Sorry I forgot to put this before.  Everything is Tamora Pierce's except the plot, which is mine.  The characters are hers.

Neal to the rescue

Neal was standing in the doorway, looking rather disheveled.

            "What happened?"  He demanded.  Owen handed him the letter as he finished getting Kel situated.  Neal read it and looked up at Owen. 

            "She passed out.  After, of course, she laughed like a fool and claimed that it was a joke.  I hope she's okay."  Neal nodded absentmindedly and reached a hand out to Kel to heal her.  Owen knocked his hand away.  "This isn't a pain you can fix.  Her soul is hurt.  You can't heal that."  Neal nodded again.  He seemed too shocked to do anything else.  "We should go."  Owen gently grabbed Neal's arm and steered him out of the room.  Owen shut the door.  "Lock it."  Ordered Owen.  Neal complied.  He followed Owen out to the stables where Owen met Wyldon.

            "How is she?" He inquired.

            "She's sleeping now, thank the Goddess."

            "What caused that?  Sir Keladry's never had fainting fits before."

            "Sir Cleon has died."  Owen explained.

            "Why should that matter?  He was a friend of hers, I know, but I didn't think that she would faint over his death."

            "Cleon and Kel were," Owen searched for the right word.

            "Seeing each other." Interjected Neal.  It was the first time he spoke since hearing the news.  Realization dawned on Wyldon's face.

            "Oh." Was all he said.  "You may have the rest of the day off, Owen."

            "Thank you sir."  Owen rarely got a day off.  He knew it was because of Kel.  He and Neal headed back up to the palace.

            "Where are the others?" inquired Owen.

            "I wouldn't know." Replied Neal.

            "Didn't you see them at breakfast?"

            "I uh ate breakfast with Yuki."  Owen grinned.  They headed for the knights quarters.  The boys were in Merric's rooms.  They looked up as Neal and Owen came in.

            "So Neal, did you have fun last night?"  Asked Seaver with a smirk on his face.  It disappeared when he saw the look on their faces.  When nobody spoke for a while, Esmond finally inquired.

            "Why the long faces and where's Kel?  I thought she was jousting with the Stump."  Neal's friends had picked up his nickname for Lord Wyldon.

            "Cleon was killed by Scanrans.  Kel's sleeping in her rooms."  Kel's friends fell silent.  They heard someone drop a pin in the hallway.  They sat in Merric's rooms all day, thinking about Kel and Cleon.

            "It's not fair!" Merric finally exploded.  "If anyone deserves happiness, it's Kel.  And she was happy with Cleon.  He was good to her."

            "At least we agree on something."  Said Esmond.  The room fell silent once more.  They finally went to dinner, realizing that they had missed lunch.  Kel didn't show.  They went back to Neal's rooms.  Prince Roald joined them and was informed of the news.

            "Well, now we have to work on operation cheer up Kel."  He ordered.  "We have to get her to talk.  It will be better if it's only one or two of us.  She needs to feel comfortable.  Now, who wants to go?"  Every boy volunteered.  "This won't work.  Let's try this.  How many have seen Kel at her most vulnerable?"

            "I've seen her cry, or at least as close to crying as Kel gets." Volunteered Neal.

            "She fainted in front of me."  Offered Owen.

            "That works.  Now, who's the most sensitive?  Whose shoulder should she cry on?"

            "Neal." Chorused the boys.  He smiled.

            "I guess I'm elected.  Who's going with me?"

            "Owen." They told him.  The boys found themselves shoved out the door. 

Thanks again to all you reviewers.  You guys are the best!

I hate to bribe, but the more reviews I get, the more chapters I'll put up.