Tamed Lioness
"Mamma" Alanna?s ten-year-old daughter, Elora asked, "Can you tell me another one of your adventures, PLEASE?" Alanna replied that she would be happy to and that Elora?s father would be happy to help as well.
"George, get in here I need help telling a story" Alanna called.
"Be right up darling" he replied and he was. Alanna told her youngest child of six, that she was going to tell her a story she hadn?t even told her brother?s and sisters. It was a story that took place at Pirates Swoop (their home) directly after George had "tamed himself a lioness". Elora was overjoyed that she could rub the story in her sibling?s faces and it sounded interesting. At this Alanna started her story.
During a calm beautiful midsummers day, not all things were calm at Pirates Swoop. In fact Alanna was panicking. Her coppery hair flared wildly as it did when she was upset or unsure of something. Her violet eyes were clouded with thought and although she was a lady knight, it didn?t stop her from captivating many young hearts. In fact one of the hearts she had captivated, a certain George Cooper whom she had known for 13 years, was about to get married to her. She was twenty-three and looking extremely beautiful as she was trying to get ready for her wedding. The thirty-year-old George Cooper had proposed three times and finally on the third time she had said yes.
On the day of their wedding, they were both extremely worried. George afraid she would back out, and Alanna afraid she wouldn?t be able to handle the married life. I mean for goodness sakes! She couldn?t even sew. It just wasn?t anything a page, squire, or knight had needed to learn.
As her clouded thoughts were running through her head she heard her two best friends Queen Thayet and Buri approaching the room. She straightened her back, put her chin high and waited. As they came in Thayet and Buri immediately saw something clouded in her face and asked what was wrong. Alanna haughtily replied that it was about time they showed up, and nothing was wrong. They of course didn?t buy it and she spilled her worries. They told her it was normal to worry about these things and that everything would turn out all right.
After they had assured her of this, she pulled out her gown and the clothes she had specially made for Thayet and Buri. They both gasped in delight and said she was going to look beautiful. She told them to stop gawking and help her get it on because she hadn?t the slightest clue how. They all burst out laughing at this and helped her get it on. All the dresses were a lovely shade of lavender that suited their milky complexions perfectly. Thayet and Buri ?s dresses were a lighter shade of lavender that ever so slightly flared out at the waist but were otherwise straight. Alanna?s dress was a darker shade of lavender with gold trim. It was tight all above her waist and then flared out about four or five times the actual dress. It had a criss-cross back and long sleeves that flared out triple the width of the sleeve.
About five minutes after they had finished getting ready, Rispah (Georges cousin) told them it was time for the bride to walk down the aisle. Since they weren?t in a church it wasn?t really an aisle but it did the job it was supposed to. The wedding was to take place at Pirates Swoop. "The Swoop" as it was often referred to, was attacked by pirates a lot so a huge, thick wall surrounded it. The wall was built to help prevent attacks but they still happened. Pirates Swoop was located on the coast of the Emerald Ocean. The wedding was outdoors so near the ocean you could hear the pounding of the waves along the shore.
There were over fifty people at the wedding some of which Alanna didn?t know. She did however recognise many faces. Among them she saw her stepfather, Georges mother, the King, Queen, Prince, Princess, and many of her Bazhir (a tribe) friends. When she got to George, she noticed something else. It seemed George noticed it too, but neither of them could say anything. Alanna scolded herself of course they would have mages! She and George were the only people who really would have noticed because of course everyone else was looking at them. It wasn?t until the three year old Prince Roald said "Wook daddy, piwates" that someone else saw the pirates.
The King yelled, "We?re under attack!!! Everybody down!!!" The queen told Maude
(a servant) to take all the children at the wedding to the storm shelter and lock the door and then started yelling orders. The orders were for every able bodied and trained person to fight and for the others to take shelter. Of course this wasn?t going to be an easy fight since every one was wearing their best clothes and the women were wearing dresses.
Alanna started to panic since she couldn?t speak, or fight in her gown. She then had an idea and took off her dress she knew it was in appropriate since she was only in bloomers and an almost see through top but she also knew it beat being killed. Thayet, Buri and the ten other Queen?s Riders soon followed suit. (Queens Raiders are a group of trained women that protect the Queen) The men tore off jackets and pulled out swords as the pirates jumped down and begun to fight. Five men tore apart from the fight and went after Alanna. Since Alanna couldn?t speak she couldn?t yell either. The men surrounded her and then tied her hands, feet and gagged her mouth. As she struggled the ropes pulled tighter and she soon found herself having trouble breathing because there was a rope around her neck. She tried desperately to use magic but she only knocked herself out.
When she woke up George was wiping her face with a cool cloth. She sat up and asked what happened. He explained how the Prince (who had snuck away from Maude) saw Alanna being carried away by a big "stwong piwate". He immediately got George and showed him where he took her. He attacked the "stwong piwate" and found out that Lady Delia (one of Alanna?s enemy?s) had paid the pirates for this attack. He then killed the pirate by punching his nose so hard and upwards that it hit his brain. He then carried Alanna home and put her to bed.
It had only been a few hours since the big fiasco but a lot of people went home anyway. The priest and about thirty people were still here so they continued the wedding and George finally got to kiss his "tamed Lioness".
"WOW!!! That was a great story, Ma and Da. Is it true?" Elora asked.
" Of course it is sweetums" George replied.
"Would we lie to you?" Alanna asked in a semi-annoyed tone.
" Nope, I s?pose not" she answered. " Now get to bed Elora, we have a big day ahead of us tomorrow. Remember? We are going to meet Lady Keladry" Alanna said nicely but firmly.
"Oh yes! But may I ask Da one more question?" not waiting for answer she continued " Do you still think you tamed yourself a lioness?" she asked slyly.
George then replied "But of course. Watch." With that he picked up Alanna with ease and gave her a passionate kiss while walking out of the room. Alanna just laughed and bid her daughter goodnight.
