Headaches
by Saraswathi
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Chapter Five: Accusations and Explanations
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Amidst the confusion of clearing up and packing, Kel pulled Dom aside, determined not to let him off so easily.
He gazed at her with an infuriating calm. "Yes?"
"You want to explain?" she demanded.
"What's left to tell?" he inquired, glancing up from consuming the last oatcake with a curious gaze.
She ground her teeth. "How about why you disobeyed orders and abandoned my lord, not to mention putting yourself and your squad at risk?"
Dom stared at her. "Why, Kel, that should be blatantly obvious."
[Was he trying to provoke her?] Catching a glimpse of the grin he was struggling to surprise, Kel suspected so. "It isn't. Would you care to enlighten me as to why, or would that be too far below the reaches of your mental prowness?" she snapped.
He raised an eyebrow. "For you, of course."
That silenced her. "Oh," she said weakly. It was hardly the most intelligent comment that she had ever made, but then it wasn't every day that the man she had been harboring unresolved romantic feelings for admitted that he was risking his life for her. She couldn't look up at him.
"Besides," he frowned, "we were under orders."
Kel stared.
"But even if we weren't, we still would have come," he continued. "After all, we're all volunteers."
Kel had not believed that she could be further startled today. Dom's last comment proved this utterly incorrect.
"Volunteers?" The word emerged from her mouth as a squeak.
"Yes, didn't I tell you?" Dom replied innocently. "Every man here chose to come."
He was enjoying this far too much.
"No, you forgot to mention that particular detail," she said, through gritted teeth.
[Remind me again why I missed him so horribly? He is a completely infuriating prat -]
She spun to leave, but his large hand caught hers, preventing her.
"Kel?" he said softly, forcing her to meet his gaze. "You're not angry?"
[Never, with you.]
"No, of course I'm not," she admitted, trying to ignore the fact that her hand felt perfectly right within his.
He grinned in relief, releasing her hand. It was impossible to stay angry with him, she reflected, given that grin, but the fact that he had let go of her hand left her with a vague disappointment.
With difficulty, she reapplied herself to the conversation. "-you owe me an explanation as well."
"About what?" she queried.
As always, he was refreshingly direct.
"Why didn't you tell me you've been having nightmares about Blayce?"
She stared. "How did you-?" Then she remembered her dream the previous night- and the strong, soothing presence that had driven it away.
"Oh." She could feel herself blushing. "Um. Thank you."
"You're welcome." His gaze did not waiver. "That's not an answer."
Kel sighed, brushing her hair from her face in an attempt to stall for time. "It's not important."
She could never have predicted his next words. "You don't always have to be so brave, Kel."
"What do you mean?" she asked weakly, cursing herself as she said it for forgetting to be strong when he was near.
"I'm here for you, too, you know. You don't always have to be there for other people."
His gaze was too intense. She glanced down. "Oh, but I do, actually," she answered, her voice barely audible.
Dom sighed, turning away from her to survey his men, nearly finished with dismantling the camp. "All right," he said, clearly unconvinced. "But if you want to talk . . ."
Kel rubbed her forehead, sensing an approaching headache. He had given her too much to think about. "I'm fine, Dom," she insisted. "Really."
Arching both his eyebrows, he gave her a look.
"No, honestly," she repeated, a smile forming on her lips in spite of herself.
"You're lying," Dom accused, grinning in return.
Pretending to be outraged, Kel put her hands on her hips and demanded, "Are you calling me a liar?"
He grinned. "Yes, I am, Lady Keladry. What're you going to do about it?"
Kel glared at him. "Just for calling me a lady, I think I'll slap you."
"No!" Dom pleaded. "Spare me. Please! I'll do anything-"
He was cut short by a pointed cough from Wolset. "Sir, if you're finished, we're all ready to go." He gave the two of them a significant look, though Kel didn't want to look too deeply into his meaning.
"Right," Dom replied, growing businesslike again. "Shall we go, my lady?" He offered Kel his arm.
She eyed him suspiciously. "Thanks, but no thanks, Dom. I think I can mount Peachblossom by myself."
Dom smiled. "I forget, you've been riding him since you were eleven."
"You know me too well," Kel replied, without thinking, as she mounted her horse.
Shadows seemed to darken his eyes. "Yes," he murmured softly.
He rode ahead, leaving Kel with more than the approaching conflict to think about.
~*~
What Tamora Pierce does not own, whoever wrote The Parent Trap does. And what they don't own is all my own. Thanks for all the generous reviews, 'cause as with any author, I adore them.
~*~
Chapter Five: Accusations and Explanations
~*~
Amidst the confusion of clearing up and packing, Kel pulled Dom aside, determined not to let him off so easily.
He gazed at her with an infuriating calm. "Yes?"
"You want to explain?" she demanded.
"What's left to tell?" he inquired, glancing up from consuming the last oatcake with a curious gaze.
She ground her teeth. "How about why you disobeyed orders and abandoned my lord, not to mention putting yourself and your squad at risk?"
Dom stared at her. "Why, Kel, that should be blatantly obvious."
[Was he trying to provoke her?] Catching a glimpse of the grin he was struggling to surprise, Kel suspected so. "It isn't. Would you care to enlighten me as to why, or would that be too far below the reaches of your mental prowness?" she snapped.
He raised an eyebrow. "For you, of course."
That silenced her. "Oh," she said weakly. It was hardly the most intelligent comment that she had ever made, but then it wasn't every day that the man she had been harboring unresolved romantic feelings for admitted that he was risking his life for her. She couldn't look up at him.
"Besides," he frowned, "we were under orders."
Kel stared.
"But even if we weren't, we still would have come," he continued. "After all, we're all volunteers."
Kel had not believed that she could be further startled today. Dom's last comment proved this utterly incorrect.
"Volunteers?" The word emerged from her mouth as a squeak.
"Yes, didn't I tell you?" Dom replied innocently. "Every man here chose to come."
He was enjoying this far too much.
"No, you forgot to mention that particular detail," she said, through gritted teeth.
[Remind me again why I missed him so horribly? He is a completely infuriating prat -]
She spun to leave, but his large hand caught hers, preventing her.
"Kel?" he said softly, forcing her to meet his gaze. "You're not angry?"
[Never, with you.]
"No, of course I'm not," she admitted, trying to ignore the fact that her hand felt perfectly right within his.
He grinned in relief, releasing her hand. It was impossible to stay angry with him, she reflected, given that grin, but the fact that he had let go of her hand left her with a vague disappointment.
With difficulty, she reapplied herself to the conversation. "-you owe me an explanation as well."
"About what?" she queried.
As always, he was refreshingly direct.
"Why didn't you tell me you've been having nightmares about Blayce?"
She stared. "How did you-?" Then she remembered her dream the previous night- and the strong, soothing presence that had driven it away.
"Oh." She could feel herself blushing. "Um. Thank you."
"You're welcome." His gaze did not waiver. "That's not an answer."
Kel sighed, brushing her hair from her face in an attempt to stall for time. "It's not important."
She could never have predicted his next words. "You don't always have to be so brave, Kel."
"What do you mean?" she asked weakly, cursing herself as she said it for forgetting to be strong when he was near.
"I'm here for you, too, you know. You don't always have to be there for other people."
His gaze was too intense. She glanced down. "Oh, but I do, actually," she answered, her voice barely audible.
Dom sighed, turning away from her to survey his men, nearly finished with dismantling the camp. "All right," he said, clearly unconvinced. "But if you want to talk . . ."
Kel rubbed her forehead, sensing an approaching headache. He had given her too much to think about. "I'm fine, Dom," she insisted. "Really."
Arching both his eyebrows, he gave her a look.
"No, honestly," she repeated, a smile forming on her lips in spite of herself.
"You're lying," Dom accused, grinning in return.
Pretending to be outraged, Kel put her hands on her hips and demanded, "Are you calling me a liar?"
He grinned. "Yes, I am, Lady Keladry. What're you going to do about it?"
Kel glared at him. "Just for calling me a lady, I think I'll slap you."
"No!" Dom pleaded. "Spare me. Please! I'll do anything-"
He was cut short by a pointed cough from Wolset. "Sir, if you're finished, we're all ready to go." He gave the two of them a significant look, though Kel didn't want to look too deeply into his meaning.
"Right," Dom replied, growing businesslike again. "Shall we go, my lady?" He offered Kel his arm.
She eyed him suspiciously. "Thanks, but no thanks, Dom. I think I can mount Peachblossom by myself."
Dom smiled. "I forget, you've been riding him since you were eleven."
"You know me too well," Kel replied, without thinking, as she mounted her horse.
Shadows seemed to darken his eyes. "Yes," he murmured softly.
He rode ahead, leaving Kel with more than the approaching conflict to think about.
~*~
What Tamora Pierce does not own, whoever wrote The Parent Trap does. And what they don't own is all my own. Thanks for all the generous reviews, 'cause as with any author, I adore them.