Disclaimer: *rubs temples* get it through your unnaturally thick heads, the only characters that are mine are Kathryn and Fae! So get those lawyer's outta here!!!

A/N: this is gonna be a LONG chapter! But I think it's a real good one. I'm quite proud of this chapter. *grin* it will most likely take much longer to get the next one up. I dunno when I'll get a lot of time to write, or post or any of that good stuff. So yeah. Enjoy! Ta!

Kathryn burst into her rooms. Fae was sewing a blouse when she looked up. "How'd it go? Does he seem nice?"

Kathryn had a disgusted look on her face. "I'm not even sure which one is Cleon!" She looked near to tears.

Fae set the blouse aside and hugged her younger friend. "It's alright. He'll make himself known. Come on, let's take down your hair."

* * *

"She was nice," Neal commented to Cleon. Very few people were still in the ballroom.

"I guess," Cleon said.

"Well, maybe you'd believe me if you had talked to her tonight."

Cleon glared at his friend. "But it's much easier for me to hate her when I /don't/ know her. And /don't/ talk to her."

"Why do you want to hate her?" Neal asked.

"Neal, you know perfectly well why." Neal put on a face of an ignorant child. Cleon sighed. "You're going to make me say it out loud, aren't you?"

Neal grinned.

"I want to hate her because I don't want to marry her. I want to be with. . .I want to be with Kel. . ." he mumbled.

Neal was still grinning. "There now, that wasn't so hard to admit, was it? And it's not as though it's a secret. At least not with us." He meant their friends they spent the evening with. Neal broke out into a full smile. "Come on Cleon, get to know her. You don't have to fall in love with her, but since you /have/ to marry her, wouldn't you rather be married to someone you liked, if not loved? Being married to someone you hate is just going to make it worse." Cleon didn't say anything, just stared at the table, clenching and unclenching his jaw. "Why don't you go for a ride with her tonight? It's not too late." Cleon gave a small nod and stood up, heading for the door.

* * *

"How can you not know who he is?" Fae was finding the situation very funny. She and Kathryn had managed to get her hair down fairly quickly, but it was now not only curly, but also frizzy. And even with frizz /and/ curls, her hair cascaded down past her waist. They each had a brush and had assigned parts of Kathryn's head to each other to brush.

"Okay, Cleon has red hair, I remember that much. But there were /two/ red heads there and neither one of them were introduced as Cleon or not as him."

"Which one talked to you the most?" Fae was trying not to giggle.

"Neither. One of them was always dancing with Kel-"

"Whose Kel?"

"Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan," Kathryn told her friend. She winced as she brushed through a knot. "She seems. . .nice I suppose. The two of them, Kel and the red head that is, seem to be in love. Anyway, and the other redhead was always speaking to someone else. I was never really entered into the conversation, but it's just as well-I didn't have a clue as to what they were talking about."

There was a knock on the door. Fae set her brush to go answer it.

"Hello," said a deep voice. "I'm Cleon of Kennan. . .I'm. . .urm. . ."

Fae smiled. "You're here to see Kathryn?" she finished for him.

"Yeah."

"Come in, please," Fae opened the door. Kathryn's heart started to beat faster. She was about to see him, and know who he was. Her heart skipped a few beats when she saw who it was in the mirror. She dropped her brush in shock. It was the one that was in love with Kel.

* * *

There was a knock on Kel's door. She had just been about to fall asleep too. She still hadn't taken her dress off. She sighed and got up to admit who disturbed her. It was Neal. She smiled weakly and opened the door to let him in. "Hullo," she said.

"Okay, Kel, before you strangle me, I just want to tell you that I believe I did the right thing." Neal said in a rush, coming into her room and sinking into one of her chairs. Kel didn't have a clue as to what he meant.

"Well, if you think I'll strangle you for it, I think you should tell me," she said evenly.

Neal took a deep breath. "I told Cleon to go get to know Kathryn. Go riding with her. I told him it would be better if he married a girl he liked, even if he couldn't love her." He turned crimson on the word "love" and looked away.

Kel stared at her friend. She had known for some time that he knew, or at the very least suspected that she and Cleon were having an affaire. Though she wasn't sure weather or not he knew they had never slept together. But it never entered her mind that he might try to convince Cleon to move on.

"Kel. . ." he said nervously, seeing her clench her fists. "Kel it really is for the best. Think about it. You want Cleon to be as happy as possible, don't you?" Kel nodded stiffly. "Well, his happiest would be with. . .would be with you," he stuttered. "But since he can't, don't you want his marriage to be one that he'll enjoy? Even if he doesn't fall in love with her-" he was cut off.

"Please leave, Neal." Kel said sharply.

"What?"

"Leave. Please. I'm not in a good mood right now. Especially now. Especially not with you. So, please, just leave. I want to be alone for a while, alright?" Kel didn't look at him, but she could see him nod and stand.

"I understand. Kel, I'm sorry, but this is how is needs to be."

Kel nodded, her eyes filling with tears. She felt Neal hug her and heard him leave, but she couldn't see a thing. She lied down on her bed again, this time crying silently. (A/N yes, yes, yes, I know I'm making Kel very un-Kel-ish but as I've said before IT'S MY STORY!!)

* * *

Fae jumped and started at Kathryn when she heard the brush clank on the floor. "What is it?" she mouthed. Kathryn shook her head slightly, staring wide-eyed at Cleon. He looked uncomfortable.

Kathryn straightened her shoulders and curtsied to Cleon. "May I be of assistance to you Sir Cleon?" she asked.

"Well, I just thought, since we didn't really have a chance to talk much earlier that maybe we could. . .urm. . .go riding tonight. Talk?" He cleared his throat.

Kathryn forced a smile. Anyone could see that he did not want to get to know her better. Kathryn understood but was still a little hurt. "Of course. If you will wait, I will put on the proper garments," she said looking down at her fancy ball gown.

"Of course," Cleon said bowing slightly. He turned and walked out the door.

As the door closed Kathryn sat down again and held her head in her hands. "What is it?" Fae asked again.

Kathryn bit her lip. "/That's/ the one who's in love with Kel!" she whispered, frantic. "No wonder she was so. . .aloof tonight! She probably hates me."

Fae didn't know what to say, so instead she said, "Well. . .let's get you out of that dress and get you into some /real/ clothes."

A few minutes later Kathryn walked out of her rooms wearing a tunic and breeches. She jumped when she saw Cleon standing a few feet away from her door. He offered his arm.

"I thought you'd be waiting in the stables," she confessed.

"Mother-and Lord Wyldon, my old training master, for that matter- always taught me never to let a lady walk by herself."

"Thank you, that's kind. Especially since I'm not sure how to get to the stables. . ."

Cleon stuck his nose in the air, like a hound on the hunt and said, "Just follow your nose!" Kathryn laughed. She had just remembered how he used to make the young children laugh at his father's funeral.

As they rode they discussed the war with Scanra. Cleon was shocked to learn how much she knew about it. Far more than a normal noble woman should know. She confessed to him her desire to join the Queen's Ladies and how her best friend Fae wanted to be in the Queen's Riders, but wouldn't leave Kathryn on her own. "She thinks I can't take care of myself. She's two years older than me, but the way she treats me you'd think she's twenty yeas older and my mother. I love her though. I'm glad she won't desert me. She's the best friend I ever had.now that I think of it, the /only/ friend I've ever had."

Cleon snorted. "I doubt that," he said.

"No, really!" Kathryn protested. "I never was very popular at with the Daughters. But I don't really mind."

The conversation somehow lingered to Kel. "She and I are good friends," was all Cleon would say. As much as Kathryn wanted to, she didn't press him.

Soon they made their way back to the palace and Cleon walked Kathryn back to her rooms. "Good night, Kathryn," he said, bowing.

"Good night," she said in reply and went into her rooms.

* * *

Kel had stopped crying but she couldn't fall asleep. She was watching her fire die when there was another knock on her door. /If it's Neal again. . ./ she thought angrily and she got up to open the door. She was relieved to see Cleon standing in the hallway. She let him in. "Well," she said slowly as she locked her door again. "What's she like?" When Cleon looked sharply at her she said, "Neal came in earlier to tell me you went riding or something with Lady Kathryn. What's she like?" she asked again.

Cleon looked straight into Kel's eyes. "You have no idea how much I want to say that she's a hag and a bitch and I hate her. . .but I can't. She's perfectly nice." Kel looked at the floor. Cleon touched her chin and made her look at him. "But you know what Kel? She's not you," he said softly. He kissed her warmly. "I love /you/ Kel." Kel started to get teary again. (A/N: I know, it's cheesy. . .sue me!) "Don't say that," she pleaded. "It'll just make it harder."

He kissed her again, more passionate this time. His kisses moved to her neck. She started to unlace her bodice. She backed up to lie down on her bed. Cleon joined her. Soon she had his shirt and tunic off. "I love you, too, Cleon," she whispered as they began to make love. (A/N: whoa. . .but it's sweet isn't it? oh, and I don't write lemons. . .yet. I figure, if I'm too young to *supposed* to be reading them, I shouldn't write them yet, right? hehehe) She knew he heard her because he smiled and kissed her long and hard.

Hours later, they fell asleep in each other's arms.

A/N: ok! Please review! (nicely! No flames pretty please!) like I said, I may be a while before I get the next chapter up. . .please be patient! Much thanks and love to you all!