Title: Court Games
Author: Ayla Pascal
Summary: When Roger turns back time and reveals Alanna to be a girl, she gets sent to the convent. Five years later, Alanna goes to court to search for a husband. AU. Alanna-Roger.
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Alanna/Roger
Author Notes: I apologise for how long I took with this chapter. And unfortunately, it is a rather small chapter, however, I do plan on doing regular updates of this fic again, so yay!
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Chapter 6: A Surprising Incident
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Without a backwards glance, Alanna spun on her heel – careful not to step on her dress – and stormed off. "Don't bother!" she yelled behind her, knowing that Thom was about to open his mouth. They may have been apart for five years, but she still knew her brother's reactions like the back of her hand.
Twenty minutes later, Alanna looked around at the unfamiliar courtyard she was in and began to wish that she hadn't walked off. As the other ladies in the convent had always said, she had a fiery temper and should have learned how to curb it long before she entered the convent. She stared around hoping for some sort of sign that indicated where the squire quarters were. She needed to apologise to Thom and that was never a pleasant experience.
"Lady Alanna?"
The voice came from behind her. Alanna turned around and saw Duke Roger standing there, dressed a lot more informally than she had seen him in so far. "Duke Roger!" she exclaimed and then belatedly remembered that she should curtsey. As Alanna gave one of her most awkward curtseys to date, she was glad that none of the other ladies were here.
Roger smiled and offered his arm to her. Gingerly, she took it. "Lady Alanna, you look lost. Shall I escort you back to your quarters?"
"Oh please," Alanna said gratefully.
As they walked off together, Roger cleared his throat. "I'm unsure if I offended you on your first day in court."
Alanna looked up in surprise. If she wasn't positive that Roger took pleasure in stopping her from becoming a knight, she might have thought that he was sorry about it.
"I didn't mean to disparage your desire to become a knight," he said.
Alanna waited for more, but as the silence dragged on, she knew that this was the most she was going to get. "The years at the convent taught me that I wouldn't have lasted a week at the palace," she said, repeating almost verbatim a lecture she had been given once.
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Roger smirked inwardly at Alanna's rehearsed statement. She really wasn't a particularly good liar, he thought. He was still surprised she managed to hide her identity for so long.
"How are you enjoying palace life so far?" Roger asked when the silence had become a bit too lengthy.
He watched as Alanna took her bottom lip between her teeth. There were little red indentations when she let it go. "Thom beat me at archery," she burst out.
Roger let out an inaudible sigh. It was apparent that even five years at the convent couldn't eliminate the competitiveness out of Alanna, especially in physical competitions. "Shall I give him a thrashing?" he remarked dryly.
To his surprise, Alanna laughed. Her laughter was surprisingly nice to listen to. "Oh please do," she said.
As they reached her quarters, Roger was rather disappointed. He had enjoyed talking to Alanna much more than he would have ever believed. Considering, he thought, that she was the one who had cost him the throne.
"May I escort you to dinner tonight?" he asked and was amused to see a blush travel down her cheeks and over her neck.
"I would like that," Alanna answered. To Roger, she sounded almost like she meant it.
He lifted up her hand and pressed a kiss on it. "Until tonight then."