~ Chapter Seventeen ~
Unnerving Horses
Alanna stared at the magic. The energy she had gained sent a fire through her body. She then lost the energy, and got it back again, then lost it, meaning her body gained and lost vast amounts of energy within a short period of time. She finally fainted. (Hey that probably confused you all but I needed a reason for her to faint, so gimme a break!)
Raoul and the other knights were distraught. By then the whole inn had awoken, and the innkeeper informed Raoul that all his Gifted guests were sick also. No one knew what to do. Finally Terry croaked, "We must move away." Raoul just nodded and prepared horses for all his men and instructed the innkeeper to do the same.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(Before Roger began whatever he was planning)
"Thom, come here!"
"Yes, Jon?"
"You know your sister better than anyone, right?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Well, why do you think she left?"
"I'd love to tell, Your Highness, but I'm sure Alanna would not appreciate it."
"Thom…" Jon said warningly.
"What?" Thom asked innocently.
"You know what."
"Alright, Alright. You see, the Convent sent Alanna a letter –"
"How do you know?" interrupted Jon.
"I just do," Thom said hastily. "Anyway, they sent Alanna a letter that says she must find a suitor soon or they'll take her back to the Convent until this time next year. And believe me, she would rather marry than go back to the Convent for even a second."
Jon frowned. "Why doesn't she want to marry?"
"I'm sorry, but that's none of mine or your business."
"So?" asked Jon.
Thom grinned. "She doesn't want someone who would freak at her being – well, being her. Who she is. I know many of the boys and girls we used to live with who would tease and taunt Alanna because she could and would fight, and was such a tomboy and never wore dresses. She swore to herself that she'd never marry anyone like that.
I'm not like that, Jon thought. Not at all.
Suddenly the ground shook.
"What was that?" cried Thom in alarm.
"I have no idea," answered Thom.
The shake had gone as quickly as it had came. Nothing happened. Both men listened attentively, but heard nothing.
Then lightning cracked, and the ground shook again. Suddenly everything became sharp and clear. The two men wondered what on earth was happening. The ground shook again and sharp winds broke all around them. Both men, and servants around them, dropped to the floor in a dead faint.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Back at the inn, they were about to take off when Alanna came to. "No!" she cried when she realised that they were going in the opposite direction of the palace.
"What?" Raoul cried impatiently. They were wasting time, and those Gifted were getting weaker.
Energy flowed into Alanna's body, and she sat up. This time the pain in her head wasn't as bad and her stomach didn't turn, although her ears roared still.
"I must go to the palace!" she told him.
"You're too weak." Jacob, slung onto a horse, rode over. "You can't go!"
She gripped his arm. "You must trust me."
He looked at her. "No," he whispered.
"Yes," she told him, even more firmly. She gripped his other arm with her spare hand. "You must trust me!"
Jacob stared at her. He finally nodded.
"Let her go," he told Raoul.
"No," he said. "Jon will kill me!"
"Roger will kill you all if you don't let me go!" she yelled, frustrated.
"Roger?" Raoul breathed.
"Yes! Maybe you didn't see it, but I did! It's Roger – he's going to destroy us! If you don't let me go, he will succeed!"
Raoul shook his head. It was obviously too much for the poor knight. "I'm insane," he muttered, "But I'll let you go. I'm going with you though."
Alanna started to argue, but Raoul interrupted, "I have no Gift, and we've wasted enough time already. Let's go."
Alanna began to move off, then turned round and kissed Jacob on the cheek. "I'll come back. I promise."
Raoul mounted up and rode with Alanna at a steady pace towards the palace.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
They approached the palace cautiously. They really didn't know what to expect, to be honest. Alanna's heart was pounding, and she was sure Raoul's was too. Alanna's mount was whinnying softly with fear.
"It's ok, girl," Alanna soothed her mount. "You'll be alright."
They rode together to the stable. Alanna felt sickly inside. She dismounted shakily and opened the stable door.
Raoul gasped, as Alanna looked on, shocked. All the horses had collapsed on the ground. No horse motioned at all. Raoul, who had dismounted, entered the stable. They heard a frightened, "neigh!" behind them.
Alanna whirled. Raoul's mount, Battle's Hope, and Alanna's mount, Silver- streak, had bucked and ran off in sheer terror.
"Perhaps they have more sense than we," Raoul commented dryly. Alanna couldn't reply; her mouth was suddenly stuck together with thick saliva (gross, I know).
As Raoul inspected the stable with awe, Alanna was more interested in the palace. She could feel a radiating power coming from the palace, and she didn't like it one single bit.
"I'm going to check out the palace," she told Raoul. Without waiting for a reply, she headed into the direction of the palace doors.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ah! Just a bit of a cliffhanger, I'm not soooooooo mean you know! I apologise for not updating in such a long time but the lovely teachers at our school have decided for a new curriculum this term – it's named, "Homework, homework, lovely homework." Hope you get my point. More soon;)
(~*~kaz~*~(
Unnerving Horses
Alanna stared at the magic. The energy she had gained sent a fire through her body. She then lost the energy, and got it back again, then lost it, meaning her body gained and lost vast amounts of energy within a short period of time. She finally fainted. (Hey that probably confused you all but I needed a reason for her to faint, so gimme a break!)
Raoul and the other knights were distraught. By then the whole inn had awoken, and the innkeeper informed Raoul that all his Gifted guests were sick also. No one knew what to do. Finally Terry croaked, "We must move away." Raoul just nodded and prepared horses for all his men and instructed the innkeeper to do the same.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(Before Roger began whatever he was planning)
"Thom, come here!"
"Yes, Jon?"
"You know your sister better than anyone, right?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Well, why do you think she left?"
"I'd love to tell, Your Highness, but I'm sure Alanna would not appreciate it."
"Thom…" Jon said warningly.
"What?" Thom asked innocently.
"You know what."
"Alright, Alright. You see, the Convent sent Alanna a letter –"
"How do you know?" interrupted Jon.
"I just do," Thom said hastily. "Anyway, they sent Alanna a letter that says she must find a suitor soon or they'll take her back to the Convent until this time next year. And believe me, she would rather marry than go back to the Convent for even a second."
Jon frowned. "Why doesn't she want to marry?"
"I'm sorry, but that's none of mine or your business."
"So?" asked Jon.
Thom grinned. "She doesn't want someone who would freak at her being – well, being her. Who she is. I know many of the boys and girls we used to live with who would tease and taunt Alanna because she could and would fight, and was such a tomboy and never wore dresses. She swore to herself that she'd never marry anyone like that.
I'm not like that, Jon thought. Not at all.
Suddenly the ground shook.
"What was that?" cried Thom in alarm.
"I have no idea," answered Thom.
The shake had gone as quickly as it had came. Nothing happened. Both men listened attentively, but heard nothing.
Then lightning cracked, and the ground shook again. Suddenly everything became sharp and clear. The two men wondered what on earth was happening. The ground shook again and sharp winds broke all around them. Both men, and servants around them, dropped to the floor in a dead faint.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Back at the inn, they were about to take off when Alanna came to. "No!" she cried when she realised that they were going in the opposite direction of the palace.
"What?" Raoul cried impatiently. They were wasting time, and those Gifted were getting weaker.
Energy flowed into Alanna's body, and she sat up. This time the pain in her head wasn't as bad and her stomach didn't turn, although her ears roared still.
"I must go to the palace!" she told him.
"You're too weak." Jacob, slung onto a horse, rode over. "You can't go!"
She gripped his arm. "You must trust me."
He looked at her. "No," he whispered.
"Yes," she told him, even more firmly. She gripped his other arm with her spare hand. "You must trust me!"
Jacob stared at her. He finally nodded.
"Let her go," he told Raoul.
"No," he said. "Jon will kill me!"
"Roger will kill you all if you don't let me go!" she yelled, frustrated.
"Roger?" Raoul breathed.
"Yes! Maybe you didn't see it, but I did! It's Roger – he's going to destroy us! If you don't let me go, he will succeed!"
Raoul shook his head. It was obviously too much for the poor knight. "I'm insane," he muttered, "But I'll let you go. I'm going with you though."
Alanna started to argue, but Raoul interrupted, "I have no Gift, and we've wasted enough time already. Let's go."
Alanna began to move off, then turned round and kissed Jacob on the cheek. "I'll come back. I promise."
Raoul mounted up and rode with Alanna at a steady pace towards the palace.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
They approached the palace cautiously. They really didn't know what to expect, to be honest. Alanna's heart was pounding, and she was sure Raoul's was too. Alanna's mount was whinnying softly with fear.
"It's ok, girl," Alanna soothed her mount. "You'll be alright."
They rode together to the stable. Alanna felt sickly inside. She dismounted shakily and opened the stable door.
Raoul gasped, as Alanna looked on, shocked. All the horses had collapsed on the ground. No horse motioned at all. Raoul, who had dismounted, entered the stable. They heard a frightened, "neigh!" behind them.
Alanna whirled. Raoul's mount, Battle's Hope, and Alanna's mount, Silver- streak, had bucked and ran off in sheer terror.
"Perhaps they have more sense than we," Raoul commented dryly. Alanna couldn't reply; her mouth was suddenly stuck together with thick saliva (gross, I know).
As Raoul inspected the stable with awe, Alanna was more interested in the palace. She could feel a radiating power coming from the palace, and she didn't like it one single bit.
"I'm going to check out the palace," she told Raoul. Without waiting for a reply, she headed into the direction of the palace doors.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ah! Just a bit of a cliffhanger, I'm not soooooooo mean you know! I apologise for not updating in such a long time but the lovely teachers at our school have decided for a new curriculum this term – it's named, "Homework, homework, lovely homework." Hope you get my point. More soon;)
(~*~kaz~*~(