A/N: I'm making full use of my snow day to write lots and lots! For those who asked, this was originally written after Alanna: The First Adventure, before I knew Thayet existed and before I "knew" George very well. No they aren't in it. Other than that, thank you for reviewing, enjoy!

The next day there were tournaments between the Tortallian knights and the Maren knights. The Tortallians proved they were better in most areas; Alex won quite a few jousts and fencing competitions, and so did Jon. Alanna watched the archery competition were the Marens were beating the Tortallians easily.

"We can't win everything." Gary sighed, "Pity you can't compete."

"I wish." Alanna smiled wistfully, "They'd probably all laugh at my poor attempts."

"Hah! You'd create the fencing competition!" Gary laughed, "We're so hopeless we have to brag about a girl."

Alanna grinned mischievously,

"What if I did go out there?" she asked, "Would His Majesty be angry?"

"Not if you won. Besides, there aren't any rules about women not participating. You still have time to enter." Gary smiled, "go on then!"

Alanna shook her head firmly, suddenly embarrassed. Jon walked over in time to hear the end of the conversation.

"Please, Alanna?" he begged, "I'm sure you could do a better job than most of those pathetic efforts out there."

"No." Alanna felt Faithful sliding around her leg, purring,

Go on, Miss I'm-still-wild-Alanna! He meowed.

Alanna sighed,

"Well, all right then. I'm not guaranteeing you'll get anything but a laugh though."

Alanna was the last of the archers. All of Maren felt confident they would win as they watched the young girl walk out, laughing behind their hands at her.

What am I thinking? Alanna asked herself. There's no way I can win this. I must be going crazy.

Trying to calm her mind, Alanna aimed the bow, sending an arrow straight to he bulls eye. The other two followed quickly, leaving Alanna as astonished as the crowd. Slowly a few people started cheering and other dutifully clapped, but they all seemed too amazed and shocked to be happy. Alanna smiled up at a startled King Roald and left the arena.

"Well done." Alex' quiet voice interrupted her thoughts as she walked back to the palace alone. "You were very good."

"Thank you." Alanna replied, "So were you."

"I could have done better." Alex hesitated, before grabbing her hand and adding, "Alanna, I need to talk to you."

"No!" Alanna pulled away. When Alex looked dismayed, she sighed, "Alex, I'm not trying to be mean. Recently you've closed up and become your own friend. I don't feel like I know you anymore."

"I - I might as well tell you." Alex sighed, "It's my father. He's ill and dying. I'll be the Earl of Tirragen at twenty, and I don't think I can do that."

"I'm sorry." Alanna said softly, "but why don't you trust your friends? We could try and help you if you let us."

Alex nodded, "but, Alanna, why won't you let me tell you -."

Alanna turned around and walked away. She felt like she should pity him or at least feel some compassion for him, but she didn't. If anything she was angry with him for using his father's situation to try and make her guilty. And he was still hurting Amalia. That she couldn't forgive.

That evening the second midwinter feast occurred. Alanna took the long way to the hall, through the gardens, so that she could think.

"Hello." Alanna spun around to find Alex standing next to her, "how are you?"

"Fine." Alanna replied uncertainly. Alex smiled and pulled a camellia off the tree she was standing under. He held it out, obviously intending it as a present for Alanna.

"Most ladies wear flowers in their hair form their admirers. Why don't you?" Alex asked, his voice casual.

"I don't have any admirers." Alanna replied flatly, staring at the flower being forced into her hand.

"Don't you want one?" Alex asked. Before Alanna could reply, he pulled close and kissed her.

"Alanna!" Jon's startled voice broke the kiss. Alanna pulled away from Alex, staring at the angry prince. "You - you said - the other night that you'd never love anyone! You lied!"

Alanna couldn't recall saying anything along those lines, but she didn't blame Jon for thinking that was what she meant. When she saw Alex staring at her too she felt her temper rising.

"You kissed him?" Alex asked, his narrowing.

"No." Alanna replied coldly, "He kissed me. Just like you kissed me. I have no control over any of this."

"You have plenty." Jon snapped, "You're enjoying this."

"I am not!" Alanna cried angrily, "I didn't ask for you two to grow up and get all silly. And now you don't care what I want - just what you want."

"That is not true." Jon said coldly. Without warning he tore the pearl necklace from around Alanna's neck and threw it on the ground, crushing it with his heel.

"What is wrong with you?" Alanna demanded furiously, "You're being so selfish, trying to be mean." Alex chuckled from somewhere behind her, something Alanna had never heard Alex do. Alanna spun around and glared at him, "the same goes for you." She snapped. Ignoring the two young knights, Alanna ran out of the gardens, tears streaming down her face.

Gary was waiting in her room. When he saw Alanna's face he wisely said nothing and hugged her while she sobbed out the story to him.

"I hate them both." Alanna finished. Gary smiled,

"Many young women would love to be in your position." He pointed out. When Alanna glared at him, he sighed, "You stay here. I'll make some excuse if anyone asks me where you are."

Alanna smiled thankfully at her cousin as he left. Faithful leapt onto her lap.

You shouldn't be so miserable, he sniffed, though it was your favorite necklace.

Alanna ignored her cat. Ever since she had returned to the palace everything had been a mess. She almost - almost - wished that Duke Roger would do something to try and kill her again. Anything to get her mind off Jonathan and Alex.



Little did she know, Roger of Conte had her under very careful observation.

Staring into the glowing crystal, Roger ground his teeth together angrily. His well-thought out plans for Amalia and Jonathan didn't seem to be working. The touching if somewhat idiotic fight between Jonathan, Alex, and Alanna wasn't what he wanted to see.

"But she doesn't love him." Roger reminded himself, "And she's very upset. That might help me - solitary walks and such make it so easy to arrange 'accidents'." He rose and walked into his workshop. He was flipping through a book, when there was a knock on his door. Roger swore under his breath and opened it.

"Amalia!" Roger stepped around the door, smiling, "How wonderful to see you! How are you, my dear?"

"Fine." Amalia smiled nervously, "I wanted to talk to you about - about Jonathan."

"Oh?" Roger's fake smile widened, "Has he fallen for your beautiful looks?"

"No." Amalia replied, "and that - that potion you told me to give him - it's poison, isn't it? I'm not going to do it. I don't want to kill him, and I don't want you to hurt him or Alanna. I'll tell them you gave wanted me to poison Jon if you don't stop."

"You dare to threaten me?" Roger screamed, "you think I couldn't kill you right now before you did anything to me?" The floor rocked and orange smoke filled the room.

"Stop it!" Amalia screamed, "Don't - don't kill me!"

That was the last thing Amalia said before she collapsed in a heap on the floor. Roger sucked in his breath and waved a hand, making all the smoke vanish.

"I lost my control there." He muttered. Looking down on the unconscious Amalia, Roger smiled slightly, "I believe you are spending too much time with the lovely Alanna, my dear. I never though I'd have trouble telling you what to do." he waved his hands in the air, "when you wake up you won't remember a thing and you will obey my every command."



A few days later Alanna was ridding with Moonlight through the forest. She wanted to be alone to think. The past few days she had avoided Jon and Alex, and Amalia had woken up, sick, in Duke Roger's room. She couldn't remember how she got there, and Roger wouldn't let her leave until she was better, so Alanna saw very little of Amalia. She had spent sometime with Clara and Gary, but Alanna was uncomfortable around two people who, as nice as they were, were so wrapped up each other that it hurt. There was no one she could talk to anymore. She was worried about Amalia and Roger's plans for her, but she couldn't even mention this to Jon.

Just then, Moonlight snorted angrily and reared.

"What's wrong?" Alanna said quickly, pulled Moonlight back. The horse just pranced uneasily. Alanna had never seen Moonlight this scared before. She slid of her back and tried to soothe her.

A noise from the bushes behind her made Alanna spin around. A snake slithered towards her, hissing. It wouldn't surprise Alanna at all to discover that the snake was poisonous - and glowing orange. Alanna stepped away, and her foot snapped a twig. The snake reared its head and hissed, lunging for Alanna's ankle. Screaming, Alanna moved out of the way in time, cursing her stupidity at not bringing a sword. All she had was her magic, and she didn't know if that would work against Roger.

The air around the snake began to turn a pinky-orange, and slowly, the snake's face transformed into the face of Amalia.

Alanna gasped. Roger was using Amalia and her magic, so that if Alanna killed the snake, she'd kill Amalia too.

Or wait. Was he using Amalia's magic? When Alanna grabbed her ring, the snake appeared orange, not pink. Maybe he was just trying to trick Alanna.

The snake lunged again and Alanna forgot her worries about Amalia. She screamed the first magic word that came to her head, and the snake crumpled up and died. The air between the snake and Alanna was violet, and there was a violet glow surrounding the snake.

"My magic!" Alanna gasped. She hadn't known how powerful her magic was until then - powerful enough to destroy Roger's snake.

Alanna was shaking when she remounted Moonlight. She was worried about Amalia. In Roger's care, she was under his control and he might start using her for more than little tricks. And what if Alanna had hurt Amalia by killing the snake? She needed to ask Jon - no, she couldn't ask Jon. Jon was still angry with her.

Alanna cantered Moonlight in silence for a while. Then an arrow whizzed by her shoulder, landing on the tree in front. Another flew over the other shoulder. The one zipped over her head. Alanna turned around; trying to see who was hiding in the shadows, shooting arrows at her, knowing it was no use. It had begun to grow dark and the arrows glowed eerily in the evening light. There was a long silence and then another one spun out of nowhere, narrowly missing Alanna.

Alanna screamed, fear overwhelming her, and pushed Moonlight into a gallop. As she hung onto her horse, arrows flew by, scratching her or pulling on her hair. When they finally arrived at the palace, Jon and Gary stood by the stables. Alanna had never been so relieved to see them in her entire life.

"Alanna!" Jon cried, "What happened?"

Alanna knew she had to look a mess, with scratches down her bare arms from the arrows and her hair in a mess. Her purple eyes were huge as she stumbled off Moonlight, and her face deathly pale. Jon caught her as she collapsed against him.

A/N: *winces*. Talk about melodrama! You have to remember that I wrote this when I was 12. Obviously I enjoyed soap opera type stories. That love triangle part was really pathetic, I'm sorry.