A/N I OWN NOTHING. ANYTHING RECOGNIZABLE FROM TAMORA PIERCE'S BOOKS ARE NOT MINE. I ONLY OWN THE PLOT.
(Btw,I think I saw this title somewhere but I forget. Whoever owns it, I'm sorry, it's not mine. The plot behind it is tho. :D
*phew* Now that all that scary stuff is done, please enjoy the story. :)
Kel looked into the mirror and looked into the face of a fifteen-year-old woman. Not for the first time, Kel cursed and thought why she had agreed on the bet that she made with Nealan of Queenscove. The bet stated that she must wear a dress for the night's ball if Sir Raoul were to be excused for the night. Obviously, she lost.
The emerald green dress was very high quality. It came from Lalasa and, as always, her work was extraordinary. (I'm not good at describing dresses so while I find words to describe it better, feel free to put Kel into any dress you'd like) The dress hugged her figure, accenting her waist and drawing attention away from bulky shoulders. The sleeves flared out near the ends and the bottom was not as puffy as other dresses. Neal, having anticipated his victory days before, had asked Lalasa to make the dress to Kel's liking. Kel wanted as much movement as possible. If something were to happen, she had to be able to hop into action.
Emerald ear bobs had been inserted into brand new holes in her earlobes. A glittering emerald necklace hung at her collarbone, accenting green-hazel eyes. Face paint was very light. Lalasa could do little more to make Kel look prettier and besides, Kel wasn't fond of the substance that was so hard to take off. A charm bracelet from her mother was placed on her wrist. On her hands were painted finger nails. Kel grimaced and wondered how long it'd take to get the paint off. Lalasa had just finished lacing up the dress when a knock was heard from the door. She went to open it and was greeted by Roald, shocked by the sight before him.
Roald had expected her to wear something formal when he asked her to be his muse but this was much more than what he expected. Roald had no idea about her little bet with Neal.
"It isn't polite to stare," she joked.
"It's not every day that I see a beautiful woman," Roald said, still openly staring.
"Oh, please. Your mother has enough beauty for the whole court," Kel retorted.
Roald smiled. "Ahh… but I only want the beauty in front of me."
Kel rolled her eyes, not believing one word he said. When she didn't respond, Raold cleared his throat.
"Are you ready to go?" Roald asked, offering an arm.
She sighed. "Ready as I'll ever be."
Together, they strode over to the great hall to be introduced.
When the herald called out their names, Kel could definitely hear Neal gasp. She couldn't help it. A smug smile appeared on her lips. And he thought that she wouldn't do it!
They went down to their table and waited for the meal to be served. They ate and spoke about Roald's future wife. Roald was dreading it.
"What kind of marriage is that? I hardly know Lady Shinkokami," Roald exclaimed.
"An arranged one," Kel said in a 'duh' tone.
"Right." Roald blushed and ducked his head.
Kel looked at a small brunette begging her father to bring them back to their rooms. The child's parents were firm with her, telling her that they must stay for a little while longer. Even after a big tantrum, they refused to give in. Kel smiled. How cute!
"That is why I wouldn't make a good mother," she said to herself, stabbing broccoli soaked in gravy with her fork.
"Why?" Roald asked. He took a bite of food.
Kel nodded her head in the kid's direction. "I'd give a child what they wanted in a heartbeat. They're just so cute!"
He swallowed. "I'm sure you'd make a great Queen." Kel looked at him. Did he say what he thought he said? "I mean a great wife," he corrected himself. But he was wrong still. "I mean a great mother. Mother," he said at last.
Kel just laughed and finished off her vegetables.
They also conversed with the other people sitting at the table with them about their plans in life, how they were faring, the progress coming up and such. But Kel, being a shy person, tended to keep out of the conversation. They didn't really get much education in these types of things.
Only when she was asked did she speak. Soon enough, the courses were finished and the tables were cleared away for dancing. Kel and Roald joined the dance, as required of the prince. Kel called upon long unused knowledge of dancing and proved to be an okay dancer. Roald, on the other hand, had obviously practiced.
"Forgive me for my horrid dancing," Kel said as she looked at her feet, trying to hide a blush.
"Eyes up here," he commanded. She looked up. "If you act like you don't notice it, no one will care. Besides, you're doing fine." Roald smiled down at her. Kel couldn't help but smile as well. Jonathan may not have been her favourite person but he did make attractive offspring! Roald had inherited Jonathan's good looks and coolness.
"It's not polite to stare," he whispered, winking.
"It's not every day that I see a handsome man," she replied, using his words against him. Roald laughed.
"What got you to wear a dress?" he asked abruptly, successfully changing the subject.
"Neal and I made a bet. I lost. Now," Kel gestured to her appearance. "Here I am wearing a dress."
"You should lose bets more often then," Roald said, amusement in his voice. "You look absolutely stunning in that dress."
After two dances, they chose different partners. Kel danced with Neal and Roald with Lady Henrietta of port Caynn.
"Don't tell me you're going to give up on knighthood and become a convent lady," Neal joked. "Roald would be heartbroken."
Kel snorted in a very unlady-like manner to prove her point. "I'm not going anywhere. And where did Roald come from?"
Neal rolled his eyes. "Ohh, nothing."
She looked at him in suspicion but brushed the statement away, believing that it had no meaning.
Later, Kel and Roald met at their table and spoke more about what they'd been up to for the past year. She mentioned all she'd done in the King's Own, the griffin, new friends. Roald didn't speak much. He simply responded politely. Kel noticed a trickle of sweat on the Prince's forehead and realized that he was staying inside because it was his job as her escort to follow her everywhere. "Let's take a walk outside," she offered. Roald accepted not hastily, being ever the gentleman.
They left through the doors together and walked through the palace gardens, well aware of possible blooms of gossip already budding on the tongues of court ladies. But they also knew that they wouldn't do anything so they didn't worry. Besides, Kel's reputation as The Girl already have her in bed with Raoul.
"Thank you so much, Kel," Roald blurted out when they were alone.
"For what?" Kel asked, not sure whether the praise was for letting them walk outside or for accepting his offer.
"For everything." All of a sudden, Roald enveloped her in a tight hug. Kel hugged him back, as surprised as ever. She didn't mind the hug, in fact, it felt right. But the humidity in the air made Kel pull back. He wasn't really sure why he was thankful. Perhaps it was her company. Perhaps it was the way she inspired him to work hard even after sloth came over him, making him want to drop everything and sleep.
"Sorry. That was uncalled for," Roald said, thankful that the darkness of the night masked his blush.
"It's okay," Kel said timidly.
Roald started the conversation up again. "Where do you suppose you'll be in a few years? Once you've earned your shield?" He seemed to be leading them into the heart of the garden.
Kel thought about his question. Where would she be? "I'll probably be on the field battling for my country. Either that or travelling with the Own. How about you?"
"I'll be married with someone who, as of now, I have no clue about, be restrained behind walls where I'll be safe and all my training will be wasted." Roald's answer was immediate, tone complaining. He had probably discussed this with his parents before.
"The marriage can't be all bad..." Kel said. She knew that Yamanis weren't very emotional in public but she also knew that many were quite nice. After all, she had spent six of her fifteen years in their presence, following the governor wherever he went.
"But it cannot be all good," he pointed out gruffly. "I just hope that the princess is like you."
Kel was taken by surprise again. Did he just say that?
"I'm not sure what you mean by that," Kel said, confused.
"I hope that the princess is like you..." he trailed off in search of words. "Beautiful but deadly, humble and strong."
Kel nodded in recognition. "Every Yamani lady is like that."
*Humble* he coughed. She nudged him in the shoulder. "Humble," he teased. She rolled her eyes this time but smiled all the same. Roald cleared his throat and looked around, hoping that she wasn't upset. It was a bit too dark to see her face.
"I can't see why father didn't let Kally become a knight," he said, shaking his head. "I mean knights can get married, can't they? I don't see how being a knight would affect her duty to the country."
"It would've been nice if I had a fellow female to train with," Kel said with a sigh. "But I wonder if Lord Wyldon would've trained Kalasin like he treated me."
"Maybe," Roald said. "Lord Wyldon is a great training master, don't get me wrong. But his skills with communicating with other people are lacking. Father says that it's all for the good of Tortall and that I'll understand when I get bigger."
Kel listened to Roald vent his feelings, taking it all in and thanking the Gods that she was born into a small fief as the youngest daughter, making her quite free compared to other nobles. The sons had to marry for the good for their fief and the same for daughters.
"Close your eyes," the prince instructed her. She followed but a cool hand covered her eyes for good measure. A word that she couldn't understand was uttered from behind her. "Open," the voice whispered into her ear.
When she did, she was welcomed with the sight of the lamps lit a brilliant sapphire blue (much like Roald's eyes) and the fountain was spouting its water proudly. Kel gasped at the sight. "This is magnificent!" she said in true awe. No one had gone through the efforts to light the lamps and turn on the fountain for her. The lady squire could hardly keep her mask on and in the end, her face broke into a grin.
Roald brought her to the side of the fountain. "Kel," they sat down, "Do you think that if you kiss someone on summer solstice, you'll give them bad luck?"
"Why would it give them bad luck?" Kel asked, bewildered. The prince seemed to have a lot of questions in that brain of his.
"Well summer is the opposite of winter and good is the opposite of bad," he explained matter-of-factly.
"I don't know. I guess so..." Kel thought, pondering. She'd have to ask Neal. Neal knew everything.
"I hope not." As abrupt as the hug, a kiss was placed on her lips. At first, she thought about pushing him away. But the thought melted away and Kel turned to jelly. His lips were warm against her own, pleasant and comforting. Holding hope of the future, hope that she may be in it. The kiss ended as swiftly as it had started. Roald caressed her cheek and he spoke softly for if he spoke louder his voice may come out hoarse. "You take care of yourself, Kel. If I can't protect you, I hope you find someone who can."
Kel couldn't quite comprehend what had just happened. Find someone who can? What was that supposed to mean? Did he actually like her? It was too much. But she was filled with hope that maybe, just maybe they could be together. The shine in his blue eyes portrayed what she was thinking. Maybe we could be together and he won't have to marry Shinko. I'm almost a Yamani princess. I mean I was treated as royalty during our time in the Yamani Islands. She banished the daydream away for that was all it was: a daydream. It was a thought of fairytales. A fairytale that she knew would never come true. He was betrothed! This was wrong. Very wrong...
"You should get back to the party," she said, not wanting to look into his eyes for if she did, she'd most likely fall even deeper. "I'll go back to my rooms alone."
Roald studied her face thoroughly. Even through the dark, her beauty shone through. He wished she was hers to keep, forever and ever. But he knew this was forbidden. This was never meant to be. "If that is what you wish," Roald said quietly. "Good night, Kel." He left, his footsteps very soft, hoping she might want someone to accompany to her rooms. She didn't say another word and after fighting down the urge of asking for his company, she left in the other direction.
Her feelings were kept in a drawer in the deepest pit of her heart for the months that she rode with the Third Company. She hoped that maybe if she didn't show it, didn't think about it, that it would just go away. Disappear.
As she rode, she realized that she had found someone with the shade of blue eyes as Roald's: Domitan of Masbolle. But her feelings for Roald persisted throughout her journey with the Own, slowly lessening every step towards the heart of Dom. Only when they came back for Midwinter did she let them go. For good.
Prince Roald and Princess Shinkokami were conversing politely. Yes, it was polite but they just had to make it work. It was their duty to their country. Her childhood friend, Shinko pretended to be interested in Roald and what he was saying. Kel could tell and she wished that they could just switch places. Just like that.
I was foolish to think that we might work out, she thought to herself. Roald looked at her and smiled. But the smile was soon replaced with a look of disappointment. It was official: he would marry Princess Shinkokami. Kel accepted the fact and decided to help her friend find someone for him: her best a sigh, Kel got up to execute her plan to bring the two hearts together, starting with some help from Dom.
A/N Like it? Hate it? Please review. So it ends with Dom. Don't get me wrong, Dom is awesome but I don't really see them get together. Oh, well. It's so much easier to put Kel with just anyone because her series ends without her getting a love-life! :D Good for writers, not that good for readers.
P.S. Muahahaha :) I forbid Roald from being like his father. He is much cooler and more honourable. ^_^