Disclaimer: Must I say it again? My name is Kate, not Tamora! And my last name... Well, let's just say it isn't Pierce. So these are her characters! My plot. Thanks for reading once more.
Alanna rummaged under the bed in her room, desperate for her hair brush. It was just before dawn, but she wanted to be gone from her room before Jon woke up. At the rate she was going though, she was afraid she didn't stand a chance. Also, she was making a lot of noise, and was worried she would wake Jonathan up.
Her hand brushed against something soft, and she pulled at it, wondering what it could be. Sitting back on her heels she examined the object. It was soft, but not squishy. Smooth, but not delicate. She looked at it, turning it carefully over in her worn hands. It was... marble.
Blinking in confusion, she set the piece of marble on her bed, looking at it for some trace of shape. She picked it up again, standing up and turning it over gently. Two of the sides broke from the rest, and fell to the ground. The following clink made Alanna wince, hoping against hope that Jon was still asleep.
Straining her ears for any trace of sound, she ignored the piece of marble in her hands. The piece of marble with a shape now.
Sighing with contentment that Jon was still asleep, she looked back at the piece of marble in her hands. It was shaped like a heart...
She shut her eyes and breathed deeply. She knew that George couldn't get his hands on marble short of stealing, but she also knew that he wouldn't steal for her. And plus, the marble was so fine cut, no one in Corus did such handiwork. This did mean that the only person it could be from was Jonathan, unless she had a secret admirer. And that she doubted, with no one knowing that she was a girl.
Alanna let a groan slip out, but came up short of moaning, wanting to keep Jon asleep. She tossed the marble heart back onto her bed, and started feeling under her bed again, searching for a hair-brush.
At last she found the brush, just as dawn began to seep through the window in her room. Quickly she brushed her hair out, and dressed in her squire's uniform. Peeking into the mirror she brushed her bangs away from her face, grinned, and grabbed her armor belt and Lightning's sheath.
She padded softly across the stone floor of her room, her worn boots making little tono noise on it. She opened the door, savoring the fact that it didn't creak like some of the squire's doors.
Alanna turned to face the door, shutting it as quietly as she could manage. Breathing out quietly, she clipped Lightning's sheath onto her armor belt, and tiptoed off down the long winding corridor.
Wait! She heard Faithful's mind-voice before she saw the little cat. The black furred, violet eyed cat came trotting towards her from the end of the corridor to which she was heading. He came around the corner slowly enough, but he broke into a cat gallop upon coming around the corner. He sat down at Alanna's feet, and meowed quietly to be picked up.
Alanna reached down and scooped Faithful up, slipping him onto her shoulder. "What's the matter?" she whispered, sensing that for some reason she was supposed to be quiet.
EvenFaithful's mindvoicesounded slow and quiet. Duke Roger and Gary are down there. They've been there for a while. They aren't speaking, just staring...
Alanna raised her eyebrows in wonder and anger. "You sound worried," she said, quietly.
She watched as the small black-cat nodded. I am. he replied tensely. That Gary boy has brains, but the Duke is far more powerful.
"Yeah, he is," Alanna whispered to herself. She loosened Lighting in it's sheath before she set off purposefully down the hall.
She stopped at the corner, digging herself against the edge of the wall. For once she was grateful for the torch that was at the end corner of that corridor, (she usually wasn't thankful for it in the early morning, when she was tired, because she often ran into it and then would swear loudly.)
Alanna put her back to the wall, squeezing herself against the wall next to the torch. Faithful hopped from her shoulder and onto the ground.
Turning her shoulder into the wall, she peeked out between the torch and the wall. Faithful had been right. The Duke Roger and Gary stood in the hallway, not speaking at all. But both staring at each other. Roger looked slightly mean and cruel, but Alanna knew his true cruelty was much worse. Gary appeared to be fuming.
Alanna bit into her lip, using the pain to concentrate. The walls of that corridor were wide, and lit torches lined the corridor, though they would be going out any second since they were magic and sensed dawn. Light was beginning to flood from the enormous windows that viewed the garden on the left side.
Instinctively she reached into her shirt, and fingered the ember-stone, gift of the Goddess. Instantly orange light flooded the whole corridor in front of her. She blinked a few times, and let go of the stone. The light vanished. She held onto it again, the light reappeared. It glowed particularly strong around Roger and Gary...
It's magic! She realized suddenly. She took a deep steadying breath, and returned the ember-stone to under her shirt.
Alanna licked her lips, bit into her lip, loosened Lightning in it's sheath a little more, and then stepped out from behind the torch and into the corridor.
Roger looked up at her, but Gary continued to glare at the Duke. A grin spread wide across Roger's face. As usual, he seemed kind, but Alanna could guess that he was working magic against Gary.
"Alan!" Roger said, spreading his arms wide, as if to hug her. He stepped away from the wall and walked over to her, stopping about four paces away. "I was wondering what to do." he said, turning his face into worry. "Gareth here appears to have had something go wrong. I wasn't sure if I should get help or stay with him. It's so good you're up at this hour."
Alanna's face turned stony. She bit into her lip, wondering what the Duke was up to. Ignoring him, she pushed past him, her shoulder ramming his upper arm, and walked over to Gary.
"Gary?" Alanna asked, snapping her fingers inches from his face. He just continued to glower at where the Duke had been standing before, though he did blink. "It's me, Alan." She moved to stand behind him, and put her hands on his shoulders, shaking them slightly.
She sighed and walked to stand in front of him. She looked into his face, and couldn't help but wonder what the Duke had done to him. She reached for his hand, and let her magic flow into him, searching for what Roger had done.
Alanna knew she was vulnerable with her magic flowing through her, her eye's shut, but what choice did she have?
Searching inside her former sponsor, she found a trace of Roger's magic, barely detectable, but definitely there. She tried to sense what it was doing, but couldn't. Roger had hid his only trace of cruelty well.
A hiss, a yelp and a roaring string of swears made Alanna pull herself from Gary's mind. She spun around, loosening Lightning into her hand. Roger swung around, trying to pry Faithful from his shoulder, screaming out various curses the whole time.
Alanna put Lightning back into it's sheath, and ran over next to Roger, trying to relieve the Duke of Faithful's claws.
Don't! Faithful snapped in mind speech. Alanna couldn't ask "why", but Faithful continued anyway. He was trying to throw magic poison at you. It was a trap! Killing you was his plan!
Alanna took a step back, her mind reeling from the information. Her face was confused and angered, but her mind pulsed with righteous anger the whole time.
"What are you waiting for?" Roger shrieked angrily, breaking Alanna from her thoughts. "Help me, Alan!"
She would have thought the look of uncertain anger and confusion on her face would have shut the Duke up, but it didn't.
Alanna decided to make a quick and risky decision. She walked forward quickly, pulling Faithful brutally from the Duke's shoulder. She knew it wasn't the smartest thing, but she decided that it would be best for Roger not to have anymore reason to distrust her.
The Duke stumbled back as Alanna took Faithful in her hands. Alanna stroked Faithful's glistening black fur. Roger looked down, running a finger over the tattered and bloody material on his shoulder. When he moved his finger back, only short scars marked his skin, but the material on his shoulder was still in rags from Faithful's claws.
Roger looked at Alanna like he might explode, but then his face broke into a smile. "I thought for a minute you were going to let this cat kill me." he said, smiling warmly. He didn't add, Alanna noticed, that it was her cat that had been trying to kill him.
"Yeah." Alanna whispered, her own voice disbelieving. She had just saved the man she hated most from her own cat.
She shook her head and turned to Gary. He was still standing there, just glaring coldly at the spot where the Duke had stood earlier.
"Come on," Alanna said, grabbing Gary by the right arm. "Let's get him to the infirmary."
Roger nodded, though Alanna thought she saw a momentary flicker of anger on his face. She adjusted Faithful to her right shoulder, and stuck her left arm around Gary's waist. Duke Roger stuck his arm around Gary's waist too, and the two of them dragged the knight towards the infirmary.
Well? What did you think? I know, no fluff. I promise more next chapter though. But since it's George she can't always be at the Dancing Dove. And here's my plot. The next chapter will be George's half of the story, okay?