A/N: It was my Writer's Block's fault. I'm really sorry that I haven't been
updating for some what? Two months? Okay, I'll be honest. Two and a half
months! I'm really sorry! I was slacking off and I really didn't have the
time. I hope you like this chapter. After I finish Rekindled, I'm starting
another series as a sequel. Its to be based on Kel's son and daughter.
Sound good? I particularly like this chapter. I think I did a fine job if I
do say so my self. Remember that there's supposed to beromance in this fic?
Well here it is. Enjoy! Toodles!
Rekindled Chapter Seventeen: Changes By: DarkDracon0
They arrived in Corus by sundown. As they entered the city, any commoners and nobles still out stared after them, awed by the sight. They kept an even pace and entered through the palace gates. Stable hands came forward to take their horses and a servant came to lead the men away to rest at the barracks. A steward bowed to Kel and Dante, apologising that the king was busy and requested them to dress for the ball that was to take place in the palace. If they didn't have any appropriate clothing, they could dress in their uniforms or the Queen would supply clothes to them. The steward led them to their rooms in the East Wing. When the steward handed Kel the key to her room, she was already bleary eyed with fatigue. Dante, much to her satisfaction, looked even more miserable. The steward led him to another room across the corridor.
The first thing she saw in the room was the bed. But she restrained herself and saw that the bath tub was already steaming and prepared for her, complete with the soap, towel, and freshly pressed evening clothes on the table nearby. Kel quickly stripped off her dusty traveler's clothes and stepped into the hot bath water, sighing with sheer pleasure. She was finally washing in a tub of nice, hot, clean water rather than in a icy river with shapeless things floating by. She was wrapping herself in a towel when a maid knocked on the sturdy door. Kel opened the door and the maid bobbed a curtsy.
"His Majesty has assigned me to be your maid, my lady," the maid stuttered, surprised by Kel's appearance. She was new, obviously. Everybody in the palace knew her by one significant detail. Her height. Kel blinked.
"I'll manage without your help. Tell His Majesty that I thank him with his thougtfulness." Thoughtfullness, ha! She really didn't have the greatest fondness for King Jonathan. But, then again, who did? The king most certainly did have his flaws. The maid didn't move a muscle. "What?" Kel asked, exasperated. The maid nervously plucked at the corners of her homely gown.
"His Majesty may be angry with me," she said, hesitant. Kel rolled her eyes heavanward. Sighing, she called upon her steady patience. "I'm sure His Majesty will not be angry. If he is, tell him that it's my fault. I will doubtless hear his explosion of rage and I will dash to where is as quickly as I can to save you. You are dismissed." Perhaps it was fatigue and annoyance that made her edgy and sarcastic. The maid stayed in that spot for a while longer before leaving slowly, still furiously plucking her dress and looking uncertain.
Kel closed the door and tossed her towel aside. She examined the dress that lay prepared for her. It was dark blue and styled to the latest fashion at Court. The neckline was deep and the waistline was rather high. The ends of the sleeve were loose while the upper arms were tight. Kel narrowed her eyes at the dress. She didn't particularly like it. The neckline was deep enough to have her breasts nearly tumbling out and the tightness of the sleeves would be uncomfortable. She sincerely hoped the dressmaker had gotten her size right. After nearly an hour of struggling to get the flimsy thing on, there was a knock on the door. Kel snatched the hair brush up, raked it through her hair and arranged it as best she could before opening the door. There stood Dante, looking quite splendid in his clothes.
He wore black breeches of the finest quality and a pristine white shirt underneath a blue tunic that was lined with silver. He was wearing his family's colors. When he saw her, he stared. Kel, uncomfortable under his gaze, fidgeted. He was the first one to speak.
"Uh, I thought that since we're both the commanders and guests that we should enter together. Are you ready?" Kel stepped back from the doorway and gestured for Dante to step into the room. He closed the door. Kel, not noticing, said, "Nearly. It took me a long to get this thing on. I'm trying to get my hair to obey me." She walked to the mirror.
"Here, let me help." Kel's breath caught in her throat when Dante stepped behind her. His hands gently gathered her thick hair together and took the brush from her hand. He was too close. She could feel the heat coming from his body to meet her back. He worked the brush through her hair gently without yanking it out of her scalp as she tended to do when she tried to tame her hair. She watched him through the mirror. He looked intense, concentrating on the brush in his large hand. For a wild moment, Kel imagined what it felt like to have that hand touching her body. Intimately. Kel tried to ward the thought off, but it stayed in her mind, as if branded there.
"There." Kel started, coming back from her daydream. She studied at her reflection through the mirror. She had to give Dante the credit that he had arranged her hair beautifully. He had tied most of it down with a narrow strip of ribbon that had been on the table and there were tendrils hanging down to caress her shoulders. She sent him a questioning look. He smiled.
"There are somethings that a man is born knowing and somethings that he learns through life. I have a younger sister that taught me how to arrange her hair so that she could dress at the same time. She has a habit of being late to something important."
They left the room together to go to the ballroom. Kel, with her hand on Dante's arm as etequiette demanded since he was escorting her there. Kel frowned as they walked through the winding corridors. "Dante, why did the king put on a ball right in the midst of a war?"
Dante, also frowning a bit, replied,"I suppose you can say that it's a symbol that the war is drawing to a close. It's obvious that Tortall will crush Scanra. Some of the clans have retreated into hiding, probably licking their wounds and the warlord is losing support of the remaining clans. The clans are not used to working together and they often fight among themselves. That is why Scanra is considered uncivilized by many. Anyone who first steps into Scanra will be seized by any clan as a enemy and there is a constant civil war. For this reason, there are kings and rulers to lead realms. If Tortall has no leader, she would fall very quickly to invaders and there would be civil war over who would be the next king." Kel nodded, understanding.
"Here we are." They entered the ballroom. The herald stationed by the door saw them and immediately recognised them. His chest swelled before he bellowed out, "The Marquess of Brighton and Lady Keladry of Mindelan!" Heads were turned their way though the chatter of voices didn't lessen. They strode in and Kel was seized in Neal's hug. She was slightly surprised by Neal's sign of affection, but not the least bit disturbed.
"Well, look here! Just barely knighted and you're already the commander of the entire army." Kel laughed at that. Neal looked the same as the last she saw him though she noticed that he had a stubble. "Trying to grow a beard, Neal?" He touched his stubble and shook his head. The movement tossed his hair out of order, but she no longer felt the familiar urge to smooth it down. If she did, it would be out of friendship, not a secret infatuation. In a way she was glad that she had finally gotten over Neal. She didn't want to keep anything from him.
"No. I just haven't the time to shave these days. So how is it up north?" "The Scanrans are holding back pretty much. They haven't the numbers, nor the strength to put together a mass attack." Dante, who had been standing to side watching their reunion, stepped forward. "Are you Nealan of Queenscove?" Neal turned a bit to look at Dante, just noticing him.
"Yes, at your service, my lord marquess." Neal made an elegant bow. Dante smiled, liking Neal. He'd heard of Neal through Alanna. She had described her squire as impudent, a fool, and pretty much a person with a big mouth that couldn't keep his opinion to himself. He wondered how Neal had survived with Alanna as his knight-mistress. Alanna could slice Neal up into little pieces with that sharp tongue of hers. Kel looked from one man to the other before saying, "Neal, I'd like you to meet Dante Slanzar de Dracore, the Marquess of Brighton. Dante, this is Neal of Queenscove, as you seem to know already." They eyed each other for a moment before Dante let a mocking grin show.
"The pleasure's all mine, I assure you, Nealan of Queenscove," Dante said softly, his eyes challenging Neal's. Kel looked at them more closely. Now that she saw them together, she realised that both of them were handsome, with Neal's fairness and Dante's dark devil-may-care features. Neal was Dante's senior by only a few years, but Dante was taller and lean while Neal was a bit broader. Right at this moment, she saw challenge in both men's eyes. Hastily, Kel stepped between them and elbowed Dante's stomach as discreetly as she could. What her elbow met was hard muscle that contracted under her touch. He smiled at her, his eyes flirting. Kel quickly looked away to tell Neal off. Neal, his eyes never leaving Dante, turned away to accept a invitation from a lady for a dance. He led her off toward the dancing floor.
Kel faced Dante, her eyes accusing. "What was that all about? I introduce you to a friend and you go off challenging him! Where's your manners?" Dante smiled at her again. That smile left her unsettled. "It disappeared when I looked at you this evening with that dress on." Kel, unprepared for that kind of response, stared at him. "You shouldn't say those kind of things here." He stepped closer. "Why not?" Kel, now truly flustered and nervous, couldn't think of anything to say. He felt amusement creep in at the confused look on Kel's face.
He offered her his arm. "Care to dance, my lady?" Kel took his offer mutely, as she had no other choice. He led her to the dance floor and whirled her into the rythm of the music. He was a good dance partner, she found out that evening. The music ended and Kel was hot, a result of too many bodies close together while performing an exercise.
"You look a bit warm, Kel, and rather red in the face. Come, the balcony is much cooler and a good remedy from what I am told." Kel merely put her hand on his arm and followed. He had led her to a small balcony that was hidden from view from any prying eyes. Kel walked to the railing and breathed in the scent of the night. The gardens below added to the mixture. "It is beautful tonight, is it not?" Kel turned to Dante. He was standing there with his hands tucked into the pocket of his breeches. He walked to her and leaned his hip on to the railing beside her, his eyes looking out to the expanse of the city of Corus at the palace's feet and spreading.
"Yes, it is." For some reason, she felt excited by the closeness of him. He was close enough that she could breath in his own scent along with the night air. There was silence between them. Dante broke it.
"You know, Kel, have you ever thought of yourself as, perhaps, beautiful?" Kel looked at him. There was only seriousness written on his features. Kel thought.
"Not really." Dante smiled. "Well, you are." Kel blinked for a moment before she felt herself coloring from the compliment. No one had said that before to her, not even Cleon. Well, he had, but indirectly.
Dante slowly reached out to touch her face. She froze at his touch, but she found his hand warm, protective. Not at all the hand that had wielded the sword that had taken so many lives in battle. It was the hand that had gently arranged her hair. But what she saw in his eyes nearly scared her away. It was a look she had never saw before in any man's eyes for her. Desire... the thing that she had heard enough about.
Dante saw the confused look in her eyes and drew his hand away, wondering what the hell had possessed him to touch her. She was young and he had no right to touch her. But her reaction to him had confirmed what he had wondered for a long time. She was virgin. At the revelation, he felt relieved. She still had that flustered look. That look made her seem adorable for some strange reason that eluded his pitiful little brain. Like a lost, little girl. He intended on bringing her home.
He gently framed Kel's face with his hands and lowered his head to hers. She made no move to stop him. He touched his lips to hers. Her lips were soft, and full, as he had imagined they would be. And generous. Her eyes were surprised, but the surprised expression quickly vanished and was replaced with something dark and hot. Her eyes closed before he could look further into them and she brought her hands up to place them on the nape of his neck. For several long moments, they stayed locked in that position, both taking and giving pleasure. Finally, Dante pulled away to stare at Kel. She had a look of disappointment on her face by the loss of their closeness. She tried to pull him back down to her, but Dante resisted, though he was sorely tempted to give Kel what she wanted.
"Kel, if I kiss you again, I may not stop this time," he said, trying to catch his breath. Kel, her eyes now half closed and hooded, looked so tempting and seductive that he wanted to take her, right at that moment, on the damned balcony with nearly the entire Court no more than twenty feet away. Anybody could pass by and spot what was happening.
Still breathing hard, Dante whispered, "I think we should retire for the night now." Kel nodded silently, now understanding passion. They stepped back into the ballroom and headed for the nearest way out. If anybody noticed that the marquess and lady knight had been out alone together in the balcony for a time that would have suggested something more than appropirate had happened, they didn't voice it out to the ones in question. Unfortunately, everybody had noticed.
A/N: Cliffy! That little hot scene between Dante and Kel was pretty good. NO! DON'T MAKE FUN OF ME NICOLE! I'm very proud of myself that I finally wrote an intimate scene without gagging. And I did a damn good job of it, too. I have know officially made this fic a romance and action/adventure. Review and tell me what you thought of this. NICOLE, DON'T TELL ANYONE I ACUTALLY WROTE SOMETHING LIKE THIS!! IF YOU DO, YOU HAVE ALREADY SIGNED YOUR DEATH WARRANT!!
Rekindled Chapter Seventeen: Changes By: DarkDracon0
They arrived in Corus by sundown. As they entered the city, any commoners and nobles still out stared after them, awed by the sight. They kept an even pace and entered through the palace gates. Stable hands came forward to take their horses and a servant came to lead the men away to rest at the barracks. A steward bowed to Kel and Dante, apologising that the king was busy and requested them to dress for the ball that was to take place in the palace. If they didn't have any appropriate clothing, they could dress in their uniforms or the Queen would supply clothes to them. The steward led them to their rooms in the East Wing. When the steward handed Kel the key to her room, she was already bleary eyed with fatigue. Dante, much to her satisfaction, looked even more miserable. The steward led him to another room across the corridor.
The first thing she saw in the room was the bed. But she restrained herself and saw that the bath tub was already steaming and prepared for her, complete with the soap, towel, and freshly pressed evening clothes on the table nearby. Kel quickly stripped off her dusty traveler's clothes and stepped into the hot bath water, sighing with sheer pleasure. She was finally washing in a tub of nice, hot, clean water rather than in a icy river with shapeless things floating by. She was wrapping herself in a towel when a maid knocked on the sturdy door. Kel opened the door and the maid bobbed a curtsy.
"His Majesty has assigned me to be your maid, my lady," the maid stuttered, surprised by Kel's appearance. She was new, obviously. Everybody in the palace knew her by one significant detail. Her height. Kel blinked.
"I'll manage without your help. Tell His Majesty that I thank him with his thougtfulness." Thoughtfullness, ha! She really didn't have the greatest fondness for King Jonathan. But, then again, who did? The king most certainly did have his flaws. The maid didn't move a muscle. "What?" Kel asked, exasperated. The maid nervously plucked at the corners of her homely gown.
"His Majesty may be angry with me," she said, hesitant. Kel rolled her eyes heavanward. Sighing, she called upon her steady patience. "I'm sure His Majesty will not be angry. If he is, tell him that it's my fault. I will doubtless hear his explosion of rage and I will dash to where is as quickly as I can to save you. You are dismissed." Perhaps it was fatigue and annoyance that made her edgy and sarcastic. The maid stayed in that spot for a while longer before leaving slowly, still furiously plucking her dress and looking uncertain.
Kel closed the door and tossed her towel aside. She examined the dress that lay prepared for her. It was dark blue and styled to the latest fashion at Court. The neckline was deep and the waistline was rather high. The ends of the sleeve were loose while the upper arms were tight. Kel narrowed her eyes at the dress. She didn't particularly like it. The neckline was deep enough to have her breasts nearly tumbling out and the tightness of the sleeves would be uncomfortable. She sincerely hoped the dressmaker had gotten her size right. After nearly an hour of struggling to get the flimsy thing on, there was a knock on the door. Kel snatched the hair brush up, raked it through her hair and arranged it as best she could before opening the door. There stood Dante, looking quite splendid in his clothes.
He wore black breeches of the finest quality and a pristine white shirt underneath a blue tunic that was lined with silver. He was wearing his family's colors. When he saw her, he stared. Kel, uncomfortable under his gaze, fidgeted. He was the first one to speak.
"Uh, I thought that since we're both the commanders and guests that we should enter together. Are you ready?" Kel stepped back from the doorway and gestured for Dante to step into the room. He closed the door. Kel, not noticing, said, "Nearly. It took me a long to get this thing on. I'm trying to get my hair to obey me." She walked to the mirror.
"Here, let me help." Kel's breath caught in her throat when Dante stepped behind her. His hands gently gathered her thick hair together and took the brush from her hand. He was too close. She could feel the heat coming from his body to meet her back. He worked the brush through her hair gently without yanking it out of her scalp as she tended to do when she tried to tame her hair. She watched him through the mirror. He looked intense, concentrating on the brush in his large hand. For a wild moment, Kel imagined what it felt like to have that hand touching her body. Intimately. Kel tried to ward the thought off, but it stayed in her mind, as if branded there.
"There." Kel started, coming back from her daydream. She studied at her reflection through the mirror. She had to give Dante the credit that he had arranged her hair beautifully. He had tied most of it down with a narrow strip of ribbon that had been on the table and there were tendrils hanging down to caress her shoulders. She sent him a questioning look. He smiled.
"There are somethings that a man is born knowing and somethings that he learns through life. I have a younger sister that taught me how to arrange her hair so that she could dress at the same time. She has a habit of being late to something important."
They left the room together to go to the ballroom. Kel, with her hand on Dante's arm as etequiette demanded since he was escorting her there. Kel frowned as they walked through the winding corridors. "Dante, why did the king put on a ball right in the midst of a war?"
Dante, also frowning a bit, replied,"I suppose you can say that it's a symbol that the war is drawing to a close. It's obvious that Tortall will crush Scanra. Some of the clans have retreated into hiding, probably licking their wounds and the warlord is losing support of the remaining clans. The clans are not used to working together and they often fight among themselves. That is why Scanra is considered uncivilized by many. Anyone who first steps into Scanra will be seized by any clan as a enemy and there is a constant civil war. For this reason, there are kings and rulers to lead realms. If Tortall has no leader, she would fall very quickly to invaders and there would be civil war over who would be the next king." Kel nodded, understanding.
"Here we are." They entered the ballroom. The herald stationed by the door saw them and immediately recognised them. His chest swelled before he bellowed out, "The Marquess of Brighton and Lady Keladry of Mindelan!" Heads were turned their way though the chatter of voices didn't lessen. They strode in and Kel was seized in Neal's hug. She was slightly surprised by Neal's sign of affection, but not the least bit disturbed.
"Well, look here! Just barely knighted and you're already the commander of the entire army." Kel laughed at that. Neal looked the same as the last she saw him though she noticed that he had a stubble. "Trying to grow a beard, Neal?" He touched his stubble and shook his head. The movement tossed his hair out of order, but she no longer felt the familiar urge to smooth it down. If she did, it would be out of friendship, not a secret infatuation. In a way she was glad that she had finally gotten over Neal. She didn't want to keep anything from him.
"No. I just haven't the time to shave these days. So how is it up north?" "The Scanrans are holding back pretty much. They haven't the numbers, nor the strength to put together a mass attack." Dante, who had been standing to side watching their reunion, stepped forward. "Are you Nealan of Queenscove?" Neal turned a bit to look at Dante, just noticing him.
"Yes, at your service, my lord marquess." Neal made an elegant bow. Dante smiled, liking Neal. He'd heard of Neal through Alanna. She had described her squire as impudent, a fool, and pretty much a person with a big mouth that couldn't keep his opinion to himself. He wondered how Neal had survived with Alanna as his knight-mistress. Alanna could slice Neal up into little pieces with that sharp tongue of hers. Kel looked from one man to the other before saying, "Neal, I'd like you to meet Dante Slanzar de Dracore, the Marquess of Brighton. Dante, this is Neal of Queenscove, as you seem to know already." They eyed each other for a moment before Dante let a mocking grin show.
"The pleasure's all mine, I assure you, Nealan of Queenscove," Dante said softly, his eyes challenging Neal's. Kel looked at them more closely. Now that she saw them together, she realised that both of them were handsome, with Neal's fairness and Dante's dark devil-may-care features. Neal was Dante's senior by only a few years, but Dante was taller and lean while Neal was a bit broader. Right at this moment, she saw challenge in both men's eyes. Hastily, Kel stepped between them and elbowed Dante's stomach as discreetly as she could. What her elbow met was hard muscle that contracted under her touch. He smiled at her, his eyes flirting. Kel quickly looked away to tell Neal off. Neal, his eyes never leaving Dante, turned away to accept a invitation from a lady for a dance. He led her off toward the dancing floor.
Kel faced Dante, her eyes accusing. "What was that all about? I introduce you to a friend and you go off challenging him! Where's your manners?" Dante smiled at her again. That smile left her unsettled. "It disappeared when I looked at you this evening with that dress on." Kel, unprepared for that kind of response, stared at him. "You shouldn't say those kind of things here." He stepped closer. "Why not?" Kel, now truly flustered and nervous, couldn't think of anything to say. He felt amusement creep in at the confused look on Kel's face.
He offered her his arm. "Care to dance, my lady?" Kel took his offer mutely, as she had no other choice. He led her to the dance floor and whirled her into the rythm of the music. He was a good dance partner, she found out that evening. The music ended and Kel was hot, a result of too many bodies close together while performing an exercise.
"You look a bit warm, Kel, and rather red in the face. Come, the balcony is much cooler and a good remedy from what I am told." Kel merely put her hand on his arm and followed. He had led her to a small balcony that was hidden from view from any prying eyes. Kel walked to the railing and breathed in the scent of the night. The gardens below added to the mixture. "It is beautful tonight, is it not?" Kel turned to Dante. He was standing there with his hands tucked into the pocket of his breeches. He walked to her and leaned his hip on to the railing beside her, his eyes looking out to the expanse of the city of Corus at the palace's feet and spreading.
"Yes, it is." For some reason, she felt excited by the closeness of him. He was close enough that she could breath in his own scent along with the night air. There was silence between them. Dante broke it.
"You know, Kel, have you ever thought of yourself as, perhaps, beautiful?" Kel looked at him. There was only seriousness written on his features. Kel thought.
"Not really." Dante smiled. "Well, you are." Kel blinked for a moment before she felt herself coloring from the compliment. No one had said that before to her, not even Cleon. Well, he had, but indirectly.
Dante slowly reached out to touch her face. She froze at his touch, but she found his hand warm, protective. Not at all the hand that had wielded the sword that had taken so many lives in battle. It was the hand that had gently arranged her hair. But what she saw in his eyes nearly scared her away. It was a look she had never saw before in any man's eyes for her. Desire... the thing that she had heard enough about.
Dante saw the confused look in her eyes and drew his hand away, wondering what the hell had possessed him to touch her. She was young and he had no right to touch her. But her reaction to him had confirmed what he had wondered for a long time. She was virgin. At the revelation, he felt relieved. She still had that flustered look. That look made her seem adorable for some strange reason that eluded his pitiful little brain. Like a lost, little girl. He intended on bringing her home.
He gently framed Kel's face with his hands and lowered his head to hers. She made no move to stop him. He touched his lips to hers. Her lips were soft, and full, as he had imagined they would be. And generous. Her eyes were surprised, but the surprised expression quickly vanished and was replaced with something dark and hot. Her eyes closed before he could look further into them and she brought her hands up to place them on the nape of his neck. For several long moments, they stayed locked in that position, both taking and giving pleasure. Finally, Dante pulled away to stare at Kel. She had a look of disappointment on her face by the loss of their closeness. She tried to pull him back down to her, but Dante resisted, though he was sorely tempted to give Kel what she wanted.
"Kel, if I kiss you again, I may not stop this time," he said, trying to catch his breath. Kel, her eyes now half closed and hooded, looked so tempting and seductive that he wanted to take her, right at that moment, on the damned balcony with nearly the entire Court no more than twenty feet away. Anybody could pass by and spot what was happening.
Still breathing hard, Dante whispered, "I think we should retire for the night now." Kel nodded silently, now understanding passion. They stepped back into the ballroom and headed for the nearest way out. If anybody noticed that the marquess and lady knight had been out alone together in the balcony for a time that would have suggested something more than appropirate had happened, they didn't voice it out to the ones in question. Unfortunately, everybody had noticed.
A/N: Cliffy! That little hot scene between Dante and Kel was pretty good. NO! DON'T MAKE FUN OF ME NICOLE! I'm very proud of myself that I finally wrote an intimate scene without gagging. And I did a damn good job of it, too. I have know officially made this fic a romance and action/adventure. Review and tell me what you thought of this. NICOLE, DON'T TELL ANYONE I ACUTALLY WROTE SOMETHING LIKE THIS!! IF YOU DO, YOU HAVE ALREADY SIGNED YOUR DEATH WARRANT!!