"George I'm leaving."
"What! Why? When?" Alanna and George were sitting in his rooms in front of the friendly blaze in the hearth.
Lifting her goblet of mulled wine she waited before saying "I want away from Corus. It's just so confining and I have a feeling it may send crazy. So that's why I'm leaving on the 22nd."
"Tuesday!" Placing the goblet on the table and leaning forward she grasped one of his hands in her own. Making him look her in the eye. She had climbed into his rooms just as he had shown Raoul, Gary, Jon and herself. The reason she didn't wear a dress.
She always had liked George's room. It had personality and plenty of memories: the late nights spent street fighting; the long conversations they had on anything; reading letters from Thom; being taught how to beat Ralon; no lying.
"Where're you going?"
"South, somewhere. It's cold here, no snow there. I feel like going through the desert."
"Not all the tribes are loyal to Roald."
"I know. I'm not just any knight you know?" she smiled teasingly.
"I know, I know o' Burning Brightly." Causing Alanna to laugh warmly.
"I'll be fine. Coram's coming with me."
"And that's meant to stop my nerves?"
"Yes, because I will be fine. I can take care of myself, it's just I get some help sometimes."
"Sometimes?" She aimed the daggers of her eyes at him.
"Shut-up and drink up. I have to sneak back soon."
"Sneak back? That one of the reasons you're going?"
"Yes, I hate everyone's' eyes being on me. You'll have heard the rumours?" he inclined his head. "I don't like everyone talking. Especially about MY personal life."
"But it's about Jon, the Crown Prince, then it's the countries business. The country owns him Alanna, he can't change that, and if he tries then it is civil war. He can't make choices like other people, he wants to think he can, but he can't and that makes him on his own. No one else goes through that here, he won't ever have a private life, and he will and always has been under the Court's scrutiny."
"It's hard thinking of him like that. At the moment he doesn't want to be a Prince."
"And why should he? Look what he has to put up with. Could you put up with that?" The twinkling in his eyes was now serious, speaking countless words. She looked away. He knew her answer to that question and so did she, except she wasn't ready to admit that out loud, because as soon as that happened then it was over. Jon and she would have no future. Perhaps she had always known that. It was a secret then, now people could speculate, they always will.
"I have to go, Coram's coming to stand over me and watch me eat." He laughed.
"That is because you are too thin. You'll come and see me again before you go?"
"Of course I will," she had stood up and was putting on her cloak and gloves. She grasped his hand and kissed him softly on the cheek. "Bye." He stood for several moments watching her retreating back.
"I'm going to miss you. How else are we going to be able to put up with Jon?" she laughed while being grabbed into a big bear hug.
"Thanks for that Raoul." When he finally released her.
"Come home soon."
"Look after them all, 'specially this one," she indicated Gary by a smile.
"Hey!" He leaned down and hugged her tightly whispering in her ear, "take care and don't get yourself killed.
"I won't," she pulled away. "You sound like the cat." Faithful looked up from his perch on Moonlight and meowed, "What's wrong with that?"
"Plenty of things."
Raoul!" Gary jerked his head towards their two horses. Raoul frowned and then when it dawned on him what Gary meant. "Look after her Coram!" Before following him over to the horses.
"I will that. Gods know she needs it." Alanna turned and glared at the older man. He turned away quickly looking at the gate. She turned back towards the two men who were left: George and Jon.
"I won't be gone for forever you know."
"We know," George told her smiling sadly.
"Or you'll send people looking for me?"
"Something like that. Remember the thieves' sign I taught you and use it if there's trouble." Alanna reached over and hugged him, her eyes stinging.
"I'm going to miss you old friend," she whispered.
"More reason for you to return, go think through what you need to. Go with my love." He pulled away and caught up with Gary and Raoul.
"It's just us again Lady Knight, you, me and Faithful." He added under the watchful eye of Faithful. He was sitting up on Moonlight's back waiting impatiently for them to ride off. Swiftly he grabbed her into a hug. He held her for a long time.
"I'll come back. How could I stay away?" He pulled away from her enough to kiss her fiercely. She moved over towards Moonlight her hand still lightly in his; she dropped it to mount up.
He looked into her eyes, "When you come back this will all be over."
"Will it?"
"Yes, and no one will be happier to see you than I." Then louder, "Keep her safe Coram Smythesson." He smiled at the surprised man by the City Gates.
"Here, I was thinking the best thing about riding with a knight was that she would be taking care of me!"
Alanna turned back at the gate to exchange one last look with her prince before riding out onto the Great Road South. The road was clear of the ice and snow that ran along the side of the road. She was riding out onto the adventure she had been waiting for all her life, and she wasn't alone: she had Coram, Faithful and good horse.
She looked back once more but already the men were obscured. With a sigh, she cried, "C'mon Coram." Galloping past his astonished then long- suffering face before complying with his mistress who was now quite far ahead of him. With a sigh he kicked his horse and lead the packhorse into a gallop to catch up. Alanna had stopped to let him catch up.
So that was the last chapter to this part of the series. Sorry it took so long to get up, but well time goes in so quickly and I had a small problem called writer's block. Anyway the good thing with that was that I figured out how the whole series is going to go, so instead of rumbling along with no real plan I know where I want the fics to head.
Now to answer some common questions and give out some information: this fic is the prequel to Sophia which I might change the name for, these two fics are the prequels to the main part of the series which is about Sophia from the age of 18 I think; the problem is that everyone is coming up with similar story plots; the good thing is I have about I think 6 parts from the age of 18 penned then about 12 after about 5 years; this being the last part I'll be able to focus more on Sophia then when that's finished, which will be when it reaches the end of Lioness Rampant I can concentrate on the rest of the series which still needs a name, I need to come up with the little poem where I will get that from; if I get bugged enough about it then I will get parts out quicker. I'm warning everyone now I have exams coming up which I need to start revising for.
Trust me to pick all three sciences where we've already filled a jotter with just writing. Also I'm off a lot and have had problems this term so I haven't really been taking a lot in and have been pulled out of classes a lot. I've been winging the tests because with my year the classes all sit the tests at different times so everyone knows by midway through the week what they have to know for general/credit, my case when I have the subjects I know what I need to learn for the credit where if you pass that you can drop the general marks.
"What! Why? When?" Alanna and George were sitting in his rooms in front of the friendly blaze in the hearth.
Lifting her goblet of mulled wine she waited before saying "I want away from Corus. It's just so confining and I have a feeling it may send crazy. So that's why I'm leaving on the 22nd."
"Tuesday!" Placing the goblet on the table and leaning forward she grasped one of his hands in her own. Making him look her in the eye. She had climbed into his rooms just as he had shown Raoul, Gary, Jon and herself. The reason she didn't wear a dress.
She always had liked George's room. It had personality and plenty of memories: the late nights spent street fighting; the long conversations they had on anything; reading letters from Thom; being taught how to beat Ralon; no lying.
"Where're you going?"
"South, somewhere. It's cold here, no snow there. I feel like going through the desert."
"Not all the tribes are loyal to Roald."
"I know. I'm not just any knight you know?" she smiled teasingly.
"I know, I know o' Burning Brightly." Causing Alanna to laugh warmly.
"I'll be fine. Coram's coming with me."
"And that's meant to stop my nerves?"
"Yes, because I will be fine. I can take care of myself, it's just I get some help sometimes."
"Sometimes?" She aimed the daggers of her eyes at him.
"Shut-up and drink up. I have to sneak back soon."
"Sneak back? That one of the reasons you're going?"
"Yes, I hate everyone's' eyes being on me. You'll have heard the rumours?" he inclined his head. "I don't like everyone talking. Especially about MY personal life."
"But it's about Jon, the Crown Prince, then it's the countries business. The country owns him Alanna, he can't change that, and if he tries then it is civil war. He can't make choices like other people, he wants to think he can, but he can't and that makes him on his own. No one else goes through that here, he won't ever have a private life, and he will and always has been under the Court's scrutiny."
"It's hard thinking of him like that. At the moment he doesn't want to be a Prince."
"And why should he? Look what he has to put up with. Could you put up with that?" The twinkling in his eyes was now serious, speaking countless words. She looked away. He knew her answer to that question and so did she, except she wasn't ready to admit that out loud, because as soon as that happened then it was over. Jon and she would have no future. Perhaps she had always known that. It was a secret then, now people could speculate, they always will.
"I have to go, Coram's coming to stand over me and watch me eat." He laughed.
"That is because you are too thin. You'll come and see me again before you go?"
"Of course I will," she had stood up and was putting on her cloak and gloves. She grasped his hand and kissed him softly on the cheek. "Bye." He stood for several moments watching her retreating back.
"I'm going to miss you. How else are we going to be able to put up with Jon?" she laughed while being grabbed into a big bear hug.
"Thanks for that Raoul." When he finally released her.
"Come home soon."
"Look after them all, 'specially this one," she indicated Gary by a smile.
"Hey!" He leaned down and hugged her tightly whispering in her ear, "take care and don't get yourself killed.
"I won't," she pulled away. "You sound like the cat." Faithful looked up from his perch on Moonlight and meowed, "What's wrong with that?"
"Plenty of things."
Raoul!" Gary jerked his head towards their two horses. Raoul frowned and then when it dawned on him what Gary meant. "Look after her Coram!" Before following him over to the horses.
"I will that. Gods know she needs it." Alanna turned and glared at the older man. He turned away quickly looking at the gate. She turned back towards the two men who were left: George and Jon.
"I won't be gone for forever you know."
"We know," George told her smiling sadly.
"Or you'll send people looking for me?"
"Something like that. Remember the thieves' sign I taught you and use it if there's trouble." Alanna reached over and hugged him, her eyes stinging.
"I'm going to miss you old friend," she whispered.
"More reason for you to return, go think through what you need to. Go with my love." He pulled away and caught up with Gary and Raoul.
"It's just us again Lady Knight, you, me and Faithful." He added under the watchful eye of Faithful. He was sitting up on Moonlight's back waiting impatiently for them to ride off. Swiftly he grabbed her into a hug. He held her for a long time.
"I'll come back. How could I stay away?" He pulled away from her enough to kiss her fiercely. She moved over towards Moonlight her hand still lightly in his; she dropped it to mount up.
He looked into her eyes, "When you come back this will all be over."
"Will it?"
"Yes, and no one will be happier to see you than I." Then louder, "Keep her safe Coram Smythesson." He smiled at the surprised man by the City Gates.
"Here, I was thinking the best thing about riding with a knight was that she would be taking care of me!"
Alanna turned back at the gate to exchange one last look with her prince before riding out onto the Great Road South. The road was clear of the ice and snow that ran along the side of the road. She was riding out onto the adventure she had been waiting for all her life, and she wasn't alone: she had Coram, Faithful and good horse.
She looked back once more but already the men were obscured. With a sigh, she cried, "C'mon Coram." Galloping past his astonished then long- suffering face before complying with his mistress who was now quite far ahead of him. With a sigh he kicked his horse and lead the packhorse into a gallop to catch up. Alanna had stopped to let him catch up.
So that was the last chapter to this part of the series. Sorry it took so long to get up, but well time goes in so quickly and I had a small problem called writer's block. Anyway the good thing with that was that I figured out how the whole series is going to go, so instead of rumbling along with no real plan I know where I want the fics to head.
Now to answer some common questions and give out some information: this fic is the prequel to Sophia which I might change the name for, these two fics are the prequels to the main part of the series which is about Sophia from the age of 18 I think; the problem is that everyone is coming up with similar story plots; the good thing is I have about I think 6 parts from the age of 18 penned then about 12 after about 5 years; this being the last part I'll be able to focus more on Sophia then when that's finished, which will be when it reaches the end of Lioness Rampant I can concentrate on the rest of the series which still needs a name, I need to come up with the little poem where I will get that from; if I get bugged enough about it then I will get parts out quicker. I'm warning everyone now I have exams coming up which I need to start revising for.
Trust me to pick all three sciences where we've already filled a jotter with just writing. Also I'm off a lot and have had problems this term so I haven't really been taking a lot in and have been pulled out of classes a lot. I've been winging the tests because with my year the classes all sit the tests at different times so everyone knows by midway through the week what they have to know for general/credit, my case when I have the subjects I know what I need to learn for the credit where if you pass that you can drop the general marks.