this ones kind of short.. but i'll post up two for yah!

The weeks and months passed with little more excitement. Her days got back into routine and most girls talked less about Alanna's fainting and more about the mystery of the Prince in Corus getting healed by the sweating sickness – even though most healers were drained of their power, someone had come and saved the prince. Many said it was Thom, Alanna's brother, and he liked the attention it brought him – perhaps a bit too much. Alanna shrugged it off, saying if he had saved the prince, then he should have as many bragging rights as anyone. Everyone knows that the Queen could bear no more children and that Prince Jonathon was an only child. Pretty soon it was the midwinter, and Alanna had a few exams in the classes she had been studying. Her magic had been coming along, although her fear of it was still nagging her – but was disappearing each time she forced herself to use it. After midwinter was an exciting time for second and third years – they got to travel to Corus city for 3 days of the weeklong holiday and spend some allowance on new dresses and anything else they fancied. They wouldn't enter the palace however, and most women liked it that way – when they were introduced at the age of 16, it should be the first time noble lads saw them.

Alanna, being a first year, stayed behind while Cordelia and Kat and the others left. Like the other first and older year Ladies got the week off as well. Alanna spent most of it working with Lucas on staff and strengthening exercises. When she wasn't working with Lucas she was wondering around the halls or talking with Nadia – it was a very nice break from the work she had been going through. The third day she had sent small tokens to her friends, Kat, Cordelia and Nadia, and received 4 different smelling scents from Cordelia, a set of three beautiful throwing knives from Kat and as Nadia and Lucas had put their gift together and purchased a small bottle of bruise balm.

On the last night she wrote Thom a letter telling him of the events that had passed earlier that year. If she was confused by the dream Thom would know what went on. He always had the answers to questions about magic. She was sealing the envelope when her vision flared. The same scene came before her eyes – the tree, the fire, the fog and the cat. Same as before it disappeared as quickly as it came and Alanna was left sitting there with an envelope for her brother. That's odd… the second time I've seen the same place. I wonder what it means? Again she shrugged it off, thinking her sanity was going and decided to keep it to herself. She sent the message by a courier bird to Corus and went to sleep for the last day of her holiday.

~

The rest of the year went by routinely, nothing too interesting or exciting occurred, and Alanna was a bit disappointed. She enjoyed the adrenaline from things going wrong or not to plan. It made life interesting. She was glad when classes were over once again and the exam-type tests were over. The Ladies get a 2-week long summer holiday to go back to their homes before they come back to the manor. Alanna didn't really want to return home, but the thought of Maude alone made her go. She spent the days practicing the exercises that Lucas taught her and using her Gift to help in the city.

It went by slowly, but it was a nice break. She worked a bit of staff and archery with the men-at-arms at the Trebond Castle and caught a few by surprise with her talent.

"teachin' ladies t' fit wit weapons a' th' temples now eh?" Alanna winked at him and shot another arrow that flew straight and true to the bull's eye.

~

Her second year was almost as uneventful as the first, her classes were just a bit harder and she began to learn more swiftly. She got into the routine of getting pounded in the morning, and learning softening lady-like actions during the rest of the day. Her work kept her from losing her temper with Lady Delia – most of the time. A few occasions, usually when the ladies sat near each other at a meal, an argument interrupted the ladies' food and most made bets on who would have the last word. Usually Delia won, but only because she left in a huff after calling Alanna a name or two. They just couldn't get along no matter what anyone said to calm them down. It was maddening to most how the two would butt heads whenever they were within 5 feet of each other. Relief for Alanna came in 2 ways. The first was when Lucas finally decided she was ready to start using a real sword, not just a practice wooden one. That however came with the drawback that the sword was heavy. Very heavy. Alanna forced herself to use it though, did the practice movements with Lucas's big sword to build up strength. He even asked her to use her other arm as well when she practiced – one never knows when it'll be useful to know how to use a weapon in both hands. With that new extra practice, Alanna was too tired to fight with Delia, and the other noble seemed to decide that Alanna was too low to acknowledge, which suited both parties fine.

The second wave of relief was that mid winter was coming again – trip to Corus city! Alanna was plenty excited, she had never been to Corus before, and it was the capital of Tortall, the place where the finest Knights held court and some of the best weaponry was sold.

~

~CJ~