A/N: hi, thanks once again to all of my reviwers your comments are greatly appreciated. also just like to say that in the last chapter Jon and Alanna didn't do anything, they just slept NEXT to each other!! lol sorry if it gave that impression.

enjoy:

Chapter five

Soft violet eyes opened slowly. Light was blaring through open shutters. It was well past dawn and the sound of birds was loud to Alanna's sleepy head. 'Goddess!' exclaimed Alanna jumping out of be, stripping off her nightgown and looking around for her breeches.

"Alanna, what on.... Mithros Alanna you have no clothes on!" With horror Alanna realised the embarrassing situation she was in. blushing a deep scarlet she gushed

"look away then" inwardly grimacing at the squeakiness of her voice. Jon matching Alanna's scarlet , frantically tried to find a place to avert his eyes to, he found a good place under Alanna's duvet.

After a little while a timid voice said

"its okay, you can look now, I'm really sorry I forgot you were here" When Jonathon emerged from under the covers he flashed Alanna a grin which made her knees want to buckle.

"don't worry, I think I can get over it!" joked Jon making his way to the door. "I best go um.. get ready for breakfast, see you down there"

When the door closed Alanna sat on her bed feeling like a fool, 'how embarrassing he saw you in just your underwear! And you cried all over him' After a few minutes of thinking over the embarrassment Alanna realised that she still hadn't exercised. 'don't want to be getting lazy' Alanna thought to herself 'although I would much rather stay in bed, with Jonathon' a wicked part of her mind added. Alanna brushed the thought aside, she was to be married to Alex and that was the end of it. Although she hoped he would learn not to try and take advantage, she also hoped that last night had been a one off and that he was not usually so forward.

After an hour practising her kicks and punches , especially on her let side, Alanna's stomach loudly reminded her that she had not eaten. When she arrived she saw Jonathon sitting with Gary and Raoul. After collecting her tray she joined them sitting opposite Jonathon. Jonathon laughed when he saw her

"morning Alanna, nice to see your dressed" Alanna scowled at him before breaking out laughing herself; it had been quite funny. Gary and Raoul wondered at how Jonathon had seen Alanna not fully dressed, they glanced at each other silently agreeing to ask Jon later.

Once Alanna left Gary and Raoul advanced on Jonathon

"so where did you go last night?"

"how did you see Alanna with no clothes on?"

"why weren't you in your room this morning?" Jon grinned

"I can only answer one question at a time, okay last night Alanna was a bit upset so I stayed with her, she consequently um.. forgot that I was in her room this morning and when I awoke she was in the middle of getting dressed." Gary and Raoul exchanged a knowing look, seeing this Jon added

"nothing happened just Alex was being a bit of a prick."

"oh tell me what happened, ever since he knocked me off my horse the other week I've been dying to have a go" growled Raoul, who was very sensitive about people beating him when it came to jousting.

"I'm sure Alanna doesn't want me telling the court gossips about her soon to be married life and anyway Raoul our dear friend Alex has been sent away on border duty, something tells me we will soon be called up to, better eat all your breakfast."

Alanna saddled Brego a good fast gallop should sort out her head. As she was leaving she saw Jonathon already mounted up on his stallion Darkmoon.

"mind if I join you?"

"not at all your highness" Jon groaned

"Alanna, I've seen you in your underwear, must you still be so formal with me? You don't address Gary or Raoul as Sir."

"yes, but their not the prince." Seeing Jon's face she added "okay I'll try and call you Jonathon, but Jon is too much" Jon smiled and offered his arm to Alanna in order to help her mount up, Alanna pretended not to see and swung up into the saddle,

"we must leave quite soon before my father calls for a bodyguard for me,"

"hope you can keep up" she called urging Brego into a canter, Jon was dazed for a moment before kicking Darkmoon into a pace similar to Alanna's.

They had been riding for a few hours when Jon slowed his horse down, "there's a stream down the road, we should rest our horses"

"okay" replied Alanna, turning Brego down the path that Jon had pointed out. With the horses tethered next to the stream, Jon and Alanna sat down together under a tree.

"so, who's idea was it for you to marry Alex?" asked Jon trying to act casual Alanna smiled at his lack of subtly

"my fathers and no he has never met Alex"

"we used to be friends Alex and I" commented Jon

"what happened?"

"he got arrogant, something to do with him being good with a sword, I don't know, also at one point I thought myself in love with his cousin, Delia, that didn't sit to well with him either" At the mention of Jon in love Alanna sat upright

"what happened, with Delia I mean" Jon smiled,

"she wasn't really in love me, I think she enjoyed having the Prince of Tortall at her disposal, I don't know anyway I broke it off, why the interest?"

"no reason" Alanna lied "well, I'm hoping that last night was a one of for Alex, maybe he had had a drink or something." Jonathon smiled grimly, unlike Alanna he had heard of Alex's reputation with women. "When I was eleven I wanted to come to the palace and train to be a knight disguised as a boy, I never wanted to marry or be a lady or wear fancy dresses, Thom never liked fighting..."

"Still doesn't" added Jon smiling Alanna continued

"he wanted to be a sorcerer, but one of our servants found out and reported us to my father, he went mad and insisted that I go to the convent and Thom to the palace." Jonathon laughed,

"I can picture my fathers face when he realised that a girl had trained to be a knight under his very eyes!! Although I don't see how you could have got away with being a boy" Jon said with a glance at Alanna's chest. Alanna blushed, but replied

"I would have bandaged myself silly!"

"oh" replied Jon, he hadn't thought of that.

"instead I had to contended myself learning from shang warriors and thieves"

"that's were you get your moves from, I've watched you a few mornings your very good, I could teach you more, if you want"

"I would, thank you Jonathon" her gratitude was shown all over her face. They sat in silence for a while, Alanna had a very annoying itch on the end of her nose which refused to go away.

"There he is, get 'im boys and the chit" both Alanna and Jonathon started at this, there in front of them were five bandits. The one who had spoken advanced towards Jon

"my royal highness allow me to introduce me self I'm your murderer"

"not without a fight your not, Alanna behind you!" Jon shouted as one of the bandits flung himself towards Alanna, with remarkable speed she turned, kicking him with her right foot while trying to release the daggers she carried. Dagger in hand she advanced, circling him, another came up on her left. She chanced a look at Jon, sword drawn and mouth set trying to fight his way towards her.

"concentrate on yourself, I'm fine" she yelled. She struck, her dagger, sweeping down in a half crescent, in the same move as she cut one down she punched the other in the nose smashing bones deep inside his skull. A yell from Jon stopped her dwelling on the men she had just killed, Jon lay on the floor two bandits circling round him. The man who had spoken stood to the side watching, waiting. Without a moments deliberation Alanna made an almost fatal mistake, she threw both of her daggers at the men hovering over Jon killing them both. This left her weapon less.

"take my sword" croaked Jon. Alanna did, the leader regarded her carefully,

"girl sit down and admit defeat it will be a whole lot less embarrassing for you" Alanna laughed was this the best he had? She took Jon's sword levelling it with her ribs she walked deliberately over to the man. He ran at her dagger drawn, Alanna noticed too late, he struck her shoulder leaving a deep gash. The man jumped back away from her sword. With a surge of rage she leapt and came body to body with the man, her sword at his throat

"yield" she demanded The man yielded,

"now, who sent you after my prince?" the man shook his head,

"tell me" she pressed her sword dangerously close, drawing blood.

"never" he spat. At the same time released a dagger Alanna did not know he had and moved to stab her in the back, Alanna moved fast slicing open his throat. He fell to the ground. Alanna swayed from blood loss, and vomited into the stream.

"sorry Alanna" a soft voice came from the ground.

"Jonathon are you okay?"

"I'll live" Jonathon's voice cracked as he spoke

Alanna tried in vain to get Jon on his horse, he had a large gash on his right thigh and one across his chest. Alanna was weak from the blood loss and also her vomiting. She succeeded in pushing him onto her horse and sitting behind him, extending some of her magic she tried to ease both of their pain. Fearing to try and heal them both incase she exhausted herself. Ripping her shirt she made a bandage for herself and then two for Jonathon. Jon groaned as tied his on, before fainting.

Eventually Alanna made it back to the palace, she had had to stop using her gift in order to stay conscious so she was in great pain. To her great relief Thom came rushing out of the palace gates

"I knew something was wrong with you, Alanna, Alanna?"

Alanna had fainted,

"I need help and quick, someone get me help"