The next few days before the wedding sped by in much the same way. Every morning Kel would rise early, as usual, and perform a pattern dance before heading to the mess for breakfast. She would then spar with Alanna and joust with Raoul. Until Buri found out. Once she'd figured out where her future husband went to each morning she had stormed out onto the jousting field and proceeded to yell at both Kel and the cringing knight. Among the screams and rants the offenders picked up that Buri didn't want a bruised bridesmaid and groom. Kel tried hard not to laugh at Raoul's disappointed expression. She earned a glare from Buri before the small woman stormed off.
After training she had a hurried bath before lunch, which was eaten quickly so she could get to dress fittings in time. She didn't want to upset Buri more than she had to, especially after her episode that one morning. It was amazing how fast Lalasa could work. She hadn't had much time to begin with, but was making the most of it and the dresses were finished the day before the wedding.
That last day was spent in a rush of preparation. It seemed like a blur to Kel, who was caught up in the excitement. She managed to make it through it all. That night at supper the mess hall was even more crowded than usual. More soldiers had arrived from eastern forts, passing through and staying for the wedding. Kel piled food on her plate and headed to where she normally sat with her friends. A surprise waited for her.
"Kel!" A knight with a shock of red hair and freckles jumped to his feet and waved frantically at her.
"Merric! When did you get here?" she asked, clasping her friend's hand warmly and beaming at Faleron, Seaver and Esmond, who were also sitting at the table.
"Just after lunch," Merric replied as he sat back down.
Owen and Neal wriggled apart to make room for her. She squeezed into the vacant spot. "Is it true that the King and Sir Gareth are coming for the wedding?" she asked once she was settled.
Dom, who was opposite her, shook his head. "No. They were invited but since we got the news about the Isles they've been snowed under." He almost had to yell over the noise of clanking cutlery and chatting voices. "They're just too busy."
"It's a shame," Neal put in. "From what I've heard they were good friends with Raoul and Alanna. I heard a lot about their page years from Alanna." He grinned. "Mostly it was advice on what not to do."
"Roald came, though," Owen chimed in. "He's with the senior officers. I bet he wishes he was here."
The rest of the evening was spent catching up and discussing the latest news. Kel sat and listened mostly. She was still exhausted. It was all she could do not to fall asleep. By the end of the meal she was yawning constantly. Her friends exchanged amused glances each time. When she collapsed into bed later on she was asleep by the time her head hit the pillow.
--
Kel opened her eyes and blinked sleepily at the ceiling. Once she'd cleared the gunk from them she sat up and glanced at the window. No light shone through. She groaned and flopped back down again, glaring at the shadowed roof. Why couldn't she sleep in for once? Just once? She sighed heavily and, being careful not to disturb the sparrows resting on her pillow, swung out of bed.
After dressing and splashing her face with ice cold water, Kel went to take down her practice glaive from the weapons rack. She paused and thought for a moment. It was still early. Maybe she should go for a run. She left her glaive on the rack and headed outside.
The morning air was fresh and crisp. She loved exercising at this time of day, despite its earliness. It cleared her head. At this point in life, she needed all the clearing she could get. She finished her jog at the time she usually woke. By then others were beginning to stir.
When she opened the door to her room she had to cover her head with her hands. Sparrows darted around her, chirping anxiously. Kel laughed and shooed them inside before shutting the door. "I just went for a run!" she exclaimed, still laughing at their antics. "Nothing to be worried about." They calmed down eventually and let Kel fetch her glaive.
She arrived at the practice courts, where a tall, muscular, dark-haired man waited. "What are you doing here?" she asked curiously.
Dom grinned cheerfully. "I'm on a suicide mission."
Kel snorted and crossed her arms. She raised an eyebrow, waiting.
He laughed at her expression. "I swear we all spend way too much time around Neal." He bowed. "I'm here to spar with you, Lady Knight, and face my doom."
Kel grinned, hefting her glaive. "Do you mind if I use this?"
"Gods yes," he answered, looking genuinely horrified. "You'd slaughter me. I've seen you practice. Here, I brought you this." He handed her a practice sword. Its edges were dulled so if someone lost control it wouldn't do as much damage.
She leaned the glaive against a wall and, when she was ready, they faced off in the guard position. As if responding to some unknown signal, both attacked at the same time. From then on their swords were blurs of movement, metal glinting in the morning sunlight.
Kel noticed how Dom's muscles shifted and bulged under his clothes. His eyes were narrowed in concentration as he executed each move perfectly. She scolded herself for getting distracted and promised herself to pay more attention.
In the instant that she lost focus Dom pressed the advantage. He deflected a wide blow and stepped inside her defenses. One arm blocked her sword arm from cutting at his side and the other held his sword to her throat. He was panting, his warm breath blowing slightly on her face. They were so close. Kel's heart beat faster.
"Yield," he demanded with a small smile.
She grinned, he'd forgotten something. As he realized his mistake his eyes widened a fraction of a second before Kel drew back slightly, crouched and swept his legs out from under him with hers. He fell backwards with at thud. She kicked his sword away and rested hers on his throat.
"You were already dead," he protested. Kel only smiled and pressed a little harder. "OK, ok. I yield!" he gasped, raising his hands in defeat.
"Never let your guard down," she said, amused. She kept him at sword point for a while longer, and then offered a hand to help him up. His touch sent a jolt through her arm. As soon as he was on his feet Kel dropped his hand like lead.
Dom gave her a searching look. "I had you!" he exclaimed, brushing dirt from his breeches. She only smiled in reply and started toward the opposite side of the court, missing the mischievous gleam in his eyes. During the fight they'd moved some way from where they'd started.
Kel felt a tug on her arm and, before she could react, was thrown backwards over Dom's hip to land heavily on the dirt on her back. He leant over her, a grin splitting his face. He leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Never let your guard down."
His warm breath tickled the sensitive skin and she couldn't suppress a shiver. Dom drew back slightly and their eyes locked. His were a very deep blue. The grin faded. Kel thought she saw him lean in closer. Her breath caught and her heart drummed in her chest. She couldn't move.
"What's going on here?" a brisk voice demanded. Out of the corner of her eye Kel saw Neal striding over. She could have killed him.
Dom stood, no trace of the emotions Kel thoughts she'd seen before on his face. "We were just sparring," he said casually, heaving her to her feet.
"Just sparring?" Neal asked skeptically. "It didn't look like it to me." Kel didn't know why he was so irritated.
"Why are you here anyway?" Dom retorted.
Kel, sensing an argument and wanting to stay out of it, escaped to fetch her glaive. When she got back she could still feel the tension between the cousins, even though they'd stopped talking. She raised both eyebrows at them, waiting. They were standing, arms crossed, pointedly avoiding each others' eyes.
Neal was the first to speak. "Did you two want breakfast?" he asked somewhat dejectedly. "They're serving the food early because a few squads are leaving soon. The cooks didn't want that many men in the kitchen at the same time. So they made us get up early," he said sourly.
"Squads are leaving?" Kel repeated. "Aren't they staying for the wedding?"
Neal shook his head. "We have to keep them moving. Anyway," he glanced at Dom, "I'm off. I don't want to miss out on food." He turned on his heel and left.
"What was that about?" Kel asked once he'd gone.
"Nothing," Dom mumbled. "Let's go eat."
Kel returned her weapon to her room while Dom put away the swords. Once she'd hung up the weapon she collapsed onto chair behind her desk and put her head in her hands. What had just happened at the practice courts? What hadn't happened was probably a better question. If Neal hadn't interrupted… She stopped that thought. She couldn't assume anything.
There was a knock on her door. "Are you coming?" It was Dom.
"Yeah… in a sec." Kel stood and opened the door. He smiled, but didn't really meet her eyes. "Let's go."
Through their conversation at breakfast there were undertones of awkwardness. Dom seemed a bit distant, like he was thinking about something completely different. Kel finally decided there was no point talking to him while things were like this and concentrated on eating.
When he'd finished Dom rose quickly, almost knocking his plate off the table. He steadied it and met Kel's eyes for the first time since they'd left the practice courts. "I should drill the men," he said, somewhat rushed. "They've been getting lazy." Before she could think of a reply he was gone.
She stayed in the mess hall for a while longer, finishing breakfast and thinking. Her thoughts constantly returned to that moment in the practice courts, just before Neal arrived. She caught herself wondering what would have happened if he hadn't come. She needed something to distract her from those thoughts. It had just been one instant. She couldn't read too much into it.
After returning her empty plates to the servers she wandered to her room, thinking of things to distract her. Nothing came to mind. She was forbidden to joust, riding was probably a bad idea and the only person who wasn't busy or scared of sparring with her had disappeared. Kel sighed. Her answer was sitting on her desk. Reports.
She stared at the blank pieces of paper and notes scattered in front of her. These were her last reports for New Hope. As much as she hated writing them and would be glad when she didn't have to, it was depressing thinking that this was her last act as commander. Tears pricked her eyes. She blinked them away, annoyed at herself for being sentimental. It was like the times when she had to release the animals she'd cared for back into the wild. She knew she had to do it – had known from the start – but knowing didn't make the pain any less. She'd been avoiding thinking about the reports since the meeting. She set herself for a long, grueling morning and began.
Finally she was finished. Staring outside she stretched. It was almost lunch time. Kel stretched again and stood. She cleared her room and warmed up briefly for a pattern dance in the space. Her muscles were
stiff and slow as she began, but soon loosened up until she was comfortably and effortlessly swinging her glaive. Not long after she finished there was a knock on her door.
"Your things have arrived," a soldier said when she opened it.
"Things?" Kel asked, confused for a moment before remembering that she'd left behind weapons and equipment at New Hope when she left. "I'll be out in a moment."
There wasn't much being taken out of the wagon when she arrived at the gates. Most of her things were practical – a habit picked up from her time with the Own – and carried with her. She watched as they carried her weapons, bow, arrows, spare sword and warhammer, inside. By the time everything was put away it was lunch.
She sat in the mess with Neal, Esmond, Faleron and Seaver. Owen had duties with Wyldon and Dom hadn't turned up. Kel was wondering where he was when Prince Roald walked up. "I finally got away," he said with a rueful grin as he sat next to her.
Despite the cheery atmosphere caused by the upcoming wedding, there was still a feeling of tension in the room. Laughter seemed forced and there wasn't as much talk as usual. No one could shake the indescribable feeling that comes before war – or in this case a rekindling of the war.
"Kel," a voice said from behind. Kel looked to see who it was. Alanna stood there, hands on hips. "Buri wanted me to remind you that we're going to start getting ready straight after lunch." Kel grimaced while her friends hid their amusement. "She didn't want you forgetting, or having an excuse to come late." Alanna smiled understandingly and walked off.
--
They were almost ready. Alanna and Kel wore essentially the same dress while Buri looked stunning in her cream and white wedding dress. The obi-like belt had embroidered patterns of wide, blooming flowers and swans in silver with pearls. The material flowed in layers from the belt, trailing the ground behind the bride.
"I fell ridiculous," Buri said when she emerged from the dressing room, a faint blush rising to her cheeks.
"That's only because you haven't seen yourself yet," Alanna retorted. "See, you look beautiful," she said as Buri stood in front of the mirror, gaping.
Kel laughed. "Hold still," Lalasa ordered. The former maid turned dressmaker was pinning up Kel's hair. She slid in the last few pins then stood back, looking over her work with a critical eye. She nodded and smiled, pleased. "Finished."
Kel's hands automatically strayed to her hair, feeling around for the pins and ornaments. "Stop that," Lalasa scolded. "Go admire yourself."
When she looked into it, the mirror reflected a stranger. A tall, beautiful woman stared back at Kel. She couldn't believe it was her. Light brown, sun-streaked hair was pinned at the back of her head while some of it spilled down her back. It was longer than usual; she would have to do something about that before she left Steadfast. Her green dress did more than bring out a darker shade of the same colour in her eyes; when she turned from side to side she saw that the way it sat on her shoulders and around her waist accented her trim figure. Some of the outfits she used to wear made her look thick waisted and broad-shouldered. It was perfect.
"Wow," she breathed, tears brimming in her eyes. She looked beautiful. "Lalasa-" She turned to the dressmaker.
"My lady, don't," Lalasa said, knowing what the knight wanted to say.
Kel nodded and looked to see if the person staring out of the mirror hadn't vanished. An image of Dom reacting with amazement at her appearance rose in her mind. Kel gulped and pushed the thought down and out of the way. From the way he'd avoided her today that would never happen. She sighed inwardly. It seemed like she couldn't even put on a pretty dress without thinking of him.
Finally there was a knock on the door. "Come in," Buri and Alanna chorused. They grinned at each other.
Wyldon stepped through the door, looking impressive in his house colours. Buri glided over to him. He offered his hand and turned toward the open door. Turning his head back he said, "Shall we?" It was time.
Finally another chapter! A lot longer too, though I didn't really like this one too much. Please review!! I love them and they keep me writing.