Kel walked to her study, ready to go back to the work of running New Hope.
Just as she sat down, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in." Fhire led a soldier in, who looked nervous.
"We weren't really sure how you want to run the camp, my lady. You ran it very differently than Lord Raoul did, so will you be running it like it was, or will you go back to the way it was at Haven?"
Kel sighed. "I'm going to spend some time like this, but if I decide to change anything, I will tell everyone, don't worry."
He nodded, thanked her, and left.
"Well, five minutes back on the job, and you're already making people happy."
Kel looked up. Fhire giggled and left the room, while Kel shot her a glance. Dom was standing in the doorway. "Who did I make happy?" She asked.
He walked up to her. "Why, me, of course! Doesn't that count?" He kissed her.
Kel laughed. "Very funny. I've got a meeting with Merric and Neal, so you should probably stay here, as you're leading the King's Own unit. They'll be here any minute. Sit down."
He sat in one of the chairs in front of Kel's desk. As if on cue, Fhire, Merric and Neal walked in.
"So what are we talking about today, Kel?" Neal asked.
"We're talking about the reason we came to this camp in the first place. We came because it kept getting attacked. It seems that no one kept records of everything that happened here while I was gone, so I need you three to tell me. Were there many attacks? How many men in each? Everything you know."
Neal smiled. "Straight to the point, that's our Kel. We got a few attacks, but after we took the fort back, I think they got the picture, and held off quite a bit. They wouldn't attack without less then five hundred men, but it's hard to gather such an army for just refugees, so they attack every few months."
Kel nodded. "Is that it?"
Neal nodded.
"My men have been patrolling the fields and the roads. Our first few weeks were just looking for refuges that were hiding in the woods, and looking for Scanrans. We didn't get much, one or two Scanrans. But we've got most of the refugees back. We found about five refugees, dead, in the forests. Most with arrows, the Scanrans didn't want to leave the camp. That's basically it, no bandits or anything, even to the south."
Kel nodded again. "Great. Dom, what area have your men been in the most?"
He grinned. "Mostly with Merric here, but we've also been doing the basic duties that the refugees do, you know, the chores and such."
"Wonderful. Well, that sounds good, I think that's all for now. I'll contact you three later if I need anything else."
Fhire, Merric and Neal walked out, but Dom held back. "So, that's the way it works when we're here? Everything is business? We aren't friends here?" He grinned.
Kel looked at him. "Dom, I'm working right now. This is serious, there are people's lives and well beings in the balance. I can't fool around all day, I must work. But we can have fun all night long."
She looked disgusted. "I can't believe I just said that." She laughed. "But seriously, I should work. I'll talk to you later." She kissed him quickly on the lips and walked out. She sighed. "Another day, another friend probably mad at me."
Kel went to the infirmary, where she found Fhire, helping Neal. "Do you want to come help learn the ropes of the camp, Fhire?" She asked, smiling. "I think you'll know more about it than me, now."
Fhire grinned and left the building with her.
Kel found that as it was her first day back, she didn't really know what was going on, so she chose to look over the refugees, seeing how they were doing.
It was a lot worse now. Everyone was scared, they were all afraid of the Scanrans, afraid of what was to come. They were afraid that their families would be in danger again, that Kel, their leader, would fail again. That she would mess up again, that she would let more of them be killed.
She wouldn't. That night, she would make things the way they were before, in Haven, so that they would understand that she still could lead. Last time, she had put so much effort into making them understand that she could lead, even as a woman. Now, she was putting so much effort into making them understand it again.
She walked around the camp for the rest of the day, helping out where she was needed, giving direction where she could. Finally, it was dinner.
She sat down at the table beside Neal. Merric came and sat across from them, beside Fhire, and Dom sat on Neal's other side.
Kel noticed that he didn't sit beside her. She didn't say anything. "So, did anything extraordinary happen to you today?" Kel asked.
Merric shook his head. "Nothing. We didn't find anyone today. By the way, Kel, I forgot to ask. If we find any Scanrans, do you want them killed, or just captured?"
Kel thought about it. "I want them brought in and questioned. Preferably not to be tortured, but what ever is necessary. Basically, after that, they can either be kept, if you think they're not saying everything, or they can be killed."
She paused. "And Merric, next time, ask me in the morning. This is my time with my friends, not my time for work."
He nodded and grinned.
Kel glanced at Dom. He was eating silently, looking at his plate. "What's wrong, Dom?" She asked.
He looked up, his blue eyes darting between the three of them. "Wrong? Nothing's wrong." He looked back at his food, not saying anything else. Kel decided to let him brood, and went back to talking to Fhire, Neal and Merric.
After she finished her dinner, she stood up at the front. She signalled for the other four to stand up, and they did, flanking her. Neal whistled loudly, and everyone looked towards her.
"Thank you. Now, I know I have been away for a very long time, and looking around today, I decided that I am going to make it the way Haven was. The schedule, it will be on a rotation, starting the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow morning, a chart will go up, citing all the daily chores. Every person in this room will be on it. It doesn't matter what chore you are assigned to, you will only be doing it for one day. Now, on to more pressing matters.
"Every one of you in here is scared, I can see that." She began to pace. "you think I am weak now, I am not a good leader."
Neal and Fhire glanced at each other behind Kel, but didn't say anything.
"You're wrong. I proved myself at Haven, and I plan to do an even better job here. We will come out of this war, the stronger and better side. Scanra will not conquer us. We will fight for our camp, and I will not fail you. Thank you."
She leaned to Fhire. "Come on, we have a chart to make."
She nodded, and the two of them went back to Kel's study, equipped with a list of every single refugee, and a large chart.
"So, what exactly are we doing?" Fhire asked.
Kel sighed. "We're making a chart, saying what everyone is doing for the day, be it latrine duty, cooking duty, or field duty, everyone will have a job. The next day, they will go to the next job on the list. Understand?"
Fhire nodded. "Loud and clear." She grinned. "Let's get to work."
They found it hard to work, as they kept getting sidetracked by the gossip of the camp.
"I should have just asked you what happened in the first place." Kel laughed.
Fhire smiled. "None of the men noticed everything that was going on. They were too busy worrying about you."
Kel's smile faded. "What do you mean?"
Fhire shrugged. "They were afraid they'd lost you. Dom, well, Dom was the worst. I think that's why he's so uncomfortable now. He spent such a long time with you when you had no worries, then he lost you. Now that you're back, you're not what he was expecting. He was practically delusional. You know when you want something so badly, you don't think that it could possibly be bad? He forgot that you might be different."
Kel was shocked. "I'm not different! I'm still me!"
Fhire shook her head. "But you're you with cares, with troubles. It's not what he was expecting. He'll get over it, don't worry. He'll realize that he still loves you. You were just thrown back at him, and he wasn't ready."
Kel nodded. "Fhire, it's late. We should get some sleep. We'll finish this first thing in the morning."
Fhire nodded, and they both retired to their rooms. Or at least, Fhire did. Kel walked back to Dom's room, and knocked on the door.
Dom answered it, looking fairly stern. "Hello, Kel."
She looked at him. "Please don't be mad at me. I didn't mean to hurt you, I just had to do my job. I'm still the same Kel I was before, the same Kel that loves you."
His face seemed to soften, his set jaw loosened. He opened the door wider, and Kel walked in.
"You just have to understand, I can't let my relationship get in the way of my work. I am happy to spend every evening here with you, but I can't do it in the daytime. I need a separation, you understand, right?"
Dom smiled. "Of course I understand. I just wasn't ready for it, that is all."
He kissed her. "I love you."
She grinned. "I'm glad."
He closed the door behind him, as Kel sat down on his bed. "Thanks for letting me stay here last night." She lay down, resting her head on his shoulder, as he lay beside her.
"No problem. It was nice." Kel smiled, and looked at him. She put her hand up to his face and brushed back his hair. His eyes didn't move to her hand, they stayed fixed on hers. She put her hand down on his chest, and sighed.
"This is what I wanted." She kissed him. "This is perfect."
She snuggled closer to him, and fell asleep, listening to his soft breathing.
The next morning, Kel woke up, still leaning on Dom.
"Mithros help me." She muttered. If anyone saw her coming out of Dom's room this early in the morning, there would be hell to pay. She looked at Dom. He was still sleeping peacefully. She shook him awake.
"What? I'm up, I'm up." He sat up quickly, almost knocking Kel off the bed. "Kel, what are you doing in here?"
She rolled her eyes. "I was here all night, remember?"
He blushed slightly. "Oh, right. So why'd you wake me up?"
Kel smiled weakly. "You have to help me get out of here without anyone seeing me."
Dom raised his eyebrows, looking hurt. "You don't want people to see that you're spending time with me?"
Kel smiled. "No, I don't want people to see me leaving your room after spending the night."
Again, Dom blushed. "Right."
Kel stood up and looked out of the small window. "It's just after dawn. There will definitely be people up by now, but luckily, I'm supposed to be up, so it's alright if I'm walking around."
Dom smiled. "Why don't you just tell people that you fell asleep?"
Kel gave him a look. She looked outside the door, and saw that no one was there. She turned back to Dom and kissed him, slowly. "I love you, Dom. I'll see you later. And tonight, you can come to my room." She grinned and slipped out.
She was walking down the hall when she heard a voice. "Keladry!" She winced and turned around.
"What do you want, Neal?" She asked, trying to be patient.
"Pray tell, Lady Knight, what were you doing in my cousin's room in the wee hours of the morning?" He was grinning from ear to ear.
Kel smiled weakly, hoping he would believe her. "I fell asleep in Dom's room last night."
Neal looked crestfallen. "Oh, fine."
Kel patted him on the shoulder. "Maybe next time, you'll have something to gossip about." She grinned and walked to the mess hall. Just as she turned the corner, she heard Dom come out of his room and laugh loudly at something Neal said.
"Lady Kel, what time did you leave this morning? I knocked on your door at dawn, and you weren't there."
Kel sat down beside Fhire. "If you promise to keep it a secret, I'll tell you." She whispered. Fhire nodded. "I went to Dom's room last night." She shook her head. "Nasty young mind, Fhire." She laughed. "I just talked to him, and we fell asleep." Fhire, as Neal had, looked crestfallen.
Kel couldn't understand it. Was everyone expecting something to happen between them? She shook her head.
Just then, she realized that she was supposed to work in the morning. "Oh, Fhire, I am so sorry! I completely forgot! Oh, I must go finish it now!" Fhire grabbed her arm.
"Already done, if you don't mind. I couldn't find you, so I did it myself. Well, the sparrows helped quite a bit. In fact, they helped quite a lot." She grinned.
Kel frowned. "That's not the point. I should have been doing that."
Fhire grinned again. "Lady Kel, I'm your squire. It's my job to do your dirty work. Actually, it's my job to do your hard work. I'll leave the dirty stuff to Tobe."
Kel looked at her. "Are you feeling alright?"
Fhire shrugged. "I'm happy that everything is as it should be."
Kel gulped down her oatmeal quickly. "Is the chart up?"
Fhire shook her head. "In your study."
Kel grinned. "Thanks. And since you are ever so helpful, you may have the morning off, until our meeting at ten o'clock. That leaves you with three hours, but please, stay somewhere where we can find you if we need to. I'll see you in my study at ten."
She ran back to her rooms, cursing herself for leaving Fhire like that. She found the large chart in study, just like Fhire had said, and struggled with it all the way to the square, where she tacked it up.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Normally, I would not finish this on such a boring note, but it was getting really long.
Thanks for the reviews!
"Come in." Fhire led a soldier in, who looked nervous.
"We weren't really sure how you want to run the camp, my lady. You ran it very differently than Lord Raoul did, so will you be running it like it was, or will you go back to the way it was at Haven?"
Kel sighed. "I'm going to spend some time like this, but if I decide to change anything, I will tell everyone, don't worry."
He nodded, thanked her, and left.
"Well, five minutes back on the job, and you're already making people happy."
Kel looked up. Fhire giggled and left the room, while Kel shot her a glance. Dom was standing in the doorway. "Who did I make happy?" She asked.
He walked up to her. "Why, me, of course! Doesn't that count?" He kissed her.
Kel laughed. "Very funny. I've got a meeting with Merric and Neal, so you should probably stay here, as you're leading the King's Own unit. They'll be here any minute. Sit down."
He sat in one of the chairs in front of Kel's desk. As if on cue, Fhire, Merric and Neal walked in.
"So what are we talking about today, Kel?" Neal asked.
"We're talking about the reason we came to this camp in the first place. We came because it kept getting attacked. It seems that no one kept records of everything that happened here while I was gone, so I need you three to tell me. Were there many attacks? How many men in each? Everything you know."
Neal smiled. "Straight to the point, that's our Kel. We got a few attacks, but after we took the fort back, I think they got the picture, and held off quite a bit. They wouldn't attack without less then five hundred men, but it's hard to gather such an army for just refugees, so they attack every few months."
Kel nodded. "Is that it?"
Neal nodded.
"My men have been patrolling the fields and the roads. Our first few weeks were just looking for refuges that were hiding in the woods, and looking for Scanrans. We didn't get much, one or two Scanrans. But we've got most of the refugees back. We found about five refugees, dead, in the forests. Most with arrows, the Scanrans didn't want to leave the camp. That's basically it, no bandits or anything, even to the south."
Kel nodded again. "Great. Dom, what area have your men been in the most?"
He grinned. "Mostly with Merric here, but we've also been doing the basic duties that the refugees do, you know, the chores and such."
"Wonderful. Well, that sounds good, I think that's all for now. I'll contact you three later if I need anything else."
Fhire, Merric and Neal walked out, but Dom held back. "So, that's the way it works when we're here? Everything is business? We aren't friends here?" He grinned.
Kel looked at him. "Dom, I'm working right now. This is serious, there are people's lives and well beings in the balance. I can't fool around all day, I must work. But we can have fun all night long."
She looked disgusted. "I can't believe I just said that." She laughed. "But seriously, I should work. I'll talk to you later." She kissed him quickly on the lips and walked out. She sighed. "Another day, another friend probably mad at me."
Kel went to the infirmary, where she found Fhire, helping Neal. "Do you want to come help learn the ropes of the camp, Fhire?" She asked, smiling. "I think you'll know more about it than me, now."
Fhire grinned and left the building with her.
Kel found that as it was her first day back, she didn't really know what was going on, so she chose to look over the refugees, seeing how they were doing.
It was a lot worse now. Everyone was scared, they were all afraid of the Scanrans, afraid of what was to come. They were afraid that their families would be in danger again, that Kel, their leader, would fail again. That she would mess up again, that she would let more of them be killed.
She wouldn't. That night, she would make things the way they were before, in Haven, so that they would understand that she still could lead. Last time, she had put so much effort into making them understand that she could lead, even as a woman. Now, she was putting so much effort into making them understand it again.
She walked around the camp for the rest of the day, helping out where she was needed, giving direction where she could. Finally, it was dinner.
She sat down at the table beside Neal. Merric came and sat across from them, beside Fhire, and Dom sat on Neal's other side.
Kel noticed that he didn't sit beside her. She didn't say anything. "So, did anything extraordinary happen to you today?" Kel asked.
Merric shook his head. "Nothing. We didn't find anyone today. By the way, Kel, I forgot to ask. If we find any Scanrans, do you want them killed, or just captured?"
Kel thought about it. "I want them brought in and questioned. Preferably not to be tortured, but what ever is necessary. Basically, after that, they can either be kept, if you think they're not saying everything, or they can be killed."
She paused. "And Merric, next time, ask me in the morning. This is my time with my friends, not my time for work."
He nodded and grinned.
Kel glanced at Dom. He was eating silently, looking at his plate. "What's wrong, Dom?" She asked.
He looked up, his blue eyes darting between the three of them. "Wrong? Nothing's wrong." He looked back at his food, not saying anything else. Kel decided to let him brood, and went back to talking to Fhire, Neal and Merric.
After she finished her dinner, she stood up at the front. She signalled for the other four to stand up, and they did, flanking her. Neal whistled loudly, and everyone looked towards her.
"Thank you. Now, I know I have been away for a very long time, and looking around today, I decided that I am going to make it the way Haven was. The schedule, it will be on a rotation, starting the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow morning, a chart will go up, citing all the daily chores. Every person in this room will be on it. It doesn't matter what chore you are assigned to, you will only be doing it for one day. Now, on to more pressing matters.
"Every one of you in here is scared, I can see that." She began to pace. "you think I am weak now, I am not a good leader."
Neal and Fhire glanced at each other behind Kel, but didn't say anything.
"You're wrong. I proved myself at Haven, and I plan to do an even better job here. We will come out of this war, the stronger and better side. Scanra will not conquer us. We will fight for our camp, and I will not fail you. Thank you."
She leaned to Fhire. "Come on, we have a chart to make."
She nodded, and the two of them went back to Kel's study, equipped with a list of every single refugee, and a large chart.
"So, what exactly are we doing?" Fhire asked.
Kel sighed. "We're making a chart, saying what everyone is doing for the day, be it latrine duty, cooking duty, or field duty, everyone will have a job. The next day, they will go to the next job on the list. Understand?"
Fhire nodded. "Loud and clear." She grinned. "Let's get to work."
They found it hard to work, as they kept getting sidetracked by the gossip of the camp.
"I should have just asked you what happened in the first place." Kel laughed.
Fhire smiled. "None of the men noticed everything that was going on. They were too busy worrying about you."
Kel's smile faded. "What do you mean?"
Fhire shrugged. "They were afraid they'd lost you. Dom, well, Dom was the worst. I think that's why he's so uncomfortable now. He spent such a long time with you when you had no worries, then he lost you. Now that you're back, you're not what he was expecting. He was practically delusional. You know when you want something so badly, you don't think that it could possibly be bad? He forgot that you might be different."
Kel was shocked. "I'm not different! I'm still me!"
Fhire shook her head. "But you're you with cares, with troubles. It's not what he was expecting. He'll get over it, don't worry. He'll realize that he still loves you. You were just thrown back at him, and he wasn't ready."
Kel nodded. "Fhire, it's late. We should get some sleep. We'll finish this first thing in the morning."
Fhire nodded, and they both retired to their rooms. Or at least, Fhire did. Kel walked back to Dom's room, and knocked on the door.
Dom answered it, looking fairly stern. "Hello, Kel."
She looked at him. "Please don't be mad at me. I didn't mean to hurt you, I just had to do my job. I'm still the same Kel I was before, the same Kel that loves you."
His face seemed to soften, his set jaw loosened. He opened the door wider, and Kel walked in.
"You just have to understand, I can't let my relationship get in the way of my work. I am happy to spend every evening here with you, but I can't do it in the daytime. I need a separation, you understand, right?"
Dom smiled. "Of course I understand. I just wasn't ready for it, that is all."
He kissed her. "I love you."
She grinned. "I'm glad."
He closed the door behind him, as Kel sat down on his bed. "Thanks for letting me stay here last night." She lay down, resting her head on his shoulder, as he lay beside her.
"No problem. It was nice." Kel smiled, and looked at him. She put her hand up to his face and brushed back his hair. His eyes didn't move to her hand, they stayed fixed on hers. She put her hand down on his chest, and sighed.
"This is what I wanted." She kissed him. "This is perfect."
She snuggled closer to him, and fell asleep, listening to his soft breathing.
The next morning, Kel woke up, still leaning on Dom.
"Mithros help me." She muttered. If anyone saw her coming out of Dom's room this early in the morning, there would be hell to pay. She looked at Dom. He was still sleeping peacefully. She shook him awake.
"What? I'm up, I'm up." He sat up quickly, almost knocking Kel off the bed. "Kel, what are you doing in here?"
She rolled her eyes. "I was here all night, remember?"
He blushed slightly. "Oh, right. So why'd you wake me up?"
Kel smiled weakly. "You have to help me get out of here without anyone seeing me."
Dom raised his eyebrows, looking hurt. "You don't want people to see that you're spending time with me?"
Kel smiled. "No, I don't want people to see me leaving your room after spending the night."
Again, Dom blushed. "Right."
Kel stood up and looked out of the small window. "It's just after dawn. There will definitely be people up by now, but luckily, I'm supposed to be up, so it's alright if I'm walking around."
Dom smiled. "Why don't you just tell people that you fell asleep?"
Kel gave him a look. She looked outside the door, and saw that no one was there. She turned back to Dom and kissed him, slowly. "I love you, Dom. I'll see you later. And tonight, you can come to my room." She grinned and slipped out.
She was walking down the hall when she heard a voice. "Keladry!" She winced and turned around.
"What do you want, Neal?" She asked, trying to be patient.
"Pray tell, Lady Knight, what were you doing in my cousin's room in the wee hours of the morning?" He was grinning from ear to ear.
Kel smiled weakly, hoping he would believe her. "I fell asleep in Dom's room last night."
Neal looked crestfallen. "Oh, fine."
Kel patted him on the shoulder. "Maybe next time, you'll have something to gossip about." She grinned and walked to the mess hall. Just as she turned the corner, she heard Dom come out of his room and laugh loudly at something Neal said.
"Lady Kel, what time did you leave this morning? I knocked on your door at dawn, and you weren't there."
Kel sat down beside Fhire. "If you promise to keep it a secret, I'll tell you." She whispered. Fhire nodded. "I went to Dom's room last night." She shook her head. "Nasty young mind, Fhire." She laughed. "I just talked to him, and we fell asleep." Fhire, as Neal had, looked crestfallen.
Kel couldn't understand it. Was everyone expecting something to happen between them? She shook her head.
Just then, she realized that she was supposed to work in the morning. "Oh, Fhire, I am so sorry! I completely forgot! Oh, I must go finish it now!" Fhire grabbed her arm.
"Already done, if you don't mind. I couldn't find you, so I did it myself. Well, the sparrows helped quite a bit. In fact, they helped quite a lot." She grinned.
Kel frowned. "That's not the point. I should have been doing that."
Fhire grinned again. "Lady Kel, I'm your squire. It's my job to do your dirty work. Actually, it's my job to do your hard work. I'll leave the dirty stuff to Tobe."
Kel looked at her. "Are you feeling alright?"
Fhire shrugged. "I'm happy that everything is as it should be."
Kel gulped down her oatmeal quickly. "Is the chart up?"
Fhire shook her head. "In your study."
Kel grinned. "Thanks. And since you are ever so helpful, you may have the morning off, until our meeting at ten o'clock. That leaves you with three hours, but please, stay somewhere where we can find you if we need to. I'll see you in my study at ten."
She ran back to her rooms, cursing herself for leaving Fhire like that. She found the large chart in study, just like Fhire had said, and struggled with it all the way to the square, where she tacked it up.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Normally, I would not finish this on such a boring note, but it was getting really long.
Thanks for the reviews!