Hiya guys! I guess you know why I updated late, 2 chapters! Yey!

Disclaimer:

Tamora Pierce is quietly writing a new story on her laptop while enjoying her banana caramel latte from Starbucks. But she's not gonna be enjoying for any longer, is she?

She heard clicking sounds from her window. She peered to see if it was a hailstorm coming. "In the middle of summer?" she muttered to herself. Only, it wasn't hail. It was stones.

"Pssssssssssst!" I whispered. "I just got out of the mental hospital where they locked me up! I thought this would be a great time to discuss our snapping of George in half!"

Tamora stared in horror…

TO BE CONTINUED

AT THE DINING HALL

Alanna and George entered the dining hall in silence, every face turning in their direction, whispering, gossiping over what happened the night before.

"I hear it's all Lady Delia's doing" one of the squires whispered.

"Maybe so, she escaped last night." The other one said in reply.

Alanna could catch all their whispers as they walked toward the long table up on the dais where the king and his advisors sat.

"But I have a feeling its Alanna the Lioness, she had had an affair with the king before he met Thayet, maybe she grew jealous and killed the woman" one boy from the page's table said, so loud that almost all the boys from his table heard.

That statement brought on lots of uncontrollable whispers among the pages, squires and knights.

George sensing her discomfort put an arm around her shoulders as they walked.

Alanna looked up at him and smiled.

"Where's his majesty?" George asked to them as he and Alanna stepped on the platform.

They Gary, Raoul, Myles, Eleni, Buri looked at each other warily.

"He hasn't come down from his rooms since" Gary finally said.

"George, I better check on him, he may have done something we'd all regret" Alanna said to George.

George nodded and squeezed her hand before letting go.

AT JON'S ROOM

"Jon?" Alanna said when she reached his room, standing in front of the door, knocking.

"It's me, Alanna" she called, before she heard the lock unlatch.

"Come in" Jon said softly as he opened the door for her. He'd obviously been crying she thought as she saw his eyes all watery and bright, he looked pale, he showed no emotion.

As she stepped into the room she asked, "Jon, are you alright?"

He looked up at her.

"Yes" he said flatly.

Alanna came closer and he fell into her hug; he buried his face into Alanna's shoulder, trying to hold back tears.

She patted his back and comforted him.

"It's alright to cry, Jon" she said.

"No it's not, Alanna. I'm the king of Tortall, a king does not cry" he said as he pulled away from her, looking into her eyes.

Alanna looked sullen.

She just crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back. "So your Majesty, how do you plan on dealing on this problem of providing an heir to the throne?" Alanna said hotly I was just trying to make him feel better, he's only human, he can cry! Alanna thought.

"I do not plan on dealing with it right now" he said as he turned away from her. "And it's still Jon, no matter what the rank, understood?" he said looking back.

All Alanna could do was roll her eyes him though he didn't seem to notice.

"Fine, whatever you say" she mumbled.

"I'll be going to the dining hall to eat, want to come?" she asked.

"No, thank you" he said.

"Alright then, see you later." she said as she turned toward the door, her hand on the knob.

"See you later" he said before turning to his papers.

"Oh and Jon?" she looked at him once more.

"Yes, Lady Alanna?" he asked with a smirk.

She rolled her eyes. "Don't kill yourself." She said as she turned. It took a while before Jon had processed what she said.

She closed the door behind her. "Don't worry, I won't!" was the late reply.

Can't he be anymore stubborn? She thought as she strode down the hall toward the dining hall.

DINING HALL

When she got there is was surprisingly empty, although all of the plates filled with food were still there, cups full with drink. Alanna stepped inside from where she'd been standing by the door and looked around confused.

This is not good, not good at all she thought concerned.

Then there was a scream, coming from the stables. Alanna flinched and turned around quickly, the scream surprised her. She ran her way to the stables.

HORSE STABLES

Alanna found herself trying to squeeze her way through the crowd, most of them she saw before in the dinning hall.

"Excuse me, pardon me." she said as she was trying to get her way to the center of attention where the people were obviously been staring at.

"What the heck is going on here?" She shouted before turning to look at what they were preoccupied with, glancing up she saw all the horses gone wild galloping about the place with Daine the Wildmage in the center of it all trying to talk to them, running around frantically shouting orders in a language only mages can understand, not one single horse seemed to listen. They almost stepped on her, she was pulling on their reins trying to calm them down, but they just kept on running wildly around the place.

Alanna thought she'd seen enough and tried to help, looking around the stables for any familiar face in the crowd to help her. There were so many people that it was hard to tell the way out.

But then she spotted a woman in a black cloak in the corner of the stables muttering something.

She was casting a spell in the horses! Alanna thought angrily.

"Alanna! There you are!" It was Jon who snuck up behind her putting a hand on her shoulder. She jumped.

"Jon! Thank God you're here! Look!" she pulled Jon's arm and shoved him through the crowd. He looked around.

"Your Majesty!" one man said bowing low, soon every man turned to look at the king and bowed.

The mysterious woman noticed the king was there and made a dash toward the woods where no one could see her leave.

"Jon! She's trying to escape!" Alanna shouted as she ducked under the crowd, pulling Jon down with her and crawled the hell out of there.

SOMEWHERE IN THE FOREST

They soon spotted the woman running into the woods. "Can't you run any faster?" she called back to Jon who had been behind her.

He grinned and ran faster to catch up with her. "What is the plan exactly?" He asked panting.

"I have no idea." she admitted.

"There she is!" he pointed at the black-cloaked woman running farther into the forest.

She turned around and shot a wave of blood red magic at them; they ducked and rolled to the opposite sides.

Jon cursed, getting up from behind the tree and looked, the mage was running away again.

Alanna was silent. She concentrated on her magic. She reached into herself finding her inner strength.

She whispered, "Goddess and Mithros, help me." And threw with all her might an array of purple magic, her eyes closed, reciting a string of spells at the running mage, Jon stood there watching her.

She opened her eyes to see the mage lying on the soil a few yards away from them.

She fainted, last thing she knew she fell into Jonathan's arms. "Alanna!" he cried, catching her.

AFTER THREE DAYS AT THE INFIRMARY

"Is she going to be alright? She's been out cold." A voice asked.

"She had just overdone her spells once more, but she'll come around soon enough" someone said in reply.

Strange dream...she thought I can't see anything who are these people? It was pitch black. She turned and turned until-

Thud!

Alanna was conscious, her eyes closed, she lied on the floor.

She moaned and stirred, her hand on her head; she sat up looking around to find herself at the infirmary lying on the floor.

"Alanna!" It was George who was startled, helped her up and laid her on the bed again. "Are you alright? That was quite a fall you took" he smiled lowering his head.

"I'm fine, how long was I out?" she asked rubbing her temples.

"Three days, we thought you wouldn't wake till winter" he chuckled, he just seemed so happy about something, she wondered. Had he told Jon? Thoughts flooded her mind about how'd Jonathan react and such.

"George" she whispered taking his hand and leaning close.

"Yes?" his eyes sparkling with the sun from the windowsill.

"Have you told Jon?" she asked with mock sternness in her voice.

"Told him what?" he inquired.

"About-about us" she finally said looking into his eyes.

"Not if you don't want me to" he said smiling.

"Of course I'd want you to, but just not now" she said looking down at her hands.

"Sure thing, lass" he said as he kissed her forehead.