Disclaimer: Hum dee dum...does anyone ever read these things? Well if you do, none of the characters, other than Helena/Lady Winfred/Lincoln/Abigail are mine.
Title: Ghost of the Past
Author: Winky-wink
Genre: Romance/Humor/Drama
Rating: T (Just to be safe)
Pairing: A/J but that could be subject to change.
Musical Affection: 'Cemetery Drive' by My Chemical Romance.
Author's Note: tortall princess: Yeah, Jon was horrible in the third book. The whole Alanna of Conte thing is embarrassing...luckily I helped her out there a bit. You'll see. I'm glad you feel what my characters feel. I try to make the readers feel connected. Oh yeah, George is great too.
Haven: Thanks. I hope you stay addicted.
rachel: I liked the Alanna of Conte idea too. It wasn't in the original plot but it just works. It's cute and I liked it, is all.
Kokari: Yes, I know. I love these embarassing difficulties.
'My dear young lady, there was a great deal of truth, I dare say, in what you said, and you looked very pretty while you said it, which is much more important'-Oscar Wilde
"...And so they of course wanted to know what her full name was, fief and all and my mind blanked so I just blurted out Conte," Alanna explained, hoping that Jonathan was buying her horrible lies.
He gave her an odd, suspicious look before repeated what she had just said slowly, "So, let me get this straight, you were writing 'Alanna' in your notebook which Geoffery and Douglass snatched and read. Then they thought Alanna was the name of your secret lover and asked you her full name. You said Conte."
Alanna nodded, vigorously, praying against all odds that he believed her. She just couldn't do it. She just couldn't tell him that she'd been writing Alanna of Conte over and over again like a lovestruck noble lady at the convent.
Once again, he studied her carefully, as if checking to see if she was lying. She kept her face as smooth as possible, "You said it just like that? Conte? Out of nowhere when you could've said any other lesser known fief?"
She shrugged, hoping her act was good enough to get her off the hook, "I was stupid, what can I say?"
"Well I won't argue with that last point," the Prince grinned, "You've gotten yourself into quite a mess."
"You will help me, won't you?" she asked, concern etched all over her small face, "Or else I really am toast."
"Do you even need to ask?" Jon sighed, "We'll have to talk to Aunt Winfred and Abigail-that's my cousin's real name-once they get here. I don't know them too well but I have an inkling they might help us out."
"Why?" Alanna questioned, grabbing her bag, knowing she ought to go.
" 'Cause a few years back, Aunt Winfred commissioned for girls to become Knights," Jonathan answered, "Of course it didn't fall through. She got all huffy and said she didn't want to be part of a court where women didn't have the same rights as men. That's really why she never comes to Tortall. Perhaps, knowing your a girl and all, will soften her and Abigail into aiding you."
Alanna bit her lip, "Would I have to tell them I was a-a...girl?"
"I'm thinking so," Jon nodded, then it seemed reality hit him because he said, "But for the time being, you need to get to classes and I need to help with the arrangements for the arrival of the Carthaks and my Aunt."
The Lioness bid her Knightmaster farewell before hurrying off to her first class of the day. She didn't like her destiny lying in the hands of all these unreliable people. Catherine and Helena were bad enough but now there was also Lady Winfred and this-Abigail to be worried of.
The week seemed to pass way too fast for Alanna's liking. She wished she could've somehow slowed it down and basked in a time before the arrival of the Scanran Contes and the Carthaks. Everyone else seemed either grim or excited for the coming of their guests. Most giddy of all were Alanna's group of friends, who were head over heels in joy at the thought of finally meeting Squire Alan's love. Alanna, for her part, tried to act as happy as possible but it was a hard task when she really felt so sick and horrible. The worst of these days was when she awoke on the dawn of the eighth day. The royal guests were due to arrive early this afternoon. That night heralded a ball in their honor. For the first three minutes, Alanna lay, sprawled on her bed, blinking at the rising of the eastern sun. For a few tranquill moments she was completely calm, until she sat up and realized she would have to face Lady Winfred and Abigail today. Streching her neck, she went over to her sink to wash away the sleep from her eyes. A few minutes later there was a knock at her door. She opened it and was flanked by a very cheery Geoffery and a rather more subdued Douglass, who led her down to breakfast. She said she planned to wait for Jon but they told her he'd already gone, busy with the final details of the arriving guests.
"Speaking of our royal visitors...I can't wait to meet Alanna," Geoffery grinned, hands neatly tucked behind his back, "How about you, Alan?"
"Oh, huzzah," Alanna said, sarcastically, rubbing her eyes.
"Come now. I know that's just the morning talking," Geoffery teased, "We all know what you're really feeling."
Alanna looked at her friend and gave him a wistful smile, "You have no idea how I really feel."
"Look, even the Mess Hall's been decorated for the coming of Lady Winfred and the Carthaks," Douglass pointed out, diverting attention away from the talk of Lady Alanna.
It was true. King Roald had gone all out to welcome his sister and to impress the Carthaks, who were known for their grandeur and luxury. Flowers, paintings, antique artifacts were shelved everywhere, giving the entire palace a very sophisticated and powerful feel. King Roald was clearly saying that Tortall had wealth and wasn't afraid to use it.
As they sat down to breakfast Geoffery said, "Just think. By the time we sit down to our next meal, they'll have arrived maybe. Or just be arriving. We have to go peep in the Great Hall to see if they really have come."
"Geoffery, can we talk of something other than our guests?" Alanna snapped, temper running short.
He gave her a shrug, "I thought that you of all people would want to hear more about the guests, seeing as to who's coming along with them."
"It just makes me a bit nervous is all," Alanna replied, telling the truth in a way.
"Why?" Douglass implored, biting into his morning ham, "Are you afraid she doesn't love you anymore or something?"
"Course not," Alanna responded, pertly, "Once you fall in love with someone, you don't fall out. That's that. Right?"
Douglass and Geoffery looked to each other before the latter, blonder one, said, "I hope that isn't the case because I've believed myself to be in love twice and I've fallen out of it twice."
"If that's the case than what you were feeling wasn't love. Not true love anyways," Alanna said, firmly, spooning her usual gray porridge. She'd added a bit of honey to it today.
"Since when did you become the love expert?" Geoffery demanded, raising his eyebrow.
"I don't think I'm an expert but I know the basic morals," Alanna decided, looking at Douglass at get his opinion, "What'd you think, Doug?"
"I think...you're correct...to an extent," Douglass said, choosing his words carefully, "But, I don't believe you can love just one person all your life. Many people have first loves that never work out. However, once you've found the one that is a love that should never die."
Alanna and Geoffery looked to Douglass, awed by his unwavering wisdom and intellect. He almost always knew the thing to say. He was a good care-giver to all situations with his soothing and calm tones.
"I stand corrected. You're the love expert," Geoffery murmured.
"I guess you're right," Alanna said thoughtfully, eyeing Douglass and wondering what secrets he kept in that fine head of his.
"Guess? Tell me, do you still love your first love? Or even if you do...do you see a future?" Douglass inquired, finishing his breakfast.
Alanna actually thought before speaking. Her first love? She'd never had a love period. Or was that true? Jonathan...he was potentially a crush but love? Maybe so, maybe not. Even so, she didn't know if she saw him in her future. He would be King. She...couldn't be a Queen, could she?
"I don't know," she admitted.
"You'll know soon enough," Geoffery stood, also having finished his meal, "Once Lady Alanna gets here."
"Oh yes," Alanna grumbled, "Her."
When the bell rang for lunch, Alanna scurried out before either Douglass or Geoffery could stop her. She rushed to the Great Doors that led out of the palace, down to Corus. She wanted to see for herself whether or not the Scanran Contes and Carthaks had joined their leagues or not. If they had, she decided she would find Jonathan, who was sure to be present to greet them, and talk to his family with him.
The front foyer of the palace was crowded with people. Almost all nobility. Jonathan, King Roald, Queen Lianne, Duke Roger and Duke Gareth stood at the head of them, dressed in the regal colors of midnight blue and silver. It was obvious the guests were just about to arrive. The large stone door juttered and, then with a sudden swing, it flung open from the strength of the Knights of the King's Own. A royal procession entered, at it's head was a Lady, that could only ever be Jonathan's Aunt. She had long black hair, identical to her nephew's and her brother's. Her eyes were as blue as their's too. She was King Roald's face on a woman's body. Alanna looked to her sides to see if her miniature was with her. She did notice young women, that much was for sure. But she realized many of them must be servingmaids. There were eight ladies that escorted Lady Winfred. They all had dark skin like the Bazhir or some even had skin as black as night. None of them had pitch black hair or sapphire blue eyes so it was hard to tell who was Abigail. She must've taken after her Scanran father. Right behind the frosty and royal northerners came the tanner and exoctically handsome forms of the Carthaks. The Carthaki ambassador, obviously a man with a dazzling smile and mysterious gray-green eyes led the rest of them inside. In the sudden jumble of greetings and hornblowing and talks, Alanna lost sight of who was who. They all looked alike from this far away.
"You little sneak!" Geoffery whispered, furiously, creeping up behind her, "You came to see your precious Alanna without even telling us!"
Alanna made a face, "Yes. That's exactly what I was doing, Squire of Meron."
She rolled her eyes, unaware that Douglass noticed. He stored the memory of it to ponder over on a rainy day when excitement wasn't overwhelming them all. The three peered around the corner and searched the crowd for any sign of Lady Winfred's, now infamous, daughter.
"Did you see her?" Douglass asked, curiousity getting the better of him.
"Um...yes," Alanna shrugged, giving a casual reply, "Yes, I did. We'll meet later I suppose."
"And was she as beautiful as the first day you saw her?" Geoffery joked.
"Yes, yes. She was lovely. Dazzling. A gem among stones," Alanna grumbled in reply, hoping they would take her sappy words to heart as that of a person in love. A boy in love.
"Hmm...I wonder when we'll see her?" Douglass said, thoughtfully, "No sooner than the ball I guess. Well, come on you two. We don't want to be late for afternoon tasks. I want to get a little bit of extra swordplay in there."
Alanna and Geoffery looked hungrily to the full hall before them, before turning and heeding Douglass' words of wisdom. The afternoon bore on, almost painfully slow. Alanna was itching for the time when Jon would ask her to meet Lady Winfred and her daughter. Finally, when the final bell rang for the day, Alanna hurried up to her room, hoping to catch Jonathan and squeeze information out of him. Fortunately for her guiltier urges, he was there.
"Jonathan!" she cried, relief clear in her face, as she threw the door ajoining their rooms open, "Gods bless, you're here!"
"And gods bless you're here," Jonathan grinned with equal enthusiasm, "I've been looking for you all day!"
"Have you?" Alanna couldn't stop her blush even though she knew he didn't mean it that way.
"I've been looking for you too," she murmured, quietly.
"Yes, well I've good news to deliver," he continued, oblivious to her strange behavior, "Concerning Aunt Winfred and Cousin Abigail."
"They'll help me out?" Alanna asked, hopeful.
"Even better," Jon answered, his smile widening, "Abby isn't even here! You don't have to worry about her at all! Just tell your friends, she hasn't tagged along. Make up an excuse for her. Anything will work really. And then, you're off the hook!"
Alanna let out a whoop of joy but it choked in her throat when it was halfway out. She'd just remembered a fine and horrible little detail. Jonathan frowned, "What's wrong?"
"I-," she croaked, "I just realized I already told Douglass and Geoffery I'd seen her. Said she was beautiful and what not."
"That doesn't mean a thing," Jon responded, firmly, "Say you were mistaken."
"About my love? Jon, please, they're already suspicious of me. They see how I act. It almost seems like I'm not in love to them," Alanna sighed, feeling helpless, "This'll take the cake and I'll get questions. Many of them."
Jon looked at her, seemingly feeling what she was, "So, what are you saying?"
"I don't know!" Alanna exclaimed, collasping into a chair drawn to Jon's study, "I'm saying I now need this Lady Alanna to exist or I'm dead!"
He didn't seem to know what to say. He sat into a chair, a little ways away from her's and thought over this muck they were in. Alanna just looked down at her hands, cursing her careless mouth. She could've said the opposite and no one would've been the wiser. Damn the flab of skin under her nose! Why did Mithros ever give them mouths when they usually got most into trouble?
"I may have an idea," Jon said, quietly, after a while, "Come with me, now."
Alanna was in no position to argue so she followed him, not really looking at the direction in which they were headed. She felt like a fly making it's way through honey, as she took heavy, lost, steps. After a while, she noticed they were heading towards the general direction of the visiting noble's quarters. Jonathan stopped in front of a door, even grander than the one that led to Lady Catherine's rooms. She opened her mouth to speak but Jon put a finger to his lips and knocked on the door. They waited a moment before a servingmaid came to the door and opened it for them. Seeing, Jon, she curtsied and mumbled, "Your Majesty."
He stepped in, Alanna at his heel, "Where is my Aunt?"
"Here I am, nephew-of-mine," a wheezy voice called from a cushioned chair in a darker corner of the extravagant room, "I am surprised to see you again before the ball."
Jonathan used his Gift to light a lamp near the voice, revealing the woman with King Roald's face. She had changed clothing and was now wearing a maroon and gray ensembled gown that had a high and tight closing at the neck. Even so, she looked very elegant and played the part of a perfect noble lady well.
"I was hoping to speak to you in private actually," Jon admitted, and then looked to the servingmaid in the room.
Lady Winfred of Conte raised a smooth and plucked eyebrow but said, "Carly, out please."
The maid nodded and scurried out of the room, obediently. Alanna watched her go wistfully, wishing that could've been her. So was her longing that she didn't even notice when Lady Winfred's eyes rested on her.
"Who's your handsome friend, Jonathan?" she questioned, politely, "I haven't seen him ever before. For if I had I would've been sure to remember that fire hair and-look up at me, boy-my what eyes!"
Alanna blushed and Jonathan replied, swiftly, "This is Alanna of Trebond."
The Lioness looked at him angrily, wishing he hadn't been so straightforward, so suddenly. What would this fine lady say when she found out another one of her kind had chosen this she-male sort of life?
"Alanna?" Lady Winfred repeated, smiling to herself, "An odd name for a young man such as yourself."
"Alanna is no man," Jon went on, urgency apparent in his voice, "Alanna is a girl."
She had expected a million different reactions from Lady Winfred, most including words such as 'treason', 'horrible', and 'unthinkable.' Instead she surprised her with saying a brisk, "I see. Sit down the both of you. Even I can tell when a long explanation is to come."
Here, the prince looked to Alanna for support. Surely she could tell her own story better than he could. Alanna gulped, licked her lips, and began. She talked about how she had come to the training in the first place and how she'd hidden her identity from all but Jon and a fewvery goodfriends down in the city. Lady Winfred listened with an eerie quiet and rapt attention that made Alanna nervous the whole time. The squire tried not to look the noble lady in her face, whilst speaking. That would be too much like talking to the King. After she had finished, a long silence fell over the room. Alanna could see the sun setting outside Winfred's window.
"How can I help in all this?" Lady Winfred demanded, after a while, "What's her problem?"
"You see, as of late, her secret has been at risk of revelation," Jon replied, making the situation sound lighter than it was, "Everyone thinks she has a lover, you see. And they think that lover is Alanna of Conte, your supposed daughter."
"My daughter?" Winfred grinned, for a soft noble lady her eyes glinted in an awfully mischevious way, "You have quite the story, Alanna. But why did you claim your fake lover to be my daughter? Why of the Conte line? There are many lesser know fiefdoms that would've been easier to work around."
Alanna hung her head, "I was stupid, alright?"
Winfred continued to grin, "Well then I'll just have to help you create this Alanna of Conte, won't I? You're lucky, squire, that I hardly ever come to court. No one knows my daughter. Not even Roald. Barely even remembers her name. Changing Abigail around to Alanna won't phase him at all. Only person that you ought to be the slightest bit worried about is my nephew, Roger. He knows my daughter rather well. Saw her naught but seven years ago. Even so, he isn't likely to remember the name all that well."
"That's all good and true," Alanna raised a corcern, "But what of Alanna of Conte, herself? Who's to play her? One of your servingmaids?"
"Goddess no! All my maids are slaves from Carthaks. Gifts from the ambassador. Anyway, giving away such a secret to a servingmaid is foolish. They all gossip far too much. Tell them you're a girl today and by tomorrow Duke Gareth will have you banished from Corus," Lady Winfred said, understanding the human mind and it's nature very well, "No, there is only one that may play my daughter."
Jonathan and Alanna, who were hanging onto her every word listened on for about two minutes, waiting to hear who'd play Alanna of Conte opposite Alanna of Trebond. However, she didn't speak again, thinking the answer was far too obvious to have to say.
"Well?" Alanna asked, impatiently, "Who's to dress up as Alanna if not a servingmaid?"
Lady Winfred blinked, "Silly girl! Who else but you?"
"Me?" Alanna yelped at the same time Jon gasped, "Her?"
"Of course," Winfred smiled again, basking in her knowledge over their lack of it.
"I can't," Alanna said, breathlessly.
"And why not?" Lady Winfred snapped.
"For one thing, what will we say about where Squire Alan's disappearing off to whenever Alanna's around?" Jonathan inquired, giving their side of the argument a voice of reason.
"Dear Jonathan, Alan of Trebond and Alanna of Conte need not be seen in the same room as each other so long as they both exist," Lady Winfred waved a pale hand, "I'll make an excuse for my daughter's absence during the daytime. I'll say she's off marketing or some such."
"What if I get sent away to Squire's tasks out of town?" Alanna implored, slowly regaining her composure after the intial shock, "What then?"
"Jonathan is your Knightmaster and he decides where you go. Since he's in on our little deal I'm sure he won't do any such thing," Winfred replied, always keeping a quick response on hand.
She countered every argument with a reasonable answer and it frustrated Alanna to all end's. She couldn't-she wouldn't play the part of a soft noble lady! Acting as royalty would mean wearing dresses and attending banquets and dancing and all those things she hated!
"I won't do it," she declared.
"Then you'll never be a Knight," Lady Winfred said with the same conviction as Alanna, "Don't you understand, prettyness, that becoming a Knight sometimes means compromise? Submission?"
Submission. That word struck Alanna as important. She'd remembered submitting to a certain darkness in her years as a page and having being saved by her sword, Lightning. She knew, right at that moment, that Lady Winfred was right.
"Fine," she gave in, "I'll do it. But you'll have to help me. I don't know the first thing about being a noble lady."
Winfred smiled a smile that was already beginning to annoy Alanna, "We can fix that."
"Not here?" Gary muttered, blankly, "But you told Geoffery and Douglass you saw her!"
"I did," Alanna replied, "But she's gone off to visit the neighbouring fief and won't be back for another week."
A week was what Lady Winfred had given her to learn to become a likeness to Abigail and more importantly, a noble lady in general. Her lessons were to begin tomorrow evening in Winfred's chambers. Alanna shivered. Even though Jon's Aunt had told her she could be lenient with the copying of Abigail's behavior because no one knew the young lady well enough to decifer personality other than Roger of Conte, she was still worried. Roger was sharp as a tack and make a false move or say one uncousinly word and he would have her trapped. Then again, maybe he wouldn't be so terrible when he thought her family and a lady.
"By the Black God!" Raoul cried, "And I was getting excited to see her."
"You will," Alanna reassured him, "You will, I swear it."
That evening, Alanna's lady lessons began. First thing was breaking her horrible habit of walking like a man. It was extremely difficult to take the tiny, gliding, steps of a woman after so many years of wide, lumbering ones. She tried it first with breeches then with dresses. Progression had to be quick because they didn't have all that much time.
"I told my kingly brother that my daughter, Alanna, is coming to court in a week's time," Lady Winfred stated, watching Alanna as she walked from one end of the room to the other in the usual womanly fashion.
The Lioness looked up sharply, "And?"
The royal Aunt had a bad habit of finishing sentences just as they were getting interesting.
"And he said fine," Winfred smiled once again, "Didn't even flinch at the sudden change of name just as I thought he would. My sister-in-law scrunched her face a bit but in the end seemed to decide she'd had the wrong name in mind. Only one that did a real double take was my nephew, Roger. Then again, he always was the clever one. You must be your most ladylike whilst in his presence. He will notice in a second if you make a mistake."
Alanna nodded, sweating at the thought of Roger and the close proximity they'd bound to have to come in of one other.
The second night of lessons was all about make up and face coloring of other sorts. Lady Winfred showed her how young ladies painted their lips and lined their eyes and added rouge to their lips. When she'd done with Alanna, the squire looked like a mini-Delia. She flinched.
"Don't crease your face like that," Winfred scolded, "It ruins your beauty."
Alanna snorted, "Beauty? As if."
"A lady with no confidence is no lady at all," the noble lady quoted, "Now go wash off your face. You will attempt to reapply the same face paints to your face in a way identical to the style I've put on you."
Alanna grumbled all the way. As she was about to wash her face, she glimpsed herself in the mirror once again. She'd never admitt to Winfred in a billion years but she had to say she thought herself better than tolerable with this face paint on her. What would Jonathan say if he saw her now, she thought fleetedly, before erasing the thought from her mind. He'd just think she was a boy with make up is all.
Trying to put on the make up was harder than she'd thought. Her lips were all right but the lines over her eyes were slightly wobbly and the rouge was a bit too bright. She grimaced. She looked like a court jester.
"Not bad for the first time," Winfred comforted her, "Wash it away and go off to your own quarters. We can continue this tomorrow."
On her way back to her chambers, Alanna bumped into Geoffery and Gary, discussing some bet or the other.
"Evening you two," Alanna greeted, yawning lightly. She'd hardly had any sleep last night.
"Same to you," Gary responded, "Where were you all this time?"
Alanna opened her mouth to make up an excuse when Geoffery interrupted, "Why're your cheeks so red?"
She blushed, adding even more red than there had been before, "Perhaps I'm catching a fever."
She gave them hurried farewells before rushing back to her rooms. She'd been sure all the rouge was off before she'd left the room! Obviously she hadn't washed thoroughly enough. This is what came of make up and it's stupid purposes of flirtation and beauty! Reaching her doors, she noticed Jon's were open a creak. Knowing she shouldn't peep, she turned to her own doors. Suddenly she heard another voice within. Jon wasn't alone. Her heart flipped and her stomach turned over. Worse yet, the other voice was female. Alanna couldn't help it. She creeped to the crack in the door and brought her ear forth.
"Where does this door go?" asked a seemingly innocent and musical voice. It was Helena's.
"To Alan's chambers," was Jonathan's gruff reply.
"Why are your rooms ajoining?" Helena posed another question.
"It's tradition for a Knight and his squire to share linking rooms," Jon explained.
Alanna heard the dragging of a chair from a table. It stopped, abruptly. She wished she could peer in but then she'd be caught eavesdropping. No matter how much she wanted to, she didn't want Jon thinking she spied on him all the time or something.
"Oh," Helena's tone was expressionless. Alanna heard the bounce of springs as someone settled onto a bed, "You have a nice bed. But I'm betting you don't use it much, do you? Being a knight and all."
Alanna's blood boiled and temper rose. A white-knuckled hand clutched Jon's doorknob to stop her from doing anything stupid. She didn't quite like how the conversation had gone from doors to beds. It could have a very distressing ending, Alanna thought, nervously. Almost jealously.
"You'd be surprised," Jon murmured, "I use my bed quite a lot."
"Do you?" Helena sounded genuinely interested, "Do you ever share it, Highness?"
Alanna was about to run in there, punch Helena, and scream and scream and scream in her ear till her lungs collasped until Jonathan spoke first, "Lady Helena, I don't know what your intentions were when you ran into me tonight in the hall but they obviously aren't the same as mine."
"You don't find me attractive then, Your Highness?" Helena mumbled in sorrowful tones. Alanna gritted her teeth, hoping Jonathan could outlast her charm.
"You're beautiful, Lady Helena, but I have...distractions at the moment. Please, leave me be?" Jonathan's last words were almost pleading as if it hurt him to let such a pretty lady go. Yet let her go he did.
Alanna realized that her position at his door was not the best if Helena were to exit so she made it seem as if she had just rounded the corner when Jon escorted her cousin out of his room. He eyed her, sapphire pools bright.
"Hello Alan. I haven't seen you at all," he smiled and she felt her heart turn to honey.
"Mm, yeah. That's too bad. We should go riding tomorrow. Invite Raoul and Gary and their squires so it'll be the whole lot of us," Alanna suggested, eagerly hoping for this event to occur. It was rare occasions lately when she found time to spend with her closest friends.
Helena cut through, crossly, "Dearest cousin, may you escort me back to my chambers?"
Alanna was about to argue that she didn't even know the way but then decided it was useless, "Of course."
They bid Jonathan good night and left for Helena's quarters. Helena had an arm on Alanna's forearm and they looked an extremely attractive couple what with Helena's long, golden gown and Alanna's golden tunic.
"Do you know why I asked you to escort me tonight?" Helena demanded, checking her nails for dirt. There was none.
"Certainly not to keep pleasant company. We'll just bite each other's heads off," Alanna said, sarcastically.
Helena had the dignity to laugh, softly, "You always were good at making me laugh, cousin of Trebond. No, you're quite right. Not for the company. I had a question for you, actually."
"Oh?" Alanna said in suspicion.
"I wanted to know if the Prince realized you were a girl," Helena questioned, then darted her eyes to Alanna's face to catch signs of lying. Alanna checked to see if anyone else was in the hall. None, luckily.
Of the questions she could've asked, Alanna wasn't exactly prepared for this one. But her answer was clear. She must lie. So, keeping her face as straight as many did in the Yamani Islands, she replied, "No. I'd be out of the castle by now if he knew."
She felt Helena's eyes linger on her face for a moment longer but then she looked ahead, grinning. She was satisfied. When they reached her door, she gave Alanna a swift good-bye and tucked into her room for the night.
Alanna frowned at the door. Helena would've made a good General. Always thinking her steps through, getting information subtly, knowing which battles to pick. Alanna sensed her cousin was soon going to pick a battle with her. A battle over a certain man's heart. The Lioness shook her head. These past few days had been rather confusing.
Heading back to her room, she realized Jon's door was still open. This time she made her presence known by knocking on the door, gently and letting herself in. He was hunched over his table, black hair tousled. His eyes were wide with sleep. She shut the door behind her so they could have some good quality, useful, talk time.
"I knew you'd be back," Jon grinned, "To ask about what your cousin was doing in my room, no?"
"Actually," Alanna found herself blurting, "I heard. I eavesdropped. I'm sorry. I know it was a Gary-type thing to do."
Jonathan just smiled, "Don't worry. I'm not angry. You caught one of my more honorable encounters with a lady of court."
"I can't say you didn't surprise me," Alanna admitted, "You don't usually turn beautiful women away from your bed."
He shrugged, "I told you I already had someone, didn't I?"
"Yes, but..." Alanna trailed off.
"But what?" Jon said, eyebrows raised, "I love this other person or, at least I think so. All the Helenas and Delias in the world mean nothing next to her."
"I didn't realize she was so special," Alanna commented, trying to keep the envy out of her voice.
Jonathan grinned at her in an oddish sort of way, "Oh, she's very special."
Author's Note: Not many new progressions in this chapters. Next one will be funnier and more interesting though. Alanna finally has to pose as Alanna of Conte in the next one. Anyways, thanks for reading this far and I hope you review!
winky-wink