A/N - Language in this chapter!
~ Chapter Seven ~ Market Place
Alanna was thrilled with the market place of Corus. It seemed so big! She clutched Jon's arm tightly, afraid she would get lost in this busy haven. Her wide purple eyes roamed, searching everywhere. She saw pretty ball dresses, gloves and necklaces, jewellery, food - it seemed just about everything was there!
She looked for the armoury stalls. There! She spotted one, and dragged Jon over. "Come on, come on," she urged him. "You never know how quick they go!" she laughed, quoting one of her priestess's sayings about court men.
They finally made it through the sea of people and into the stall. The man running the stall smiled at Jonathan. He left his customer to race over to greet Jon.
"Your Highness," he said, quite astonished, "such an honour to have you here." He bowed low.
"Thankyou," Jon replied, nodding his head.
"And what is it that you be desiring tonight, Your Highness?" the man stuttered. "Oh, it's not for me, it's for -"
Alanna kicked him.
"- a friend," he finished.
"A friend, you say? Well, what do you want to give this friend?" the owner asked.
Jon looked at Alanna. She shook her head. "Incompetent men," she muttered. To the owner, she said - "I think he'd like a sword, my - brother would."
The man nodded. "Now is he tall or short? Medium or light build?" he asked Jon.
"Uh - he's short, like Lady Alanna here, and quite a - light build," he winced as Alanna kicked him under her skirts again.
"Very well," the owner said, going off into the back of his store. "We have some new arrivals that have come in from wrecks that were believed to belong to the Old Ones, young Master Thom is into that sort of stuff, isn't he?"
"How did you know it was Thom we were buying for?" Alanna asked quizzically.
The man poked his head out from the back store. "Well there aren't too many purple-eyed red-heads 'round her, Mistress," he answered.
Alanna raised her eyebrows. "Typical," she muttered. "So how did you get swords from ruins that used to belong to the Old Ones?"
"Sent some of my own children, grown now, to bargain around. They like the travelling."
He brought out a large, finely structured wooden box. He opened it, and revealed the most enchanting sword Alanna had ever encountered. It had a large crystal in the centre of the golden hilt. It looked light and stable.
Alanna wonderingly outstretched her hand and picked up the magnificent sword. Suddenly it started to rain. Pour, actually. At night, especially outside, it was frightening. There were screams from outside as lightning and thunder began. "Come on," Jon said. He threw the money for the sword at the man. "We'll take it," he said.
He whisked Alanna outside, covering her with his royal jacket. "Let's get undercover."
The two ran until they reached the palace gates. There they saw Alex, Faith, Gary and Cythera there entering through the gates. They joined them and hurriedly entered the Palace. Alanna placed the sword on the ground. The thunder and lightning stopped; and the rain slowly ceased.
"Great Mithros," Gary exclaimed. "What bought that on?"
Alanna looked at Jon. Jon looked at Alanna. "Well. when I picked up the sword -" she pointed to the sword now on the floor, "the lighting and thunder and rain began." Gary whistled. "Wow," he said. "It looks magical."
"Magical," Alanna snorted. "Yeah, right."
The door burst open to reveal Thom, Jacqueline, Daniella and Raoul. They were all sopping wet and dirty. The end of Daniella's beautiful blue silk dress was thick with mud.
Alanna laughed at the disgusting look on Daniella's petite face. "Not liking the mud, Daniella?"
"Oh, shut up Alanna," Daniella snapped.
She turned to her chaperone. "I had a lovely time. I'd - we'd -" she corrected, looking at Alanna, "had best get cleaned up. She curtsied to the rest of the group, who dispersed as well. Soon it was only Jon and Alanna left. Jon pulled her behind a large plant and kissed her, wiping her wet hair back.
"Goodnight, my dear Alanna," he said.
"Goodnight, my dear Prince," she replied.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The next day Alanna got up early and dressed in her new pair of breeches and a male shirt (one of Thom's she'd nicked) and silently locked the door connecting her bedroom with Daniella's.
Shoving her bed, table, and dressing screen out of the way, she cleared a big area for her to practice.
She picked up her new blade, and stared at it for long moments.
"Lightning," she finally decided. "I'll call you Lightning."
Swinging Lightning round, she got into her routine that she did whenever she wanted a thorough work out.
After about an hour, there came a loud knock on the door. Alanna opened it slightly to see who it was. She didn't want any old stranger to see her in her sweat-soaked clothing with a sword in hand!
Alanna smiled to herself. It was Jon. She opened the door fully and stepped aside to let him in.
He walked in and looked at her strangely. "Why are you so sweaty?" he asked. "I was exercising," she said.
"B - but, you have that sword -" he pointed to Lightning -"I thought you said that stuff that that Delia Lady said about you wasn't true."
Alanna frowned. Then she suddenly remembered - in the library. Delia had told the Queen lies. "What exactly did Delia tell your mother?" Alanna asked, thinking. "That - that you misbehaved at the Convent, and that you took lessons in fencing, and that you were rude to the Priestesses."
Alanna went terribly red.
Jon looked at her suspiciously. "You said it wasn't true." he murmured. "You lied!" he accused.
"No, no!" Alanna cried. "No, it's just - well, some of it's a bit true," she admitted. Jon frowned. "Which bits?" he asked.
"Well," Alanna began, going quite red again, "I suppose I was a bit naughty at the Convent," she confessed. "And - well, it's not my fault!" she suddenly cried. "They were such bitches to me!"
"That gives you no excuse to lie to me!" he snapped in a loud voice.
"Keep your voice down," she retorted. "D'you want the whole palace to hear? Besides, you didn't even tell me what Delia told your mother anyway!"
"Oh," Jon said sarcastically. "No it's my fault? No Alanna, that's not fair!"
"Oh shut up, Jon. You think so highly of yourself because you're a Prince. Well guess what, Jon, I don't give a damn."
By this time Jon was fuming, and Alanna was beet red. "Fine," he snapped. "You claim you can fight like a man - you certainly act like it, Miss Stubborn. So prove it," his voice was icy. "A duel. In and hour's time. Be there."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Fifty minutes from their fight, Jon and Alanna met in a deserted indoor practise court. Alanna stretch carefully, making sure she was agile. She finally picked up her new blade and moved to the centre of the court.
"Are you ready?" Jon asked.
Alanna nodded. She tied her hair back with a leather tie, and gripped Lightning tight. She wanted a challenge - and this was it!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sorry it's a short chapter, but I wanted to make you wait for the battle of Jon and Alanna!! You're going to be hanging out for this chapter. now I just have to write it!
~*~kaz~*~
~ Chapter Seven ~ Market Place
Alanna was thrilled with the market place of Corus. It seemed so big! She clutched Jon's arm tightly, afraid she would get lost in this busy haven. Her wide purple eyes roamed, searching everywhere. She saw pretty ball dresses, gloves and necklaces, jewellery, food - it seemed just about everything was there!
She looked for the armoury stalls. There! She spotted one, and dragged Jon over. "Come on, come on," she urged him. "You never know how quick they go!" she laughed, quoting one of her priestess's sayings about court men.
They finally made it through the sea of people and into the stall. The man running the stall smiled at Jonathan. He left his customer to race over to greet Jon.
"Your Highness," he said, quite astonished, "such an honour to have you here." He bowed low.
"Thankyou," Jon replied, nodding his head.
"And what is it that you be desiring tonight, Your Highness?" the man stuttered. "Oh, it's not for me, it's for -"
Alanna kicked him.
"- a friend," he finished.
"A friend, you say? Well, what do you want to give this friend?" the owner asked.
Jon looked at Alanna. She shook her head. "Incompetent men," she muttered. To the owner, she said - "I think he'd like a sword, my - brother would."
The man nodded. "Now is he tall or short? Medium or light build?" he asked Jon.
"Uh - he's short, like Lady Alanna here, and quite a - light build," he winced as Alanna kicked him under her skirts again.
"Very well," the owner said, going off into the back of his store. "We have some new arrivals that have come in from wrecks that were believed to belong to the Old Ones, young Master Thom is into that sort of stuff, isn't he?"
"How did you know it was Thom we were buying for?" Alanna asked quizzically.
The man poked his head out from the back store. "Well there aren't too many purple-eyed red-heads 'round her, Mistress," he answered.
Alanna raised her eyebrows. "Typical," she muttered. "So how did you get swords from ruins that used to belong to the Old Ones?"
"Sent some of my own children, grown now, to bargain around. They like the travelling."
He brought out a large, finely structured wooden box. He opened it, and revealed the most enchanting sword Alanna had ever encountered. It had a large crystal in the centre of the golden hilt. It looked light and stable.
Alanna wonderingly outstretched her hand and picked up the magnificent sword. Suddenly it started to rain. Pour, actually. At night, especially outside, it was frightening. There were screams from outside as lightning and thunder began. "Come on," Jon said. He threw the money for the sword at the man. "We'll take it," he said.
He whisked Alanna outside, covering her with his royal jacket. "Let's get undercover."
The two ran until they reached the palace gates. There they saw Alex, Faith, Gary and Cythera there entering through the gates. They joined them and hurriedly entered the Palace. Alanna placed the sword on the ground. The thunder and lightning stopped; and the rain slowly ceased.
"Great Mithros," Gary exclaimed. "What bought that on?"
Alanna looked at Jon. Jon looked at Alanna. "Well. when I picked up the sword -" she pointed to the sword now on the floor, "the lighting and thunder and rain began." Gary whistled. "Wow," he said. "It looks magical."
"Magical," Alanna snorted. "Yeah, right."
The door burst open to reveal Thom, Jacqueline, Daniella and Raoul. They were all sopping wet and dirty. The end of Daniella's beautiful blue silk dress was thick with mud.
Alanna laughed at the disgusting look on Daniella's petite face. "Not liking the mud, Daniella?"
"Oh, shut up Alanna," Daniella snapped.
She turned to her chaperone. "I had a lovely time. I'd - we'd -" she corrected, looking at Alanna, "had best get cleaned up. She curtsied to the rest of the group, who dispersed as well. Soon it was only Jon and Alanna left. Jon pulled her behind a large plant and kissed her, wiping her wet hair back.
"Goodnight, my dear Alanna," he said.
"Goodnight, my dear Prince," she replied.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The next day Alanna got up early and dressed in her new pair of breeches and a male shirt (one of Thom's she'd nicked) and silently locked the door connecting her bedroom with Daniella's.
Shoving her bed, table, and dressing screen out of the way, she cleared a big area for her to practice.
She picked up her new blade, and stared at it for long moments.
"Lightning," she finally decided. "I'll call you Lightning."
Swinging Lightning round, she got into her routine that she did whenever she wanted a thorough work out.
After about an hour, there came a loud knock on the door. Alanna opened it slightly to see who it was. She didn't want any old stranger to see her in her sweat-soaked clothing with a sword in hand!
Alanna smiled to herself. It was Jon. She opened the door fully and stepped aside to let him in.
He walked in and looked at her strangely. "Why are you so sweaty?" he asked. "I was exercising," she said.
"B - but, you have that sword -" he pointed to Lightning -"I thought you said that stuff that that Delia Lady said about you wasn't true."
Alanna frowned. Then she suddenly remembered - in the library. Delia had told the Queen lies. "What exactly did Delia tell your mother?" Alanna asked, thinking. "That - that you misbehaved at the Convent, and that you took lessons in fencing, and that you were rude to the Priestesses."
Alanna went terribly red.
Jon looked at her suspiciously. "You said it wasn't true." he murmured. "You lied!" he accused.
"No, no!" Alanna cried. "No, it's just - well, some of it's a bit true," she admitted. Jon frowned. "Which bits?" he asked.
"Well," Alanna began, going quite red again, "I suppose I was a bit naughty at the Convent," she confessed. "And - well, it's not my fault!" she suddenly cried. "They were such bitches to me!"
"That gives you no excuse to lie to me!" he snapped in a loud voice.
"Keep your voice down," she retorted. "D'you want the whole palace to hear? Besides, you didn't even tell me what Delia told your mother anyway!"
"Oh," Jon said sarcastically. "No it's my fault? No Alanna, that's not fair!"
"Oh shut up, Jon. You think so highly of yourself because you're a Prince. Well guess what, Jon, I don't give a damn."
By this time Jon was fuming, and Alanna was beet red. "Fine," he snapped. "You claim you can fight like a man - you certainly act like it, Miss Stubborn. So prove it," his voice was icy. "A duel. In and hour's time. Be there."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Fifty minutes from their fight, Jon and Alanna met in a deserted indoor practise court. Alanna stretch carefully, making sure she was agile. She finally picked up her new blade and moved to the centre of the court.
"Are you ready?" Jon asked.
Alanna nodded. She tied her hair back with a leather tie, and gripped Lightning tight. She wanted a challenge - and this was it!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sorry it's a short chapter, but I wanted to make you wait for the battle of Jon and Alanna!! You're going to be hanging out for this chapter. now I just have to write it!
~*~kaz~*~