As she woke up several hours later she realized how hungry she was having missed lunch. Heading down towards the main mess hall for knights and nobles she picked up a tray and filled it. When she reached the end of the server's line she looked for someplace quiet to sit.

"Look, Alanna's here" noticed Jon "She looks better than she did earlier"

"Yeah, that was odd how sick she got during the meeting. But did you see Imrah's face when she got up to leave? It was priceless! It was like he couldn't believe that she was getting up while you were talking." Said Gary with glee "I bet you a gold noble he asks Alanna to step down for her lack of respect to the crown."

"Now that's a bet I'll take" said Duke Baird who only hearing the last part of the conversation "What happened to make him so upset?"

With a quick look at Gary, Jon said "During the briefing today she ran out and became pretty sick. I think it's just Alanna being stubborn. I don't think she's eating properly and she's just exhausting herself."

"Myles did come down to the infirmary earlier and asked me to check on her but he didn't really specify why. Said something about suspicions and might have mentioned something that wouldn't be bad too bad for her. When I sent someone up to see her they knocked on her door but no one answered. I can go check on her now so she can't escape a look over." The Duke said and with that he got up and went to go talk to her.

"You know that she's going to be furious that you sold her out to Baird, right Jon?"

"Yeah but she can only be furious at me if she knows where I am." The king said as he stood up and hurried out the side chamber door.

Coming up to where she was sitting undetected the duke greeted her, "Hello Alanna. How are you doing this evening?" Asked the little too friendly, Duke Baird as he startled her out of her meditation state. "Why are you eating alone tonight?"

"I would be fine if people would leave me alone and stop asking me that. I'm just a little tired and I just miss George. No reason to worry about me." She said turning her head to see where Jon or Myles were. She knew that they sold her out.

"Would you like to come to the infirmary? We can talk there." When she started to decline when the Duke said, "We don't have to talk about you. You have to be lonely since George is gone and I know that a lot of your friends are busy getting ready for the delegation coming tomorrow."

"Well okay but don't expect me to be a patient for you. I'm just going so that I can catch up with you. You know we never really talked unless Jon was either dying or I was healing under your watch"

"You're quite right. A little chat sounds lovely so I can get to know the fire behind the fury" said the Duke as he took her tray in to the servers so that they could clean it. While he was walking back to Alanna he nodded to Sir Myles who regarded him with grateful eyes.

Reaching the infirmary the Duke led Alanna to his private office where he motioned for her to take a seat while he prepared a herbal tea for the both of them.

"So are you enjoying being back at Corus?"

"It could be a little better if I wasn't so busy" the Lioness said. She would kill whoever sent the Duke to talk to her later. If she could just figure out who sold her out first.

"Hopefully it won't get too much busier for you."

"I think that next week will be the end of the madness and then maybe I can go home for a few months" she replied, thinking to herself, yeah like for eight months so that people don't bother fawning over me since I'll be as useless as a lamed horse.

As the two talked Baird tried to think of a way to trick the Lioness into an exam. He didn't want half the court after him because they thought she was ill. Jonathan was hounding him to fix her so that she could fight next week if needed. Sir Imrah thought that she was just too weak to hold herself with all the men surrounding her. Sir Gary had been constantly reminding and hinting to him that Alanna wasn't eating enough. Sir Raoul thought his short friend was heartbroken because her husband was gone and she had fallen into a deep depression and Myles thought that she was pregnant. He wasn't sure how to safely broach the subject of her health without her lashing out. If only Myles didn't suspect her to be pregnant he could drug her and find out for certain.

"Well, I better be getting back. It's getting late and I have an early day tomorrow if I want to catch breakfast and practice weapons." The Lioness said getting up from her seat with a groan as her hand went to her lower back

"Back bothering you?" asked the Duke with hopefulness

Seeing what the Duke wanted to do Alanna cheerfully replied, "No, it's just stiff from sitting so much today."

Realizing that he was defeated Baird watched her leave. Mulling over why she refused to even shake hands with him when she left the infirmary.

Walking to Myles rooms later that night he knocked and waited for the old man to come to the door. When he heard footsteps he backed a little away from the door so that he didn't fall when the door opened.

"I tried but she's not saying anything." The Duke said wearily

"Well, thanks for trying Baird. Why don't you come in and have a drink with us?"

As he walked in the room he was greeted by the handsome silhouette of three large knights sitting around a fireplace. It was only when they turned around to greet him did he know who was sitting in Myles' rooms.

"Well I can't say that I'm not surprised to see you all here." He said as he surveyed the king, Sir Raoul, and Sir Gary. "Well Jonathan I'm a little surprised to see you here. After all Alanna will be suspicious of you and Myles first."

"Well that's why I'm here. I think that's why we're all here, to hide from the wrath of Alanna, for telling you about her. If I'm here she won't know who to attack first. And with what weapon, her sword or her tongue. Did you find out what the problem is?"

"No, she avoided me and I didn't want to drug her just incase…" he said stopping himself

"Just incase what?" asked Gary although he thought he already what the problem was. She missed George so much plus the fact that she never seemed to have down time. And with that thought he glared at Myles and the king.

Looking intently at Myles, Duke Baird saw him shake his head ever so slightly. "Just incase the drugs didn't react too well with her stomach"

"Well she's been drugged before hasn't she? And what she had wasn't a weak drug either" said Gary

"What do you mean she's been drugged before!" asked Raoul in alarm "Where were we when this happened?"

"How else do you think George got her to calm down before her Ordeal?" laughed the King

The group was just dispersing when bells started to sound announcing visitors.