Hi everybody!! I'm back again, climbing out of my endless mound of summer homework to write a short little chapter because I had a sudden burst of inspiration ^__^ and was afraid that if I didn't write it out I would forget and then I'd never get another chapter out. So…here I am! Freshly back from vacation (on which we saw way too many buffalo and not enough trees)…fun huh? Well…I honestly can't think of anything else to say at the moment, so…just go ahead and read it.

Disclaimer: The great, wise, and noble Tamora Pierce owns everything. All I own is Darryn and the plot (at least…I think I own the plot…I hope I do…). Yeah…so don't sue me. You won't get anything. Please don't repossess my igloo!!! It's all I own, really!

Chapter 7: Kel Does Something Stupid

Corus: August 12, 461

I'm back…well…I can't honestly say that because I never really left, if you take my meaning, but since I haven't felt the need to write anything in particular for so long I felt like making some sort of comment about it. The reason for my sudden reappearance is…well…its kind of embarrassing…but I needed to get it out of my system, and simply riding Peachblossom at the quintain twenty times and then beating the head off of the dummy in the practice courts haven't done anything for my mental state. If I still feel horrid after this I think I'll do a few pattern dances with my glaive. Hopefully by then I will have passed out from sheer exhaustion and will not have to think about my immense stupidity any longer. (Hopefully.) Although, I might not be able to do that when I'm finished with this either, since its been quite a while since midnight passed, and I don't believe that my neighbors would take kindly to me waking them up in the middle of the night. Oh well. I'll just have to be very, very quiet then, won't I?

Can you tell I'm avoiding what I was here to write in the first place? Yes…it really is that embarrassing, and horrible, and oh I'm such an idiot. Don't you deny it—you know its true! But first (and yes, I'm still avoiding talking about it, but there's a reason now…a good reason, really…) you have to get a little background information to be able to understand what's going on. You see, Darryn went back to Tyra in June…and I haven't seen (or thought of) him since then. Sad, isn't it? I never really knew him anyway…we hardly ever saw each other and when we did, we didn't have any real conversations so I never got to know him. And that's where the problem is. I only liked him (I think) because of his looks (something I have promised myself never to do again—it only leads to trouble). I have no idea whether or not he has a sense of humor, if he has any brothers or sisters, what life is like where he lives…none of that.

Ok, so what about Dom, you ask? Funny you'd ask that, really… In the last couple of months we have gotten to be pretty good friends…even better than we had been when I was just Lord Raoul's squire. A few days after I last wrote, Neal and Dom began taking action according to some "plan" they had to, to quote Neal "get me out of this weird mood I've been in ever since before we came home." I didn't know I was acting that strangely. Either way, it seems to have worked because I was a lot happier with my lot in life after they started meddling. I don't hole up in the stables or at the archery courts anymore…and if I do…I'm not alone there. Dom has a lot of free time all of a sudden, and he doesn't mind going for rides to keep Peachblossom from getting too frustrated with anybody that comes within biting distance. We have these great conversations almost every day—we talk about the strangest things, you have no idea. One day we even got into a huge argument (he calls it a "discussion" ha!) about which of these two colors was better. Sigh. I catch myself at odd moments fantasizing about what could be someday in the future…and then I slap myself to try and snap out of it. Doesn't work.

Ok…so what's wrong then? Sounds like everything's going great, right? Well…that's where everything went wrong. The other day, we were walking across the courtyard, heading in from the stables. We weren't even talking…just walking along in a companionable silence. And then I go and (yes, this is the part where I'm an idiot) say something in Yamani under my breath…he wasn't supposed to hear me…but he did, and asked me what I'd said…(you want to know what I said, too, don't you? Oh phooey. I said, uh…well…it doesn't matter what the exact word I used was…but it means…um…cough…I love you…cough.) Horrible, right? Yeah. Well…I refused to tell him what it meant (of course! Did you honestly think I'd be that stupid?) So he stopped bugging me about it, but remembered what I'd said and went to ask his wonderful cousin Meathead's wife. (Yuki, knowing nothing about what this was all about, told him, of course. Help!) The next day, he said he knew what I'd said, and then ran over to Lord Raoul (he had been summoned, but he could have waited for me to say something at least) before I could get my poor little mind functioning enough to say anything. So now we're back to the whole Kel is avoiding talking to anyone (especially a certain Sergeant) because she's too embarrassed and shy and doesn't know what to say if she starts talking to the aforementioned member of the Kings Own. Goddess help me, I don't know what I'm going to do about this! And everything had been going so well, too. If he approaches me and decides to start talking, what am I supposed to say? "Oh, yeah, I meant what I said, what about you?" I don't think so!

Mithros! Oh well…I think I'll head over to Lalasa's shop tomorrow or the next day (just as soon as I have free time and am able to sneak out of the palace without certain…people…noticing me. She's always been better at this woman stuff than I have, maybe she'll have some advice for me. And then again, maybe she won't and I'll just wallow in my self disgust and pity forever…(no, I wouldn't really do that…you know that…I'm not that kind of person. I don't wallow. I go out and I hit something. Yes, that's what I'll do. Maybe Neal will feel like collecting just a few more punches off of me after all…but then he'll notice that something's wrong and will pester me (he's very good at that, you know) until I tell him the whole story, and then he'll take it upon himself to talk to Dom and straighten things out…I'm not sure I want that to happen. Oh well. I'm sure I'll feel better about the whole thing in the morning. (I hope) I don't think things could get any better at this time of night anyway…I think I heard the second bell after midnight a little while ago. I don't think I've ever stayed up this late. Looking at the number of candles I've burned, I think I know why now.

*Smiles* Was it worth the wait? (Personally I don't think so, but…I want your opinion…so…yeah) I'm sorry any of you who really liked Darryn (I don't know why you would…I mean jeez… Dom… right there… no competition!) … but he won't be coming back. He's gone…he served his purpose and will now go to the happy place where all those characters go when they aren't needed any more. Note to self: never write author's notes at two in the morning…you say the stupidest things. Well… I still want to know what you think… I'm afraid there isn't much left in this story… I've thought up my ending (finally!!) and I think it should only last another chapter or two at the most. (everybody applaud!! I'm finally going to finish it…maybe I'll even be done before school starts!!) Anyway, this chapter was dedicated to Ernie, the king of the weasel Mafia, for making me laugh 24/7 and for being the inspiration that made me write another chapter out of the blue. ^__^ And now I'm off to my comfy little beddy-bye… I'd just like to wish all of you who are stuck (and sinking) in the same boat as me with all of the demonic summer homework to finish in a very short amount of time. Well…at least the mass insanity and chaos caused by all of this work might make me crazy enough to want to write up another chapter very soon! (right?) well… goodnight all…and just do me a little, itty-bitty, teensy-weensy favor and review, ok? If you do, you just made my night…err…morning? Yeah… Toodles!!!

~ Erm the Penguin ~