A few weeks later, Alanna arrived at the stables for a ride. Stefan greeted her.

p"'Ello, m'lady. What brings you 'ere?" he asked.

p"To ride Sugar of course." Alanna retorted. Stefan looked surprised.

p" 'Is Grace had 'im taken away yesterday. Didn't you know?"

p"No." Alanna replied coldly. She turned away and walked slowly back to the palace. Now she didn't have a horse!

pSuddenly a servant came running towards her.

p"Lady Alanna? His Grace would like to see you." The servant announced, "He's in the horse paddock behind the stables."

pWhen Alanna arrived, her uncle was watching a beautiful white mare gallop around. Obviously Duke Gareth had gotten himself a new horse gotten rid of her one.

p"Hello, Alanna." The Duke smiled at his niece.

p"Hello, Your Grace." She mumbled.

p"Do you like her?" Duke Gareth asked, motioning to the horse.

p"Oh, uh, yes, Your Grace." Alanna looked so startled, that Duke Gareth couldn't help laughing.

p"She's yours." He said kindly.

p"Mine!" Alanna gasped, "Oh, thank you!"

p"She's a present from Their Majesties as a thank you." The Duke explained. Alanna barely heard him, she was so delighted with her new horse. She was leading her back to the stables, when she met Jonathan, Gary and Alex.

p"Who's this?" Jonathan asked, inspecting the horse.

p"Moonlight." Alanna said instantly. Where had that come from, she wondered.

p"I've never seen a horse with such blue eyes." Gary said. Suddenly, a voice from behind them sneered,

p"Got yourself a proper horse, finally?"

p"Shut up, Ralon." Alanna snapped, turning around angrily.

p"you're not so much when you don't have them behind you." Ralon mocked, pointing to the three boys. "You've bewitched them all, witch."

pAlanna kicked Ralon's leg hard, causing him to stumble, and she smashed her hand in to his eye as he fell.

p"And you're not much when you're lying on the floor." Alanna retorted.

p"shut up, witch!" Ralon screamed. Gary threw himself at Ralon. Jonathan pulled Alanna outside the stables.

p"ignore him." He told her, "don't listen to a thing he says."

p"I'll ignore him when he stops speaking to me." Alanna retorted angrily. She wasn't going to let Ralon push her around!



pthe months flew by until it was Jonathan's eighteenth birthday. He had commanded that Alanna attend the party that evening. Lady Portia had spent hours before the feast fussing with Alanna, until Alanna was ready to scream. When she looked at herself in the mirror, she grudgingly admitted that Lady Portia had done a good job; it was shocking how different Alanna looked now form the dirty, wild girl who normally roamed the palace.

pIf anyone else at the party besides Jon and Gary noticed the change, they said nothing and dismissed her as 'Marcella's daughter'. Alanna was all by herself in a corner when Gary found her.

p"come on, Alanna. Lady Rosabel is dying to meet the person who saved Jon's life." He announced.

p"Lady Rosabel?" Alanna asked, getting up.

p"the newest arrival from the convent." Gary smiled and Alanna had to laugh at her love struck cousin. She followed him to where Jonathan stood at the center of a cluster of knights, surrounding someone seated in a chair.

p"she ignores most of us squires." Gary whispered, "but she likes Jon."

psomeone moved aside to let Alanna through, and she saw Rosabel of Clytery for the first time. Her blonde hair cascaded down her back and she fluttered long lashes over deep blue eyes at Jonathan. Rosabel was beautiful - and she knew it.

p"Lady Rosabel, may I introduce Lady Alanna of Naxen to you." Jonathan said politely, forgetting to let Alanna sit down as he stared at Rosabel.

p"Hello." Rosabel laughed, "So you are the little miraculous person who saved Prince Jonathan's life?" The way she said it made Alanna feel insulted.

p"yes." She replied politely.

p"how nice." Rosabel fanned herself, "and you are the Duke of Naxen's niece, I believe?" Alanna nodded and Rosabel continued pleasantly, "Lady Marcella's daughter, I presume?"

p"yes." Alanna smiled, but she visibly stiffened. All that this flirt wanted was attention and insulting every unmarried woman in the room wouldn't hurt her.

p"Shouldn't you be in a convent, child?" Rosabel's voice made Alanna feel at least ten.

p"obviously not, as I'm here instead. You'll have to excuse me." With a fake smile and a nod at Jonathan, Alanna walked oblivious to all the knights' stares. Gary was waiting for her.

p"Beautiful flirt!" Alanna gasped, "If her and Ralon got together they could have a 'let's be mean to Alanna session'. I'm leaving."

p"You're just jealous." Gary shrugged and walked off, leaving Alanna speechless.



pOver the next few weeks, Rosabel rarely was seen not hanging on to some noble's arm. Almost every knight and squire, including Jon, Gary and Alex, was enchanted with her. Rosabel seemed to enjoy flirting with them all and ruing their friendships. For a while Jon, Gary and Alex were barley speaking to each other, except to argue. Which ever one Alanna talked to, one of the others yelled at her. When she tried to convince Jonathan that Rosabel was just a useless flirt, she was told that she was jealous, or that she was just a child. Sometimes Alanna felt like screaming with annoyance.

p"She doesn't care about Jonathan!" Alanna complained to Myles, "why don't men realize these things?"

p"Jonathan just sees someone beautiful who likes him. He'll get over it soon." Myles replied. Somehow that didn't make Alanna feel any better.

p"He won't even talk to me." She protested, "He acts like I'm a stupid and annoying child. He never though that before."

p"You are four years younger than Jonathan. To him you are a child." Myles explained, "and telling him what to do isn't going to make him like you any better."

pAlanna sighed. Myles was right. She just Rosabel would lose her charm soon.



pAs it got nearer to the Midwinter Festival, Alanna could tell hoe nervous her friends were. All three of them were taking the Ordeal of Knighthood soon, the ceremony that would make them knights or kill them. In their anxiety, Rosabel was forgotten and they were friends again.

pon the first day of Midwinter, Jonathan took his ordeal. The day after he came out of the chamber tired, with deep gashes down his arms. Alanna healed him and helped him to sleep using her Gift. The following day, Gary came out, hurt and tired too. Then Alanna went to see Alex who was waiting his turn for the Ordeal.

p"I'm not going to pass - I'll die in there. And I feel like such a coward, not wanting to go in." Alex poured out his worried to Alanna.

p"cowards don't make it this far - you're one of the best squires here! And you've never done anything wrong. Of course you'll pass." Alanna tried to comfort Alex.

p"yes, I have." Alex argued, "I've been mean to you - that isn't chivalrous." A knock on the door told him it was time to go.

p"good luck." Alanna whispered, "You'll be fine."

pAlanna went downstairs, and was crossing the entrance hall, when a young man standing there stopped her.

p"Good day." The man bowed, "I was under the impression that I had arrived at the palace."

p"It is the palace, Sir." Alanna replied, puzzled by the man's words.

p"Sir Darin of Trelso." The man bowed again, "and you, I presume, are the newest court beauty."

p"I'm Lady Alanna of Naxen," Alanna blushed, "the Duke of Naxen's niece."

p"ah, I have heard of you, Lady Alanna, and of your beauty." Sir Darin smiled, "perhaps you could be so kind as to direct me to Duke Gareth's room? I haven't been here in quite a few years."

pAlanna took him to her uncle's rooms and left him paying her flowery and ridiculous compliments that she didn't need or want in the hallway. As she turned to leave, Duke Gareth's voice from his office called her inside. When she entered, she was surprised to see Duke Roger seated there too. Both men were looking into a crystal globe.

p"we've been watching the ordeals, Alanna." Duke Gareth began, "Roger would like to share something with you.

p"I was rather surprised to see you in both Gary and Jon's ordeals." Roger said slowly.

p"me, Your Grace?" Alanna asked, her surprise getting the best of her.

p"yes." Duke Roger smiled, but the smile didn't look friendly to Alanna. "In both occasions there was a picture of you lying dead, blood streaming out of you." Alanna felt her blood turn cold at the Duke of Conte's smooth, malicious voice and piercing eyes. He continued mercilessly, "When both young men realized you were dying, they tried to attack the thing killing you. The Ordeal is about making would be knights face their fears. I can't think how your death would be one of their main fears, can you?"

p"I can't either, Your Grace." Alanna murmured, "but isn't the Ordeal about the future as well as fears? Obviously I ought to be careful."

pAlanna watched Duke Roger's face cloud over with anger.

p"very true." He said finally, getting control of his self, "well, I think that's all, Lady Alanna."

p"Good bye, Your Grace, Uncle." Alanna curtseyed and left the room. Ads much as she enjoyed angering Duke Roger, she was scared by the awful picture he had painted of her possible fate. She felt that the Duke was trying to tell her something behind that smile. But was it a warning - or a threat?



A/N: Lady Rosabel is not supposed to be Delia she just acts like her. Delia was evil and Rosabel is just stuck up. An evil lady working with Roger comes later.