~~~
Chapter Ten: Of Conversations and Kisses
~~~
"We're due to land on shore in about twenty minutes, Protector of the Small."
Kel emerged from her daze and smiled involuntarily at the sergeant.
"If you call me Protector of the Small again, I really will punch you," she told Dom, moving over so that he could lean beside her on the railing, looking out over the sea.
"I'll have to risk it." The sergeant flashed her a dazzling grin that made her heart turn over.
Dom certainly seemed to have regained his usual good spirits since they had set off for home. Kel thought that the opposite was true of herself. The closer to Tortall they draw, the more moody and contemplative she felt. Her mood was only lightened whenever she was with him.
She chanced a look upward and found him studying her intently. Blushing at his gaze, she glanced down again.
Am I ever going to be able to tell him how I feel about him? she wondered. Not very likely.
It was incredible. She had faced down Stenum, Blayce and his killing devices. Still, she couldn't muster up enough courage to tell Dom that she loved him, something most court ladies, who shrieked at a spider, were able to do. Maybe there was more to some of the women at court than met the eye.
She thought about this. Then again, probably not.
"Earth to Keladry." Dom waved a hand in front of her eyes.
"Sorry." Kel returned to the present. "I was thinking."
"Undoubtedly," Dom drawled, sounding exactly like his cousin. "May I venture to inquire what about?"
You, Kel thought. "Court ladies," she said aloud.
The lie was worth the expression of Dom's face. "Mithros, Kel, why on earth were you thinking about them?" he spluttered.
Kel shrugged, enjoying his reaction. "It keeps me from thinking about other things."
Understanding dawned on Dom's face. "Oh," he said quietly. He paused for a moment, then said, in the same soft tone. "You are worried." The words were a statement, not a question.
Kel felt like kicking herself. She hadn't meant to bring it up. "Not really."
Dom's eyebrows flew up. "All right," she admitted, a small smile gracing her features. "I am a little worried."
He sighed, taking her hand in his. Warmth spread from her hand up through her body, flushing her face in spite of the cool sea breeze. She fought to keep her emotions under control. "Kel, do you really think your supporters will abandon you?"
"My supporters came with me to Scanra," Kel pointed out, looking out over the waves so that she wouldn't have to meet his eyes.
"I mean your supporters at court. Raoul, Buri, Alanna, even the King and Queen." He looked at her intently. "And what about your friends? You have friends who would die for you, Keladry." He rarely used her full name, and it sounded impressively serious coming from his lips. "Including me." She stared at him. "You underestimate us, Kel. Have a little faith."
His blue eyes were too intense. She looked away. As if from far away she heard her voice saying, "I do have faith in you."
She felt as if she were drowning in his eyes. She was never sure who moved towards the other first, but her lips met his and they kissed, first tentatively, then more warmly. As Dom slid his arm around her waist, pulling her closer, Kel forgot that Neal might see them, forgot that she was a traitor, forgot everything.
"Dom?" Neal's voice echoed through the ship. "Where in Mithros' name are you? I need you. We're landing in seven minutes!"
Reluctantly, Dom drew away. "Damn him," he whispered, staring at Kel as if in a daze.
"Dom!" Neal shouted.
"I'm coming," Dom yelled back. With a final, searching glance at Kel, he left to find his cousin.
Kel, stunned, stared back over the water. But she could find no answers there.
~~~
It was only later, as they were setting up camp, that Kel got a chance to really consider what had happened. The morning felt so surreal. From being kissed by Dom to being granted reprieve by Lord Wyldon! It was so strange. Perhaps she hadn't woken up this morning, perhaps she was still dreaming.
She glanced around at the swearing soldiers, struggling to put up tents with the children running underfoot. If so, it was the most realistic dream she'd ever had.
Sighing, she began to set up her own tent, somewhat away from the rest of the camp. She wanted some quiet, and the stares she kept getting were doing nothing for her peace of mind. She cursed as she attempted to shove a pole through loops in the tent. Hands gently took it from her, saying, "Let me help."
As she nursed her sore fingers, Neal efficiently set up the rest of the tent. "You've gotten much better at that," she remarked, remembering one time when they were pages when Neal had to set up his tent ten times before Lord Wyldon was satisfied. "Not that that's saying much," she added.
Neal gave her a sour look. "Thanks a lot, Lady Keladry. Just after I helped you, too."
"Anytime," Kel smiled.
"I don't know where you got that sarcastic streak from," her friend continued. "Must be that mad cousin of mine."
Kel fought the blush that spread up her face just at the mere mention of Dom.
Neal noticed, however. "Oh," he said knowingly. "That's it, is it?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Kel said, with all the dignity that she could muster. Considering her turbulent feelings at the moment, it wasn't much.
"Come on, Kel," Neal snorted. "You two barely even looked at each other all day, let alone talked. And if by some accident you did, you would just blush and look away again."
Kel chose to ignore this.
Her friend lowered his voice. "Kel, you can tell me."
She looked at him and sighed. She could tell him. He was her best friend, after all. He'd seen her through her page years and had supported her when no one else did.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "He kissed me."
It was easier to say than she had thought. When she opened her eyes, she found Neal staring at her. Then he let out a whoop and began to perform a strange victory dance on the spot, not seeming at all perturbed by the stares he was receiving from everyone else. Kel was glad of the distance between her tent and the rest of the camp.
"Well, about time," her best friend declared, when he had stopped dancing like a maniac and managed to catch his breath at last.
Kel blinked. That was not precisely the reaction she had expected.
"Is that all you have to say?" she demanded.
When Neal grinned, he looked remarkably like his cousin. "Well, what do you want me to say?" he asked.
That floored Kel. "Well, what did it mean?" she asked desperately.
Neal stopped short. "What, didn't he tell you?"
"No."
"And you haven't figured it out yet?"
Kel's patience was wearing thin. "Neal, what are you talking about?"
But her friend shook his head. "No, if he didn't tell you, I can't tell you either. Ask him!"
"Neal!" Kel cried. She couldn't believe this. Her friend had to take the notion to be particularly stubborn now. "I can't just ask him."
"Well, I can't just tell you," Neal was at his most infuriating. He strolled off in the direction of the camp, adding over his shoulder, "Just talk to Dom."
Kel slumped down on her pallet, her head in her hands, completely baffled by the way everyone was behaving. Jump nuzzled her questioningly. She parted her fingers to study him. "Life used to be simple," she told him wistfully.
The dog dragged a pillow over for her. She took it from him, beginning to laugh.
"No, life was never simple." She paused. "But it might have been slightly less complicated at one point."
~~~
Chapter Ten: Of Conversations and Kisses
~~~
"We're due to land on shore in about twenty minutes, Protector of the Small."
Kel emerged from her daze and smiled involuntarily at the sergeant.
"If you call me Protector of the Small again, I really will punch you," she told Dom, moving over so that he could lean beside her on the railing, looking out over the sea.
"I'll have to risk it." The sergeant flashed her a dazzling grin that made her heart turn over.
Dom certainly seemed to have regained his usual good spirits since they had set off for home. Kel thought that the opposite was true of herself. The closer to Tortall they draw, the more moody and contemplative she felt. Her mood was only lightened whenever she was with him.
She chanced a look upward and found him studying her intently. Blushing at his gaze, she glanced down again.
Am I ever going to be able to tell him how I feel about him? she wondered. Not very likely.
It was incredible. She had faced down Stenum, Blayce and his killing devices. Still, she couldn't muster up enough courage to tell Dom that she loved him, something most court ladies, who shrieked at a spider, were able to do. Maybe there was more to some of the women at court than met the eye.
She thought about this. Then again, probably not.
"Earth to Keladry." Dom waved a hand in front of her eyes.
"Sorry." Kel returned to the present. "I was thinking."
"Undoubtedly," Dom drawled, sounding exactly like his cousin. "May I venture to inquire what about?"
You, Kel thought. "Court ladies," she said aloud.
The lie was worth the expression of Dom's face. "Mithros, Kel, why on earth were you thinking about them?" he spluttered.
Kel shrugged, enjoying his reaction. "It keeps me from thinking about other things."
Understanding dawned on Dom's face. "Oh," he said quietly. He paused for a moment, then said, in the same soft tone. "You are worried." The words were a statement, not a question.
Kel felt like kicking herself. She hadn't meant to bring it up. "Not really."
Dom's eyebrows flew up. "All right," she admitted, a small smile gracing her features. "I am a little worried."
He sighed, taking her hand in his. Warmth spread from her hand up through her body, flushing her face in spite of the cool sea breeze. She fought to keep her emotions under control. "Kel, do you really think your supporters will abandon you?"
"My supporters came with me to Scanra," Kel pointed out, looking out over the waves so that she wouldn't have to meet his eyes.
"I mean your supporters at court. Raoul, Buri, Alanna, even the King and Queen." He looked at her intently. "And what about your friends? You have friends who would die for you, Keladry." He rarely used her full name, and it sounded impressively serious coming from his lips. "Including me." She stared at him. "You underestimate us, Kel. Have a little faith."
His blue eyes were too intense. She looked away. As if from far away she heard her voice saying, "I do have faith in you."
She felt as if she were drowning in his eyes. She was never sure who moved towards the other first, but her lips met his and they kissed, first tentatively, then more warmly. As Dom slid his arm around her waist, pulling her closer, Kel forgot that Neal might see them, forgot that she was a traitor, forgot everything.
"Dom?" Neal's voice echoed through the ship. "Where in Mithros' name are you? I need you. We're landing in seven minutes!"
Reluctantly, Dom drew away. "Damn him," he whispered, staring at Kel as if in a daze.
"Dom!" Neal shouted.
"I'm coming," Dom yelled back. With a final, searching glance at Kel, he left to find his cousin.
Kel, stunned, stared back over the water. But she could find no answers there.
~~~
It was only later, as they were setting up camp, that Kel got a chance to really consider what had happened. The morning felt so surreal. From being kissed by Dom to being granted reprieve by Lord Wyldon! It was so strange. Perhaps she hadn't woken up this morning, perhaps she was still dreaming.
She glanced around at the swearing soldiers, struggling to put up tents with the children running underfoot. If so, it was the most realistic dream she'd ever had.
Sighing, she began to set up her own tent, somewhat away from the rest of the camp. She wanted some quiet, and the stares she kept getting were doing nothing for her peace of mind. She cursed as she attempted to shove a pole through loops in the tent. Hands gently took it from her, saying, "Let me help."
As she nursed her sore fingers, Neal efficiently set up the rest of the tent. "You've gotten much better at that," she remarked, remembering one time when they were pages when Neal had to set up his tent ten times before Lord Wyldon was satisfied. "Not that that's saying much," she added.
Neal gave her a sour look. "Thanks a lot, Lady Keladry. Just after I helped you, too."
"Anytime," Kel smiled.
"I don't know where you got that sarcastic streak from," her friend continued. "Must be that mad cousin of mine."
Kel fought the blush that spread up her face just at the mere mention of Dom.
Neal noticed, however. "Oh," he said knowingly. "That's it, is it?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Kel said, with all the dignity that she could muster. Considering her turbulent feelings at the moment, it wasn't much.
"Come on, Kel," Neal snorted. "You two barely even looked at each other all day, let alone talked. And if by some accident you did, you would just blush and look away again."
Kel chose to ignore this.
Her friend lowered his voice. "Kel, you can tell me."
She looked at him and sighed. She could tell him. He was her best friend, after all. He'd seen her through her page years and had supported her when no one else did.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "He kissed me."
It was easier to say than she had thought. When she opened her eyes, she found Neal staring at her. Then he let out a whoop and began to perform a strange victory dance on the spot, not seeming at all perturbed by the stares he was receiving from everyone else. Kel was glad of the distance between her tent and the rest of the camp.
"Well, about time," her best friend declared, when he had stopped dancing like a maniac and managed to catch his breath at last.
Kel blinked. That was not precisely the reaction she had expected.
"Is that all you have to say?" she demanded.
When Neal grinned, he looked remarkably like his cousin. "Well, what do you want me to say?" he asked.
That floored Kel. "Well, what did it mean?" she asked desperately.
Neal stopped short. "What, didn't he tell you?"
"No."
"And you haven't figured it out yet?"
Kel's patience was wearing thin. "Neal, what are you talking about?"
But her friend shook his head. "No, if he didn't tell you, I can't tell you either. Ask him!"
"Neal!" Kel cried. She couldn't believe this. Her friend had to take the notion to be particularly stubborn now. "I can't just ask him."
"Well, I can't just tell you," Neal was at his most infuriating. He strolled off in the direction of the camp, adding over his shoulder, "Just talk to Dom."
Kel slumped down on her pallet, her head in her hands, completely baffled by the way everyone was behaving. Jump nuzzled her questioningly. She parted her fingers to study him. "Life used to be simple," she told him wistfully.
The dog dragged a pillow over for her. She took it from him, beginning to laugh.
"No, life was never simple." She paused. "But it might have been slightly less complicated at one point."
~~~