13) A Gift from the Palace

Alanna woke up from a half-comatosed state with a roaring in her ears. Luckily, the roaring soon died away but unfortunately left a thumping headache in its wake. She groaned as she tried to turn over but found her limbs in a less than serviceable state.

As she reached inside herself to check her Gift's energy reserves she found it fully replenished, a voice warned: "Don't you even think about it. Your gift may be back but you need to rest and not use it for at least another week."

"I wasn't going to do anything, brother dear." Alanna smiled but quickly followed her smile with a wince as her lip split. She levered herself up into a sitting position as her muscles screamed in protest as saw that not only was her brother in her room but so was a very tired looking Saethea asleep in a chair. Her twin gave her a tight hug and went about lighting the candles – it was late in the evening.

She found that she was wrapped up in blankets and back in her room – her room in the convent in the City of Gods.

"How long was I asleep!" she whispered fiercely to her brother as he handed her a glass of water.

"I guess for about four days or s-"

"Four days" she cried with a half strangled voice.

"Shhhh!" He jerked his head towards the stirring girl in the corner of the room. "Personally, I never figured you'd be one for lazing about but then - " He ducked as cushion went flying about his head and straightened up with a grin.

"How did I get back here?" she asked. "I thought I'd escaped this Gods damned place."

"Unfortunately not my dear sister" he drawled.

"You were brought back yesterday in a litter." The twins jumped – neither had noticed Saethea waking up. "Honestly Alanna – I leave you on your own for a couple of weeks and you have to be carried back. Tut tut."

Alanna grinned as Saethea gave her a warm hug and sat down on her bed.

"You realise that caused quite stir coming back escorted by the Duke – Duke Baird I think. He said you had done a great service to the realm or something – tell me he was exaggerating and you haven't turned into some soft young healer."

"Hah! Don't worry – I have no plans of becoming 'some soft young healer' as you so pleasantly put it. I just helped out a bit at the palace – that's all."

Both Thom and Saethea looked at her with disbelieving glares.

"What?" a rapidly turning purple Alanna demanded.

"How about I put it this way" Thom explained, "Everyone in the convent and therefore probably everyone in this city by now knows that you did something the monarchs are deeply grateful for – you were brought back by the chief healer of the country, what seemed like half the guards in the palace and – erm – lets say a present that is bit too big to be wrapped."

"Eh?"

"Oh she's a beauty!" Saethea added.

"She?"

"You'll have to talk to Chubby – he's a bit jealous…"

"Wha'?"

"No offence intended but you've seemed to have regressed to monosyllable words. I understand that you've just woken from four days of sleep but you cannot be this slow without something being wrong with you and I have been assured that there isn't"

"You've been sent a horse, Alanna" Saethea blurted out.

"…"

"Well! I thought you'd be over the moon!" Saethea exclaimed.

"And Chubby is getting old – he deserves a rest" Thom added.

Alanna was still dumb struck. She answered by throwing her covers aside and swinging her legs over the side of the bed and trying to stand while Saethea protested and her twin glared at her. The room swam as she stood up and her knees felt dangerously weak.

"Where is she?" she finally asked.

"Where do you think? The stables obviously."

Saethea helped her dress as Thom shook his head at her and rolled his eyes. After a lot of cursing from Alanna and tutting from Saethea, the three of them were on the way to the stables.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Alanna was struck by the beauty of her gift. The brilliant white mare tossed her head and butted her nose into Alanna's hand as she reached out. Alanna spoiled the mare rotten with apples and sugar lumps as Thom and Saethea watched from a distance.

"So what are you going to call her?" Saethea wanted to know.

"Moonlight. You like that girl?" she asked the horse as she cooed over her and fed her more sugar lumps.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Alanna was finally dragged away from her new mount when she ran out of sugar lumps and apples for Moonlight.

"She is going to be a real handful, you do realise?" Thom asked.

Alanna nodded as she painfully slowly climbed up the stairs.

"She must be pure-bred from the palace stables. I bet she's been trained to fight as well" Saethea mused. "You are really ve-"

She was interrupted by a loud squawk: "Alanna! Where have you been! You shouldn't be out of bed so soon!"

Maude glared at Thom and Saethea as she ushered Alanna back into her room and promptly tucked her back into bed. "You need to be in bed for at least another day. No arguments!" she ordered "No! Nothing! I'm not listening!" she interrupted every time that Alanna uttered a sound.

Alanna looked mutinous as Saethea stifled a laughed behind her hand and Thom sidled out of her room.

Saethea didn't look quite so amused when she herself was ordered back to her room by Maude who was in a very imperious mood.

The joys of being back thought Alanna and sighed into her pillow.

A/N: Hope you liked the chapter! I wanted to keep as many of the original characters in as possible so they'll be a few more additions to Moonlight appearing later on! Make me happy and give me a review so I'll write more!