Written by Snow*flake
The small redheaded sixteen-year-old rose, dropping her embroidery on the table she worked at, and knocking over a box of threads. She ignored the glare of a Daughter of the Goddess next to her, and walked through the door next to her, with a sigh.
“Please sit, Lady Alanna.”
Behind the desk sat the chief Daughter. She was watching Alanna with a strange expression on her face, one that Alanna couldn’t read.
“Alanna, I’m sure you know why I have called you here. It is time for you to go to the palace in Corus, to find a husband.”
The girl nodded her head, looking miserable.
“Do not look so sad! Most girls of your age can’t wait for the day when they go to Court.”
“Yes, but I’m not most girls, am I?” answered Alanna.
The Daughter chuckled. She had always liked Lady Alanna, despite some of her wild habits. She had a character; unlike some of the noble ladies the convent had trained.
“No Alanna, you are not most girls. But that does not mean that you will not be able to find a husband. Not every knight at the palace needs a prim and proper little lady to stay at home and sew.”
Alanna looked surprised. “They don’t?”
“Of course not! Look my dear; there will be someone at court who will like you for who you are. Do not worry. But in the meanwhile, make yourself look beautiful. You have plenty of charm- use it! Now-“the Daughter nodded- “You may go. Goddess bless you.”
----
She supposed it was a dream- she was sure that it wasn’t real. A tall woman, with black snaking locks of hair, slanting emerald eyes, and full red lips that contrasted against her milky skin stood before her, smiling.
“So, Lady. We meet at last.”
Alanna stuttered. “I- I am sorry, I don’t know who you are,”
“My child, surely you realised that I would come to you sooner or later? I’ve been watching you, and I must say, I am very impressed. You never wanted to be a noble lady, but you got managed to live with your misgivings. I am proud of you for carrying on with something that you hated.”
“Of course I hate it! I can’t breathe with all this ‘lady-like’ business! I wanted to be a warrior maiden, and go on adventures.” said Alanna, and then realised that she had confided her silliest feelings to a complete stranger. “I’m sorry- I shouldn’t have said that.”
The tall stranger smiled. “Child, you will be a warrior maiden, and you will have adventures, but maybe not in the way that you want. Find a man who loves all of you, not just your dowry. Show those men at court how beautiful you can be-” seeing that Alanna was about to argue, the woman stopped her with a raised hand. “You can be beautiful, Alanna. But you can also be dangerous. Let anyone who looks likely to toy with you know that. If you follow my advice, you will get far, and your heart will lead you to a great place. Follow your heart…”
The woman faded, leaving Alanna alone, gasping for breath. Who was that lady? And why was she so interested in Alanna?
----
“So Thom, when are we going to see this sister you’re always telling us about?”
Squire Thom of Trebond looked up from his book, to see his knight friends: Prince Jonathan of Conté, Raoul of Goldenlake, Gary of Naxen, and Alex of Tirragen.
“Huh? Why are you so interested in Alanna all of a sudden?”
“We’re always interested in girls!” laughed Gary. “So, is she pretty?”
“I don’t know!” Thom snapped. “I haven’t seen her for six years!” He stopped, suddenly realising something. “That’s right… she’s sixteen now, same age as me- she should be coming from the convent soon!”
The four knights raised their eyebrows, looking interested. Jonathan grinned. “Well, let’s hope she arrives soon. If she’s anything like you, Thom, she’ll definitely be a character.”
“Too right she will.” muttered Thom. “She used to duck me in the fish pond when we were little.”
“What?!”
----
Alanna looked at herself in the mirror, and sighed. “I look stupid, Mari! No one at court will ever be interested in me, so what’s the point in being here?”
“Be quiet, girl. You look…” the Daughter who had accompanied Alanna to court paused, trying to think of a word to describe Alanna. Truthfully, the girl looked beautiful. Her flaming hair was gathered into an intricate twist at the back of her head, and two little strands of hair framed her face. She wore a low-cut lilac dress, which emphasised her eyes, and over that she wore a shimmering cloak. “Lovely.” she finished.
“Of course I do.” said Alanna, ironically. “Goddess! I look awful!”
Mari shook her head. There was no point arguing with Lady Alanna. She would have to realise for herself just what she looked like, when she entered the ballroom that evening. The Daughter stifled a giggle, thinking of what the noblemen would say after seeing the Lady of Trebond at tonight’s ball.
-----------------
The ballroom was crowded and noisy. A group of players were performing in one corner, and all around the room groups of noble ladies and gentlemen were accepting drinks from squires, talking and joking. It was the first night of Midwinter festival, and everybody who was anybody was in this room. When Alanna and Mari arrived outside the main ballroom door, a herald rushed towards them, and bowed. He addressed Alanna. “My Lady, you must be announced!” he said, glancing at the scroll he was carrying, and led them to the doors, which were opened.
“Lady Alanna of Trebond! Mari, Daughter of the Goddess.”
Thom, offering his friends drinks, gasped. “Alanna!”
Gary held out a hand to steady the squire. “Steady there Thom.” he whistled. “Merciful Mother! She’s-“
“Amazing.” finished Alex, eyeing the lady.
Jonathan nodded fervently. “You’ve got to introduce us!”
“If we can reach her that is,” said Thom, watching as his sister, looking uncomfortable, paid her regards to the King and Queen. She was surrounded by a group of courtiers, who hurried to introduce themselves to her. Thom didn’t think he’d ever seen Alanna curtsy so many times, and so correctly. She had turned into a lady, while he hadn’t been looking.
Alanna glanced around, trying to escape. She spotted Thom talking to a group of young knights, and walked over to him, fanning herself.
“Thom!” she said, hugging him gently, aware of the young knights he had been talking to, who were watching her. “It’s wonderful to see you again.”
“Welcome to the palace, Lady Alanna,” he said, grinning slyly at her. “You look lovely tonight.”
“Shut up.” she said. “I feel stupid.”
“Well you don’t look it. Allow me to introduce you to my friends. His Royal Highness, Prince Jonathan of Conté-“ Alanna curtsied to the tall dark-haired youth, with bright sapphire eyes.
“-Gareth of Naxen, Raoul of Goldenlake, and Alex of Tirragen.” She curtsied to the others, and sighed.
“Pleased to meet you. Goddess, I haven’t curtsied so much in ages!”
The men laughed. She looked at them all, and decided that the Prince was very handsome.
“Would you care to dance?” he asked her now.
Smiling she accepted, winking at Thom, who looked as if he was about to have hysterics.
“Alanna, a court Lady? It’s so wrong!”
She was inclined to agree with him.
----
Alanna was combing her fiery locks the next morning, when there was a knock on her door. Outside stood a tall brunette in a peach coloured dress. She smiled when she saw Alanna.
“Good morning, Lady Alanna. I’m Tanwen of Goldenlake, Sir Raoul’s sister. I was wondering if you would care to come for a walk in the gardens? I saw you last night, and I thought you might want a friend round here. It’s pretty boring with no one to talk to.”
“I’d love to.” Alanna grinned. She liked this girl already- she obviously had a sense of fun, and she had to agree that it would be nice to have someone to talk to.
Strolling through the palace gardens was lovely. Alanna and Tanwen laughed together, and Alanna told Tanwen of her wish to be a warrior maiden.
“I don’t want to just be a stuck-up noble’s wife. That would be too boring for me. I want to do something.” she said, blushing.
“I know how you feel. I wanted to be a lady knight, or a warrior maiden, but I figured that that would never happen, so there was no point dreaming something impossible.”
Alanna sighed. Maybe she would have to accept that someday.
“Good morning, Lady Alanna, Lady Tanwen!” A group of young knights appeared before them, the picture of nobility. Amongst them was the Prince, and his friends. The two ladies curtseyed, and a large knight with chestnut hair came forward.
“Lady Alanna, I have picked these flowers for you.” He offered her a bunch of violets. She smiled, and accepted them, offering her hand for him to kiss, just as she had been taught at the convent. Then, the possibility of being offered flowers had seemed like a dream. A dream that she didn’t want to have.
“I thank you, Sir Gareth.” she said, feeling stupid, and wanting to get away. That was obviously not going to be likely. It seemed that her and Tanwen were going to be with the young men for the rest of the morning.
“Lady Alanna, may I?” It was the Prince, handsome in a blue velvet tunic, offering her his arm.
She smiled, and took it, trying to think of an escape route. Tanwen was walking with Sir Gareth of Naxen, the knight who had given Alanna the flowers. The other knights followed, and the group moved through the gardens at a leisurely pace.
Alanna conversed politely with the Prince, but it was obvious that she wished she were elsewhere. Tanwen was going to kick her friend to remind her who she was walking with, but decided not to. It would not have been elegant.
Afterwards, as the young ladies left the knights and went into dinner, Tanwen grabbed Alanna’s arm.
“What are you doing?” she hissed. “That was the Prince! You were acting as if you didn’t care.”
“I didn’t care. I really didn’t want to be there, Tanwen.”
“He’s not only the Prince, but he’s the most handsome man at Court. Doesn’t that interest you?”
The girl shook her fiery head. “No. I wish I wasn’t here, and I care nothing for noblemen, good looks or no.”
Tanwen rolled her eyes. She wondered how long Alanna would keep up with the indifferent attitude, and how long it would be until the seemingly cold-hearted lady fell in love.
----
Lady Delia of Eldorne glared across the room, to where the new girl at court, Lady Alanna of Trebond, was surrounded by young knights and their squires. “I don’t see what’s so wonderful about her! She’s not even that pretty! And she’s not paying any attention to those men at all. Why are they all so obsessed with her? I was the court beauty before she arrived.”
“Delia, once they see that she’s practically blind to their attentions, they’ll be back over here within seconds! You know how fickle young men are.” said Delia’s friend.
Delia smiled wickedly. “Of course! And until they do see her in her true light, we’ll make her life a misery.”
Sir Myles of Olau, a wise knight who heard almost everything that went on at court, heard this, and raised his eyebrows. He somehow didn’t think that Lady Alanna would be troubled by any comments that Lady Delia threw at her.
--------
Alanna smiled at the knights and squires before her, swiftly searching for an escape route. She felt crowded, and she wanted to move away. Unfortunately, it seemed that the only way to get away from the young men that surrounded her, without causing offence, was to dance with one of them. She sighed inwardly, wishing that she was elsewhere.
“Lady Alanna, would you care to dance?” said the Prince, as if reading her thoughts. She could have kissed him, but decided not to. It would have caused uproar among the courtiers. Instead, she smiled gratefully, and took the arm he offered to her.
“Thought I’d get you out of a tight spot there,” he whispered. “You looked uncomfortable.”
“Oops! I didn’t mean to. The Daughters at the convent always taught us not to show that we were bored of the company that we were with, but to smile and look happy. I always thought it was a stupid idea, but I was told to be quiet and listen to my elders.” She blushed, embarrassed. Why was it that she felt she could talk freely with the Prince, without having to be careful about what she said?
He grinned. “It is a stupid idea, but that’s court life for you.” He looked thoughtful. “You were trained by the Daughters of the Goddess? So, that must mean you have the Gift?”
“Yes, I do. I’m trained especially to heal. I don’t suppose I’ll be allowed to do that here though.”
Jonathan whirled her round. “You never know…”
For the rest of the evening, Alanna danced with Jonathan. She enjoyed talking to him, though she didn’t enjoy dancing. She had hated the endless dance lessons at the convent; she would’ve much rather been learning something useful, like fencing. When they weren’t dancing, they sat by a window and talked about magic. Alanna was interested to know that the Prince had the Gift too, and soon the two were exchanging spells and enchantments.
Queen Lianne leaned over to whisper in her husband’s ear. “Roald, dear, look at Jonathan! He’s laughing and talking more than I’ve seen him do in a long time!”
The King nodded, and his eyes filled with hope.
----
“Were you enjoying the Prince’s company last night?” asked Tanwen.
Alanna glared at her. “We were having a friendly conversation!” she retorted, annoyed by the dancing look in her friend’s eyes. “What are you giving me that look for?”
“Nothing really. It’s just funny to think that a few days ago, by the way you were acting, a friendly conversation with a man was more than you could manage.”
“Stop it! Anyway, you seemed to be enjoying yourself too!”
“Oh, I was just enjoying watching you and Jonathan flirting.” Tanwen grinned, knowing very well what her friend’s reaction to this comment would be.
“We were not flirting! I told you, I’m not interested in men.”
“Not even for ‘friendly conversation’?” Tanwen teased.
“Honestly! I can’t even have a civilized conversation with a man without you thinking that I’m falling in love with him!” growled Alanna.
Tanwen nudged her friend, with a sceptical look on her face, “C’mon, let’s go riding.”
----
Several days later, Tanwen and Alanna went into Corus to buy some gowns. Alanna bought a blue silk dress, Tanwen had to persuade her to buy something that wasn’t purple, and Tanwen bought a pink lacy frock.
“Tanwen, where are we going? We were meant to be looking round the market place, not…. what is this place?”
Tanwen had led Alanna to a back street, where a pub sign hung crookedly over what looked like the front of an inn. The sign read ‘The Dancing Dove’.
“Tanwen, what are we doing here? If anyone saw us…” Alanna shifted uncomfortably, drawing her cloak more closely round her shoulders.
“If you carry on like this, I’ll think you’ve gone soft,” laughed Tanwen, and entered the inn. It was relatively empty, seen as it was early afternoon, but in front of the fire a small group were talking and laughing. One of them stood up when he spotted the two young ladies. He had brown hair, a large nose, and dancing hazel green eyes.
“Hello Lady Tanwen. And...” he looked at Alanna. “This must be Lady Alanna?”
“How do you know my name?” she looked surprised.
George and Tanwen laughed. “George knows everything that goes on up at the palace.”
“Oh. Tanwen, why have you brought me here?”
The man called George smiled at her, his eyes showing admiration. “Allow me to introduce myself.” He held out his hand. “George Cooper, King of the Court of the Rogue.”
Alanna’s eyes widened. “The King of Thieves?”
“The very same. Now, will you two lasses sit down and take a drink with us? We can talk then.”
Tanwen and Alanna sat down, and Alanna soon relaxed. George was easy to talk to, and friendly, but she wished he wouldn’t give her that overwhelmed look that she hated more every time someone gave it to her. Why, in the name of the Goddess, did every man she met fall for her? It made her want to scream.
After a while, Tanwen stood. “Well, it’s time for us to be going now. Thanks for the lemonade!” Alanna stood, grinned at George, and followed out, wondering why Tanwen had brought her.
“Like George?” asked Tanwen.
“He was nice. How did you come to know him?”
“I met him when I first came here. The woman who brought me here didn’t know her way around Corus, and we somehow ended up at the Dancing Dove. Strange, I know, but I’m glad we did. George may be a thief, but he’s a good friend.”
Alanna laughed, and together the two ladies walked back to the palace, where they would have to get ready for tonight’s banquet in honour of the Queen’s birthday. It made Alanna’s stomach reel, the thought of yet another social event, but there was no way to get out of it. She decided to wear her new dress, and was shocked to discover that she almost looked forward to wearing it in public for the first time.
----
“Would you like to sit here, Lady Alanna?” Sir Gareth of Naxen indicated to a chair next to him, and so, seeing no polite way to refuse, she sat. To her relief, Tanwen sat across the table, next to another young knight, Alex of Tirragen.
Thom hurried up, offering Alanna a finger bowl. “Here you go, my Lady.”
She smirked at him. “Enjoying yourself, Squire Thom?”
“Oh yes. This is the best part of being a squire; at least I don’t have to handle any weapons.”
Dipping her fingers daintily in the bowl, Alanna shook her head. She couldn’t see why Thom hated the fighting arts so much. Actually, on second thoughts, she could. He had always been bad at them, and it humiliated him to know that his sister was better at a manly art than he was.
From next to her, Gary spoke thoughtfully. “Except for the length of their hair, you could hardly tell those two apart, could you?”
“Except for the fact that she’s wearing face-paint.” quipped Thom, hurrying on to offer the finger bowl to a lady next to Alanna. Alanna blushed, and glared at him. She’d get him for that later.
“Where’s the Prince today?” she asked, changing the subject hurriedly. “I would’ve thought he’d be sitting with you.”
“Jon? Oh, he normally would sit with us,” said Gary. “It’s just that today he has to sit with his mother, you know, because it’s her birthday.”
The conversation went on as the different courses were served. Alanna talked with the people around her, all who were young knights or ladies. Alanna was just beginning to enjoy herself, when a sharp voice caught her attention, from a little way down the table.
“Well, I, unlike some people, don’t leave the men on. I don’t want them to think I’m interested in them when I’m not!” The diners looked up, to see Lady Delia talking to her friend. Alanna knew, from the gleam in Delia’s eye, that this was a dig at her.
Tanwen tapped her friend’s arm, seeing her go red. “Don’t let her get at you!” she whispered. “She just doesn’t like that you’re receiving attention from the men! She wants to make you feel bad!”
Alanna glared at the Delia, a beautiful brunette. “Oh, she’s not making me feel bad. She’s just making me annoyed, that’s all. Some people need a serious change of attitude.” she answered, not bothering to keep her voice down. Gary and Alex exchanged looks. Alanna obviously shared her twin’s temper. Delia smiled derisively, and turned away. At least she had achieved something, even if she hadn’t made Alanna cry or shout, like other ladies had done in the past.
Gary put a hand on Alanna’s arm. “You handled that well. She may be beautiful, but she’s spiteful.”
She looked down at his hand, embarrassed. “I… I’m glad I didn’t lose my temper. I have a habit of doing that, and I don’t want to embarrass myself.”
Gary grinned, and turned back to his food. “Thom has a temper too, as I’m sure you know. When his teachers get at him for not keeping up, he’s been known to threaten to blow them up with his Gift!”
Alanna laughed, as did her friends. Thom came up behind, bringing her dessert. “What was that about me?” he asked, his violet eyes darting suspiciously from one face to another. Tanwen, Alex, Gary and Alanna laughed, as Thom turned away, shaking his head. The calm and good-humoured mood was restored, despite Lady Delia’s plan to spoil the night.
------------------------
At the other end of the table, Jonathan heard the laughter, and saw Alanna at the centre of it. He was annoyed that he couldn’t sit with his friends and join in their fun, but it was his duty to sit with his mother and father. He didn’t like the way his cousin was flirting with Alanna though. He wanted to court the pretty lady before anyone else got the chance, and there was his cousin, seeming to get there first! He would have to have a word with Gary about that, later. For now, he contented himself with listening to his father talk to Duke Roger (A/N ::alarm bells:: Look who’s here!) about important matters in the realm. It was less interesting than sitting among friends, but it would have to do.
----
“Why do I feel like I’ve been kicked by a horse?” Alanna asked, opening her eyes as daylight streamed into her rooms.
Mari bustled in, carrying a dress. “You were up till the early hours last night, m’lady.”
“Would you mind not calling me that?” Alanna said, stretching. “You never did at the convent.”
“No, but we’re not at the convent any more, are we?”
No, thought Alanna. We’re not. Thank Gods!
“I’m going to go riding this morning.” she announced, once she was dressed.
Mari nodded, and Alanna went out to ready her horse, Misti. Just as she was saddling him, a voice disturbed her.
“Going riding?”
Alanna swung round. “What does it look like?”
Prince Jonathan smiled, seeing Alanna’s blush as she realised who had spoken.
“Hello,” he said amiably. “Would you like me to come and keep you company?”
“Umm…” Alanna looked uncomfortable. “Well, I suppose you can if you want. I’m not a very exciting person to ride with, though.”
“We’ll see.” Jonathan grinned at her, and went to ready his horse, leaving Alanna wondering what she had gotten herself into.
They rode out through the palace grounds, heading for the Royal Forest. The Prince and Alanna were soon talking and laughing.
From the palace, Tanwen and Thom leaned out of a window, watching the distant couple.
Thom looked at Alanna’s friend. “You don’t think….”
Tanwen raised her eyebrows. “I don’t think; I know. Isn’t it obvious that he likes her?”
“But do you think she likes him?”
“If she does, she won’t admit it. Why don’t you ask her? You’re her twin, she’ll more likely tell you than me!”
Thom shuddered, considering the idea. “I would, if I didn’t think she’d run me through with a dagger. Look, I have to go. I have duties to perform.”
----
Someone else was watching as the Prince and Alanna rode out of the palace. Duke Roger twirled his staff between his fingers idly, his handsome features ruined by his frown.
“Didn’t I tell Delia to maintain the Prince’s affections?” he said out loud, slamming the staff down on to his desk. “That Trebond girl could ruin my plans! I must deal with her accordingly…”
----
By the way, I’m assuming, for the purposes of this story only, that Jonathan did NOT die in the sweating sickness, with Alanna not there to heal him. In this story, Duke Roger didn’t send the sickness to Jon, as he has other throne-snatching plans. All will be revealed.
“No!” Alanna stuck her chin out stubbornly. “You’re not coming near me with those things!”
“M’lady, it won’t do you any harm!” said Mari, sighing. She held the heated tongs into the fire, taking Alanna’s hand firmly. “You said you wanted me to curl your hair for the ball tonight, and so I’m going to. It won’t take long.”
“I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want it curled any more. I’ll keep it straight, thank you very much.” Alanna struggled to remove her hand from Mari’s vice-like grip, but the Daughter refused to let go.
“Alanna of Trebond, you said you wanted me to curl your hair, and so I will. If you don’t stop being so silly, I’ll think you are turning out to be just another soft noble lady after all!”
At this, Alanna stopped struggling. As Mari knew well, Alanna’s worst nightmare was the thought that she might end up as a soft noblewoman.
Alanna winced as Mari yanked the tongs through her hair. They were very warm, and the burning heat reminded her of a time, what seemed like years ago, when she was ten years old…
-----
…She was in old Maude’s hut again, with Thom. Maude had sprinkled the vervain into the fire, and despite the fact that she had no Gift for seeing; she was trying to See in the fire. Alanna and Thom had told her of their plan to switch places; Thom would go to the convent and learn magic, Alanna would go to the palace and learn to be a knight. To the two, excited ten year olds, the plan seemed flawless.
Maude held their hands into the flames, ignoring Thom’s squeal. Alanna bit her lip, fighting the pain with that secret reserve of energy that she had always had, and that her twin didn’t.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, Maude drew their hand out of the fire. She looked at Alanna, and her expression was both proud and sympathetic. Alanna, young as she was, could never understand what that look meant.
“Child, I have seen many things that I do not understand, and many things that I do.” the old woman sighed. “You will be great, Lady Alanna of Trebond, but your path to greatness does not lie through knighthood. You have the strength, the courage, and the determination to be a knight, but the Goddess has other plans for you. You will go to the convent.”
Alanna slumped onto the floor, trying to hold back tears. Her twin looked just as upset as she did; she knew that he wanted to be a sorceror just as much as she wanted to be a knight. She held out her hand to him, and he took it, tears showing in his eyes.
“I know it is a disappointment to you, my children, but it is not for mortals to disobey the Gods.” Maude watched them both, that sad yet proud gleam still in her eyes.
It was only then that Alanna realised that the burning pain had ceased, and that there were no burns on either hers, Thom’s or Maude’s hands.
----------------
When Alanna came back to reality, Mari was dipping the hot tongs into a tub of cold water. She turned to Alanna, holding a mirror in her hand.
“There now, that wasn’t so bad, was it? You look beautiful!”
Alanna glanced at herself. Her flaming locks were hanging in ringlets to her shoulders. “I look so different!” she exclaimed.
Mari smiled at the overjoyed look on the girl’s face. “Now then, get your dress on, and I’ll fix the gems into your hair.”
When Alanna was finished, she looked a picture. Her hair, ringleted, was beaded with tiny purple gems, matching her eyes and her dress. The gown was silk, and had lacy trimmings.
“I never thought I’d say this,” said Alanna, frowning as she twiddled with a strand of hair. “But I’m actually looking forward to tonight!”
“I’m looking forward to seeing the look on the Prince’s face when he sees you!” Mari teased. Alanna went bright red, but said nothing, making Mari grin even more. The little rebel’s growing up, she thought. I’m not sure whether I’m sad or happy…
----
As Alanna walked into the room, there was a pause in the chatter. All around the room, ladies, according to whether they were acquaintances of Alanna or not; either looked up and grinned, or looked up and glared. Married men looked up, sighed, and wished that they weren’t already married, and young men just stared, awestricken. She pretended not to notice these varied reactions, as they made her feel uncomfortable. She looked around for Tanwen, and soon spotted her friend sitting by a window. She made her way over, avoiding the eyes of young knights.
“Well, Lady Alanna, you do look nice, for a change. It’s not fair, you always look better than me!” Tanwen grinned, as Alanna accepted a drink from a squire, and sat down next to her.
“Sorry. Does me hair look awful? Mari curled it for me. I didn’t want her to, but…”
“Alanna of Trebond, you look lovely.” Alanna looked up in surprise, and saw Duke Roger of Conté, the king’s handsome brother, smiling down at her. She had always avoided him in the past, sensing something that she definitely disliked about him. Now, according to court manners, she curtsied, holding out her hand for him to kiss.
“Thank you, Your Grace.”
It was at that moment that she felt it. It was as if someone was trying to search through her mind, and discover her deepest thoughts and feelings. She gasped, shocked. What was Duke Roger doing? She had heard he was a powerful sorceror, but why was he meddling… she shook her head. No time to ponder it, she told herself, not if you don’t want him to find out everything about you! Using her Gift, she shoved back those invisible claws, mentally telling them to leave her mind. As she pushed on them, she felt a pressure on her magic; it was painfully pushing her Gift away. She sent out a final surge of power, feeling the prying hand leave her mind.
The courtiers heard a scream, a flash of violet light, and gasped as Alanna fell to the floor, pale and unmoving.
----
Her dreams were little pictures, tiny visions that she was sure meant something significant, but she couldn’t make sense of them. She saw the Queen, King, and Jonathan, eyes wide with terror; a shadow cast over them. She saw that strange woman that had talked to her the night before she arrived at court. She saw herself, throwing a violet bolt of magic at someone, and feeling the life sucked from her body. She felt herself drowning; drowning in greed, hatred, and malice. Then there he was, smiling coldly.
“You try to fight me? We shall see…”
“I don’t know what you want, Duke Roger, but I know it’s not good, and I’m not going to let you have it!”
He smiled again, as if he had heard her, and her dream faded into nothingness.
----
“What happened? One moment she was talking to Duke Roger, and the next…” Tanwen gestured to the pale, unmoving form that was Alanna, lying in bed. Duke Baird, the palace’s best healer, was tending her.
Thom, looking worn and upset, shook his head. “I’m not sure, but I think he was trying to search her mind, you know, to see if she had any secrets.”
“But she wouldn’t let him. She used her Gift, against the most powerful sorceror in the Eastern lands. What was she thinking of?” Mari wondered.
“It worked though. He was thrown backwards by the power of her shove, so he can’t have found out anything from her.” said Thom.
“But why? What had she done to make him want to search her mind?” Tanwen looked scared.
“I don’t know…” Thom spoke softly, so as not to let Duke Baird hear. “But I think he tries to search the mind of everyone with the Gift when they arrive, just to check if they’re powerful. Funny things have happened to people with a powerful Gift. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think it’s coincidence. Roger doesn’t seem to like a threat to his label as the greatest sorceror.”
Mari gasped. “But Alanna has a lot of power! I trained her at the convent, so I know that! Duke Roger wouldn’t try anything with her, would he?”
Thom and Tanwen shrugged. It seemed that they didn’t understand any more than she did.
Duke Baird came over. “Lady Alanna should be all right. I’m not exactly sure what happened to her, but she suffered a severe shock, and will sleep for a few days now. I will come and check on her tomorrow, just to make sure that she does not have a relapse.”
Duke Baird left, shutting the door behind him. He had lied. He did know what had happened to Alanna, and he also knew that she would get well. He was pretty certain that it all had something to do with Duke Roger, but he didn’t want to air his views to the world; the Court worshipped Roger. He would have to talk to Alanna when she awoke, and see if he could find out a little more about what had happened that night…
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