Thanks for the reviews, dahlinks xD And to answer your question, Rob is like, a mixture of all the guys i know rolled into being the ghost who haunts my house xD I wrote about Alan because i could basically make up his character. And i had to put a bit of Kel/Dom. They're destined to be together xD I have the next chapter after this one written (well, just about done) and i just have to type it... so you guys will have to wait for the next few chapters xD Have fun!
Hahahaha, might as well tell that vision thingy i had. Well, i was listening to Heaven by Los Lonely Boys, and i suddenyl thought of Dom and Neal singing Karaoke to that. They were fighting over the microphone, because Neal wanted to sing to Yuki and Dom wanted to sing to (dur!) Kel. But Neal didn't know that. So they were hitting each other over the head with the microphone and throwing cake at each other, until they wrestled each other off stage and neal was like,
"Dom, why in Mithros' name would you want to sing? The only one out there besides my lovely Yamani that you know is Kel. Damn. You're in love with her, aren't you?" Then dom was like,
"Meathead, shut up. Now." and Neal pushed him onstage, said,
"Kel, this one's for you!" And threw the microphone at Dom.
I was laughing for a good 15 minutes xD
Rob the disclaimer guy: Yeah, I haunt her house. And if you read Tamora Pierce, then you can tell what is her's and what is the loverly writters.
Alan dismounted and held Anton still so Cai could get off.
"Alan! How good to see you!" He turned, and grinned as he saw his Uncle Coram, Baron of Trebond, hurrying towards him. A small tornado hit his legs, and Alan bent down to pick up Coram's grandson.
"George. You really shouldn't run into people like that." Five year old George grinned, showing his missing front teeth, and shook his brown haired head energetically. "Here George, bother Cai for a bit. I have to talk to your Grandpa." Alan dropped George into Cai's outstretched arms, and strode over to where Coram stood.
"Alan, I'm glad to see you, but why are you here? And who's this?" Coram pointed to Cai.
"She's a maid of Keladry's. Two nights ago she was kidnapped, and Keladry was kidnapped the following morning. We're going after Kel, and I need another horse. I promise that after that, we'll be gone. I don't want to put any pressure on you, but we should hurry." Coram nodded, and gestured to Cai.
"She's going? We could keep her here." Alan sighed, and nodded.
"Yes Uncle, she's coming."
"You worried about her?" Alan started to nod, but instead shrugged.
"I'm more worried for the man she's out to kill." He grinned.
"Sounds like your mother." Coram motioned for a steward to come closer. "Marcus, I need another horse, one for the lady. Find one, and make a pack with food and some of Julia's extra breeches and shirts." Alan nodded, and asked,
"How is Julia doing?" Julia was his cousin, older than him by a few years. At 23, she was visiting with the princesses in Carthak, who were the children of King Jonathon and Queen Thayet of Conte. Coram shrugged.
"She's all right. Homesick, but all right," He admitted. "Now, why are you bringing the maid? And what's her name?"
"Her name is Cai Thatcher, and I'm bringing her because she threatened to go on her own." Coram nodded, and teased,
"Oh, so you're bringing her because you're following in your mother's footsteps and are marrying a commoner? I just hope that she's not a thief."
"Uncle!" He blushed, and Coram patted his shoulder. "We're just going to rescue Keladry. She will be my maid, and I myself, if we have to go into Qimat." After a moment, Coram shook his head.
"That won't work. She won't be allowed to come with you. You need to have her been a Lady. Your betrothed would work, I think. But you never know with Idania. One day she'll be as good as gold, the next she'll be completely terrible. Use the name Adrienne. I like it."
"Thank you for the advice, Uncle. I think I will tell her to use the name Lady Adrienne, I didn't think of what would happen once we got into Qimat." They talked for a few minutes until the steward returned, leading a light brown colored gelding and carrying a pack.
"Sir, here is the horse you asked for, and the pack with some of Lady Julia's extra clothes, along with some food. I also took the liberty of packing some clothing for Sir Alan." Cai walked over to where they stood, with George perched on her shoulder. The horse pulled at it's lead until he was nudging Cai's pockets for food.
"Aw, you're a beauty." She exclaimed, petting the horse's head. "Does he have a name?" Coram shrugged.
"If he does, I don't know it. We bought him a few weeks ago from Alan's father, George. I'm thinking he bought him from the Bahzir, most likely from my tribe." Seeing Cai's questioning glance, he explained. "During Alanna's first year as a knight we went to the Southern Desert and lived with a tribe called the Bloody Hawk." He glanced ruefully at the scar on his wrist.
"Sorry to interrupt you Uncle, but we really should be going. Come on, Cai." Alan boosted Cai up onto her horse and whistled for his mount. Before mounting, he called out, "See you soon George, Coram. Have fun!" He signaled, and the riders sped out of the gates, with Cai following and waving at George.
The rain pattered down around them, the dark clouds above seamless, the trees sodden, as they road down Trebond Way. In the distance they could see Qimat, and the horses slowed and entered a clearing to the side of the road. Alan dismounted, and turned to the men.
"We'll camp here tonight, and enter Qimat tomorrow." He held Cai's horse still as she dismounted, and then he unsaddled Anton. The men took this as a signal, and all unsaddled their own horses. Cai pulled on his arm.
"Alan, hate to be a bother, but what exactly are we going to do when we enter Qimat?" He turned to face the men, and then said,
"Wow, we would have been in a spot of trouble if I forgot to tell all of you. We need to call Cai by the name Lady Adrienne during our little…visit. To let her stay with us during our encounter, she'll be my betrothed. That'll also keep her from getting unwanted attention." The women in the rider groups nodded. "Ladies, you'll be her personal maids. Men, you'll be our guards. Lady Adrienne will be a Lady from the Copper Isles that I met on my trip to visit my sister and their new queen. She was lady-in-waiting to Queen Dovesary, and came to Tortall last month. She lived with my grandparents at Olau until I came and brought her to see Trebond. We went for a ride and got caught in the rain, and we're going to Qimat to ask for food and some dry clothes, or at least a place to dry out. So eat your fill tonight, we'll have to leave the food packs here." Slightly panicking, Evin Larse swooped down on the packs.
"I call not cooking!" Placing the packs gently near a much used fire pit, he skipped around, gathering wood for a fire. Cai snorted, and Alan glanced at her face.
"Does he do this often?" At that Alan laughed.
"He's a player. And that explains it all." He dragged Cai away from the men and women, and sat down on a tree stump.
"Cai, have you ever met Lady Idania of Qimat?" She thought for a second, and then shook her head.
"We've seen each other, but at a distance. She won't recognize me. Now, seeing as I don't have my charm, this will be a tough one to pull off, but my bracelet should do fine." Her face squinted in concentration, and she glowed pale yellow for a moment before she opened her eyes and gestured towards herself. "But she most definitely won't recognize me now. And if Matthew and Daniel are there, they won't either." Alan grinned at seeing Cai's hair go from blonde to dark red, and her eyes change to green. Her skin reddened slightly instead of being deeply tan, and her mouth, instead of the edges curling slightly down into a frown, curled up in the hint of a smile. Fumbling in his pocket, Alan pulled out an old necklace and handed it to Cai.
"Aly, my sister, said for me to take this. It's from the Copper Isles, so you'll somewhat look the part. Do you know Kyprish? It would be a blessing if you did."
"I know a little," She responded, putting the necklace on. "Just basics though. Hello, goodbye, Where's the privy, Get away from me before I permanently dismember your head from your body… little sayings like that." Alan chuckled.
"Good. Are you hungry?" She shrugged. "Well, I'll get you some food anyway. Stay here." He rose and walked over to the fire pit, grabbing two hunks of bread and two bowls of the stew that Evin had been forced to cook, after his little escapade. Returning to the stump where Cai was sitting, he was surprised to find one of the men from the Own flirting with Cai. He stomped over and sat next to her, on the side opposite the other man. The dark-haired man, about the same age as Alan, merely glanced at him before continuing his conversation.
"So, you still haven't told me your name. I'm David. And you are…" Cai grinned, and after a look at Alan said, exaggerating the name greatly,
"I'm Adrienne-" Alan poked her in the side and handed her the bread and the bowl of stew. Seeing the food, the man clapped Cai on the shoulder and said,
"I'll talk to you later, love. Food beckons." Cai waved, and dug into the food. After she finished, she looked at Alan curiously.
"Hmm, Alan, what's the matter? You barely touched your food."
"Cai, you can't flirt with anyone while we're at Qimat. It would ruin the entire plan." Cai grinned.
"Alan, are you jealous?" He looked at the sky.
"No," Alan said slowly, "I am not." She started laughing.
"Are too!" Alan threw his hands up in the air.
"No, I am not!" Cai shook with trying to suppress her laughter. "Cai, stop!" He put his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him. "I am not jealous. If you flirt with anyone, someone at Qimat could think something of it and ruin everything. And you want to find Kel, correct?" She nodded. "So no flirting." After a minute of thinking, she leaned in until she was inches away from Alan's face. Slowly, she said,
"I still think you're jealous." Cai sat back and lay on the ground, amusedly watching Alan's face. He seemed to try and think of a retort, but instead cuffed her lightly on the head.
"I'm not jealous. Now go and practice your Kyprish and your accent." He stood up and walked to where his saddlebags lay on the ground, grabbed a blanket and his dry cloak, and threw the cloak to Cai. "Have fun!" Alan wrapped the blanket around himself, sat with his back against a tree, and gave all the appearance of being asleep. Cai, after waiting for a few moments to make sure he was asleep, strode over and sat down next to him, putting her head on his shoulder.
"Good night, Alan." As she whispered that in his ear, Alan's eyes flew open. Cai sat back in shock, and she would have fallen over if Alan had not caught her.
"Cai, am I mistaken in thinking you want me to be jealous?" He grinned wickedly, and Cai blushed and looked at the ground. Alan leaned back against the tree and put Cai's head back on his shoulder. "Go to sleep. We have to be fiancés in the morning."
As the sun rose, its glare reflected off of the necklace Cai wore, hitting Alan's eyes. He woke up slowly, and when he finally opened his eyes he was surprised to find his arm's wrapped around Cai, keeping her from falling on the ground and in his lap. Alan quickly released her, and her eyes opened slowly. Rubbing her hand's across her eyes to clear them, Cai watched Alan get up sheepishly. She took the offered hand and pulled herself up. After she was up, Alan dropped her hand like it was on fire, and said,
"We should go soon. Remember, you're going to need to order them around, not act like a maid." Cai nodded, and then walked over to where her horse grazed. Patting his head, she started to saddle him, and Alan said loudly,
"Men, get saddled. We ride soon." Cai turned to him and pulled the cloak off, putting it in his hands, but Alan fastened it back around her neck. "Keep it. You look cold." He turned from her and walked the few feet to where Anton stood, patiently waiting to be saddled. Mounting, he motioned for the men and Cai to do the same. They all rode forward into the gray mist. Riding in silence for an hour, they could finally see the towers of Qimat more clearly.
"Drat this mist." Cai heard one of the riders say, and laughed as Alan caught up with her.
"Cai, did you just complain about the mist?"
"Nuh uh, Alan. No complaining on my part. But I mean, really. Whose brilliant idea was it to make me your fiancé. That is something I might complain about." He grinned, and said,
"Oh, I'm sorry your Highness." She waved him off, and his grin slid off his face as Cai passed out. "Cai?" Alan grabbed her before she fell off her horse, and dragged her over to him. Patting her cheeks, trying to wake her up, he poured her gift into her to find that she was asleep. He sighed, and signaled for the men and women to keep riding as he made Cai comfortable in front of him.
Cai's eyes cracked open, and she looked upon Alan's worried face.
"Glad to have you finally join us, Adrienne." He helped her sit up, and she finally noticed that she was sitting in a plush bed covered with heavy blankets, rather than on horseback. "My dear, you passed out while we were riding. I should have listened to you and brought more food than our little picnic. A delicate flower such as yourself should not have to go without food for a night." She could see that he was a tad frightened, even if he masked it with a somewhat joking tone of voice. Forcing her own voice to adopt a slight Kyprish accent, Cai replied,
"It must have been that, Alan. But it's not your fault." Alan leaned forward and kissed her cheek, and as he did so whispered,
"Change of plans, we're married." A shrill voice broke in, and Cai recognized the voice of Idania of Qimat.
"Oh Adrienne, it's so good that you're well. Alan here was so terribly worried about you. Now, if you're alright, I had planned a little celebration for the heir's birthday, which just passed. If you would grace us with your presence tonight, it would make the evening much more enjoyable." Seeing Cai look down at her shirt and breeches, Idania hastily continued, "We have plenty of dresses that should fit you in your… condition. I'll have a maid send them up. I'll leave you two alone now." She spun on her heel and then walked outside, gently closing the door behind her. Cai looked at Alan quizzically, and he burst into laughter.
"What in Mithros' name was that about? My condition!" He sat next to her and leaned back against the wall.
"For starters, when we were riding, you did pass out." Alan looked at her questioningly. Cai shrugged.
"I think that last night was the best sleep I've gotten in the past few weeks. Nightmares, and the like." She pointedly looked away, and Alan continued talking.
"So it must have been from lack of sleep. Anyway, we reached Qimat and Idania was ready to order us away, but I told her that you were… er…" Realization suddenly dawned on Cai.
"You told her I was pregnant, didn't you?" Alan blushed.
"Yes, I did. We had to get in here, and even Idania couldn't turn away a young pregnant mother. We're married, and you're carrying our first child. So no drinking any wine tonight, and don't eat so much, or the rich foods. And absolutely no talking like you know Roald. Which you really don't, but still." Cai sighed and started to respond, but a knock on the door silence her. A maid entered slowly, carrying gowns in her arms, followed by two other servants, one bearing more dresses and the other carrying shoes.
"My Lady, we were sent to help you dress-" Alan cut in.
"My wife can dress by herself. She'll leave the dresses she does not wear here. Would you excuse us?" The maids hurriedly backed out of the room, curtseyed, and fled. Grinned, Alan said, "See? Being a Lord can help sometimes. Now go and get dressed, C- Adrienne." He turned and started to walk out of the room, but Cai ran forward and grabbed his arm.
"Alan you git! I have absolutely no clue how to put on these types of dresses!" She gestured to the laces angrily. He laughed.
"That makes two of us. Pick the dress with the smallest amount of… flounce." He grinned wickedly. "Call me if you need help lacing up." Alan started to walk to the door. Mad, Cai tapped him on the shoulder before punching him in the gut. He fell to the ground, wheezing. She snorted.
"Hah. That's for teasing me. If you would, please leave. I'll change. Without your help, thank you very much." Cai walked back to the bed where the dresses lay, muttering something that distinctly sounded to Alan like 'Stupid frickin' knights'. He laughed.
"Alright, alright, I'm going. Don't hurt yourself now." Clutching his stomach, he started to walk to the door. Cai turned to him, and sighed exasperatedly.
"I didn't punch you that hard." He only groaned. She sighed again, and helped him to the door. Opening it, she pushed him outside and made to close the door, but he pulled her out. Leaning close, he whispered,
"They're expecting something," before kissing her swiftly. Picking her up and placing her back in the room, he dodged her punch and jumped out of the room. "Go get dressed!"
Cai sat down gently on the bed, and glanced at the dresses worriedly. Slipping out of her breeches and shirt, she reached for the simplest dress, a dark red color that matched her new hair. It had simple lacings on the back of the bodice, and just had a full skirt rather than layers and layers of petticoats to make the skirt poof. Sighing, she started to pull the dress over her head, but was stopped by a knock on the door.
"Addy…" Alan's voice came muffled through the door. "I've got to come in." Cai reached for the blanket on the bed, and knocking the dresses off wrapped the blanket around her before she opened the door. He strode in, and quickly closed the door behind him. "Sorry about this…" He sat against the door, and Cai cautiously sat next to him. "The maids asked me why I was leaving the room, since I so obviously ordered them out earlier. I said that you needed water, and that I would happily get it for you if they showed me the way, but they said that they would get it and that I should return to you. So… that's why I'm here." Cai shrugged.
"I guess it's alright. Just no looking while I change." Alan laughed, stood and offered her a hand up.
"I won't. I'll stand facing the door. I don't think I could take another one of your punches." Alan spun on his heel, hitting the door with his nose. Cai giggled, and after making sure he couldn't see her by making rude gestures at his back, which anyone would have responded to if they had been seen, slipped the dress over her head. Reaching behind her, she tried to tie up the laces, but couldn't get the tight enough.
"Alan-" Before she could finish, he was by here and lacing up the back of the dress. She nodded her thanks, and turned to the mirror on the wall. Starting to pull her hair back into her customary braids, she felt her fingers not want to move. Fine, traitorous fingers, she thought to herself. Since you're lazy, I won't braid my hair. Alan stared in shock at her hair, which was halfway down her back and was gently curled. She caught his look in the mirror, and said angrily, "Now you see why I keep it in braids. It's too damn curly." Pulling it back into a simple knot and the back of her head, she pulled on Alan's arm. "Let's go."
After the dinner, Alan and Cai stood quickly and walked back to their room. The maids finished cleaning the room as they looked on, and as the maids left the room, Alan gestured to the one bed.
"You take that side, and I'll take this one?" Cai nodded stiffly, still a tad angry with Alan for putting her in this predicament. Idania had, during the dinner, mademany remarks about how she was expecting, and asked questions as to where they were going to live, names for the child...
All of it hurt my brain, Cai thought. I hate questions.
She grabbed her breeches and shirt, freshly laundered, and motioned for Alan to turn around so she could change. He ignored her and asked,
"Why are you mad? I figure it's because of this." He gestured at their surroundings. "For that I'm sorry, but it was necessary. She wasn't going to let us in, and we had to get in here. To see if Kel was here. Which she isn't, by the way." He hastily explained.
"Alan, I understand that. I just don't like being here. Something about he- oh never mind. So if you would, turn around so I can change, and we'll leave in the morning to catch up with Dom." Alan sighed, and turned to face the door, and a few minutes later, when Cai sat on the bed, he sat next to her. She lay down and pulled a blanket over her head, and rolled over so her back was to Alan. He lay back and clasped his hands behind his head. Quietly he said,
"You look like her, you know." Alan then lay still, and said nothing more. After a few minutes, Cai rolled back over and hit his shoulder.
"What do you mean?"
"Idania. You look like her. Your regular self, not the disguise. Are you sure you're not related to her?" Cai nodded. "Really? She looks like she could be your mother." Cai stiffened.
"I'm positive she's not. My mother died having me. My father told me that as soon as I could ask where she was." Alan sat up and looked at Cai's face.
"I'm sorry, Cai. I didn't know." She shrugged.
"Da never liked to talk about it. I usually don't. Could you please shut up? I want my sleep." Rolling back over, she started to try and fall asleep, but was interrupted by another one of Alan's questions.
"What's your father's name?" She turned towards him, and tapped his cheek.
"Ern Thatcher. Can I go to sleep now?" He got up and started pacing back and forth in front of the door.
"Ern… Idania… mother who died… daughter who died…" He muttered. "Where did you live?"
"On a piece of land bordering Tirragen. Why?"
"Did your father ever mention Kolep?"
"That disgraced fief? No. Never did. Where was it located, anyway?" Alan sighed.
"West side of Tirragen."
"Well that's a real coincidence. That's where my cottage was. But why did you ask? Now that you're not letting me get sleep, I'll ask you questions and keep you up."
"Idania was from Kolep. Her first marriage. Her husband was sent into exile, and her daughter "disappeared". She told everyone her daughter Qiana died." Cai looked at him quizzically.
"And this involves me how?"
"Mithros, Cai, I'm saying I think you're Idania's daughter."Her face paled, and she stuttered,
"No. My m-mother is d-dead, Alan. And I'd prefer it if y-you didn't bring the subject up again. Good night." She lay down and wrapped the blanket around her.
"Cai-"
"Alan, don't talk to me. Right now you are being really idiotic, and are high up on my hit list for bringing up the subject of my mother. So shut up." Alan reached for her arm, but she recoiled at his touch. He sat back dejectedly against the wall.
"I'm sorry Cai…" He murmured, but her only response was to tug the blanket closer around herself. After he was sure she was asleep, Alan wiped the tears off her cheeks and wrapped himself in the other blanket. "Good night Cai," He said softly, and went to sleep.
Sunlight streamed through the window, lighting up Alan and Cai's faces. Alan slowly opened his hazel eyes, and was blinded by the bright light. Blinking away the dots that had appeared on his vision, he tightened his arm around the person next to him. Who the… he thought to himself, and looked to his left shoulder. At first he didn't recognize the red-haired girl, but as he started to finally wake up he realized who it was.
Cai lay next to him, her head on his shoulder, and his arm was wrapped around her shoulders. In response to him tightening his grip on her, she just held onto his shirt. Later, he would tell people that he had been completely shocked about it. But at the moment, he realized that Cai's outward personality was just a façade for the battle of emotions running through her.
She looks so much happier when she sleeps, Alan thought. She has her guard up when she's awake. He started to move to close the curtains, but Cai started to wake up, and Alan quickly lay back down to avoid her waking up fully and yelling at him. He watched her slowly blink and realize where she was, and he untangled his arm from around her. To his surprise, Cai rolled back over and forced his arm down.
"Don't move." She muttered. "I just got comfortable, and I'm still tired. I'm going back to sleep." She put her head back on his shoulder, and closed her eyes.
"I'm all for that," He replied, but as he was just falling back asleep an urgent knock on the door made him jump. "Come in…" Alan said loudly, and was startled as not a maid entered, but the man whom Cai had been talking with two nights before, David.
"Sir Alan, Lady Adrienne, we're all ready to go. Dom's a bit further down the road. Len saw him and his group pass by thirty minutes ago. We'll saddle your horses." He turned and walked out, gently shutting the door behind him. Cai sighed, and said,
"Well, we'd best get up now." She sat up, and Alan leaned against the wall. Not looking Cai in the face, he said,
"We're going to make a quick stop at your father's home. I need to ask him about Daniel."
"Alan, will you give this up? My father is a woodcutter. Why would he know any lords?" Alan ignored what she said, and pulled on his pair of boots.
"Hurry up. I'll meet you at the stables." Alan stepped outside, and almost ran into Idania.
"My Lady." He bowed. "I was just coming to find you. After your generous hospitality, my wife feels up to taking our leave and continuing back to Trebond. Mithros bless, my lady. I thank you for letting us stay here. I must go and oversee the saddling of our horses." He bowed again and walked towards the stables. Alan heard the door to their room open, and slipped into a doorway to wait for Cai. As she walked past him, he stepped out and followed her to the stables.
At the stables, they were greeted by everyone, including the horses. They all mounted, and Alan made sure that Cai was securely on her horse.
"By the gods, Alan, I'm not going to faint again." He laughed.
"Let's ride. We'll meet up with Dom down the road." Riding out of the gates, he looked back at Qimat, not looking forward to telling Dom that they didn't find Kel.
