They left for home seven days later. They were all excited to go home, to see Neal and Yuki, to see their other friends. They were apprehensive, of course, because they knew they would never see the camp of New Hope again.
"I feel bad about it." Dom said.
Kel smiled. "Of course you do. We all do."
They lapsed into silence, and spent most of the trip home in that silence.
Seeing Corus again seemed to erase all the guilt and sorrow the party had. The view of the palace and the great gates just melted away their pain, the wafting smell of the meat markets made their guilt and anguish disappear through their noses.
It's amazing what being home can do to a person.
Not only did the party cheer up, they also sped up. Being so close to Corus just made them want it more. It was like the carrot hanging on a string in front of a mule. The further they traveled towards it, the further away it got.
Fortunately, that was not actually the case. A few hours later, they made it into the city's walls. They rode up to the palace and Kel was part-way through un-tacking Peachblossom when she heard someone running through the stables. She poked her head out of the stall and almost had it knocked off by two people running straight by her in a flurry of browns and reds.
They skidded to a stop directly past her, and one of them grabbed onto a post to turn himself around. "Kel!" He yelled.
Before Kel knew what was happening, Neal and Yuki were flinging themselves on her.
Kel laughed. "It's good to see you too." She said, hugging them back. "Personally, I didn't expect you to be quite this excited to see me."
Yuki grinned at her. "We have a surprise for you! Come on!" She grabbed Kel by the hand.
"Woah, Yuki! I have to finish up here."
Neal frowned. "No you don't." He said. "Tobe!" He yelled.
There was the sound of small feet running towards them. "Yes, Sir Nealan?"
Neal smiled. "Tend to Peachblossom. And to Dom's horse, please." He said. "Speaking of, DOM!" He yelled across the stables.
A few minutes later, Neal and Yuki were dragging Kel and Dom up towards the palace.
"Can you not just tell us what it is?" Kel asked. She wanted to sit down and talk to her friends, not be dragged around the castle by them!
Neal ignored her. She glanced at Dom as she walked, and he shrugged at her. He had no idea where they were going either.
Finally, they came to the door of Neal and Yuki's room. All of a sudden, as Yuki put a finger to her lips and made a shushing sound, Kel knew what was happening. She knew what they had been doing for the year that they were gone, she knew why Yuki was glowing so much, she knew why they were so excited.
And she, too, could not suppress a smile. Yuki quietly opened the door, and Kel gave a quick glance to Dom. She chuckled when she saw that he was still as confused as before. He did not know that Neal and Yuki's first child was laying in the room in front of him.
The look of surprise on Dom's face was priceless, but no one even saw it. Kel was watching as Yuki picked up the now waking child, and Neal was staring adoringly at the two.
"What's her name?" Kel whispered.
"Andrea." Neal whispered back.
Kel smiled, and felt warmth and pride for her friends rush through her. "How old is she?" She tried to calculate it for herself. They had been on their honeymoon for one year, and Kel and Dom had taken another few weeks to get home... so Andrea could be anywhere from new borne to four months. She could tell the child was no longer that fresh...
"Twelve weeks." Neal said proudly. "It just happened so fast.
Kel laughed quietly. "You're lucky it took that long."
Neal blushed. "That's some way to congratulate me." He mumbled.
Kel grinned and turned to face him. "Congratulations, Nealan." She said, her hands on his shoulders. Then she gave him a hug.
Dom put his hand on Neal's shoulder. "Congratulations, sir Meathead. You're officially moving faster than me." He said.
Neal shrugged. "I don't know, you could be catching up."
Kel frowned. "I am going to pretend I didn't hear that." She said, walking over to Yuki, who let her hold the baby. Memories of New Hope came back to her. She remembered when Neal had been late because he was delivering a baby, Irnai had seen that his first daughter would become a knight.
What Irnai had not told Kel, was that Andrea would come very close to rivaling Kel and Alanna in her adventures.
Kel was glad to be back in Corus. Being here meant that her marriage drew near. She and Dom began preparations immediately, but neither of them quite knew how to plan a wedding. Their first plans had too much, their second plans had too little. They invited all the wrong people, then they did not put all the people they wanted on the list. Finally, Yuki and Lalasa swooped in to help them. Lalasa helped Kel organize her wedding dress, of course, but she also helped her with her bridesmaids, and with finding someone to cook food and help her decorate wherever they decided to hold their wedding.
They kept it simple. Kel didn't quite want tow ear a dress. Her argument was that she did not normally wear a dress, and she wanted everyone to see her get married, not some court girl. Lalasa disagreed with her, vying in the direction of tradition. In the end, Kel had one of the most beautiful dresses she had ever worn.
Finally, after three months of preparations, they were ready for the wedding. But they were not quite there yet. They decided to hold the wedding at Mindelan. Kel's parents were not getting any younger, and they did not have the money to travel across the realm comfortably like Dom's parents did. Three weeks before the planned date for their wedding, Kel and Dom traveled to Mindelan. There they stayed, preparing, until the day arrived.
"Where are we going to go on our honeymoon?" Dom asked Kel one day.
She frowned. "I never thought about that. I don't quite know."
Dom smiled. "Well, we cannot go to the Yamani islands. We would just be copying Neal and Yuki.
Kel laughed. "We could go to the Isles, or somewhere across the sea. But it is too long and dangerous to go there."
Dom sighed. "You want to go to the Islands, don't you."
Kel grinned and nodded quickly. "I do."
Dom kissed her. "Then that is where we shall go." Kel knew he wanted to go there, even if he didn't show it. he had always heard her speak of it, and recently, he had heard Neal speak of it more and more.
"We can't see each other tomorrow." Kel said, laying her head on his shoulder.
He sighed. "You're right. We can't. but it seems like a fair trade to me. I cannot wake up with you tomorrow, but I can awaken to the beautiful sight of your face every day for the rest of my life."
Kel smiled. "Now you sound like Neal." She said, kissing him. she had learned not to mind him talking to her like that. In fact, she liked it. she had never quite felt comfortable with talk when she had been with Cleon. But she had grown. She knew real love, and somehow, the speak of it didn't bother her.
Kel couldn't get to sleep that night. She had retired so early, knowing both that she needed her sleep this night, and knowing that she would never get it. She barely woke in time in the morning. Only moments after she opened her eyes, Lalasa knocked on her door. Kel was expecting her.
She rose, rubbing her eyes, and opened the door.
Lalasa was standing there, as expected, grinning at her. "Come on, Lady Kel, you have got to get ready!" She said, coming straight into the room, followed by a few of her worker girls she had brought with her.
The girls sat down in chairs, as Yuki and Fhire came in and joined them. Fhire sat down in another chair, content with just watching, and mocking, Kel.
Finally, after almost three hours of primping, Kel was ready. She looked at herself, and she almost understood why Lalasa had forced her to wear the dress.
Afterwards, Kel couldn't remember much of the service. It all went so quickly, she barely understood it all. All she knew was that she was married to Dom, and she was not quite ready for her next adventure.
The End.
Maybe I'll write more. I realize it was very short, but I had wanted to end it with the wedding, and I didn't quite want to say too much. And by the way, if you all get to 350 reviews on this chapter, I will add at least one more chapter, and I promise you that it will not suck AT ALL. I think that is a fair deal!
Wake-Robin: well, I bet you were disappointed.
Mage Light: I'm sorry. No more, waiting. I promise.
Aliah: haha, don't worry, you still have plenty to read...
Ellabelle1: of course! I wouldn't end a story without tying the knot! That would be so mean!
Rubber Duck: There will most likely be action in my epilogue/extra chapter, if you people review enough!
Tricksters-daughter: honestly, I don't really know. I can never remember either. Whatever it was, I didn't put it in this chapter.
PsychoLioness13: thank you!
Miamouse: glad you like it.
AJ 4EVA: thanks, I'm glad you think I'm the best!
JiffyLube: haha, thanks. I'm very proud to be up to 323 (at this point...lets make it 350!)
Pinky: I'm really sorry it's been so slow, but it's just so nice outside, I've been gardening, (yes, I'm a gardener, it smells nice, and slugs are funny. But I don't like bees.) and exams are in a week, so I've been doing lots of work. I'm sorry!
Rachel132: of course...well, sort of.
Java: I'm not sure if I can respond to someone who uses the word 'l8r.' I will just grin and bear it. well, here is the wedding. I'm sorry there is absolutely no detail, but I've never been to a wedding, I have no idea what one should be like!
Queenofdiamonds1: of course...
LionessRampant83: Woot! Rollercoaster! Yeah, I think I could have made that trip at least a few chapters long. But I couldn't find the second book, which is the big one with her family, and I couldn't remember names, and relations, and terms... and it just got too detailed. I gave up on it too soon.
Rora: Gah!!! I keep asking this! My brain is like a sieve! What does OOC and OC mean??? I'm at a loss here, folks!
Lady Helada: don't worry about it. it happens to the best of us.
Kelly Masbolle: that one was Jack Handy, I believe. He is hilarious. Look him up...actually, don't, because then all my quotes will seem less funny. How's about we pretend I came up with them, eh?
Kim: 4 hundred. I was saying that I hit three hundred, and I wanted to hit four... oh well. Not important. And yes, it is very sad.
Girl hue loves the story: haha, I've done that before. But it always seems to be two in the morning...
Lady Helada: you scare me.
JesuslUver: Yes, it is very nice.
Well, that is my story. As I stated before, I will add a kickass extra chapter is you make it to 350 reviews. And, if all goes well, I will add another when I get to 400!
"One thing kids like is to be tricked. For instance, I was going to take my little nephew to Disneyland, but instead I drove him to an old burned-out warehouse. "Oh, no," I said. "Disneyland burned down." He cried and cried, but I think that deep down, he thought it was a pretty good joke. I started to drive over to the real Disneyland, but it was getting pretty late."
-unolimbo
"I feel bad about it." Dom said.
Kel smiled. "Of course you do. We all do."
They lapsed into silence, and spent most of the trip home in that silence.
Seeing Corus again seemed to erase all the guilt and sorrow the party had. The view of the palace and the great gates just melted away their pain, the wafting smell of the meat markets made their guilt and anguish disappear through their noses.
It's amazing what being home can do to a person.
Not only did the party cheer up, they also sped up. Being so close to Corus just made them want it more. It was like the carrot hanging on a string in front of a mule. The further they traveled towards it, the further away it got.
Fortunately, that was not actually the case. A few hours later, they made it into the city's walls. They rode up to the palace and Kel was part-way through un-tacking Peachblossom when she heard someone running through the stables. She poked her head out of the stall and almost had it knocked off by two people running straight by her in a flurry of browns and reds.
They skidded to a stop directly past her, and one of them grabbed onto a post to turn himself around. "Kel!" He yelled.
Before Kel knew what was happening, Neal and Yuki were flinging themselves on her.
Kel laughed. "It's good to see you too." She said, hugging them back. "Personally, I didn't expect you to be quite this excited to see me."
Yuki grinned at her. "We have a surprise for you! Come on!" She grabbed Kel by the hand.
"Woah, Yuki! I have to finish up here."
Neal frowned. "No you don't." He said. "Tobe!" He yelled.
There was the sound of small feet running towards them. "Yes, Sir Nealan?"
Neal smiled. "Tend to Peachblossom. And to Dom's horse, please." He said. "Speaking of, DOM!" He yelled across the stables.
A few minutes later, Neal and Yuki were dragging Kel and Dom up towards the palace.
"Can you not just tell us what it is?" Kel asked. She wanted to sit down and talk to her friends, not be dragged around the castle by them!
Neal ignored her. She glanced at Dom as she walked, and he shrugged at her. He had no idea where they were going either.
Finally, they came to the door of Neal and Yuki's room. All of a sudden, as Yuki put a finger to her lips and made a shushing sound, Kel knew what was happening. She knew what they had been doing for the year that they were gone, she knew why Yuki was glowing so much, she knew why they were so excited.
And she, too, could not suppress a smile. Yuki quietly opened the door, and Kel gave a quick glance to Dom. She chuckled when she saw that he was still as confused as before. He did not know that Neal and Yuki's first child was laying in the room in front of him.
The look of surprise on Dom's face was priceless, but no one even saw it. Kel was watching as Yuki picked up the now waking child, and Neal was staring adoringly at the two.
"What's her name?" Kel whispered.
"Andrea." Neal whispered back.
Kel smiled, and felt warmth and pride for her friends rush through her. "How old is she?" She tried to calculate it for herself. They had been on their honeymoon for one year, and Kel and Dom had taken another few weeks to get home... so Andrea could be anywhere from new borne to four months. She could tell the child was no longer that fresh...
"Twelve weeks." Neal said proudly. "It just happened so fast.
Kel laughed quietly. "You're lucky it took that long."
Neal blushed. "That's some way to congratulate me." He mumbled.
Kel grinned and turned to face him. "Congratulations, Nealan." She said, her hands on his shoulders. Then she gave him a hug.
Dom put his hand on Neal's shoulder. "Congratulations, sir Meathead. You're officially moving faster than me." He said.
Neal shrugged. "I don't know, you could be catching up."
Kel frowned. "I am going to pretend I didn't hear that." She said, walking over to Yuki, who let her hold the baby. Memories of New Hope came back to her. She remembered when Neal had been late because he was delivering a baby, Irnai had seen that his first daughter would become a knight.
What Irnai had not told Kel, was that Andrea would come very close to rivaling Kel and Alanna in her adventures.
Kel was glad to be back in Corus. Being here meant that her marriage drew near. She and Dom began preparations immediately, but neither of them quite knew how to plan a wedding. Their first plans had too much, their second plans had too little. They invited all the wrong people, then they did not put all the people they wanted on the list. Finally, Yuki and Lalasa swooped in to help them. Lalasa helped Kel organize her wedding dress, of course, but she also helped her with her bridesmaids, and with finding someone to cook food and help her decorate wherever they decided to hold their wedding.
They kept it simple. Kel didn't quite want tow ear a dress. Her argument was that she did not normally wear a dress, and she wanted everyone to see her get married, not some court girl. Lalasa disagreed with her, vying in the direction of tradition. In the end, Kel had one of the most beautiful dresses she had ever worn.
Finally, after three months of preparations, they were ready for the wedding. But they were not quite there yet. They decided to hold the wedding at Mindelan. Kel's parents were not getting any younger, and they did not have the money to travel across the realm comfortably like Dom's parents did. Three weeks before the planned date for their wedding, Kel and Dom traveled to Mindelan. There they stayed, preparing, until the day arrived.
"Where are we going to go on our honeymoon?" Dom asked Kel one day.
She frowned. "I never thought about that. I don't quite know."
Dom smiled. "Well, we cannot go to the Yamani islands. We would just be copying Neal and Yuki.
Kel laughed. "We could go to the Isles, or somewhere across the sea. But it is too long and dangerous to go there."
Dom sighed. "You want to go to the Islands, don't you."
Kel grinned and nodded quickly. "I do."
Dom kissed her. "Then that is where we shall go." Kel knew he wanted to go there, even if he didn't show it. he had always heard her speak of it, and recently, he had heard Neal speak of it more and more.
"We can't see each other tomorrow." Kel said, laying her head on his shoulder.
He sighed. "You're right. We can't. but it seems like a fair trade to me. I cannot wake up with you tomorrow, but I can awaken to the beautiful sight of your face every day for the rest of my life."
Kel smiled. "Now you sound like Neal." She said, kissing him. she had learned not to mind him talking to her like that. In fact, she liked it. she had never quite felt comfortable with talk when she had been with Cleon. But she had grown. She knew real love, and somehow, the speak of it didn't bother her.
Kel couldn't get to sleep that night. She had retired so early, knowing both that she needed her sleep this night, and knowing that she would never get it. She barely woke in time in the morning. Only moments after she opened her eyes, Lalasa knocked on her door. Kel was expecting her.
She rose, rubbing her eyes, and opened the door.
Lalasa was standing there, as expected, grinning at her. "Come on, Lady Kel, you have got to get ready!" She said, coming straight into the room, followed by a few of her worker girls she had brought with her.
The girls sat down in chairs, as Yuki and Fhire came in and joined them. Fhire sat down in another chair, content with just watching, and mocking, Kel.
Finally, after almost three hours of primping, Kel was ready. She looked at herself, and she almost understood why Lalasa had forced her to wear the dress.
Afterwards, Kel couldn't remember much of the service. It all went so quickly, she barely understood it all. All she knew was that she was married to Dom, and she was not quite ready for her next adventure.
The End.
Maybe I'll write more. I realize it was very short, but I had wanted to end it with the wedding, and I didn't quite want to say too much. And by the way, if you all get to 350 reviews on this chapter, I will add at least one more chapter, and I promise you that it will not suck AT ALL. I think that is a fair deal!
Wake-Robin: well, I bet you were disappointed.
Mage Light: I'm sorry. No more, waiting. I promise.
Aliah: haha, don't worry, you still have plenty to read...
Ellabelle1: of course! I wouldn't end a story without tying the knot! That would be so mean!
Rubber Duck: There will most likely be action in my epilogue/extra chapter, if you people review enough!
Tricksters-daughter: honestly, I don't really know. I can never remember either. Whatever it was, I didn't put it in this chapter.
PsychoLioness13: thank you!
Miamouse: glad you like it.
AJ 4EVA: thanks, I'm glad you think I'm the best!
JiffyLube: haha, thanks. I'm very proud to be up to 323 (at this point...lets make it 350!)
Pinky: I'm really sorry it's been so slow, but it's just so nice outside, I've been gardening, (yes, I'm a gardener, it smells nice, and slugs are funny. But I don't like bees.) and exams are in a week, so I've been doing lots of work. I'm sorry!
Rachel132: of course...well, sort of.
Java: I'm not sure if I can respond to someone who uses the word 'l8r.' I will just grin and bear it. well, here is the wedding. I'm sorry there is absolutely no detail, but I've never been to a wedding, I have no idea what one should be like!
Queenofdiamonds1: of course...
LionessRampant83: Woot! Rollercoaster! Yeah, I think I could have made that trip at least a few chapters long. But I couldn't find the second book, which is the big one with her family, and I couldn't remember names, and relations, and terms... and it just got too detailed. I gave up on it too soon.
Rora: Gah!!! I keep asking this! My brain is like a sieve! What does OOC and OC mean??? I'm at a loss here, folks!
Lady Helada: don't worry about it. it happens to the best of us.
Kelly Masbolle: that one was Jack Handy, I believe. He is hilarious. Look him up...actually, don't, because then all my quotes will seem less funny. How's about we pretend I came up with them, eh?
Kim: 4 hundred. I was saying that I hit three hundred, and I wanted to hit four... oh well. Not important. And yes, it is very sad.
Girl hue loves the story: haha, I've done that before. But it always seems to be two in the morning...
Lady Helada: you scare me.
JesuslUver: Yes, it is very nice.
Well, that is my story. As I stated before, I will add a kickass extra chapter is you make it to 350 reviews. And, if all goes well, I will add another when I get to 400!
"One thing kids like is to be tricked. For instance, I was going to take my little nephew to Disneyland, but instead I drove him to an old burned-out warehouse. "Oh, no," I said. "Disneyland burned down." He cried and cried, but I think that deep down, he thought it was a pretty good joke. I started to drive over to the real Disneyland, but it was getting pretty late."
-unolimbo