Disclaimer: yes, we know, I own NOTHING. All characters except for Darryn are not mine.

A/N: Thank you all for reviewing that did…you've made me one very happy penguin. Thank you also to Csporty128 (AKA MusicMagelet) for her help with the formatting…as you can see, I finally got it to work right. (yay)

Kel's Diary is in italics.

Flashbacks are in bold.

Kel's thoughts while in flashbacks are bold italic.

Everything else is just normal.

(hope that wasn't too confusing.)

I'm not fickle…am I?

Corus: May 7, 461

After many long days in the saddle , we're finally here. Tobe and I rode through the main gates of Corus just as the sun set. The fiery light made the city glow. It was so beautiful and it's so wonderful to be home.

Tobe was so happy to get here, and so curious. He's never been anywhere like this. He'd only ever been in that village, Queensgrace, before I met him, and since then has only seen forts and army camps—never anything like Corus. Someday I'll take him to Port Caynn If his eyes bugged out here I'd like to see the look on his face when he gets a look at that city.

Kel smiled, remembering:

The sun's last rays peeked over the tree tops, illuminating the whole city for a brief second longer before slowly fading. Tobe stared at the sight before him, awed. His eyes wandered through the great markets to rest on the palace in all its magnificence.

He pointed to it. "That's where we're going, milady?" he asked incredulously.

Kel gazed fondly at the place she now called home and nodded.

Toby whistled appreciatively, then grimaced as his stomach loudly protested the lack of dinner. "They will feed us there, won't they?" he pleaded.

Kel grinned down at him and led Peachblossom down the hill into the city.

We put Peachblossom in the stables and all but tossed our bags on the floor of my old room before Tobe tried to drag me down to the mess hall (that I had pointed out to him on the way in). Note to self: never get between that boy and his food!

All kidding aside, though, it is good to be back, to be able to eat with familiar faces that I haven't seen since we went North. But the old mess hall is changed, somehow. Far too many empty chairs and empty tables. This will take some getting used to.

Kel put down her quill for a moment and closed her eyes.

Kel finally gave in to Tobe's persistent tugging and let him lead her back to the mess hall. She peered around the room until she saw Neal and Yuki sitting together at one of the far tables.

Oooooh. This is just too good to pass up.

Catching Neal's eye she put a finger to her lips and motioned at Yuki who was sitting with her back to Kel. Neal gave an almost imperceptible nod to say he understood. Cautioning Tobe to be silent, Kel snuck over to their table. Standing right behind Yuki, she said loudly, "Well I suppose some things never change."

Yuki spun around and jumped up to hug her friend, yelling, "You're back!!" Stepping back, she swatted Kel lightly on the arm and glared at her. "Never do that to me again!"

Kel grinned. Yuki is becoming less like a Yamani every time I see her.

Tobe tugged on the hem of her tunic and looked up at her with pleading eyes.

"Alright, alright. We can go get food now," Kel grumbled. Tobe grinned impishly and dragged her away to the serving line.

I ate supper with Neal and Yuki. Lord Wyldon and Owen haven't returned from the North yet, and neither have Raoul and the Own. Neal said that Buri got so fed up with waiting for Raoul to come home that she left a week ago to go drag him back. They should be here before the next week is out.

Neal was amazed at the way Tobe was eating. It was so funny to watch his face.

Neal watched the boy, fascinated, as Tobe ate single-mindedly, digging his way methodically through his second bowl of stew. "Hungry are you?" Neal asked. The boy nodded, not even looking up or disrupting the rhythm of his movements. Yuki reached over and picked her husband's jaw off the table. Neal looked up and stared at Yuki and Kel. The two women looked at each other and said at the same time, "Eat your vegetables, Neal." Neal scowled. Kel and Yuki burst into laughter at his expression.

Suddenly a stranger walked into the hall. Only Kel seemed startled by his appearance. She poked Yuki and asked, "Who's he?" tilting her head in the direction of the tall blond man as he made his way toward the serving line.

Yuki followed her gaze. "Him? He's the visiting diplomat from Tyra—a baron by the name of Darryn. (A/N: see? Darryn's here! Yay. I was going to have him be from Maren…but "Baron Darryn of Maren" was just too funny. I couldn't inflict my only original character with a name like that.)

Kel watched him go and sit down at one of the emptier tables. Darryn, hmmm? He's pretty cute. Gah! What am I thinking? Mithros help me. Kel shuddered and went back to eating.

Even with my poor innocent wrist being pulled out by a ravenous Tobe, it really is great to be home.

Wow that was long. Be nice to the poor little penguin's tired fingers and review, ok? Oh yeah, and if anybody recognized the line, "empty chairs at empty tables" as being from Les Miserables, they were right…its not mine either. Well…I think that's it….please review!

~ Erm the Penguin ~