-a/n-REVIEWERS! YOU'RE ALL LOVELY, AWESOME PEOPLE! Thanks so much for all the encouragement, we're glad you're enjoying your advent story. We have decided that as a present for all the reviewers, we will write an epilogue and email it to anyone who was reviewed regularly, because you're all so GREAT! He he he! I better get on with this chapter as I really should be learning my French, (Citrus fruit and I have a French module tomorrow…aah!)
Pinky: thanks!
king's-own-knight: he he he ! One day I'll tell ya all the story about how I came up with the idea of shorts ! Anyway I think its time they had some fun!
x17SkmBdrchiczxx: Thanks! You make me so …HAPPY! (I'm a bit hyper!) hmm.. I'll try and explain why Jon was freaked out in this chapter. (just for you ! Lol)
nativewildmage: Short and sweet! But thanks for making the effort to review, hope you enjoy this chapter ;D
anonymous girl : Thanks! You like hola dancing, huh? Lol!
tsudrats: You can write well! You just need practise at fan fiction ( it's a lot more interesting than 'Examine closely to Autumn, The good morrow…etc. etc. ) (tsudrats is in my English class in case you were wondering!)
neurotically yours: I'll try and make this chapter longer, but we are on a strict time schedule, what with homework and everything. But I promise that longer chapters will come after we finish school for xmas!
On top of cloud 9: ooh dear, please don't explode… what a mess that would make! Lol ! Just kidding. But I'm glad we make someone laugh.. Laughing is fun…! Especially when your hyper on chocolate dips…(bringing back memories Citrus fruit..?)
wrinklylemon: yep we are going to post a chapter everyday, despite the opposing homework! glares evilly at mme. (you know who) (wrinkles goes to school with us too!)
Opal Roseblossom: I know shorts rule! We are updating everyday! So here's the next chapter.
Tortall Princess: Thanks for a great review!
Mage of Dragons: Thanks!
Terzatrack: mmm! I love cookies especially choccy chip ones! I love shorts too, (I wore some last weekend even though it was like -2 ! Lol!) Btw. My name's Jo too! (short for Joanna) !
Stargazer3 : Thanks! I'm glad you find it funny!
Happy Advent Everyone! 5th December ! Only 19 days till Christmas!
Kel stood, embarrassed by the stares and questions of her friends and fellow warriors and was glad when Alanna came over and asked if she wanted to duel.
Pulling Griffin from its sheath, she faced Alanna concentrating, hard. Alanna feinted to the left and drove in hard on the right, Kel fended her of with a back sweep block. The two women, one short and one tall, circled each other, lunging in and out with a grace that would have seemed impossible for two women warriors to achieve. The clash of metal and metal became more frequent as the women lunged and blocked, sliced and cut. The Lioness bore down hard on Kel, using her experience to her advantage and Kel only just managed to block the 'crescent sweep.' Quick as lightning Alanna spotted the gap and slid her sword into it, coming to rest at Kel's throat.
Kel looked disgruntled, 'You always manage to win.' She said.
Alanna laughed, 'I have the advantage of experience and besides..'
In the meantime a certain green-eyed meathead had challenged a certain blue-eyed seargent to a duel.
'Come off it meathead, I'm HOT!' complained Dom, 'And I fought you yesterday, and the day before and the day before that.'
'But my dear, uneducated cousin, Lord Ealing's theory of chance would suggest, the more times I duel you, one of these days I will win.'
'Wasn't Lord Ealing that nutter that said Pigs could fly?' Asked Dom quizzically.
Neal coloured, 'Well, yes he did say that, but some of his theories are highly respected among..'
'Yes, yes I get the point,' interrupted Dom with a sigh, 'I guess I'll just have to beat you again Sir Meathead.'
So the two cousins walked onto the next practise court, one of them (I wonder which one?) wishing he could've stayed and watched Kel for a bit longer.
So the duel began, Dom controlling it nicely with Neal fighting to stay upright under Dom's cuts and blows rebounding of his sword. That was until a certain, young Lady Knight distracted him. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted her legs, her smooth, defined legs. And before he knew it he was on the floor with the hilt of his cousins sword on his chin.
'You dolt, you're meant to keep the hilt in your hand, and use the point..' but Neal clearly wasn't listening.. 'I beat Dom,' he whispered disbelievingly, 'I BEAT DOM!' he shouted. 'And it only took be 187 attempts,' he muttered to himself. 'If I multiply that by the years of experience… not to mention, oh blast it all. I BEAT DOM.' And he began a mad jig around the practise courts, 'I BEAT DOM, la la la la la!'
By this time the two Lady Knights, who had finished their duel, became aware of what looked like an overgrown, five-year-old, to whom, by the looks of it, Birthday had come early.
'Is that my ex-squire skipping about like a lunatic?' Questioned a disturbed looking Alanna.
'Must be,' said Kel shaking her head sadly, 'He's finally cracked.'
While Alanna tried to stop Neal dancing, Kel walked over to Dom.
'So… you finally lost to Meathead.'
'I got distracted…'
Kel raised a questioning eyebrow,
'By your duel.'
Kel looked bemused, 'But you've seen me and Alanna duel loads of times.'
'Yeah but today I was distracted by…' Dom meant to think up some witty remark to get himself out of this mess, instead his voice said, 'by your legs.'
'By my… legs ?' Asked Kel, now thoroughly confused.
'Yeah, I mean no… they moved well in the fight.' He finished lamely.
'So let me get this straight, you were distracted by the movement of my legs.?'
By this time Owen had joined, them. Looking down at Kel's legs he said, 'Well I can see why he got distracted, your legs are perfectly defined and smooth and brown, brown? How'd you get brown legs?' he demanded, 'You always wear breeches, well until now that is? My, my, what jolly brown legs you have!'
'Owen would you mind shutting up,' said Dom, wishing the earth would swallow him whole.
'I'm merely explaining to Kel, why and its perfectly, jolly natural, why you got distracted by her legs, and I must add they are not the only distracting things are they, I mean if you look a little higher..' but Owen never finished his sentence due to the fact that Dom was dragging him away in a head-lock leaving an even more confused (if that was possible,) Kel, examining her hips as to why they would be distracting!
Later on Jon summoned Alanna to his private workroom/office. Alanna came in apprehensively still wearing her beloved shorts.
'Alanna.' He said gravely.
'Jon,' she replied, her mouth twitching with suppressed laughter.
'I need to talk to you about your new …ahem…shorts.'
'What about them?' asked Alanna warily.
'As I said before, I don't believe them to be suitable for my champion, for any lady to be wearing.'
'Jon, If I can wear men's clothes, fight like a man, hold the same positions as man, walk like a man and talk like a man, Gods knows I've had enough practise, then surely wearing shorts like a man isn't going to make a blind bit of difference.'
'But that's the thing, I'm worried it will. Some conservatives are just coming to terms with the fact that women can fight, and now you go and openly parade about in well, nothing much at all really.' Holding up a hand to silence a furious Alanna he continued, 'And what about this new treaty with the Copper Isles, If the treaty fails, then the peace of Tortall will be shattered.'
'Jon, I am a woman, it's a fact, you know, I know, Its not a secret anymore, and I shouldn't have to be ashamed of showing my legs in public, they are the same as yours, (except minus the hair) and you should jolly well know that. And as for the Copper Isles treaty, do you know who is the Queen's right hand advisor?'
Jon shook his head.
'None other than my daughter, did you know that MY DAUGHTER. And if you'd been playing a blind bit of attention you might see that the Copper Isles needs this treaty much more than we do, and if me wearing shorts is going to change that, then they aren't very good allies anyway. I don't care about my reputation, what's the worst they can say, that I slept my way to knighthood? Because Jon, I've heard it all before and I don't care. They'll get used to it, and in the meantime I won't die of heatstroke. I'M NOT TAKING THEM OFF!'
'Alanna please?' Jon begged.
'NOPE.' Said Alanna shaking her head.
Sighing Jon sat down at his desk, rubbing his temples, 'You can see yourself out.'
On the way out she met Thayet coming in the opposite direction, 'Alanna, I love your shorts, I think we should organise them to be given to the riders.'
'EUREKA!' shouted Alanna, and added in an undertone 'We'll start a rebellion, a rebellion of shorts!'
Thayet smiled as her long-time friend walked happily away, 'I'M NOT HOT, and a rebellion, what a great day this has been!' Alanna said to herself.
Somewhere… very faintly… mixed in with all the sounds of summer, she heard 'I beat Dom, la la la la la!'
-a/n- I hope you enjoyed this, I tried to make it as amusing as possible! Happy Advent!
Confused knight xx