Chapter 2
*
It was pretty late when Alanna finally found the cave. She knew this, because the blizzard around her was starting to turn kinda dark.
"Thank Mithros!" she exclaimed, once she and her companions were safely inside the cave. "I thought we were doomed to walk that cursed blizzard forever!"
"So did I," muttered a deep voice, from the shadows. (/no/, I did not mean the evil little voices in her head).
Alanna swung around, her sword out in one swift movement.
"Who was that?" she demanded, watching the shadows wearily.
"Me," said a man, stepping out into the light. He was leading a powerful- looking stallion, which was tossing its head repeatedly. (if you wanna make fun of that, then get lost).
Alanna sheathed her sword slowly, although she continued to eye the man warily. "I'm sorry," she said. "But who are you?"
"I am Sir Alan," replied the man.
"Oh...." nodded Alanna. Finally, she extended her hand. "I'm Sir Alanna."
The two stared at each other suspiciously, shaking the other's hand slowly.
"Isn't 'Alanna' a..../lady's/ name?" asked Sir Alan, cautiously.
Alanna nodded.
"Aren't you a..../lady/?"
Alanna shook her head.
"You poor lad!" cried the other knight. "Fancy having to get through life with a lady's name! Why, everyone will think that you're a /woman/, if you'll pardon me for saying so."
The lady knight scowled. "I /am/ a woman," she replied. "I am Sir Alanna of Trebond, Lady Knight."
"Oh." The man nodded. "My apologies."
"That's quite alright," replied Alanna.
Identities understood, both knights were now visibly, far more relaxed.
{Why in the name of Mithros would a /girl/ want to become a knight?" the other knight's horse asked Moonlight.
{Beats me} shrugged the mare. The stallion stared at the mare.
{He/she beats you?} he gasped. {I'll kill the vermin!} And with that, he lunged at Alanna, his teeth bared. The Lady Knight took one look at the angry stallion, and leapt aside.
{No, no!} said Moonlight, hastily, before the stallion could charge again. {I don't understand why she would want to become a knight, is what I meant}.
{Oh}. Embarrassed, the stallion snorted, retreating. Alanna raised an eyebrow.
"What in the name of Mithros?" she asked.
"I'm sorry about that," apologised the other knight. "Sunny gets a bit excited sometimes."
The other eyebrow went up.
"Sunny?"
"Short for *Sunshine," explained the knight. (*don't laugh. There's a reason for this).
"Sunshine, hey?" asked Alanna. "My mare's called Moonlight."
"Moonlight, hey?" asked Sir Alan. "My stallion's called Sunshine."
Alanna stared at him. "I know."
A pair of suspicious green eyes stared back at her. "How?"
The Lady Knight finally supposed that the man must have a loose screw in his head, and decided to pursue the matter no more.
"Never mind," she replied. "Do you know what time it is?"
"Nope," he shook his head. "I reckon it's pretty late though."
"Yeah," Alanna nodded. "How long do you think the blizzard will keep?"
Sir Alan shrugged. "Well....it'll probably rage all night."
And so it did.
{Cold} yowled Faithful, even though he was curled up beside Alanna.
"I know," she nodded. "But it'll be over in the morning."
But it wasn't. In fact, overnight, the blizzard had sealed up the cave entrance completely. They were snowed in.
{I'm /still/ cold!} complained the cat, yawning sleepily.
"So am I," nodded Alanna, her eyes still shut. She liked sleeping in. However, 'Sir Alan' didn't, and he trudged around the place, doing his morning exercises.
"Nothing like a good ol' aerobics to keep the limbs limber," he said, stretching his tall frame, filling Alanna with envy at his height.
"So....where did you come from?" she asked, hating the silence. The other knight appeared reluctant to continue destroying the silence however, and remained silent for a few more minutes, before finally replying, "I was here yesterday. Do you have morning amnesia or something? Remember? I'm Sir- "
"Yeah, yeah. I know," said Alanna, quickly. "But you didn't say where you were from."
"I came from the blizzard, like you," replied the knight. He appeared extremely stupid.
"No," replied Alanna gently. "I was born in Trebond."
"Oh. Where I'm from?" asked the knight. "Why didn't you say that in the first place? I was born in Carthak."
*
f
*
It was pretty late when Alanna finally found the cave. She knew this, because the blizzard around her was starting to turn kinda dark.
"Thank Mithros!" she exclaimed, once she and her companions were safely inside the cave. "I thought we were doomed to walk that cursed blizzard forever!"
"So did I," muttered a deep voice, from the shadows. (/no/, I did not mean the evil little voices in her head).
Alanna swung around, her sword out in one swift movement.
"Who was that?" she demanded, watching the shadows wearily.
"Me," said a man, stepping out into the light. He was leading a powerful- looking stallion, which was tossing its head repeatedly. (if you wanna make fun of that, then get lost).
Alanna sheathed her sword slowly, although she continued to eye the man warily. "I'm sorry," she said. "But who are you?"
"I am Sir Alan," replied the man.
"Oh...." nodded Alanna. Finally, she extended her hand. "I'm Sir Alanna."
The two stared at each other suspiciously, shaking the other's hand slowly.
"Isn't 'Alanna' a..../lady's/ name?" asked Sir Alan, cautiously.
Alanna nodded.
"Aren't you a..../lady/?"
Alanna shook her head.
"You poor lad!" cried the other knight. "Fancy having to get through life with a lady's name! Why, everyone will think that you're a /woman/, if you'll pardon me for saying so."
The lady knight scowled. "I /am/ a woman," she replied. "I am Sir Alanna of Trebond, Lady Knight."
"Oh." The man nodded. "My apologies."
"That's quite alright," replied Alanna.
Identities understood, both knights were now visibly, far more relaxed.
{Why in the name of Mithros would a /girl/ want to become a knight?" the other knight's horse asked Moonlight.
{Beats me} shrugged the mare. The stallion stared at the mare.
{He/she beats you?} he gasped. {I'll kill the vermin!} And with that, he lunged at Alanna, his teeth bared. The Lady Knight took one look at the angry stallion, and leapt aside.
{No, no!} said Moonlight, hastily, before the stallion could charge again. {I don't understand why she would want to become a knight, is what I meant}.
{Oh}. Embarrassed, the stallion snorted, retreating. Alanna raised an eyebrow.
"What in the name of Mithros?" she asked.
"I'm sorry about that," apologised the other knight. "Sunny gets a bit excited sometimes."
The other eyebrow went up.
"Sunny?"
"Short for *Sunshine," explained the knight. (*don't laugh. There's a reason for this).
"Sunshine, hey?" asked Alanna. "My mare's called Moonlight."
"Moonlight, hey?" asked Sir Alan. "My stallion's called Sunshine."
Alanna stared at him. "I know."
A pair of suspicious green eyes stared back at her. "How?"
The Lady Knight finally supposed that the man must have a loose screw in his head, and decided to pursue the matter no more.
"Never mind," she replied. "Do you know what time it is?"
"Nope," he shook his head. "I reckon it's pretty late though."
"Yeah," Alanna nodded. "How long do you think the blizzard will keep?"
Sir Alan shrugged. "Well....it'll probably rage all night."
And so it did.
{Cold} yowled Faithful, even though he was curled up beside Alanna.
"I know," she nodded. "But it'll be over in the morning."
But it wasn't. In fact, overnight, the blizzard had sealed up the cave entrance completely. They were snowed in.
{I'm /still/ cold!} complained the cat, yawning sleepily.
"So am I," nodded Alanna, her eyes still shut. She liked sleeping in. However, 'Sir Alan' didn't, and he trudged around the place, doing his morning exercises.
"Nothing like a good ol' aerobics to keep the limbs limber," he said, stretching his tall frame, filling Alanna with envy at his height.
"So....where did you come from?" she asked, hating the silence. The other knight appeared reluctant to continue destroying the silence however, and remained silent for a few more minutes, before finally replying, "I was here yesterday. Do you have morning amnesia or something? Remember? I'm Sir- "
"Yeah, yeah. I know," said Alanna, quickly. "But you didn't say where you were from."
"I came from the blizzard, like you," replied the knight. He appeared extremely stupid.
"No," replied Alanna gently. "I was born in Trebond."
"Oh. Where I'm from?" asked the knight. "Why didn't you say that in the first place? I was born in Carthak."
*
f