Alanna towel-tried her hair, wringing it out as best she could. Then she shook it so that little droplets of water fanned out around her. As she was brushing her hair, a knock came at the door. "Come in," she called, tying her hair back out of her face. The door opened, and Gary walked in.
"Ready for lunch?" he greeted her.
"I was born ready," she challenged him, and grabbed a coat, it looked like it might start to rain, and she hated being cold. Gary walked out of the room, with Alanna on his heels. She locked the door, and they continued down to the stables. When they got there, Alanna stopped dead and cursed. Gary looked towards where she was pointing...
"I don't see anything." he stated, puzzled.
"Of course you don't, Gary," Alanna said, her voice overly patient. "Look closer, now what do you see?"
Try as he might, Gary couldn't see anything. "Alanna, you do remember, I don't have the gift as strongly as you do, so if it's magic..."
Alanna rolled her eyes. "You were right when you said that you didn't see anything." Alanna walked over to the stall where Moonlight had been that morning. It was empty. "Dear Alanna," she read from a note tacked to the door of the stall. "I'm sorry that I couldn't give you notice before now, but I needed to borrow a horse, mine is being re-shoed. Your favorite ex-page, Sir Nealan." Alanna's mouth twisted. "I knew I shouldn't have been so lenient with that boy."
Gary tried to hold back a snicker, but it came out sounding like a greyhound in pain. Alanna shot him a look, but didn't say anything. "So, what are you going to do?" he asked as he looked around. The only other horse in the stables at the moment was his own. "We could always hire a carriage," he suggested.
Alanna made a face, then her eyes lit up. "Do you think Bob could carry us both?" she asked, motioning to Gary's horse.
Gary looked at his horse contemplatively. "Bob is a strong horse, and the ride isn't that long. We would have to ride bareback though, the saddle won't seat both of us. If you're okay with doing that, it's fine by me."
"I -am- hungry, and if you think he could carry us...We did that when we were pages, so what's the difference?" She opened Bob's stall and led him out, Gary on the other side. They blinked in the sunlight, and Alanna swung up on Bob's back. Gary took a few seconds longer, and got up behind her. Alanna took the reins, and they started towards the inn. They rode slowly and leisurely. Neither wanted to be seen falling off of a horse, especially not when they were traveling in the next week, where they should be respected.
The two reached the city after half an hour. Neither had fallen off, but Gary had come close once. They reached the main street of Corus, and looked around. As they traveled down the crowed road, they debated where to stop. They finally decided on the Dancing Cartman. Both had been there before and had eaten well.
The stable boy who took Bob's reins gave the pair a knowing grin. Alanna blushed helplessly. The boy thought that she and Gary were an ...item! She glanced up at Gary, hoping that he hadn't seen the look the boy had shot him. Luckily, he was completely oblivious. She kept her eyes downcast as she followed Gary into the tavern.
Gary ordered for the both of them, and the food came out quickly. It was hot and filling. They ate in a comfortable silence, each concentrating on their plates. They finished soon after, and sat back, enjoying the feeling of being full and in good company.
"So, what do you really think of this?" Gary asked, breaking the silence. Alanna had never been one to begin a chat about her feelings.
"I don't know." Alanna sighed. "I don't like the idea of leaving the kids and George for so long. I mean, I know that they can take care of themselves. Maybe I'm just being selfish. I know that I'm going to miss them, and them me, we hope." Alanna said with a grin, although her eyes were a bit too bright.
Concerned, Gary inched his chair closer to hers, and put his arm around her shoulder. She involuntarily stiffened, but didn't move away. "I know they'll miss you. You are their favorite mother, after all. Actually, their only mother," he joked, but it fell flat.
Alanna looked up at Gary, and suddenly seemed to realize that he had his arm around her. Her face burned, remembered the look given to her by the stable boy on the way in. She quickly shrugged Gary off, noting his look of disappointment. 'It's not that I don't care for Gary,' Alanna reasoned with herself, 'but I do have a loving husband, and two children by him. We both care for each other, and nothing strange will happen in these few months.'
Alanna straightened and looked up at Gary. "I'm sorry. I'm acting like such a female aren't I?" She gave him a wry smile, and pushed back her chair. "Let's head back to the palace." she suggested.
"Right away, fair damsel." Gary swept his arm in a parody of the elegant bow he used for court functions. Alanna smiled weakly as he left the tip and headed back to the stables. To Alanna's relief, the stable boy who had taken Bob the first time, was no where to be seen. Alanna sighed and saddled Bob herself. Alanna and Gary rode home, the ride being much quieter than the one to the inn, each with things on their mind.
The pair arrived back at the castle around two, and each parted to go back to their own rooms agreeing to meet for dinner, but until then, Alanna had to try to contact George again.
~*~
Alanna walked into her rooms, and began to light a fire in the fireplace. When she had a good-sized fire blazing in the hearth, she crossed the room to her desk and took out a few packets of herbs. She tossed them into the fire, adding some of her magic to each item she put in. Soon the fire was silently burning, void of the normal cracks of the logs burning. There were also shots of purple fire laced through it. Alanna smiled with satisfaction, she loved it when her magic worked so perfectly.
She began murmuring the incantation that would give her a view into her room at Pirates Swoop. Soon all the familiar aspects of her room came into focus. And one not so familiar.
George lay on their bed, with his arm around someone. Alanna leaned closer to the fire, not paying attention to the heat quickly drying her skin. Long hair spilled over Alanna's bedspread, and it was not Alanna's hair. It was long and black. And it was attached to a woman that Alanna did not recognize. George shifted so that Alanna could see his face. He was asleep, and if the look on his face was any indication, contentedly so. Alanna quickly shielded her presence. She didn't know why, but she didn't want George to know that she had caught him yet. She left a gate open through her fireplace. So long as the fire didn't die, she would be able to look into George's room with just a simple word. "So mote it be." Alanna stated.
Alanna then sat down hard on a couch, and was grateful it was so close. She had had no idea of what had been going on at Pirate's Swoop while she was away, and now she almost wished that she still didn't. Strangely, Alanna couldn't cry. Maybe she was in shock, or maybe she just didn't care. Alanna started. That last thought had come unbidden, and was like a loose tooth. Now that she had to keep playing with it. 'Of course you care,' she tried to tell herself. She just wasn't sure if she believed herself.
~*~
A/N : Oh my. This story was all planned out in the beginning. And then, well, it just took a drastic plot turn at the end of this chapter. At least it turned from where the story was originally going. I think I'm taking too long to get to the real plot of this story. Meh. Oh well. But please review. I haven't gotten a lot of feedback with this story. Could you just please tell me if I should keep writing?
"Ready for lunch?" he greeted her.
"I was born ready," she challenged him, and grabbed a coat, it looked like it might start to rain, and she hated being cold. Gary walked out of the room, with Alanna on his heels. She locked the door, and they continued down to the stables. When they got there, Alanna stopped dead and cursed. Gary looked towards where she was pointing...
"I don't see anything." he stated, puzzled.
"Of course you don't, Gary," Alanna said, her voice overly patient. "Look closer, now what do you see?"
Try as he might, Gary couldn't see anything. "Alanna, you do remember, I don't have the gift as strongly as you do, so if it's magic..."
Alanna rolled her eyes. "You were right when you said that you didn't see anything." Alanna walked over to the stall where Moonlight had been that morning. It was empty. "Dear Alanna," she read from a note tacked to the door of the stall. "I'm sorry that I couldn't give you notice before now, but I needed to borrow a horse, mine is being re-shoed. Your favorite ex-page, Sir Nealan." Alanna's mouth twisted. "I knew I shouldn't have been so lenient with that boy."
Gary tried to hold back a snicker, but it came out sounding like a greyhound in pain. Alanna shot him a look, but didn't say anything. "So, what are you going to do?" he asked as he looked around. The only other horse in the stables at the moment was his own. "We could always hire a carriage," he suggested.
Alanna made a face, then her eyes lit up. "Do you think Bob could carry us both?" she asked, motioning to Gary's horse.
Gary looked at his horse contemplatively. "Bob is a strong horse, and the ride isn't that long. We would have to ride bareback though, the saddle won't seat both of us. If you're okay with doing that, it's fine by me."
"I -am- hungry, and if you think he could carry us...We did that when we were pages, so what's the difference?" She opened Bob's stall and led him out, Gary on the other side. They blinked in the sunlight, and Alanna swung up on Bob's back. Gary took a few seconds longer, and got up behind her. Alanna took the reins, and they started towards the inn. They rode slowly and leisurely. Neither wanted to be seen falling off of a horse, especially not when they were traveling in the next week, where they should be respected.
The two reached the city after half an hour. Neither had fallen off, but Gary had come close once. They reached the main street of Corus, and looked around. As they traveled down the crowed road, they debated where to stop. They finally decided on the Dancing Cartman. Both had been there before and had eaten well.
The stable boy who took Bob's reins gave the pair a knowing grin. Alanna blushed helplessly. The boy thought that she and Gary were an ...item! She glanced up at Gary, hoping that he hadn't seen the look the boy had shot him. Luckily, he was completely oblivious. She kept her eyes downcast as she followed Gary into the tavern.
Gary ordered for the both of them, and the food came out quickly. It was hot and filling. They ate in a comfortable silence, each concentrating on their plates. They finished soon after, and sat back, enjoying the feeling of being full and in good company.
"So, what do you really think of this?" Gary asked, breaking the silence. Alanna had never been one to begin a chat about her feelings.
"I don't know." Alanna sighed. "I don't like the idea of leaving the kids and George for so long. I mean, I know that they can take care of themselves. Maybe I'm just being selfish. I know that I'm going to miss them, and them me, we hope." Alanna said with a grin, although her eyes were a bit too bright.
Concerned, Gary inched his chair closer to hers, and put his arm around her shoulder. She involuntarily stiffened, but didn't move away. "I know they'll miss you. You are their favorite mother, after all. Actually, their only mother," he joked, but it fell flat.
Alanna looked up at Gary, and suddenly seemed to realize that he had his arm around her. Her face burned, remembered the look given to her by the stable boy on the way in. She quickly shrugged Gary off, noting his look of disappointment. 'It's not that I don't care for Gary,' Alanna reasoned with herself, 'but I do have a loving husband, and two children by him. We both care for each other, and nothing strange will happen in these few months.'
Alanna straightened and looked up at Gary. "I'm sorry. I'm acting like such a female aren't I?" She gave him a wry smile, and pushed back her chair. "Let's head back to the palace." she suggested.
"Right away, fair damsel." Gary swept his arm in a parody of the elegant bow he used for court functions. Alanna smiled weakly as he left the tip and headed back to the stables. To Alanna's relief, the stable boy who had taken Bob the first time, was no where to be seen. Alanna sighed and saddled Bob herself. Alanna and Gary rode home, the ride being much quieter than the one to the inn, each with things on their mind.
The pair arrived back at the castle around two, and each parted to go back to their own rooms agreeing to meet for dinner, but until then, Alanna had to try to contact George again.
~*~
Alanna walked into her rooms, and began to light a fire in the fireplace. When she had a good-sized fire blazing in the hearth, she crossed the room to her desk and took out a few packets of herbs. She tossed them into the fire, adding some of her magic to each item she put in. Soon the fire was silently burning, void of the normal cracks of the logs burning. There were also shots of purple fire laced through it. Alanna smiled with satisfaction, she loved it when her magic worked so perfectly.
She began murmuring the incantation that would give her a view into her room at Pirates Swoop. Soon all the familiar aspects of her room came into focus. And one not so familiar.
George lay on their bed, with his arm around someone. Alanna leaned closer to the fire, not paying attention to the heat quickly drying her skin. Long hair spilled over Alanna's bedspread, and it was not Alanna's hair. It was long and black. And it was attached to a woman that Alanna did not recognize. George shifted so that Alanna could see his face. He was asleep, and if the look on his face was any indication, contentedly so. Alanna quickly shielded her presence. She didn't know why, but she didn't want George to know that she had caught him yet. She left a gate open through her fireplace. So long as the fire didn't die, she would be able to look into George's room with just a simple word. "So mote it be." Alanna stated.
Alanna then sat down hard on a couch, and was grateful it was so close. She had had no idea of what had been going on at Pirate's Swoop while she was away, and now she almost wished that she still didn't. Strangely, Alanna couldn't cry. Maybe she was in shock, or maybe she just didn't care. Alanna started. That last thought had come unbidden, and was like a loose tooth. Now that she had to keep playing with it. 'Of course you care,' she tried to tell herself. She just wasn't sure if she believed herself.
~*~
A/N : Oh my. This story was all planned out in the beginning. And then, well, it just took a drastic plot turn at the end of this chapter. At least it turned from where the story was originally going. I think I'm taking too long to get to the real plot of this story. Meh. Oh well. But please review. I haven't gotten a lot of feedback with this story. Could you just please tell me if I should keep writing?
