The morning of the last day of Otis and Alex's visit found the latter in the stables, giving Lunar a thorough grooming. Christine walked in and started grooming her own mare, White Lightning. Alex grinned at her; in the past week, they had become fast friends. They worked in silence for a while, but from Lightning's noises, Alex guessed Christine was carrying on their own conversation.

Suddenly, Christine remarked, "Lightning said you don't want to go back to the palace at the end of the summer.

Alex smiled. "No, it's not really that, I love the palace. It's just...this is so relaxing after a year of non-stop studying. And you, and George, and the animals...you're all so nice. I don't want to leave you," she confessed.

Christine laughed. "Well, I bet you could stay here, but my animals and I are leaving tomorrow," she said. "I have obligations to get back to back home that I was temporairily escaping."

"To a man?" Alex asked with a grin.

"Well- yes. The manager of an art gallery, actually. He's after me to finish one of my paintings," she replied with a smile. "I told him I couldn't work under pressure and immediately left."

"I don't blame you," Alex said truthfully. "I wish I had that freedom to just leave whenever I wanted."

"Yeah, well, I'll get in loads of trouble when I get back," she admitted. Then she looked at Alex. "You're not really Alexander Tirragen, are you?"

Alex gulped and dropped her brush. Tell her who you are, the Goddess had told her the previous night. You can trust her with any secret, and it is important she knows. With this in mind, Alex replied truthfully, "No, ma'am, I'm not."

"Would you mind telling me who you are, then?" She was not cross, and her smile was encouraging.

"Alexandria Greenwood Grossi, ma'am," she replied quietly.

"Grossi?" Christine repeated. "Of Alex Grossi...? He hasn't sent you to spy on me, has he?"

Alex blinked; she hadn't thought Christine would think of that. "No, Uncle Alex doesn't know of my disguise," she answered.

"Uncle? Who is your father, then?"

"Eric Grossi," was the calm answer as she again picked up her brush. "You went to high school with him." As she straightened, she saw a look on Christine's face that she could not recognise. It looked like live and hatred, hurt and sorrow, all mixed together.

Then, she smiled. "It is a pity you're leaving today," she said. "We have a great many things to talk about."

Alex didn't know what they had to talk about, but she offered, "If you want, I can see if we can stay another day." The look in Christine's eyes was all she needed, and she immediately sent out her Gift, rolling along the summer winds. There- storm clouds, two or three days away. If she used her magic, they could be here in thirty minutes. She let a drop of her magic fall onto the clouds before racing back to her body.

She smiled as she put Lunar back into her stall. "You better do the same, unless you feel like being drenched on your way back to the house," she advised Christine.

"Oh, I didn't know he was your uncle. I thought he was your father," Christine explained. "Although, I've never heard of him getting married or having kids, now that I think of it. But, he likes to check up on me every once in a while, despite my telling him I'm fine. You see, I was his girlfriend for a while, and he saw me through the tough times, and he likes to reestablish that."

"Why'd you break up?" Alex asked, curious.

"Well, I knew it wouldn't work out," Christine confessed. "I couldn't cope with his touring schedule, although before we were together, that's what led me to him. Plus, Eric, your father, was interested in me. He was bound to let me know- although I stayed as far away from him as possible. But when Alex found out, he got mad- he was always a jealous one- and broke it off. Then, we had the lost year." Alex nodded. She had heard about that before: a year nobody, for an unknown reason, had any memory of what had happened. "After that, Eric moved to England, and married your mother, I guess."

"Well, that wasn't fair of Uncle!" Alex remarked, and Christine laughed.

"No, but it was going to end anyway," she said. "We were just looking for an excuse. Although, I can't say I didn't cry when he left. But then again, I cry at nearly everything." Then, she suddenly changed subjects. "So, what's your story?" she asked. "Why are you disguised as a boy and a page? You're not trying to be Alanna, are you? Cause, I think, if you wanted to be a knight, you just had to ask."

Alex shook her head. "It wasn't my initial plan," she confessed. "I'm disguised because I ran away..." She poured out her story. She had no idea why she was being so open, but she guessed the Goddess had something to do with it.

When she was finished, Christine sighed. "Who else knows?" she asked.

Alex counted them off. "My sister, Prince Joshua, Rufus, Stuart. My friend Brian. Marek, and his mother. My cat, James. And you," she added with a smile.

"Can I ask just one thing of you?" Christine asked. "Can I see you as you really are?"

With a nod, Alex obliged. Her hair dye had grown out, and Iris had cut it to her chin, so it looked normal. Alex had spent many hours in front of her mirror, trying to convince herself the look was very becoming. She had finally settled on "okay-looking."

Christine, however, had a different opinion. "You're absolutely beautiful!" she remarked. "Blonde hair, unique eyes, not at all freckled...Just what I dreamed of looking like as a teenager." She laughed. "I was such a freckled child, it was amazing. My kindergarten teacher called them 'angel kisses' and said I was specially blessed by the angels. In actuality, I was just really freckled."

"Well, you can't tell now," Alex told her. "You're the most beautiful person I've ever seen, and I live in the palace with the Queen."

Christine laughed. "You're very generous with your compliments," she said. "Isn't there anything you don't like?"

Alex shook her head. "Everything is a gift from nature, no matter how sour some things may seem," she answered.

Christine smiled. It was a smile that lingered long after her mouth had broken the form, and Alex loved it. "I have the same outlook, on at least most things. Misquitoes, I have no use for."

"Yes, except they provide food for bats," Alex supplied, and Christine laughed.

"Yes, I suppose you're right," she agreed.

They were waiting for her, Otis, George, Wendell, and Christine. The last mounted upon Lightning, for she was also riding home that day.

"Well, shall we be going now?" Otis asked, and they bid farewell to the onlookers. Alex did not cry, but felt close to it- Wendell had become a great friend to her, and George's personality and insight could not be matched by anyone. She and Wendell would return to the palace in the fall, however, and she had to content herself with that. Luckily, she did not have to part with Christine just yet, as the three of them rode out of the gates and around the city.

A half hour later, however, Christine announced that she had to start riding south as they rested for lunch. "You'll come visit me in London when you return to the palace, won't you?" she asked Alex. "You'll always be welcome there."

Alex grinned. "Of course I will," she answered as they cleaned up. Otis walked to a nearby stream to wash his hands, and Christine drew Alex closer to her.

"I want you to have this," she said as she put something in Alex's hand. "It's magicked, perhaps by the gods. I never bothered to find out. But it will protect you in more ways than I can name." Alex looked, and saw it was a golden maple leaf, stored in amber. At the top was a small silver hoop, and a chain passed through it. "I wouldn't give it to just anyone, but I feel you are a worthy cause."

Alex looked up at the woman through tears of gratitude. Impulsively, she grabbed her in a powerful hug. "Thank you, Lady, Christine," she whispered. "I shall miss you in the coming months." Otis cleared his throat, and she backed away, grinning sheepishly.

"We thank you again for your and your stepfather's hospitality," Otis told her formally, "and we would love to see you at court sometime. George's legend still lives among us."

Christine smiled. "I'll think about it, to be sure," she promised. "I'll definitely see you two later." She laughed. "I'm horrible at good-byes." She nodded at them, and they in reply, and she swiftly swung into her horse's saddle. With a slight nudge, she galloped away.

Alex admired her perfect balance in her seat and sighed. "She could've been an excellent knight, if her mother had let her," she said as she mounted her own horse."

Otis raised his eyebrows as he settled into his saddle. "What makes you so sure?" he asked.

"Well, she has an interest in it, along with her being an excellent rider and archer. She has strong arms, despite her dressing in dainty clothes. I'm willing to bet she doesn't usually dress like that at home," Alex said with a smile. "And she has a feel for the sword- I saw that, although she doesn't have any training in it."

"Yes, I agree, but do you think Queen Adela would be open to the idea?"

"Her Majesty's a reasonable person," she answered. "Plus, she is also a woman, and reestablished the training of knights when she took rule. She trains with us at times, and she didn't say women can't become knights, and we're supposed to have equality in England. I'm quite certain she wouldn't object."

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