A/N: Friday update.
Disclaimer: I own nothing
You do, I was made for you
Kel cursed as she dropped the left shoulder plate for the second time in a matter of seconds. Her arms were so exhausted from the tournament day that she could barely hold keep herself on the chair not to mention hold the metal plate.
"Lady!" Tobe said, exasperated, when he rounded the corner into her room. "I said I would to that."
"You don't need to anymore."
Tobe made a sound of disgust as she yawned halfway through the sentence and took the plate from her. He started to clean it and Kel flopped back onto her bed, too tired to argue. She closed her eyes as another yawn overtook her.
"You did well today, Lady."
She opened one eye and turned her head to see if he was being genuine or teasing. She had lost her first two matches and only won the third because the knight had been so overconfident that he had been sloppy. When she didn't answer, he continued.
"I mean, you could have done better, but you won the third one." He said with a shrug. When she didn't answer he wondered if she'd fallen asleep.
"You would think once a person is able to lance against an ogre they wouldn't lose against a simple man anymore." She huffed after a moment.
He looked up and grinned at her, but her eyes were closed again and she didn't notice. "No one's infallible my lady."
"Infallible, nice word." She mumbled.
Feeling uncomfortable, he changed the subject.
"Do you remember the first ogre you ever got?"
Kel laughed, "Hard to forget, I was so nervous I thought I was going to pass out."
Tobe smiled "You were talking a mile a minute."
Kel wrinkled her nose. "Was I?" She asked with another yawn.
"You were, and I was being petulant because I didn't want you to leave me."
"Aw Tobe, I've failed you twice in that regard." She rolled onto her side and looked at him, thinking of her trip to Scanra and her more recent fall out of the boat.
Tobe stopped cleaning the shoulder plate and looked up at her. "Nonsense," He told her in his most serious voice. "You must understand that I'm no longer a little boy who blames you for either of those trips, please know that."
She smiled sadly at him. "Well you're definitely no longer a little boy," She rolled back and closed her eyes. "and your serious voice sounds like mine."
Tobe smiled, having been told that by numerous people. They both lapsed into silence, Kel's mind wandered back to the day she had been sent to kill her first ogre.
It had been a bit of an impromptu affair. The whole of the northern front was preparing for the Battle of the Summer, as it had come to be called, when Kel got news that a lone—and somewhat demented—ogre was terrorising due East of the upcoming battle field. Normally, this would not have garnered much attention in the dawn of the largest battle of the war, but the reports stated that the ogre was headed towards the as-yet-unchristened battle field. Since no one wanted a crazed ogre wading into the middle of the battle, the chief commanders had decided to dispatch of him before it came to that. Kel got a letter stating only that she was being sent a guide and that she was to kill the ogre before it headed east, all of which was to be done within the next two days.
"I still don't get why it's you as has to go." Tobe informed her as she chucked breeches across room and he stuffed them into her saddle bag.
Kel snorted before answering, having asked herself the same question. "I told you, I'm one of the best lancers around, and you fight an ogre with a lance. Especially a crazy one." She muttered under her breath.
"I thought you said Sir Roald and Sir Wyldon were better 'an you, how come they don't go?" He asked petulantly as she rummaged around in her trunk for a fresh shirt. He picked one up from the stack beside him and impishly packed it without telling her.
"Because, I guess they can't be spared from their command posts."
"But your command position isn't important enough? You can be spared."
With an exasperated huff she demanded "Have you seen my blouses?" She looked up and pushed hair out of her face. Tobe silently pointed to the inside of her saddle bag. She narrowed her eyes at him and he shrugged.
"Didn't know what you was looking for" Was his response to their silent interchange.
She sighed and the irritation left her. "Tobe, I realize that calling my post unimportant enough to be able to chase after ogres seems like an insult to you and your friends, but take it as a compliment." She had turned away to keep packing so she missed his raised eyebrow, a response he had picked up from Neal, though both claimed never to so much as look at each other. "I mean, take it as the commanders saying they are confident in all of your abilities to defend this place without me." When he didn't answer she turned back to look at him. "Are you sure you're okay with me leaving you here? It will only be for a few days. I can take you, I just…"
"I know," He interrupted, "You need someone here to keep up the little ones' spear classes." Since the creation of New Hope Kel had been leading two sets of spear classes, one for the older kids she had taught before and another for new comers.
"Not just the beginner one, you're to lead your class too. It will just make everyone more comfortable if their schedules continue like normal. You know everyone 's edgy because of the upcoming battle and I think that if there is as little disturbance…"
"I know," He interrupted again. "I know, I just worry that you won't 'ave anyone to cinch up your armour and all that."
"Well I'll have the scout, or guide or whatever he is." She said as she located the socks she'd been looking for. She put them to her nose, shrugged and packed them.
"Oh right, the one who knows all there is to know about the land just east of here." He quoted the letter Kel had received. "Whatever" he grumbled as the fight left him. If nothing else, her babbling had made him realize how nervous she was to be leaving them all behind. He took pity on her.
She smiled at him "Thanks Tobe," She ruffled his hair as she fastened the saddlebag. "Okay, I just need to saddle the horses, and…oh why didn't they give me more time?"
Tobe threw her a reproachful look as he left the room with the saddlebags. "They're already ready to go, Loey also saw to it that you have food."
Kel threw up her hands "Mithros bless all of you, what would I do without you?" She asked. She thought she heard Tobe mutter "Starve" as he left, but she could have been mistaken.
Doing one last sweep of the room, she grabbed her glaive and trotted after Tobe to the horses. She was distracted on her way to the stables by the horn call for friend. Changing her course, she trotted to the front of New Hope and smiled in surprise as Dom rode through the gate. When he dismounted, he moved as if to pull her into a hug but thought better of it when he saw the glaive in her hand. They settled for an awkward half arm hug.
"What are you doing here?" She asked.
Dom brought a hand to his chest in mock hurt. "What! You don't want me here?" She shoved at him and laughed. "Oh, I get it." He said in a conspiratory whisper. "You're just worried that if I don't keep my hands off you you'll break."
"I'll break? What does that mean?"
"You know, 'cause all you want to do is kiss me."
Dom had developed a habit in the last few months of making ridiculous comments such as these, luckily she was saved from answering this time when Tobe lead out Peachblossom and Hoshi. He glowered as he handed over their reigns. Dom mounted up as Kel did and she gaped at him. "Are you coming with me?" Then realized, "Are you supposed to be the guide?" She laughed, head thrown back, as she thought about the overly dramatic description from the letter. Clearly, some scribe had enjoyed himself when he chose to write that instead of simply stating Dom's name.
Tobe's glower deepened, he glanced at Dom before turning on his heel and starting off.
"Tobe!" Tobe stopped at the reproach in her voice. "Are you really going to let me leave without saying goodbye?" He smiled, glad that she had noticed, but made sure it was gone when he turned around and trotted back to her. Kel leaned down and gave him a hug. "Be good, I'll be back before you know it."
"Tobe's not coming with us?" Dom asked, surprised.
Tobe glanced at him and rolled his eyes before patting Kel's leg and striding away. Kel snorted when Dom made incredulous sounds as they rode towards the gate. "What? That's not a strange question. I thought the kid went everywhere with you."
"He's needed here, and I'm needed, wherever there is."
"It's not that far, only about half a day of hard ridding."
Kel nodded amiably and the two kicked their horses into a faster pace.
Despite the rush and Kel's nerves the job had gone well and they had been back by nightfall of the third night. After that they had been assigned to any such issues throughout the north. They had dealt with five other projects between the end of the war and when Kel had gone missing.
Back in her bed in the palace, Kel was starting to doze when she remembered the events of the last mission. She blushed even as she lost consciousness and had wonderful dreams of warm bodies and rain on the tent roof.
When she woke Tobe was done. He had left her room dark and pulled a blanket over her before leaving. She stretched and fought against the blush that started to rise as she thought about her dreams. However she was brought crashing back to reality when she remembered the events six weeks after their last mission. She choked on a sob as the wave of grief crushed her. She curled into a ball on her side.
She had thought they had been made for each other, clearly she had been wrong. He had not so much as hugged her since she had returned, almost a year and a half ago. She wanted to tell him about the ship, about the dungeon and the pain, but she couldn't. Not if he thought they were a mistake, not if he would be happy to hear what had happened, she simply couldn't bear to know he would be happy about it.
She didn't know how long she cried for but eventually she fell back to sleep, her body exhausted and her emotions ragged. Her dreams were now filled with rats and blood.
A/N: Hope you liked it, will be out of town next week so no update, sorry.