Hello everyone! I'm back with the second chapter! We left off with Kel going on a ride with Dom, and Freckle and Peg overhearing Shadow Man. Read and review, please! I NEED reviews!

Disclaimer: No, like before, I do not own any. Although, if you count Shadow Man, then yes I do, but you don't know the real identity of him, so he could be someone already owned by the wonderful TP. I won't spoil the fun for you yet.

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Chapter 2

In Which Someone Tries to Kill Kel

Kel and Dom rode in silence for most of the time. Occasionally, one would attempt to start a conversation, but most of the time, the conversation ended too quickly.

A couple minutes had passed since the last conversation had failed when a voice, faint but a voice nonetheless, yelled Kel's name.

"Kel! Kel! Kel!" It was Yuki, galloping towards them. "Kel-Oh, hi Dom I didn't know you were riding with her. KEL! Stop!" Yuki was somehow running out of breath, but yet she was riding on a horse.

Kel sighed, and stopped. Dom cursed under his breath. Yuki could sometimes get caught talking for hours on end if she felt that what she was talking about was important.

"Kel, guess what happened right now?"

"What is it this time?"

"Neal asked me to marry him! He's behind me right now, going too slow, like always Anyway, Kel, I saw you and just had to tell you! But, don't you usually practice with your glaive in the mornings?" Yuki looked confused. Then she remembered that Kel wasn't riding alone. A grin formed on her face. She opened her mouth to comment, but Neal's voice rang out before she could reply.

"Yuki? Yukimi! Where have you run off to, my love? Where are you?"

Yuki sighed. Kel grinned. Dom grunted.

"I'm starting to think that I shouldn't have said yes." Yuki muttered. To Neal, she yelled, "Over here, Neal! In the clearing!"

Everyone heard Neal curse, then burst out laughing when he walked into the clearing covered with mud, leading his horse toward them.

"Be quiet, or I'll-I'll-I don't know what I'll do, but you won't like it! Yuki" Neal begged, "Can we go back to the palace now?"

"Alright, alright. Let's not get mad at each other, now. We're not even married yet, remember?" Yuki replied.

Neal smiled. Yuki smiled back. Kel and Dom laughed and laughed and laughed until tears came to their eyes, and their stomachs hurt, and they had to go to the bathroom. By the time they could stop laughing, and had calmed down, Yuki and Neal had left.

"I guess we should head back, too" exclaimed Dom.

"Yeah, sure. Um, Dom, I want to go somewhere really fast, so you can go back, but I'll get back later, okay?"

Dom cursed under his breath.

"Okay, Kel. But before you leave can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, ask away."

Dom dismounted. Kel followed suit.

"You know how there is the ball tomorrow? Well, if you aren't going with anyone, because I'm not going with anyone-Kel, look out!"

An arrow shot through the trees straight toward Kel. Dom ran to her, and pushed her away. The arrow had missed its mark, but made another.

"Dom! No!" Kel screamed. She ran and ripped the end of the arrow, much to the dismay of Dom, picked him up, much to the dismay of Dom again, helped him onto her horse, mounted, and started galloping to the castle.

Dom whispered something, but it was too soft for Kel to hear.

"What?" She exclaimed, trying to sound like nothing had happened, and that Dom didn't have an arrow through him.

"I'm fine." Dom muttered, and smiled, trying to move to face her, then winced at the pain.

"No, you're not, Dom. You have an arrow in you. Now, I'm going to take you to the palace healer. Then you will be fine." She retorted.

When they got to the stable, she didn't even care to tie up Peachblossom. Half dragging, half carrying Dom, she rushed to the palace.

"Dom" she whispered, "I know this might not be the right time, but I think I love you."

Dom laughed uneasily.

"That's funny, because I think I love you, too. Oh, I was going to ask you, before the arrow came, if you would care to go to the ball with me. I guess the moment was kind of ruined though."

Kel stopped walking. She hesitated, then gently pressed her lips on Dom's. Her whole body grew giddy, and she gained strength with that soft, sweet kiss. She ran. Kel ran to the palace healer, now worried for Dom more than ever.

Duke Baird himself grabbed his nephew, and took him into another room.

Minutes, hours, days passed, and every second, as Kel was eating, or practicing with her glaive, or just walking around, she was thinking of Dom. Why hasn't he come out of the healing rooms yet? Kel wondered.

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Three days after Dom had been struck with the arrow there was a knock on Kel's door. She opened it to find Duke Baird staring at her grimly. Her spirits sank.

"Kel, I thought you might want to know. The arrow Dom was pierced with" He trailed off.

Kel started pacing the room, tripped, and almost fell over, but neither of them were in the mood to laugh.

"The arrow was poisoned, Kel. We trying our best, but it's getting worse. All we can do now is just keep him alive." Duke Baird managed to mutter.

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Five leagues away, a feminine voice rang out from an alley.

"You fool! All you had to do was shoot the arrow and hit one huge target! But no! You had to hit someone else instead! I gave you to her on a silver platter, but you screwed it all up! The things I have to do to live with you people!"

"I'm very sorry, m'lady! It would've hit her, but a man pushed her out of the way! I swear it would have hit her! I can't get her alone!" whimpered Shadow Man.

"Tell you what. I'll let you have another chance. If you kill her, you get the prize. You fail to kill her, and I will give you-and your little pig too-the slowest, most painful death any of you have ever had!"

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That's it. Reviews please! I will die the slowest, most painful death I have ever had if I don't get reviews!