Fighter by Imperfectionist ;D
AN: This is a song fic about Joren and Kel, and it's my course of how their relationship went during Kel's third and fourth page years.
Disclaimer: I don't own this song nor Tortallan characters what so ever!
The Lady Page Keladry of Mindelan was in her own world, whilst lying at the bottom of an ancient oak tree, observing the midday sun light trying to pass through the golden shedding leaves to reach the ground. Being under this tree reminds her of that time when she had befriended Joren, which was almost a year and a half ago.
Joren appeared silently from behind the tree trunk and smiled. Kel kept her distance from him; the past two years experience showed her that he would do anything to banish her from the palace.
"Page Keladry," he said, as he sat down next to her on the floor.
"Good afternoon Squire Joren. If you don't mind, I have practice to do." She got up swiftly, cautious as ever. She felt him hold her wrist, from Yamani training, she turned and twisted his wrist.
Joren yelped as he yanked his arm back. "Why did you do that for?" he asked questionably, "I wasn't going to hurt you. I only came to ask you if we could start afresh." He rubbed his sore wrist and stood up, facing Kel.
"I realised that we got off on the wrong foot and I would like to start a fresh with you." He brought out his right hand, "Good Afternoon, I am Squire Joren."
Kel shook it firmly and smiled slightly. "Good afternoon to you too Joren. Lovely weather today isn't it."
Joren routinely looked into the dazzling sun that hung in the clear blue sky. "Yes it is." He looked down at his boots nervously and sighed. "I would like to ask you if I may join you in practices this afternoon."
"In order to collect bruises? You may if you want the consequences." She said jokingly, maybe it would be alright to jest if they were to start afresh. Though Kel still took the precautions, since her first hand to hand combat training, it proved the nicer Joren was, the more dangerous he was. He pretended to be the flower but was the serpent under it.
He took her jest lightly and laughed. They spent the their afternoon in a practice court, testing each other's ability, strength and speed with the staff, hand to hand combat and many other weapons which didn't require a horse such as jousting. For Kel it was a comfortable experience, as the grudge between her opponent and she didn't exist.
Kel pondered on how Joren and she got so close in a year's time. They wrote frequently when Joren was away with his knight master. And when they were both in the palace, they spent time together with Kel's other friends. Though they were hardly together on their own, their friendship grew stronger with a remarkable speed.
Soon Kel came to discover her particular attentions towards the beautiful Joren. She never told anyone, since she never told anyone her old feelings for Neal. There were no particular reasons why she should tell anyone now. She kept her own saccharine feelings to herself until Midwinter.
Someone knocked audibly on Kel's chamber door, whilst she was reading a gripping book on a seat next to her window. She got up annoyingly for that person on the other side of the door has interrupted her from her read and opened the door. Leaning across the door frame was Joren dressed in a cream shirt and black tunic which contrasted with his mystical ice blue eyes. Kel's heart pounded vigorously at the sight of her friend, but she kept her face only friendly.
"You know, you have interrupted me in a good book." She said annoyingly.
"I'm sorry mother, next time I make sure I won't by peeking through the window." He grinned when Kel scowled at him. Lalasa was out to visit her uncle, so Kel began making some tea for her friend, while he sat on her bed and gave her sparrows some seeds. It was a silent atmosphere, where only the sparrows interrupted it with their chirpings. When Kel passed Joren a cup of warm tea and sat down beside him, did Joren break the silence.
"Kel, I have come to give you something." He turned round and brought out a fairly long slim box the length of Kel's forearm. "This is your midwinter present."
Kel took it and the box heavier than she expected, the box was embroidered, as the Yamani would have done with their gift boxes. She pulled the lid off easily and found inside a beautifully crafted shukusen. One that has a black background with skilfully embroidered goldfishes. She ran her fingers over the sharp silver blade of the fan and resting the base of the fan on her palm, she flipped the fan over which landed neatly on her palm with a thud. Such beautiful shukusen was a fortune, especially if the threads used to embroider the goldfishes had hints of gold in it.
"Joren, how may I thank you for such expensive gift?" She asked.
"That's alright. It's nothing special." He said bluntly, he placed his cup of tea on the desk and looked around the corridor through the opened door. Kel leant on the door frame, waiting for his departure. Joren turned round, Kel thought he would say good bye, but was surprised when he kissed her. She felt so giddy, that she was quite grateful that Joren has held her around the waist to stop her from falling.
"Midwinter Luck Kel," He said when he pulled away; he smiled slightly which made Kel fall into a state of bliss. She gave him a lingering kiss and blushed when they pulled away.
"Midwinter Luck Joren." They stared at each other for the longest time known; Joren brushed a strand of hair from Kel's face and walked away.
Since Midwinter, Kel remembered all those sweet kisses and embraces they shared also the love letters they exchanged. She carried her shukusen almost everywhere, except to places where the fan was most likely to be damaged. For her, Page life felt better to know someone loved her, and was more determined than ever to train harder to impress him.
Kel rose from her comfortable position from under the tree and headed back to her room to dress for supper. When she arrived in her room, on her neat desk she found a sealed letter addressed to her written in a too familiar font. Excitedly she ripped it open to read, and was delighted to know that her lover would return to Corus approximately two days time. She tucked the letter away securely in a box and dressed for supper with a brighter aura around her.
Straight after her supper Kel restrained herself from going back to her room to check her appearance one more time. She now calmly walked down the corridor where she knew Joren was located. Her heart pumped a beat faster with every step she took, her eyes dazzled with excitement. Her hands unconsciously smoothed her newest skirt. She was desperate to break into a run and barge through Joren's room, however she refrained herself with her Yamani training. It felt like such a long journey for her to reach the plain door which bared the name 'Squire Joren of Stone Mountain' in a small neat handwriting. She thought to surprise Joren with her entry, so without knocking on the door to let him know her presence she barged into his room loudly.
Everything happened so fast, her heart felt as if someone hit it so hard that it was too painful to imagine. Her eyes stung with threatening tears to fall, she stopped suddenly to run and embrace her lover, as he was already occupied with a young pretty court lady. The fact that walking in on a man and a pretty lady together in a bed was an embarrassing one. However this time it was different, it wasn't any male Kel knew, but it was one who she was deeply involved with, and this event has showed her the truth of where her man's loyalty lays.
Kel curtsied slightly, though her mind screamed at such act she performed and suggested strongly to perform one more violent or one which would show the effects of the painful blow at her heart. It was all too much, as much as she wanted to run and be as far as she could get, but her travelling distances were limited up to the walls of the palace. After she closed the door with all the calm being mustered in her, she broke into a run.
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