Fearless Lioness run away from little house, where screaming parents are telling her to do homework "Sorry it took me a while getting this up, what can I say , we all have parents. This one a longy through, so that should make up for it. You now the route, but if you don't R 'n' R, I didn't do any Thom smacks self Oops"
"Alex?" Gary asked as they walked down the corridor.
"Yeah," Alec's dark eyes looked at him.
Gary frowned "I didn't know you liked that Thom kid"
"He's quiet" Alex said shortly as they went into Raoul 's room.
The next day Alanna awoke to the thud of hammers.
"What?" she moaned rolling over, and falling yet again out the hammock.
Just then Jason came in, throwing open the wooden door.
"Lana!" he yelled sickeningly happy.
Alanna glared at him from the floor "Yes?" she asked grumpily.
"We're setting up" he said, and grabbed her arm.
Jason led her to another wagon, "Some girls live here they're bound to have clothes"
Alanna muttered curses allowed herself to be dragged up the small stairs and into a base of giggling girls.
"Oh isn't she darling" said one, grabbing her check,
"Poor thing" cooed another, spinning her around.
"Looks, half starved" and Alanna was dragged around the room.
A small girl looked her over, "She's got nice hair" she said, pushing the others away.
"Hey!" yelled Jason.
"Jason!" they shouted as one.
"Oh brother" Alanna said, sure they were all going to faint.
"Lana hears needs some Clothes, ah was thinking, maybe ya could maybe led her some"
"The poor thing, no clothes!" said the oldest.
"We're so big she'll look drowned.!" cooed the second
"I'm sure that we can find something," the third put in
"She's so skinny and short" said the smallest pushing her way through. Alanna was looking at them wide eyed, as she was pulled around until, she was thoroughly dizzy.
In the end the smallest grudging gave up a few pair of old clothes.
After she was dressed Jason led Alanna around.
"Ya ok?" he asked grinning evilly.
Alanna glared at him "it was awful I was sure they were going to pull me to bits"
Jason tried to stop the laughter but to no avail, and led the glaring Alanna around.
"Ok, first we have to set it up" he told, someone already went to the owner of the field and asked if we could set up 'ere"
Alanna nodded as he continued happily.
Alanna spent the morning helping set up the large tents and stalls.
Her arms and legs ached after months of living in a convent.
"Weakling" sniffed Jason as he heaved a sack over his shoulder. Glaring Alanna watched her trot away.
"Hey L'" called Joab.
Alanna turned to face him, her red hair falling over her face.
"Wanna help us?" he asked, already steering her to a slim, long faced woman.
She raised one eyebrow and shrugged "Follow me" she said her hips swinging as walked off.
The woman made her carry box after of box of heavy props to the large tent.
Alanna muttered as she hobbled back, her foot was killing after she'd dropped something on it.
"That's about it, people!" boomed Joab's voice at the end of the day.
Alanna flopped down, on a patch of grass.
"Now, lets get supper ready"
Alanna was quiet relived when they didn't pick her to help cook. Not that she could anyway.
Jason awoke her roughly, half way through the meal, Alanna responded by hitting him in the face in a half asleep daze, and the end of the day, she rolled wearily into the hammock, her eyelids shutting almost at once.
The next day Alanna walked around the little camp, at the back of the large tent. Animals were being thoroughly cleaned and people were washing and drying clothes, and glittery costumes.
"Ok L'" said Joab, "you and Jason have to hand out these" he stuffed a wade of posters in their hands, "Make sure you stick some up,"
"Er… Joab, where are we"
A rumbling laugh echoed out his mouth "a small town, just out of the capital"
Alanna heart stopped "are we going to the palace?" she asked hopefully
Joab shrugged his broad shoulders, "Who knows maybe"
Alanna and Jason walked to the town, "Circus!" bellowed Jason, causing Alanna to jump out her skin.
"Circus!
"Ok, you go that way" Jason said between bellows "I'll met you back here"
Alanna grumbled as she complied, she picked her way almost daintily around the rubbish on the floor, and went down the large worn dirt road.
At first she was unsure about how to give people things, but in the end she just crammed it into their hands and ran off.
The fiery woman watched her wriggle her way through the crowds. She wrinkled her nose and a poster flew towards her. "Hmm" she said, her eyes on fire.
Just then Ciaran appeared in a flurry of lights.
"Hello" he said softly. She twisted around, her eyes full before a veil fell over her face.
"What are you doing here" she asked
"Why do watch this twin, when you asked me to save the other"
The fiery woman turned away "I want both of them to live" she told him.
Ciaran pulled away "I never said she wouldn't" his eyes were narrowed and his voice suspicious.
"I know…" she stuttered "It's just she was nearly killed before"
Ciaran leant over her, "do you remember how many gifts I gave you?" he demanded.
The fiery nodded not trusting herself to talk.
"What were they" Ciaran moved closer.
"You gave me your visions" she said huskily "You told me what would happen to Thom"
Ciaran nodded "I brought you back from the dead, so you could watch your children, Lady Bella of Trebond"
The woman ducked her head her checks colouring even more in shame as she remembered her existence as a mortal.
Ciaran smiled grimly "I gave you a second chance, I came to you and you agreed to take the visions if I saved your son"
Bella bit her lip "By Alanna, " she murmured.
"Is alive!" Ciaran looked as dark lights twirled round him "But that can be changed" and he disappeared.
The fiery woman looked at her daughter, the short, stubborn girl and questioned her decision to change destiny.
She rubbed her head as a vision over took her, she scanned then crowd and her fiery figure twisted and bent to a small black, red eyed rat, that raced through the hoards of people.
Alanna put a poster up against a wall, it was wet and slimy and the paper didn't move.
Suddenly a hairy arm snaked around her waist, and she was pulled into the shadows. A scream was cut of abruptly, as a damp dirty cloth was put over her mouth.
Alanna gagged on the foul material, the stench clogging up her nose.
She struggled her hand groping around, the person holding her threw her against a wall, and Alanna tried to shake the stars out her vision as he approached. At least the material was gone, a foul smelling mouth panted next to her ear, "Money, girl" it wheezed.
Alanna froze "I don't have any" she moved in mid sentence and darted away. The lumbering man's reflexes were slowed down drink and drug and he grasped air, as Alanna ran full pelt away.
The slim long faced woman was in the alley and Alanna ran straight into her, she looked at, and said slowly. "You need to learn how to fight, properly" and a hand on shoulder led her back to the camp. "By the way I'm Ayla"