Five Things That Never Happened to Domitan of Masbolle
1. Renamed
Dom pushed his visiting cousin gently. Neal stumbled a few feet, but he caught himself. He pushed Dom back, and soon they were rolling on the ground.
"Boys!" Dom looked up at his mother sheepishly. Lady Willany glared down at them. Neal jumped up, dusting himself off. Dom followed slowly, mumbling an apology. "Come in for lunch."
"Yes, ma'am," Neal said, following. Dom was in the rear, listening vaguely to his mother's scolding on the state of the boy's clothing. She ordered them upstairs to change and wash up.
"Hungry boys are quick boys," Lady Willany said when they returned in less than ten minutes. Dom and Neal took spots across from each other at the small table in the kitchen. It was very quiet.
Dom began to plot which small amphibians were going to make an appearance in his cousin's bed that night. He was too busy planning to notice when Neal got up from his seat. His concentration was broken, however, when he felt a warm liquid trickling down through his hair and into his tunic. Neal laughed.
"Gotcha, Meathead!" he drawled, skedaddling.
2. Rejected
Dom caught the eyes of a breathtaking beauty, and winked. The girl looked him up and down, and then turned back to her friend. The two ladies talked merrily.
Dom sauntered over to the pretty girl.
"Would you like to dance?" he asked casually. She looked at him as if she were surprised he was talking to her.
"No thank you," she said stiffly. She and her friend left Dom where he stood. Woslet came over and clapped him on the back.
"Bad luck, Dom," he teased.
"I'd like to see you do better," Dom snapped.
"Is that a challenge?" Wolset asked, eyes twinkling. Dom looked at him a moment, then flipped a copper coin into the air.
"You're on." Wolset pocketed the coin and strolled over to Dom's young lady.
Dom couldn't hear what was being said, but after a moment, the young lady smiled charmingly and let Wolset lead her onto the dance floor. The soldier grinned at Dom over her shoulder.
"Poor Dom!" Neal said from nearby. Neal was the last person he wanted to see. He'd never live this down now.
3. Regretted
The terrible hairy legs of a giant faded at last. Dom heard the Chamber door open and let out breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Everything in him told Dom to get out of the Chamber of Ordeal. He stumbled forward quickly, tripping over his own limp and falling into his knightmaster's arms.
All around him people were cheering: his mother, father and sister, Neal and Uncle Baird, and so many others.
Later, alone in his room at last, Dom lifted his pillow to his face to muffle his screams. He would not soon forget his Ordeal of Knighthood. Stepping foot into that Chamber had been the biggest mistake of his life.
4. Refused
"Sir, whatever Kel is doing, she can take care of herself."
Dom rode up to the shell of Rathausak Castle. Fire had destroyed most of the keep, bit it was a fire of victory. Dom was immediately uneasy. He led his squad into the courtyard cautiously.
The first person he saw was Neal, watching a large fire, one arm around Tobe. A group of children were clustered near the entrance. They began to chatter hopefully when the horse came past.
Neal looked up at him miserably. When he saw the whole squad of the Own, Neal ran at Dom and began to hit him with flailing limbs.
"Where were you?" he cried. "Where were you when we needed help, when Kel needed help?" Two of Dom's men got Neal into a hold, but not before he gave Dom a black eye that a page would be proud of.
The two corporals held Neal until he stopped thrashing.
"Where is everyone?" Dom asked. Neal looked at the fire.
"There were too many of them. I saw Owen go down, and Merric, and so many others." Dom's uneasiness grew.
"How many?"
"Thirty-two." Thirty-two dead fighters. Now Dom regretted that he hadn't flown from Mastiff the second Lord Raoul had told him what Kel was up to. Dom took both of Neal's shoulders in his hands, forcing his cousin to look at his face.
"Where's Kel?" he asked. Neal's head fell low.
"She killed Blayce and Stenmun, but they gave her a nasty cut…" he mumbled. "She didn't make it."
Dom turned away, looking up to block the sudden tears that jumped at his eyes. He caught a glimpse of Jump and Peachblossom, both kneeling beside a form on the ground. Kel.
Dom ran over, placing his hand on the strawberry roan's back. Jump scooted forward, bumping Kel's hand with his nose as he whined. Dom dropped to his knees. He looked at Kel's wounds, feeling his heart break.
It was his fault. He should have come sooner.
Kel was dead.
5. Renounced
Dom swore mildly. He agreed with Lord Raoul: this confounded progress had been going on far too long. He had left an important letter from home in his saddlebags. Now if he wanted to write a reply, he had to return to the Own's makeshift stables, which were all the way across the entire camp. When he had the letter, he turned to leave, but he heard rustling in the back of the stables. Curious, Dom ducked behind his mare, brushing her neck with his hand.
A figure immerged. Dom watched Cleon of Kennan straighten his tunic. A pretty milkmaid caught Cleon's eye and winked at him. Cleon grinned, putting his arms around her waist and pulling her into an empty stall for one last kiss.
Dom grew furious. Cleon had wooed Kel, and now he was here, with a milkmaid. Dom followed the redheaded young man, intending to beat him in the shadows. But Cleon made his way to Kel's tent.
Dom gave them a minute, deciding on a plan. He crashed into the tent, sending the door-flap flailing. Cleon had Kel pressed against one of the tent poles, kissing her passionately.
They turned at Dom's loud entrance. Kel immediately turned beet-red.
"Dom!" she cried, pulling away from Cleon. "What are you doing here?"
'Kel, you can't be with him. He's betraying you," Dom spewed. Kel's eyebrows furrowed. She glanced at Cleon, searching his face with her eyes.
"It's a lie," he whispered, taking both her hands.
"That's not fair Dom. Neal told me that you like me. It's alright to feel that way, but making up a lie is not fair," Kel said. "Please leave."
"No Kel, you have to believe me!" Dom insisted.
"She said leave," Cleon added. Dom ignored him.
"I can't until you listen! He's a liar and a cheat. I saw him, Kel. I saw him with some milk-maid-"
Dom was cut off by a sharp slap. Kel's eyes blurred. It was very quiet for a moment. Then Kel spoke.
"I asked you to leave," she said shakily.
Dom turned and left. In his own tent, Dom put a hand to his cheek. A red mark had formed where Kel had slapped him. It still stung, worse than even the odd arrow he'd taken.
He felt that sting for days.
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Dom woke up with a start. He'd fallen asleep in the big plush chair that sat beside the fireplace in the room that he shared with Kel. They weren't married. They had decided that they would marry when he was ready to leave the Own.
He sat up, rubbing his face with both hands. Dom heard a faint noise from the doorway and turned. Kel was standing there smiling. Their son was balanced on her hip, his little hand resting on her protruding belly.
"Bad dream?" Kel asked, sitting on the chair's arm.
"A succession of them," Dom said, settling their little boy on his lap and placing an arm around Kel.
Dom listened to his son as he chattered about his morning play-date with Neal's daughter. He watched Kel's adoring smile. She squeaked suddenly.
"What?" Dom asked. She took his hand and pressed it to her belly. Dom felt their unborn child kick. He grinned. With the conception of their second child, Raoul and their parents had been pressing Kel and Dom to marry, and try to save some of their honor.
Dom decided that he wouldn't change a thing in his life. He liked it just the way it was.