I've had a fright! I was about to reply to reviews and my stories were GONE! And they were absolutely nowhere to be found!! Imagine my fright! Thankfully though, it was back today, and I'm done with my little nervous spaz! But what a fright that was!
~*~*~*~ The Pride of the Convent ~*~*~*~
Chapter Twelve: Surprises
Genre: General/Action/Romance
Rating: PG-13.
Disclaimer: Thom's run off! He's mad because I haven't made him kiss Trycia yet. Selfish little character! When the time's right! And now Alanna's in a tiz over who knows what! Man! These characters, I wish they were mine! I'd give a good smack! But, unfortunately, they belong to Tamora Pierce, a wonderfully talented lady, who I am unfortunately not! So there.
Author's Note: Hello wonderful people! How ya doin? I was wondering, does any one want/need/have to have a beta reader? I'd love to beta for someone! E-mail me if you would like me to beta for you! Also, anyone out there want to do a joint fic? I'm bored and need the challenge/joy of a collaboration. Well, whatever, e-mail or review! Time for a chapter!
~~~
George stared at the tankard of ale that sat on the table before him and sighed. Alanna hadn't been down to the Dove in three days and only one of those nights had been occupied by a ball. Thom hadn't been down to visit either, but George suspected that Thom led a fairly busy life, being the Prince's squire and whatnot. George thought about how he'd get a message to Alanna. Through Stefan and Thom maybe. No, that wouldn't do. Besides, he didn't know even what words he would have written to the girl. He sighed again, thinking. He knew that he could not waste away the days hoping she would return. Either he had to do something, or he had to move on and lead the Rogue just as he had before.
What about her did he like so much? Sure, she helped him manage the Court of the Rogue, probably better then most could have, but that wasn't it. She could fight to save anyone's life, but that wasn't it either. She was real. She was down to earth. She was funny, and charming, and entirely wonderful. That was it. He loved her, and knew it. Was that coming in the way of his responsibility to the Rogue? No, not if she helped him run it…
George felt lost. Had he let her feelings for this girl come in between him and the Rogue? Or had this girl found her way into the Rogue and his heart as well?
~
There was a hard knock at Alanna's door.
"Go away!" Alanna yelled, from her bed, where she was lying and staring up at the ceiling. She had spent a great amount of her time doing that the past few days, but not crying. Never crying. Warriors don't cry, she told herself.
"Come on sister! Let me in!" Thom pleaded.
"Thom! If you were a nice brother, you'd leave me alone!"
"I'm not a nice brother! Now let me in!"
Alanna said nothing, and did nothing in attempt to get up from bed. Thom tried the door and found it locked. He cursed, softly, which surprised Alanna and then pushed his gift into the lock. The lock lit up and clicked open, allowing Thom to push the door open and enter.
Alanna looked up, glared at him, and then returned to looking at the ceiling.
"Alanna, you've been like this for days! What's wrong?" Thom asked, sitting at the edge of her bed.
Alanna sat up, knowing that if she were to talk to her brother, she hadn't much choice. "I don't fit in anywhere Thom."
"What do you mean Alanna? Everyone hear loves you! Even if you aren't a lady! And what about the Rogue? You've been spending almost all of you free nights down there!"
"They don't want a woman helping run it!"
"And they don't want women sword fighting and wearing breeches! When have you ever let someone else decide what you're going to do?"
"This is different Thom!"
"No, Alanna, it's not. Just think about it, would you sister? And would you please come from your room, you're giving everyone a fright!" He got up to leave, but waited for her response.
Alanna scowled at him. "Fine! I'll come to the ball tonight!" With that, she threw a pillow at him, and he quickly ducked from the room.
~
"Jon is lonely," Roger said, smoothly to Delia when he found her in the gardens.
Delia smiled smugly. "That can be fixed!"
"It most certainly can! That Trebond girl has not shown her face once these past three days. It's perfect! Catch him tonight at the ball. You can be certain that the Trebond girl will be there!"
"Could she be hiding due to her little secret?" Delia asked.
"I wouldn't be surprised, but we still don't fully know what her secret is. Sneaking out at night in boy's clothing, but that doesn't tell us much. She could be going anywhere!"
Delia nodded. "Well, I'll worry about Jon. You worry about learning about her. She won't be anything but trouble if she ever resurfaces!"
Roger smiled. "You're smart Delia, and beautiful. It's good to have you on my side."
"I always choose the winning side," Delia said with a small, evil, smile.
~
Trycia finally worked up the courage to approach Thom in the library one day, while he was working on something. He looked up when she sat down.
"Trycia!" he said, excitedly.
She gave him a small smile. "Hi."
He couldn't help but smile like a fool. "What brings you here?"
"I was looking for you!"
Thom chuckled. "Does everyone know me this well?"
Trycia crinkled her nose. "I suppose. Actually, I came to talk to you about Alanna. She hasn't said a word to me in three days!"
"She's in a temper, but don't worry. She's coming to the ball tonight."
"Oh! Is she?"
Thom nodded. "You'll go with me, won't you?"
"Oh! Of course!" She grinned at him.
"Good. It's such an honor to go with the most beautiful lady in court."
Trycia blushed, and Thom gently kissed her, which only caused her to blush more, and giggle a bit. Their very first kiss. Trycia was giddy from excitement.
"As long as I get to go with the sweetest squire there," she said, a small smile on her rosy face.
Thom grinned at her, took her chin gently in his hand and kissed her again.
~
"Announcing Sir Raoul of Goldenlake and Lady Alanna of Trebond!" the herald announced, as Raoul led Alanna down the stairs.
"Welcome back, Alanna," Raoul said, while walking down the stairs. "Will you be at sword practice tomorrow? I'm getting tired of beating Gary."
"Sure," Alanna said, noncommittally.
"I don't like the sound of that 'sure.' Are you feeling all right Alanna?"
She just looked at him.
"Alanna, you're giving us all a fright!" Raoul said softly.
Alanna sighed. "I'm sorry. I've just felt a bit off lately."
Raoul nodded. "Well, you know where and when!"
Alanna smiled. Raoul and Gary do accept me for all I am, she thought.
~
Delia nearly choked when she saw Alanna descend the stairs. She exchanged a hateful look with Roger and set off to find Jon, as she had to be the first to dance with him. Alanna saw her and let her. Trycia saw Alanna, smiled ecstatically and rushed over.
"Alanna! Are you feeling better?" the girl asked, thinking Alanna had been ill.
Alanna smiled as warmly as she could at the girl and said, "Oh, yes! Much!"
"Oh good! It was dreadful at the last ball, with out you here!"
Alanna, seeing Thom approaching, and the evident look of delight on Trycia's face, dryly commented. "It can't have been too bad."
Gary found Alanna first, and asked her to dance. She accepted and he spun her out onto the dance floor.
"You're back," he commented softly.
She gave him a small smile. "I'd been feeling a bit off lately."
"Is that why you hollered at me when I came to see if you were all right?" he asked, a small twinkle in his eyes.
She nodded.
Gary gave her a suspicious look, but said nothing.
"I haven't missed this a bit," Alanna commented referring to the ball.
Gary laughed. "Well, the ball's missed you!"
Alanna rolled her eyes. "Let it miss me!"
Gary shook his head at her silliness and spun her about.
~
Roger was sure to dance with her, though Alanna avoided him most of the night.
"Feeling better?"
"Oh, yes! Thanks you, your Grace!"
"It was such a disappointment to see a lady as beautiful as you not at the ball," he said smoothly.
Alanna forced herself to blush, a talent she'd acquired over the years. "You're too kind, your Grace."
Roger smiled charmingly and whirled her around the dance floor. "And to think, only a few nights ago you were saying that there wasn't a way the Prince would fancy you."
This time Alanna really blushed.
"What a poor thing! You've two loves to balance. Whatever will you do, Lady?"
Alanna thought quickly. "Oh, your Grace, even now I'm not certain! His Highness deserves one of the better ladies."
Roger looked like he was about ready to say something when Raoul came over and asked if he could cut in. The duke, clearly unhappy, gave Alanna a wink and strode off.
"Oh thank the Goddess, Raoul!" Alanna said, letting out a breath. "You're my knight in shining armor! My protector!" Alanna laughed.
Raoul gave her a confused look and she explained her conversations with Duke Roger, telling him how she had convinced the duke that they were in love.
Raoul laughed softly. "I had no idea you felt that way about me, Alanna!"
She grinned at him. "I just can't help my feelings!" She peered over his shoulder as he turned. Roger was watching them. "Oh, I wish he'd leave me be!"
"He's worrying about his cousin. He wants him to find a good, respectable lady that," Raoul gave her a look of utter boredom, "can help him rule Tortall, a lady that is presentable, charming, and all that whatnot." Raoul rolled his eyes.
"So why is he paying so much attention to me?"
"Because Jon is." Raoul gave her a wicked grin.
"Oh Great Mother Goddess! What have I gotten myself into?"
Raoul laughed and grinned wickedly at her again. "Well, now you have to worry doubly about your appearances at court. You have to watch what you say, watch what you do, watch whom you talk to and watch whom you don't. All while being watched by their Majesties and now, presumable, Duke Roger."
Alanna groaned. "Oh Mithros no! What if someone finds out?"
"Don't worry. No one will. One of us will stay by the door from now on, or at least keep it closed."
Alanna nodded, satisfied and noticed Queen Lianne watching her.
"The Queen?" Raoul asked.
Alanna nodded. "Why not watch her son?"
"She would, normally. You must be special."
Alanna gave him a dark look, but the knight only grinned.
~
Jon and Alanna never met up during the ball. It seemed whenever they would come close, some lord or some lady would manage a curtsy or charmingly demanding smile. But, in a way, Alanna was glad that she had given her watchers anything to wonder about. The last thing she needed was everyone watching her, which was what she got anyway. She thought about that as she wandered back to her room late that night. Raoul and Gary had both offered to walk her back, but she had politely declined. The halls were dark, the torchlight barely illuminating the floor below. Alanna yawned and blinked sleep from her eyes, turning a corner into a completely deserted hallway. Suddenly, she felt someone grab her from behind, and felt an arm around her waist and a hard over her mouth.
"Shhh," her captor hushed. "Don't scream, or it'll be bad for both of us."
George.
Alanna kicked him in the shin with her heal and he winced. "Charming. Promise not to scream?"
She nodded and he pulled her into an empty room.
"George!" she hissed. "What are you doing here? You know that if you get caught it's off to Traitor's Hill with you!"
"Worried about me?" he asked, a lilting tone to his voice.
"Of course I am! What are you doing here?"
"To talk to you of course! Why else would I have come?" he asked.
"You're grinning. Aren't you?" Alanna squinted in the darkness, but couldn't see a thing. In disgust, she made a ball of fire to see by. George was indeed grinning.
Alanna shook her head. "What do you want George?"
"I want to talk some sense into you!"
"But you didn't have the heart to tell me why there was all the gang problems?" she asked darkly.
"Would you have told, had you been in my position?" he asked, his face serious.
Alanna looked down, and muttered. "Probably not."
"Listen Alanna, I didn't want you to find out that way. I planned to tell you, I just had to figure out how."
"That wouldn't have been any different. I'm still not wanted in the Rogue!"
"But what will you do about that Alanna?" George asked, looking at her.
"Nothing! I'll do nothing! I'll become a court lady, where I'll be wanted! And then, I'll meet some buffle-brained lord, and then, we'll wed! Won't that be just amazing?" George could tell that Alanna was a bit hysterical by now. "And then, one day, I'll take my lovely lord aside and tell him I'm with child! His buffle-brained child! And then, I'll have that child, and probably more after that and we'll all be one happy, buffle-brained family!"
She was about to start pacing, but George grabbed her by her arms and held her still, while giving her a calculating look. "Done?"
She glared at him
"Look Alanna, you've shown me that you're not one to quit easily, but that's what you're doing now. Now, I suppose you can quit, if you'd like, but you could also show the lads what you've got! That would be the Alanna I know."
"But George. No one wants me to be a part of the Rogue!" she protested.
"I do. I want you to be part of the Rogue and as the King, what I say goes."
"People are going to hate you because of me!"
"Let them. We'll show them that you're not one to be messed with."
Alanna sighed. "I just wanted a place where people could respect me for who I am."
"Treven. Your lads would give their life for you Alanna, because you've shown them what you are! You just have to give yourself and my lads some time."
She looked into his deep hazel eyes, and sighed again. "Why are you always right?"
He gave her a small smile. "Does that mean you're back?"
"I suppose so," she murmured.
"Wonderful!" George hugged her as tightly as he could.
"I've missed the Rogue so much…" she whispered.
"I've missed you."
"I missed you too, George."
He squeezed her tightly and let her go. "Too late for a drink at the Dove?"
"Never!"
~~~
Author's Note: Well, I didn't plan for it to go that way, but I suppose that works. I'm not sure if I like this chapter, but I'm not sure if I don't. This chapter left me feeling weird. I can't really tell if it was too early or not, and I can't tell if Alanna and everyone handled it correctly. Oh well. I'm going to post it anyway. I think the fluff works! Well, thanks all you wonderful, fab people! You're the best and you make me feel very talented and special! Thank you!!!!! Ok, here goes with all the personal thanks:
To:
EireVerde: Thom never gets the spotlight, which I think sucks. So, I'm trying to get him into my fic. I've got plans for him! I'm glad you like the Thom/Trycia! Glad to entertain! Thank so much for reading and reviewing!
Sadrine Black: Glad you didn't mind the senseless filler! Ooh! Fantastic! What a wonderful word! Thanks so much for the great review!
Silenttina: Oh no, an obsession with beheading is perfectly, perfectly normal! Don't worry! (I bet you love the Reign of Terror in the French Revolution! That's all they did!) I do have plans to bring Faithful into the story! He will be here, but I can't promise when. Actually, I hadn't noticed that you seem to loathe the Prince, oh wait, yes I have! Lol, your reviews are quite funny to read! I like the dagger idea, I honestly do! I wanted to put it in, but Alanna was all mopey this chapter, and I didn't think it would work for her to do it in this mood, plus I wanted George to lure her back. Ya know? Well, thanks much for the suggestions! I hope that you liked this chapter! Thanks for being a great reader/reviewer! You're wonderful!
The Dark Lady Adrienne: **giggles** George is the greatest. Yes, yes, plot grows thicker! I suppose…. Oh well! I'm happy you like it! Thanks for reading and reviewing!!!!
White-wolf: You're like one of the most reassuring reviewers I have! When ever I say a chapter is short or something, you say it's not! Thanks!! You know how to make a writer feel better! Thanks for being a great reader/reviewer! You're terrifically nice!
Silverymare: Ooh! Yay! You like it!! Joy and fabness!!!! **blushes** Thanks so much!!!
M'cha Araem: I'm glad you like the Thom/Trycia pairing! I rather thought it worked well myself! Please don't throw up over your abused computer. From experience, (not actually, but you know) that will make it worse! I have an abused computer as well! It likes to freeze mid chapter, when I haven't saved in a while. Isn't that peachy? Lol. I'll try to put in more A/G fluff, but I can't find the right time for him to "tell her." You know? Thanks for the great review!!! Thanks soo much!
Allure: Thank you!!! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I'm glad you like it! And I'm glad you think it's getting better! Joy and marvyness! I'll try not to keep you waiting to long! Glad you like it!
Dragon Queen: Yes, I do update as often as possible, mainly because it's summer and all, but I love my fic, which makes it so easy to write. As for the grammar, I type in Word, so it corrects it for me. Otherwise, we'd be here ALL day long. As far as computer knowledge goes, FFN tells you how to post and all that jazz. I'm glad you think us writers are great, but why don't you try writing a piece? I'm always looking for a new read! Well, thanks much for the review!
Babooshka: !! I'm glad you like it! **big, delighted smile on face** What made you read it? Yes, I like the Briar/Sandry pairing, but I haven't read Circle of Magic in a long time, so I must read them again! The best George! **blushes** Now that is a compliment! Thanks!!! Perfect…oh man you're making me all giggly! I'm glad you like Roger. Evil man that he is… Oh! I like your idea! A fight is most definitely coming up! Glad you like it! Thanks for being a wonderful reviewer!
Lady Kel Of Queenscove: It's so good you'd stay and read it even if it was A/G!?!?! **open-mouthed look of wonder** Yay!!! Joy! And bouncing-off-the-walls-ness!!!!! Thanks!!
GlaiveGirl: Glad you like it!! Thanks for reviewing!
Michelle: Yes! Go write more! And post!! And definitely check a few of those titles out! Glad you like it! Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Keziah: I wasn't much for how she found out either, but it had to be something that would really make her think, and something that would make George think. Sorry if it wasn't so great! She's not mad at George, per se, she's mad at the world! Please don't get upset! (I'm not evil am I?) Hope you like the update! Thanks for reading and reviewing!
The Dark Lady: Glad you like it!!!!! Thanks!
Smileypal4eva: Well, then I'm glad you're not to set in you preferences, because this has both! Lol, what am I getting myself into? Thanks and I'm glad you like it!!!! Thank much!
Dragon Fire: I assure you, the alcohol content of this story is only .5% alcohol, by volume! Promise! I think Roger is more likely going to die in a fight, but hey, maybe I'll just drop a boulder on him! How would that be? Lol, Thanks much!
Krazy Kitty: (AND FOR HER EYES ONLY!) **laughs out loud** You're review is hilarious! Thanks!!! I'm glad you missed my stories! Okay, you're cousin, Charlie, sounds like a nut case, but hey, he's only four, right? Haha, being hit on. How delightful. From actual experience in the weirdness, block him for a while. He'll cool down, and if he doesn't, well, then more drastic measures are needed! Thanks for all the delightful humor. My mom gets mad, when I read them late in the middle of the night, because I tend to wake her up. Lol. Oh yay! A song and dance! Thank you for your lovely poem! It was wonderful! I'll be sure to check out that POTS fic! Thanks!!!! The age figuring thing is indeed strange…*giggles** Yeah, girls mature **wink, wink** faster. Poor you! Having to deal with your nutsy cousin! I went through that one too. LOL, yes she cried all night, until my mom started a farting contest. I passed on that and stole the flashlight and read in another room. So there you go. Haha! Post signs, that's funny! (I wouldn't object! Hee hee) Thank you for all your wonderful compliments and humor! You're making me giggle, laugh and blush at the same time! Oh! Toronto! Neato!!! Hope you managed to get all the slobber off….ewww. You don't have to worry about reviewing! It's no big! But, I will alert you when you haven't, on your wishes! Oh, how did talk with strange guy go???? HAHAHAHA! Thanks for being the ultra coolest reader/reviewer! And what do you bet everyone read that! Sheesh!
Punk Princess: I love your penname!!! And I very much like your profile! I can't wait to read your fic! I'm very glad you like it! I'll try to post soon! Thanks!!!
CrazNM: Thanks!!!! I'm glad you like it!!!! Yes, A/G is the perfect pairing cuz George is the coolest!! Haha, don't worry, your review was great anyway! Thanks!!!!
Lady Marianna: Glad you like it!!! And ultra glad you think I got the essence down! Sweet!!! Thanks!!!!
Lady Lucy A/J 4ever: Ooh! You'll keep reading!!!! Thanks!!!!! You're wonderful!
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks everyone! You are fantastic!!!!!!!! And, please, please e-mail me/review/whatever about the beta reading or joint fic!!! Well, thanks much! I'm off to post! Hope you liked it!!!!!!
Cheers!