^_^ Happy Memorial Day everyone! @_@; Thank god for three day weekends. Go. Thank him. NOW. I already did, now it's your turn!

Also. Note that this story now has over TWENTY REVIEWS! Yeees. A fanfic milestone. And only at Chapter three/four, too! *dances*

Anyway.

~ Enjoy. ~

Daybreak

Chapter 4: The Grand Arrival

+ + +

'Ugh...Shut up...Shut UP...'

Half asleep, Dom turned over, trying to block out the noise of his squad fixing breakfast. Gods, it was cold. Two weeks they had been out on the road now -- two long, grueling weeks -- and still they had no clue as to how close they were to New Hope, let alone how much longer it would take to get there. A cold wind blew through camp, stirring up the ground's snowy covering, and Dom shivered, curling up in his tangled bedding. If there ever really came a day when all hell froze over, he was pretty sure it would be something like this.

Someone called his name, and he cracked an eye open, watching as a pair of feet walked over to him. A hand lowered itself into view, holding out a large chunk of cooked rabbit meat; the smell of the food drifted into Dom's nostrils. It overwhelmed him. He half-lunged, trying to grab the meat from his comrade, only to have it yanked away from him. The man holding it -- Dom thought it might be Wolset -- laughed, and began to dangle the meat at the upper edge of Dom's vision, teasing him. Dom growled and sat up, snatching at his prize, but Wolset was quicker. He stood up, backing away; he was still laughing. Eventually he was able to put on a straight face, but one glance at his enraged commander was all it took to make him break into a shaky grin. He pointed to the fire, where five of the other squad members were gathered; they must have been watching, for many of them seemed to be holding back laughter as well. "There's still some left, if you want it that badly." He said to Dom, his tone mocking. The sergeant, whom was usually so collected, was so easy to provoke in the mornings that it had become the new favorite pastime of his men.

Dom glared up at Wolset and got to his feet, then hobbled over to the fire. He joined the ring of snickering men, sitting down hard in the icy snow and reaching for the last bit of rabbit, his face set into a dangerous-looking scowl. The snickering grew louder, and Dom sighed as he bit down into his breakfast. 'A fine way to start the morning', he thought, and shut his eyes as another blast of cold wind came their way.

Damn that idiot Raoul. They were all probably going to freeze to death out here, while he just sat back, all nice and warm in his cozy little fort...With his loving wife...Dom's scowl deepened, and he tore away savagely at his chunk of meat. That man would pay. He wasn't entirely sure how just yet, but he would pay.

"Wolset!!" A voice cried out, interrupting Dom's sulking. He turned his head and watched as Roalden, Dom's other corporal, ran over to them with two other men following close behind him, his eyes wide. He stopped when he reached the fire, breathing heavily, hands bracing his knees.

'Must have been out scouting', Dom figured, looking expectantly at Roalden. What had he found? Enemy fighters? But it seemed unlikely that they'd be risking any battles in this kind of weather...

"It's...It's the Greenwoods...We saw it..." Roalden looked at each of the other men, all of which were staring at him, speechless. "It's far, but not too far. We should be able to get there before nightfall..."

There was a stunned silence, and then the men erupted into a burst of hearty cheers, their loud, happy noises filling the air; some praised a favorite god, while others went on about warm beds and good food. Dom leaned back, shook his head slowly, and let out a deep breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. "WELL, IT'S ABOUT TIME," he shouted, and the others cheered even louder than before, shouting their agreement.

Wolset was the first to stop cheering, though a wide, eager grin was still stretched across his face. He looked to Dom, who was sitting a few feet away from him. "When do we leave, Sergeant?" he asked, forgetting in his excitement to use the title of authority as a taunt.

Dom blinked at Wolset, and stared at him as though he had something very strange latched onto his head. "You honestly think I'm going to wait around here any longer than I have to?"

That was all he had to say. Before he could even give the actual order, everybody in the squad was rushing about, packing things away. Somebody doused out the fire, and soon men were running over to mount their steeds, chattering on all the while about New Hope and a good night's rest. Dom was quick to join them, practically leaping onto his mount, a young chocolate brown mare with a long dark mane, dubbed 'Rhapsody' by her owner. Dom sent her into what was almost a gallop, in spite of the weather, not wanting to go any slower for the moment; after all, how much patience could a man have when he was just miles away from civilization, where there were warm baths, regularly served meals, cozy beds, and...

And Kel would be there, too. Feeling an odd jolt of excitement, Dom smiled to himself, and soon had Rhapsody moving in a completely reckless gallop. Maybe this assignment wouldn't be so bad, after all.

+ + +

Kel sighed, leaning back in her chair. She sat alone in headquarters' small study, tapping a black-tipped quill against the wooden surface of her desk. Sprawled out in front of her lay a long sheet of blank parchment, and beside it, an open inkwell. The clerks were all busy with various tasks, so she was left to write the progress report that had been requested from Lord Wyldon herself. Well, good. She had been bored anyway.

Not that this was any better. 'The food is stored, the people are safe, the animals are all healthy...' Kel twitched, suddenly feeling very restless. 'The squads still haven't gotten here - no surprise there...' she began to stand, then sat down again, fighting back the urge to get up and pace. 'And not a single attack in -weeks-...So what is there for me to report!?' She groaned, and lightly hit her head against the desk, frustrated. Life at New Hope was nice, but oh, it was dull. Dull. Dull. Dull. She repeated the word in her mind like a mantra, over and over, banging her head each time to keep up the rhythm.

Fortunately, she was soon distracted by a loud, high-pitched chorus of chirping which came streaming in from an open window. Kel's head snapped up at the noise, and she stumbled over to the windowsill, poking her head out in search of her sparrows. That was an alarm, wasn't it?

Finding them hovering about five feet above the window, Kel raised her head to get a good look. She blinked up at them, and her eyes widened marginally. They were flying around in small, tight circles, the signal that stood for 'friends'.

"Finally..." Kel muttered to herself. The first squad was a week late already, though she supposed that was to be expected, considering the road conditions. She glanced over at the town gates, which a group of men were already forcing open, probably under Merric's orders. No one was waiting outside yet, but Kel figured it was only a matter of time as she raced down the stairs, moving quickly in the hopes of being there to greet them as they arrived. She burst through the double-door entrance, and walked briskly down the mucky, slush-lined streets, watching the land beyond the gateway as tiny blurs of moving somethings came into view on the horizon. Most of the townspeople were unexcited by the visitors, having already heard the news from Kel over dinner weeks ago, but some of the more eager residents were scattered along the side of the road, looking expectantly down ahead of them as the riders approached.

At last Kel reached the open gates, joining Merric and the group of soldiers already gathered around it. Soon Tobe appeared, running over to stand at her side; his clothes were covered with bits of hay, and clearly gave away where he had been spending his afternoon. Kel fixed a steady gaze on the ten distant blots moving toward the town. Soon they became clearer, and she was able to make out the silhouettes of men and horses in the setting sun. Closer and closer they came, until Kel could see details and distinct features as well; something about the squad jogged Kel's memory, but she wasn't sure what, until she looked to the rider furthest to her right. He was going at a slightly slower pace than the other nine, and his horse seemed more fatigued than the others, despite its healthy-looking physique. That horse...she knew it, somehow...

Kel gasped. Her eyes darted away from the horse -- "Rhapsody", she remembered -- and up to the man that was riding her, who was finally close enough to see clearly. Dom, his helm cradled against one arm, had definitely seen better days. His skin was so pale from being out in the cold that it had almost turned white, save the pink patches on his cheeks. His dark hair was messy and wet from riding through snow, and short brown stubble had grown on the lower half of his face, the result of not shaving for at least a week. Kel stared at him as he and the squad approached the gates. He seemed...pre-occupied. He scanned the area around the entrance, his gaze shifting slowly, until at last it rested on Kel herself. Their eyes locked, and she froze as he smiled broadly at her from a few yards away. After a few seconds Kel tried to look away and break eye contact, but found that she could not; and so she stood there, continuing to gaze into Dom's two very blue eyes, feeling awkward and, for some reason, incredibly excited.

Finally, the squad came through the gates, Dom now riding in front. He looked away now and then as he replied to the various welcomes called out by the soldiers, but his eyes would end up returning to Kel each time, making her feel increasingly nervous, though she had no idea why. Soon he and the others dismounted from their horses, and Dom handed Rhapsody's reigns over to Wolset, sending him away to stable her along with his own steed. By now the initial excitement had died down and most of the welcomers had gone, while the rest of the squad was off at the stables. Dom strode over to Kel, wearing a grin that threatened to split his face in two. He looked strangely energized for a man who had been riding for what had probably been several hours on end, and Kel couldn't help but take in some of the eagerness that seemed to radiate from his eyes.

The eyes. Why couldn't she stop staring at the eyes?! 'Look away, look away...' she thought helplessly, pleading her own eyes to obey. Sadly, they did not, and it took a moment for her to register that Dom had said something to her. She shook her head a few times, clearing her mind and shutting her eyes tightly, before opening them again to see Dom staring at her curiously, one eyebrow raised. "Kel...?"

"Yes?" she asked, blinking a couple of times and pushing her hair back behind her ears. "I'm sorry, Dom, what did you say?"

"Er, just 'hello'..."

"Oh."

An annoying pause followed, and Kel mentally kicked herself several times, trying to restart her brain. What was going on here?

"Is something wrong, Kel?" Dom's voice interrupted her thoughts, and she blinked, before shaking her head again.

"No, I...I think I'm just tired." She lied. In truth, she had no idea why she was feeling so strange. "Anyway, how are you? I didn't know your squad had been assigned here." She said hastily, wanting terribly to strike up a conversation.

"Well, I'm pretty tired myself. Along with cold, hungry, and losing the feeling in my legs." He said, his tone falsely cheery. "But other than that, I'm just dandy...You didn't know it was us? I'd imagine my lord would at least mention..." he trailed off, putting a hand over his mouth to stifle a yawn. "Uhm, d'you by any chance have rooms set up for us yet?...Ones with beds?..."

"Oh! Right...Well, the construction for the new building isn't done just yet, but there's plenty of room in headquarters for now." Ah, fine, now things were back up to speed. Much better.

"Alright, thanks..." he looked around for a moment, his mouth moving silently along with his thoughts, before frowning slightly and turning back to Kel. "Er, where exactly IS headquarters? I only know the layout of Haven, and..." he stopped, immediately regretting what he had just said. Haven...was definitely an off-limits subject. He watched as Kel's face went blank, then terribly still, and her hazel eyes flashed with something that stung. It was a brief opening, though, and the expression was soon replaced with a carefully formed smile. "Oh, it's not that far. Come on, I'll show you..." with that she turned, and started to walk away. Dom followed, and had to run for a second to catch up with her; she was walking very quickly.

"Um, Kel, I..."

"Hm?"

"I'm--I'm sorry."

"What for?" Kel asked, and Dom waited for the false, questioning smile that he knew would follow. It didn't. Kel started to walk even faster, not even glancing back at him as she went. Bad sign. Very bad sign. She was even more vulnerable about it than he had thought...

It was strange, really. Kel always came off as a strong person, and in Dom's opinion, she was probably the strongest person he knew -- which was saying a lot, considering he was an acquaintance of the legendary Lioness. But sometimes, he thought that maybe she was a little too strong for her own good. Where did all of those emotions end up spilling out? She couldn't just keep them bottled up forever...

Could she?

"Kel--"

"We're here."

The streets were empty now that night had fallen, and the two of them stood alone, right outside of headquarters. Now Kel finally looked back at Dom. Her expression was impossible to read, until a small smile settled onto her features. It was a tired smile, but even more, it was a strained one. "Your rooms start on the third floor. You can pick one out for yourself." She swung open the doors and started upstairs, stopping at the second floor and going into the nearest room. "G'night."

"...Goodnight."

The door shut behind her with a quiet slam, and Dom stared at it for a moment, frowning deeply. Suddenly having far too much to think about, he made his way up the stairs, moving slowly; his feet felt like cement blocks. Feeling drained, he slipped into one of the rooms on the third floor, not bothering to choose one by comparison. He was just too tired.

And yet somehow, he didn't see how he was going to sleep.

+ + +

A/N: *Yawns* Woo yeah, finally done. Goodnight. Review, please. *Hobbles off to bed X_x*

(Also: If ANY of you...know of a description of Dom's horse that came from the books...please keep it to yourselves. ^_^ I could not find one, so live with it. Rhapsody is his second horse. Perfectly understandable.)

Ehe.

~Pheep

See you in Chapter 5...