( Disclaimer: Very little here is mine. The plot is mine. That's about
all. that characters are TP's (except for Jakat al Mohanon, Machali of
Nond) and the setting is TP's.. The first part of chapterone is an
excerpt from Lioness RampantNOW YOU CAN'T SUE ME!!! HAHA!!!
Part One: The Desert
Chapter One
Alanna started to think about her trip north, before the roads turned bad with winter rain and snow. Since she was trying to weave a blanket for George's Midwinter present, she decided to set out when it was done. She was working alone in her tent one afternoon when a shadow blocked the light on her work. George Cooper, cloak and riding boots covered with dust, entered the tent.
Alanna put down her shuttle. She could feel her heart drumming, and it took an effort to say lightly, "I was sort of hoping you'd come before this."
He sat beside her, examining the cloth on the loom. "I'd hoped to come before this, too," he admitted. "Truth to tell, givin' up the rogue and turnin' respectable- it takes gettin' used to. Some days I get up out of bed not knowin' who I am. Jonathan kept me busy, like I wrote you. Too, the castle down at Pirate's Swoop had to be fixed up proper before I brought-" He stopped. "Jon's announced he's to marry Thayet," he said abruptly. "The Bazhir will have told you."
"It's one of the advantages to having a king who's also the Voice." His face would be easier to read is his back weren't to the light!
"Thayet says you gave your blessin'"
"I did." She curled her hands around her elbows to hide their trembling.
"You're not sorry for it? Had you wanted, you'd be Queen."
"I didn't want it."
He reached out to toy with the emberstone. "What do you want, Alanna?"
She caught his hand and met his eyes, smiling. "I want to be yours. If you're still interested."
His fingers tightened on hers. "Why?"
Alanna looked down. "I love you."
He made her look at him. "Enough to wed with me? Enough to give up roamin' and settle down and be lady of Pirate's Swoop?" She looked at him quizzically, and he blushed. "Well, to roam with me along." Alanna nodded. George took a breath. "Enough to bear my -our- little ones?"
She blushed. "I'd like to have you to myself for a year or two. After that, we'll have all the children we want." Her voice cracked as she added, "I'll be proud to."
Rising, George pulled Alanna into his arms. "So I finally tamed myself a lioness," he whispered when they broke their kiss.
Alanna laughed. "I wouldn't called it tamed, laddy-me-love. The lady of Pirate's Swoop shouldn't be tame."
George grinned. "Particularly not when she's King's Champion, to boot. That's all right, then." He picked her up for another kiss. When he finally put her down, he took her hand and drew her out of the tent. "Come on, Lioness. We can tell your tribe we're betrothed."
--Excerpt from Lioness Rampant
Alanna laughed, and followed him out of the tent.
Upon approaching the central fire, she began to feel the flutters of nervousness begin in her stomach. Sighing, she decided it couldn't be more than jitters, and looked up at George, her fiancé, her friend, her love.
He saw her look and smiled. Warmth filled her heart. Oh, this was why she was engaged.
At the central fire, Halef Seif noticed them. "Welcome, Woman Who Rides Like A Man, King of the Thieves. What brings you to the fire this early in the afternoon?"
Alanna was trying to form the words when they got caught in her throat, George saw, and answered for her. "My lovely Lioness and I shall be wed."
Halef Seif looked at Alanna, who nodded.
"Well. Congratulations then! May Mithros and the Goddess bless your marriage." He eyed George carefully. As they turned to leave he whispered, "Take care of her, sir."
Something streaked by, and Alanna turned, and then put it out of her mind. It couldn't be important.
"I think we should tell the rest of the tribe later, at the evening fire. Please," she entreated in a small voice as they returned to Alanna's tent.
"Lioness, never fear, did not the Goddess tell you, learn to love." She looked at him oddly.
"How did you-" He grabbed her and bent her back and silenced her by kissing her fervently. His mouth traveled over hers, seeking a way in. She obliged, and soon they were kissing passionately. Their mouths and hands went everywhere, covering each other. They did not seem to notice her amethyst Gift leaking out of her, speeding away.
At least, not until she sagged. In mid-embrace, Alanna fell to the floor. George caught her. "Lass?" She did not answer, out cold. "Lioness, what happened?" He probed her with his Sight, and immediately knew the problem.
"FARDA," he roared. "Come quick!!!" Her Gift was gone, and without it, she could die within minutes. He picked his Lioness up.
He ran out of the tent carrying her, limp in his arms. Farda met him halfway to her tent, having heard his yell. "What is it?" she asked as they ran to the infirmary.
"She just dropped, and I checked her with my Sight. Her Gift is gone. Vanished. As if someone had stolen it from her." he panted. "But who, and why?"
"Gone." Once inside the infirmary, George carefully laid Alanna down on a cot, and Farda bent over her, examining the Lioness with her Gift. "You're right," she announced with pain in her eyes. "Her gift is gone, as if it never were."
"What will you do to get it back?" he demanded. "She'll die without it."
"Not right now, she won't." Farda answered hotly, angered by his tone. "She's lost her Gift, but her life force isn't being used up."
He groaned, "Well, that's good, but how will she retrieve it; and more importantly, how will she wake up?"
"She simply needs to come around, she fainted from, I guess you would call it shock, from the absence of her Gift, but when she wakes up she still won't have her magic, it won't replenish itself like this. She will have to find whoever did this to her and undo the spell. Of course, he or she may taint her magic, causing it to come back corrupted, if this person wishes her evil. Or, he or she may just want to keep her magic."
As George listened, he decided that neither possibility sounded good to him. He didn't want Alanna to go into a fight that most likely would come down to magic- without her Gift. And he certainly didn't want Alanna's Gift to be corrupted or tainted. He would have to do this himself. "Thank you for tellin' me, keep an eye on my lady," he said as he walked out. She glanced at him oddly, but nodded.
He used his Sight to make all magic visible to him. He blocked out much of it, including Farda's healing, the Bazhir Voice, and the shaman's warrior magic. At last he saw it. Violet light streamed through the air, heading toward a large teal blaze. He smirked and strode in the direction of the teal glow, before extinguishing his Sight.
Upon arrival, he found himself in front of the tents where the Bazhir housed their guests. Taking a deep breath, he opened the tent flap and walked in.
"Hello, George Cooper, nice to see you again," greeted the host.
George nodded. "Might there be a man or woman here with a teal Gift? Someone wishes me to relay a message to him or her."
"I believe so. In the tent two from the back and four from the right, resides Jakat al Mohanon. I believe his Gift is blue-green, what you would call 'teal.'"
"My thanks." George left in search of Jakat al Mohanon. The guest host watched him go, and from the look on George's face, he had the idea that the message probably wasn't 'Blessings'.
~*~*~*~*~
Hope you liked it! Please Read and Review thanks!!!!!!
Part One: The Desert
Chapter One
Alanna started to think about her trip north, before the roads turned bad with winter rain and snow. Since she was trying to weave a blanket for George's Midwinter present, she decided to set out when it was done. She was working alone in her tent one afternoon when a shadow blocked the light on her work. George Cooper, cloak and riding boots covered with dust, entered the tent.
Alanna put down her shuttle. She could feel her heart drumming, and it took an effort to say lightly, "I was sort of hoping you'd come before this."
He sat beside her, examining the cloth on the loom. "I'd hoped to come before this, too," he admitted. "Truth to tell, givin' up the rogue and turnin' respectable- it takes gettin' used to. Some days I get up out of bed not knowin' who I am. Jonathan kept me busy, like I wrote you. Too, the castle down at Pirate's Swoop had to be fixed up proper before I brought-" He stopped. "Jon's announced he's to marry Thayet," he said abruptly. "The Bazhir will have told you."
"It's one of the advantages to having a king who's also the Voice." His face would be easier to read is his back weren't to the light!
"Thayet says you gave your blessin'"
"I did." She curled her hands around her elbows to hide their trembling.
"You're not sorry for it? Had you wanted, you'd be Queen."
"I didn't want it."
He reached out to toy with the emberstone. "What do you want, Alanna?"
She caught his hand and met his eyes, smiling. "I want to be yours. If you're still interested."
His fingers tightened on hers. "Why?"
Alanna looked down. "I love you."
He made her look at him. "Enough to wed with me? Enough to give up roamin' and settle down and be lady of Pirate's Swoop?" She looked at him quizzically, and he blushed. "Well, to roam with me along." Alanna nodded. George took a breath. "Enough to bear my -our- little ones?"
She blushed. "I'd like to have you to myself for a year or two. After that, we'll have all the children we want." Her voice cracked as she added, "I'll be proud to."
Rising, George pulled Alanna into his arms. "So I finally tamed myself a lioness," he whispered when they broke their kiss.
Alanna laughed. "I wouldn't called it tamed, laddy-me-love. The lady of Pirate's Swoop shouldn't be tame."
George grinned. "Particularly not when she's King's Champion, to boot. That's all right, then." He picked her up for another kiss. When he finally put her down, he took her hand and drew her out of the tent. "Come on, Lioness. We can tell your tribe we're betrothed."
--Excerpt from Lioness Rampant
Alanna laughed, and followed him out of the tent.
Upon approaching the central fire, she began to feel the flutters of nervousness begin in her stomach. Sighing, she decided it couldn't be more than jitters, and looked up at George, her fiancé, her friend, her love.
He saw her look and smiled. Warmth filled her heart. Oh, this was why she was engaged.
At the central fire, Halef Seif noticed them. "Welcome, Woman Who Rides Like A Man, King of the Thieves. What brings you to the fire this early in the afternoon?"
Alanna was trying to form the words when they got caught in her throat, George saw, and answered for her. "My lovely Lioness and I shall be wed."
Halef Seif looked at Alanna, who nodded.
"Well. Congratulations then! May Mithros and the Goddess bless your marriage." He eyed George carefully. As they turned to leave he whispered, "Take care of her, sir."
Something streaked by, and Alanna turned, and then put it out of her mind. It couldn't be important.
"I think we should tell the rest of the tribe later, at the evening fire. Please," she entreated in a small voice as they returned to Alanna's tent.
"Lioness, never fear, did not the Goddess tell you, learn to love." She looked at him oddly.
"How did you-" He grabbed her and bent her back and silenced her by kissing her fervently. His mouth traveled over hers, seeking a way in. She obliged, and soon they were kissing passionately. Their mouths and hands went everywhere, covering each other. They did not seem to notice her amethyst Gift leaking out of her, speeding away.
At least, not until she sagged. In mid-embrace, Alanna fell to the floor. George caught her. "Lass?" She did not answer, out cold. "Lioness, what happened?" He probed her with his Sight, and immediately knew the problem.
"FARDA," he roared. "Come quick!!!" Her Gift was gone, and without it, she could die within minutes. He picked his Lioness up.
He ran out of the tent carrying her, limp in his arms. Farda met him halfway to her tent, having heard his yell. "What is it?" she asked as they ran to the infirmary.
"She just dropped, and I checked her with my Sight. Her Gift is gone. Vanished. As if someone had stolen it from her." he panted. "But who, and why?"
"Gone." Once inside the infirmary, George carefully laid Alanna down on a cot, and Farda bent over her, examining the Lioness with her Gift. "You're right," she announced with pain in her eyes. "Her gift is gone, as if it never were."
"What will you do to get it back?" he demanded. "She'll die without it."
"Not right now, she won't." Farda answered hotly, angered by his tone. "She's lost her Gift, but her life force isn't being used up."
He groaned, "Well, that's good, but how will she retrieve it; and more importantly, how will she wake up?"
"She simply needs to come around, she fainted from, I guess you would call it shock, from the absence of her Gift, but when she wakes up she still won't have her magic, it won't replenish itself like this. She will have to find whoever did this to her and undo the spell. Of course, he or she may taint her magic, causing it to come back corrupted, if this person wishes her evil. Or, he or she may just want to keep her magic."
As George listened, he decided that neither possibility sounded good to him. He didn't want Alanna to go into a fight that most likely would come down to magic- without her Gift. And he certainly didn't want Alanna's Gift to be corrupted or tainted. He would have to do this himself. "Thank you for tellin' me, keep an eye on my lady," he said as he walked out. She glanced at him oddly, but nodded.
He used his Sight to make all magic visible to him. He blocked out much of it, including Farda's healing, the Bazhir Voice, and the shaman's warrior magic. At last he saw it. Violet light streamed through the air, heading toward a large teal blaze. He smirked and strode in the direction of the teal glow, before extinguishing his Sight.
Upon arrival, he found himself in front of the tents where the Bazhir housed their guests. Taking a deep breath, he opened the tent flap and walked in.
"Hello, George Cooper, nice to see you again," greeted the host.
George nodded. "Might there be a man or woman here with a teal Gift? Someone wishes me to relay a message to him or her."
"I believe so. In the tent two from the back and four from the right, resides Jakat al Mohanon. I believe his Gift is blue-green, what you would call 'teal.'"
"My thanks." George left in search of Jakat al Mohanon. The guest host watched him go, and from the look on George's face, he had the idea that the message probably wasn't 'Blessings'.
~*~*~*~*~
Hope you liked it! Please Read and Review thanks!!!!!!