Kel heard the massive thud as the Palace Gate closed behind her. As soon as it did, Kel whirled around to face the gate that had always been open to her, always welcoming her home. 'It isn't my home anymore' Kel had to remind herself sharply. Mindelan was her home, and it would be forever now. Kel gave a long sigh then turned and made her way to the carriage that was waiting for her a few yards down the Great Road. When she was halfway there, the carriage door opened, and Ilane of Mindelan stepped out. Her face was emotionless, but her eyes held deep pity and sympathy. Her arms opened wide, and Kel suddenly felt like the young girl she really was. She picked up her pace, until she was sprinting and flew into her mother's waiting arms. There, she buried her head in Ilane's shoulder, desperately fighting off the tears.

"It's going to be alright, Kel. Everything is going to be fine." Ilane cooed to her youngest daughter. When she fell silent, a deeper, baritone voice spoke.

"Your mother's right, my girl. You tried, and it's not your fault that Lord Wyldon is a sexist pig." Kel choked back a giggle, and then turned to hug her father, Baron Piers of Mindelan. He returned the hug fiercely before gently pulling away. He looked his daughter up and down and exclaimed,

"Look at you! I haven't seen you for a year, one year! And here you are looking so grown up!" Kel was about to grin, then quickly hid it behind her emotionless mask. Her mother noted this, and felt proud that Kel still could hide emotions as well as any Yamani. Ilane felt an idea hit her as soon as she thought of the Yamanis.

"Kel," she spoke hesitantly, "you could return to the Yamani Isles and ask the Emperor to allow you to train as a Yamani knight. I know that it's not the same but…" Ilane trailed off, for her daughter was slowly shaking her head.

"No. Knighthood is now off limits for me. If I just keep trying, all just be rejected over and over again. Knighthood is simply not for me. " Kel's parents were confused; they knew that all Kel wanted to do was learn how to fight, but now she was refusing her few chances of fighting.

"Alright then," Piers said cautiously, "you're going to return home with us then?" Kel nodded, and walked towards the carriage. She opened the door without waiting for the footmen, and got in. Piers and Ilane looked at each other, shrugged, then followed Kel.

As the carriage took off down the Great Road, Kel only looked out the window once to see the shadow of the palace growing smaller, and smaller.

'No longer my home'

* *****

Piers and Ilane tried to coax Kel to talk with them on their way to Mindelan by asking questions, but all of Kels answers were short and to the point. Eventually, her parents grew silent, giving up any chance of conversations.

Kel stared straight ahead, thinking intently. Her thoughts all focused on her friend's goodbyes, and their gift. Thinking of her beautiful new sword, Kel almost smiled. 'With Hope, I can easily still practice fighting. And when no one, no man or woman, can beat me, only then will I return to Corus, and I'll show everyone what a mistake Lord Wyldon and the King made. No one will recognize me, for no one will have seen me since I left. They'll all wonder 'Who is that warrior maiden?' Then I'll reveal Hope to all of my friends, and they'll realize that it's me. They'll all shout and laugh, causing Lord Wyldon to come over and Neal will grandly introduce me. Ohhh, Lord Wyldon will be so surprised, he and the King will be sorry that they don't have ME fighting for the crown. I'll rub it in their face. I'll…The wiz of an arrow snapped Kel out of her daydream. She quickly sat up straight, looking at her parents and finding them snapping to attention as well. A footman jumped down and yelled through the window.

"Bandits! Take cover!" He managed to get those words out before and arrow flew out of the trees and entered his back. The footman staggered forward, then fell to the ground. Men dressed all in black were now streaming out of the forest, swords in their hand. Quickly, the few guards the Kel's parents had brought with them were overthrown. With them gone, the bandits started slowly advancing the carriage. Ilane and Piers were now drawing their weapons, but they knew that they could not win. Ilane looked around frantically and spotted a window which was now free of glass. Through the window, she could see that no bandits were on that side. She made a choice quickly, and pushed Kel through that window. Kel's training took over and she slapped the ground as she fell, making sure that she fell unhurt. She looked up to the carriage and saw her mother's lips moving silently. Kel quickly figures out what Ilane was saying.

"Run!" Kel shook her head, but her mother was insistent. Suddenly bandits took hold of her mother and jerked her out of the carriage. Ilane gave one last pleading look at her youngest daughter before being dragged out of Kel's sight. Kel decide to honour her mother, and ran into the woods.

She hid in the bushed, and watched the bandits closely. They searched Ilane and Piers belonging, and then hers. Kel thanked the gods that she had kept her sword on her belt, but then bit her tongue as a bandit gave her mother a backhanded blow. Piers reacted fiercely, struggling against his holders and shouting curses. The bandit that seemed to be in control slowly walked over to him. He stared at Kel's father for a minute before brutally stabbing him in the chest.

Kel could only watch in horror as she watched her father crumple to the ground. Ilane was shrieking in rage. The bandits laughed at her pain and sadness, then they grew tired of her as well. Ilane joined her husband on the ground, blood pooling from a wound on her left shoulder. Kel stared at her parents' bodies, shocked that they could be so badly injured in so little time. The bandits took all of the bags and ran into the woods, leaving the road quiet, and bloody.

* *****

Kel deserted her hiding place and ran to her parents. Tears running silently down her cheeks, she knelt down in the dirt. She hastily checked her mother's pulse, and started sobbing when she found none. She ran her fingers through her mother's hair, cupped her cheeks and begged her to come back. But Ilane didn't answer. Her voice was gone, as was her life. Kel then checked her father, but didn't even need to feel for a pulse to know that he was gone too. His eyes were open, but unseeing. Blood no longer flowed for the wound on his chest. Kel cried out a sound so filled with pain and suffering that all the animals nearby ran away from the sound. And there Kel sat for hours weeping bitterly, letting out her hatred for the world. When she eventually faced the fact that she was all alone on a road filled with ghosts, Kel stood up. She backed away from her parents bodies, staring at them intensely, burning their faces into her memory. Then, she ran.

She sprinted through the forest, not caring about the branches as they ripped her clothes, tangled themselves in her hair and cut her skin. When she fell down, she hauled herself up again and continued. It was not until that her breath was ragged in her chest, and that she found that her legs could not carry her any longer did she fall down, and stay down. There, Kel curled up into a ball, and sobbed her heart out until she fell into a deep sleep.

******

Kel found herself in an ocean of mist, not able to see past a foot. The mist curled around her feet and hands, making it seem as if she was shackled. Then, a shadowy shape appeared near her, and was coming even closer. Kel look curiously at the shape until she could make out the face. Kel finally saw the stranger clearly and gasped. The woman before was breathtakingly beautiful. She had full red lips that rivalled bloods own colour. Her green eyes were a shade of green that would make any emerald seem dull.

"Who are your?" Kel asked in awe. At her question, the woman smiled, and for some reason it sent shivers down Kel's spine.

"Can you not guess, Keladry of Mindelan?" Her voice was cold, but not with fury, it was simply her voice. Kel became very confused when her mind registered the woman's question.

"I'm sorry, should I?"

"It is not something to be ashamed of, Keladry, that you do know me. You have never seen me before, though you have heard of me many times and even sent a prayer to me every once in a while. Think hard." Kel thought, but nothing came to mind. Then,

"A prayer to you? But I only do that to gods and you can't be…" Kel trailed off, then spoke again. "Great Mother Goddess." She knelt down in respect, but the Great Mother Goddess motioned for her to rise.

"Do not kneel to me Keladry, I am here to help you." Kel was now very confused.

"Why? If you let me be kicked out of page training, why do you want to help me now?" she bit her tongue right after and bowed again, shamed at her rudeness. When the Goddess said nothing, Kel looked up through her bangs. The Great Goddess Mother was staring at her with a look of sadness in her eyes.

"It was not my decision to have you kicked out, Keladry. My brother saw it coming, but he did nothing to stop it. I tried to persuade him, but he refused. That is why I help you now. I know what he did is not right. You and I can prove that to him."

"But how are you going to help me? How can you help me?"

"I see you have a new sword. May I see it?" Kel quickly took Hope out of it's scabbard and hand it, hilt first, to The Goddess, who looked it over.

"This is not a Goddess made sword, that I could tell right away," The Great Goddess Mother finally said, "But it will be a Goddess blessed sword." With that, Hope began to slow a steadily brighter blue, becoming so bright that Kel had to close her eyes as to not become blind. It seemed like she had her eyes shut for years, but eventually, the light dimmed, and Kel was able to open her eyes again. Hope was still lying in the Goddess's hands, looking the same as ever. Hope was then held out, and Kel timidly took it.

"Thank you." Kel said uncertainly. The Great Goddess Mother just laughed.

"You do not even know what I did. Nor will you until the sword feels you need to know. Also, I give you this." The Goddess also held out a necklace that Kel recognized at once. It was a single circle made of bronze, but it had a mark on it, a mark in the shape of single star. It had been Ilane's, and Kel had never seen her mother without it.

"To remember your parents by. Do not mourn them for too long. They died together, that's what they wanted. Keep this so you will never forget them, but try to forget how they died." Kel nodded mutely, and took the necklace, placing it around her neck. Then, the mist began to thicken. The Goddess was disappearing. "Goodbye, my daughter." Then, everything was white.

******

Kel sat up, her body sweating tremendously. The dream had been so vivid that Kel was positive that it was true. Her hand moves towards her neck, and there Kel finds the necklace, and she knows that it was no dream.

Kel pushed all thoughts of her parents and their death to the back of her mind, and gets up. She looks around, and seeing no trace of the way from which she came, starts moving in a direction that she hopes takes her the opposite way of the Great Road. As she walked, she said out loud.

"The Goddess is right. No use thinking about things that can't be changed. It's better thinking of the things that can change. Like me, I'll change. I have to. It's time to move on."