A/N: hello again all! About time I updated again! Sorry for the wait. Just started Year 11 this year... so much work! Teachers are so mean... ALL the tests and projects put in the last two weeks of term!!!!!! It sucks. I've also been really busy with my part-time job... so don't kill me! It's the holidays now, so I've got a bit of time on my hands now...

Yep, I know that the dream' wasn't too gruesome or anything, but I thought I should add the warning so I wouldn't have to change my rating.

NOW this chap...

It's a bit of a pointless chapter. Things heat up a bit though! Bit of fluff (just a bit) and a bit of death! Mwahaha! Can't tell you anymore though so read on and find out for yourself!

Important point! — Ok, sometimes I read stories that have very long chapters and I don't have enough time to read them. I have to stop reading half way through a chapter and then read through the chapter all over again to try and find the place I was up to! I've found the solution! I'm now going to label each section. The 1st section of chapter 4 will be labelled 4.1, section 2 will be, 4.2 and so on and on. Then you guys can work out which paragraph you were up to! Please review and tell me if it's a good idea or not!

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4.1

In her sleep, Alanna was in a small, dull brown room. The room was bare except for a large table centred in the middle of the floor, and a chair. Alanna was sitting in the chair, wearing a long black gown and dark face paint.

Suddenly a child, no older than seven, popped out from under the table and started laughing and screaming at her. More children appeared, circling her and taunting her. Soon afterwards, the room was swarming with dirty, rotten children, poking her and pulling her hair.

Alanna tried to scream, but nothing happened. She tried to jump up from the chair and kick the kid that was pulling on her leg. She couldn't move. Her arms and legs were glued into place, her lips were sealed so tight, that not a sound could escape her.

Tears started streaming down her face, she didn't want to be here, she wanted to get out! A dark figure rose from behind her, causing the children to flee. The dark shadow leaned over her, pressing close to her face. The shadow snaked itself around her, binding her, consuming her. She didn't want to be here, she wanted to GET OUT OF THAT HORRIBLE PLACE!

Alanna woke with a jolt. She was sweating profusely and her hands were shaking like mad. This was the second terrible dream she'd had in a week. This time Faithful hadn't woken her though, he was curled up asleep on a chair by her bedside. "Lousy cat!" she moaned, chucking a pillow at him.

What was that for?, he asked, I was in the middle of... "Well, I wasn't!" interrupted Alanna. "I had another one of those dark dreams. They keep coming! They never stop!" she whimpered, covering her face with her hands.

The truth was, it wasn't the first time she'd had those dreams. Even in the convent, she'd wake up in the middle of the night sweating. That was the fifth time she'd had the dream about the swarm of children. The first dream with the dead bodies she'd had at least twenty times, though never had she felt the strong hands around her neck, choking her before she came to the Palace...

Faithful could obviously tell she was distressed. I hate it when people don't get enough sleep, they get all cranky in the morning. Stress about it tomorrow. Alanna smiled and looked down at her friend. Perhaps he was right, she could worry about the dreams another time. Right now, she was having enough trouble keeping her eyes open. It was much easier to lie back down on her pillow, shut her eyes and relax...

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4.2

During breakfast the next morning, she almost dozed off in her bowl of porridge. Lydia rolled her eyes as Alanna yawned. "Honestly Alanna, did you get any sleep last night? You look half dead!". Alanna grinned and grabbed an apple from the bowl in front of her. "I'm sorry Lydia," she said, taking a huge bite from the apple, "I ust a li'l ired..." . Lydia giggled at her friend, "Alanna, I couldn't understand a word you said then!", Alanna smiled and swallowed the piece of apple she'd been chewing on.

Looking across the hall, she saw Thom walking towards her. Alanna put down her apple and stood up to meet him. "Hi Thom, what do you want?", she queried. "Do I need a reason, sister dear," he asked cheekily, meeting her eyes, "actually, my friends and I are riding out to Corus today, and I was wondering if you and Lydia would like to join us? Surely you'd jump at the chance to get out of these walls and explore the city?". Alanna frowned at him. Why did he know her so well? "Meet me at the stables in an hour," he grinned, walking back to his own table.

Sighing, Alanna sat back down and told Lydia. Lydia was ecstatic and couldn't wait to leave. She was just as anxious to visit Corus as Alanna, yet for different reasons.

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4.3

"She's beautiful!" exclaimed Lydia as she patted the silky, cream coloured horse. Gary held the reins tight and helped Lydia climb into the saddle. "What's her name?" she asked as she settled down into the squashy side-saddle. "Omeo," Gary replied, stroking her nose softly (A/N: the horse, not Lydia). "She's just as gorgeous and gentle as you," he grinned at Lydia affectionately. Alanna bit her lip to keep from laughing, they'd been here a week and already her friend was falling head over heels into trouble.

She frowned as she realised that she too would need to ride a horse into Corus. It wasn't that she didn't like riding horses. She loved it! She disliked... no, hated riding side-saddle. She had cut long slits into her riding skirt and worn breeches underneath the skirt, hoping she could somehow get a horse with a normal saddle before the other men realised.

Luckily, she didn't have to worry about this as Thom already had the answer. He walked up to Alanna and gave her the reins to a tough, strong looking horse. He wasn't very pretty. He was an off-white colour with millions of black spots. His hair was black and yellow and was quite tangled. He had a cheeky look in his eye though and Alanna liked him straight away. "His name's Union," said Thom, "he belongs to the King's Own, but nobody uses him. He's too jumpy and frisky for the army right now. They haven't trained him yet. I don't think anybody will mind if you ride him though," finished Thom, winking at Alanna.

Thom's friends were gasping with shock. "Thom, that horse hasn't been trained, he'll buck her off!" said Raoul, obviously horrified that Thom had given her such a horse. "You can't give Union to a Lady Thom," said Jon, agreeing with Raoul, "why he's even got a man's saddle!".

Ignoring their comments, Alanna stepped into one of the stirrups and swung up into the saddle. The splits in her skirt were just long enough to allow her legs to fall by either side of Union comfortably. Faithful jumped up into Alanna's lap and settled himself into one of her saddlebags. She felt much more comfortable than Lydia looked.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Union's ears flatten against his head. He was getting angry. Quickly, she gave him a good smack and moved forward a few steps before he had a chance to kick backwards into Omeo.

Glaring at the men that were staring at her, they automatically shut their mouths. They could tell now that she could obviously handle a troublesome horse. They were too polite to say anything about the saddle. You certainly know how to stir up trouble, commented Faithful. Alanna ignored him.

As Alanna and Lydia waited, Alex, Raoul, Gary, Jon and Thom mounted their horses. Soon afterwards, they were riding out of the palace gates, down towards to the city below.

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4.4

After ten minutes of trotting, they brought their horses to a walk and started talking. Gary fell backwards with Lydia whilst Thom, Jon and Alex stayed in the centre of the group. Alanna was travelling a few metres in front of everyone else, taking in the scenery around her when Raoul rode up to meet her. "You've a lot of surprises up your sleeve Lady Alanna," he teased, "first you send our princeling into a huff, and now you ride like a man! What else are you going to do?". In spite of herself, Alanna couldn't help grinning at the big fellow. "I just don't like riding side-saddle," she replied matter-of-factly, "as for Prince Jonathan, well, I don't like social occasions much... I just lost my temper..." she said, staring blankly at the road ahead of them. "Really? Most ladies love them. Don't worry though, I loath parties and balls too. I'd rather be on guard duty than flirting and dancing". Alanna smiled. It seemed she and Sir Raoul had a bit in common. "Please, just call me Alanna," she said, "my friends call me Alanna". Not that she had many friends. Lydia was her only friend. "Then you must call me Raoul," he replied, smiling broadly at her, "Sir sounds so formal". Alanna grinned with glee, it looked like she'd made her first friend at the Palace.

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4.5

Around noon, they stopped off at a small lake for lunch. Gary took Lydia off to a more secluded spot, leaving Alanna with Thom, Jonathan, Raoul and Alex. Thom sat down beside her and gave her a sandwich. "So what do you think of my friends?" he asked her quietly so that the other men wouldn't hear, "and please tell me truthfully!". "Thom, do I ever sugar coat the truth for you?" she asked sarcastically, "I like Raoul the best, he's very friendly. Gary also seems nice," she said, smiling at the thought of how much Lydia seemed to like him. "I don't like Alex and Jon though. They act too high and mighty". Thom just nodded, he wasn't surprised. "They're actually not Alanna, perhaps you should drop your grudge against them and actually get to know them," he said to her, before returning his attention to his friends.

"So what do you think of Lady's Ebony and Delia then Thom," asked Raoul when he realised Thom had finished his conversation with Alanna. "From what I've heard, they seem like man eating sharks," he answered. Alanna had told him what they were like in Convent. "Thom, you have no idea what you're talking about," said Alex, lounging under a tree.

Jonathan snickered and was about to take another bite of his sandwich when he noticed the huge dirty brown cockroach on it. "Great Mithros," he cursed and dropped the sandwich to the ground in a sudden. The men started laughing hysterically at him, whilst Alanna just frowned. She crawled forward and picked the cockroach up in her hands. "Honestly, it's just a small bug prince Jonathan!" exclaimed Alanna, as she threw it away into the bushes.

They all stopped laughing at Jonathan and stared peculiarly at Alanna. No lady would ever touch a bug, let alone pick it up! She hadn't even screamed or flinched! Tired of their stares, Alanna decided to go for a quick walk to clear her head. She was very close to losing her temper.

Five minutes after she'd left, she found a nice tall Pine tree to lean on. If you're trying to rub everyone up the wrong way, you're certainly succeeding, said Faithful, hopping onto the first branch of the tree. "Scat cat," she yelled at him. She hadn't even realised Faithful had followed her. Suddenly she heard footsteps behind her. Quick as lightning, she put her hand on a dagger hidden at her waist and spun around to see who was following her. It was just Jonathon. Luckily she hadn't unsheathed the dagger, that really would have surprised him.

"Sorry to startle you," he apologised, sitting down beside her. She was anxious to finish her walk, but not with him around. Muttering curses under her breath, she sat down too. "So why do you pick up bugs and ride side-saddle?" he asked, looking straight at her. Alanna refused to meet his eyes, and just stared ahead instead. "I just do," she said, biting her tongue to stop herself from lashing out at him. The prince was obviously taken aback. "Why have you suddenly made up your mind that I'm a bad person?" he muttered.

All the memories came flooding back. She remembered the letters Thom had written to her at the convent. "Why should I like you?" she stood up, unable to contain her rage any longer, "you don't like people, you just use people. You and Thom were never friends! You only took him under your wing after he cured you from the sweating sickness! Then you force him to go to the Black City with you, where he could have been killed! Thom may think you're all good and loyal, but I know better!". With that, she stormed off through the bushes, leaving him to contemplate what she'd just said.

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4.6

The rest of the ride, Alanna rode ahead and didn't speak to anyone. She didn't want to loose her temper again. Why must you always get so angry with everyone? asked Faithful. "I don't know," complained Alanna, "I just do ok, so leave me alone!". Faithful rolled his eyes at her and climbed back into the saddlebags.

Eventually, they reached Corus and went their separate ways. Gary took Lydia on a tour of the city while Alex, Raoul and Jonathon went to look at the armouries. Alanna and Thom were left to their own devices, and that was how Alanna liked it.

"Where are we going Thom?" she asked for the hundredth time as Thom dragged her down yet another street. "Just you wait..." he said, his patience fading fast. Finally she found herself outside a pub called The Dancing Dove. "What is this place?" she asked Thom. Thom just grinned.

Suddenly she felt two arms snake around her waist and twirl her around in the air. "George!" she cried, enveloping him in a big hug. "Nice to see you in Corus lass!" he said, leading her and Thom inside. "I'm taking these two to my rooms," he told a serving lady and pushed them up the staircase.

"How have you been George?" asked Alanna as she gave him another big hug. "Oh I've been just fine. Couldn't wait t'come back home and see you both though," he said hugging her back.

"So this is your home..." she commented, looking over George's room. It was bare except for three chairs, and his bed in the corner. "Yep, and glad to be back," he said, swinging into a chair opposite Thom.

"When did you get back?" Thom asked the thief, "yesterday night actually," replied George, grimly. "I've been meaning to talk to you Thom, seems there's to be some trouble in Port Caynn. Pirates are sailing towards it..." "What?" interrupted Thom abruptly, "But there's been no news of an attack! Jon would have told me if anything out of the ordinary was happening!" he said, jumping out of his chair. "Sit down Thom," ordered George calmly, "you forget that I have spies all over the kingdom, and they are much more reliable than Roald's spies". Thom looked deeply distressed now. "They shouldn't reach Port Caynn for another fortnight, Thom. Not much wind at sea," continued George.

Walking towards the door, Thom replied, "I'd better inform Jon and Duke Gareth. I'll see you later George". After he'd left the room, Alanna noticed the mischievous smile growing on George's face. He'd obviously planned this.

"George..." she started, feeling the blood rushing to her cheeks, "are there really pirates attacking Port Caynn, or did you just want to get rid of Thom?" she said moodily. George grinned and closed the door, leaving him and Alanna alone. "That may have been my intentions lass, but I did not speak a lie. Pirates certainly are planning to overturn Port Caynn," he said, sliding his chair over to Alanna's. "So what do you want then?" grouched Alanna back at him. She was not in the mood for one of his games.

"No need to loose your temper at me, I just wanted to talk," said George defensively. "Never have I met such a fiery lass as you. I've known you for years now... although you'd never admit it, you've grown into quite a fine young lady," he said seriously, taking her hand in his own. Alanna was fairly frightened by now, she'd never heard George speak like this before. "Soon you'll be married off to a rich noble and bear his children, and quite frankly, I've never been more jealous". Don't say it, she begged him silently, this was the last thing she needed. Somehow her voice got caught in her throat though, and she couldn't make a sound. George tilted her head, making her look straight into his eyes. She saw something so powerful in there, that it scared her. Suddenly, his lips were on hers. She felt a sweet sensation rise up her spine. It was over as quick as it started.

George stood up and led her to the door. "I'll see you later," he said as she moved past him and out of his room, careful to avoid his gaze. She rushed down the stairs and out of the pub as fast as her legs could take her. She had no idea what had just happened, and she wasn't sure whether she liked it or not. Life could be so confusing!

(A/N: A/J fans, never fear, she will be having quite a few lovers throughout this story, you'll see. Same to you A/G fans, wait and see.)

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4.7

10 Days Later:

Around noon, a small group of knights assembled outside, ready to ride off to Port Caynn's aid. Lydia, Alanna and Thom waited at the gates to wave them off. Jon was required to stay at the Palace, so as his squire, Thom was to stay as well. As Gary rode past, Lydia started crying. He smiled encouragingly at her and blew her a kiss. Alanna almost felt sorry for her. Almost. It was her decision afterall to start a relationship with him. Raoul winked at her as he went past. She winked back. She would miss her big, jolly friend. At least she still had Thom and Lydia to keep her company.

A few hours later, Alanna and Thom were listening attentively to an interesting story about the Old Ones in Sir Myles' history class. Too soon though, the class was over. "What have you got now Thom?" asked Alanna, she'd only attended a few of his lessons and she was willing to go to more. "Magic," frowned Thom, as if this was his least favourite class, "with Duke Roger". "Duke Roger?" queried Alanna, "isn't he the prince's cousin? AND the most powerful sorcerer in Tortall??". "Yes," sighed Thom, "but he treats us like children! The spells we do are so basic! I don't think you should you come to this class..." he said. Alanna was appalled, "what? Why not?" she demanded to know as she pushed him hard into the wall. "Alanna!" he squealed, "He's an evil man, you should stay away from him! I think he sent that sweating sickness... he's certainly powerful enough! He's greedy Alanna, he wants power and he'll stop at nothing to get it!" he whispered, once the corridors were clear of people, "he knows I'm good at sorcery and he's got spies watching me. You'd better watch your back, because he's probably got spies watching you too!".

Alanna laughed. "Thom, you're being silly. I think you're just jealous of his power... or you're just making up excuses to stop me from coming to your classes! Too bad, it's not working, I'm coming," she said grumpily. "Fine," said Thom, giving in, "it's this way".

Half an hour later, Roger was teaching the class how to conjure up realistic looking illusions. Alanna had had much practice at this over the years and was the first to complete it correctly. "Impressive Alanna," smiled Duke Roger, crookedly, "You've got talent". Alanna couldn't help but smile back. He was much friendlier than his cousin Jonathan was. Roger was also quite charming and she found herself quite attracted to him, to her annoyance.

Suprisingly, Thom was the only one who couldn't complete the spell. Alanna knew he was capable of it so it baffled her as to why he wasn't trying. Maybe it had to do with his grudge against the Duke. Alanna though was only too sorry when the class ended.

Thom avoided her for the rest of the day. It hurt to see her twin so angry with her, but she knew he would get over it soon. Or at least, she hoped he would.

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4.8

8 Days later:

The battle with the pirates in Port Caynn was over, and the knights were due back today. She'd heard no news about the battle, so she had no idea what had happened. The only piece of news that they'd heard was that the pirates had been beaten back and were retreating fast. Lydia and Thom were waiting by the gates to welcome them back, but Alanna wasn't in the mood. Thom was still angry too, so she was also avoiding him.

Alanna was reading a book on the Shang warriors, under a great big Oak tree in the Palace gardens. Thom's right you know, Roger is bad said Faithful, whilst playing with a caterpillar. "If I wanted your opinion, I'd ask," replied Alanna grumpily. The truth was, she wasn't really avoiding Thom. It hurt her to see the knights returning from battle knowing if her plan had worked all those years ago, she could have been riding with them. She didn't notice that someone had approached her until she felt their hand on her shoulder.

Surprised, she dropped her book and turned to face them. "Is this patch of grass taken?" asked the Conté Duke, smiling. There was grass all around, why would he want to sit next to her? Welcome to share her spot with the Duke though, she smiled back at him sweetly. "What are you doing here all alone, Lady Alanna?" he questioned as he smoothly sat down, careful not to crumple his clothes, "shouldn't you be welcoming back our knights with your brother Thom?" he asked.

Alanna frowned, she couldn't exactly tell him why it hurt her to see them coming back. "I... just wasn't interested..." she muttered, turning her book over, so the cover was facing down. "Excuse me for asking Duke Roger, but why are you here?" she asked, anxious to find out why he was visiting her.

The Duke was obviously quite amused by her question. "Why I wanted to invite you to dinner, Lady Alanna. I find you quite... intriguing, and I'd like to have a chance to find out more about you" he said. Alanna could feel herself blushing and stared intently at an ant on the ground, so he wouldn't see. "Would you meet me in my rooms at seven perhaps?" he asked her politely. "As you wish," answered Alanna, perhaps a little too quickly. With a nod of his head, the Duke stood up and made his out of the gardens. Unable to contain her joy, Alanna hugged herself, then jumped up to hug the big tree. She was going to have dinner with the Duke! How jealous would Delia and Ebony be? Oh, she couldn't wait!

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4.9

"You're what?" yelled Thom as Alanna told him her dinner plans with Duke Roger. "You're going to have dinner with him? In his rooms? Are you crazy!" he screamed at her. Luckily they were in Alanna's rooms so nobody else could hear the racket they were making.

"Thom, honestly, it's just dinner," she said calmly, she knew Thom would act like this. "He obviously doesn't," argued Thom, "he's only trying to seduce you!". This really got Alanna revved up. "THOM! How can you say that? You honestly don't think I would... do you?" she yelled, throwing her shoes at him. He ducked and replied, "no I don't, but you don't know him like I do...". "Thom," she pleaded, "just stay out of it. I'm not interested in him in the way you're thinking, ok?". The thought of sleeping with any man was hideous! "He's a great sorcerer, and I think I could learn a lot from him. I'm surprised you don't feel the same way," she said.

Thom didn't reply. He lay down on her bed and stared at the ceiling. "I'm just worried about you Alanna," he said softly. Alanna sat down beside him. Suddenly she remembered the kiss with George.

"George kissed me," she said abruptly. This was bound to set Thom of again. "I'll kill him!" he yelled yet again, jumping off the bed, "and what did you do?" he demanded to know. She had to think for a second, "...I don't know... it was too sudden, I was shocked," she replied truthfully. She still didn't know what to make of it. "Well don't encourage him ok?" he said. She'd obviously overwhelmed him with the news about Roger and George.

After a few minutes of silence, he sighed, "Come on, let's get out of here, perhaps we could go to the library...". Smiling, she agreed. He wasn't mad at her anymore. As they stepped out into the corridor, Alanna accidentally tripped into someone. "Sorry," she muttered to her feet. Looking up from the ground, she realised she'd bumped into prince Jonathan. He looked very pale, almost a ghostly white colour.

"What's wrong Jon..." asked Thom shakily, "Are the knights back from Port Caynn yet?". Jonathan looked grimly at him, "yes, they are. They beat the pirates back, but only just. The pirates had a few mages with them... We lost quite a few of our men...". Jonathan tried to choke back a sob, "Thom... we lost... Raoul didn't make it...".

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So it was Raoul who perished... ooh I'm evil! Well, he bored me in the Alanna books. He didn't play much a part, only in the Protector' series.

Yes and there was a bit of fluff with George... small bit... incy bit... ok hardly any but it was something!!! Yes and I said before, her destiny as far as love goes hasn't been decided yet so don't get in a huff! She'll have a few lovers methinks.

Sorry it took me so long to update and sorry it's a pretty pointless update! I've got plans for the next chapter that should explain heaps more and make it more exciting! Please stay tuned!

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