The trip to Corus was uneventful. The biggest excitement on the journey occurred when Neal's mount cast a shoe. They stopped at a metal forge in the city. Tobe surveyed the street vendors from his position on Hoshi's back while Daisuke dismounted and watched some street performers down the road. Neal fretted over his gelding while Yuki, Kel and Dom chatted innocently and watered their horses.

Eventually, all their eyes came to rest on the brightly dressed acrobats as they began a series of death defying tumbles. Slowly, the players were getting closer. Daisuke's fearless pony (Isamu) gave a snort of recognition. Tobe cocked his head questioningly at Isamu. Where had the Yamani charger seen acrobats before?

A performer broke off from the group and approached them. She was short, lithe, and looked ready to leap off the ground at any second. "Good knights and lady, it is my pleasure to introduce you to the finest circus in Corus." She bowed deeply; her black eyes sparkled with mischief. She looked as if she'd come from the Kyprian Isles. Her gaze rested on Daisuke. "Still wandering, solider?"

Daisuke had a very Yamani look on his face, but his eyes were warm. "Life as the Shang Monkey wasn't colorful enough for you?" He asked, ignoring her question. "You've joined the players to—

"I'll always be a Shang, Dai, but even Shang need vacation time." With that said, she vaulted onto Isamu saddle and stood, dancing on his back. The war-pony snorted again and shifted his weight so that the young Shang had to somersault off to save face. She patted him heartily.

"You always knew when to put me in my place." She whispered into the pony's ear. Her eyes sparkled and she beamed at the Yamani warrior. "I suppose I'll be seeing you at the tournament? The troupe will be performing between matches and at some of the evening parties."

"I'll be competing, yes." Daisuke couldn't stop his chest from puffing out a tiny bit.

Dom watched their exchange and put two and two together. For a Shang, the Monkey seemed to lack discipline, but maybe that was what Daisuke liked about her. Dom glanced over at Yuki and noticed she had her fan out. The tension around her eyes suggested Neal's bride wasn't overly fond of Daisuke's female friend.

Neal paid for the shoeing, and the party set off for the palace. Tobe took care of their horses while Kel sought out some of her oldest friends. The rest of the sparrow flock found her quickly, and she was engulfed in a mass of feathers. Finally, someone let out a shrill whistle, and the birds retreated to a nearby tree. The Protector of the Small looked up to see Lalasa in a pretty lavender ensemble that she must have sewn herself. Kel grinned at her former maid. Lalasa had certainly come a long way from the cowering, timid, serving girl Kel had hired back when she was a page.

"Business going well?" Kel asked.

Lalasa threw up her hands in exasperation. "Never so well that I don't have time to look after you. Look at this tunic, you're near worn it to threads. Where's this lad of yours, Tobe? I'd like to see what rags you drudged up for him all the way over there on the Scanran border. Send him to my shop later, and I'll show him what real clothes are like."

Kel grinned and gave her a big hug. "If you think my clothes are in shambles now, wait until after the tournament. The weather mages said there's some rain on the way. Nothing better than a joust in a pit of mud…"

Lalasa sighed at the hopeless cause before her. "How do you ever expect a man—

She stopped short as Dom slipped his arm around Kel's waist and planted a kiss on her cheek. For a moment, there was a look of horror on Lalasa's face; clearly she feared for Dom's life. Then she noticed how closely his features resembled Neal's. "You must be Sir Domitan of Masbolle." She curtsied deeply. "Excuse me while I get back to my work." She hurried off, heading back to her shop. The sparrows flew once more around Kel, then followed their new mistress.

"What was that about?" Dom asked, perplexed.

"Lalasa has always been a little shy, I think you startled her when you kissed me; she's not used to that. And neither am I." She added. She titled her head at him, considering. "Why are you so open all the sudden? Do you want the courtiers to start all their rumors about me again?"

Dom stepped back, properly chastised. "No, of course not, I just…would you be okay if people knew?"

Kel blinked. Was she? It would be like adding blaze balm to the fire of conservative attacks on her honor. If people thought she and Dom were involved when she was a squire…she looked up into his gorgeous blue eyes. It'd be hypocritical of her to change her values now. "I've never cared what the conservatives say about me, and I'm not about to start."

Hand and hand, the pair wandered through the palace gardens. Well, it's not a moonlit stroll, dearie, but you're on the right path.

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As Tobe held Peachblossom's stirrup, Kel inhaled sharply. Exhaling, she clambered into her saddle, checking to make sure every inch of her armor was in place. The melee was about to start.

Neal and Merric were getting ready with the rest of the male knights, and Kel saw no hint of them as she entered the field. She was one of the first prepared, and she shared the ground only with Daisuke and a few of the conservatives. She gritted her teeth as she noticed both Voelden and Ackerly of Tirrsmont. Apparently, they'd changed their mind about New Hope. Wayland of Darrouche was there as well, and Peachblossom snorted in contempt.

Kel glanced at the crowd. Dom was easily visible from the royals' box and he gave her a snappy salute. Feeling a little self-conscious, she waved back. What would she do if he tried to give her a token? She almost smiled beneath her visor. The fighting hadn't started yet, and she was already feeling tilt silly. The Lioness sat in the booth as well; she had chosen to sit out this tournament.

Once the competitors had arrived (twenty in all) King Jonathan stood and magically amplified his voice. The rules he outlined were simple enough, anyone dismounted and disarmed was out of the tournament. No magic could be used. Those who remained on horseback after the allotted time would be allowed to compete in the other events, and whoever won the jousting matches later would become tournament champion.

Kel's grip tightened on her glaive, and she made a miniscule adjustment to her grip on her shield. Then the fighting began. Daisuke, who was on her left, ignored her to pursue Ackerly. It wasn't long before the gorgeous younger Tirrsmont was flat on his back.

Kel soon found herself under attack. Voelden wanted to test her a second time. She angled her glaive to meet his javelin and repulsed his fist strike. Peachblossom lunged, snapping at Voelden's charger, and the other horse reared. The conservative managed to stay seated, but as the horse came back down, Kel used took advantage of Voelden's position and hooked her shield under his. With a heave, she popped him out of the saddle.

Peachblossom backed away quickly, and she was soon engaged with another knight, one whom she didn't know. He managed to thwack her soundly in the thigh, and her leg went numb. She'd have to rely on Peachblossom to keep her balanced for a bit. With a yell, Kel unleashed a fury of sweeps and strikes that finished with her opponent on the ground. By now, she was breathing heavily. She risked a look around, there were still a good dozen knights, Daisuke and Merric included. Neal stood dejectedly on the outskirts of the fight, holding his mount's reins. 'At least he wasn't inju

Someone rammed into Kel's side with a heavy, armored shoulder. Kel gasped as the wind left her, and she was forced to grab the pommel to stay in the saddle. Her glaive fell to the ground and she quickly drew her sword, though her arm was tingling unpleasantly. The other knight was huge, almost the size of Raoul, and he fought with the same bear-like strength. As she engaged in a fight with the third knight, they exchanged blows until the horn sounded. Drawing back, she lifted her visor, and her opponent did the same. When Kel saw his face, she nearly gasped again.

Cleon.

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Kel went through the motions of removing her armor; she'd need to see a healer before tomorrow's games began. Her leg was growing the biggest sunrise she'd ever seen, and it felt like she'd pulled a shoulder muscle.

On her way out of the tent, she stopped to examine tomorrow's rosters. Luckily, she wasn't scheduled to fight Cleon anytime soon. Her next opponent was Hildrec of Marron, a moderate and decent sort of fellow.

Cleon was married now, but it was the first time she's seen him since their courtship ended. Like her crush on Neal, her attraction to Cleon had faded with time, but seeing him again reminded her of the coldness inside her heart. What if, one day, she turned to Dom and felt nothing?

She shook her head soundly. No. Dom was different. He made her heart hitch in ways Cleon never had. Dom could make her laugh and feel warm inside—even when she didn't feel she deserved it. She had shared kisses with Cleon, but she had shared command, construction, catastrophe, births, and deaths with Dom.

She rolled her eyes. This MUST be love. She thought wryly. I'm starting to sound like Neal.

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There was going to be a celebration that night, so Kel submitted to Lalasa's fussing—gods forbid that Kel should ever embarrass her former maid. "What would people think about me, not clothing my patron in the best?" The dressmaker demanded. She looked pointedly at Tobe. "Every time she tells you to eat your vegetables, remind her to wear clothes without a mend in them, like a proper noblewoman." Tobe stared at the woman in amazement, and possibly a hint of respect.

Lalasa had taken one of Kel's older dresses and stitched it in places to make it look like the latest fashion. As Kel studied her appearance in the mirror, she began to understand why Raoul avoided this sort of thing whenever possible. She felt ridiculous.

At dinner that night, Kel sat by the Coopers and she didn't miss the fact that they were waited on by a female page. Fianola had made it. The Protector of the Small congratulated the girl, and the youngster blushed shyly. Alanna added her congratulations and sent a distinctly satisfied took over to the conservatives. Tobe studied their server with interest. For once, he paused between bites of food.

Dom was seated far away from Kel's group. He poked miserably at his plate. He was surrounded by his grandmother and aunts. Twice, he stole a longing glance at Kel, but the matriarchs of his family couldn't be quiet long enough for him to get a word in edgewise. He bit back a growl of frustration.

Dom's grandmother, the formidable Lady Blythe of Masbolle, narrowed her eyes as she observed her grandson's appetite. His mother still hadn't arrived in Corus, and normally he wasn't this gloomy until after several hours of her lecturing. Her sisters and nieces were playing their usual games, but instead of sidestepping and playing around them, Dom was unusually introverted. Something was wrong.

Daisuke, by contrast, was having a grand time flirting with his ex-flame, the Shang Monkey. Tonight, she wore a costume that enhanced her resemblance to her namesake—the players were going to perform a Yamani play that would involve appearances of one of the isles most famous Tricksters, Sakuyo.

As the guests moved to watch the performance, Kel wove her way through the gaggle of womenfolk surrounding Dom. In doing so, she displaced a doe-eyed, satin clad brunette who was eying Raoul's former subordinate with calculated interest. Despite Kel's family background in diplomacy, she couldn't resist giving the noble girl a warning look. The brunette quickly found a seat near Merric.

Dom looked over at Kel and a grin spread wide across his face. Clearing his throat, he turned to face his grandmother. "Keladry of Mindelan, I don't believe you've met my grandmother, Lady Blythe."

Kel curtsied, ignoring the pain in her leg as she silently thanking Lalasa for coercing her wear the dress. Dom's grandmother nodded regally in acknowledgement to Kel. Before the older woman could dispense pleasantries, the Players began their performance.

The Shang Monkey re-enacted some of Sakuyo's greatest feats, e.g. the time he stole the magic scepter from the dragons. The audience laughed and applauded the performance. Although it was a Yamani story, the troupe presented the story in Tortallan theatrical tradition. At first, Kel struggled to laugh, it went against her Yamani training, but with Dom rumbling next to her, Kel gradually started to let her guard down.

As guests started to trail out, a familiar looking redhead approached. Kel's shoulder burned with the memory that afternoon. Cleon had an unfamiliar woman at his side, but there was no doubting that this was Lady Ermelian of Aminar.

Cleon introduced everyone politely, but he reserved a special intensity for Dom. Their handshake was stiff, and a little too strong. Kel had never met Ermelian before, but they shared an understanding look over the men's antics. And some people called Kel protective.

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Once Kel was out of earshot, Cleon wasted no time finding Neal.

"Your cousin is playing with Kel." The redhead started.

"Oh, he's playing nicely, I assure you. Kel's too dangerous to treat otherwise." Neal drawled.

"Do you realize what people will say about her now? About how she spent her years as a Squire? He was a commander in the Own for—

"How many years will it take before you understand that Kel can take care of herself?" Neal interrupted. "And when she isn't around to defend her own honor, that's what we do. Nothing's different."

"Except now the rumors will be true." Cleon muttered.

Neal pinned his former classmate with a stare that once silenced the Lioness. "Domitan, despite his brutish exterior, cares deeply for our lovely lady knight. As far as I can tell, she feels the same. If they're being open with the courtship, they must be prepared for the consequences. If they weren't, Kel would have kept things quiet—

"Like she did with me." Cleon finished bitterly.

Neal nodded in silence.

Cleon sighed. "I'm happy for her, I really am. And I feel blessed to have married someone as kind as Ermelian. But I saw him flirt with her when she was a squire…I knew…and now…it's bittersweet being right, I suppose."

Shaking his head, Cleon headed off for his rooms. Neal stared after him, a little surprised the big man had so much foresight. The Queenscove knight shrugged and went to find Yuki. The honeymoon hadn't ended yet.

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Daisuke and Isamu raced across the pasture, enjoying the crisp spring morning. The ronin still felt elated for being reunited with Saru, and Isamu just enjoyed the exercise. The two had no hopes of winning the tournament, because it wasn't about that. Daisuke had wandered for too long. Somewhere in this event, there must be a Tortallan noble worth serving. The real task was to find him.

Daisuke felt a flash of pain as he remembered the death of his last master. They'd barely been together a season when the emperor and Lord Asano had a "disagreement." And when one dares disagree with the emperor...

Because of his youth, Daisuke was spared—or rather, forbidden—from taking his own life. To this day, he lived with that dishonor on his soul.

Isamu snorted anxiously as he picked up his rider's emotions. Few creatures ever saw Daisuke grieve; like his sister, he was light hearted for a Yamani. Dai noted his horse's concern and pulled himself together. He spurred Isamu back into a gallop. They raced for the fence, jumping it easily, and soon they were off in the middle of the royal forest.

As one, they dodged and twisted through the trees, guided almost by divine hand. Suddenly, Isamu ground to a halt. A dozen paces in front of them, Prince Roald sat quietly on the back of a magnificent white mare. Mage fire surrounded them, and Roald seemed deep within a trance of his own. Daisuke stared in wonder.

As if sensing another presence, Roald's fire retreated and the prince opened his eyes. He regarded the Yamani coolly. "Are you lost?" He asked quietly.

Daisuke almost replied 'yes,' but he caught himself. That wasn't what the boy had meant. "I am sorry to have interrupted you, your Highness. My horse and I wil—

"Don't trouble yourself, I was almost finished anyway. I am heading back, care to share the journey?"

Daisuke repressed a shiver. Most people wouldn't see this, but the young prince had strength. It was nearly Yamani-like in the way it was concealed. Roald hid it behind his shyness, his court masks and stiff manners. Daisuke had seen the lad on Progress last year, and he'd worried the Tortallan heir was too weak. Now, staring at the confident young man who'd literally been radiating power a moment ago, Daisuke made a quick reappraisal of that opinion.

Tortall was proving to be very interesting indeed.