Disclaimer: Yeah, I'm not TP, we all know it, and I'm not an idiot enough to claim I own her characters. But who really cares? Does anyone care if I don't put a disclaimer in? No one? Really? Okay then, on with the story!
Author's Note: I updated this chapter a bit. See if you can spot the (small, but important) change! Thanks to Robinwyn for pointing out the mistake for me. It gets a little more involved in the next chapter.
Alanna stayed in George's room for the next twenty four hours. He had to bring her food up from the Dancing Dove in small portions, so that no one would wonder why George was eating so much. Still, though, George had to be extra careful with Claw's followers around. He couldn't trust anyone at this point.
George and Alanna sat down next to each other on George's bed. Alanna stood up again as purple fire shot out of her hand and settled on the door. Within seconds it vanished without a trace. "For eavesdroppers." Alanna muttered, as George gave her an inquisitive look. She settled back on the bed, and George turned toward her, an odd look on his face.
"Why exactly did you all leave the coronation as soon as Roger started the attacks? I thought you had more courage than-." he started, but Alanna interrupted him.
"Don't say it George. I don't need you to think we're all a bunch of worthless old fools with the rest of the court. Half the court is glad that Roger ascended the throne. They knew that Jon wouldn't be able to withstand any major attacks." she said, glaring at him spitefully, as if daring him to say otherwise.
"Then why did you? I do believe you could have bested Roger without having to flee," he asked, regretful as he scolded himself for voicing the very thing he knew would unleash Alanna's temper, "Jon certainly has enough supporters to stop Roger from murdering us all. We almost did win, but without Jon to hold the land together with the help of the Dominion Jewel, palace crumbled. It's a miracle that even I got out alive." George stared at the ceiling, fighting back his urge to cry. Many of his friends had been inside the palace when it collapsed. A lot of them had fled at the beginning, but there were the others.
Flash back to the coronation day:
The earth began shaking. People screamed and ran everywhere as men in the colors of Tirragen and Eldorne rushed in, slaughtering people and shooting at Jonathan. Knights everywhere drew swords as the men charged to the front.
Buri ushered a shocked Thayet out of the palace doors as fast as she could get her. Thayet was her responsibility, and if anything happened to her, it would all be blamed upon Buri. As they fought their way through to the doors, a man dressed in purple and black, and grinning evilly, hacked his sword at Thayet. Thayet screamed, and fell to the floor. Buri drew her sword and hacked at the man, chopping him to pieces with a kind of maniacal force. She picked Thayet up off the floor, and struggled to make it to the door. Sir Raoul of Goldenlake appeared out of nowhere, taking Thayet out of Buri's arms. They both rushed out to the city, shouting for a healer.
Meanwhile, Alanna stood at the alter with Jon and Liam, fighting the Tirragen and Eldorne men as they attempted to run Jon down. Arrow after arrow whizzed by, none of them reaching Jonathan. Alanna handed him the Dominion Jewel during a break in between men rushing at her. He grabbed it as he tossed his sword down, and started chanting in strange tongue.
"Singulus ager, singulus ductor," he began, "Ascio ager, ambo adsumo." Jon opened his eyes, and then a panicked expression came upon his face. Nothing had happened! Jon quickly gave up, and stuffed the gem into his pocket. He picked his sword up off the ground where he had thrown it, and began to fight once again.
Alanna fiercely slashed and ripped at the attackers. She had to fight for her life, and Jonathan's. As the men began to surround them, Alanna realized they had little choice. They had to run, or be hacked to pieces by the swordsman, or women, as Alanna realized Delia of Eldorne and Princess Josiane of the Copper Isles were among those carrying swords. She yelled for Jon to follow, and they ran off into they city, with a growing number of friends joining them. As they left the building, it began to crumble, the pieces of the ceiling falling in, and the sound of people screaming as they were crushed to death rose above the other sounds of the battle.
George stopped fighting and looked up. The ceiling was falling upon him and all of those around him. He ran out of the building into the streets of Corus, running as fast as he could to the Dancing Dove. He knew he would not be betrayed there, all of thieves still followed the law of the thieves. Besides, Claw's men wouldn't turn him in, as dumb as they all were, they would obey Claw, and Claw would be smart enough to keep him around to spy upon.
George went up to his room and closed the door. He plopped down on the bed and began to cry.
Returning to the Present:
"George, I'm sorry we all ran. We weren't trying to abandon you. It's just that, we really didn't really have a chance. You knew it as well as I did." Alanna tried to console her friend as she saw his face go blank as he remembered the horrors of the aftermath of coronation day. "I can't imagine what you had to go through."
George turned away from her as tears began to fall from his face again. He didn't tell Alanna that he had sneaked back to the palace to observe the damage. Bodies had lain everywhere, more men dressed in mourning colors from the death of the former king and queen than of men in the Tirragen and Eldorne colors. George had brought the bodies back of his friends to bury them just outside of Corus, rather than have them be burned as traitors on Traitor's Hill. He began sobbing as he thought about those lost that day.
Author's Other Note: If you want to know what Jon was saying, you'll have to guess. (Hint: It's in poorly/loosely translated Latin! Find a website to translate it! If you can't figure it out, email me.)
