Kel sank into her bathtub, soothing her aching muscles. But she should have
known her comfort wouldn't last long. There was a knock on the door.
Kel sighed. "One moment." She called out. She dragged herself out of the tub, and wrapped a robe around herself. "Why do people always catch me in the bath?" She muttered.
She opened the door a crack. "Hello, Lady Kel." Fhire grinned. "I'm sorry to bother you, but you need to explain all of this to the refugees. They need some moral support. You really should talk to them. They need you."
Kel sighed again. "Fine, come in, I'll just be a moment."
She closed the door behind Fhire and disappeared behind her screen. "Are you happy with the way everything turned out, Lady Kel?" Fhire asked.
Kel shrugged. "I guess I'm just happy it's over. It was short, and we lost few men, but battles are always exhausting."
"Short? That was short?" Fhire asked.
Kel laughed. "It wasn't too short, for a battle. But for an attack on a camp, it was incredibly quick. It's usually that the attackers set up camp and stay there for a few days. But they let too many of their men get killed first. And they weren't ready for our kind of thought."
Fhire laughed as well. "It is too true."
A few minutes later, they emerged into the busy square. Fhire was right; although they knew the battle was over, the refugees were still nervous, crowding in the square almost silently.
Kel stood in the centre of the square, where she always stood for these sort of things. Neal, still looking slightly weak from healing, was standing there, along with Dom, Merric, Owen, and Captain Walford.
"I feel so silly," Kel whispered to Fhire, "I feel like I should have prepared a speech. Everyone is so formal!"
Fhire grinned. "You'll do fine. Why does everyone need to give you encouragement? You are supposed to be the confident one!"
Kel frowned. "I didn't say I couldn't do it, I just said it made me feel silly!"
Fhire rolled her eyes and stepped back. Kel was left with nothing left to do but talk.
"Err- May I have your attention please!" Kel said, but everyone was watching her anyway. "Yes, well. I am sure you all want to know about the outcome of this battle. We did remarkably well, losing very few men. We mourn the men we lost, and they will receive proper burials on the outside of the gates.
"This battle is over, but the war is not. There will be more battles like this one, and we are going to continue our training so that we can defeat them even more easily than we can now. I am proud to say that I am the commander of this camp. I am proud to say that every single on of you can fight. Proud to say that every woman can hold a sword or a spear. Proud to say that every child learns how to shoot with a bow, or fight with a staff.
"I am proud," Kel said, "to say that we will win this war, and every single one of you will help. Whether in life or death, you will help."
A few people clapped. Kel stepped down, and the refugees dispersed, happy with Kel's answer.
Dom grinned. "How are you so good at that?" He asked, shaking his head. Kel just grinned back.
Owen and Merric helped Neal get back to his room, so he could rest. He was looking a little green from all his healing. Fhire went back to her own room to rest, leaving Kel and Dom alone.
"Would you like to go for a ride?" Dom asked.
Kel frowned. "I think I need some food first." She could hear her stomach growling. "Let's get a picnic!"
Dom grinned. "Sure, why not."
A few minutes later, they rode out the front gate. "You know, this may not be the most romantic of picnics, what with the smell, and sight, of bodies."
Kel smiled. "It's all part of the charm of the forest. You never know what you are going to find."
They rode around the camp, to the forest that was not contaminated by Scanran blood. They settled by the stream, leaving their horses to graze in a patch of grass.
Kel lay down on the blanket. Dom poked her in the ribs. "You're not going to fall asleep on me, are you?"
Kel smiled. "No," She moved over so her head was in his lap. "Now I am."
Dom laughed. "So very funny. Come on, have something to eat."
Kel reluctantly sat up. "Fine." She mumbled, biting forcefully into a sandwich. Dom laughed.
"That's my girl. Now, I don't want to have to tell you to eat your vegetables."
At this, Kel laughed too. As well as Neal, Kel was constantly telling Dom to eat his greens.
They lay on the blanket for a long time, just watching the clouds roll slowly by, talking quietly. After a while, Kel fell asleep. She hadn't slept since they were attacked, which was the morning before. The blanket seemed like the perfect bed, warm and scratchy under her skin.
When Kel woke up, the sun was setting. She sat up slowly and looked around. She was bathed in yellow light from the sun setting, but it was getting cold. Kel shivered. She looked at Dom, who was asleep right beside her. It felt horrible to wake him up.
She kissed him. "Dom." She whispered, kissing him again. "Wake up."
He smiled and rolled over. "Good morning." He muttered.
Kel giggled. "It's not morning, you fool." She kissed him again. "It's evening. We have to get back to camp."
Dom looked up at her. "But this is so comfortable."
Kel smiled. "we'll have to do it again some time, when we're not so tired."
They stood up slowly, and got on their horses. "Oh, the blanket was definitely more comfortable." Dom laughed.
Kel kicked Peachblossom softly, really just a tap, and they were off, galloping back to the camp. They rode in the front gates a moment later.
Kel walked back to her room alone. All she wanted to do was sleep some more. It seemed most of the camp had the same idea. Even the scouts were dozing off.
Just as she sat down on her bed, there was a knock on the door. "Come in." Kel said, and Fhire slipped in, grinning.
Kel smiled. "Why aren't you sleeping?"
Fhire laughed. "Because it's early evening. Besides, since you and Dom both disappeared, and Neal was resting from all his healing, Merric told me to be in charge because he wanted to sleep."
Kel smiled. "Good idea."
Fhire sat down beside her. "I just saw Dom go back to his room. What were you doing?"
Kel fell over onto her pillow, having trouble staying awake. "We had a picnic."
"For seven hours? There was more than that."
Kel raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you a little young to say that?" she asked. "Anyway, we were having a picnic by the stream, and we fell asleep. That's it."
Fhire stood up. "Fine. Keep your secrets, then."
Kel smiled. "If I wasn't so bloody tired, I would knock the stuffing out of you."
Fhire laughed. "Goodnight, Lady Kel."
"Call me if you need anymf. . ." Kel fell asleep mid-sentence. Fhire shook her head, laughing, and closed the door behind her.
Kel woke the next morning feeling refreshed. It was early, and there were sparrows pecking at her, and Jump was already barking.
"Alright, alright." She muttered, sitting up. "Why are you so lively this morning?" then she realized, of course, they had not been fed in quite a while. Jump had probably had his share of Scanran the night before, and the sparrows could probably scrounge things from the fields, but they were still dependent on her.
She gave the sparrows some seeds, and fed Jump before she went to the mess hall for breakfast. Neal was already there, so she sat down beside him.
"You're here quite early." Neal said. It was true; it was barely sunrise.
Kel shrugged. "I got to sleep very early last night. It was barely sunset. And I spent the entire afternoon sleeping."
Neal raised an eyebrow. "That's not what Fhire said."
Kel blushed slightly. "She was up quite late last night, wasn't she?"
Neal nodded. "I think she's had about five hours of sleep in the last two three nights."
Kel grinned. "Perfect. Excuse me, I have to go wake her up."
Before Neal could question her, Kel got up and walked quickly to Fhire's room. She knocked on the door. There was no answer, but she could hear Triaxx scraping around at the door, obviously alert to the guest.
Kel tried the door. It was unlocked. "Perfect." She whispered. Triaxx cocked her head at Kel, but she held a finger to her lips. Triaxx sat down and panted. Kel walked over to Fhire's bed slowly. She didn't wake up.
Kel stopped. What exactly was she planning to do? She hadn't thought that far. She eventually decided on just pulling her blanket off of her and making her get up.
"Rise and shine, little squire!" She said loudly, yanking at the blanket. Fhire moaned and rolled over. She certainly was sleep deprived. Otherwise, she would always listen to Kel when she called her 'squire.'" Kel shook her. "Get up!" She moaned again.
Kel walked to the bathroom and found that Fhire had not used her washbasin the night before, so it was filled with clean, cold water. Kel took it out of the bathroom and put it on the floor. Deciding to be nice, she picked Fhire up, and sat her on the floor. That seemed to wake her up quite a bit.
"What are you doing, Lady Kel?" She muttered.
Kel grinned. "One moment." She took the washbasin and dumped it over Fhire's head. Her eyes grew wide as she saw the water coming towards her.
"AHHHHH!" She screamed.
Kel couldn't stop laughing. "That was beautiful. It woke you up before it even hit you!"
Fhire frowned, sputtering water. "Am I allowed to say profanities around you?"
Kel shook her head, still laughing. "No, that would definitely put a black mark on your record."
Fhire continued to frown. "Fine." She looked up at Kel, who had finally stopped laughing and handed her a towel.
"Why did you do that?" She asked, drying herself off. 'Especially after the amount of sleep I've had."
Kel smiled. "Normally, I would have let you sleep. You're my squire, you're no good to me half alive. But then, of course, I talked to Neal."
Fhire smiled sheepishly. "Oh."
"Oh, indeed. Seriously, though, as my squire, you should be treating me with respect. You should not be talking to my friends like that. In fact, you should not be talking to me like that."
Fhire nodded. "All the boys do!"
Kel looked at her. "What are you talking about?"
"I was visiting my sister and her husband my last summer home, and he had a squire. I went on a trip with them, and I heard them talk like that a few times. And I've heard boys talk to knights like that at the palace, but not too often. Not in public, at least."
Kel shook her head in disbelief. "I think it's a little different for men. Anyway, we won't talk about it again, unless it's important, alright?"
Fhire nodded. "What is considered important?"
Kel grinned. "That depends."
Fhire decided not to go back to bed, seeing as her room was sopping wet, so she got dressed. They mopped up her room together and made their way back to the mess hall.
Kel sat back down beside Neal. "Have I missed anything?" She asked. The table was almost filled.
"SO what did you do to her?" Neal asked.
Fhire sat down across from them. "She soaked me with a washbasin."
Neal laughed. "Nice."
Kel laughed too. "That's my boy, Neal. Always rooting for the right team."
They finished their breakfast, and Kel and Fhire went into the square to practice. "Shall we start with swords or glaives today?" Kel asked.
Fhire smiled. "I've been using my sword a lot in the last few days, let's go with the glaives."
Kel nodded, and tossed her a glaive. "Ready?" She asked, stepping back and forth.
Fhire nodded, gripping her glaive. "Let's go."
They darted around the square, forward and backward, side to side. They jabbed, they swiped, they dodged. They also generated a crowd. Kel had learned that people liked to watch practices, especially between women, though she couldn't understand why that made a difference. The glaives did as well, they moved quickly and swiftly, and people liked to watch them.
Fhire was backing Kel up to a wall. Kel hadn't been paying enough attention. She moved her grip and straightened up. Her moves got faster, smoother. A moment later, Fhire was on the ground with Kel's glaive at her throat.
"Fine, you win." She said, panting.
Kel lifted her glaive. A few people clapped, and they dispersed.
Kel held her hand out to Fhire, who took it. "That was good. You're getting better. You had me working for a minute. I don't think I was paying enough attention. You need to work on your grip. It's too low, so you don't have very much control. You've got the power, but power is nothing if you can't aim. Besides, you're already a strong girl, you've got power. Just keep your hand high, and you'll do way better. You'll be faster, too."
Fhire nodded. "Thank you."
Kel smiled. "No problem. That's what I'm here for."
Kel spent the rest of the morning working. She had promised herself that she would do all the work that the refugees had to do, and she kept her promise. Today she was on the fields, one of the two places that she was almost no help.
"Come on, Lady Kel!" Tobe called out from behind his plough. "You can do better than that!"
Kel looked at the work she had done. Three curvy lines down the field. Tobe, weighing in at about half of Kel's weight, had ploughed almost six straight lines.
Kel sighed. "Tobe, not to be rude, but do shut up. I'm doing my best!"
A few hours later, they both dragged their sweaty feet into the camp.
"Very nice look, Kel." Dom said from behind her.
She turned around and glared at him. "Don't even start, Dom." She shook her head. "Before I came to this camp the first time, I never knew how hard farmers have it. They have it worse than knights."
Dom laughed. "You did a wonderful ploughing job. So it's tiring. You'll get better. And you have plenty of skills already."
Kel smiled. "Thank you." She kissed him.
"Kel!" Fhire called. Kel reluctantly turned from Dom.
"Fhire, hello!" She hissed.
"Kel, I was wondering if we're going to work tonight. I really need to work on my steps with the glaive and I thought that tonight would be perfect, because neither of us-"
"No!" Kel said quickly. She glanced at Dom. "I mean, I'm really tired, and I think we should take a break and- that's basically it."
Fhire nodded slowly.
Kel grinned and grabbed Dom by the wrist, dragging him away before Fhire could say anything.
"That was mean, Lady Knight." Dom grinned, when they got into Kel's room.
Kel smiled and kissed him. "You're right. But it was definitely worth it."
Dom wrapped his arms around her. "You are very strange, Kel."
She laughed. "It's part of my charm."
* * * * *
"So Kel, any plans for today?" Neal asked.
Kel shook her head as she ate her oatmeal. "Nothing special. We're just going to work like we normally do."
He rolled his eyes. "No we're not."
Kel looked at him. "Why?"
"It's you're birthday, Kel."
Fhire looked up. "Is it? That's wonderful! How old are you, Kel?"
Kel looked at Neal. "Goodness, I didn't even realize." She shrugged. "Oh well." She went back to her oatmeal.
"Kel, you didn't answer my question." Fhire said.
She sighed. "Twenty-six." She looked at them. "I feel so old."
Neal laughed. "Kel, you do realize that on my next birthday, I turn thirty? And on Dom's next birthday, he turns thirty-one?" (A/N: in the books, I think he's older than that, but I think it's kind of creepy that he was so old. . . so, I made him younger. . . and he's still six years older than her!)
Kel smiled. "I guess it's not that bad."
Fhire laughed. "And now I feel so young!"
Neal glared at her. "Please don't make me punch you."
Dom sat down. "Now, why would you want to punch this lovely girl?"
Neal glared at him as well. "She made me feel old. It was very depressing."
Kel sighed. "You'd look younger if you ate your vegetables."
Neal frowned. "I don't know why I put up with this."
Kel laughed. She truly had forgotten it was her birthday. It was fairly exciting, actually. She hadn't had a real birthday in years, and it would be fun. That is, of course, if anyone was planning anything.
"Well, I've got to start working. I'll see you guys later." She kissed Dom on the cheek as she stood up. "Bye."
She spent the rest of the morning tending to horses. It was one of her favourite jobs. She spent a little amount of time scooping up the horse manure and rolling hay bales, but then she got to groom the horses for hours, just standing with them, running the brushes over their backs.
The only problem was, when she finished, she smelled horrible.
She forced herself to have a bath before she did anything else after lunch. She sank into the tub and sat for what felt like hours, finally emerging and dressing only moments before there was a knock at her door.
"Hello, Kel." Dom grinned.
Kel smiled. "Dom. How can I help you?"
"I was wondering if I could interest you in dinner."
Kel looked at him. "Dom, we eat dinner every night."
They looked at each other for a moment, until Dom finally flinched. "Okay, look. I just wanted to invite you tonight, alright?"
Kel smiled. "Fine with me." She said, as they walked out the door.
Dom grinned as they got to the mess hall. "I'm glad you agreed, because you certainly cannot show up at a party without an escort!"
Kel's eyes widened. "Date?"
Before she could turn around, he had thrust her into the dining hall. It wasn't what she expected. Everything was completely normal. The way Dom had acted, she had thought there would be a surprise party, or something. None of her friends were even in the room yet.
"Did I crush your hopes and dreams?" Dom asked, squeezing her.
She smiled weakly and nodded.
He gave her a real hug. "I'm sorry, Kel. But everyone is busy. Merric, Fhire, and Owen are all on watch tonight, and Neal is in the infirmary. One of the children is very sick. I guess it's just you and me."
She nodded.
"Hey," said Dom, "why don't we grab some food and eat outside? That would be nice."
She smiled. Quiet would be nice.
They grabbed some food and went outside. It was pretty dark. "Where is there enough light?" Kel asked.
Dom smiled. "Just follow me. It will be fine." He took her hand and led her to the back of the camp, to the large empty area behind the buildings, which they often used for weapons practice. "This is perfect." He said.
Kel laughed. "Dom, you can't see anything."
He laughed. "So?"
Kel laughed. "You are so- AHH!" She felt someone grab her arm. She grabbed the hand and flipped the person. He groaned.
Dom laughed. "I think you got him." Someone lit a candle. Kel looked at the ground.
"Mithros, Neal!" She said. He was lying on the ground, groaning.
"I think she broke something." He gasped.
Dom laughed. "Pretty likely."
Kel put her hand to her mouth. "I am so sorry!" She helped him up. "Are you alright?"
He nodded. "I'll get over it."
Kel looked up. "Oh!" She said. There were people all around her. She elbowed Dom. "What is going on?"
He shrugged. "No idea." He said.
Fhire rolled her eyes. "No idea my foot. It was his idea in the first place." She looked at Kel. "And you ruined our surprise. Oh well. We'll do it anyway." Someone put out the candle. A moment later, they lit it again.
"Surprise!" Everyone yelled.
Kel laughed. "Thank you." She said. "But why are we out here?" She looked around, and saw that there was a table set up outside, and a few people were lighting candles on it.
Neal grinned. "We wanted you to have a great dinner." He winced. "Though I may have to go soak a bit before I can join you."
Dom shrugged. "It's alright. No loss."
Neal frowned.
Fhire stepped forward. "Sibling- err, cousin- rivalry can wait. Let's eat, I want to have the cake!"
They sat around the table, with Kel at the head. She looked around. There were eight people there. Neal, Dom, Fhire, Merric, Owen, Tobe, Walford, and of course, Kel herself. She had a delightful dinner, talking and laughing the entire time.
Tobe stood up after they had gotten rid of their dirty dishes. "Excuse me, my Lady." He said, leaving the table.
A moment later, Fhire stood as well. "Excuse me, Lady Kel." Kel nodded, and Fhire disappeared. Kel didn't really care where they had gone.
A few minutes later, they emerged- carrying a cake. Everyone sang, and Kel cut the cake.
It was the perfect night for a party. The air was warm, and the dirt smelled fresh, like mud after a spring rain. There were scattered clouds, and there was a bright, full moon, which greatly helped light their table.
The table was one of the tables from the mess hall. It had scratch marks on it from people dropping forks and knives, and little etchings of names and pictures on the legs and underside. Kel could feel them when she pulled her chair in, running her hand over the grainy thick wood.
After a while, Kel noticed it getting darker. She looked up, and saw great grey clouds blocking the moon. She frowned.
"What's wrong?" Dom asked quietly, leaning in to her.
She grimaced. "It's going to rain." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I really feel like I've responded to these reviews before. If I have, I'm sorry- but my internet isn't working well, so I can't check.
PsychoLioness13: Glad you enjoyed it.
Treanz-alyce: oy- 130 reviews for 5 chapters? That is so not fair! Why don't I have 130 reviews?
AJ 4EVA: I can indeed write more. Sorry it took so long, I was on a Harry Potter kick. I think I might be back to Tamora Pierce, though.
Legofiance: very cool indeed...
Fhire: interesting....*backing away slowly...and run!!!*
Big Splash: Cool. Thanks for reviewing.
Lotrfreek: I don't know... she is still a fun person, she's not all work and no play.
Wake-Robin: I NEVER make sense. Ever.
rOmAnCe-LuVeR: err, I was thinking of having Cleon be, well, less evil. He's not actually in it, as far as I can remember. PsychoLioness13: absolutely.
Moooose: yeah, I know... I'm planning something extra special for the next chapter... will that be good special, or bad special? Only I know! Actually, no I don't...but I will soon.
Ophelia-waterhouse: see above, please!
Kel sighed. "One moment." She called out. She dragged herself out of the tub, and wrapped a robe around herself. "Why do people always catch me in the bath?" She muttered.
She opened the door a crack. "Hello, Lady Kel." Fhire grinned. "I'm sorry to bother you, but you need to explain all of this to the refugees. They need some moral support. You really should talk to them. They need you."
Kel sighed again. "Fine, come in, I'll just be a moment."
She closed the door behind Fhire and disappeared behind her screen. "Are you happy with the way everything turned out, Lady Kel?" Fhire asked.
Kel shrugged. "I guess I'm just happy it's over. It was short, and we lost few men, but battles are always exhausting."
"Short? That was short?" Fhire asked.
Kel laughed. "It wasn't too short, for a battle. But for an attack on a camp, it was incredibly quick. It's usually that the attackers set up camp and stay there for a few days. But they let too many of their men get killed first. And they weren't ready for our kind of thought."
Fhire laughed as well. "It is too true."
A few minutes later, they emerged into the busy square. Fhire was right; although they knew the battle was over, the refugees were still nervous, crowding in the square almost silently.
Kel stood in the centre of the square, where she always stood for these sort of things. Neal, still looking slightly weak from healing, was standing there, along with Dom, Merric, Owen, and Captain Walford.
"I feel so silly," Kel whispered to Fhire, "I feel like I should have prepared a speech. Everyone is so formal!"
Fhire grinned. "You'll do fine. Why does everyone need to give you encouragement? You are supposed to be the confident one!"
Kel frowned. "I didn't say I couldn't do it, I just said it made me feel silly!"
Fhire rolled her eyes and stepped back. Kel was left with nothing left to do but talk.
"Err- May I have your attention please!" Kel said, but everyone was watching her anyway. "Yes, well. I am sure you all want to know about the outcome of this battle. We did remarkably well, losing very few men. We mourn the men we lost, and they will receive proper burials on the outside of the gates.
"This battle is over, but the war is not. There will be more battles like this one, and we are going to continue our training so that we can defeat them even more easily than we can now. I am proud to say that I am the commander of this camp. I am proud to say that every single on of you can fight. Proud to say that every woman can hold a sword or a spear. Proud to say that every child learns how to shoot with a bow, or fight with a staff.
"I am proud," Kel said, "to say that we will win this war, and every single one of you will help. Whether in life or death, you will help."
A few people clapped. Kel stepped down, and the refugees dispersed, happy with Kel's answer.
Dom grinned. "How are you so good at that?" He asked, shaking his head. Kel just grinned back.
Owen and Merric helped Neal get back to his room, so he could rest. He was looking a little green from all his healing. Fhire went back to her own room to rest, leaving Kel and Dom alone.
"Would you like to go for a ride?" Dom asked.
Kel frowned. "I think I need some food first." She could hear her stomach growling. "Let's get a picnic!"
Dom grinned. "Sure, why not."
A few minutes later, they rode out the front gate. "You know, this may not be the most romantic of picnics, what with the smell, and sight, of bodies."
Kel smiled. "It's all part of the charm of the forest. You never know what you are going to find."
They rode around the camp, to the forest that was not contaminated by Scanran blood. They settled by the stream, leaving their horses to graze in a patch of grass.
Kel lay down on the blanket. Dom poked her in the ribs. "You're not going to fall asleep on me, are you?"
Kel smiled. "No," She moved over so her head was in his lap. "Now I am."
Dom laughed. "So very funny. Come on, have something to eat."
Kel reluctantly sat up. "Fine." She mumbled, biting forcefully into a sandwich. Dom laughed.
"That's my girl. Now, I don't want to have to tell you to eat your vegetables."
At this, Kel laughed too. As well as Neal, Kel was constantly telling Dom to eat his greens.
They lay on the blanket for a long time, just watching the clouds roll slowly by, talking quietly. After a while, Kel fell asleep. She hadn't slept since they were attacked, which was the morning before. The blanket seemed like the perfect bed, warm and scratchy under her skin.
When Kel woke up, the sun was setting. She sat up slowly and looked around. She was bathed in yellow light from the sun setting, but it was getting cold. Kel shivered. She looked at Dom, who was asleep right beside her. It felt horrible to wake him up.
She kissed him. "Dom." She whispered, kissing him again. "Wake up."
He smiled and rolled over. "Good morning." He muttered.
Kel giggled. "It's not morning, you fool." She kissed him again. "It's evening. We have to get back to camp."
Dom looked up at her. "But this is so comfortable."
Kel smiled. "we'll have to do it again some time, when we're not so tired."
They stood up slowly, and got on their horses. "Oh, the blanket was definitely more comfortable." Dom laughed.
Kel kicked Peachblossom softly, really just a tap, and they were off, galloping back to the camp. They rode in the front gates a moment later.
Kel walked back to her room alone. All she wanted to do was sleep some more. It seemed most of the camp had the same idea. Even the scouts were dozing off.
Just as she sat down on her bed, there was a knock on the door. "Come in." Kel said, and Fhire slipped in, grinning.
Kel smiled. "Why aren't you sleeping?"
Fhire laughed. "Because it's early evening. Besides, since you and Dom both disappeared, and Neal was resting from all his healing, Merric told me to be in charge because he wanted to sleep."
Kel smiled. "Good idea."
Fhire sat down beside her. "I just saw Dom go back to his room. What were you doing?"
Kel fell over onto her pillow, having trouble staying awake. "We had a picnic."
"For seven hours? There was more than that."
Kel raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you a little young to say that?" she asked. "Anyway, we were having a picnic by the stream, and we fell asleep. That's it."
Fhire stood up. "Fine. Keep your secrets, then."
Kel smiled. "If I wasn't so bloody tired, I would knock the stuffing out of you."
Fhire laughed. "Goodnight, Lady Kel."
"Call me if you need anymf. . ." Kel fell asleep mid-sentence. Fhire shook her head, laughing, and closed the door behind her.
Kel woke the next morning feeling refreshed. It was early, and there were sparrows pecking at her, and Jump was already barking.
"Alright, alright." She muttered, sitting up. "Why are you so lively this morning?" then she realized, of course, they had not been fed in quite a while. Jump had probably had his share of Scanran the night before, and the sparrows could probably scrounge things from the fields, but they were still dependent on her.
She gave the sparrows some seeds, and fed Jump before she went to the mess hall for breakfast. Neal was already there, so she sat down beside him.
"You're here quite early." Neal said. It was true; it was barely sunrise.
Kel shrugged. "I got to sleep very early last night. It was barely sunset. And I spent the entire afternoon sleeping."
Neal raised an eyebrow. "That's not what Fhire said."
Kel blushed slightly. "She was up quite late last night, wasn't she?"
Neal nodded. "I think she's had about five hours of sleep in the last two three nights."
Kel grinned. "Perfect. Excuse me, I have to go wake her up."
Before Neal could question her, Kel got up and walked quickly to Fhire's room. She knocked on the door. There was no answer, but she could hear Triaxx scraping around at the door, obviously alert to the guest.
Kel tried the door. It was unlocked. "Perfect." She whispered. Triaxx cocked her head at Kel, but she held a finger to her lips. Triaxx sat down and panted. Kel walked over to Fhire's bed slowly. She didn't wake up.
Kel stopped. What exactly was she planning to do? She hadn't thought that far. She eventually decided on just pulling her blanket off of her and making her get up.
"Rise and shine, little squire!" She said loudly, yanking at the blanket. Fhire moaned and rolled over. She certainly was sleep deprived. Otherwise, she would always listen to Kel when she called her 'squire.'" Kel shook her. "Get up!" She moaned again.
Kel walked to the bathroom and found that Fhire had not used her washbasin the night before, so it was filled with clean, cold water. Kel took it out of the bathroom and put it on the floor. Deciding to be nice, she picked Fhire up, and sat her on the floor. That seemed to wake her up quite a bit.
"What are you doing, Lady Kel?" She muttered.
Kel grinned. "One moment." She took the washbasin and dumped it over Fhire's head. Her eyes grew wide as she saw the water coming towards her.
"AHHHHH!" She screamed.
Kel couldn't stop laughing. "That was beautiful. It woke you up before it even hit you!"
Fhire frowned, sputtering water. "Am I allowed to say profanities around you?"
Kel shook her head, still laughing. "No, that would definitely put a black mark on your record."
Fhire continued to frown. "Fine." She looked up at Kel, who had finally stopped laughing and handed her a towel.
"Why did you do that?" She asked, drying herself off. 'Especially after the amount of sleep I've had."
Kel smiled. "Normally, I would have let you sleep. You're my squire, you're no good to me half alive. But then, of course, I talked to Neal."
Fhire smiled sheepishly. "Oh."
"Oh, indeed. Seriously, though, as my squire, you should be treating me with respect. You should not be talking to my friends like that. In fact, you should not be talking to me like that."
Fhire nodded. "All the boys do!"
Kel looked at her. "What are you talking about?"
"I was visiting my sister and her husband my last summer home, and he had a squire. I went on a trip with them, and I heard them talk like that a few times. And I've heard boys talk to knights like that at the palace, but not too often. Not in public, at least."
Kel shook her head in disbelief. "I think it's a little different for men. Anyway, we won't talk about it again, unless it's important, alright?"
Fhire nodded. "What is considered important?"
Kel grinned. "That depends."
Fhire decided not to go back to bed, seeing as her room was sopping wet, so she got dressed. They mopped up her room together and made their way back to the mess hall.
Kel sat back down beside Neal. "Have I missed anything?" She asked. The table was almost filled.
"SO what did you do to her?" Neal asked.
Fhire sat down across from them. "She soaked me with a washbasin."
Neal laughed. "Nice."
Kel laughed too. "That's my boy, Neal. Always rooting for the right team."
They finished their breakfast, and Kel and Fhire went into the square to practice. "Shall we start with swords or glaives today?" Kel asked.
Fhire smiled. "I've been using my sword a lot in the last few days, let's go with the glaives."
Kel nodded, and tossed her a glaive. "Ready?" She asked, stepping back and forth.
Fhire nodded, gripping her glaive. "Let's go."
They darted around the square, forward and backward, side to side. They jabbed, they swiped, they dodged. They also generated a crowd. Kel had learned that people liked to watch practices, especially between women, though she couldn't understand why that made a difference. The glaives did as well, they moved quickly and swiftly, and people liked to watch them.
Fhire was backing Kel up to a wall. Kel hadn't been paying enough attention. She moved her grip and straightened up. Her moves got faster, smoother. A moment later, Fhire was on the ground with Kel's glaive at her throat.
"Fine, you win." She said, panting.
Kel lifted her glaive. A few people clapped, and they dispersed.
Kel held her hand out to Fhire, who took it. "That was good. You're getting better. You had me working for a minute. I don't think I was paying enough attention. You need to work on your grip. It's too low, so you don't have very much control. You've got the power, but power is nothing if you can't aim. Besides, you're already a strong girl, you've got power. Just keep your hand high, and you'll do way better. You'll be faster, too."
Fhire nodded. "Thank you."
Kel smiled. "No problem. That's what I'm here for."
Kel spent the rest of the morning working. She had promised herself that she would do all the work that the refugees had to do, and she kept her promise. Today she was on the fields, one of the two places that she was almost no help.
"Come on, Lady Kel!" Tobe called out from behind his plough. "You can do better than that!"
Kel looked at the work she had done. Three curvy lines down the field. Tobe, weighing in at about half of Kel's weight, had ploughed almost six straight lines.
Kel sighed. "Tobe, not to be rude, but do shut up. I'm doing my best!"
A few hours later, they both dragged their sweaty feet into the camp.
"Very nice look, Kel." Dom said from behind her.
She turned around and glared at him. "Don't even start, Dom." She shook her head. "Before I came to this camp the first time, I never knew how hard farmers have it. They have it worse than knights."
Dom laughed. "You did a wonderful ploughing job. So it's tiring. You'll get better. And you have plenty of skills already."
Kel smiled. "Thank you." She kissed him.
"Kel!" Fhire called. Kel reluctantly turned from Dom.
"Fhire, hello!" She hissed.
"Kel, I was wondering if we're going to work tonight. I really need to work on my steps with the glaive and I thought that tonight would be perfect, because neither of us-"
"No!" Kel said quickly. She glanced at Dom. "I mean, I'm really tired, and I think we should take a break and- that's basically it."
Fhire nodded slowly.
Kel grinned and grabbed Dom by the wrist, dragging him away before Fhire could say anything.
"That was mean, Lady Knight." Dom grinned, when they got into Kel's room.
Kel smiled and kissed him. "You're right. But it was definitely worth it."
Dom wrapped his arms around her. "You are very strange, Kel."
She laughed. "It's part of my charm."
* * * * *
"So Kel, any plans for today?" Neal asked.
Kel shook her head as she ate her oatmeal. "Nothing special. We're just going to work like we normally do."
He rolled his eyes. "No we're not."
Kel looked at him. "Why?"
"It's you're birthday, Kel."
Fhire looked up. "Is it? That's wonderful! How old are you, Kel?"
Kel looked at Neal. "Goodness, I didn't even realize." She shrugged. "Oh well." She went back to her oatmeal.
"Kel, you didn't answer my question." Fhire said.
She sighed. "Twenty-six." She looked at them. "I feel so old."
Neal laughed. "Kel, you do realize that on my next birthday, I turn thirty? And on Dom's next birthday, he turns thirty-one?" (A/N: in the books, I think he's older than that, but I think it's kind of creepy that he was so old. . . so, I made him younger. . . and he's still six years older than her!)
Kel smiled. "I guess it's not that bad."
Fhire laughed. "And now I feel so young!"
Neal glared at her. "Please don't make me punch you."
Dom sat down. "Now, why would you want to punch this lovely girl?"
Neal glared at him as well. "She made me feel old. It was very depressing."
Kel sighed. "You'd look younger if you ate your vegetables."
Neal frowned. "I don't know why I put up with this."
Kel laughed. She truly had forgotten it was her birthday. It was fairly exciting, actually. She hadn't had a real birthday in years, and it would be fun. That is, of course, if anyone was planning anything.
"Well, I've got to start working. I'll see you guys later." She kissed Dom on the cheek as she stood up. "Bye."
She spent the rest of the morning tending to horses. It was one of her favourite jobs. She spent a little amount of time scooping up the horse manure and rolling hay bales, but then she got to groom the horses for hours, just standing with them, running the brushes over their backs.
The only problem was, when she finished, she smelled horrible.
She forced herself to have a bath before she did anything else after lunch. She sank into the tub and sat for what felt like hours, finally emerging and dressing only moments before there was a knock at her door.
"Hello, Kel." Dom grinned.
Kel smiled. "Dom. How can I help you?"
"I was wondering if I could interest you in dinner."
Kel looked at him. "Dom, we eat dinner every night."
They looked at each other for a moment, until Dom finally flinched. "Okay, look. I just wanted to invite you tonight, alright?"
Kel smiled. "Fine with me." She said, as they walked out the door.
Dom grinned as they got to the mess hall. "I'm glad you agreed, because you certainly cannot show up at a party without an escort!"
Kel's eyes widened. "Date?"
Before she could turn around, he had thrust her into the dining hall. It wasn't what she expected. Everything was completely normal. The way Dom had acted, she had thought there would be a surprise party, or something. None of her friends were even in the room yet.
"Did I crush your hopes and dreams?" Dom asked, squeezing her.
She smiled weakly and nodded.
He gave her a real hug. "I'm sorry, Kel. But everyone is busy. Merric, Fhire, and Owen are all on watch tonight, and Neal is in the infirmary. One of the children is very sick. I guess it's just you and me."
She nodded.
"Hey," said Dom, "why don't we grab some food and eat outside? That would be nice."
She smiled. Quiet would be nice.
They grabbed some food and went outside. It was pretty dark. "Where is there enough light?" Kel asked.
Dom smiled. "Just follow me. It will be fine." He took her hand and led her to the back of the camp, to the large empty area behind the buildings, which they often used for weapons practice. "This is perfect." He said.
Kel laughed. "Dom, you can't see anything."
He laughed. "So?"
Kel laughed. "You are so- AHH!" She felt someone grab her arm. She grabbed the hand and flipped the person. He groaned.
Dom laughed. "I think you got him." Someone lit a candle. Kel looked at the ground.
"Mithros, Neal!" She said. He was lying on the ground, groaning.
"I think she broke something." He gasped.
Dom laughed. "Pretty likely."
Kel put her hand to her mouth. "I am so sorry!" She helped him up. "Are you alright?"
He nodded. "I'll get over it."
Kel looked up. "Oh!" She said. There were people all around her. She elbowed Dom. "What is going on?"
He shrugged. "No idea." He said.
Fhire rolled her eyes. "No idea my foot. It was his idea in the first place." She looked at Kel. "And you ruined our surprise. Oh well. We'll do it anyway." Someone put out the candle. A moment later, they lit it again.
"Surprise!" Everyone yelled.
Kel laughed. "Thank you." She said. "But why are we out here?" She looked around, and saw that there was a table set up outside, and a few people were lighting candles on it.
Neal grinned. "We wanted you to have a great dinner." He winced. "Though I may have to go soak a bit before I can join you."
Dom shrugged. "It's alright. No loss."
Neal frowned.
Fhire stepped forward. "Sibling- err, cousin- rivalry can wait. Let's eat, I want to have the cake!"
They sat around the table, with Kel at the head. She looked around. There were eight people there. Neal, Dom, Fhire, Merric, Owen, Tobe, Walford, and of course, Kel herself. She had a delightful dinner, talking and laughing the entire time.
Tobe stood up after they had gotten rid of their dirty dishes. "Excuse me, my Lady." He said, leaving the table.
A moment later, Fhire stood as well. "Excuse me, Lady Kel." Kel nodded, and Fhire disappeared. Kel didn't really care where they had gone.
A few minutes later, they emerged- carrying a cake. Everyone sang, and Kel cut the cake.
It was the perfect night for a party. The air was warm, and the dirt smelled fresh, like mud after a spring rain. There were scattered clouds, and there was a bright, full moon, which greatly helped light their table.
The table was one of the tables from the mess hall. It had scratch marks on it from people dropping forks and knives, and little etchings of names and pictures on the legs and underside. Kel could feel them when she pulled her chair in, running her hand over the grainy thick wood.
After a while, Kel noticed it getting darker. She looked up, and saw great grey clouds blocking the moon. She frowned.
"What's wrong?" Dom asked quietly, leaning in to her.
She grimaced. "It's going to rain." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I really feel like I've responded to these reviews before. If I have, I'm sorry- but my internet isn't working well, so I can't check.
PsychoLioness13: Glad you enjoyed it.
Treanz-alyce: oy- 130 reviews for 5 chapters? That is so not fair! Why don't I have 130 reviews?
AJ 4EVA: I can indeed write more. Sorry it took so long, I was on a Harry Potter kick. I think I might be back to Tamora Pierce, though.
Legofiance: very cool indeed...
Fhire: interesting....*backing away slowly...and run!!!*
Big Splash: Cool. Thanks for reviewing.
Lotrfreek: I don't know... she is still a fun person, she's not all work and no play.
Wake-Robin: I NEVER make sense. Ever.
rOmAnCe-LuVeR: err, I was thinking of having Cleon be, well, less evil. He's not actually in it, as far as I can remember. PsychoLioness13: absolutely.
Moooose: yeah, I know... I'm planning something extra special for the next chapter... will that be good special, or bad special? Only I know! Actually, no I don't...but I will soon.
Ophelia-waterhouse: see above, please!