i actually read page! today. so proud of myself. but the library near my house didn't get squire yet, so i sped read it at teh store instead.
hey this is a long chapter
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"Neal," Kel whispered. "What are you doing?!" A picture of her redheaded love flashed though her mind, but Cleon did not materialize. She was left standing in front of Neal, instead of her Kennen...this was confusing! A few years ago she would have jumped for joy at this sight. But now...
He smiled, his green eyes gleaming in the dim lights of the hall. "What does it look like?"
The girl stumbled back a step. "Cleon," she murmured, but her former sponsor was unable to hear her quiet exclaimation.
"Kel," Neal continued, "I think I love you." Sweeping up the shocked Lady Squire in his arms, he presented her the bunch of daisies. "What do you say?" he asked, planting a kiss on her lips.
Kelandry gasped, tripping over the hem of the Lalasa-made Squire uniform in her effort to escape his embrace. "I don't know!" she cried, before sprinting off to her room. The door down the hall shut softly, and he heard the unmistakable click of her lock.
~~~~~~~~~
The rejected lad stomped down to his own room, completely forgetting the fallen flowers on the carpeted walkway. Opening the door and locking it also, he fell onto his bed with a sigh.
"So," a voice came from the shadows, "Neal."
The twenty-year-old turned to see Cleon seated in the chair, his face grim. "What do you want?" he said tiredly.
His best friend stood, running his fingers through thick red hair. "You couldn't stop yourself, could you?" Kennan spat bitterly.
"What?"
"I love her, Neal. Can you say the same?"
"Of course."
Cleon snapped his fingers. "Are you sure? Kel...she isn't another Daine, or Uline, or Mardrea, or Lecia, or Celie. She is ours. How can you be sure she isn't one of your superficial crushes? Just another girl?"
Neal jumped to his feet. "How can you say that? Cleon, you know exactly why I like her."
"You just said 'like,' " his friend pointed out.
"You know what I meant."
"I do not." Kennen cradled a dried rosebud in his large hand, gently touching the crisp petals. "I swear, Neal."
"Cleon, I love her. Whenever I'm with Kel, I have this strange feeling of being mixed up, and that only she can put me back together."
The redhead glared. "Neal, you have had so many moments of mixed feelings in the past. The only girl- woman- who I will ever love is Kel. Do you understand that?" Cleon exclaimed, frustrated. "She is everything to me. She always has been. While you were dreaming of your Court beauties, my heart was already given to the page girl!"
He ran out of the room, escaping to his quarters before Neal could even answer.
~~~~~~~~~~`
Inness knocked on his Squire's door. "Cleon- you all right?"
A muffled blur answered him.
The knight sighed and banged his shoulder against the wood. The door opened with a crash and Cleon stood up. "What was that, Inness?"
The man crossed his arms. "And what is that?" His eyes washed over the thrown clothes, the pillow across the room, and lastly the single streak of tears down one cheek. "Cleon," he said gently, sitting in a chair. "What's wrong?"
"My best friend double-crossed me. And she doesn't love me, so my life is over." Cleon rolled over and lay face down over his bed.
"A girl?"
"Unfortunately," the fourth-year Squire groaned. "I don't know what to do!"
"How old is she?"
"Sixteen."
Nothing unusual. Most court ladies came to Corus at that age. "Who is she?"
The boy's wild eyes landed on Inness' face. "Uh...I don't know?"
"Cleon, don't give me that kind of horse dung."
"You would kill me."
"I might do that anyway."
Cleon banged his head into the mattress repeatedly. "Great Gods...It's your sister."
Inness stood up suddenly. "Kel?!" His squire nodded, cringing. "Cleon, stop it. I'm not going to hit you."
"Inness, what am I going to do?"
His knight master sighed. "How long?"
"Since we went traveling the first time, to Mindelan." Cleon moaned. "Years ago! She was yet a Page..."
"That long?! Gods, Cleon."
"So long already. Inness, I don't think she likes me. She likes Neal, I just know it. Gods, what am I going to do?"
"Hey, hey, hey. How do you know she likes Queenscove?"
"I can just tell."
"Cleo, my boy, sometimes you have a messed up sense of people. How can you be sure?"
"Because I was talking to her, and hugged her, and then she didn't say anything, then I started babbling about Neal, and-"
"Wait a moment! You touched to my sister?!"
"Stop it, Inness!" Cleon yelled. "And you have to admit, she's beautiful...even if it's not in the way that vicious Oranie is, or any court genteel..."
"Hey," the knight said seriously. "Don't speak about Orie that way. She's not the same as she was before...You know her fiancee died." The squire nodded, shamefaced.
"Sorry."
"Thats okay."
"But Kel..."
Inness thought. "I suppose so...Kel isn't willowy, or slender, but she's... something... well, her big brother says so anyway."
"She's like an archer goddess, or something, tall, strong," Cleon replied dreamily. "I can practically see her, not in a gown or anything, just regular clothes. And she looks so happy, hair loose, smiling freely. Her face is beautiful, but in a strong way. And her eyes...nose, ears, mouth-"
"Watch it," Inness warned. Cleon gave him a sharp glare, and the elder sighed. "Oh, never mind, she's old enough for big brother to back off."
"Don't take what I say that way. I love her entirely. Not just her looks, or appearance...I love her spirt, how she never gives up, manages to stay calm even when I tease her...I don't want to change her, Inness. I love her the way she is."
He clapped Cleon on the shoulder. "Well, okay. Don't mess with her mind, or I'll beat you up. But if you make her happy, I'll be fine with it. No pressure or anything," he added as his squire made a face.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Kel stood in front of the mirror. With a slow hand, she let down her hair, untangling and stretching the slightly wavy locks. "Too short," she murmured. "Shouldn't ever have cut it."
Grabbing her favorite dress, though it was not very comfortable, she slipped it on. Cursing as she tried to lace the back, she stumbled around for a minute. "Not slender enough," she added to herself. "Too tall." The second year squire stood up straight, examining herself in the blue-grey gown. "I suppose I have to accept myself...but why could'nt i have been born a 'fair lady' instead of me?" she wailed.
"Oh, Gods. Why am I even trying?" she asked, tears pooling in her eyes. "He ran from me today." Hands shaking, she combed the wavy brown hair until it shone before sitting down hard on her bed.
"And why am I still here talking to myself?" she told herself, storming over to her door and opening it with a flourish.
"Ah!" Cleon cried.
"What are you doing?" she gasped. "Outside my door-" she stopped speaking. In his hand, he held a single red rose.
Cleon tried to smile, but sadly failed. "Kel, my dove," he said shakily, "Will you be mine?" The petals shook slightly in his hand, but the velvety flower made no sound.
"Are you joking again," she asked, biting her lip, "or is this real?"
This time he did smile. "This is real," he told her. "For once, I'm not joking around." Holding out the flower, the redhead grinned. "Can I come in?"
"Sure." Holding open the door, she turned in a swish of blue skirts.
He carefully propped open the door with a chair and sat in another. "You haven't answered my question."
"Which one?" she asked, blushing.
"Will you be my lady, Kel?" Cleon held out one hand to her, eyes pleading. "Please?"
She put hers inside his open palm, squeezing it gently. His eyes flew up, focusing first on her hand, twined in his, to her face. "I will be yours, Cleon," she replied firmly.
"Oh, Kel!" he said happily. "Kel!" Grabbing her around the waist, he twirled her around in a circle before lowering his face the few inches between their height to kiss her.
He tilted her chin up for a brief second before their lips met, and she nearly collapsed in his arms with the intensity of his gaze. But then the soft sweetness of his kiss overwhelmed her senses, his hands on her waist and hers wrapped tightly around his neck.
"Wow," she whispered. Giving the chair a sharp kick, the heavy door swung shut with a small click.
"Can you do that?" Cleon asked her. "The closed door thing."
"Who cares?"
"Lord Wyldon," he said, breath warm on her cheek.
"And is he here?" she said passionately. "With you?" Her fingers curled in his red hair, making him shiver.
Cleon chuckled. "Personally, I like you better."
"I'm glad," she replied. "But, Cleon?"
"What, sweet pea?"
"Well, you know..." Blushing, she gestured towards the bed. "I don't think that would be a good idea. You know. I have the charm, but..."
"No matter," Cleon said expressively, like a stage actor. "If the maiden is willing, I may hold her in my arms- innocently- through the night, knowing that my love is safe within the circle of my heart."
"How sweet," she said, poking him in the ribs before his arms tightened around her and she was lifted up into his arms, and dumped teasingly into the pile of huge Yamani pillows by the window.
"Night, Kel," he added before rolling her over and administering a thorough kiss before curling up with her wrapped tightly to his chest.
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