Disclaimer-None of these characters belongs to me, except any I invent in later chapters. They all belong to Tamora Pierce, lucky woman that she is. I would love to own them.
Is It Enough? Chapter One
Alanna of Trebond and Olau, and soon to be Pirates Swoop, sat up in bed covered in sweat, jolted out of another nightmare by a furious clap of thunder. Grabbing a robe from a nearby chair, she slid out of bed, careful not to wake the still sleeping George.
"That man could sleep through a monsoon," she thought. Silently, she slipped to the balcony, and looked out at the churning sea, the waves crashing on the cliffs, jagged lightning illuminating the black sky. She sighed deeply, holding the robe shut as the wind whipped it around her ankles. And as she had done every night for the past month, her mind wandered back to that dream...the dream that had been a recurring presence since that raid on Port Caynn not 5 weeks ago, the raid that had caught them all unaware. She still couldn't get the sight of all the slaughter out of her mind-the sight of George being brutally stabbed. She should have known about the threat of the Carthaki raiders, should have prevented it. And it shouldn't have been bothering her. She had seen much worse in her time as the Lioness, King's Champion. Halfheartedly, Alanna wondered if she was getting soft, weak, unfit. Alanna didn't even hear George pad silently up to her, as he noticed that his lover was not lying next to him, as he had noticed for the past weeks. He laid a gentle, callused hand, on her shoulder, wrapping his muscular arms around her.
"Come to bed Lass," he whispered. "There'll be no more dreams tonight."
Mutely, Alanna obeyed, letting him pull her inside, as she cast one more furtive glance at the sea-powerful, bold, sensuous in its might...everything she once was, she thought.
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The next morning dawned bright and clear, all signs of the previous night's storm having been swept away.
"Mmmmmm," she moaned, as George leaned over the auburn haired beauty to gently kiss her softly parted lips. "Come on love, wake up, I promised Thayet you'd be at the palace today for your fittings."
Alanna started to protest, but George silenced her with another deep kiss, nuzzling his way down her neck, planting kisses as he went. "I know you hate all this feminine stuff; think it undermines your fierce warrior image, but it IS for our wedding, that should make it slightly more bearable, wouldn't you say?" "Besides," he continued, his hazel eyes twinkling mischievously, "I wouldn't let you go off for a week without saying a proper goodbye, would I lass?"
Alanna shook her head and couldn't help but laugh as he picked her up, twirled her around, and then laid her back on the bed, where he proceeded to ravish her to her heart's content. And for a while, all was good in the world.
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3 hours later Alanna set off for Corus, not looking forward to setting foot in the capital city again so soon, as much as she missed Raoul, Gary, Thayet, and if she let herself admit it, Jon as well. It had been too long, and yet, not long enough for her liking. The world of snobbery, backstabbing, gossip, and court intrigue was not one she enjoyed. Yet she found herself constantly being thrust back into it.
With a withdrawn excitement she dug her heels gently into Moonlight, urging her on. She had forgotten how much she enjoyed that feeling of freedom, of the wind in her hair, the sun on her face, the powerful sense of the world around her. This, she thought absentmindedly, was where she belonged...this was her home.
She kept up a good speed, stopping only twice, once to give Moonlight a rest, and the other to give herself a rest, finally entering the outskirts of Corus around 8 o'clock that evening, as the sun was beginning to set over the hills. Alanna paused for a moment, looking out over the city that she had grown up in, embraced, grown to love, grown to hate, and finally escaped. She realized with a sudden shock, she hadn't been back since George proposed to her, during her stay with the Bazhir. The notifications of their engagements, wedding plans, all that had been done via thousands of letters, and one joyful visit from Raoul, when he was in the area on account of business with the King's Own. No one from the capital had actually seen her in months. Alanna ran her fingers through her unruly curls, wondering how some people, such as Jon, had taken the news. He hadn't written to her, not once, since news of her and George's engagement had broken. Maybe it had been foolish to think that all that had happened was in the past, that Jon and Liam fighting side by side, him giving her a well deserved break after Roger's return at the hands of Thom, the making her King's Champion had made it all ok. Would things never be right between them again, she wondered.
Alanna hadn't even realized that all the time that she had been thinking to herself, she had been riding as well, and was now deep into the heart of Corus. In fact, she was about a street away from Myles and Eleni's home. She decided she had time for a visit to her adopted father, and it would also prolong the inevitable wedding fuss. Her mind made up, she tied Moonlight to a post in the back of the house, and using her key, let herself in.
"Myles?" she called. "Eleni?" No one answered, and just as Alanna had resigned herself to leaving, she heard soft laughter upstairs. "Hello?" she called again, starting to walk up the stairs, as Eleni appeared on the landing, wearing a dressing gown, her hair slightly mussed. Alanna began to feel as if she had intruded on something she shouldn't have, but her doubts were vanquished in a moment, with Eleni's cry of "Good lord Myles, come see who it is!" Alanna heard Myles voice in the background mumbling how it better not be the Lord Provost with some new request of his. As his eyes fell on Alanna, standing at the bottom of the stairs, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet, he cried out with delight, and rushed down the stairs to embrace her in a hug, his wife at his heels.
"Good gracious child, it is wonderful to see you," he murmured into her hair. "We all missed you here," Eleni said with a wry smile. "So little excitement now that the our firebrand has fled to Port Caynn with my son." Alanna's response was to hug them both tightly. None of them were surprised to find their faces wet as they pulled away.
"I only intended to say hello," Alanna said, looking at Myles. "I was due at the Palace about an hour ago." "Why don't you stay the night?" Eleni suggested. "Start fresh in the morning." "I would love to," Alanna said with longing, "but Thayet would have my head if I didn't arrive tonight, not to mention all of the King's Own out scouring the city for me. No, I better get going. But I'll see you both tomorrow at the Palace."
Myles drew her close to him again, brushed his lips against her forehead, and pushed her out the door, watching as she mounted Moonlight, whispering something in her stallion's ear, and took off in the direction of the Palace. For a long time he stood at the door, his arm around Eleni. It was good that she was back.
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Author's Note: I hope you liked this chapter-please R/R!! If you like it the next one will be up soon I promise!
Is It Enough? Chapter One
Alanna of Trebond and Olau, and soon to be Pirates Swoop, sat up in bed covered in sweat, jolted out of another nightmare by a furious clap of thunder. Grabbing a robe from a nearby chair, she slid out of bed, careful not to wake the still sleeping George.
"That man could sleep through a monsoon," she thought. Silently, she slipped to the balcony, and looked out at the churning sea, the waves crashing on the cliffs, jagged lightning illuminating the black sky. She sighed deeply, holding the robe shut as the wind whipped it around her ankles. And as she had done every night for the past month, her mind wandered back to that dream...the dream that had been a recurring presence since that raid on Port Caynn not 5 weeks ago, the raid that had caught them all unaware. She still couldn't get the sight of all the slaughter out of her mind-the sight of George being brutally stabbed. She should have known about the threat of the Carthaki raiders, should have prevented it. And it shouldn't have been bothering her. She had seen much worse in her time as the Lioness, King's Champion. Halfheartedly, Alanna wondered if she was getting soft, weak, unfit. Alanna didn't even hear George pad silently up to her, as he noticed that his lover was not lying next to him, as he had noticed for the past weeks. He laid a gentle, callused hand, on her shoulder, wrapping his muscular arms around her.
"Come to bed Lass," he whispered. "There'll be no more dreams tonight."
Mutely, Alanna obeyed, letting him pull her inside, as she cast one more furtive glance at the sea-powerful, bold, sensuous in its might...everything she once was, she thought.
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The next morning dawned bright and clear, all signs of the previous night's storm having been swept away.
"Mmmmmm," she moaned, as George leaned over the auburn haired beauty to gently kiss her softly parted lips. "Come on love, wake up, I promised Thayet you'd be at the palace today for your fittings."
Alanna started to protest, but George silenced her with another deep kiss, nuzzling his way down her neck, planting kisses as he went. "I know you hate all this feminine stuff; think it undermines your fierce warrior image, but it IS for our wedding, that should make it slightly more bearable, wouldn't you say?" "Besides," he continued, his hazel eyes twinkling mischievously, "I wouldn't let you go off for a week without saying a proper goodbye, would I lass?"
Alanna shook her head and couldn't help but laugh as he picked her up, twirled her around, and then laid her back on the bed, where he proceeded to ravish her to her heart's content. And for a while, all was good in the world.
************************************************************************
3 hours later Alanna set off for Corus, not looking forward to setting foot in the capital city again so soon, as much as she missed Raoul, Gary, Thayet, and if she let herself admit it, Jon as well. It had been too long, and yet, not long enough for her liking. The world of snobbery, backstabbing, gossip, and court intrigue was not one she enjoyed. Yet she found herself constantly being thrust back into it.
With a withdrawn excitement she dug her heels gently into Moonlight, urging her on. She had forgotten how much she enjoyed that feeling of freedom, of the wind in her hair, the sun on her face, the powerful sense of the world around her. This, she thought absentmindedly, was where she belonged...this was her home.
She kept up a good speed, stopping only twice, once to give Moonlight a rest, and the other to give herself a rest, finally entering the outskirts of Corus around 8 o'clock that evening, as the sun was beginning to set over the hills. Alanna paused for a moment, looking out over the city that she had grown up in, embraced, grown to love, grown to hate, and finally escaped. She realized with a sudden shock, she hadn't been back since George proposed to her, during her stay with the Bazhir. The notifications of their engagements, wedding plans, all that had been done via thousands of letters, and one joyful visit from Raoul, when he was in the area on account of business with the King's Own. No one from the capital had actually seen her in months. Alanna ran her fingers through her unruly curls, wondering how some people, such as Jon, had taken the news. He hadn't written to her, not once, since news of her and George's engagement had broken. Maybe it had been foolish to think that all that had happened was in the past, that Jon and Liam fighting side by side, him giving her a well deserved break after Roger's return at the hands of Thom, the making her King's Champion had made it all ok. Would things never be right between them again, she wondered.
Alanna hadn't even realized that all the time that she had been thinking to herself, she had been riding as well, and was now deep into the heart of Corus. In fact, she was about a street away from Myles and Eleni's home. She decided she had time for a visit to her adopted father, and it would also prolong the inevitable wedding fuss. Her mind made up, she tied Moonlight to a post in the back of the house, and using her key, let herself in.
"Myles?" she called. "Eleni?" No one answered, and just as Alanna had resigned herself to leaving, she heard soft laughter upstairs. "Hello?" she called again, starting to walk up the stairs, as Eleni appeared on the landing, wearing a dressing gown, her hair slightly mussed. Alanna began to feel as if she had intruded on something she shouldn't have, but her doubts were vanquished in a moment, with Eleni's cry of "Good lord Myles, come see who it is!" Alanna heard Myles voice in the background mumbling how it better not be the Lord Provost with some new request of his. As his eyes fell on Alanna, standing at the bottom of the stairs, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet, he cried out with delight, and rushed down the stairs to embrace her in a hug, his wife at his heels.
"Good gracious child, it is wonderful to see you," he murmured into her hair. "We all missed you here," Eleni said with a wry smile. "So little excitement now that the our firebrand has fled to Port Caynn with my son." Alanna's response was to hug them both tightly. None of them were surprised to find their faces wet as they pulled away.
"I only intended to say hello," Alanna said, looking at Myles. "I was due at the Palace about an hour ago." "Why don't you stay the night?" Eleni suggested. "Start fresh in the morning." "I would love to," Alanna said with longing, "but Thayet would have my head if I didn't arrive tonight, not to mention all of the King's Own out scouring the city for me. No, I better get going. But I'll see you both tomorrow at the Palace."
Myles drew her close to him again, brushed his lips against her forehead, and pushed her out the door, watching as she mounted Moonlight, whispering something in her stallion's ear, and took off in the direction of the Palace. For a long time he stood at the door, his arm around Eleni. It was good that she was back.
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Author's Note: I hope you liked this chapter-please R/R!! If you like it the next one will be up soon I promise!