"You have the gift do you not Lady Alanna?" Numair Salamin asked, as he and Alanna rode.
Alanna (on Jon's opinion), decided to investigate the mage. Jon was away on business taking the royal congregation with him
"I have the gift, but I don't use it."
"Interesting…" Numair's eyes were dark and clouded.
"Why is this, would it not be helpful to wield a double sided sword in battles?"
"Magic is something that not everyone has. It's unfair to use it against an unprotected person. It's as bad as attacking an innocent according to the code." Alanna stuck her chin up stubbornly.
"That's true, but if someone came at you wielding magic, would you use your gift?"
Alanna thought about it, "I suppose I would, I mean if I had no other way to protect myself…"
"So then why would you not train your gift?" Numair's eyes now searched hers.
"I did, to some extent. Did you train your sword?"
Numair smiled, "To some extent."
"Why didn't you train further, if a mage came to you wielding a sword…how would you defend yourself?"
"With magic."
"Ah…so isn't it the same with me?" Alanna was pensive thinking as she spoke.
Numair laughed, "That is true. You have many to protect you if something happens." He said seriously.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that you have your brother, a powerful mage, Sir Gareth, a powerful scholar, Sir Raoul a powerful knight, Prince Jonathan a powerful politician and then you have your own abilities…"
"Do I not have your protection?" Alanna teased.
"If I have your sword, you have my gift…" he said half seriously.
"THE CASTLE!" Someone screamed.
The castle was burning and Alanna ran trying to find who was still in the castle. Crowds of people ran past her, but she pushed forward. The smell of blood was heavy, she heard screams, people dying. She felt so tired. She couldn't get her gift to work…
"Alanna!" she heard someone call.
"Jon…where is Jon," she thought. She suddenly came into contact with the flagstones as she toppled to the ground. She saw a hand reaching out to her.
"JON!" She tried to scream, although nothing came out except blood.
"Alanna…" the voice grew softer.
"Help.." she rasped.
Then she woke up.
Alanna shot out of bed, and threw up the contents of her dinner. She felt the blood rushing back into her face and her throat was hoarse from screaming. Slowly she got dressed and started to walk around.
She decided on a secluded area, a garden where she could sit alone.
"Are you feeling all right?" A familiar voice asked.
"Hello…" she smiled, watching the figure sit down beside her.
"You look shaken."
Alanna laughed. "Just a dream…"
"Dreams should not be taken lightly." The voice was soft, from under a hood.
"You shouldn't be wandering around the castle."
"I may walk wherever I please."
"Your choice." Alanna said flippantly.
The person laughed, turning to look at Alanna. A cool white hand came up to hold her face, turning it to meet her eyes. Alanna shuddered at the touch, but stayed still.
"Was it a message?" Alanna asked seriously.
The figure let her hood fall so she could look at Alanna. Green eyes regarded her curiously and her skin was white as snow, white her hair was dark as the night that surrounded them.
"Daughter, I did send you this dream." The Great Mother replied evenly.
"So it was a message?"
"Daughter, your trials are not over. You have surrounded yourself with powerful people, this is a start. You may find that your restlessness is gone, for you must now complete a task of different sorts."
"What mother?"
"You must find the rats of the castle and smoke them out. It is something you may find difficult and I am unable to tell you more. Be wary, some rats have rooted themselves in so deep, they will bite you if you come close to them. You have forgotten about somethings have you not?" The Great mother moved her hand to Alanna's scar on her right arm.
With that The Great Mother got up from the bench, gently kissed Alanna's forehead before disappearing into the darkness.
Alanna thought of these words, many nobles were questionable, but rats? She had woken up early to practice in the rings. Her muscles screamed from being used vigorously after they had not been used for a week.
Jon had been gone awhile, Alanna thought. She lunged, pulled back and then switched stances.
"He's probably fine, the Scanrans are being stubborn…" she thought, lunging again circling.
Her calf ached, and she stopped for a second to look at it. It was an angry red and throbbed slightly.
"You are over working yourself." A warning rang out.
Alanna sighed, "I know my limits."
Numair sat on the fence of the ring. He jumped down and checked her calf. A scar snaked up to the back of her knee cap. He let his fingers brush over it, a chill rushing through it.
"Thank you." She muttered.
"These are the swords that the nobles play with?" Numair raised an eyebrow.
"Play?" Alanna raised an eyebrow, before lunging once more, twirling and twisting. She added the Shang technique of twisting her body in closer to spin tighter.
"How…is this…play?" She asked in between moves.
Numair laughed, "I suppose it is not play…" He went to sit on the rails.
Alanna shrugged, "I suppose…"
Numair smiled, "So…Lady Alanna how is your cat?"
"Faithful, he's fine a little pesky sometimes…wait how did you know about?"
"Do I not look familiar Lady Alanna?" Numair Salamin smiled.
"You're the mage, the one who came in the delegation from Carthak! The one who Faithful pestered non-stop…Arram Draper!" Alanna laughed.
"The charade got tiring." He said simply.
"How are things in Carthak?"
"I suppose everything is going well."
"Meaning?"
"Ozorne is a fool, he insists on doing things that only morons would. He learned nothing from the university!" Arram said angry, then paused, "And you?"
"Other than the fact that my fiance is out in a political mission, I'm doing fine."
"I'm sure that your fiance will come back."
"He'd better, or else he will get a very long talk from me..." Alanna's eyes glinted, almost sinister.
Numair laughed, "So in other news..." he quickly changed the subject.
Jon did come back. He learned about many things, including the fact that Alanna had waited many days for him to come back and few apologies would make up for this.
"I'm sure you kept productive."
"Oh I did." Alanna grinned slightly, and then hid it.
"What?" Jon frowned.
"Nothing." she said loftily.
"Tell me."
"Let's just say that I got to know Numair Salamin very well, on your orders of course." Alanna smiled and then left the room, knowing she would hear of this for weeks.
"Alanna? Can I come in?" Jon called.
Alanna immediately unlocked the door.
"What's wrong?"
Jon had something written all over his face, something was wrong, terribly wrong.
"They found the person..."
"Who?"
"The one who hired the assassin to kill you."
Alanna paled falling back into a seat.
"The trial is this afternoon, they haven't released any names yet, but Alanna."
"What?"
"Rumors have been spreading.
"Who...?"