Disclaimer: Tamora Pierce's.

I'm sorry to any of you who read my two other stories in progress. I have chapters done, but on a broken computer.

Anyway... here's the beggining of my new story.

"Joren of Stonemountain. You should not have taken this ordeal. Even after Vinson of Genlith's out take on his ordeal, you still come even though I'm sure you have been told the consequences by the few people you may hold close."

A voice went on to lecture Joren of all his faults, crimes, and mistakes he has made over the years. Joren just stood there, staring into space, with a mixed feeling of anger and regret.

How dare the Chamber of Ordeal decide what was wrong for him to do and what was right. He had already been told this by his knight master and father that the Chamber of Ordeal would destroy him. They never said it would annoy him. Maybe if they would of told him that, he wouldn't be here.

'No,' Joren thought to himself, 'I would have been to stubborn to chicken out.' With that last thought, he tuned back into the conversation.

"Not only have you been mean and cruel, but you there is no trace of love through your soul. No love from your teachers, friends, or even your parents. You also have no love passed down to anyone. Your heart may not be full of love, but it's full of greed and hatred. You have grown to be spoiled, getting what ever you want through your looks, fief, and money."

Joren was looking slightly annoyed now. He didn't care about love, and he definitely didn't want to hear about it. For him, who cares about love? They were in a life full of war. Love dies once the body who harvests it does.

"I shouldn't be doing this, but you have one more chance to take on the Chamber of Ordeal, and pass. I wouldn't be doing this if the person I need most right now needs your love to fulfill a prophecy. When you wake up, remember that if you want to pass this Ordeal, you need to learn to love."

Joren woke up with a start. He rubbed his head, trying to catch the details from last night's nightmare. With a groan, he laid back in bed in deep thought. He was taking the Chamber of Ordeal in one month, and has just been warned of it's danger.

Not only that, his friend Vinson Of Genlith wouldn't make it. 'Who cares,' Joren sneered, 'the stupid chamber is making me find love when I don't even know where it is.' Not knowing that it was a stupid thought, Joren sunk back into sleep, hoping for more information on his 'love'.

One thing he didn't know was that a certain female squire had the same dream, except with a different reaction. Keladry of Mindelan woke up with the thoughts of how to save Joren. Sure, he was all the things the chamber said he was, but Kel was a knight in training and had to uphold her duty to save those she could save.

Well, she didn't know if she could save Joren, but she could try. She already loves all of her friends, and even some people she just met. She was positive she could make room in her heart for Joren, and hopefully his for hers.

Kel got up, done with thinking about that for awhile, and began her morning glaive practices. Kel finished after a few pattern dances, and changes into her squire clothes. She ran a brush through her hair, untangled knotts that formed over the night, when an annoyed knock sounded at the door.

On her way to answer the door, she heard a familar voice drawl, "Keeel! Hurry up. I'm hungry!" Just to annoy him further, Kel slowly opened the door, revealing her best friend Neal, inch by inch inch.

Showing that her attempts to annoy him worked, Neal pulled Kel through the finally open door and shut the door behind her. He pulled her by the hand to the mess hall where they got there trays full of food, with extra vegetables for Neal.

When they were going to sit at a table with all their regular friends, Kel spotted a strikingly blond head, and turned to see the object of her dream, Joren. Noting that he was sitting alone at a table, Kel changed direction and went to sit by him.

The whole mess hall went quite when Joren looked up to see who was stupid enough to sit by him. Seeing The Lump, he sneered and moved to get up when she said, "Wait, I want to talk to you."

Curious of what she wanted to say, he stayed put in his seat, attention focused on her. Once she figured out he wasn't going to retort or leave at her statement, she said, "I'm sorry if you think females aren't suppose to be anything other than the perfect wife, but I was hoping we could start over." She took a quick breath, and continued, "I would really like to get to know you better, and maybe even become friends."

Kel held out her hand, hoping Joren would accept her. e was reluctant at first, then thought better of it. He shook hands with her, giving her the slightest smile. 'Maybe she could help me,' he thought, 'even if she is The Lump'.

At first, Kel started asking about his family, which was a subject he didn't favor much. So, she switched tactics. Asking him questions ranging from his favorite weapon to his journeys as a squire.

Growing bored of just asking and not being asked anything, Kel suggested, "Since I've been asking all the questions, how about you ask me something. Anything."

"Have you ever been in love?" Joren was shocked that he asked that, and guessed that she wouldn't answer.

Instead, Kel bit her lip and sighed, looking over at her friends' table to see them all whispering to each other and two were staring at her. The ones staring at her were her best friend and ex-lover. Meeting the latter's eyes, she quickly turned away and answered Joren's question. "I thought I was once."

Even though he saw where her gaze ended upon at the other table, and can tell there's hurt written in her eyes about it, he asked, "With who?"

Kel answered back without blinking once, "Cleon."

Joren had no doubt before that Cleon had liked her, but didn't seem to see why they wouldn't be together anymore. "So, you aren't with him anymore?"

A little bit suspicious of Joren's curiosity of her 'love life', she replied, "No. He had to gt married to a daughter of some rich fief and we couldn't be together anymore." She put her head down, replaying the day they had ended it.

The next thing Joren did was the sweetest thing he has ever done in his life. He reached his hand out and tilted her head up so there eyes were locked, and said, "Too bad for Cleon. He doesn't know what he's missing."

Before Kel could respond with 'And you would?', Joren had already exited the hall, leaving Kel to be surrounded and questioned by her squire friends.

A/N Please review. If you don't know what to rewiew, at least let me know if you think the characters are in character or OOC. Thank you for reading, I'll try to update soon.