by Lady of the Wolves
“No more!” shouted Alanna the Lioness, throwing down her quill in disgust. Black ink quickly spread over the treaty and the table, which she eyed with contempt. Groaning, she lay her head on the table, carefully avoiding the ebony ink. With a sigh, but not raising her head, Alanna raised a hand and used her violet Gift to clean up the inky mess.
The young King Jonathan III strode in through the door and deposited another stack of parchment in front of the Lady Knight. Ignoring the daggers she glared at him, he smiled cheerfully at her. “Having fun?” he asked innocently, and was answered by a heavy paperweight thrown at his head.
“But I thought you wanted to be King’s Champion,” he teased. But Alanna was not in the mood for jests.
“If a certain king doesn’t high-tail it out of here, he won’t be able to sit down for a week!” she snarled. Jon took the hint and hurried out of the room, bowing in a mocking way before he slipped through the door.
With another sigh, Alanna reached for another paper. As King’s Champion, it was her duty to sign all of the treaties, acts, laws, and other legal forms that Jon had to approve. It was dull work, but just the thing to occupy her on this rainy, cold day.
“Last time I ever commit to something without signing a contract,” she grumbled. “But it’d probably just make more work for me to do....more forsaken papers to sign!” she shouted, standing up and shoving her chair away from the table.
“I’m done for the day,” she announced to no one in particular, as the room was empty. Snatching up her cloak from her chair, she sauntered out of the study.
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Hurrying back to her room, Alanna quickly readied herself for a journey. She didn’t know where she was going, just that she had to get out. “Finally, a chance to get away from this place and from everyone here!”
“Everyone?” asked a loving drawl from behind her. Alanna whirled around in surprise to see that her fiancé, George Cooper, standing in a corner, leaning against the wall with a bemused expression on his ruggedly handsome face. Eyes twinkling, he strolled across the room and enveloped Alanna in his strong arms, lifting her up off the ground.
Burying her face in his soft hair and warm neck, Alanna fought tears of happiness. She hadn’t seen George for almost a month while he’d been off by Queenscove, fulfilling his “baronly duties,” as he called them with a laugh.
“George!” she whispered into his neck, rubbing her face into his hair to pick up his scent again.
“Aye, it’s none other. Glad you’ve not forgotten me by now,” he teased, pulling her face out of his neck to give her a long, passionate kiss, and then another.
Finally stopping so they could breathe, George eyed her room, stopping on her bag, which was partially filled from preparation for her journey. “I’ve brought a surprise with me,” he announced. “You have to come with me to get it, though,” he added slyly.
“George, you know that I’d follow you anywhere,” Alanna murmured, hoping for another kiss from her love. Seeing what she wanted in her purple eyes, George laughed and complied.
After a few minutes, when they had to stop for breath, George gently put the Lioness back on the ground. “Finish packing. We’ve got a couple of days of riding ahead of us.” Answering her questioning look with a devilish smile, he headed for the door. “I’ll ready the horses, my lass.”
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Humming to herself as she headed down toward the stables, bag slung over one shoulder, Alanna couldn’t contain her good mood. Rounding a corner with a skip, the Lady Knight nearly ran smack-dab into Thayet, the new Queen of Tortall. Although Thayet and Jonathan had married only a month before, Thayet fit well into Tortall’s court. Beautiful, intelligent, and a good ruler, Thayet made a perfect queen.
Thayet didn’t say anything, just watched Alanna with a strange look on her face as the Lioness bent to pick up her bag, smiling like she was having the best day of her life. “Alanna...are you all right?” she asked gently. Maybe her mood was the result of too much stress.
Alanna smiled happily. “Never better,” she said cheerfully. “Thanks for asking!” She slung the bag back over her shoulder again.
Now Thayet was really worried. “Okay, what is with you today, Alanna?”
Alanna laughed. “George,” she answered, and continued on her way. Thayet smiled at the young woman in love, than shook her head, still smiling, and went off to find Jon.
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George was waiting for Alanna in the stables. He kissed her again and took her bag. “Where are we going?” Alanna asked, mounting Moonlight, her mare, with ease. Her fiancé only smiled mysteriously, but said nothing, as he swung up onto his own mare.
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“Can I open my eyes yet?” Alanna whined, carefully walking where George lead her. After riding for three days, he had tied a blue silk handkerchief around her eyes and lead her for a walk to his surprise.
“Not yet,” he said firmly, giving her a gentle kiss on the cheek. She couldn’t suppress a smile, though she was getting tired of the secretive stuff.
“Yet?” she pestered, suddenly stumbling in the soft ground. It reminded her of the desert, but it wasn’t hot enough to be so far south.
“Go ahead and open your eyes, but you can’t take off the handkerchief yet,” George told her firmly. She had to laugh at that. When she stumbled again, George picked her up and carried her. Suddenly stopping and setting her on the ground, George sat beside her and gathered her up in his arms. Feeling the soft ground, Alanna knew that she had been right; it was sand.
“Now,” George whispered, untying the handkerchief. Brilliant light flooded her face for a moment, and the former King-of-Thieves shielded her eyes. Curling her fingers around George’s, Alanna stared out into the ocean, watching the most incredible sunset that she’d ever seen. Wispy pink and purple clouds drifted across the azure sky. All was enhanced by George’s loving grasp around her waist and the way he gently squeezed her hands.
Turning to face him, her face lit up from the spectacular view, George thought for the thousandth time that she was beautiful.
“Alanna,” he whispered, not wanting to talk, just to pull her into his arms.
“George,” she whispered back, feeling the same way.
The two wrapped around each other, kissing, as the sun went down.
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“So you like the old castle?” George asked eagerly.
“I love it! It’ll make a wonderful place to come back to after some adventures,” Alanna whispered sleepily into George’s arms. They were sleeping in their room at Pirate’s Swoop, George’s castle. Her love was silent, so she lifted her head and smiled tiredly at him.
Meeting her eyes in the dark, he gave her intense look of love that took her breath away. “I love you,” they whispered at the exact same moment, then smiled and kissed.
After a pause for breath, Alanna lie panting on George’s chest. “Just breathe,” he whispered to her. Snuggling closer, she closed her eyes, smiled, and went to sleep.
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NEW!!!
Ocean sunlight streamed through the recently replaced stained glass windows of the master bedroom of Pirate’s Swoop. George Cooper, resident Baron and former King of Thieves, grumbled as the light hit his eyes. Rolling over, he pulled the covers over his head, dragging the lady who lie beside him with him. Soft, sleepy giggles could be heard as she woke to find herself in bed with her fiancé. Pulling back the covers, she stretched and ran fingers through her coppery hair.
George sat up, grinning, and again pulled his lady into his strong, tan arms. She gazed up into his face lovingly, blowing him a kiss. George lowered his head and met her soft lips with his.
Stretching again and lying back on the bed, George nuzzled the Lioness, the lady who had promised her “hand” to him a few weeks earlier. Alanna, the first Lady Knight in Tortall of the age, kissed him and sighed contentedly.
“So when do we start plannin’?” asked George, caressing her smooth neck. She smiled at him and closed her eyes.
“No idea. I’ve no idea of what a wedding needs,” she admitted, wiggling her toes.
The ex-thief frowned in thought. “Nor do I,” he declared. “But I know someone who must!”
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Alanna and George left at dawn the next day, set for the royal palace in Corus. George had suggested they ask for Thayet’s help, and Alanna couldn’t agree more. Thayet, the new Queen of Tortall, was an intelligent, thoughtful, and clever ruler, not to mention one of Alanna’s best friends. The Lioness was sure that she’d have plenty of suggestions.
Along the shoreline, their mounts kicking up sand, Alanna and George raced in the morning sunshine. All day they pressed their horses to keep moving so that they would reach the palace sooner. By late evening, both horses were exhausted and they decided to make camp.
Starting a fire with her Gift, Alanna rummaged through their supplies, looking for the food they had packed. She set to cooking it and left it roasting while she went to check on the horses.
Moonlight, her flaxen war horse, and Beauty, George’s bay mare, grazed peacefully in the dusk silence. George had already groomed and fed them their oats and had untethered them so they could feed on the soft meadow grass. She leaned against her mare, who nickered softly.
The sudden smell of something burning and a yelp brought Alanna back to her senses. She turned and crashed through the greenery and found George trying to stamp out something engulfed in flames. It had spread to George’s shoe and he was dancing around frantically, trying to put it out.
Despite the fact she loved and cared for him, Alanna found this hilariously funny. Dropping to the ground, she howled in laughter as George jumped around the fire, still trying to put out his shoe and the object.
“Get up and help me!” bellowed George, shaking his foot fervently. Alanna ceased her giggles and grabbed the bucket of water at the edge of their campsite. Tossing it over George, the fires went out.
Smoke invaded the clearing from the newly put out fire. She coughed and tried to wave it away. “George?” she coughed, not seeing anything in the dark of night with the fire put out. “George?!”
“Right here, lass. And thanks for all the great help,” George said sarcastically. He was sitting on a nearby log, nursing his burned foot.
Alanna couldn’t help cracking a smile and went to examine what had started the shoe burning experience. Her broad smile faded as she realized, poking it with her new sword, that it was the mutton she had been roasting. It lay blackened in the soft dirt, still slightly smoldering.
She returned and sat next to George, who was in as foul a mood as any. “Some cook I am,” she muttered, indicating the burned meat. She sighed. “I’m sorry, George, and I’m sorry for laughing,” she said softly, meeting his warm hazel eyes sincerely. He smiled and cupped her face with one strong hand and kissed her.
“Only an accident,” he assured her, hugging her tightly before using his own magic to rekindle the flames of their original roasting fire. “And don’ start wit’ the ‘what if ye had a proper wife’ business either. Come, Alanna, ye know I love you.” he smiled and kissed her again. Alanna returned his kiss, smiling herself.
Alanna set to work on nursing George’s foot with her healing powers. George winced slightly when she touched it, but soon smiled as his foot began to feel better.
Stars appeared in the cobalt sky as the two lovers settled in their bedroll. Alanna snuggled up to him sleepily. “George, what’s next?” she asked dreamily, kissing his neck softly.
The former thief smiled. “First, we’re to be married, and what a wonderful occasion I know it’ll be! Then, after we’ve been on more adventures, we’ll start a family...”
George described their life together and Alanna shut her eyes, knowing it would be perfect.
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