Disclaimer: I own the plot, somewhat, no I don't own the characters that you know I don't own. You all make me cry.
Summary: People say history repeats itself, others say that the apple never falls far from the tree. Kel and Roald find out the hard way. KR, R&R!!
Kel sighed as she flopped onto her bed, stomach first, before rolling over on to her back. The thirteen year old sighed once more as she looked up into the face of her mutt, Jump.
"I'm squire now, and no one wants to be my knight master. Jump, is it because I'm The Girl, because if it is, I'm going to seriously thrash them." She reached out a tanned hand to rub the dog's head.
Kel, or Keladry of Mindelan, got up and walked over to her desk where she pulled out of the drawer, two bowls, a pouch, and a few strips of dried meat. She tossed a strip to jump before setting the bowls on the desk and pouring some seed from the pouch. She opened her windows and allowed the sparrows outside to feast in her room.
She plopped back on her bed and her mind receded into thought.
And that was how Roald found her.
She stared into space with her unusual hazel eyes that were framed in obnoxiously long lashes. Her delicate nose twitched slightly as a sparrow flew passed it to perch on her shoulder. She had full, red lips that sat above a stubborn chin. She had freckles that sprinkled across her high cheeks and nose.
The sparrow, Queen, let out a shrill note that made Kel jump. She looked around the room before noticing Roald there. She smiled before quirking an arched eyebrow in a silent question.
Roald looked at her with his electric blue eyes, his raven black hair obscuring his vision a bit as he turned his head toward the door.
"It was open." He said shortly. Kel nodded before getting up and pulling out a seat.
"You can sit if you want," she said as she got two cups and a flask of cider.
Roald sat, used to the fact that even though he was the crowned prince, Kel wouldn't bow to him in private. They were good friends, despite the age difference. She was thirteen while he was already eighteen and a knight.
Kel came back and gave him a cup with the golden liquid inside, shimmering in the sunlight. He took a sip before setting it on his desk. He watched as Kel sat on her bed and downed her cup.
"Do you need help with anything, Roald?" She asked as she took in his quiet mood, which was every mood seeing as he was so darn shy.
"I was wondering," He said after a moment of silence. "Have you gotten any offers for a knight master?"
"Nope," she said immediately. Now where is he going with this? She thought to herself.
"Oh, because I was wondering that if you didn't, maybe you might want be," he paused, gathering his wits. "I was wondering if maybe you might want to be my squire."
Kel, for a rare moment, was in complete shock. Not only had someone finally shown interest in her as possible squire, not only was it a friend of hers, it was the crowned prince!
"O-of course! I would love to be your squire! You're the first person to ask that!"
Roald smiled happily as he silently congratulated himself.
"Now, you have to change rooms, get armor, a new horse." He said as he listed the things that she would need as a squire.
"And all that jazz." She cut in.
"What's jazz?"
"It's just a saying in the Yamani Isles, it's what you say when you're talking about something that can be sorted out in the future."
Roald got the message and nodded. "But you do have to change rooms, to one that is connected to mine." He said.
"Yes, but thank you so much!" In another rare, and extremely girly moment for Kel, she got up and hugged her new knight master. Roald hugged her back after getting over his shock. When they broke apart, he got up. His figure loomed over Kel's five foot night inch height, with his own six foot nine inch height.
"I'm going to the clerks to get your new room ready, I'll see you at dinner then?"
"Sure."
"But between you and me," Roald whispered as he bent down, "let's keep this a secret for I want to see their faces when you're in my colors."
Kel laughed, slightly a bit on the evil side.
"Hopefully a few of them faint."
Roald laughed at this. They said their goodbyes before he left to the find the clerks.
Kel sat on her bed, grinning like a mad woman. This must be my early birthday gift, she thought. But it's a month too soon.
That night, dinner went by as normal. Neal making a big commotion involving the latest court beauty, Merric telling him to shut the bloody hell up, Owen laughing his butt off, and Faleron, Prosper, and Seaver not far off. Kel sat their trying to control her mask from falling off as her shoulders shook.
Roald was eating a private dinner with his parents, the King and Queen, and Cleon was off with his knight master, Inness, who was actually Kel's older brother.
"So Kel, did you get any offers yet?" Neal asked her after the table quieted down.
"I got one today." She answered vaguely.
"WHO?"
"I'm not saying, you'll find out soon enough." She said before taking her tray and carrying it away to the cooks.
"So have you thought about taking a squire, Roald?" The King of Tortall, Jonathon of Conté, said after he took a sip of wine. Him and his family were in the private dining room that night.
"Yes," he answered mysteriously, looking down into his glass of wine, watching the red drink reflect the orange of the flame from the candles in the chandelier above.
"And who is he?" Asked his mother, Thayet.
"No," Roald said simply as he looked up, "Not 'he'."
His parents looked toward each other.
"You don't mean…" Jon trailed off. His blue eyes were wide with something akin to fear. Oh no, no, no! Don't tell me he didn't do it! Oh Mithros! He thought frantically. His thoughts were confirmed as Roald slowly nodded. His eyes were trained on any and everything that didn't look like his parents.
"Roald, do you know what might happen?" Thayet asked.
"What are you talking about?"
"I did the same thing you did when I before I became King, Roald."
Roald was utterly confused. He knew that his father had taken on Alanna the Lioness as his squire. He also knew that Alanna went on to save his father and Tortall. He knew the rumors around the both of them too, that his father and Alanna were involved sexually, but that was bologna, right?
Jon took in his son's expression and sighed.
Thayet knew what was coming up and left the room quietly.
Jon told his heir to meet him in his chambers then.
Once there, Roald sat down on a soft leather covered chair in front of his father in his study.
"You know the rumors, about what Alanna and I did when she was squire," he paused, searching for a confirmation. Roald nodded and he continued. "They're true."
Roald's head shot up as he looked at his father.
"I did sleep with Alanna when she was my squire, now what would people say when they find out that you took on Keladry as a squire?"
Roald thought about this a bit, "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree?"
Jon let out a bark of laughter. But after gaining control, he turned serious. "Nice try, but I'm serious."
"Father, Kel and I are friends, we wouldn't do something like that at all."
"That's what I said."
"And this is what I'm saying. And what's the worst that could happen?"
"You could discover that underneath all of those baggy clothes and scars that she's an actual woman, and then when you figure that out you get swept up in a dangerous mission chosen for your squire from the Gods above, and along the way you start having sex with her, and when it's all done you ask her to marry you, she rejects it and then you both find someone else, get married and have kids together. But in my case, I had an extremely shy yet stubborn son who's determined to follow in his father's footsteps." Jon replied without missing a beat, and in miraculously, one breath.
Roald looked at him without really looking at him. Shock written on his face.
"I wasn't expecting your life story. No offense, sire." He added hurriedly.
Jon looked at his son sharply, "That's not the point. I don't want history to repeat itself, and I don't you or Keladry's reputation to be stained. What would happen if this were to happen, and then you went your separate ways romantically? Most people, conservative and progressive, call Alanna a whore because of what we did."
"I'll face anything that comes my way, so will Kel, you've seen how she handles the courts calling her a whore. She just brushes it off."
"Very well, but don't say that you haven't been warned."
"Thanks Father, I'll take your warning to heart." Roald said as he got up. He bade his father goodnight and left to his find his squire.
"Kel!" Roald whispered.
The door to Kel's room creaked open a bit, just to allow a small streak of light to shine into the hall.
"Password." Came Kel's voice.
"I don't know the password!" Roald whispered, "It's me, Roald." As hazel eyes peeked through and took him in.
"You could be Neal trying to figure out who my knight master is. I know that Neal's been practicing how to change his appearance, so you're not coming in without the password." She whispered back.
"Um, can you give me a hint?"
"It's a food from the Yamani Isles. As a matter of fact it's my favorite."
Roald became silent as he thought about Kel's favorite food.
"What's your favorite food, Neal?" Asked Merric as they were on a trip into Corus.
"I love lamb, in a delicate and light sauce that makes the flavor pop!" Neal said while smacking his lips.
"What's you favorite food Roald?" Neal asked.
"I don't know, veal I guess. I like it when it's baked covered I bread crumbs with tomato sauce and white cheese on it. What's yours Kel?"
"I love onigiri."
"What's that?" Roald asked as he quickly turned his horse away from Kel's horse as Peachblossom tried to bite him.
"It's a food from the Yamani Isles. It's just a ball of steamed rice and on the underside is a piece of seaweed. It's simple, but delicious."
"Onigiri?" Roald asked.
The door opened all the way and there stood Kel, clad in black breeches and a blue tunic.
"How'd you know?" She asked.
"I have an excellent memory." He said as he sat on her bed. "I got your rooms, we could move you in tomorrow."
"Okay."
"We could tell them tomorrow too."
Kel grinned, "Good, I was hoping, Neal kept probing. I was about to challenge him to a joust."
Roald shuddered. Kel was the best squire at jousting, she could even beat most knights, just not Raoul or Wyldon.
Kel laughed at his reaction. The bell rand loudly in the palace, it was the tenth bell after noon.
"I hadn't realized that it was this late, I'll go now." Roald said getting up. "Goodnight Squire." HE mock bowed in the doorway.
"Goodnight, sir." Kel bowed back. Roald closed the door and left. Kel cleaned up her room a bit and changed and got into bed. Her animals surrounded her and together they went to sleep.
