Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot.
Kel raced up the steps. She was late for her practice with her friend, Yuki. She usually wasn't late, but last night she had stayed awake thinking about her fiancée, Domitan of Masbolle. Her heartbeat quickened just at the thought of him. Stop it. She told herself. Now's not the time to be thinking about him! Now's the time to come up with an apology to Yuki! She grimaced, thinking about how Yuki would punish her. As she neared the practice courts, she saw Yuki talking to Kel's best friend, Nealan of Queenscove. That was BAD if Neal had woken up before she had. Yuki glanced up at the sound of Kel's footsteps.
"Well, well, well," Neal remarked. "Look who's up. Good morning, sleepyhead. Or," he paused dramatically, "Good afternoon." Yuki's eyes crinkled in amusement as Kel rolled her eyes.
"I suppose I deserved that," Kel admitted. "But before we start with glaives, Yuki," she continued, turning to her friend, "I think I'll have a go with swords against Neal," Neal's face quickly changed from amusement to horror.
"I think that would be a good idea, Kel," Yuki answered, her eyes twinkling with mirth as Neal's jaw dropped.
"But Yuki!" he whined, looking at her with puppy dog eyes. "She'll kill you handsome fiancée!" Yuki's only acknowledgement was to kiss him on the cheek.
"Just think of this as healthy competition. Oh, and also, Neal? This is payback for that horrid poetry you always wrote. It almost made me gag to death."
"Fine," he retorted, and walked to an empty space with his nose in the air, then sat down and started to stretch. Yuki rolled her eyes at her husband-to-be's dramatic exit.
"Go easy on him," she whispered with a wink and walked over to a tree where she laid down in the shade.
"Come on Kel! While I'm young!" Neal called. He had already stretched and warmed up, and stood with a practice sword at hand. She grinned and walked to him. She stretched, while Neal flirted with his betrothed, and then did a few practice swings. When she had familiarized herself with the sword, she nodded to Neal. He left Yuki with a kiss and saying, "Wish me luck,"
Kel barely heard the Yamani say, "You'll need it,"
Neal attacked. She parried his blow easily, and then charged. The clang of metal on metal could be heard easily through the practice courts. Kel was finally bored with taking it easy and swung her sword up and then under Neal's, disarming him immediately and cleanly. Neal pouted. That was the same move she had used LAST time when she had thoroughly smoked him. Kel stood triumphantly as the sound of clapping could be heard. Kel turned around to see where the sound had originated. She smiled. It was her all-time hero, Alanna of Pirate's Swoop and Aleu, the King's Champion and the first lady knight.
"Very good, Kel. You beat him...AGAIN. Ya know, Neal," she said, fixing her bright violet eyes on him. "I thought that being my squire for four years would have taught you something, but now that I remember, it was hard to get anything through your thick skull." Neal grimaced at the irony in her voice.
"Ready, Kel?" Yuki said, stepping from the shade of the tree. Kel nodded. "Well fought, darling," she added sarcastically, her eyes crinkling with amusement. "That only took her about two seconds to win. And you call your self a knight." She shook her head. "That's it. Your on a diet." Neal groaned.
"Speaking of that," Alanna said, walking up to Neal, who although was about a foot taller looked at that moment to be about one inch, "why don't you and I have a go, Nealan?" she said his name dripping with innocence. Though she at that moment looked far from innocent. Neal groaned again.
"Your all out to get me," he said as he was dragged off by his former knight-master. Kel got her naginata as Yuki picked up hers. They resumed the "guard stance", eyes intent on each other's faces.
Yuki started with an attack, followed immediately by another as Kel dodged it. Kel defended for a while, getting her balance right again, then swung her glaive across her chest, pushing Yuki's into the air at her side as she had once done to Joren her probation year. Yuki recovered quickly, then thrust her glaive under Kel's and up, between her hands. A quick twisting jerk yanked her weapon from Kel's grip and sent it flying.
"Looks like you need more practice," Yuki gloated, though she was as out of breath as Kel. Kel gave her a lopsided grin. "However, I don't think that's enough punishment," she added. Kel cocked her head, knowing that she wasn't going to like this. "I think that you should wear your kimono for the rest of the day, NO EXCEPTINS. And, along with that, you have to wear face paint too," Kel sighed as she heard a chuckle from behind her. She whirled around, about to challenge the person to a joust that was laughing at her pain, then changed her mind when she say whom it was. Dom was leaning against a tree, grinning the grin that made her heart warm.
"Humph," she said, then walked over to him. "I'm just glad that Roald and Shinko are on their honeymoon, and everyone else is at Steadfast. Less of an embarrassment to me."
"Poor baby," Dom said, not sympathetic at the least. He grinned then reached out and pulled her to him. She braced herself against his chest and looked up. Dom chuckled and leaned down to give her a kiss.
"For you, I guess I'll do it," she smiled. Dom grinned again and they walked back to the castle, hand in hand, only stopping to pick up Kel's weapons.
A/N: I was only going to do only one chapter, but rachel132 changed my mind. I want to give her a special thanks.
Kel raced up the steps. She was late for her practice with her friend, Yuki. She usually wasn't late, but last night she had stayed awake thinking about her fiancée, Domitan of Masbolle. Her heartbeat quickened just at the thought of him. Stop it. She told herself. Now's not the time to be thinking about him! Now's the time to come up with an apology to Yuki! She grimaced, thinking about how Yuki would punish her. As she neared the practice courts, she saw Yuki talking to Kel's best friend, Nealan of Queenscove. That was BAD if Neal had woken up before she had. Yuki glanced up at the sound of Kel's footsteps.
"Well, well, well," Neal remarked. "Look who's up. Good morning, sleepyhead. Or," he paused dramatically, "Good afternoon." Yuki's eyes crinkled in amusement as Kel rolled her eyes.
"I suppose I deserved that," Kel admitted. "But before we start with glaives, Yuki," she continued, turning to her friend, "I think I'll have a go with swords against Neal," Neal's face quickly changed from amusement to horror.
"I think that would be a good idea, Kel," Yuki answered, her eyes twinkling with mirth as Neal's jaw dropped.
"But Yuki!" he whined, looking at her with puppy dog eyes. "She'll kill you handsome fiancée!" Yuki's only acknowledgement was to kiss him on the cheek.
"Just think of this as healthy competition. Oh, and also, Neal? This is payback for that horrid poetry you always wrote. It almost made me gag to death."
"Fine," he retorted, and walked to an empty space with his nose in the air, then sat down and started to stretch. Yuki rolled her eyes at her husband-to-be's dramatic exit.
"Go easy on him," she whispered with a wink and walked over to a tree where she laid down in the shade.
"Come on Kel! While I'm young!" Neal called. He had already stretched and warmed up, and stood with a practice sword at hand. She grinned and walked to him. She stretched, while Neal flirted with his betrothed, and then did a few practice swings. When she had familiarized herself with the sword, she nodded to Neal. He left Yuki with a kiss and saying, "Wish me luck,"
Kel barely heard the Yamani say, "You'll need it,"
Neal attacked. She parried his blow easily, and then charged. The clang of metal on metal could be heard easily through the practice courts. Kel was finally bored with taking it easy and swung her sword up and then under Neal's, disarming him immediately and cleanly. Neal pouted. That was the same move she had used LAST time when she had thoroughly smoked him. Kel stood triumphantly as the sound of clapping could be heard. Kel turned around to see where the sound had originated. She smiled. It was her all-time hero, Alanna of Pirate's Swoop and Aleu, the King's Champion and the first lady knight.
"Very good, Kel. You beat him...AGAIN. Ya know, Neal," she said, fixing her bright violet eyes on him. "I thought that being my squire for four years would have taught you something, but now that I remember, it was hard to get anything through your thick skull." Neal grimaced at the irony in her voice.
"Ready, Kel?" Yuki said, stepping from the shade of the tree. Kel nodded. "Well fought, darling," she added sarcastically, her eyes crinkling with amusement. "That only took her about two seconds to win. And you call your self a knight." She shook her head. "That's it. Your on a diet." Neal groaned.
"Speaking of that," Alanna said, walking up to Neal, who although was about a foot taller looked at that moment to be about one inch, "why don't you and I have a go, Nealan?" she said his name dripping with innocence. Though she at that moment looked far from innocent. Neal groaned again.
"Your all out to get me," he said as he was dragged off by his former knight-master. Kel got her naginata as Yuki picked up hers. They resumed the "guard stance", eyes intent on each other's faces.
Yuki started with an attack, followed immediately by another as Kel dodged it. Kel defended for a while, getting her balance right again, then swung her glaive across her chest, pushing Yuki's into the air at her side as she had once done to Joren her probation year. Yuki recovered quickly, then thrust her glaive under Kel's and up, between her hands. A quick twisting jerk yanked her weapon from Kel's grip and sent it flying.
"Looks like you need more practice," Yuki gloated, though she was as out of breath as Kel. Kel gave her a lopsided grin. "However, I don't think that's enough punishment," she added. Kel cocked her head, knowing that she wasn't going to like this. "I think that you should wear your kimono for the rest of the day, NO EXCEPTINS. And, along with that, you have to wear face paint too," Kel sighed as she heard a chuckle from behind her. She whirled around, about to challenge the person to a joust that was laughing at her pain, then changed her mind when she say whom it was. Dom was leaning against a tree, grinning the grin that made her heart warm.
"Humph," she said, then walked over to him. "I'm just glad that Roald and Shinko are on their honeymoon, and everyone else is at Steadfast. Less of an embarrassment to me."
"Poor baby," Dom said, not sympathetic at the least. He grinned then reached out and pulled her to him. She braced herself against his chest and looked up. Dom chuckled and leaned down to give her a kiss.
"For you, I guess I'll do it," she smiled. Dom grinned again and they walked back to the castle, hand in hand, only stopping to pick up Kel's weapons.
A/N: I was only going to do only one chapter, but rachel132 changed my mind. I want to give her a special thanks.