A/N: As I have promised, this is by far the longest chapter I have ever posted yet! Enjoy! (And thanks again for the reviews!)
Chapter Seven: Tormenting Meathead
Kel, Buri, Yuki, and unexpectedly, Alanna, all woke up early the next morning for dawn glaive practice. At the beginning the other three tried to send Alanna back to bed, because she was incredibly grumpy, but as the practice progressed, the Lioness became much more bearable.
At the end of their practice, Kel, who had been dueling Alanna, knocked the glaive out of the Lioness's hands. Smirking, Alanna said, "Don't get overconfident, Kel. If we weren't using these pig-stickers of yours, you can be sure that would not have happened."
Kel laughed, "I'm sure it wouldn't have…"
Alanna smiled at the other lady knight. "Since I am now without weapon, how 'bout we go eat some breakfast? I'm starving, and believe me; I am not good to be around when I have an empty stomach…"
"We could see that earlier this morning…" said Buri, as she and Yuki stopped their practice and joined the other two.
"It can get worse, just ask George," Alanna replied, causing them all to laugh. The four ladies then made their way to the mess hall.
The mess hall was already filled with other bodies, who seemed to have woken up early, too. Kel noticed that most of the King's Own were already there, Dom naturally among them. Kel was glad to see him sitting beside Raoul. This meant Buri and Alanna were likely to sit with the big knight, which also meant Kel could also sit there by Dom without giving anybody any crazy ideas.
As she suspected, Buri and Alanna made a beeline for their table, Yuki and Kel following the two to the table's benches. Buri sat beside Raoul, and the other three sat on the opposite side of the table. Dom, sitting on Raoul's other side, smiled at Kel as she sat across from Raoul. She decided it was a good spot, because she would have been far too distracted sitting across from Dom and his blue-eyed gaze. And when he smiled at her, she knew it had been a good choice.
"The Lioness sure has left her den early. Which one of us did she come to prey upon, I wonder?" Raoul pondered aloud, smiling at the glare he got from the short red-head.
"You, if you don't shut up," Alanna snapped back. She had heard many Lioness jokes before and she was entirely too hungry to brush it off- as if she ever did.
Raoul just laughed. Knowing his friend well, he told the rest sitting at the table, "Excuse Alanna, everyone, she must be hungry…"
Alanna rolled her eyes at her friend as they all stood up to go and get their own trays of food. Alanna proceeded to hit Raoul when he made a big scene and held up the line to let her go first. But after she got her food as well as the rest of them, and they had sat back down, Alanna thanked her friend warmly. Raoul just laughed.
As they began to eat, Alanna answered Raoul's earlier question, "I woke up early with them for dawn practice. And please remind me not to do that again in the near future…"
They all laughed as Buri added, "And remind us not to let her."
As Alanna and Buri talked together about the Lioness's early practice, Kel said to Raoul and Dom, "You two are up early."
Dom was the first to respond. "Milord decided that we needed to be up early today after our late morning yesterday."
Kel looked across to Raoul who grinned back at her, before he was then pulled into Alanna and Buri's conversation. Then Kel smiled, and told Dom, "That's not too bad a punishment…"
"I call it cruel and unusual," he replied, taking another bite of his meal. Kel laughed to herself, knowing how the men hated early risings, most likely because they were awoken at peculiar hours often, being in the Own. "Luckily," Dom continued, "I don't have early morning guard duty anymore."
Kel nodded, "I saw Wolset on duty during dawn practice when I looked for you."
Realizing what she had just said, Kel hoped Dom had not heard that last part, then sighed inwardly as Dom's eyes, filled with question, suddenly flicked up to meet her own.
In explanation, Kel added, "I wanted to see who had won the duel…" However, it sounded weak even to her own ears. Slowly, Dom's face broke out into a smile, as Kel mentally kicked herself.
Yuki, sitting across from Dom, glanced at Kel sidelong. The calm, collected Kel she knew seemed to be slightly flustered, and Yuki was starting to figure out why. The conversation between Kel and Neal's cousin seemed to be quite normal, one that many friends would be expected to have. However, Yuki picked up on the part that Kel said she had looked for him while at practice, a part the young sergeant also seemed to have taken interest in. This is when Yuki noticed her friend start to fluster, and she was sure Neal's cousin had also noted this, which would explain his broad smile. In fact, the handsome young man's smile seemed to make Kel even more anxious, which Yuki observed very curiously.
Trying to suppress the smile that was full on his lips, Dom replied, "Yeah, I beat Wolset in our duel yesterday. It was time for a little payback of my own."
At that moment, Neal came striding into the hall. "What is he doing up this early?" Dom asked to no one in particular as Neal went to get a tray of food. Then sitting down beside his betrothed, Neal kissed Yuki on the cheek, causing Dom to remark, "Please Meathead, we just ate."
Neal's mouth opened to retort, but before he was able to utter a syllable, Yuki pulled out her shukusken and slapped Neal on the shoulder with it.
"Ow!" Neal exclaimed. Then looking at Yuki wildly, he said, "I didn't say anything, Dom did!"
Kel, grateful for Neal's arrival, informed her friend, "The Yamani's don't like displays of public affection, Neal, as you should be well aware of."
"Yes, I've warned him many times," Yuki told Kel, though Kel could see her eyes crinkle in laughter.
"But we're in Tortall, my Blossom!" said Neal enthusiastically, smiling at his short Yamani.
This caused Neal to receive another hit from Yuki's fan. "And don't call me that either," Yuki told her betrothed.
"Where can you buy one of those?" Dom asked, referring to the shukusken, all the while laughing.
Ignoring his cousin, Neal questioned, stunned, "You mean I can't call you 'Blossom' anymore?"
"Not in public, Nealan," Yuki responded more quietly, flicking her fan out, this time to cover the lower part of her face. Neal, ignoring the use of his full name, smiled affectionately at her.
Dom and Kel rolled their eyes simultaneously at the couple. Both catching the other doing the same thing, they smiled, Dom commenting on the pair in front of him, "This probably explains why he's up this early."
"This and probably she threatened him with bodily harm," Kel replied, laughing.
"Or worse- no love poetry," added Dom, causing both Kel and himself to laugh more.
Hearing his cousin and friend, Neal sighed, taking his eyes off of his 'beautiful Yamani', "I would like you to know it was neither of the two that you have lastly suggested."
Dom laughed, "So let me guess, you woke up early to greet Lord Wyldon personally?"
Neal scowled, and replied sarcastically, "I hoped to keep it a secret, but since you seem to have found out, dear cousin, I must confess. I even baked him a 'Welcome to Steadfast' pie."
They all laughed, except Neal, who was too busy frowning, thinking about the Stump's arrival.
"Well, I'm glad you remembered about his arrival, then," Kel said, starting to clean up her area.
"How could I forget…I see his door every time I leave and enter my rooms," commented Neal, unhappily.
"Good, then I assume you remembered to write your reports, too," Kel stated.
Suddenly Neal's fork dropped onto his plate, his eyes widening. "My reports! I completely forgot!"
With that he rushed out of the hall, stuffing some food in his mouth as he left.
Dom shook his head at his cousin, "What a Meathead."
It was not long after breakfast that a horn call was heard throughout the Fort, coming from it's own walls. Kel, standing in the practice yard, knew they had spotted a riding party, possibly the Queen or Lord Wyldon, and Kel hoped, in Neal's case, that it was not the latter. And even more, she hoped it was not a raiding party, but she was relieved when she heard a friendly reply.
Hearing the horn calls, Dom walked over to Kel and said, as if reading her thoughts, "Hopefully it's not Wyldon, otherwise Neal's gonna have to write one fast report."
"That's for sure," Kel replied.
She had barely responded, when a soldier on watch shouted down to the Fort, "It's the Queen and one group of Riders!"
"Great, that's all we need, another feisty woman," Raoul remarked sarcastically.
He received a hit from Buri, whom he had been dueling, and a glare from Alanna who, like Kel, was taking a break from practice.
Dom laughed, before looking back at Kel, "Well, we know someone will be happy."
Kel smiled, but was unable to reply, because Neal suddenly ran up to Kel and Dom, and asked frantically, "Who's coming? Is it the Stump?"
Dom reacted quicker than Kel, replying, "I think his correct title is Lord Wyldon."
"WHAT!" Neal exclaimed, "He's here?"
Kel elbowed Dom before he could answer and scare his cousin more. "No," she said, eyeing Dom, who was laughing, "It's the Queen and some Riders."
She could see the relief sweep over Neal's face at the information.
"But that doesn't mean he won't be arriving soon, Meathead," Dom informed Neal, who's only response was to hurry back up to his rooms.
Kel again eyed the sergeant chuckling beside her. "You just love to torment him, don't you?"
"Who, me? Torment Meathead?" Dom asked, both eyebrows raised in mock disbelief. "Never."
Kel couldn't help but laugh. "Mithros, that has got to be the worst lie in the history of Tortall."
Dom laughed in return. "We could've had some fun, too, if you had let me tell him that Wyldon really was here. You just had to spoil it all, Mother."
"Sorry, Dom, but I would rather not like to here Neal complain about it for the next few days. You forget that I have to journey back to New Hope with him."
"Well it might be better than hearing about his 'Yamani Blossom' and her eyebrows," he told her. Then he added, "And no, I didn't forget that my cousin gets to ride back with you. How could I? That's about the only thing I envy about Neal. He gets to be around you constantly- the prettiest girl I know."
Kel slipped her Mask on to cover her emotions, which seemed to take over her body at that moment. "Now that is a good lie, Dom. The prettiest girl you know? I'm sure that is impossible …"
Then Dom told her softly, "How are you so sure?"
The tone of his voice and the way he looked at her started to make Kel feel uneasy. She was sure that there was no way he could consider her the prettiest girl he knew, but he was damn good at making it seem that way. She lost control over her Mask, paying too much attention to the blue eyes inches away from her own, and how their gaze affected her so.
Again gaining control of her emotions- as much as possible that is- Kel explained, "Because the prettiest girl in all of Tortall is arriving here in a few moments, that's how I'm sure."
Dom smiled, and Kel had to fight to keep hold of her Mask. "Well, that's a matter of opinion, Kel."
With that he walked off towards Steadfast's walls, Kel watching his retreating figure curiously. He apparently doesn't go to court often, Kel thought to herself, though her heart still fluttered at the thought of Dom considering her pretty, prettier than the Queen! And while she knew that was completely unbelievable, just the fact that he had said that made Kel feel, well…flattered.
Shaking her head of girlish thoughts, Kel returned to her practice, trying to get her mind off the sergeant who seemed to fill her thoughts a lot as of lately- even more than normal. I need to find something to occupy my time with…and fast.
A/N: Another chapter! Kel admitted to looking for Dom during practice... ;) The next chapter will be up soon, and it's a fun one!
