RUSSIA WON THE SOCCER GAME! GO RUSSIA! GO ITALY!

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BACswimma, Aly-Of-Tortall 13, Kiley 1 09, Lady Knight Jocelyn, LadyKnightOpal, Rogue-Storm-Rampant, Shang Leopard, bloodsucker13, destinystar105, half-demon priestess, henrychick, addicted2TPierce, LadyReaderofBooks, kittylitious, Dragonfly257, Lilly Romanov, Jezebel Montgomery, Lady Leopard, Faia Sakura, LadyPirate13, gaya2081, Tamora Pierce Junior, Lady Kale, Kate of Carlay, fox-siren, PeytonPaigePatriciaHalliwell, and inktounge58
For the Story alert

And again to: bloodsucker13, LadyKnightOpal, Gallan Princess, dares to dream, Lady Knight Jocelyn, destinystar105, Dragonfly257, Lady Leopard, ILoveCockatiels, Litara, Tamora Pierce Junior, Lilly Romanov, LadyPirate13, PeytonPaigePatriciaHalliwell, fox-siren, kittylitious and to Kiley 1 09
For the favorite story!

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She. Was. Free.

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--Ten Years Later-- (I know!!)

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Ten years had passed and she was now ordered to return to Tortall to work for her master there. She wasn't scared of going back, she was twenty six years old, the convent no longer had a hold on her, she could be able to go wherever she pleased, or was commanded to go without being scared of being caught.

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Sir Alexander of Tirragen stood at the back of the ball room with his friends. He hadn't attended a ball in years, he hadn't wanted to since his 'Lanna had disappeared. But this ball wasn't optional, the knights of Maren were being introduced and all the knights of the palace were ordered to come. So here he stood at the back with his friends. King Jonathan and Queen Lilia were in the front, their wedding had passed in merry festivals and they had taken the throne when the old queen had died and King Roald had jumped out of his mind of grief. They sat in their thrones, they didn't like it but it was not up for options... ready to welcome the new Ladies and their escorts whether squires or knights or just men from important fiefs and then they had to meet the Maren Knights.

The Ladies and their escorts had just finished their descents and now it was time for the Maren knights.

Alex used to be over-optimistic, when Thom turned seventeen so did his twin sister, that meant she'd be back from the Convent and they could finally be together, she'd be a woman by law and the Convent would have no more hold on her. But three weeks after she had returned to the Convent she had run away and had disappeared, it was obvious she had died in the forest. Thom had received the message and Alex had never been the same since, his heart was still shattered and he feared it wouldn't ever be full again. He had lost his first and only love, she wouldn't come back.

The knights from Maren weren't Shang but like Shang they took to Animal names and had that animal painted on their shields. They had a strange way of being presented. They would walk down the stair fully armored, helm and all, and then when bowing to the king and queen they would remove their helms and show their face to the majesties.

Only five Maren knights came to be introduced, only the toughest became Maren knights and even then, most who trained for them died.

The first bowed and then the second, all stating their names and fiefs to the king and queen, then they'd turn and walk into the crowd. The Maren's weren't known for socializing much.

The last knight to approach was a female, it was known that Maren was the only one who let females train for knights but most of the women who trained died or left, very few made it to become knights. But here came the last knight, a female, the first in centuries (even for Maren knights) she walked to the king and queen and swept off her helm. Long brilliant orange hair cascaded down her back to her thighs. (Guess who!) The crowd gasped at her beauty. Her hair was definitely her most prominent beauty it was straight and cut flat at the end with no curls (split ends) the perfectly straight cut flowed around her. She bowed to the king and Queen;

"Sir Alanna The Lioness, of Trebond."

The king and queen gasped, they remembered that name. Alanna turned her brilliantly purple eyes on Jonathan and Lilia they were shocked beyond belief.

"I'm sorry." she bowed and whispered, then she turned, her beautiful hair swirling around as she did so and strode through the crowd.

The king cleared his throat and made his short start-of-the-ball speech and then the music wafted through the crowd who dispersed to dance.

That is, except for some of the knights who stared at the Maren knight, thinking that if they blinked she wouldn't be there.

Alex walked really slowly towards Alanna as the others watched.

"Alanna?" he whispered.

She turned and paled.

"Alex, is it really you?"

He nodded and looked her up and down, she had certainly grown up, though not in size. She wore a beautiful sword hilt attached to her side and her armor was beautifully forged. A brilliant Lioness displayed across the front in red metal.

She looked at him deep in the eyes; "I'm sorry." her voice was the softest of whispers but he heard it loud and clear as if she had yelled it into his ear.
"Why didn't you come back when you turned seventeen? Why didn't you write?" He croaked out.

"I had to finish my training. Would you have believed it if I wrote I was training as a knight?"

He shook his head and she repeated;

"I'm so sorry." She looked away; "It's alright if you don't want to speak to me, I understand." She didn't cry but he figured she had been through too much to, but Alex knew that she felt hurt, he had loved her, he still did.

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Here you go!! SURPRISE!! Now this is where the actual story starts... George is in the next chapter!!

Hope you like it!

Review!

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Keep Reading,

xxTunstall Chickxx

21/06/08