When the Unexpected Happens

by an anonymous geek

A/N: Yo, dudes. Sorry I took so long to update. I just haven't known what to do next. It's pretty sad, I really don't have much of a plot figured out. I'm planning for this story to be pretty short. SORRY! I just am kinda bored with it. Blame J. K. Rowling. If it wasn't for her, I would still be completely obsessed with Tamora Pierce books and would be much more interested in writing those types of fanfictions. But now, I only like reading and writing Harry Potter fanfictions. I have to apologize for the fact that this chapter is gunna be short. Really sorry about that. I've just got WAY too much homework to do tonight. I've gotta write a report on Alfred the Great, and another one on Otto I, then I've got these questions sheets I need to fill out. Also, I have art homework, but unfortunately, I forgot to bring it home. Oh, well, I guess I'm gunna flunk the class. Too bad.

Anyway, here is the chapter. . .

Chapter Four

It was dusk on their third day of travel that the two knights reached Agedir, the town where the conspirators lived. As they put their horses into a stable outside the inn, Joren uttered the first non-monosyllabic phrase in the last three days, "Are you coming or not, Lump?"

Keladry spun around to face him from where she was brushing down Peachblossom. "I think maybe it would be best if you stopped calling me that childish name now that we are here, Talyn," she said, calling him by his pseudonym. "You also need to remember to call me 'Heryn'. Plus, you need to treat me with respect since I'm your sister."

Joren rolled his eyes in disgust. He certainly knew that it was going to be hell having to pretend to be actually related to that piece of dung. He leaned in closer toward her to whisper, making sure that no one would hear him but her. "Let me remind you, Heryn," he said, emphasizing her name. "that the times that I will seem to actually be treating you with respect and love, I'll be trying to hold back my lunch from escaping me." He put his head in his hands. "I can't believe I agreed to do this!" He looked back up at her. "When we return to Corus, I swear to you that I will resume acting the way I was before. Don't even think that I would ever act like this without having a good reason."

Kel sneered at him. "I can't believe you would think that I'd want you to! Your whole life, all you ever did was try to stop me from achieving my goals. All you ever did was try to get me and my friends in trouble and get away with everything. All you ever did was ruin my life and try to make a fool of me. All you ever did was-"

Joren interrupted her by putting his hand over her mouth. "Be quiet!" he whispered sharply. "What if someone were to hear you? Our whole cover would be blown and you would be endangering all the people who sent us here!" He saw understanding in Kel's eyes, but they did not lack the anger from before. He let go of her. "Now, come on, let's get inside."

They started walking inside, but Kel was still muttering. He gave her a sharp look and she stopped, but not before giving him a glare. Once they had entered, they started playing their parts well. Kel started to slightly shrink out of view, trying to make herself look as if she were extremely shy. However, she could not stay inconspicuous for long. No matter how much she would disagree with it, she was very attractive. She had a pretty good body for someone who had spent her life fighting instead of primping herself. She also had a pretty face, her dreamer's hazel eyes seemed to shimmer intelligently with unspoken thoughts. Also, her dark hair went along very well with her slightly-tanned thin face.

Some men who were sitting down at wooden tables looked up as she passed and their eyes widened at her beauty. Unfortunately, Joren noticed this and almost gagged. 'How in the world can they believe that the Lump is actually good-looking?' he asked himself silently. Deep down inside, though, in a subconscious portion of his mind, he knew that she really was pretty, but he could never admit that to anyone, or to himself, for that matter. Once they had gotten themselves a room, a servant girl took them up to it. The whole time, she was giving Joren suggestive looks that he ignored. He had no time for such nonsense.

The interior of their room was very simple, with two small beds and a little table that held an oil lamp that provided the room with light. The beds had light brown quilts on them and thin cotton-filled pillows. The sheets were white and clean on the beds, and the curtains on the window overlooking the village were made of brown wool. Kel plopped down on her bed and put her head over her hands and looked up at the ceiling, studying it as if it were very interesting.

"I guess this is our quarters for the next few weeks," she said, quietly. Then she jumped off the bed and walked over toward the door.

"Where are you going?" asked Joren irritably.

Kel turned around to look at him in the eye. "Joren, I really do not need to report to you for everything in my life, no matter what you might think."

Joren scowled at her. "Even though I would not want to know how you spend your measly time, I must remind you that we are on a mission, and that means that you need to inform me of all the things that you do."

Kel rolled her eyes. "Is it really a crime to want to get some food downstairs?"

Joren smirked. "Anything is a crime when you're the one doing it."

After sending a dark glare in his direction, she left the room and walked downstairs. At a table in a corner of the room, a man looked at her. Kel, oblivious to his gaze, asked a servant girl who worked in the kitchen to get her some food. The girl nodded, and Kel sat at a table near where the man was sitting. He stood up and walked over to her.

Kel looked up at the man who sat in a seat across from her. He was devilishly handsome, with bright emerald eyes and shoulder-length black hair tied in the back. He grinned at her and she could feel herself smiling back.

"Hello, my lady," he said to her in a low, rich voice. She realized she was blushing and inwardly cursed herself. Then she realized that this was the way she was expected to behave.

"My name is Briones Kramin," he told her. "And may I have the pleasure of knowing your name?"

'He definitely is a charmer,' Kel conceded. She was about to tell him she was Keladry of Mindelan, but at the last moment, she remembered the mission and said, in a quiet, meek voice, "Heryn Mantell." Cursing herself silently for her foolishness, she looked down and then up at him again. She had been careless, yet it was so hard to think straight with those piercing emerald eyes on her.

He took her hand that had been resting on the table and kissed it. "A lovely name for a lovely lady." Once again, she could feel herself blushing. Then she realized that she recognized his name. 'Briones Kramin. Where have I heard that name before,' she asked herself. Then realization hit her. This was the man who was suspected to be the leader of those who were plotting. Kel knew at once that this wasn't the man that she should be flirting with, but then she realized that flirting was exactly what she should do. Myles had told her before she had left that having a woman on a spying mission was always smart, because they could always encourage the men into telling their plans.

She smiled. This mission was about to become interesting.

~ * ~

A/N: I know, I know, that was really short. You officially have the right to flame me. Also, I cannot promise more soon. *cringes* I have to write a story for my father for Christmas, so that is going to take up most of my time. AND, I also have plenty of other stories that need updating. SO, please be patient and I will update as soon as I can. To make up for my lack of chapter, I promise you that there will be fluff in the next chapter.

Yes, you heard me right, there will be fluff. I hate writing fluff, so you should know that this is a really big deal for me and be happy!

Thanks!

~Kristin