Disclaimer: unfortunately everything is Tamora Pierce's : (

The idea for this story came from the song By Your Side, by Tenth Avenue North, so I'm not really sure where its going to go, but let me know what you think, and maybe if you have any ideas about what should happen:

This is after the war with Scanra is over, and people's lives are getting back to normal...well as normal as they can be

"Look at her she's such a cow, she must be good in bed to snag someone like him" the ladies of the court said as Kel walked by, in fact that was all she had heard that night ever since the ball started and she descended down the staircase on the arm of Dom. Little did they know that she was just doing him a favor to get out of dancing with some of the more persistent nobles. She was so tired of it all so tired of having her love unreturned that she took her chance to leave when Dom was off dancing with Yuki. She stepped out into the hall and let the tears run down her face as she thought about the blue eyes that only saw her as a friend….

Meanwhile in the hall Dom had seen her stiffen as she walked by a group of young ladies, and then saw her walk out the door…

"She likes you, you know" said Neal, as he came to claim Yuki for the next dance, "she won't admit it to anyone, but she does, maybe you should consider that the next time you ask her to be her escort for a night, and to brave this court of vipers that would put her in bed with you before you were even down the stairs." Neal raised his eyebrows at his cousin and took his lady off to dance.

Dom could only stare at his cousin, he new that it wasn't fair he knew what people would say but he thought that it wouldn't matter anymore, it had been 5 years since she had won her shield, and he had thought that no one would think anything of it… then he realized that he had been an idiot, Lady Alanna had had to prove herself for all these years too, and Kel would have to too. He liked her he did, that's why he had asked her to come with him, but he always thought that she had never liked him, and so he had come back to Corus, and started up a new relationship with a lady, although he always imagined it was Kel he was dancing with, but he remember Kel avoiding him after that, and while his lady was away, he asked her to be his escort and it wasn't fair, it wasn't fair at all….

Dom left the ball room at a run, going to talk to Kel to tell her how he felt… and as he walked near the doors, he saw Owen slip out before him, and as he neared Kel's rooms he heard…

"Kel, come on open up"

"What do you want Owen?"

" Look I heard what the girls said, and well it wasn't jolly at all, it wasn't fair, anyone can see that you and Dom have never been together…Kel, why are you crying. Look at me, no don't go, look at me…"

Dom looked around this corner, and saw Owen press his lips against Kel's and slowly deepen the kiss. He couldn't believe it, his Kel was kissing someone else

"Gods, Kel your beautiful and your worth more than any of the court bred flowers, you should never think about what they said, Kel, I've felt this way about you for along time, just think about it please? You and I could be jolly together, and I like you Kel I really do."

For once Kel, was speechless, he wasn't Dom, but there was so much passion in his kiss, it was more like a promise, and Kel decided to let herself go, to be with Owen, to try to return his love…so to stop Owen from going on, she pressed her lips to his

"I like you too Owen, and with a small smile, she said goodnight, and shut her door, and thought that tomorrow looked like a better day…

Dom went back to his rooms, and stared at the ceiling, his thoughts going around in his head, seeing Owen kiss her had made his blood boil, Dom spent that whole night tossing and turning, and when the knock came on his door that morning before dawn, he thought it was Owen in his dreams coming to tell him, that Kel was going to be getting married… "DOM!!!", he sat upright ran to his door and threw it open, and Roaul was there saying Third Company's being called out, Spidren's in the forest by Dunlath, we ride in an hour, Kel's coming with us by request… meet us by the stables!

Okay tell me what you think please!!! and if you have any ideas about what should happen on the way to Dunlath : )