Queen's Own: Someone mentioned this in a review, and my friend Teresa thought it was a good idea, so I wrote it. Jon, George and Alanna go shopping! Set several days before my first chap.
Siri: Fun for all! laughs
Queen's Own: Do I look like Tammy to you?
Shopping
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Alanna protested for the third time as Jon and George escorted her firmly along the street. ""Someone might recognize me-"
"No one's going to recognize you, Alanna," Jon said cheerfully. "I didn't even recognize you at first, and I definitely know you're a girl." Alanna blushed slightly. George didn't say anything. "Besides, you're wearing a wig!" He looked at her suspiciously. "You're not afraid of shopping, are you?" Alanna made a face.
"I just hope I don't regret this," she said finally, allowing herself to be led out into the main street of Corus.
Alanna quietly debated the wisdom of forcefully removing Jon's arm from her waist, where it had settled much too long ago, as the three of them looked over the jewelry being sold off of this vendor's cart. "You sure you don't want anything for your birthday?" Jon asked, eyeing a pair of amethyst eardrops.
"Jon!" she said, laughing a little. "If I want anything for my birthday, I'll want something useful. Can you imagine me in earbobs? My ears aren't even pierced, anyway.
George laughed. "That would be a sight. Earbobs are as useful for you as this." He pulled a jeweled mask from the display and held it to her face. She slipped free of Jon's arm and took it, laughing.
"Maybe this would be more useful," she joked. "No one would be able to find me at parties!" She laughed, spinning in a circle, enjoying the feel of the purple skirts against her legs. It's fun being a girl after all. Jon's arm wrapped itself back around her waist as soon as she was standing still, and she sighed. There was no winning with him, was there.
Suddenly, she heard what she had been afraid of since they left Mistress Cooper's. A familiar voice. "Jon!" She froze.
Gary strolled the street, hands in pockets. His goal was Raven Armory- he and Raoul had been taking small donations, enough to buy Alan something small for his birthday.
As he walked, his eyes caught a flash of a familiar head, crowned with black hair, standing and talking several yards away. Quickly, he made his way towards his friend. The Prince was talking to George and a black-haired girl Gary didn't recognize, around whose waist his arm was draped. As he watched, George handed the girl a mask, which she took, pulling free of Jon's arm.
"-more useful," he heard her say. "No one would be able to find me at parties." She spun around. As Jon's arm wrapped itself back around her waist, Gary remembered their conversation of several months ago. Could this be the girl Jon was talking about?
"Jon!" he called pushing through the crowd. The girl froze with her back to him. Jon's head spun sharply to look at him.
"Gary!" he called back, his voice sounding forced. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, shopping," he said. "For Alan's birthday present. Hello George." The thief nodded a hello. "Who's the girl?" Gary asked.
"Uh-" Jon seemed to scramble around for an answer. "This is-"
"My cousin," George said smoothly. "Lenna. She's from Port Caynn, but came to help Mother out."
"Oh," Gary said. "Hello." The girl turned around slowly. She kept her eyes down, so he couldn't see them, and the rest of her face was concealed by the mask.
"I've really got to go, George," she said quietly. Her voice was barely audible, and seemed slightly nervous.
"Of course, Lenna," he said. "Mother wanted you back as soon as possible- it's Jon's fault for insistin' on showin' you these." Lenna turned around, placing the mask on the vendor's tray. Jon said goodbye, which she answered very quietly- Gary couldn't hear what she said.
George slung an arm around her shoulders and guided her away from the two of them, into one of the many side streets. Gary, as he watched them go, felt slightly confused by the fact that he hadn't ever seen her face, uncovered by the mask.
"So how did you meet Lenna?" Gary asked.
"Oh, George brought her along today," Jon said, looking slightly uncomfortable.
"Are you sure?" Gary had a wicked gleam in his eyes. "You're sure you didn't meet her- say a few months ago?"
Jon shifted uneasily. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Oh stop being thick," Gary said. "Is she the reason you were asking me for advice a month ago?" It would be nice if it were- then I wouldn't have to worry about Alan- which is something I really don't want to think about-
"What?" Jon said. "No, that's crazy. I just met her today. You heard George- she's here from Port Caynn to help Mistress Cooper out. She'll probably be going home soon as she's gotten her Gift trained."
"Gift?" Gary asked curiously, caught up in the story of the mysterious girl whose face he hadn't seen.
"She's got a minor healing Gift," Jon said.
"Ah. So tell me," Gary said, steering him towards Raven Armory. "How is she? Is she, you know-" Jon shoved him slightly.
"Is that all you ever think about?" he asked.
"Isn't it what everyone thinks about?" he asked. "Except maybe Alan. Never seen him even look at a girl." He stopped and thought about that for a minute, before sighing dramatically. "How can he stand it? Why me, I think about Lady Delia-"
"We know Gary," Jon said, with a bit of a grin. "We all know how much you think about Delia and Cythera and-"
"All right, all right," Gary said. "I was just providing an example." They walked for a minute in silence, before Gary broke it. "So, anyway, seriously how is she?"
Jon raised an eyebrow at his friend, but before thinking about it, opened his mouth. "She's- something else." His eyes misted over slightly.
"I knew you had something for that girl!" Gary announced. Jon hit him on the head.
"Don't tell anyone," he ordered.
"Of course not," Gary said. "Wouldn't want to make Delia jealous would we? Although-" He began considering the many possibilities of making Delia angry at Jon. Jon shook his head in resignation. The day Gary stopped obsessing about Delia was the day he stopped thinking about- well- He sighed, letting his eyes mist over as the two of them walking, each thinking about the girl they couldn't get.
Alanna and George walked along the street, relieved to be away from Gary. "I hope Jon sticks to the story," she said anxiously.
"Jon will be fine," George assured her, slinging his arm over her shoulders. "Besides Gary didn't see your face. Thank the gods for that mask."
"Yes, thank gods," she said in relief, putting an arm over his. "Just imagine if I hadn't been wearing it."
George laughed. "Gary's face would've been quite a sight." She allowed herself to laugh a little too.
"I wonder what they're getting me for my birthday," she said thoughtfully. "It can't be worse than earbobs. Can you imagine me?" She laughed. George smiled softly.
"It's no harder than imaginin' you in a dress," he said quietly, spinning her around into his arms. Alanna noticed uneasily that they were in a quiet side alley near Mistress Cooper's.
"George-" His arms ended up around her waist somehow. One of hers was still over his shoulders; the other went to his hand on her waist. "Not now," she said quietly. He brushed a quick kiss over her lips before stepping away.
"All right, lass," he said, putting an arm around her waist. She laughed and shook her head.
"You and Jon-" she said in exasperation. "What am I? Some kind of elbow rest?"
George laughed as he stopped her in front of Mistress Cooper's door. "I've got to be goin' lass. Happy Birthday." He knocked on the door and went around to get Beauty. Alanna shook her head and greeted Mistress Cooper as she opened the door. Walking inside, she voiced the complaint to the older woman, who only laughed.
Within minutes, Squire Alan was sprinting up to the palace, a folded parcel under his arm. He stowed its contents in the trunk at the foot of his bed. It wouldn't be until his birthday that he would delve into the trunk again.
Queen's Own: So what do you think? I know it's been forever since I've updated- I've been sort of at a writer's block across the board with all my fics. I'll start updating a little more frequently now. Reviews will fuel that! Queen's Own
