Meathead

Nealan was being a meathead. He had avoided Keladry all day since the announcement of the engagement.

The sparrows led her to the tower, and she found herself counting the ways to torture him while she climbed the stairs up to the top.

"Did you think you could avoid me by coming here?" she asked when she reached him.

Nealan turned around and looked surprised, then shocked, and then he continued sulking.

Instead of trying to talk some sense into him, she sat down beside him and waited.

After awhile he broke "Of all the men In Totall, you had to pick my cousin."

Keladry smiled at this. "Do you have a problem with that?"

He shot her a deathly glance. : "I wouldn't have said it before, because I don't want you feeling guilty - but I had it all figured out before you came into the picture. You ruined my master plan!"

"What master plan Neal?" Keladry asked curiously.

"Well as you may know, I am related to Dom. "

"Yes, he mentioned it once"

Nealan shot her another of his death glances and Keladry noticed that he seemed to get better each time.

"Well, as my cousin, he seems to think he can call me whatever he likes, and treat me as he wishes."

"You do know that Domitan isn't the only one calling you Meathead, don't you Neal?"

Nealan shot her another death glance. He was getting better with practice, Keladry mused. If only he would become better in jousting just as well.

"As I was saying – my cousins a pain, but I can't really kill him or ignore him. Aunt wouldn't like that and Yuki and dad might hit me with something. But I'll have you know that I figured it out!" Nealan grin almost shone. "It was only a matter of time before I was free of him! I only had to wait some years until I Nealan became the Lord of Queenscove. Then aunt and father wouldn't be around to make me behave."

"What about Yuki? She would still be there. And I think your father is going to live quite some time." Keladry reminded him.

Nealan shot her the very definition of a death glare. "That's not the point! The point is that you are marrying my cousin and now I have to put up with him even when I get old! I can't really kill or ignore him if he is my best friend's husband"

Keladry smiled at Nealans antics. "It's not all bad" she assured him. He could be angry for days if she didn't do something. "I could make him stop calling you meathead"

"You could do that?" Nealans face lit up with a huge smile