Behind Her Hazel Eyes
By Bian
Authoress' Note: This is my first fanfic, so go easy, but tell me the truth.
Disclaimer: I only own the plot.
Chapter One: Prologue
Kel awoke to the sound of incessant chirping. She had to squint to see in the pale light of early morning. Arrow and the rest of the flock sat on the windowsill, pecking and chirping at their empty bowls. Jump lay in a warm lump on her feet. When she wiggled them he woke up and looked at her as if to scold her for disturbing him. He got up off her feet when she wiggled them again, making it easier for her to move around. She stretched, and then climbed out of bed.
Kel hopped up and down on the cold flag stone floor in her dressing room. She quickly changed into breeches and a tunic, grabbed her practice glaive and went back into her bedroom. She propped her glaive up against the bed, and sat down on the floor to begin to stretch.
Soon she was up and ready to go. Before she began her pattern dances, Kel opened the slats on her window, and let the sharp spring sun shine in.
Kel was so wrapped up in her practice, that she didn't hear the knock on the door. It wasn't until someone coughed that she realized she had an audience. She spun and leveled the glaive, but lowered it as soon as she saw who it was.
"Don't you knock?" She asked crossly, laying her glaive on her bed.
Neal smirked and looked at his fingernails. "Only when I know someone will answer." Kel blushed. "How long were you waiting?"
"Not long. Coming to breakfast?" he asked, gesturing to the open door.
"Not yet. I'm not finished. Why are you up so early?" she asked curiously.
"Don't sound so surprised," he said, teasingly angry, "See you later, Kel."
"'Bye, Neal." Kel shook her head at his retreating back. She closed the door, and began again, her mind quickly settling into it's quiet space in the corner of her head, her liar's palace, as the Baron called it, or her quiet place, that Alanna had been teaching her about, with the meditating that Alanna had been teaching to all the knights.
At the end of her morning routine, she took care of her glaive, made sure that Jump and the sparrowshad food and water available, and headed for the mess hall.
As she was leaving her room, Kel ran into Domitan of Masbolle, Neal's cousin, and a sergeant in the King's Own.
"Hello, Kel. How are you?" Dom asked, that familiar sparkle in his bright blue eyes.
"I'm fine. So when did you get back?" Kel asked, looking down at the floor.
"Late last night actually. We should be here for at least a week. At least, that's what Raoul said. He promised he wouldn't send us out for quite a while, because of all the border work we have been doing lately." Dom said, watching her.
"Oh. That's good." Kel said, trying to sound enthusiastic, but failing miserably.
"Kel, are you okay?" Dom inquired, concerned.
"I'm fine, Dom, thanks for asking though. Do you want to come to breakfast with me?" Kel asked, hoping he'd say yes.
Dom nodded, and the two of them walked in silence to the mess hall.When they reached it, they headed for the table at which Neal, Merric and Faleron sat. Kel swung her leg over the bench beside Neal and sat down. Dom sat down next to her.
"Gud mornig, Gel. Again." mumbled Neal, his mouth full of porridge.
"Stuff a little more into your mouth next time, Meathead, Kel almost understood you." Dom joked sarcastically. Neal glared at him.
"So.. what's new, oh sarcastic person that I unfortunately am related to?" Neal retorted, after he swallowed.
"Cut it out you two. It's too early for joking around." Merric moaned. Kel glanced at him. He looked really tired.
"Merric, why are you so tired?" Kel asked, realizing that he hadn't been at the palace last night when she had retired to her room.
Merric only groaned and plunked his head down next to his plate.
"He was riding with my squad. He didn't have the sense to go straight to bed when we arrived though." Dom remarked, watching Merric, an amused look on his face. Faleron chuckled.
"Kel!" a voice called from across the room.
Kel turned to see Raoul weaving around the people and tables trying to get to her. She stood up and met him halfway.
"Yessir?"she asked, wondering what her former knight master wanted.
"Get Dom and Neal when you are finished eating and take them to the stable. I need to talk to all of you. Oh, and Merric and Faleron can come too."Raoul ordered, glancing over his shoulder, "I have to run, but I'll meet you there at the next bell. Okay?"
Kel nodded her consent. He nodded back and left the mess hall.
She returned to the table and realized that while she had been gone, Dom had filled a tray with food for her.
Kel smiled gratefully at him as she took her seat again.
He just smiled back at her and continued eating.
"There been a change in plans, Dom. I need you to take three squads and lead them to the area you were before, over by Fief Tameran. Something's come up. It looks like a rebellion. Myles is still working on getting some more information. Kel, I need you to take command of a squad. One of my sergeants recently disappeared, and we don't have someone to fill in for him. He was actually working in the area around Feif Tameran. That's all we know. It's dangerous, but that area isn't on showing up in Numair's scrys and he faints every time he trys to see past the fog. As does every other mage that has tried." Raoul said grimly.
"What squads are we taking?" Kel queried, trying to paint a mental picture of all the squads, but drawing a blank.
"You'll get squad 3, Dom'll get 5, 7 and 8.
Kel nodded her consent. "Where are they?" she asked, wanting to see who she was going to have to convince.
Raoul shook his head, amused. "They are all men who have already worked with you, Kel. Yes, I know what you were thinking. I wasn't your knight master for four years for nothing, you know."
Kel mentally rolled her eyes. "May we go now?" she asked impatiently.
Raoul mockingly scolded her,"Kel! Haven't you learned to respect your elders yet?"
Kel grinned impishly. "Not the ones who admit to being bad men."
She skirted his glove as he tried to swat her on the head with it, and left the stable.
Dom looked at Raoul,"Sir?" he inquired. Raoul sighed.
"Be careful. If Jonathan wasn't so insistant on having me beside him to play puppet with, I'd go myself. It's not looking too good, Dom. Oh, I forgot to give Kel her darking. Would you give it to her for me?" Raoul asked, digging a dark black blobby thing out of his tunic pocket and pouring it into Dom's hand. He nearly dropped it.
"What is it?" he gasped, watching it as it split in two. One blob stretched up and a little voice could be heard,"Darkings here. We help. Aly send us. I be Streak. This Winglet. He new. I new. We help." the little creature repeated.
Raoul held back a chuckle at Dom's amazement.
"Get to it, sergeant." Raoul ordered, and walked away.
Dom stared at the little blobs in his hand and shook his head in amazement. He tucked the darkings into his own tunic pocket and went in search of Kel. He found her in the archery field, working with a longbow.
"Hey, Kel." Dom greeted her.
Kel squeaked and jerked the bow, causing the arrow that she was in the process of shooting to fly off at an angle and only bearly stick into the target she was using.
"Dom!" she cried. Kel's insides tingled. "What's up?" she asked, walking over to the fence that he was sitting on and boosting herself up to sit beside him.
Dom dug the darkings out of his pocket and handed one of them to her. She looked at it curiously.
"Which one are you?" Dom asked Kel's darking. A head stretched up and squeaked, "Winglet" then disappeared back into the main blob.
"It's name is Winglet."Dom informed Kel.
"So I heard." she joked. Dom went a little red, but not enough for Kel to notice.
"Raoul forgot to give yours to you, so he asked me to give it to you for him." Dom told her.
Kel nodded, still a little confused. "What are they for?" she asked suddenly.
Dom froze. "You don't know, do you?" Kel asked, a grin spreading onto her face. Dom shook his head sheepishly. Kel rolled her eyes. "C'mon, Sergeant, let's go find the man who does know."
Dom made a face and hopped down from the fence.
"Just let me take care of my bow and arrows." Kel told him, as she walked toward the target.
Dom sighed and climbed back onto the fence to wait for her.
Sooooo... what do you think?
Review please!
Bian
Next Chapter: Kel and Dom set out with their squads on their journey to Feif Tameran.
