Woo, im on a roooolll…let's hope this kind of stamina keep up ::thumbs up::.  Well, read on…::pushes self out of sight as text overcomes screen::

They sprang apart as soon as possible, both of them fingering their lips at what had previously happened.  While Keladry's eyes were wide and shocked, Joren's were femininely half-closed, as if he were looking upon the ground.

"…uh…um…I didn't mean to…"

"It's perfectly fine, all ladies swoon and attack me with lustful actions once I'm vulnerable, particularly in a lying fashion."

               Kel's mind cleared in an instant.  Her eyes narrowed into slits.

"Goddess!  You are a vain creature.  Pompous, indignant, stubborn-"

Joren watched as her face returned to its normally pale shade after the blush began to fade.  Pity, she looked better with it.  He nearly knocked himself senseless for thinking of such a thing.  By the time he looked up, Kel had placed herself comfortably into the silver-maned mare she had started the journey with.

"Didn't know you'd become so urgently helpful after such a small privilege."

Kel gave him a look that reminded Joren to keep alert during his sleeping time tonight.

-----

"Okay…okay, I think I broke something."

               Keladry wasn't a cold-hearted jerk like he was.  So naturally, she reluctantly slid off the mare and stumbled near him. 

"Tell me when you feel something…"

"MITHROS, YOU DON'T HAVE TO PRESS SO HARD, MINDELAN."

"Hmm…seems like you broke something."

               He sat down, wincing. 

"Joren, take off your shirt."

"Just hit me when I'm in pain and strip me while you're at it, won't you.  Should've known."

"Idiot.  I'm trying to find exactly where you are injured."

               He gave her a scrutinizing look.  And slowly, raised his shirt.  Keladry ran a hand over his stomach.

"Does anywhere hurt?"

"No."

His skin was silky smooth and pretty peach white.  Kel grudgingly admit to herself that he wasn't swarthy as most other knights were and that he had delicate skin.  Like a court lady, she suppressed a smile.  She soon recognized the cause of the agony Joren had and was enduring.  An immense area over his ribs had turn an ugly, sickening shade of blue, purple, green, yellow, red…the colors of the rainbow.  She brushed a finger over the spot. 

"MINDELAN."

"You've got a grotesquely large area of a bruise here, Stone Mountain.  Looks like its going to take a month or so.  Yewch, its disgusting."

"Thank you for commenting."  His voice was strained with pain.

               Kel looked at the outline of ribs closely.  Two of them seemed oddly out of shape, it even caused her to wince as she peered at them.

"You've broken a few ribs."

"Crap."

"You want me to make you a brace out of the ganmu, it's a bunch of hollow dry sticks bundled together."

"What will it feel like?"

"Like you're wearing a corset."

"No, I do not want a brace."

"Well then, it'll take much more time to heal.  And even though I don't know much about healing, I know that if bones aren't guided properly in the process, they can be mended crookedly."

"I'll give it a chance."

"What an idiot."

               Keladry was about to hop onto her horse again when Joren stopped her.

"Trace the footprints."  He pointed in a direction where a series of marks were hidden beneath several bunches of vegetation.

As she shifted through the bushes, Kel could hear the blonde hiss through his teeth as the branches brushed against his bruise.  An odd emotion started building up.  Pity?  How could she pity such a person?  Shaking her head, she pushed a branch away, and walked forward.  A yell sounded behind her.  When she turned around, Kel could see a thin red line appearing upon Joren's pale cheek.  She grinned.  Poor kid doesn't know when to duck a branch.

"Well, looks like we're here."

               A tall, dark cave opening loomed above them.  

"Let's go in, shall we?"  Joren mockingly extended an elbow toward her.  She took it, playing along.  And offering him several extra waves of pain.

-----

               They had been walking for a while and as they came to another dead end, Joren scowled and sat down.

"Look at the map, Mindelan," he growled, annoyed.

"Okay, wait, I thought I heard something."

She disappeared around a corner.  Joren felt a wave of anxiety rush through him.  By Mithros, she has got to be the most foolhardy person I have ever met.  When she didn't come back for several minutes, he became more and more worried.  Finally, he couldn't stand it anymore.

"MINDELAN."

"Argh…"  A sooty face glanced back at him with ruffled toffee-colored hair.  He smirked.

"Shut up," she sneezed, caused by a large amount of dust suddenly falling off from the ceiling.

               Suddenly, Joren's eye caught a shadow sneaking up behind her.

"Kel, come here right now!"

               She looked up, confused.  The shadow wrapped its arm around her next and a blow from its weapon sent her slumping forward upon the limb, unconscious.

"KELADRY."

a.n.  woohoo!!! I finished this chapter in a day =D.  so there'll probably be some grammatical or spelling errors :[. Well, im focusing on the emotions more and more now….has it been noticed :p

Some notes:

-joren's first time of calling the keladry of mindelan…kel!  :D

               -he said her name twice!

Is this a sign of an affection amounting?  Hmm… =ponders=