"Neal,"
"Yes?"
"If you don't stop it, I'm going to beat you." Kel threatened, trying to seem menacing. It was hard to do when your best friend just found out that you slept with his cousin.
"Fine," Neal finally relented with a sigh and much rolling of eyes. "Does Yuki know?"
"Not unless Dom told her," Kel responded, exasperated. "Or maybe, you could yell around that fact a bit louder, and the entire fief could hear you! That sounds like a- to use Owen's word - jolly idea!"
"Really, Kel?"
"Are you really this stupid, Queenscove?" Kel asked, exasperated. "...On second thought, don't answer that. I don't know if I want to know."
Neal finally fell silent, and they entered the gardens soon after. Yuki was sitting with an impatient expression on her face. "Where were you two? And where's Dom?"
Her second question was answered seconds later - a blue-clad blur sped into Kel and Neal on their way to the table. The three went flying. Neal looked up, a daffodil in his mouth. He spat it out and said, "I believe we've found our missing sergeant."
Kel, Dom, and Neal all cracked up, as they looked at each other. Kel had landed rear-first in a bed of freshly fertilized flowers. Dom was flat on his stomach, and Neal, well; he seemed to be frolicking in the flowers. Again.
Yuki just didn't seem to find the humor in the situation. "Look at you three! You look like you just came in from a day working in the fields!" Her reaction only made the situation funnier to the three lying on the ground. "So, what're your excuses?"
Kel instantly turned a deep red, and Dom grinned. Neal looked for all the world like a cat licking its whiskers after disemboweling an especially tasty rat. "Well, is someone going to tell me what happened?" Yuki demanded, starting to feel a bit resentful. She was a matchmaker, best friend, and wife here!
Dom looked to Kel who was suddenly very interested in a certain spot of mud mixed with something he didn't care to analyze, off her breeches. Dom looked to Kel, but she was suddenly very interested in a certain spot of mud on her breeches. It would be up to him; Yuki did have a right to know. "Well, you see, last night, Kel and I, we-"
"They got jiggy with it!" Neal interrupted.
Yuki went silent; her Yamani mask disappeared and her eyes got round. "You got jiggy with it?" she asked Dom.
"Yes, ma'am" Dom said, looking afraid that he was about to be chastised.
"Is that all?" Yuki said impatiently. "Why can't we just discuss this over breakfast? You know that I approve - both of you!"
Dom helped Kel to her feet, and helped her brush herself off, only succeeding in rubbing in the dirt. "Where did you get that term?" Kel hissed to Neal.
Neal blushed. "Well, you see-"
"You know what, I'd rather not know," Kel interrupted, afraid of what the answer would be.
Kel was grateful no one mentioned the previous night's exploits as they ate. Even so, she took notice of Dom's hand resting on her knee.
After breakfast, Kel and Dom excused themselves to go for a ride through the forest on the eastern boundary of the fief. As they approached the stables, they stole behind the tower of haystacks piled behind the barn. "That was an interesting breakfast," Dom murmured into Kel's neck, his breath tickling the hair not quite tied up in a horsetail.
Kel snorted. "Interesting was it? I was going to go more for embarrassing, but whatever floats your boat, mister."
Dom smiled, then kissed her. "That's what I love about you, Kel. Nothing can get you down for too long. You work to bounce back from anything the gods send your way."
Kel shivered with delight. The touch of Dom's lips sent electricity through Kel with the same voltage it had the night before, losing none of its potency.
"You know what?" Dom asked, not waiting for an answer, "we should picnic in the woods, I remember a clearing about two hours or so away where we could stop and rest."
"You're not just looking for a chance to seduce me?" Kel teased.
"That depends. How hard would I have to work?" Dom replied, laughter evident in his eyes.
Kel rolled her eyes. "You saddle the horses, and I'll scrounge up something to eat," she suggested.
"Actually, I'll get the food. You can saddle your monster, and Marjorie. I'll be done in twenty minutes, tops."
"Whatever you want, that'll be fine."
"Whatever I want?"
"Stop it!" Kel hissed, blushing. "I had no idea you had such a twisted mind!"
"Of course you did!" Dom retorted, calling over his shoulder as he loped off towards the kitchens. "That's why you love me!"
'That boy,' Kel thought with a grin, and got to work on the horses. As she was finishing with Peachblossom, Dom came in with two rucksacks over his shoulder, looking very proud of himself.
"How romantic," Kel commented, sarcastically. "I've always longed for a picnic lunch out of the packs I carry into battle."
"But these are no ordinary backpacks," Dom informed her seriously. "These are ispecial/I backpacks."
"Oh?" Kel raised an eyebrow.
"Of course! But you can't see why until we reach the clearing. And I'm going to make sure that this will be a very long ride." He grinned evilly.
Kel thought to herself, 'This will only be a long ride as long as I let it be. As soon as men try to do something romantic, they have to show us right away.'
Her suspicions soon proved correct. After less than 30 minutes on the road, Dom stopped lagging behind, and took the lead, picking the pace up a bit. Instead of the promised two hours though, it took close to three. Apparently, years away from home could skew one's sense of direction.
Dom finally found the clearing, and Kel was surprised at how naturally beautiful it really was. She dismounted, and Dom offered to set up the meal, while she would groom and water the horses. There was a small stream flowing nearby.
When Kel was done, she made her way back to where Dom was putting the final touches on the lunch. He had laid a maroon blanket out on the ground, which was posing as a makeshift table. He had two cups of the cold and clear water from the stream, and a skin of wine. Kel grinned, he had brought her favorite foods.
"Dom" Kel trailed off, surprised at the sweetness of the gesture. "This is amazing!"
"I had hoped you'd say that Kel, because I have a question for you."
"Yes?" Kel asked, her mind already on the food.
Dom got down on his knee, and took Kel's hand in his own. Suddenly, the food didn't seem that important. "Kel, will you marry me?"
*~*~*~*~*~*
Sorry I took so long to update...I actually had this chapter written a while ago, but I kinda forgot to post it, and then I decided not to post it until now, because I'm not going to be able to write for about 3 weeks. (I'm leaving on the 22 for France for two weeks) Thanks for reading, and please review!
