I know you hated me for pulling three in a row, so I did a nice chapter, so sweet it could go into coffee!

-MK

"That's why, I can't do it. I'm sure it doesn't make sense your grace, but Alanna is strong. I'm sure that she can get through it without anything to smother her. I'll spend every minute of my time devoted to it if I must." Jon said concluding.

Duke Baird tapped his chin, laughing, "Your highness, Alanna's condition had been stable. I would see no reason to smother her, so you need not concern yourself with this. The only thing that you can do now is wait for her when she wakes up…" With that Jon was sent off.

"So I didn't have to make the decision in the first place?" Jon sighed, today was going to be a long day.

Alanna wandered through the darkness.

Daughter, you are sleeping too long.

"I'm sorry?"

I have other plans for you daughter. You cannot merely ignore your path, nor can you take death as an easier route.

"You don't think that I'd like to wake?"

You have the ability to wake, why do you not wish to?

"I don't know…" Alanna snapped.

You have people waiting for you. You must decide quickly before they find another.

"What does that mean?" Alanna called to no response.

Faithful stopped pacing Jon noticed. He had resorted to licking Alanna's face.

"Cats…" he thought, "Faithful is probably trying to wake her up." Jon sighed wistfully. He knew that Faithful had tried to wake his mistress by licking her face. He'd seen him do it several times.

"Faithful, Alanna's tired let her sleep." He sighed moving to pick up the cat.

The cat hissed, its back arching and it's eyes wild.

Don't touch me, hissed in his head.

Jon stumbled backward.

She's been sleeping too long, it's time for her to wake up, it came again.

"Did you just speak to me?" He asked.

The cat looked at him with large, purple eyes that screamed of innocence.

"Fine, we'll wake her up, but how?"

The cat went back to licking her face.

"That's revolting in a way."

The cat gave him a look.

"I'm not doing that." Jon sighed, and then leaned over to kiss Alanna lightly.

The door then flung open, admitting a blubbering Josephine.

"Jon! Jon, I came her as soon as I could…" she wailed.

"Five days is an awful long time to wait…" Jon said raising an eyebrow.

Josephine flung herself into his arms, leaving Jon to awkwardly wrap his arms around her.

"Oh Jonathan, my Jonathan… I have missed you so much. I just returned from my trip to Port Legann and I rode back here as fast as I could." She pressed her head into his chest.

"Um…all right?"

"I suppose I should've come sooner but, I just heard about Lady Alanna…"

"Lady Josephine, please lower your voice. This is a sick ward."

"Please, call me Josephine…" she cooed, batting her eyes at him.

"Josephine," Jonathan stressed, "This is an infirmary, people are trying to get better, please lower your voice or we'll get kicked out."

"Would that be naughty of me your highness? I remember that you liked me when I was naughty…" she purred.

Jonathan raised an eyebrow, how quickly she had changed from a blubbering girl to a flirt.

"Josephine, I'm very sorry, but I'm kind of busy currently." He untangled her arms off his shoulders.

"Oh Jonathan, can't you make a minute for me?"

"Josephine I must insist." He pried her left arm from his shoulder.

Josephine relocated her arm to his hip, pulling herself closer to him, "Jonathan, don't you like me?" Her eyes were wide.

"Um…"

She moved closer, moving her other arm to his hip as well.

Without any warning she kissed him.

"If you two don't mind, I'd like some privacy." Alanna rasped from her bed.

Jon shot her a look of desperation.

"Alanna…I…"

"You too Jon," she said in a voice colder than ice, "I'm not feeling up to visitors currently, but maybe I will talk to you later, now if you don't mind…"

"Alanna…" he met her eyes, and she turned away.

"Jon, you heard her." Josephine cooed, oozing flirtations, "Come lover, let's find somewhere cozier…" she dragged him away.

(A/N I know that's the worst thing that I could do to their relationship!)

Thayet sat at the foot of her bed. Her face had healed, her bags lingered but were diminished, her skin glowed and a faint tinge of colour came back to her cheeks.

"I can't believe that he would do that." Alanna fumed, looking at Thayet, "What?"

"Jon loves you, you know that and I know that." Thayet chided.

"He kissed Lady Josephine."

"So?"

"So? So it's not fair that he can kiss whoever he want and if I engage in a conversation with George it's adulterous."

"Alanna, what are you going to do?"

"I don't know, half of me just wants to scream, the other wants to make him jealous."

"Alanna, you and I both know that's not smart. Flirting is harmless but we're talking human emotions not something for you to play with on your every whim." Thayet sighed, going back to her embroidery.

"Sometimes I just want to wring his neck!" Alanna cried.

"If you wrung the only heir to the throne's neck, you'd be arrested."

"This isn't the time for you to be reasonable." Alanna muttered.

"Fine what do you want me to say?" Thayet put her sewing in her lap, "Go ahead, cheat on him purposefully, even though you don't really have a reason to, and then murder the only heir to the throne who you swore to protect no matter what costs?" Thayet raised an eyebrow and continued her sewing.

"I hate your reasoning."

Thayet shrugged, "You get more cynical from marriage." She decided.

A knock came on the door.

Thayet curtsied to Jonathan as he walked in. Alanna shot her a glare warning her not to leave.

"I'll leave you two alone." Thayet smiled pleasantly at her friend as she glided out of the room.

Jon sat down on one of the chairs.

"Are you going to talk to me?" He asked.

"I wasn't planning to." Alanna said icily.

"You're not even going to ask for my side?"

"I'm sure you're going to regale me with it shortly enough."

"Fine, Josephine came into the room and started to babble about things that I had no idea about. Then when I let my guard down, she kissed me."

"She kissed you with you rubbing her back consolingly and her arms wrapped around your waist?" Alanna raised an eyebrow.

"Alanna I'm not lying, I swear she kissed me, I didn't kiss her, and then you woke up before I could do anything."

"Jon that's like me saying, I walked into the arrows that were shot at me. How would you like it if I did that with George?"

Jon's eyes narrowed, "Would you really?"
"No, because unlike some people I have principles." Her voice was icy again.

"Alanna, I'm sorry that she kissed me." He looked at her, his eyes wide.

She sighed, a heavy breath that rose from the bottom of her stomach.

"You know Jon, my life is getting more and more like a romance novel everyday." Again, she looked up to see him, come over to her, and lie beside her.

"Alanna you aren't just a fling, you're a person to me. You're not a face, or a skirt, you aren't vain or giddy. I'm not saying women are giddy or stupid…just the court ladies are often so dim, you're like a breath of fresh air Alanna. I wouldn't replace you for anything…" he breathed, kissing her gently.

Alanna then looked at him for a moment, and in odd twist she smiled, "All right, I yield." She grinned throwing her hands up in surrender.

Jon kissed her again, "Good because if you have kept fighting I would go mad..."

They're together again, happy? You should be …. REVIEW!

-MK