Sorry it took me so long to update. I wasn't expecting to update a lot sooner but as soon as I got back to school my teachers dump a mountain of homework and tests on me. But I'm finally free of it all and ready to get back to work on my stories. Thanks so much to those who reviewed in my absence: )
Disclaimer: You know the drill: Not mine; never was, never will be.
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Chapter 2: An Unexpected Visitor
The palace lay just before her. Just looking at it, Alanna thought how simple it would be to just walk in there, go through the training, go to war, come home and it'll be all over with. There was just one thing that wouldn't stop bugging her; it was like an itch that you couldn't scratch without taking off the first few layers of skin. What if she got caught? Determination and stubbornness filled her purple eyes, she wouldn't let that happen. Tugging the reins, she continued down the sloping hill towards the stone building.
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It was noisy and crowded inside the courtyard as Alanna passed through the gate. Nobles, commoners, servants, everyone was all in a hurry to get somewhere, lugging large bags or struggling with a stubborn steed. Either way, it was difficult for her to make her way through the crowd. She finally reached the stables and found a free stall. Once everything there was taken care of, she set off towards the castle itself.
Locating the room that had been assigned to Thom, she put her things away, hiding anything that would signal to anyone that she was female.
There came a sudden knock at the door to her room. Startled slightly, she straitened from shoving her empty luggage under her bed. Opening the door, she found a tall man with hazel eyes that had more green in them than any other colour.
"Thom of Trebond?" he asked.
Without thinking, Alanna replied, "No."
"Then who're you, lad?"
"Alann-" Catching herself before making a huge mistake, she quickly replied, "Alan of Trebond."
"I thought we were supposed to have a Thom of Trebond boarded here," The man's partner- who Alanna hadn't noticed- said.
"That's true, Timon," The hazel eyed man replied.
Alanna felt uneasy. "Oh, Thom got seriously injured in an accident with one of our horses. It was so bad I had to be sent instead."
"I see. I don' think I've ever heard of Alan havin' a second son who was named after him."
Alanna shrugged. "He never really says anything about me. He always so intent on the work he's doing that he never really speaks of me or my brother and sister."
"Very well then, you have the rest of the day to spend getting yourself organized. If you need any help, just find George or myself," Timon instructed before the two men trotted down the corridor to the next room.
Letting out the air that she had been holding, Alanna slipped back into her room with a sigh of relief. "Mithros, that was close."
- You do realize that they will eventually find out-
Alanna looked about her room only to find a black cat sitting by the window. Surly it hadn't spoken. That was just not normal. A black cat… Alanna frowned. She didn't own a black cat. Where had this little critter come from?
-Staring at me will do you no good-
"It was the cat…" Alanna sank down onto her bed.
-No, it was the dog- the cat remarked sarcastically.
"What are you doing here?"
-If you want to pull this off, you're gonna need some help-
"How much help is a cat going to be?"
The cat hissed. He crawled over to the bed and leapt up next to her. His front paws pressed hard on her chest. His violet eyes, eyes much like her own, were hard. –I'm no ordinary cat, human. You may not think I'll be of much help to you, but just wait until you find yourself in hot water-
"Alright, alright!" Alanna was thankful that it had backed off her. Its claws had torn through her shirt and had lightly nicked her skin. "What should I call you?"
-That's your decision-
"Alright then, I'll call you Faithful." Though I don't know how faithful you'll be.
Satisfied, Faithful retreated to over by the fire place.
Alanna had so many questions about why Faithful was here and why he thought he would be of some help to her. But that would have to wait. He had curled up into a black fuzzy ball and gone to sleep.
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Yes, I know, short. It's just that this dull chapter needs to be put in before I can put in more exciting chapters. Those chapters WILL be longer. I swear!
Madame-S-Butterfly: Well, yeah. They both disguise as men, they both go off into war, and they both have their secrets revealed and everybody's okay with it. Thanks for the vote of confidence. With you guys telling me how good or bad I am at this, it has to be good.
nicolerenea: Thanks! It's nice to hear from my reviewers from Mulan 2 Tortall Style.
stormrider7: No offence taken. If that's how you feel about Mulan 2, you go ahead and feel that way. It has nothing to do with how good or bad my story is. I think everyone likes the first movie better because it has more action in it.
NealsChick: Well, you SHOULD feel loved! I wasn't joking when I asked I you would be okay if I dedicated it to you! As for my Someday fic, well…since you said please.
Gretta99: I didn't notice that. But I had spent the past few nights up past two in the morning so I was pretty tired. I had totally forgotten about Faithful! Mucho thanks for the reminder. I had trouble deciding whether or not Alanna shout be ten or eighteen but I found a compromise; she'll be about fourteen. As for romance, there could be some slight romance, I haven't decided yet. There won't be too much because I really want this to focus on Alanna's war life, not her love life.
Pink Squishy Llama: Ebil beasts! Evil siblings: best (or worst) of both worlds! XD. See? I updated. It didn't kill you now, did it?
