A/N: First of all, I'd like to apologize for this slow update. I knew what I wanted to do a week ago, but I never actually got around to writing it. I finally forced myself to pick up my laptop and do it yesterday. Again, I apologize for the wait. Generaly, I will do my best to keep on time with the schedule, and you should be reading an update a week from now.
This installment is dedicated to Tortall 101 who always has some really cool ideas concerning this fic! Thank you so much for all your support in all my stories, and thank you for taking the time to review and suggest scenarios.
To all of my other reviewers- you rock! The nineteen reviews for the last chapter absolutely blew me away. Keep reviewing! With that, I hope you enjoy this installment... What Would Kel Do?
Eleventh Installment: Tradition Prevails
What Kel would do in certain scenarios- email me the situations if you think of any or submit them in a review. Previously: Kel catches Dom reciting bad poetry about her. This time: Kel gets caught kissing Roald by the king's council.
"Oh, Kel," sighed the crown prince into her hair as they took a break from kissing in the corridor.
Kel grinned to herself. Who would've guessed that Roald would have expressed his feelings for her when Neal had turned her down? She certainly never would have thought anyone else would ever love her after Neal had shouted her out of his room.
"Roald," she said quite seriously, "I like you a lot."
"Me too," Roald replied with a grin, and leaned in to kiss her again. They were about the same height, something that both of them liked a lot. It accentuated their equality: they were both knights and warriors. They had grown up together and were still growing up, and Kel liked the fact that Roald undermined the fact that he was a prince. She still didn't know where their relationship would go, but so far no one knew. All was well…
Kel shrugged mentally, positioned Roald against a wall, and went back to kissing him extensively.
Loud voices in the corridor interrupted their tryst as King Jonathan IV's council came into view, arguing about the dredging of Port Caynn harbor. They stopped short at the sight of her kissing someone. Fortunately, they couldn't see it was Roald.
"What is the meaning of this?" asked one of the elder conservatives.
Kel pulled away from Roald, realizing something was going on. Oh dear, she thought to herself. This was just the thing we didn't want to happen. She mentally hit herself for being so foolish to kiss Roald on sight in the corridor.
"I'll take the blame for this," she whispered to him, putting a hand over his mouth to stop him from protesting.
"Look at the whore," mocked one of the other nobles. "Trying to keep her lover hidden away."
Several of the other nobles snickered, although they tried to hide it. Kel was left with the feeling that the nobles she was confronted with here weren't so noble after all. Roald stepped out from behind her, his normally quiet eyes flashing.
"Excuse me," he asked, "What did you say about Kel?"
Many of the council members stepped back. While they were the council members who helped govern the kingdom, Roald was the one who would be ruling the country and have the final say. No one wanted to offend him. The tension was so tight you could cut it with a knife. Kel felt like screaming and was eternally grateful to her Yamani training for preventing her.
The man shrunk back with the other council members, but held his ground as hard as she could. "She's no better than she ought to be, your highness- if it's a rough tumble in the hay that you need, then-"
"What?" Kel shrieked. How on earth was she to stay on the sidelines when other people fought her battles? Moreover, how could they possibly even think that of her? She and Roald hadn't done more than kiss, for crying out loud!
Roald placed a hand comfortingly on her arm. Turning to the nobles, his eyes turned to steel again. While he spoke quietly and succinctly, there was a dangerous tone to his voice. "Kel is not a whore," he said. "I have not taken her virginity." He stressed on the word virginity, trying to get the point across that she was an honorable squire and would not stoop so low, a thought which Kel appreciated to the utmost.
"Highness, well, it just looked like-"
"Narson, don't be ridiculous," snapped Lady Alanna of Trebond. Her violet eyes blazed in fury at the man who had called Kel a whore. However, when her gaze rested on Kel and Roald, her expression was more cheerful and her eyes began to dance. "It looked like young lovers kissing," she continued, slightly calmer, "And that's all. Do you honestly expect them to remain celibate for their entire lives?"
The man named Narson stuttered. Alanna could be very fearsome when she was in a temper and he didn't want her complaining to the king that he was an insensitive dunderhead that should be removed from the council immediately. After a long look at all of them, he staggered off down the hall, the rest of the council but Alanna following him.
Kel just looked around blankly, taking strength from Roald's hand on her arm. She had always dreamed of meeting the lioness properly, and now, her dreams were shattered. The lioness had caught her in a compromising position and while Alanna had defended her, she must be looking down her nose now. She hung her head in shame, her real feelings so strong that they broke through the mask that was her Yamani training.
Alanna spoke, saying something Kel couldn't hear. All she caught were the words 'tradition' and 'Jon'.
"What?" asked Kel, raising her head to look at the other lady knight more fully.
Alanna laughed, not a tinkling laugh like many ladies, but a full out guffaw. "Let tradition prevail!" she said cryptically, before walking off in the direction Narson had gone.
Roald laughed, and Kel gave him a questioning look. "Tradition?' she asked.
"Surely you know the legend about the prince and his lady knight?" he asked, somewhat amused.
"You mean that Jon and Alanna were-?" she asked, astounded. She didn't like the idea of falling in love with Roald just because of tradition. But it was she who had made the choice. So maybe it was a tradition because it was one of the best working relationships?
Roald nodded, smirking. "Tradition prevails," he said, jokingly, before leaning in and kissing her.
Kel found that she liked the idea of tradition more and more.
A/N: I hope you liked it! Please let me know what you think in a review. And if you have a suggestion for a future installment, don't be shy! Step right up, ladies and gentlemen (do I have any reading this fic? lol) and submit your ideas! Don't worry, they will be used!
Oh, and 150th reviewer gets special cookies courtesy of me!
Lady Mage
