I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed my first chapter, and always to Tamora Pierce for her wonderful characters. Please review this I need to know what you
think, even if the review is bad.
Chapter 2
"Kel!?!" Neal yelled when they pulled apart. He looked at her for a moment confused. She couldn't look at him she knew at once that she had done the wrong thing
she staggered upright and ran from the courtyard.
She ran all the way through the city despite the summer heat, and she didn't stop running until she reached her parent's house. She ran upstairs and threw herself on to
her bed and cried. She cried away her passions, she cried away her seemingly wasted emotions, she cried until she could cry no more.
Kel woke a lot later. She must have cried herself to sleep. She was still lying on her bed, fully clothed. Why was she there? Then she remembered, Neal, "I hate him"
she cried, "I hate him, I hate him, I hate him."
"Kel?" whispered her mother, from the doorway.
Kel turned around to look at her mother then she ran, again. She ran out of the house and down in to a courtyard at the back of the house. She sat on a stone wall
and cried again.
"Kel? What's wrong," Kel didn't answer, she was ashamed to be found crying by anyone but her mother, "Kel?"
"Go away," Kel sniffed, "I'm fine."
"Keladry!!!" Came the strangled cry. Kel stiffened she knew that voice, she knew it well. "Keladry of Mindelan, you are the worst liar I know."
"L..Lalasa?" asked Keladry.
"That would certainly be my name," replied the maid dryly. "Now then Kel why don't you tell me all about it?"
"Oh, Lalasa," sobbed Kel, "It's Neal, he..." Kel waved her arms about expressively, "and he" she waved her arms again, "and I," Kel kissed the air.
"Woo, calm down Kel, come back to my shop and tell me what happened slowly." Kel let her former maid guide her to the shop, Lalasa took her in to the kitchen
and gave her some calming tea. With much coaxing, and kindness Lalasa finally got the whole story out of Kel.
Afterwards Kel felt terrible, she seamed to have lost all of her Yamani training. She was very upset and very ashamed. Lalasa sighed, "honestly Kel,"
"What?"
"Well, you were very upset when you started having things most girls long for."
"Yes," replied Kel wondering where this was going.
"Now you've kissed a lad, and he did not kiss you back."
"So."
"But you don't get at all upset from getting black eyes, and getting hurt, you are one of the most backwards girls I've ever met."
"I'm not sure that's a compliment, Lalasa."
"Neither am I," commented Lalasa smiling. "Now what have you got to do tomorrow?"
"I've got to talk to my mother, explain EVERYTHING, although knowing my mother she will probably know anyway, and I've...got to talk to...Neal"
"That's right. So come on lets get you to bed."
The next day when she woke up she got dressed and began the hateful process of saying sorry and giving explanations. First she told her mother, who was very
sympathetic. So they talked and Kel felt a lot better, her mother even told Kel of some of her own experiences with boys, which had gone wrong. Kel was very
interested, she could never imagine her mother chasing boys.
Then of course she had to find Neal, oh it was so unfair. He had been very edgy, so what did he want to tell her? It wasn't like Neal to be really edgy, and if he didn't
like her then what was he going to say?
She hoped they could put that behind them, and still be friends. But what if Neal didn't want to be friends anymore. What if he never wanted to see her again, it
would break her heart, what should she do?
She looked for Neal that day. In the courtyard, near their rooms, on the practise fields, at the stables, everywhere that she could think of in the palace.
In the end worried and upset she went to find Neal's father, Duke Baird. She didn't know quite what to ask this man, as she had only talked to him once before, and
that was when she got in her first big fight with Joren and his gang.
"D...D...Duke Baird?" she asked timidly.
"Yes, erm, Keladry isn't it?"
"Yes sir, well um..."
"I'm sorry Keladry, but I am very busy. Could you just spit it out?"
"Well, I, erm, wondered if you, erm, if you knew where Neal was."
"Sorry Keladry, he was acting very strangely when he came back yesterday, and I haven't seen him at all today. I believe he wanted the next ship out of Port Caynn,
may I ask why."
"I erm did, no erm told him erm well something happened that should not have, I have to put it right. Its very important to tell Neal before the end of the summer."
"Well then quickly, take a horse and ride for Port Caynn immediately. If it is important. I'll tell your mother and father where you are."
"Thank you, sir," Kel shouted as she ran from the room.
She raced back to the palace and had a quick word with Stephan. He told her that she could be there in a day, and where were the best places to change her mount
where to rest. Although she did not intend to rest, but she would not even tell Stephan that. Stephan also insisted that she took someone with her.
When she explained her need for speed she had hoped he would relent, but he did not give up that easily.
"Don't worry, I'll find ye a good rider." Within only one or two minuets he arrived back at the stables. "Kel this is one of the best of the "royal ladies" I got her
specially for the job."
"Kel?"
"Uline?" They stared at each other for a moment then Kel came to her senses, "Look we had better go, we can talk on the way."
The two women borrowed the fastest of all the spare mounts and rode as quickly as possible to Port Caynn. There was an inn a couple of hour's ride from Corus,
where they swapped their tired horses for fresh ones. As they rode Kel told Uline about her "problem" with Neal.
Uline was very sympathetic, but when she asked which page Neal was, and if she knew him Kel squirmed with embarrassment. How could she tell Uline that the
"handsome young man, the one with green eyes," was the her best friend and the one she had just kissed.
"Well um... Neal was my best friend and he was um..."
"Oh no! You kissed your best friend?"
"Yer, and," it was very hard to say, but Kel forced the words out, "he was the one with, with green eyes, the one you said looked to old to be a page."
"Oh god, Kel I'm so sorry I didn't realise you liked him, like that."
"It's alright."
They rode on for a while in silence, Kel did not, could not know that at that time Uline was wishing that she was anywhere but with Kel. She felt so bad that she had
tried to flirt, and asked Kel who he was because she fancied him.
The two women were riding as hard as possible, for Port Caynn, but even Kel had to admit that they had to stop and sleep, but they did not stop until after midnight.
Kel told Uline that she was very sorry but that they would still have to get up at sunrise.
Just half an hour after sunrise found Uline and Kel riding hard for Port Caynn once more. Neither spoke, neither it seemed were good in the morning and a late night
combined with an early start left them both grumpy and tired.
When they reached the harbour at Port Caynn Kel left Uline with their horses and went to find the harbour master.
"I am Squire Keladry of the Royal Palace and I wish to know when the next boat leaves for Queenscove."
"The next boat, love?" The harbour master was a rough, no nonsense commoner.
"Yes, when does it leave, please."
"Why the next boat doesn't leave till," the harbour master checked a book, "tomorrow."
"Oh thank you, thank you."
"Yer, I'm afraid your to late to catch today's, come here," Kel walked over to him, "She that boat there, just pullin' out well tha's heading for your Queenscove."
"No!" Screamed Kel running outside but the boat was to late to catch.
So what do you think? Please all reviews are very welcome.
think, even if the review is bad.
Chapter 2
"Kel!?!" Neal yelled when they pulled apart. He looked at her for a moment confused. She couldn't look at him she knew at once that she had done the wrong thing
she staggered upright and ran from the courtyard.
She ran all the way through the city despite the summer heat, and she didn't stop running until she reached her parent's house. She ran upstairs and threw herself on to
her bed and cried. She cried away her passions, she cried away her seemingly wasted emotions, she cried until she could cry no more.
Kel woke a lot later. She must have cried herself to sleep. She was still lying on her bed, fully clothed. Why was she there? Then she remembered, Neal, "I hate him"
she cried, "I hate him, I hate him, I hate him."
"Kel?" whispered her mother, from the doorway.
Kel turned around to look at her mother then she ran, again. She ran out of the house and down in to a courtyard at the back of the house. She sat on a stone wall
and cried again.
"Kel? What's wrong," Kel didn't answer, she was ashamed to be found crying by anyone but her mother, "Kel?"
"Go away," Kel sniffed, "I'm fine."
"Keladry!!!" Came the strangled cry. Kel stiffened she knew that voice, she knew it well. "Keladry of Mindelan, you are the worst liar I know."
"L..Lalasa?" asked Keladry.
"That would certainly be my name," replied the maid dryly. "Now then Kel why don't you tell me all about it?"
"Oh, Lalasa," sobbed Kel, "It's Neal, he..." Kel waved her arms about expressively, "and he" she waved her arms again, "and I," Kel kissed the air.
"Woo, calm down Kel, come back to my shop and tell me what happened slowly." Kel let her former maid guide her to the shop, Lalasa took her in to the kitchen
and gave her some calming tea. With much coaxing, and kindness Lalasa finally got the whole story out of Kel.
Afterwards Kel felt terrible, she seamed to have lost all of her Yamani training. She was very upset and very ashamed. Lalasa sighed, "honestly Kel,"
"What?"
"Well, you were very upset when you started having things most girls long for."
"Yes," replied Kel wondering where this was going.
"Now you've kissed a lad, and he did not kiss you back."
"So."
"But you don't get at all upset from getting black eyes, and getting hurt, you are one of the most backwards girls I've ever met."
"I'm not sure that's a compliment, Lalasa."
"Neither am I," commented Lalasa smiling. "Now what have you got to do tomorrow?"
"I've got to talk to my mother, explain EVERYTHING, although knowing my mother she will probably know anyway, and I've...got to talk to...Neal"
"That's right. So come on lets get you to bed."
The next day when she woke up she got dressed and began the hateful process of saying sorry and giving explanations. First she told her mother, who was very
sympathetic. So they talked and Kel felt a lot better, her mother even told Kel of some of her own experiences with boys, which had gone wrong. Kel was very
interested, she could never imagine her mother chasing boys.
Then of course she had to find Neal, oh it was so unfair. He had been very edgy, so what did he want to tell her? It wasn't like Neal to be really edgy, and if he didn't
like her then what was he going to say?
She hoped they could put that behind them, and still be friends. But what if Neal didn't want to be friends anymore. What if he never wanted to see her again, it
would break her heart, what should she do?
She looked for Neal that day. In the courtyard, near their rooms, on the practise fields, at the stables, everywhere that she could think of in the palace.
In the end worried and upset she went to find Neal's father, Duke Baird. She didn't know quite what to ask this man, as she had only talked to him once before, and
that was when she got in her first big fight with Joren and his gang.
"D...D...Duke Baird?" she asked timidly.
"Yes, erm, Keladry isn't it?"
"Yes sir, well um..."
"I'm sorry Keladry, but I am very busy. Could you just spit it out?"
"Well, I, erm, wondered if you, erm, if you knew where Neal was."
"Sorry Keladry, he was acting very strangely when he came back yesterday, and I haven't seen him at all today. I believe he wanted the next ship out of Port Caynn,
may I ask why."
"I erm did, no erm told him erm well something happened that should not have, I have to put it right. Its very important to tell Neal before the end of the summer."
"Well then quickly, take a horse and ride for Port Caynn immediately. If it is important. I'll tell your mother and father where you are."
"Thank you, sir," Kel shouted as she ran from the room.
She raced back to the palace and had a quick word with Stephan. He told her that she could be there in a day, and where were the best places to change her mount
where to rest. Although she did not intend to rest, but she would not even tell Stephan that. Stephan also insisted that she took someone with her.
When she explained her need for speed she had hoped he would relent, but he did not give up that easily.
"Don't worry, I'll find ye a good rider." Within only one or two minuets he arrived back at the stables. "Kel this is one of the best of the "royal ladies" I got her
specially for the job."
"Kel?"
"Uline?" They stared at each other for a moment then Kel came to her senses, "Look we had better go, we can talk on the way."
The two women borrowed the fastest of all the spare mounts and rode as quickly as possible to Port Caynn. There was an inn a couple of hour's ride from Corus,
where they swapped their tired horses for fresh ones. As they rode Kel told Uline about her "problem" with Neal.
Uline was very sympathetic, but when she asked which page Neal was, and if she knew him Kel squirmed with embarrassment. How could she tell Uline that the
"handsome young man, the one with green eyes," was the her best friend and the one she had just kissed.
"Well um... Neal was my best friend and he was um..."
"Oh no! You kissed your best friend?"
"Yer, and," it was very hard to say, but Kel forced the words out, "he was the one with, with green eyes, the one you said looked to old to be a page."
"Oh god, Kel I'm so sorry I didn't realise you liked him, like that."
"It's alright."
They rode on for a while in silence, Kel did not, could not know that at that time Uline was wishing that she was anywhere but with Kel. She felt so bad that she had
tried to flirt, and asked Kel who he was because she fancied him.
The two women were riding as hard as possible, for Port Caynn, but even Kel had to admit that they had to stop and sleep, but they did not stop until after midnight.
Kel told Uline that she was very sorry but that they would still have to get up at sunrise.
Just half an hour after sunrise found Uline and Kel riding hard for Port Caynn once more. Neither spoke, neither it seemed were good in the morning and a late night
combined with an early start left them both grumpy and tired.
When they reached the harbour at Port Caynn Kel left Uline with their horses and went to find the harbour master.
"I am Squire Keladry of the Royal Palace and I wish to know when the next boat leaves for Queenscove."
"The next boat, love?" The harbour master was a rough, no nonsense commoner.
"Yes, when does it leave, please."
"Why the next boat doesn't leave till," the harbour master checked a book, "tomorrow."
"Oh thank you, thank you."
"Yer, I'm afraid your to late to catch today's, come here," Kel walked over to him, "She that boat there, just pullin' out well tha's heading for your Queenscove."
"No!" Screamed Kel running outside but the boat was to late to catch.
So what do you think? Please all reviews are very welcome.