Warrior Princess
Chapter 6, The Test
Author's Note: Ok, this chapter should be better than the last one- far less sappy. Much more plot, this one actually has a point (gasp!). Some of it will be sappy, but it's going to have action to. Alright, high fives, I know ;)
Cat woke the next morning feelings strange. So strange, in fact, that she felt nothing. It was as if overnight she had fallen into a deep, heavy, thick fog and couldn't get out. Somewhere beyond the fog she could feel a remote sense of fear, anxiety, and excitement, but it was barely there and hard to recognize. Her body felt fine, her mind sharp but emotionless. She got out of bed, quickly got dressed and tied her hair in the tightest way she possibly could. She made sure her sword, dagger, and bow were in the best condition she could, and then tied Harlem to the leg of the bed with a sturdy rope. "Sorry, Boy," she apologized quickly, patting his head. "I can't have you attacking my test-givers." He whined but shut up when Cat dropped a large, meaty bone in front of him. He licked her hand gratefully before attacking his bone. Cat grinned and began to pick Dimitri up. It was hard, but she had him in her arms without waking him in under a minute. She grabbed her weapons with her other hand and as soon as she was out of her room, a slave took Dimitri (also without waking him). "Thank you," she said gratefully to the slave, who stared at the ground. Cat remembered to pull up her mask (to hide her face from the men chosen to give her the test) and re-checked her weapons. She set her war- face (as Alanna had taught her so well, a needed component in combat) and headed off to the duel courtyard. Before she walked in, Kaddar grabbed her arm and threw her in a side room. "Are you ready for this?" he asked anxiously. Cat nodded. "As ready as I'll ever be." She shrugged, and Kaddar stood up impatiently. "You're not nervous enough! These men- the ones giving you your test- are tough. I mean it, Cat; this isn't just going to be a walk through the park. Two-thirds of the men we test fail. You have to anticipate this, get excited, get nervous, whatever. You need the adrenaline rush. Without it, you have no chance." He finished, still looking worried. Cat felt a little bit of the fog fade away as Kaddar looked at her and she remembered the last night's kiss. After a minute of thinking, Kaddar continued. "I mean, Cat, you need to do well. Get angry. Remember, you can avenge your family by doing well in this." Kaddar had her hands now, and he could see the anger and emotion flare up in her eyes as he spoke of her family. He continued, hoping to strike up more nerves. "Princess Kathryn of Parija, daughter of King Elijah and Queen Faith, this is the only way to take back what's yours. Remember back to when you first discovered what the Graspir had done. Remember seeing your entire family dead. Remember your sister's last wishes, and what your father would want you to do." Kaddar finished because now he could see how angry and anxious she was to fight. And it scared him a little bit, watching the gentle-looking Parijian with every muscle in her body tensed, fists clenched, breathing heavily. "Cat," he said, pulling her out of her complete madness for a second. "Be angry. Fight for your family. But remember you can't fight with pure emotion. Control it. Structure it." After a minute, Kaddar realized the look in her eyes. She was angry, oh yes, but she would conserve it. She was ready. Kaddar sighed and flopped down on the chair as Cat began to stretch herself out and triple-check her weapons. She finished quickly and looked up at him. "Thank you, Kaddar, I think you just saved my kingdom," she said briskly before pecking him on the cheek and heading for the court. As she and her first opponent got ready (the first test was hand-to-hand combat with no weapons. Cat excelled in this, because Alanna had taught her rarely known Shang moves.) men brought them their thin padding. Her opponent was large and muscular, and obviously full of himself. He strutted around, pointing at Cat and laughing with her other opponents. She would be fighting the best in every field. He was huge, and Cat was guessing that if there were any bets going on, they were on him. But she had a few tricks up her sleeve. "Fighters ready?" Kaddar called from above. Cat and her opponent turned and bowed to him. "First rule: if the horn is blown, cease all fighting. Second: if the opponent is down, cease fighting. Third: avoid using and/or hitting the mouth and eyes. Ready. begin!" with that, Cat's opponent's large fist slammed right into where her head had been, but she had ducked. Low to the ground, she spun and kicked him hard in the back of the shins, making him lose his balance. He stumbled a bit, enough to give her time to center her thoughts. Before she knew what was happening, he was holding her arm in a bone-cracking grip. Immediately she turned, grabbed his arm, twisted it behind his back, and kicked it hard. They heard a sick crunching noise. The large man cried out in pain and anger as the crowd cheered. He held his injured arm behind him as he charged at her. Now knowing that his weakness was his temper, Cat toyed with it. She held her ground, looking frightened, until the last minute, when she jumped nimbly out of the way, and jumped behind him. This made him extremely mad. He turned, breathing like an angry bull. This time he charged, aiming for her neck. She ducked once again, grabbed his good arm, and flipped him easily (from his own momentum) over her shoulder. He landed with a loud thud and struggled to get up. Once he finally stood, he broke into a charge again. 'Does he ever learn?' Cat wondered as once again, she dived out of the way just in time. But this time, his return wasn't as predictable. Just after passing her, he spun on his heels and grabbed her roughly around the middle. In his complete rage, he grabbed her arm and bit down hard, drawing blood. By now the horn was blowing. She yelled out in pain and frustration and hit him repeatedly in the face to no avail. He would not let go of her arm, like a rabid dog. Finally, she let him have her surprise: she hit him as hard as she possibly could in the nose. Shocked, the man dropped Cat. She bounced up, bloody but ready to end it. Once more he charged at her, raving mad and ugly. Cat bent slightly on her right supporting leg, and at just the right moment sprung up and kicked him square in the forehead. The force of her kick plus his speed knocked him out. Cat had won. Kaddar rushed to her side and bowed to her (and her to him) before congratulating her. Immediately, he pulled her out of the courtyard to receive medical care for the bite on her left arm and the large bruise on her right. As soon as the slave nurse had left, Kaddar pulled her into a tight hug. "You were wonderful! I was so worried," he confided. "You'd better not get too hurt in the next match, or you'll be all red and purple by sundown." He checked the bite marks on her arm. "Barbarian," he muttered. "Even in hand-to-hand combat, who bites their opponent? Especially if they know their opponent is female." He shook his head in disgust. Cat shrugged. "Hey, it's combat, what do you expect? At least now I'm not so worried, that was going to be my worst test." She explained, suddenly tired. "How long until my next test?" she asked. "Two hours." Kaddar replied. Cat rested her head on Kaddar's chest. "See you in two hours, then." She said, closing her eyes. "I can't, I have to go," Kaddar said, but Cat just mumbled something about shutting up and letting her rest. Kaddar grinned and kissed her forehead before carrying her into a private room.
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Cat's bow and arrow test went all right; even thought she hit every single moving target bull's eye, she barely hit the targets when they were still. While Daine had taught her everything she knew, she couldn't pass on her sheer talent. Even then, Cat was pretty good. Her final test of the day was a duel with swords. Cat knew the rules and the tricks; she wasn't taught by the greatest human being to wield a sword for no reason. Her fear of being speared to death protected her. Any blow that was made at her was met and returned. Her duel test went good as well, although her opponent had her cornered at sword-point for a few seconds, which Cat knew cost her dear. But she had quickly knocked the sword out of her opponent's hand, which meant she won. She was relieved that everything was over, and it showed when she collapsed into Kaddar's arms after being told she'd passed. Slaves had rushed to take her from him, but he insisted on taking her to her room and caring for her himself. He decided inwardly that she would stay another night before heading out. Once he got to her room, he unlocked the door (with some difficulty) and called for Dimitri to be brought up. He lay Cat down on her bed after pulling off her boots (he didn't think she would like sleeping in them because they were covered with muck and grime) and waited for Dimitri to be returned. The slave quickly returned the young prince and left without a word. Kaddar closed the door behind her and locked it. At the noise, Cat woke up. "Hello," she said sleepily. Kaddar smiled down at her proudly. "Hello," he responded. "You proved everyone wrong out there, Princess. A lot of people owe money now," he teased lightly. Cat grinned. "I love making people eat their words." She told him. He laughed quietly. "You would," he grinned. "How are you doing? How do you feel?" he asked, sitting next to her on the bed. She sat up and leaned against him, her back against his chest. "I'm okay. Really sore. I wish that man hadn't bitten me now," she laughed. "At least I'll have a battle scar to show off." She joked. Saying that her body was sore was an understatement. Every time she moved, her muscles screamed. Kaddar picked up her arm and looked it over again. "Mmm," he said lightly. Cat felt drowsy and stupid as she leaned more heavily against him, relying on him to keep her upright. Being that drowsy made it easy to talk about anything. "Kaddar?" she mumbled sleepily. He made a soft noise in reply (obviously, Cat wasn't the only one tired.) "What was last night about?" she asked. At that, she felt his body stiffen and he woke up completely. "What, you mean.?" he asked, glad she was facing away from him, because he was blushing. "Yes. When you kissed me." She said matter-of-factly. Kaddar laughed nervously. "Well, I just, you know." he trailed off. Cat shook her head. "No, I don't." "I think you know I've been attracted to you since the beginning. I guess it was easier to do that now, because you're supposedly dead." He answered. He paused for a minute. "Cat. I was wondering." "If I'm attracted to you?" she asked. Kaddar nodded. Not wanting to talk anymore, Cat turned to face him and kissed him before laying her head on his shoulder and burying her face in his neck. She fell asleep right then, and Kaddar, not as surprised as he should've been, laid back and pulled the covers over her and himself. Any other time he would've been 100% awake because her lips were touching his neck, but now it was just comfortable. Minutes later he was asleep.
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The next morning, Cat and Kaddar were up early and ready to leave before the rest of the palace had even stirred. He was escorting her out again, as they had done the first time Cat left the palace. They brought Dimitri with them so Cat could say goodbye before taking back their kingdom. "Next time you see me, you'll be the main heir to the throne," she whispered to the sleeping toddler. Kaddar gave a small smile. They set off to the barge connecting Carthak to the rest of the world, including Parija. Cat's heart leapt in her chest when she thought about going home to her people who loved her so much. Kaddar and Cat talked about a number of different topics until they came to themselves. "So. is there anyone else. you know, besides me?" Kaddar asked somewhat nervously. Cat sighed. "Sort of. not really. I don't know," she replied truthfully. Kaddar nodded understandingly. "Who is he? Why are you unsure?" he asked. Cat brooded for a minute before answering. "His name is Rahj. He owns a stable in a tiny town in Tortall." At the look on Kaddar's face, she explained. "He's only a year or two older than you. His father owned the stable and died, leaving it to him. He's a wildmage, but I don't think he knows." She shrugged, trying not to talk about him like she had ever loved him. "He was fine with me until he found out who I was. Then he decided that I was too good for him and that he would be ruining my life if we stayed together." Kaddar looked slightly impressed. "That was a wise choice. I don't know if I could've done that." He said. Cat looked at him sharply. "What do you mean, 'wise choice'?" she asked. Kaddar shrugged. "Just that he's a stable boy and you're a Princess. It doesn't work that way. I'd think you'd know better." He gave her a sideways look, but she was too annoyed to care. "My mother was a washer-girl!" she retorted angrily. Kaddar looked like he had just realized something terrible. "You love him, don't you?" he asked sadly. At the tone in his voice, Cat softened. She looked at him gently. "Kaddar," she said softly. He looked away quickly. The rest of the ride was ridden in silence. Cat concentrated on keeping a half-asleep Dimitri happy, while Kaddar just stared ahead. When they arrived 10 minutes early, Cat checked her belongings, Shadowdancer, and Harlem before heading over to say goodbye to Kaddar and Dimitri. This time, saying goodbye to the little Prince wasn't as hard. She hugged him tightly. "I'm gonna go fight for us," she informed him, and then kissed him on the nose. He giggled and then she sat him on the ground so she could say goodbye to Kaddar. He stood stiffly, staring into the distance. "I'm sorry, I have no right to be angry." He said. "I don't own you; you have the right to be in love with whomever you wish." Cat hated this. "Kaddar," she pleaded. His features hardened. "Kaddar!" this time there was an almost begging tone in her voice. He looked at her. While she had her chance, she reached up and kissed him. It was a little bit of a stretch; Kaddar was tall compared to her. He soon bent slightly and kissed her back, cupping her face with his dark, warm hands. When they pulled apart, Cat threw her arms around the Emperor's neck and hugged him tightly. He hugged her back just as tight. Cat bent to pick up Dimitri again. She held him while she and Kaddar made their goodbyes. When the last whistle for the barge rang, Cat handed Dimitri to Kaddar and mounted Shadowdancer. She leaned over to kiss the Prince's curly brown hair, and then Kaddar. He didn't seem to want to stop kissing her, and she didn't either; but she had to. She had a kingdom to recover. They got on the barge and just as it began pulling away from the dock, Kaddar yelled to her. "The second you need my help, contact me. They'll be there before you know it!"
Chapter 6, The Test
Author's Note: Ok, this chapter should be better than the last one- far less sappy. Much more plot, this one actually has a point (gasp!). Some of it will be sappy, but it's going to have action to. Alright, high fives, I know ;)
Cat woke the next morning feelings strange. So strange, in fact, that she felt nothing. It was as if overnight she had fallen into a deep, heavy, thick fog and couldn't get out. Somewhere beyond the fog she could feel a remote sense of fear, anxiety, and excitement, but it was barely there and hard to recognize. Her body felt fine, her mind sharp but emotionless. She got out of bed, quickly got dressed and tied her hair in the tightest way she possibly could. She made sure her sword, dagger, and bow were in the best condition she could, and then tied Harlem to the leg of the bed with a sturdy rope. "Sorry, Boy," she apologized quickly, patting his head. "I can't have you attacking my test-givers." He whined but shut up when Cat dropped a large, meaty bone in front of him. He licked her hand gratefully before attacking his bone. Cat grinned and began to pick Dimitri up. It was hard, but she had him in her arms without waking him in under a minute. She grabbed her weapons with her other hand and as soon as she was out of her room, a slave took Dimitri (also without waking him). "Thank you," she said gratefully to the slave, who stared at the ground. Cat remembered to pull up her mask (to hide her face from the men chosen to give her the test) and re-checked her weapons. She set her war- face (as Alanna had taught her so well, a needed component in combat) and headed off to the duel courtyard. Before she walked in, Kaddar grabbed her arm and threw her in a side room. "Are you ready for this?" he asked anxiously. Cat nodded. "As ready as I'll ever be." She shrugged, and Kaddar stood up impatiently. "You're not nervous enough! These men- the ones giving you your test- are tough. I mean it, Cat; this isn't just going to be a walk through the park. Two-thirds of the men we test fail. You have to anticipate this, get excited, get nervous, whatever. You need the adrenaline rush. Without it, you have no chance." He finished, still looking worried. Cat felt a little bit of the fog fade away as Kaddar looked at her and she remembered the last night's kiss. After a minute of thinking, Kaddar continued. "I mean, Cat, you need to do well. Get angry. Remember, you can avenge your family by doing well in this." Kaddar had her hands now, and he could see the anger and emotion flare up in her eyes as he spoke of her family. He continued, hoping to strike up more nerves. "Princess Kathryn of Parija, daughter of King Elijah and Queen Faith, this is the only way to take back what's yours. Remember back to when you first discovered what the Graspir had done. Remember seeing your entire family dead. Remember your sister's last wishes, and what your father would want you to do." Kaddar finished because now he could see how angry and anxious she was to fight. And it scared him a little bit, watching the gentle-looking Parijian with every muscle in her body tensed, fists clenched, breathing heavily. "Cat," he said, pulling her out of her complete madness for a second. "Be angry. Fight for your family. But remember you can't fight with pure emotion. Control it. Structure it." After a minute, Kaddar realized the look in her eyes. She was angry, oh yes, but she would conserve it. She was ready. Kaddar sighed and flopped down on the chair as Cat began to stretch herself out and triple-check her weapons. She finished quickly and looked up at him. "Thank you, Kaddar, I think you just saved my kingdom," she said briskly before pecking him on the cheek and heading for the court. As she and her first opponent got ready (the first test was hand-to-hand combat with no weapons. Cat excelled in this, because Alanna had taught her rarely known Shang moves.) men brought them their thin padding. Her opponent was large and muscular, and obviously full of himself. He strutted around, pointing at Cat and laughing with her other opponents. She would be fighting the best in every field. He was huge, and Cat was guessing that if there were any bets going on, they were on him. But she had a few tricks up her sleeve. "Fighters ready?" Kaddar called from above. Cat and her opponent turned and bowed to him. "First rule: if the horn is blown, cease all fighting. Second: if the opponent is down, cease fighting. Third: avoid using and/or hitting the mouth and eyes. Ready. begin!" with that, Cat's opponent's large fist slammed right into where her head had been, but she had ducked. Low to the ground, she spun and kicked him hard in the back of the shins, making him lose his balance. He stumbled a bit, enough to give her time to center her thoughts. Before she knew what was happening, he was holding her arm in a bone-cracking grip. Immediately she turned, grabbed his arm, twisted it behind his back, and kicked it hard. They heard a sick crunching noise. The large man cried out in pain and anger as the crowd cheered. He held his injured arm behind him as he charged at her. Now knowing that his weakness was his temper, Cat toyed with it. She held her ground, looking frightened, until the last minute, when she jumped nimbly out of the way, and jumped behind him. This made him extremely mad. He turned, breathing like an angry bull. This time he charged, aiming for her neck. She ducked once again, grabbed his good arm, and flipped him easily (from his own momentum) over her shoulder. He landed with a loud thud and struggled to get up. Once he finally stood, he broke into a charge again. 'Does he ever learn?' Cat wondered as once again, she dived out of the way just in time. But this time, his return wasn't as predictable. Just after passing her, he spun on his heels and grabbed her roughly around the middle. In his complete rage, he grabbed her arm and bit down hard, drawing blood. By now the horn was blowing. She yelled out in pain and frustration and hit him repeatedly in the face to no avail. He would not let go of her arm, like a rabid dog. Finally, she let him have her surprise: she hit him as hard as she possibly could in the nose. Shocked, the man dropped Cat. She bounced up, bloody but ready to end it. Once more he charged at her, raving mad and ugly. Cat bent slightly on her right supporting leg, and at just the right moment sprung up and kicked him square in the forehead. The force of her kick plus his speed knocked him out. Cat had won. Kaddar rushed to her side and bowed to her (and her to him) before congratulating her. Immediately, he pulled her out of the courtyard to receive medical care for the bite on her left arm and the large bruise on her right. As soon as the slave nurse had left, Kaddar pulled her into a tight hug. "You were wonderful! I was so worried," he confided. "You'd better not get too hurt in the next match, or you'll be all red and purple by sundown." He checked the bite marks on her arm. "Barbarian," he muttered. "Even in hand-to-hand combat, who bites their opponent? Especially if they know their opponent is female." He shook his head in disgust. Cat shrugged. "Hey, it's combat, what do you expect? At least now I'm not so worried, that was going to be my worst test." She explained, suddenly tired. "How long until my next test?" she asked. "Two hours." Kaddar replied. Cat rested her head on Kaddar's chest. "See you in two hours, then." She said, closing her eyes. "I can't, I have to go," Kaddar said, but Cat just mumbled something about shutting up and letting her rest. Kaddar grinned and kissed her forehead before carrying her into a private room.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Cat's bow and arrow test went all right; even thought she hit every single moving target bull's eye, she barely hit the targets when they were still. While Daine had taught her everything she knew, she couldn't pass on her sheer talent. Even then, Cat was pretty good. Her final test of the day was a duel with swords. Cat knew the rules and the tricks; she wasn't taught by the greatest human being to wield a sword for no reason. Her fear of being speared to death protected her. Any blow that was made at her was met and returned. Her duel test went good as well, although her opponent had her cornered at sword-point for a few seconds, which Cat knew cost her dear. But she had quickly knocked the sword out of her opponent's hand, which meant she won. She was relieved that everything was over, and it showed when she collapsed into Kaddar's arms after being told she'd passed. Slaves had rushed to take her from him, but he insisted on taking her to her room and caring for her himself. He decided inwardly that she would stay another night before heading out. Once he got to her room, he unlocked the door (with some difficulty) and called for Dimitri to be brought up. He lay Cat down on her bed after pulling off her boots (he didn't think she would like sleeping in them because they were covered with muck and grime) and waited for Dimitri to be returned. The slave quickly returned the young prince and left without a word. Kaddar closed the door behind her and locked it. At the noise, Cat woke up. "Hello," she said sleepily. Kaddar smiled down at her proudly. "Hello," he responded. "You proved everyone wrong out there, Princess. A lot of people owe money now," he teased lightly. Cat grinned. "I love making people eat their words." She told him. He laughed quietly. "You would," he grinned. "How are you doing? How do you feel?" he asked, sitting next to her on the bed. She sat up and leaned against him, her back against his chest. "I'm okay. Really sore. I wish that man hadn't bitten me now," she laughed. "At least I'll have a battle scar to show off." She joked. Saying that her body was sore was an understatement. Every time she moved, her muscles screamed. Kaddar picked up her arm and looked it over again. "Mmm," he said lightly. Cat felt drowsy and stupid as she leaned more heavily against him, relying on him to keep her upright. Being that drowsy made it easy to talk about anything. "Kaddar?" she mumbled sleepily. He made a soft noise in reply (obviously, Cat wasn't the only one tired.) "What was last night about?" she asked. At that, she felt his body stiffen and he woke up completely. "What, you mean.?" he asked, glad she was facing away from him, because he was blushing. "Yes. When you kissed me." She said matter-of-factly. Kaddar laughed nervously. "Well, I just, you know." he trailed off. Cat shook her head. "No, I don't." "I think you know I've been attracted to you since the beginning. I guess it was easier to do that now, because you're supposedly dead." He answered. He paused for a minute. "Cat. I was wondering." "If I'm attracted to you?" she asked. Kaddar nodded. Not wanting to talk anymore, Cat turned to face him and kissed him before laying her head on his shoulder and burying her face in his neck. She fell asleep right then, and Kaddar, not as surprised as he should've been, laid back and pulled the covers over her and himself. Any other time he would've been 100% awake because her lips were touching his neck, but now it was just comfortable. Minutes later he was asleep.
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The next morning, Cat and Kaddar were up early and ready to leave before the rest of the palace had even stirred. He was escorting her out again, as they had done the first time Cat left the palace. They brought Dimitri with them so Cat could say goodbye before taking back their kingdom. "Next time you see me, you'll be the main heir to the throne," she whispered to the sleeping toddler. Kaddar gave a small smile. They set off to the barge connecting Carthak to the rest of the world, including Parija. Cat's heart leapt in her chest when she thought about going home to her people who loved her so much. Kaddar and Cat talked about a number of different topics until they came to themselves. "So. is there anyone else. you know, besides me?" Kaddar asked somewhat nervously. Cat sighed. "Sort of. not really. I don't know," she replied truthfully. Kaddar nodded understandingly. "Who is he? Why are you unsure?" he asked. Cat brooded for a minute before answering. "His name is Rahj. He owns a stable in a tiny town in Tortall." At the look on Kaddar's face, she explained. "He's only a year or two older than you. His father owned the stable and died, leaving it to him. He's a wildmage, but I don't think he knows." She shrugged, trying not to talk about him like she had ever loved him. "He was fine with me until he found out who I was. Then he decided that I was too good for him and that he would be ruining my life if we stayed together." Kaddar looked slightly impressed. "That was a wise choice. I don't know if I could've done that." He said. Cat looked at him sharply. "What do you mean, 'wise choice'?" she asked. Kaddar shrugged. "Just that he's a stable boy and you're a Princess. It doesn't work that way. I'd think you'd know better." He gave her a sideways look, but she was too annoyed to care. "My mother was a washer-girl!" she retorted angrily. Kaddar looked like he had just realized something terrible. "You love him, don't you?" he asked sadly. At the tone in his voice, Cat softened. She looked at him gently. "Kaddar," she said softly. He looked away quickly. The rest of the ride was ridden in silence. Cat concentrated on keeping a half-asleep Dimitri happy, while Kaddar just stared ahead. When they arrived 10 minutes early, Cat checked her belongings, Shadowdancer, and Harlem before heading over to say goodbye to Kaddar and Dimitri. This time, saying goodbye to the little Prince wasn't as hard. She hugged him tightly. "I'm gonna go fight for us," she informed him, and then kissed him on the nose. He giggled and then she sat him on the ground so she could say goodbye to Kaddar. He stood stiffly, staring into the distance. "I'm sorry, I have no right to be angry." He said. "I don't own you; you have the right to be in love with whomever you wish." Cat hated this. "Kaddar," she pleaded. His features hardened. "Kaddar!" this time there was an almost begging tone in her voice. He looked at her. While she had her chance, she reached up and kissed him. It was a little bit of a stretch; Kaddar was tall compared to her. He soon bent slightly and kissed her back, cupping her face with his dark, warm hands. When they pulled apart, Cat threw her arms around the Emperor's neck and hugged him tightly. He hugged her back just as tight. Cat bent to pick up Dimitri again. She held him while she and Kaddar made their goodbyes. When the last whistle for the barge rang, Cat handed Dimitri to Kaddar and mounted Shadowdancer. She leaned over to kiss the Prince's curly brown hair, and then Kaddar. He didn't seem to want to stop kissing her, and she didn't either; but she had to. She had a kingdom to recover. They got on the barge and just as it began pulling away from the dock, Kaddar yelled to her. "The second you need my help, contact me. They'll be there before you know it!"