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Keladry knocked on the door to her parent's room. She was taking a vacation from the war and her parents had said that they had wanted to speak with her privately in Corus. Kel knew that something bad was going to happen. They only spoke with her privately when something bad had happened. She slipped on her Yamani mask when her mother, Ilane of Mindelan, opened the door.
Ilane was a thin, elegant woman who was taller than her husband by nearly a head, with hair that had gone white very early in life, and a deep, musical voice. The only thing Kel had from her was the height. At age 20, Kel was about 6 ft. She gave a false smile before walking into the room and sitting down in a chair directly across from her father, Piers.
Her father was a short stocky man. Kel had his build, delicate nose, and dreamy, long-lashed hazel eyes. Her brown hair was several shades lighter than his. Piers was uncomfortable under her direct gaze, but he masked it. Her mother made tea as Kel sat in silence, absorbed in her own thoughts.
Did something happen to my brothers? Did Maggur kidnap one of my family members? She thought, before abruptly shaking her head from those thoughts. She wasn't the dramatic, imaginative person like her best friend Neal. He must be rubbing off on her. She focused on her tea, sipping it until her mother spoke.
"Kel, there's something your father and I need to speak with you about," her mother said hesitantly, though her face betrayed no emotions. Kel inclined her head, a sign that she was listening. "There was an attack on Mindelan a few weeks ago. The Scanrans wanted to destroy it, but luckily we had a lot of knights that were stationed near there, and we drove them off. However," Kel grew tense as her mother paused. "We don't have enough money to support the damages. So there was only one thing we could do." Her mother paused again. "So, we betrothed you." Kel set her cup of tea down quickly and glared at her parents. She had known that this was what was going to happen if anything went wrong, but she hated it. She quickly masked her emotions.
"Who is it?" she asked after a while, getting her emotions under control. Her mother seemed relieved that she had asked that question.
"There was only one family that would take you. She has a nice son, about 2 years older than you. His name is Zahir ibn Alhaz. He is a Bazhir. I know that he was a page with you, and I figured that you two got along just fine considering the fact that he accepted being married to you," she said. Kel's mind was in a whirlpool from the moment her mother had said that name. Zahir, she thought. I remember him. He was one of Joren's cronies before he finally realized that it was stupid to knock around pages that were younger than him. I haven't seen him since he was made a knight. That was, what? Four, five, years ago? Her mother cleared her throat, and Kel was brought back to the present.
"I'll do it," she said, hiding her disappointment at the fact that she couldn't make the decision of who she would marry. Kel's mother nodded her head in approval.
"I'm sure that you two will learn to love each other," she said.
"Do you get along all right?" Piers asked, silent up until then.
"We get along fine, father." She said. She briefly pictured her new betrothed. With jet-black eyes and brown skin, Zahir was defiantly a Bazhir. He had a nose that was proudly arched and walked with a lion's arrogance. He was the most kingly Bazhir she had ever met, and he had good looks, to top it all off. He was what every woman wanted in a man-strong, confident, and handsomeness.
I'll survive, she thought to herself. He had stopped harassing the first years after about a few months, so we'll manage.
"When's the wedding?" she asked, uncertain. Ilene laughed.
"Oh, don't worry. You won't marry until a couple of years has passed, but I want you to reintroduce yourself to him soon. In fact, he's going to be coming to Corus in a couple of days." Kel looked skeptical. "You'll be fine. Now, go hurry off with your friends." She ordered. Kel made a face before doing as she asked.
She made her way to her rooms, lost in thought. She was so preoccupied that she didn't notice her best friend, Nealan of Queenscove, until he ran into her.
"Hello, sunshine. Good morning," he said, cheerily. Neal was a tall, fair-skinned, and lean, with striking emerald eyes and light brown hair swept back from a widow's peak. Kel put her Yamani mask so he couldn't see how glum she was.
"Morning, Meathead. What are you doing up so early?" she asked, hearing the dawn bell in the distance.
"My sweet Yamani rose wanted to see me early this morning about the wedding," he explained. He saw her wince slightly behind the word 'wedding'. Neal frowned. "What's the matter, love?" he asked. Kel shook her head.
"Nothing, Neal," she replied, voice devoid of emotion. Neal laughed.
"You still think you can hide behind that mask of yours? Don't you realize that I've known you long enough to tell when you're upset or not?" Kel stared at him. She opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off. "Now, tell me the truth. What's the matter?" Kel hung her head, not wanting him to see her face.
"My parents betrothed me," she muttered, too soft for him to hear.
"What was that, Mrs. Mumbles?" he asked, reminding Kel of her old teacher at the Yamani Islands who punished her with slaps on the head if she didn't stand up straight and talk loud enough. Instinct made her do so.
"My parents betrothed me," she said more clearly. Neal looked as if he'd seen a ghost.
"You're betrothed?!" he squeaked. Kel nodded her head glumly. "Well, who is it?" he asked, still trying to get over the shock of Kel being engaged. Kel paused.
"Zahir ibn Alhaz," she said, bracing herself for the outburst. Sure enough, it came.
"WHAT? WHY HIM?" he yelled. Kel winced at the harshness. Before she could answer his question, he cut her off again. "WHY YOU? WHAT HAPPENED THAT YOU HAVE TO MARRY HIM FOR? THAT'S JUST STUPID HOW YOU HAVE TO MARRY THAT BUCK-TOOTHED-SON-OF-A-" Kel shot him a glare that made him rethink what he was going to say next. "-Cow?" he finished wearily. Kel smiled.
"Well, to answer all of those questions, considering they were mostly the same, Mindelan was attacked, and the Bazhir tribe that Zahir is from is the wealthiest. Plus, it was the only family that would take me," she added. Neal looked like he was about to say more until Domitan of Masbolle walked up. Kel winced. She and Dom had been courting for a while now, how was she going to break up with him? Neal inclined his head in welcome, and left. Dom grinned at her and leaned in for a kiss, but Kel stepped back. His cyan eyes showed confusion as he leaned in again, but Kel stepped back that time too.
"What's wrong?" he asked, not understanding. He moved so that his back was to the light. Kel was reminded of the time that she had first met him. He was in his late twenties, broad-shouldered, big handed, and extremely handsome. His mouth was made for smiling, though he wasn't right now. His eyes were framed by wide, arched brows and set over a long nose slightly wide at the tip. His nose was the only thing that suggested that he and Neal were related. His cool fingers on her chin brought her out of her thoughts. Kel jerked away from his touch, tears sprouting in her normally composed façade. His mouth turned into a frown. "What's the matter, Kel?" he asked, voice devoid of emotion. More tears. She turned away from him, ashamed of herself.
"My…parents…betrothed me…" she said, choking the words out. Dom just stood there, questions running through his head. Finally, he voiced them.
"What? How? When? Why?" was all that he managed to get out.
"Mindelan was attacked from Scanrans about a month ago. We need the money, and my fiancée, Zahir ibn Alhaz's tribe is one of the wealthiest. I'm so sorry, Dom. Really, I am. I didn't want for this to happen," she said, tears running down her cheeks. Dom sighed and looked at her. She seemed so sad that this had to happen, but there was nothing that they could do. His heart felt torn.
"Is he nice, at least?" Dom asked. Kel wiped away a tear.
"I don't know, Dom. I haven't seen him in a few years. I'm probably going to move down south to his tribe, and live there for the rest of my life," she said gloomily. Dom nodded.
"I'm hungry. Lets go to the mess hall," he said, changing the subject. Kel was grateful.
"Okay," she said, and they walked down the hallway, silent, lost in their own thoughts.
A/N: I must be a tard, having 3 stories up at one time. Its gonna be 4 soon, with the sequel to "if I ain't got you"…wow I'm dumb. Okay, tell me what you think about this little chapter, and the idea of the story! It will be a k/z-something that's never been done before! ::: gasp::: r&r please!
Oh, and also, review my stories:
If I ain't got you
An enemy mission
A Pro Knight
Thx a lot!