Gossip and the Dancing Dove

DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING YOU RECOGNIZE.

A/N: i'm a bad person, i said it would be a while for the next few chapters. oh well, enjoy.

That night, Jessica, Morgan and Isabelle discussed what they had learned form everyone. Morgan trusted these two. Jessie and Belle were strong minded. They had both wanted to be knights, or warriors or something to enabled them to help people. But they were told no and sent to the convent, only to destroy the rules most girls loved and understood.

Right now Jessie looked like she was deep in thought. About what? Morgan would never know what went on inside that head of hers.

As if Jessie heard Morgan's thought's she looked up and asked, "don't you find that squire Douglass rather handsome?"

Belle turned to look at Jessie who turned pink at the sudden attention. " I knew you were flirting with him during dinner!"

"I can't help it! He seems so nice, and if your brother took him as a squire he must be doing something right!" she said quickly.

Morgan smiled wryly, "yeah, but he and the prince wanted Alanna as their squire."

"Alanna?" the other two asked in unison.

"Yes, Alanna of Trebond," Morgan said and looked at them like Delia and Destini often did.

Jessie's eyes narrowed. "No. There is no way 'Alanna' could pull off something like this."

"Jessie's right. This is huge; surely someone knows," commented Belle.

"There are people, me, Raoul, and you two."

Jessie shook her head, causing pins to fly out and scatter around the room. "I don't want to be dragged into something like this! If your father or the prince, or anyone found out, we'll be in trouble."

"She won't be caught."

"What makes you so sure?" this was starting to annoy Belle.

"She hasn't been caught yet, so she probably never will. Especially now that her father has died."

"Black God rest his soul," they murmured.

They had a moment of silence not in memory of the old lord of Trebond but of nothing to speak of . Finally Jessie spoke, "Morgan?"

"What?"

"Do you know anything of a man named Alex? He was squire to Duke Roger."

Morgan's head snapped up. "Yes, of course I do. He was one of my brother's friends. Why?"

"Because Alan- Alanna- said something about they way that Geoffrey is just like Alex because they both spent a lot of time with their knight-master. Something about it being not quite normal, it seems."

Belle had tired of this conversation, and made it known by saying, "this is enough. We're meddling, and the only Morgan has any right to even consider such things. And I don't think Alan is a girl, if so then she might want to flirt with her knight-master."

"Why? Do you think he's 'flirtable'?" asked Jessie.

"Well..."

"Oh my goodness!" cried Jessie exasperated at her friend.

"What" snapped Belle, rather offended.

"Whatever."

With that, the three slowly fell into a sleep. Morgan fell asleep last, still considering what Jessie had said.

While the ladies were talking, so were the men that they were thinking about. Douglass was thinking about the short, dark haired lady. She seemed so calm, so intelligent. Lady Jessica of Masbolle. He sighed internally, Alan would probably notice. He always noticed things like that, and it was getting annoying.

Gary was also thinking of one of the women sitting with them. Lady Isabelle of King's Reach, it was incredible how tall she was, especially when her companion was the size of Alan.

Raoul was also in thought. It was the same as Alanna. How could they get Douglass to go to bed so the other three could visit George. Finally the two came up with a plan. "Hey, Gary." called Alanna

"Hmmm..."

"Could you look at my paper?"

"Why can't Raoul?"

She rolled her eyes and replied, "you're better at the history of Tortall, while Raoul's better at the fighting arts."

"Fine." but when Gary looked at it he read, get rid of Douglass. Come see George with us.

He almost smiled. "Douglass, you're free for the rest of the night. I'll call for you in the morning."

"Thank you," said Douglass with a glad smile, and left.

The three waited a little while before heading out to the city. On the ride there, Alanna considered telling Gary about who she really is. No. The less people who know about me the better. But she still felt bad about leaving Gary in the dark.

Music filled the air. Music without instruments. Alanna looked over to see Raoul singing softly. She didn't know the lyrics, so there was a chance he was making it up.

"I never thought, I'd die alone, I laughed the loudest who'd've known..." Raoul sang softly, almost as if he was hoping no one would notice.

"What are you singing?" Gary asked gently; if Raoul was in one of his moods, he didn't want to be responsible for having to carry a very large drunk knight back to the palace.

"I don't know, the words just popped into my head."

Alanna nodded, impressed. Raoul wasn't known for being poetic, and this was really good. Going against tradition, but then, who was she to talk?

They reached the dancing dove and smiled. This was the one place where they could forget their troubles and simply enjoy the sweet intoxication and euphoria that lasts until they fall asleep.

The second they got in there, Raoul went for the bar, Gary went to talk to one of the thieves, Lightfingers, while Alanna sought out George. It was a struggle, not for the first time she wished she was as large as Raoul. She finally reached solom, and had to shout over the noise at the inn. She was lead to a back room where George sat watching the rest of the louts wrestle about and women work their charm on men. She smiled; these were some of the nicest people she knew. Despite their lives, they could be more deserving of nobility than some people she knew or saw.

"Lass, it's been too long," George said warmly.

"I know, but I've been busy," she explained.

He smiled, "I'm sure being a squire of Goldenlake is tirin'."

Alanna gaped at him. "How did you know that?

He smiled his crooked smile and said, "my sources."

"Humph. So you probably heard about the three odd ladies that arrived at Court yesterday?"

"Maybe," he replied slyly. "I also hear one of the not- so odd ones is getting married."

"Yes, Lady Krista of Seabeth and Seajen. I don't like her."

"I didn't think you would. You don't like anyone who doesn't show any uniqueness," he said, still smiling.

Alanna laughed. He was right about that. "So, what's going tonight that everyone is celebrating so much harder than usual?"

"They heard of the upcoming marriage and decided what better time to celebrate than now? Besides, they haven't had a time to let loose like this since my birthday."

"Oh," said Alanna. "If you don't mind, I think I might join them."

He laughed and grabbed her arm, "I'm not letting you go down there alone. You never know what could happen."

She raised an eyebrow, but lowered it when George started to open the door.

Alanna drank more than what was wise, but not enough to be completely gone mentally. Finally she tired of having ale, and went in search of Raoul. She found him, unconscious, and slumped across a table. Shaking her head, she sought out Gary. Thankfully, he looked almost sober. She asked him to help her get Raoul out of here.

It was the most difficult thing: getting gary to the table where Raoul lay, picking him up, carrying him through the masses of people, getting him onto his horse, and riding back to the palace.

The two struggled to get their giant friend into his bed. The second raoul was on the bed he ran, he did not want to se his best friend drunk out of mind. Alanna stayed to make sure everything was set up when he woke up with a killer hang over, and a bucket for the eventual vomiting.

Alanna left the door unlocked, just incase he needed her for something.

When she entered her room, there was someone in it already.

Alanna swallowed a scream. She remembered her. "Why have you come to me, my mother?"

There was no amusement in her eyes this time. "I am not here for long, just to give you one thing."

"Which is?" Alanna was unsure about this meeting. Everything was going good, so why was the Goddess here?

The immortal pulled out a small stone like object. "Please keep this safe, I promise you, you will as safe as you can be in this world right now."

Before another words could be said, she had vanished.

Alanna looked her gift. It was a stone, with a crystalized shell. Inside, it seemed to burn a small fire. There was even a small hole that she could fit a chain through.

A low moan from Raoul's room drew her to the door.

"Hey, Raoul, are you okay?"

Another moan.

"Shouldn't have drank so much," she said in a sing-song voice.

"How can you be so... peppy... you drank a lot, too," he moaned, hands over his head.

"I can handle my liquor better?" she suggested, and almost got a pillow in the face because of it.

"Hey, don't do this to me! Gary and I brought you back after you passed out on a table! I even went to the liberty of making your room fit for a drunk!"

"Did you make anything for a hangover?" he asked. When she shook her head he said, "looks like it wasn't made for a drunk then."

She rolled her eyes and walked over to the bed, ready to work healing magic on him.

She knelt down by the bed and was immediately grabbed around the waist and pulled close to him. His lips pressed against hers for a few seconds. Surprisingly, Alanna didn't pull back at the first touch; rather, she instinctively moved closer to him. But the second he deepened the kiss she shoved him away.

She glared at him. "Just for that, no magic for hangovers." and stalked out of the room.

She lied down on her bed, her mind swirling with completely random thoughts. Chief among them was the fact that she actually like the kiss. It wasn't just the kiss, it was the way she first felt when he touched her. The way her mind seemed to cloud even more from that than the alcohol. The feeling inside that made her feel safe. It was the best she ever felt, but she needed to forget it; she knew Raoul was drunk so he probably won't even remember this.

When she fell asleep faithful remarked, "she actually enjoyed it if it took her this long to sleep." and smiled. He wandered into Raoul's room to see how the man took it.

Raoul sat in his bed, head in his hands cursing himself. Why did I do that? Mithros, why did I do that! Then he straightened pulled the blankets over him and attempted to sleep. But he didn't succeed. He tossed and turned for an hour before finally just lying down on the floor. His was haunted by violet eyes.

Shaking his head at the folly of the two, he went to sleep. He would see in the morning how they will treat each other.

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