Disclaimer: If you recognize it, I don't own it
A/N: please read and review!!!!! *gets down on hands and knees and begs for reviews* any and all reviews are welcome
Alanna quickly made her way through the usual din of the Dancing Dove. "Solom," she called, "where's George I need to speak with him."
"I'll get him right away Master Alan."
A few minutes later Alanna was seized from behind "we don't take kindly to strangers here lad." Alanna relaxed realizing who it was.
"I know I haven't been down here in a while George but do you have to scare me so?"
George released her and turned her round so he could look at her. A quick look at her eyes told George all he need to know. "Come, let's talk in my room."
Alanna nodded and followed George up to his rooms.
"What's wrong? I've never seen this look you've got in your eyes before."
"Nothings wrong, exactly. Actually yes, something is wrong. When I went to my room to day I sneezed twice when I opened the door, I always sneeze when powerful magic has been used, and something about my room didn't feel quite right. I haven't seen Faithful since yesterday and the last time I talked to him he was talking crazy. He said that in his past life he was a human and he was going to change back into one or something like that, I wasn't paying attention to him but now I wish I had."
"and I suppose you're wonderin if I knew of anything strange that's been goin' on up at the palace recently?"
"well…yes."
George looked thoughtful for a moment, than shifted his gaze to her. With all his heart he wished that he knew something about this but he had heard of nothing unusual at the palace for about a week. "I'm sorry lass, I… I haven't heard anything unusual from the palace for around a week now."
"Oh, thanks anyway." Alanna said halfheartedly. Sighing, she poured herself a glass of ale and sat down in the chair opposite George.
"Don't worry lass, he'll turn up eventually." After a moment's thought and a wink he added, "Perhaps he's run off with a female."
Alanna couldn't help but laugh at this. The idea of Faithful running off to be with a female, of any species, other than herself was absolute nonsense.
"Perhaps you should follow his example and take a jaunt around the block with a particularly crooked male friend of your own." George said hoping to lift her spirits a little, either that or trigger her temper.
Turning beat red, Alanna shifted a bit nervously in her chair. She didn't like when George led conversations in that particular direction. The Goddess had told her to learn to love but Alanna wasn't quite comfortable with the fact that she might be in love with one of her friends. "Tell me your mother doesn't know of your terrible manners. She would surely tan your hide with you still in it if she did."
The mood successfully lightened, the two friends had a delightful evening before Alanna had to return to the palace. She regretted it, but she knew she must or Jon would get ideas about her and George.
When George offered to accompany her to the Temple District, Alanna gladly accepted. Although she would never admit it to anyone but herself (and even then just barely), she enjoyed George's company. Somehow between the Dancing Dove and the Temple District Alanna's hand had found George's. When she finally noticed she pulled back immediately hoping no one had seen and that George hadn't noticed. Fat chance of that. She thought to herself I couldn't have been less obvious about taking my hand away if I had stabbed him. What was done was done and when they reached the point where George would leave her he pulled her out of sight of the road.
"Alanna," he began searching for a way to ask her about her reaction without her…taking it the wrong way.
"Let me guess you are about to ask me about how we ended up holding hands and why once I noticed I pulled away so quickly." She took a breath and went on, "To the first part of that, I've no idea how we ended up holding hands it just happened. I didn't mean to, honest I didn't. As to the second part of that, I pulled away so quickly because I didn't want anyone to see."
To her surprise and frustration, George began to laugh quietly to himself. "Stop acting as if I'm going to take of yer ear for this. And to the obviously silly notion that someone might see, it's one in the morning. There just aren't that many people, besides my own of course, that'll be up at this hour."
Nodding in agreement, Alanna relaxed a little. George was right, he usually was. She decided she should listen to him more often instead of outright denying some of his more hair-brained ideas, especially the ones about men.
"That's a good lass. Now that you've calmed down a touch did you ever consider that our hands might have found each other because you needed reassurance that someone believed in you?"
"Nonsense, George. I'm not some silly noble lady that—"
"I didn't say that. All I meant is that you don't have to stand on your own two feet all the time. Sometimes it is permissible to lean on your friends."
Embarrassed that she had yet again lost her temper of her misinterpretation of her friend's words, she looked down not wanting to meet his eyes. How could she think that he thought her a silly noble lady. Suddenly a pair of feet not her own came into her line of vision and strong arms were wrapped around her. Hesitantly she leaned into the embrace before forgetting altogether about her masquerade as a boy. That was not real, this was, this feeling she got from George that she couldn't find anywhere else. She let George lift her face up to his and slowly touch his lips to hers.
Reality finally hit Alanna like a freight train. What am I doing? If anyone saw that they might become suspicious. "It's getting late George, I really need to get back to the palace. Thanks for the advice"
"Anytime lass, anytime. Until we meet again then." He kissed her lightly on the cheek before heading back down to the city. Content for the first time in a long while, Alanna continued her trek to the palace
A/N: Wow. That felt so good to write that. I'm soooooooooo sorry I haven't updated in forever but I didn't realize how little time I would have. Now that I've gotten back into this fic, I've no idea where it's going. I know it's supposed to be A/F but that probably won't happen for a while yet. As you can see, Alanna is just beginning to get used to the idea of love. Special thanks to Devilkitti8 You finally convinced me to get off my ass and start working on this fic again. Don't worry I didn't take any of the insults personally in fact some of them were rather interesting… "Hot Dog" "Closet" Anyhow thanx and because of that I'm dedicating (my first dedication ever) this chapter to you. Thx again.
Oh yeah thx to everyone else who reviewed to.
Also, I'm trying to start this thing where you create your own Tortall character (it can be boy or girl and any type of person in Tortall, page, squire, knight, mage, noble, commoner, thief, rider, soldier, maid, etc.) and write diary entries/stories from their life. I have a one person who has emailed me already about it and in order for it to even have the possibility of being successful there needs to be more people. If anyone is interested please email me at greenngrayeyez4eva@hotmail.com
THANX AGAIN TO ALL OF YOU PEOPLE WHO REVIEWED BEFORE!!!!!!!!!!!