Disclaimer × um… the usual. ;) if you don't know what the usual is… just check one of my other chapters. Lol.

Author's Note × I'm going to try and update around once a week… might update more, or less… hehe. But that should be around the average, anyway. And the chapter lengths will vary… at the moment they're kind short, but I'll try to type longer ones.

~-» × «-~ × ~-» × «-~

HIDDEN THREAT

Chapter Nine ◊ Unanswered questions

Alanna smiled as she sat atop Solar. For the first time in a while, she felt relaxed. Gary hadn't lied either, when he was talking about how beautiful the sunset was. The four of them had ridden to the top of a small peak behind the Palace grounds that overlooked the city.

"It's beautiful…" Erin breathed, sitting on Blaze. Gary and Jonathan seemed pretty pleased that the two girls seemed to enjoy the view.

"You ain't seen nothing yet," Gary grinned and led his horse, Frost, further up the hill. However, before they got much further, something told Alanna to look up suddenly. Seeing the confused look on Alanna's face, Erin drew Blaze up alongside her.

"Alanna? Are you ok-" she began, before Alanna urged Solar forward and pushed the Prince down. Surprised, Jonathan lost his grip on the reins and fell from the saddle. Before he could ask what that was all about, a slim arrow flew past and narrowly missed his shoulder. It embedded itself firmly in the ground. There was a stunned silence before everyone got their wits back.

Gary quickly rushed to his cousin's side, "Jon… are you alright?"

After getting over the initial shock, Jonathan was already alert and looking around. Alanna and Erin were looking around too, but none of them could find any signs of the attacker. They were also out in the open in a meadow surrounded by trees. Without wasting anymore time, Jonathan quickly mounted his horse, Dusk.

"Alanna? Erin? Maybe the two of you should go back to the Palace…" he suggested quietly. Alanna wasn't too happy at this.

"I just saved your life, and you want me to go back to the Palace?" she demanded, pulling the reins tight on Solar to stop her mare fidgeting.

"It's the safest-"

"No, I don't want to hear it. I may be female, but I can fight as well as any squire, and Erin can shoot further than any knight!" Alanna said, hating the fact that men assumed ladies would be useless in a fight. It wasn't the first time she had had this thought.

"Alanna…" Erin warned in a quiet voice. Jonathan and Gary looked shocked at her little outburst, but decided that it was not the time for arguments. The sun had nearly set and it was getting darker as well as cooler. Another arrow shot past, narrowly missing Gary this time. To Alanna, it seemed to be a warning shot, reminding them that they had other issues to attend to.

"Lady Alanna, Lady Erin… please will you just go back to the Palace? Find Alex and Duke Gareth and let them know what's going on!" Jonathan said, his patience wearing thin. Alanna looked like she was about to argue some more, but Erin gave her a look that said not now. Without another word, Alanna frowned and urged Solar into a gallop back towards the Palace. She hated being told what to do, almost as much as she hated not being allowed to fight. Erin followed close behind her.

Once they reached the Palace, Alanna and Erin found Thom practicing with the other squires. They wasted no time telling them what was going on, and Thom promised to find Duke Gareth, Alex and Raoul.

~-» × «-~

Once Alanna and Erin had ridden out of view, several more arrows began falling at Jonathan and Gary. If they weren't too busy defending themselves, they would've realised that whoever had been attacking, had been waiting for the ladies to be out of harms way first. Gary and Jonathan didn't waste any time drawing their swords, though their shields were back at the Palace. A few seconds later, other riders began riding out towards them. Almost at once, they could tell that they were knights from the Palace.

"Gary, behind you!" Jonathan called, as he deftly blocked another blow. He glanced at his cousin, in time to see Gary turn around and counter an the attack behind him. Gary and Jonathan were good knights, two of the best… but against a group of eight other fully trained knights, they knew they were outnumbered. Between them, they managed to take down four knights and the rest fled after spotting Duke Gareth and the other knights riding from the Palace.

However, Jonathan put out his sword to the neck of a knight that he had unhorsed, before he could get away. They glared at each other, while Gary went out to meet his father.

"It looks like we missed out on all the fun…" Alex commented dryly as he looked around. Gary frowned.

"If you want to call it 'fun'"

"What happened?" Raoul asked, urging his horse closer to where Jonathan and Gary stood. Duke Gareth came up behind them all.

"I think maybe we should ask our friend here the same question…" Jonathan said, calmly. The knight on the ground didn't say anything but continued to glare up at the Prince.

"Why don't we all head back to the Palace, and we can question our 'friend' up there?" Duke Gareth suggested, surveying the wounded men around him. Jonathan nodded and knowing that the other knight wouldn't get very far, he sheathed his sword again.

"Get the wounded up to the Palace to see Duke Baird," he said quietly. Raoul and another knight nodded, and dismounted their horses. There were a lot of unanswered questions running through all of their heads.

~-» × «-~

"Will you stop pacing, Alanna? You're making me dizzy…" Erin complained, sitting back on Alanna's bed. Alanna ignored her friend, and couldn't help wondering what happened after they had left Jonathan and Gary. She was still angry at Jonathan for ordering her around like that, but she still didn't want them killed or hurt.

"I bet even if we were pages, we would've been allowed to stay and help," Alanna said bitterly, twisting her long hair in between her fingers. Erin pouted. This wasn't the first time she had heard Alanna complain like this.

"Look, Alanna… we both know that we may be able to take care of ourselves, but all they had was your word and no other way of knowing whether you're actually as good as you say you are," Erin said, leaning forward. If she wanted to, Alanna could brood and sulk for days. Not wanting that to happen this time, Erin was trying her best to calm her down, though she was also a little put out that they were expected to just sit out of every fight.

"We've fought plenty of bandits before, back at the convent… why should it be any different here?" Alanna asked, still not convinced. But she finally stopped pacing and sat down at the end of the bed.

"Yes, but they weren't fully trained knights. Bandits, we can handle… knights, well…" Erin shrugged. There was a small silence.

"I wonder if they're okay…" Alanna mused quietly.

Erin glanced outside at the darkening sky, "I'd say it's nearly time for the evening meal. Why don't we go find Thom or someone to see if we can find out any information? We still have a little time to take a look around"

Alanna nodded, "let's go"

Erin hopped off the bed and started towards the door with Alanna close behind her, "I need to get something from my room first, I'll meet you back here, okay?"

Alanna nodded again and watched her friend leave the room. Sighing, she closed the door after her. Not two seconds after it was closed, did it open again. Assuming Erin had just forgotten something, she was surprised when an unknown young man dressed in a heavy cloak walked into the room and quickly closed it silently behind him.

"Who are you? And what do you want?" Alanna demanded, eyes narrowed. Once again she wished that she hadn't left her sword back at the convent.

"Easy, lass… I'm not going to hurt you," an amused voice said, pushing back the hood.

"Could've fooled me," Alanna scoffed, "what, with barging into my room unexpected and then locking it"

"Pert little one, aren't ye?" he grinned, hazel eyes flashing.

Alanna sighed, not really afraid any more than plain annoyed. "Now is not really the best time, you know… so I'm going to ask you again, what are you doing here?"

"I've some information that ye mine find interesting," he said, walking over and leaning against a pole of the four poster bed, "oh, and I'm George"

From the way he said it, Alanna suspected that he expected her to recognise that name, "sorry, but I don't know any George's. You must have the wrong person, now bye-bye"

George chuckled, not at all surprised, "should've known Lady Erin wouldn't bother tellin' ye"

Alanna froze at the mention of Erin's name, "wait. You know Erin?"

"I though that mine get ye interest. We met yesterday in the marketplace… now, about this information…"

"If you met Erin, why are you talking to me?"

George sighed, "ye love makin' things harder, don't ye? I want to give ye this information, okay?"

When he was met with no excuses, George took this as a good sign and continued, "now I suppose you know about the page fallin' sick an' all at the festival, am I right?"

Alanna nodded, wondering where this was leading and what sort of information he had to tell her. George kept going when he saw her nod, "well, what not many people dun know, is that the wine he was carryin' contained poison"

He paused, obviously waiting for some sort of reaction out of Alanna. She nearly laughed when she saw the puzzled look that crossed his face, and she said calmly, "and?"

"Well now… ye obviously know a lot more than I give ye credit for. Okay, how about this… I know some information about the attack today," he said, obviously a little put out and wanting some sort of response. Alanna, who was sitting on the bed, sat up straight immediately.

"But it just happened, what do you know about it?" she asked, as George flashed her his famous grin. She then frowned, "hang on. You still haven't told me how you got here and who you are…"

"I already told ye who I am"

"Okay, then tell me what you do"

"If ye must know… I'm what ye'd call, the 'king of thieves'. And I've got several contacts here in the Palace… are ye done wit' all the questions?" he asked, crossing his arms with a smile. Not really sure what else to say, Alanna nodded silently and waited for him to go on.

"Good, 'cause I'm not too sure how long I can stay here without bein' found. Now about the attack today… I suppose ye may 'ave already guessed that the attack was aimed at the Prince-"

"The Prince? What are you on about, George?" Alanna laughed, "I have a feeling you're contacts may be feeding you the wrong information"

"What? They wouldn't do that… didn't you ride with the Prince today?" George asked, obviously confused.

Alanna shook her head, "no, it was just me, Erin, Gary and Jonathan"

Now it was George's turn to laugh. Not one to like being laughed at, Alanna frowned. "Stop laughing…" she said, losing her patience. As an after thought, she added, "what are you laughing about anyway?"

George finally stopped laughing, though he was wearing a large grin on his face, "oh, I get it now"

"Get what?"

"He didn't tell you he was the Prince 'cause he didn't want you and Erin to act any different around him"

This was news to Alanna, "wait. Are you saying that Gary is the Prince?"

George looked at her surprised. "How far out was your convent, exactly?" he asked, curiously. Alanna didn't even bother to ask how he knew that she had been to a convent. Seeing that he wasn't going to get an answer, he straightened up.

"Just to let you know… Gary isn't the Prince. Gary is Duke Gareth's son and Jonathan's cousin…"

Alanna swallowed hard, "you mean that Jonathan is-?"

"The Prince," George finished, satisfied at expression on Alanna's face. "Now about what I was going to tell you about the attack…"

George didn't get very far when Alanna heard a bell ringing to signal the evening meal. George cursed, "I don't have the time to tell you now… but whenever you can, come down to the Dancing Dove and ask for me. I'll tell you what I know"

"How do I know if I can trust you?" Alanna asked, suspicious again.

George grinned, "do you have a choice?"

~-» × «-~ × ~-» × «-~

AN × Ooh… finally got this chapter up. Lol. I tried to make it longer than my last chapter. Hope you liked it! I had it all planned out in my head, but then it all got kind of muddled when I started typing. Some parts went better than I thought, and others didn't go quite as well. Hehe. PLEASE read and review!

Oh and a quick good luck to Cassa-Andra on your exams! Mine are worth one third of our semester report. So far so good though! ^^ Thanks to everyone else who have reviewed too!