This chapter's for RooenEnnyte, whose kind words inspired me to burn the 3AM oil.

The nine o' clock bell found the proud Lioness of Tortall stalking the palace corridors. She had let her temper get the better of her, and had realized her mistake when it was too late. Though, she knew the ins and outs of the palace by heart, she didn't know which room had been assigned to her grandson. She may have been desperate to warn the young page, but she didn't want to go banging on every door in the wing until she found the right room.

Halfway to the pages' wing, Alanna sighed and turned to go back to her suite. She knew George would be there waiting for her. She hadn't taken more than a few steps when a page turned the corner. It wasn't her grandchild, but a page nonetheless.

"Page," she called out. He had to at least know which room belonged to Myles, she reasoned.

The page in question was Warren of Dunlath, and he was startled at being addressed by Alanna the Lioness. So startled, in fact, that he forgot to bow or how to properly greet someone of her rank. Between his stuttering and a bumbled bow, the poor boy was sure he was going to be dismissed. But Alanna was too desperate to care.

"Do you know which room belongs to Myles of Pirate's Swoop?"

That was not what Warren had expected to here. Though, if the situation had been properly scrutinize by someone who wasn't overwhelmed by being spoken to by a living legend, the question would have been expected.

Alanna didn't care about any of it. "Forget it, page," she muttered and continued walking.

"Wait, milady." Warren knew his mistake the moment the words left his mouth. "Milady" was definitely the wrong thing to call the lady knight. She might not have been outfitted for war, but she was still a knight of Tortall.

Incensed that a boy younger enough to be her grandson had gathered the nerve to snub her hard work, Alann stopped dead in her tracks. Tonight was not going well, at all. "What was that, page?" The Lioness was growling now, and staring down the boy like the prey he had become.

Warren was flushing red at his slip. "I apologize, Sir Alanna. Please, forgive my error." The Lioness was before the boy, but he couldn't force himself to look her in the eyes.

Alanna knew she was being an oversensitive bully. She knew that if she wanted to get anything done that night, she would have to control herself. "I will ignore what your slip up, if you direct me towards Myles of Pirate's Swoop."

He walked a few feet, before he found his voice. "His room is just down the hall from mine. I can lead you there if you wish."

She followed without a word, glad that something had finally gone her way. As she walked, she made the offhand observation that the boy was almost as tall as her. "How old are you," she barked. At his slight flinch, she adjusted her tone. "I ask only out of curiosity."

"Almost twelve years old," was the meek reply.

"And your name? It's not respectable for me to demand a task of you and not ask your name." Satisfaction had put her in a better mood. It was either that, or she was simply glad to know that she could still intimidate someone in the palace.

"Warren, sir knight."

"You're sponsoring my grandson, Warren?"

"Yes, ma'am." The conversation turned cool and Alanna didn't mind, she had other things to worry about.

It wasn't long before the boy stopped in front of a door that looked exactly like it's neighbors. How he could differentiate the doors was beyond her, but she didn't fret about it. Alanna dismissed Warren with a wave of her hand and waited for him to disappear into his own room prior to knocking on the sturdy door.

Little did she know, Warren was listening at his door, determined to know what it was that brought the Lioness to her grandson's door in such a state. If he had been unprepared for the agitated knight, he was much more so unprepared to see a large man leave Myles' room. Though he couldn't be sure in the dim torchlight, Warren would have sworn that the man's skin was almost copper.

The Lioness didn't appear distressed at the sight of the bulky man, so Warren gathered that she knew who he was. What was not obvious was the reason she was being barred from the room. The man was barricading the door with his body, forbidding Alanna from entering.

"He's sick," the man said. He obviously knew the Lioness, and would not be deterred by her presence alone. "He said that his dinner did not agree with his stomach. He's been sleeping the nausea off since he returned."

Warren was amazed by this giant was spoke to the Lioness with such ease. He vaguely wondered when Myles had become sick, but was distracted by the Lioness trying to enter the room. Regardless of her small size, she had tried to muscle her way past the man.

"If he's sick he should see a healer," she argued.

It seemed that nothing would make the man move. "My lady knight, the boy is tired and sick. Fussing over him now would only make things worse." The Lioness tried to interrupt, but his next words silenced her. "I've raised Myles since he was a babe. If there was anything truly wrong, I would have taken him to the healers personally."

Alanna stopped resisting. Had Warren not seen it with his own eyes, he would of never believed it. The Lioness retreating from a fight was unheard of, and he had witnessed her do just that.

Drained from fighting all the obstacle put in her way, Alanna knew it was time to give up. If Myles was sick, she wasn't going to sicken him even more with a disturbing history lesson. "Tell Myles that he is to eat lunch in my suite tomorrow. If he is still ill, I will insist on examining him." Without waiting for a confirmation, the Lioness left for her own room, tired out.

The strange man returned to the room, and Warren was left with an empty hall. Though he swore he could hear raised voices from Myles' room, he wrote it off to fatigue and ignored it. He reasoned his investigative work had earned him a good rest and prepared for bed.

A little bit more of Alanna lashing out at people. I had an urge to stay with her for just a while longer, so I hope nobody minded. And there was a little more of Lokejo. I thought it was important for the plot to show how loyal and steadfast his character is. Trust me, his loyalty is a big point down the road.

I know the chapter was tiny, but I wanted to get it out of the way before it overwhelmed the muses. Not my favorite chappie, but necessary.