(Everyone wonders what Neal saw in the Chamber of the Ordeal and this is my take on the matter. I'm a Kel/Neal shipper. I don't own any of this, by the way.)
Neal blinked wearily as the priest prodded him from his meditation. Neal opened his mouth, and closed it once again, remembering his Knight-mistresses orders. He climbed to his feet and waited as his legs cramped from the hours of unmoving meditation he had under-gone. 'Into the fire, live or die.' He told himself, walking slowly into the small box-like room. He waited.
Kel and Joren were standing in the middle of the dueling chamber, the same one Alanna had dueled Roger and the Tusaine Knight in. They were fighting and they looked to be fighting to the death. He tried to interfere, tried to stop the fight, but he couldn't.
And because he couldn't, Kel was ran through with Joren's sword, and fell to the ground as everyone watched, laughing.
Tears ran down his cheeks as he sobbed silently, not making a sound. Somewhere during that vision, he had fallen to his knees.
He and Kel rode into a battle together, laughing a joking with their year mates. Only he, out of all his year mates, rode away from that battle.
A strange device hacked at Kel as she fought to stay away from the razor sharp blades, finally getting a hole in the creatures head, only to be killed by one of it's arms slashing down-wards.
He was looking franticly around, wanting out. This wasn't good, not Kel, anything but her. He bit his knuckle hard, the sharp point of pain calming his mind a fraction.
He stood in the middle of a ballroom where everyone was somber and quiet. 'What has happened?' he wondered absentmindedly, moving through the crowd slowly. He saw a tearful Owen, and a limping Merric, and to his surprise, Dom walking stiffly, like he was in pain.
He turned about again and saw Alanna and Raoul talking softly, the latter knight's face a mask of grief. Alanna was reassuring him softly, before moving to stand next to the King, her hand on his shoulder.
When Jon spoke, everyone could hear him, thanks to the magic Alanna was casting. 'I regret to say that Nealen and Keladry of Queenscove have been killed in battle. May Mithros grant them justice, The Goddess grant them comfort and The Black God grant them peace.' Around the room, everyone murmured 'So mote it be.'
He was shocked, and Immediately looked for his father, who stood with Kel's parents, looking quite upset.
'Now three of his sons are dead.' Neal realized, starting to cry again. His father looked old, right at that moment, drawn and pale.
'At least they were together.' Lady Ilane told his mother gently, putting an arm around the other woman's shoulders. 'At least they didn't die alone.'
Neal blinked in the bright light from the doorway and lurched to his feet. He stumbled out of the chamber and blinked, looking directly to Kel who smiled at him. He smiled back and stopped in front of them, questioningly. Yuki looked down, while Kel met his eyes, pressing a small box into his hands.
When he opened it later, he smiled. One of her waving cats, his favorite one, was nestled into the cotton.
Later that night, when he was knighted, he wore the cat hanging from his belt.