"Kel," Neal said, "how long has it been since you talked at all?"
Kel thought about it. since he asked her to marry him, the only thing he had directed to her was 'what.' "I returned the ring, and he said, "what?" when I came in the door." She spoke truthfully. She could have easily come up with lies, but there was no reason to lie to Neal.
"Gods, Kel, this is wrong! You two were perfect, anyone could see that. I think you should go and talk to him. He is never going to want to speak to you if you don't try."
Kel sighed. "But he never tries to speak to me!" She said.
Neal shook his head. "But both of you could go on like that forever. Don't you want him back?" Kel nodded. "Of course you do. So do something about it."
Kel smiled. "Thanks, Neal." She chuckled, "who knew you were such a great listener- and helper?"
He grinned back. "I am skilled in the art of romancing. Hi-yah!" He made a slashing movement with his hand, making Kel laugh.
"Maybe I shouldn't trust you," she said, "if that is how you treat romance!"
She stood up. "Come, it is getting late, and you must be getting hungry from your trip." As if on cue, Neal's stomach growled. Kel laughed. "Go have a bath, Neal, and I will meet you in the mess hall."
They bade farewell, and when they reached the palace, they turned different way; Kel, to the mess hall; Neal, to his rooms. Just as Kel was turning a corner she felt a hand grasp her shoulder. as she was in the palace, she fought her greatest instinct to flip whoever it was, and turned and looked at them.
"Is it true?" Dom said.
Kel looked in his eyes, bewildered. "Dom, what are you talking about?" She asked softly.
He shrugged. "I just want to know if it's true." He said, looking down. He wouldn't meet her eye. Kel said nothing, still greatly confused. "Never mind. Just forget it." he said. He turned away from her and walked away.
Kel tried to call him back, but her voice didn't work; she tried to run after him, but her legs would not move. All she could do was watch his back as he walked further, and further away.
* * * * *
Almost a month after Neal and the others came to Corus, everyone, including Kel, was called out to the towns of the refugees to help rebuild their homes and businesses. Kel greatly dreaded the expedition through the entire trip, as she was an atrocity when it came to carpentry. Once they began work, she was given the job of hauling wood from one place to another, just so she wouldn't ruin any more of their nails.
Every refugee family was given a house according to the size of their family. An old widow would be given a small house while a family of five would be given a much larger one, even if the woman was very rich, and the family, poor. Kel rather liked the system. Many of the richer refugees tried to pay to get bigger houses and stores built, but the knights always said, no, there would not be enough wood for everyone if we did that.
While Kel dreaded the carpentry, she did welcome the distraction. She rarely saw Dom, whereas at the palace, she would see him almost every single day, if only from a distance. Now, there could be an entire town between them. She didn't know how she survived, really. All of Dom's friends were her friends, and all of her friends were Dom's, and yet they rarely encountered each other.
Finally, after almost two months of work in the hot sun of June and July, they were ready to leave the town. Some of the Own and the other men rejoiced, but Kel knew better. They were just moving to the next town.
The next town happened to be very near the first one, and very tiny indeed. They built very few stores, only a tiny town hall and one colonnade. They built farms. Barns were the largest, and most difficult thing Kel had ever helped to make. Each one took days, and Kel wished there was some way to get around them. One of the richer farmers demanded that Raoul give him a bigger farmhouse. It was the greatest argument Kel had seen in a long time.
"What is the meaning of this, Sir?" The man said. He was dressed in a great fur coat that was tattered and thin. His wife beside him looked miserable, holding her young child in her arms. Normally that would have saddened Kel, but while they were horribly dirty and badly groomed, their clothes were quite obviously rich. The child wore a pink dress, complete with hoops and a child's corset, while the mother wore what had been the most fashionable dress one could buy before the war. They had obviously made regular trips to Corus before.
"I'm sorry, Joseph. I cannot allow you to have more than the others." Raoul said, not stopping his hands hammering away.
Joseph took a step forward. "I was the richest farmer in the land. I sold the crops that you eat, can you not help me?" He said, changing his stance.
Raoul shook his head. "Wouldn't be fair."
Joseph scowled. "Of course it would! Is it not fair that every man gets what he lost?"
Raoul shook his head. "Not really, no." He continued, before the man could interrupt, "You see, the way I look at it, if you had such a prosperous farm, you must have been a good, steady farmer. But I look at you, and I see a frail man with a weak frame. You were no farmer. You hired others to do your work for you. And while that is admirable, yes, I just feel that you don't deserve to keep it all that much. I think I would be better off building larger homes for your workers, who probably need them more."
Joseph opened his mouth to say something, but Raoul wasn't listening any more. He had walked off in the other direction to get more nails.
They stayed at the town, Janack, for another two weeks. Afterward, they traveled slowly back to Corus, ready for any messengers to tell them that they had another town to go to.
None came, and they arrived safely back in Corus. Safe, albeit dirty. Kel took a welcome bath, and, the next day, she and Fhire went down to Lalasa's shop to speak to her about dresses for the upcoming balls. Kel had been informed of the by Raoul, who said that the end of a war always meant balls, even though he felt their energy and money could be better spent helping the refugees and the land.
Kel stepped into the small shop only moments after it opened. A small bell attached to the door chimed as she entered.
"One moment please!" Came a muffled voice from the back of the store. A moment later, a small woman emerged. "Goddess bless, Lady Kel!" She said. She ran over and gave Kel a hug. "What can I do for you? A dress, maybe? How are you? Were the towns miserable?"
Kel smiled and put up her hand. "Lalasa, you sound like a little child."
Lalasa blushed.
"Don't worry, the towns are in a fine state now. I am fine, thank you," Kel said, knowing that deep inside, she was not. She ignored the feeling that she was lying to her friend and continued. "A dress would be perfect, thank you. I have been informed that there are balls coming up, and I should very much like to go in style." She smiled.
Lalasa grinned, clapping her hands together. "Wonderful!" She said, turning to Fhire. "Goodness, Lady Fhire, I did not see you." Lalasa curtsied. "Welcome to my shop."
Fhire laughed. She and Kel always found it funny how serious Lalasa took her. "Do you both need dresses?" Lalasa asked.
Kel nodded. "I'm not sure if Fhire will be serving at these balls or not. I believe she will be, but I would like her to have something, just in case."
Lalasa clapped her hands together again, and set out to measure them both.
Two weeks later, when the first ball was announced, and Kel was ready. Fhire was indeed serving the dinner, but she insisted that she didn't mind. Kel then insisted that Fhire join her at the reception of the dance, no matter what. She had bought her a beautiful dress, and she wanted to see her in it.
"Do you have a date, Lady Kel?" Fhire asked. Kel shook her head, and Fhire spoke nothing else of the matter.
Kel was seated at a table with a few of her good friends. Neal was beside her, and Yuki, who had returned from the Yamani Islands, where she had been visiting for a year, was beside him. (A/N: I don't know if I ever had Yuki in the story. I really don't want to look back. If she was, I'm sorry. But for now, we say she was there for a year. I don't think I included her in the last year and a half...) Merric and a court lady Kel did not know were next to them, Dom across from Kel, Owen beside him, and Raoul and Buri were on Kel's right.
Kel enjoyed the dinner part of the ball. She ate with her friends, which made her happy, and though there were nine of them, Kel could speak to anyone she pleased at the large round table.
She spoke with Yuki often, and Yuki even ended up switching seats with her lover so that she could chat with Kel. She did her best to ignore Dom across from her. As far as she could tell, he was doing his best to ignore her.
Kel thought the dinner was lovely, especially since Fhire was assigned to her table, where they could tease her mercilessly and hope that she would slip up and drop something on someone- they were all betting on Neal.
Finally, it came time for the reception. Kel went back to her rooms directly after the meal to help Fhire with her dress.
"Lalasa has made it too complicated for one girl to solve herself." Fhire said.
Kel laughed. "I hate to see the fashions in the future. They will be a maze."
They chatted for a while as Kel tied up her dress, and then quickly made their way to the ballroom.
A while in, Kel looked to her side and noticed that Fhire was gone. She thought nothing of it, but raised an eyebrow when she saw her squire step inside from the garden holding hands with a very handsome young squire.
Kel spent most of her night in a chair by the side of the room, chatting with various friends who came by. Yuki and Neal came often, but left to dance every few moments. Kel was never alone, she had constant company from young court girls asking her how she did it, to which Kel responded, "how do you do it?" gesturing at her tight bodice. The girls giggled softly behind their gloved hands.
Kel looked at her own hands as they walked away. They didn't look so horrible now. The bruises and scratches from the carpentry were gone, and being at the palace for two weeks made them soft. They didn't seem so big any more.
Kel stared at it, sitting in her lap. It seemed incomplete. Kel tried to imagine herself holding a sword. The cool metal hilt touched the flesh of her hand, where her thumb met her fingers, and she could feel the warm leather ridges in the handle. It didn't work. That was not why it felt incomplete. She tried pretending she was gripping a glaive, a bow and arrow, an axe.
Nothing worked. She knew why she felt so incomplete. She had felt so incomplete for months now. She knew that she had to do something about it.
She looked up, scanning the room for Dom. She saw him, at the other end of the dance hall, with a young court lady leaning in very close to him.
Kel blinked back tears as she saw the young girl kiss him lightly. He smiled, but his face quickly turned back to the way he looked when he was bored.
She doesn't know him, Kel thought. I can see he is bored. I would know to take him walking, or talk to him now. She looked back at them. Dom no longer looked bored. Had it all been in Kel's head? Had she just imagined that he was bored with any other girl but her?
She stood up. Tomorrow, she would speak to him. Clear her mind. She got her chance sooner than expected, when they both left the ballroom at the same time. They walked along, side by side, both looking at the floor. Neither of them spoke.
After a silence that felt like a thousand years, Kel looked up. They were almost at her rooms, while Dom would continue further, away from the knights rooms, towards the rooms for the men of the Own.
"I still love you." She said quietly, choking on her words. She didn't know why she had said it. it was the first thing that came to her mind, and she wanted to be honest with him.
Dom looked taken aback. He didn't say anything in response. He slowed, but did not stop, when Kel reached her rooms. "Goodnight." He said, his voice clear and strong.
Kel nodded and opened the door. She slipped in and collapsed on her bed, crying.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wow...I'm updating so quickly that there seem to be no reviews here! Hee hee, oh well, I expect double next time!
-unolimbo
Kel thought about it. since he asked her to marry him, the only thing he had directed to her was 'what.' "I returned the ring, and he said, "what?" when I came in the door." She spoke truthfully. She could have easily come up with lies, but there was no reason to lie to Neal.
"Gods, Kel, this is wrong! You two were perfect, anyone could see that. I think you should go and talk to him. He is never going to want to speak to you if you don't try."
Kel sighed. "But he never tries to speak to me!" She said.
Neal shook his head. "But both of you could go on like that forever. Don't you want him back?" Kel nodded. "Of course you do. So do something about it."
Kel smiled. "Thanks, Neal." She chuckled, "who knew you were such a great listener- and helper?"
He grinned back. "I am skilled in the art of romancing. Hi-yah!" He made a slashing movement with his hand, making Kel laugh.
"Maybe I shouldn't trust you," she said, "if that is how you treat romance!"
She stood up. "Come, it is getting late, and you must be getting hungry from your trip." As if on cue, Neal's stomach growled. Kel laughed. "Go have a bath, Neal, and I will meet you in the mess hall."
They bade farewell, and when they reached the palace, they turned different way; Kel, to the mess hall; Neal, to his rooms. Just as Kel was turning a corner she felt a hand grasp her shoulder. as she was in the palace, she fought her greatest instinct to flip whoever it was, and turned and looked at them.
"Is it true?" Dom said.
Kel looked in his eyes, bewildered. "Dom, what are you talking about?" She asked softly.
He shrugged. "I just want to know if it's true." He said, looking down. He wouldn't meet her eye. Kel said nothing, still greatly confused. "Never mind. Just forget it." he said. He turned away from her and walked away.
Kel tried to call him back, but her voice didn't work; she tried to run after him, but her legs would not move. All she could do was watch his back as he walked further, and further away.
* * * * *
Almost a month after Neal and the others came to Corus, everyone, including Kel, was called out to the towns of the refugees to help rebuild their homes and businesses. Kel greatly dreaded the expedition through the entire trip, as she was an atrocity when it came to carpentry. Once they began work, she was given the job of hauling wood from one place to another, just so she wouldn't ruin any more of their nails.
Every refugee family was given a house according to the size of their family. An old widow would be given a small house while a family of five would be given a much larger one, even if the woman was very rich, and the family, poor. Kel rather liked the system. Many of the richer refugees tried to pay to get bigger houses and stores built, but the knights always said, no, there would not be enough wood for everyone if we did that.
While Kel dreaded the carpentry, she did welcome the distraction. She rarely saw Dom, whereas at the palace, she would see him almost every single day, if only from a distance. Now, there could be an entire town between them. She didn't know how she survived, really. All of Dom's friends were her friends, and all of her friends were Dom's, and yet they rarely encountered each other.
Finally, after almost two months of work in the hot sun of June and July, they were ready to leave the town. Some of the Own and the other men rejoiced, but Kel knew better. They were just moving to the next town.
The next town happened to be very near the first one, and very tiny indeed. They built very few stores, only a tiny town hall and one colonnade. They built farms. Barns were the largest, and most difficult thing Kel had ever helped to make. Each one took days, and Kel wished there was some way to get around them. One of the richer farmers demanded that Raoul give him a bigger farmhouse. It was the greatest argument Kel had seen in a long time.
"What is the meaning of this, Sir?" The man said. He was dressed in a great fur coat that was tattered and thin. His wife beside him looked miserable, holding her young child in her arms. Normally that would have saddened Kel, but while they were horribly dirty and badly groomed, their clothes were quite obviously rich. The child wore a pink dress, complete with hoops and a child's corset, while the mother wore what had been the most fashionable dress one could buy before the war. They had obviously made regular trips to Corus before.
"I'm sorry, Joseph. I cannot allow you to have more than the others." Raoul said, not stopping his hands hammering away.
Joseph took a step forward. "I was the richest farmer in the land. I sold the crops that you eat, can you not help me?" He said, changing his stance.
Raoul shook his head. "Wouldn't be fair."
Joseph scowled. "Of course it would! Is it not fair that every man gets what he lost?"
Raoul shook his head. "Not really, no." He continued, before the man could interrupt, "You see, the way I look at it, if you had such a prosperous farm, you must have been a good, steady farmer. But I look at you, and I see a frail man with a weak frame. You were no farmer. You hired others to do your work for you. And while that is admirable, yes, I just feel that you don't deserve to keep it all that much. I think I would be better off building larger homes for your workers, who probably need them more."
Joseph opened his mouth to say something, but Raoul wasn't listening any more. He had walked off in the other direction to get more nails.
They stayed at the town, Janack, for another two weeks. Afterward, they traveled slowly back to Corus, ready for any messengers to tell them that they had another town to go to.
None came, and they arrived safely back in Corus. Safe, albeit dirty. Kel took a welcome bath, and, the next day, she and Fhire went down to Lalasa's shop to speak to her about dresses for the upcoming balls. Kel had been informed of the by Raoul, who said that the end of a war always meant balls, even though he felt their energy and money could be better spent helping the refugees and the land.
Kel stepped into the small shop only moments after it opened. A small bell attached to the door chimed as she entered.
"One moment please!" Came a muffled voice from the back of the store. A moment later, a small woman emerged. "Goddess bless, Lady Kel!" She said. She ran over and gave Kel a hug. "What can I do for you? A dress, maybe? How are you? Were the towns miserable?"
Kel smiled and put up her hand. "Lalasa, you sound like a little child."
Lalasa blushed.
"Don't worry, the towns are in a fine state now. I am fine, thank you," Kel said, knowing that deep inside, she was not. She ignored the feeling that she was lying to her friend and continued. "A dress would be perfect, thank you. I have been informed that there are balls coming up, and I should very much like to go in style." She smiled.
Lalasa grinned, clapping her hands together. "Wonderful!" She said, turning to Fhire. "Goodness, Lady Fhire, I did not see you." Lalasa curtsied. "Welcome to my shop."
Fhire laughed. She and Kel always found it funny how serious Lalasa took her. "Do you both need dresses?" Lalasa asked.
Kel nodded. "I'm not sure if Fhire will be serving at these balls or not. I believe she will be, but I would like her to have something, just in case."
Lalasa clapped her hands together again, and set out to measure them both.
Two weeks later, when the first ball was announced, and Kel was ready. Fhire was indeed serving the dinner, but she insisted that she didn't mind. Kel then insisted that Fhire join her at the reception of the dance, no matter what. She had bought her a beautiful dress, and she wanted to see her in it.
"Do you have a date, Lady Kel?" Fhire asked. Kel shook her head, and Fhire spoke nothing else of the matter.
Kel was seated at a table with a few of her good friends. Neal was beside her, and Yuki, who had returned from the Yamani Islands, where she had been visiting for a year, was beside him. (A/N: I don't know if I ever had Yuki in the story. I really don't want to look back. If she was, I'm sorry. But for now, we say she was there for a year. I don't think I included her in the last year and a half...) Merric and a court lady Kel did not know were next to them, Dom across from Kel, Owen beside him, and Raoul and Buri were on Kel's right.
Kel enjoyed the dinner part of the ball. She ate with her friends, which made her happy, and though there were nine of them, Kel could speak to anyone she pleased at the large round table.
She spoke with Yuki often, and Yuki even ended up switching seats with her lover so that she could chat with Kel. She did her best to ignore Dom across from her. As far as she could tell, he was doing his best to ignore her.
Kel thought the dinner was lovely, especially since Fhire was assigned to her table, where they could tease her mercilessly and hope that she would slip up and drop something on someone- they were all betting on Neal.
Finally, it came time for the reception. Kel went back to her rooms directly after the meal to help Fhire with her dress.
"Lalasa has made it too complicated for one girl to solve herself." Fhire said.
Kel laughed. "I hate to see the fashions in the future. They will be a maze."
They chatted for a while as Kel tied up her dress, and then quickly made their way to the ballroom.
A while in, Kel looked to her side and noticed that Fhire was gone. She thought nothing of it, but raised an eyebrow when she saw her squire step inside from the garden holding hands with a very handsome young squire.
Kel spent most of her night in a chair by the side of the room, chatting with various friends who came by. Yuki and Neal came often, but left to dance every few moments. Kel was never alone, she had constant company from young court girls asking her how she did it, to which Kel responded, "how do you do it?" gesturing at her tight bodice. The girls giggled softly behind their gloved hands.
Kel looked at her own hands as they walked away. They didn't look so horrible now. The bruises and scratches from the carpentry were gone, and being at the palace for two weeks made them soft. They didn't seem so big any more.
Kel stared at it, sitting in her lap. It seemed incomplete. Kel tried to imagine herself holding a sword. The cool metal hilt touched the flesh of her hand, where her thumb met her fingers, and she could feel the warm leather ridges in the handle. It didn't work. That was not why it felt incomplete. She tried pretending she was gripping a glaive, a bow and arrow, an axe.
Nothing worked. She knew why she felt so incomplete. She had felt so incomplete for months now. She knew that she had to do something about it.
She looked up, scanning the room for Dom. She saw him, at the other end of the dance hall, with a young court lady leaning in very close to him.
Kel blinked back tears as she saw the young girl kiss him lightly. He smiled, but his face quickly turned back to the way he looked when he was bored.
She doesn't know him, Kel thought. I can see he is bored. I would know to take him walking, or talk to him now. She looked back at them. Dom no longer looked bored. Had it all been in Kel's head? Had she just imagined that he was bored with any other girl but her?
She stood up. Tomorrow, she would speak to him. Clear her mind. She got her chance sooner than expected, when they both left the ballroom at the same time. They walked along, side by side, both looking at the floor. Neither of them spoke.
After a silence that felt like a thousand years, Kel looked up. They were almost at her rooms, while Dom would continue further, away from the knights rooms, towards the rooms for the men of the Own.
"I still love you." She said quietly, choking on her words. She didn't know why she had said it. it was the first thing that came to her mind, and she wanted to be honest with him.
Dom looked taken aback. He didn't say anything in response. He slowed, but did not stop, when Kel reached her rooms. "Goodnight." He said, his voice clear and strong.
Kel nodded and opened the door. She slipped in and collapsed on her bed, crying.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wow...I'm updating so quickly that there seem to be no reviews here! Hee hee, oh well, I expect double next time!
-unolimbo