A/N: So we finally get some ROM-never mind. You'll find out. Anyway, just
so you know, I did change my penname, so if it says that I'm Gilthoniel,
I'm not any more. Toodles! 3
~*Joshua*~
Alanna scrubbed mercilessly at the skillet, a few copper curls escaping their confinement under her white linen cap. Sweat beaded on her forehead, then trickled down her cheeks as she wiped her hands on her apron before resuming her work. "Blasted pots," she said to no one in particular, "stupid things have to go and get strawberry jam stuck to the inside of them-."
"Pardon?" said a voice from somewhere over her left shoulder. She whirled around. In the doorway stood a tall boy, slightly older than she was, clutching a package and wearing a slightly perplexed expression.
She grinned apologetically at him. "It's nothing, just grumbling about punishment chores." She set her skillet in the washbasin, and looked up at him. "What's your name?"
He seemed slightly more relaxed. "Oh, I'm Josh-Joshua, actually. I live here in the City, and my uncle gave me a package for the High Priestess." Josh set the parcel down on the table and rubbed his nose. He had thick, wavy hair the color of sun-ripened wheat, and his eyes were the kind of blue that makes your heart feel free and endlessly joyful. "What, if I may ask, miss, is your name?" She turned back to the ewer of soapy water, and attacked the pile of dirty dishes. "I'm Alanna of Trebond. My father sent me to the convent to 'become a lady.'" She rolled her eyes.
Josh laughed at her glower. "I take it you do not agree with his judgment?" He decided that her silence meant "yes," and went on. "Could you possibly give me directions as to the whereabouts of the Priestess?"
The girl gave a derisive snort. "Really, you don't want to." She nonetheless told him the directions to the Mother's study before turning back to her pans.
Josh was halfway out the door when he paused in the entry. "I think I should like to become your friend."
Alanna murmured, "I would like that too." A voice said to her in her mind, You know you like him, are attracted to him, so why don't you just admit it! You're smitten.
She jumped, sending a wave of sudsy water over her apron. "I do not!" she said firmly, and scoured the dishes almost viciously.
***
A ray of morning sunlight fell across tumbling copper curls spread out on the linen quilt. Alanna rubbed her eyes, and drowsily recalled that she had now spent exactly a month at the Convent of Arrelle. Weird, she said to herself, I'm actually glad that it's a Saturday. Normally I loathe Saturdays. She looked sleepily about the small bedchamber, and found that Rosa, Hannah, and Feila were still fast asleep. Alanna yawned, threw off her covers and, seizing some fresh garments from the chest at the foot of her cot went behind a screen to change. After securing her locks in two stiff plaits, she quietly stole out into the foyer and down the staircase. The girl stubbed her toe on a jutting plank, swore darkly, and hopped into the dining hall. Grabbing a pear from the bowl on her table, she abandoned the room for the cloister gardens to take a stroll.
The gardens and pavilions were deserted at this early hour, so Alanna had the grounds to herself. Singing softly to herself, she roamed about the rose plots, and the lilies and phlox, the pansies and thistles, the poppies and forsythia. It looked to be an overcast, depressing August day, and her spirit was deteriorating, despite her new approval of Saturdays. "No, no, Alanna," she said to herself, in mock of her teachers, "you don't ever put your elbows on the table. Not even in private. NO Alanna, don't walk like that, you look like a something the dung beetle coughed up." She smiled wryly, and breathed deeply of the autumn flowers' balmy aroma. The girl was just rounding a bend in the path when she crashed into-Joshua.
Her face turned several strange hues before settling on white. "Wh- hello, I-am, uh, surprised," she said, rather lamely.
He seemed nearly as startled. "In fact, I was looking for you. When I asked your fellow...maidens where you might be, they were most unhelpful; most of them started giggling and blushing."
Alanna chuckled bitterly. "Yes, that sounds rather typical of them. What can I do for you? You haven't been around since last month."
He shrugged, his hands hanging loosely in his pockets. "I dunno, I guess I just felt like seeing you again." Josh stepped in closer, and they began walking towards a cluster of trees. "My uncle has decided that I should be sent to the Royal Palace to become a page."
She stopped dead, and stared at him. Lucky, she thought. "That's great, Josh! When do you leave?"
"Tomorrow, I'm afraid." He gazed into her violet eyes. "You're jealous."
She scowled menacingly at him, and heaved an exasperated sigh. "I suppose you could call it that, Master Page. Now, if you wouldn't mind, I have to go to my Tortallan History class." Alanna made as if to walk back to the convent building.
He stuck an arm around her waist. "Wait a minute, Alanna, we're not done talking yet-"
Alanna rolled her eyes and removed the hand latched onto her back. "Josh, seriously, you're getting a bit out of hand! I have to go, now." She hurried off to her next torture session.
Josh's hand fell limply at his side, and a shadow of a smile hovered on his lips. "She's quite a feisty thing," he murmured, and trudged down to the village.
A/N: Okay, this is an updated form of Chapter Three because I ABSOLUTELY hated my earlier one. It was kinda strange, because (the story's rather long) my mom works at Bates College in Lewiston, and I'm in the computer lab there. I had to download the chapter so I could edit and revise it and stuff. So when I got into Microsoft Word, it was completely messed up; I couldn't have quotation marks, it kept on morphing into little symbols that I don't know the name of. It turned out that the language setting was French (Those Batesies, they're so strange! () Anyway, if you really hate Josh, #1), I totally agree with you, and #2), you should see what I have planned for him in chapter 6=7!
MWAHAHAHAHA!!!
~*Leah
~*Joshua*~
Alanna scrubbed mercilessly at the skillet, a few copper curls escaping their confinement under her white linen cap. Sweat beaded on her forehead, then trickled down her cheeks as she wiped her hands on her apron before resuming her work. "Blasted pots," she said to no one in particular, "stupid things have to go and get strawberry jam stuck to the inside of them-."
"Pardon?" said a voice from somewhere over her left shoulder. She whirled around. In the doorway stood a tall boy, slightly older than she was, clutching a package and wearing a slightly perplexed expression.
She grinned apologetically at him. "It's nothing, just grumbling about punishment chores." She set her skillet in the washbasin, and looked up at him. "What's your name?"
He seemed slightly more relaxed. "Oh, I'm Josh-Joshua, actually. I live here in the City, and my uncle gave me a package for the High Priestess." Josh set the parcel down on the table and rubbed his nose. He had thick, wavy hair the color of sun-ripened wheat, and his eyes were the kind of blue that makes your heart feel free and endlessly joyful. "What, if I may ask, miss, is your name?" She turned back to the ewer of soapy water, and attacked the pile of dirty dishes. "I'm Alanna of Trebond. My father sent me to the convent to 'become a lady.'" She rolled her eyes.
Josh laughed at her glower. "I take it you do not agree with his judgment?" He decided that her silence meant "yes," and went on. "Could you possibly give me directions as to the whereabouts of the Priestess?"
The girl gave a derisive snort. "Really, you don't want to." She nonetheless told him the directions to the Mother's study before turning back to her pans.
Josh was halfway out the door when he paused in the entry. "I think I should like to become your friend."
Alanna murmured, "I would like that too." A voice said to her in her mind, You know you like him, are attracted to him, so why don't you just admit it! You're smitten.
She jumped, sending a wave of sudsy water over her apron. "I do not!" she said firmly, and scoured the dishes almost viciously.
***
A ray of morning sunlight fell across tumbling copper curls spread out on the linen quilt. Alanna rubbed her eyes, and drowsily recalled that she had now spent exactly a month at the Convent of Arrelle. Weird, she said to herself, I'm actually glad that it's a Saturday. Normally I loathe Saturdays. She looked sleepily about the small bedchamber, and found that Rosa, Hannah, and Feila were still fast asleep. Alanna yawned, threw off her covers and, seizing some fresh garments from the chest at the foot of her cot went behind a screen to change. After securing her locks in two stiff plaits, she quietly stole out into the foyer and down the staircase. The girl stubbed her toe on a jutting plank, swore darkly, and hopped into the dining hall. Grabbing a pear from the bowl on her table, she abandoned the room for the cloister gardens to take a stroll.
The gardens and pavilions were deserted at this early hour, so Alanna had the grounds to herself. Singing softly to herself, she roamed about the rose plots, and the lilies and phlox, the pansies and thistles, the poppies and forsythia. It looked to be an overcast, depressing August day, and her spirit was deteriorating, despite her new approval of Saturdays. "No, no, Alanna," she said to herself, in mock of her teachers, "you don't ever put your elbows on the table. Not even in private. NO Alanna, don't walk like that, you look like a something the dung beetle coughed up." She smiled wryly, and breathed deeply of the autumn flowers' balmy aroma. The girl was just rounding a bend in the path when she crashed into-Joshua.
Her face turned several strange hues before settling on white. "Wh- hello, I-am, uh, surprised," she said, rather lamely.
He seemed nearly as startled. "In fact, I was looking for you. When I asked your fellow...maidens where you might be, they were most unhelpful; most of them started giggling and blushing."
Alanna chuckled bitterly. "Yes, that sounds rather typical of them. What can I do for you? You haven't been around since last month."
He shrugged, his hands hanging loosely in his pockets. "I dunno, I guess I just felt like seeing you again." Josh stepped in closer, and they began walking towards a cluster of trees. "My uncle has decided that I should be sent to the Royal Palace to become a page."
She stopped dead, and stared at him. Lucky, she thought. "That's great, Josh! When do you leave?"
"Tomorrow, I'm afraid." He gazed into her violet eyes. "You're jealous."
She scowled menacingly at him, and heaved an exasperated sigh. "I suppose you could call it that, Master Page. Now, if you wouldn't mind, I have to go to my Tortallan History class." Alanna made as if to walk back to the convent building.
He stuck an arm around her waist. "Wait a minute, Alanna, we're not done talking yet-"
Alanna rolled her eyes and removed the hand latched onto her back. "Josh, seriously, you're getting a bit out of hand! I have to go, now." She hurried off to her next torture session.
Josh's hand fell limply at his side, and a shadow of a smile hovered on his lips. "She's quite a feisty thing," he murmured, and trudged down to the village.
A/N: Okay, this is an updated form of Chapter Three because I ABSOLUTELY hated my earlier one. It was kinda strange, because (the story's rather long) my mom works at Bates College in Lewiston, and I'm in the computer lab there. I had to download the chapter so I could edit and revise it and stuff. So when I got into Microsoft Word, it was completely messed up; I couldn't have quotation marks, it kept on morphing into little symbols that I don't know the name of. It turned out that the language setting was French (Those Batesies, they're so strange! () Anyway, if you really hate Josh, #1), I totally agree with you, and #2), you should see what I have planned for him in chapter 6=7!
MWAHAHAHAHA!!!
~*Leah
