"You have to go into Roger’s rooms after Queen Lianne’s coughing fit, remember," Faithful told her. Alanna nodded in reply.
Alanna was trying to make casual small talk with Raoul, when she heard Lianne start to cough. She turned and saw Duke Baird rush over to her. Alanna didn’t grip the ember stone, because she knew what she would see. Once again, as she had so many years ago, Alanna waited until the banquet was in full swing before she made her excuses and walked down to Roger’s rooms.
"You’re watchman again," she informed Faithful. Alanna really wasn’t worried about getting caught, though.
"Don’t get cocky…other people might make different decisions too the second time around," Faithful replied.
"Haha."
Alanna stopped in front of the first door. She took a deep breath and pushed her magic into the keyhole. She picked the lock and walked in. She walked straight to the second door and steeled herself.
"Be ready to wake me up," she commanded Faithful. A few seconds after performing the same rite, Faithful licked her nose, and she woke up. She opened the door and walked in. Her memory didn’t fail her, and she walked straight to the waterfall under which she found the doll of the queen. She grimaced at it, and then picked up the bag in which the other figurines were stored. Once again, she felt a sharp pain at her side.
"Thought you would’ve been smart enough to realize that you were going to drop yourself after the first time around."
"Shh!" she scolded her cat, picking up the mini figurine of herself. "Well," she thought grimly to herself, "show time."
She walked back to the banquet hall, and walked straight up to the majesties, ignoring the stares she was receiving. She caught the eyes of Myles, Jon, Gary, and Thom, and they all walked up with her, puzzled looks on all their faces. Alanna took a deep breath and faced the majesties.
Loudly and clearly, she said, "Your majesties, I have done a horrible thing. Tonight, I have broken the laws of chivalry. I broke into a man’s room. It was bad. However, what I found inside was worse, much more worse." She put the bag down in front of the king and queen and sneaked a glance at Roger. He looked very uncomfortable, as the queen let out a moan.
Jon and Myles’s faces were unreadable, Thom was glancing at the figures, and Gary was staring at Alanna.
Alanna stared at Duke Roger. "Shall I tell them in whose chambers I found these, Your Grace? Shall I tell them about what you were doing to the Queen’s image under the waterfall, making it waste away little by little, causing her to become more sick?"
Roger stood up, outraged. "Liar! Sire, Sir Alan is lying. He is jealous!"
"Jealous of what, your Grace," Alanna asked innocently.
"Jealous of my bond with her friend Jonathan. He placed the image of a queen under the waterfall, and he put everybody in a veil!"
"Why would I want to do that? I love Queen Lianne as if she was my own mother. I have no harm to hurt her of any of my friends."
"Liar! Do you deny that I thought you that kind of image magic? D you deny you don’t have the ability to do that?"
"Very interesting," Myles cold voice interrupted. "Think about who would have been next in line to the throne if Jon and his mother died. Would it not be you?"
"Liar! See how they try to turn you all against me?" Roger looked crazily around the room. "I demand my rights. I want a trial by combat against Sir Alan, my accuser. The loser will be the guilty one, and he will lose, because I am innocent!"
Alanna sighed. She was going to have to go through this again.
"You may have the combat," King Roald declared.
"I want it to be one hour from now, so I can stop the spread of poison!"
"It does not matter to me," Alanna said.
"The duel will be in the Great Throne Room, one hour from now," King Roald ruled.
Alanna went up to her room, and started to change into her dueling clothes. As she warmed up and stretched, she heard a knock on the door. She went to open it, and in came Jon, Myles, Gary, Coram, Thom, and even the George look-alike man in the burnoose. The man slipped off his burnoose and spoke first.
"Alan, are you crazy, lad?"
"George, it was now or never," Alanna responded wearily. "Oh, and I’ve had enough. Myles, everyone else knows. I’m a-"
"Girl. Yes, I know. I guessed when you were just a page." Myles sighed. "What is your real name?"
"Alanna."
"Alanna, you’re in big trouble, do you know that?! He is an experienced swordsman and a great sorcerer."
"Myles, I know, but I had to." She looked at Jon, who was very pale "Jon."
"When did you find out? Why didn’t you tell me?"
"I tried at the Black City, but you wouldn’t hear of it, remember? I’m so sorry, but I couldn’t let your mother die," she whispered into his ear, giving him a hug.
"Be careful. I love you and my parents more than him."
Thom looked at Alanna. "Be careful, sister. I know you can do it." He gave her a fierce hug and left the room. Myles, George, and Jon followed, each of them also hugging her. It was just her and Gary.
"Alanna…"
"Gary, please don’t say anything. I’ll be fine, honest." Alanna was trying to keep her voice straight.
"Be careful, and Mithros and Goddess bless," Gary replied, kissing her quickly on the cheek. Alanna hugged him and then there was a knock on the door.
"Come in."
"I’ve been sent up to tell you that you are now expected in the Great Throne Room," Timon, a palace hand told Alanna. "It’s not true about his Grace, is it?"
"I’m afraid so, Timon," Gary replied. They both followed Timon down.
Roger was already waiting for her, sword unsheathed. Alanna hugged each of her friends one last time, feeling that even if she didn’t need reassurance, they did.
She then stepped up to Roger and unsheathed Lightning.
"Let the combat begin," was Roald’s quiet order.
Alanna remembered how good Duke Roger was, as she dodged and blocked many of his blows. "At least my hands aren’t sore this time," she thought grimly to herself. Once again, the sorcerer was too quick and too big for her small and young body. Suddenly, it appeared as if Roger was holding two swords. Alanna had been waiting for this. Soon it would be time to reveal she was a girl.
"Foul," she could hear Thom crying. "He’s using an illusion spell!"
She ignored him and kept her mind focused on Roger, and she used her ember stone to tell which sword was real. Finally, she saw an opening, and reached for it. She nipped Roger with her sword. Roaring, he rushed at her and spliced her clothes down from collarbone to waist. All her clothing gave way, and for the second time in her life, people gaped at the curves that were showing form under her ruined corset. Roger was so shocked, he stopped the attack and stared.
"Halt!" Roald cried. "What in Mithros’s name is going on here?"
Thom stepped out and told Alanna, "I’ll explain, while you go fix that thing."
Alanna stepped behind a curtain, listening to what Thom was telling the majesties.
"You’ll have to forgive my sister…" he started. Alanna smiled at her brother. She waited until he was done before stepping out again.
"What do you have to say for yourself?" the King asked.
"I really didn’t want to lie to you. But I desperately wanted to be a knight. How else would I have gotten my shield?"
"Who knew?" the King demanded.
"I did since the Black City," Jon answered.
"I guessed," Myles added.
"I knew as well," Coram said quietly.
"I knew too," was Gary’s response.
"I did try to be honest about everything else," Alanna told the King.
Suddenly, Roger let out a battle roar and ran toward Alanna. "How dare you lie to us?!"
Alanna felt her temper rising, just as last time. She blocked every whirlwind move of his as fast as she could. Then, she started to attack as she remembered how the Duke had wronged her. She sliced here and there, cutting off a lock of the Duke’s hair, slicing his belt, and opening his tunic.
The fear in Roger’s eyes was evident, and suddenly, as Alanna expected, an orange cloud started to form around the Duke. As it spread toward the King and Jon, Alanna started to rush toward him. However, both the Duke and Alanna were distracted.
"No, Alanna! You’re going to kill yourself!" cried Gary as he rushed toward them both, his sword unsheathed.
"Gary!" Alanna cried. "Don’t!"
It was too late. Roger shook his head as if to clear it and as Alanna clutched her ember stone, she saw a wave of orange rushing toward Gary. Within a matter of two seconds, Gary was on the floor, unmistakably dead.
Alanna didn’t think in any way. "For Trebond and Tortall!" she roared charging at the Duke and piercing him with her sword before he had time to react. The orange cloud cleared, and Roger was pulling the sword out of his body. As Lightning slid out, so did Roger’s life force.
Everybody was staring at her, but she was only looking at Gary. She rushed over to him, and leaned over.
The tears only now started to flow as she wept beside the side of her dead lover, her dead friend. As Faithful came over to her and rubbed up against her, she clutched her ember stone. "Oh, Goddess," she whispered, before she blacked out.
