Chapter Three
A few weeks passed without event, and Alanna wanted to get home before the winter rains started. It took some bullying but she finally managed to convince George to go back to Corus with her.
As Alanna packed she thought ruefully, 'I picked the most stubborn person in Tortall.' But then her throat caught. Had Faithful been there he would have pointed out that she was the most stubborn person in Tortall. Gods above. She missed him and Liam and Thom and all the others who had died. A tear trickled slowly down her cheek. She impatiently brushed it away. 'Now is no time to get sentimental,' she thought, but the tears took over, and she sat down and cried, pouring her heart out for those who had died to save the kingdom.
George came in and walked over and held her to him. "I don't need help!" she snapped, trying to pull away, but George held her close.
"Of course you do, everyone needs help at some time, even the mightiest. Will you tell me what makes you cry so?"
"I- I was remembering. Faithful. and Thom. and." she trailed off, as much because she didn't want to mention Liam as that a new onslaught of tears hit her.
"It's OK, sweet. They're with the Goddess now. They know that you loved them." He shushed her, rocking her gently.
Alanna sniffled, and stood up. "I feel so helpless, and useless!!!"
"You're certainly not helpless, lass, and you're far from useless. You're King's Champion!"
"Don't remind me," she muttered darkly.
"It's who ye are, lass, and ye should be proud of it."
"I'm proud of it all right. I feel like I've done everything I set out to do, and there's no more. It's like I got what I wanted, and now I don't know what to do with it."
"That's what you have me to remind you for." With that he began to bend her back in a kiss, but she pushed him away.
"George, not now. Please." She begged, her sorrow in her eyes. "Kissing is not always the way to make me feel better."
"Oh, it isn't? Well, what is then?"
"I don't know, but it's not always kissing. So stop." She stood. "I have packing to finish. And so do you. We leave the day after tomorrow. Go." She turned her back to him, and knelt by her bags, absently folding clothes. George did not move. He looked at the Lioness, wondering what had made her be so blunt.
"Lioness, is it just the coronation victims? Is that everything?"
She flinched at the sound of her war name on her old friend's lips, but she nodded. "It was just memories. That's all."
George attempted a smile. "OK, then. Just pay a visit to your lowly servant if you need anything."
She gave a most un-ladylike snort. "Lowly servant- hogwash."
George laughed, and left to complete his own packing
Two days later, Alanna stowed the last of her things, and loaded the packs onto Moonlight's back. "You ready to go, girl?" Moonlight whickered in reply. Alanna mounted up and rode toward George's tent. "Come on, George. We want to leave before the sun rises, not after it sets!"
"Just a moment, my lady," his voice caroled from inside the tent. "I'm just gettin' a few last-minute things packed!"
"You were supposed to be packed two days ago! What is taking so long now?" She yelled, thinking, 'Wasn't I getting packed when we had that talk? Has he forgotten already?' Then George walked out of the tent. Smiling softly, he put his arm around her, and led her back to the horses.
"Mount up, milady." He did a players bow. Alanna scowled and swung herself up on Moonlight's back, and waited for George to do the same. He smiled, mounted, and handed Moonlight a yellow rose, which she took in her teeth. George said to the mare: "Give that to your mistress, from me to her, why don't you, pretty?"
Moonlight turned her head, and offered the rose to Alanna, who blushed and accepted it, her anger melting away. She tucked the rose by her saddle horn, and turned Moonlight toward the village central square, where the Bazhir were just beginning to gather for the morning meal.
The tribe's people turned to see the Woman Who Rides Like A Man, and her lover mounted and dressed for hard riding. "You are leaving now?" asked Halef Seif.
"Yes, we return to the city," replied Alanna, bowing low to the headman.
"We hope you return to us soon, Woman Who Rides Like A Man"
"As do we."
"Farewell, Woman Who Rides Like A Man, Baron George Cooper. Some men have already gone north with Jakat, so you will have your trial in the capital."
"Thank you, I will write and tell you how it goes." Alanna felt a sinking feeling at the pit of her stomach every time she thought of Jakat. She did not know how to deal with a madman bent on her demise.
"You are most welcome, and I would appreciate the letter," said Halef Seif, unaware of her thoughts.
"And you found out I am no longer King of the Thieves?" George asked the headman.
"Of course."
"The Voice?" asked Alanna.
"Who else?" muttered George.
"Goodbye, Halef Seif," said Alanna. "Tell the tribe goodbye from us." Halef nodded, and returned to his morning meal. Alanna smiled at George, and the trotted their horses out of the tent village.
~*~*~*~*~
Thanks Again to all of my reviewers!!! Ryoko.Kilala: Thank You! I'll try!!
Goddess of The Moon: Thank you, and yes I will write about the wedding. I'm going to try to write about everything Alanna does up until Wild Magic. Try is the key word there though!!!!!!!!!
sw33t t3mptations: Thank you!
Cracked in the Head: Thank you, and I'll only be able to update everyday until I get to where I left off writing, which will be very soon *sigh* I do try though.
Oneinamilliongirl: Of course, if they didn't, the TP wouldn't have put them that way.
LadyKnight4: Thank you, I'll do my best
Rae: Yay! Thank you!
Dark Messenger: I'm sorry you dislike the Thayet part, but I have more. Aside from that I hope you liked the story. And no, I do not flame all the best story. I do do more constructive criticism than most people, but that's all it is. The "flaming" part in flamingknight has to do with fire, not giving flames. And I think that you're Cherry-Alanna. But maybe your not. If not, meet her, she's a Thayet-hater, too.
Please Read and Review everyone!!!!!!!!!
A few weeks passed without event, and Alanna wanted to get home before the winter rains started. It took some bullying but she finally managed to convince George to go back to Corus with her.
As Alanna packed she thought ruefully, 'I picked the most stubborn person in Tortall.' But then her throat caught. Had Faithful been there he would have pointed out that she was the most stubborn person in Tortall. Gods above. She missed him and Liam and Thom and all the others who had died. A tear trickled slowly down her cheek. She impatiently brushed it away. 'Now is no time to get sentimental,' she thought, but the tears took over, and she sat down and cried, pouring her heart out for those who had died to save the kingdom.
George came in and walked over and held her to him. "I don't need help!" she snapped, trying to pull away, but George held her close.
"Of course you do, everyone needs help at some time, even the mightiest. Will you tell me what makes you cry so?"
"I- I was remembering. Faithful. and Thom. and." she trailed off, as much because she didn't want to mention Liam as that a new onslaught of tears hit her.
"It's OK, sweet. They're with the Goddess now. They know that you loved them." He shushed her, rocking her gently.
Alanna sniffled, and stood up. "I feel so helpless, and useless!!!"
"You're certainly not helpless, lass, and you're far from useless. You're King's Champion!"
"Don't remind me," she muttered darkly.
"It's who ye are, lass, and ye should be proud of it."
"I'm proud of it all right. I feel like I've done everything I set out to do, and there's no more. It's like I got what I wanted, and now I don't know what to do with it."
"That's what you have me to remind you for." With that he began to bend her back in a kiss, but she pushed him away.
"George, not now. Please." She begged, her sorrow in her eyes. "Kissing is not always the way to make me feel better."
"Oh, it isn't? Well, what is then?"
"I don't know, but it's not always kissing. So stop." She stood. "I have packing to finish. And so do you. We leave the day after tomorrow. Go." She turned her back to him, and knelt by her bags, absently folding clothes. George did not move. He looked at the Lioness, wondering what had made her be so blunt.
"Lioness, is it just the coronation victims? Is that everything?"
She flinched at the sound of her war name on her old friend's lips, but she nodded. "It was just memories. That's all."
George attempted a smile. "OK, then. Just pay a visit to your lowly servant if you need anything."
She gave a most un-ladylike snort. "Lowly servant- hogwash."
George laughed, and left to complete his own packing
Two days later, Alanna stowed the last of her things, and loaded the packs onto Moonlight's back. "You ready to go, girl?" Moonlight whickered in reply. Alanna mounted up and rode toward George's tent. "Come on, George. We want to leave before the sun rises, not after it sets!"
"Just a moment, my lady," his voice caroled from inside the tent. "I'm just gettin' a few last-minute things packed!"
"You were supposed to be packed two days ago! What is taking so long now?" She yelled, thinking, 'Wasn't I getting packed when we had that talk? Has he forgotten already?' Then George walked out of the tent. Smiling softly, he put his arm around her, and led her back to the horses.
"Mount up, milady." He did a players bow. Alanna scowled and swung herself up on Moonlight's back, and waited for George to do the same. He smiled, mounted, and handed Moonlight a yellow rose, which she took in her teeth. George said to the mare: "Give that to your mistress, from me to her, why don't you, pretty?"
Moonlight turned her head, and offered the rose to Alanna, who blushed and accepted it, her anger melting away. She tucked the rose by her saddle horn, and turned Moonlight toward the village central square, where the Bazhir were just beginning to gather for the morning meal.
The tribe's people turned to see the Woman Who Rides Like A Man, and her lover mounted and dressed for hard riding. "You are leaving now?" asked Halef Seif.
"Yes, we return to the city," replied Alanna, bowing low to the headman.
"We hope you return to us soon, Woman Who Rides Like A Man"
"As do we."
"Farewell, Woman Who Rides Like A Man, Baron George Cooper. Some men have already gone north with Jakat, so you will have your trial in the capital."
"Thank you, I will write and tell you how it goes." Alanna felt a sinking feeling at the pit of her stomach every time she thought of Jakat. She did not know how to deal with a madman bent on her demise.
"You are most welcome, and I would appreciate the letter," said Halef Seif, unaware of her thoughts.
"And you found out I am no longer King of the Thieves?" George asked the headman.
"Of course."
"The Voice?" asked Alanna.
"Who else?" muttered George.
"Goodbye, Halef Seif," said Alanna. "Tell the tribe goodbye from us." Halef nodded, and returned to his morning meal. Alanna smiled at George, and the trotted their horses out of the tent village.
~*~*~*~*~
Thanks Again to all of my reviewers!!! Ryoko.Kilala: Thank You! I'll try!!
Goddess of The Moon: Thank you, and yes I will write about the wedding. I'm going to try to write about everything Alanna does up until Wild Magic. Try is the key word there though!!!!!!!!!
sw33t t3mptations: Thank you!
Cracked in the Head: Thank you, and I'll only be able to update everyday until I get to where I left off writing, which will be very soon *sigh* I do try though.
Oneinamilliongirl: Of course, if they didn't, the TP wouldn't have put them that way.
LadyKnight4: Thank you, I'll do my best
Rae: Yay! Thank you!
Dark Messenger: I'm sorry you dislike the Thayet part, but I have more. Aside from that I hope you liked the story. And no, I do not flame all the best story. I do do more constructive criticism than most people, but that's all it is. The "flaming" part in flamingknight has to do with fire, not giving flames. And I think that you're Cherry-Alanna. But maybe your not. If not, meet her, she's a Thayet-hater, too.
Please Read and Review everyone!!!!!!!!!