Inside the bag was a small six point star pendant on a fine silver
chain. The pendant was silver with a smaller star in the middle made of
black opal. In the centre of the opal was an amethyst that matched the
colour of her eyes. From each corner of the opal there was a silver line
going to the amethyst that was at the cross of all six.
"Jon I can't…"
"Of course you can. I want you to have it. Here let me put it on you. As soon as I saw it I thought of you. I went looking for something and saw the amethyst and I saw your pretty eyes. There, go see in the mirror." Alanna left to see herself in the mirror in another room. Jon came followed her.
"It doesn't look right. It looks like a boy wearing women's jewellery. But oh, it's so pretty!" she said in wonder fingering it. "Thank you!"
"I thought you said you couldn't accept."
"I did. But I had to say that."
"You did?"
"You don't really understand women do you? I had to say it, it looks so expensive and you'd already given me a present! But that doesn't mean I won't accept it," she told him. Jon came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her and resting his head on her shoulder.
Alanna leaned into him and yawned. "I'm so tired."
"Have a lie down."
"That would be nice. Can you take it off me please?"
"Why? What's wrong with it?" he asked worried.
"Nothing is wrong with it. I love it it's just that it is very girlish."
"Did you see the inscription?" He handed her the necklace after taking it off.
" Dux femina facti
Fama semper vivat
Sic itur ad astra," he recited. Then both of them said together.
" A woman was leader in the deed
May her fame live forever.
Such is the way to the stars," he told her kissing her on the forehead. "It's from the east, near the Roof. A seer there said it, hundreds of years ago. I thought it fit you. The man, Malchi, goes on about someone, a woman doing a great deed. Saving a nation from a great evil. I wonder who the evil is? Doesn't it make you curious?" Jon grinned.
"Yeah, I wonder who it is," she said smiling tightly thinking of Roger. " I'm going to bed."
"On your own?" he asked kissing her on the neck.
"Yes, I'm tired. But. Jon I am tired. Well, maybe a few, quite a few minutes won't make much difference," she corrected after a few more minutes of his kissing. Jon guided her to the bed. "Door locked?" she asked.
"Mmmh, Mmmh. did it earlier."
"You planned this?" she asked pulling away from him. By now they had each other's shirts off.
"No, I…" he stammered.
"Teasing," she smiled, pulling him towards her.
"So have the two of you made up yet?" Raoul asked Alanna on her way back from the mess hall. It was very late; most people had already gone to bed. They hadn't had a chance to speak during dinner. Alanna was busy serving people, some of the other squires were sick so she had extra duties being a senior squire.
"You been waiting on me?" she asked him still walking down the corridor towards her room.
"Yeah, we feel guilty. If the two of you had real big row because of us, then, well we'd never forgive ourselves," he said looking upset, which knowing him he would be. He was walking slightly behind her.
She turned, so she could speak to him face to face and carried on walking only ht is time it was backwards. "Don't worry we're fine," she smiled. Just then she fell backwards.
She fell and skidded along the cobble stone floor. When she fell they had almost reached a small spiral stairway, which span all levels of the palace. Unfortunately they were on the 2nd floor with 4 levels below ground as well, 7 floors to the bottom of the stairs.
"Alanna!" he called moving forward, but it was too late she had already tumbled down the stairs.
She knew she had to curl in a ball to protect herself. That's all she had time to do. Alanna rolled past doorways, she lost count how many she past.
Eventually she stopped rolling. Finally she thought and then it all went black. Alanna was sprawled on the ground at the bottom of the stairs. On the lowest floor the stairs went to. She had fallen 7 floors.
AN: Do you all like? Tell me what you think in reviews or email if you want or both. I am pleased with this chapter, one my best. It doesn't quite meet the first few chapters but it's better than some my others in this fic.
For Lapceta and any others this fic is going to stay A/J because that's how it is in TP's books and I like that pairing at that time in Alanna's life and I like A/G later on.
"Jon I can't…"
"Of course you can. I want you to have it. Here let me put it on you. As soon as I saw it I thought of you. I went looking for something and saw the amethyst and I saw your pretty eyes. There, go see in the mirror." Alanna left to see herself in the mirror in another room. Jon came followed her.
"It doesn't look right. It looks like a boy wearing women's jewellery. But oh, it's so pretty!" she said in wonder fingering it. "Thank you!"
"I thought you said you couldn't accept."
"I did. But I had to say that."
"You did?"
"You don't really understand women do you? I had to say it, it looks so expensive and you'd already given me a present! But that doesn't mean I won't accept it," she told him. Jon came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her and resting his head on her shoulder.
Alanna leaned into him and yawned. "I'm so tired."
"Have a lie down."
"That would be nice. Can you take it off me please?"
"Why? What's wrong with it?" he asked worried.
"Nothing is wrong with it. I love it it's just that it is very girlish."
"Did you see the inscription?" He handed her the necklace after taking it off.
" Dux femina facti
Fama semper vivat
Sic itur ad astra," he recited. Then both of them said together.
" A woman was leader in the deed
May her fame live forever.
Such is the way to the stars," he told her kissing her on the forehead. "It's from the east, near the Roof. A seer there said it, hundreds of years ago. I thought it fit you. The man, Malchi, goes on about someone, a woman doing a great deed. Saving a nation from a great evil. I wonder who the evil is? Doesn't it make you curious?" Jon grinned.
"Yeah, I wonder who it is," she said smiling tightly thinking of Roger. " I'm going to bed."
"On your own?" he asked kissing her on the neck.
"Yes, I'm tired. But. Jon I am tired. Well, maybe a few, quite a few minutes won't make much difference," she corrected after a few more minutes of his kissing. Jon guided her to the bed. "Door locked?" she asked.
"Mmmh, Mmmh. did it earlier."
"You planned this?" she asked pulling away from him. By now they had each other's shirts off.
"No, I…" he stammered.
"Teasing," she smiled, pulling him towards her.
"So have the two of you made up yet?" Raoul asked Alanna on her way back from the mess hall. It was very late; most people had already gone to bed. They hadn't had a chance to speak during dinner. Alanna was busy serving people, some of the other squires were sick so she had extra duties being a senior squire.
"You been waiting on me?" she asked him still walking down the corridor towards her room.
"Yeah, we feel guilty. If the two of you had real big row because of us, then, well we'd never forgive ourselves," he said looking upset, which knowing him he would be. He was walking slightly behind her.
She turned, so she could speak to him face to face and carried on walking only ht is time it was backwards. "Don't worry we're fine," she smiled. Just then she fell backwards.
She fell and skidded along the cobble stone floor. When she fell they had almost reached a small spiral stairway, which span all levels of the palace. Unfortunately they were on the 2nd floor with 4 levels below ground as well, 7 floors to the bottom of the stairs.
"Alanna!" he called moving forward, but it was too late she had already tumbled down the stairs.
She knew she had to curl in a ball to protect herself. That's all she had time to do. Alanna rolled past doorways, she lost count how many she past.
Eventually she stopped rolling. Finally she thought and then it all went black. Alanna was sprawled on the ground at the bottom of the stairs. On the lowest floor the stairs went to. She had fallen 7 floors.
AN: Do you all like? Tell me what you think in reviews or email if you want or both. I am pleased with this chapter, one my best. It doesn't quite meet the first few chapters but it's better than some my others in this fic.
For Lapceta and any others this fic is going to stay A/J because that's how it is in TP's books and I like that pairing at that time in Alanna's life and I like A/G later on.