~*~*~*~ The Pride of the Convent ~*~*~*~

Chapter Six: Having a ball, darling?

Genre: General/Action/Romance

Rating: PG-13.

Disclaimer: I got my pen back! Finally getting a bit of respect from the characters, which, if I might add, belong to Tamora Pierce. Lucky…

Author's Note:  Some of you have noticed that Alanna latched rather quickly to Jonathan. Think about it. She maybe a strong lady, but she still needs some comfort. She'll be needing a lot soon… Thom in upcoming chapters. More Delia soon also! (Isn't it fun to hate her?)

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Alanna looked at her reflection in the mirror. She was clad in the shimmering rust colored dress, that, to her disgust, didn't come up as far as she had hoped and was also tighter then she had hoped. She glared at her reflection, knowing that she was quite a beauty. She sighed and put two garnet drops in her ears and smeared on a bit of shimmering red dust over her eyelids. She pulled her hair into an intricate twist and secured it with a gold pin, allowing a few curls to slip from the knot. She slid on a pair of shoes and twirled once before her mirror.

There was a knock at her door, and a giggle.

Alanna opened the door and set to finding a wrap or something to cover her bare arms.

"Alanna," Trycia breathed, "You look amazing! You're sure to be the center of attention!"

"Goddess I hope not!" Alanna said, pausing to look at the girl. Trycia had woven a blue ribbon through her blonde hair, in a headband like fashion, had painted her face delicately in shades of blue and pink and was wearing her new dress. The dress fit the girl's slender frame wonderfully, and fell gracefully to the floor.

"Trycia…" Alanna said, slowly. "You look very nice!"

"Oh, do you really think so Alanna?" The girl looked nervous, but blushed a small bit.

"Of course! But, come here for a minute, won't you?" Alanna pulled the girl over to her vanity and put two pearls in the girl's ear lobes, and delicately draped a string of pearls around her neck.

Trycia gasped. "Oh Alanna! I can't wear these!"

"Yes you can. Just return them tomorrow. They look so nice on you, after all!!"

Trycia gave Alanna a look of deep gratitude and admired the pearls in Alanna's mirror.

"C'mon! Let's go!" Alanna said. There was no escape now!

"Sir Raoul of Goldenlake and Lady Alanna of Trebond!" a herald called.

They stepped forward, Alanna with a hand on the arm he offered her. He grinned at her, and winked. She smiled and they walked down the stairs into the ballroom that had suddenly become very quiet. All eyes were on Alanna, as she gracefully descended the stairs. Alanna blushed a bit, and went to stand with Delia, who had been introduced a moment earlier with Gary. Delia glared at her. Alanna only smiled, kindly.

"Lord Thom of Trebond and Lady Trycia of Coranis!"

The pairing walked down the hall, both blushing. Alanna grinned at the duckling, as George had called her. She looked beautiful, but very unsure. Thom looked unsure also, but held his head as high as he could, clad in a dark blue tunic and darker blue breeches. He had a sword at his waist, and Trycia on his arm. Alanna grinned at the pairing.

A few more girls were introduced and King Roald said a few words, finally sending the knights and squires in search of dancing partners.

Jon approached her almost immediately.

"Might I have this dance, Lady Alanna?" he asked, taking her hand and kissing it.

She curtsied. "I'd be delighted Prince Jonathan."

He grinned at her, and swept her out onto the dance floor. He was a bit surprised at how graceful she was, and she was a bit surprised at how well he danced and how much she enjoyed dancing with him.

"Going to break a few hearts tonight?" she whispered, as he spun her around the dance floor.

He only grinned at her. They both knew they were the center of attention.

The song ended, to both of their dismays. Raoul was quick to ask Alanna to dance, and she accepted. Delia was quick to corner Jonathan and act charming. Jonathan, under the eyes of his parents, asked her to dance.

Alanna enjoyed dancing with Raoul. He was smiling constantly, and grinning at anyone who shot him a jealous look.

He looked into her eyes. "If only you weren't the prince's girl!" He winked at her again.

The smile fell from her face, but she finished the dance with him.

Gary asked her to dance, and she did, but with a bit of hesitance. But, dancing with Gary was nice. He was polite, and gentle and a fair dancer.

"You're quite the dancer, Lady Alanna," Gary said, with half of a smile.

"Thank you! Gary, you're quite the dancer yourself!"

"Oh my! I'm being complimented by the Prince's girl! I can't believe my luck. Being but a helpless romantic, I've gotten not a word from any girl, but when I dance with the Prince's, I end up blushing. Oh the irony." He gave a helpless laugh.

Alanna, however was less then pleased. When the song ended, she kissed the knight on the cheek, and went to find the Prince.

He was talking to a lord that Alanna did not know, but excused himself when he saw Alanna.

"A dance, lady?"

She nodded, curtly, and they swirled onto the dance floor. It was then that his eyes met her hard violet ones.

"Something wrong, darling?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing! Only the fact that I've completely lost my own personal reputation. I'm no longer Lady Alanna, I'm the Prince's Girl."

Jon looked at her evenly. "But, I thought that we had something."

"What if we do?" she asked, raising her voice a bit.

He gave her a sharp look, clearly telling her to hush.

"Alanna, if we're together, what is the problem?"

"I'm being called The. Prince's. Girl." She said, angrily, putting emphasis on each word. A few people had turned to stare.

"Alanna, you're making a scene!" Jon hissed. "Can't we talk about this later?"

"Later? Jon, I thought you really knew me, and respected me! I guess I was wrong!" By now, the entire ballroom was silent, and they had stopped dancing.

"Alanna! Stop, you're making a fool of the both of us!" Jon said, his voice angering.

"Well, my reputation is ruined, already! Now I'm just some fawning girl! Is that what I've become to you?" A few men cleared their throats, Thom included. Why couldn't she just leave it be?

"Alanna! Listen to what you're saying! You should feel lucky!"

Alanna's eyes widened and she shook her head at the prince, glaring and stormed from the ballroom. Everyone was a bit too shocked to follow.

Alanna tossed the dress into the corner of her room and pulled on her boy's clothes. She wiped the face paint from her skin and removed her ear bobs. She transformed her eyes and hair and grabbed her daggers. Carefully, she picked her way from the castle. A few people, Thom, Trycia and Gary, had come in search of her, but she ducked down dark corridors or into deserted rooms until they had past, and finally made it out of the palace into the hot summer night.

She cursed Jon with every curse she knew, half of them out loud. This did little to quell her anger, however, and when she had reached the Dancing Dove, she threw the door open.

A few people looked up, including George, who gave her a look of confusion. He quickly got to his feet and hurried over to her, seeing the twisted look on her face.

"Something wrong, darlin'?" he asked, quietly, guiding her to a seat.

"Yes," she admitted.

"Want to tell me about it?"

"No." She didn't want to tell anyone. She just wanted to be treated like who she was, for once.

George looked at her, through hazel eyes. "Well, if you decide you'd like to tell someone, I'm here. Maybe something to drink would help?"

She nodded, and gave him a small smile of gratitude. "Thanks George."

He gave her one of his timeless grins and stalked off to the bar. Alanna sighed, and stood up and walked over to an open space on the floor. A few paces ahead, on the wall, was a target, riddled with holes from the points of daggers. Alanna took three of hers in her hands, and threw them one by one into the board with all her might. As the daggers dug into the wood, Alanna felt a bit better. She retrieved them, and hurled them at the board once again. One hit with a surprisingly loud thunk and George looked up from the bar. He shook his head and came over to her, a glass of brandy in his hand.

"Something a bit stronger. Drink up!" he commanded, pressing the glass into her hand. She drained it and thanked him. She threw her two other daggers, and retrieved them. By now George had gotten her another brandy, and was trying to guide her back to the table. She let him put his arm around her shoulder and pull her back to the table. She drank the glass of brandy a bit slower then she had the first, but never the less, drank it down promptly.

"Mithros! You must really be upset!" George commented, taking her daggers from her hand and putting them out of her reach, for her safety as well as her own.

"I hate men!" she said, angrily, tracing the edge of the glass with her finger. She thought for a moment. "No, just noble men!"

George grinned at her, relieved.

"No…maybe it's not even noble men!" Alanna decided, thoughtfully. "I just hate Jon."

George did a bit of a double take. "Prince Jonathan?"

She nodded, accepting another glass of brandy from Solom. She sighed. "I need to talk to someone, George."

"I'm here, lass," he reminded, gently. "Let's go up to my room, so you don't have to shout over the din." He offered her a hand, and helped her up. "Solom, we're not to be disturbed."

"Yes, Majesty." The innkeeper nodded, and George led Alanna up to his room, where he sat her down in soft chair. He pulled a chair up and sat himself.

She thought for a moment. George said nothing, but looked at her with understanding. Finally, she began by telling him about what had happened between her and Jon since she had arrived, finishing with the ball.

"I can see how you would be mad," he said thoughtfully, unsure of what to say and think. He liked Alanna, a great deal, and while he felt bad for how things had gone with her and Jon, he was a bit relieved.

"I just want someone that won't try and make me into something else, George!" Alanna said, finishing her glass of brandy.

"I know, lass, I know," he said, quietly, taking the empty glass from her before she dropped it.

"Thanks for listening," she thanked, sheepishly.

He patted her on the shoulder with his strong hand. "Any time, darlin'."

She gave him a small smile, and he grinned, and gently tapped her chin up with his finger. "Now that's better! Don't let this get you down, Alanna. Things will work out in the end." He smiled comfortingly at her and she hugged him tightly.

"Thank you," she whispered.

George squeezed her, and then let her go. "I'll always be here to listen, Alanna."

"I know." She smiled at him, and he smiled in return.

Alanna found Thom the next day and pulled him aside.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked.

She nodded. "But we have to talk."

"About what, sister?"

"A lot, brother dear."

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Author's Note: Done. Sorry, it was a bit…well…pointless, and didn't do much for the plot. The next chapter will be a chill out chapter. There won't be any earth shattering events between Alanna and Jon or between Alanna and George, but we'll get a bit more in-depth with the rest of everything else! Delia in the next chapter. Thom of course. And Trycia, but she's always there. Anyway. I'm too lazy to thank for reviews this chapter! Sorry! I just want to upload and go to bed! Okay? Next chapter, okay? I'll try my best!

Cheers!