DISCLAIMER: All the characters and general plot line belong to Tamora Pierce. I've taken her hinted ideas and written them down to my own liking. Anything here that she has said or done is not mine.

IMPORTANT!! I am still doing some minor editing to all of my chapters. A year has passed since I've started this story and my writing has improved a bit. I want this story to be perfect for you guys. Also, I am doing something that I think is a first for . Please read my author's note to find out what it is! I hope you enjoy it!

Note: If anyone has ideas for the plot, please tell me. I am walking into this knowing only half of what I need to...Thanks.

Unexpected Happenings

Chapter One

"Do I have to?" Keladry of Mindelan pleaded as she stood on a stool in her rooms at Steadfast. Lalasa was there, fitting Kel's dress for the upcoming wedding as Buri watched with amusement from a chair.

"Come on Kel," Buri started. "Don't you want to look your best for Raoul and I's wedding?"

"Well, if it requires wearing this dress, then no." Kel replied, craning her head around to see Buri. "It's just too dressy for me." Buri's face flashed with a hurt expression as Kel scrambled for words. "I mean the dress is gorgeous, but it's not my style."

"And it's mine?" The petit commander whipped back.

Kel cringed. Mirthos! Learn to keep your mouth shut! What happened to your training!?

"Well, no-" She started reluctantly, trying to better the situation.

"Turn please, Lady Kel." Lalasa interrupted, holding half of Kel's skirts in her hands, checking the length. Kel obeyed putting her back to the door and allowing her to properly face Buri.

"I know you don't like fancy dresses and either do I, but-"

"But you will wear one because you feel that you owe me something for those fours years of you running ragged with my troops." Kel whipped herself around, pulling her skirts out of Lalasa's hands, causing Lalasa to lose her place. There, standing in her doorway was her old Knight master, Raoul of Golden Lake and Malories Peak.

"Sir! What-what are you doing here?! You scared me!" Kel took a deep breath as she gave Raoul a glare. "You had no right to do that! And you didn't even knock!"

A smile was on the older man's face. He walked over to his fiancée, putting a hand on her shoulder, as Lalasa started over again with Kel's skirts, shaking her head. "Why dear Keladry, I believe I did knock, grant you it might not have been loud enough for you to hear, but I did knock." Kel rolled her eyes at her old knight master. "I was just in search of where I might be able to find this beautiful lady that I stand next to." Buri's elbow connected with Raoul's stomach, making him grunt, a smile on her face. "Why be so violent my love?"

She glared at him. "If you weren't being a numskull, I wouldn't have to knock the sense into you." He laughed.

"Now I see why I love you." He replied, a smile on his face. "By the way," He turned to Kel. "I never thanked you for making me send the invitation to Buri that night. I believe you are greatly in my debt."

"As well as mine." She added. "He might not be the smartest, but he is a good catch." That received a little shove from Raoul. Buri looked up at him, daring him to do it again. Raoul only shook his head and smiled.

"Finished!" Kel had almost forgotten why she was standing on the stool. Lalasa turned her around so she could see herself in the mirror. It was a beautiful dress the color of the midnight blue sky, accenting her dreamer's hazel eyes. The dress was a contemporary style with the neck in a simple 'v'. Sleeves reached to her wrists, lined in pearls. The 'v' of the neck, as well as the white 'v' at her waist, was also lined in the same fashion. It was form fitting, but not too tight, accentuating all the right parts.

"It's beautiful." Kel said breathlessly. "I love it." She turned to Lalasa, giving her a hug. "Thank you so much."

"I thought you would." Lalasa smiled at her old master. "And you're quite welcome Lady Kel. You know I will make anything for you."

"I am jealous, Kel." Buri said. "That one dress is pretty than all of my other dresses combined. I wish I could wear it." She sighed.

"You can if you want." Kel replied quickly, taking an opportunity. "I can just go in a nice set of breeches and a tunic, or a simpler dress, and you can wear this." She gestured to the dress, a hopeful smile on her face.

"No you will not, Lady Keladry." Lalasa added.

"But-"

"But, if you don't wear it on your own accord, I'll command you to." Raoul said, closing the topic. "The choice is yours. Wear it because you want to, or wear it because I ordered you to." There was a smile on everyone's faces.

"Fine." Kel said, grumbling, seeing no way out of the situation. "I'll wear the dress."

"Good!" Raoul stood up, extending his hand to Buri to help her. "I have other matters to attend to. I'll take Buri and leave you two to finish up."

"Bye!" Buri and Raoul chorused as they shut Kel's door behind them.

"He is an evil man, Lalasa, evil." Kel said once the door was shut and they were gone..

"Really?" she added. "I seem to find him quite amusing." Kel glared at the girl as Lalasa began helping Kel out of her dress.

I was the one who helped you pay for your shop and this is how you repay me!? Siding with Raoul and Buri!?

"I see it other wise."

Raoul led Buri towards their room, but had no intention of going there himself. They stopped when they were just outside the Commander's barracks. Raoul turned to Buri. "I have to do something. I'll see you later." He kissed her on the cheek then headed towards the part of the fort with the King's Own barracks were.

"What are you doing?" she asked curiously. "Not causing any mischief, are you?"

"No, no." He said, not even turning around to look at Buri, but waving a hand at her. "It's stuff for the Own, promise."

Buri sighed and went inside. She had a feeling he was up to something, but she have to wait until he came back to find out what.

Raoul headed off towards the barracks that housed the King's Own. He walked in and stopped a few doors down the hall, knocking on it briskly, more out of habit then intention. It took a very loud knock to wake someone up when they're dead asleep, and he was the best at doing it.

"Come in," a deep voice said from the other side. "It's unlocked like always." Raoul opened the door and walked in, shutting the door behind him. He wanted a private conversation. "You know it wasn't necessary to knock that hard? You could have shaken the whole barracks down, Raoul. I wasn't sleeping." It amazed him how Dom could always tell when he was at the door.

"How do you do that?" he asked, walking over to where Dom was sitting in front of his desk.

"What?" Dom replied, blue eyes sparkling. "Know that you're trying to knock the door down to my room, hoping the roof falls in too?" Domitan of Masbolle definitely had the same sarcasm as his cousin, Nealan of Queenscove. They also shared a thin nose that was slightly larger at the bottom and dark arched eyebrows.

"No." Raoul said as he sat in the chair next to the desk, scuffing him on the head. "Knowing it was me at the door."

"Oh, that's easy." Dom replied as if it was fact, turning in his chair to face Raoul. "I've never heard someone knock so loud and hard without hurting himself in the process." Dom crossed his arms across his chest and smirked up at Raoul.

"Thanks." He replied. "I'll take that as a compliment." Raoul leaned over and noticed a piece of paper on Dom's desk, his pen still sitting atop it. Through the pen, he was still able to read it.

"Those dreamer's eyes,

That appear in my mind.

A smile of joy,

That turns my heart in somersaults.

A height that is tall,

But not taller than mine.

Your lips, soft and pure,

That I long to have touch mine.

Your personality

So true and unique…"

"What is that?" Raoul said, pointing to the paper on the desk.

"Nothing." Dom snatched it up quickly, putting it in a drawer that seemed to be filled with other undelivered poems.

"Was that poetry about a lady I saw?" Raoul's smile was big and full of humor.

Dom elbowed him in the ribs. "If it was you never saw it." The glare in Dom's eyes said more than words.

"Right." He thought recognized the description of the girl, but said nothing, wanting more time to assure who it was. "I came to ask you a question."

Dom leaned back in his chair causally now that the paper was out of sight and Raoul had a more serious look on his face. "Ask away." He put his hands behind his head.

"Have you asked someone to come with you to my wedding yet?"

Dom's eyes flashed with shock as he bit his lower lip. "No." He said softly. I haven't." Dom didn't usually show fear, but this was an exception. Raoul had been on him for weeks to get a date to his wedding and Dom knew how Raoul got when you didn't do as he wanted.

Raoul glared at him. "You've been telling me the past three weeks you knew someone you wanted to ask to come with you, why haven't you?" He was not happy. Dom had been planning to ask this girl for a while now and Raoul was clueless as to why Dom was still dateless. "You, the lady's man, can't seem to get your guts up to ask one girl, one girl to come with you to a wedding?" Raoul rolled his eyes. "Maybe you should be stripped of your title of 'Lady's man'. You don't seem to be one now."

"Well-but-I-" Dom gave up and sighed. "This girl is different. She's not like all the other ones who just run around ogling at all the men in the palace. She actually has a head on her shoulders."

How else can you explain someone like her to a man? She's nothing like the other court girls.

"Then it should be even easier to ask her." Raoul told him. "If she's actually got a head on her shoulders, she won't think that you mean to marry her the next day and you should be heading towards her rooms right now." This was starting to make Raoul mad. It wasn't this hard to ask someone to be your date. "If you don't ask this girl, I'm going to make you ask someone else." His tone left no room for a lie.

"You wouldn't!" Dom retorted back.

"Don't make me do it. I did it to Kel today."

"What!?" Dom said, a little confused.

Raoul smiled. "Our dear Protector of the Small thought she could get out of wearing a fancy dress to my wedding. I walked in just in time to assure her that she will be in one, and a beautiful one at that."

"Really?" Dom's face went a little dreamy.

"Well, if you'd get up and actually go see her, you'd know." Raoul retorted. "Just ask her to be your date and stop avoiding her."

"What did you say?" Dom had a look of disbelief. "I think I need to clean my ears a little better next time because I think you just told me to ask the girl I've been in love with since I met her to come to your wedding with me."

"What?" Now it was Raoul's turn to be shocked. "Did you just say that you've loved Kel since she was my squire?" He always thought Dom liked Kel, but he didn't know it was that long ago that his feelings started.

"Maybe." He replied, adverting his gaze.

"No, not a maybe, did you?" Raoul gave him a look to kill, expecting an answer.

"Y-"

"Dom?" A knock on the door stopped him from answering Raoul's question.

With a sigh of relief and a look of triumph, Dom answered. "Come in."

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