Hey, thanx AGAIN for all the reviews. Next chapter starts NOW!
Kel awoke to the sound of Conal leaving. One the table she found a plate of eggs set out by Conal. As she ate, she found a folded note for her.
Kel,
I need you to do me a favor. Go to the palace and find Neal. He has something for me, and I won't have a chance to pick it up later. Thank you,
Conal
Kel decided to take a bath, and afterward she changed into a long violet dress. She brushed her hair, and set off to find Neal.
~*~*~*~*~*~*
The bell rang, telling Neal that it was time to report to the practice courts. Today Roald and Neal partnered up for staff combat. He was doing quite well, until something caught his eye.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kel realized that she caught Neal's eye. She had been watching him for a while now. She waved and smiled. Neal waved also, only to be hit on the leg by Roald's staff. The blow caused him to fall over, and Kel to laugh. He jerked up and smiled nervously.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kel waited for a while, not seeing Neal since he went into a side building. Then, she felt a sudden tap on her shoulder. Startled, Kel's Yamani training kicked in. She grabbed the arm and swung the the person over her back and onto the ground.
"Kel! It's me!"
"Oh, Neal. I didn't know it was you."
Neal groaned as he attempted to stand up.
"Don't scare me like that!" Kel yelled.
"Trust me, I won't." Neal stretched out his back.
Kel looked at Neal with a smile as he adjusted his arm, "A rather remarkable show you skills out there."
Neal smirked, "It was a cheap blow,"
"No, you were really good.
Neal grinned, "Why, thank you."
"The fall topped it all off though. It was perfect."
Neal stood tall with fake pride, "I try."
Kel looked at Neal, "Uh, Conal said he needed something from you?"
Neal hit his head.
"Bee?"
"Mithros, Kel! I forgot to get the book! Come with me to the library!" before Kel could object, Neal grabbed her arm and led her with him.
Kel walked beside Neal as they made their way to the library.
"So, how old were you when you moved here?"
"Moved? I don't live here, I'm visiting Conal."
"Oh," Neal looked down, discouraged. He picked up a yellow daffodil, "May I?" Neal placed the flower gently in Kel's hair. Kel blushed slightly as his hand grazed her cheek. His hand seemed to remain there for a long time.
"Uh, how long are you going to be here?" Neal asked taking his back back.
"About two days, I think."
Neal was quiet for a long time, thinking about his misfortune. "Are you going to take your betrothed to the ball?"
"What?"
Neal paused, "The King is throwing a ball in honor of the treaty with Tusaine. Didn't you know that?"
Kel shook her head, "I am not betrothed."
Neal sighed with relief.
"When's the ball?"
"The last night you're in town, I guess."
Kel wondered who he was taking, "Maybe."
Neal ran into the library, and came out with a thick book, "Here, this is want he wanted."
Kel was knocked out of her daze, "Who?"
"Conal." Neal handed the book to her.
"I hope you go to the ball, it should be fun."
"Will you be there?" Kel asked.
"Most likely." Neal replied.
"Then I'll go."
"Great!" Neal looked into her hazel eyes, "Maybe you'd like to go with.." Neal suddenly felt a slap on his back.
"Hey Neal!"
Kel smiled and nervously looked away.
"Who's the girl?"
Neal looked at the tall red haired boy, "Uh, Cleon, this is Keladry."
Cleon took her hand and kissed it, "My pleasure."
"Are you two friends?"
Cleon put an arm anound Neal, who was rolling his eyes, "Best of! And I hear a lot about you, Kel."
"Really?"
"Cleon!" Neal snapped quietly.
"Don't worry, my lady. Our boy Neal has nothing but good things to say."
Kel raised an eyebrow and smiled at Neal. Cleon looked at the two, noticing their annoyance, "Well, I hate to ruin this happy crowd, but I must depart. Nice meeting you, Kel."
"Nice meeting you, too, Cleon." Cleon nodded and trotted off.
"Well," Neal began, "Can I walk you home?"
Kel looked up at Neal, "Of course, I would never pass up your company."
Kel and Neal walked to Conal's house mostly in silence. Neal swayed his hand near Kel's, wanting to take her hand in his and hold it tightly, never to let go.
"I'm going to miss you," Kel said breaking the silence.
"Really?" Neal paused, "I'll miss you, too."
"Will you write to me?"
Neal laughed.
"No?"
"Of course I will, Kel. I fell so close to you, I don't think I could bear not talking to you anymore." Kel smiled at neal's response. They continued walking until they reached Conal's front door.
"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow."
Kel nodded, "Maybe tommorow, or at the ball." Before Neal turned away Kel kissed him on the cheek. She turned, and went into the house before either could say a word.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Neal ate his supper, practically in a daze. If his friends were laughing at him, and they were, he wouldn't notice. He was too busy thinking about Kel.
"Neal!"
He looked up. Roald held up a very familiar piece of paper, and smiling the whole time, "Give that back, Roald. Now!"
Roald read it again, in front of everyone, "Seems Keladry has received the honor of having a poem written about her."
"Yes," Neal grabbed the poem out of the prince's hand, "and I plan to give it to her."
"What!?" Cleon exclaimed, "You never give your poems to girls."
Neal leaned his head on his hand, "True, but I want to give this to her. It just feels right."
Roald looked at Neal in the eye to detect any lies, "Are you in love?"
Neal thought about this for a while, "Yeah, Roald. And it's real this time."
Later Roald and Seaver were talking, "So, is it real?"
"He sounded serious, really serious," Roald paused to think, "I think so..."
Kel awoke to the sound of Conal leaving. One the table she found a plate of eggs set out by Conal. As she ate, she found a folded note for her.
Kel,
I need you to do me a favor. Go to the palace and find Neal. He has something for me, and I won't have a chance to pick it up later. Thank you,
Conal
Kel decided to take a bath, and afterward she changed into a long violet dress. She brushed her hair, and set off to find Neal.
~*~*~*~*~*~*
The bell rang, telling Neal that it was time to report to the practice courts. Today Roald and Neal partnered up for staff combat. He was doing quite well, until something caught his eye.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kel realized that she caught Neal's eye. She had been watching him for a while now. She waved and smiled. Neal waved also, only to be hit on the leg by Roald's staff. The blow caused him to fall over, and Kel to laugh. He jerked up and smiled nervously.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kel waited for a while, not seeing Neal since he went into a side building. Then, she felt a sudden tap on her shoulder. Startled, Kel's Yamani training kicked in. She grabbed the arm and swung the the person over her back and onto the ground.
"Kel! It's me!"
"Oh, Neal. I didn't know it was you."
Neal groaned as he attempted to stand up.
"Don't scare me like that!" Kel yelled.
"Trust me, I won't." Neal stretched out his back.
Kel looked at Neal with a smile as he adjusted his arm, "A rather remarkable show you skills out there."
Neal smirked, "It was a cheap blow,"
"No, you were really good.
Neal grinned, "Why, thank you."
"The fall topped it all off though. It was perfect."
Neal stood tall with fake pride, "I try."
Kel looked at Neal, "Uh, Conal said he needed something from you?"
Neal hit his head.
"Bee?"
"Mithros, Kel! I forgot to get the book! Come with me to the library!" before Kel could object, Neal grabbed her arm and led her with him.
Kel walked beside Neal as they made their way to the library.
"So, how old were you when you moved here?"
"Moved? I don't live here, I'm visiting Conal."
"Oh," Neal looked down, discouraged. He picked up a yellow daffodil, "May I?" Neal placed the flower gently in Kel's hair. Kel blushed slightly as his hand grazed her cheek. His hand seemed to remain there for a long time.
"Uh, how long are you going to be here?" Neal asked taking his back back.
"About two days, I think."
Neal was quiet for a long time, thinking about his misfortune. "Are you going to take your betrothed to the ball?"
"What?"
Neal paused, "The King is throwing a ball in honor of the treaty with Tusaine. Didn't you know that?"
Kel shook her head, "I am not betrothed."
Neal sighed with relief.
"When's the ball?"
"The last night you're in town, I guess."
Kel wondered who he was taking, "Maybe."
Neal ran into the library, and came out with a thick book, "Here, this is want he wanted."
Kel was knocked out of her daze, "Who?"
"Conal." Neal handed the book to her.
"I hope you go to the ball, it should be fun."
"Will you be there?" Kel asked.
"Most likely." Neal replied.
"Then I'll go."
"Great!" Neal looked into her hazel eyes, "Maybe you'd like to go with.." Neal suddenly felt a slap on his back.
"Hey Neal!"
Kel smiled and nervously looked away.
"Who's the girl?"
Neal looked at the tall red haired boy, "Uh, Cleon, this is Keladry."
Cleon took her hand and kissed it, "My pleasure."
"Are you two friends?"
Cleon put an arm anound Neal, who was rolling his eyes, "Best of! And I hear a lot about you, Kel."
"Really?"
"Cleon!" Neal snapped quietly.
"Don't worry, my lady. Our boy Neal has nothing but good things to say."
Kel raised an eyebrow and smiled at Neal. Cleon looked at the two, noticing their annoyance, "Well, I hate to ruin this happy crowd, but I must depart. Nice meeting you, Kel."
"Nice meeting you, too, Cleon." Cleon nodded and trotted off.
"Well," Neal began, "Can I walk you home?"
Kel looked up at Neal, "Of course, I would never pass up your company."
Kel and Neal walked to Conal's house mostly in silence. Neal swayed his hand near Kel's, wanting to take her hand in his and hold it tightly, never to let go.
"I'm going to miss you," Kel said breaking the silence.
"Really?" Neal paused, "I'll miss you, too."
"Will you write to me?"
Neal laughed.
"No?"
"Of course I will, Kel. I fell so close to you, I don't think I could bear not talking to you anymore." Kel smiled at neal's response. They continued walking until they reached Conal's front door.
"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow."
Kel nodded, "Maybe tommorow, or at the ball." Before Neal turned away Kel kissed him on the cheek. She turned, and went into the house before either could say a word.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Neal ate his supper, practically in a daze. If his friends were laughing at him, and they were, he wouldn't notice. He was too busy thinking about Kel.
"Neal!"
He looked up. Roald held up a very familiar piece of paper, and smiling the whole time, "Give that back, Roald. Now!"
Roald read it again, in front of everyone, "Seems Keladry has received the honor of having a poem written about her."
"Yes," Neal grabbed the poem out of the prince's hand, "and I plan to give it to her."
"What!?" Cleon exclaimed, "You never give your poems to girls."
Neal leaned his head on his hand, "True, but I want to give this to her. It just feels right."
Roald looked at Neal in the eye to detect any lies, "Are you in love?"
Neal thought about this for a while, "Yeah, Roald. And it's real this time."
Later Roald and Seaver were talking, "So, is it real?"
"He sounded serious, really serious," Roald paused to think, "I think so..."