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 Thirteen: I told you, I'm too small!

Kel raised her eyebrows in surprise. "You honestly expect me to believe you didn't have anything to do with this?"

Dom looked at the ground, and scuffed his shoes slightly.

Kel couldn't help but laugh, he looked like a young boy who had been caught stealing pie. She had been woken up earlier that morning, at a time she considered the middle of the night, but apparently Dom thought three hours into the new day an okay time to be playing tricks on people. And to make matters worse, it wasn't even her he'd been playing tricks on. He and a couple of men from the King's Own had immaturely decided to place something slimy in Neal's bed, and a bucketful of water on his door frame, goodness knows how they had managed to get it to stay there! Neal wasn't best pleased, and Kel was even less pleased because Neal had woken her up with his screaming.

"It was only a laugh!" he protested fruitlessly.

Grinning slightly, Kel shook her head and turned to Neal. "You're free to do whatever you want with him." She turned around and started to head back into her own room to get some more sleep. "Make it slow and painful," she said mischievously.

Dom gulped, and Neal grinned wickedly.

"Just don't make too much noise," she added as an afterthought.

- - -

"The King will see you now," the clerk said, pointing to the door of Jon's study.

Slowly Kel got up out of her chair and walked towards the study. She had no idea what he could want with her. She hadn't done anything remarkable, or anything stupid that might have been brought to his attention.

Quietly she knocked on the door then pushed it open.

Jon was sitting at his desk, his head bent over some official looking papers. With a flourish he signed the last one, and then looked up at her.

"Ah, Keladry," he said after studying her for a while.

She bowed. "Sire."

There was a long awkward silence, and Kel shifted slightly so she could study the room. There had been few changes since she was in here last, the red and gold curtains still hung heavily over the windows, and portraits still adorned the walls. Kel was interested to see not only one of Jon's family, but of several fighting figures. On closer examination she recognised them as the Lioness, and in the background Kel could see either Thom or Alianne. He had pictures of the Tortallan coast line, and old maps of the country of Tortall. There was one portrait that interested Kel even more, and she wandered over to inspect it closer.

It pictured a young Jonathan kneeling in front of his father, his head bowed whilst his father gently knighted him. In the crowd Kel could pick out a young Alanna, still dressed as a boy, cheering loudly with a huge grin on her face. Next to her stood a monk, his face covered, but Thom had told Kel of the many times his father had visited his mother dressed as a monk.

"That was a long time ago," Jon commented from behind. He stood up and walked slowly over to Kel. "That one's my favourite, if only because of the memories it brings with it." He pointed towards a painting that wasn't quite Tortallan. It depicted two almost regal figures riding through a crowd of kneeling people towards a stone city that was surrounded by an expanse of sand. "A Bazhir painter did it for me for my coronation."

Kel nodded slowly, like every one else she had heard the stories of the time Jon and 'Alan' had banished demons from the city of Persopolis and had ridden home, alive and triumphant the next morning. "I've heard the story many times sire. It's a favourite of one of the masters in the Yaman, he uses it to frighten many little kids into going where they don't want to go, because it's meant to be haunted."

Jon grinned slightly. "Anyway, do you want to take a seat?" He gestured at a comfy looking armchair by his desk, and Kel willingly sat.

They made small talk for a while, talking about mutual friends and acquaintances, training, the political situation between Tortall and Scanra and last of all Tortall's stance of the Yamani Islands.

"Some of your parent's friends on the council are in uproar, they're calling for immediate war," Jon said quietly.

Kel gasped. "Are they mad?"

Jon looked at her in surprise. "I thought you'd be siding with them!"

Kel snorted. "Hardly, I mean, think about how many people would die just because we went to war. A few weeks ago I would have been happy to know friends of my parents were pushing for war, but…" she trailed off, lost for words.

Jon nodded slowly. "That's a good quality, being able to see outside the box you're living in and seeing the whole picture, one I like to see in my knights. But please, accept my condolences, your parents were great people and they will be sorely missed."

Kel nodded her head slightly, and resettled herself in her seat. "Thank-you, your Highness."

"Now, let's get down to business," Jon said, leaning forwards over the desk. "Have you given any thoughts about what you are going to do now?"

Kel looked at him, slightly startled. "No your Highness."

"I believe you know my son?" Jon asked, the change in subject startling Kel even further.

"Roald, yes, I do," Kel confirmed.

"Well he came to see me this morning, and asked me something, and I've got to say that I agree." Jon cleared his throat. "Kel, do you want to re-think that refusal you gave me about being an honoury knight?"

Kel looked at her King in surprise. "I – I think I would."

"And?"

"If your Highness is willing, I will take him up on his offer."

Jon grinned widely. "We'll knight you at sunset."

"But the Chamber…?"

Jon shook his head. "I'm not taking any chances, we don't know what the Chamber would make of a non-squire entering, and it might chew you up and spit you out. We don't want that happening."

Kel shook her head, a smile touching her lips. "No, your Highness, I don't think my brothers, or my sisters for that matter, would be best pleased."

Jon grinned wryly. "You could be right there."

- - -

"You can't get knighted wearing that!" Neal insisted shrilly.

Kel looked at him in confusion, and then looked down at the clothes she was wearing. "What's wrong with them?"

Neal sighed and dragged Kel over to a mirror. "Look! They have flecks of mud on them, they're worn thin on the knees, the elbows have been patched and you have a huge rip on the sleeve!"

Kel concealed a grin and guided her friend over to a chair. "Neal, I think you should just calm down! You're acting like you're the one getting knighted! And as for these clothes, they're not that bad, you're just exaggerating. They are not worn thin, the mud can be brushed off, and that rip is little more than a snag."

"But what about the elbows?" Neal demanded. "And besides, you have to wear your knight-master's colours when you're knighted."

Kel shrugged. "I have no knight-master, remember? And all of the uniforms that my Warrior Lord gave me are on the bottom of the Emerald Ocean."

Neal winced. "I'm sorry, I forgot."

Kel shrugged. "It's okay." Then she sighed, "But if you're not happy with this, what do you think is acceptable to wear?"

"What have you got?"

"This is my best pair of clothes."

Neal's eyes widened. "Okay, come on." He dragged her down the hallway and up to the huge apartments the Lioness used when she was staying at the palace. As he rapped sharply on the door, Kel could hear shouting, and someone, a man, trying to make peace.

A young girl answered the door with a scowl. "What?" she demanded. Her copper coloured hair gave her away as some relation of the Lioness, and her flashing hazel eyes made it obvious she had been involved in the fight.

"Aly," Neal said calmly. "Please get your mother." When she hesitated, he added, "Now."

"It's okay," a tired voice said from behind Aly. "I'm here. What did you want Neal?"

Neal looked at the Lioness. "Now isn't a good time, is it?"

The Lioness shook her head, but stood aside to let them in. "Come in, I'm sure Aly wouldn't mind briefly stopping her argument."

Aly scowled at her mother and slipped out the door.

Alanna opened her mouth to call her daughter back, but then seemed to think better of it. "Come in," she said again.

Reluctantly Kel followed Neal into the spacious apartments. She was intrigued to find that the decorations on the walls weren't just Tortallan. There were Yamani hangings, paintings from the Copper Isles and Bazhir art. A man was sat at a table with papers spread all over it, he wore a look of deep concentration on his face and Kel could see that his hands were deftly moving over a piece of string with knots in it.

"George, we've visitors," Alanna called to him, and he got up and walked over.

His brown hair was brushed away from his forehead and hazel eyes studied Kel carefully.

"Keladry of Mindelan," he said. It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

Suddenly Kel recognised the man she had only seen a few times during her stay at Swoop. It was George, Alanna's husband.

She smiled at him. "Yes, I'm surprised you recognised me."

George shrugged. "I rarely forget things."

"Am I missing something?" Alanna asked tetchily.

"Kel stayed at Swoop for a few months a while back," George replied. He held up his hand as Alanna opened her mouth to speak. "We didn't tell you because we didn't want you getting distracted. You were on the border at the time."

Alanna sighed and turned to Neal. "I'm presuming this isn't a social visit."

Neal nodded. "You're right. I was wondering if you had any clothes that Kel could borrow. Hers aren't suitable for being knighted."

Alanna grinned and shook her head. "You must be joking. Why would anything I have fit Kel? In case you hadn't noticed, I'm quite a bit smaller than her!"

Kel concealed a grin behind a hand. Alanna was right, Neal really hadn't thought this through. She turned and sank back into a chair, enjoying that she had the time to just sit. Her life seemed to so hectic at the moment.

"Kel!" a voice cried, and Kel sighed.

"And I thought I'd got rid of you!" Kel joked. "What have you done this time? Accidentally moved a mountain on top of the university? Or maybe you flooded it?"

George's eyes glinted with amusement as he watched his eldest son pretend to hit Kel. Then he suddenly paled. "Thom! What did you do?"

Thom put on an offended face. "Why father, how can you think I ever did anything? What reasons could you have to possibly think that I would do anything to the university?"

George opened his mouth to reply, but then seemed to think the better of it. "So what are you doing here then?"

Thom yawned and collapsed onto a chair. "The university gossip was saying that King Jonathan was offering a certain Keladry of Mindelan the chance to be knighted, so I came to see for myself." He turned to Kel. "I must admit, I'm most offended that you didn't invite me!"

Kel grinned. "I thought that you didn't need the distractions, and after all, what ever happened to all the pretty women at the university? I was sure that they wouldn't want to have you taken away from them."

Thom snorted and looked like he was about to say something and then remembered that his parents were still there.

Kel chuckled and turned back to where Neal and Alanna were still arguing about clothes.

"For goodness sake Neal! Aren't you listening to me? My clothes won't fit her!" Alanna yelled.

"But can't we at least…" he got no further because Kel had got up and had a firm grip on the back of his shirt.

"Weren't you listening?" she asked impatiently. "They won't fit, I know that and she knows that, so why don't you just pay attention?"

Alanna grinned. "Well said. Now Neal, why don't you take Kel down to the city and look for something?"

Neal sighed.

Kel grinned. "He can't."

Alanna regarded her ex-squire suspiciously. "Why can't he?"

"He, and my dear friend Yuki, were going to go for a stroll in the gardens," Kel explained as she held back laughter.

Neal grimaced at Kel. "You had to tell her, didn't you? I'll never hear the end of this!"

Kel shrugged. "Sorry. Your fault though. I mean, if you hadn't dragged me here, that terrible little thing would have never slipped out."

Neal sighed and turned to go. "I'll find someone else to take you into the city."

"What makes you think I can't go myself?" Kel asked as they let themselves out. She waved to Thom and closed the door behind them.

Neal raised his eyebrows at her. "If you went yourself, you wouldn't come back with anything suitable. Whatever you come back with would probably be worse than what you were planning on wearing!"

Kel sighed. She had the vague idea that anything that Neal thought was suitable, she would hate.