Wow! This has really amazed me – it's my tenth chapter! I'm really excited
because when I was writing "Chapter Nine" I thought, "wow, I'm almost onto
my tenth chapter! Well I'd like to say thankyou to all the faithful people
who've r&r'd my story. Thanks heaps!
~ Chapter Ten ~
Decisions
(A/N – this is a few weeks after Cole's funeral, Elisia thinks Alanna will simply stay, but Alanna is still considering what to do)
Alanna sat on an elegant chair, watching the couples dancing on the dance floor. She could see Thom serving some courtiers, Gary dancing with Elisia, and Jonathan dancing with a chestnut-haired girl, whom was dressed in swishy emerald green and cream. She couldn't see Roaul or Alex anywhere. She watched everyone dance with so much joy and laughter. She sighed and looked out the window, planning a form of escape when a handsome young man came and sat next to her.
"Not one for balls, sweet Lady?" Alanna looked at the man sitting next to her. He was tall, and brown-haired, with wickedly dancing brown-grey coloured eyes.
"No," she laughed. "You?"
"Not me, never me," he replied. "I hate balls."
"Me too," Alanna replied earnestly. Finally! She thought, a man who doesn't talk only of himself!
"So, calculated and escape yet?" he asked her.
"No, not yet," she answered.
"Take my advice," he said, "Use the door into the gardens. If you snoop around a bit, there's a hole in the smaller hedges where you can climb through. It leads you to the back door to the cleaning chambers. It's always open and no one's ever in there."
Alanna looked at him, surprised. "When did you figure that out?" she asked, surprised as ever.
He grinned at her. "When I was a squire," he said. "I was Sir Gary's squire, and had to attend most balls, not to serve though, to dance with the ladies. But they all talked about their clothes, the ball, their stay at the Palace, all things I was bored stiff listening to."
Alanna smiled. "But you," he continued, "didn't look like that type."
"What makes you so sure?" she commented.
"Oh Lady Alanna," he said, smiling. "I've seen you in the practise courts. You're good."
Alanna looked shocked. "How did you know my name?" she asked. "And when have you seen me in the practise courts?" she demanded.
The young man smiled. "I have my ways." He winked at her and stood up. "Don't forget what I said about the cleaning chambers. It's really handy." He walked off.
iVery mysterious!i she thought to herself. iDefinitely someone to look out for!i
Alanna crept into the gardens silently and unnoticed (or so she thought). She snooped around in the cluster of medium-sized hedges until she found the gap. She spread it far apart, and was about to climb in…
"Lady Alanna," a man said from behind her. "Going anywhere?"
Alanna whirled around. "What's it to you?" she snapped, before realising it was Prince Jonathan.
"Oh," Alanna blushed slightly. "I'm sorry Jon."
"That's ok," he said. "But you weren't trying to escape, where you?"
"Me?" she asked innocently. "Why would I want to do that?"
"Come," he said to her. "Come dance."
How could she refuse? But how could she accept?
"I'm really not the dancing type," she replied tartly, turning around to lean on the sturdy hedge. "Not the Ball type either."
"Really, oh Lady Alanna?" Jon asked, coming to lean on the hedge next to her. "What type iarei you then?"
"The adventurous type," she replied. "The reckless type. The type that doesn't want to spend the rest of her life going to balls and being maidenly and pathetic!"
Jon brushed the copper hair from her face. "You're not pathetic," he told her sternly. "Anything otherwise."
He pulled her closer, looking her in the eye. "You're a very lovely lady," he said. "Don't you forget it."
He drew her closer and closer. He leant towards her, and kissed her gently. Alanna kissed back, until she remembered the last time Jon had kissed her. She pulled away suddenly, and turned bright red.
"I… I have to go," she stammered, running away.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Alanna packed her bags vigorously, tears streaming down her cheeks. That night had just confirmed Alanna's doubts. She had to get out of there, out of the Palace, maybe even out of Tortall.
She would go somewhere… anywhere… just to get away. Alanna changed into warm breeches and put on a tight shirt, bound her breasts and donned a loose shirt and warm cloak and jacket. She buckled her sword, Storm, to her belt. Alanna ran to the stables and saddled her horse, Silver-streak, quickly.
She led her outside and mounted up. She rode quickly to one of the less- used gates, where the pudgy guard was fast asleep. Alanna opened the gate, then rode rapidly into the dusk.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sorry people, short chapter – god, I'm saying that a lot aren't I? I must be getting slack! No, it's just all my homework… Anyways, just thought I wouldn't leave you in suspense so the eleventh chapter will be here soon… … …
~ Chapter Ten ~
Decisions
(A/N – this is a few weeks after Cole's funeral, Elisia thinks Alanna will simply stay, but Alanna is still considering what to do)
Alanna sat on an elegant chair, watching the couples dancing on the dance floor. She could see Thom serving some courtiers, Gary dancing with Elisia, and Jonathan dancing with a chestnut-haired girl, whom was dressed in swishy emerald green and cream. She couldn't see Roaul or Alex anywhere. She watched everyone dance with so much joy and laughter. She sighed and looked out the window, planning a form of escape when a handsome young man came and sat next to her.
"Not one for balls, sweet Lady?" Alanna looked at the man sitting next to her. He was tall, and brown-haired, with wickedly dancing brown-grey coloured eyes.
"No," she laughed. "You?"
"Not me, never me," he replied. "I hate balls."
"Me too," Alanna replied earnestly. Finally! She thought, a man who doesn't talk only of himself!
"So, calculated and escape yet?" he asked her.
"No, not yet," she answered.
"Take my advice," he said, "Use the door into the gardens. If you snoop around a bit, there's a hole in the smaller hedges where you can climb through. It leads you to the back door to the cleaning chambers. It's always open and no one's ever in there."
Alanna looked at him, surprised. "When did you figure that out?" she asked, surprised as ever.
He grinned at her. "When I was a squire," he said. "I was Sir Gary's squire, and had to attend most balls, not to serve though, to dance with the ladies. But they all talked about their clothes, the ball, their stay at the Palace, all things I was bored stiff listening to."
Alanna smiled. "But you," he continued, "didn't look like that type."
"What makes you so sure?" she commented.
"Oh Lady Alanna," he said, smiling. "I've seen you in the practise courts. You're good."
Alanna looked shocked. "How did you know my name?" she asked. "And when have you seen me in the practise courts?" she demanded.
The young man smiled. "I have my ways." He winked at her and stood up. "Don't forget what I said about the cleaning chambers. It's really handy." He walked off.
iVery mysterious!i she thought to herself. iDefinitely someone to look out for!i
Alanna crept into the gardens silently and unnoticed (or so she thought). She snooped around in the cluster of medium-sized hedges until she found the gap. She spread it far apart, and was about to climb in…
"Lady Alanna," a man said from behind her. "Going anywhere?"
Alanna whirled around. "What's it to you?" she snapped, before realising it was Prince Jonathan.
"Oh," Alanna blushed slightly. "I'm sorry Jon."
"That's ok," he said. "But you weren't trying to escape, where you?"
"Me?" she asked innocently. "Why would I want to do that?"
"Come," he said to her. "Come dance."
How could she refuse? But how could she accept?
"I'm really not the dancing type," she replied tartly, turning around to lean on the sturdy hedge. "Not the Ball type either."
"Really, oh Lady Alanna?" Jon asked, coming to lean on the hedge next to her. "What type iarei you then?"
"The adventurous type," she replied. "The reckless type. The type that doesn't want to spend the rest of her life going to balls and being maidenly and pathetic!"
Jon brushed the copper hair from her face. "You're not pathetic," he told her sternly. "Anything otherwise."
He pulled her closer, looking her in the eye. "You're a very lovely lady," he said. "Don't you forget it."
He drew her closer and closer. He leant towards her, and kissed her gently. Alanna kissed back, until she remembered the last time Jon had kissed her. She pulled away suddenly, and turned bright red.
"I… I have to go," she stammered, running away.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Alanna packed her bags vigorously, tears streaming down her cheeks. That night had just confirmed Alanna's doubts. She had to get out of there, out of the Palace, maybe even out of Tortall.
She would go somewhere… anywhere… just to get away. Alanna changed into warm breeches and put on a tight shirt, bound her breasts and donned a loose shirt and warm cloak and jacket. She buckled her sword, Storm, to her belt. Alanna ran to the stables and saddled her horse, Silver-streak, quickly.
She led her outside and mounted up. She rode quickly to one of the less- used gates, where the pudgy guard was fast asleep. Alanna opened the gate, then rode rapidly into the dusk.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sorry people, short chapter – god, I'm saying that a lot aren't I? I must be getting slack! No, it's just all my homework… Anyways, just thought I wouldn't leave you in suspense so the eleventh chapter will be here soon… … …