To:
SALEK--twisty isn't how I'd put it. Long-winded and dragged is more like it
ROSEFYRE--Well, he's not idotic...wait, yes he is
CHICKENSOUP3: alex and alanna make a good couple. They do? I think that [forgot-her-name...sorry!] was right when she said that A&A act weird when they're together. *Sigh* But they're in love...right? (not that I'm an expert in that category...*sighs wistfully*)
STARFIRE: I take it that you're an avid a/j fan? Hmmm...there's hope for them yet!
LADY ARIANNA: I have no idea what you should do about your uploading problem...it's never happened to me before!
LADYLUCK: Yes, I recall you saying that...about once, or twice. =)
AERINBROWN: Hehe! Well, Alex will be back for midwinter...I think. (what's "spiffy?")
LARA: Tee-hee! (sorry I don't have a longer response. Here: hehe, haha, hoho! There!)
MOONWING: By "extra stuff at the beginnings" do you mean this? This note that you're (I hope) reading?
LADY DRAGON OF SPIRIT'S FIRE: Ai. You reviewers and your questions. Tell you what: you guess, and I'll tell you if you're hot/cold.
XELENA: My sister's getting me the regular LOTR DVD for x-mas...(yayz!) About Alex...yes he's courting Alanna.
ECCIE87: Yup, 'course the kiss was awkward (sp?)!! That was the point!
DROWNING ROOSTER: (what a pen name!) Yeah, I reviewed "two alannas". Very unique plot, BTW.
'SIR' RHYET: If you've been paying attention at all to any of my ANs, you'll know I'm very VERY LOTR obsessed. =)Aragorn--Viggo Mortensten (sp?). Get bookmarks at Barnes & Nobles or other bookstores.
KASIA: *hugs* Thanks! Personally, I hated how I ended the chapter...but ah, well! The black eye thing...hmm, never even thought of that. It'd be a nice addition...I'll see if I can work it in!
I'M SORRY IF I FORGOT ANYONE! THANKS FOR REVIEWING!
AN: SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY! Major, major writer's block! See, in the last few sections, I was building up to the Healing, and then the Jon thing (though it ended up much shorter than I thought!!) but then...ugh, I didn't know where to go from there! Then, after I figured out what to do, I had semester exams!!!!!!!!!!
Vote: Should Jon get ANOTHER shot, or was the one enough??
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter twenty-three--
Alanna was running. The palace was suddenly a maze that she couldn't find her way through. She heard crying, and she was racing toward the sound. It never seemed to grow closer, however. The cries came from somewhere to her left. Pounding down the hall, Alanna was sweating and short of breath. With one hand she clutched her side. It seemed as if she had been running for forever.
Doubling over, Alanna gasped for air. The crying seemed louder than ever, and she fought the urge to cover her ears. Another voice joined the first, though Alanna couldn't tell if it was male or female. Grudgingly, she continued her search.
She tried to remember the last time she'd seen another person. Somehow the memory eluded her. Shaking her head, partly to clear her mind and partly to move the hair out of her eyes, Alanna continued. Now another voice joined the wailing. Alanna increased her speed.
The voices grew louder. Perhaps she was drawing nearer the source. Racing up a small flight of stairs, she reached another hallway. Suddenly, she paused. To her right was a door of strong oak.
Throwing her shoulder against it, the door tumbled open. So it had been unlocked. Glancing around, Alanna simply saw a common room. The wailing was gone, but a door in the back of the room was ajar. Voices floated from it. Tip-toeing closer, she peeked into it.
"Come in," a voice commanded. Surprised, Alanna pushed opened the door. Before her stood a tall, attractive man. In one hand he held a sceptor. On his brown hair was a crown. Flashing a smile at Alanna, he gestured. She noticed the jewel around his neck, the jewel that instantly caught and held her gaze.
"Duke Roger..." Alanna croaked. Squirming, Alanna attempted to pry her eyes away from that jewel, but somehow she couldn't. Her head ached and her eyesight blurred...
"'Duke' Roger no longer," he said with a smile.
"Wha? What are you doing?"
Chuckling, Roger whirled the sceptor around between in thumb and forefinger, gazing at his reflection in the polished gold. "I am king, Alanna."
"What??"
Roger's smile fell a little, as if he was annoyed with her stupidity. "It is done. I am king of Tortall. Long live King Roger!" At these words, he seemed to grow; the room darkened suddenly as he loomed above her, his face twisting and distorting, changing into a hideous blackened image.
Alanna backed away from him, opening her mouth to scream but unable to find her voice. Duke--King Roger's body grew and grew, becoming dark black with the room, as if he was smothering out the light with his darkness. Alanna turned her head away from the jewel that watched her like a eye...
Blinking, she found herself staring at the ceiling of her bedroom and lying amid sweat-soaked sheets. It was a dream. The same one, only longer this time. To comfort herself, Alanna forced her breaths to even and clasped a hand to her necklace, only to pull away sharply, for it was fire-hot.
It was still dark outside, with only the pale glow of the cresent moon to light ground. Suddenly, her room seemed stifling, as it always did after a nightmare. Cracking open her window, Alanna slipped through, bare-footed and wearing nothing but her nightgown. She instantly felt foolish as a cold draft kissed her skin, causing her to shiver.
"Where are you going now?" she muttered to herself under her breath. Her feet shuffled and then began to move as if by their own accord. The ground was so cold that her feet was numb in moments, a reminder that winter would approach woon. Alanna hugged herself for warmth, wishing with every step that she'd brought her cloak but didn't feel like going back to fetch it. She soon found herself in front of the stables.
There was nobody about and most of the horses were asleep, but a bay in a darkened stall that she recognized as Gary's whickered at her quietly. Alanna patted his dark head softly.
"Couldn't sleep either, huh?" she whispered. "What do you say we go out for a midnight ride? Huh?"
Quietly, Alanna let the bay out of his stall and threw herself over his back without saddle, bridle, halter, or reins. Nudging him gently in the sides and throwing her arms around his neck, Alanna held on as the bay darted forward.
Perhaps they were extremely lucky, or it was just very late at night, but no one spotted them as they rode out of the palace and past the edges of the city. The wind blowing in her face helped her forget her dream, and she lay her head down gently on the horse's neck, closing her eyes for a moment and breathing in the smell of nighttime and horse.
When she opened them again, Alanna realized that they were lost. She must have fallen asleep, for it seemed as if only moments had passed since they'd left the stables. She saw that they had strayed into the forest, and a fat drop hit Alanna on the cheek. Glancing up, she noted that it was beginning to rain. The winds increased, and now Alanna was sniffling miserably.
Desperately, she glanced around for a welcoming shelter. In a bright flash of lighting, the rain began to pour in sheets, but in that moment she spotted what appeared to be a homey willow not far ahead.
Later Alanna didn't remember how she managed to convince the bay to make for the willow tree, but she found herself under a roof of leaves and a small fire quickly made with wood lying near the trunk of the willow.
As she stretched out her hair to dry it, she heard a crash in the underbrush and then a sharp yowl. Moments later, an extremely wet cat found its way into their rough camp. The shaking figure of wet, black fur crawled into Alanna's lap and shuddered.
"Out," Alanna snapped, and gave the cat a small push. The cat glared at her reproachfully. Alanna stared. The cat had violet eyes, exactly like her own. "Weird."
Did cats even have violet eyes? This was probably not an ordinary cat. Maybe it was a familiar; it wouldn't surprise her much. Slowly, cautiously, Alanna brought a hand down and stroked the cat.
The looping branches of the willow whipped in the wind, smaking her in the face. When she glanced up again, she saw another figure standing across the fire. Instantly, Alanna was on her feet.
"Who are you?" she demanded. "What are you doing here?"
"Does not a wandering stranger have a right to a comforting fire?" a woman's voice asked her, fiercely powerful and wild like the barking of hunting hounds. Her face was overshadowed by a hood pulled over her head, but the dark cloak that she wore was dry.
With a musical laugh, she threw back the hood and gestured toward the fire, which sprang up and grew, illuminating her face. Now Alanna could see her cearly, from the blue fabric of her dress and silver of her girdle to the ornaments in the soft waves of her hair. She was so beautiful and perfect in her features that Alanna knew that she was not of this earth, nor any mortal being.
She was the Goddess.
SALEK--twisty isn't how I'd put it. Long-winded and dragged is more like it
ROSEFYRE--Well, he's not idotic...wait, yes he is
CHICKENSOUP3: alex and alanna make a good couple. They do? I think that [forgot-her-name...sorry!] was right when she said that A&A act weird when they're together. *Sigh* But they're in love...right? (not that I'm an expert in that category...*sighs wistfully*)
STARFIRE: I take it that you're an avid a/j fan? Hmmm...there's hope for them yet!
LADY ARIANNA: I have no idea what you should do about your uploading problem...it's never happened to me before!
LADYLUCK: Yes, I recall you saying that...about once, or twice. =)
AERINBROWN: Hehe! Well, Alex will be back for midwinter...I think. (what's "spiffy?")
LARA: Tee-hee! (sorry I don't have a longer response. Here: hehe, haha, hoho! There!)
MOONWING: By "extra stuff at the beginnings" do you mean this? This note that you're (I hope) reading?
LADY DRAGON OF SPIRIT'S FIRE: Ai. You reviewers and your questions. Tell you what: you guess, and I'll tell you if you're hot/cold.
XELENA: My sister's getting me the regular LOTR DVD for x-mas...(yayz!) About Alex...yes he's courting Alanna.
ECCIE87: Yup, 'course the kiss was awkward (sp?)!! That was the point!
DROWNING ROOSTER: (what a pen name!) Yeah, I reviewed "two alannas". Very unique plot, BTW.
'SIR' RHYET: If you've been paying attention at all to any of my ANs, you'll know I'm very VERY LOTR obsessed. =)Aragorn--Viggo Mortensten (sp?). Get bookmarks at Barnes & Nobles or other bookstores.
KASIA: *hugs* Thanks! Personally, I hated how I ended the chapter...but ah, well! The black eye thing...hmm, never even thought of that. It'd be a nice addition...I'll see if I can work it in!
I'M SORRY IF I FORGOT ANYONE! THANKS FOR REVIEWING!
AN: SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY! Major, major writer's block! See, in the last few sections, I was building up to the Healing, and then the Jon thing (though it ended up much shorter than I thought!!) but then...ugh, I didn't know where to go from there! Then, after I figured out what to do, I had semester exams!!!!!!!!!!
Vote: Should Jon get ANOTHER shot, or was the one enough??
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter twenty-three--
Alanna was running. The palace was suddenly a maze that she couldn't find her way through. She heard crying, and she was racing toward the sound. It never seemed to grow closer, however. The cries came from somewhere to her left. Pounding down the hall, Alanna was sweating and short of breath. With one hand she clutched her side. It seemed as if she had been running for forever.
Doubling over, Alanna gasped for air. The crying seemed louder than ever, and she fought the urge to cover her ears. Another voice joined the first, though Alanna couldn't tell if it was male or female. Grudgingly, she continued her search.
She tried to remember the last time she'd seen another person. Somehow the memory eluded her. Shaking her head, partly to clear her mind and partly to move the hair out of her eyes, Alanna continued. Now another voice joined the wailing. Alanna increased her speed.
The voices grew louder. Perhaps she was drawing nearer the source. Racing up a small flight of stairs, she reached another hallway. Suddenly, she paused. To her right was a door of strong oak.
Throwing her shoulder against it, the door tumbled open. So it had been unlocked. Glancing around, Alanna simply saw a common room. The wailing was gone, but a door in the back of the room was ajar. Voices floated from it. Tip-toeing closer, she peeked into it.
"Come in," a voice commanded. Surprised, Alanna pushed opened the door. Before her stood a tall, attractive man. In one hand he held a sceptor. On his brown hair was a crown. Flashing a smile at Alanna, he gestured. She noticed the jewel around his neck, the jewel that instantly caught and held her gaze.
"Duke Roger..." Alanna croaked. Squirming, Alanna attempted to pry her eyes away from that jewel, but somehow she couldn't. Her head ached and her eyesight blurred...
"'Duke' Roger no longer," he said with a smile.
"Wha? What are you doing?"
Chuckling, Roger whirled the sceptor around between in thumb and forefinger, gazing at his reflection in the polished gold. "I am king, Alanna."
"What??"
Roger's smile fell a little, as if he was annoyed with her stupidity. "It is done. I am king of Tortall. Long live King Roger!" At these words, he seemed to grow; the room darkened suddenly as he loomed above her, his face twisting and distorting, changing into a hideous blackened image.
Alanna backed away from him, opening her mouth to scream but unable to find her voice. Duke--King Roger's body grew and grew, becoming dark black with the room, as if he was smothering out the light with his darkness. Alanna turned her head away from the jewel that watched her like a eye...
Blinking, she found herself staring at the ceiling of her bedroom and lying amid sweat-soaked sheets. It was a dream. The same one, only longer this time. To comfort herself, Alanna forced her breaths to even and clasped a hand to her necklace, only to pull away sharply, for it was fire-hot.
It was still dark outside, with only the pale glow of the cresent moon to light ground. Suddenly, her room seemed stifling, as it always did after a nightmare. Cracking open her window, Alanna slipped through, bare-footed and wearing nothing but her nightgown. She instantly felt foolish as a cold draft kissed her skin, causing her to shiver.
"Where are you going now?" she muttered to herself under her breath. Her feet shuffled and then began to move as if by their own accord. The ground was so cold that her feet was numb in moments, a reminder that winter would approach woon. Alanna hugged herself for warmth, wishing with every step that she'd brought her cloak but didn't feel like going back to fetch it. She soon found herself in front of the stables.
There was nobody about and most of the horses were asleep, but a bay in a darkened stall that she recognized as Gary's whickered at her quietly. Alanna patted his dark head softly.
"Couldn't sleep either, huh?" she whispered. "What do you say we go out for a midnight ride? Huh?"
Quietly, Alanna let the bay out of his stall and threw herself over his back without saddle, bridle, halter, or reins. Nudging him gently in the sides and throwing her arms around his neck, Alanna held on as the bay darted forward.
Perhaps they were extremely lucky, or it was just very late at night, but no one spotted them as they rode out of the palace and past the edges of the city. The wind blowing in her face helped her forget her dream, and she lay her head down gently on the horse's neck, closing her eyes for a moment and breathing in the smell of nighttime and horse.
When she opened them again, Alanna realized that they were lost. She must have fallen asleep, for it seemed as if only moments had passed since they'd left the stables. She saw that they had strayed into the forest, and a fat drop hit Alanna on the cheek. Glancing up, she noted that it was beginning to rain. The winds increased, and now Alanna was sniffling miserably.
Desperately, she glanced around for a welcoming shelter. In a bright flash of lighting, the rain began to pour in sheets, but in that moment she spotted what appeared to be a homey willow not far ahead.
Later Alanna didn't remember how she managed to convince the bay to make for the willow tree, but she found herself under a roof of leaves and a small fire quickly made with wood lying near the trunk of the willow.
As she stretched out her hair to dry it, she heard a crash in the underbrush and then a sharp yowl. Moments later, an extremely wet cat found its way into their rough camp. The shaking figure of wet, black fur crawled into Alanna's lap and shuddered.
"Out," Alanna snapped, and gave the cat a small push. The cat glared at her reproachfully. Alanna stared. The cat had violet eyes, exactly like her own. "Weird."
Did cats even have violet eyes? This was probably not an ordinary cat. Maybe it was a familiar; it wouldn't surprise her much. Slowly, cautiously, Alanna brought a hand down and stroked the cat.
The looping branches of the willow whipped in the wind, smaking her in the face. When she glanced up again, she saw another figure standing across the fire. Instantly, Alanna was on her feet.
"Who are you?" she demanded. "What are you doing here?"
"Does not a wandering stranger have a right to a comforting fire?" a woman's voice asked her, fiercely powerful and wild like the barking of hunting hounds. Her face was overshadowed by a hood pulled over her head, but the dark cloak that she wore was dry.
With a musical laugh, she threw back the hood and gestured toward the fire, which sprang up and grew, illuminating her face. Now Alanna could see her cearly, from the blue fabric of her dress and silver of her girdle to the ornaments in the soft waves of her hair. She was so beautiful and perfect in her features that Alanna knew that she was not of this earth, nor any mortal being.
She was the Goddess.