Hello everyone, guess what?! I'm actually writing a chapter! Amazing, huh?

Yes I know half of you are about to kill me since I haven't been updating…. Oops… Luckily you don't know where I live ;)

Well I just wanted to say:

1) Thank you for being so patient and waiting for another chapter, It has been months and months since I last got one up, but I have been too lazy and kinda out of ideas… well that's not true, I just haven't been able to think how to write this chapter… hopefully it turns out like I want it…

2) I admit some of the last few chapters have been either fill-ins or leading up to something. Hopefully I will get Alanna doing something interesting 'coz she's getting quite boring in my story lately.

3) Last but not least, my writing style may seem a bit different since I last wrote a chapter due to many things. But I wont bore you any longer and here is the next chapter of: Not a knight, but not yet a lady.

Friendship or love? – Part One

"My Lord," Alex muttered as Duke Roger opened the door.

"Alexander, please come in," he asked, but those who knew him well, knew it was more an order.

Alex walked into the room just before it was shut behind him. It was warmer than it usually was. The Duke was most likely working on an experiment using his gift. He had been acting strangely lately. A bit distracted. May be it had something to do with why he had to escort the lady Trebond to the ball.

"Why aren't you with the Trebond girl?" The duke asked calmly.

"I was just on my way to…"

"She has to be watched."

"Yes My Lord."

"I'm glad you understand that. Your loyalty towards me lately has been weak considering you are one of my most trusted."

"Sorry My Lord, I will try…"

"Good." The Duke interrupted. "Now go take the Trebond girl to the ball. I want to hear a full report about her tomorrow two bells past sundown."

"Yes My Lord," Alex said a final time before heading out the door and towards the chambers of the convent ladies.

~*~*~*~*~

Alanna stood angrily. Not only did she have to go to the ball with that rat, but she had been standing up for almost half an hour because a priestess told her, "If you sit down, you will crinkle your dress, and if it pleases you to know, if you don't make a good impression at this ball I will send you back to the convent to repeat all your years again!" So, as Alanna thought, standing up was the better option, but was repeating all her years as bad as getting married to a slob? Hmm… she'd have to think about it.

A knock on her door broke her out of her concentration. Walking as slow as she could to the door, she opened it to reveal… her brother.

"Thom! What are you doing here?"

"Why, isn't your favourite brother allowed to visit you before your first ever escorting to a ball?"

Alanna raised an eyebrow. "You're my only brother."

There was a brief silence between the two.

"Why did you have to go with him?!" Thom shouted all of a sudden.

"It's not like I wanted to!" She shot back, folding her arms across her chest.

"But he is in my least favourite group of people!"

"Half the palace is in that group!"

"That's besides the point and you know it!"

"It is not!"

"It is too!"

"Is not!

"Is too!"

"Not!"

"Too!"

"NOT!"

"TOO!"

"Just face it Thom it is not!" Alanna said in a mild voice.

"I bet you can't even remember what "it" is!" Thom replied with a smug look on his face.

"Can too!"

"What is it then?!"

"You tell me!"

"You can't remember can you?!"

"Yes I can and shouldn't you be serving you "Knight Master" now?"

"Shouldn't you be dancing with someone who "hates" me now?"

"Go back to the library or where ever else you came from!"

"Make me!"

"Fine!"

Alanna pushed him towards the door angrily.

"Hey!" Thom exclaimed.

Alanna opened the door and shoved him out.

"Bye Thomas!" Alanna growled and shut the door in his face.

"Bye back stabbing sister!"

Alanna let out a cry of rage.

A knock came from the door again.

Alanna stormed to it, swung it open, shouted, "Go away!" and then slammed it again.

Realization struck her. It wasn't Thom.

She opened it again.

"I thought you were my brother," she replied in a voice that was calm and as even as she could make it.

"Well I hope not M'lady, otherwise I have the wrong room," the knight Alexander murmured while taking her hand to his lips and kissing it gently. His lips were quite warm unlike the coldness she expected.

Alanna curtsied, only because her years at the convent kicked in once again.

She watched as Alexander looked up from her and hand and looked her up and down. All to suddenly Alanna was aware of how low the neckline of her dress was.

"You look beautiful tonight," he told her, his eyes meeting hers.

Alanna felt the blood rise to her checks and he smiled.

There was an uncomfortable silence between the pair, which seemed like several minutes instead of a few seconds.

"Well we should be heading down to the ball now," Alexander announced never taking his eyes off hers.

Alanna nodded and forced herself to take the arm he offered.

~*~*~*~*~

Sir Myles sat back in his chair and watched his squire come back from the kitchens. His movements seemed more agitated than usual. Something seemed to be wrong.

"Is something bothering you Thom?" he asked.

"Nothing that I can't deal with myself m'lord," Thom replied in a muttering voice.

Myles nodded. There was obviously something more, but common scene told him to stay quiet.

"Announcing Sir Alexander of Tirragen and Lady Alanna of Trebond."

Sir Myles watched as his squire frowned. Ah, so that was the matter. He was annoyed at his sister for some reason, most likely for going to the ball with Alex. The two never seemed to get along well. Not that Thom seemed to get along well with many people, but Alex was part of the Prince's group, which was most likely why.

He looked towards Lady Alanna. She was actually quite a pretty little thing, but there was something about her that seemed to make many people dislike her. If she was anything like her brother, she probably just didn't fit in. Myles knew that Thom would have tremendously preferred going to learn more to do with his gift rather than training to become a knight. Maybe it was the same with her. He had heard from Thom that their father never approved of the gift.

"Anything else you want M'lord?" Thom asked his eyes down cast.

"Not right now thankyou Thom, but stay close."

"Yes My Lord."

~*~*~*~*~

Alanna repressed a sigh and Alexander spun her around again. It was a complicated dance, which consisted of many twirls and turns; it was one of the many dances Alanna was made to practice until perfection. He feet just moved into the correct spots without her thinking.

She saw Thom standing by Sir Myles. He was watching them with an icy glare, which she didn't know if it was directed at her or Alexander, or both of them.

Alanna shook her head. It was his own problem if he thought there was something wrong with it. It's not like Alexander was courting her or anything!

She looked up to face Alex. He was watching her face intently, which made her blush.

"Has anyone ever told you what striking your eyes are?" he asked softly.

"You'd be about the one hundredth," Alanna replied, her tone bland. "And that is just this year."

"Well the year is nearly over," Alexander replied gazing into her eyes.

Alanna felt heat rising to her checks and failed to keep it from showing.

"Why, is the Lady blushing, for the third time tonight might I add?" Alexander asked in a mocking voice. If the priestess hadn't warned her earlier on, Alanna would have hit him where it would hurt him most.

"Why I think she is," he continued.

Alanna looked down. It was very tempting.

Alexander smiled as he brought her chin up to make her face him. He obviously had no idea what she was thinking; otherwise his face would look nowhere near as loving. Maybe she should, just to prove her point.

 He laughed. "My Lady, you compliments like insults, don't you?"

"My Lord, I refuse to take something that makes me sound like a timid mouse with a personality of a baboon as a compliment."

"No, you seem more like a sweet puppy with that bite." Alexander replied and added before a red faced Alanna could reply, "I take it that you were referring to a certain someone with that mouse comment."

Alanna bit back a growl. "A certain someones, actually."

Alexander raised an eyebrow.

"Yes?" Alanna asked.

"What certain someones?"

"Oh. I thought it was obvious," she replied sweetly.

Alexander shook his head. "Is it Lady Delia, the one you don't seem to get along to well with, and her group?"

"They're part of the group."

"Well what is the group then."

"The court ladies."

"All or just a majority of the group?"

"All," was Alanna's smooth reply.

Alexander looked at her strangely then laughed, which seemed more real than the one before. Abruptly, he stopped and looked quite shocked like he was stunned at what he just did.

"You are a strange man My Lord," Alanna muttered under her breath as the song ended, but he didn't seem to have heard.

"Do you want to go for a walk in the gardens?" Alex asked softly, taking her towards the door, not even waiting for an answer.

~~~***~~~***~~~***

So what did you think? Satisfy your tastes for a while? I hope so. School goes back tomorrow, so At Least I have written one chapter for the hols. I think it is my longest ever actually.

I think I may have the second part up soon – but no promises coz I have peer support this year and I have to plan the sessions and all that comes first. Sorry.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter. And THANKYOU VERY VERY MUCH to everyone who has review. And especially thankyou to those who pushed me into writing this chapter ;)

Wuv,

!~Whitey~!