A/N - I'm sorry it's taken me so long to write this chapter. Been really busy lately. Thanks to:

Linda, Gina, The Dark Lady Adrienne, Siren Porter, Serenity, Charlotte, Xanthe, Keita, and Cami of Queenscove

Italics = Joren's thoughts

Ch.5 - Kel's Tears

Joren sighed as he stared down at his half completed mathematics assignment. If only Kel were here to help me like she helped the others. Stop. Stop thinking about her! She isn't here, ok? She never was here and she never will be here so give it up already! The pessimistic side of his mind ridiculed him.

Joren allowed himself to agree. What was the point in arguing? Those thoughts were right. Kel had never been his. Well, she had been his punching bag, the object of his anger, but never really his. The arguments went back in forth in his mind. And whose fault is that? One side asked. All your own. Why did you have to be such a jerk? , the other side answered. My father taught me that's how women should be treated! She didn't belong in training! The side retorted. Don't give me that psycholigical crap! Quit blaming your father, you're the one who treated Kel the way you did. Like hell she didn't belong here, she is one of the most competent pages!

The harsh side was right. His father wasn't the one who had treated Kel like dirt, he had. He had no one to blame but himself. So, you're going to sit here and feel sorry for yourself? Or are you going to fix what you did and tell her how you feel? The answer was obvious.

"What? They've set the date for the wedding?" Kel gasped.

"I'm afraid so, pearl of my heart. Look on the bright side, it's two years away," Cleon tried to comfort her.

"It might as well be two days," Kel replied bitterly. They sat in silence, the only sound being the birds chirping and a breeze fluttering the leaves in the spring sunshine as the two sat in a palace garden. "Cleon, we can't do this anymore. We can't keep pretending that you're not going to marry someone else, that there's still a chance we can be together. It'll just hurt more when we finally have to separate if we continue."

"Kel, don't say that. We still have two years!" Cleon pleaded.

"No, Cleon, we don't! We have to years of living in denial! I won't do that, I can't. It'll always be there, the fact that you're going to marry someone else. What's the point? That's two years where I could be finding someone else, someone who can commit to me."

"That's what you want? To find someone else?"

"What do you want me to do Cleon? Spend the rest of my life pining after you, a married man? What, you want to keep me as your mistress? Cleon, you already have someone you're going to spend the rest of your life with. I'll need that too. Someone who can give me a guarantee of a life together."

"But maybe, maybe I can get out of it! There must be some way to not marry the heiress and still save my people."

"Cleon, stop. These false hopes won't get us anywhere. You have to do your duty, I have to move on. It's over." With a gentle kiss, Kel left.

Joren trudged slowly back to his room after dinner that night. He paused, listening to a quiet sound. He recognized it has someone crying. A girl. Curious, Joren peered into the garden. In the darkening dusk, he could barely make out the figure of a tall girl, sitting on a bench, her head in her hands, shoulders shaking. Feeling sensitive that evening, he decided to ask her what was wrong.

"Pardon me, lady. Are you all right?" he asked cautiously.

The girl groaned, turning her tear stained face to him. "Go away, Joren. Just leave me alone, ok?"

Kel! What was she doing here? And why was she crying? "Kel? What are you doing here? Why are you crying?"

"Like you care," she retorted.

"Come on, Kel, what's wrong?" he asked gently, sitting down beside her.

"Cleon, all right?" she mumbled.

"No, not all right. What did he do to you?" Joren asked, feeling anger rise at the thought of someone hurting Kel.

"We broke up, ok? He's getting married to someone else."

"And you're crying over it?"

"I know you don't have any feelings, Joren, but yes, it hurts. You wouldn't understand."

"Kel, I have never, in all the years that I've tortured you, seen you cry. You're like the bravest person I know. I made fun of you, I ridiculed you, I beat you up, and you never cried. Are you telling me that some jerk is worth your tears, when all the cruelty wasn't?"

"I know, Cleon and I probably wouldn't have lasted anyway." She wiped her face. "Why, why are you being nice to me?" she eyed him suspiciously, her thoughts distracted from Cleon.

"I…well…I care about you." Joren groaned silently, idiot!

Kel snorted. "Yeah, right."

"Kel, I'm serious. I just, I just didn't know how to tell."

Kel sobered. "That isn't funny Joren! You think you can play with me in my vulnerability? Use my weakness as more sport? Leave me alone!" she feld quickly, Joren too stunned to try and stop her.

Later in her room, Kel thought about what Joren had said. He cared about her? Did he really? Wait, what was she thinking? This was Joren, her hated enemy! Of course he didn't care about her! But, why was that sincere look in his stunning blue eyes still haunting her?

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