Disclaimer: All characters belong to Tamora Peirce in the Protector of the Small series.
The ballroom was beautiful that night: the decorations in the royal blue and silver had transformed the usually stiff ballroom; the tables were filled with happy friends relaxing and catching up after a long time at war; and on the dance floor the couples whirled about gracefully, the women's jewellery and the gentlemen's medallions catching the light and winking. This was the scene Lady Knight Keladry watched from the far side of the ballroom.
She was elegant and graceful dressed in beautiful green silk brocade that hugged her figure and set off the green in her eyes. It was certainly not her looks that tipped the men off to the fact she spent more days with sword in hand than embroidery but rather her posture. She had made an effort at the beginning of the ball to stand up straight and walk gracefully but now she was slumped against the wall and feeling decidedly bored.
She had spoken to all of her friends, had a wonderful meal and watched as her fellow knights and member's of the King's Own had danced with every eligible lady in the room, except her. She understood why, she was not a dainty court lady or even a rider – she was a knight. They trained with her, travelled with her, and fought alongside her. She was probably closer to these young men dancing in front of her than her own mother but they didn't even notice she was a girl.
Normally it wouldn't bother her. Kel loved her friends and the easy camaraderie she had with them. She wouldn't give that up by bursting their bubble and telling them she was a real live girl with feelings and a heart that could be broken. But tonight, as she watched them flirt with delicate looking girls and dance with pretty, refined, convent ladies, she wished that they saw her like that – if only for one night.
And that is why Kel smiled and took out her fan, waving it about as she had seen her sisters do, when a man she had never met approached her. The man was tall and darkly handsome, his curly, black hair cropped close and she like how he was clean-shaven. His eyes were a dark brown and his skin was tan from many days hard work. Kel couldn't recognise his fief by the badge on his tunic but he liked how his fief colours complemented his skin and his shoulders filled out his shirt.
Kel smiled prettily as the knight, a couple of years her senior, introduced himself as Sir Charles of Saxsburg. Kel thought she recognised the fief as tolerably wealthy and situated just east of Port Cayne.
"My name is Lady Keladry of Mindelan." She replied, conveniently forgetting to mention she was a knight. Charles smiled winningly at her and kissed her hand gently.
Kel giggled at all the appropriate places and used her fan to flirt outrageously as she had seen some of the more confident girls in the court do.
"So how is it that I have never before met such a beautiful, confident girl at court before?" Charles asked, while handing her another glass of deep red wine. Kel only giggled again in reply thinking she was becoming quite good at this flirting thing.
***
On the other side of the brilliant ballroom a group of young knights stood gathered loosely and paying very close attention to the pretty court blossoms they had managed to snare for the evening. All were dressed in their finest and donned medals of bravery to celebrate the end of the war.
A tall redhead looked out at the dancer's waltzing gracefully around the ballroom and almost cried out in shock. He glared daggers at a pair of dancers standing, in his opinion, far too close for decorum.
Walking over to a dark haired man holding a beautiful Yamani woman, he hissed, "Neal." The man looked up with a start and narrowed his eyes at the man who had distracted him from his 'Yamani blossom'. "Look at the dancers, Neal."
Neal looked out on the many couples spinning in tight circles. "They're dancing, Cleon. That's what people do at balls. Now why don't you go and take Ermelian and dance instead of pestering me." Neal's tongue was famed for being cutting, Cleon just wished his eyes were as sharp.
"Not them, look." Cleon pointed out the couple now dancing right in the centre. They both stiffened as the music stopped and the gentleman picked up the lady's hand and brought it slowly to his lips, and then take her up in his arms again for the next dance.
"Is that Kel?" Neal almost yelled, "Our Kel? He's holding like some, like some lower city strumpet!" Kel's friends had all gathered at hearing Neal's outburst and none looked too happy.
The boys grouped tightly together and stood straight and stiff as the watched this usurper slip his hand down from Kel's back to her waist, pulling her closer to him in the action. Several growls could be heard from the young knights and their eyes blazed as they watched this development. Several of the young ladies they had previously been talking to looked severely put out that their gentlemen were wasting so much of their attentions of the lady dressed in green, others who knew them better understood the situation a little better.
"Alright boys, what's the plan?" Owen piped up, excitement for the fight he could feel coming leaking through his rage that another had laid a hand on their Kel.
"Look, maybe we should just leave them." Seaver spoke up, "Kel looks like she's enjoying herself dancing." The other boys stared at him incredulously and missed seeing Charles lay a kiss on Kel's hair. "She doesn't cut in on our dances, maybe we should give her the same respect. She knows what she's doing."
Neal snorted, "Take another look, Seaver. This is entirely different from our dances. And I do respect that she knows what she's doing – I'm just worried that what she has in mind might be entirely different to what he is planning." Neal looked around at the boys, now all nodding in agreement with him, "I think it is definitely time for us to cut in."
And with that Neal turned around and led a group of very disgruntled boys into the centre of the dance floor.
***
Charles looked up from the woman in his arms to the intimidating group or men now glaring daggers at him. He recognised a few of them as some still green knights he had met while at war and others as member's of the King's Own. Slowly, one stepped forward, schooling his face to calmness. Charles recognised him as Prince Roald who had been a page three years below him.
Prince Roald spoke calmly, but it was clear he was talking to Keladry, "Excuse me, sir, but you have been dancing with my friend for some time now. You wouldn't mind if I cut in, would you?" Roald didn't give him a chance to answer but took Kel's arm, "Won't you come for a walk in the gardens with me, Kel?"
Charles watched as the Prince fairly dragged Kel across the ballroom.
He was brought to attention when a hand slapped him, hard, across the face. Holding one hand to his face, he reached for his sword with the other.
"That was a challenge, scum, but lets not make a mess in this pretty ballroom." A tall, brownhaired knight, who appeared to be the leader drawled, "Swords at dawn. And don't even think about laying another finger on our Lady Knight."
Charles looked slightly shocked at the words Lady Knight but continued on nevertheless, "It seemed to me that Lady Keladry could make up her own mind and if she decides to come home with me tonight …"
" 'Our Lady Knight'? And what gives any of you the idea I will be going home with anyone tonight?" Keladry had stalked back into the ballroom and was ignoring the protests of Prince Roald.
Neal winced, "Keladry, calm down." Neal looked at how she was standing, "Have you been drinking? Never mind, we are all of us going for a walk in the garden and if this scum makes himself scarce quickly, we may not have a reason to hurt him too badly tomorrow morning." Neal took Kel's arm and she found herself being dragged out of the ballroom for the second time that night, unable to fight back in fear of causing a scene at a peace ball.
***
"… And what was that all about anyway, 'our Kel'? And challenging Sir Charles to a duel! What were you all thinking?" Kel was now breathing hard, and her friends were looking ashamed after about ten minutes of being yelled at and chastised.
Neal was, as always, the first to speak up, "We're sorry Kel." But the others soon joined in.
"We know you can fight your own fights…"
"Yeah, you could beat us any day…"
"And we know you don't really belong to us…"
"We just feel a little bit protective…"
"And that Charles fellow really was no good for you Kel…"
"He really is filth, Kel…"
Her friends continued, all cutting in on top of each other, until Neal cleared his throat.
"What we are trying to say is that we all love you. We are protective of you and we don't like when people try to take advantage of you. You are like our favourite little sister: nobody will ever be good enough for you in our eyes, and we want to protect you from all of that." Everyone seemed to agree with these sentiments. "And perhaps we are a little jealous that you would rather spend your night dancing with Sir Charles than with us."
Kel was touched by these sentiments, but still a little put out. "So you'll call of the duel?" Kel asked hopefully.
"Duels, Kel. Don't think I'm not the only one who wants to pound him into the muck. And no, we won't be." Kel looked up, a little shocked and a little mad, "Please understand Kel, we know exactly what he was thinking and we don't like it. He will face us tomorrow, and perhaps your next beau will think twice before planning whisking you off to his rooms before he knows your name."
