Chapter 7
I don't own Protector of the Small.
Despite going to bed early, Kel couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned and when she just about gave up she heard a knock on her door. She stood and dunned her robe, before opening her door to see Wyldon was outside of it. "Wyldon is something wrong?" She asked seeing him in his sleeping trousers, and a warn out shirt. He looked at her with concern on his face and went to speak.
"It isn't the same anymore is it?" He asked her, surprising her at his words.
"What are you talking about?" She asked him knowing something was different between them.
"You can't sleep can you?" He asked a knowing look on his face. She shook her head before sighing and motioning him to come in. He followed her into the room and watched as she crawled into her bed before joining her. They both sighed in relief as they were now able to fall asleep. When they woke up it was to a pounding on the door. Kel growled angrily and stormed over to the door and slamming it open. Her angry words were cut off seeing the King before her door.
"Your Majesty." She said bowing before remembering she was in her nightgown and flushing. "How can I help you this morning?" She asked trying to cover her red face and flustered emotions.
"I need to speak to Wyldon." He answered before he looked beyond her to the rumpled bed. "I am not interrupting something am I?" He asked looking at them.
"Just our sleep." Wyldon answered in a sleepy voice. "It is not a work day, why are you here?" He asked not paying attention to the fact that he was speaking to his king.
"Wyldon!" Kel called out shocked at her superior officer. He looked at her with blurry eyes and growled low in his throat.
"We are sleeping Sire, what do you need?" He asked barely awake.
"You were missing, so we were trying to find you. Sleep well you two." The king said with a light grin as Kel bowed once more before closing the door and heading back to bed.
"Night." She whispered to her training master before snuggling up to his chest and falling back asleep in his arms. He lay there looking at her and smiled before joining her in her slumbering state. They were woken once more by the bell for lunch. Kel rose and dressed behind her changing screen and once she was finished she joined him in her main room once more. "We are going to need to put some cloths in each others rooms so we don't continue to go back and forth in our nightclothes." She told him.
"Or you could move into my rooms with me." He offered her gently. She looked at him in shock. "My rooms are bigger and if we can't sleep alone, it makes no sense to be in different rooms." He reminded her.
"It makes sense. I will get my maid to move my possessions to your chambers. You don't mind Lalasa coming with me, do you?" She asked looking nervous.
"I don't mind having your maid come with us." He assured her. "I don't actually have a servant so having her will help me as well." He said with a light smile. "Her name is Lalasa correct?" He asked, well aware of the maid's name.
"Yes, she is rather shy." Kel warned him. He nodded. "Lalasa, come out here please." She called to her maid. The young woman walked out at her mistress's command.
"Yes My Lady?" She asked looking at the floor, thinking that Kel was going to fire her.
"You are to move most of my things to Lord Wyldon's chambers and set something up there for yourself as well." Kel ordered knowing from the look on her maid's face she was expecting a dismissal. The look on her face was priceless to Kel.
"You wish to keep me and have me enter the servants of the House of Cavall?" The older teen asked shocked.
"As the personal servant to the new Lady of Cavall as well." Wyldon added making the girl look like she was going to faint.
"It is a great honor." She whispered in shock.
"The honor is all ours to have you as we won't have to find a servant she will get along with." Wyldon answered dryly. "Most of my servants are very conservative and dislike anyone who would challenge that." He warned Kel.
"They don't have to like me. I am not marrying them." Kel snarked at him lightly, causing him to let out a loud laugh.
"Life with you will never be dull." He responded looking at her with a genuine liking.
"I don't do dull." She deadpanned at him. He answered her by laughing heartily. "You however still need to dress for the day." She reminded him her tone light.
"I remember." He said lightly. "I will see you in the lunch hall." He spoke to her before he left her room to head to his own. They met back up right outside the mess hall and entered together once again. They were stopped by two fully grown women and a young girl. "Girls? Why are you here?" Wyldon asked his daughters.
"Father, we are here in response to the letters you sent us." The oldest answered with a slight bow. "When we went to your chambers no one was there." She admonished her father and his new betrothed.
"You would have killed us if we did as you are doing." The second oldest piped up.
"Are you going to be my new mommy?" The third asked Kel looking at the older girl in shock.
"Father, we had to send someone to the king for you!" His oldest spoke sharply.
"Stop yelling at me." Wyldon responded quietly. All three of his girls stopped berating there father and his chosen woman. "I am your father not your child. She has been through hell the last few days and I am merely trying to help her feel safe once more." He informed his children. The older two froze having heard what happened to the future Lady Cavall. Just about that time King Jonathan entered the room and heard the youngest child pipe up with her question.
"Father, may I train to become a knight, just like you?" She asked looking up at Wyldon with innocent eyes.
"We will see." He answered looking down at her lovingly.
"Sucker." Neal stated from his seat under his breath.
"Queenscove, that is another bell in the armory." Wyldon said without looking away from his youngest daughter.
"Sir, yes, Sir." Neal answered looking up to see Kel close to him. He ignored it until she slapped him upside the head with her lady's fan.
"Behave Neal." Kel whispered into his ear, before going back to Wyldon's side. His daughters were giggling at how she handled the heir of Queenscove's disrespect for their father.
"Does she always go around beating on people of higher status?" Alanna asked shocked at the female page's actions.
"Only the ones who I know will listen." Kel answered smartly. "I have been 'beating' on Neal since my first day here. In one class I actually thought I would have to sit closer to him because one can not kick someone 3 chairs away." She informed them. "He was being a smartalc." She explained making everyone who knows Neal laugh.
"Do you have a wedding date yet?" Neal asked trying to remove the attention from himself.
"Not yet, we are still talking about it." Kel answered instantly, glaring at her best friend. Neal dropped his head and smartly closed his mouth. "I suggest we all eat before we are due elsewhere." She added to the now silent room. At her words everyone began gathering their food and eating. "Lady Alanna are you and My Lord's children joining us for the meal?" She asked/offered.
"That sounds lovely, Thank you for the offer, Page Keladry." Alanna answered taking a seat at the Training Master's Table along with Wyldon's three daughters. Kel and Wyldon joined them and began to eat quickly, knowing that there was much to do before afternoon punishments were to be completed. Once everyone was finished and had put there dishes up for the servants Wyldon rose and moved to the podium meant for announcements.
"Alright, now for the punishment work." He started, going through the lists he had with him on the transgressions of his pages. "Martin's Hill, you are to clean the library you study in after leaving 15 books down, you will be making sure everything is in it's proper place, for 2 bells. Mindelan, you are to help the stables by forking hay down from the lofts, for one bell, for being out after curfew. Queenscove, you have 3 bells in the armory cleaning armor." He finished before dismissing them to the work. The pages bowed to him and went to do what they were assigned.
Kel sighed and walked to the stables and found Stefan quickly. "Forking from the lofts for one bell." She informed him before pulling out a pitching fork and beginning to work, she heard the bell in the distance just as she was beginning and knew she wouldn't have much trouble with the work that day. Once the bell rang again she climbed down from the loft and returned to the palace to help Lalasa move her things into Wyldon's rooms. Keeping a few in her old room for when they don't stay together, she walked to Wyldon's chambers and after knocking and receiving the okay to enter she moved into his rooms and smiled at how his daughters were sitting in the sitting room. "Sorry about lunch, if we had known you were here we wouldn't have taken so long to join you." She apologized to them. "My name is Keladry of Mindelan, and I am a fourth year page." She introduced herself properly with a bow.
"Johanna, wife of Lord Padraig of HaMinch." The oldest answered with a curtsy.
"Samantra, wife of Lord Paxton of Nond." The second oldest responded with a curtsy.
"Marrigine, I'm only 7." The youngest answered with a wobbly curtsy.
"Marrigine, you say your name a fief then your age, sweetheart." Wyldon said from the doorway.
"But Papa, they didn't say our fief!" His youngest whined at him. Wyldon's eye twitched at her tone.
"Father, why is she moving into your chambers?" Johanna asked bluntly.
"Due to recent events, she is here for her safety." Wyldon answered raising an eyebrow at his oldest.
"What happened Page Keladry?" Samantra asked horrified, knowing very little could get her father to break the rules. Kel paled and looked at Wyldon in fear.
"Marrigine, could you help Kel's maid put her Yamani cat collection up?" Wyldon asked his youngest knowing that she didn't need to know until she was older.
"Yes, Papa." The seven year old answered skipping into the other room.
"Kel was attacked by Joren of Mountain Stone." Wyldon answered quietly to his older daughters.
"Attacked how, Squire Joren was a wonderful squire and always worked hard for everything Paragon always has good things to say about him." Samantra questioned angrily. "I don't believe he would harm anyone not his opponent." She affirmed.
"I have been an opponent of Joren since the day I got here. He wanted me out and couldn't get me kicked out even after all the fighting. He hated me." Kel answered eyes downward trying to hold back tears. Wyldon moved to her side and pulled her close to him trying to comfort his betrothed.
"Have, wanted, hated." Johanna asked seeing what Kel was pointing out without saying it. "Joren is dead isn't he?" She asked her father.
"Yes." Wyldon answered bluntly.
"Why?" Samantra demanded. "He was a good boy, why is he dead?" She asked in shock.
"Trial by combat." Wyldon answered just as Kel's tears fell. "He attacked my betrothed and no one would let him get away with it." He said trying to not have to explain about Kel's rape.
"What did he do to have a Combat Trial?" Johanna asked shock in her eyes as well. "Stop beating around the bush and say it." She demanded, Samantra nodding angrily as well.
"He raped me in the hallway outside my door." Kel answered before beginning to sob in pain of the memories of her attack.
"NO!" Samantra whispered in disgust. "How dare he!" She added as she embraced her father's betrothed. Johanna did the same and they stood there holding onto the one that would never escape from the reminder of the attack. "Even if he had won he would never had been allowed to continue on as a knight." Samantra said. "My husband must be furious." She added looking at her father in shock. "You were the one to call him to arms?" She asked knowing her father's honor wouldn't allow him to not defend his betrothed.
"No, I demanded my own satisfaction from him." Kel answered raising her head looking as calm and cold as any of the Yamani people she was raised with.
"I let her do it herself so she wouldn't worry about it at a later time." Wyldon told them over her head. "Since that night she doesn't feel safe sleeping alone and I don't feel comfortable with her being alone." He admitted to them. "Hence her staying in my chambers." He finished, just as his youngest entered the room holding one of Kel's ceramic cats. Kel knelt beside the little girl and smiled at the cat she had in her hand.
"Oh, you know where I got that Cat?" She asked looking at the child. Marrigine shook her head excitedly. "I got that right before I left the Yamani Isles. It was a farewell gift from my friend Cricket." She added looking up at her betrothed who's eyes widened at the hidden message. The cat in question was black with purple eyes. "She told me it was a gift from her uncle, before he became head of his house hold." She added. "Do you want it?" She offered the little girl who was staring at it in such shock. The seven year old nodded with a big smile.
"Thank you, Lady K-" She began before she was interrupted by the teen she was addressing.
"Just Kel, we are going to be family." She said lightly to the young girl. The little girl pulled out a handkerchief and wrapped the little cat up before tucking it into her belt pouch. A knock at the door drew the attention of the group and Wyldon's crisp 'enter' was heard before it was opened only for them to see the Crown Prince's betrothed standing in the door with Yuki. While the family of Cavall bowed/curtsied in the eastern manor Kel dropped to her knees and gave a proper Yamani bow to the royal.
"Kel stand up." The princess said sounding exasperated before she flounced into the sitting room and flopped down on a chair. Kel stood and with her eyes laughing she spoke to her old friends.
"Yuki, what has gotten into her?" She 'whispered' loudly.
"Our 'king stand in' is upsetting her with stories of tame Eastern women." Yuki answered sounding just as exasperated as the princess. Kel sighed and moved to the princess's side.
"Cricket." She called looking right at her friend. The princess turned her head away. "Cricket, Cricket, Cricket, where is you mind?" Kel teased lightly getting the Yamani princess to smile and her entire demeanor to lighten.
"Up the creak in a bind." The princess answered quietly.
"Up the creak in a bind? Where ever could I find my friend Cricket's mind in a bind?" Kel finished the old rhyme to her friend who rolled her eyes. Both girls looked up at the nobles and began chuckling at their expressions of shock.
"I thought her name was Princess Shim-Shiim-Sh-something or other." Marrigine said looking thoroughly confused.
"It is, but I have known Kel for years so she is allowed to call me by my nickname of Cricket." The princess answered waiving a hand at the formalities.
"I heard you are a second generation princess." Johanna pointed out to the room.
"Yes, my mother is the Yamani Emperor's youngest sister." She informed them offhandedly. Not five minutes later the Male stand in was knocking on the door for the princess. She gave an inaudible sigh before she readied to leave with her escort. "Have a good day Kel." She told them with a light smile. They bowed and gave her the traditional 'Princess' as she left the room.