Alanna drew back one of the window hangings tentatively. When she saw the
scene that awaited them outside, she wished she hadn't. The wet courtyard
the had drawn up in was so brightly painted, the houses crammed in with no
spaces as though they, too, were huddling together for warmth. The
gaudiness of the square was so overwhelming that Alanna had to suppress the
urge to cover her eyes. Cythera wiggled into the spae between Alanna and
the carriage wall, to get a peek out into thecourtyard. She let out an
appreciative whistle.
"Bright, huh?"
Alanna absent-mindedly swatted at her friend, who chortled and ducked the hand, returning to her place at the window. The two girls looked around in amazement, and were so absorbed in the scene that when the door was opened, Alanna, with Cythera leaning on her, literally fell out.
Alanna looked up at the sky, which was grey, and glared at it as though daring it to comment. Cythera was rolling over with laughter, and even the footman was trying to suppress his chuckles. Straightening his facer, he murmured apologetically,
"Sorry, milady."
Alanna gave him a look like a ruffled owl, and, seizing Cythera's hand, pulled herself up from the wet cobbles. Cythera grinned at her so infectiously that the Lioness' anger disspaated, and she only looked rueful.
"I was asking for that, wasn't I?" She enquired with a semblance of humbleness.
"Yup." Agreed Cythera cheerfully. Alanna mock-glared at her.
"You're not supposed to agree with me! You're supposed to say, oh, no, Aly dear, it was a cruel and undeserved trick of fate."
"But, Aly dear," Cythera replied impishly, "I would never dream of disagreeing with you."
Alanna groaned, swatting at her friend for the second time in as many minutes.
"What a start to my time in Corus." The redhead moaned in a self-pitying tone.
"Well, at least you've started as you mean to go on," pointed out her irrepressible friend. "Be thankful you haven't been lulled into a false sense of security. You might have been tricked into thinking that someone up there liked you, only to be tragically betrayed by your assumed protector in your hour of fatal need..." Cythera clutched her heart dramatically, a look of tragic betrayal and melodramatic pain on her finely sculpted features. Alanna snorted.
"You look like you're constipated, 'Thera."
Unfortuanately, they had no time to ruminate on this pleasant subject, because even as Alanna spoke, there drew up an elegant carriage to take them to the palace itself, and Alanna's future husband.
A/n: YES! I'm going to drag out your misery as long as possible! Nah, don't worry, Gary enters in the next chapter. By the way, I know Cythera was a little OOC in the last chapter, so I tried to make up for it here. Although I Know this chapter wasn't as good, the next one should be great.
"Bright, huh?"
Alanna absent-mindedly swatted at her friend, who chortled and ducked the hand, returning to her place at the window. The two girls looked around in amazement, and were so absorbed in the scene that when the door was opened, Alanna, with Cythera leaning on her, literally fell out.
Alanna looked up at the sky, which was grey, and glared at it as though daring it to comment. Cythera was rolling over with laughter, and even the footman was trying to suppress his chuckles. Straightening his facer, he murmured apologetically,
"Sorry, milady."
Alanna gave him a look like a ruffled owl, and, seizing Cythera's hand, pulled herself up from the wet cobbles. Cythera grinned at her so infectiously that the Lioness' anger disspaated, and she only looked rueful.
"I was asking for that, wasn't I?" She enquired with a semblance of humbleness.
"Yup." Agreed Cythera cheerfully. Alanna mock-glared at her.
"You're not supposed to agree with me! You're supposed to say, oh, no, Aly dear, it was a cruel and undeserved trick of fate."
"But, Aly dear," Cythera replied impishly, "I would never dream of disagreeing with you."
Alanna groaned, swatting at her friend for the second time in as many minutes.
"What a start to my time in Corus." The redhead moaned in a self-pitying tone.
"Well, at least you've started as you mean to go on," pointed out her irrepressible friend. "Be thankful you haven't been lulled into a false sense of security. You might have been tricked into thinking that someone up there liked you, only to be tragically betrayed by your assumed protector in your hour of fatal need..." Cythera clutched her heart dramatically, a look of tragic betrayal and melodramatic pain on her finely sculpted features. Alanna snorted.
"You look like you're constipated, 'Thera."
Unfortuanately, they had no time to ruminate on this pleasant subject, because even as Alanna spoke, there drew up an elegant carriage to take them to the palace itself, and Alanna's future husband.
A/n: YES! I'm going to drag out your misery as long as possible! Nah, don't worry, Gary enters in the next chapter. By the way, I know Cythera was a little OOC in the last chapter, so I tried to make up for it here. Although I Know this chapter wasn't as good, the next one should be great.
