Sir Alan's head was in turmoil. He was in shock, his girl a knight? A Lady Knight, a legend. He felt confused, even though King Jon had explained everything, he just couldn't get his head around the fact that Alanna was a knight. He'd come back expecting to find the realms of the living pretty much as he'd left it, but this.. his girl.. Alanna… Thom... dead? He just couldn't understand, or even begin to accept this news. Its alright for them he thought they've had years to adapt, to adjust to the changes, but he, he had had half and hour. All thoughts of his grandchildren had gone. Why couldn't Alanna just have been a lady? But then he reasoned would the King be here? Would Tortall be the same? It dawned on him that his daughter, his daughter had shaped the future of Tortall, he stared in amazement, still too shaken up for words, at his daughter… his daughter.
Alanna was slumped in her chair, white as a sheet, her mind reeling. Her father, back from the dead, that was impossible, but was anything impossible anymore? Hadn't she proved them all wrong, hadn't she done the impossible? Even still her mind thought grumpily its still a shock when your dead father, who had no interest in you whatsoever, comes back from his timely death.
The court sat silent, but many were staring at Alanna with added respect, although she was legend, not many people actually knew all her achievements. Jon sat patiently waiting for Alanna and her father to come to terms with the reality. Raoul, was looking concernedly at Alanna.
Eventually Alan spoke, he turned to the man on his left, 'And why do you think my daughter should be a knight?'
Alanna's head snapped up, off her hands, to look at the man to whom the question had been asked. He was a wizened, old man whose name Alanna didn't know. He smiled at Alanna and turned to Sir Alan.
'When you see someone who can fence as well as she can you don't question why, you just have to accept, it takes a bit of getting used to, but she is more than capable to fight for her country. Besides, just look at what she's achieved, she's earned her shield ten times over and personally I'd rather be cheering for her on the sidelines, than duelling against her because I insulted her by saying ladies shouldn't be knights.' He bowed to her and sat down.
Alanna accepted the compliment with a nod of her head and continued staring at her father.
'So it's true, she really is good at fencing?' he asked as though Alanna wasn't there.
'Good? She's the best,' said Duke Gareth, 'Far better than I ever was Alan and you said yourself, many years back, that you've never seen a person quicker with a sword than me. She also bested the Shang Dragon, in his full strength and glory, a feat which not many people can acclaim.'
Alanna, feeling a little more like her usual self, turned to Jon. 'Your majesty, if I have your permission, I will accept the Lord of Stone Mountain's challenge to a duel, to long have they taunted me because they know I can't accept their challenges. It will teach them a lesson, and provide a way in which to prove my point to my father.' She said.
'Go ahead Sir Alanna,' said Jon, 'I think we shall watch this little duel, my court is dismissed.' He said, knowing full well that every man on his court would turn up to support Alanna in the coming duel. People stood up and left the room chatting.
In an undertone, he added, 'Be careful Alanna, don't let your father distract you, and remember you gave birth to twins only two months ago. So you won't no matter how hard you've trained, be at your maximum strength, just be careful, George will kill me personally if anything happens.'
'Nothing is going happen except I'm going to beat Stone mountain's arse from here to Carthak' growled Alanna and she departed to go and get ready.
'You know I feel almost sorry for Stone Mountain.' Said Raoul to Jon after she'd left.
'Mm' agreed Jon, they both knew what Alanna could do when she wanted to.
an hour later –
King Jon's voice rang out across the courts, 'We are gathered here to witness a duel between, Lady Alanna of Pirate's swoop and the Lord of Stone Mountain.'
Alanna drew her sword, letting all her distracting thoughts leave her, she turned to face the Lord of Stone Mountain, who was sweating nervously on the side of the courts, telling all his friends, how he'd recently suffered a back injury. I'll show him, a back injury indeed, well he should have thought of that before he called me a … no I must get rid of all angry thoughts, she thought letting her anger dispel.
'You may start,' said Jon lazily.
They circled each other, Stone Mountain insulting Alanna as they went,
'Bitch, whore, slut, are you sure those babies are the Baron's or are they some commoner's who you met down town?'
Alanna lunged in suddenly and nearly disarmed him there and then, he blocked and stumbled, they parried a couple of blocks and then Alanna feinted to the left and drove in, in a complex sweep, she disarmed him sending his sword flying, it clattered down ten feet away from him and she leapt in to press her sword to his nose tip.
'I yield.' He whispered.
'Louder,' she said, her voice deadly.
'I yield,' he spoke.
'Now apologize for the insults against me, and my family.'
'I apologize.'
'Properly' she said, pressing her sword tip harder so it cut through the padding and rested on flesh.
'I apologize and take back any insults against Lady Alanna and her family.' He said disgustedly.
'Let that serve as a reminder to why I am a Lady Knight.' She hissed, and stalked off the court.
The majority of the crowd disbanded, leaving Alanna, Jon, Raoul, Duke Baird, Duke Gareth, Gary, Sir Alan and Raoul.
'Let Alanna show you her real fencing,' said Jon, 'Eda, would you oblige?' He called over to the Shang Wildcat.
'A duel against the Lioness? Why not, though if you beat Liam, there's not much hope for the rest of us.' The Wildcat came over and hugged Alanna, 'I hear congratulations are in order, a boy or girl?'
'Both actually, Alianne and Alan.'
The two ladies went onto a court and began to fence, the match was amazing to watch, both of them moved at an amazing speed and after fifteen minutes of hard fencing neither of them were that tired. During a lull in the match, Alanna switched her sword to her left hand and attacked furiously, she spotted a gap in Eda Bell's defence and snaked her sword to Eda's throat.
'I yield, and well fought Alanna, I see that having children hasn't stood in the way of your career.' She bowed and left the court.
Lord Alan was staring in amazement at his daughter, his daughter the knight, somewhere in his brain in clicked and he finally accepted the Lady Knight, The Lioness, The Woman who rides like a man, was his daughter.
