully.
Alanna was indignant. "Of course I do," she snapped, though in truth she remembered little from the maps and roads that they had learned in the palace. Truthfully, she had no desire to try and recall her lessons at the palace. They only reminded her of what she would never be able to accomplish, and those weren't the thoughts she wanted to have at the moment.
Thom looked at her with one eyebrow arched, but wisely said nothing. He hadn't lived with his twin for ten years not to learn that she had a temper not to be trifled with. Alanna stared back, willing him to argue. They played the game of stares for a few moments, before Thom began to smile, then giggle slightly, then he outright laughed, breaking eye contact. Alanna laughed with him, and soon, after much laughing and eating, they were finished with their lunch.
When the twins got back on Joy and took off for a second time they were in high spirits. They rode on for many hours, talking and eating apples that they took off trees on the side of the road. They did not pause until an hour before sunset, when Alanna began to worry about what they would do for the night. She voiced this worry to Thom.
"Well," he began slowly, from behind her, "I suppose we could find a place to camp in that forest," he said, indicating with a tilt of a head to their left. Alanna wasn't sure she wanted to risk it in there. "Or," Thom continued, jovially, "we could find a nice looking way house and sneak in the kitchens or sleep in the stables or something." Thom seemed to like this idea, as he bounced with childlike glee in the saddle.
Alanna had misgivings about sneaking in. it seemed too likely that they would be caught. "I suppose we should make camp for tonight," she told her brother, though not happy about it. "I don't really think we should be going to any inns along the way this close to Corus or our 'guardians.' I suppose that leaves the woods." Alanna decided, leading Joy off the road and onto a dirt path. It looked safe to her, and they could find a nice clearing someplace a way off the path and make camp. Yes, she decided, this won't be so bad.
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The only problem with Alanna's theory was actually finding a 'nice little clearing' that they could make a decent camp in. Everywhere both children looked was trees, trees, trees. Alanna was beginning to grow a deep dislike for trees. Thom, behind her, was fidgeting consistently, and Alanna was starting to get frustrated.
Finally, after about thirty minutes of searching, Alanna gave up on finding a nice little clearing, and headed for a clump of trees on their right. We'll just have to camp under them, she thought glumly. She was not looking forward to it.
When they finally shoved their way under the large willow tree's branches, Alanna sighed. This wasn't so bad. There was even a small black pit in the center, obviously where past travelers had made a fire. Alanna was eager to follow. She was cold, now that it was almost completely dark, and hungry. She doubted Thom was in a much better mood.
She immediately dismounted Joy, and Thom followed her, looking around at the space.
"Not bad," he muttered to himself, "not bad at all."
Alanna nodded, but said nothing. She simply wanted to start a fire, eat, and sleep. She was deeply tired after not enough sleep the night before, then a day's ride. "Why don't you try and find some dry wood?" she told Thom, who nodded, and began walking around looking at the many pieces of discarded wood on the ground.
Alanna started to unpack their bags, and get their supplies out where they could be used. She noted with some despair that they didn't have much food left, and knew that they would have to go hunting somehow. She shook her head, and looked at the rest of their items.
They had two good sleeping sacks and Alanna couldn't wait to fall into one and drift off to dream land. But first things first, she told herself resolutely. We need to make a fire, and eat something. So she dug out the last of their rations, and went back to the pit that was to be their fire.
Thom, she saw, had collected many good pieces of dry wood for the use of burning, and she congratulated him for this. He simply nodded, and Alanna figured he was as tired as she was.
She quickly got a small fire going, trying to feed it bigger and bigger sticks until she had a nice blaze in the small pit. Alanna sat back and let the fire warm her through and through. It felt wonderful.
Soon after, she gathered their food – two pieces of fowl leg and a large slice of bread – and skewered the meat on small twigs to set over the fire, and set the bread on a small rock close to the flames. They would both get warm soon, and then they could eat.
Alanna smiled, and caught her sleepy twin's eye.
"This isn't so bad, is it?" she asked him out loud.
"Naw," Thom said with a grin. "I think I can stand the outdoors when needed." He winked at Alanna, and she burst out laughing.
Sure, she thought to herself gleefully, Thom can love the outdoors as much as I love dresses!
The two tins laughed together for a while, before Alanna decided their meat and bread was done, and took them away from the fire. She handed Thom his piece of meat, and began to devour her own. It tasted wonderful. They quickly finished both the meat and the bread, and then Thom gave a huge yawn.
Alanna giggled slowly, tired herself. Together, they put out their fire, and rolled out their bags. Both tired twins crawled in to their own sleeping bag, and said goodnight to each other quietly. Alanna fell asleep immediately, not waking until birds chirped above her and the sun's rays reached their camp.
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The next few days of travel were similar to the first for the two. They rode during the day, doing there best to stay off the main roads where they would be recognized. At night, they camped in any place they could find, Alanna trying not to be as picky as their first experience. They stayed on course as well as they could, not always sure of where they were going. Alanna was forced to ask another trader in an inn one night where the barony Pirates' Swoop, much to her discomfort. Nothing seemed to come of it though, except directions that told them they were headed too far east, and had to change directions.
After three full days of riding and camping, both twins were exhausted-and in desperate need of a bath-but they had found the town that held the Shang training grounds.
Walking into the town with Thom at her side, Alanna was nervous. They had hidden Joy and their packs in a nearby forest, and come into town together. Alanna fidgeted with her hands, but tried to appear calm as they walked down the main road of the small town. She could see many run down buildings and farms, but what caught her attention was the sturdy building at the end of the lane. It was obvious that this building was newer than the others; it did not have crumbling ceilings or dirty walls. Walking slowly towards it, Alanna could see that behind the building opened up enormous fields, each a training ground of some kind. As the twins got closer, they could see people in those different arenas, all different ages, from young children-obviously beginners- to adults, who were noticeably more experienced in the art.
Alanna stopped in front of the entrance to the main building, trying to gather courage to face the unknown. /Come on/ she chided herself, /it cant be worse than anything else you've gone through. Can it?/ Alanna wasn't sure. /The worse that could happen would be you'd be turned down, and why would they ever do that? You just have to not let them turn you down./ With that resolved, she stepped up and walked through the door, her twin at her side.
She had to wait a moment for her eyes to adjust, but she was startled when they did. it looked like a normal waiting room, though she could see no one behind a worn looking desk. Alanna had no time to ponder what to do, however, as a tall woman in breeches and a light shirt came walking around the corner at that moment.
She paused, startled at the two children standing in her 'office'. "Can I help you?" she asked them politely, a hint of southern accent in her voice.
Alanna stared for a moment, taking this rough woman in. She was tall; at least a foot taller than Alanna herself, and wore her hair in short cropped curls at her earlobes. She looked like a sweet grandmother to Alanna, but still seemed to have an under layer of tough warrior to her. Alanna admired her immediately.
"Yes, ma'am," she finally answered the woman. "My name is…" she paused here, unsure whether to let this stranger know who she really was, a female, an exile form the palace. In a moment, she decided to risk it all. "My name is Alanna. Alanna of Trebond. And I want to become a Shang warrior." She let this sentence sink in on the woman, who looked thoughtful for a long moment, taking Alanna in as she stood.
Alanna could see her eyes travel from her travel worn boys' breeches and boots, to her dirty tunic, and finally to her face. There, the women started, and Alanna knew she had come to her eyes. Everyone always reacted strangely to her and her brother's eyes. Alanna was used to it by now, but the fact that this warrior women did made Alanna nervous for some reason.
She did not have time to dwell on it at the moment, though, as the women briskly stepped aside, and motioned for Alanna and Thom to walk in front of her.
"This way, please," she told them, following at a brisk speed. She led them down a dark hallway, with many doors leading off to the sides. The woman led them into a small room on her left, where she motioned for the twins to sit in chairs that were placed in front of a wooden desk.
"So," began the woman, "you're here because you want to become a warrior, correct?" she did not wait for an answer before continuing. "And what of you?" she asked, looked pointedly at Thom. "Do you too, wish to become a Shang trainee?"
Thom grinned. "No, ma'am. I just came to help my sister."
The woman nodded at this, and looked back to Alanna, who was now fidgeting in the chair. "Now, young lady, I need to ask you a few questions." Alanna nodded, but said nothing, and the woman continued. "But first, let me introduce myself. I am Eda Bell, the Shang Wildcat, the trainer of the Shang, for now." Alanna only nodded. The Wildcat looked sternly at her, before continuing. "First of all, I want to know why you want to become a Shang warrior, you're a bit old as it is, and we cannot train every runaway girl or boy who happens to be mad at their fathers, and so to retaliate, they join the Shang. Most of the time we just send those ones back home." with that she starred pointedly at Alanna, as if trying to get the girl to admit something.
If she was counting on it, she was disappointed. Alanna's only reaction was to straighten in her chair, and stare back at the wildcat. After a moment of awkward silence, Eda continued.
"Well? Why did you come girl?" she snapped at Alanna.
Alanna felt her face flush at the thought of telling this woman everything. But she didn't know what else to do? Should she lie, and make her believe that she was not running away, but really banished? Wasn't that true though? Surely her father had already looked up long enough from a scroll or whatnot to sign her banishment? She wasn't sure, but she knew that if she lied now, she would be lying her entire life to everyone at the Shang, and she was tired of lying enough. Hadn't it just gotten her into trouble in the first place? That decided, she squared her shoulders, and faced the warrior maiden in front of her.
"I… I…" this was harder to say than she thought…. "I was in the palace," she blurted out. It's out now, just continue with it, Alanna told herself resolutely, and looked at the wildcat again. "I was in the palace, in Corus, training as a knight. I disguised myself as a boy and trained with the pages." Alanna, staring at her knees, ventured a glimpse at the wildcat. She was gazing at the girl with an expression Alanna couldn't decipher. It looked like a mix of wonder and humor. Alanna hurriedly looked back at her knees and continued before she lost her nerve.
"I was found out though, and forced to leave the palace, with my brother, Thom," she said, not looking up, but nodding her head in her twin's direction. "so I escaped and came here, because I want to be a warrior more than anything else, and I will do anything to get it." she added, emphasizing her last statement.
When she looked up again, the Shang master's eyes were not on her. She was writing a note on her desk. Alanna was curious, but did not venture a peak. She didn't want to risk any wraths for inconsequential things like curiosity. When the woman was finished, she looked back at Alanna.
"I think you have spirit, Alanna of Trebond, but you'll need more than that to join the Shang. 'Tis a hard life we lead, and training is not easy. But we shall see. We shall see…" she trailed off, and then got up from behind the desk. She started out into the hallway, and said, "follow me please, I will show you the training grounds, and you can meet come people."
Alanna was overjoyed. She was going to be a Shang! Oh joy! Her spirits soared as they walked outside into the sunlight, and Alanna took in everything that was happening around her.
She could see the training grounds fully now; groups of men and women, boys and girls, drilling hard and long in the hot sun. Alanna was warmingly reminded of the palace training yards, and she felt sadness and joy at the thought.
The Shang Wildcat led them through the practice yards and past the trainees. When she finally stopped, Alanna had worked up a sweat, and Thom was panting behind her. The Shang wildcat was talking top another warrior, this one a male, broad shouldered and muscular. Alanna was reminded of Duke Gareth, and she could tell this man maintained a rigid training ground just like her favorite training master at the palace. She liked him at once.
When Alanna and Thom stood calming next to Eda Bell, the man in front of her sized Alanna up. She felt like she was being viewed naked, his gaze was so piercing. She tried hard not to squirm, but looked him directly in the eyes, stare for stare. The man said nothing, but turned and led the group back to the main building, the Wildcat following him, with Alanna her shadow, and Thom bringing up the rear.
After a short journey back to the building-the two warriors in the front talking in whispers, and Alanna and Thom silent behind them-they went into a different office, the man's, Alanna presumed, and sat there. The Wildcat stood behind the man, and Thom and Alanna sat in front of them. Looking at the hard warriors staring at her fiercely, Alanna couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding at this journey. Maybe she shouldn't have come. Should she try to escape now? No! she told herself fiercely. I will be a warrior, and no one is going to stand in my way. I am not afraid! Her resolve hardened, Alanna willed herself to stare back at the two, unblinkingly, and seemingly unafraid.
After a short moment, the man spoke.
"Hello, Alanna of Trebond, is it? My name is Antony, the Shang Griffin. I am master hear, trainer of the initiates. The Wildcat tells me that you wish to become a warrior of Shang, and that you were in fact disguised as a boy in the palace?" he paused, waiting for Alanna to confirm this.
She nodded, slightly, and the Shang Griffin continued.
"Very well," he said, nodding. "I am not sure what to do in this situation. You obviously have much determination and courage to fulfill your dream, however, you are older than most who begin-"
Alanna tried to interrupt, but the Griffin held up a hand. "No, young lady, hear me out. The fact remains that you are too old to begin training, (Alanna's heart broke at that moment) However," he said pointedly, and Alanna perked up a bit, "seeing as you have been training in the palace with pages I see no reason to disregard your application on that reason alone." He smiled slightly at Alanna, and she tried a small smile herself.
It was going to be all right! She was going to get in! Alanna could barely sit still in the chair she was so excited, but the Griffin noticed this.
"Alanna, you will need to remain calm as I have a few more questions for you." Alanna nodded, and resolved in her seat. "Very good," he commented, and looked down at a sheet of paper in front of him. "Right, Alanna, I need to know, is your wish to become a warrior the only reason that you come to us, or are their alternative motives?"
Alanna considered what he was asking for a moment before answering. "No sir, I have no wish to betray my father. As far as I know, he has already disowned me, and wants nothing to do with me. I want to become a warrior maiden for me, and only me."
The Griffin seemed contented with her answer, and looked at his paper a final time. "And one final question Alanna." She nodded, and he continued, slowly, holding the girl's gaze sternly. "Do you, or anyone in your family, have or practice the Gift? This is vital, and I will know if you lie to me, girl." He was back to stern and foreboding, and Alanna shrank back in her seat.
"Yes sir." She told him, quietly, afraid of his reaction. "Yes, I have the Gift, and in plenty," she added, just for good measure.
The warriors' reactions were instantaneous. They looked at each other with hard gazes, and then turned back to Alanna. She didn't like those looks. They held sorrow, rigidity, and most of all blank refusal in both pairs. Alanna knew what they were going to say before it came, and opened her mouth to argue.
Before she could make a sound, The Wildcat spoke.
"Child, I am sorry. I can see how much you work for this dream, but we do not allow students with the Gift to train in the Shang. It is unheard of, and most un-allowed." The Griffin nodded in agreement, and Alanna broke.
"That's not fair!" she cried, getting to her feet. She could feel the heat rise to her cheeks, and she knew she was loosing what short temper she had, but at the moment she didn't care. These people were being discriminatory against her, and she was not going to take refusal so easily. This was her last hope, she /had/ to accomplish her goal! "You can't not let me join simply because I have the Gift! Why? It can be useful, used to heal and al that!" By now she was yelling at two full-grown Shang masters, but she had lost her temper. "Why?" she cried out once more, before throwing herself back into her chair, and glaring outright at the two in front of her.
Their reaction would have been amusing, had Alanna not been so angry. They both were staring at the girl in front of theme with downright bewilderment. It was amazing, this small girl yelling and telling them they were wrong. Their eyes were slightly out, and the Griffin was speechless. The Wildcat, however, was quicker to collect her wits than her counterpart.
"Young child, I will not be spoken to in that tone!" she snapped at Alanna, whose only response was to glare harder. "we have perfectly logical reasons for our actions, and if you were inclined to listen, and not throw a tantrum like a child, you would know what they were." Alanna muttered incoherents under her breath, but listened, nonetheless. "The reason that we refuse to allow those with the Gift to train as Shang is simply because Shang is a strict lifestyle. It is never easy, and always difficult. Those with the Gift would require additional training to maintain their magic, and that is not possible in Shang. You need to focus all on one subject, or both will fail." The wildcat finished, and sat on the desk in front of Alanna, willing the girl, whose head was now down, to look up.
Alanna was not willing to go down with out a fight. "But Ma'am," she began looking up from her knees. "I am not afraid of work. I will train harder than anyone, with my gift and the Shang. I can do it, I can!" she cried desperately, willing them to listen to her, to see her point.
"That is enough, girl," boomed the Griffin from behind the desk. Both Alanna and Thom beside her jumped. "I will not listen to the whining off a girl-child who cannot deal with the truth. We have told you that you cannot join Shang, for a variety of reasons. Now deal with it like an adult or go home." The man looked to be at the end of his own temper, but Alanna cared not.
/I'll show you!/ she though ferociously at him, glaring defiance. /I will be a warrior maiden, no matter what anyone says to me!/ She took one last look at the two masters before turning on her heel and walking out the door, Thom following closely.
Alanna practically ran out into the now fading daylight, towards the end of this horrid street, and back into the woods. She knew that Thom was having trouble keeping up, but she didn't care at the moment. She was filled with intense pain, and she wanted to run away from it all.
She left her brother, and ran blindly into the woods, ignoring his calls behind her. She ran, just for the sake of running, and tried desperately to ignore everything around her.
She knew not where she was, or what direction she was headed, she only knew that she wanted to get away from everything. She felt a sea of wild emotions blow through her. She was angry, angry with the Shang masters and angry with herself for everything, coming up with the plan to switch, getting caught, everything. She was terrified also, terrified of what lay ahead. She had no plan anymore, and she felt completely lost without one.
But more than anything she felt misery, for everything that had happened to her in her whole retched life. Her father hated her, always ignored her, she was cursed with the dream of becoming a warrior maiden, and when she tried to achieve this dream, she was shot down at every turn. She felt undoubtedly sorry for herself, and though she knew that was a useless feeling, she clung to it, for the sack of numbing all of the other pains in her heart.
And still Alanna ran. Whether she ran for minutes, hours, days, she had no idea, but she did know that she was running, and she cared about nothing else.
When Alanna finally began to grow tired, she slowed, and finally stopped, wheezing, her lungs burning with exhaustion. It took long moments for her breathing to return to normal, and when it finally did, she leaned onto a tree trunk for support, surveying her surroundings.
She was not in a part of the forest she was familiar with, but that was not surprising. She had only been in the area for a few days; she couldn't be expected to know everything. She did continue to look around though, to find any tree that might do for shelter for the night. It was indeed night, and Alanna began to feel regretful for running off on Thom. He had not done anything except be there for her, putting aside his own dreams for hers, and how did she repay him? By leaving in a moment of weakness. She was disgusted with herself, though not enough to head back the way she had come.
Alanna sighed. What would she do now? Nothing ever went right for her, did it? Poor Alanna, she thought tiredly, always gets the short stick. /Stop it!/ she scolded. Feeling sorry for yourself with do no good. Think Alanna. Alanna tried hard to think about what she could do, about her present situation and the long run. Nothing worked; she couldn't control her thoughts.
Alanna cursed under her breath. She tried to close her eyes for a moment, and think. It wouldn't work.
Suddenly, the sneezes hit her three at once. Alanna looked up wildly, before ducking back and sneezing four more times. When she was finally able to wipe her nose and clear her eyes, she looked up, and gasped.
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A/N: well??? Whaddya think?? Please review! It means a lot! ty. And thank you everyone who reviewed last time: Fearless Gaia, crazNM, TigerEyes, Temptress, Jilla Kalla, Kiria, Lady Cythrea, and everyone from earlier chappys!! Luv ya all!! thanx so much!