Many minutes had passed in silence while we were walking. I had a million questions that I wanted to ask, but couldn't bring myself to speak. Itried, really, i did. I'd look up, open my mouth, make it form the first syllable, then quickly shut it again and focus ontrying not to trip on a random rock or fallen branch. Elenni had noticed my actions and eventually got impatient.
"So what's your name?" the sudden noise startled me. I found that the ground was getting less dense with trees and more with a stone path. "I said what's your name dear?"
I looked up shyly, "Gweniver Collins ma'am."
"What else?" Elenni asked. When I looked up at her, she elaborated, "Where are you from? Who's your father? How did you end up in my meadow? And why are you wearing men's cloths!"
"Well..." I didn't know how to tell Elenni that I knew about everything, "you see, I'm not what I seem." Elenni obviously didn't understand. "I ... umm..." I had to tell her and it should have been better sooner then later.
Just as I was about to tell her, there was a yell from a house near by. Elenni looked up and waved. "Hold that thought dear. You must meet Laura. She's been my friend for years." She handed a basket filled with a variety of wild flowers that almost seemed to appear out of no where and ran to her with her arms spread open for a hug.
I stayed back leaning on a tree as they greeted each other, feeling a little awkward in the cloths I was wearing. I mean, i was in a place where women wore dresses, and there i was...in pants. How would you feel?
When Elenni waved me over, I could only obey. As I approached Laura, she was looking at me like I was the ugly duckling. This did not make me feel any better. After our stair was broken, I immediately fixed my eyes on a rock by my feet.
"Who's the...girl? Why is she wearing Britches?" Laura asked with a hint of discus in her voice.
"She was in my meadow. She has a very large brose on her head. We are on our way to my house but I can't take her to the city with what she is wearing. Do you think she can borrow a dress? Wewill return it next week if you want." Elenni didn't seem to notice the tone in her voice.
"I guess. Come inside." When I entered the house, I was hit with the aroma fresh cookies. Or was it another sweet?I couldn't tell. It felt home-y though. But what am I to say, I don't know what home-y smells like. I live with my step father(myfather died when I was nine) and my mother is always gone working. Then I felt something wet on my hand and looked down. There was a dog licking my hand with two children about five and two year old looking up at me. The five year old was a girl, and the two year old was a boy.
Since Elenni and Laura had gone to another room in search of a dress, I felt no harm in trying to talk to the children. "Hello there. What are your names?"
The girl took a sep forward shyly, "My name is Christina and my brothers name is Colby." The girl looked down, then back up with a thought in her head, "and our dogs name is Rex." She giggled, and then looked back at her brother, "Go on Colby, say hi." When I looked at the child's light blue eyes, he got a large grin on his face, laughed and ran away still laughing.When I looked back at the girl, I noticed her eyes were blue too, but slightly darker. She had medium long blond hair.
The dog was now chasing after the boy, keeping him entertained, but before I could talk to the child any more, a call came from Elenni forme to come to the room where they had been. I glanced down at Christina to say good-bye, and walked out of the room.
When I entered the room, Elenni was holding up a green dress that was bare of any designs. It was a rather dull dress with a few small moth holes, and it probably came out of the ever back of her closet. Laura wasn't exactly the thinnest person I've ever met, and this dress must have been left over from her youth because it seemed to fit me well. When I slipped the dress on and came out to be tied in the back, Laura's eyes seemed to brighten and her face softened, "We may be able to make a lady of her yet."
After Elenni tied me, she turned to Laura, "Well I would love to visit, but it is going to be a warm day and I have laundry and other chores that must be done. I'll see you next week. Have a good day." Laura nodded, and we left the room and out of the house.
As we passed Christina and Colby, Christina handed Elenni her basket and then ran away to play with Rex. It was Colby who stayed to wave good-bye to us. I'm thinking that it wouldn't be such a horrible thing to be here again.
"Well that was nice of Laura to give you a dress." Elenni said, sorting through her basket of flowers as we walked away from the small cottage. "And do you have a place to stay for the night?"
"Well ma'am, I ... you see..." The awkwardness had caught up with me again. "You see I'm not from around here."
"Well, where are you from then?" Elenni asked.
"I don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know?" She became slightly annoyed, but still had a tone of understanding.
"Well you see, if this is Corus, then what I see in front of me isn't real. It's part of a fictional book about Alan of Trebond." I chose my words wisely, and decided to call Alanna "Alan" just in case I was ahead of self. What I mean is, I tried not to say things that might mess up the future (I am, after all, not a real character.)
She gave a hardy laugh, "That's funny child. Really, where are you from?"
I'm serious. I know everything there is to know about most everything about Alan." I looked into her eyes now and asked, "Tell me, how old is Alan now? I mean, is he a squire yet?"
"Why, if you know everything about Alan, then you would know how old he is." She said in a playful way. But when she saw that I really wanted to know she said, "Yes, he's a squire, sixteen he is. Why?"
"Then you and George already know that Alan of Trebond is really Alanna of Trebond." I said half as a question, half as a comment.
Elenni had the look of udder shock in her face, "How did you know that. She said only me, George, and Jonny know of that."
"They do, but all this to me is just are just books." I looked down, thinking aloud now, "Then I must be in the second book."
"I don't believe that. Your going to have to give me more proof then that. But don't tell me now. We're entering the city. When we get to my house we can talk."
As we walked though large gates, I was shocked to see so many beautiful colors. I knew it would be brilliant, but I never imagined anything like this. People shouting, adults laughing, children running around under foot or screaming about there doll being lost. Men on horses or guided them to a stable (mental note: stay away from the horses. I've never seen a horse close up and I thought they were much smaller. There not! I saw a horse that was so tall, that the lowest part of its back was almost six inches taller then I was. That's saying a lot because I'm five foot four.) I even spotted a few pick-pickets trying to grab what ever they could get off of anybody and everybody. I felt safe though, because I was with the rouges mother and no one would harm her. Great her with a friendly hello maybe, but never harm her. That would be stupid on there part.
As we finally got away from the cities buyers and sellers, I saw a humble little cottage that looked like it had been filled with many children through the years. There was a sign on the door saying "Healer" and I knew this was Elenni's house.
As I walked in, a vine fell in my face, getting tangled in my hair. When I got free from the vine, I tried to find where it had come from.When I looked up,I saw that there were many pots filled with all different types of plans. They were either hung on the rafters or balancing on them.
"Watch out for the vines. I've been so busy lately I haven't been able to trim them." Elenni too was trying to dodge the falling vines.
Once I got to the other side of the room and sat down in a chair, she motioned for me to come sit down beside her. I went to her asking, "What are they all for? The plants."
"I use them for healing," she said simply. "What else would I use them for?"
"Well I ...I thought you just used your magic." I felt foolish as I remembered that other, less gifted people used herbs for healing before magic, or in Elenni's case, just herbs and no magic at all. "Never mind. Forget I said that." Elenni nodded with a warm, friendly smile on her face.
As I sat down in the chair next to Elenni, her face hardened again. "So girl, tell me. What do you think you know about Squire Alan?" She asked with a professional tone in her voice.
"Well I know that Alanna was eleven when she and her brother Thom traded places. Alanna came here, to Corus, and her brother went to the City of the Gods to become a mage." Elenni now seemed interested to know all that I knew about Alanna and her doings. "She began her monthly cycle, as you would call it, and went to your son, George, who brought her to you."
"What do you know of my son?" She sounded surprised that I knew of George even though, now that I think about it, I'm almost positive I've mentioned him to her before. Oh well. The one thing I distinctively remember about this conversation was that she sounded like, well, like a protective mother.
"I know of his ... profession..." When I said this last word, I looked into Elenni's eyes to make sure she understood, but when a questionable look appeared on her face, I elaborated, "His commitment to The Rouge."
"How do you know this?" Her voice had returned to her business-like tone, but her face did not. It held the look of shock. But shock was soon brought down by anger, and when I didn't answer her question it only fueled her anger, "I said, how do you know this! And tell me the truth or I'll have your throat cut on the spot, and don't think I can't."
Now, one thing you must know about me is one of the few things that really irk me is when someone thinks I'm lying. I HATE that! And even thought I knew that she was only trying to protect her son, it still ticked me off. So I angrily replied, "I told you, this city and everything, everyone in it is just a figment of my imagination. Something inspired by a book." I tried to control my anger but another thing you must know about me: I don't usually get mad, but when I do... watch out! Fire breathing dragon on the loose. So...it didn't really work as well as I wanted it to, and the rest of the statement ended with, "And all I know is what I've read and right now, you could say I can tell the future for a very... long... time!"
We looked at each other for a few moments, staring at each other. Elenni was staring because, I don't know why, and I was staring because I seldom yelled.I didn't understand why I decided to do it right then. "I'm sorry," I finally said, "I shouldn't have yelled at you. I was taught better then that and I don't know what possessed me. Please can you use the ointment on my head? It is really starting to hurt." Elenni seemed to take my apology because she seemed to ease up a little bit. And as she got up, none other then her son, George, walk through the door.
"Mother how have you been?" He asked as he swong the door open andswept her up off her feet in an embracive hug, "You don't look like your self today mother. What's troubling you?"
George put her down and she looked him in the eyes, "George, I have someone you should meet." She didn't have that nice tone to her voice anymore. It was more momotoned. She brought him over to me, then introduced us to eachother, "George this is Gweniver Collins, Gweniver this is my son George, as you say you already know." George gave his mother an odd look. Then she said, "I'm sure Gweniver can explain better then I can. If you believe her, then so will I." She turned to me, "I'll be back. I'm going to get that mixture for your head." And at that she walked out of the room.
"What did she mean by that? She's to serious to be playin' jokes." George asked me with the look of concern on his face. I raised my eyes to his. I had to tilt my head a little to be able to look into his eyes. He was just the way I imagined him. Tall, strong –looking, and even though Tamora Pierce said he wasn't very handsome, I knew how smart and cunning he was. To me, that made him handsome.
I hesitated to answer him, trying to put what I wanted to say into very careful sentences so as not to have him kill me on thespot.
"Well, you see, I'm not from around here and..." It felt awkward with him standing up, so I asked, "Do you think you could sit down, please, it's making me nervous." He did as I asked and I followed by sitting back down in the chair I was sitting in when I was talking to Elenni.
"You see, I woke up with this brose on my head in your mothers meadow," I pointed at the brose on my head. As I did so, Elenni entered the room with the ointment. She knelt next to me and silently started to rub it on the brose. I continued, "When we came back here, I told her that what is going on is that this city this whole world belongs to my imagination." I looked into his eyes, "Your all part of a book to me."
George looked at me with his face still strait showing no emotions at all, but I knew he was thinking I was crazy and laughing at me mentally. "And how can you prove this."
Elenni finished rubbing the ointment on my head and stood up saying, "She knows of our young mistress Alanna." Then she walked away.
George looked at me, now astonished. When he had had himself composed again, he asked, "And how do you knowabout that?"
"I told you, you're a fictional character."
" You need to give me more proof then that to tell me this really is a book." I was starting to get annoyed at the tone in his voice that told me that he didn't believe me, but come on, would I believe someone if they were telling me I wasn't real?
I hardly had to think about the answer for his question. "Before Alanna went to war, you told her you loved her and you would wait for her." His jaw dropped. I had to smile, an ever so small smile (wouldn't you?) and then added (just to astonish him), "You also told her that you were thinking, when Jonathan becomes king, to give up the rouge and become respectable." (I hated the though of this. The words "George" and "respectable" shouldn't be use in the same sentence like that. I like him as the Rouge.)
But at that moment he did something very un-George like. He started babbling half sentences. "How did you know—Who told—How did you get—."