Hello all of my readers. Here is the next chapter of Different Destiny.

This is a version that I didn't check very closely for errors. So if you think the spelling and grammar is horrible that is why.

--------------------

Alanna ran hurriedly down the street. She was going to be late again! If the marketplace wasn't so crowded at all times of the day she could move through the wide street way easier.

Leland was going to kill her if she was late yet again.

She hadn't even been able to get out of the kitchens until nearly twenty minutes after the time she should have been at Leland's.

That was the main reason she was stuck wearing the gods forsaken dress that the cooks and kitchen hands had started to make her wear. She didn't have time to change into one of the few pairs of breaches that she had smuggled from Thom's room.

Finally arriving at the Great Dragon she entered the musty smoke filled main room. Giving the room a quick once over for were Leland would be sitting tonight she started into the dense cloud of smoke.

Finding him in one corner where he had a pile of weapons ranging from throwing knives and stars to bows and arrows. It looked as if he even had a rusted old sword in the pile. The sword looked so old that if you gave it one good swing against another sword it would fall apart.

Alanna would have felt guilty for being late and making Leland wait. That is if he didn't have three pretty serving girls flocked around him. He was showing of his weapons prowess and all of his scars he had gotten in various bar room brawls.

"Oh, you must be so brave!" exclaimed one of the girls.

"I can't believe you fought that man with just this tiny knife and won!" another gushed.

"Well ladies, it would be fair to say that the odds were against me. I don't know how I pulled through. If it wasn't for my expert skill, I don't think I would be standing here today," Leland bragged.

Alanna stepped up to him and cleared her throat.

Surprised Leland looked up. "I'm sorry ladies, but this young gal needs me to teach her how to defend herself. I may see you later."

"That is so sweet. You are going to help her out," the third girl said.

"Well, you know me. I can't defend everyone from harm, so I have to make sure that some can defend themselves," Leland said.

As the girls walked away from the table in the dim corner Alanna gave Leland a stern look. "Did you have fun showing off to the local girls Leland?" she asked.

"As a matter of fact I did. They appreciate my expert skills in defense. At least someone around here treats me with a little respect," he stated imperiously.

"What are you going to teach me tonight? Does it have anything to do with that sword?" Alanna asked excited about actually learning how to wield a real weapon.

"Yes that is what I am going to teach you. Just not tonight. I don't think this particular sword will hold up under any vigorous training," as he said this he picked up the rusty weapon and gave it a swing. As the sword swung it hit one of the old candle lights that were hanging on the ceiling. Then the wax that had collected on the top of the candles flew off and spattered all of the table, chairs, weapons, and Alanna.

"Okay, I guess we can wait to train with the sword," Alanna said. "Are we going to do throwing knife practice? You know I have been practicing in my free time at the university. I am getting quite good if I do say so myself."

"Stop bragging kid. Now I know that you are getting good at your throwing knives. That is why we were going to do hand to hand tonight. But seeing what you are wearing we will have to save that for another time," Leland explained.

"Oh, then what do you have all of these things out for?" Alanna asked while she stepped closer to the table to inspect some of the various things he had laying out.

"I was thinking of starting to train you into some of these things. We may as well start that tonight," Leland picked up an old long knife that was curved slightly. "This should work. It is kind of like a sword but just smaller."

They practiced with various weapons late into the night until Alanna was getting tired and had to start to go home.

"Bye kid!" Leland shouted after her retreating back. "You are doing better than I thought you would."

--------------------

A/N: I would like to thank my reviewer. I would really appreciate it if you guys would review more. There are people that put me on their alert list and they have never even reviewed my story.

I will be gone on vacation for a week, so don't expect an update until probably the Sunday after next. I will try to get another chapter out before I go. I will try harder if I get a few reviews.

ColossalSky