To all the people who wrote reviews saying that they want them to get
married: read the last section of chapter 19. it's very subtle, but it's
there. I promise. Just read it before you read this.
Fhire, and everyone else: I'm putting this at the beginning for only one reason: I forgot about Fhire. I haven't written her in since they left Corus, and I completely forgot that she had not stayed at the camp. I'm really, really sorry, and can we pretend that she has been in the last chapter or so since they got back?
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The next few days passed slowly for Kel. There was little for her, Fhire and Dom to do. Kel tried to ride, but Peachblossom was angry with her for being gone so long, and as far as she could tell, Hoshi agreed with him. She and Dom practiced sword play and jousting, but because Dom did not have a knights training, Kel beat him easily every time, even though he was a good fighter, and it got boring for both of them. Fhire was a good opponent for her, but they still didn't practice together that often.
Finally getting Hoshi to agree with her, Kel went for a ride out of the city. She galloped along towards the river and stopped there to relax. She let Hoshi loose so she could drink or eat, and pulled off her small pack with her things in it.
She stripped down to her undergarments and waded into the river. It was a silly idea- though it was warm outside, it was still spring, and the water was icy. Kel felt her chest tighten with the cold.
She shivered, but after a moment, her body adjusted, and she dove under the water and glided slowly up the river. She swam for a while and quickly dried off and sat back down on the grass. Just as she was pulling out a piece of bread to eat, she heard footsteps behind her.
She silently drew her sword and stood up. Someone was getting closer. She stepped forward, into some cover. She anticipated where the person would go next, and stepped out of the cover, pointing her sword at his neck.
"Ah!" The person cried, and Kel almost jumped. "Gods, Kel, don't do that!"
Kel pulled back her sword and looked at the man in front of her. "What are you doing here?"
Dom grinned and sat down beside her things. "I couldn't find you, and I was bored. Besides, we've come here before, and I know that it is the best spot to sit by the river. It just made sense that I would find you here." He paused. "Plus, Jan, the boy in the stables, said that you were out riding by the river."
Kel smiled and sat down beside him. "You can't keep a secret from me, can you?"
He shook his head. "I can't. that's why I should just go right out and say it then, shouldn't I?"
Kel looked at him, confused. Say what, she thought. She stayed silent as he rummaged through one of his pockets for something. He found whatever it was he was looking for, and, without letting Kel see it, he sat up. Kel sat up as well, following him. He kneeled on the grass on one knee, but Kel did not follow.
"Kel, I know we spoke of this yesterday, but I should very much like to make it official." He glanced down at the thing in his hand, which turned out to be a box, a tiny, navy, velvet box with even tinier pearls around the edges. It was so beautiful that Kel didn't want to open it, but her heart was beating so quickly in her chest that she did anyway.
She slowly opened the box, her heart beating so loudly in her ears that she barely heard what Dom was saying. He was so quiet, his voice cracking often from speaking so softly.
"Keladry, would you marry me?" He said to her as she opened the velvet box.
In it was a beautiful ring, a silver band with a diamond perched directly in the centre, barely rising above the band, surrounded by a ring of tiny diamonds and garnets, alternating.
Kel felt tears come to her eyes as it shone in her eyes, but she blinked them back. She was just opening her mouth to speak when she looked once more at the ring which she had just slipped onto her finger.
It looked out of place. It was wrong. Kel stopped smiling. She stared at her hand, the large, chapped, dirty thing in front of her, glittering with the light of a thousand candles.
"Dom," she said, shaking her head, letting the tears come now, "I can't."
Dom looked at her, aghast, searching her face for answers. "What's wrong, Kel?" He asked.
Kel shook her head fiercely. "Dom, I can't. this isn't right. You are not allowed to marry, you would lose your place in the own, and I, I am not right for this. I'm not a wife, or a mother, I'm a fighter. And I have worked to hard to be- be- distracted." She stumbled out.
Dom looked to the ground, and they both fell silent. Kel desperately wished he would speak. Her wish came true when Dom leaned back slightly, pushing himself away from her. But it was not what Kel wanted to hear.
"Is that it? I'm a distraction?" He said, throwing his hands out. "Is that all I'm good for?" He said, raising his voice.
Kel shook her head, crying again. "No, Dom, that's not what I meant, I-"
Dom put his hand up. Kel stopped talking, and Dom quickly stood up. "You know what," he said as he did so, "I should go. I wouldn't want to distract you."
He stalked away towards the road, and Kel could hear his horse gallop away. She was left to look between the wedding ring on her finger, and the empty box in her hands.
Kel didn't leave the river until she was sure she looked normal again. She stopped crying moments after Dom left, as she wasn't a big crier; but her face was still puffy and red. Finally, she washed her face in the river and threw her pack on her back. She got back on Hoshi and slowly rode back to the city.
* * * * *
"Come in." Dom's voice came through the thick wooden door. Kel turned the doorknob and slid in. Dom looked up at her. "What?" He asked, from his perch on the windowsill.
Kel smiled weakly, but it quickly turned back into her lump face. She slowly walked to the bed and placed the small velvet box in the centre of it. tiny creases appeared in the fabric all around it, pulling it in towards the box, making tiny shadows and marks all around it.
Kel turned and walked away.
Kel quietly slid into her room and sat down at her desk. She sighed as she looked at it. She didn't have too much work when she was at the palace, but she still had to finish her report on their trip to Scanra. She wished she didn't have to do it, because she had already told Jon everything that had happened, but she understood that they needed the reports to put in the hall of records. The papers for it were all over her desk.
Now, Kel was normally a very organized person, but this report was just so much work that she hadn't kept it very neat. She sat down at her desk to work on it. She needed something to get her mind off of everything.
A few minutes after she sat down, there was a knock on her door. "Come in." She sighed.
Fhire stepped in and sat down in a chair on the other side of her desk. Kel sat back. She was glad Fhire was there; she was a welcome distraction.
"What can I do for you, Fhire?" Se asked.
Fhire shook her head. "Nothing specifically, I was just wondering where you were this morning." Jump ran up to her and jumped into her lap, licking her.
Kel smiled weakly. "I went for a swim in the river, and I have to say: not a good idea."
Fhire laughed. "A bit cold?"
Kel nodded. That wasn't all she was talking about, but of course, Fhire didn't know that.
"Umm, Lady Kel," Fhire said, staring at Jump Kel could see that she was upset about something, and it made her nervous. She was always afraid she wouldn't be able to answer her questions. "I think that Triaxx has a cold, or something. I'm not quite sure. What am I supposed to do?"
Kel smiled. Thank goodness, she thought, I know this one! "You've met Daine, haven't you? As far as I know, she is at the palace. We can check if she is here, she should be able to help you."
Fhire grinned. "thank you." They sat for a minute. "Is there something wrong?" Fhire asked after a moment.
Kel looked up. "Wrong?" She asked. Fhire nodded. Everything that had happened swirled through her head. Yesterday she and Dom had been in love, today he had asked her to marry him, and now they were no longer speaking. So much was wrong. She looked Fhire in the eye and slowly said, "no, nothing is wrong."
* * * * *
Three weeks passed before there was any news from the forts. Jon called a meeting to speak about it.
"Good morning," he said to everyone at the table. Kel looked around. The few knights left in Corus were there, as well as Fhire and Dom, Numair Salmalin, whom Kel did not even know was in Corus, and many of the king's advisors. "We are here to discuss the goings on of this war." He said loudly, standing at the head of the table. "I am not sure how much all of you know. Keladry, if you would care to explain? No need for serious detail."
Kel straightened up and her eyes widened. Her he wanted her to explain it? She didn't know she was going to have to say anything. She stood up slowly. "Well, I went to Scanra last autumn, and I returned back in March. My mission was to destroy the Scanran warlord, King Maggur Rathhausak. I succeeded in killing him, during his Midwinter Carnival." She glanced at Jon next to her, who nodded that she had said enough.
She sat back down as everyone at the table started talking loudly amongst themselves. Kel looked at Dom, further down the table on the other side. He was leaning back in his chair, his arms crossed over his chest, staring straight forward. He didn't look over at her.
"Thank you, Keladry." Jon nodded at her. "Quiet down!" He said loudly, and slowly, everyone's eyes turned back to him. "Well, as I'm sure you can all remember, before Maggur came into power Scanra was divided. The tribes were at war with each other, none of them got along with each other. No warlord before Maggur could unite them, and we are hoping that none after him will be able to.
"The tribes are already dividing. No one really knows how he got all of the tribes to agree, and thus, no one can copy him. I have reports from Steadfast that there has not been an attack since early February, and the reports say that it was the weakest army they ever encountered.
"Yesterday," Jon said, smiling now, "I received a letter from the Scanran government, wishing to negotiate hostilities against Tortall. Actually, they did not wish to negotiate. They wished to surrender."
The talking broke out again. "Surrender?" Kel heard someone say. "This is a joke!" She heard someone else say. Kel looked down the table again at Dom. This time he was talking with the people around him, nodding his head animatedly at something the person next to him had said.
Kel looked at Numair, who was directly across the table from her. He nodded and smiled at her, leaning forward. "You did very well, Keladry." He said.
Kel smiled. That was a true compliment from Numair. Jon raised his hand for silence again. "Gentlemen, I would like to thank you all for your hard work and dedication during this war. I would especially like to thank Sir Keladry of Mindelan and Domitan of Masbolle for all of their efforts in this war."
There was great applause at the table. Jon nodded at them both. "Thank you for being here. So you all know, I am leaving two squads posted at each fort for the next while, in case of any more occurrences, while everyone else from the forts and camps will be returning home."
Kel slowly put her hand up. "Um, your majesty? What about the refugees?"
He looked at her. "They will be able to go home, now that there is no threat from Scanra."
Kel shook her head. "Most of them have no homes to go to. Their homes were burned and destroyed by Scanran attackers, as well as all their possessions. They have no where to go."
Jon closed his eyes and sighed. "Give me time, Keladry." He leaned down to her. "I will come up with something, don't worry." He smiled. "I've actually been thinking about that, I was just hoping no one would notice that I hadn't made a decision yet." He whispered.
Kel chuckled. "Sorry, your majesty."
A few moments later, they were all dismissed. Kel and Fhire walked down to the practice courts to train. "Lady Kel, I have a question." Fhire asked.
Kel looked up. "What can I do for you?"
Fhire sighed. "Why haven't you and Dom talked?" Kel looked down. "Don't think I haven't noticed." Fhire said. "You haven't spoken in three weeks. You've just avoided each other. You only see each other when I call Dom over at a meal or something. And then one of you makes some silly excuse to get away from each other."
Kel sighed. "We had some problems."
Fhire nodded. "I can see that. Have you solved them?"
Kel shook her head. "I don't think they can be solved." She paused. "He asked me to marry him." Kel said quietly.
"What?" Fhire said. "Lady Kel, that's great?" She paused. "What did you do?"
Kel glared at her. "It wasn't only my fault. I said no. I had my reasons, and I really did want to marry him. But I had to say no."
Fhire nodded. She didn't ask any more.
"Come on," Kel said, jumping up, "let's go practice!"
* * * * *
Two weeks later, the first group returned to the castle. And, to Kel's delight, they were from Steadfast and New Hope. Jon had decided that the refugees would be sent back to their towns, and that builders would be sent to rebuild their homes and plows. The messenger was sent the morning after the meeting, and thus, two weeks later, they came home.
Kel and Fhire were waiting for them when they got there. They were expected in the late afternoon, so Kel and Fhire went outside after lunch to wait. They sat down on the front stone steps and waited. Jump and Triaxx chased each other around at their feet as they played cards on the stairs.
"How long do you think it will take?" Fhire asked, after they had been sitting there for an hour.
Kel smiled. They were getting hot, sitting in the sun. Jump had curled up in the shade of the wall, and Triaxx was sitting on the stair below Fhire, panting. "I doubt it will be much longer." Kel said. "we have been here for a while now, haven't we?"
Fhire nodded. "Wait, is there something down there?" She said, standing up.
Kel stood up as well. "I'm not sure if I see anything." She shielded her eyes from the sun and looked down the hill, towards the edge of the city. "Wait, I do think I see something!" She said. She could see horses at the bottom of the hill. They were definitely carrying people, and Kel could see the glint of armour. She could almost make out their faces...
She sat back down. "Well, we will just have to wait for them."
Fhire smiled. "Lady Kel, I don't mean to be rude, but you are far too patient."
Kel smiled. "Fhire, patience is a virtue, I'm sure people have told you that before." Fhire nodded. "Well, it is true. If you are at war, and you are impatient, you can lose lives. If you attack to early, or you show your hiding spot too early, you can get into trouble. Or if you get bored and leave your post. When I was a squire, I was set on guard on a small pathway that barely anyone knew existed. There was no way that a centaur would be able to find it. But one did, and if I had not been patient and on my guard, I would not be standing here today."
Fhire nodded. Kel smiled. "One more thing:" she said, when I was kidnapped, I had to be patient with my self, and I had to know my own strength. I learned my own strength by being patient with myself, and that's how I survived that."
Fhire sighed. "Why must everything always become serious?"
Kel laughed. "Oh yes, and you must be patient when it comes to your Ordeal. You must get through the entire night, not falling to anything the Chamber throws at you."
Just as Kel finished her little speech, the riders came up to the palace. Kel stood up and they ran down the rest of the stairs.
Neal jumped off his horse and Kel gave him a hug. "Welcome back." She said.
He grinned at her. "Kel, you have to tell me everything! All they told us was that we were coming home, and they wouldn't even tell us what had happened with you, and-"
Kel put her hand up. "Neal, shut up." She said, laughing. "Get your things, I will explain everything!" Neal smiled and grabbed his horse. Kel greeted all of her friends happily, with smiles and hugs. Finally, she went to meet Neal at the stables. She desperately needed someone to talk to. She had held everything inside of her for so long, letting herself breathe when she spoke to Fhire, but still barely.
"Neal?" She said, stepping inside the stables.
"Over here, Kel!" She heard him say from his horses stall. Kel walked over to him. "What can I do for you?" He said, pulling his horses tack off of the stall's wall and bringing it to the tack room.
Kel followed him in, and after he had put his tack away, they went outside. "Well, you can do a lot for me."
Neal smiled. "Ha! Chalk up one for Neal!"
Kel rolled her eyes as she sat down on the bench beside him. "Everything has gone wrong." She said. Neal looked sympathetic, and she knew she had to explain. She took a deep breath and began. "Well, we came back for a mission. I came back to kill Maggur." Neal raised his eyebrow. Kel continued. "I succeeded, over four months I went to Scanra, killed Maggur, and came back. Dom went with me, and when we got back, he asked me to marry him."
Neal sat back in disbelief. "Dom? He asked you to marry him? Dom, the king of flirts, married?"
Kel shook her head. "I said no." She said quietly. Neal opened his mouth to say something, but Kel cut him off. "I said I didn't want distractions, and I didn't want to ruin all my work, and I insulted him. He just left. I gave him back his ring, and we haven't spoken since."
Neal put his arm around her. "When was this?"
"Five weeks ago." She choked on her words.
"Five? Kel, that's not right! You two were in love, and now you aren't even speaking? Oh, Kel."
She nodded. "I know. It's not that I don't love him, I do, with all my heart, but I just can't marry him. Not now."
Neal nodded. "But you want to?"
She nodded. She was starting to cry. "I love him so much, Neal, I just wish I could do something. I want to be with him, and I want to marry him."
Neal sighed. "I understand. I feel the same way about Yuki." He smiled. "Just follow your heart, Kel, it will tell you what to do."
Kel nodded. "I am trying. I just want to be with him, without troubles like this. I love him, Neal."
He kissed her forehead. "I know, Kel. I know."
Kel let the tears fall, and Neal just sat with her.
Neither of them saw Dom, inside the stables, turn and walk to the other door.
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Ooh, I love this chapter! I thought that the emotions were crazy cool...
And please, don't write me reviews saying she cryed too much, ok? I get it, she's a frickin' lump.
Wake-Robin: indeed!
Legofiance: thank you. I'm very proud of my work!
Rootless Californian: well, that's still a perfectly valid opinion. I guess I just saw it in a different way. And you are NOT too retarded to see where this is going. For god's sake, I don't even know where it is going!
Ellabelle1: I know it was short...I was leading up to this 'emotional breakthrough' as I call it. And you're right, it wasn't too clear. I might go back and change it around a bit.
Rubber Duck: Thanks! And I'm sure you expected this...while I'm sure that it's not too, too obvious, I think that you probably had the right idea.
Anon: indeed. And this chapter does damn well with it!
Lady of Masbolle: Sweet! 'Queen of Kel/Dom fics!' I like!
PsychoLioness13: Of course!
Lady-kitty: thanks, I'm glad you like it. I will keep writing, of course!
Legofiance (again): hee hee... I think you will love this chapter.
AJ 4EVA: I will...do you write the same thing every time? It looks familiar.
Person who wants u to update: Of course!
Kerzikhan: of course, I answer every review! And I'm glad you like it.
Kelly Masbolle: yonks? What on earth are yonks? I'm glad you think they're so good, and I bet I ruined your hopes and dreams with this chapter, eh?
Eat paper: Well sorry, I'm having fun! Except that this chapter honestly made me cry... wow I'm a loser.
Fhire: I'm not even going to bother with that review.
Fhire (again): Thanks! See, I remembered to put Fhire in!
Fhire (god, just write one!): I put him in, I put him in! Didja see, didja see?
Well, that's all for today. Hopefully (this isn't a promise!) next chapter will be happier.
-unolimbo
Fhire, and everyone else: I'm putting this at the beginning for only one reason: I forgot about Fhire. I haven't written her in since they left Corus, and I completely forgot that she had not stayed at the camp. I'm really, really sorry, and can we pretend that she has been in the last chapter or so since they got back?
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The next few days passed slowly for Kel. There was little for her, Fhire and Dom to do. Kel tried to ride, but Peachblossom was angry with her for being gone so long, and as far as she could tell, Hoshi agreed with him. She and Dom practiced sword play and jousting, but because Dom did not have a knights training, Kel beat him easily every time, even though he was a good fighter, and it got boring for both of them. Fhire was a good opponent for her, but they still didn't practice together that often.
Finally getting Hoshi to agree with her, Kel went for a ride out of the city. She galloped along towards the river and stopped there to relax. She let Hoshi loose so she could drink or eat, and pulled off her small pack with her things in it.
She stripped down to her undergarments and waded into the river. It was a silly idea- though it was warm outside, it was still spring, and the water was icy. Kel felt her chest tighten with the cold.
She shivered, but after a moment, her body adjusted, and she dove under the water and glided slowly up the river. She swam for a while and quickly dried off and sat back down on the grass. Just as she was pulling out a piece of bread to eat, she heard footsteps behind her.
She silently drew her sword and stood up. Someone was getting closer. She stepped forward, into some cover. She anticipated where the person would go next, and stepped out of the cover, pointing her sword at his neck.
"Ah!" The person cried, and Kel almost jumped. "Gods, Kel, don't do that!"
Kel pulled back her sword and looked at the man in front of her. "What are you doing here?"
Dom grinned and sat down beside her things. "I couldn't find you, and I was bored. Besides, we've come here before, and I know that it is the best spot to sit by the river. It just made sense that I would find you here." He paused. "Plus, Jan, the boy in the stables, said that you were out riding by the river."
Kel smiled and sat down beside him. "You can't keep a secret from me, can you?"
He shook his head. "I can't. that's why I should just go right out and say it then, shouldn't I?"
Kel looked at him, confused. Say what, she thought. She stayed silent as he rummaged through one of his pockets for something. He found whatever it was he was looking for, and, without letting Kel see it, he sat up. Kel sat up as well, following him. He kneeled on the grass on one knee, but Kel did not follow.
"Kel, I know we spoke of this yesterday, but I should very much like to make it official." He glanced down at the thing in his hand, which turned out to be a box, a tiny, navy, velvet box with even tinier pearls around the edges. It was so beautiful that Kel didn't want to open it, but her heart was beating so quickly in her chest that she did anyway.
She slowly opened the box, her heart beating so loudly in her ears that she barely heard what Dom was saying. He was so quiet, his voice cracking often from speaking so softly.
"Keladry, would you marry me?" He said to her as she opened the velvet box.
In it was a beautiful ring, a silver band with a diamond perched directly in the centre, barely rising above the band, surrounded by a ring of tiny diamonds and garnets, alternating.
Kel felt tears come to her eyes as it shone in her eyes, but she blinked them back. She was just opening her mouth to speak when she looked once more at the ring which she had just slipped onto her finger.
It looked out of place. It was wrong. Kel stopped smiling. She stared at her hand, the large, chapped, dirty thing in front of her, glittering with the light of a thousand candles.
"Dom," she said, shaking her head, letting the tears come now, "I can't."
Dom looked at her, aghast, searching her face for answers. "What's wrong, Kel?" He asked.
Kel shook her head fiercely. "Dom, I can't. this isn't right. You are not allowed to marry, you would lose your place in the own, and I, I am not right for this. I'm not a wife, or a mother, I'm a fighter. And I have worked to hard to be- be- distracted." She stumbled out.
Dom looked to the ground, and they both fell silent. Kel desperately wished he would speak. Her wish came true when Dom leaned back slightly, pushing himself away from her. But it was not what Kel wanted to hear.
"Is that it? I'm a distraction?" He said, throwing his hands out. "Is that all I'm good for?" He said, raising his voice.
Kel shook her head, crying again. "No, Dom, that's not what I meant, I-"
Dom put his hand up. Kel stopped talking, and Dom quickly stood up. "You know what," he said as he did so, "I should go. I wouldn't want to distract you."
He stalked away towards the road, and Kel could hear his horse gallop away. She was left to look between the wedding ring on her finger, and the empty box in her hands.
Kel didn't leave the river until she was sure she looked normal again. She stopped crying moments after Dom left, as she wasn't a big crier; but her face was still puffy and red. Finally, she washed her face in the river and threw her pack on her back. She got back on Hoshi and slowly rode back to the city.
* * * * *
"Come in." Dom's voice came through the thick wooden door. Kel turned the doorknob and slid in. Dom looked up at her. "What?" He asked, from his perch on the windowsill.
Kel smiled weakly, but it quickly turned back into her lump face. She slowly walked to the bed and placed the small velvet box in the centre of it. tiny creases appeared in the fabric all around it, pulling it in towards the box, making tiny shadows and marks all around it.
Kel turned and walked away.
Kel quietly slid into her room and sat down at her desk. She sighed as she looked at it. She didn't have too much work when she was at the palace, but she still had to finish her report on their trip to Scanra. She wished she didn't have to do it, because she had already told Jon everything that had happened, but she understood that they needed the reports to put in the hall of records. The papers for it were all over her desk.
Now, Kel was normally a very organized person, but this report was just so much work that she hadn't kept it very neat. She sat down at her desk to work on it. She needed something to get her mind off of everything.
A few minutes after she sat down, there was a knock on her door. "Come in." She sighed.
Fhire stepped in and sat down in a chair on the other side of her desk. Kel sat back. She was glad Fhire was there; she was a welcome distraction.
"What can I do for you, Fhire?" Se asked.
Fhire shook her head. "Nothing specifically, I was just wondering where you were this morning." Jump ran up to her and jumped into her lap, licking her.
Kel smiled weakly. "I went for a swim in the river, and I have to say: not a good idea."
Fhire laughed. "A bit cold?"
Kel nodded. That wasn't all she was talking about, but of course, Fhire didn't know that.
"Umm, Lady Kel," Fhire said, staring at Jump Kel could see that she was upset about something, and it made her nervous. She was always afraid she wouldn't be able to answer her questions. "I think that Triaxx has a cold, or something. I'm not quite sure. What am I supposed to do?"
Kel smiled. Thank goodness, she thought, I know this one! "You've met Daine, haven't you? As far as I know, she is at the palace. We can check if she is here, she should be able to help you."
Fhire grinned. "thank you." They sat for a minute. "Is there something wrong?" Fhire asked after a moment.
Kel looked up. "Wrong?" She asked. Fhire nodded. Everything that had happened swirled through her head. Yesterday she and Dom had been in love, today he had asked her to marry him, and now they were no longer speaking. So much was wrong. She looked Fhire in the eye and slowly said, "no, nothing is wrong."
* * * * *
Three weeks passed before there was any news from the forts. Jon called a meeting to speak about it.
"Good morning," he said to everyone at the table. Kel looked around. The few knights left in Corus were there, as well as Fhire and Dom, Numair Salmalin, whom Kel did not even know was in Corus, and many of the king's advisors. "We are here to discuss the goings on of this war." He said loudly, standing at the head of the table. "I am not sure how much all of you know. Keladry, if you would care to explain? No need for serious detail."
Kel straightened up and her eyes widened. Her he wanted her to explain it? She didn't know she was going to have to say anything. She stood up slowly. "Well, I went to Scanra last autumn, and I returned back in March. My mission was to destroy the Scanran warlord, King Maggur Rathhausak. I succeeded in killing him, during his Midwinter Carnival." She glanced at Jon next to her, who nodded that she had said enough.
She sat back down as everyone at the table started talking loudly amongst themselves. Kel looked at Dom, further down the table on the other side. He was leaning back in his chair, his arms crossed over his chest, staring straight forward. He didn't look over at her.
"Thank you, Keladry." Jon nodded at her. "Quiet down!" He said loudly, and slowly, everyone's eyes turned back to him. "Well, as I'm sure you can all remember, before Maggur came into power Scanra was divided. The tribes were at war with each other, none of them got along with each other. No warlord before Maggur could unite them, and we are hoping that none after him will be able to.
"The tribes are already dividing. No one really knows how he got all of the tribes to agree, and thus, no one can copy him. I have reports from Steadfast that there has not been an attack since early February, and the reports say that it was the weakest army they ever encountered.
"Yesterday," Jon said, smiling now, "I received a letter from the Scanran government, wishing to negotiate hostilities against Tortall. Actually, they did not wish to negotiate. They wished to surrender."
The talking broke out again. "Surrender?" Kel heard someone say. "This is a joke!" She heard someone else say. Kel looked down the table again at Dom. This time he was talking with the people around him, nodding his head animatedly at something the person next to him had said.
Kel looked at Numair, who was directly across the table from her. He nodded and smiled at her, leaning forward. "You did very well, Keladry." He said.
Kel smiled. That was a true compliment from Numair. Jon raised his hand for silence again. "Gentlemen, I would like to thank you all for your hard work and dedication during this war. I would especially like to thank Sir Keladry of Mindelan and Domitan of Masbolle for all of their efforts in this war."
There was great applause at the table. Jon nodded at them both. "Thank you for being here. So you all know, I am leaving two squads posted at each fort for the next while, in case of any more occurrences, while everyone else from the forts and camps will be returning home."
Kel slowly put her hand up. "Um, your majesty? What about the refugees?"
He looked at her. "They will be able to go home, now that there is no threat from Scanra."
Kel shook her head. "Most of them have no homes to go to. Their homes were burned and destroyed by Scanran attackers, as well as all their possessions. They have no where to go."
Jon closed his eyes and sighed. "Give me time, Keladry." He leaned down to her. "I will come up with something, don't worry." He smiled. "I've actually been thinking about that, I was just hoping no one would notice that I hadn't made a decision yet." He whispered.
Kel chuckled. "Sorry, your majesty."
A few moments later, they were all dismissed. Kel and Fhire walked down to the practice courts to train. "Lady Kel, I have a question." Fhire asked.
Kel looked up. "What can I do for you?"
Fhire sighed. "Why haven't you and Dom talked?" Kel looked down. "Don't think I haven't noticed." Fhire said. "You haven't spoken in three weeks. You've just avoided each other. You only see each other when I call Dom over at a meal or something. And then one of you makes some silly excuse to get away from each other."
Kel sighed. "We had some problems."
Fhire nodded. "I can see that. Have you solved them?"
Kel shook her head. "I don't think they can be solved." She paused. "He asked me to marry him." Kel said quietly.
"What?" Fhire said. "Lady Kel, that's great?" She paused. "What did you do?"
Kel glared at her. "It wasn't only my fault. I said no. I had my reasons, and I really did want to marry him. But I had to say no."
Fhire nodded. She didn't ask any more.
"Come on," Kel said, jumping up, "let's go practice!"
* * * * *
Two weeks later, the first group returned to the castle. And, to Kel's delight, they were from Steadfast and New Hope. Jon had decided that the refugees would be sent back to their towns, and that builders would be sent to rebuild their homes and plows. The messenger was sent the morning after the meeting, and thus, two weeks later, they came home.
Kel and Fhire were waiting for them when they got there. They were expected in the late afternoon, so Kel and Fhire went outside after lunch to wait. They sat down on the front stone steps and waited. Jump and Triaxx chased each other around at their feet as they played cards on the stairs.
"How long do you think it will take?" Fhire asked, after they had been sitting there for an hour.
Kel smiled. They were getting hot, sitting in the sun. Jump had curled up in the shade of the wall, and Triaxx was sitting on the stair below Fhire, panting. "I doubt it will be much longer." Kel said. "we have been here for a while now, haven't we?"
Fhire nodded. "Wait, is there something down there?" She said, standing up.
Kel stood up as well. "I'm not sure if I see anything." She shielded her eyes from the sun and looked down the hill, towards the edge of the city. "Wait, I do think I see something!" She said. She could see horses at the bottom of the hill. They were definitely carrying people, and Kel could see the glint of armour. She could almost make out their faces...
She sat back down. "Well, we will just have to wait for them."
Fhire smiled. "Lady Kel, I don't mean to be rude, but you are far too patient."
Kel smiled. "Fhire, patience is a virtue, I'm sure people have told you that before." Fhire nodded. "Well, it is true. If you are at war, and you are impatient, you can lose lives. If you attack to early, or you show your hiding spot too early, you can get into trouble. Or if you get bored and leave your post. When I was a squire, I was set on guard on a small pathway that barely anyone knew existed. There was no way that a centaur would be able to find it. But one did, and if I had not been patient and on my guard, I would not be standing here today."
Fhire nodded. Kel smiled. "One more thing:" she said, when I was kidnapped, I had to be patient with my self, and I had to know my own strength. I learned my own strength by being patient with myself, and that's how I survived that."
Fhire sighed. "Why must everything always become serious?"
Kel laughed. "Oh yes, and you must be patient when it comes to your Ordeal. You must get through the entire night, not falling to anything the Chamber throws at you."
Just as Kel finished her little speech, the riders came up to the palace. Kel stood up and they ran down the rest of the stairs.
Neal jumped off his horse and Kel gave him a hug. "Welcome back." She said.
He grinned at her. "Kel, you have to tell me everything! All they told us was that we were coming home, and they wouldn't even tell us what had happened with you, and-"
Kel put her hand up. "Neal, shut up." She said, laughing. "Get your things, I will explain everything!" Neal smiled and grabbed his horse. Kel greeted all of her friends happily, with smiles and hugs. Finally, she went to meet Neal at the stables. She desperately needed someone to talk to. She had held everything inside of her for so long, letting herself breathe when she spoke to Fhire, but still barely.
"Neal?" She said, stepping inside the stables.
"Over here, Kel!" She heard him say from his horses stall. Kel walked over to him. "What can I do for you?" He said, pulling his horses tack off of the stall's wall and bringing it to the tack room.
Kel followed him in, and after he had put his tack away, they went outside. "Well, you can do a lot for me."
Neal smiled. "Ha! Chalk up one for Neal!"
Kel rolled her eyes as she sat down on the bench beside him. "Everything has gone wrong." She said. Neal looked sympathetic, and she knew she had to explain. She took a deep breath and began. "Well, we came back for a mission. I came back to kill Maggur." Neal raised his eyebrow. Kel continued. "I succeeded, over four months I went to Scanra, killed Maggur, and came back. Dom went with me, and when we got back, he asked me to marry him."
Neal sat back in disbelief. "Dom? He asked you to marry him? Dom, the king of flirts, married?"
Kel shook her head. "I said no." She said quietly. Neal opened his mouth to say something, but Kel cut him off. "I said I didn't want distractions, and I didn't want to ruin all my work, and I insulted him. He just left. I gave him back his ring, and we haven't spoken since."
Neal put his arm around her. "When was this?"
"Five weeks ago." She choked on her words.
"Five? Kel, that's not right! You two were in love, and now you aren't even speaking? Oh, Kel."
She nodded. "I know. It's not that I don't love him, I do, with all my heart, but I just can't marry him. Not now."
Neal nodded. "But you want to?"
She nodded. She was starting to cry. "I love him so much, Neal, I just wish I could do something. I want to be with him, and I want to marry him."
Neal sighed. "I understand. I feel the same way about Yuki." He smiled. "Just follow your heart, Kel, it will tell you what to do."
Kel nodded. "I am trying. I just want to be with him, without troubles like this. I love him, Neal."
He kissed her forehead. "I know, Kel. I know."
Kel let the tears fall, and Neal just sat with her.
Neither of them saw Dom, inside the stables, turn and walk to the other door.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ooh, I love this chapter! I thought that the emotions were crazy cool...
And please, don't write me reviews saying she cryed too much, ok? I get it, she's a frickin' lump.
Wake-Robin: indeed!
Legofiance: thank you. I'm very proud of my work!
Rootless Californian: well, that's still a perfectly valid opinion. I guess I just saw it in a different way. And you are NOT too retarded to see where this is going. For god's sake, I don't even know where it is going!
Ellabelle1: I know it was short...I was leading up to this 'emotional breakthrough' as I call it. And you're right, it wasn't too clear. I might go back and change it around a bit.
Rubber Duck: Thanks! And I'm sure you expected this...while I'm sure that it's not too, too obvious, I think that you probably had the right idea.
Anon: indeed. And this chapter does damn well with it!
Lady of Masbolle: Sweet! 'Queen of Kel/Dom fics!' I like!
PsychoLioness13: Of course!
Lady-kitty: thanks, I'm glad you like it. I will keep writing, of course!
Legofiance (again): hee hee... I think you will love this chapter.
AJ 4EVA: I will...do you write the same thing every time? It looks familiar.
Person who wants u to update: Of course!
Kerzikhan: of course, I answer every review! And I'm glad you like it.
Kelly Masbolle: yonks? What on earth are yonks? I'm glad you think they're so good, and I bet I ruined your hopes and dreams with this chapter, eh?
Eat paper: Well sorry, I'm having fun! Except that this chapter honestly made me cry... wow I'm a loser.
Fhire: I'm not even going to bother with that review.
Fhire (again): Thanks! See, I remembered to put Fhire in!
Fhire (god, just write one!): I put him in, I put him in! Didja see, didja see?
Well, that's all for today. Hopefully (this isn't a promise!) next chapter will be happier.
-unolimbo