A/N: okay, sorry, I didn't add more soon.. my mistake… I was in Australia when I started this fic and then I came home… ^_^ ;;; once I got back I got lazy again, however thanks to an email begging me to continue I, uh, did….

Back! Back! Demon they call Love!

Neal was sitting on an upturned bucket in the stable facing Peachblossom. He was careful to stay out of reach. The big gelding chewed his hay while watching Neal with suspicious eyes.

"Don't look at me like that." He said to the horse with a sign. Peachblossom snorted and stamped his hoof.

"Why does Kel like Cleon anyway?" he asked then laughed harshly, "I'm so stupid, why do I even bother. Cleon and Kel are both my friends and I know they love each other…" he stood up and walked over to lean on Peachblossom's stall. The big horse bared his teeth and laid his ears back.

"Go ahead, bite me. You don't like me… Do you like Cleon, huh?" Peachblossom looked at him like he had gone crazy and turned to face the other end of the stall. Neal sighed.

"Um, excuse me sir." A little boy was standing a in the stable doorway. He must have only been about five or six. He had the same mousy brown hair that Kel did and it fell just past his shoulders in wavy locks. His eyes were a bright curious shade of blue. Neal smiled wistfully.

"Hullo, can I help you?" he had no idea who the kid was, but assumed it was one of Kel's relatives. The boy looked down and scuffed the dirt with the toe of his boot.

"Well, um sir you are a knight aren't you?" He was a very polite little boy Neal noted.

"Yes I am, sir Nealan of Queenscove, but you must call me Neal. Who are you if I might ask?" he smiled and bent down to be more the same height.

"I am Louis, Lady Keladry is my aunt." He said more sure of himself. "Sir Neal would you help me with my pony?" his blue eyes were so wide and innocent. Neal could have sooner shot himself than refused that look.

"Sure Louis, what exactly do you need help with? Riding?" He glanced around the stable looking for a pony that might belong to the little lad.

"Oh no, I'm very good at riding, at least my aunt thinks so, I mean Keladry. But father got me a pony for my seventh birthday and he's a mountain one. I'm going to tame him and ride him." Neal's eye brows shot up.

"Well, all right… but I'm not the best with horses you should know." He said with a smile. Louis's eyes widened.

"But you were talking to the mean horse! And he didn't even try to bite you!"

"Uh, well…" Neal kicked himself mentally. "I might have been talking but he wasn't listening…"

"Well you can still help hold the reins if you want." He said hopefully. Neal grinned outright.

"I think I can manage that."

Kel and Cleon greeted everyone and Kel explained to her parents about Neal. The dinner and lodging was extended to both of them. Kel and Cleon spent most of the afternoon talking with family and entertaining the youngsters. Cleon was chin deep in children when one of Kel's more distant cousins' came forward. The tall lanky youth had light brown hair that was almost blonde and cut a little above his shoulders. He had blue eyes and a pale complexion. Kel was sure he had no trouble with the girls' back home. These relatives were from Tyra and had a very rich and strict formality about them. Kel liked them very well, she thought they reminded her of the Yamani people with their highly respectable and graceful attitudes.

"Lady Kel," He said bowing to her quickly.

"What is it Lestat?" She asked sensing that it wasn't good news.

"Mother had previously asked me to watch over my younger brother Louis and I have lost him." he said ducking his head in shame. "I – I would not like to alarm her… would you help me look for him please?" he asked her as though it was a very hard thing to do. He probably expected her to refuse or scold him. she smiled that kind smile of hers and replied,

"Of course, where have you looked?" she asked as they entered the courtyard, light was fading quickly.

"I looked all through the keep and the stables, I even checked the gardens and everywhere with in the Mindelan walls… I'm worried he left the safety of the inside." He cursed softly, nodding an apology a moment after. "I should not have gotten so distracted! It's just that courtly mannerisms here are so very different from home! And the women… so fierce…" he glanced at Kel, "Again my Apologize cousin, I should not make such remarks in from of you."

She smothered a laugh and said. "You make us look bad with your fancy talk and fancy dress. Come on lets go look outside the wall for your brother, I'm sure he's fine."

When Kel and Lestat got outside the wall they didn't have far to go because they soon saw Neal holding the lead to a small white pony and a small boy beside Neal putting the horse through his paces.

"Louis!" Lestat cried angrily. "What are you doing out here!"

"It's not my fault Le, you wanted to talk to the village girls and you left me. Besides Sir Neal has taken care of me." the little boy grinned up at Neal. Lestat and Louis began to argue in another language while Neal tied the Pony to a tree and headed over to Kel.

"They not from around here?" he asked with a grin.

"Can you tell?" she said smiling warmly.

"So was everyone glad to see Cleon?" he asked staring at the two brothers.

"Yeah, you know they'll be glad to see you too. You are staying for dinner and another night?" she asked suddenly unsure.

"I suppose, if you don't mind…"

"Mind! Neal you silly!" she wrapped and arm around his neck and ruffled his hair like he used to do when he was taller than her.

"That's not fair!" he said when he broke free of her grip and backed up.

"Come on it's dinner time soon, Keladry are you coming." Lestat asked. She smiled, she was safe from Neal's counter attack!

"Yes! Come on Queenscove."

The four of them and irritated pony headed back to the castle quietly.