23. Completed Task

The following week sped past in a flurry of activity. They had laid Divina to rest deep in the mountain caverns in some place known only by Salamis and Salaman. Her passing was hard on Thoth and Nut, who had known her for decades. The book of spells had also been hidden away once more, in a place the twins would only call 'untouchable'. Now the Eire was filled with people of all clan markings rebuilding the tower, refurnishing the rooms, and restoring the Scanran capital to what Kel assumed was its former glory. At night there were great open dinners in the hall or the town square where anyone was welcome and dances filled the open spaces. Any residual bitterness between clans slowly began to dissipate, along with the effects of the Blood Bond.

Kel tied back her hair which had grown to just past her shoulders. It had been some time since she had it long enough to become a bother. She would need to cut it again soon. Dom didn't seem to mind though, she smiled to herself. Dom was presently involved with hauling slate shingles for the new tower. She could see his darker head among the Scanran blonds as they struggled to pull a cart through the early spring mud. Not that one could tell spring was on it's way with snow still thickly covering the mountain peaks, but the ground knew, and was becoming softer day by day.

Silverwings flew in the open window and landed on her shoulder. This time the immortal brought a friend who had gold hued wings to match the snake-bat's golden teeth. The visitor looked Kel over.

"Silver, is this your mate?"

The immortal whistled.

"Shall I give him a name?"

Another whistle. Kel gently scratched the newcomer along his head scales. "Well then, I'll give you another obvious name. How about Goldstreak?"

The snake-bat turned his head and nodded. A sibilant cry came from his mouth in a nearly human-like laugh. Both immortals launched into the air and vanished out the window. Kel watched them leave then turned to walk down the hallway to her own room. Tonight would be the conclusion of Maggur's hold over the people. A great banquet was being prepared for all five clans to unite under the union of the White Tiger and Black Hawk as they had centuries ago. There, Anita and Tavis would be wed and Salamis and Salaman would be acknowledged as the new Voices of the gods. And the day after, Kel and Dom would be sent home.

Kel sighed. Home, it had been so long since she had even thought about Tortall. Through the duration of her captivity, she only concerned herself with Maggur and his crusade. Now she had time and energy to remember what she had been fighting for - her own country's safety. Wearily entering her room, she paused to pull off her muddy boots before pouring water into the washstand placed in front of a long mirror. All morning she had been helping herd livestock into the town's newly erected pens outside the great stone wall. Llamas, sheep, goats, and chickens all made a chaotic mess as they were sorted out into their new shelters. She had a handful of spit marks on her tunic from disgruntled llamas as well as a bruise on one hip from the hard head of a ram. Her entire left side was covered in horsehair where Peachblossom had continuously scratched his head in greeting. Peeling off the tunic, she tossed it next to her boots to be cleaned later. Pushing the sleeves of her woolen undershirt up to her elbows, she scooped water in her hands and scrubbed away at her face. Temporarily blinded, Kel reached for a towel only to have it pushed into her searching hand. Speaking into the cloth as she dried her face, she said,

"I didn't hear you come in."

Dom's voice was amused. "The door wasn't latched properly."

She finished wiping the water from her eyes and turned to face him. He was splattered in mud from head to toe. His smile was a white crescent in a crust of brown. Putting her hands on her hips, she raised an eyebrow.

"Dom, have you been chasing mudhoppers again?"

His grin widened. "Haven't you heard that it's skin treatment?"

Shaking her head, Kel dipped one corner of the towel in the bowl of water she reached up to clean his face. He grabbed her by the hand and pulled the towel out of her grasp. Looping it around her neck, he pulled her close enough to plant a muddy kiss on her mouth. Wrinkling her nose, she lightly slapped his shoulder, raising a small cloud of dust.

"You taste dirty!"

Dom gave her a mock pout. "I'm hurt, Keladry. I may have some questionable thoughts sometimes, but I didn't think they would effect the way I taste."

Kel couldn't stop the rush of blood to her face as he turned to the long mirror. He had to stoop a little to see himself, leaning over the washstand. He frowned and said, "Well, I suppose that was justified... blurp!"

He was cut of as Kel expertly ducked his face into the waiting water. "Then you'll have to do a bit of cleaning."

He came up sputtering, the dirt quickly becoming streaming liquid mud. "Why you!" He snatched her by the arm and began wiping his face on her shirt. Laughing, she tried to hold him off, but his arms were firmly wrapped around her waist as he roughly rubbed his nose against her collarbone. The water and mud were transferred to from his skin to the wool cloth. Her giggles trailed off as he continued nuzzling against her until his head rested just in the valley of her breasts. Blushing again, she tapped him on the chin.

"Um, Dom, this is a little awkward."

He shifted his hold around her waist but didn't move. His voice became thick as he spoke into her shirt. "Mithros Keladry, I was so afraid I would never see you again. With all the reconstruction going on, I haven't had much time just to be with you. I missed you so much."

Kel's heart jumped oddly in her chest and she was sure he felt it. It was true that they hadn't been able to see much of each other. After Gissa's demise and her own need of recovery, they each had been drawn away by different matters. Slowly she let her fingers comb through his hair till they snagged in the frosting of dirt he had gathered. A small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth as she found even more mud behind his ear. With a sigh she confessed, "I missed you too."

Dom's arms tightened. At his slight chuckle she tilted back his head to give him an inquiring look.

"I was just thinking about that prophecy. Keladry of Tortall becoming the Key to the Scanran's freedom."

"What?"

He straightened to look at her. She blinked in surprise, realizing that they were exactly eye to eye and she no longer had to tilt her head slightly to look at him. "Think about it, the Red brought those tribes together for the first time in centuries, but it was the Protector who showed them the value of every individual."

Kel rolled her eyes. "Don't you start. I'm tired of being called the 'Key' and the 'Protector'. I'm just Kel."

"You're not just Kel. Your title is the Protector and you've done exactly what the gods asked of you. There will always be work for you." Dom's finger trailed lightly down the left side of her face, sending a shiver down her back. Something she had never seen before was gleaming in his eyes and made her breath catch in her throat. "And I'll be one step behind you wherever you go."

"Dom-"

Gently he cut off her protest. "I love you, Keladry. I will always love you, no matter what you do, or what people may name you. You are always Keladry and I love you for it."

The gleam dimmed slightly, but still lingered as he smiled and gave her a slight bow. "However, since we are to attend a wedding this evening and I apparently taste like dirt, I had better go clean up." He gallantly kissed her hand. "See you tonight, my lady love."

Relieved at the return of his lighthearted banter, she smirked. "You and Neal definitely come from the same family. You all have the qualities of expert players."

888

The wedding itself was short. The ceremonies surrounding it took much longer, with vows of the congregation being made to follow under the new Voices, recognition of Anita as one of the Blessed, and a prayer to all the young ones sacrificed to reach this moment of peace. Through it all, Kel watched as Anita's pale hand clung to her new husband's while her eyes focused only on the burning torch placed in front of them as a symbol of their union.

The festivities took place surrounding Protector's Point. Tables had been arranged in a great ring on the West side of the black rock. A platform was the stage for the actual wedding. Tavis and Anita stood before her father, Leon, Tavis's father, Atum, and the White Tiger chieftains, Thoth, and Nut while the twins clasped the new leader's hands over the wedding torch. Anita wore a pale green gown lined with rabbit fur. Her long curling blond hair flowed freely down her back beneath a thin white hood. Tavis's new leather tunic was bleached to a pale gold with a dark brown under tunic. He constantly smiled at the smaller woman next to him. When the people cheered at the announcement of her Blessing she smiled weakly in return until Tavis leaned over and whispered in her ear. Whatever he said steadied her nerves as she stood to speak.

"We have come through many trials the gods have sent us. We have been divided for many years, even as we united under the Red. But we have fulfilled the last prophecy which Divina gave us. We have seen true evil, and defeated it. But we must remember that *evil is best recognized not by its objectives but by the methods it is willing to contemplate in pursuit of them." She paused to look over at Kel.

"We must now remember the past, but not linger within it. We have done one another great wrongs and created valleys between ourselves which may seem impossible to fill. But we must start anew." Anita stretched out her arms in a plea. "**Nothing that is worth doing can be achieved in our lifetime; therefore we must be saved by hope. Nothing which is true or beautiful or good makes complete sense if we look only to the immediate future; therefore we must be saved by faith. Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone." She turned and smiled at Tavis, a beautiful, beaming smile of complete joy. "Therefore we must be saved by love. No virtuous act we make will seem as good from the standpoint of our friend or foe as it is from our own. Therefore we must be saved by the final form of love which is forgiveness."

The crowd murmured as Anita stepped down from the platform and approached Kel. Bowing low, she took the lady knight by the hand and drew her before the others.

"For a long time we have believed that the Blessing makes the greatest leaders. Each one of the chieftains possesses the Sight. However," Anita looked sternly down on her people. "We must no longer blindly follow those with power. The Protector helped fulfill the Prophecy, but she did not posses the Sight. Her gift came from her open and unselfish heart and her unwillingness to let a people suffer, even if they had brought that suffering upon themselves. Use her as your example of a true leader. Blessed or Unblessed, it is what you believe of yourself to be true strength."

Kel carefully maintained a neutral face as the tribes silently stared. Letting her gaze wander over the countless faces, she singled out Dom. His eyes locked with hers and for a moment the rest of the world fell away. Then he smiled. Anita was speaking again, and the crowd began moving in a great circle at the foot of the platform. Each Scanran touched their hand to chest, lips, and forehead in salute as they passed. Dom vanished.

The sudden jangle of bells made her start as a handful of young men and women surrounded the the platform. Drums and flutes began to play in a stomping rhythm. The dancing began in a great swirl of motion. Men and women separated into great circles which alternated within one another. Hands raised, linked and clasped, then lowered in time with the pounding feet and spinning bodies. It was unlike anything Kel had ever participated in, even if she had wished to only watch. She had immediately been swept into the circle and became part of one of the human chains. The motions were free and open, encouraging the dancers to move without any reservation. Kel found herself laughing in sheer pleasure as the lines merged and she was caught about the waist by a young man with the tattoos of the Lynx clan. He whirled her around the circle once before another took his place. The dances in Tortall were all choreographed and rigidly structured. The performances of the Yamani were all individually rehearsed, except the battle patterns. This was completely natural, the steps coming without thought, moving in instinct with the beating of one's heart.

Kel spun away from another temporary partner and came face to face with Dom. They couldn't stop or else they would risk being bowled over by the other pairs caught up in the dance. With a grin, Dom took his place and spun her around. Extremely conscious of his hand on her hip, she stumbled slightly. He turned the misstep into a turn which brought her back against his chest. His warmth reassured her as she twisted back out to arms length. Now would be the time when usually partners switched, but Kel kept hold of Dom's hand. The laughter in his deep blue eyes changed into that same undefinable emotion she had seen earlier. His grip tightened and he began pulling her through the dancers. Confused and without much choice, she followed.

He led her out of the crowd and past the tables laden with steaming pots of stew, roasts, bowls of the white rice and others of brown, and large cups of drink. Nodding amicably to those who greeted them, he finally came to the base of the lonely outcropping of rock. He released her hand and simply looked at her. She sighed, slightly annoyed at his odd behavior.

"Dom, what is it? You've probably worried the hosts, dragging us off like that."

He ran a hand through his hair. Kel made a side note that she was not the only one in need of a trim. "I might have, but with good reason." He turned to look up at the black rock. "I thought it might be better for me to ask this without an audience."

Kel's heart jumped strangely for the second time that day. She had the feeling she knew what was coming.

"Keladry, I know we're both sworn to do the king's duty in Tortall and that there are circumstances which would make what I'd like to ask of you extremely difficult." He smiled sideways. "But if all that didn't exist - if I wasn't a sergeant, and you weren't a knight, would you find me a suitable husband?"

Kel's mind blanked but her mouth jumped ahead of her. "You want me to find you a husband?"

Dom's laugh was short. "I meant, would I be a good husband for you?" He reached out to gently brush a strand of hair out of her face. "I'm trying to ask you if you would marry me."

She took a deep breath to gather her thoughts. Dom was one of the best men she had ever known, or would most likely ever know. She cared for him with an intensity that almost scared her. It was something she didn't have full control over, that that realization was frightening. No one had ever warned her that love was something one had little control over once it took hold. She liked being in control. But Kel knew he would not be offering to give up their life's work without serious consideration. He knew how important being a knight of Tortall was to her and was leaving her with a way out. Now the question was, did she want to take it? She chose her words carefully.

"Dom, if we were not a sergeant or a knight, we most likely would never be in this position now, but we are." She could see doubt creeping into his eyes. "But if we were not who we are now and still had come to this place, I think I would say yes."

Dom's large hands came up to softly cup her face. His long mouth which seemed made for smiling hovered over her own as he replied, "But we are sworn to the king, first and foremost. He has my loyalty, but you will always have my love. Maybe someday the rules will change."

Kel closed her eyes, unable to take in any more of the raw emotion in his gaze. "And if that day comes, I think I would still say yes."

888

A few weeks later they arrived at Mindelan by boat. In doing so, they bypassed all the forces along the Vassa river, where Alanna the Lioness still waited for a chance to go on a rescue. By the time word managed to reach the Champion, she had already managed to reach Atum Plain with three squads behind her. She had been greeted the the Eire with gracious hospitality and escorted back to the Scanran border with promises of future ambassadors for peace between the two countries. Lord Raoul heartily congratulated Kel for what he considered a convenient practical joke. When she tried to apologize for the miscommunication, he simply laughed,

"It's just a reminder that she's still got a lot of fire in her. She was like that in her younger years, planning things out before rushing headlong into trouble."

Silverwings and Goldstreak accompanied Kel and Dom on the ship home. They made wary friends with Nari and Quicksilver, but became quite fond of Jump. Peachblossom would have nothing to do with the two immortals. The Black Robed Numair and Wildmage Daine arrived a day later to make sure the Blood Bond had been completely neutralized. When Daine had ridden into the courtyard of Kel's home, Goldstreak immediately flew down and began whistling shrilly while circling her head. Frowning, the older woman held out her hand.

"What's wrong little one?"

The snake-bat curled up in Daine's hand, pulling his wings close to his body. To everyone's astonishment, the long yellow lines along it's reptilian body began to waver and melt. The gold-tinged wings blurred and began reabsorbing into the main body which became a liquid black. Soon only the head remained, missing it's flying scales. Black eyes looked up at the Wildmage as the gold coloring gathered in a patch on the head. Now it was nothing but a black mass with a snakelike head and golden teeth in a wide mouth. The whistles turned into hissing words.

"Darkingsssss from immortalssss landssss. Dragonsss kinsss."

Daine's eyes grew wide. Disbelieving, she held up the blob. "Goldstreak?"

The blob nodded. Daine turned to Numair. "These are the darkings! The creatures made by Orzone that we left behind in the immortal realms."

Numair leaned over her shoulder and said, "That was years ago. Have they found a way to copulate?"

Silverwings landed next to her mate in her new form. "Yessss, found our own ssshape. Now many in man'ssssss world. Thank you god'ssss born."

Daine looked questioningly at Kel who shrugged. "I found Silver with a torn wing. There is a whole flock of them in the Grimhold Mountains."

Daine wandered off with her immortal acquaintance to catch up on their progress while Numair carefully examined Kel with his Gift. His black and silver fire trickled over her skin like cool water. For an instant it filled her head, then dissipated.

"You seem to have no more trace of whatever ancient spell Maggur used. I give you a clean slate of health." He smiled down at her, being one of the last persons who maintained a few inches of height over her tall build. "Welcome back, lady knight, and congratulations on the success of your venture into the Scanran country. The king wishes to present you to the court in a month or so."

"Present me?"

"Well you did bring peace to entire rivaling country almost single handedly. King Jonathan wishes to commend you for that in front of the others."

Kel looked at Dom who stood just behind her. "If it will make the conservatives see that women can become knights, I'll happily go."

Numair smiled. "Oh, I'm sure you've already proven that."

THE END

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Author's Note: Part of the wedding speech was borrowed from another text. However, I have lost my information on said text. However, I freely admit it is not my own writing - I was impressed by the words enough to want to share them in a different form.