“I’ll stay.” She said.

The Queen leant forward. “Are you sure?”

Elise gulped. “It’s my destiny, isn't it?”

Her soft grey eyes searched Elise’s face. “Yes.” The Queen turned as if to follow Rilla out the door; then turned back. “Yes indeed; but remember my dear, that anything is possible; it’s all what you allow in your imagination.”

****

Back in the Gateway of Time, the female creature bent over the crystal ball.

"Arghh!" She cackled. "Tis the Chosen One, my lord! She said yes!"

A tall, beautiful mermaid walked through the doorway. Her body was clothed in rich purple robes, tinted with gold. On her earlobes were dangling the purest pearls, studded with diamonds; on her ankles and wrists were bangles of gold. They twinkled sweetly as she swept gracefully across the soft seaweed floor. Rilla hurried to assist the stranger to a seat.

“Meet my mother, the Queen.”

Elise felt herself rise to greet the Queen of the Ocean. Her Highness waved away her formalities.

A few minutes later, Gianna was standing in the gardens. Only, there wasn't any snow (as in the present), and there were actually people in them. Of course it was cold, but it seemed everyone was anxious for a little exercise after the winter snows had subsided. She spotted Grandmother with the gardeners, no doubt discussing how the gardens were to be opened for the spring and how they should be managed.

If there was one person that Gianna could not stand, it had to have been Alex Rawlings. But if she had to pick someone else, the honor would have fallen upon Lord Anthony Lang. At first, she thought that he would have been an interesting person. She didn't know many people of the nobility, and this fellow had rank and money. He also had a singularly slicked-down hair style that was hard to ignore.

OOC: I haven't posted or read anything on here in a long while. I feel kinda bad because I have writing projects I said would be continued. And I haven't... I'm writing this short story for two reasons: 1. I feel like I should post something , and 2. I had this idea that I really want written.

And then she ignored him. After that night, she tried to keep away from his very presence; if she saw him coming, she ducked in one of her many hiding places throughout the house and lawns. Though she was successful most of the time, there were times when she couldn't help avoiding him. Such times were meals.

I realized that Gianna has been almost ENTIRELY left out of the story for months now- and this is a serious problem, because she's really important in this tale. To ameliorate the situation, I'm writing just what the title says- 'What Gianna Did'. As what I'm posting is merely a very raw first draft, all the plot holes and such that you've no doubt noticed so far are going to be smoothed over and fixed.

But for now, this is my solution for the Lack-of-Gianna problem. Put yourself just before the first ball (in Midwinter) so that this part makes sense.

~~~

On a chilly autumn night, after the last field was plowed under and prepared for winter, the girl with no name lingered after dark. The work was done, but the quiet field and dancing auroras made her feel like all was right in the world. She didn't want to break the spell by going home. She sat on the split-rail fence, watching the sky.
Suddenly a trail of light streaked down across the green and blue, like a shooting star, so close she thought she could touch it. It landed at the far end of the field by the edge of the forest with a thump she could hear from where she was.

The dancing went well into the night. There were many different dances; waltzing, jigs, bouncing lines and slow, dignified ones that were almost like taking a refined walk. Millie didn't know all of them- but her partners (and there were surprisingly many) were always willing to guide her through them. It was towards the small hours of the morning when Millie noticed that the Doctor was not amongst their number. Though she was enjoying herself immensely, such an observation cast a dim cloud over her fun.

Hello all, and a blessed season of Advent to everyone! I am so sorry for neglecting to post here... the Taverner Chronicles is almost finished, but I've been posting the chapters on my blog, www.charlieandmewrite.blogspot.com
You can finish it there if you can't wait to get to (almost) the end, or you can watch it slowly trickle here. :)

~~~