Holiday Fic for Hsui by lildododum

For Hsui, who requested Alanna/Jon interaction during PotS, after she comes back to Court.

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            "Thayet, you wanted something?"

            "Alanna," Thayet got up and hugged her friend; the friend who was seething with rage, "Good to see you again,"

            "Thayet, you gave me an official summons, you want something; what is it?"

"Yes, Alanna; Jon wanted something…" The man in question stared blankly at the book he had been leafing through.  "Jon…" Thayet persisted, making a face.  He stirred.  "Jonathan, talk with your Champion."  Movement, slight, but still there.  Thayet got up, went to the door, whispered something to the guards, and came back. 

            Alanna regarded her with suspicion, "What did you do?"

            "Nothing." They stood there in silence for a bit, and then Thayet left.  There was a solid clunk, then click as the door was barred and locked from the outside.  Alanna muttered curses under her breath.  Jon blinked.

            "Must you always do that?" he asked tiredly.

            They glared at each other, Jon blinked again.  Alanna shuffled her feet, and plopped down on a chair.  "You have no manners, Jon, making me stand."

            "I have no manners?"  An incredulous Jon asked.

            "You don't.  Or have you forgotten?"  Alanna sighed inwardly.  "I didn't mean to get all…" she shrugged.

            Jon got up and went to the bookcase.  While placing his book back, he murmured, "Of course, you never mean to start anything."

            Alanna stood up and stalked over to him, "You don't know what it was like, Jon.  Always wanting to meet her, talk with her, just glance at her."

            "It must've been painful," It was a statement, not a question.

            "Yes, excruciatingly so.  She made it, though, without my help; and no thanks to you."

            "No thanks to me?  My dear Lioness, I helped her more than you did!  I made her stronger; she was able to deal with prejudice better because of my help!"

            "Oh, you mean where you took away her rights?  Where you took away her freedom?  Where you—" Alanna's eyes flickered with anger as Jon's hand covered her mouth, shoving her into the wall.

            "I know I was a bit callous, but she made it!  She is one of my knights, and will be a damn good one, if what Wyldon tells me is true!  Do you know what she has done?  Do you have any idea what she has accomplished since her first day?"

            He removed his hand, to some extent, "How could I, Jon?  You banned me from meeting her; remember?  All Raoul told me was 'she is strong'…Do you have any idea how much I wanted to wipe that silly grin off his face?!  But wait, that would mean going near her, wouldn't it?" Alanna caught her breath and Jon took that moment to recover her mouth.

            Silence, nothing but their breathing.  Both glared at each other in silence.  Then, as Alanna was about to knee him in the groin…

A loud bang and snap awoke their attention and they turned to the door.  Two guards—in full armor, swords drawn, battle stance—stood there, one was scanning the floor and the other was looking at them.  "Told you she didn't kill him." They made their exit, barring and locking the door in their wake.

            "…The hell was that?"  Jon looked around in confusion, as if the answer would magically drop out of the ceiling.

"Was the other one looking for blood, or the King's Bloody Corpse?" Alanna's eyes crinkled in amusement, "Thayet.  It was Thayet."

            Jon ignored the first and raised an eyebrow, "What about my wife?"

            "She probably told them if they didn't hear screaming they should come and save you…"

            "Does that mean I'm weak?" suspicion leaked from his voice.

            "That means you are out of practice." confirmation from hers.

            "Care to try me?" resentment, Jon was getting superior.

            "Care to try Keladry?" arrogance, Alanna wouldn't put up with it.

            "No…" Jon's voice cracked with what sounded like alarm.

            "Good, you won't get hurt." Amusement, trying hard not to laugh; failing.  Jon gazed at her for a moment and turned away.

            Silence dragged on again, punctuated by Alanna's snorts of laughter.  Jon sighed, "Don't want the guards to come in again, now do we?"  Alanna nodded.  "Well, I guess I should say it then; I am sorry for doing that to Keladry, and I'm sorry for doing that to you."

            "I won't accept that apology, Jon.  But, I guess it is a good start."