Chapter 6

Recap:

Alanna walked into the King's study not bothering to knock as she stepped inside. "Jon?" she called. Searching the room with her eyes for the familiar dark figure she found him behind his desk.

"What excuse do you have this time Alanna?" he asked exasperated.

"Keladry of Mindelan is pregnant with Sergeant Domitan of Masbolle's child," she said smiling slightly at the look on Jon's face.

"Kel… Oh Mithros." Jon put his head in his hands. "I don't need this now," he whispered to himself.

"None of us did," Alanna replied to his comment. "I know both Kel and Dom certainly don't." In a whisper she added, "I know you and I didn't."

"Alanna," Jon said gustily. "I don't really want to talk about Fayre and Jess at the moment."

"I understand Jon."

He looked her in the eyes before sighing and saying, "You are excused from the ball."

"Thank you majesty," Alanna said bowing. Knowing that she could do no more she left the king and returned to Raoul's study.

Alanna walked into the foyer of Raoul of Goldenlake's rooms barely noticing the blue walls and expensive wood furniture as she strode over to the door to the room that she had sealed the Knight Commander into almost a half an hour ago.

Gathering the magic back into herself she opened the door and Raoul tumbled out; apparently he had been leaning on it. Now he was sprawled across the floor. He scowled at Alanna.

"Warn people before you open door 'Lanna because it hurts when you fall on the floor because a door you thought was magicked shut suddenly opens!!" Raoul's face was turning slightly red as he paused to stop for breath.

"Sorry Raoul but I would have thought you knew better. And you should know that the reason that Kel and Dom wanted to talk to us is because well…" Alanna trailed off.

"Because why Alanna!! You have to stop doing this to me!!" Raoul was almost livid with suppressed rage.

"Because, because, Kel's pregnant okay? Are you happy now? It's what you wanted!" Alanna started crying.

"Gods," Raoul muttered. This was not what he had been expecting. He knew that Alanna had been in much the same scenario and it had turned out, lets just put it less successful than Alanna and Jon had hoped.

"It's like Déjà vu you know?" Alanna half sobbed losing the little control she had after her talk with Jon.

"I know what you went through Alanna you have to remember I was there and Jess was in the Own. Fayre, well…" Raoul trailed off unable to finish.

"No one knows what happened to her Raoul! No one except Jess and she wont tell! I haven't seen either of them for almost four years!" Alanna was now sobbing almost uncontrollably.

Raoul put a tentative arm around the sobbing Lady Knight. "Alanna, I know you're upset but we need to talk to Kel and Dom, unless for any reason you left out some small details concerning what they're going to do in the near future." Raoul looked slightly smug and puzzled as he voiced this to Alanna. Smug because she was slowly becoming herself and puzzled because he knew that something had happened in the half hour he had been locked in the room.

"Oh that," Alanna said with a wet chuckle. "Well you were half right about them leaving. Dom said that he would resign from the Own to marry Kel but she didn't want him to give up his future and well, as you know Kel will be taking a year of leave from the field or so I presume. If she doesn't Nealan and I will definitely have something to say about it."

At the last comment Raoul laughed. "I'm sure many people would have something to say." He wiped his streaming eyes before saying, "Dom volunteered to leave the King's Own to marry Kel and she told him not to?"

"She didn't tell him to she ordered him! She didn't want him to waste his future." Alanna met Raoul's eyes. "You know how she is. It's part of her character and she would treat everyone else the same way no matter who."

"I know she would," Raoul said. "She's been like that ever since her first year as my squire. She wont let others pass up opportunities for her. I couldn't imagine being that unselfish. I know I'm not." Raoul let out a dry chuckle at this rather bad joke.

"We should go in there and talk to them, don't you think?" Alanna asked him.

"I think that would be a wise decision," Raoul said.

"Do you promise you wont go ballistic and jump to conclusions that aren't even drawn this time?" Alanna asked jokingly.

"You have my word as a gentleman Lady Alanna." Raoul bowed to Alanna getting the door of the study and escorting her inside.

What happened with Kel and Dom

As soon as Alanna left the room Kel rounded on Dom. "I can't believe that you would throw away your life like that! You realize that if you give this up you are unemployed! That is not where you or I want you to be! I absolutely refuse to marry you if you resign from the Own! I can manage myself." She corrected herself at his pointed look, "I will try to manage by myself. Happy?" she said.

"No," he replied. "I'm not happy. You can't take this all on your own Kel. I can already tell you're drooping under the weight of it all. Keeping secrets from people you trust and love is hard especially since this is a big secret and its rather irreversible."

"I know Dom, if this didn't concern the rest of your career in the Own I would have said it was a good idea for us to get married." Kel sighed. It was not turning out to be her day. She needed a hot drink and a warm bed. Being pregnant was tiring! It was a good thing that none of her friends had noticed her slacking of her normal strenuous routine and if they had they chosen not to mention it and for that she was grateful.

"Kel, this would be a different road than the one I thought I would be taking although I didn't plan on getting any girls impregnated least of all you." Dom said.

At Dom's last remark Kel turned slightly red. Past lovers was a bad topic to talk about to a woman who was bearing your child out of wedlock. "Half of them probably weren't even wearing a charm and what happened to them? Nothing, that's what," Kel's voice rang in her mind.

"Uh oh," Dom thought as he watched the murderous look on Kel's face. "This can't be good."

"Kel? Is something wrong?" Dom asked.

"Something wrong?" Kel replied icily. "Something wrong? What do you think Domitan? How would you feel if you were me here? Lets reverse the situation shall we? Well let's see who's at the disadvantage."

"Well it wasn't me who told me that I couldn't quit the Own now is it? As I recall it was you who decided that you wouldn't let me quit!" Both yelling at the top of their lungs suddenly stopped when they heard a cough. They turned their heads at the same time to fix on Alanna and Raoul who had just walked through the door.

Kel looked at them in the face, a faint blush tainting her cheeks. Dom on the other hand was looking at his feet.

"I'm sorry My Lord," he mumbled.

Raoul was trying very hard not to laugh outright at them while Alanna was grinning like the Cheshire cat. The grin it seemed was contagious fist Kel, then Raoul, and finally Dom who had the courage to look up saw their grins and smiled slightly himself.

"That's alright Sergeant, everyone makes mistakes," Raoul said laughing.

"Lady Alanna?" Kel turned her attention to the short red headed woman. "What did the King say?"

"Lets sit while we discuss. The King will join us later if he can. He has to attend the ball." Alanna led them to the chairs that they had vacated a short while ago.

"My dear," Raoul said kindly. "Will you tell me what you plan to do?"

"Well," Kel said. "We haven't decided fully yet but I refuse to let Dom throw away his future. If I have to move to the Yamani Islands for a while with my parents, so be it." She looked at Raoul just as he was going to open his mouth. "And no Sir. You can't go to the king and demand he change the law. Too many people would ask why I was getting such superior treatment. This situation has happened with men in the Own before, hasn't it?" She looked at Raoul who nodded before continuing. "Why didn't the law get changed for them? I can manage. You all know I can. I know Dom doesn't want to give up his post in the Own and I'm glad of that. He shouldn't want to." She looked at Alanna for support. "Please help me come to a decision."

Alanna looked at Kel for a moment before replying, "Many of you may not know it but I was in a very similar position at one point. Obviously this isn't the time or place to discuss it but as far as help goes Kel can live at Pirate's Swoop for the pregnancy and for some time after." Daring a glance at the handsome brooding man she continued, "Kel, you cannot decide for him whether or not he will leave the Own. It's his own decision and he can make it himself. He's a big boy. If you choose to stay in the Own you can come to visit your child whenever you feel the time is right and I'm guessing that Kel will wait for you no matter how long." Alanna looked up from her lap where her gaze had focused on to look at the young couple in front of her. "Your other option is for you to marry and to move back to Masbolle or Mindelan. Seeing as Dom is now the oldest son he will inherit the fief and lands upon Lord Eric's death."

They both nodded slowly and faced each other both ready to decide what they wanted. Dom spoke up first. "I agree with Kel on the law situation and I believe that this would be much easier if the King were here, but I don't agree with Kel moving to the Isles to raise our child without me. If I have to leave the Own, so be it. Hopefully when the time is right I'll find myself a new position somewhere else. If it takes me years so be it."

"That will not be necessary Sergeant," a rich voice said from the doorway. "We have plenty of options for you if you decide to leave the Own. Many of which are desperately in need of your skills. I do suggest however that even if you do choose to leave the Own that you leave Kel to live with the senior Lady Knight in her home of Pirate's Swoop." King Jonathan of Conté wore the authority like a cloak and his presence calmed everyone's somewhat frazzled nerves.

Kel and Dom stood to bow to King Jon as Alanna gave him a quick hug. Raoul stood watching and gave a slight nod to acknowledge the monarch's presence.

"Why is that Majesty?" Kel asked to his statement about her moving to Pirate's Swoop.

"I feel that you living at Pirate's Swoop will keep you from the public eye. You will be able to work with Alanna and George and you will also have easy access to healers, whether or not Alanna is available. There is always someone on hand." The King looked over at Alanna wondering if he had forgotten anything. "You should tell the court soon about your 'leaving the court' and give some explanation, the more truthful the better."

Raoul watched Kel's face as the king said this and at the last line he saw all the blood drain from here face. "What's wrong Kel?" he asked her quietly.

Kel's face turned slightly pink as she answered his question. "I haven't told my parents yet," she whispered. Although she had said it quietly everyone in the room heard.

"You haven't told you parents?" Alanna raged at her. "What could have possessed you to not tell them first? You are their daughter and they deserve to know! I'm sorry if I sound harsh but is that any way to treat the people that gave you life?" Alanna was very quickly losing any of the sanity she had left.

"My first instinct was to tell them but because their whereabouts are hidden because of them being in the presence of the sacred temple and the emperor himself they had to break off any contact that they have with anyone. There is almost no chance of anyone ever seeing them again." Kel's eyes were hard as she said the last. "I'll ride to Mindelan and tell Anders myself, he has the right to know. He's always been my second father even though he was my brother. I want to tell him in person." As soon as Kel realized that she was babbling she shut her mouth and listened to the judgment of the others in the room.

Alanna looked at Kel in awe. How could she keep going each day knowing that there was almost no chance in ever seeing her mother or father again? She had so little contact with any of her family. How could she bear it? Knowing Kel she guessed the girl hid this deep inside her like all her other emotions keeping a strong aura around her for her friends. Although she may not know it, she was one of the pillars of the kingdom. One of which, without her, it would fall into ruin until a new and stronger one could be built.

The King nodded his approval at her decision and stood up from the chair he had sat down in some time before. "Keladry, I expect you to be ready to leave for the Swoop within the week. Alanna will be on call to return home any time between now and then." With that he walked out of the room to go back and join the festivities.

Raoul decided that now would be the best time to voice his opinions. "Dom," he said. "I think that you should stay in the Own as even if you left it to marry Kel, you would have to let her go until after the child is born. What I'm proposing is that you stay in the Own as long as possible and I will grant you occasional leave to visit the Swoop. Hopefully keeping you in the Own will keep you busy enough to stay focused."

Alanna and Kel nodded their agreement with Raoul's idea. They both agreed with the fact that Kel and Dom could marry as soon as was needed. Keeping a low profile would be the best thing to do for now as the situation with the Hameranians, to the Far East, was unstable. This nation was well known for its love of female warriors and Kel in her current situation was an ideal candidate for capture. Any injury to Kel would affect Dom and they couldn't afford any losses.

"I agree," Dom said finally.

AN: Wow... long chapter...

Well, at least it was a long chapter for me!!

And any refferance to Jess and Fayre or any subtle hints about Alanna having extra kids is a part of miamouse's fanfic 'Double Vision' if you dont like it dont read it!

Anyways, I had a couple of things I wanted to say about the characters in TP.

One thing, why do all the tamora pierce characters worry about pregnancies but never STD's? I mean WTF! Are they all saints or somthing? Unable to get STD's but are able to get pregnant? I think that someone needs to adress that issue some time. oh well.

Other thing, why is Dom such a goody goody? dont really understand how he can be so perfect and not make people sick!!

Anyways I hope you're enjoying this ficlet and if anyone is interested in my idea of an alternate direction for this story ((i'm going to make it a kn instead of a kd but dont worry I'm going to make a seperate fic for it)) let me know and ill decide if i have enough support to start one!

Gwennie