"Roger apparently paid a visit to Alanna," Jonathan said to Myles as they sat in the chapel facing the Chamber of the Ordeal.

Myles's eyes widened. "How did he find her?"

"He followed me, apparently. He saw fit to tell me that I should stop wasting my time and move on and that if I was so desperate for female companionship, Delia was a much more suitable choice."

"Charming. Do you think he'll tell the King?"

Jonathan shook his head. "Father already knows."

"You're full of surprises for me today. Do tell."

"A couple of months ago, he asked me what she was doing now, and I thought it best to tell him the truth. He just sighed and told me not to do anything foolish."

"You don't think he will do anything, do you?"

"No, she isn't technically doing anything wrong, and he does like to keep the peace. I think he also realizes that having her around is keeping me from becoming completely insufferable."

Myles laughed at this.

"I'm serious, though," Jonathan continued. "And Father was very sad to send her away. After everything we've been through, I think my parents thought of her as my very capable bodyguard almost more than as my squire. And he realizes what a blow it was to me to lose her. So Roger can say what he likes. It won't matter."

"Is training going well?" Myles asked.

"It is. I wish she was still working with Uncle Gareth, but she's so unbelievable fast as it is! And the things George is teaching her, teaching both of us, are invaluable for survival, if not for chivalrous duels."

"George is an impressive young man. I'm glad you have friends beyond these walls. That will surely serve you well when you assume the throne."

Jonathan nodded. "Indeed. How is your side of things going with her? Or are you too distracted by her new mistress?"

Myles smiled, "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about. But I must concede, Eleni is a big improvement over Alanna's former master."

"You mean her first master. I haven't released her from her vow, and she hasn't broken it."

"Forgive me, Highness. Yes, Eleni is a big improvement over Alanna's first master."

"Better," Jonathan said with a grin.

Myles sighed, "Yes, I do find Eleni quite delightful, but I don't want to do anything that could jeopardize Alanna's situation. We'll see what happens down the road. As to Alanna, she's doing well. If her fighting is as good as you say, I believe she's on track to be as prepared as anyone to become a knight. Healing is certainly a valuable skill that too few knights develop. Now she just needs the opportunity."

Jonathan studied the Chamber of the Ordeal thoughtfully. "Could we just sneak her into the Chamber? Its magic can't be impacted by anything, right?"

"I don't think that would be wise," Myles responded." Defying the will of the sovereign might violate the code the Chamber operates by. I don't think there's any way around it: she needs the approval of this King; otherwise, she'll have to wait for the next."

Jonathan huffed in frustration, and then the two men sat in silence staring at the forbidding door before them.


"Mayhap you should take him up on his offer," George mused to Alanna when she told him about Roger's visit. "See what you can learn about what he's up to."

Alanna shook her head. "I don't have your gift for subtlety. I'd never be able to pull off the deception. And I don't think he'll cause trouble for me, at least not yet. I'm information that he can use. He won't throw that away unless it's to his advantage."

"Let's run away, just you and me," George said. "We can find a deserted beach somewhere off the Copper Isles where we can live on pineapples and coconuts with no more dukes or plots to worry about."

Alanna smiled. "I would be bored in the first ten minutes. You'd be bored in five."

"Oh, I think we could keep each other occupied for longer than that," George said suggestively.

Alanna rolled her eyes.

"And it'd be warm year-round," George wheedled.

"You should have led with that. When do we leave?"

Eleni interrupted their fantasy with a letter for Alanna that had just arrived from Coram.

"What is it?" George asked after watching Alanna's changing expressions as she read the letter.

"This 'wolf winter' has hit Trebond hard. It's so cold that the wolves have gotten extremely bold. Coram says they've brought everyone into the keep until the danger is passed. And then there's this:"

She began to read aloud:

Lord Alan shows no improvement and continues to refuse visitors besides me, Maude, and his doting sister. I do worry about Lady Alanna. Perhaps she should stop hiding away and playing nurse and work on preparing to find a place in the world worthy of her station. She is a stubborn lass, that one.

Alan did get one caller of note - his old rival Ralon of Malven showed up and wanted to see him. Wanted to gloat is more like it. I do find it strange that the lad is bitter enough to have made the trip. Naturally, I turned him away.

Your loving uncle,

Coram

George shook his head. "He's right about one thing, you are a stubborn lass."

"I'm not that stubborn. In fact, I think I'll take his advice. A warm forgotten beach is a place in the world worthy of my station, right?"

"I'm sure that's just what he meant," George responded with a grin.


The cold weather put a damper on their morning workouts in Eleni's courtyard, but George continued to make the trek three times a week, and Jonathan usually managed to make it at least once. On this particular day, they decided they could work on drawing hidden knives quickly while still indoors, enjoying the warmth of Eleni's hearth. This was mostly for Alanna's benefit, but Jonathan played along gamely.

He wore his midwinter gift from Alanna - a leather wrist sheath that Alanna and Rispah had dreamt up and commissioned while growing their own arsenals. It was black leather with gold accents and was fine enough to wear ornamentally. However, it was certainly functional, and George, as his own gift, had provided a pair of matching blades for it that were as deadly as they were attractive.

George helped Jon and Alanna drill repeatedly until they could smoothly draw from both wrist and ankle sheaths without accidentally slicing themselves.

Jonathan eventually bid them farewell to go take part in one of that winter's many wolf hunts.


The three were reunited two days later at the Dancing Dove while Alanna made herself available for healing. Alanna saw Jonathan enter with a bandage on his arm and motioned him over immediately, much to the chagrin of a young thief who had been waiting.

"What happened?" she asked as she reached for the bandage and began undoing it.

"Wolf bite. Roger already tended to it. You don't need -" Alanna already had the bandage off and was examining the wound before he could finish his protest.

Alanna sniffed it and looked closely. "How much does it still hurt?"

"More than I expected, but-"

"It's started to fester. Hold still. This will hurt."

She disinfected the wound with strong alcohol before reaching for her gift and applying it carefully. "Any better?" She asked as she gently wrapped his arm in a fresh bandage.

"Much. Thank you," he said, testing the full movement of the arm.

"I want to hear the whole story, but I have a few more people to help. Catch up with you in a bit?"

Jon nodded and ambled toward the bar as Alanna beckoned to the now very impatient thief.


"The wolf jumped out from behind a tree," the Prince described animatedly. "Don't me ask how anything that large was able to hide, but he managed it. There were at least six men around me, but he lunged straight for me. He sunk his jaws into my arm and pulled me off of my horse. Luckily, I was still wearing that wrist sheath. I wouldn't have been able to get to any other weapon in time. I sunk the blade into his eye as he went for my throat. That slowed him down long enough for about ten men to sink arrows into him and for Raoul to plunge a sword into his side. I'm fortunate to just have the bite."

"To Johnny the wolf-slayer!" George toasted.

Others from around the room raised a glass and cheered at this, although they hadn't heard Jonathan's tale.

Jonathan laughed. "Wolf-survivor is probably the most generous description I deserve."

The Prince finally noticed that Alanna looked pale and miserable. He put a hand over hers and smiled, "I'm sure if I had my squire with me, he would have saved me in some fantastic fashion, but I did alright on my own and with the other men. And you, dear Ella, still managed to save my arm from further damage."

Alanna didn't look happy, but this placated her some. "You said Roger did the initial bandage?" she asked, suddenly remembering his earlier words.

"He insisted on treating me on the spot. He bandaged my arm and put healing magic on it. I guess he didn't do a good job of it, did he? I supposed that's a hazard of doing magic in the field."

Alanna nodded but didn't look reassured.