The Person You Like the Best
"Finished!" Kel's former maid declared. Keladry of Mindelan glanced down. It wasn't the fact that she was wearing a dress – Kel had done plenty of that when she was a page – but the dress itself. It was the only one that was an available option to her. The other dresses she'd seen were worse. Still, this one had enough frills and lace to decorate all her clothing put together.
"Lovely," sighed Lalasa, helping Kel step out of the dress. "It'll look lovely on you, my lady."
Kel raised one eyebrow. This dress looked like a giant version of something one of her nieces would dress a doll in. She opened her mouth to tell her so, then closed it when she saw the expression on Yuki's face. It reminded her of the look the baby griffin had worn when he clamped his beak her finger. There would be no swaying Yuki.
Kel closed her eyes with a resigned sigh. Yuki had insisted that she wore a dress for her wedding. A _new_ dress.
"It'll do," she said. If it was for anyone but her two best friends' wedding –
"I'll see you here tomorrow for the final fittings then," said Lalasa decisively, before heading out the door, closing it firmly.
Kel sighed again and turned to Yuki, taking a seat on the bed. The Yamani sat at her dresser, pinning up loose hair, humming snatches of a song. Kel smiled, glad for her friend. "You seem so happy."
Yuki turned to Kel momentarily. "I am," she smiled. Kel was taken aback. Yuki was easygoing, but she hid her feelings as well as any Yamani. She must be _really_ happy. "How do you put up with Neal?" asked Kel wonderingly. "I can barely do it, and I don't have him writing poems, or worse, reciting poems, to my knee."
Yuki smiled again. "He's all right really," she replied. "And there are ways of, shall we say, discouraging him from reciting too much poetry. Or the undesirable ones." Kel shuddered. Yuki was a sweet girl, but she got what she wanted when she wanted. She didn't want to know Yuki's methods of "discouraging him".
Yuki turned back to Kel. "And what about you?" she asked, all too innocently. "Who's the person you like the best?"
"What?" Yuki was being very direct, for a Yamani.
Yuki shrugged, something obviously learnt from Neal. "You need someone to make you smile. You've been so serious, so quiet recently."
Shadows around Kel's eyes darkened. How could she ever forget the image of the bodies at Haven? Families, people, dreams, that she'd known, torn apart by the war.
Kel pushed that image away. That was in the past. She couldn't change it, however much she wanted to. And in the end, hadn't things still turned out okay? she asked herself.
Kel was silent for a moment, then realised that Yuki was expecting an answer. Kel searched around in her brain for a moment. Immediately it responded by presenting her with an image of a certain sergeant, blue eyes smiling at her. Irritated, she shoved that thought away too.
Aren't I over that yet? I'm not a lovesick squire anymore, she scolded herself. She had fought with him, laughed with him, plotted against Neal with him. It would be too awkward -- he's just a friend. A good friend, added an annoying part of her mind. And nice too.
Kel noticed Yuki's eyes crinkling at the corners. She glared at her, knowing that she was turning red. She stood up, automatically putting on her best Yamani Lump face, even though she knew Yuki would see through it easily.
"Excuse me," she bowed to Yuki, as she tried to get her embarrassment under control. "I have matters to attend."
Yuki's eyes danced. "Like seeing a certain sergeant, ne?" Kel opened her mouth to either deny the claim, or protest, but she couldn't think of anything suitable for that moment. Now bright red, Kel shook her head mutely.
Yuki, finally unable to resist, grinned widely, speaking volumes about her amusement. "Denial is the first stage, Keladry," she teased.
Kel stalked out of the room.
=,=,=,=,=,=,=,=,=,=
The breeze was strong and fresh, immediately cooling down both Kel's face and temper. Kel regained the ability to think clearly again.
Maybe Yuki is right, thought Kel, strolling in the palace gardens.
But it's not like I have anyone. Cleon has Ermelian, Neal has Yuki, Roald has Shinko, Raoul has Buri...who does Dom have? she found herself wondering.
Then she scowled. Not this again! Domitan of Masbolle came from an old, rich noble house. Younger son he may be, he'll still probably end up marrying some rich court lady anyway. Kel frowned. But men of the Own aren't allowed to marry, part of her mind protested. When he retires, then! Kel argued.
Which will probably be never.
She sighed dramatically. Never to be. Now she sounded like Neal, she realised in disgust.
Kel continued her walk. Lovers strolled in the palace gardens, hand in hand, making cooing noises at each other. Kel glowered. This did not improve her mood in the least. It reminded her of her earlier conversation with Yuki--
"Kel!" a familiar, male voice hissed. Kel scanned her surroundings. There was no-one she knew there.
"Psst! Over here!" Kel peered into the bushes, and to her great surprise, out climbed the object of her thoughts, Sergeant Domitan of Masbolle himself.
Kel stared. Dom cautiously stood up, looking around him. His blue eyes were impish as they danced up at her, his clothes torn by the bush, arms and legs covered with small cuts and scratches by branches. Leaves were caught in his dark hair. Dom made an odd sight in the cultured palace gardens. Still, his presence made her mood lift considerably. He caught sight of Kel's stare and grinned innocently.
"What are you doing?" Kel demanded, before he could say anything about her stare. "You look like you've been ravaged by hurroks."
Dom beamed at her. He didn't seem perturbed in the least. "No, just hiding," he replied cheekily.
"From who?" Though Kel thought she had a pretty good idea...
"Meat - Neal." There was a slightly guilty tone in his answer. It confirmed her worst suspicions. That – and the fact that her felt bad enough to call him Neal. "What?" he cried defensively, in respond to her reproachful look.
"What did you do this time?" Kel groaned.
Dome hung his head, putting on his most sincere guilty look. "I got a recording of Neal singing in the bath and played it to Yuki," came Dom's reply. He rolled a small, black marble between his fingers. Kel recognised it immediately. It was the kind that mages used to send voice reports in times of war.
Kel laughed, something she hadn't done in a long time. I guess I _do_ need someone to make me laugh, she mused.
"Do you mind if I walk with you a bit?" Dom wanted to know. "Neal might think twice about killing me if I'm in under the guard of the Protector of the Small herself," he grinned teasingly.
Kel snorted. Dom was at least 3 inches taller than her and more solid. "If you stop calling me that." A flash of inspiration came into her mind. "And if you give me that." She pointed to the marble in Dom's hand.
Dom's eyes danced wickedly. "Sure thing," Dom replied, handing over the marble. "Protector of the Small." he added with an evil glint in his eye. He reminded her of Owen sometimes, with his boyish glee...Kel shook her head wryly and pocketed the marble. It was good blackmail material, something that she could use during her next argument with Neal.
They walked along the meandering pathways for a while, as Dom described his latest prank against Neal, Kel laughing helplessly as she imagined the expression on Neal's face.
"So what did you get up to today, Kel?" Dom asked mischievously. "Planned any Meathead torture?"
Kel grinned. "No, more like Kel torture. Yuki and Lalasa stuffed me in possibly one of the worst dresses in Corus." She made a face.
"For Neal's wedding, huh?" He smiled sympathetically at her.
Why does he have to be so _nice_? Kel grumbled to herself. She wouldn't admit that his smile had made her heart turn over, just as it did when she was a squire. Kel finally persuaded her head to move, nodding the affirmative.
"What about you? Ever thought about marriage?"
Why is he asking me this? Kel wondered, trying to fight down the rising hope inside her. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes. There was a strange expression in his blue eyes...He's just asking me in a friendly way! she told herself firmly.
"No...I'm the Protector of the Small, remember? I don't have time for these things..." she joked, trying to sound normal and not as if Dom had just asked her to marry him.
"Oh..." Was the only answer. Kel was surprised to hear a disappointed note in his voice.
Kel glanced sideways at Dom. He looked so thoughtful. And she couldn't help wondering at the odd look in his eyes when he'd asked her...
Stop it! she told herself. He doesn't like me in that way! They walked in companionable silence for a while. Kel decided to break the silence with a question. His straightforwardness gave her hope. And if Dom got too interested in the reason she's ask, she could always just say it was out of curiosity. The answer might break her heart, but...
"Yuki asked me a strange question this morning." Dom raised his eyebrows quizzically.
"Who's the person you like the best?"
Dom looked taken aback by her question. Kel smiled at his adorably confused expression.
"You don't already know?" It was Kel's turned to be surprised.
Is he betrothed? she wondered, numb with disappointment. But no, men of the King's Own can't marry – Kel abandoned her train of thought as Dom leaned down, grinning, to kiss her.
From a palace window above the gardens, Neal and Yuki exchanged a knowing look.
=,=,=,=,=,=,=,=,=,=
A/N: Well, it's the best I can do for now. My poor brain is exhausted. ^^ Please review!
"Finished!" Kel's former maid declared. Keladry of Mindelan glanced down. It wasn't the fact that she was wearing a dress – Kel had done plenty of that when she was a page – but the dress itself. It was the only one that was an available option to her. The other dresses she'd seen were worse. Still, this one had enough frills and lace to decorate all her clothing put together.
"Lovely," sighed Lalasa, helping Kel step out of the dress. "It'll look lovely on you, my lady."
Kel raised one eyebrow. This dress looked like a giant version of something one of her nieces would dress a doll in. She opened her mouth to tell her so, then closed it when she saw the expression on Yuki's face. It reminded her of the look the baby griffin had worn when he clamped his beak her finger. There would be no swaying Yuki.
Kel closed her eyes with a resigned sigh. Yuki had insisted that she wore a dress for her wedding. A _new_ dress.
"It'll do," she said. If it was for anyone but her two best friends' wedding –
"I'll see you here tomorrow for the final fittings then," said Lalasa decisively, before heading out the door, closing it firmly.
Kel sighed again and turned to Yuki, taking a seat on the bed. The Yamani sat at her dresser, pinning up loose hair, humming snatches of a song. Kel smiled, glad for her friend. "You seem so happy."
Yuki turned to Kel momentarily. "I am," she smiled. Kel was taken aback. Yuki was easygoing, but she hid her feelings as well as any Yamani. She must be _really_ happy. "How do you put up with Neal?" asked Kel wonderingly. "I can barely do it, and I don't have him writing poems, or worse, reciting poems, to my knee."
Yuki smiled again. "He's all right really," she replied. "And there are ways of, shall we say, discouraging him from reciting too much poetry. Or the undesirable ones." Kel shuddered. Yuki was a sweet girl, but she got what she wanted when she wanted. She didn't want to know Yuki's methods of "discouraging him".
Yuki turned back to Kel. "And what about you?" she asked, all too innocently. "Who's the person you like the best?"
"What?" Yuki was being very direct, for a Yamani.
Yuki shrugged, something obviously learnt from Neal. "You need someone to make you smile. You've been so serious, so quiet recently."
Shadows around Kel's eyes darkened. How could she ever forget the image of the bodies at Haven? Families, people, dreams, that she'd known, torn apart by the war.
Kel pushed that image away. That was in the past. She couldn't change it, however much she wanted to. And in the end, hadn't things still turned out okay? she asked herself.
Kel was silent for a moment, then realised that Yuki was expecting an answer. Kel searched around in her brain for a moment. Immediately it responded by presenting her with an image of a certain sergeant, blue eyes smiling at her. Irritated, she shoved that thought away too.
Aren't I over that yet? I'm not a lovesick squire anymore, she scolded herself. She had fought with him, laughed with him, plotted against Neal with him. It would be too awkward -- he's just a friend. A good friend, added an annoying part of her mind. And nice too.
Kel noticed Yuki's eyes crinkling at the corners. She glared at her, knowing that she was turning red. She stood up, automatically putting on her best Yamani Lump face, even though she knew Yuki would see through it easily.
"Excuse me," she bowed to Yuki, as she tried to get her embarrassment under control. "I have matters to attend."
Yuki's eyes danced. "Like seeing a certain sergeant, ne?" Kel opened her mouth to either deny the claim, or protest, but she couldn't think of anything suitable for that moment. Now bright red, Kel shook her head mutely.
Yuki, finally unable to resist, grinned widely, speaking volumes about her amusement. "Denial is the first stage, Keladry," she teased.
Kel stalked out of the room.
=,=,=,=,=,=,=,=,=,=
The breeze was strong and fresh, immediately cooling down both Kel's face and temper. Kel regained the ability to think clearly again.
Maybe Yuki is right, thought Kel, strolling in the palace gardens.
But it's not like I have anyone. Cleon has Ermelian, Neal has Yuki, Roald has Shinko, Raoul has Buri...who does Dom have? she found herself wondering.
Then she scowled. Not this again! Domitan of Masbolle came from an old, rich noble house. Younger son he may be, he'll still probably end up marrying some rich court lady anyway. Kel frowned. But men of the Own aren't allowed to marry, part of her mind protested. When he retires, then! Kel argued.
Which will probably be never.
She sighed dramatically. Never to be. Now she sounded like Neal, she realised in disgust.
Kel continued her walk. Lovers strolled in the palace gardens, hand in hand, making cooing noises at each other. Kel glowered. This did not improve her mood in the least. It reminded her of her earlier conversation with Yuki--
"Kel!" a familiar, male voice hissed. Kel scanned her surroundings. There was no-one she knew there.
"Psst! Over here!" Kel peered into the bushes, and to her great surprise, out climbed the object of her thoughts, Sergeant Domitan of Masbolle himself.
Kel stared. Dom cautiously stood up, looking around him. His blue eyes were impish as they danced up at her, his clothes torn by the bush, arms and legs covered with small cuts and scratches by branches. Leaves were caught in his dark hair. Dom made an odd sight in the cultured palace gardens. Still, his presence made her mood lift considerably. He caught sight of Kel's stare and grinned innocently.
"What are you doing?" Kel demanded, before he could say anything about her stare. "You look like you've been ravaged by hurroks."
Dom beamed at her. He didn't seem perturbed in the least. "No, just hiding," he replied cheekily.
"From who?" Though Kel thought she had a pretty good idea...
"Meat - Neal." There was a slightly guilty tone in his answer. It confirmed her worst suspicions. That – and the fact that her felt bad enough to call him Neal. "What?" he cried defensively, in respond to her reproachful look.
"What did you do this time?" Kel groaned.
Dome hung his head, putting on his most sincere guilty look. "I got a recording of Neal singing in the bath and played it to Yuki," came Dom's reply. He rolled a small, black marble between his fingers. Kel recognised it immediately. It was the kind that mages used to send voice reports in times of war.
Kel laughed, something she hadn't done in a long time. I guess I _do_ need someone to make me laugh, she mused.
"Do you mind if I walk with you a bit?" Dom wanted to know. "Neal might think twice about killing me if I'm in under the guard of the Protector of the Small herself," he grinned teasingly.
Kel snorted. Dom was at least 3 inches taller than her and more solid. "If you stop calling me that." A flash of inspiration came into her mind. "And if you give me that." She pointed to the marble in Dom's hand.
Dom's eyes danced wickedly. "Sure thing," Dom replied, handing over the marble. "Protector of the Small." he added with an evil glint in his eye. He reminded her of Owen sometimes, with his boyish glee...Kel shook her head wryly and pocketed the marble. It was good blackmail material, something that she could use during her next argument with Neal.
They walked along the meandering pathways for a while, as Dom described his latest prank against Neal, Kel laughing helplessly as she imagined the expression on Neal's face.
"So what did you get up to today, Kel?" Dom asked mischievously. "Planned any Meathead torture?"
Kel grinned. "No, more like Kel torture. Yuki and Lalasa stuffed me in possibly one of the worst dresses in Corus." She made a face.
"For Neal's wedding, huh?" He smiled sympathetically at her.
Why does he have to be so _nice_? Kel grumbled to herself. She wouldn't admit that his smile had made her heart turn over, just as it did when she was a squire. Kel finally persuaded her head to move, nodding the affirmative.
"What about you? Ever thought about marriage?"
Why is he asking me this? Kel wondered, trying to fight down the rising hope inside her. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes. There was a strange expression in his blue eyes...He's just asking me in a friendly way! she told herself firmly.
"No...I'm the Protector of the Small, remember? I don't have time for these things..." she joked, trying to sound normal and not as if Dom had just asked her to marry him.
"Oh..." Was the only answer. Kel was surprised to hear a disappointed note in his voice.
Kel glanced sideways at Dom. He looked so thoughtful. And she couldn't help wondering at the odd look in his eyes when he'd asked her...
Stop it! she told herself. He doesn't like me in that way! They walked in companionable silence for a while. Kel decided to break the silence with a question. His straightforwardness gave her hope. And if Dom got too interested in the reason she's ask, she could always just say it was out of curiosity. The answer might break her heart, but...
"Yuki asked me a strange question this morning." Dom raised his eyebrows quizzically.
"Who's the person you like the best?"
Dom looked taken aback by her question. Kel smiled at his adorably confused expression.
"You don't already know?" It was Kel's turned to be surprised.
Is he betrothed? she wondered, numb with disappointment. But no, men of the King's Own can't marry – Kel abandoned her train of thought as Dom leaned down, grinning, to kiss her.
From a palace window above the gardens, Neal and Yuki exchanged a knowing look.
=,=,=,=,=,=,=,=,=,=
A/N: Well, it's the best I can do for now. My poor brain is exhausted. ^^ Please review!