Keladry woke up after a long night of tossing and turning. She had been thinking all night of Neal and her newly awakened thoughts of him. She had thought she liked him once before, when they were both pages, but it was not like this. Now she tossed and turned and thought of what it would be like to kiss his lips at night. In the morning, she felt slightly embarassed at these thoughts of her best friend. She bathed and dressed humming a yamani song she had learned on the Islands when she got a knock on her door. She quickly brushed through her hair. It had used to be short, but with all the things she was doing now a days, she just didn't have the time to cut it. Putting a ribbon in her hair, who said she couldn't look pretty if she wanted to, she answered her door. It was Neal. He was dressed in riding boots, breeches and a red shirt, which was untucked and showed part of his chest. In his hand he held a crumpled tunic.
"Kel, I wanted to know if you wanted to go riding today, since you are so bored all the time. I was also wondering if you could mend this?" he asked pleadingly. She held up the tunic in front of her to inspect the damage. There was a tear down the left side.
"Neal, you know I'm not Lalasa. Why don't we just go and pick out another, hmmm?" asked Kel.
"Oh, fine. It's just, that's my favorite tunic!" whined Neal. Kel giggled. He sounded like a girl. They walked down the hall and into Neals room. Heading over to his dressing room, she searched through his little number of clothes. Selecting a nice dark blue tunic, she told him to put it on. She sat on his bed and waited for him to change. When he came out, he looked fine in the dark blue, it looked good with his hair. Oh, how his shoulders filled out that shirt, he looked so fine, she almost laughed with joy. No! she told herself. You have to stop thinking these thoughts! Blushing, she looked down.
"What? No good?" asked Neal "Is there something wrong with it, because if there is, you picked it out, and I place full blame on you."
"Oh no!" said Kel quickly, a little too quickly. "It's... it's fine. Now, are we going to sit here all day, or are we going riding? I know Peachblossom would like to get a good bite at you since she'd been deprived for so long." Neal grimaced, remembering all the times Peachblossom had tried to bite at him before. Kel grinned.
They got thier horses out from the stables and saddled up. Kel loved riding Peachblossom. Her horse could be ridden without spur or crop thanks to Daine the wild mage. Neal, who had already saddled up his horse was waiting for Kel in the ring. She trotted up to him and asked, "Ready to go?"
"If you are?" replied Neal with a grin. With a kick to his horse, he screamed, "Race you!" Behind him. Kel whispered "charge" into Peachblossom's ear. The horse started out at a full gallop. Although he had a head start, no horse could outrun Peachblossom. She soon caught up with Neal and passed him. She slowed Peachblossom to a trot as Neal was still gallopping behind woods were very pretty in the late summer. The leaves were just turning for thier autumn colors. She sat there and closed her eyes, reveling in the splendor of it. All of a sudden, she was being pushed out of her sadle and on the ground. She looked up at the grinning Neal, who was still horsed.
"That'll teach you!" said Neal triumphantly. Kel frowned at him.
"That was not a bit chivalrous, Sir Nealan. I demand you help me up." He lowered a hand to help her off her butt. Kel gripped and pulled hard until Neal was on the ground also. She laughed at him as he shot her a mock glare, but gave up and laughed along with her. They sat there for a moment, their horses grazing not far off.
"It's so beautiful," commented Kel. Neal nodded. She could see that he also was reveling in the crisp almost autmn air.
"It's not true you know," said Neal after a moment.
"Whats not true?" inquired Kel. She looked at him, but he just continued to look ahead at the beautiful scene.
"What you said before." He gazed at her dreamy hazel eyes. She thought she was going to melt. She was sure he could hear her heart pounding, as it was so loud in her own ears. Neal leaned in and whispered into her ear.
"I think you're beautiful," he said. He kissed her trembling lips. It seemed that tiem almost slowed as Neal stared at her and she stared back. He kissed her kissed him back, all of the thoughts she had been having coming out in that one kiss. Kel could feel his tounge on her lips and she parted her mouth a little. He pulled back, flustered.
"I...Kel...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have taken advantage of you like that. I... I'm sorry." He stood up abruptly and mounted his horse and sped off at a full gallop. Kel, insanely confused and a little hurt, stood up and mounted her own rode half heartedly towards the still couldn't understand what had happened back in the woods. Wiping back tears, she thought, 'No. Crying and feeling sorry for your self won't get you anywhere.' She rode back to the castle at a run. It was getting dark, and she just wanted to go to her room, eat then sleep and ponder what had just happened.
