Taming the Lioness
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
`* That's Debatable *`
/ // "Things were peaceful for the rest of the day and I hope George enjoyed it, because I'm certain that was the only peace he got for a long time."
"How so?" Alanna questioned.
"Well after that, Mandy returned promptly at the same time. She made her way past Solom, who didn't even bother with trying to stop her anymore. And entered George's room without hesitation."
"Why? What did they do?" Alanna demanded a slight scowl on her face.
"Talked." Eleni answered as if it was the most logical answer in the world.
"Talked?!" Alanna asked outraged. "Talked about what? What did they have to talk about, especially with each other? When will this girl get the hint?"
"Well, I'm not really sure what they had to talk about, but it must have been good because this lasted for two weeks." Eleni reasoned. Alanna scoffed at the answer, but Eleni resumed. "Mandy still didn't like George's answer to her proposal, and she thought her persistence would change his mind. I guess she's had experience and perseverance has won out before."
"But not this time." Alanna stated firmly, knowing that it was her, not Mandy that was George Cooper's wife. Alanna looked at her mother-in-law and didn't like what she saw there, so it made the knight doubt her statement. Alanna frowned. "It didn't work right?" Alanna appeared tense and nervous.
"How should I know?" Questioned the healer. "I wasn't there. This is all jut second hand information for me."
Alanna didn't like the response. "George didn't change his mind did he?" Alanna persisted as she rubbed her palms casually over the legs of her breeches.
Eleni knew what she wanted. "No. He's a Cooper. They're strong headed, stubborn, and stuck in their ways." Eleni smiled at her new daughter. "Do you regret what you got yourself into?" She asked jokingly.
Alanna shook her head. "Nope," she answered thinking fondly of George. "Not in the least. I'm quite proud of my choice."
"You're sure?" Eleni persisted teasingly.
"Yeah." Alanna stated.
"Yes."
"Yeah."
"Yes!" Eleni repeated. "Yes Miss Cooper Lady Knight of Pirate's Swoop. It is always 'yes'. It is never 'yeah'" Miss Congeniality Alanna glowered. She felt just as if she was a page again fidgeting nervously and self consciously in etiquette class. She didn't like, or appreciate the feeling.
Alanna sighed deeply and heavily. "So George said no to Mandy's advances?" She need clarification.
"Well, for a long time, he said nothing to her. Tried, although it wasn't easy I assume, to disregard her, act as if she wasn't there. But eventually, as is natural," Eleni convinced. "George got fed up with all the pestering attention. Around the end of the second week, the two of them competed in a yell fest."
"Who won?" Alanna asked letting a small chuckle escape her full lips.
"Well, that's kind of hard to say for certain. I guess depending on how you look at things... Yea, it's pretty much debatable." Eleni decided.
"How so?" (This seems to be Alanna's favorite expression, no?) / //
"Mandy!?" George yelled almost as an unbelievable question, when the girl showed up again that Saturday afternoon.
"George," Mandy said as a greeting. "You missed me this time didn't you."
"No. How can I possibly miss you when I see you absolutely every day?"
"That's so you don't forget me." She reasoned.
"How can I? You wont let me!" George demanded.
"Exactly!" Mandy said excitedly her face lit from inside; her beauty and fervor visible.
"Haven't you ever heard the expression, 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder'?" George asked slowly, he felt his patience fading away.
"No. I'm afraid I'm not familiar with that one." Mandy lied easily so no one knew, it was a lie at all. "I have heard one similar though..." She waited for George to ask what it was.
"Yeah," George sighed knowing there was no getting around it. "And what would that be?" He asked with a small sense of dread.
Mandy shrugged. "I thought it was something like, 'Abstinence makes the heart grow fonder.' That's not what it is?" Concern on Mandy's delicate features. (Yes, I wrote an anti- abortion paper with that title...^_^ don't you love the random information?)
George's jaw dropped immediately. He didn't know what he had expected, but that most definitely wasn't it. "Abstinence from what?" George asked knowing what Mandy was meaning, but not thinking she would have the guts to say it aloud.
"Se- "
"Uh!" George cut her off before she could finish. "I don't want to hear it."
"But you asked..." Mandy defended her temper rising and her eyebrows knitted together.
/ // "It was all down hill from there." Eleni told.
"I bet."
"They seemed to be able to argue about each word the other said." Eleni admitted. "George's temper was flared upon her arrival. And Mandy anger soon rivaled George's as the visit's conversation continued. / //
"Good bye, Mandy." George said with a fake, sickly sweet smile.
"George!" She yelled. "I love you!"
"Mandy!" George returned. "I don't care. I don't love you. I don't like you! I despise you, and I never want to see you again."
"George! You don't mean that." She tried to reason her voice shaking as she continued to loose her grip.
"Mandy!" They kept repeating each other's names as if they were afraid they would forget them if they didn't. "I have NEVER meant ANYTHING else MORE in my life than THIS! Now go, you disgust me."
Mandy stood glaring at the King of Thieves for a moment, then she turned briskly on her heal. She stopped facing the door and not moving.
"IT'S OVER!" George hollered at her back.
With shaking hands Mandy reached out and turned the brass door knob. Using great strength, she threw the door open so hard that it smacked smartly against the wall. "It's not that easy." Mandy started as she stepped out the door and turned to face George for what would most likely be the last time.
"It's OVER!" He yelled at her face this time.
"That's Debatable!" Mandy shouted back.
Before George could call that it was over again, Mandy whirled around, her skirt flaring behind her. The young girl continued to talk to herself. "This isn't going to be easy, but I think you'll be able to get over it." She said as if it was she that had just broken George's heart. No matter how many feelings that were tumbling around inside of her, Mandy would not let herself cry. Not now, not here, not now, not ever. She was too strong, too hurt.
Mandy glided down the wooden staircase at an amazing pace. She acted normal, besides her fast tread. She told herself over and over that it was fine, she was fine; and she pretended, as if nothing had happened. There was a soft almost dazed smile covering Mandy's deception. Her heart raced and her hands were shaking, but from outside, she made sure no one saw that. She headed out the inn's door and wove her way to the stables in the back. Ignoring every stable hand and giving them a death glare if they approached her, Mandy stealthily saddled and mounted one of George's chestnut mares. Mandy gave off the strong, imposing feeling that she was a no-nonsense type of person and that you didn't want to, and couldn't afford to mess with her. Silently the small brunette made her way into the streets of Corus. She continued on her current path, not even bothering to stop and pick up her things from the inn she was staying in. Slowly the young girl meandered her way out of the crowded city. Not once did Mandy look back she was moving on with her life. Moving on, not forgiving or forgetting.
/ // "Mandy left. George told her to, he said that's all he wanted from her. Nothing else. And he and she both, wasn't nice about it. All through the inn that morning the shouting could be heard. Solom told George, jokingly of course, that he owed him for driving away customers." Eleni chuckled as she finished her thought. "Mandy thought that she would be teaching George a lesson if she left. Mandy was just positive that she would be missed and that George would beg her to come back to him." Eleni shook her head at the strange, yet complicated simplicity of it all.
"Where did she go?" Alanna asked in curiosity.
"I'm not sure." Eleni admitted. "I don't even think George knows for certain. 'She could be any where' George would say. 'Never doubt her.' He warned. Either way, I can't figure out why she hasn't tried to return. She seemed like the type. She was very persistent. But don't get me wrong, she still had ways of maintaining her place here. It was a severe case of 'out of sight, but `not` out of mind'."
"What do you mean?" Alanna questioned uncertainly; her violet eyes concerned and her brows knit together.
Eleni clarified. "Nearly every day she would send letters and notes, every week, more or less, she would send gifts. Expensive gifts, and even the occasional flower; mostly striped carnations all from none other that...Mandy."
Alanna bit her lip wondering if it was possible that she might still have competition for George's love and attention. "What kind of stuff?" The knight asked. "I don't think I like that."
"I know I didn't. And neither did George really. I think....for the most part, I believe." Eleni licked her lips trying to remember what all Mandy had sent to George.
Alanna struck in. "You sound very uncertain."
"About what?" Eleni asked still trying to compose a mental list of items.
"How George felt about Mandy's gift sending."
"Oh. That's because, I'm not one hundred percent positive. He told me what he was feeling, but it's hard to tell what was really going on inside his head. He put most of the gifts away or hocked them, they too were expensive to just throw out." Eleni shrugged. "But other things she sent he did keep and use."
Alanna sat in silence for a minute. She and Eleni both were doing some deep thinking. Then something Eleni said was brought back to her. 'They too were expensive to just throw out.' The knight had to comment. "What did you mean they were too expensive?" Alanna asked.
"Well that's what I was just trying to remember... Let's see... she gave him a long jewel hilted fighting sword, two daggers and sheathes, a set of 50 throwing stars, a galive, wrist sheathes and knives, full body mail and armor- all from Raven Armory."
Alanna's jaw dropped. "That must have cost a fortune!"
"Yes." Eleni nodded. "And probably forgetting something's..." Eleni was quite for a moment and then she burst out. "A horse!"
"What?"
"She sent George a big beautiful buckskin stallion, it was the most amazing animal I've ever seen." Eleni gushed. "That was to replace the one she took from here when she left though." Eleni finished as if that explained it.
Alanna was still amazed. "How'd she get all of that? Especially the Raven Armory things?" She asked in disbelief.
"She has her ways." Was all Eleni said for a minute, then she went on. "Persuasion. And I'd imagine she nicked quite a bit of it. But that's not it, she sent dress clothes- work clothes and dress clothes both. The clothing all fit absolutely perfectly. It was eerie in a way for well they fit. Boots, jewelry, letters and notes with each gift. And yeah...the flowers."
Alanna shook her head in amazement, her mouth slightly open.
"Yes." Eleni concluded. "But that's fairly mild. It get's worse because, during those two long, pestering weeks, before she left..." / //
~ A/N: Would any of you like to know the status of this story? Well I'll tell ya okay? It's a boring, tiring work in progress, that's driving me slowly insane -er. Grrr...what am i to do? Only reviews (you) keep me going...I'm kinda sick of it. Any idears to get me thinking freshly about this drag??
Now for your favorite part... the thankyou thankyou's:
I'll try and keep it short...
*Alanna: This is me: completely elated, ecstatic, inspired, exhilarated, on cloud 9, and slap hap happy because of what you said thank you SO much. You are my new best friend! Really! We'll not if you don't want to be but... :( on a lighter note :) seriously, I think you're awesome. I'm really `trying` to finish...thankies!
*Brilliant, just brilliant: hi! Thanks, not many people told me what they thought about that... I thought I was just obsessing and reading too far into things. Oh well, it's not blood, right?
*dragon defender: More Unsuspected than a frog in your PIE??? huh? hmm-- I like it!! No sorry not really, but maybe that's just because I don't understand it. But it certainly would get readers. Hell I'd read a story with that title, it's amusing. some of the other stuff you said was good. Since you suggested it you don't mind if i use it right? i'll give you credit if I do. but right now there are no garentees...thanks.
*Forget-me-not: Thanks for your thoughts! Thanks for ading me to your favorites! `Starting` to scare you? She's been scaring me for a long time. What are we going to do about her? I told Mandi (my real friend that i based the character very VERY losely on) when I was mad, briefly, at her that I was going to kill her character off... oh well
*Froggy: Thanks. Okay. I've updated...
*AmayaNightRain/FlamingKnight101: Thank you, Thank you... I don't remember what I said last time, and I'm too lazy to go look it up. But whatever it was, it wasn't meant to be bad or mean. I'm sorry if my sarcasm is confusing. Here's an update! Keep giving me ideas, inspiration. Keep reading and reviewing!
Damn I should just stop trying... That wasn't too short, but the chapter was long so that should make up for it and keep you going long enough to REVIEW right???
-- ^_^ Lady Daffodil
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
`* That's Debatable *`
/ // "Things were peaceful for the rest of the day and I hope George enjoyed it, because I'm certain that was the only peace he got for a long time."
"How so?" Alanna questioned.
"Well after that, Mandy returned promptly at the same time. She made her way past Solom, who didn't even bother with trying to stop her anymore. And entered George's room without hesitation."
"Why? What did they do?" Alanna demanded a slight scowl on her face.
"Talked." Eleni answered as if it was the most logical answer in the world.
"Talked?!" Alanna asked outraged. "Talked about what? What did they have to talk about, especially with each other? When will this girl get the hint?"
"Well, I'm not really sure what they had to talk about, but it must have been good because this lasted for two weeks." Eleni reasoned. Alanna scoffed at the answer, but Eleni resumed. "Mandy still didn't like George's answer to her proposal, and she thought her persistence would change his mind. I guess she's had experience and perseverance has won out before."
"But not this time." Alanna stated firmly, knowing that it was her, not Mandy that was George Cooper's wife. Alanna looked at her mother-in-law and didn't like what she saw there, so it made the knight doubt her statement. Alanna frowned. "It didn't work right?" Alanna appeared tense and nervous.
"How should I know?" Questioned the healer. "I wasn't there. This is all jut second hand information for me."
Alanna didn't like the response. "George didn't change his mind did he?" Alanna persisted as she rubbed her palms casually over the legs of her breeches.
Eleni knew what she wanted. "No. He's a Cooper. They're strong headed, stubborn, and stuck in their ways." Eleni smiled at her new daughter. "Do you regret what you got yourself into?" She asked jokingly.
Alanna shook her head. "Nope," she answered thinking fondly of George. "Not in the least. I'm quite proud of my choice."
"You're sure?" Eleni persisted teasingly.
"Yeah." Alanna stated.
"Yes."
"Yeah."
"Yes!" Eleni repeated. "Yes Miss Cooper Lady Knight of Pirate's Swoop. It is always 'yes'. It is never 'yeah'" Miss Congeniality Alanna glowered. She felt just as if she was a page again fidgeting nervously and self consciously in etiquette class. She didn't like, or appreciate the feeling.
Alanna sighed deeply and heavily. "So George said no to Mandy's advances?" She need clarification.
"Well, for a long time, he said nothing to her. Tried, although it wasn't easy I assume, to disregard her, act as if she wasn't there. But eventually, as is natural," Eleni convinced. "George got fed up with all the pestering attention. Around the end of the second week, the two of them competed in a yell fest."
"Who won?" Alanna asked letting a small chuckle escape her full lips.
"Well, that's kind of hard to say for certain. I guess depending on how you look at things... Yea, it's pretty much debatable." Eleni decided.
"How so?" (This seems to be Alanna's favorite expression, no?) / //
"Mandy!?" George yelled almost as an unbelievable question, when the girl showed up again that Saturday afternoon.
"George," Mandy said as a greeting. "You missed me this time didn't you."
"No. How can I possibly miss you when I see you absolutely every day?"
"That's so you don't forget me." She reasoned.
"How can I? You wont let me!" George demanded.
"Exactly!" Mandy said excitedly her face lit from inside; her beauty and fervor visible.
"Haven't you ever heard the expression, 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder'?" George asked slowly, he felt his patience fading away.
"No. I'm afraid I'm not familiar with that one." Mandy lied easily so no one knew, it was a lie at all. "I have heard one similar though..." She waited for George to ask what it was.
"Yeah," George sighed knowing there was no getting around it. "And what would that be?" He asked with a small sense of dread.
Mandy shrugged. "I thought it was something like, 'Abstinence makes the heart grow fonder.' That's not what it is?" Concern on Mandy's delicate features. (Yes, I wrote an anti- abortion paper with that title...^_^ don't you love the random information?)
George's jaw dropped immediately. He didn't know what he had expected, but that most definitely wasn't it. "Abstinence from what?" George asked knowing what Mandy was meaning, but not thinking she would have the guts to say it aloud.
"Se- "
"Uh!" George cut her off before she could finish. "I don't want to hear it."
"But you asked..." Mandy defended her temper rising and her eyebrows knitted together.
/ // "It was all down hill from there." Eleni told.
"I bet."
"They seemed to be able to argue about each word the other said." Eleni admitted. "George's temper was flared upon her arrival. And Mandy anger soon rivaled George's as the visit's conversation continued. / //
"Good bye, Mandy." George said with a fake, sickly sweet smile.
"George!" She yelled. "I love you!"
"Mandy!" George returned. "I don't care. I don't love you. I don't like you! I despise you, and I never want to see you again."
"George! You don't mean that." She tried to reason her voice shaking as she continued to loose her grip.
"Mandy!" They kept repeating each other's names as if they were afraid they would forget them if they didn't. "I have NEVER meant ANYTHING else MORE in my life than THIS! Now go, you disgust me."
Mandy stood glaring at the King of Thieves for a moment, then she turned briskly on her heal. She stopped facing the door and not moving.
"IT'S OVER!" George hollered at her back.
With shaking hands Mandy reached out and turned the brass door knob. Using great strength, she threw the door open so hard that it smacked smartly against the wall. "It's not that easy." Mandy started as she stepped out the door and turned to face George for what would most likely be the last time.
"It's OVER!" He yelled at her face this time.
"That's Debatable!" Mandy shouted back.
Before George could call that it was over again, Mandy whirled around, her skirt flaring behind her. The young girl continued to talk to herself. "This isn't going to be easy, but I think you'll be able to get over it." She said as if it was she that had just broken George's heart. No matter how many feelings that were tumbling around inside of her, Mandy would not let herself cry. Not now, not here, not now, not ever. She was too strong, too hurt.
Mandy glided down the wooden staircase at an amazing pace. She acted normal, besides her fast tread. She told herself over and over that it was fine, she was fine; and she pretended, as if nothing had happened. There was a soft almost dazed smile covering Mandy's deception. Her heart raced and her hands were shaking, but from outside, she made sure no one saw that. She headed out the inn's door and wove her way to the stables in the back. Ignoring every stable hand and giving them a death glare if they approached her, Mandy stealthily saddled and mounted one of George's chestnut mares. Mandy gave off the strong, imposing feeling that she was a no-nonsense type of person and that you didn't want to, and couldn't afford to mess with her. Silently the small brunette made her way into the streets of Corus. She continued on her current path, not even bothering to stop and pick up her things from the inn she was staying in. Slowly the young girl meandered her way out of the crowded city. Not once did Mandy look back she was moving on with her life. Moving on, not forgiving or forgetting.
/ // "Mandy left. George told her to, he said that's all he wanted from her. Nothing else. And he and she both, wasn't nice about it. All through the inn that morning the shouting could be heard. Solom told George, jokingly of course, that he owed him for driving away customers." Eleni chuckled as she finished her thought. "Mandy thought that she would be teaching George a lesson if she left. Mandy was just positive that she would be missed and that George would beg her to come back to him." Eleni shook her head at the strange, yet complicated simplicity of it all.
"Where did she go?" Alanna asked in curiosity.
"I'm not sure." Eleni admitted. "I don't even think George knows for certain. 'She could be any where' George would say. 'Never doubt her.' He warned. Either way, I can't figure out why she hasn't tried to return. She seemed like the type. She was very persistent. But don't get me wrong, she still had ways of maintaining her place here. It was a severe case of 'out of sight, but `not` out of mind'."
"What do you mean?" Alanna questioned uncertainly; her violet eyes concerned and her brows knit together.
Eleni clarified. "Nearly every day she would send letters and notes, every week, more or less, she would send gifts. Expensive gifts, and even the occasional flower; mostly striped carnations all from none other that...Mandy."
Alanna bit her lip wondering if it was possible that she might still have competition for George's love and attention. "What kind of stuff?" The knight asked. "I don't think I like that."
"I know I didn't. And neither did George really. I think....for the most part, I believe." Eleni licked her lips trying to remember what all Mandy had sent to George.
Alanna struck in. "You sound very uncertain."
"About what?" Eleni asked still trying to compose a mental list of items.
"How George felt about Mandy's gift sending."
"Oh. That's because, I'm not one hundred percent positive. He told me what he was feeling, but it's hard to tell what was really going on inside his head. He put most of the gifts away or hocked them, they too were expensive to just throw out." Eleni shrugged. "But other things she sent he did keep and use."
Alanna sat in silence for a minute. She and Eleni both were doing some deep thinking. Then something Eleni said was brought back to her. 'They too were expensive to just throw out.' The knight had to comment. "What did you mean they were too expensive?" Alanna asked.
"Well that's what I was just trying to remember... Let's see... she gave him a long jewel hilted fighting sword, two daggers and sheathes, a set of 50 throwing stars, a galive, wrist sheathes and knives, full body mail and armor- all from Raven Armory."
Alanna's jaw dropped. "That must have cost a fortune!"
"Yes." Eleni nodded. "And probably forgetting something's..." Eleni was quite for a moment and then she burst out. "A horse!"
"What?"
"She sent George a big beautiful buckskin stallion, it was the most amazing animal I've ever seen." Eleni gushed. "That was to replace the one she took from here when she left though." Eleni finished as if that explained it.
Alanna was still amazed. "How'd she get all of that? Especially the Raven Armory things?" She asked in disbelief.
"She has her ways." Was all Eleni said for a minute, then she went on. "Persuasion. And I'd imagine she nicked quite a bit of it. But that's not it, she sent dress clothes- work clothes and dress clothes both. The clothing all fit absolutely perfectly. It was eerie in a way for well they fit. Boots, jewelry, letters and notes with each gift. And yeah...the flowers."
Alanna shook her head in amazement, her mouth slightly open.
"Yes." Eleni concluded. "But that's fairly mild. It get's worse because, during those two long, pestering weeks, before she left..." / //
~ A/N: Would any of you like to know the status of this story? Well I'll tell ya okay? It's a boring, tiring work in progress, that's driving me slowly insane -er. Grrr...what am i to do? Only reviews (you) keep me going...I'm kinda sick of it. Any idears to get me thinking freshly about this drag??
Now for your favorite part... the thankyou thankyou's:
I'll try and keep it short...
*Alanna: This is me: completely elated, ecstatic, inspired, exhilarated, on cloud 9, and slap hap happy because of what you said thank you SO much. You are my new best friend! Really! We'll not if you don't want to be but... :( on a lighter note :) seriously, I think you're awesome. I'm really `trying` to finish...thankies!
*Brilliant, just brilliant: hi! Thanks, not many people told me what they thought about that... I thought I was just obsessing and reading too far into things. Oh well, it's not blood, right?
*dragon defender: More Unsuspected than a frog in your PIE??? huh? hmm-- I like it!! No sorry not really, but maybe that's just because I don't understand it. But it certainly would get readers. Hell I'd read a story with that title, it's amusing. some of the other stuff you said was good. Since you suggested it you don't mind if i use it right? i'll give you credit if I do. but right now there are no garentees...thanks.
*Forget-me-not: Thanks for your thoughts! Thanks for ading me to your favorites! `Starting` to scare you? She's been scaring me for a long time. What are we going to do about her? I told Mandi (my real friend that i based the character very VERY losely on) when I was mad, briefly, at her that I was going to kill her character off... oh well
*Froggy: Thanks. Okay. I've updated...
*AmayaNightRain/FlamingKnight101: Thank you, Thank you... I don't remember what I said last time, and I'm too lazy to go look it up. But whatever it was, it wasn't meant to be bad or mean. I'm sorry if my sarcasm is confusing. Here's an update! Keep giving me ideas, inspiration. Keep reading and reviewing!
Damn I should just stop trying... That wasn't too short, but the chapter was long so that should make up for it and keep you going long enough to REVIEW right???
-- ^_^ Lady Daffodil
