Disclaimer: Nope not mine yet...I'm still dreaming I'll wake up and have written an award winning series...so far no luck

This is an interesting Chapter I think.... so get reading....

Love

Dom was furious. He had been home for 2 months and he had barely gotten any alone time with Kel. Martin had always been right there with them, going riding, eating, and practicing. Dom didn't know how much more he could take of him following them around and butting in. Dom had something to tell Kel, something that he had been waiting to say for ages but he couldn't. At least he couldn't while Martin was around.

As Dom was walking through the Palace he saw Martin in a practice court and went over and took a look inside. He was fighting a conservative and he appeared to have the advantage, but only because he was keeping calm and collected despite the fact that the conservative was saying all manner of things about his mother and his fief. The final straw in the matter though was when he said "and that Lady Knight you call 'friend' she's the worst whore of them all" did Martin lose it. The conservative was then knocked to the ground in two seconds with Martin's sword over his heart. "Never insult the person who is teaching the Lady Knight swordplay and is her best friend" Martin advised "Or you might just find yourself missing a finger or two." Then with a bow he walked out and straight into Dom.

"Well, Masbolle what topic are you going to pick to argue over today? My swordplay? My amazing ability to keep you from telling Kel what you feel?" Martin drawled with a smirk

"What do you mean keeping me from telling Kel" Dom growled.

"Well Masbolle, it's quite obvious that you are head over heels for the lady knight, and I was just looking after her, like a best friend should."

"I love her I'm not going to hurt her…"

"I know you do. I was just making you earn it."

"Earn what?" Dom was quite aggravated at this point and if he hadn't just seen Martin humiliate someone for Kel, he would have punched him.

"Earn the right to court her. You have; finally, I just had to get to know you a little better. So now go and tell her your feelings while I go and have a nice warm bath." Martin then began to walk down the hallway to his rooms… "Oh, and don't mention the duel to Kel please, you know how she gets."

Dom was still furious. How could Martin be so presumptuous as to say he was looking after Kel; that was Meathead's job, even if he was at Queenscove for the next several months. Well he did have to give him credit he was keeping duels about Kel from her. But Dom resolved to tell her how he felt at the next chance he got…

"DOM!!!" Raoul's loud voice rang down the hall. "We've got a call to go out. Get saddled up we leave within the hour. Oh and there are Knights going with us. It looks bad."

Dom sighed in exasperation…perfect he thought just perfect.

Dom was on his horse Magic when Kel and Martin rode up beside him. Kel reached over and took his hand and asked him if he knew anything yet. He told her not yet but that it was supposed to be bad. Kel nodded and dropped his hand and then rode up to Raoul. Then he noticed that Martin was looking at him funny. "What?" he snapped

"Just waiting to hear the news is all" Martin said

"Well I have a plan for when we get back"

"Good"

The ride to the fief Tirrismont was long and hard. The knights and the Own were exhausted by the time they got there. And what awaited them was not a pretty sight.

The city had been over run by bandits, they had piled bodies outside of the wall, and they were rotting and stinking. The bandits had lookouts on the roofs to see if people were approaching and unfortunately the city was also walled which made it that much harder to win back.

The plan was to burn part of the city and force them to either give it up or try to save the rest of the city, thus distracting a part of the force away from the wall, which would then allow some of the Own to scale the wall and open the gate to let the rest of the Own in. Kel was in the group that would scale the wall. Dom was with the group that would start the fire and keep the enemy distracted. Dom grabbed Kel before he left and pushed her up against a tree, and told her that if she dies he will never forgive her and then he kisses her and leaves, not hearing the small voice say I love you Dom.

The battle was long and hard, the plan had worked Kel and her group had managed to open the gate, but there were lots of hiding places in the city, and the men were constantly being ambushed. Kel and Dom were both antsy worrying about the other person and how they were handling the fight, and just praying that the other one wasn't injured. Before the day ended they had both resolved to tell each other how they felt, so that if the other one ever died they would know.

Dom and Kel finally met in the middle of the city, the lowered their blood stained weapons and stared at each other before Kel threw herself into his arms and they hugged in the middle of the battle unaware of anyone else.

Dom knew it was dangerous there were still bandits but the fact that she was here in his arms letting him hold her made it okay.

So he knew what he had to do. In his blood and mud stained uniform he pulled away from Kel and looked into her eyes.

And then in the middle of the square he knelt down and took Kel's hand and pressed it to his lips.

"Keladry of Mindelan I have known you for many years now, I have loved you for almost all of those. I never want to have to spend a day without you again. Will you the holder of my heart consent to marriage with me a lowly sergeant in the Own?"

Kel was overwhelmed she couldn't believe her ears. He wanted to marry her, wanted to love her. She was ecstatic. And had no words and no way to contain her joy.

Tears over spilling she said the only thing she could think of "Yes".

In the years that were to come Kel and Dom would think back to that moment. It wasn't romantic, it wasn't planned, neither was dressed in fine clothes or at a nice place. And they would never want that to change either. They had spent most of their time together in muddy clothes so it was fitting that of all the places he could have proposed it was on a battle field.

That night they told all the men and there was a great round of applause and all the men in the Own came over to wish Dom luck on the marriage thing so know one noticed when Martin stole Kel away and walked off with her.

"Kel, there's something I have to give you, that I've been saving for a while" He pulled out a small box and handed it to her she opened it and inside was a ring. It had two hands that were clasped together. He smiled and told her that it was meant to be given to the best friend a person could ever have. It went on the right hand, since the other finger was reserved for her wedding ring.

"I didn't have a way to give it to you so that it seemed like we were just friends. I love you Kel, but honestly I could never love you like Dom does. And so friend of my heart will you were the ring and show that our friendship is forever.?"

For the second time that night Kel cried and gave Martin a big hug and pulled on the silver ring that she knew she would never take off.

As Martin watched Kel go back to the party he knew that he had let her go for good. And yet he was content for she was happy. And he let his last hope for them as lovers die. He then resolved to be the best friend except for Neal that he could be.

Late that night Dom was holding Kel up next to the fire that had fallen asleep and he woke up to find his arms holding her

And he was glad that they had finally found each other. That they were finally by each other's side. And that she was no longer fighting being held, and she gave him hope. And he knew that with out a doubt he would always be there for her. And so he held her as he drifted back to sleep the happiest man in the world

Well my faithful readers??? What do you think???

Domluver: I hopes this means you aren't going to come and kick my butt if they didn't end up together... because the did...at least for now.... muhahaha... and thanks for all that reviewing!!! I almost thought you had abandoned me :p

I'm kinda on the fence about this chapter… Any way thanks for all the reviews… and there is still more for the story… not a lot but we'll see. Tell me what you think!!! press that button!!!

~Kari