Wow it's been a long time. I was feeling bored one day so I went back to look at all my old stuff and had the sudden inspiration to keep going with this story. It helped that I read all my old reviews and you people were quite adamant about getting more of this at one point. So here's more. As always, read and review. Bisous!
Kel ran out of the dining hall crying. She heard footsteps behind her and knew that it was Owen. She ducked around a statue and waited for Owen to pass her. He was so predictable! He ran straight to her rooms. It wasn't that Kel didn't want to spend time with him, she just knew that he couldn't make her feel better right now. Kel left the palace, making sure she wasn't seen, and ran down to the stables. On her way, she saw a familiar dark head. Although she couldn't see that well, due the distance and salt water obscuring her vision, Kel was sure the figure also had green eyes.
Kel saddled Hoshi, her speed and distance horse, in a hurry. Lady Knight Alanna of Pirate's Swoop, the other lady knight in Tortall, had told her that she could go to her any time. Kel stopped at Lalassa's to pick up some clothes and was soon on the road again. The normal one week trip took the confused knight four days. Kel had managed to put Neal out of her mind, but when she arrived at Pirate's Swoop, thoughts of him came pouring into her head. Alanna saw that she was in no state for a chat, so she whisked the younger knight off to bed. Kel slept for two full days. When she awoke, the other lady knight standing by her bed, smiling.
"This has something to do with my oh-so-tactful former squire?" Kel nodded.
"Your oh-so-tactful former squire has definitely put his foot in his mouth this time." Kel poured out the events of the past few days. When she finished, Alanna examined Kel for a long time.
"You are taking this extremely well. When Jon and I split up, I was furious for months. Then, after we decided to stay friends and you wanted to come to the palace. Well, I'm sure you heard about that. It was the longest time I went without speaking to my best friend." Alanna giggled at the memory. "He hasn't crossed me since."
"I'm sorry for coming in between you and the king." Kel apologized.
"It's okay, Kel. We'd been looking for an excuse to fight over something. That's the basis of our relationship. Much like you and Neal." Kel winced. Alanna put a hand on her shoulder. "You're going to have to face him eventually, but you can stay here as long as you like. However, I suggest you send a letter to your friends. They will be worried. I know mine were when I went after the Dominion Jewel. Raoul actually came after me."
Alanna smiled as she reminisced about her younger days. She seemed to be doing that a lot. After Alanna left, Kel got dressed and wrote a short letter to Owen. She let him know where she was and that she just needed some space to think things over for a while. As soon as she was finished, a red-haired, purple-eyed boy a little younger than Kel opened her door.
"Mum sent me to escort you to breakfast." He said, bowing with a mock grin on his face.
"And since when does the Lioness' son burst into a lady's room without knocking first?" Kel joked.
"Oh please, you're no lady. You're just like my mum. She's not a lady either." The boy said, bouncing on Kel's bed. "By the way, I'm Thom." He said, offering his hand. Kel took it and flipped him over her hip. Thom grinned as he sat up.
"I should've seen that coming, Mum does that to everybody, when she's in a good mood." Kel couldn't help but grin at the flamboyant boy.
"Well, I do that when I'm hungry, so lead on, Thom," Kel said as she pushed him out of her room. Kel ate a large breakfast and met Alanna on the practice courts. They warmed up on their own for a while, but Kel was aching to challenge the Lioness. A servant walked up to her and handed her a practice sword. Kel accepted and looked at the Alanna. She too, had a practice sword in her hand and a happy grin on her face. Kel didn't know that she had the same look on her face. She barely noticed the people watching as she advanced on the other knight.
They began circling each other, searching for an opening and letting the other attack first. She may be better than me, Kel thought, but I can outwait her. Yamanis are patient people. Kel was right, Alanna soon got bored and came at her with an overhead strike. Kel blocked it only to block her right side as the lady knight struck again. Goddess, she's quick. Maybe that's why she's called the Lioness. Kel thought with a grin. Kel lost, of course. She attacked the older knight twice. She spent the rest of her energy defending herself. Alanna disarmed her and bowed to Kel, who bowed back.
"That was very good, Kel. Not many first-year knights last that long. Wyldon is training you well." Alanna stated. Her husband, Baron George slid off the rail he was watching from and came over.
"Not many first-year knights last that long? Not many experienced knights last that long. You sure gave my Lioness a workout. She hasn't fought that long for a while." Kel bowed to the kind Baron, and went to her rooms.
Neal woke up the next morning stiff and angry. He was stiff because he had slept on the floor and not the bed for some strange reason, and he was angry with himself for treating Kel like he did. Normally, when he had a problem, he would go to Kel, but she was the problem! Second on his list was Cleon, but he was indisposed forever. Third was usually Owen, but Neal had a feeling that if he went to Owen now, he would come out of it missing various body parts. Neal tried to think of someone who knew Kel, that he could trust. When he thought of the perfect person, he slapped himself upside the head. Why didn't I think of that before? Neal's hands began to sweat as he raised them to knock at Yuki's door. He was nervous. Yuki answered the door almost immediately.
"Hi, Neal," she whispered as she drew his head down so their lips met. Neal lost himself in her kiss. It made him forget about all his problems. They eventually had to separate to get some air. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment. Yuki pulled Neal back down.
"Wait Yuki," he said. "I need to talk to you about something." Yuki nodded as they sat on her bed. She never said much, and never showed her emotions, except when she was alone with Neal. "It's about Kel. Honestly, that girl causes me so much trouble. Actually I caused this one, but it was her fault. She's seeing Owen. I don't have a real problem with it, but what if Owen gets hurt. Or worse, what if Kel gets hurt because she hurts Owen. Well, a bunch of the boys were teasing me because they suspect something's going on between me and you and Seaver made some stupid comment and I got mad at Kel for laughing, even though she knows better, and I got really mad at her and said some stuff that I regretted the second I said them, but I couldn't stop saying them. (Try saying that in one breath.) Then Kel broke my nose and left. I haven't seen her since." Neal stopped, as he was out of breath. Yuki regarded him for a moment. She was thinking. Kel isn't here. She wouldn't stick around after her fight. She never does. The Yamani had gotten into fights with the stubborn girl before, and Kel had always disappeared for a few days.
"Neal, don't worry about Kel. She's left the palace. I don't know where she went, but if you really want to know, you can check with Lalassa. For now, just forget about her. She can take of herself much better without you." Yuki smiled as she helped Neal forget about Kel. They had a great time. Yuki lay awake long into the night and thought. And began to get angry. Neal was never this upset when he got into fights with her. Only Kel could distress him that much. That wasn't right, was it? The boy is more upset when his best friend's mad at him than when his lover's mad at him. Yuki became a little distracted when the word lover crossed her brain. She still wasn't used to calling Neal her lover, although they had been like that for almost a month. With thoughts of the man lying beside her, Yuki drifted off into dreamland.
Owen waited all day for Kel to come to her room. She never showed and he eventually fell asleep. He was awoken the next morning at dawn.
"Squire Owen, get up. We need to leave. For now, I will not ask you why you were sleeping in Sir Keladry's bed." Owen groaned as his knight-master hurried him away from the palace. He probably wouldn't see Kel for a few weeks.