A/N: OK, so the prologue was a little corny, but its going to get better. All characters(as far as I know) belong to Tamora Pierce. Don't steal my plot or I'll sue you senseless. Be warned.
Rekindled
Chapter One: A Talk With a Stranger
By: DarkDracon0
"So, how long have you been here?"
Kel, sweat pouring down her body and not wanting anything to interrupt her staff exercise, merely glanced at the speaker and continued the exercise.
"Did you hear?"
"Go away." The man raised an eyebrow, looking at her quizzically. His face suddenly broke out into a grin.
"You're that girl who was insane enough to try to become the first candidate page, then on to squire and lady knight, aren't you?"
Kel stopped her exercise, suddenly furious. This man had no right to judge her sanity and her choices! she thought fiercly. How dare he! Kel glared at the man.
" You have no right to judge my sanity. Myself and my family are all sane. Anyhow, didn't your mother teach that it isn't proper to say things such as these to a lady?
" You're no lady."
Kel glared at him again. She said, " Well, you shouldn't say that sort of thing to any woman, lady or no lady,
sane or insane. This just goes to show that all you men think that women are only good enough for sewing, cooking and other like. We can do more than domestic chores."
" I certainly did not say anything about women being useless. Do you think women are useless?"
" I am a woman."
" I believe I was asking for your opinion, not your gender."
Kel eyed the man. He was strange. Surely he should know what her opinion of what uses women were good for. Didn't she already prove it a few times over?
" I think that women are sometimes superior to the male intelligance, common sense, and abilities. We give males heirs to carry the family name. We care for our homes when the husband is away. We tend to the servants and keep the home clean. What about you, sir whatever-your-name is?"
The man gave her another grin, then winked at her. "I am in total agreement with you, my lady."
Kel could only stare at him. Not many men agreed with her opinion, or well, not the conservatives. Ever since Baroness Alanna of Pirate's Swoop, Olau and Trebond was knighted, some men began to change their ideas of a women's uses. After Sir Alanna retrieved the Dominion Jewel, she became legend. Men were then convinced. Perhaps women had more uses than sewing, cooking, do domestic indoor chores. Sir Alanna had proved herself worthy of a knight's shield by doing such a feat. But Kel had not done any such feat. She was just the strange Yamani girl who was knighted and hadn't proved anything. Other than being a great strategist and tacticsman. Or rather tacticswoman, she thought. Who was this man?
"If I may be so bold as to ask, who are you?"
"Who am I? I am a simple man."
"Uh, well, your name, sir." The stupid ass winked at her again.
"You'll find out, soon. I promise."
" That promise won't be worth much if you are really some thief trying to flirt with ladies and win their affections. If you do succeed in that area of expertise and seduce a lady, I suspect you will steal their purses in the end." The man stared at her for a moment before throwing his head back and laughed. The ass gave her a full-throated laugh, right in her respectable face. His laugh sounded strange, almost rusty, as if he hadn't used in a long time.
"I assure you, my lady, that I am not a thief that seduces ladies and steal their purses as I win their affections. By Mithros, I haven't laughed in a while." Damn him, he found her amusing!
" You know, I quite dislike at the you moment, sir."
"We do not even know each other's first names and you already dislike me, my lady?"
" I thought you knew me as the 'insane girl who was the first candidate page'. You should surely know my name."
" Alas, I do know your name."
" I do not know yours."
" I promise you will find out soon enough."
" Ah. That helps."
" Doesn't it?"
" Immensely so."
The noon bell suddenly rung, its booming effect rumbled through the entire palace. The man looked up. "Ah, 'tis time for me to leave. I enjoyed our talk this morning, my lady. We will meet again."
He left before Kel could reply. Kel stared after his retreating back. I just had a talk with a complete stranger, she thought. Am I turning soft? was Kel's last thought as she put her practice staff back on to the rack at the end of the practice court and headed for the mess hall for her lunch.
Author's Note: That was a little weird I know. Tell me if you think Kel was a little off character. Remember guys(and girls) that this is set after Kel was knighted. So I guess you could say that she changed a bit. I didn't put a description of the guy because I fit that into a different chapter after Kel sees the guy again. Oh and put in the review which guy you want me to pair Kel with. Just because I made talk to a complete stranger doesn't mean that he's one she's going to fall in love with. I'll see which guy with Kel appeals to me. Cya! DarkDracon0 ;)
Rekindled
Chapter One: A Talk With a Stranger
By: DarkDracon0
"So, how long have you been here?"
Kel, sweat pouring down her body and not wanting anything to interrupt her staff exercise, merely glanced at the speaker and continued the exercise.
"Did you hear?"
"Go away." The man raised an eyebrow, looking at her quizzically. His face suddenly broke out into a grin.
"You're that girl who was insane enough to try to become the first candidate page, then on to squire and lady knight, aren't you?"
Kel stopped her exercise, suddenly furious. This man had no right to judge her sanity and her choices! she thought fiercly. How dare he! Kel glared at the man.
" You have no right to judge my sanity. Myself and my family are all sane. Anyhow, didn't your mother teach that it isn't proper to say things such as these to a lady?
" You're no lady."
Kel glared at him again. She said, " Well, you shouldn't say that sort of thing to any woman, lady or no lady,
sane or insane. This just goes to show that all you men think that women are only good enough for sewing, cooking and other like. We can do more than domestic chores."
" I certainly did not say anything about women being useless. Do you think women are useless?"
" I am a woman."
" I believe I was asking for your opinion, not your gender."
Kel eyed the man. He was strange. Surely he should know what her opinion of what uses women were good for. Didn't she already prove it a few times over?
" I think that women are sometimes superior to the male intelligance, common sense, and abilities. We give males heirs to carry the family name. We care for our homes when the husband is away. We tend to the servants and keep the home clean. What about you, sir whatever-your-name is?"
The man gave her another grin, then winked at her. "I am in total agreement with you, my lady."
Kel could only stare at him. Not many men agreed with her opinion, or well, not the conservatives. Ever since Baroness Alanna of Pirate's Swoop, Olau and Trebond was knighted, some men began to change their ideas of a women's uses. After Sir Alanna retrieved the Dominion Jewel, she became legend. Men were then convinced. Perhaps women had more uses than sewing, cooking, do domestic indoor chores. Sir Alanna had proved herself worthy of a knight's shield by doing such a feat. But Kel had not done any such feat. She was just the strange Yamani girl who was knighted and hadn't proved anything. Other than being a great strategist and tacticsman. Or rather tacticswoman, she thought. Who was this man?
"If I may be so bold as to ask, who are you?"
"Who am I? I am a simple man."
"Uh, well, your name, sir." The stupid ass winked at her again.
"You'll find out, soon. I promise."
" That promise won't be worth much if you are really some thief trying to flirt with ladies and win their affections. If you do succeed in that area of expertise and seduce a lady, I suspect you will steal their purses in the end." The man stared at her for a moment before throwing his head back and laughed. The ass gave her a full-throated laugh, right in her respectable face. His laugh sounded strange, almost rusty, as if he hadn't used in a long time.
"I assure you, my lady, that I am not a thief that seduces ladies and steal their purses as I win their affections. By Mithros, I haven't laughed in a while." Damn him, he found her amusing!
" You know, I quite dislike at the you moment, sir."
"We do not even know each other's first names and you already dislike me, my lady?"
" I thought you knew me as the 'insane girl who was the first candidate page'. You should surely know my name."
" Alas, I do know your name."
" I do not know yours."
" I promise you will find out soon enough."
" Ah. That helps."
" Doesn't it?"
" Immensely so."
The noon bell suddenly rung, its booming effect rumbled through the entire palace. The man looked up. "Ah, 'tis time for me to leave. I enjoyed our talk this morning, my lady. We will meet again."
He left before Kel could reply. Kel stared after his retreating back. I just had a talk with a complete stranger, she thought. Am I turning soft? was Kel's last thought as she put her practice staff back on to the rack at the end of the practice court and headed for the mess hall for her lunch.
Author's Note: That was a little weird I know. Tell me if you think Kel was a little off character. Remember guys(and girls) that this is set after Kel was knighted. So I guess you could say that she changed a bit. I didn't put a description of the guy because I fit that into a different chapter after Kel sees the guy again. Oh and put in the review which guy you want me to pair Kel with. Just because I made talk to a complete stranger doesn't mean that he's one she's going to fall in love with. I'll see which guy with Kel appeals to me. Cya! DarkDracon0 ;)