This is a fan made story. I don't own the rights to the Protector of the Small series, any of its characters belong to Tamora Pierce… Much to my disappointment. This goes AU about midway from the book Page. Fair warning. Constructive criticism is welcome but if you don't like it simply because you don't like the line of thinking, please don't attack me for it. This is mostly centered on Joren. This is also a slow build Kel/Joren.
Summer 457
As the summer closed in, the Progress moved south and then east from where Kel had joined. Kel, along with Lord Raoul and a few squads from the Own detached to deliver what were officially called invitations but were really demands from the Royal family for some of the noble houses to host them in expensive banquets. They didn't rejoin the Progress until they were near Fief Eldorne. They set up another elaborate camp to stay for several days was established under the Seneschal's direction.
As everyone settled into the weary combination of traveling and banquets, Joren took the opportunity to forge stronger bonds of friendship with Kel and his new group of friends. Zahir was slowly growing closer to some of them too, though the Bazhir was more comfortable with Yancen and Faleron than the rest. Joren found a great deal of pleasure in watching his mother being drawn into Ilane of Mindelan's circle of friends, all of whom were weapon wielding women in positions of power.
It tickled his fancy to watch Verene of Stone Mountain holding a practice Glaive for the first time and learn the first movements of the weapon. He knew that Burchard of Stone Mountain would likely roll over in his grave at the idea of arming his wife with a weapon, much less a foreign one. As the Progress moved, Joren found that there were less people, rather suddenly, that were willing to make inappropriate statements about Kel within his earshot. Joren wondered about this but shrugged hoping that it meant that there were less comments being made in general.
Still, he would enter at least one competition at each stop to get the practice against more experienced opponents. He noticed the Kel didn't and wondered but figured that it was her choice. He liked the idea of being able to spend more time with her as she watched Raoul joust anyways. She also was happy to cheer him and the others on too, when they competed as well. Owen was just happy that Joren kept letting him assist with arming up for the jousts.
For weeks, things seemed like one event after another that the squires had to serve at. The monotony was disrupted when they reached Fief Sinthya and Kel finally got an opportunity to meet her hero, Lady Alanna. Kel seemed to glow at the end of it. When he inquired on what the conversation was about, Kel told him the Lady Alanna had suggested that Kel might teach her how to use the glaive when she became a knight.
She told the all this while they watched her feed the griffin, all of them keeping a respectful distance from the creature. Most of it was just keeping Owen from losing hope of ever gaining a Knight-Master. This night Owen talked about how Sir Myles was looking for a secretary and how that seemed to be the only option he had to escape Master Oakbridge.
This led to a more general discussion on Knight-Masters, "At least Myles won't bite your head off if you venture a comment of your own. There's a lot to be said for a good-natured knight-master." They all knew that Neal was referring to Lady Alanna's temper. As they had occasionally trained in a group under her guidance, they knew he wasn't exaggerating either.
"Mine's a decent sort," Cleon added, referring to Kel's older brother Inness. "Explains things, doesn't expect you to read his mind. I'd best get back. He's in the archery competitions tomorrow and I think his bowstring is fraying."
Cleon and the others exited at this point. Joren lingering for a little longer to venture one comment to Kel on his knight-master, "Personally, I got lucky with mine. The path I was on before… I might have ended up being like Vinson or maybe even worse."
"Looking at who you are now and how your mother is, I find that hard to believe," Kel smiled at him and shook her head.
Joren fought to keep his fear from his face and managed a grimace, "We will have to agree to disagree on this. I know a little bit more of how I thought before I got reality pounded into my head." With this he left, not knowing he had left a very bewildered Kel behind.
She had no way of knowing that Joren was thinking of his upcoming Ordeal, now less than half a year away, and the vision he had seen of his fate if he hadn't changed paths. He fervently prayed that his change had been enough because even if it felt real, that didn't mean he necessarily had changed the necessary part that the Chamber would find flawed enough to kill him for it. After all, all he had to go on what the Trickster's books that he had gotten.
The next day, Joren was walking back from a visit with his mother and younger brother when he overheard an argument. It sounded like it was in the middle and he thought he recognized a few of the voices but held back, uncertain of what to do when he heard Kel's voice suddenly pop up.
"You speak against our knight-master. You must be shown the error of your ways," Kel's voice was crisp and Joren couldn't help but smile at the strength it demonstrated. "And Vinson's no highwayman, just a kidnapper. If it's the lists you want, you shall have them. I am a squire, and I want satisfaction from you."
Joren peaked around a tent to see Kel standing there in strength offering her hand out to a man that Joren thought might have been in the Own, "I can defend myself!" The man snapped, pushing her hand away. Joren bristled at the treatment the man had shown Kel, especially after she had stood up for him.
"I'm not concerned for you. For starters, he maligned Lord Raoul. If he weren't a coward, he'd also name those he says are 'dazzled by female flesh'… my flesh? Commander Tourakom's? Or the Champion's, the queen's, do you suppose? Since he doesn't want to pay for his words, he hides behind his shield. Except now he can't. If he refuses to meet me in the lists, everyone will know what he is."
"I am Sir Ansil of Groten," the knight snapped arrogantly. He was in his thirties from what Joren could guess. "You will have your meeting, squire. When you lie in the dirt with my lance through your body, all will see what happens when men do the right thing. Tomorrow, at the individual matches. I will enter our names with the tournament clerk."
He stalked away from Kel and towards where Joren watched. Joren ducked to hide, fury raging and holding him frozen once he was hidden. Fury at both his own cowardice from not calling out the man himself and at Ansil of Groten for even suggesting he would kill Kel. Behind him, another knight and Vinson trailed behind him, Vinson smirking at Kel as he walked away.
Joren silently listened as Kel reassured and scolded the man she had come to the defense of as they walked away. Eventually, Joren managed to unfreeze. He figured that he would just challenge Groten and beat him if Kel lost. She didn't have to know what the challenge was about. He dusted his breeches off and headed towards the lists, planning on checking them to see what else was going on tomorrow so he could pretend that was how he knew about the jousting match.
When he got there, Ansil of Groten was running off on how he was planning on decimating Kel the next morning and Cleon was listening in horror. The red-head looked ready to storm off and find Kel before Joren caught him and convinced Cleon to allow him to talk to Kel. Cleon looked put out at first but a knowing look from Joren had the other caving.
"Fine, but make sure you tell her that I don't like it, not one bit. On a side note. What are you waiting for?" Cleon eyed Joren in annoyance. "I can't believe you still haven't made your move yet. You haven't, have you? I would have thought that it would be obvious if a change in your relationship if you had."
Joren hesitated, leading Cleon away from the crowds at the lists, "I sort of have, sort of haven't. It is complicated. I don't want her to think that I would pressure her to give up on her Knighthood or force her into something she doesn't want."
"Do you really think that Kel would let anyone push her into something she didn't want?" Cleon asked skeptically. "Are you sure you aren't hesitating because you're afraid?"
"That is exactly why I am hesitating. I have been spending the last three years trying to prove to her and all our friends that I am not the same person I was when I was a page. That I'm no longer friends with people like Vinson or Garvey or Quintin. I don't want to undo all of that because I misspoke or was misunderstood. I don't just like her, I love her. She is strong and beautiful and kind and probably the most impressive woman in our country and it pisses me off when I think that people like Vinson or Groten would dare threaten her, but I know she can handle it. It is blasted confusing," Joren ranted a little to Cleon's sympathetic ear.
When Joren finished, Cleon decided to give him a little nudge in the right direction, "Fine, if you won't tell her. I will. I will go to her tent right now and tell her that you are in love with her and being an idiot about it because you don't want to interfere with her goal of obtaining a knighthood."
Joren looked at Cleon in shock, "You wouldn't dare."
"Try me. You pointed out to me that I would never be able to be with her because of this damned betrothal to Ermelian of Aminar. If I can't be with her, better someone that I know will have her back and respect her right to her knighthood. I doubt there are many others who would. Now go. And talk to her about jousting Ansil of Groten too. He is a full knight, she had to be mad to have challenged him," Cleon glared at Joren. Joren didn't bother arguing with the Cleon, the other Squire was much bigger than he and he didn't want to risk a fistfight.
Instead, Joren left, heading towards where Kel and Lord Raoul's tents were positioned in the camp. When he reached it, he hesitated briefly before walking in. He decided to start with the jousting, "Kel, so you have finally decided to joust? Against a full knight too. He is claiming you challenged him."
"Oh, well, I had to. The man's a bully. He insulted my lord," Kel gave him a weak smile and received a nod in response.
"So, naturally you couldn't allow such an offense to stand unchallenged. I get it. You should know he is asking a winner's purse of ten gold crowns," Joren continued a little more seriously after teasing a little. He wanted to put her at ease though.
"I have the money from Vinson, or I guess since, apparently, his family stole that money from you, I have it from you. I still feel bad about that you know. But, anyways, I can pay if I lose," Kel shrugged as she finished with the birds and turned to face Joren.
He couldn't help admiring her as she had been working with the dishes, her back turned and he had gotten caught staring. She blushed lightly before turning again and grabbing her breastplate and a polishing cloth, "I have to go over my gear." She mumbled awkwardly.
Joren, uncertain of why she was uncomfortable, grabbed another cloth and another part of her armor, planning on helping her. He then remembered Cleon's threat and decided that the red-head did have a tendency to actually do things he threatened to. He set the armor and cloth aside and then went to close the flap of Kel's tent, startling her.
She flushed an even deeper red as he tugged the breastplate from her as she was already sitting on her cot, "There was… well… oh, blast I'll just come out and say it. I like you, Kel." Joren's face was a flushed pink as he sat next to her on the cot and ran his hand through the white blond hair.
Kel looked at him with her jaw hanging open, unable to respond. She then dropped he head, trying to hide a further blush, "Kel, please look at me." Joren's voice was tight now, half in panic that she would reject him like he was expecting and half in hope that she wouldn't.
He was surprised when she heeded his request and immediately burst into a smile of relief. He decided that since he was going out on a limb already, he might as well go all in and he pressed his lips to hers gently. He was in a full moment of bliss before slowly pulling away.
His voice cracked as he spoke again, "That wasn't bad, was it? Neither of us burst into flames, nor did the tent. Even the animals don't seem to have an objection." He went on hoarsely, hoping she wasn't about to punch him.
When she didn't, he kissed her again. This time she seemed to melt into his arms before suddenly stiffening. Joren immediately let her go, "Sorry, if I am pushing. I…I've just been thinking about this for a while." He stuttered a little, nervous still.
"You have?" Kel's voice trembled a little. "This isn't some elaborate prank?"
Joren flushed again. Once upon a time it could have been but not now. He shook his head, "I've wanted to kiss you for a while. I just didn't want you to think I would interfere with you getting your knighthood. It's why I hesitated."
"Oh," Kel whispered softly. She seemed to relax a little at that, so Joren couldn't resist kissing her again.
"Kel?" Lord Raoul's voice sounded from outside the tent and Joren sprang away, mostly because he knew she would be embarrassed by this if others knew. He immediately grabbed one of her armor pieces and began polishing it, a flush still on his face.
When Raoul had entered, Kel had also had her breastplate back in hand, "Joren of Stone Mountain, isn't it? Aren't you two hot in here with the flap closed? Kel, someone put your name on the boards for tilting tomorrow."
"That's right," Kel replied as she opened her front flap before retrieving her breastplate again and began going over it. "I had a philosophical discussion with Ansil of Groten. We couldn't resolve our differences, so we decided to settle it with the lance."
Joren couldn't help but smile at her response. It was the same as any other squire would have. He silently wondered if she always took those kinds of considerations with her responses.
"Well, come into my tent when you have a moment," Raoul had responded. "We've some point to discuss. Stone Mountain."
As the knight went back to his tent, Joren knew he had been dismissed. He smiled weakly at Kel, "If Lord Raoul is giving you advice, I had best go line up a healer for Ansil of Groten. Perhaps some no-nonsense healer that will make him recover even if his ego is completely broken after being decimated by 'the Girl'." Joren teased to help her relax.
She giggled, which was his intent before he tugged her into a corner of the tent that couldn't be seen from outside and kissed her one last time, this one a little stronger than the rest. He figured that she would likely come to her senses in a few hours and hunt him down to kill him anyways, so he had best enjoy it while he had the chance. He prayed that whatever Lord Raoul would inevitably say wouldn't make it worse. Instead of waiting for his doom that day, Joren retreated to his tent and decided to dwell on the pleasant thoughts of getting to kiss her for the first time. He briefly wondered if it was her first kiss and secretly hoped it was. He realized he was getting sappy however, so he instead he pulled out the book on courting lady knights out and started reading it from the beginning.
He later only briefly saw Kel while they were at service that evening, each times their eyes met they both blushed, but they didn't get a chance to talk at all. Cleon gave him a knowing look and both he and Neal dragged Joren off later for an interrogation. After getting a brief overview of the situation, both recommended giving Kel a day or so to get her thoughts sorted out. Joren willingly accepted the advice, hoping that it would work out in his favor, after all, she had been given space so far and hadn't murdered him yet.