A/N: ok this chapter is about 500 words longer than the last YAY!
Disclaimer: i dont own anything apart from Adela and the plot.
Chapter 9: The Note
Later that evening Alanna sat on her bed, attempting to read her book, however she couldn't get the hurt expression on Jon's face out of her head. All of a sudden she felt guilty for telling him to leave her alone. He probably would leave her alone now and Alanna felt like she may have just ruined the best thing that had ever happened to her.
You know if you apologized to him you wouldn't feel so bad. Faithful told Alanna jumping up onto the bed next to her.
"I can't do that. He probably hates me by now. But it is his fault anyway he shouldn't have assumed that I was a boy." Alanna snapped. Faithful rolled his eyes.
He never said that. You just assumed that that was what he meant. I really doubt that he sees you as just one of the boys. He was trying to apologise when you snapped at him. And I really doubt that he could ever hate you, the pair of you have been through too much together for either of you to hate each other.
"Well he still shouldn't have told me that I looked nice. I went to all that effort to look good and all he could say was that I looked nice." Alanna argued back.
Now you sound like some court girl. I thought that you wanted to become a knight and go off doing good deeds, not dress up in hopes to impress the Prince like every other court girl.
"I do want to be a knight! I never said that I didn't. I am not turning into a court girl!" Alanna hissed.
Well that's not what it looks like to me. I think that you should just stop being so stubborn and go and apologise to Jonathan after all you weren't very nice to him. Faithful told her before jumping off the bed and disappearing into the shadows. Alanna sat there in silence. She knew that Faithful was right, she was being stubborn but her pride had been wounded and she had to save her dignity some how. And he was wrong about her acting like the court girls, she had dressed up because she wanted to show Jon who she really was. Isn't that the same thing that all the court girls do? The voice in the back of her head asked. Alanna shoved the thought aside. Faithful had gotten it wrong. So she sat there trying to convince herself that he was wrong and she was right.
A week later Alanna returned to her room to find that a note had been slipped under her door. Picking it up she felt a sense of dread flood through her as she recognised Jon's neat hand writing.
Alanna,
As you are most probably a wear, there is to be a ball held in honour three weeks form today. Your presence is required. Their Majesties have also requested that Alan's sister Lady Alanna is to attend. I know that you can not show up as both Alan and Alanna therefore I shall say that Alan is out running an important errand that simply could not wait. I expect to see you dressed as 'Alanna' and to be on your best behaviour.
Jonathan.
Alanna read the letter slowly and carefully, trying to hold back tears. How could Jonathan do this to her? Couldn't he have told his parents that 'Alanna' had gone back to Trebond for some reason? She had already humiliated herself once dressed as 'Alanna' once and that memory was still fresh. She had told herself that she would never dress as a Lady ever again and now Jonathan was making her break a promise that she had made to herself. Alanna in her frustration ripped the note into a million small pieces before throwing them into the fire where she watched them curl and burn. It suddenly dawned on her that she was going to have to actually see and talk to Jonathan, something she had wanted to avoid doing at all costs. Tears pricked her eyes but she desperately blinked them away. She would not cry over this! Maybe Jonathan would ignore her and would spend the night talking to others… but that idea didn't appeal to Alanna either. Secretly although she wouldn't admit it, she wanted to talk to Jonathan again, she missed her best friend. However she was also stubborn and refused to give in. Then there was the problem that Alanna only had one dress. She couldn't wear that again, it simply wasn't done in court. Alanna put her head in her arms and sighed. How was she going to sort this out?
Not an hour later Alanna knocked on Adela's door, hoping that the girl might be able to help her again. When Adela opened the door, she didn't seem surprised to see Alanna standing there.
"I know that I haven't been very nice to you lately, please forgive me. I really need your help." Alanna rushed. Adela smiled and let Alanna enter. Once she was seated Alanna rushed into the story about the note that she had received from Jonathan and how she was in need of another dress, maybe even a few more 'Lady lessons' to make sure that she could pull this off for a second time.
"Of course I will help you. We shall start tonight." Adela told Alanna as she smiled to herself. Things were now in motion and with a bit of luck everything would go according to plan assuming that Alanna didn't find away to get out of going to the ball...
