Chapter 3
Could it Possibly Be, Or Did I Just Hit My Head too Hard?
"A lady told me her father had betrothed her to a duke in the Copper Isles," a lady whispered to the group of women circled around her, each working on a piece of embroidery. She didn't notice the young lady across from her glance sharply up, pricking her finger in the process.
"Then what is she doing here? If that were true, she'd be at court in the Copper Isles, not Tortall. I don't dare believe she'd show her face here if she didn't have to. The family is corrupt, is what I say. The lady of Trebond will never snag a husband, not with so many other eligible woman here with pure blood."
"Maybe she came here for the prince, though my guess is that he will take one look at her, and banish her from the palace. She'll probably flee from here once the rain stops. She's not left that room once since she's arrived, not even to attend the balls. Though I can't say I blame her, people will stare and ridicule her as if she were a servant. Dear me, yes, she'll leave as soon as possible
dIvIdEr
Jonathon stepped through the great doors, running a large hand through his thick wet hair. The storm continued to press on with no end in sight, and unfortunately even the prince had duties to care of.
His silk tunic clung to his muscular frame, soaked through. The bell rang, signaling the fourth hour, and he hurried up a staircase leading to his room. He'd told Douglass to leave out his clothes for the ball, but you could never trust a squire, for all he knew Douglass was off in a book, or daydreaming in his room.
Taking a shortcut, Jon cut through the portrait room, now at a slow jog. No one would in here at this hour, he thought to himself noticing there were only two torches lit. This room had never been his favorite, with portraits of the dead kings and queens staring out at him. It seemed that their eyes followed his every movement, but their expressions never changed. One day he vowed to have this room closed, when he was king.
He never saw the hooded figure kneeling before a painting until it was too late. Tripping, he went flying, banging his head on the corner of the wall, never once thinking about the drills he did as a page teaching him to stop in an incident like this.
Head throbbing, he fought the pain and looked up, gasping at the person before him. A small face lay beneath the thick black cloak, purple eyes watching him, showing no fright or terror.
With the gasp, the cloaked figure was gone, running in the opposite direction, grabbing the door handle before he could sit up.
Clutching his head, he moaned and stood up shakily. His clothing was still soaked, but he didn't care. Could that possibly have been his ghost? The eyes... those eyes would linger in his vision forever.
Stepping back, he gazed at the picture the person had been looking at. Surprisingly, it was of a woman with short brown hair, holding a sword, a lady knight, dating back hundreds of years ago.
Still shocked, he turned to leave, but something gleamed from the corner of the silver frame. A strand of red hair.
Jon almost fainted at that, wondering if this was some kind of sick joke Gary or Raoul had decided to play, but he knew they wouldn't do that. Maybe he hit his head harder than he thought...
DiViDeR
Thanks to everyone who's reviewed, I know I promised to have the next chapter out long ago, but I've been busy with school, friends, and I had a bad case of writers block. This chapter isn't up too my usual standards, but I had to get something out. Jon's a bit OOC, but I knew no other way to introduce Alanna into the story, so bear with me.
I can't make any promises as to when the next chapter, but I hope it's out by the end of the month. No guarantees since Basketball season will be starting soon, and practices will be taking up the majority of my time.
Gwenny Girl: Lol, I'll try to get to it next chapter... of course it could go the other way and Alanna could end up with Duke Roger.....ahhh the object of suspense. Hope you enjoy the chapter, though nothing much happened..
Kore Yan: Hope you enjoy, thanks for the review!
DeaGoddess: I plan to make it original, and I'll try to incorporate a longer chapter next time! Thanks for reviewing.
Clair-a-net: I'll reveal how Thom died for sure in the next chapter, as Alanna reflects on his doings, and her life leading up to where the story's at now. Thanks for reviewing!
LadyMage: Intriguing....hehe, thanks for the review, hope you like the chapter!
And to anyone else who reviewed, please do so again, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE REVIEWS!!
