Author's Note: The second chapter is up. Hurray! A word of warning: don't expect updates this quickly too often, because I can't guarantee that they will be very regular. I can say that I'll probably update mostly on weekends, at least until school is out. Which, for me, is not for an entire TWO WEEKS! Isn't that completely unfair? We don't get out until the 14! Evil school. Evilness. Anyway, I'm sorry this chapter is so short. This was just the best place to stop. A note to my few reviewers: THANK YOU! YOU ARE THE BEST! Thank you to Neona, opal-dragon, and Rebecca. A special thanks to Neona for giving me that tip. I hope it works this time. To those who haven't yet reviewed, please, do so! Any comments, questions, suggestions/constructive criticism, random remarks, or even flames, would be pored over and committed to memory. I live on reviews. Please, please, review!
Chapter 2: A Plan
When she was let out of her room, Alanna was amazingly good. She was assiduous in applying herself to her lessons. She actually tried to learn how to curtsy, she wasn't rude or impertinent, she didn't make cutting comments about the other girls. The First Sister observed Alanna's progress and decided that a hard lesson had stuck at last: the Trebond girl was finally behaving herself. All of the other sisters breathed a sigh of relief.
What the sisters didn't know was that Alanna was secretly making plans for her escape. She plotted the best route to get to Corus, she secretly stocked up food and supplies, she thought over which horse she would take with her. She eventually decided to bring one of the convent's best horses...a spirited mare Alanna called Silvermoon. She was a pretty dapple gray, with dark stockings, mane, and tail.
Alanna had planned to leave three weeks from the time of her release. Now the date was only a few short days away. Her hiding place in the hayloft of the convent stables was rapidly filling with packs. Provisions, cooking gear, a couple of changes of clothes, a bedroll, canteen, and an extra quiver of arrows filled her saddlebags.
After much thought, Alanna had decided to travel relatively light, weapon-wise. It wouldn't do to be armed to the teeth, and she only knew how to use a limited number of weapons. She certainly couldn't brandish a sword or an axe: she would just hope she wouldn't have to defend herself in heavy combat. All she was bringing was a few daggers and her bow. That was going to have to be enough.