The Chosen, Ch. 8
Title: The Chosen
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Pairings: None.
Summary: Lord Alan of Trebond died when his children were only four. Each of the twins were sent to live with their respective godsparents, but how different are the Alanna and Thom that hardly remember each other to the ones we all know?
Notes: The OC is introduced in this chapter - please let me know if she starts turning Mary-Sue-ish.
Previous Chapter
Chapter 8
Sometimes, Alanna managed to sneak out in the evenings, and visit the little village by the City of the Gods. Because of her promise to Lord Arthur, she was extra-specially careful not to be caught, and so she wasn’t.
On the first night, she visited the inn, called The Headless Boar, and listened to a young girl sing in a strange, lilting accent that fitted well with the tone of the song.
She drank lemonade, and one of the waitresses gave her a freshly baked bun for free, saying, ‘What’re you doing here all along, young’un?’
Alanna frowned inwardly at the nickname - she didn’t look that young, did she? And she was thirteen now, which was plenty old enough to be at an inn unescorted. ‘I was looking around,’ she said, ‘and I heard the music.’
The waitress gave her a gap-toothed smile, and Alanna found herself flushing at the complete stranger’s fond look. ‘Lin’s song’s pretty, ain’t it?’
She nodded, and the waitress moved away after one last beaming smile. It was at that point that the “pretty” melody began to slow, and then came to an end, and there were a few catcalls and splatters of applause from the drunker members of the audience.
The girl called Lin blushed, and gave a small, brisk curtsy before running off - presumably to collect her pay - with a broad smile on her face.
-------
The next time Alanna managed to sneak out, it was in the afternoon, and there was no one singing in the Boar, so she decided to browse the small shops.
The sound of a hammer striking metal caught her attention, and when she followed the noise, she found herself entering a smith’s shop, which, from the sound, she could tell had a forge in the back.
It was called the Raven Armoury, and the products on display looked to be well crafted, even if some of the items were made out of rather second-rate materials. Looking at the peeling blue, black and gold paint on the sign, she decided that the business was probably going bankrupt by now, seeing as weaponry wasn’t in particularly high demand in this area.
Sitting in the shop, behind the counter, was a girl. She looked to be about Alanna’s age, with dark brown hair and pale skin. She stared off into the distance, her chin resting on one hand, and hummed an unfamiliar tune.
‘Hey,’ Alanna said, recognising her, ‘you’re the girl that sang at the inn last night.’
She stiffened slightly. ‘Could you not talk about that here? Horace doesn’t approve of my singing. He thinks I should be working instead.’
‘Who’s Horace?’
The girl called Lin half-smiled. ‘My eldest brother.’
Alanna blinked. ‘Can’t your parents override his authority, though?’
Lin’s eyes turned sad. ‘Mother died, and Father ran off with a prostitute. Horace is in charge now.’
‘Oh,’ Alanna said. ‘I’m sorry.’
She snorted, and said, ‘What’s your name, anyway?’
Alanna’s grin was lop-sided and half-hearted. ‘Alanna of Trebond.’
The girl got to her feet and half-bowed awkwardly, stumbling over her own feet half way through, and then righting herself. ‘I’m Linnet Tanner, milady. What can I do for you?’
Next Chapter
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Pairings: None.
Summary: Lord Alan of Trebond died when his children were only four. Each of the twins were sent to live with their respective godsparents, but how different are the Alanna and Thom that hardly remember each other to the ones we all know?
Notes: The OC is introduced in this chapter - please let me know if she starts turning Mary-Sue-ish.
Previous Chapter
Chapter 8
Sometimes, Alanna managed to sneak out in the evenings, and visit the little village by the City of the Gods. Because of her promise to Lord Arthur, she was extra-specially careful not to be caught, and so she wasn’t.
On the first night, she visited the inn, called The Headless Boar, and listened to a young girl sing in a strange, lilting accent that fitted well with the tone of the song.
She drank lemonade, and one of the waitresses gave her a freshly baked bun for free, saying, ‘What’re you doing here all along, young’un?’
Alanna frowned inwardly at the nickname - she didn’t look that young, did she? And she was thirteen now, which was plenty old enough to be at an inn unescorted. ‘I was looking around,’ she said, ‘and I heard the music.’
The waitress gave her a gap-toothed smile, and Alanna found herself flushing at the complete stranger’s fond look. ‘Lin’s song’s pretty, ain’t it?’
She nodded, and the waitress moved away after one last beaming smile. It was at that point that the “pretty” melody began to slow, and then came to an end, and there were a few catcalls and splatters of applause from the drunker members of the audience.
The girl called Lin blushed, and gave a small, brisk curtsy before running off - presumably to collect her pay - with a broad smile on her face.
-------
The next time Alanna managed to sneak out, it was in the afternoon, and there was no one singing in the Boar, so she decided to browse the small shops.
The sound of a hammer striking metal caught her attention, and when she followed the noise, she found herself entering a smith’s shop, which, from the sound, she could tell had a forge in the back.
It was called the Raven Armoury, and the products on display looked to be well crafted, even if some of the items were made out of rather second-rate materials. Looking at the peeling blue, black and gold paint on the sign, she decided that the business was probably going bankrupt by now, seeing as weaponry wasn’t in particularly high demand in this area.
Sitting in the shop, behind the counter, was a girl. She looked to be about Alanna’s age, with dark brown hair and pale skin. She stared off into the distance, her chin resting on one hand, and hummed an unfamiliar tune.
‘Hey,’ Alanna said, recognising her, ‘you’re the girl that sang at the inn last night.’
She stiffened slightly. ‘Could you not talk about that here? Horace doesn’t approve of my singing. He thinks I should be working instead.’
‘Who’s Horace?’
The girl called Lin half-smiled. ‘My eldest brother.’
Alanna blinked. ‘Can’t your parents override his authority, though?’
Lin’s eyes turned sad. ‘Mother died, and Father ran off with a prostitute. Horace is in charge now.’
‘Oh,’ Alanna said. ‘I’m sorry.’
She snorted, and said, ‘What’s your name, anyway?’
Alanna’s grin was lop-sided and half-hearted. ‘Alanna of Trebond.’
The girl got to her feet and half-bowed awkwardly, stumbling over her own feet half way through, and then righting herself. ‘I’m Linnet Tanner, milady. What can I do for you?’
Next Chapter