I'm back everyone. I know you missed be sooooo much. So, here is my new story. I hope you like it as much as you liked the last one although I don't know how I am going to top that (I don't know how I got so many reviews to begin with).

I will be alternating between updating for this story and my Sequel to What You Let Go. I'm swamped with work and University right now so I will try to update at least once every two weeks but I am going on the record to say I MAKE NO PROMISES.

ALSO, I AM LOOKING FOR A RELIABLE PERSON TO DO GRAMMER/SPELLING CHECKS FOR MY STORIES FOR ME. I WOULD PREFER SOMEONE WHO HAS READ MY OTHER STORIES AND HAS BEEN A FAITHFUL REVIEWER (JUST SO I KNOW YOU A LITTLE BETTER). SEND ME A PM IF YOU CAN DO IT FOR BOTH STORIES.

There is an author's note at the end that is important and may clarify some things for you. Enjoy.

The Undeveloped Story: Chapter One

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Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan stood firmly on the wooden walkway looking out over the outer walls of New Hope. Keladry known as Kel to her friends did her best not to fidget. Her hazel eyes framed by long lashes roamed over the landscape around the fortified town. The hot September sun beat down on the backs of the towns' people who were going about their work outside of the protective town walls. Her tall stature and hard muscles were intimidating but set off by her soft shoulder length brown hair and her quiet demeanor. Her stubborn chin turned men away but the few who were brave enough to look beyond it were drawn in and captured by her soft lips. Kel was just about to turn away from the wall when she heard a horn call from the patrol announcing that a friend was coming towards New Hope.

Kel lifted her spyglass to her eye and spotted a group of riders just cresting a hill in the distance. She could make out Lord Wyldon and to her surprise Lord Raoul at the lead and what looked like third company behind them. Farther up the road she spotted two lookouts and assumed that there were two rear lookouts also. She shut the spyglass with a snap and slid it back into the pouch on her belt.

Kel turned back towards the inside of the wall and surveyed the town of New Hope. Because of the overwhelming number of people who had joined the community, construction had begun on the outside wall to expand it three months ago and would be finished within the week. Kel thought back to a time when she knew every refugee's name and they all lived together in long hut like houses. Now most people had their own small dwellings, all lined up next to each other in rows creating streets, alleys, and the start of a real town. The mess house and the bunk houses were still used but put to different uses. Two of the bunk houses were used by the families waiting to build their own houses but the other two were used for storage. The mess hall was used by the guards and visitors and as a gathering place for the townspeople of New Hope.

"Lady would you like me to do anything?" Kel heard a voice ask from near her shoulder. She turned and saw her young manservant Tobeis Boon, or Tobe, standing near her having come when he heard the horn call. He has grown up in the year since Scanra and all of it in a good way; soon he will be old enough to choose what he wants to do with his life Kel thought.

"Maybe you should find Neal and let him know, I'm sure he didn't hear the horn, and then make sure the hostlers are ready." Tobe gave her a small bow and ran down the walkway to the Infirmary. Kel couldn't wait till Yuki had her baby so that her less than normal friend would calm down some. Neal who was usually sarcastic and much like an overgrown child had completely changed from the man that Kel had known for ten years. After Yuki told him about the baby he became serious, stern, and dare she say strict. Kel didn't know what scared her more, a Neal who would find a joke in anything and tease her mercilessly or a Neal who was so on edge that he snapped at everyone.

Kel turned back to the approaching group of riders wishing that they would hurry up. This was the first time that Lord Wyldon had come to New Hope for the quarterly reports; usually Kel had to go to him at Giantkiller. Kel knew that he also carried with him new assignments for all three of the knights that were stationed at New Hope; Neal, Kel, and Merric.

Kel fidgeted with her belt trying to distract herself. She knew the day would come when she had to leave New Hope or one of her friends would be replaced but she had never thought it would come so quickly. When the riders were close enough for Kel to make out individual faces she looked among them for Domitan. She saw all the men that she knew from third company and even some new ones but not Dom. Maybe he is one of the rear scouts she thought trying not to let her shoulders visibly slump. She had given up ever thinking that she and Dom could have anything together but still enjoyed his friendship. Then a thought came to her and she nearly panicked, what if something happened to him and he had gotten hurt. But as soon as the thought entered her head she dismissed it. Neal would have been told and Dom didn't say anything in his last letter she thought.

When the group reached the gate Lord Raoul called out their names, their business for being there, and waited for Kel to allow the gate to be opened. Kel motioned to the guards and the large gate slowly creaked open. The men filed in one at a time and the gate was shut again. Kel walked carefully down the stairs as hostlers made up of the towns' young people came to take care of the mounts. Raoul smiled broadly at Kel as she walked towards them and grabbed her up in a fatherly hug when she was close enough.

"Kel, a year is to long. How is my favorite squire?" When Raoul had set her down she looked behind the big man to his new squire and raised her eyebrows at him. Alan the son of Alanna the Kings champion just smiled and shrugged his shoulders then mouthed the word baby to her. Though she had only met Alan once they had struck up a simple friendship.

Kel looked back to Raoul surprised. "Buri had the baby? Why didn't you tell me?" she asked.

"I got the news right before we left, a healthy baby boy." He announced beaming. That explains his odd behavior, just like Neal, Kel thought. Kel turned her attention to Lord Wyldon and bowed to him. "I trust your trip was uneventful." She said to him.

Wyldon bowed in return. "Uneventful, but long." He answered glancing at the still beaming Raoul from the corner of his eye. Kel really took in his appearance and realized just how frazzled he looked.

Kel looked around and found Tobe standing just to the right of her. "Tobe will show you your rooms and the bathhouse as well as headquarters." Kel said to Raoul and Wyldon. "When your settled supper will be served in the meeting hall in Headquarters." Tobe stepped forward and bowed regally to the men then led them and Alan away. Kel turned to the men of the Own who looked just as frazzled as Wyldon. She couldn't help it and let out a laugh. "Was he that bad?" she asked in disbelief.

"Lady Kel you have no idea. He was singing!" Emmet of Fenrigh a healer in Dom's squad answered exasperatedly.

"I've never seen him like that before, not even after he got married." Lerant added.

"Come with me," Kel told them. "I'll show you to the guest barracks." They followed Kel to their barracks telling her all that had happened to them that year. Kel did her best not to ask about Dom as Emmet introduced her to the new members of the company.

"So, Lady Kel how have you been?" He asked her when the introductions were done.

Kel had always like Emmet, he was quick witted, funny, and had always treated her as an equal. She had often talked with either him, Dom, or Qasim while she was a squire and riding with the Own. "I'm fine maybe a little bored; I have to admit I miss riding around covered with mud and insect bites."

Emmet chuckled and brushed his brown hair away from his grey eyes. He was tall, about four inches taller than Kel and was quicker to smile than frown. His skin was tanned like anyone else who spent their days in a saddle. "I think if you had to ride with Raoul when he is like this you would change your mind."

Tobe had come looking for Kel and was now waiting for her patiently looking at the man who was flirting with his mistress. Tobe looked at Kel with disbelief. She doesn't even know he is flirting with her or that she is flirting back he thought disbelievingly.

Kel noticed Tobe waiting for looking at her intently. "I've got to go, I think Tobe needs me." She told Emmet. Before she left she addressed all the men. "Really I think you are all looking at this whole Raoul thing in the wrong way. He will be so occupied with his new baby he won't be so hard on you." She told the logically. The men laughed and went back to unpacking and lounging on the beds.

"I'll see you later Kel." Emmet told her as she left. Emmet watched as Kel walked away her servant following behind her until the boy turned around to look at him untrustingly. When he did Emmet turned back and walked into the barracks. As he unpacked his clothes and put the dirty things in a pile to be cleaned he thought of Kel. He wasn't sure when he had realized liked her. If he had to pin point it he would say it happened when he was transferred from Aidens squad to Dom's. Before that he and Kel had been friends and talked when all of Third Company was together but she was just one of the guys. He didn't see her for months but then he got transferred to Dom's squad and when he saw Kel again she was seventeen and a woman. At first he had convinced himself that she was to young for him, four years was too much. Then he had seen her with a knight who was older than he was so he had to make up a new boundary for himself. After she became a knight that boundary was gone and only one was left. And now that the King and Queen had changed that law there were no boundaries and Emmet was ready.

At first he was afraid of what the other members of the Own would say and had in desperation gone to Dom for advice.

"What would you do if someone in the Own said that they were in love with Lady Keladry?" Emmet had asked him.

Dom's arm jerked and sent his spoon flying into the dirt by the fire. He looked up at Emmet and frowned. "Kel is her own women she can take care of herself, I think I would trust her judgment." He snapped.

Although Emmet was taken back by Dom's anger he was emboldened in his efforts and had decided that the next time he saw Kel he would try to flirt with her. He had thought about the moment for three months and today it had finally come and Kel had flirted back. All he needed was a kiss from her and he could die a happy man.

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Kel pushed back her plate and took a sip from the juice in her cup. All around the table the guests were finishing their meals. Neal had hardly touched his food he was so absorbed in making sure that Yuki ate a full meal and was feeling fine. Kel looked at Yuki's swollen belly and decided that she had about another month left until the baby was born. Yuki was ignoring Neal and talking with Raoul about Buri and his new baby. When Kel saw that everyone was finished eating she motioned for Tobe to ask the maids to clear the table. Everyone who wasn't directly involved with the running of the town left and only Wyldon, Raoul, his squire, Neal, Merric, Fanche the headwomen of the town, and Kel were left. When the table had been cleared of everything but cups, drinks, and a bowl of fruit Kel asked Tobe to stand watch outside of the door for them.

Wyldon pulled three envelopes from his tunic and passed them to Kel, Neal, and Merric one at a time. "Go ahead and read them, we have other news." Kel ran her finger under the seal to crack it and slowly opened the envelope, pulled out the letter and began to read it. If she had bothered to look up she would have seen that Wyldon, Raoul, and Alan were all looking at her waiting for a reaction. She was so absorbed in her letter that she didn't hear the gasps from Merric and Neal as they read their own letters.

The farther into her letter that Kel read the more shocked she became. She reread the letter at least five times until she forced herself to set it down on the table. She tried to speak but nothing would come out of her mouth. Fanche who was sitting next to her pushed Kel's cup into her hand and looked at her worriedly as she drank. Kel drained the cup and placed it back down on the table rather hard then sat still trying to absorb what the letter had said.

Fanche looked around at all the men and realized that they knew what the letter said and she didn't. Before anyone could stop her she picked up Kel's letter and read it herself. The room was deathly quiet and Kel knew she would have to speak. The shock that she felt would only allow her to say one thing. "Are they sure?"

"I'll admit I didn't get as much joy out of her reaction as I thought I would. What about you Wyldon?" Raoul asked smiling slightly and not answering Kel's question. Kel looked up and him sharply then to Wyldon her face smooth and emotionless, she was still frozen in shock and could only manage the simplest of thoughts and activities.

Wyldon leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands in front of him. "The King and Queen thought about it thoroughly. There is no fief around here and the people need a place to go. They trust you to protect them as we have already seen. New Hope has more than doubled its size in a year. It is as a thank you and an act of good faith from the crown that you are being named the Baroness of the fief New Hope and are going to be given its land to protect."

Kel stammered trying to form a thought then shut her mouth. She shook her head then opened it again. "What if the people don't want me? How am I going to pay for this and their protection?" she asked.

"That's plane rubbish and you know it Lady Kel. All of these people came here because they trust you to do what is right by them. You have proved more than once that you are willing to give your life for them which is more than most nobles are willing to do for each other. You care about the common folk and they want the best for you." Fanche scoffed at her.

"The Crown has taken into consideration the financial aspect of this promotion and is willing to back you up financially. You have to look at this from their point of view Kel, there is an expanding town sitting out in the middle of an open area on Scanran boarders. Putting a fief here is in their best interest for protection of the people of Tortal." Raoul told her trying to make her understand.

Wyldon leaned forward. "The subject of protection brings me to the real reason why I came to New Hope instead of you coming to Giantkiller." Wyldon waited for Kel to look at him but she was still lost in her thoughts. "Keladry." Wyldon said sternly. Kel's head snapped up and she looked into his eyes. "As you know the war is winding down. Maggur only had control of a few hundred renegade soldiers and the clans are back to normal. Maggur himself is being sought out by many of the Scanran clans. He is a beaten man and he knows it." Kel nodded her head in understanding.

In the short year that it had been since Kel had killed Blayce the Gallen Maggur had lost his hold on all the clans and had been run out of the capitol. It seemed that he had put all of his hope of winning the war on Blayce's killing machines and when they were ripped out from under him he lost his grip of Scanra. As a result the clans rebelled against him and he was run out of the capital Hamrkeng shortly after. The clans pleaded with King Jonathan to take pity on them and let their armies come home. A week later all Scanrans had pulled out of Tortal and the war was officially over. Kel had heard rumors that Maggur was still alive and had banded a small army together to come at Tortal as a last resort. The clans in Scanra hoping to please the Tortallans chased him around Scanra for months before they completely lost him.

"Somehow your name was leaked and we believe Maggur may be planning an attack on you personally, for revenge." Wyldon stated firmly. Kel nodded her head what else is going to happen today she thought. "After talking with our spy master we have come up with a way to stop Maggur once and for all, were going to use you for bait. Last week Diane got news of Maggur's location and his intended revenge on you. He is about three months away off the coast of The Emerald Ocean." Wyldon stopped and took a drink from his cup. "There needs to be a big enough army in place here to crush him when he attacks so we will be sneaking in soldiers here and at Giantkiller and Steadfast under pretence of building your castle. Hopefully Maggur will think that they are workers, if he notices anything at all."

Kel's mind was whirling and it was all she could do to remember to breath. Her breathing became shallow and fireworks exploded behind her eyes. If I didn't know myself better I would say that I was having a panic attack she thought to herself. Kel stood up and wobbled over to the window and threw it open. All eyes were on her as she stuck her head out of it and breathed the fresh night air deeply into her lungs. She took in several deep breaths and felt her breathing return to normal. Kel heard the sound of chairs scraping on the floor and turned to see that everyone was standing.

"You need time to think this through Keladry. We will talk again tomorrow, you should get to sleep." Wyldon told her. Kel nodded her head dumbly in response. Before Neal followed the others out of the room he placed his hand on Kel's shoulder using his gift to alleviate her headache. Kel smiled at him and thanked him. Raoul was the last to leave but before he did he asked Kel, "Would you like to go for a walk? Maybe it would help you clear your head." Kel looked out the window at the warm summer night. She didn't feel like staying in doors and Raoul always knew just what to say to put her at ease. He's going to make a great father she thought nodding. When they passed Tobe who was standing at the door Raoul noticed his wide eyed stare. "Not a word." Raoul threatened him knowing that the boy had overheard the conversation. Tobe hurriedly shook his head yes then disappeared into the room to finish clearing the dishes.

Kel and Raoul walked together not talking. They ended up stopping on the parapet looking out towards the ruins of Haven. After a few minutes Raoul broke the silence. "The King and Queen have assigned me to New Hope for a year to help you work out what to do and how to get started."

Kel looked at him startled. "But how can you be away from the Own that long?" She asked.

"I've been thinking some things through since the wedding and since Buri retired from the Riders and I figured it was my time to retire from the Own." Raoul turned towards the inside of the wall and looked down at the fires and the people gathered around them. "I've been training my replacement for awhile now, only he didn't know it until last month."

"So you're not putting Captain Flyndan in charge." Kel asked mentally going through a list of who else could be put in charge.

"I was considering it and asked him about it but he turned me down. He said something about being to old and maybe settling down like me. He is going to stay with the Own for a couple of more years; right now he is working with my replacement." Raoul pulled something out of his pocket, "I almost forgot this is for you, from Dom."

Kel took it from Raoul and saw that it was a letter addressed to her. "Thank you."

"You know now that you are going to be a baroness of your own fief you are going to have to get married soon." Raoul said waiting to see her reaction.

"Very funny My Lord." Kel said punching him in the shoulder. "I think I am going to take after you and wait until I am old and the men are desperate and will take anything."

"I don't think you'll have to wait that long. Maybe you should go get yourself a squire so they can force you to fall in love with a longtime friend. That happened to a friend of mine, it turned out well, and they just had a baby." Raoul said pretending to be thoughtful. "Or maybe I could just drop a hint for Neal."

"Don't you dare!" Kel threatened him. "I don't think I could handle that right now to. I'm so…" Kel tried to think of a word that would describe how she felt.

"Overwhelmed." Raoul supplied.

Kel shook her head, "Scared."

Raoul placed his hand on her shoulder comfortingly. "We have faith in you, and I know you will do fine." They stood silently looking out over the town. Most of the evening fires had been put out and the few that remained were burnt down to the embers. Only a handful of people remained outside other than the guards patrolling the town.

Kel hid a yawn behind her hand. "I should go to bed, if I can with all this stuff going through my head." Kel told Raoul. Raoul nodded and they walked towards headquarters.

"We'll talk tomorrow than." Raoul told her when they parted ways. Kel waved goodbye to him and walked the rest of her way to her room. She unlocked the door and closed it quietly behind her. Tobe had laid out his cot and was sitting up on it leafing through a book while he was waiting for her.

Kel walked straight to her bed and dropped onto it. She felt like her head weighed more than her whole entire body and it was as if all her senses were muted and on permanent delay.

Tobe looked on feeling for the first time a sense of defeat in Kel. He was almost afraid to move and definitely afraid to speak. Kel lay on her bed with her arm over her eyes for an hour. Tobe got worried and went to check on her. He walked up to her bed cautiously making as little noise as he could. Tobe noticed that Kel's breathing was even and slow. "Lady?" he asked quietly. He touched her arm and she didn't move. She's asleep he realized slowly. Shrugging his shoulders Tobe gently took off her boots and covered her with an extra blanket from the trunk at the bottom of her bed. When he pulled the blanket up he noticed a letter that had fallen out of her pocket and lay on the bed. Tobe recognized the handwriting and grinned to himself. Sergeant Dom and Kel had been exchanging letters for a year and Tobe ever the faithful servant read them when Kel wasn't looking. Tobe finished pulling the blanket up and placed the letter on Kel's desk. He blew out all the candles as he made his way to his cot and made sure that the door was locked.

As he drifted off to sleep he couldn't help but feel pity for Kel. His young mind tried to put together things that would make her happy and make things easier for her. Besides the obvious chores, errands, and cleaning he did he vowed not to get into any trouble which sometimes proved hard for him. He promised himself that he would do anything to make her life easier for her that he could.

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Miles away Dom was just falling into bed himself after a hard days ride. He was making his way to New Hope to rejoin his company and Lord Raoul after spending a month with second company and Flyndan learning all he could from him that he didn't already know. Dom still smiled every time he thought about the promotion and he got butterflies in his stomach every time he thought about where he was going. Dom sat up and took of his muddy boots placing them nearby incase he had to get up quickly.

The inn he had stopped in didn't seem like the best place but it was cheap and he was too tired to care. All that was on his mind was getting to New Hope and letting Kel know what he had been trying to convey to her in his letters, that he loved her.

He had known for sure ever since he had gone into Scanra after Kel. Sure there had always been that cold jealous feeling in his stomach when he saw her with Cleon or even her other friends but at the time he didn't recognize it. He had wanted so much to kiss her on the boat ride across the Vassa but had been too afraid and had instead tended to his horse. He regretted that decision from the moment he stepped off of the boat till today.

He had convinced himself that he would tell her at Raoul and Buri's wedding but as soon as he saw her he lost his nerve. If anything else this convinced him that he was really in love with her. He had never in his life had a problem talking to anyone. When they finally did talk he was so flustered he could hardly finish a conversation with her. After that he did his best to avoid her and only talked with her in groups.

After the wedding he moped around for weeks until his men started to make fun of him. Whether they were joking or not they had guessed that he had found a lady and was missing her. He didn't deny it and did his best to make sure they didn't know who it was though he was sure that Emmet knew. He did it just as much to protect Kel as he did himself, if she didn't reciprocate. He had no reason to think that she would but still hoped. He did his best not to look into her body language to much because then he would start to read things that weren't there.

Dom just knew that if he didn't tell Kel how he felt this time that he would explode. It was the first thing he would say to her no matter who was there. Nothing could stop him.

Dom leaned back on the bed and settled under the covers. With love and Kel filling his thoughts he fell into a peaceful sleep.

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I tried to be accurate with who was still alive and who had died from Dom's squad in Scanra. I wouldn't find anyone that I thought would "fit" to fall in love with Kel. In the books Emmet was a healer in Aiden's squad of third company. He was only mentioned like once I think. Anyway because he was mentioned but not really described I picked him. I think I manipulated it to be plausible that he had time to fall for Kel. As an interesting side note his sister is the Lady who made her get another page to serve them at banquet, she was sitting with Kel's sister. I thought that would add a little bit of interest to the story even if I don't add it in that Kel remembers her. So as you can tell I thought really hard about it, I was thinking of going with Lerent but decided against it and Qausim is to old I think, Wolset didn't like her at first, and Fulcher died.

Anyway please review and I should have the first chapter for my sequel up soon.