Kel whistled as she walked briskly through the chilly autumn air. Without a companion, she was free to think about the day's events. She realized that Blayce was dead, she didn't feel anxious just having free time to spend with her friends. New Hope was doing fabulously well, but Kel couldn't help wondering what life had in store for her after the war was over. As she approached the practice courts, she scanned them for anyone she knew. In one corner, she saw Dom deep in conversation with Lerant. She pretended not to notice, but seeing Dom sent a wave of excitement through her stomach.

Kel flinched as Dom's companion shouted out, "Kel! Over here!" Kel made her way over to the pair, as Dom turned to face her and smiled.

"Kel!" he said happily. "How have you been? Coping at New Hope without me?" She smiled widely; she realized how much she'd missed Dom.

"Oh I'm coping just fine. Though I really ought to have a leash made for Sir Meathead."

"Really now, what would Neal think if he heard you say that? Wouldn't be very jolly, would he? Well, with the wedding coming up, I don't think he'd even notice."

"Are you joking?" Kel scoffed. "Neal's ears can prick up from a mile away when he hears his name."

"Oh, right. I'd forgotten that," Dom replied. As if on cue, Neal walked into the practice courts. Lerant, who had been silent until now began to ask Kel a question when Neal came up behind Kel and dramatically placed his hands on both of her shoulders and exclaimed, "Kel, how dare you, my very maid of honor, converse with such scum as this Domitan who stands before you!" He made a face at Dom, who raised his eyebrows in amusement.

Lerant rolled his eyes. "I've been here a day, and already this cousinly bantering is getting old." Kel removed Neal's hands from her shoulders.

"Lerant's right. If you two boys can't behave, you'll have to go sit in separate corners. What are you doing in the practice courts, anyway, Neal? Shouldn't you be in your rooms reading a book?"

"Yes, Mother," Neal and Dom chorused. Now it was Kel's turn to roll her eyes. "You boys really need some new material."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Cleon closed the door behind the messenger and looked down at the letter in his hands. He recognized the handwriting to be his wife's. He frowned and opened the letter. It was short, written in dark ink that read:

"Cleon, I'm so sorry to have left you the other day without notice. I've been called home in quite a rush. Don't worry, it's nothing serious. Stay at the palace and I will come back when I can, ~Ermelian."

He folded the letter up and put it in his pocket. He had been married to his wife for almost a year, and had only seen her for half that time. He couldn't deny the fact that he liked her; she was very pretty and kind and intelligent. But he had stopped wondering what it would be like to be married to someone he was in love with.

He departed from his room, with the intention of wandering aimlessly around the city surrounding the palace. Between staying at Kennan and fighting in the war, it had been a long time since he had stayed in Corus. His intentions were ruined however, when he heard shrieks from down the stone hallway. Instincts kicking in, he ran toward the noise. As he turned the corner, he abruptly stopped. There was a palace maid standing in an open doorway, her face white with horror.

A scruffy looking man, with a few loaves of bread under his arm, was holding a knife out at the maid and slowly inching away. When he saw Cleon his eyes widened slightly. Cleon could see by his tattered clothes that he was obviously a poor man who'd broken into the palace searching for anything he could get his hands on. "Please, sir, put the knife away." While the robber stood shaking and wide-eyed, still clutching the knife, Cleon reached into his pockets for a few gold coins.

After the man made a hasty retreat, with the coins in hand, Kel stepped into the room. "That was a truly noble thing," she said, smiling gently. She didn't notice a shadow in the corner.

"Noble? It doesnt' take a nobleman to see that all he wants is money. This way no one gets hurt." Cleon shrugged and began to walk back to his rooms, forgetting his original plans.


A/N: So, another chapter. Hope you're enjoying our little fic that we're writing back and forth. If you've never written a story that way, I highly recommend it. It's fun! So PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!!! ok? PLEASE? :-) thanks!

Thanks to all our reviewers: Cracked in the head, Squirrel Maiden of Green, PsychoLioness13, Kelly Masbolle, Meg of Queenscove, Lady Bee, and Su (when ARE you going to update, girl!)!!! We super-duperly appreciate reviews. And don't worry, guys... Cleon is MARRIED! :-)


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