Ralon
- So! Things are going well for Alan-the-page, except for the fact that Ralon hasn't forgotten his existence.
- One day, Ralon comes into the stables when Alanna's there, orders her to hang up his riding gear and clean up his horse, and then he just strolls out like what.
- Alanna is all No Way, and a servant, Stefan warns her that he has to report these sorts of things to the Duke.
- Ralon's punished with extra stable duties for not taking care of his horse—so of course Ralon looks for a way to take it out on Alanna. Naturally. The next time Ralon gets Alanna alone, he beats her until she's bleeding and bruised. Naturally.
- Rather than be a tattletale, Alanna insists that she fell. She repeats this to everyone who asks what happened to her—Coram, Jonathan, and the other pages. Of course, the pages are smart enough to ask Stefan if he saw anything, so they find out what really happened.
- Jonathan urges the other pages not to interfere (it's Alan's fight, after all), but Raoul beats up Ralon, who breaks the code and tattles on him. Since Ralon can't beat up any of the bigger boys, he continues to beat Alan whenever they're alone.
- Finally, Ralon breaks Alanna's arm. Jonathan and his page friends administer a brutal beating to Ralon. After that, Ralon plays small but nasty pranks on Alanna.
- Alanna's arm eventually heals (okay, maybe she used her Gift to speed up the process juuuust a bit), and then she goes to George's place in the city. She asks him to teach her how to fight dirty.
- George begins to teach Alanna hand-to-hand fighting. Cue montage. After a number of weeks, he tells her that she's ready to face Ralon—if she believes she's ready.
- The next time the pages are assembled without adult supervision, Alanna calls out Ralon as a coward and liar. She challenges him to a fight, and basically beats the crap out of him, breaking his nose and leaving him in a bloody heap on the floor.
- He swears revenge as she exits with her friends.
- Since Alanna had missed dinner, Sir Myles comes to find her, telling that Ralon has left the palace for good. She confesses that she threw up after the fight, and that she's as bad as Ralon is for taking advantage of his weaknesses in the fight.
- Sir Myles (rather sensibly, we think) says that Alan's not as bad as Ralon, since Alan doesn't beat up on younger and weaker kids, now does he?
- Jonathan comes in too and affirms that Ralon's a bully and Alan isn't. He also tells Alanna to call him Jonathan, not Highness, since they're friends by now.
- Awww.