~*Chapter 7*~
Alanna awoke from her artificial sleep, groggy and still dazed. Her eyesight was blurred and her memory totally blank. What had happened? And more importantly, where was she? She was bound to a chair, her arms behind the back of the chair tied with thick rope, her feet tied just as tightly to the legs of the chair.
Slowly her memory of last night returned, although not in one whole piece more in fractured, freeze frame moments, that didn't quite fit together and didn't quite make sense. When she tried to straighten out the mixed up moments in her mind her head would start to ache and frustration would take over.
Taking a deep breath Alanna looked around the room, trying to jolt her memory into remembering the previous night. Apart from her chair the room was pretty well empty, a sudden smell of mould and mildew hit her nose making her stomach turn in revolt.
And that single smell brought a lot of last night into place, the vision, the smell of mildew, the small tower, the ball, her and Jon. Her heart felt like it had shattered when she came to that, Jon and Thayet were getting married today.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Ye' majesty," panted the young servant, "Lady Alanna.can not be found anywhere."
Jon eyes snapped up to the young servant boy. "What do you mean?!" he asked, panic lacing his words. "This is Alanna we're talking about, how can she go missing."
"I don't know ye' majesty, she jus' is. What should I tell 'er highness Princess Thayet?"
"Bring her to my office, and bring Baron George Cooper, Sir Gareth the younger of Naxen and Sir Raoul of Goldenlake." The young boy fled from the Kings office, to gather the nobles.
It did not take long for all the necessary people to be gathered in Jon's office, all looking questioningly at Jon. None had any idea that Alanna was missing, nor did they know about the other news. Once Thayet, who was last to arrive, was there, he began.
"There is no easy way to say this, but Alanna has gone missing. No one has any clue of neither her whereabouts nor why she has been taken. We can only speculate. We are currently doing everything in our power to find her but." he looked apologetically at Thayet. "I feel it's best to call the wedding off until she is found."
There was an eruption of words as everyone tried to talk at once, each one bursting with questions and fear.
"How could someone march in here, calm as could be and steal a noble, and the Kings Champion at that?!" asked Gary, his voice strained with concern for his friends safety.
"I have a feeling they had connections with the guards on the lower gates, Raoul, I'd like you to go and question them about who was on the gates, and then who got through."
"Of course Jon, if I find who did this, by Mithros he'll wish he wasn't born," growled Raoul, before leaving the large office.
"Gary I want you to look into previous noble/ransom cases and be as discreet as possible and please inform my Lord Provost."
"George, do you still have lower connections in Corus?"
"Aye, I do Jon,"
"Talk with Myles and your city friends about any possible groups that hold nobles and rich merchants hostage for a living. I have a feeling this isn't a personal attack on Alanna, more she was just unlucky enough to be in the gardens alone."
George nodded and left with Gary, leaving only Thayet and Jon in the room. He sat down, placing his elbows on his desk and covered his face with his hands. He sighed wearily and lifted his head.
"I'm sorry Thayet, this wasn't meant to happen like this,"
"Jon! I don't care about the wedding, as long as Alanna comes back safe, that's all that matters. Remember, she's my friend as well."
"Yes, I suppose. Maybe you should go, I need time to. . .think."
Thayet looked offended but left. What was he supposed to do? Alanna, the women who made him laugh, who kept his ego in check, who he loved, was missing. Should he have been grateful that this had stopped the wedding he was 100 percent sure on, if so, he was anything but grateful. He felt physically sick with apprehension and worry as to her safety. Jon felt like he was back at the Drell River Falls all those years ago when Alanna had still been his squire and had been kidnapped by the Tusaine's. It was the entire unawareness of Alanna's situation that frightened him, and the unknown always terrifies most people more than anything else.
A/N: Ok, I am reeeeeaaaaallllly sorry that it as taken me to get this chapter up, I was really busy with school and social stuff, and plus I was plagued with massive writers block and have forgotten how many times I have rewritten this one little chapter. It's still not great, but hey, it's something. And once again I promise it will get good again, this is sort of a fill in chapter. So sorry pplz. Neways, I lurve all of you that have reviewed *hugs to all of you* and would luurve everyone even more if they kept reviewing, I'm kinda aiming for 55. Love you all heaps and heaps.
Luv Seraya
Alanna awoke from her artificial sleep, groggy and still dazed. Her eyesight was blurred and her memory totally blank. What had happened? And more importantly, where was she? She was bound to a chair, her arms behind the back of the chair tied with thick rope, her feet tied just as tightly to the legs of the chair.
Slowly her memory of last night returned, although not in one whole piece more in fractured, freeze frame moments, that didn't quite fit together and didn't quite make sense. When she tried to straighten out the mixed up moments in her mind her head would start to ache and frustration would take over.
Taking a deep breath Alanna looked around the room, trying to jolt her memory into remembering the previous night. Apart from her chair the room was pretty well empty, a sudden smell of mould and mildew hit her nose making her stomach turn in revolt.
And that single smell brought a lot of last night into place, the vision, the smell of mildew, the small tower, the ball, her and Jon. Her heart felt like it had shattered when she came to that, Jon and Thayet were getting married today.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Ye' majesty," panted the young servant, "Lady Alanna.can not be found anywhere."
Jon eyes snapped up to the young servant boy. "What do you mean?!" he asked, panic lacing his words. "This is Alanna we're talking about, how can she go missing."
"I don't know ye' majesty, she jus' is. What should I tell 'er highness Princess Thayet?"
"Bring her to my office, and bring Baron George Cooper, Sir Gareth the younger of Naxen and Sir Raoul of Goldenlake." The young boy fled from the Kings office, to gather the nobles.
It did not take long for all the necessary people to be gathered in Jon's office, all looking questioningly at Jon. None had any idea that Alanna was missing, nor did they know about the other news. Once Thayet, who was last to arrive, was there, he began.
"There is no easy way to say this, but Alanna has gone missing. No one has any clue of neither her whereabouts nor why she has been taken. We can only speculate. We are currently doing everything in our power to find her but." he looked apologetically at Thayet. "I feel it's best to call the wedding off until she is found."
There was an eruption of words as everyone tried to talk at once, each one bursting with questions and fear.
"How could someone march in here, calm as could be and steal a noble, and the Kings Champion at that?!" asked Gary, his voice strained with concern for his friends safety.
"I have a feeling they had connections with the guards on the lower gates, Raoul, I'd like you to go and question them about who was on the gates, and then who got through."
"Of course Jon, if I find who did this, by Mithros he'll wish he wasn't born," growled Raoul, before leaving the large office.
"Gary I want you to look into previous noble/ransom cases and be as discreet as possible and please inform my Lord Provost."
"George, do you still have lower connections in Corus?"
"Aye, I do Jon,"
"Talk with Myles and your city friends about any possible groups that hold nobles and rich merchants hostage for a living. I have a feeling this isn't a personal attack on Alanna, more she was just unlucky enough to be in the gardens alone."
George nodded and left with Gary, leaving only Thayet and Jon in the room. He sat down, placing his elbows on his desk and covered his face with his hands. He sighed wearily and lifted his head.
"I'm sorry Thayet, this wasn't meant to happen like this,"
"Jon! I don't care about the wedding, as long as Alanna comes back safe, that's all that matters. Remember, she's my friend as well."
"Yes, I suppose. Maybe you should go, I need time to. . .think."
Thayet looked offended but left. What was he supposed to do? Alanna, the women who made him laugh, who kept his ego in check, who he loved, was missing. Should he have been grateful that this had stopped the wedding he was 100 percent sure on, if so, he was anything but grateful. He felt physically sick with apprehension and worry as to her safety. Jon felt like he was back at the Drell River Falls all those years ago when Alanna had still been his squire and had been kidnapped by the Tusaine's. It was the entire unawareness of Alanna's situation that frightened him, and the unknown always terrifies most people more than anything else.
A/N: Ok, I am reeeeeaaaaallllly sorry that it as taken me to get this chapter up, I was really busy with school and social stuff, and plus I was plagued with massive writers block and have forgotten how many times I have rewritten this one little chapter. It's still not great, but hey, it's something. And once again I promise it will get good again, this is sort of a fill in chapter. So sorry pplz. Neways, I lurve all of you that have reviewed *hugs to all of you* and would luurve everyone even more if they kept reviewing, I'm kinda aiming for 55. Love you all heaps and heaps.
Luv Seraya