Chapter Twelve ~ It isn't me
Sitting crossed legged on the ground, leaning against the dresser, Terrin watched Alanna through half lidded eyes. She was breathing softly, apparently peaceful in her sleep. Suddenly, she sat up and stared forbearingly at the door, shivering. Then it was as if someone turned on a switch and she snapped to alertness again, cocking her head a him, she asked, "What, in Mithros's name, are you doing in my rooms?" she asked frostily.
He gave her a wide grin and stood up, walking through the open door into his own room. "You forgot to bolt your side of the door," he called back. He could feel her eyes glaring at her, he felt tingles run along the back of his neck.
The expected dagger whizzed a scant inch over his head. Sighing, he turned back at the glowering young woman. "Never, ever, come in my room again," she stated, drawing out the words, accenting the first two especially. "If you do, I will—" she stopped mid-way through. He followed her gaze to the dagger, now stuck in the wood of the other door.
Turning back to her, he raised an eyebrow.
The only answer he received was having the door slammed in his face, hearing the thump of the bolt as it fell into place.
Alanna let out her breath sharply. She had remembered why her dream had been so confused and familiar. The knife in the door—it was his door, her 'employers'. She chided herself for her superstitions. A shadow past by the open window. She frowned, she had especially remembered having closed it before she went to bed. Frowning, she walked across the room to the window, shivering again as a chill wind entered the room.
Those eyes again. Large, purple ones, leering at her from the darkness. She reached for the Gift which flared at her beck, light flooding to her hand, illuminating the figure outside her window.
The black cat jumped through and landed silently on the wooden flooring, scampering across the ground to jump onto the bed. A cat. All this time, a cat had been shadowing her. Even if it was a violet-eyed, black and mysterious cat, it was nevertheless, a cat.
"Is there a reason for you intruding on my life?" she asked the animal harshly, words jumping from her mouth before she realized they had left her.
The cat mewed; Alanna could have sworn it had taken a mocking tone. She glanced out the window, there was nothing else there, the forbearing feelings seemed to have left her. "Off the bed," she instructed, then scolded herself for foolishly talking to an animal.
The cat just stared back at her with large, violet eyes so like her own. She shuddered and sat down on the bed next to it. The minute she was seated, the animal jumped into her lap, ordering to be petted. She sighed and gave in, soothing herself with it's momentous purring, relaxing more than she had in a long time. Slowly, she drifted into dreamless sleep.
Alanna was jerked awake the next morning by a sharp knocking sound at her door. She sat up quickly and felt a sharp pain at her shoulder, finally noticing the black cat again. She made a face as the blood oozed out, but pushed herself off the bed, anyway. "Scat," she mumbled. "Go find someone else to annoy before you end up as minced meat."
Yawning and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she fumbled for her clothes. As she pulled on a pair of fawn breeches, the knock came again. Cursing silently at herself, she slipped out of them grabbed a dress. "Wait a bit, I'll be right there!" she called gruffly to whoever was outside, trying to refrain her unruly mood from entering her tone.
Hurriedly, she laced up the bodice of the cream dress, and opened the door, all the time murmuring profanity about the person who woke her. She looked up blinkingly into brilliant sapphire eyes. "My Prince," she said in the sweetest voice she could conjure. "May I be so bold as to ask what brings you here, to my room, so early this morning?" Her tone was clearly a mocking one, but her phrasing prevented anyone from speaking out against her.
He looked mildly surprised. "I was told this was Terrin's room...he agreed to go hunting this morning," he replied stiffly, but was unable to prevent notes of curiosity from sounding.
She hid a smirk and replied slowly and carefully. "My Lord takes occupation in the next room, he did not inform me of his going-ons."
He nodded and turned to leave, but stopped. "Why were you avoiding me and Gary yesterday?"
She forced a smile. "I was not purposely avoiding you or Sir Gareth," she murmured. "I was simply busy with others." Her fake smile increased. "Of course, if Sir Gareth were to get another hangover..."
"So it is you, and that's why you were evading us," he mused.
"I assure you that—" she stopped as Terrin's door opened and he stepped into the hall.
"Assure what?" he asked of her, bowing to the Prince.
"Nothing, my lord," she replied lightly, smirking as she saw Terrin's surprise. She dipped a curtsy. "You must excuse me for my state of dress, you woke me up unprepared, you see. And of course I'll join you on the hunt; just wait her for a bit." She backed into the room and closed the door, leaving two extremely puzzled young men in her wake.
The two exchange a look of similarity. "Did you just offer to take her hunting with us?" Terrin asked. "Because you do know that everything is going to turn out horribly if she comes, right?"
"I had no idea I said anything to her." Then curious, he asked, "Why?"
"You don't want to know."
Jonathan believed him.
It was not long before she reappeared in tan riding skirts; her hair plaited and wearing soft brown leather boots. She gave them a very bright—and very fake—smile. "Do you want to lead the way, your Highness?" she asked in her new oily-sweet voice.
He nodded slowly and began to walk down the hall. Alanna followed him, Terrin at her side. "What's wrong with you?" he hissed. "Are you sure you didn't eat something wrong last night, or did I give you that much of a scare?"
"Scare?" she frowned, she didn't remember anything. "—oh! That." A murderous smile on her lips, she produced a gray moonstone like the one on his sword. "Made especially for you, My Lord."
He let out an exasperated sigh and quickened his steps to catch up with the Prince.
Gary slumped in his saddle, stifling a yawn. "Did I tell you that she was there yesterday?" he asked his bigger friend.
"Who?" Raoul frowned. "And where was this? I doubt you told me anything."
"I didn't? Well, that 'thing' me and Jon went to last night? To welcome one of the Queen's friend's son or some other and his betrothed? Well, guess who the betrothed was."
"I give up, who?"
Gary scowled. "You didn't even think about it."
He shrugged. "So? You're going to tell me anyway, so why waste the effort to try?" He dodged an incoming acorn thrown his way. "Hey! Watch it, will you?" Looking around the change the subject, he asked, "Where's Jon? I thought he was coming with us."
"You're changing the subject on purpose! He went to get Terrin—or whatever his name was," Gary muttered in reply. "And it was her, if you forgot. Red hair, purple eyes?"
"Oh, her. What was she doing there?"
"Haven't you been listening at all?"
"No," came the cheerful answer. "But then again, I don't get drunk, do I?"
"Oh no? What about—" The sound of horses approaching quieted him. They didn't wait long before Jonathan and entered the clearing, closely followed by Terrin bantering with an anonymous cloaked figure. She threw back the hood to reveal malicious violet eyes and a smile that was less than friendly. Gary looked at them with raised eyebrows.
Jon shrugged. "She wanted to come," was his only explanation.
"Right," Gary smiled. "Don't tell me you didn't invite her."
"I didn't," Jonathan pressed indulgently. "She just came...I don't know how you put up with her." He addressed this last sentence to Terrin, who had urged his horse away from his betrothed.
"I don't," he replied, smiling. "I just deal with her."
Someone coughed loudly beside them. "You do know that it's impolite to talk about people behind there back, don't you all?—more so when this person is me and happens to be present." She gave them another ironic smile and headed down the path.
"Somebody's in a bad mood," Gary commented.
Terrin seemed amused. "Actually, she's in a good one. Usually we would have found ourselves on the edge of a knife by now, it's amazing that we aren't."
"Then why are you marrying her?" Jonathan wanted to know.
"Who said I was?" Terrin grinned, tugging at the reins. "I might be dead by the the Wedding."
"I heard that!" the subject of their talk called back over her shoulders. "And don't think you won't be for a minute. Are you coming or not?"
"Hmm. She's not your average woman, is she?" Jonathan asked in a staged whisper. And louder, "Does she know she has a black cat following her?"
The horse ahead stopped suddenly, it's rider slid off and turned around and hissed. "What are you doing here?"
The men blinked and looked to the cat calmly washing it's paw.
"Does she often talk to cats?"
"Not that I know of, no."
"Well then..."
Alanna sighed sank against the tree. The garden was quiet at midnight, with only the sound of dripping water and the occasional chirp of the crickets. The moon peered out from behind it's clouded perch above the leafless tree. She grimaced at her lap, which hosted shimmering silk. "It isn't me," she breathed at the air.
"What isn't you?" a commanding voice interrupted her musings.
She looked up at the Prince, a scowl crossing her lips. "Why being me, of course." Her words dripped of loathing. "It just isn't me."
"That doesn't make sense," he scoffed.
"No, it doesn't, does it?" her tone had taken the sharp edge of their first meeting. "Of course someone risking their life for you doesn't, either."
He looked at her sharply. "What?"
"Nothing."
"You said—"
"I didn't say anything," she insisted in a monotone voice. Then picking up a sly tone, she added. "I merely implied that you shouldn't be here, alone, with someone else's betrothed."
"You didn't."
"And what make's you an expert of what I do and don't. I think you should leave." She nodded at the dagger that seemed to have appeared on the grass beside her.
He stared at it, then her for long moments. Then shaking his head, he turned and walked away. As he did, she heard him mutter to himself, "She's crazy, that's all."
Smiling wryly to herself, she laughed softly. "I am, aren't I?" she said to the cat who had jumped down from the tree to settle by the knife.
You are. But it isn't you.
She frowned. "Did you just—?" She shook her head and shrugged off the eerie feeling that had come over her again.
A slightly pointless chapter, but you asked for it. You wanted interaction didn't you? You got it. So this is the last update before school starts. Bleh. Next one covers a Masquerade Ball, cliché, I know, but don't care. Of course I just might change my mind later and change it, so....
Oh yes, little snippet of convo added between Gary, Jon, and Alanna in the last chapter.
Question: Could you contrive to actually answer some of the questions next time?
Answer: You mean I'm not really answering them now? That's too bad.
Question: Will Alanna fall in love with Jon?
Answer: um....well....*cough*....uh....I can't tell.
Question: Can Alanna please kill Terrin?
Answer: *looks horrified* No, no, don't even ask. Of course he wouldn't really die even if she did kill him because I gave him to Min (theBlindAssassin) for her birthday and....
Question: Can I kill you because you are giving me too much suspense?
Answer: Hmm...well, I guess you could, if you wanted, but then the story would never be completed and then there'd be even more suspense. So, no?
Question: Are they (Raoul, Gary, etc.) ever going to recognize her?
Answer: Well...I guess they are suspicious, but they wouldn't have to anymore, right? *waves* Hi Jen!
~Reaya