Sorry, forgot to mention this before-don't own, don't sue! It all belongs
to the wonderful Tamora. The storyline's mine though, and so is the soon to
be arriving Lady Simone of Wild Lake. Enjoy!
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A couple of days later Alanna was walking through the gardens alone, marveling at the bright colors of the roses. She was bored stiff. There had been nothing but parties and stupid dances, and feasts the entire time she'd been there. She was sick of it all, so she went for a walk in the gardens.
The smell of fresh flowers in the morning calmed her nerves and cleared her head. There was a tree ahead of her, a big oak. She smiled-it would be the perfect place to read. The ground beneath it was a bit damp, but she didn't care. She never cared if her dresses were ruined. She didn't see a point to them at all either. Instead of arranging her skirts carefully as she sat down, she just flopped onto her stomach and opened the book. She didn't realize that someone was already on the other side of the tree.
Jonathan looked around the trunk and smiled as he recognized Alanna's flaming red curls. He stood up and looked at the book she was frowning at. "I didn't know you enjoyed poetry, Lady Alanna." She reacted automatically and threw the book at him; startled. She hadn't heard him at all. "AHHHH!" he ducked from the flying book.
"Good, Goddess! Don't you make any noise, Highness?"
"It's Jonathan, and I apologize."
"Alanna."
"Poetry? I thought you didn't like that kind of thing." He smirked as he handed the book back to her.
"I don't!" she said, frowning even more when she took it, "I meant to bring my book on sword fighting, but the priestesses must have found that, too." When Jon looked at her curiously, she explained, "You don't know how determined they were to make a lady out of me over there! I hated it, and I never could do anything right, anyways. So I would go to dinner and lessons wearing breeches, just because they wanted me to wear those uncomfortable dresses and skirts all the time, or if I was upset at them for something else. Ooh, they were mad!"
Jonathan burst out laughing, "You wore breeches? To dinner? Oh I can just imagine the looks on their faces! It must have been awful!"
"It was!" she laughed with him. It wasn't funny at the time, when all the other girls made fun of her and the priestesses punished her for it, but now that she thought about it, it was kind of funny. "When Thom sent me that invitation to visit him at court for a while, they were horrified that I'd make a fool out of myself and give the convent a bad reputation. So they went through my things that I'd packed when I was readying one of the horses for the trip. They took out all the boyish things I had planned to take with me-you know, breeches, shirts and tunics, and that sort of thing- and packed all these stupid dresses that I'd never wear else wise and books on etiquette and poetry. I didn't realize what they'd done until I was already halfway here. Yuck!"
The prince looked at her with pity in his eyes. "You never wanted to become a lady did you?"
"Nope! I wanted to be a warrior maiden and do great deeds. I might have too, if it wasn't for old Coram. He found out too soon that Thom and I planned to switch places, and wouldn't have any of it. You see, Thom wanted to be a sorcerer and I wanted to be a knight. He would have gone to the convent to begin his sorcerer's training, and I would have come to the palace disguised as a boy. Things would've worked out, too, except that Coram figured it out too soon and ruined everything."
Jon had an awed look on his face, "You really would have done that?"
"Every Goddess blessed word!" she looked at his face, not sure how he felt about a woman who didn't want to take her place in their society. She asked him shyly, "You don't think I'm a freak for wanting to be a lady hero, do you?"
He smiled, "Of course not. If anything, I kind of wish you're plan had worked. It would be interesting to see how far you went." Then he looked thoughtful, "Are you any good at fighting?"
"I haven't taught myself in secret for nothing."
"Would you mind meeting me at the old fencing gallery after the noon meal?"
"Not at all, but why do you ask?"
"I'd like to see how good you are with a sword. I might even be able to teach you something, myself."
"Really? Thank you so much Highness!" Alanna got up and brushed the grass off the front of her dress.
"Jonathan."
"Oh, sorry. Thank you…Jonathan."
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^-^ Looks like Alanna and the prince will make very good friends in the future. That was short, I'll try to have longer chapters in the future. This story will probably end up A/J. anyhoos, R&R! Constructive criticism is good, and I need ideas. No flames, please!
=Linz=
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A couple of days later Alanna was walking through the gardens alone, marveling at the bright colors of the roses. She was bored stiff. There had been nothing but parties and stupid dances, and feasts the entire time she'd been there. She was sick of it all, so she went for a walk in the gardens.
The smell of fresh flowers in the morning calmed her nerves and cleared her head. There was a tree ahead of her, a big oak. She smiled-it would be the perfect place to read. The ground beneath it was a bit damp, but she didn't care. She never cared if her dresses were ruined. She didn't see a point to them at all either. Instead of arranging her skirts carefully as she sat down, she just flopped onto her stomach and opened the book. She didn't realize that someone was already on the other side of the tree.
Jonathan looked around the trunk and smiled as he recognized Alanna's flaming red curls. He stood up and looked at the book she was frowning at. "I didn't know you enjoyed poetry, Lady Alanna." She reacted automatically and threw the book at him; startled. She hadn't heard him at all. "AHHHH!" he ducked from the flying book.
"Good, Goddess! Don't you make any noise, Highness?"
"It's Jonathan, and I apologize."
"Alanna."
"Poetry? I thought you didn't like that kind of thing." He smirked as he handed the book back to her.
"I don't!" she said, frowning even more when she took it, "I meant to bring my book on sword fighting, but the priestesses must have found that, too." When Jon looked at her curiously, she explained, "You don't know how determined they were to make a lady out of me over there! I hated it, and I never could do anything right, anyways. So I would go to dinner and lessons wearing breeches, just because they wanted me to wear those uncomfortable dresses and skirts all the time, or if I was upset at them for something else. Ooh, they were mad!"
Jonathan burst out laughing, "You wore breeches? To dinner? Oh I can just imagine the looks on their faces! It must have been awful!"
"It was!" she laughed with him. It wasn't funny at the time, when all the other girls made fun of her and the priestesses punished her for it, but now that she thought about it, it was kind of funny. "When Thom sent me that invitation to visit him at court for a while, they were horrified that I'd make a fool out of myself and give the convent a bad reputation. So they went through my things that I'd packed when I was readying one of the horses for the trip. They took out all the boyish things I had planned to take with me-you know, breeches, shirts and tunics, and that sort of thing- and packed all these stupid dresses that I'd never wear else wise and books on etiquette and poetry. I didn't realize what they'd done until I was already halfway here. Yuck!"
The prince looked at her with pity in his eyes. "You never wanted to become a lady did you?"
"Nope! I wanted to be a warrior maiden and do great deeds. I might have too, if it wasn't for old Coram. He found out too soon that Thom and I planned to switch places, and wouldn't have any of it. You see, Thom wanted to be a sorcerer and I wanted to be a knight. He would have gone to the convent to begin his sorcerer's training, and I would have come to the palace disguised as a boy. Things would've worked out, too, except that Coram figured it out too soon and ruined everything."
Jon had an awed look on his face, "You really would have done that?"
"Every Goddess blessed word!" she looked at his face, not sure how he felt about a woman who didn't want to take her place in their society. She asked him shyly, "You don't think I'm a freak for wanting to be a lady hero, do you?"
He smiled, "Of course not. If anything, I kind of wish you're plan had worked. It would be interesting to see how far you went." Then he looked thoughtful, "Are you any good at fighting?"
"I haven't taught myself in secret for nothing."
"Would you mind meeting me at the old fencing gallery after the noon meal?"
"Not at all, but why do you ask?"
"I'd like to see how good you are with a sword. I might even be able to teach you something, myself."
"Really? Thank you so much Highness!" Alanna got up and brushed the grass off the front of her dress.
"Jonathan."
"Oh, sorry. Thank you…Jonathan."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
^-^ Looks like Alanna and the prince will make very good friends in the future. That was short, I'll try to have longer chapters in the future. This story will probably end up A/J. anyhoos, R&R! Constructive criticism is good, and I need ideas. No flames, please!
=Linz=