Disclaimer : I do not own Tortall, Corus, or Jonathan. I do not own Alanna, Gary or Thayet. I actually probably don't own anything that you recognize, because it all belongs to Tamora Pierce!
A/N : I know that my title's sort of redundant, so if you can think of a new one, please let me know! (And I need a beta reader if anyone is interested)
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As soon as Jonathan took his place, standing at the head of the congregation, all lords and ladies present were silenced immediately. It took no longer than the time it took for a few of the ladies to send a whisper through the crowd. "If you'll please excuse me, ladies and gentlemen," Jonathan began needlessly. "I have an announcement to make. Starting next week, our Champion and Lord Gareth the Younger will be journeying with me to 10 towns and their surrounding villages, outside of Corus. We will be starting a quadrennial tour to showcase some of the best knights in the realm.
As some of you may know, in the past few years, the number of eligible pages who actually come to the palace is far lower than it should be. Therefore, in a few years, the number of fully trained knights of the realm will be scant. With this tour we're hoping to increase morale for those young boy who have the choice of becoming a page." Noticing Alanna's glare, he soon amended, "Or any girl who would like to become a knight." This announcement sent a stir through the crowd. The king, the Champion, and the Duke of Naxen, all in one place at once would be a spectacle that would draw attention, and likely boost the enrollment. Unfortunately, some thought that it would draw too much attention.
"And what of the rest of the realm while you three are cavorting around Tortall? What if there's a problem back here, in the capital?" called an anonymous speaker.
Jonathan smiled indulgently. "I believe that my wife should be able to take care of any problems happening in Corus. She has been a large part of our governing body since she was married to me, and I don't see that ceasing in the near future." With that, Jon politely stepped down, and started back towards his friends.
Alanna looked to Gary in disbelief. "So he's planned out our next half of a year for us?!? We'll definitely be staying in each place for at least two weeks, maybe 3, and we have to plan for bad weather. That's anywhere between four and seven months he could have us traipsing around the realm." Gary opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it. He knew about Alanna when she was in a foul mood. He didn't want to be the one on which she would unleash her wrathful tongue.
Soon Jonathan had shrugged off his followers and had reached Alanna and Gary. Before Alanna could open her mouth, he help up a hand, silencing her for the time being. "Alanna, firstly, I want to apologize." Alanna's mouth dropped open, but he continued. "I know that I should have shared my plan with you earlier, but, well, I think that I sort of forgot, and then remembered a bit too late. I tried to find you before this, but I didn't know where to find you, neither of you were in your rooms. Secondly, I'm hoping that both of you take this assignment because you will, not because I order you to. Both of you are wonderful knights of the realm, and the number of knights who pass the ordeal is decreasing, so we need greater enrollment. Seeing you and Gary will help the boys - and girls realize that they want to give their service to the crown. What do you say?"
Alanna was silent, but Gary spoke up. "Jon, I know that you could order us to do this job and we'd have no choice but to accept, but could you give us the night to think it over?"
Jonathan sighed. Alanna couldn't tell if it was a sigh of exasperation or of assent. "All right, please think it over tonight, and visit me tomorrow at midday so that we may discuss our plans."
Alanna agreed and the three decided to meet at noon the next day in the Dancing Dove. Alanna smiled, remembering when she'd told George she was a girl, when she and George had spent days together talking, and when George had taught her how to wrestle. Now, she was married to him, and they could spend as much time doing that as they wanted to, although little time nowadays was spared for joking.
The atmosphere of Pirate's Swoop was becoming a bit more subdued, which was to be expected, but it still surprised Alanna. Could this serious man have once been the King of Thieves? Now and then, the old George would shine through, often as he was playing with the children, but in the times between, Alanna missed the George she had first met and loved.
She sighed, and headed back to her rooms. Balls always tired her. Just having to stand straight, prim, and proper for hours got to her. Stifling a yawn, she undressed, making sure to hang up the dress and undergarments as she did so, she didn't want to become lazy as so many nobles had, with servants to wait on them hand and foot. In a nightshirt, Alanna finally crawled into bed, loving the feeling of the cool sheets against her legs.
The next thing she new, there was light streaming through the window adjacent to her bed. Judging from the position, it seemed to be around nine o'clock. She hurriedly bathed and dressed in a light maroon tunic and amber breeches. Just because she was in the palace didn't mean that she had to give up her comfort.
She padded down the halls towards Gary's quarters, she wanted to discuss their new assignment. She knocked, and when no one answered, she tried the door. She found Gary, asleep on his bed, the covers twisted around his large form. She tried knocking loudly on the door frame, but to no avail. His soft, but steady snoring still drifted towards Alanna. She groaned and stomped into his room, stopping at the edge of his bed. She considered shaking him, but that would be too easy. Alanna had a better idea, taken from her days as a page. She stooped down, brushing her hair back from her face, as to keep it from touching him, and when she was close enough, blew wetly into his ear.
He sat up with a start, cursing and clawing at his ear. Alanna couldn't suppress her giggles. "What in Mithros' name are you doing here, Alanna?"
She blushed. "Well, I wanted to discuss our new 'job' with you, but you weren't awake. Since there are only two more hours before we have to meet Jonathan, I thought that you would have been ready. Your door was open, so I decided to wake you... Sleep well?"
Gary fixed her with a glare that could have curdled milk. "I was, thank you very much, until a certain Lady Knight came in and decided to disturb my slumber. I can't think of one who would do that, can you?"
Alanna grinned sheepishly. "It could have been me your Grace." She then turned and headed for the door.
"Where are you going?" Gary called.
"To wait outside," Alanna replied. "You need to bathe, and I don't think you want to wear that to see our king." she motioned to his nightshirt.
"Okay, you have a point. I'll call when I'm finished." As Alanna walked out, she could have sworn she heard him say, "Next time the door will be locked." She rolled her eyes and wandered the corridor for about fifteen minutes until Gary's door opened. He stood in the door frame illuminated from behind, his chestnut hair still dripping wet. "Are you coming?" was the impatient question. She stepped inside and sat down in a plush chair across from Gary.
"What do you think?" Gary asked.
"I don't know what to think. The pay will be good, but I'm not worried about money." Alanna and Gary had found letters detailing their assignment the night before in their rooms. "I think it's for a good cause, Tortall does need knights, but the time is hovering around five months! And," she continued, "he didn't ask us ahead of time. He's getting cocky with his power, it seems."
"No he's not, Alanna. He is just starting to realize that with his position he has little time left for himself. With the little time he has, should he come debate with you?"
"Well," Alanna amended, "he is very busy, I just wish he hadn't sprung this upon this like he did."
"I know, Alanna, me too, but now we're signed up for this, let's try to make the best of it, okay?"
Alanna rolled her eyes; Gary was such a pacifist, although in situations like this, she was grateful. "All right, let's head out to meet our King now, he should be meeting us in the Dancing Dove in half an hour, let's get moving!"
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I'm still surprised that I posted 2 chapters in 2 days. Oi. Kind of sad, but I wanted to thank all reviewers so far :
Eclipse : Verrrry funny, good thing you're my twin! hehe.
Keita : I fixed the summary, better now? hehe. And you'll have to wait and see what I do with/to Alanna or George...
Jilla Kala : Thanks! I hope you like it,,,,I know about where I'm going with this story, but there's always room for plot twists and turns.
A/N : I know that my title's sort of redundant, so if you can think of a new one, please let me know! (And I need a beta reader if anyone is interested)
-------
As soon as Jonathan took his place, standing at the head of the congregation, all lords and ladies present were silenced immediately. It took no longer than the time it took for a few of the ladies to send a whisper through the crowd. "If you'll please excuse me, ladies and gentlemen," Jonathan began needlessly. "I have an announcement to make. Starting next week, our Champion and Lord Gareth the Younger will be journeying with me to 10 towns and their surrounding villages, outside of Corus. We will be starting a quadrennial tour to showcase some of the best knights in the realm.
As some of you may know, in the past few years, the number of eligible pages who actually come to the palace is far lower than it should be. Therefore, in a few years, the number of fully trained knights of the realm will be scant. With this tour we're hoping to increase morale for those young boy who have the choice of becoming a page." Noticing Alanna's glare, he soon amended, "Or any girl who would like to become a knight." This announcement sent a stir through the crowd. The king, the Champion, and the Duke of Naxen, all in one place at once would be a spectacle that would draw attention, and likely boost the enrollment. Unfortunately, some thought that it would draw too much attention.
"And what of the rest of the realm while you three are cavorting around Tortall? What if there's a problem back here, in the capital?" called an anonymous speaker.
Jonathan smiled indulgently. "I believe that my wife should be able to take care of any problems happening in Corus. She has been a large part of our governing body since she was married to me, and I don't see that ceasing in the near future." With that, Jon politely stepped down, and started back towards his friends.
Alanna looked to Gary in disbelief. "So he's planned out our next half of a year for us?!? We'll definitely be staying in each place for at least two weeks, maybe 3, and we have to plan for bad weather. That's anywhere between four and seven months he could have us traipsing around the realm." Gary opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it. He knew about Alanna when she was in a foul mood. He didn't want to be the one on which she would unleash her wrathful tongue.
Soon Jonathan had shrugged off his followers and had reached Alanna and Gary. Before Alanna could open her mouth, he help up a hand, silencing her for the time being. "Alanna, firstly, I want to apologize." Alanna's mouth dropped open, but he continued. "I know that I should have shared my plan with you earlier, but, well, I think that I sort of forgot, and then remembered a bit too late. I tried to find you before this, but I didn't know where to find you, neither of you were in your rooms. Secondly, I'm hoping that both of you take this assignment because you will, not because I order you to. Both of you are wonderful knights of the realm, and the number of knights who pass the ordeal is decreasing, so we need greater enrollment. Seeing you and Gary will help the boys - and girls realize that they want to give their service to the crown. What do you say?"
Alanna was silent, but Gary spoke up. "Jon, I know that you could order us to do this job and we'd have no choice but to accept, but could you give us the night to think it over?"
Jonathan sighed. Alanna couldn't tell if it was a sigh of exasperation or of assent. "All right, please think it over tonight, and visit me tomorrow at midday so that we may discuss our plans."
Alanna agreed and the three decided to meet at noon the next day in the Dancing Dove. Alanna smiled, remembering when she'd told George she was a girl, when she and George had spent days together talking, and when George had taught her how to wrestle. Now, she was married to him, and they could spend as much time doing that as they wanted to, although little time nowadays was spared for joking.
The atmosphere of Pirate's Swoop was becoming a bit more subdued, which was to be expected, but it still surprised Alanna. Could this serious man have once been the King of Thieves? Now and then, the old George would shine through, often as he was playing with the children, but in the times between, Alanna missed the George she had first met and loved.
She sighed, and headed back to her rooms. Balls always tired her. Just having to stand straight, prim, and proper for hours got to her. Stifling a yawn, she undressed, making sure to hang up the dress and undergarments as she did so, she didn't want to become lazy as so many nobles had, with servants to wait on them hand and foot. In a nightshirt, Alanna finally crawled into bed, loving the feeling of the cool sheets against her legs.
The next thing she new, there was light streaming through the window adjacent to her bed. Judging from the position, it seemed to be around nine o'clock. She hurriedly bathed and dressed in a light maroon tunic and amber breeches. Just because she was in the palace didn't mean that she had to give up her comfort.
She padded down the halls towards Gary's quarters, she wanted to discuss their new assignment. She knocked, and when no one answered, she tried the door. She found Gary, asleep on his bed, the covers twisted around his large form. She tried knocking loudly on the door frame, but to no avail. His soft, but steady snoring still drifted towards Alanna. She groaned and stomped into his room, stopping at the edge of his bed. She considered shaking him, but that would be too easy. Alanna had a better idea, taken from her days as a page. She stooped down, brushing her hair back from her face, as to keep it from touching him, and when she was close enough, blew wetly into his ear.
He sat up with a start, cursing and clawing at his ear. Alanna couldn't suppress her giggles. "What in Mithros' name are you doing here, Alanna?"
She blushed. "Well, I wanted to discuss our new 'job' with you, but you weren't awake. Since there are only two more hours before we have to meet Jonathan, I thought that you would have been ready. Your door was open, so I decided to wake you... Sleep well?"
Gary fixed her with a glare that could have curdled milk. "I was, thank you very much, until a certain Lady Knight came in and decided to disturb my slumber. I can't think of one who would do that, can you?"
Alanna grinned sheepishly. "It could have been me your Grace." She then turned and headed for the door.
"Where are you going?" Gary called.
"To wait outside," Alanna replied. "You need to bathe, and I don't think you want to wear that to see our king." she motioned to his nightshirt.
"Okay, you have a point. I'll call when I'm finished." As Alanna walked out, she could have sworn she heard him say, "Next time the door will be locked." She rolled her eyes and wandered the corridor for about fifteen minutes until Gary's door opened. He stood in the door frame illuminated from behind, his chestnut hair still dripping wet. "Are you coming?" was the impatient question. She stepped inside and sat down in a plush chair across from Gary.
"What do you think?" Gary asked.
"I don't know what to think. The pay will be good, but I'm not worried about money." Alanna and Gary had found letters detailing their assignment the night before in their rooms. "I think it's for a good cause, Tortall does need knights, but the time is hovering around five months! And," she continued, "he didn't ask us ahead of time. He's getting cocky with his power, it seems."
"No he's not, Alanna. He is just starting to realize that with his position he has little time left for himself. With the little time he has, should he come debate with you?"
"Well," Alanna amended, "he is very busy, I just wish he hadn't sprung this upon this like he did."
"I know, Alanna, me too, but now we're signed up for this, let's try to make the best of it, okay?"
Alanna rolled her eyes; Gary was such a pacifist, although in situations like this, she was grateful. "All right, let's head out to meet our King now, he should be meeting us in the Dancing Dove in half an hour, let's get moving!"
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I'm still surprised that I posted 2 chapters in 2 days. Oi. Kind of sad, but I wanted to thank all reviewers so far :
Eclipse : Verrrry funny, good thing you're my twin! hehe.
Keita : I fixed the summary, better now? hehe. And you'll have to wait and see what I do with/to Alanna or George...
Jilla Kala : Thanks! I hope you like it,,,,I know about where I'm going with this story, but there's always room for plot twists and turns.
