Alanna stepped behind a bush, putting as much distance as possible between herself and the foul people who had ruined her life. They stood, calm, quiet, and uncaring as to all the death they had caused in the center of the courtyard, talking merrily and giving out toasts. It was Alanna's job to kill them all, to avenge her fallen friends. And kill she would.

Chapter Two

Three Years Ago:

"ARGH!" Alanna slammed her fist into the stone wall, and instantly regretted it. The pain that went spiking through her hand made her want to cry all over again. "This can't be happening!" she bellowed, rounding on Jonathan. "This cannot be happening!"

"I'm sorry!" Jon yelled, trying to get a word in edgeways over Alanna's rapidly swelling rage. She turned to slam her fist into the wall again, but he grabbed her shoulders and spun her to face him. "Alanna, please, calm down. It's just a ball!"

"And it's happening right when Lord Provost is giving his speech about the towns criminals!" Alanna roared, fighting against Jon's grip on her arms. "I want to know what he has to say!"

Jon kept his hands firm on her shoulders, and pushed her down onto the bed. "Please, I know it's not the best of situations. But there is nothing we can do by not attending it, except get in trouble."

"Lord Provost did this for a reason." Alanna stopped fighting Jon's grip on her as she began to think. "He didn't want everyone from the palace to know what his claim on criminal 'justice' would be, did he? Did he?"

Jonathan thought about it for a moment, and then sunk onto the bed beside Alanna. "Maybe he didn't," he agreed, thoughtfully. "Maybe you're right. It is possible that he didn't want Father to know about his ideas for criminal justice."

Alanna nodded, resting her tired body against Jon's side. Absently he put his arms around her, leaning his head on top of hers. "But why?" she inquired softly. A yawn escaped her lips. "Why wouldn't he want your father and the royal court to know about his ideas? Unless. . . unless they're truly cruel and unfair."

"Mmm."

Alanna snuggled closer to Jon, enjoying the warmth that passed between them on the cold fall day. She pushed herself against his chest, curling up into a ball against him. He put his arms all the way around her, resting on her too.

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Alanna had just finished pulling on her nicest pair of boots when someone -- presumably Jon -- knocked on the door that separated her quarters from her Knight-Masters. She pulled the door open and grinned at Jon as he stepped through, dressed royally in a blue silk shirt, silk tunic, and silk breeches, topped off with a little crown.

"How do I look?" Jon asked.

"Silly," Alanna replied, feeling that it was best to be honest. "How about me?"

"Squire Alan of Trebond at his best," Jon answered.

Alanna nodded. "All right then, let's go. The sooner we get this over with, the better, you got that?"

"Crystal."

Squire and Knight-Master stepped out in the long corridor, and set off for the ballroom that King Roald had chosen for this ball.

Through most of the night Alanna refilled wine glasses and the snacks that they served at the tables dressed in long white cloths. But from time to time Jon would call her over to dance with some of the Convent girls who wanted to know Jonathan's Squire. It was these times that annoyed Alanna beyond belief, because she felt as if Jon was trying to publicly humiliate her.

Near midnight the Alanna got a fifteen minute break from her duties, and she decided to take the time out in the garden, enjoying some fresh air. She walked out into the garden, taking in the fresh, crisp air of the autumn night. Glancing carefully around to make sure that no one was near, she knelt down to smell the roses, who were in the last of their season and would soon die for winter.

"Hello."

Alanna spun around quickly, nearly toppling over in her awkward haste. But Jon caught her before she fell down. "W-What are you doing out here?" Alanna felt the blush creep into her face to have been caught doing something as ladylike as smelling the roses.

"I wanted a break," he replied with a shrug. "It's hot and stuffy in there, not like it is out here. Out here it's cool and quiet. And I get the chance to talk to my Squire of course. Though, I hadn't expected you'd get a break tonight."

Alanna pushed a lock of flaming red hair back behind her ear and shrugged in reply. "I guess I got lucky to have a break. Is there something you've learned, say, about Lord Provost's criminal 'justice' plans?"

Jon shook his head, taking a step nearer. His sapphire eyes glinted softly in the moonlight from the clear, star-speckled sky above. Alanna felt her stomach turning to knots, though she wasn't sure why.

He reached down, touching her hair and pushing it away from her face. She shivered at his touch, not from the cold, but from the feel of his skin against hers. He leaned down, his face coming closer to hers.

Alanna could feel his breath against her face, she could smell the soap on his skin, the faint smell of roses about his hair. And then, his face was next to hers, and he leaned in a little more, his lips touching hers.

She leaned up into the kiss for a few seconds, his lips soft against hers, the knots in her stomach becoming the thrill of a swordfight that she wasn't sure if she could win. Images of joy flashed in her mind as the kiss deepened. He put his hands in her hair, kissing her passionately.

She could feel her mind sidestepping a swing from a sword, and crashing down on her opponents as she swung around. Elation filled her as she crashed on her opponents sword over and over again. The joy was pure and true, and she felt other happy things happen. She put her arms around Jon as she felt herself falling into her happy fantasies, all triggered by one passion filled kiss.

Then something happened. She won her swordfight, and she looked to the side of the field, and there was George, clapping his hands together and giving her that lopsided grin. And her heart fell, as she realized she would never see him again. Then he came over and scooped her up in his arms, and she was kissing him.

"STOP!" Alanna pushed herself away from Jon, stumbling backwards in such a hurry that she fell over backwards, landing painfully on her backside. A sob escaped her as she glanced up at the moon. She bit down on her lip, trying to squash the image of herself and George together. How was she to manage?

"What?" Jon knelt down before her, looking worried that in some way he had hurt her more than mentally. "What's wrong Alanna?" It surprised her how he could turn from the passionate Jon who had just kissed her, into Jon her friend so quickly.

"George." Another sob escaped her eyes. "I saw George. H-He was t-there i-in m-my th-thoughts." A sniffle came too, and then the tears fell freely, pouring down her cheeks and onto her tunic.

Jon put his arms around her, kissing her hair lightly, comforting her as she sobbed.

If only the one moment could last forever, but then they would be caught, and Alanna would be thrown out because she was a girl, and. . .

She stopped the images there. Pushing Jon away from her she stood up. She wiped the dried tears from her face, rubbing the tears from her cheeks and neck. Her eyes were swollen to the size of tomatoes, and she looked a mess, but she would have to bear her pain in silence, at least for the moment.

Squire and Knight-Master headed back into the ball, parting there ways at the door, pretending the kiss hadn't just happened. But they couldn't ignore it so easily, could they?

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Alanna was awoken by pounding on her door the next morning. Yawning and groping around for her breeches she sat up. She rubbed an anxious hand through her hair, and pulled her breeches on under her overlarge nightshirt. She grabbed the wrappings she used to hide her breasts and quickly wrapped them haphazardly under her shirt.

Running her hand a last time through her hair she stalked over to the door, trying, and failing, to stifle a gigantic yawn. She undid the bolts and pulled the door open, and was nearly plowed straight over by Gary.

He pushed into the room past her and started pacing back and forth.

"Gary, w-what's w-w-wrong?" Alanna yawned twice, failing to suppress either one. She sunk onto the bed and started to pull her boots on over her breeches.

"I haven't seen Jon since the ball last night," Gary said, only half talking to Alanna. "And it's nearly midday."

Alanna shrugged, pulling her second boot on. "So?"

"I'm worried about where he's gotten too. Have you seen him?"

Alanna glared at her friend. "You just woke me up, Gary. No, I haven't seen him because I've been sleeping until now." Her thoughts drifted for a moment and she remembered the kiss from last night, realizing that she wasn't sure she wanted to see him.

"Do you mind?" Gary asked, pointing towards the door to Jonathan's room.

"Not in the slightest." Alanna shook her head.

Gary stomped over to the door and pounded his fist on it. "JONATHAN!" he bellowed. "If you're in there, get out here this instant, I have GOT to talk to you!

The door opened and Jonathan poked his tired head out. His black hair was sticking up at odd angles from the way he had slept.

"Yes, Gary?" he asked, yawning.

"I need to talk to you, alone, now."

Jon shook his head, "I've got company."

Alanna's heart fell. She'd met Jon's 'company' before. They were usually girls from the Convent, bored and seeking something to do. He would take them in, make love to them, and let them go. If they returned, he would do it all over again, if not, he would forget about them and move on.

Without thinking about what she was doing, Alanna turned and ran, down the corridor. She didn't know where she was going, but she was running as fast as she could. Then she stopped. She had no where to run. The only other person who knew she was a girl had been George, and now he was gone.

She had thought she'd meant something to Jon, the way he kissed her. But had she truly been just another one of the girls that he wanted to bed? Just someone to keep himself from getting bored?

Alanna felt the tears threaten to come again, and knew that there was only one person left to turn to. She took a left at the next corridor and started to jog towards them. She had no way of knowing that the further a secret spread, the more likely was its undoing.

That's the end of chapter two. I hope you liked it. Please review!