From Dawn Till Dusk

AN: Um, hey guys. Yes, I'm alive. Yes, I haven't updated for half a year. Yes, I'm bad, and very sorry. No, I haven't abandoned this story. No, I haven't abandoned Double Dare either; I just haven't had the time. No, I haven't abandoned any of my other stories either, for that matter. Yes, this chapter doesn't seem to have much importance in the plot. No, there's nothing you can do about it except bear with me and trust the plot to unravel itself in time.

)O(

With a sigh, the brunette sat herself onto a slab of rock.

She had been walking for the better part of that day. The stirrups on the horse's back were broken, making him difficult to ride at any speed faster than a walk. In any case, the horse looked as exhausted as she felt and in no way fit to be ridden for long.

Thoughts slithered in and out of her mind, each significant in its own right but making no sense whatsoever when she tried to decipher it. Confusion was a heavy fog, clouding her judgment, her memories, and her thoughts. Each step felt slightly heavier than the last, and the world swam around her even when she felt sufficiently sober. To say it all in one word, she was lost.

There was sudden noise in the forest around her. Startled, she hid behind a tree and peered around the trunk. She saw a dozen men mounted on trotting horses, riding through a forest track barely resembling a dirt road.

She didn't know who they were. A voice yelled warnings from the back of her mind, telling her that she didn't want to be found alone by the enemy. Not knowing who 'the enemy' was but deciding to trust her instincts, the girl ducked behind another tree and hoped that the forest would conceal her. Looking at the horse, she patted it and willed it to be still. Strangely enough, it froze almost as if it had read her mind.

Her foot caught on a stone and she stumbled, disturbing a layer of dried leaves under her feet. It must have made a sound, because the leader of the men turned to look suspiciously at the trees.

The girl willed herself to be completely still, trying not to make another sound. Wild animals made noise while running through the forest all the time, and surely the men wouldn't investigate every odd sound.

Keen blue eyes searched the forest around them, barely missing the spot where the girl was huddled. Suddenly, the horse beside her caught the blue eyes and gave a loud neigh. Cursing silently, the girl dropped the horse's reins as it suddenly made a dash forward, running straight towards the riders.

"Peachblossom!" she heard one of them cry out as the horse almost ran into him. It gave a few loud neighs in response.

"Peachblossom, I'm so glad you're safe." It was the leader who spoke; he now turned to his men as if seeking reassurance that speaking to a horse, even one as smart as this appeared to be, was all right. "Listen, Peachblossom... can you tell us where Kel is?"

Suddenly, as Peachblossom – was that the horse's name? – turned towards her, the girl realized how dangerous her situation had become. Scared, she turned and ran through the forest, aware that she now had a horse and some men on her tail.

Running blindly, mindful of her injured ankle, the girl stumbled upon a rock formation that could just pass for a cave. She ran straight inside and tucked herself behind a particularly large boulder, hoping they would not see her.

"Kel?" The voice was close enough to make her jump, but she knew he hadn't found his target. She stayed very, very still.

"I think she went the other way," the man yelled back to the others. Within a few moments he was gone, leaving in his wake disturbed dirt and leaves.

Shaken, the girl emerged from her hiding place. Kel. Was that her name? If so, how did those people know it? Who was she hiding from? Why did she need to hide? And more importantly, which direction was home?

She sought out a path; in this sort of confusion, there was no choice other than to walk on.

)O(

A pair of violet eyes opened and blinked rapidly in confusion. The Lioness sat up in her bed. "How long have I been asleep?" she croaked, grabbing for a pitcher of water.

One was shoved firmly into her hand. "Less than a day. You lost a lot of blood, Alanna."

She drank hungrily. "You say it like I wanted it to happen."

"You could have retreated," Raoul retorted. "You were wounded near the end of the battle, there was plenty of room for you to back out."

Alanna narrowed her eyes instead of replying. Then, examining her friend more closely, she said, "something's wrong."

A guilty look flitted over his face, but he replied nonetheless with an unconvincing "What? Nothing's wrong."

"I would know something was wrong if I'd just met you," she said sharply. "What happened?"

Raoul sighed, but there was no point in keeping up a charade. "Keladry's missing."

She didn't look too surprised. "I could have imagined so," she replied thoughtfully. "I saw her fall off her horse. She isn't dead, though?" It unnerved her that she wasn't more emotional about what was going on, but she was too drained to feel anything; surely the shock would come once she got her sluggish brain to comprehend the situation entirely.

"If she is, her body hasn't been found," Raoul replied. "And we've been very thorough. Her horse was carrying her away the last time anyone saw, and I've sent out a team to search."

Alanna nodded. "Has anything else happened since I lost consciousness?"

"Nothing too important. There's been a review of this battle, looking after the wounded, and cleaning up the fort. Also, you knew that His Majesty was making a tour of the embattled cities?" he continued at her nod. "He's here, and before you ask he has four full squads of First Company as guards, plus two bodyguards and men I've assigned to look over his rooms."

She smiled. "I'm glad. If we're lucky, some of what we've been saying about looking after himself might have even sunk in. So His Majesty's here already? I should go and greet him."

"Actually, he's heard about your injuries and given firm orders for you to stay in bed. He'll be coming around in a while to see you."

Alanna scowled, but there was no point in arguing, especially when she knew she was too weak to get up. In any case, she was left no room to argue – a servant had entered the room and was bowing to them. At Raoul's nod, he reported that Sergeant Domitan has returned with his squad and would like a word, as soon as possible.

"Excuse me," Raoul said to Alanna and distractedly left the room, leaving a slightly worried Lioness behind.

"Did you find her?" Raoul's tension was poorly concealed.

"We searched all the surrounding forests. We found Peachblossom; he's with Daine right now, and we're hoping he could tell us something."

"He wasn't with Kel?" Raoul asked. When Dom shook his head, Raoul asked with confusion, "Did he know where Kel might have been? When did they get separated?"

Dom paused, not wanting to bring up a pointless expedition that had confused even him. "He seemed to know where Kel was, but couldn't lead us to her. I think – I can't confirm this, but I think I saw something or someone running away when Peachblossom was leading us. But why would Kel run from us?"

Raoul pursed his lips, grim. "I don't know either. Hopefully Daine will be able to tell us something. Well, you've done all you can," he said to Dom, a clear dismissal. The other man saluted and left, as worried as before.

Raoul returned to Alanna to relay the news, then went to pay a visit to the wildmage. His knock was answered immediately.

"Lord Raoul!" Daine exclaimed, moving out of the doorway so he could come inside. "I was just about to go looking for you."

"What did Peachblossom say?"

Daine's eyebrows furrowed a little closer. "He was injured in the battle, and remembers only that Tobe and I told him to carry Kel away. They ran for a few minutes before Kel's foot slipped from the stirrups. It's probably dislocated now, which means she can't have gone too far. Peachblossom says that he vaguely remembers Kel waking up and asking him who he was, then who she was. He left her when he saw Dom, but she had disappeared when he came back. He's worried."

Raoul frowned. "She asked who he was? What could that possibly mean?"

"I don't know." Daine shook her head. "Could she have lost her memory, if only temporarily? She might have been hit on the head."

"It's possible, but memory loss isn't common, even for the worst injuries."

The brunette sighed. "I have no idea, to be honest. I do hope we find her soon. I'm sorry I couldn't be more help."

"You've done all you can," Raoul assured her. "And thank you. I hope we find her soon, too."

)O(

AN: I know the whole scene with Alanna seemed utterly irrelevant, but Jon plays a part in the story and I wanted to incorporate him without actually making a fuss about his presence. Bear with me, and you'll see the plot in time.