A/N: I must admit, I don't think I was going to update this, but I've received quite a few reviews lately, all asking me to continue, so I will. Think of this as a Christmas gift from me to you )

Also, remember that anger is not the only emotion Alanna ever shows. So although she may seem OOC, we need to remember that she has just discovered her husband was cheating on her. This is just a little note to readers because in this chapter Alanna gets emotional.

To refresh your memory: Alanna has been staying at the palace to support Jon and her other friends, but George wants her to come home because he and the children miss her. Alanna and George talk, he thinks she still loves Jon and she tells him he's being silly. They work it out and George ends up going home the next day. A few weeks later Alanna goes home to surprise George, and she finds him in bed with another woman. She goes back to Corus. "She didn't allow herself to break down for days, not until she arrived in Corus and knocked on the door of the King's study and collapsed into Jon's arms, crying, pale, and whispering the word 'why?' over and over again until she fell into a magic induced sleep."

"I still don't understand, Jon. What happened to her?" Gary and Jonathan stood at Jon's doorway, gazing upon Alanna's still form upon Jon's bed.

"George." His eyes blazed with fury, his voice was full of loathing and hatred. Gary turned his gaze from Alanna to stare wide-eyed at his cousin. He had never seen Jonathan so angry, and he had never expected George to be the person towards which this anger was directed.

"George?" Gary repeated quizzically. He didn't understand – there was no way that George, who loved Alanna more than anything in the world, could hurt her this much.

"Yes, George. I don't know how he managed to keep it secret for so lon-" He cut his speech short and rushed to Alanna's side as she slowly sat up in bed.

Jon sat on the edge of the bed, eyes filled with worry for his best friend. Her violet eyes shimmered as she without a doubt thought of George, and her usually healthy, glowing skin was dull and lifeless. He felt the urge to comfort her, to hold her in his arms and protect her from the rest of the world.

"Alanna, it's going to be okay." His voice was soft and caring as he took her into his strong arms, stroking her back soothingly.

"How? How will this get better, Jon? I feel… I can't even describe how I feel." She spoke into his shirt, tears falling freely from her eyes. She lifted her head and looked up at Jon, her eyes red from crying. "Why would he do that to me? Is it my fault? Am I a bad wife, a bad mother? I just wanted to fulfill my duty to my country, and I thought he understood that. So why would he hurt me like this?" The tears stopped falling, though her eyes were still misty. She stared unblinkingly at him, waiting for a response.

"I-I can't say I know why he did it, Alanna." Jon sighed, he couldn't think of any way to take the pain away. "All I know is that all of us are here for you as long as you need us. I'll always be here for you." He took her hand softly into his, "I'll leave for a while so that you can rest, call me if you need me with your gift." He gave her hand a soft pat and stood to leave the room.

As he turned to walk away Alanna grabbed his hand, "Please don't leave. I-I just need you here with me right now."

He made a move to sit on the chair right next to the bed but Alanna pulled him to sit on the bed. The tears that had been restrained for a short period of time returned, and Jon pulled her close stroking her hair as she sobbed into his shoulder.

"It'll be okay Alanna, just give it time." He whispered soothingly, placing a soft kiss on the top of her head.

Gary watched the two from the doorway, as they had both either forgotten or failed to notice he was there. He had learned a lot from the exchange between the two best friends, though the information just showed him about how much was hidden from him. George had done something that had hurt Alanna a lot, but Gary couldn't figure out what it was that he had done. Quietly leaving Jon's room and walking out into the hall, he bumped into Thayet.

"Good morning Gary, were you visiting Jon in there? I've been looking for him." She stopped to ask him.

"Yes, he's in there – but I wouldn't go in there right now. Alanna's in there and she's in a horrible state – when I left she was just beginning to settle." He thought of the gentle, loving manner in which Jonathan treated Alanna, which he hardly ever showed to anyone anymore. "She's really upset – I don't think I've ever seen her like this before. I'm not very sure what happened, but I think it would be better if they were left alone for a while." He sighed, and Thayet nodded in response.

"Well, I guess I'll talk to Jon later. I hope that Alanna feels better." She turned to walk away, but seemed to change her mind. "Gary, I'm going to go to town to get some new dresses, if you see Jon before dinner, could you please ask him to read the letters on his desk?" She asked him politely.

"Of course, enjoy your shopping." He replied.

Gary went off to work on some of the paperwork that had piled up since the war, as Thayet headed down to the stables. After saddling her horse and mounting up, she rode to the main gates which had been opened to grant a lone rider entry.

"George!" Thayet exclaimed. She had not seen her friend in a long time, and perhaps he had come to help Alanna with whatever was troubling her. He turned his head to see who had called him and saw Thayet upon her horse.

"Morning, Thayet. Have you, by any chance, seen Alanna?" He looked disheveled, and his voice was tired as he asked her his question.

"She's with Jon in our rooms. Gary told me she's very upset, but he didn't know why." Thayet looked to George to see if he could explain, but he had already begun to ride towards the palace. Shrugging, she countinued her ride into the city to be fitted for new dresses, a guard from the palace accompanying her.

The door to Jonathan's bedroom was thrown open as George ran through it and into Jon's chambers. He saw Alanna lying in Jon's bed with Jon's arms around her. Both Jon and Alanna looked up at the noise, and Jon got out of the bed, preparing to kick George out of the room using whatever means necessary.

"Get out."

Both men turned to see Alanna staring at George with cold, unforgiving eyes.

"Alanna! Please, I came here to explain what you saw." George's voice was pleading, yet Alanna would not break and let him stay so easily.

"You want to explain? I understand what I saw – I saw my husband bedding another woman when I had come home to surprise him. I saw my husband cheating on me in my own home, in my own bed. What exactly is there left to explain?" Her voice was cold, her words spoken harshly. She spoke louder than before, the anger building within her.

"Can I at least explain why I did it?" He asked her.

"Yes, tell me why you did it George. I would love to hear your explaination." Her words were cruely spoken, but she was beginning to break. A salty lump formed in her throat and she fought to break it down.

"I-I was... I don't know Alanna. You were always gone, and you acted like you loved Jon more than me. I was lonely, and the women-" He was interrupted by Alanna.

"You destroyed our relationship because you were lonely? You don't think I was lonely? Fighting for my life or doing piles and piles of paperwork and then going to sleep in my big empty bed?" She yelled, her eyes misty.

"You never came home Alanna!" He was starting to get angry now – how dare she act like she was the only one who had to spend her nights alone?

"But she did go home George – when she returned to Pirate's Swoop, she was to stay there for a few months." It was Jon who spoke, not Alanna. "But after the welcome she received I can't say I blame her for returning to the palace." He spoke as if he was having a friendly conversation with a friend.

"Stay out of this Jon." George growled.

"Why don't you tell Alanna about how long you've been doing this George. I seem to remember a certain incident four years ago, before the war started. Something about a midnight stroll to clear your head..." Jon's friendly manner continued. Alanna looked at him with a hurt look on her face and he said quietly "I told Thayet and she told me I was being stupid and that I shouldn't tell you anything."

"I said stay out of this!" George was fuming with anger. He saw Alanna lean towards Jon and whisper something in his ear.

"As king of Tortall, I declare the marriage of you, George Cooper or Pirate's Swoop, and the lady Alanna of Pirate's Swoop, Trebond and Olau annuled. Now get out of my room and my palace. I will allow you to reside within my country, but anything I hear against you will lead to serious punishments." Every word was spoken with hatred.

For a moment George was furious, and his rage was evident on his face, but then he seemed to realise exactly what had happened.

"Goodbye, Alanna. I love you." He quietly exited the room, and as the door clicked shut Alanna collapsed on the bed, sobbing.

"Mithros, I'm so sorry that happened Alanna." Jon swept her up in his arms, and hugged her tightly. Pulling his head back, and tilting her head with a thumb on her chin, he spoke softly "It's all for the best that this happened now and not later. The longer it lasted, the more it would have hurt." She nodded.

He didn't know what possesed him to do it, but he leaned in closer to her and softly kissed her lips. He knew it was wrong, and that there was no way she was thinking clearly after all she had been through, but he was happier than he had been for years as he felt her kissing him back.

A/N – well, I've written another chapter. It may not be the greatest, but I've been writing in bits and pieces, and I'm trying to decide where this story is going. I might upload a different version of this chapter later. Reviews are appreciated ) I wish everyone a Merry Christmas, and if I don't get back to you before then – a Happy New Year!! I love you all!

Kissessss,

Eyes of a Seer