Chapter 35

Disclaimer: See chp. 33 ppls!

AN: O come on dudes! It wasn't THAT hard to figure out what was in the note! sniff u just wanted me to go through all the trouble of thinking about and telling u what it said. Ok, anyway, y'all are awesome and I hope u like this chapter.

the not so angry cow: cool name, one of my friends is a cow. Well, she's not actually a cow, I just call her 1. Anyway, I hate cliffies too, unless I'm the one writing the story and I kno what's gonna happen ;P Um, I'm happy u like the fic, there are a few other good Kally fics where she doesn't just accept Jon's lameass reasons for not becoming a warrior tho.

imogenhm: yes, u do rock my socks…kinda. lol. Well, I'm glad u liked the suspense the chapter too! Hope ya like this one as well.

Clair-a-net: hmmmmm…what did she faint from…shrugs just felt like writin it. I guess it could be from what was in the letter and to find out what that was; you'll just hafta read more won't you? smiles sweetly O, and don't worry, Kally and Chris may fight, but it won't be with anything sharp and pointy and there won't be any bloodshed.

dracorium: Ok, 2 things: 1) yes, I AM evil, that is why I rule over Hell :P, and 2) I can leave you hangin by….leavin u hangin! MUAHAHAHAHA!!! coughs

Ok, now, on with the story!

Kel watched in horror as the princess crumpled to the floor. She cried out and let go of the man she was holding, rushing to her fallen commander's side. A few others rushed in. One of the Queenscove men-at-arms grabbed the messenger before he could escape and Neal knelt down and examined the Tigress with his Gift. He saw the crumpled piece of paper on the ground and picked it up. He read it silently and cursed.

"What is it?" Kel asked. Neal didn't answer quickly enough, so she grabbed the note out of his hand and read it aloud:

"My Dearest Tigress,

My one purpose in this war is to kill you and your rag-tag army. And it will happen sooner or later, even you cannot deny that. I would prefer sooner, which is why I have a proposal for you. The day after tomorrow when the sun reaches its peak, my army and myself shall be waiting for you and yours in that valley you are camped above. Since you have fewer troops than I, I shall be gracious and allow you time to call on others for aid. And, to make this more interesting, my father has decided that this shall be the final showdown. If you win, Galla shall retreat and give back the Tortallan lands it has won. If you lose, however, all of Tortall shall become part of Galla, the Dominion Jewel will be ours, and you and your miserable family shall be put to death. No pressure. Well, see you soon.

My regards,

Christopher of Letrana, Crown Prince of Galla, Griffin of Shang"

"Well, shit. Looks like we're going to battle," someone said.

"Yup. Hey, Neal, what's wrong with her?"

"Nothing as far as I can tell. Got any smelling salts?"

"Hmph. You're the healer, not me. Aren't you always supposed to have some on you in case a lady faints?"

"Well, usually in war, there are no ladies who faint and therefore, no need for the salts."

Kel rolled her eyes. "Didn't being squire to the Lioness teach you to always be prepared?"

"It was supposed o. Well, if there are no salts…Eric! Go get a bucket of water!"

"Yessir."

"Water?" Kel asked skeptically.

"It'll work. Trust me."

She snorted. "Yeah right."

Eric returned with the bucket and dubiously handed it over to Neal. Neal stood up and ushered everyone away from the princess. He then threw the water on Kally. She woke almost instantly, sputtering and cursing. Someone handed her a towel. Drying herself off, she stood and glared at Neal who still happened to be holding the bucket. He had the decency to flush before clearing his throat and asking what they were going to do.

"What do you mean 'what are we going to do'?"

Kel held up the message. "I believe he was referring to this, Your Highness."

Kally groaned. "Well first, I get to tell my father. Then we get together and come up with a strategy. And finally, as much as I'd like to avoid it, we kill those bloody bastards." She dismissed everyone except the messenger from Galla.

"Who gave you the message?" she asked. The man remained silent. Kally sighed, "Yeah, I didn't really expect you to answer me. Go back to your prince and tell him that the Tigress accepts his invitation and sends her regards." Kally called to one of the guards outside her tent. "Have someone take this man back to wherever Kel found him. He is not to be harmed, do you understand me?" The guard nodded and escorted the other man outside. She sighed and walked over to a small writing desk and began writing a letter to her father. She told him about the message and the terms it stated then signed her name at the bottom. She left the tent and asked Kel if one of her birds could deliver a letter to the king at Fort Myrna. Kel nodded and tied the paper to the foot of one of the birds, gave it directions, and sent it off.

The next morning, the Lioness and fighters from Pirates' Swoop, Olau, and Trebond rode into camp. She gave Kally a note from her father before taking care of her horse. This is what the note said:

Kally,

You have done a very good job of leading your troops and winning some very important battles. I have complete faith in you, but, this is it. The big one and I believe you need the counsel of others who have more experience. Therefore, you will not only receive the Lioness, but also Raoul and your brother. Listen to them; they have been in more wars than you have. Good Luck!

Your Father

'Great', she thought. 'I get three people breathing down my neck while I try to come up with a way to avoid a big, bloody mess.' She sighed, this really sucked.

Raoul and her brother, along with their troops, came later that afternoon. The two of them, along with Alanna, Kel, Neal, and Dom met with Kally in her tent that evening after dinner to come up with a strategy. Kally wasn't really listening; she just nodded and murmured her agreement and certain points in the conversation. She was still trying to figure a way out of this whole mess. They left at around midnight so that they could get enough rest before tomorrow.

The day of the battle was beautiful. There were clear skies, a light breeze, and birds singing. The was no hint of the massacre to come. Kally sharpened and shined her weapons and donned her light coat of mail. The small sapphires winked under the gaze of the sun. She tied her hair back and went to meet her troops. Storm was saddled when she got to the edge of camp where the others waited. As she leaped onto her horse, she was struck with a sudden inspiration. There may be a way to avoid this after all. The tents had been taken down and the campfires were out. Over a thousand men and women were facing her, waiting for her to speak. She cleared her throat.

"Don't let the beauty of the day distract you. We are here to end this war, not have tea parties. This is the battle all of us have been waiting for. It's our last chance to protect our homes, families, and our way of life. Those Gallans think they can just march right in here and we'll surrender. We will not give up without some sort of fight! Alanna, Raoul, do either of you wish to say anything?" Raoul shook his head, but Alanna rode to where Kally was and faced the soldiers.

"We shall not advance unless they advance first. We have the advantage of higher ground. It is easier to defend than it is to attack. Remember the reason we are fighting. Think of your loved ones when you see the Gallans and remember what will happen to them if we lose. When the battle starts, put your souls into it and fight for what is rightfully ours." They cheered, but quieted down when Kally put up a hand.

"You do not attack unless I give the word or, as Alanna said, they attack. You shall stay on the ridge unless the word is given for you move. If these orders are disobeyed, I shall deal with you myself. I wish you all luck today and hope to see most of you later." She ordered them to get into their positions before turning Storm around. Alanna was on her left and Raoul was on her right. Roald was somewhere near the rear and Kel was with the archers. She glanced back and, seeing the banners of Conte and other great Tortallan houses, swore she would protect all of this with as little bloodshed as possible. Then the Tigress and her army rode out to meet their enemy at the final showdown.

They rode halfway down to the floor of the valley before stopping. The Gallan army was at the floor facing them. Kally reminded everyone that they were not to move unless the enemy attacked first. She then let out a huge roar as Storm reared up. They rode over the edge of the ridge, heading straight for the enemy. Raoul stepped forward, but Alann held him back, telling him to wait and see what happens.

All of the Gallan horses, except for Trickster, tossed their heads and pranced in place nervously when the sound of a roaring tigress reached them. Trickster just flicked an ear.

The archers immediately aimed at the lone figure of the Tigress riding towards them. Christopher of Letrana held up his hand and ordered them not to fire unless he gave the word. He then told his seconds to tell all the soldiers that they were not to attack until he said so.

'What is she doing?' he thought to himself as he watched his lover riding towards his army alone. He glanced up at the Tortallans up on the ridge. 'They're just watching her try to commit suicide!' Kally had stopped about five feet in front of him. He rolled his eyes and rode towards her, signaling that his men were to stay put.

"What are you doing?" he asked once they were close enough to whisper.

"I'm trying to stop a battle from happening," was her only reply. Chris looked at her. She was still as beautiful as she was two months ago when they parted. She had a glow about her, though, that hadn't been there before. Probably from fighting. He sighed.

"Look, I don't want to fight you anymore than you want to fight me. But, the only way to get out of this is for you to give my father the Dominion Jewel."

"I know. And I've tried to convince my father of that, but the argument he keeps bringing up is very good. If we give you the Jewel, it may not work for your father. If it doesn't you'll take your fury out on us because you'll think we gave you a fake. If it does work, you may still want to kill us anyway and Tortall won't have the power to stop you."

"Why wouldn't it work for my father?"

"It only works for those who are rulers or conquerors by nature or for those with a complex understanding of sorcery."

"Ok. Well how about we declare a truce and hold a meeting to discuss this matter further with both of our fathers and a few of their advisors."

"Alright. We shall meet here the day after tomorrow at 10 in the morning. We should probably set a limit to the amount of people who can be present."

"Ok, um, each side brings one clerk or scribe and, um, five people, including the King and ourselves."

"Alright, so three advisors, then, plus us and our fathers, one scribe, and no bodyguards or armies."

"Ok. So, truce?" He held out his hand.

"Truce." She shook his hand, ignoring the little jolts of lightning that ran up her arm. He had felt it as well and raised an eyebrow. Kally just rolled her eyes and said, "see you tomorrow." She then turned Storm around and rode towards her army to give them the news.