Alanna
Chapter 11
All characters except Leo and the plot belong to Tamora Pierce. Credit to her!
Quite an important chapter, this one, it may seem insignificant but I'm trying to shed light on other character's and their personality. Please read and review! Thanks!
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The day dawned somewhat unexpectedly as the somnolent sun peeked hesitantly from the dark and gloomy horizon and awaking sluggishly from the behinds of a mass of gray clouds. It suddenly picked up speed and arose, bursting into a ball of flames as the sky exploded into a wide array of colours, each and every one a different hue, yet blending together to form beautiful picture. The city was cloaked in a dazzling display of red, orange, yellow and blue, a spectacular sight that lasted for a few minutes before slipping back into its naturally calm, peaceful self.
In the light of a dawning morning, as the cocks crowed and shattered the silence, as the sun glided into place, as the shadows grew longer and time shuffled forward, the wooden city gates of Corus- old, ancient and weatherworn creaked open and a horse and its rider stepped in.
The steed was a magnificent chestnut creature with a thick glossy mane and a pair of brilliant, electric eyes. It was horse with a temper to match its fiery eyes but was yet filled with an indelible loyalty to the master upon its back. The rider was yet another person to invoke a barrage of gossips and cause endless tongues to wag. He was a fine specimen of the human race. He was moderately tall but very well built. Under a thick, dark green traveling cloak and several layers of patchy, cumbersome clothes, he still could not hide the obvious muscles on his arms and well-formed legs, which rippled as he moved. His hand, filled with calluses and like the rest of his skin, shaded a dark tan, was gripping a sword in its sheath by his side. The other hand held a dangling sack filled with numerous useful daily items. The rider had cropped brown hair that framed a face with a sturdy mouth, an unobtrusive nose and a pair of sparkling eyes. There was an obvious scar that ran its way on his neck, which must have been the result of tumble with someone equipped with a sword.
It was quite a sight. A handsome young man, sitting on a magnificent beast without a saddle, galloping from the horizon forward, radiating determination and forcefulness that was only mildly clouded by weariness was indeed something worth noting. After all, how many of such people came to Corus that was not known to its people? Knights and armed men were common and widespread but yet, this pair was different. Somehow or another…
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In the lurking shadows behind a deserted alley wall, a man crouched down low, dagger in his hand and a sword in his hilt. He ran one finger upon the sharp blade of the sword and let out a low, inaudible laugh. A smirk rose on his face, a face that was scarred beyond recognition. Squatting low, he stared intently from his hiding place, his garb of black, unobtrusive cloth blending perfectly with the surroundings. With his hawk-like vision, he watched as the horse and its rider rode forward…
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Leo let out a weary sigh as he gently tapped Sugar on her head. "Just a bit more!" he whispered soothingly as he fished out a lump of sugar from one of his many pockets and putting it in Sugar's eager mouth. Sugar let out a contended neigh before plodding on, a little faster than before, driven by the taste of encouragement in her mouth.
Leo felt his eyelids droop down dangerously, threatening to seal itself for a few hours. He summoned all his willpower that he had remaining in his body and blinked his eyes open again. It was not that he was afraid of falling off his horse, no, Leo knew that he would be safe on Sugar's back. His horse would rather fall down to death than allow her master to slip into danger of any sort. As if on cue, Leo stretched out a hand and Sugar nuzzled it lovingly. Leo was not afraid for himself; on the contrary, he was afraid for Sugar. A valuable pure-bred horse like Sugar would fetch a fortune amongst the illegal markets in Corus.
Leo let out a partially stifled yawn as he rubbed his sleep-deprived eyes. He felt his bones creak in lethargy as he stretched his muscles. Leo and his steed had traveled for thousands of miles within a few days, in record time to be exact. There had been few and short breaks in between, it was no wonder that Leo felt a few years older than he actually was. He was not doubting the assumption that Sugar felt the same way as he did- half dead.
All this for one person- Alanna of Trebond.
At the mere thought of the short, stock individual with a fearsome temper, Leo's lips curved into a small smile. The two years he had spent with Alanna had changed his life drastically. At that time, Leo had been going through a difficult stage. His village, far away from the Shang's, had been attacked by bandits. His father had died while running away while his mother had died under a sword, protecting his little sister- Liranne.
"Mother," the word formed itself on Leo's lips as he remembered the person who had once been a center figure in his life. The laughing, loving woman who had lived life with a smile. The woman who had been there for him. The woman who had left him, saving another soul. His mother. Leo had never been close to his father. Personally, Leo was furious as the cowardly person his father was. However, his mother to him had been everything. Everything.
When Leo found out that he was going to be the infamous Alanna of Trebond's instructor, he had been seething with rage and filled with a sense of unfairness. After all, Alanna was not the most highly talked about person in Tortall. In addition to the bad timing, Leo was not much of a teacher. Leo had grudgingly accepted Alanna under his wing, and at first, the duo had not been compatible. Leo had hated Alanna for intruding his life and Alanna had hated him back too.
However, one fateful night, during an unexpected attack from robbers, they had been surrounded by twenty masked men with malicious glinting eyes and a sword edge to match. It had been a close call for him. The two of them had fought back viciously, but he would have died if Alanna had not run into him and push him onto the ground. Leo smiled wirily. He had had a bruise that hurt for ages because of that fall.
After that, they had mended the rift between them and become good friends. They had shared a few common passions. Their passion for swordplay, for bravery, for adventure and for danger. They had also each shared a heart wrenching loss. Leo- his mother's death and Alanna- the shattering of her dream.
Aside from those few similarities, they had been very different. Leo was patient, level-headed and enjoyed company. Alanna was impatient, rash and sullenly grim. As different as chalk and cheese, they still became good friends.
It had been two good years and they grew close. Now, he was willing to risk his reputation, his people's anger, his life even to come to Corus on a mere basis of a vision he was not even supposed to have. He did not know what caused him such worry and panic when he realised the meaning of the dream- that Alanna was in danger. It had urged him to leave the Shang village immediately to come to Corus. Such an uncharacteristic rash move on his part.
Perhaps it was paranoia.
Perhaps it was fear.
Perhaps, just maybe perhaps, it was love.
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Roger of Conte grinned in triumph. It was an evil grin. A grin which consisted of jubilance, satisfaction, pride and… a grin that held in it a lust. A lust for power.
The potion was complete.
It had been a difficult potion, one of the hardest ever created. It required precise and accurate timing, intense concentration and a huge chunk of his magical gift, in addition to countless illegal ingredients. Many potions and spells did not require anything physical, just mental and emotional abilities. However, this potion was different. It was dark.
Dark Sorcery- an area of magic that dated back in time, centuries ago. It was the most powerful and deadly form of sorcery, one that was both physically and mentally draining. It also required something else- evil.
To master the dark arts required more than just brains and a couple of ingredients. It required the essence of the art it self. It required cruelty, lust, heartlessness, anger, hatred- namely, as mentioned, evil.
The steps were almost complete. Success was already lingering in the air. Only one more step was needed- Time. After the next three full moons, the plan would truly begin.
Roger of Conte could hardly wait.
However, deep in his mind, something was nagging irritatingly. A picture of a frail, weak, pasty lad and a stocky, short girl, both of them with purple eyes and copper hair rose in his mind.
An obstacle to a near perfect plan?
Roger of Conte sighed. Thom and Alanna of Trebond. The words lulled about in his mouth as he threatened to spit them out in disgust and hatred. Unlikely as it seemed, the great Roger of Conte felt menaced by their presence. After all, admitting it grudgingly, the duo was special.
First, Alanna. The girl had saved Jonathan from the cursed Black City, and till this day, he still had not inkling how it happened. She had somehow or another, gotten rid of the sweating sickness that he had infiltrated in Jonathan's body and yet she had never been trained properly in sorcery, lest you counted a village healer, which was in Roger's opinion, insignificant. In addition, Alanna was exceedingly talented in combat, beating Alex had been no easy task. In fact, it was almost deemed as impossible and yet, she had done it, effortless, or so his spies had told him.
Second, Thom. Roger had only seen him once or twice before but he had already detected the talent in the young lad. His gift shone dazzlingly, powerfully. His eyes had sparkled with power and he had a frightening aura of magic. Roger had been shocked when he found out that Thom had already earned a black robe. After all, it was not a simple task and few mages alive could claim ownership of such a privilege and honor. However, that thought was diced with something else- caution. Thom had won his robe in three years, a record, and his sources told him that Thom had completed it easily.
Alanna and Thom.
Compatible and talented. In one word- dangerous.
Roger sighed. He had one more thing to add to his growing list- kill the duo. He was determined to succeed and nothing would get in his way.
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Thom threw on a pair of his best tunic and leggings, both made of the finest cloth found in his fief, Trebond. They hung loosely upon his skinny frame. Carefully, he slipped on his black mage robes. They had required a few spells to straighten out and un-crease; Thom was not in a habit of treating them like a prized possession.
Sighing, the young sorcerer muttered a spell and instantly, became neater and impeccable to a fault. "The simplicity of magic," he muttered to himself as he prepared to leave his sanctuary for the ballroom. "I hate balls," he whispered. Thom stared at the door and could not bring himself to open it and leave. Much as he wished to believe it was the result of a mentally wearing day that caused him such reluctance, Thom knew it was not the case.
Thom of Trebond was afraid.
He could feel it in his bones, in his blood and in his heart. Fear. And worry. Someone out there wanted to kill his sister.
Twice now had he detected poison in her food. Both times, they were highly dangerous and fatal. One bite would have resulted in death. Thankfully, he had long been suspicious and checked all the food before it went into Alanna's mouth. Secretly, of course. To prove his suspicious, Thom had fed it to a dying dog he found on the streets. It would have died in a few days time but Thom fed the food to him. It crumpled onto the floor, stone dead, ended of its misery.
In addition, trice had Alanna been followed and almost assaulted. It had been spotted by his fateful eagle, Pheom, who had informed him immediately.
Perhaps he was just being an obsessive brother, overprotective of his sister. Perhaps he was just being paranoid. However, Thom knew that he was justified in his fear.
The poison had been very advanced, so advanced that it would have taken a very powerful sorcerer to brew. Very very powerful. And the attackers, each of them were highly skilled and Alanna would have had one bloody fight trying to survive their attacks.
No, Thom was worried- for a purpose.
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Alanna strolled in lackadaisically, grinning from ear to ear.
"Thom, I'm back!" she cried, as the lanky person whirled around.
"Alanna! Why haven't you changed?" Thom asked in a queer, raspy voice.
"Oh shit! Mithros, I forgot! What am I going to do?" Alanna started to panic. How could she forget something as important as this? After all, this was one ball she could not miss. They were celebrating the king's birthday, after all. The grin on her face stooped into a frown. Thom sighed. He should have expected such an incident to happen. It was after all, Alanna.
"Go get your dress and change into it!" Quick!" he ordered gently.
A flurried Alanna left the room through the connecting door and came back a few minutes later, garbed in a gown made from a silky material that seemed to change in color as the material wrinkled. It was a beautiful dress adorned with dangling pearls, sewed on gems and intricate laces. Much as Alanna hated dresses, she had to admit that this one was exquisite.
"I didn't even know I bought this dress," Alanna said, panting at the sheer exertion of buckling up such a complicating apparel.
"You didn't buy it, I did." Thom said, matter-of-factly. "You needed one. Come here," he continued.
Alanna strode towards him and Thom put a hand on her shoulder. Closing his eyes, he summoned his gift as he concentrated deeply. Lines of fire spread from his veins to Alanna's and soon, Thom broke off the connection.
"There!" he mumbled.
Alanna walked in front of the gold-plated ornate mirror and stared at her reflection in awe. Alanna knew she had never been a girl with looks, in fact, she had never remembered herself being 'beautiful' before. However, today, her reflection stunned her. Her hair was coiled up in an intricate braid which wound up into a bun. Her face held no make-up, but she exuberated a 'fresh' look. Coupled with a gorgeous dress, she was as beautiful as she could get.
Alanna peeled her eyes off the mirror and stared at her brother, awestruck.
"Mithros, that was one great spell!" she said, amazed.
Thom shrugged the compliment off.
"Oh yes, by the way, I bought a sword today," Alanna said, suddenly remembering. Alanna strode out of the room carefully, before returning with her sword in its scabbard. She placed it in Thom's outstretched hands.
Thom let out a puzzled gasp. He ran a finger down the sheath as he read the runes on it. Instantly, the blade was ablaze in concentrated white light that caused Thom and Alanna both to turn and shield their eyes. When the blaze stopped, Thom unsheathed the sword.
Staring at the faint markings on the sword and the jeweled hilt, Thom let out another gasp.
Just then, the dinner bell sounded with a gong.
"Listen Alanna," Thom said suddenly, his voice brimming with worry, as he muttered yet another spell and the sword became invisible. "Keep this sword safe and a secret. Do you understand? This is very very very important; keep it safe and DO NOT LET ANYONE KNOW ABOUT IT. This sword isn't just any sword. This sword is Amayaa…
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I'm done! This, I dare say, is the longest chapter I have ever uploaded and written for 'Alanna'. I wrote it by hand before typing it up, but changed some stuff along the way.
You may realise that some things are different from the actual story, especially the character's personality. Thom is more protective as a brother here and Roger, I've tried to make him evil and darker. Did you realise that? He wasn't evil in Tamora Pierce's story, just power-hungry. But this time, he is evil. There's a reason behind this, which you will find out in later chapters.
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Fliywion- Thanks for your criticism. I will try and improve on the details bit. I'm not exactly trying to stick to the actual story, so I deviate a bit and expand on some stuff. However, I do try and make it actually resemble the actual story.
Magelight- I take so long to write a chapter because I have to struggle with school work and tests as well as other stuff like tennis and squash etc. In addition, I also have another fic, which I alternate in writing. Do check it out- Harry Potter and his destiny. Thanks for your review!
Addikins- Aw, thanks so much! hugs
Arianla- Yea, Jonathan does sound pathetic eh? I think I will try and change that… Oops, blue eyes? sorry! I think the Raoul bit was a typo. blushes
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