~*Prisoner*~
By Alanna the Lioness
A/N: Jaelawyn Noble, I just
went to read your stories, and I found one that you wrote before me, where
Alanna dies, too. I'm sorry! =( Hope you don't think I was plagiarizing, but
I've been meaning to write a fic like that for a long time….I have the most
horrible feeling that Tamora Pierce is planning to kill off the Lioness in a
later story, and I needed to vent out my misery a little. Alanna's my fave! J
DISCLAIMER: I am not
ANYWHERE near 45 or 46. No suing.
SUMMARY: OK, this is a long
(hopefully) and ongoing series about….uhmmm…God knows what. But it features-who
else?-the SOTL characters, and some new Scanran ones as well. It will TURN OUT
to be good, and I'm going to be kicking a little romance in there as well. Here
we go…enjoy!
~*'lanna*~
~*~
Lord Raoul of Goldenlake
stared in shock as one of his closest friends, Alanna the Lioness, was pulled
unceremoniously from her saddle into the arms of the enemy----the hated
Scanrans. She was a prisoner of war, and he felt a pang in his stomach as he
realized that he could've stopped them.
The other soldiers seemed to
be thinking along the same lines, and there was a roar of frustration and agony
as her captor, a large and rather drunken fellow, held her in an iron grip as
she struggled, her violet eyes narrow in shock and anger.
Damn! She thought, still struggling in vain against her
captor's grip. If only she could reach her sword….I could've seen that
coming….since when have I gotten so SLOW?
"Let this be a warning to
all of you!" proclaimed what seemed to be the leader of the Scanran army as his
fellow commanders tried to keep a tight hold on Alanna's mount, who was kicking
out in fury. "Now that your Lioness is captured, I have proved that you, proud
Tortallans, are NOT invincible!" He laughed a long, cold, throaty laugh. Sir
Geoffrey of Meron shuddered.
Wonderful. We have a
crazy man for an enemy. He winced.
Raoul, his dark eyes
blazing, had crept a little closer, gripping the hilt of his sword so tightly
that his knuckles were white. He would rescue Alanna if it killed him! It was
his fault, after all…he could've warned his friend. Douglass of Veldine saw
what Raoul was aiming to do and followed, crouched like a panther, Geoffrey at
his heels.
"Furthermore, I will be
parading your Lioness through the streets of your land today," his eyes were
mad, "as a symbol of your defeat….and Scanra's victory!" The Scanrans let up a
series of war whoops, seemingly victorious. The Tortallan soldiers, however,
roared for a different reason---fury.
"Now wait just one damned
minute!" Geoffrey had halted in his tracks, and he was now glaring at the
leader with a burning hatred in his eyes. A few soldiers backstepped, unwilling
to face the wrath of an angry Tortallan. "Are you saying that….that you've
WON?!" Both sides were now silent. "We have not yet surrendered!"
"But of course, my good man!
We've captured your most valuable soldier, have we not? It's quite obvious that
we've-"
"By the Black God!" roared
Raoul, charging suddenly. "How DARE you? You, sir, are a flaming CHEAT!" He
knocked into the Scanran, bowling him over. In an instant, the Tortallans had
closed in, fighting with a fury that could not be put into words. In all the
confusion, no one noticed a burly figure crawl of out the crowd, a death grip
on his prisoner.
By now, Raoul had seized the
Scanran leader and had his sword poised to dive it into the enemy's throat, his
dark eyes blazing. "Who's won now, eh, Scanran?"
"STOP!" The voice was deep,
commanding. "Release him, or your Lioness never lives to see another dawn!" The
fighting halted instantly, and there were swears left and right. They'd
forgotten Alanna's captor in the fury of defeat. All eyes traveled up to a high
peak on a large cliff, where two people stood. Obviously, the man had carried
Alanna up to the top, thinking that no one would be able to get at him there,
his eyes full of triumph and malice. Alanna had stopped resisting, and though
her expression didn't betray any feelings, she was sweating heavily, and Raoul
couldn't blame her. Pressed against her throat was a very large---too large for
the Tortallans' liking---very sharp sword blade.
"Release the captain, Lord
Raoul," he commanded. Raoul gave the Scanran leader a withering look before
slamming him down a little harder than was necessary. He pulled himself from
the clump of warriors and ran to the edge of the cliff, calling, "Let her go!"
The man sneered. "Not
likely." He clapped a hand over Alanna's mouth as she fought to speak.
"Let her GO!" He was getting
frustrated by now. "I swear it, by Mithros, I will let you have anything you
desire! Just LET HER GO!"
"Anything?" The Scanran
looked slightly interested, and he used his free arm to tug on his mustache.
"And what kind of 'anything' would we be bargaining for, Lord Raoul?"
The Tortallan thrust his
chin forward. "Me."
"No!" Alanna gasped, her
mouth free. She tried to run to him, but her captor held her back. "Raoul,
don't!" She wailed as he dragged her back. "Jon needs you! TORTALL needs you!"
"He needs you more!" Raoul
snapped. "I've made up my mind, Alanna!"
"NO, Raoul!" she protested.
"Think of our armies…think of the King's OWN! Who would lead them?"
"I think you can handle that
job just as well as I did."
"No! I won't let you!" She
struggled in her captor's grip. "It's better this way! By me going, you won't
be affecting anything…..and what about Buri? Don't you CARE about her?" Her
eyes stung and she furiously blinked the tears away. She was NOT going to cry
in front of a hoard of Scanrans!
"Don't be an idiot! Of
course I do! But she'd understand. Alanna, you are Tortall's most valued
knight! Think of how you're letting them down by getting yourself captured! And
what about George, and Thom, and the twins? Don't they MEAN anything to you?"
She stopped then, her throat
swollen. "I REFUSE to let you go!" she hissed, her eyes flashing.
But Raoul was just as
stubborn. "And I refuse to just stand here like a stupid bastard and
watch while one of my best friends is taken captive. There! What do you have to
say to that, Alanna?"
For once, Alanna was
stricken. She blinked, then opened her mouth and closed it soundlessly.
"There. Take me." Raoul
crossed his arms. "I'm ready. Release Lady Alanna."
Alanna's captor stared at
him, his eyes wide.
Raoul's dark eyes flashed
coldly. "I said, release her."
R/R, but hell, you're all pretty good at reviewing already
anyway! I want at least 10 reviews before I write the second chapter, k?
Goddess bless,
~*'lanna*~
