A/N Here's chapter 2. I hope you like it. : )
Disclaimer: All these people are Tamora Pierce's not mine. I wouldn't have been able to come up
with such good characters.
You'll Never Guess - Chapter 2 - A New Friend and Unexpected Events
Kel awoke before dawn as usual to the sound of chirping birds and a dog happily licking
her face. Apparently, Kel's sparrows had found their way to her new room and Jump wanted her
to feed him. So Kel got up and fed the birds and Jump. She then got ready to do her exercises.
First, Kel did a pattern dance, then she did some of Eda Bell's floor press-ups, and finished in time
for when a servant brought her hot water for her bath.
Sir Raoul asked her to take a note to the King in one of his council chambers. So Kel set
off towards the chamber. She knocked and a voice from inside said,"Come in." The King was
sitting at a desk and Alanna was sitting in a chair facing him. From the look on the Lioness's face,
they had been arguing and Alanna was not in a good mood (that's an understatement. She was
actually so angry that she probably could have tackled him and taken him out.) Kel handed King
Jonathan the note and waited for him to reply. Just then, there was another knock on the door.
The King said, "Come in," again. This time it was a girl about 14 or 15.
"Father, I really need to speak with you."
"Kally, I'm sorry, but I'm busy. Can this wait??" asked the King.
"Father, I need to speak to you now," Kalasin said rather forcefully.
There was an angry glint in her eye. The same one she had inherited from her mother. Thayet
looked at Jonathan this way when she was extremely angry. "The Look" always sort of scared
him. He immediately said," Okay, what is it, dear?"
"Oh, don't dear me, Father. You know what this is about. If you think that I'm going to
marry some stupid prince, you are wrong. I absolutely refuse!!!! Even if you try I refuse to take
this lying down!" Alanna was clapping.
"You tell him, Kalasin. I see Thayet raised her daughter well." This last comment was
directed toward an astounded Jonathan.
Kalasin finally seemed to realize that there were other people in the room.
She smiled and said,"Hi, I'm Kalasin, but you can call me Kally. You must be Keladry of
Mindelan." Kally then offered Kel a hand.
Kel shook it and said,"I prefer to be called Kel and it's nice to meet you. Would you like to
go somewhere and talk? It seems as if you need to vent some steam."
"That would be great."
Kel bowed to the King and Alanna and left with Kally.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kel and Kally went back to Kel's room. Kel stopped at the door adjoining her room with
Sir Raoul's and knocked. Raoul opened the door.
"Yes?"
"King Jonathan said okay."
"That's good. Hello Kally."
"Hi Raoul," replied Kally.
"What are you doing here?" asked Raoul.
"Oh, I met Kel in my father's office. I had to speak to him."
Kel was trying to contain her laughter, but she wasn't succeeding. Raoul raised an eyebrow.
"This wouldn't have anything to do with the marriage treaty, would it?"
Kel couldn't hold it any longer. She burst out laughing and eventually Kally and Raoul started to
laugh too.
"You have to admit he looked pretty scared of you, Kally," said Kel in-between fits of
laughter.
"I think it was "The Look". Whenever Mama looks at him like that he always lets her do
what she wants."
"Whenever Thayet looks at anyone like that they get scared. You must get it from her,"
said Raoul. "Well, I'll leave you two alone for a while, but Kel, you should get down to the
practice courts in about an hour."
"Okay, Raoul."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kally told Kel all about her marriage treaty and how she had wanted to be a knight before
King Jonathan talked her out of it. She still practiced some combat skills and occasionally
practiced with the Shangs or Thayet's personal guard, Buri. In turn, Kel told her all about last
night and what it was like being the only girl squire since Alanna. The hour passed quickly and
Kally elected to go to the practice courts with Kel, but wanted to change into a simple shirt a and
breeches first. So they went to Kally's chambers, then made there way to the practice.
Most of the other squires were there. They came over and greeted Kel and Kally.
"What are you doing here, Kally?" demanded Roald. "Aren't you supposed to be at lessons
now?"
"Roald, you're such a worrier. I decided to skip lessons today. I don't really care what
Father wants," replied his younger sister,"I wanted to practice combat skills. Mama and Buri say
that I can fight if I want to. So I'm going to fight. Anyone up for a little sparing?"
All of the boys looked rather surprised.
"Fine then, I'll just have to spar you, Roald," she said.
"Kally.......I'm sort of busy right now. We can do this another time."
"No. You're just afraid that I'm gonna beat you," said Kally with a smirk.
Kel and the other guys were giggling and Roald grudgingly gave in.
It was actually quite a match. Kally held her own against Roald. The match ended with
Roald pinned to the ground and Kally giving him an innocent smile. The other boys were laughing
and Kel looked proud. Kally got up, dusted off her hands, and offered it to Roald. She helped him
up and challenged some of the other boys to various matches and competitions.
All the rest of the squires went back to sparing except Faleron. He watched Kalasin with a
look of adoration in his eyes. Kel noticed this and went to talk to her handsome friend.
"Hey Faleron. What's up?" she asked.
When she received no answer she said,"Someone's got a crush on Kally."
Faleron immediately snapped out of his trance and said,"Huh?"
"You've got a crush on Kalasin," she replied with a sly smile.
"No," he said, blushing slightly.
"Sure you don't."
Kel went back to practicing as did Faleron.
About an hour before lunch, Kel went to the stables and saddled Peachblossom. She and
Raoul had agreed to do some tilting an hour before lunch everyday, unless the weather was bad.
Kel rode Peachblossom out to the tilting field and waited for Sir Raoul to come. He came trotting
to the field on his chestnut mare, lance in hand.
"Why don't you take the first run?"
"Alright," replied Kel.
She grasped her lance and set Peachblossom in a charge. As she rode toward the target she had a
sense of perfection. Kel's lance hit the quintain's shield dead center and the quintain moved to the
side and let her pass.
"Wow. It seems like you've improved since the last time I saw you tilt," said Raoul.
Kel remembered the first time she had seen Sir Raoul and how she had gotten a buffet from the
sandbag.
"Yes sir, I have."
"Would you like to try tilting against me?"
How could she possibly tilt against someone with so much more experience, never mind the fact
that he was taller, stronger, and heavier than her? She might as well try.
"A-allr-r-right, s-s-ir."
"Here. Put these on." He handed her some tilting pads and a helmet. Kel put them on a
remounted Peachblossom. She also picked up her padded lance. Raoul did the same.
When they were both suited up and mounted he said,"Ready....Set....Go!!" Kel told
Peachblossom to charge. Raoul and Kel approached each other faster and faster when
finally,"Thump!!"
Lord Sir Raoul of Goldenlake and Malorie's Peak was sitting on the ground, but he was
smiling.
"Is there anything you can't do well, Mindelan??"
"I'm afraid of heights, sir, but I'm working on that."
"You're going to be a great knight someday, Keladry."
"Thank you, sir."
"Let's go in and wash up for lunch."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lunch was a rather interesting affair. Kel and Neal couldn't seem to concentrate on their
food. Their attention was held by each other. Roald and Kally, who had decided to take lunch
with them, were arguing about Kally skipping her classes. Esmond, Seaver, and Merric were
watching Roald and Kally fight, betting on who would win the argument (Kally was the favorite).
Faleron couldn't keep his eyes off of Kally. Joren sat with them again and him and Cleon were
staring at Kel, not noticing Neal. Thus, lunch passed.
That evening, after dinner, there was a knock on Kel's door. Kel opened it with a smile
expecting Neal, but instead, there stood Prince Roald.
"Uh. Hi Kel. I wanted to ask you a favor," he said.
"Sure, as long as it's within reason," replied Kel.
" Well, since Princess Shinkokami will be coming in about a year or two, I thought that it
would be good to learn how to speak Yamani and since you lived there for six years, you're the
best one to teach me. Plus, starting this early will give me enough time to learn if our
knightmasters decide to take to the road."
"Sure Roald. I'd be glad to," said Kel with a smile,"I think Shinkokami will be really glad
to be able to converse with you in her own tongue. We can start tonight because Sir Raoul doesn't
have any errands for me to run."
"Alright."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Roald left she got another knock on the door. Again she was expecting Neal and
again it wasn't him. It was Joren. Kel was confused. Why would he come to her room?
"Hello, Joren. What brings you here?"
"I would like to make amends for what I have done to you in the past. I know I've already
apologixed, but I don't think you've accepted my apologies, so I'd like to make it up to you. If
there is anything you need, please ask me." With that he left.
After Joren had gone Kel received another visitor. This time it was Neal.
He said,"Hi Kel," then swept her into a kiss.
"Let's go for a walk."
"Okay."
Neal and Kel strolled through the palace gardens once again. They talked and just were happy to
be with each other. But their happiness would not last long.
"Kel...I need to tell you something," said Neal sadly.
A/N End of this chapter. I know, it was just getting good. Don't kill me. My friend Juicy
recommended I do some cliffhangers because they're fun *grins evilly*. Well, this one's for you,
Juicy. As always, constructive criticism welcome. : )
Disclaimer: All these people are Tamora Pierce's not mine. I wouldn't have been able to come up
with such good characters.
You'll Never Guess - Chapter 2 - A New Friend and Unexpected Events
Kel awoke before dawn as usual to the sound of chirping birds and a dog happily licking
her face. Apparently, Kel's sparrows had found their way to her new room and Jump wanted her
to feed him. So Kel got up and fed the birds and Jump. She then got ready to do her exercises.
First, Kel did a pattern dance, then she did some of Eda Bell's floor press-ups, and finished in time
for when a servant brought her hot water for her bath.
Sir Raoul asked her to take a note to the King in one of his council chambers. So Kel set
off towards the chamber. She knocked and a voice from inside said,"Come in." The King was
sitting at a desk and Alanna was sitting in a chair facing him. From the look on the Lioness's face,
they had been arguing and Alanna was not in a good mood (that's an understatement. She was
actually so angry that she probably could have tackled him and taken him out.) Kel handed King
Jonathan the note and waited for him to reply. Just then, there was another knock on the door.
The King said, "Come in," again. This time it was a girl about 14 or 15.
"Father, I really need to speak with you."
"Kally, I'm sorry, but I'm busy. Can this wait??" asked the King.
"Father, I need to speak to you now," Kalasin said rather forcefully.
There was an angry glint in her eye. The same one she had inherited from her mother. Thayet
looked at Jonathan this way when she was extremely angry. "The Look" always sort of scared
him. He immediately said," Okay, what is it, dear?"
"Oh, don't dear me, Father. You know what this is about. If you think that I'm going to
marry some stupid prince, you are wrong. I absolutely refuse!!!! Even if you try I refuse to take
this lying down!" Alanna was clapping.
"You tell him, Kalasin. I see Thayet raised her daughter well." This last comment was
directed toward an astounded Jonathan.
Kalasin finally seemed to realize that there were other people in the room.
She smiled and said,"Hi, I'm Kalasin, but you can call me Kally. You must be Keladry of
Mindelan." Kally then offered Kel a hand.
Kel shook it and said,"I prefer to be called Kel and it's nice to meet you. Would you like to
go somewhere and talk? It seems as if you need to vent some steam."
"That would be great."
Kel bowed to the King and Alanna and left with Kally.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kel and Kally went back to Kel's room. Kel stopped at the door adjoining her room with
Sir Raoul's and knocked. Raoul opened the door.
"Yes?"
"King Jonathan said okay."
"That's good. Hello Kally."
"Hi Raoul," replied Kally.
"What are you doing here?" asked Raoul.
"Oh, I met Kel in my father's office. I had to speak to him."
Kel was trying to contain her laughter, but she wasn't succeeding. Raoul raised an eyebrow.
"This wouldn't have anything to do with the marriage treaty, would it?"
Kel couldn't hold it any longer. She burst out laughing and eventually Kally and Raoul started to
laugh too.
"You have to admit he looked pretty scared of you, Kally," said Kel in-between fits of
laughter.
"I think it was "The Look". Whenever Mama looks at him like that he always lets her do
what she wants."
"Whenever Thayet looks at anyone like that they get scared. You must get it from her,"
said Raoul. "Well, I'll leave you two alone for a while, but Kel, you should get down to the
practice courts in about an hour."
"Okay, Raoul."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kally told Kel all about her marriage treaty and how she had wanted to be a knight before
King Jonathan talked her out of it. She still practiced some combat skills and occasionally
practiced with the Shangs or Thayet's personal guard, Buri. In turn, Kel told her all about last
night and what it was like being the only girl squire since Alanna. The hour passed quickly and
Kally elected to go to the practice courts with Kel, but wanted to change into a simple shirt a and
breeches first. So they went to Kally's chambers, then made there way to the practice.
Most of the other squires were there. They came over and greeted Kel and Kally.
"What are you doing here, Kally?" demanded Roald. "Aren't you supposed to be at lessons
now?"
"Roald, you're such a worrier. I decided to skip lessons today. I don't really care what
Father wants," replied his younger sister,"I wanted to practice combat skills. Mama and Buri say
that I can fight if I want to. So I'm going to fight. Anyone up for a little sparing?"
All of the boys looked rather surprised.
"Fine then, I'll just have to spar you, Roald," she said.
"Kally.......I'm sort of busy right now. We can do this another time."
"No. You're just afraid that I'm gonna beat you," said Kally with a smirk.
Kel and the other guys were giggling and Roald grudgingly gave in.
It was actually quite a match. Kally held her own against Roald. The match ended with
Roald pinned to the ground and Kally giving him an innocent smile. The other boys were laughing
and Kel looked proud. Kally got up, dusted off her hands, and offered it to Roald. She helped him
up and challenged some of the other boys to various matches and competitions.
All the rest of the squires went back to sparing except Faleron. He watched Kalasin with a
look of adoration in his eyes. Kel noticed this and went to talk to her handsome friend.
"Hey Faleron. What's up?" she asked.
When she received no answer she said,"Someone's got a crush on Kally."
Faleron immediately snapped out of his trance and said,"Huh?"
"You've got a crush on Kalasin," she replied with a sly smile.
"No," he said, blushing slightly.
"Sure you don't."
Kel went back to practicing as did Faleron.
About an hour before lunch, Kel went to the stables and saddled Peachblossom. She and
Raoul had agreed to do some tilting an hour before lunch everyday, unless the weather was bad.
Kel rode Peachblossom out to the tilting field and waited for Sir Raoul to come. He came trotting
to the field on his chestnut mare, lance in hand.
"Why don't you take the first run?"
"Alright," replied Kel.
She grasped her lance and set Peachblossom in a charge. As she rode toward the target she had a
sense of perfection. Kel's lance hit the quintain's shield dead center and the quintain moved to the
side and let her pass.
"Wow. It seems like you've improved since the last time I saw you tilt," said Raoul.
Kel remembered the first time she had seen Sir Raoul and how she had gotten a buffet from the
sandbag.
"Yes sir, I have."
"Would you like to try tilting against me?"
How could she possibly tilt against someone with so much more experience, never mind the fact
that he was taller, stronger, and heavier than her? She might as well try.
"A-allr-r-right, s-s-ir."
"Here. Put these on." He handed her some tilting pads and a helmet. Kel put them on a
remounted Peachblossom. She also picked up her padded lance. Raoul did the same.
When they were both suited up and mounted he said,"Ready....Set....Go!!" Kel told
Peachblossom to charge. Raoul and Kel approached each other faster and faster when
finally,"Thump!!"
Lord Sir Raoul of Goldenlake and Malorie's Peak was sitting on the ground, but he was
smiling.
"Is there anything you can't do well, Mindelan??"
"I'm afraid of heights, sir, but I'm working on that."
"You're going to be a great knight someday, Keladry."
"Thank you, sir."
"Let's go in and wash up for lunch."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lunch was a rather interesting affair. Kel and Neal couldn't seem to concentrate on their
food. Their attention was held by each other. Roald and Kally, who had decided to take lunch
with them, were arguing about Kally skipping her classes. Esmond, Seaver, and Merric were
watching Roald and Kally fight, betting on who would win the argument (Kally was the favorite).
Faleron couldn't keep his eyes off of Kally. Joren sat with them again and him and Cleon were
staring at Kel, not noticing Neal. Thus, lunch passed.
That evening, after dinner, there was a knock on Kel's door. Kel opened it with a smile
expecting Neal, but instead, there stood Prince Roald.
"Uh. Hi Kel. I wanted to ask you a favor," he said.
"Sure, as long as it's within reason," replied Kel.
" Well, since Princess Shinkokami will be coming in about a year or two, I thought that it
would be good to learn how to speak Yamani and since you lived there for six years, you're the
best one to teach me. Plus, starting this early will give me enough time to learn if our
knightmasters decide to take to the road."
"Sure Roald. I'd be glad to," said Kel with a smile,"I think Shinkokami will be really glad
to be able to converse with you in her own tongue. We can start tonight because Sir Raoul doesn't
have any errands for me to run."
"Alright."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Roald left she got another knock on the door. Again she was expecting Neal and
again it wasn't him. It was Joren. Kel was confused. Why would he come to her room?
"Hello, Joren. What brings you here?"
"I would like to make amends for what I have done to you in the past. I know I've already
apologixed, but I don't think you've accepted my apologies, so I'd like to make it up to you. If
there is anything you need, please ask me." With that he left.
After Joren had gone Kel received another visitor. This time it was Neal.
He said,"Hi Kel," then swept her into a kiss.
"Let's go for a walk."
"Okay."
Neal and Kel strolled through the palace gardens once again. They talked and just were happy to
be with each other. But their happiness would not last long.
"Kel...I need to tell you something," said Neal sadly.
A/N End of this chapter. I know, it was just getting good. Don't kill me. My friend Juicy
recommended I do some cliffhangers because they're fun *grins evilly*. Well, this one's for you,
Juicy. As always, constructive criticism welcome. : )