The Amazing Adventures of Nealan the Great

Synopsis: The Masbolle children, Kaydie and Lachran, stumble across a book called The Amazing Adventures of Nealan the Great. It tells the story of the progressively outrageous plots of their Uncle Neal as he tried to make their parents fall in love during the Midwinter ten years prior. Havoc ensues. KelDom, of course.

Disclaimer: All characters and settings belonging to Tamora Pierce

A/N: I'm back! Yay! Hope you enjoy this one as much as Midwinter Luck.

Prologue

'Mummy! Mummy! You're home!' Six-year-old Kaydaliene of Masbolle, known as Kaydie, squealed with delight as her mother walked into the library.

Spreading her arms wide and picking up her youngest as she ran into her at full speed, Lady Knight Keladry of Masbolle settled Kaydie onto her hip as she walked across the room towards her eight-year-old son, Lachran, who was intent on reading the book in his hands. 'Have you been good for your father, Kaydie?'

'Yes! Daddy took us into Corus last week and we had lunch with Uncle Neal. He told us all about the twelve-foot ogre you killed when you were only MY age!'

'Twelve feet?' Keladry asked incredulously. 'That must have been a very hard battle for a six year old.'

'Yep,' Kaydie answered solemnly. 'And that's where you got the big scar on your shoulder from, too.'

Keladry shook her head at her best friend's folly. 'Well I'm afraid that's not true, as exciting as it would be if it was. I got the scar on my shoulder fighting a Scanran mage and his henchman when I was nineteen.'

'Wow,' The little girl breathed in awe 'Why did you fight him? Was he bad? Did you win?'

'I fought him because he was evil,' Keladry explained as she sat down next to Lachran with Kaydie in her lap, the little girl listening intently to every word her mother spoke. 'And he was hurting innocent children. Aunt Loesia was one of the children he kidnapped.'

'And you saved her? But what about Uncle Tobe?'

'Now Tobe was the bravest of them all. He escaped before he could be kidnapped, but he insisted that he came with me to rescue all of the children.'

'And Dad?'

'Your father fought very bravely by my side. And,' Keladry added with a hint of amusement in her voice. 'He carried me unconscious out of the castle after my fight. He only actually admitted that to me last month.'

Lachran looked up and grinned briefly before settling back to his book, knowing how much his mother hated being fussed over.

'And Uncle Neal?' Kaydie asked.

'Uncle Nealan fought with us too, and healed those who were wounded in the battle.'

'Well, I do like that story,' Kaydie said matter-of-factly. 'But Uncle Neal's ogre story was still better.'

Momentarily distracted, Keladry noticed the familiar green leather colour of the book her son was reading. 'What's that, Lachran?' She asked, fighting to keep her voice even as she grinned evilly inside. They finally found it! I've been waiting for this moment for years!

Lachran looked up again and smiled sheepishly, using his thumb to keep his place on the first page whilst flipping the book closed and holding it up to show the cover.

'The Amazing Adventures of Nealan the Great,' read Kaydie slowly. 'Who's Nealan the Great?' She asked her mother.

'That,' coughed Keladry as she continued to struggle not to laugh, a very rare occurrence given her Yamani training, 'Is your Uncle Nealan.'

'But I thought he was called Uncle Neal?' Kaydie asked, confused.

'Oh no,' Keladry told her two children solemnly 'Never call him Neal. Nealan, Meathead, Uncle Meathead if you want to be polite. But never Neal.'

'What's the book about Mummy?'

'Well, it's a true story,' Keladry began, smiling wryly. 'About a very crazy Midwinter at the palace when Uncle Nealan got the idea into his head that he was going to bring myself and your father…together.'

'How?' Kaydie asked.

'Through a series of, well, progressively outrageous plots,' Keladry explained whilst laughing, having lost the battle to appear serious due to the memories flooding back of that hapless Midwinter ten years prior. 'Each plot takes up one chapter in the book. He eventually succeeded in his aim, of course, but not quite before he managed to wreak havoc on the entire palace.'

'Can we read it?' Kaydie pleaded.

Keladry grinned mischievously. 'Why not? Just think of all the extra special stories you'll be able to tell Uncle Nealan next time you see him.'