Well, this is the first chapter of what will be a five chapter story written for the April / May Writing Challenge for the Tamora Pierce Writing Challenge forum. Phew, that was a wordy sentence ;)
Anyway, chapter one must contain a horse. Enjoy :)
Half a day had passed since the two squadrons had left Corus, yet Keladry of Mindelan still felt that the city was far too close.
She shifted her weight slightly in the saddle but this did little to soothe her aching back, stiff from sitting upright as she rode. Her horse, Cherrytree, continued her sedate plodding at the back of the long line of riders and caravans.
Little had happened in the past few months, save relocating some villagers up north after a flash flood. Kel's and Dom's squadrons had been assigned to escorting several strings of caravans from Tusaine's border to Corus and back. Everyone was relieved on be on the final return journey, now that the last string of caravans had been relieved of the season's last batch of spices. These had been left in Corus, to be enjoyed by rich nobles like the ones in Kel's family.
Her family. Kel grimaced.
"30 years old? 30?" Adalia's voice was light, but it had a mocking tone. "Don't die an old maid, Kel; it's high time you found a man. Why, leave it much longer and no-one will want you!"
Kel's cheeks burned. Why did everything always boil down to the fact that she remained unmarried?
"Hush!" Lady Ilane of Mindelan rapped Adalia's shoulder with her ivory fan. "Kel is married to her work and that dedication shows. Why, she has been defending our kingdom for over a decade. Sometimes I wish all my children could claim such an achievement."
"Just wait and see if that 'achievement' provides for her when she's a crippled spinster of five-and-seventy years," grumbled Oranie.
Oh, she had fought Scanran armies, war mages, and some of the most vile immortals ever seen, but Kel would rather battle all of these ten times over than that great evil they call 'siblings'.
She rested her head in her palm. It was going to be a long night.
Adalia, meanwhile, sipped her herbal tea while flirting with a passing waiter. "Oh, by the way," she said distractedly, "happy birthday".
Cherrytree stumbled, jolting Kel back to reality. She shook her head and pushed the memory of yesterday's small birthday dinner to the back of her mind. Aside from a few short letters from her closest friends, barely anyone had acknowledged the beginning of a new decade in Kel's life.
And that decade began with me feeling more alone than ever, thought Kel gloomily.
She pondered past decisions, as she tended to do a lot these days. Should she have clung to Cleon? Was he the reason she felt a sense of loss? But no, for all her contemplation, there was really only one conclusion she ever came to…her sense of loss was due to a burning desire of hers which had never been realised, and probably never would be. If only he would kneel before her, take both her hands, and say –
"Hey, lady knight!" Kel's heart raced at the sound of Domitan of Masbolle's voice. She straightened and smiled as he rode up to her on a large chestnut gelding. "How about making camp here?" he asked.
Kel wrinkled her nose with distaste. "We won't have made that much ground…" she trailed off when she saw the dazzling smile Dom gave her.
"Come on, Kel," he wheedled. "Everyone's tired. And apparently the traders have some great campfire tales."
"Oh, all right," Kel gave in - not, she told herself, just to receive another of Dom's smiles. Still, she wondered why he had wanted to make camp so early.
She blinked as Dom rode off eagerly down the line, spreading the word to halt for the night. He had seemed eager to get his way by being friendly, but had apparently no desire to linger near Kel. In fact, she noted, as Dom rode back up the line, catching her eye accidentally before looking hurriedly away, he almost seems to be avoiding me.
Watching Dom from a distance, Kel dismounted and hastily groomed, fed and watered Cherrytree – she didn't have to spend much time due to the slow pace of the day's ride taking so little out of the horses. She continued in her camping routine, one eye always trained on Dom. It was just as she was untying her bedroll that she saw Dom beckon to some unknown figure before disappearing into some trees off the edge of the clearing.
Doing her best to act nonchalant, Kel left her gear and trailed towards the place from where Dom had left the camp. She glanced around anxiously to see if anyone was looking at her, before slipping between the trees and down the narrow path. Her boots made no noise in the soft dirt, yet she found it hard to move quietly as she attempted to push aside overgrown foliage.
Hearing the faint murmur of voices, Kel realised that she couldn't get any closer through the foliage without being heard, yet she couldn't quite hear what was being said. Gritting her teeth, she glanced over at the jagged rocky outcrop to her right. It was high, but would provide cover for her. Slowly, she began to climb, not trusting herself to look down at the ground, several metres below her.
Lying along the highest slab of the rocks, she peered over the edge. Through a thin tree canopy she could see Dom and another figure – his deep voice confirmed he was a man – talking purposefully. She strained her ears to listen.
"…have to sneak her in without Kel getting wind of it," Dom was saying with emphasis.
The other man mumbled something, and Dom hissed a reply.
"It's all arranged for tonight, so it will happen tonight! A good thing we're not too far from Corus or it would be harder for her to get here."
This time Kel heard the other man speak. "It would be bad if she couldn't make it, I guess mainly seeing as she's put so much into organising it with you." His voice seemed very familiar, but she couldn't place it – maybe he was one of the members of Dom's squadron.
Dom chuckled. "She and I feel like quite the masterminds at the moment: not only will Kel never know, but even her husband looks like a right fool – although of course, he doesn't just look like one, he is one – next to her. He was lucky to find such a nice lady."
The man murmured something, and Dom laughed out loud. "You're right; it's just one night, how hard can it be? And with you fellows on our side, Kel will never even get a sniff of this." He clapped the man on the shoulder. "Sometimes I think I should pay all my friends in gold." They walked out of the clearing amicably, leaving Kel, still hidden, with her head spinning in shock.
Hope you all enjoyed this :) Apologies if it seemed to lack a certain je ne sais quoi; I wasn't feeling particularly inspired. Still, having an end-of-May deadline meant that I tortured my muse until she coughed up sometime passable :P
So…what is going on with Dom? Who is his mysterious lady-friend? I'm actually quite looking forward to writing the second chapter; it should be up in a few days. Reviews always appreciated :)