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Section 4: To Meet With the Enemy and Not Know it

Katei whistled contentedly as he rode out of a small village near Fief Mindelan, he had gotten rid of those who had made that blasted treaty. There was still parts of the family that he had to kill though, as far as he knew, there was three brothers, all whom were knights. And then there was three sisters who were married off. 'Oh, wait, there was one more sister, what's her name? Damn! What was her name? Oh well.' he thought bitterly. He did remember hearing though that she was a squire, the first (known) girl squire ever.

He was basically happy, until it started to rain. No, not 'it's all sunny and suddenly it pours down really hard.' But it started to drizzle and then gradually got harder.

Grumbling, he brought his horse to a stop under a tree and looked around. A few feet away (what a coincidence) was a relatively large cave. He dismounted and led his horse over, before cautiously inspecting the cave to make sure it was abandoned by any animals.

Seeing that it was home to no one, he led his horse in the cave a plopped down on the side, glumly watching the rain fall. And slowly, he drifted off to sleep.

~~

at the same time, maybe a few minutes after up there with Katei:

Kel hummed a tune that she had once learned by one of the minstrels at a Midwinter Ball. She had to do something to stop herself from thinking about her parents, she didn't want to cry again.

Much to her dismay, the skies opened up and it started to rain down on her. She scowled and ran for the nearest shelter, which happened to be a large cave. Ignoring the voice in the back of her head that kept on saying, "There's probably bears in here." she led Peachblossom into the cave.

Kel shivered and pulled out a fresh shirt to put on to be warmer. Taking her's off, she slipped the new one on, feeling much warmer.

She glanced around the cave, taking in all that was there and her gaze stopped on a young man who was sitting leaned against the cave. He was tall, probably about four inches taller than herself with short, strangely spiked metallic black hair. He had a straight, proud nose and tanned skin, with a small scar to the right of his forehead. He looked like he was built sturdily, in excellent fighting condition.

Curious, she started forehead, but was interrupted by a horse running forehead. She lept out of the way and yelled before she could close her mouth, "Holy Shit!" Then immediately cursed in Yamani as the young man jerked awake.

~~

Katei's POV:

He lept up to his feet, dark green eyes darting around the cave for the source of noise. He spotted a cursing girl on the other side of the cave, and strangely, it was Yamani she was cursing in. She was tall, about five foot nine inches tall and fit, with chin-length light brown hair and green hazel eyes with a small, delicate nose.

He brought a hand to his belt, where his sword and dagger hung, and started foreword, eyes narrowed, "Who are you?" he asked coldly.

The girl stiffened and glared at him, bring her hand carefully to her belt, where her own sword hung. She replied just as coldly, "What business is that of your's?"

He waved a hand around, indicating the cave, "I was here first, therefore, my territory. Who are you and what are you doing in my territory?"

She narrowed her eyes and was silent for a moment.

~~

Kel's POV:

Kel kept her face indifferent as she thought, 'What the hell am I supposed to say? I'm in search for a deranged man from the Yamani Islands whom murdered my parents? word could get around, I better just lie, ummm, think Kel, come on!'

"I am Kel. Just Kel, and uh, I am here because I'm... in search of... someone." she said falteringly. Then she recovered from the lame statement and asked, "Now who are you? You don't look from Tortall. And what are you doing here?"

~~

Katei's POV:

Katei kept his face blank and thought hard, 'Now what? You set yourself up for this, Katei! Why don't I just kill her?' his thoughts somehow wouldn't let him, though. 'She has nothing to do with my situation, and therefore doesn't need to die.' he reasoned, and then turned to his other problem, 'What am I supposed to say? I'm an angered warrior from the Yamani Islands who is going around killing off all the Tortallan nobles?'

Outloud he said, "Katei of Nirasan, I'm also looking for some people." he straightened almost businesslike and took his hand off his sword hilt, walking over to his horse.

"Aren't you a little young to be alone out on the road? There's danger around, ya know. You never can guess what some strangers you meet are like." he called back. He started to pull out things from his baggages.

~~

Kel's POV:

Kel had anticipated these questions and was ready to answer them, "I was left to fend for myself when I was four. My parents were dead, killed by--" Kel said the first thing that came to her mind. "a Yamani."

Katei coughed suddenly and said, "Sorry, dust in the throat."

Kel decided that she didn't like this young man much and wanted him to go away so she said what would usually scare most nobles off, for she thought he was a noble.

"I'm a thief, a rather good one at that." she told him matter-a-factly. He turned to her, eyes skeptic, "If you tried to steal from me, you find yourself on the ground, either fatally wounded or dead."

"How can I 'find myself' if I'm dead?" she asked.

~~

And now to where Sir Alanna and her whining squire, Neal:

"And why again are we not going back to the castle?" Nealan of Queenscove complained for the millionth time. He wasn't exactly secure about the idea of hunting down this Katei of Nirason, who most-likely wanted to kill them.

Alanna sighed, she wondered for the millionth time why she had chosen Neal as her squire. Certainly Squire Keladry wouldn't complain-- she would probably keep quiet about it and look foreward to an adventure.

"Neal-- shut up! I'm starting to get a migraine! We are near fief Mindelan, so we'll stop there for the rest of the day." Alanna and Neal kicked their horses into a gallop and went through two large marble gates.

Everything was as Neal had pictured it, from what Kel had told him, and yet, everything seemed more... morbid. Frowning, Alanna slipped off her horse and trotted up to where a guard stood in the courtyard.

"Excuse me, but what happened here?" she asked, or more snapped. The guard looked at her and looked away into the sky.

"The Baron and Baroness of Mindelan are dead. They have been killed by that mad man on the loose, whatever his name was."

Alanna was shocked at how indifferent the man seemed to be, the two nobles were dead afterall! She stared at the man as he continued, "My true love is dead, she was a maid, killed by that horrible man." she nodded slowly and turned, walking quickly away.

After telling Neal the news, she cursed, "Damn it! Jon should have told me last night when we talked magically! All he told me was that Kel had ran away, he didn't bother telling me the reason did he?"

Neal's eyes widened and he said, "Kel ran away! Shoot, do you know what she's out to do?"

Alanna shook her head and said, "Whatever it is, I bet it involves Katei." The two remounted and rode away from Mindelan, now searching for two people/

~~

"So who are you searching for anyway?" Katei asked Kel as they ate some food over a small fire in the cave. Kel bit her lip and said the first name that came into her mind, which happened to be her brother's, "I'm lookin' for... Anders of Mindelan." she silently cursed herself as she said that.

To her surprise, Katei nodded, "Same here." seeing her inquiring look, he quickly added, "I have some... unfinished business with him."

She narrowed her eyes slightly and nodded, she did not trust this young man much, okay at all. She got up and went over to Peachblossom, tucking items in the saddlebags. Then she mounted up, and Katei came over.

"Where are ye goin'?" he asked, not knowing why. She shrugged and said, "Like I said, I am looking for er, Anders of Mindelan." Then, she added, figuring to be at least partly truthful, "I have to er, kill him." she said this last part very quickly, not used to saying the words.

Katei's eyebrows shot up, although the rest of his face remained unemotional, a very strange combination. "Kill him?" then, figuring to throw off any suspicion, he added, "Are you by any chance that one fellow from the Yamani Islands who is trying to kill all those nobles?" it felt strange talking about himself like that.

Kel shrugged and said, "He uh, helped that one guy kill my parents." and she turned Peachblossom around.

"Why don't I come with? I mean I'm also looking for him, I heard he lived up in the mountains or something." he said, not knowing why he was offering for her to come with him, afterall, she'd just be in the way!

She shook her head and said, "No way, I travel alone." and with that she said a quick, not-so-polite goodbye and galloped off. Katei shook his head and said, "What the hell is the matter with me? Mithros, I need to kill someone, elsewise I'd lose my anger!"

Hitting his head lightly, he began to pack his items up. "Let's see, I have all the Mindelan brothers to kill, and that one Mindelan squire girl, damn, what was that girl's name again? It'll come to me... now also the rest of those sisters, and their families. Then a bunch of other noble families that he knew of, Then proceed onto Corus and murder all the knights, and lastly, Prince Roald of Conte'!" his thoughts were focused on his scheme as he rode off. Near sunset, he thought briefly back to the girl in the cave, there was something to strange about her, but he couldn't quite place it. And that name, Kel, it sounded too familiar. He sighed and continued to ride to the mountains, toward his next victim.

Author's Note: The next chapter will be after a short time lapse, about a year. Kel will be sixteen (a year to old I know, but it's a fanfic, so things can be different), Katei will be twenty, Prince Roald is seventeen, Neal twenty-one... you get the idea. Katei will have killed several families, all of which will be mentioned in the next chapter. Kel will have lost all of her family. Katei and Kel hadn't met up since the day in the cave but will again. Kel has reluctantly resorted to actually stealing for her food and money. And Katei was becoming more and more hunted down, although always slipping away. Alanna and Neal went back to the palace, only to set out again searching for the two. And finally, Katei still doesn't know that Kel is the last remaining Mindelan and Kel still doesn't know that Katei is the supposed-to-be-but-really-isn't insane Yamani warrior who is after the Prince. PLEASE REVIEW, even if it's a flame, just review. If you like it, tell me, if you don't tell me. thanks-- Kira

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