A/N Golden Goddess the cat does have a purpose, if just to be a point of
view to write from, thanks for the review. Yuriko thanks for the review, I
hope she does too. Imaginatrix, I'm loving your fic For Gold and Honor. It
is really good. Ivy Dragon, I glad there were less mistakes. Let's see if I
can keep it up. Pen Mage, I love Neal too, I'm not I haven't decided who he
ends up with yet so that's why I haven't said, I'm a K/N believer but it
could be different in real life. I'm glad you like the new title, I was
using "Zira" before because I couldn't think of anything interesting.
Shadowflame, Alanna and Zira meet in this chap. they aren't friends though,
they may become friends or they may not, I haven't decided yet. Thanks
everyone for the reviews. I hope you all like this one. Read and Review
please.
Chapter VIII: The Lioness and the Tigress
As they walked up to the group the Lioness, Lady Alanna of Pirate's Swoop turned and faced them, her violet eyes first met Tobit's blue ones, and she ran up to him and hugged him like an old friend.
"Tobit!" she cried. "How have you been?" Tobit just smiled in response, then Lady Alanna saw the slight figure that had been standing beside him, but had backed away when the she had come near.
"You must be Zira of Antitheos." Lady Alanna said with a friendly smile. Zira looked at her as if she was a snake. No she would have looked more kindly on a snake. The complete and utter loathing in her eyes was apparent to all who looked on the two, the Lady knight and the Princess page. Lady Alanna stepped back a pace and then tried again.
"If you need any extra strengthening exercises, I can show you some wonderful ones," she laughed a little half-heartedly, a laugh to fill in silence. "I was a page once. So I know what you are going through." Zira looked at her in disgust; she drew herself up to her full height of four eight.
"You have no idea what I am going through," she said, all of the childlike features she had regained from her talk with Duke Nealan were gone, she was again old, old and jaded, a princess that had to play the part of queen too soon. Lady Alanna looked at her, puzzled, searching for the clues of heritage in her eyes, her nose, and her mouth. Vague recognition swirled over her face.
"Do I know you from somewhere?" she asked, feeling with every passing moment that she was the child, and that this strange princess was the adult. Zira looked down on the Lioness though she was shorter.
"I'm glad you occasionally look at your victims before you kill them." Every word she said was like sharp pieces of glass. Everyone stared at the two of them, any lesson that they had been doing before forgotten.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After lunch came classes, Tobit dragged Zira from one room to another. All the teachers basically ignored her. Tobit sat between Liam and Falkin, staving off any arguments between the two enemies. Tobit often wondered how he could possibly be best friends with both of them. Zira sat in the seat right behind him, there were empty seats to her left and right in every class, and no one even glanced at her. Jasson had looked at one of the empty seats in the first class and started towards it but Liam had jerked him back and sat him down in a seat next to him. Zira quietly completed all the assignments given to her, but did not speak in the classes.
Math and writing went by quickly, she wasn't bad at those subjects and fought to keep her hand down, she didn't want to draw attention to herself. Tobit looked back at her and was surprised to find that instead of sitting proudly up head erect; she was low in her seat, almost deflated. She looked only like a pretty girl, who was exhausted, not the queenly figure that she had been earlier.
When history came Tobit gave a significant look at both Falkin and Liam.
"The History of the Realm is taught by Sir Myles of Olau," Tobit said to Zira over his shoulder, feeling that he should do something sponsorly. Zira stiffened then said to herself,
"I can't have a grudge against someone because of their daughter," and she walked into the room. But the figure at the front of the room was not the old corpulent form of Sir Myles but a much younger one. Duke Nealan of Queenscove leaned on the desk.
"Good afternoon gentlemen," then with a nod at Zira "and lady. I am afraid that I am the bearer of sad news. Sir Myles of Olau passed away last night in his sleep." The older boys turned towards each other, they had always liked the old history teacher. Zira vindictively thought,
"Well Lady Alanna now you know how it feels to lose someone close to you." As soon as she thought it she was horrified that it had crossed her mind. "Just because she killed your mother you shouldn't be happy because her father has just died." She squirmed down lower in her seat. "I just want to go to sleep, sleep and not wake up until I'm back in Antitheos," she thought. Then she realized that Duke Nealan was talking again.
"I will be filling in for him until a permanent instructor can be found." Falkin raised his hand, "Yes Falkin we will discuss the political and economic situation in this class." Falkin smiled, he and Duke Nealan often discussed politics and philosophy together.
"Now, did Sir Myles," Nealan sighed when he said the name, Myles had been a friend and he would miss him, "assign you anything over the summer holidays." The boys groaned, but Falkin, who had been quite lackluster in his other classes, eagerly reached into his bag and pulled out about twenty loose pages covered in an untidy scrawl. Zira looked at him puzzled, he didn't seem like the type that would write a twenty-page paper over the summer holidays. He was good with the staff fighting, excellent actually, and adequate at math, and writing, but he hadn't done his summer assignments for either of those subjects. In all appearances he had seemed like a jock, one that wanted to pass his classes, but not one who was overly interested in anything unless it involved sweating.
Duke Nealan went around the room collecting papers from the many hands. He came to Liam. Liam folded his arms across his chest.
"Prince?" Duke Nealan asked courteously, he didn't know Liam very well.
"I didn't do it, just give me an excellent." Duke Nealan looked at him.
"I'm afraid I can't do that," he said and moved on to Tobit.
Tobit seemed to be good in his classes, he held out a five-page paper, and smiled at Duke Nealan. Then came Falkin, who was desperately trying to get his stack of papers under control, Nealan laughed.
"Falkin, no one would ever take you for a nerd," he said good-naturedly. Falkin smiled back.
"No they wouldn't," he said impertinently.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Well!" King Jonathan sighed. "What did you think of her Alanna?" Lady Alanna let go of the amethyst earbob that she was pulling on, it sprang up and tangled itself in her coppery red hair.
"She is very proud, and resentful." Alanna extracted her earbob from her hair and began pulling on it again. "But there is something about her that one has to respect. How old is she?"
"Ten." Jonathan said matter of factly. Alanna stared at him.
"She is ten, I would have guessed at least twelve," she said incredulously. "Then again, she doesn't look very old, it is her manner that is old. She doesn't have much love for Tortall though." King Jonathan smiled.
"Would you?"
"No I guess I wouldn't." Alanna said with a sigh. There was a knock at the door.
"Come in." Jonathan called. Duke Nealan, Queen Thayet and Veralidaine Sarrasri entered the room. A longhaired jelico slipped in as well. Thayet ran up to Alanna and hugged her.
"I'm so sorry about your father. He was a good man." Alanna smiled wryly.
"Yes he was, but he is with the Dark God now." She rubbed her eyes.
"Hello," Jonathan said. "You again." Everyone in the room turned toward Jonathan, he was looking at the small cat, who was sitting in the corner washing itself.
Chapter VIII: The Lioness and the Tigress
As they walked up to the group the Lioness, Lady Alanna of Pirate's Swoop turned and faced them, her violet eyes first met Tobit's blue ones, and she ran up to him and hugged him like an old friend.
"Tobit!" she cried. "How have you been?" Tobit just smiled in response, then Lady Alanna saw the slight figure that had been standing beside him, but had backed away when the she had come near.
"You must be Zira of Antitheos." Lady Alanna said with a friendly smile. Zira looked at her as if she was a snake. No she would have looked more kindly on a snake. The complete and utter loathing in her eyes was apparent to all who looked on the two, the Lady knight and the Princess page. Lady Alanna stepped back a pace and then tried again.
"If you need any extra strengthening exercises, I can show you some wonderful ones," she laughed a little half-heartedly, a laugh to fill in silence. "I was a page once. So I know what you are going through." Zira looked at her in disgust; she drew herself up to her full height of four eight.
"You have no idea what I am going through," she said, all of the childlike features she had regained from her talk with Duke Nealan were gone, she was again old, old and jaded, a princess that had to play the part of queen too soon. Lady Alanna looked at her, puzzled, searching for the clues of heritage in her eyes, her nose, and her mouth. Vague recognition swirled over her face.
"Do I know you from somewhere?" she asked, feeling with every passing moment that she was the child, and that this strange princess was the adult. Zira looked down on the Lioness though she was shorter.
"I'm glad you occasionally look at your victims before you kill them." Every word she said was like sharp pieces of glass. Everyone stared at the two of them, any lesson that they had been doing before forgotten.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After lunch came classes, Tobit dragged Zira from one room to another. All the teachers basically ignored her. Tobit sat between Liam and Falkin, staving off any arguments between the two enemies. Tobit often wondered how he could possibly be best friends with both of them. Zira sat in the seat right behind him, there were empty seats to her left and right in every class, and no one even glanced at her. Jasson had looked at one of the empty seats in the first class and started towards it but Liam had jerked him back and sat him down in a seat next to him. Zira quietly completed all the assignments given to her, but did not speak in the classes.
Math and writing went by quickly, she wasn't bad at those subjects and fought to keep her hand down, she didn't want to draw attention to herself. Tobit looked back at her and was surprised to find that instead of sitting proudly up head erect; she was low in her seat, almost deflated. She looked only like a pretty girl, who was exhausted, not the queenly figure that she had been earlier.
When history came Tobit gave a significant look at both Falkin and Liam.
"The History of the Realm is taught by Sir Myles of Olau," Tobit said to Zira over his shoulder, feeling that he should do something sponsorly. Zira stiffened then said to herself,
"I can't have a grudge against someone because of their daughter," and she walked into the room. But the figure at the front of the room was not the old corpulent form of Sir Myles but a much younger one. Duke Nealan of Queenscove leaned on the desk.
"Good afternoon gentlemen," then with a nod at Zira "and lady. I am afraid that I am the bearer of sad news. Sir Myles of Olau passed away last night in his sleep." The older boys turned towards each other, they had always liked the old history teacher. Zira vindictively thought,
"Well Lady Alanna now you know how it feels to lose someone close to you." As soon as she thought it she was horrified that it had crossed her mind. "Just because she killed your mother you shouldn't be happy because her father has just died." She squirmed down lower in her seat. "I just want to go to sleep, sleep and not wake up until I'm back in Antitheos," she thought. Then she realized that Duke Nealan was talking again.
"I will be filling in for him until a permanent instructor can be found." Falkin raised his hand, "Yes Falkin we will discuss the political and economic situation in this class." Falkin smiled, he and Duke Nealan often discussed politics and philosophy together.
"Now, did Sir Myles," Nealan sighed when he said the name, Myles had been a friend and he would miss him, "assign you anything over the summer holidays." The boys groaned, but Falkin, who had been quite lackluster in his other classes, eagerly reached into his bag and pulled out about twenty loose pages covered in an untidy scrawl. Zira looked at him puzzled, he didn't seem like the type that would write a twenty-page paper over the summer holidays. He was good with the staff fighting, excellent actually, and adequate at math, and writing, but he hadn't done his summer assignments for either of those subjects. In all appearances he had seemed like a jock, one that wanted to pass his classes, but not one who was overly interested in anything unless it involved sweating.
Duke Nealan went around the room collecting papers from the many hands. He came to Liam. Liam folded his arms across his chest.
"Prince?" Duke Nealan asked courteously, he didn't know Liam very well.
"I didn't do it, just give me an excellent." Duke Nealan looked at him.
"I'm afraid I can't do that," he said and moved on to Tobit.
Tobit seemed to be good in his classes, he held out a five-page paper, and smiled at Duke Nealan. Then came Falkin, who was desperately trying to get his stack of papers under control, Nealan laughed.
"Falkin, no one would ever take you for a nerd," he said good-naturedly. Falkin smiled back.
"No they wouldn't," he said impertinently.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Well!" King Jonathan sighed. "What did you think of her Alanna?" Lady Alanna let go of the amethyst earbob that she was pulling on, it sprang up and tangled itself in her coppery red hair.
"She is very proud, and resentful." Alanna extracted her earbob from her hair and began pulling on it again. "But there is something about her that one has to respect. How old is she?"
"Ten." Jonathan said matter of factly. Alanna stared at him.
"She is ten, I would have guessed at least twelve," she said incredulously. "Then again, she doesn't look very old, it is her manner that is old. She doesn't have much love for Tortall though." King Jonathan smiled.
"Would you?"
"No I guess I wouldn't." Alanna said with a sigh. There was a knock at the door.
"Come in." Jonathan called. Duke Nealan, Queen Thayet and Veralidaine Sarrasri entered the room. A longhaired jelico slipped in as well. Thayet ran up to Alanna and hugged her.
"I'm so sorry about your father. He was a good man." Alanna smiled wryly.
"Yes he was, but he is with the Dark God now." She rubbed her eyes.
"Hello," Jonathan said. "You again." Everyone in the room turned toward Jonathan, he was looking at the small cat, who was sitting in the corner washing itself.