Disclaimer: Same ones apply, I own nothing besides a case of Fresca.
A/N: Almost a year to the day! College is time-consuming.
Alanna made her way into the duke's workroom the next morning. Her motive was only partially well meaning, after fleeing (which she described as retreating) the ball-room the night before, she knew that she would have to explain herself to a number of people. The duke was first on the list, because she knew that he would be the toughest to persuade. He wasn't in the workroom, and it was dark. Reciting the spell to turn on the glow globe, she looked around. He had definitely not wakened up yet, as his class materials were still in the same place he had left them the week before. She noted the late hour, and while it was odd that Duke would still be asleep, it was not unheard of. She made her way into his private chambers, where she heard scurrying noises from the bedroom.
As she pushed open the door, she noted a few things that had yet to occur to her. The duke was standing next to the bed, sword in hand, with naught but a sheet carelessly wrapped about his waist. It was then that she noticed the emerald dress on the floor, and the brunette in his bed. Alanna nearly laughed at the absurdity of the situation, which was nothing foreign to her. She scoped up the duke's pants off of the floor and tossed them to him. "You've already missed most of breakfast, and if you don't hurry you'll be late for classes, which will be noted by those who observe." She quirked her eyebrow, which Roger took as his cue, and he made his way to his dressing room. Alanna followed him, selecting a tunic and shirt from the piles of clothes he had. She took a seat, waiting until he came out of the privy.
As he preformed his morning libations she outlined his day, referring to the sheet of paper she had snatched off his worktable. "You have a meeting with the King and his council regarding," she scanned the page, "Internal infrastructure, which is inappropriately redundant, appropriations. Then you have a lunch with the Duke of Naxem at which you will be discussing the new pages for next year, and then a pre-dinner social fathering with the Royal family and the new ambassador from Tyra." The Duke walked back into the dressing room, his hair still wet and slightly missed, with nothing but a pair of leggings and breeches on, Alanna, for her part seemed not to notice the fact that there was a half naked man standing in front of her. She tossed him the shirt she had picked and continued. "Besides your classes, one of which you are about to be late for, you are free." She tossed the tunic. "I had hoped we would have a moment to discuss the spell I was working on before we left for Tortall."
The two of them left the dressing room, back through the bedroom, and into the workshop. Alanna handed him his scrolls for class and his mage's robes and looked back to the bedroom. "I'll take care of your friend." She again quirked her eyebrow, as if to say, "how dumb do you think I am?"
Roger, for his part, grabbed the items Alanna held for him, "you're a life saver." Without taking a second glance at the slightly opened bedroom door he weaved his way through the room to the door that led to the hallway.
"My spell?" she asked.
"After dinner," he called as he shut the door behind himself.
Alanna stared at the wood for a moment before turning to the bedroom to take care of the woman slumbering, oblivious to what was about to happen.
Delia of Eldorn, while oblivious to her near future, was no longer sleeping, having been awakened by the slamming of the main door. The woman laid in bed, trying to get the urge to move, and wondering when the handsome Duke would come back. She was a self-proclaimed social climber, and Delia knew that the new Duke was a more then appropriate match. Plus, that thing that he did with that thing, absolutely amazing! She thought, as she shimmied a bit deeper into bed and pulled the covers a bit tighter around herself.
"I hate to bother your lie-in, but you probably should leave before you are noted missing." Alanna said, shocking the Lady out of her fantasy. Delia sat up, mindfully bringing the comforter with her.
She glared daggers at the redhead. "Can I help you?"
"No," Alanna stated flatly, "but allow me to help you. May I be candid, and say that this is not nearly the first time I have dealt with this situation." She leaned closer to the woman in the bed. "No, not nearly, in fact, it is quite the opposite, for this seems to be my routine most mornings. A bit of advice, Lady . . ." she broke off, searching for the brunette's name.
"Delia of Eldorn." She said, rather matter-of-factly.
"Delia," Alanna repeated, "that is a nice name. Anyway, a bit of advice, Lady Delia, find another man to sink your claws into, His Grace, while charming, and fantastic at Dancing, and other things, I imagine," she looked pointedly at the naked woman in the bed, "is not good at being monogamous." Alanna pretended to ponder for a second, so that she could properly set up the brunette to take her advice, "Prince Jonathon, however, seems like the perfect match, he is gorgeous, and seems very willing to make you his sun."
Delia seemed suspicious, "If he is such a wonderful person, why don't you try to snag him?"
Alanna giggled a bit, knowing that the action would suck the air-headed beauty in, "Me? I am just to pale and plain for someone as magnificent as the Crown Prince, how could a homely girl like me catch the eye of the most eligible bachelor in all of Tortall?"
Delia thought on her words, Alanna of Trebond was right. The Prince would be hers.
Little did either of the ladies know, but across the palace, things could not be a more stark opposite. The Prince, sitting in his history class, was barely listening to Sir Myles lecture. No, the Prince's thoughts were focused on a certain redheaded new arrival.
