Chapter 12
Special thanks to all those who reviewed:
Magelet: You have got to be my least favorite person in the world! Review other people's stories, not mine!
Keita: My wonderful reviewing friend! Thank you from the depths of my shallow heart!
Lady Kewlness of Queenscove: I'm honored. Thank you very much. I'm glad you enjoy my writing.
Lady Sandrilene: Well... okay... I don't. And on the Joren thing...whatever floats your boat...
"That was the prince?" Kel blanched. "I..."
Illane smiled at her daughter. "Well, Kel..." She began, but didn't get to finish, because Neal was back.
"Sorry I had to run out like that, Kel, but you know, desperate times call for desperate measures."
"And desperate attempts at jokes, it seems." The lioness!
Kel's head was spinning. This had never happened before. She'd never been so confused. 'Okay,' she thought 'deep breath. I just saw Roald. So what? Everyone is here incase I freak out. I won't. Everything's juuuuuuust peachy.'
"Please pardon me, but I would like to walk in the rose garden." She said simply and bowed out of the room, Yuki and Haname hurrying after her.
Once in the garden, they followed her in silence, giving her a slight distance so she wouldn't feel crowded and pressured. She sat on a bench and sighed. Her ladies sat on either side of her.
After a few moments of silence Yuki snapped open a fan. She looked at Kel in an obvious invitation to play and get her mind off any toil that might be burdening her. Kel's eyes smiled for her and the three found a small grassy patch where they could play easily.
As the fan soared higher and spin faster, the ladies became aware of eyes on them. Kel called all of the occasional commands that changed the fashion of the game each time. Eventually, Kel felt herself physically smile. It surprised her how natural it felt, even after learning to reflexively not use any facial expression. She caught the fan suddenly, ending the game.
She handed the fan back to her friend, pulling her own out and snapping it open to cover her face, thanking her friend silently. The three surveyed, discreetly, the crowd which included quite a few adults, a handful of squires and pages, and the Lioness, King, Queen, Princess Kalasin and Prince Roald.
Simultaneously, the ladies closed their fans, bowed deeply to the royal family, and righted themselves, once more covering the lower portion of their faces with their silk and steel fans.
The prince whispered something to Neal.
Alanna stepped forward with hot Neal on her heels. "What a lovely game." She said as if seeing it for the first time.
"I say, can I learn how to play? It looks like jolly god fun." A young man perhaps a year younger than Keladry spoke up. "I mean to say," He hastily corrected as a severe looking older man said quite roughly "Jesslaw!" The young man looked nervous now. "It was a wonderful, er, show you were putting on." He bowed hastily and hurried away, the man following him. Kel felt very bad for the young man.
Alanna took it from there. "Well, that's it folks. Move along, there's nothing to see here, you'll all get to make her acquaintance soon enough." She was almost shooing them away!
"Lady Keladry?" Neal stepped formally forward and offered her his arm, which she took gratefully and they started away from the slowly dispersing crowd. "That was Owen of Jesslaw who was talking to you." He explained "He's a friend of mine. He's never been around royalty or royalty-to be much that isn't our own, you know. Even being a friend of" He paused, "er, even being around the palace for years on end doesn't seem to have made him much less skittish when certain people are around. Speaking of which, it probably was completely the Stump's, er, Lord Wyldon's fault that he got upset at all. The man does that to most of the younger boys or anyone who doesn't know how to deal with him. I myself," He stopped only when Kel said "Neal!" sharply.
"You're rambling!"
"Sorry, sometimes I just get carried away, you know, and people just..." This time she stepped in front of him, cutting him off with a physical gesture.
"You're nervous because of the prince, aren't you?" She said softly.
"You know?" He was astonished.
"Well, there is a strong family resemblance in the Conte line, is there not? It would be indeed a difficult thing not to recognize one's own prince." She laughed falsely, and it sounded all wrong. This person talking wasn't Kel, it was Kel the Yamani and Kel the Tortallan battling it out with Kel the nervous. She wasn't sure who was winning.
He smiled slightly. "Who told you. You didn't know."
She sighed. "My mother."
"And are you sure there's nothing you wanted to know about Roald?"
"I.." Kel thought about it. This wasn't the first time he'd asked her this. There were things she wanted to know. What was his personality? Was he anything like Neal? Why was he home early? Did he have an opinion of her yet? Would he disapprove of Kel's still-lingering dream to be, like the Lioness, a female warrior? Exactly how awkward would it be around him? Was he kind? Was he gentle? Was he just? Was he sweet? Did he sleep around? 'Wait just a moment there!' thought Kel, 'where did that one come from?!' "Well..." Is what came out of her mouth. She looked at Neal, hopelessness flooding her eyes.
"I'll start from the beginning." He smiled. "The prince was born..." Kel raised an eyebrow and snapped open her shukusen, her ladies, whom Neal had forgotten were there, followed suit.
"I was joking!" He said hurriedly. "Only joking!"
By now they had resumed walking and had come to the door of the palace leading into the rose garden. Neal opened the door to hold open for the ladies and nearly crashed into someone doing it! For Kel, it was the beginning of a funny feeling she'd never had before. He was handsome. And looked strong. Not that she cared about those things, but they were always a plus, she was sure.
Just then the man's indignant voice said, "You really ought to look where you're going Meathead!"
Review, review!!! I'm waiting for my lovely reviews!!!!
Special thanks to all those who reviewed:
Magelet: You have got to be my least favorite person in the world! Review other people's stories, not mine!
Keita: My wonderful reviewing friend! Thank you from the depths of my shallow heart!
Lady Kewlness of Queenscove: I'm honored. Thank you very much. I'm glad you enjoy my writing.
Lady Sandrilene: Well... okay... I don't. And on the Joren thing...whatever floats your boat...
"That was the prince?" Kel blanched. "I..."
Illane smiled at her daughter. "Well, Kel..." She began, but didn't get to finish, because Neal was back.
"Sorry I had to run out like that, Kel, but you know, desperate times call for desperate measures."
"And desperate attempts at jokes, it seems." The lioness!
Kel's head was spinning. This had never happened before. She'd never been so confused. 'Okay,' she thought 'deep breath. I just saw Roald. So what? Everyone is here incase I freak out. I won't. Everything's juuuuuuust peachy.'
"Please pardon me, but I would like to walk in the rose garden." She said simply and bowed out of the room, Yuki and Haname hurrying after her.
Once in the garden, they followed her in silence, giving her a slight distance so she wouldn't feel crowded and pressured. She sat on a bench and sighed. Her ladies sat on either side of her.
After a few moments of silence Yuki snapped open a fan. She looked at Kel in an obvious invitation to play and get her mind off any toil that might be burdening her. Kel's eyes smiled for her and the three found a small grassy patch where they could play easily.
As the fan soared higher and spin faster, the ladies became aware of eyes on them. Kel called all of the occasional commands that changed the fashion of the game each time. Eventually, Kel felt herself physically smile. It surprised her how natural it felt, even after learning to reflexively not use any facial expression. She caught the fan suddenly, ending the game.
She handed the fan back to her friend, pulling her own out and snapping it open to cover her face, thanking her friend silently. The three surveyed, discreetly, the crowd which included quite a few adults, a handful of squires and pages, and the Lioness, King, Queen, Princess Kalasin and Prince Roald.
Simultaneously, the ladies closed their fans, bowed deeply to the royal family, and righted themselves, once more covering the lower portion of their faces with their silk and steel fans.
The prince whispered something to Neal.
Alanna stepped forward with hot Neal on her heels. "What a lovely game." She said as if seeing it for the first time.
"I say, can I learn how to play? It looks like jolly god fun." A young man perhaps a year younger than Keladry spoke up. "I mean to say," He hastily corrected as a severe looking older man said quite roughly "Jesslaw!" The young man looked nervous now. "It was a wonderful, er, show you were putting on." He bowed hastily and hurried away, the man following him. Kel felt very bad for the young man.
Alanna took it from there. "Well, that's it folks. Move along, there's nothing to see here, you'll all get to make her acquaintance soon enough." She was almost shooing them away!
"Lady Keladry?" Neal stepped formally forward and offered her his arm, which she took gratefully and they started away from the slowly dispersing crowd. "That was Owen of Jesslaw who was talking to you." He explained "He's a friend of mine. He's never been around royalty or royalty-to be much that isn't our own, you know. Even being a friend of" He paused, "er, even being around the palace for years on end doesn't seem to have made him much less skittish when certain people are around. Speaking of which, it probably was completely the Stump's, er, Lord Wyldon's fault that he got upset at all. The man does that to most of the younger boys or anyone who doesn't know how to deal with him. I myself," He stopped only when Kel said "Neal!" sharply.
"You're rambling!"
"Sorry, sometimes I just get carried away, you know, and people just..." This time she stepped in front of him, cutting him off with a physical gesture.
"You're nervous because of the prince, aren't you?" She said softly.
"You know?" He was astonished.
"Well, there is a strong family resemblance in the Conte line, is there not? It would be indeed a difficult thing not to recognize one's own prince." She laughed falsely, and it sounded all wrong. This person talking wasn't Kel, it was Kel the Yamani and Kel the Tortallan battling it out with Kel the nervous. She wasn't sure who was winning.
He smiled slightly. "Who told you. You didn't know."
She sighed. "My mother."
"And are you sure there's nothing you wanted to know about Roald?"
"I.." Kel thought about it. This wasn't the first time he'd asked her this. There were things she wanted to know. What was his personality? Was he anything like Neal? Why was he home early? Did he have an opinion of her yet? Would he disapprove of Kel's still-lingering dream to be, like the Lioness, a female warrior? Exactly how awkward would it be around him? Was he kind? Was he gentle? Was he just? Was he sweet? Did he sleep around? 'Wait just a moment there!' thought Kel, 'where did that one come from?!' "Well..." Is what came out of her mouth. She looked at Neal, hopelessness flooding her eyes.
"I'll start from the beginning." He smiled. "The prince was born..." Kel raised an eyebrow and snapped open her shukusen, her ladies, whom Neal had forgotten were there, followed suit.
"I was joking!" He said hurriedly. "Only joking!"
By now they had resumed walking and had come to the door of the palace leading into the rose garden. Neal opened the door to hold open for the ladies and nearly crashed into someone doing it! For Kel, it was the beginning of a funny feeling she'd never had before. He was handsome. And looked strong. Not that she cared about those things, but they were always a plus, she was sure.
Just then the man's indignant voice said, "You really ought to look where you're going Meathead!"
Review, review!!! I'm waiting for my lovely reviews!!!!