I'll update my other stories soon, I promise! Thank you to all my reviewers, you're all wonderful! So many reviews in so few days...

Thank you to:

BACswimma, Gallan Princess, Kiley 1 09, Lady Knight Jocelyn, LadyKnightOpal, Rogue-Storm-Rampant, Shang Leopard, bloodsucker13,destinystar105, half-demon priestess, henrychick, addicted2TPierce, kittylitious and inktounge58
For the Story alert

And again to: bloodsucker13, LadyKnightOpal, Gallan Princess, dares to dream, Lady Knight Jocelyn, destinystar105 and to Kiley 1 09
For the favorite story!

It will get a little sadder, and then it'll get funnier, a couple of chapters and George is here!!

Someone mentioned getting a girl for Tho, that made me laugh, when I introduce George (which'll be in a couple of chaps) I will give Thom a girl, hehe.

Also, there is a plot to all of this, but the problem will come clear in a couple of chaps, when I introduce George, no worries though, the problem isn't George himself, he just helps her solve the problem, as a friend.

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"Too bad, I guess we'll have to find some unrelated girls to dance with." Thom added

They grinned at each other and each went their separate directions.

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--First Person POV--

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Alex was bringing me back to my rooms after the ball. The palace is so big, how does anyone remember their way around here?

"So, had fun tonight?" he asked me.

I looked into those deep eyes. "Actually yes, yes I did."

The world seemed to stop for a second and then slowly, very slowly, his lips started towards mine. I leaned in just as slowly and then I heard the blast in my mind, as if my world had gone and turned upside down. Everything felt so right.

He used his left hand to open the door to my rooms while leaving the other on my back. He deepened the kiss and then pulled back. He kissed me lightly and then left. Left me there in my cloud. I never felt this happy. Never. Never in my whole life was I supposed to fall in love, I was supposed to be a fearless warrior with nobody stopping me, love was a weakness. But right now, my heart was beating a distant beat in my chest, my ears were ringing, my mouth was aching to touch his again. Love was weakness, but it was too late to change that, too late to avoid falling in love.

In the morning I woke up early and went to Lila's room. I knocked on the door politely and it was opened right away. Lilia was already dressed in a light gown and had shoes upon her feet.

"I was just about to go for a walk." she shrugged in answer. A slight snore sounded from inside her room. I looked at her, mouth open in disbelief;

"The prince? Jonathan? Are you crazy?" I hissed.

She stuck her hand over my mouth and shushed me, "Look, he only slept here, we didn't do anything, nothing at all, just slept. Will you be quiet now?"

I nodded and she took her hand off. I sighed; "Good, you really had me worried there,"

"Do you honestly think I'd sink as low as to bed the prince I've been courting for one night?"

"I don't know, if you liked him enough last night then I guess it wouldn't be that bad, especially if you're in love." I said this to reassure myself more than her, she seemed to have sensed this too.

"You didn't -didn't bed Alex did you?" her eyes opened in shock.

"No!" I snapped, I looked at her despairingly; "But I really wanted to."

Her eyes went, if possible, even wider and then she laughed,

"You've fallen in love with Alex!"

"Shut up! Do you want the whole palace to hear?!"

Alex, Gary, Thom and Raoul were walking towards Lilia's room, in search of well, Lilia.

They were about to turn the corner when they heard two voices talking. They came to just before the turn and stopped to listen, hidden from view, they could eavesdrop without too many repercussions.

"--You've fallen in love with Alex!" Lilia's voice accused Alanna. Alex's face froze and Thom looked at him shocked.

"--Shut up! Do you want the whole palace to hear?!" That was definitely Alanna's voice.

She hadn't denied it. She really was in love with Alex. Raoul and Gary looked at Alex their faces in disbelief.

"--Have fun explaining it to Thom." Drawled Lilia's voice.

"--Have fun explaining to Gary why the prince is sleeping on your bed!" retorted Alanna.

Gary's face went red and he almost chocked. Raoul, Alex and Thom looked at him but he was alright, well, alright enough for someone who had just found out that one of his best friends had bedded his sister.

"--Shh! Don't speak so loudly. Plus we only slept in the same bed, we didn't you know, do anything..."

Gary relaxed somewhat. The prince hadn't bedded his sister, only slept in the same bed as her. Gary was still furious though.

"--Do you love Jonathan?"

There was a pause.

"--Alanna, I think, I think I do."

Gary's face went ashen with disbelief. The same colour as Thom's and Alex's. Raoul was starting to get slightly amused.

"--When I was at the convent I didn't believe I'd ever fall in love. I just wanted to leave and become a warrior." Alanna's voice sounded resigned.

"--I went to that stupid convent because I had to, not because I wanted to. I dreamed every night that Gary would come and rescue me like he'd promised or that I'd be able to run away and be free. But I never was able to."

"--Well I ran away the third night."

"--Yes and you got caught and since your father died the day before, the convent had the right to treat you how they pleased. Because you belonged to them they could do what they wanted to. That's the night they whipped you and used you as an example to the convent ladies not to run away. You tried to break free and they whipped you, that's why I never tried, I was so scared I'd end up whipped like you did. I was so scared." She practically whimpered the last.

"--It wasn't completely hopeless, that was the night I met you."

Lilia's laugh rang humorlessly throughout the almost-empty corridor. Thom stared intently at the wall in front of him in horror, They had whipped her sister the day after her father had died? Alanna had run away from the convent?

Alex looked in rage and horror at the wall in front of him as well, Alanna, poor, poor, Alanna. And Gary looked at the floor under his feet tears slowly hating himself. Lilia, she had wanted him to rescue her, to take her home, to let her leave the convent. He had promised her, but they were kids, he thought it was a joke, he never thought she'd wanted him to really come. He thought she had liked it there. He would've done anything to get her out had he known. It was all his fault...

"--How could I forget, I close my eyes sometimes and still remember the welts in your skin."

"--I don' need to close my eyes to remember it, I still have the scars."

"--We should probably be going back into our rooms now, before our snoopy brothers get in our way again."

"--Lilia?"

"--Yes?"

"--I had that dream again, I see him so clearly, I just can't take it anymore."

"--Again? Oh, I'm so sorry Alanna, it must be terrible to have that nightmare over and over again."

"--It felt as if it was only yesterday, maybe he was right, maybe I did deserve to die and not her.."

"--Don't you dare even think that Alanna! I am glad you're alive, our squire friends are glad you are alive, Thom is glad you are alive and not her, don't speak rubbish."

"--Thom would rather she be alive than me."

"--Ow! What was that for?!" Alanna's outraged cry rang in the hallway.

"--Thom would not, I would not, nobody we know, would rather her than you! Stop wallowing in self-pity and get on. You have to forget about that memory."

"--It comes back every night. I can't forget it."

"--You're right I'm sorry, but thinking about it only makes it worse. Just move on for today, deal with tomorrow when it comes."

"--You're right."

"--I know"

"--Bye."

"--Bye."

Thom, Raoul, Alex and Gary ran, they couldn't be found there. They each fled to their separate rooms to think. Raoul was thoroughly confused and he sat on his bed trying to digest the information, there was so much of it and it was so --confusing.

Alex ran into his and shut the door; Alanna had been whipped for trying to escape the convent, she had nightmares of someone saying they'd rather she'd be dead than someone else and then Alanna had said she loved him. And he knew it, he loved her back. He loved how boy-like she was, how beautiful, how sincere and how funny she was. She was down to earth and laughed a lot. But there was hurt hidden behind her cheery mask, emotional, deep hurt. Someone close had said they would rather her dead than someone else, and that had to hurt. But who had said that? And about whom? There was no escaping it, he had to confront her.

Gary ran into his room and he sobbed quietly. He had promised, promised to come and get her. She had been miserable and lonely, she had been treated badly and she had dreamed that he would come and save her, yet he never had. He was a child and he promised her he'd come. He had said it as a joke but he had said it. And now, he, Gareth the Younger of Naxen had found out the price of joking around and making promises he couldn't keep, he had found out that everything said had a price, and right now it was a price he couldn't pay back. He couldn't go back in time and save her from the horrible life at the convent, he couldn't go back and give her hope. He couldn't go back and change what had happened. And now, Gareth had found that out, at the price of his sister's happiness.

Thom ran into his rooms and stood there for quite some time. Alanna loved Alex, good for her, he was happy. Alanna had been whipped for running away, for that, he was furious, they had had no right to whip his sister! And she had been so, so young when it had happened. She had been so unhappy at the convent and he had never even sent a letter. He was so ashamed at himself. He had never stopped and taken the time to even say hello.

Lilia walked into her rooms thoroughly depressed and had a shock to see Jonathan sitting on the bed looking at her. She blushed, gods, no-one had ever made her blush before now!

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Alright, nightmares and snoopy brothers, recipe for disaster...

Hope you like it!

Review!

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xxTunstall Chickxx

18/06/08