Disclaimer: Whatever it is, it isn't mine, I didn't do it, and you can't
sue me for it. So there!
A/N: Sorry this is long, but I've got loads of homework, and the only reason I even updated this is because I already had it on my computer. The amount of projects I have to do is ridiculous, and then I've got regular homework and revision!!! But I'm not gonna burden you with my problems, you probably have enough of your own. I hope everyone likes this. And if you do… R/R!!!!! ~Stef
At the shout, Raoul gave the stop signal and brought his horse up abruptly. "Hold you formation!" he shouted in a loud, commanding voice, and he rode back to where the shout came from. Kel looked at Roald and Cleon. Both looked puzzled and slightly alarmed. It was five, maybe ten minutes when Raoul came back up. "Paxton! That squire of yours has broken an arm. The healer has splinted it, but we'll need to stop at the next village so she can do it properly. Do you want to go back to see him?"
Sir Paxton nodded and rode back to find Joren. Meanwhile, Kel asked, "How did Joren break his arm?"
"Something he didn't see frightened the horse, and he wasn't prepared for it. The horse reared, and Joren went flying."
"Did he get badly hurt?" Cleon asked. Kel didn't think that he did a very good job of hiding his hopefulness, and Kel saw the corners or Roald's mouth twitch.
"No, just a broken arm. We'll have to stop at the next village so it can be properly fixed in place, then we'll be on our way again. It's just an annoying delay."
"It's good that he's not hurt too badly." Roald's voice was carefully bland as he said this. Raoul smiled and then went back to see Paxton and Joren.
"Yeah," Cleon said sarcastically as soon as Raoul was out of hearing, "wouldn't it be a tragedy if Joren had to go back to the palace?"
"Point taken," Roald said, grinning. "Look out, here comes Kel's beloved knight-master." Kel stuck her tongue out at Roald. Raoul didn't see.
"Let's go," he said, with a brief smile at the three squires, and then he led the company off again.
It was four hours by the time the Own reached the next village… time for lunch. They ate while Joren's arm was being seen to, and then a dozen or so of the men decided to go swimming. Roald and Cleon wanted to go too.
"You coming, Kel?" Roald asked.
"Depends whether the men are wearing anything to swim in." Kel told him. The prince flushed slightly.
"I'll go and find out for you," Roald replied. "I'll be back in a sec."
"He seems to forget all the time!" Kel said, smiling at Cleon.
"I don't," was the reply, "I can't see how he does."
"What's that supposed to mean? You think I'm girly?" she said it with mock anger, fighting down a smile.
"No! You're just… oh, I don't know!" He flushed slightly red too, like Roald had only minutes before. Kel shook her head. Boys were strange, and she told him so.
"You can be really strange, sometimes." Kel said, allowing her amusement to seep into her voice.
"You don't know the half of it." Cleon muttered.
"Huh?" Kel said. She hadn't heard him properly.
"Never mind. Do you want to swim, if they're, ah… decent?"
"I'm not really bothered. I guess I will, if you and Roald do."
"Ok…" he said, and then added," look, Roald's coming back." Roald was approaching, and his face was still slightly pink.
"Um…" he said, "they're not really wearing much."
"Much?" Kel asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Anything." Roald told her.
"Oh, right. That's fine. You two go, I'm fine." Kel replied.
"None of you are going." The deep voice behind her made Kel jump. It was Raoul. "Joren's finished now and it's time to go. Cleon, Roald, would you please go and tell the men we're leaving?"
"Yes, sir." Cleon and Roald said it at the same time. They left.
"It's going to be full of times like this, Kel." Raoul told her gently.
"I know, sir."
"Have you resigned yourself to it by now?"
"I knew what it would be like before I came," Kel told him. "I'll cope."
"Good. If you need someone to talk to, to ask any questions, well, I'm always here. And now, let's go."
Kel sorted out what she needed and then mounted Peachblossom. They rode until sunset, but then stopped to set up tents. Kel went with Cleon, Roald with Joren. They put up their tents, ate, and then went to bed. Raoul said that they would only have about two hours of riding the next day.
"I'll wait outside while you change for bed," Kel told Cleon.
"Right. Okay." She went outside, thinking about how much trouble this was. Cleon came out a minute later. "I'm changed. I'll go to the latrines now. You can get changed; I'll give you a shout when I'm coming back in."
"Fine. See you in a minute." Kel went inside the tent and got changed. She was putting her clothes into her pack when Cleon called out. "Come in!" Kel said, not turning from her task.
"Kel, are you going to talk to these unicorns tomorrow?"
She turned to him and smiled nervously. She hadn't really let herself think about it much yet. "I'll give it a try," she said slowly. And then, with more resolution, "I'm the only chance, if we don't want to kill the unicorns. And I don't. It's just a good thing I'm still a virgin, hey!" Kel tried to make a joke of it. She smiled, thinking of how she would have to explain it to Lord Raoul if she wasn't.
"You mean… there's someone…?" Cleon was alarmed.
"No, no! Not for a long time. Maybe not ever." Although unintentional, the last part came out slightly wistfully. Being the second living lady knight would certainly have its drawbacks.
"I doubt that. Um, Kel?"
"Yes?"
"I don't want you going into a… a possible fatal battle tomorrow without knowing this. Kel, I…" he stopped talking and took a step nearer, closing the short distance between them.
"You…?" Kel asked. Her heart was thumping again.
"Sit, please," he pulled her onto her bedroll, and then continued, "I like you. A lot. Do you remember when I… I kissed you? I've been wanting to do it again for a while. Kel…?" Normally, in a situation like this, Kel would have no idea what to say. But lately, Kel's thoughts had been roaming back to Cleon a lot. She had this situation all planned out. She knew what to say.
"Yes." It was just one word, but filled with certainty and emotion. Cleon's face broke into a huge grin. He kissed her, and when they broke apart, Kel was grinning too. "Thanks." She said. She hugged Cleon, and he held her to him tightly. He let go slowly, reluctantly, and then looked into her eyes.
What he never saw in her face or through her body language was visible in her eyes. She returned Cleon's feelings. But Cleon barely gave that a thought. Kel was scared for tomorrow.
"Kel, you'll be fine. I'll be thinking of you the whole time. You'll do well."
"But what if I fail?" she whispered, "What if they kill me and go on a rampage?"
"You'll be fine," Cleon said in what he hoped was a reassuring voice. "Take your glaive and have courage. Believe in yourself. You can do it. You can do everything. Remember, you conquered your fear of heights. You can do this. Besides, if you fail, that'll make Joren happy. We can't let that happen!" the last was said in an attempt to cheer her up. It did work, sort of.
"No. We can't." Kel smiled, and was to all appearances back to her old self. "Let's sleep." She kissed him with feeling, and then got into her bedroll. "'Night, Cleon."
"Goodnight, Queen of squires. You'll do it, tomorrow. You'll do it."
"Thanks."
They slept.
A/N: Sorry this is long, but I've got loads of homework, and the only reason I even updated this is because I already had it on my computer. The amount of projects I have to do is ridiculous, and then I've got regular homework and revision!!! But I'm not gonna burden you with my problems, you probably have enough of your own. I hope everyone likes this. And if you do… R/R!!!!! ~Stef
At the shout, Raoul gave the stop signal and brought his horse up abruptly. "Hold you formation!" he shouted in a loud, commanding voice, and he rode back to where the shout came from. Kel looked at Roald and Cleon. Both looked puzzled and slightly alarmed. It was five, maybe ten minutes when Raoul came back up. "Paxton! That squire of yours has broken an arm. The healer has splinted it, but we'll need to stop at the next village so she can do it properly. Do you want to go back to see him?"
Sir Paxton nodded and rode back to find Joren. Meanwhile, Kel asked, "How did Joren break his arm?"
"Something he didn't see frightened the horse, and he wasn't prepared for it. The horse reared, and Joren went flying."
"Did he get badly hurt?" Cleon asked. Kel didn't think that he did a very good job of hiding his hopefulness, and Kel saw the corners or Roald's mouth twitch.
"No, just a broken arm. We'll have to stop at the next village so it can be properly fixed in place, then we'll be on our way again. It's just an annoying delay."
"It's good that he's not hurt too badly." Roald's voice was carefully bland as he said this. Raoul smiled and then went back to see Paxton and Joren.
"Yeah," Cleon said sarcastically as soon as Raoul was out of hearing, "wouldn't it be a tragedy if Joren had to go back to the palace?"
"Point taken," Roald said, grinning. "Look out, here comes Kel's beloved knight-master." Kel stuck her tongue out at Roald. Raoul didn't see.
"Let's go," he said, with a brief smile at the three squires, and then he led the company off again.
It was four hours by the time the Own reached the next village… time for lunch. They ate while Joren's arm was being seen to, and then a dozen or so of the men decided to go swimming. Roald and Cleon wanted to go too.
"You coming, Kel?" Roald asked.
"Depends whether the men are wearing anything to swim in." Kel told him. The prince flushed slightly.
"I'll go and find out for you," Roald replied. "I'll be back in a sec."
"He seems to forget all the time!" Kel said, smiling at Cleon.
"I don't," was the reply, "I can't see how he does."
"What's that supposed to mean? You think I'm girly?" she said it with mock anger, fighting down a smile.
"No! You're just… oh, I don't know!" He flushed slightly red too, like Roald had only minutes before. Kel shook her head. Boys were strange, and she told him so.
"You can be really strange, sometimes." Kel said, allowing her amusement to seep into her voice.
"You don't know the half of it." Cleon muttered.
"Huh?" Kel said. She hadn't heard him properly.
"Never mind. Do you want to swim, if they're, ah… decent?"
"I'm not really bothered. I guess I will, if you and Roald do."
"Ok…" he said, and then added," look, Roald's coming back." Roald was approaching, and his face was still slightly pink.
"Um…" he said, "they're not really wearing much."
"Much?" Kel asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Anything." Roald told her.
"Oh, right. That's fine. You two go, I'm fine." Kel replied.
"None of you are going." The deep voice behind her made Kel jump. It was Raoul. "Joren's finished now and it's time to go. Cleon, Roald, would you please go and tell the men we're leaving?"
"Yes, sir." Cleon and Roald said it at the same time. They left.
"It's going to be full of times like this, Kel." Raoul told her gently.
"I know, sir."
"Have you resigned yourself to it by now?"
"I knew what it would be like before I came," Kel told him. "I'll cope."
"Good. If you need someone to talk to, to ask any questions, well, I'm always here. And now, let's go."
Kel sorted out what she needed and then mounted Peachblossom. They rode until sunset, but then stopped to set up tents. Kel went with Cleon, Roald with Joren. They put up their tents, ate, and then went to bed. Raoul said that they would only have about two hours of riding the next day.
"I'll wait outside while you change for bed," Kel told Cleon.
"Right. Okay." She went outside, thinking about how much trouble this was. Cleon came out a minute later. "I'm changed. I'll go to the latrines now. You can get changed; I'll give you a shout when I'm coming back in."
"Fine. See you in a minute." Kel went inside the tent and got changed. She was putting her clothes into her pack when Cleon called out. "Come in!" Kel said, not turning from her task.
"Kel, are you going to talk to these unicorns tomorrow?"
She turned to him and smiled nervously. She hadn't really let herself think about it much yet. "I'll give it a try," she said slowly. And then, with more resolution, "I'm the only chance, if we don't want to kill the unicorns. And I don't. It's just a good thing I'm still a virgin, hey!" Kel tried to make a joke of it. She smiled, thinking of how she would have to explain it to Lord Raoul if she wasn't.
"You mean… there's someone…?" Cleon was alarmed.
"No, no! Not for a long time. Maybe not ever." Although unintentional, the last part came out slightly wistfully. Being the second living lady knight would certainly have its drawbacks.
"I doubt that. Um, Kel?"
"Yes?"
"I don't want you going into a… a possible fatal battle tomorrow without knowing this. Kel, I…" he stopped talking and took a step nearer, closing the short distance between them.
"You…?" Kel asked. Her heart was thumping again.
"Sit, please," he pulled her onto her bedroll, and then continued, "I like you. A lot. Do you remember when I… I kissed you? I've been wanting to do it again for a while. Kel…?" Normally, in a situation like this, Kel would have no idea what to say. But lately, Kel's thoughts had been roaming back to Cleon a lot. She had this situation all planned out. She knew what to say.
"Yes." It was just one word, but filled with certainty and emotion. Cleon's face broke into a huge grin. He kissed her, and when they broke apart, Kel was grinning too. "Thanks." She said. She hugged Cleon, and he held her to him tightly. He let go slowly, reluctantly, and then looked into her eyes.
What he never saw in her face or through her body language was visible in her eyes. She returned Cleon's feelings. But Cleon barely gave that a thought. Kel was scared for tomorrow.
"Kel, you'll be fine. I'll be thinking of you the whole time. You'll do well."
"But what if I fail?" she whispered, "What if they kill me and go on a rampage?"
"You'll be fine," Cleon said in what he hoped was a reassuring voice. "Take your glaive and have courage. Believe in yourself. You can do it. You can do everything. Remember, you conquered your fear of heights. You can do this. Besides, if you fail, that'll make Joren happy. We can't let that happen!" the last was said in an attempt to cheer her up. It did work, sort of.
"No. We can't." Kel smiled, and was to all appearances back to her old self. "Let's sleep." She kissed him with feeling, and then got into her bedroll. "'Night, Cleon."
"Goodnight, Queen of squires. You'll do it, tomorrow. You'll do it."
"Thanks."
They slept.
