Wow. So I go to my email account as usual, expecting, oh, two or three review-alerts, as usual for a first-chapter story of mine after it's been up for a day or so. Not too much, but enough to make me smile, of course. Because all reviews make me smile!
I find TWELVE. TWELVE! It's about 5:30pm Central Time (GMT -6:00) right now. I wrote one half of this chapter last night before I posted the first, and now I'm finishing up at this time, all the while constantly getting more reviews. I'm up to FIFTEEN reviews now, and almost all of you also put my story on Story Alert – I have a total of SEVENTEEN of those!
You guys are unbelievable. The fact that I'm typing this right now instead of later tonight or tomorrow is proof enough of how you all have inspired me.
I was going to have this be a secondary story, with infrequent but good-quality updates. Now? This is going right up front next to the story I've finished and will be typing up soon in importance. I'm shocked. Can I even express how awesome this is? Probably not. Words are great, but they only reach so far.
So, as repeatedly requested, I'm updating very quickly. I still can't predict how often I'll update, as will be focusing on others slightly more, but I will definitely continue this after my warm welcome!
Answering a few questions: I agree, it is too bad Owen will lose his money. A shame. Alas, it is hard for me to be mean to Neal, as his wonderful personality and beautiful eyes make me pine for him dearly, and wish to push Yuki out a window… ahem. Point is, I have to be nice to Neal sometimes or I feel guilty. Before this is over, believe me, Meathead will see plenty of friendly abuse! The KD will be kept to a minimum, as it's predicted to end with the classic "I love you" type scene – only, being Kel and Dom, it'll be less classic and more frenetic (hooray, my English teacher will be proud of me for using a vocab word for this week!). And yeah, this is not going to be a terribly lengthy fic, certainly not twenty chapters! The plot's not intricate enough for that. It's going to be short and sweet. Sound good? I think so!
I'm just going to throw this out here for anybody who cares: I finally found me "Sir Neal Starting" muse again. She finally helped me start the second chapter of it. Don't expect anything for a while, but know that a total of 30 reviews on that has helped me, and if I can I'll find time to update that too. It'll take a while, and it's not high on my priority list, but I will update sometime. So, for those of you who also read that, you have double reason to be happy, don't you?
Enjoy – you all earned it a thousand times over! Even if you didn't review, although reviewing helps (hint-hint)! Applaud yourselves!
Kel groaned as she entered the practice courts, glaive in hand. By now it was late enough for all of Third Company to be up. She knew Dom's personal off-day schedule by heart after four years of joining him on such days. Why didn't she remember he'd be here? Worse yet, Neal had passed her in the halls, and that could only mean one thing – he had spoken with Dom. She knew what the topic was without asking. Of all people, why him?
Well, maybe, if she was lucky, he wouldn't spot her. And while she was at it, why not wish for a Stormwing to take a bath, too? She tried to avoid catching his sight anyway, finding herself a small corner and starting a pattern dance with an intense energy, working off all the pent up emotion running through her body.
Kel danced deftly on the balls of her feet, rising and falling with her best weapon, always moving with ferocious focus on the placement of every last toe. Her hands moved swiftly, blurring the air, her face glistened with sweat she couldn't feel. The perfectly tempered Yamani steel of her blade flashed blue-gray under the sunlight of the early day. Her arms twisted around her in every which way, as flexible and graceful as water, as strong and solid as stone. Water and stone, she was made of water and stone. She was a combination that scared any possible opponents out of their wits and left her allies staring in awe. She forgot everything, stripping herself away, blurring the boundary between thought and being. She was powerful. She was Kel, and only Kel, a three-letter name that meant nothing more than the power she held right here. She reveled in it.
Then the pattern dance ended, and Kel realized she was panting heavily with her eyes closed. That had to have been her best and deepest pattern dance ever, perfect in every way. Her ears were filled with a loud sound she couldn't place as she stepped back against the wall, trying to catch her breath.
Somebody pressed something round and cool into her hand. Startled, she opened her eyes to a grinning blue-eyed face. She blushed scarlet before she could control it.
"Need a little water, Kel?" he asked, clearly happy. Kel looked down in a daze. He'd put a water flask into her hand. She looked up, smiling at him gratefully, before she gulped. Looking past him, she discovered the source of the roaring sound in her ears. People were clapping and cheering for her. They had been watching the pattern dance. They all looked at her with awe in their faces, amazed. If blushing more was possible, that was what she did. Flabbergasted, she opened the water flask and took and swallowed a little as an excuse from having to speak. Her throat welcomed the moisture that had escaped from her tongue.
"Kel, that was amazing. Can you sleep late more often?" said Wolset with a grin equal in merriment to the sergeant's. "Why must you deprive us of such a glorious sight by getting up so early to do that every day?"
"He's right you know," Dom said, his grin falling into a wistful smile. "You're amazing, Kel," he said.
Kel let herself blush. She was red enough already that it didn't make a difference. Her still unsatisfied heart was aching for him to mean more than just her skill at using her glaive. Looking down, she took one last gulp from the flask, and then handed it back to him."Thanks," she whispered, not daring to say more. The clapping followed her out of the courts, slowly fading as she walked down the hall.
Dom ran to catch up with her. Amused, and a little more comfortable after a moment of calming herself out of her audience's sight, she glanced at him through the corners of her eyes. It was almost flirtatious, but Kel did not flirt, so it was just a glance of amusement.
"I thought you were at the practice courts to practice," she said, her face still a little pink. She didn't care; she had an excuse for once.
"You think I can practice after that beautiful display of skill? I'll just end up making myself feel depressed. My pride is wounded, because I can't best my favorite Lady Knight at anything anymore. At least I could beat you in swordplay, once upon a time. Don't tell the men, they'll laugh."
Straight-faced, Kel asked, "Whatever made you think that I wouldn't?" Then she laughed hard, much to Dom's dismay.
"Kel," Dom whined, and Kel calmed down, smiling sympathetically.
"You have to admit, it is a little funny. Don't worry, I won't tell them. I might tell Meathead, though."
"You wouldn't."
"Of course I would. Though, I'm feeling merciful. After all, you did admit openly that I'm better than you now."
"I can't win," Dom mourned.
"Very true," Kel replied lightly, replacing her laughter with her Yamani mask. Dom chuckled.
They walked silently together for a moment, Kel slowly mastering her feelings, before Dom asked, "So, what's this about falling in love? Wolset's already got a copper on it being, well, you don't want to know who. He was joking, but Neal took the bet anyway. Point is, I resisted joining in case you'd scold me, Mother."
Kel sighed, and then smiled at him, shoving her embarrassment and love for him aside. Chatting like friends was easier once she got used to it for a few minutes, though it didn't make a difference for the next time she saw him. "Thank you, I appreciate that, but go ahead. I'm honored you bothered to resist, knowing you. And if you lose your money, well, as long as you don't blame me, it's okay. The whole rest of the palace will be betting on it anyway, so who am I to stop you?"
"Why, you're Kel!" He said cheerily, Kel groaned.
"Don't pull a Meathead on me, Dom, you're intolerable enough."
"Sorry. So, Protector, I'm allowed free reign on the betting situation?"
"Ignoring the fact that you called me that preposterous name, yes, you are."
"Good, because I told Wolset that if you said yes it's two silvers on it being somebody in the King's Own."
Kel muttered in the Yamani tongue, "Will you want that money after you find out? Or will you be too disgusted?"
Dom asked, "What was that about me? I heard the word for 'you,' don't deny that."
Kel forgot herself and frowned in puzzlement. "And you learned some Yamani how?"
"Progress."
"Oh. Good point. Well, you don't want to know the rest of what I said, then. And I won't tell you," she said smoothly, replacing her mask.
Dom scowled at her, but let it drop. "Unless, of course, you'll tell me who it is?"
Kel blushed furiously, her mask falling to pieces. Tell Dom? Right now? To his face? She'd rather listen to Neal's Yuki-related poetry for hours on end. She didn't dare speak, or else she'd say something she'd regret. She shook her head.
"Fine. Just curious. You know, you'll have to tell at some point, to appease the crowds. And when you do," he said seriously, "if you need some help with it, let me know."
Kel shuddered. "I know," she whispered. Quickly, before she could change her mind, she gave him a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek as thanks from a good friend and scurried away to her room quickly, before he could do anything.
And it was a shame that she didn't let him, because she might have liked the response.
The next day, the news was all over the palace. Everybody got sucked in, and rumors flew around like crazy. At first it was all good, but during the day things got bad. People were being cheated or betting unfairly. People forgot who they placed bets with, or the amount betted, or who they had betted on in the first place. It was absolutely hectic.
Kel spent the day going about her tasks and ignoring all the people coming up to her. She tried to complete everything, but she only got around to half of the things she wanted to do. People had been interrupting her all day. This was a problem. It bothered her. But being a good Knight, and being Kel, she said nothing. She didn't need to say anything, because her friends, who had also bet on her but been far nicer about it, noticed.
And they told people they trusted, meaning the few people who wouldn't tell anybody who didn't deserve to hear, of her terrible plight. And so her troubles found their way to Neal, and to Raoul, and to Alanna, who was furious, of course. The problem was that she was only the first Lady Knight, after all. How could she help Kel, and sort out this whole wagering mess at the palace so that it was all fair and nobody got into trouble for it? Who would listen to her?
It took her some time, but within a few minutes, the Lioness had a "pretty damn good idea," as she thought of it, that would leave everybody pleased, except for Kel. But Kel would be unhappy no matter what. It was better than nothing.
She left her room walking at a quick pace, hoping to catch a certain somebody before they were both called to supper.
First person to guess who she's going to meet with wins the next chapter's dedication along with a surprise-prize! (I'll PM the winner what it is!)