Emmy: Ok, I started this story last summer. The first chapter is kinda weak but it gets better as it goes on.

Note: Just because I'm writing this does not mean I'm dropping my other story I Care.

Emmy: Please review my work.

Knighthood
Chapter 1: New Friends and Old

"Why!" Razziel thought with anguish as she ran through the woods. Tree limbs scratched her face, twigs caught in her hair, but she didn't care.

"Why!" she cried. "It's not right!" she screamed in her head. Her silky sundress was ripped and splattered with mud, her father would be angry. What did she care!

"Let him get angry!" she thought. If she just kept running she would never have to answer to him again. Yes, she would run away and never go back.

Razziel stopped. She saw a lake up ahead, she heard splashes, there was someone bathing in it. She crept closer and saw a boy, in his early twenties with short brownish hair she did not wish to look at him long though. She waited till he went under before quickly grabbing his breeches and tunic. She also took a dagger.

Razziel ran a bit before slipping off her dress and slipping on her stolen goods.

"I hope that boy doesn't get too mad at me," she thought as she rolled up her sleeves and edges of her pants. Next thing was her hair.

"If I am to live a new life, I must look different so no one will recognize me," she said to herself. Taking her waist long, black, spiral hair in one hand and the dagger in the other she said to herself,

"I can do this."

In one swift movement her hair was no longer attached to her head. What was left of her black beauty was an inch above her shoulders. She looked at the strands of hair in her hand, taking one and putting it in her pocket. She stuffed the rest into her dress.

"I will not want to leave clues for those who will be searching for me," she said in her head. "I will have to burry these." She did.

She ran some more. She hoped she was heading for some kind of town.

"It's not fair," she said aloud. "Why did he have to do that to me? Why pick me for the betrothal to Donion. Donion of all people! Donion, the lazy, fat, sun of a rich noble."

"Maybe when I've reached where I'm going I can get a job. Maybe a cook's assistant or something." What ever happened, she knew I would be better then her old life with Father, or any life with Donion. She would just have to keep her secret. She could never tell anyone who she really was.

Keldary of Mindelan started laughing as her friend retold his story.

"Kel, stop laughing! Someone stole my clothes, so I had to come back in nothing but my underwear and Windfire's saddle pad!" Nealan of Queenscove explained as they ate lunch.

"And why were you in the pond in the first place?" Kel asked, still giggling.

"I already told you, Windfire bucked me off and I fell in the mud," Neal replied. This sent Kel back into her laughing fit. As soon as she calmed down she asked

"Why don' you ask Tobe for help?" Tobe-Tobis Boon- was Kel's servant who had a way with horses.

"I did. Windfire loves Tobe, he just hates me."

Kel had been staying at the palace of King Jonathon of Conte and Queen Thayt of Conte for the past three months after defeating the evil mage Blayce in Scanra. He and Scarna's King had been using children's souls to power their killing devices. Neal was her dark brown haired, hazel eyed best friend, even though he was five years older then her. Kel herself had short mouse brown hair that hung at her ear lobes. She was eighteen but extremely tall for her age.

As they finished their lunch Kel asked "I'm going for a walk, do you want to join me?"

"Nah," Neal replied. "I need to get home to my love." Neal had married a Yamin friend called Yuki just four weeks earlier. They'd recently gotten back from their honeymoon.

"Tell her I said 'hi'," Kel replied as her friend departed.

"He needed to see his love." Kel thought. Then she thought of Domitan of Masbolle, Neal's cousin. They had spent a lot of time together in the past three months, not doing romantic stuff, just friendly stuff. For a moment Kel considered inviting Dom to walk with her, but she didn't want to seem…clingy. She was a lady knight, not a defenseless maiden who needed Dom to protect her.

As Kel walked on the dirt path that wound through the forest several sparrows landed on her shoulders. "Hello Arrow, Spice, Spirit," she greeted them. Kel's birds had adopted her in her first year of training at the palace. They were some of her best friends.

Suddenly Kel heard a scream. She looked around, but nobody was in sight. Her sparrows darted into the forest so she followed. She heard the scream again and ran faster. Suddenly she came to a clearing where a spidren had a girl wrapped up tight in his sticky thread. Kel loathed spidrens. They were giant spiders with human heads.

Kel had to act quickly or the girl would be the spidren's lunch. She took out the sword out of her sheath and lunged herself at the spidren. He turned around just in time to be stabbed the throat. It collapsed and Kel walked over to free the girl. Using her sword she cut through the sticky rope. "Thank you," the girl said.

The girl looked about thirteen; she had short, black, hair that was cut in an uneven way, and sapphire eyes. She wore cloths the seemed way too big for her and from the looks of her dirtied clothes she had been traveling quite a while.

"I dropped my dagger when he attacked, so I couldn't cut myself loose," the girl said a bit defensively. "I could have escaped on my own."

"You are welcome," Kel said. "But what is your name and why are you out here by yourself?" Kel asked.

The girl stiffened. "Why are you out here by your self?" the girl countered.

"I'm Lady Keldeiry, and I'm a knight. Now to answer my first question, who are you?"

"I'm Razz-" the girl said.

"Razz?" Kel asked.

"Yes, Razz, just Razz, I have no last name, and I'm an orphan from Tusaine, that's why I'm by myself." The girl was quick to state her story and Kel wasn't sure if she told the truth but the girl looked quite afraid and lost.

"From Tusaine? Did you walk all the way here?" Kel asked. The girl nodded. "Well, I think I should escort you back to town, in case there are more dangers out here," Kel informed Razz.

"Oh, well, thank you Lady Kel-wait. Lady Kel, as in Protector of the Small Lay Kel?" Razz asked.

"Yes," Kel said a bit annoyed that people still called her Protector of the Small.

When the two reached the market Kel noticed Razz looking all around, searching for something. "Do you know if anybody here would give me a job?" Razz asked.

"I'm not sure," Kel replied. "You could ask, or maybe I could get you a job at the palace." Kel scolded herself for saying that. She shouldn't give this girl hope for a job at the palace, she didn't even know if they'd give Razz one.

"Really? That would be great," Razz said.

As they entered the court yard Kel called

"Tobe!" A boy, with blonde hair, almost at the age of ten ran up to them.

"Yes Lady?" he asked.

"Do you know if my friend-Razz-could get a job here at the palace?" she asked. Tobe thought.

"Either a servant, or maybe she could help the cooks," he suggested.

"Anything," Razz said.

"Hmm…follow me-Razz, was it? We'll go ask the cooks if they need assistance." Kel watched the two go, and thought about doing some glaive practice when she spotted Dom.

"Kel?" he asked. "Can we talk?" "Sure," Kel answered, he stomach doing a back flip.

Kel and Dom sat in Dom's room. "Kel, I-well-we-um, I've been having a good time with you," he stammered.

"Oh, well, I've been happy keeping you company," Kel replied. There faces were close enough to kiss, but neither of them tried.

"It was fun when we went walking and had to slay that spidren," Dom said.

"And when we rode horses," Kel added. Suddenly Dom was kissing her. Her heart fluttered and she felt like she was going to faint, but she didn't. It was only a brush of the lips, nothing fancy. Dom was blushing.

"I'm sorry, I-," he started.

Kel went beet red. "It's ok, I didn't mind."

Later that night, as Kel went down to dinner she met Razz and Tobe along the way.

"I can't find job," she mumbled sadly.

"I'm sorry," Kel said.

"It's ok, I'll go ask about a job in town," Razz answered.

"Where are you going to stay tonight?" Kel asked.

"I don't know," Razz answered, blushing.

"You can stay in my room if you like," Kel offered.

"Ok, but just for tonight," Razz answered.

"Owen, can you do me a big favor?" Kel asked. Owen of Jesslaw was still a squire but he was a very brave lad.

"What?" he asked, stuffing a role into his mouth.

"You see, I have this friend, and she needs a job, maybe you could take her on as a-,"

"I'm not sure Kel," Owen said through the lump of dough he was attempting to chew.

"She's nice," Kel said. "And she's on her own with no where to go, please?"

"Oh, maybe. Just let me meet her first."

"Thank you," Kel said happily. "She needs fitting clothes, shoes, and a proper haircut," Kel added quickly before helping herself to a bite of potpie.