I realized a few days ago that I haven't done any disclaimers. So here we go...

Disclaimer: None of these Characters belong to me (excepting a certain blond girl, but we'll get to her later.) I did not create any of these characters I am simply continuing the great work of Tamora Pierce who cam up with Kel and Raoul and, of course, sexy sexy Dom. Ciao Bambinos! Enjoy!

Kel sat practicing her breathing exercises in the prep tent for a while. The peaceful calm that was supposed to come with her timed breathing and clearing her mind were interrupted several times as several very nervous squires began to prepare for the coming exabition match. Kel had a handle on her temper matched by few, but there is only so much one person can take. When someone came in and smacked her on the back of her head, Kel whipped around, her mind screaming bloody murder, when she laye her eyes went up to a laughing giant of a man.

"I might have known," Kel grumbled as she glared up at the giant figure that stood before her, "that the only man who would dare interrupt one of the Lady Knights would be the one who had the presumption to take her on in the first place."

"And teach you everything you know," replied Raoul from his height of at least a foot and a half above her head, "or at least, everything except how to use, what does Tobe call it, your "pigsticker?"

Kel snorted and walked over to sit at the table on the other side of the room. "I can see that you are only here to gloat over your seemingly defeat over me."

Raoul suddenly looked uncomfortable for a moment. "No, actually there's something else that I wanted to talk to you about."

"What is it?"

Raoul hesitated and said, "Its about Dom."

Kel felt her heart stop for a moment and heat come to her entire body. She thanked the gods that she had such a good control over her body; otherwise she would be blushing profusely by now.

"What about Dom?"

Raoul came over to sit across from Kel and looked into his giant hands, excellent for whielding a sword or an axe. He looked up at Kel and started. "Kel I'm not really very good at these things. You know that if it wasn't for your suggestion, I might not even have gotten this far with Buri. It takes me quite a lot of time to notice things like...you know... that, and I've just decided I've got to talk to you about this thing straightforward like."

Through his entire speech, Kel felt seemingly more and more uncomfortable, and excited at the same time. Would she even dare to let herself hope that Dom might have told Raoul something? Over the many years that she had known him, he had become something of a second father to her, which explained how awkward this was for him to talk to her about. She knew he greatly cared about both of them, and didn't want to see either of them hurt.

Kel pulled herself together to speak, "What is it that you are trying to get to?"

Raoul sighed, "That Dom has been acting very strangely ever since he came back from Scanra."

Kel couldn't help herself from shuttering. After hearing all of the haunting voices of the children that Blayce had killed, not one of the walked away from the encounter the same.

"I think that we all were affected by that sir, I can't see why Dom's reactions would be unusual."

Raoul shook his head. "It's not his being affected by what he saw in Scanra. I think...well honestly I'd say... he's in love." he ended lamely

Kel listened, barely able to breathe.

Raoul continued, "Ever since he got back he has been doing things I never would have expected of him. Every time a messenger comes to Mastiff, it always seems as if he is the one who intercepts him, and tries to find out where it comes from. If he hears of any more skirmishes along the northern border, he is always there, making sure he knows exactly where it is and what the casualties are. He's never been this intense about the safety of the people here in the north."

Kel couldn't stop herself from asking him, "And do you have a suspicion as to who he might be in love with."

"Of course," said Raoul, "Otherwise I would never have come to you."

Kel could have flown out the window with her sparrows. Even though she didn't think of herself as a very romantic girl, she swore she could hear church bells in her ears when Raoul said,

"I just never expected him to follow my lead and fall in love with a Rider."

Kel's bells gave a loud, DONNNNG!

She blinked.

"What?"

Raoul started talking at a fast pace, she could see how excited he was for their friend, "I believe he meet her right before he went off after you into Scanra. There were two Rider groups coming to help us rebuild Giantkiller. One of them is lead by a young girl from Osbelle, Kirsten I believe her name is. Anyway they were eating at the same table when he got news of you, and went rushing off, but he's inquired about her since he came back. After the raid near Tirrsmont, she's stationed there, I knew from his insistence that we should go and reinforce them that he must be in love with her. I can't be sure if he's written to her, but I am whiling to bet my horse that he's smuggling letters to her through every messanger that comes our way." Raoul looked quite triumphant over his detective skills.

Kel didn't know what to say. Of course he fell in love with a beautiful, skinny, whussy Ride-

"What I need you to do," Raoul continued, "is to try and ...you know... help them along. You were wonderful with me and Neal, and look where that got us! As tough of a knight as you are, you are also one hell of a match- maker."

Kel thought of a million reasons to say no. Everything that she did with Neal and Raoul was luck that she didn't talk well with woman that she had too much to do right now. But as she looked into Raoul's trusting face and thought of Dom and how happy it would make him, she knew, however much it hurt, that she had no choice.

"Alright, I'll see if I can help" she forced the words out of her lips, "So will you introduce me to her?"