Chapter seven: The Ball

Kel rapped on Neal's door. He had left a note in her room, asking her to come and see him when she had the chance.

"Come in," he yelled, his voice was slightly muffled by the door between them.

She walked into the room. "Hi Neal," she said and then was struck by something. He was just lying on his bed, reading a book. Normally he would have been running around madly, trying to get his uniform straightened or something similar. "Why aren't you getting ready to serve at the ball?"

"I don't have to serve at this one. It's my night off, but I've still got to attend," he explained. "Look Kel, I asked you to come here, because Alanna has just ordered me to escort you to the Ball."

"Oh lovely!" Kel said in dry tones. She sighed. "I guess I better get going, I've got to get ready."

- - -

"Calawabi Lady Jhedy of the Yamani Islands and her escort Squire Nealan of Queenscove," the herald called.

Kel sighed and she and Neal started down the steps to the hall. She had her stone mask on and looked like any other Yamani in her pale kimono. What no one could see and no one knew about, were the concealed weapons under her kimono. She had seven throwing knives and her sword in various places.

She curtsied and Neal bowed to the King and Queen and then to Roald who was staring at Kel. For a moment she allowed her mask to drop, and she grinned at him. He grinned back.

"Kel!" Neal hissed. "You shouldn't have done that. Someone will realise that something's up!"

Kel shrugged. "Maybe I shouldn't have, it's too late now."

Neal sighed, and waved to Dom as he approached them.

"Hello Kel, Meathead," he said, bowing to Kel.

Kel giggled at the look of outrage on Neal's face. "Do not call me that in public!" He hissed.

Dom shrugged. "I'll think about it." He turned to Kel. "May I have this dance?" He asked grandly, as a small orchestra struck up a tune.

"Em..." Kel said. She wasn't sure how to reply. "Sure."

Dom grinned, and took her and led her to the dance floor.

After four dances, Kel and Dom made their way off of the dance floor, and went in search of Neal. Dom still had his hand around her waist like he did when they had been dancing, but Kel made no move to tell him to remove it.

-  - -

The ball was nearing its end, when there was a yell.

Kel spun around to see four men standing by the King, Queen and Roald. Three held knives and had them pressed up against the necks of the Royalty. The fourth held a cross bow, and was pointing it at the audience.

"Do not move," he said his voice low and quiet.

Kel knew the knights in the room wouldn't obey that order. She also knew that they weren't armed. She was.

Quietly she got to the floor and crawled nearer the front, she unsheathed her sword, and took out her throwing knives. When she was only ten feet away from the man with the crossbow, she threw them.

Two landed with a thud in his chest, and one went into his cheek. Two more landed in the chest of the man by Roald and the other two in the man who was threatening the Queen.

With a war cry, Kel jumped up, flinging herself on top of the man by the King's side. He threw her off with a fast Shang move. Suddenly the man unsheathed his sword and he and Kel engaged in a fast moving sword battle in front of the amazed watchers.

Kel twisted and turned, desperately looking for an opening to kill him. He did the same and to Kel's dismay, it appeared that he was more skilled than she was.

She swore lightly and took a huge risk. In one quick movement she threw her sword at his chest, and fell down on the floor at the man's feet.

The watching knights gasped. To them it seemed like a stupid move, to throw yourself at your enemies feet was suicide.

Kel sighed, they didn't understand. In the Yamani Islands, that was a common move among the Emperor's Warriors, but it took a lot of skill to pull off successfully. As soon as her sword entered the mans chest, she pulled him down to the floor, pulled her sword out of him, and slit his throat.

Neal came forward and helped her to her feet. To his surprise he found she was shaking.

"What's the matter Jhedy?" he asked in alarm.

Kel smiled weakly. "I think I got injured." She started to sway slightly, and Neal put both of his arms around her to stop her from falling.

"Where?" he demanded, the Healer's side of him taking over.

"I don't quite know," Kel admitted thickly. She looked down at her stomach, and saw a growing red patch of blood. "My stomach."

Neal took one look at the amount of blood that she had lost and pulled her out of the room, yelling for Alanna to come to help him.

Kel suddenly remembered that Neal had the healing gift. "That won't help me now," She muttered to herself. She knew she had lost too much blood. She was dying.

- - -

Back in the ballroom, the King stepped over the dead bodies, and called for silence.

"Does anyone know who that girl is?" he asked, his commanding voice giving him the silence that he asked for.

Roald stared at his father. "She is Keladry of Mindelan sire," he replied hesitantly in his own quiet way. "The girl that you put on probation, the one Lord Wyldon got rid of. She is also Warrior Lord Jamil of the Yamani Islands calawabi."

Jon gasped. The girl that should by all means hate him had just saved his life.

"I wish to reward her," he said almost pompously. "Once she has been checked by healers, Roald, I want you to bring her to me."

"Yes Sire," Roald said with a nod to his father.

- - -

Alanna gasped in horror at the huge cut on Kel's stomach. She looked at the now unconscious girl.

"Jhedy! Jhedy! Can you hear me?" she asked anxiously.

Neal shook his head. "Try calling her Kel."

Alanna looked at her squire puzzled.

"Not now," Neal ordered. "I'll explain later. We need to help her now."

"Kel! Kel!" Alanna called urgently.

There was no reply from the unconscious girl.

Alanna sighed, and rolled the sleeves up on her dress and knelt down by the bed. "Come on Neal. It's going to be a long night."

Neal looked at Alanna, and saw worry in her violet eyes. "Will she live?" he asked quietly. He loved her, not in the way that his cousin obviously did, but as a friend. He didn't want to see her die.

Alanna looked him straight in the eye, "I really don't know."

Neal bit his lip. "That's Keladry of Mindelan, you know."

Alanna looked at her squire in surprise. "Explain," she ordered. "On second thoughts, save that until we've healed her."

Neal nodded and knelt down beside Alanna. Together they let their magic stream from their fingers, the green mingling with the purple, and entering Kel's body.

Hours later, Neal started to sway.

Alanna's eyes flicked to her squire. "Go to bed, now," she ordered.

"But..." Neal protested.

"Now!" Alanna said firmly. "I can handle this."

"She'll live?" Neal asked anxiously.

Alanna nodded. "She'll live. Now, get yourself to bed before I have to heal you too."

Neal nodded, and walked shakily out of Alanna's room and through the door to his own.

- - -

A few days later, Kel stood in the King's study, Dom's arm around her waist helping her to stand. She was still very weak, but the King had insisted on seeing her as soon as she could stand.

"Thank-you Lady Keladry, I am in debt to you," the King said softly in a voice that reminded Kel of his son.

Kel half smiled at him. "Please, I am no lady, I am just Kel."

Jon opened his mouth to protest, but then thought better of it. "Then call me Jon," he said.

"I..." Kel wasn't sure whether she could do that. She had spent a long time hating the man in front of her, and she hadn't even met him. Now that she had met him, she didn't know why she had hated him. He was a really kind man, a bit arrogant, but otherwise nice. "Yes Jon," she said.

Dom tightened his grip around her waist, his way of telling her she was doing well.

Kel smiled at him, and turned back to Jon.

"Look, I'll get straight to the point." Jon cleared his throat. "I want to reward you; you saved my life, my wife's life, and my son's life."

"Sire," Kel said, forgetting to call him Jon. "I don't need to be rewarded."

"But I must," Jon protested. "What do you want? Land? Money? A title? An honoury knighthood?"

Kel gasped. He had her on the last one, but... "I'd love that sir, but I couldn't. It wouldn't be right. I haven't completed my page, or my Squire years!"

Jon looked at her as if she were mad. "You completed one page year, then did four years as a narwabi and have done three and a half years as a calawabi, altogether you have had eight and a half years training. That is more than enough. Just because they weren't all Tortallan doesn't mean that you aren't qualified."

"I-I..." Kel stuttered, lost for words. "I still have my tribulation to undergo. And then I have a service to the Emperor."

"I am aware of that. I was speaking with your Warrior Lord, and I understand that in six months you take your Tribulation. Am I right?"

Kel nodded. "Yes."

"After that, your Warrior Lord says he is willing to let you have time off to come here. Then you will enter the Chamber of Ordeal," Jon explained. "That is, if you want to."

Kel looked towards Dom. She was confused. She had spent the last seven years of her life coming to terms with the fact that she couldn't become a knight, and now, she was being offered that chance again. "What should I do?" she asked Dom softly.

Dom shrugged. "I can't make that decision for you. But think about it, you've always wanted to be a knight, you admitted that to me."

Kel nodded, remembering the night she had told Dom. "Yeah, I know. But how would I juggle being a knight and a Warrior? I mean, I've seen the sort of life that the Warriors live. They hardly ever have the chance to relax. Their life is so hectic, because the Emperor just doesn't have enough men to allow them time off."

"Just do what you think is best," Dom advised. "We'll all respect your decision whatever you do."

Kel took a deep breath and turned to Jon. "Sire, I can't take you up on your offer. Thank-you, but my loyalty is to the Yamani Islands, I can't go back on the oath of loyalty I took when I became a narwabi."

Jon nodded gravely. "I understand your choice, and I respect the loyalty you have, and the courage that it took to make such a hard decision."

Kel smiled at the King.

"But, if you won't let me reward you, at least let me reward you family."

Kel looked at the monarch curiously. "What do you mean?"

"What do your family need the most? More land? Money?"

"I can't make that decision," Kel replied. "I would have to write and ask them."

Jon smiled. "There is no need for that. They arrive tomorrow. We wrote to them and told them what you had done and that you were injured."

Kel fought to keep the happiness out of her face. She hadn't seen her family in ages. It would be great to see them again.

"You can go," Jon said. "I'll see you again I expect."

Kel walked sedately to the door, followed by Dom. But when she was outside, she squealed with happiness, and Dom swept her up in a huge hug.

"I can't believe it!" she squealed happily. "They're coming!"