Kel felt her sadness drift over her. The streets of Corus stretched out in front of her, dark and glimmering with distraction for her broken heart. Tears welled up in her eyes as she saw the lights of the Dancing Dove in the distance.
Flashback
"You lads should be more polite you in the presence of a lady." Kel joked at Third Company. She didn't mind their crude jokes or odd inappropriate comments, though having them talk about the court ladies and what they liked about the court ladies made her a little uncomfortable. Particularly, when her crush, Dom, had mentioned the new court lady and the size of her breasts. Kel felt grossly inadequate compared to the new lady, but having Dom say it was a kick in the teeth.
"Is Meathead around or something?" Joked Dom. The company laughed as well.
"No! I was talking about me." Kel managed to keep her eyes blank and her fake smile plastered on her face. Living with the Yamani had taught her to disguise her emotions to well. Not just behind the mask of the "lump" but behind fake smiles and shallow laughter.
"You! That's hilarious. Your one of the guys, not some… lady" She was sure Dom didn't mean to hurt her like that…but the second the words left his mouth she felt a little part of her heart break. So what if she didn't have a tiny waist, or a huge chest, she was nice looking.
'Nice' Kel though 'what a pathetic word, that's just what I am. A nice looking girl whose one of the guys.'
End Flashback
Kel had left Third Company after making some excuse about the sparrows and Jump or something like that, but staying in the palace was too much. Tonight was the Midsummer ball. All the ladies had turned out in full force at all the dress shops and made it impossible to walk down the hall. Outside the palace wall, Corus was silent. She could hear a heavy rhythm drifting out from the windows of the Dancing Dove.
She'd heard the rumors about this place. The home of the Rouge. Where George had helped trained Alanna, back when she was just Alan, a scrawny girl in the guise of a skinny boy. Where thieves counted their nights loot, and ladies of less than reputable means drifted around looking for a trick and a good time. She wanted to go in, but felt like she had no place in that world. She was a do gooder. She would be until she died. 'When I die a lonely wrinkled old hag, with no breasts and a couple of scars to show for my life…' Kel was so engrossed in her morbid train of thoughts that she didn't hear the almost silent footsteps that were gradually coming closer.
"Keladry?" Kel whipped around to see George. Neal had told them some unbelievable wild stories about the Baron, but seeing him here, completely comfortable in the dark alley in front of the Dancing Dove, she believed every word.
"Hello, Baron Cooper." Kel tried to force her mask back into place, but for the first time since her childhood she didn't want to be a good Yamani. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs that she was a woman, that she deserved love and all of the things that made life a little easier.
"Don't call me that. My name is George. Why are you standing out here all alone?" He moved closer to her so they didn't have to raise their voices above a whisper. He seemed to realize that Kel barely had the will to speak, let alone raise her voice to be heard over a distance.
"Sir, I have no idea why I'm just standing here." Kel looked away as her eyes watered again. 'Damn' she thought 'he's going to think I'm some crazy hormonal weirdo'
"The name is George, Youngster. And I know why. Old George hasn't lost all his contacts in the palace. A certain young Sergent in the King's Own?" Kel didn't respond.
"Come on, we'll get something to drink and we'll talk." Placing a warm callused hand on her shoulder, George led her into the Dancing Dove.
Kel's first impression of the place was just what she expected actually, well mostly. The room was clogged by with smoke and people. Their laughter was almost as thick as the smell of ale, but it was a joyous sound that filled some of the empty space in Kel's heart. Everywhere people were dancing and talking. In the background three scantily clad women danced to the sensuous and heavy rhythm of someone playing the drums. Their hips swayed in a mesmerizing motion and their bodies were clutched by satins and small silver coins. In the corner sat three people. They were apart from the rest. George made his way over to them.
"Hello all." George bowed at the waist before he reached out a clasped the wrist of the man on his right.
"Marek, how have you been?"
"Good George and you?" Marek smiled and offered them a seat at the table.
"Good," George turned to the man all the way on his left.
"Rispah, how have you been?"
"Good, cousin. Coram is well to. He's home with the kids." George laughed and turned his smiling attention to the man in the center.
"Your majesty, How are you?" The man George referred to as his 'majesty' smiled and shook George's hand.
"Good. Thank you for asking. I'm still alive and that's what the important thing." Kel figured that this man must be the King of the Rouge. His eyes moved over Kel and back to George.
"Who is this enchanting young woman at your side? Does Alanna know that you're running around with such a young and stunning woman?" His 'Majesty's' voice was laced with humor when he spoke about Alanna, but the fire in his eyes and he looked her over went a long where toward improving her mood. Sticking out her hand for him to shake she introduced herself.
"My name is Kel, Your Majesty" The King of the Rouge smiled softly as he raised her hand to his lips and kissed her hand lightly. When released her hand George spoke.
"What Kel has forgotten to tell you is that her full title is Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan, the Protector of the Small." The King of the Rouge smiled gently at them.
"That is quite impressive. Please call me Poet, I am the King of the Rouge, but unlike George here, I prefer to use my name." Kel laughed behind her hand as George glared at the younger man. Poet raised his eyebrow and motioned for one of the scantily clad women to come over to the table. She smiled as she approached. She gave Poet, a kiss on the cheek and smiled at the other two.
"Hello." Her voice was laced with an accent that Kel couldn't place, but it was beautiful
"Alas, Lady Kel, I cannot run away with you. This is my wife, the Lady of the Rouge, Kali." He gestured wildly at his wife, who simply smiled and shook her head. Her eyes fell on Kel and a full-blown smile overtook her lips.
"Come with me." She grabbed Kel's hand from the table and dragged her toward the stairs. Kel followed along confused as to where the woman was leading her. They reached a room at the top of the stairs, it was covered in silks and candles, it seemed like a harem or the sultan's chamber from a book Kel had once read.
"Your perfect!" Kali exclaimed happily. Kel looked confused.
"For what?"
"Well, dancing of course. None of those silly court ladies can do it, they're to thin. You have to have muscle to dance the slaves' dance." Kali was moving around the room picking up scraps of fabric covered in coins and various other silks.
"The slave's dance?" Kel felt like such a dunce but Kali simply smiled.
"The dance we do was once a form of bondage for slaves in the old country. When slavery was outlawed, the dance had already become part of our culture. It is seductive; it's about tuning out your body and feeling." She handed Kel some of the garments. Kel looked at them stupidly, before Kali laughed and showed her how to wear them. Before long Kel stood in front of a full body length mirror, what she saw shocked her. In front of her was a woman. She a breast band that died bright red and covered in swirling embroidered designs and beads of all different corresponding colors, the bottoms of it was covered in dangling rows of small silver coins. Her toned stomach was exposed to the last inch, but Kel felt powerful with some much of her body uncovered. Her chest looked large and her body look smooth in the garments. Instead of her standard issue pants, Kel wore a red gauze skirt, it went to the middle of her calf and the top of it was partially covered in a black coin studded hip wrap. The coins added to the intoxicating feel of the outfit. Every time she moved her hips she felt them shift and ripple. Behind her Kali instructed a drummer to give them a slow rhythm to learn by. When she joined Kel in front of the mirror, she placed her hands firmly on Kel's hips and began to move them with the rhythm of the drum.
"The first step," Kali said as she carefully manipulated Kel's hips to the rhythm. "is to feel the drum and let it's rhythm become the beat of your heart. Then just move your body to that beat."
End Chapter
Please review! This will be a KD but it will take some time, after all the course of true love never did run smoothly.