Disclaimer: I own none of these characters, places etc. They all belong to Tamora Pierce. I own the plot though! Anything you might find familiar is probably a quote from TP's books. Hang on, I own: Ked, Salin, Jamil and Ked's Warrior Lord, Lord Parrton.
A/N: Right. This is a corrected version of the chapter. I've been going through correcting the chapters, so if you find any mistakes, let me know! I've tried to sort out everything, but I'm no where near perfect so I'm sure you'll be able to find some mistakes. I've completely changed Kel's reactions because everyone was saying that she was completely OCC, and quite frankly, I agreed. On with the story…
Chapter three : Secrets
Kel went to bed that night kicking herself for having said that. Why did she open her big mouth and tell Joren? He'll tell everyone, she thought in terror. Why couldn't I have just been a good little Yamani girl, kept my face as stone and not said anything? She grinned ruefully into the darkness, that was her Tortallan side showing through.
Kel lay in the dark for hours, wondering what would happen. Once she'd decided that laying in bed wasn't going to make her go to sleep, she got up and wandered down to the stables.
She sat up in the hay loft, buried in the hay feeling nice and warm.
"Hey," a soft voice said.
Kel jumped up out of the hay, startled at first, but then she remembered the voice. It was Dom.
"Oh, hi Dom, what are you doing here?" she asked curiously of the man who was standing on the ladder to the hay loft with his head poking through the hole.
"I could ask the same thing of you."
"I couldn't sleep. I made a bad mistake, and it's keeping me awake," she explained, flopping back onto the hay.
"What?" he asked gently, pulling himself through the hole and sitting down next to her.
"Not saying. It's a secret, and I made the mistake of telling someone," Kel said, flinching at her stupidity.
"Who did you tell?" Dom asked.
"Why would you think I'd tell you that? You'd only go ask him." She was amazed that he thought her so stupid.
"I wouldn't," Dom assured her hastily. He picked up a piece of straw and started to fiddle with it. "Look, if you want to talk to me, you know where I am. And, if you tell me, I might be able to help." He got up, and started down the ladder.
Kel relaxed back into the hay, wondering if she should have told him.
- - -
A few weeks later, Kel was back in the hay loft again. She had just groomed Hoshi and wanted some time to be alone. The hay loft was the best place for that, after dark, as this was, no one ever came there.
She heard someone stumbling around in the stalls downstairs and suddenly realised that she had the light that usually lit the stables up in the hay loft with her.
"Hang on, I'll be down with the light in a minute!" she called softly in Tortallan.
"Jhedy?" the voice asked and she heard someone fumbling around at the bottom of the ladders.
By the time a head had popped through the hole in the floor, Kel had placed that voice. It was Dom.
"How are you feeling?" Dom asked as he sat at the edge of the hole, his legs dangling through it.
Kel shrugged. "I'm okay. The same as when I last talked to you."
Dom laughed quietly. "If I remember you were feeling quite bad then, because I had just thrashed you in a sword duel."
Kel pretended to pout. "Did you have to rub it in?"
Dom suddenly changed the subject. "Has this person that you told your secret to told yet?"
Kel shook her head. "You'll know when he does, but it's only a matter of time. No doubt he's trying to find out which way of exposing the information will hurt me the most."
Dom nodded slowly. "Do you want me to help?"
Kel sighed, if she wanted his help, she'd have to tell him what her secret was. "Well…."
"It's okay, if you don't want to tell me, it doesn't matter."
Kel shrugged. "I know you better know and if you can help, I'll tell you." She ran a hand through her long hair. "You promise not to ask him what I said?" she asked. "You promise to keep it a secret?"
"Yes, I swear by Mithros and Shakith that I will not tell anyone your secret," Dom said solemnly and relaxed in the hay next to her.
"Okay." Kel sighed. "I told Joren of Stone Mountain."
Dom stared at her in shock. "You told that sapskull?" he asked.
"I know, I know. I'm an idiot!" Kel said banging her head off the ground. "I don't know what came over me." She pulled at her hair. "Especially considering I didn't want anyone to know who I am!"
"What?" he asked shocked. "But everyone knows who you are. You're Jhedy."
"Promise you won't tell Neal?" she pleaded with him.
"Okay, okay, I promise. But what does he have to do with this?" he asked.
Kel ignored the question but gave him one of her own. "Does the name Keladry of Mindelan mean anything to you?"
Dom started. "Well, yes. She was my cousin's best friend. She was the only female page since Lady Knight Alanna of Pirates Swoop and Olau." When Kel nodded Dom continued. "She was dismissed at the end of her first year, because my Lord Wyldon didn't like girls. She was meant to go home with a servant, but she ran off. No one knows where she is, none of her family will say."
"Exactly. So she could be sitting here right in front of you, and you wouldn't know!"
"But she isn..." Dom trailed off as the sudden realisation of who he really was talking with struck him. "You're Keladry of Mindelan?"
"Yeah. But I'm going by the name Jhedy as you probably guessed." Kel smiled ruefully.
"This is great!" Dom said jumping up. "Neal will be so happy!"
Kel yanked him down and he fell on the floor with a thud. "No he will not," she said firmly. "Because you're not going to tell him."
"Why?" Dom asked.
"Because I don't want people to know who I am, that's why. I doubt any of my old friends will be pleased to see me, I failed them and ran off and I don't want to ruin my present life. I have a future Dom. I can't risk that. I'll be taking my Tribulation of Warriorhood in just under four years and then I'll join the Yamani army, probably. I have friends who don't mind who I am and don't know that much of my past. I like the life I've got now." Kel blushed, embarrassed at her long speech.
Dom studied her carefully for a long time and then said very quietly, "But wouldn't you rather be a knight?"
Kel's eyes fell to the floor, and for a long time she didn't answer.
When she did look up, Dom was surprised to see that her eyes were slightly wet. "Yes. I've wanted to be a knight ever since I can remember." She breathed deeply and tried to control her emotions. "But I can't be one. Lord Wyldon hates me and I don't understand why he threw me out. And King Jonathan agreed with him about that and all of Tortall!" She stood up and then collapsed on the floor, fighting not to cry
Awkwardly, Dom put his arm around her. "What's the matter Jhedy - I mean Kel?"
"Nothing," she lied, being careful not to cry. She couldn't afford to loose face. Looking up into Dom's friendly face she said, "I don't usually cry, you know."
Dom laughed. "I believe you." He settled back against the hay loft wall. "Why don't you tell me about what happened between when you left the palace four years ago and now?"
Kel laughed weakly. He knew how to take her mind off Joren, the King and Lord Wyldon. "Sure." She settled back against the hay loft wall, and rested her head up against Dom's shoulder.
Kel and Dom sat there for most of the night, just talking about Kel's past, except she left out one vital secret, the uprising the day came to the Islands. As time wore on, Kel grew sleepier and sleepier, until at nearly dawn she fell asleep on Dom's shoulder.
He smiled down at her, and slept himself.
- - -
The next morning Raoul, the Commander of the Kings Own held a briefing for his men, and noticed the Dom was missing. When they'd finished, he went to find Dom's cousin, Neal.
"Wake up Nealan," he yelled hammering on the door.
There was a groan from inside and Neal opened the door, still half asleep.
"What?" he demanded angrily. "This is the one day of the week that I get to sleep in. Why do you have to wake me up?"
"Have you seen your cousin?" Raoul asked, when Neal said nothing, he added, "Dom?"
"No," Neal replied, suddenly awake. "Is he missing?"
"Think so. He didn't show up for a briefing I've just held. I don't know where he is, he's never late."
Neal ran back into his room and pulled on some clothes. "Let's find him. Have you any idea where he might be?"
Raoul scowled. "If I knew that I wouldn't have to ask you!"
"Okay, okay." Neal held up his hands in mock surrender. "Let's try the practise courts first." And he jogged down, followed by the Knight Commander of the Own.
The two of them scoured the practise courts, but he wasn't there.
"The training yards?" Raoul suggested.
"Why would he be there?" Neal asked. "But let's try them anyway."
He wasn't there. They were just about to return to the castle when Raoul pointed to the stables. "Could he be in there?"
"Doubt it. He'd be in the Own's stables if he wanted his horse, but hey, let's try it."
- - -
Kel opened her eyes and it took her a while to remember where she was. When she did remember, she turned her head to see Dom. He was still asleep.
"Dom? Wake up." She turned so she could see the sun. "It's already past ten."
Dom swatted at her. "Mmm...I'm trying to sleep. Go away Neal!"
Kel laughed and shook him. "Dom, it's me. Kel? Jhedy? Remember me?"
Dom shook his head as if trying to clear it. "Mithros Kel! I'm sorry, I'd completely forgotten, are you okay?" Without waiting for an answer, he jumped up and cried out, "Help! I was meant to be at a briefing for the Own at eight this morning! Raoul'll have my head!"
Kel couldn't help but giggle at Dom's horrified face.
"I didn't think that Raoul got that mad with people, at least he didn't when I knew him."
Dom grinned. "No, you're right. He doesn't, but I was meant to be in this meeting and I was asleep in the hayloft!"
It was Kel's turn to grin. "Now you'll have to apologise!"
Dom pretended to slap her. "Now stop it Kel!"
Kel lost her grin. "You've got to promise me that you won't ever call me that again, okay?"
"I promise K-Jhedy," Dom replied solemnly and sat back down next to Kel. "I don't think there's much point in going to this meeting, it will have just finished."
There was a shout from in the stables below.
"My Lord, I think he's here!" a voice called.
Kel's eyes widened as she recognised the voice as Neal's.
"Dom!" she hissed. "It's Neal. What'll I do?"
"Em...hide?" Dom suggested.
Kel fell down on the floor and buried herself in the hay. Dom sat in front of her, trying his hardest not to hurt her.
Raoul's head poked up through the hole in the floor. "Ah, Dom, there you are." He heaved himself up so Neal could get through.
"Dom, where have you been?" Neal asked.
"Here," Dom replied. "Isn't that obvious?"
"What have you been doing here?" Raoul asked, "Why weren't you in the meeting?"
"I was asleep, that's why I wasn't at the meeting. Did you miss me?" he asked cheekily. Raoul was easy going enough for Dom to be able to get away with comments like that.
"Why here?" Raoul asked. "Why not in your bed like all normal people?"
"What's this?" Dom asked with a grin. "An interrogation?" He struggled to hide Kel. "I couldn't sleep, so I came down here, and then I fell asleep. Is that okay my Lord?"
"Yes Dom. Now are you coming?" Raoul started down the stairs. "And I'll fill you in on what you missed."
"Em..." With horror, Dom realised that if he had to leave it would be obvious where Kel was. "N-not yet."
Raoul sighed. "I've had enough Dom. Come on, it's an order!"
Dom sighed, it was an order, he had to obey. "Yes my Lord." He got up and walked quickly to the ladder. "After you my Lord, Cousin Neal."
Raoul looked at Dom suspiciously but went. Neal, on the other hand didn't.
"No, I want to check something. You can go."
Dom knew if he refused Neal would know something was up, so he reluctantly climbed down the ladder and followed Raoul to the King's Own barracks.
Kel tensed up, hoping that Neal wouldn't spot her.
"Please Mithros, allow me to get out of this unseen," she whispered quietly.
Through the hay she could see Neal poking around in the hay on the other side of the hay loft. It's now or never, she thought. Kel jumped up from the hay, and ran to the ladder and jumped down before Neal had had time to turn around.
"Hey, Jhedy? Is that you?" he shouted at Kel's quickly retreating back.
- - -
Kel cursed herself for being seen and then moved onto more immediate problems, like Joren.
"What am I going to do about him?" Kel wondered out loud.
Dom's words from last night came back. 'I might be able to help.'
"I wonder if he could help," Kel asked out loud.
Quickly, she found a piece of paper and a quill, and wrote a note for Dom, then went to stick it under his door.
- - -
Dom picked up the note as he walked through the door. He closed the door and sat on his bed. He opened the note and found it was written in a flowing hand.
Dear Dom,
I remembered what you said last night. That you'd be able to help if I told you my secret. Well, could you? If you don't mind, would you be able find a way to make sure that Joren doesn't tell anyone about me? Please? It would be a big help if you could. I'm driving myself crazy with worry about what Joren might do. I mean, he might tell Neal, who'd tell his friends, who could tell anyone. Please help Dom, can you? Please?
Signed : Jhedy
Dom was thinking hard before he'd even finished. There was something he could do about it. Joren would wish he'd never been born once he'd finished with him.
- - -
Dom watched Joren walking through the gardens to the stables. He looked so confident and so scheming.
"Ah, I believe you are Squire Joren of Stonemountain," Dom said in a smooth voice as he fell into step next to Joren.
Joren turned to face him, his eyes alert and a hand on his sword hilt, ready for any attack that might come.
Dom held up his hands, showing that he was unarmed. "I mean no harm," he said quietly. "At least, not if you cooperate with me."
"Cooperate?" Joren asked, raising a thin eyebrow.
Dom nodded and sat down on a nearby bench. "Yes, cooperate."
"About what?" Joren leaned back into a rosebush and bit his lip as he jumped out again.
"Well, as I understand it, Jhedy told you something a few weeks ago, something she shouldn't have."
Joren's eyes flashed maliciously. "Yes, Kel told me something."
Dom yawned. "You may just find it worth your while not to mention her real identity to anyone."
Joren snorted. "I doubt anything you could give me would be worth the pain that I could cause her when I let her secret slip, completely accidentally of course, but unfortunately it would be in front of the whole court and the damage would already be done."
Dom smiled slightly and there was something in his smile that gave Joren the shivers. He seemed to know something. "If you let that secret slip, I may just have to let one of my own, about you and your, ur…activities when you're down in the city."
Dom prayed that he swallowed it. He was only bluffing, using a piece of palace gossip that had been going around for a few months.
Joren paled slightly, not much but it was enough to convince Dom that his bluff was true. "I…"
Dom stood. "Think about," he advised as he walked away, whistling slightly to himself.
- - -
"Jhedy!" Neal called.
Kel spun around and tried to smile. "Hi Nealan." She remembered that he hated his full name.
"It's Neal," he growled.
Kel grinned. "What do you want?"
"I wanted to ask you something," Neal replied and Kel's heart fell into her boots, she knew what was coming.
"Yes?" she said, her voice was level and held no trace of her worry.
"Do you know my cousin Sergeant Domitan?"
Kel countered the question with another. "Should I?"
"Do you know him?" Neal persisted. Kel could tell he was starting to lose his patience.
"Seen him around," Kel said vaguely. "Why?"
"Was it you that was running away from the stables this morning? After my Lord Raoul left with Dom."
"Why would I be running away from the stables?" Kel asked putting fake innocence into her voice and making her face bland.
"It was you, wasn't it?"
"No!" Kel snapped. "Why do you want to know?"
"It's okay, you don't have to be so angry with me. I'll just ask Dom. What did I do to make you hate me so much?" Neal asked.
Kel grimaced. "Nothing that's any of your business," she replied calmly, trying to be as polite as possible and walked away to Dom's rooms. Hopefully she would get there before Neal.
- - -
A knock on his bedroom door startled Dom out of the book on Tortallan history that he was reading.
"Come in," he called and put the book down. It was Neal. "Oh hello dear cousin, and what have I done to get this honour?" His voice was dripping with sarcasm.
"And it's nice to see you too Dom," Neal replied in the same voice. "As to what you've done, why don't we talk?"
"About what?" Dom asked suspiciously.
"Jhedy."
Dom stiffened, then forced himself to relax. He was terrible at lying and he knew it. "Who?" he asked softly.
"Jhedy of the Yamani Islands. Don't tell me you haven't seen her."
"Is she the one that came with the army?" Dom asked. "The one who ran Balor's Needle?"
"Yes, that's her. Peach golden skin, and brown hair that reaches her waist and is tightly braided, she normally has colourful beads in them."
"Oh, her!" Dom said, feigning sudden recognition. "I think I've seen her around."
"I think you know her fairly well Dom and don't lie to me." Neal ran a hand through his thick brown hair. "It was her that was running away from the stables after you left. I saw her."
"Why don't you ask her?" Dom asked.
"Have done. She won't say a thing, I think she hates me!" Neal said.
"I can't blame them for that cousin dear," Dom replied sweetly. "Only Mithros knows why I haven't already knocked your head off."
The door was flung open and a blur burst in.
"Dom!" she yelled.
Neal recognised her as Jhedy.
Kel took one look around the room, and, noticing Neal gasped then ran out.
"You're right. She does hate you," Dom said with a grin.
Neal grinned back. "You can't say you don't know her now. If you didn't, she wouldn't have come running in here like that. I think I'll go and find out what she wanted you for," he said and started to stroll out the room.
He was brought tumbling to the floor by Dom. "Oh no you won't. You will leave her alone, and stay well clear of her, you and all of your friends." He practically threw Neal out of the room.
Neal sat on the floor outside Dom's room, wondering why Dom was being so protective, but decided to head his advice and stay away from Jhedy.