heys...sorry its been so long...yikes. but teh story's ending is going to be messed up.

by the way, are you guys able to upload new stories? because the site won't let me, only chapters in already existing stories.

~~~~~~~~

Kel shrieked, "Neal, hurry!"

"I am," he growled. "Its hard, don't you know?" Kel, squinting, could see the cut begin to slowly shrink. "It's working, isn't it?"

"Orie!" Ilane cried out. "Can you hear me?" The girl's eyes fluttered open, but glazed over slightly in pain.

"Mother? Ma?" she whispered.

"She's speaking!" her father shouted. "Oranie, are you all right?"

Kel sighed. "Is she going to be okay, Neal?" He nodded, sweating a bit around the temples. Turning to her sister, now comfortably settled on the couch, she asked gently, "Orie, are you all right?"

The girl nodded, face slightly pale. "I can't believe I did that."

Cleon looked at Neal and nudged him. "Queenscove, recite your textbooks."

He sighed, green eyes tired, as he morphed into his philosopher mode. "Well, during conditions of duress or depression, completely rational people are known to act under impulse. For example, Jamri of Meadowgreen-" Kel made a sound, and he stopped. He had just begun to speak of the Noble who had lost his mind after a hurrok attack and murdered his family. "Okay, bad example, but it's perfectly common," he said waspishly, like his natural self.

But it did its job, Kel reflected, because Orie actually smiled. "I'm glad to know that," she said quietly, before bursting into tears. By then, the cuts were almost healed over, and Neal stood up and stretched as the Mindelan parents comforted their daughter.

However, all three squires stood apart, and the Ilane exchanged a glance with her husband. Were they absolutely sure? They shouldn't have acted so compulsively...but the lad's parents had been right there...

~~~~~~~~

Outside, out of view of her parents, Kel broke down a bit on Cleon's arm. The squire comforted her the best he could, but she stopped crying almost instantly. "Just a bit of stress," she mumbled, wiping her eyes. With her hankerchief, she dabbed the smears of blood off her hands and stuffed it in her pocket. "We can keep this quieter, can we not?" she said quietly.

"Yeah," Cleon said, hugging her around the shoulders. "Neal?" He didn't answer, and the two turned to him.

He was staring into the doorway, hand over his heart. Neal turned when they spoke his name, and smiled. "I think I'll kill you anymore, Cleon. But I also think Mindelan is still for me. She's only a year older, isn't she?" he asked, dreamily. Kel giggled.

~~~~~~~~~~

sorry short chapter...there will be one more, i think. the aftermath.