A knock on the door told her that Thom had come back. He gave her the material wordlessly, though his eyes were still warm and closed the door behind him. Alanna resumed her thoughts while she changed.
If she did not beat Jeris of Nylord, then how was Thom ever going to pay the money? Borrow the money from Jonathon? Thom’s pride would probably be hurt if she asked Jon for the money. She couldn’t believe that Thom had made a bet with someone involving physical activity, knowing that he couldn’t even do better than her!
She gave herself a check over in the mirror, nodded with satisfaction and opened the connecting door. Thom was muttering to himself, holding a book while Raoul was no where to be seen. For some reason, Thom was looking nervous.
"Where’s Raoul?" she questioned.
"Oh, he’s um-he’s gone to check out what the competition is like. Okay," he closed the book with a thud, "I’ve memorized the shrinking spell, but the effect is going to wear off around 3 - 4 hours. As soon as you’ve done, rush back here and I’ll undo the spell."
"Alright then. Make sure that the door is locked after I’ve left. If somebody knocks the door, don’t answer it. "
"I’m coming with you to the archery competition."
"What?" she turned to face him. "You can’t be serious Thom! If you came as well, then the plan –"
"I’m not stupid Alanna."
"Could have fooled me" she muttered under her breath, but Thom didn’t hear.
"I’ll be going to the competition as you, I’ve got everything sorted out."
"No Thom! No way are you going to the competition as me! If you intend to do that, then I absolutely refuse to take your spot!"
"But how am I – "
"That’s your problem, not mine. I’m sorry if I’m being harsh, but you can definitely not go to the comp dressed as me! Look Thom there are other ways to go to the competition. You could cast an invisibility spell over you or be disguised as a commoner."
"Oh I suppose so. Anyway we better hurry, there isn’t much time left. Sit down, close your eyes I’ll cast the spell. Don’t worry if you feel that your scalp is shrinking, that’s to be expected."
She did as she was told and felt Thom place his hands on her hair as he began murmuring the spell. To say the whole experience was nothing would have been a lie. Alanna felt as something inside her head was pulling the hair back into the roots, winding all the hair back, like a kite. She didn’t know how long the whole process took but when she heard Thom’s voice she realized that she had been tense the whole time. Slowly, she opened her eyes and touched her hair.
"Alanna how old are you?" he asked urgently.
"Same age as you. 16 years old." She heard Thom sigh with relief.
"Why did you—"
At that moment, Raoul burst the room.
"You guys better hurry, the whole place is getting filled up with people and Jeris is being his usual self, cocky and –" he stopped speaking abruptly, when he noticed that there were now two Thoms in the room. "Mithros… who’s who?"
Alanna practiced being Thom. "Have a guess, it really is quite simple."
But by the way he kept looking back and forth between them it wasn’t to him.
"I –I give up," he finally stuttered, "who’s who?" The only answer that came were the Trebond’s knowing smiles. "Oh well, one of you will reveal yourselves eventually. But as I was saying before Alanna you better hurry up. The crowd’s getting larger by the minute and Jeris is telling everybody about the bet. Also I brought a disguise," he held up some garments, "for you to wear Thom."
"In that case, let’s go then." Alanna started towards the door then smacked her forward. "Silly me, I forgot to ask. Thom where’s your bow and quiver?" He handed them to her as they walked towards the door.
"You needn’t to worry about the condition. I hardly use them at all, so you should be fine."
Alanna was about to leave, when Thom grasped her arm. "Good luck, Alanna. Show them what the Trebonds can do" he whispered, the warmth coming back into his eyes this time accompanied with hope.
"I’ll do my best." She embraced him tightly then left with more determination than ever to beat Jeris of Nylord.
"How are you faring Lady Delia?"
"I am quite well. Thank you Your Majesty. How about you, Your Majesty?"
"Quite well. Are you enjoying yourself?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. Today is such a nice day isn’t it?"
"Ah yes, quite a perfect day for the competition, wouldn’t you agree?"
"I couldn’t say it better myself, Your Majesty."
Again, they elapsed into silence, watching the noisy activity in front of them.
Jonathon sighed quietly. Was he doomed to make small talk for the rest of his life? Sure, Lady Delia was graceful, beautiful, polite and desirable but he wished that she’d be more interesting, more talkative, more fun. He wished that she’d be more - just then a flash of copper hair caught his eye.
Alanna weaved through the crowd and made her way to the table where she had to mark her name off. An old fat man was the only one there, with a doughy face that wasn’t quite too pleasant to look at
"Name?" grunted the fat man.
"Ala – Thom. Thom of Trebond."
The man peered at her and his whole face changed. "Thom? You - You’re the fool that made the bet with Jeris! Do you know lad, that the odds of you beating Jeris are 1 –100? But don’t worry, you’re going to do just fine!" the fat man roared with laughter.
Alanna quickly walked away from him, trying to fight the urge to slap the man. She sat down on a nearby bench and took deep breaths. So focused was she on her breathing, she didn’t notice that someone had eased themselves next to her.
"Thom, me lad. I’ve been your friend, for lotsa years now and I know tat’ you’re a bright un, but tis is just folly. How can ya ever beat Jeris? Even Mithros can’t help ya!" whispered the cloaked man next to her.
"I’d prefer if you didn’t talk to me at the moment sir."
"Sir?" the stranger chuckled softly. "Lad, don’t yer know who I am? It’s yer friend, George! From the Dancing Dove!"
"George?"
"Aye lad. I s’ppose yer too nervous to re’mber."
The horn sounded. It was time for the competition to begin.
Alanna stood up. "Goodbye, I have to get going now."
"Good luck lad. Yer going to need it. Lots of it." He called after her
"Thom does, but I don’t " she whispered to herself. "We’ll just have to wait and see."
***********************
Alanna was on her way to the marshalling area when she noticed that everybody had stopped speaking and were facing the podium where their Majesties and important nobles were situated. It was tradition that the King of the Tortallan Kingdom made a speech before the event. King Roald stood up and greeted his people.
"Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, welcome! I hope you’ve enjoyed yourselves but as you know the cause of this festivity is the annual archery competition. This event has been held each and every year and has been become a tradition. Squires compete against each other, as the aim is to show whom the best Tortallan knight-in-training archer is. Whoever wins this year’s competition," he paused for effect "shall be rewarded with 100 gold nobles."
The crowd murmured among themselves excitedly. The king clapped his hands. "So let us not wait any more longer…the best archer shall be revealed today!"
Alanna was waiting when she felt someone push her roughly from behind.
"Decided to show up dwarf?" drawled a voice, which dripped with sarcasm. "You surprise me Thom. Thought you’d be stealing money off one of your friends."
Alanna whirled around furiously. Her attacker was a few inches taller than she was, with blond hair and evil green eyes. His body was well muscled, for a teenager. Without a doubt, this had to be Jeris of Nylord. Several of his cronies accompanied him.
"And why would I do that?" she questioned with mock curiously.
"Because you don’t have that kind of money, " he replied sneeringly. "Why Thom, don’t you remember? We made a bet that you’d have to pay me 30 gold nobles if I won the competition. You better start stealing you piece of dung, this is a good time. Everybody’s out here instead of in their chambers and they don’t lock their doors at all."
"Hmm, you seem to know a lot about this," observed Alanna thoughtfully "perhaps this is what you’ve been doing in your spare time?"
Jeris raised his fist to punch Alanna, but one of his cronies stopped him. "Don’t do it now Jeris. If we start a fight now, then it’d be foolish of us. Everybody’ll think –"
Jeris waved his hand impatiently at him. "All right, all right." He faced Alanna. "Don’t think that you’ll get away with this. Everybody knows that I’m the best at archery and that you’re the worst at it. I’ll be waiting for my money " he warned threateningly. With this he walked off with his cronies.
A herald stepped into the middle of the yard and blared his horn 3 times, capturing everybody’s attention. "Contestants will compete in groups of 8. Those who’s arrows strike the center shall stay afterwards, while the others will be dismissed. Targets will be moved back 5 paces each time, until the winner is determined. First up, Dorm of Kanad, Geoffrey of Longhurst, Jeris of Nylord…" the herald went on to mention other names. Jeris walked forward, a cocky confident expression on his face.
The herald shouted "Fiiiirrrreeeeee!!!"
Arrows flew in the air, quite a few struck the center including Jeris’s. The crowd cheered for them. Group went after group, some people happy & some disappointed and each time the crowd cheered and the horns blared, but a little quieter each time. Alanna suddenly realized that they had saved all the poor archers till the last group. Her determined spirit faltered but only a bit. She scanned the crowds, searching for Thom and Raoul.
******************
"Raoul, this cloak’s making me itchy! And it smells like the stables!" hissed Thom.
"Sssh, be quiet! Otherwise people will find out!"
"But it sme - ah…point taken." Thom became silent.
A few minutes passed and Thom couldn’t keep it in any longer. " Raoul, what’s she doing now?"
"Be quiet! Do you want -"
"Raoul, this crowd’s too interested in the archery competition to be eavesdropping on us! Now tell me what is she doing? Can you see if she’s nervous? Scared?"
Raoul sighed. Why did his squire have to be so persuasive? "She’s just sitting on the bench, watching the competition."
He pulled the cloak tight around him. "Can you see her face?"
"Why can’t you go and see for yourself?"
"Cause if I do then, somebody’s going to notice my eyes!" Thom whispered fiercely
"Okay, okay. She looks calm, at peace."
"What? Are you sure?"
"Yes I’m sure my one true itchy friend " said Raoul wryly.
"Shut up Raoul. You think that I’m happy with this plan?"
"You seem to be content with it."
"Didn’t anybody tell you the expression, ‘looks can be deceiving?’ I wish I could have some kind of spell to turn back time. Boy, could I fix all the mistakes I’ve made." He sighed. "Alanna shouldn’t be involved with this plan. I should be the one out there, but no I’m here, hiding. After so many years of training, I still can’t defend myself. Jeris was right. I am a pathetic coward " Thom whispered hoarsely, a dead look in his eyes.
Raoul shifted uncomfortably on the wooden bench. This was a side of Thom he had never seen in the past before and he didn’t like it. "That’s not true. You are brave," dry laughter came from Thom. Raoul went on "to stand all these years of training. You could’ve run away from the palace, but you didn’t. You stayed here and faced it. I admit, you don’t do well in the fighting arts, but you do extremely well in sorcery. Your greatest dream was to become a sorcerer and you’re achieving it. You don’t bully people. You treat people with respect. You’re not like Jeris who’s a jerk. I’m honored to know you and have you as a friend Thom of Trebond." Raoul coughed, suddenly embarrassed. "Point is, you’re not a coward. Everything is going to work out." He tried to sound gruff.
Thom looked up at his knight master slowly. "Thank you," he said softly " thank you for saying that. It means a lot to me."
The crowd cheered, disrupting the warm connection between them. This time Thom cheered as well, standing on his feet. Raoul hid a smile. Thom was once more his old self again.
Meanwhile, Jonathon wasn’t having a grand time with Lady Delia. His mother had forced him to invite Lady Delia to sit with them during the archery competition and being the, well, obedient son he was, he had obeyed. Lady Delia was ecstatic that he had invited her but thinking an entirely different reason as to why he had invited her. Jonathon had tried several topics with the brunette, hoping that they could really talk about something. But so far, no luck. The woman just wasn’t interesting. Queen Lianne gave her son a meaningful look. Jonathon rolled his eyes and cleared his throat.
"Are you enjoying the competition Lady Delia?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. Thank you for asking." She seemed distracted.
"Something the matter?" he inquired.
"Oh, nothing really. It’s just that, that boy with the red hair sitting on the bench seems familiar."
Jonathon looked where she pointed. "Ah, do you know Thom of Trebond?" Maybe someone they both knew?
"Is that his name? How fascinating! There use to be a girl at the convent where I attended called Lady Alanna of Trebond. "
"Really? Did you know her?" asked Jonathon.
"Oh no, I just knew that she attended the same convent as I. But throughout the years, I heard quite a lot of things about her."
"Such as? If I may ask, Lady Delia." He added hastily.
"Of course Your Majesty. Well one of them was that she was making up the fact that she was sick, which was most of the time, because she had a lover in the city. Another one was that she wanted to be a knight when she grew up." Delia sniggered. "A rather silly idea, wouldn’t you agree Your Majesty?"
"Well not really." He didn’t what it was, but he felt a strange urge to defend Alanna. " I mean, maybe she would’ve made an excellent knight?"
Delia just looked at him, not believing him, until she suddenly burst into laughter. "Oh Your Majesty, you perform a jest so convincingly! For a moment there, I thought you were serious!" She patted his arm, still laughing.
Jonathon frowned. " Pardon me Lady Delia, but it was not a – "
The herald blew his trumpet (a/n: or was it a horn?), drowning Jonathon’s words. "And the last group," the herald proclaimed " Jonan of Fareway, Naluf of Shrek (A/N: I ran out of names!), Thom of Trebond…" Jonathon didn’t hear the rest. His eyes were riveted on the violet-eyed figure, which so reminded him of a certain person. (a/n: yeah I know that was crap…I was trying to create a hmm-maybe-jon-is-falling-for-alanna kind of feel….Guess I totally failed that!)
Thom was trying to get part of his cloak out from under the fat lady sitting next to him when he suddenly heard his name called out loud. Whipping his head around, he saw his twin emerge from the benches set aside. His throat suddenly went dry. It was time.
Alanna stood up at the sound of her brother’s name being mentioned, a small knot forming in her stomach. "Good luck Thom" Jeris called out from his seat. "Make sure that you fire the arrow forward. We wouldn’t want a repeat of last time in practice would we?" His cronies laughed outright at this. The crowd was definitely amused when they saw the last group of archers. Thom of Trebond was competing in an archery competition? Thom of Trebond who couldn’t even control his own horse or barely defend himself in swordplay? What folly! Still, everybody gradually became quiet, eager to witness Thom’s foolishness.
Alanna’s heart rate sped up as she made her way to the target assigned to her. She tried to take deep breaths, tried to calm herself down but it didn’t work. She was scared. What’s this? Okay don’t panic! She thought frantically Don’t panic! Just focus on the target. Everything is just going to be fine! She loaded her arrow and pulled it back to her ear, focusing on the target. It was now her and the target.
The herald gave the signal. "Fiiiirrrreeee!"
Arrows flew in the air. Some hit the target while others made the ground. But not one of them was Alanna’s.
Heads turned to find out the reason why there were no cries of "Oww, my buttocks!"
Alanna just stood there, frozen like a statue. Her feet were parted slightly, the arrow pulled back to her ear, her stance correct. What was the problem? Someone yelled out "What’s the matter Thom? Afraid of the big bad bow?" The crowd tried to hide their laughter with little success.
The herald was annoyed. There were a lot of groups to get through today and this boy was stopping him from letting the competition proceed. "Thom of Trebond, if you intend to shoot that arrow, then I suggest you do so now otherwise I shall have no choice but to disqualify you from the archery competition. Do you hear me?" The crowd waited for Thom’s decision. Would he have the guts to do so?
Alanna’s whole body was trembling with fear and nervousness. She fought to keep the bow posed. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the herald coming towards her, ready to take her away. She sent a silent prayer to the Great Mother Goddess to protect her and with her eyes shut close, she let the arrow loose.
**********************
The crowd became silent as the arrow soared through the air. Here was the moment where Thom of Trebond would make a fool out of himself! For a moment it seemed that time had stopped, with the exception of the twisting arrow. Many pairs of eyes followed the arrow as it made it’s way to the target, expecting it to dive into the ground. But that never happened. Instead it dug firmly into the center of the target. Mouths hung open; eyes bulged, people not believing what they saw. The redhead boy had hit the target! Thom of Trebond, who couldn’t even get close to the target in the practice, who couldn’t stay in the saddle for more than a few minutes, had hit the target! This was unbelievable! Eyes stared at the young youth that was responsible for this – this miracle! For a long time no body made a sound. The herald was astounded. He had heard of this boy’s reputation as the Worst Squire. And now in front of him, the boy had hit the target! Shaking his head, he cleared his throat. Whatever the case, the competition had to proceed.
"Congratulations Thom of Trebond. Now would you mind stepping to the side please? I do believe it is the next group’s turn " the herald said quietly.
"What? Oh yes! Sorry about that!" Alanna walked away, herself a bit stunned. She hid a smile as she noticed Jeris’s shocked expression. Now that the worst is over she thought as she sat down I might be able to have some fun!
Thom had to bite his lip from yelling out "I knew you could do it Sis!" when the arrow hit the target. The happiness and relief bubbled inside him threatening to explode from him. "Did you see that Raoul?" he asked excitedly. "Did you see that! She hit the target in the middle! She can go into the next group! She’s in! She’s going to beat Jeris!"
Raoul had to laugh at his squire’s reaction. "Yes, I saw it. I’m not a blind man. She certainly gave everybody a surprise! I thought she wasn’t going to compete at all when she froze! But " his tone now serious "we don’t know if she can beat Jeris. I admit your sister is good, but Jeris has had several years of training and practice here at the palace. I don’t wish to admit this, but I think that – "
Thom clamped his hand over Raoul’s mouth. "Don’t. Say. It. Raoul. Don’t even think it. I won’t have you discourage me or jinx Alanna. Alanna’s going to win." He gazed down at his twin sister. "I just know it."
"I admire your faith in your sister, but could you remove your hand please? No offense, but it smells like the stables! And it’s not exactly pleasant!"
Lady Delia examined a scarlet nail as the competition continued. She couldn’t believe how boring the archery competition was. Still though, it was worth sitting next to Prince Jonathon of Tortall, who would someday become King Jonathon of Tortall. And the King needs a Queen she thought so who would make a better queen than me? No one at all!
The first time she had laid her eyes on the Prince, Delia had only one goal in mind: to become the next Queen of Tortall. Since then she had gained a reputation as the meanest (although Jonathon was unaware of this) and the prettiest woman at court. Numerous marriage proposals had been offered to her but she had rejected them all, still waiting for one in particular. She glanced over at the Prince. Goddess, he was so handsome! Finally he notices me! She thought ruefully He sure took his time! I could’ve been married by now! But then of course her chance of being the next Queen would have been taken away and she couldn’t have that, could she? Smoothing the creases in her dress, she recalled how many ladies had been a threat to her goal. There were too many to count, but none of them were serious. Except one. Princess Josiane of the Copper Isles. Her emerald green eyes narrowed at the thought of that blonde-haired beauty. The snobby princess had made it clear on the first day that she intended to become the Queen, thus destroying Delia’s plan. It didn’t help Delia that Josiane and Jonathon’s mothers were friends. Not at all. Every time she saw Jonathon, Josiane was always with him. They both seemed so close. It was like as if she was stuck to his side permanently. Delia had to get rid of her, when she overhead Princess Josiane and the Queen making plans for the royal marriage of her and Jonathon. So Delia started a rumor that Josiane was going to become a lunatic in the future. It was common knowledge that every once in a while, someone in the royal Copper Isles bloodline became a killing maniac. Eventually, the news reached the Prince’s ears and Jonathon dumped Josiane, as Delia had hoped, graciously. The Princess didn’t take the news too well. She remembered the day when Josiane sobbed her way to the carriage. What a beautiful day that was. Sneaking a peek at the Prince, she smiled secretly. Her goal would be achieved soon.
After he had recovered from his shock, Jeris had just sneered at Thom (a/n: jeris’s pov this time), saying that it was just a lucky shot. But as the competition went on, it was becoming clear that his theory wasn’t true. Thom was hitting the target every time. It seemed that he was at ease and that he actually enjoyed it! Somehow, someway he had turned into a decent archer, almost as good as – No! That’s not possible! No one can ever be as good as me! Jeris thought fiercely I am the best! Jeris of Nylord is the best! Thom won’t beat me! He won’t beat me! Still though, he wasn’t very reassured by these thoughts as Thom continued to excel.
******************
Alanna wiped her sweaty palms on her tunic as she walked towards the benches. She had just completed another round. So far she hadn’t been eliminated and she still continued to amaze the audience, some of them wondering if they had made the right choice on the bet. Settling herself down she scanned the crowds again, trying to find her brother and his knight-master. Yet again no luck. Her eyes traveled over to the podium. The Queen’s side was occupied by Jonathon … who was talking to a woman next to him. Alanna sat up. She wasn’t there before! Squinting her eyes, she tried to get a better view. The woman seemed vaguely familiar. She had chestnut hair, green eyes…Alanna widened her eyes in recognition. Delia of Eldorne! She couldn’t believe what she saw. Delia’s here? She thought Great Gods!
Delia of Eldorne had made a lasting impression at the convent. She had always gotten what she wanted, no matter what. Although Alanna had known her, she had never talked to her. The reason was that she couldn’t defend herself. Sure, she could defend herself in combat, but Delia had a sharp mind and a mouth that could shock even the sternest Daughters. Delia could make your life hell.
Alanna couldn’t help but feel a tinge of jealousy as she watched the couple, Delia inching closer by the second. Control yourself her stern side ordered Jon’s a friend. Nothing more, nothing less. Why should you be jealous? You’ve never liked anyone in the past! Focus on the competition! That’s the most important thing, focus, focus! Alanna drew a deep breath and cleared out her mind, with only one thing remaining.
The competition.
With each round, the groups were getting smaller and smaller. And with each round Alanna grew more confidant while Jeris on the other hand was getting nervous, though it didn’t show in his performance. More people started to wonder if they had indeed made the wrong choice in the bet. Round went after round until it was just down to Jeris, Geoffrey of Longhurst and Alanna.
The herald blew his horn and announced the last group. "Since this is our last group and there are only 3 contestants left, the competition rules have been altered." The crowd murmured in curiousity. This had never happened before. "There shall be one target present only, stood back at one hundred and fifty paces." Alanna silently gasped. The farthest the targets had been were eighty paces! "Each contestant shall receive three turns each, one at a time. Any of the contestants who do not hit the target shall be dismissed immediately. A winner shall be determined by whoever’s arrow is closest to the center of the target. As this is a very exciting competition, we have 2 judges to overcome any judging difficulties: Duke Gareth of Naxen and Sir Myles of Olau. The final contenders are: Jeris of Nylord, Geoffrey of Longhurst and … Thom of Trebond."
The three stepped out, with the audience eager to see who would win. Alanna ignored the their stares at her back, as she fitted her arrow to her bow with shaking hands. She could feel the excitement rising inside her but she refused to let it get a hold on her. Patiently, she waited.
The herald repeated the instructions he had given to the audience then told them in which order they would go in. Jeris would go first, Geoffrey second and Alanna last. He gave the signal and Jeris fired his arrow, where it landed halfway between the center and the edge of the target. Geoffrey’s arrow landed a few inches away from Jeris’s, while Alanna’s nearly missed the target, landing just on the edge. She cursed herself. Stupid! What was that?! I almost didn’t make it! Okay, I’ve still got two more goes. Just stay calm and focus. Focus focus! Breathing in deeply, she loaded her bow.
The assistants quickly removed the arrows from the target and scattered, not wanting to receive an unpleasant surprise from the archers. The herald gave the signal once again. Jeris fired, this time, his arrow landing closer to the center. Geoffrey’s arrow missed the target completely, causing him to break his bow across his knee and a yell of anguish. Alanna’s effort wasn’t much better than the last one. Her arrow landed a few inches from where her previous arrow had been. The betters in the audience sighed with relief. It looked like they were going to win the bet, the way Alanna was going.
The assistants repeated their actions and the herald gave the signal again. This was it. The decider. Who would get their money and whose reputation would be changed. Confidently, Jeris fitted his arrow and carefully aimed it, taking more time than usual. Letting the arrow fly, it landed in the center. Or so it seemed to him. The judges announced that although it was very close to the center, he hadn’t made it. Apparently the arrow had just missed the center’s circle. Alanna nearly fell down with relief. She still had a chance! Jeris, on the other hand, was fit to be tied. He was about to complain to the judges, when he thought why should he be so angry. He was competing against Thom of Trebond, the loser. Thom wasn’t that good. Not as good as Jeris anyway, so why should he care? Thom wasn’t going to win. Jeris had already won anyway. Satisfied with this thought, he remained where he was.
Alanna’s palms were suddenly sweaty, as she fitted her arrow. Her heat began to thump heavily and the audience’s rudeness. She gritted her teeth grimly. No she would not let it get to her. She glanced up at the crowd and surprisingly found Thom in the midst of them all. Although he was wearing a cloak, his expression was clear on his face. His violet eyes were calm and full of trust, his mouth set in a grin. He had faith in her. Thom believed she could do it. Just staring at his face helped her to steady herself physically and mentally. Slowly she pulled the arrow back to her ear, ignoring Jeris’s taunts, which could only be heard by her, the crowd’s teasing and the herald’s urges to hurry up again. Her determination rushing back to her, she let loose the arrow. It glided through the air, carrying Alanna’s confidence.
Everybody gasped as it struck the dead center of the target. There was not a sound to be heard. Someone slowly clapped, almost hesitantly. Then it was joined by another person and followed by another one. Soon enough, the whole crowd was clapping, including Their Majesties. The result was thunderous applause. Alanna glanced at Jeris.
Jeris was staring with disbelief at Thom. This is not happening. Thom of Trebond, the worst archer in all of Tortall, did not win the competition. He didn’t win the bet of 30 gold nobles. He couldn’t have – Jeris’s eyes rolled back and he fell down, landing on the grass in a pile.
Alanna grinned as officials rushed to help the fallen squire. She knew it was rude, but she still did it anyway. The expression on his face – Alanna had to control herself from laughing out loud. She turned away from them and faced the crowd. Thom was staring straight at her, with an expression all too clear to Alanna. I knew you could do it. Thank you sister dear, I won’t ever forget this. I love you. Blushing, she made her way to the stand where she would be rewarded with her prize of 100 gold nobles. But the greatest prize of all, was the gratitude on Thom’s face. She would treasure that forever.
********************
*NEW*
Alanna rushed up the stairs to Thom’s rooms, praying that he be already there. She knocked on the door and unfortunately no reply came. Damn it! Where was Thom? She slid down against the wall. If he didn’t come soon enough, she would have to endure another painful experience given to her by the crowd.
After receiving her reward, the crowd had surrounded her and congratulated her, by slapping her back hard enough to make her cough, messing up her hair and giving her handshakes with a grip that nearly broke Alanna’s bones. Finally, after what seemed like eternity, the crowd let her go, making her promise to spend some time with them. She had just nodded and merely smiled, no definite answer given.
Her muscles ached, her feet were exhausted and sweat swept her body, but Alanna felt proud. Even great. She, Alanna of Trebond, a girl who had spent 6 years at a convent, had just beaten the best squires in all of Tortall. Not to mention the fact that they were all male. And they had had more training than she had. And they didn’t have to learn two sets of things at the same time. And they –
Someone shook her. "Thom! Are you all right?"
Alanna’s head snapped up. Jonathon was peering at her, the expression of worry clearly etched on his handsome face.
"Oh-oh me?" she spluttered, surprised. "I’m-I’m fi-fi-fine! Just err…err…taking a rest! Tir - tired. The competition exhausted me."
"Ah, I see. Congratulations on your win by the way! But I say, wouldn’t it be more comfortable to be inside your room?"
"My room…? Oh! My room! That’s a good idea! But err, I can’t, cause you see…I err…err…I – "
"Because he forgot his key and has a forgetful memory." A voice joked. "Which is why I’m his knight-master." Raoul appeared behind Jonathon.
"Yep, that’s it! Raoul hit the nail right on the head! Don’t you think he’s smart Jon? I think he’s the smartest person alive!"
The Prince raised his eyebrows. "Are you sure you’re all right?"
"What? Of course! I’m as fit as a fiddle!"
Raoul coughed. "Must be the heat out there. I hear it can cause some damage to the mind."
Jonathon nodded slowly, his eyes sceptical. "Yes I see."
Thom’s knight-master ushered Alanna into the unlocked room. "Well, I think Ala - Thom needs a bit of a rest, so best leave him to it."
"Absolutely. Well, tell him that we’ll do something to celebrate his win. When he’s well that is. "
"Sure thing, Jon." Raoul promised
The prince nodded briskly and walked away. Raoul watched him until he could see him no more and then motioned for a cloaked figure to come into his room.
"What in the Great Goddess’s name took you people so long?" Alanna demanded angrily when her twin appeared.
Thom removed the cloak. "I got held up, okay? Everybody was trying to congratulate you, so I had to wait till everybody was gone and then I could get here!"
"You sure took your time!" she retorted.
"Jeez, what’s your problem Alanna? I thought you’d be happy after winning!"
"What’s my problem?! I’ll – " Alanna shook her head. "Sorry. I don’t know what came over me. Can we just get the spell done?"
"Okay, okay. Sit down on that chair and I’ll undo the spell."
"There better not be any mistakes" she grumbled as she sat "otherwise I will see to it that you’ll have frogs coming out of your throat!"