AN: Next Chapter!!! I hope everyone likes it
Disclaimer: Ok now I have to actually go through the formalities, you know
the drill, Tamora Pierce owns everyone in this chapter but Alex
The spots faded from Alex's eyes and her first coherent thought was:
"My parents are gonna kill me, I broke the microwave..."
Then it hit her, she didn't head the music, she didn't see a microwave, broken or otherwise, and the room was glowing! Alex spun wildly, looking for an exit. Seeing a door, then three people standing between it her and it, her subconscious took over.
She began to sprint, feinting left then going right, blessing her father's drill on defensive soccer feints with ever step. She had almost made it to the door when black fire surrounded her. The world went black. Again. * * *
"This is it?" Jonathan's eyebrows were raised so high, they threatened to disappear into his gray hair. "This is the weapon that Tortall is missing? This little girl?"
The last comment earned him a dangerous glare from Alanna who replied, "I guess she is, what is so wrong with that?"
Jon opened his mouth to argue with his champion before he was interrupted by Numair.
"She's waking up..."
"What kind of sleep spell is it that she wakes up after a minute?" Jon growled, still in a bad mood about their given "weapon" that he did not entertain the idea that she could be powerful enough to fight Numair's spell. No to him, the spell itself must be faulty.
"No my fault! I put the one we normally use." Numair protested in self defense as he traded a look with Alanna, not only about the king's growing temper but about the girl's apparent resistance to Numair's magic.
The page stuck his head through the door again, even more nervous. "Your majesty? Her majesty wants to see you now."
Jonathan nodded, with a glare at Alanna and Numair like it was their fault, before he swept out of the room. Numair checked the time and gave Alanna a pleading look. She sighed and nodded, as Numair too left the room.
Alone in the room with the strange girl, Alanna turned to face her, finding that she was indeed waking up, despite Numair's knockout spell.
Before she was fully awake, Alanna took the opportunity to observe the strange girl. She wore black breeches that were tight, low set on her hips and made of an unusual weave of cotton. There were fade marks on the pants, coming from too much use and the bottoms were shredded from being slightly long. She wore a look tunic without a shirt beneath it, of plain cotton, proclaiming in bold black letters against the pale blue, "Your village called, they're missing their idiot." This caused Alanna's solemn lips to twitch into a slight smirk, before she moved onto her footwear. The girl's feet displayed the most unusual part of the ensemble, being made of a kind of cloth and other materials that were beyond Alanna's comprehension.
Other than the girl's unusual attire, she looked like she could have been any girl off the street. Her light brown hair was sun streaked, revealing too much time outside, as did the sunburn that touched her cheeks. Her nose was slightly large than average, but not overwhelming so and she looked to be struggling with a bit of acne. She was thin, but obviously well fed and touched with muscle of someone who got exercise but did not do as much as that of a warrior. Alanna placed her age at about twelve because of her height, but the girl was as flat as a boy.
All of this took but a second to Alanna's practiced eye and as the girl groggily rose to her feet, her eyes still closed, Alanna couldn't help but echo Jon's statement. "What was it about this girl that made her invaluable to Tortall?" * * *
Alex's mind fought the blackness as soon as it consumed her. She didn't know why, but she knew it couldn't last. What seemed like hours later, she pulled herself off the floor, still trying to pry her eyes open. When she did, she almost fainted again.
Standing in front of Alex was Alanna the Lioness.
Alex knew it right away despite the abundant gray streaking Alanna's red hair and the wrinkles that lined her face and the slightly blurry haze that was impending Alex's vision. It was because the eyes, however, remained unchanged, still quick, sparkling with a wicked good humor and a bright unique shade of violet. This was Alex's hero, true, but she was also fiction. She was a hero of a novel. Pure fantasy. But without a doubt, if Lady Alanna was fiction, she had no notion of that. She as standing here, in the flesh, regarding Alex with an expression Alex couldn't read.
"Ummmm...." Alex stammered. Her foolish daydreams had imagined this moment, and all the questions she would ask, but reality was not so kind and Alex could do nothing but stutter.
"My name is Lady Alanna of Pirate's Swoop and Olau." Alanna said stiffly, unsure of what to say to this gawking teenager. She couldn't remember anyone looking at her with so many emotions flashing through their eyes, and never with eyes that grey...
Then Alex blinked out of her trance, realizing for the first time that her blurry vision wasn't coming back into focus with consciousness. Instinctively, she felt the bridge of her nose.
"I'm Alex, Alexandra Woodward," Alex answered scanning the floor, but she couldn't see! "Have you seen my glasses?"
Alanna seemed to scrunch up her face for a second. That's right, she doesn't know what glasses are, Alex thought in a moment of panic. But Alanna's confusion seemed to clear up rather quickly because she pointed at the floor behind Alex. Alex turned, but couldn't for the life of her, make out her dark-framed glasses against the stained wood floor. As if sensing her plight, Alanna strode over and picked them up.
"Thanks," Alex grinned with gratitude before jamming them onto the bridge of her nose. Alanna's face came further into focus. Alex was shocked by just how many grey hairs and wrinkles her hero had. There was no denying it, Lady Alanna was old.
That was what really woke Alex up.
"Am I in TORTALL? Alex's voice actually cracked with incredulity. This couldn't' be a dream, she knew she would never have dreamt Alanna this far from the end of "Realm of the Gods" despite "Trickster's Choice" being out.
"Yes," Alanna responded, puzzled again by the emotions in the girl's voice....Alex, she corrected herself mentally. Her stomach tightened at the name, remembering the man with the same one from all those years ago. They're not the same! Alanna scolded herself again.
"If you'll follow me, I'd like to ask you some questions before we see the King." Alanna led Alex brusquely from the lesser library and down the hall, not looking to see if the younger girl was following, until she heard the mutter...
"One for one."
As footsteps joined hers. AN: Third chapter...I know that was fast...I don't know how much more I'll add until I get feedback but if y'all don't hurry I'll just plow ahead with the demented little plot I've got in my head... Anyway thanks a lot, please R&R
The spots faded from Alex's eyes and her first coherent thought was:
"My parents are gonna kill me, I broke the microwave..."
Then it hit her, she didn't head the music, she didn't see a microwave, broken or otherwise, and the room was glowing! Alex spun wildly, looking for an exit. Seeing a door, then three people standing between it her and it, her subconscious took over.
She began to sprint, feinting left then going right, blessing her father's drill on defensive soccer feints with ever step. She had almost made it to the door when black fire surrounded her. The world went black. Again. * * *
"This is it?" Jonathan's eyebrows were raised so high, they threatened to disappear into his gray hair. "This is the weapon that Tortall is missing? This little girl?"
The last comment earned him a dangerous glare from Alanna who replied, "I guess she is, what is so wrong with that?"
Jon opened his mouth to argue with his champion before he was interrupted by Numair.
"She's waking up..."
"What kind of sleep spell is it that she wakes up after a minute?" Jon growled, still in a bad mood about their given "weapon" that he did not entertain the idea that she could be powerful enough to fight Numair's spell. No to him, the spell itself must be faulty.
"No my fault! I put the one we normally use." Numair protested in self defense as he traded a look with Alanna, not only about the king's growing temper but about the girl's apparent resistance to Numair's magic.
The page stuck his head through the door again, even more nervous. "Your majesty? Her majesty wants to see you now."
Jonathan nodded, with a glare at Alanna and Numair like it was their fault, before he swept out of the room. Numair checked the time and gave Alanna a pleading look. She sighed and nodded, as Numair too left the room.
Alone in the room with the strange girl, Alanna turned to face her, finding that she was indeed waking up, despite Numair's knockout spell.
Before she was fully awake, Alanna took the opportunity to observe the strange girl. She wore black breeches that were tight, low set on her hips and made of an unusual weave of cotton. There were fade marks on the pants, coming from too much use and the bottoms were shredded from being slightly long. She wore a look tunic without a shirt beneath it, of plain cotton, proclaiming in bold black letters against the pale blue, "Your village called, they're missing their idiot." This caused Alanna's solemn lips to twitch into a slight smirk, before she moved onto her footwear. The girl's feet displayed the most unusual part of the ensemble, being made of a kind of cloth and other materials that were beyond Alanna's comprehension.
Other than the girl's unusual attire, she looked like she could have been any girl off the street. Her light brown hair was sun streaked, revealing too much time outside, as did the sunburn that touched her cheeks. Her nose was slightly large than average, but not overwhelming so and she looked to be struggling with a bit of acne. She was thin, but obviously well fed and touched with muscle of someone who got exercise but did not do as much as that of a warrior. Alanna placed her age at about twelve because of her height, but the girl was as flat as a boy.
All of this took but a second to Alanna's practiced eye and as the girl groggily rose to her feet, her eyes still closed, Alanna couldn't help but echo Jon's statement. "What was it about this girl that made her invaluable to Tortall?" * * *
Alex's mind fought the blackness as soon as it consumed her. She didn't know why, but she knew it couldn't last. What seemed like hours later, she pulled herself off the floor, still trying to pry her eyes open. When she did, she almost fainted again.
Standing in front of Alex was Alanna the Lioness.
Alex knew it right away despite the abundant gray streaking Alanna's red hair and the wrinkles that lined her face and the slightly blurry haze that was impending Alex's vision. It was because the eyes, however, remained unchanged, still quick, sparkling with a wicked good humor and a bright unique shade of violet. This was Alex's hero, true, but she was also fiction. She was a hero of a novel. Pure fantasy. But without a doubt, if Lady Alanna was fiction, she had no notion of that. She as standing here, in the flesh, regarding Alex with an expression Alex couldn't read.
"Ummmm...." Alex stammered. Her foolish daydreams had imagined this moment, and all the questions she would ask, but reality was not so kind and Alex could do nothing but stutter.
"My name is Lady Alanna of Pirate's Swoop and Olau." Alanna said stiffly, unsure of what to say to this gawking teenager. She couldn't remember anyone looking at her with so many emotions flashing through their eyes, and never with eyes that grey...
Then Alex blinked out of her trance, realizing for the first time that her blurry vision wasn't coming back into focus with consciousness. Instinctively, she felt the bridge of her nose.
"I'm Alex, Alexandra Woodward," Alex answered scanning the floor, but she couldn't see! "Have you seen my glasses?"
Alanna seemed to scrunch up her face for a second. That's right, she doesn't know what glasses are, Alex thought in a moment of panic. But Alanna's confusion seemed to clear up rather quickly because she pointed at the floor behind Alex. Alex turned, but couldn't for the life of her, make out her dark-framed glasses against the stained wood floor. As if sensing her plight, Alanna strode over and picked them up.
"Thanks," Alex grinned with gratitude before jamming them onto the bridge of her nose. Alanna's face came further into focus. Alex was shocked by just how many grey hairs and wrinkles her hero had. There was no denying it, Lady Alanna was old.
That was what really woke Alex up.
"Am I in TORTALL? Alex's voice actually cracked with incredulity. This couldn't' be a dream, she knew she would never have dreamt Alanna this far from the end of "Realm of the Gods" despite "Trickster's Choice" being out.
"Yes," Alanna responded, puzzled again by the emotions in the girl's voice....Alex, she corrected herself mentally. Her stomach tightened at the name, remembering the man with the same one from all those years ago. They're not the same! Alanna scolded herself again.
"If you'll follow me, I'd like to ask you some questions before we see the King." Alanna led Alex brusquely from the lesser library and down the hall, not looking to see if the younger girl was following, until she heard the mutter...
"One for one."
As footsteps joined hers. AN: Third chapter...I know that was fast...I don't know how much more I'll add until I get feedback but if y'all don't hurry I'll just plow ahead with the demented little plot I've got in my head... Anyway thanks a lot, please R&R