Disclaimer: Is this thing not getting old? Do I have to write it again and again? I do? Fine! I own: Ked, Jhedy, Tait, Salin, Jamil, Lord Parrton, Feran, the little girl with the gift at Mindelan, Judge Tremont (who gets no more than a brief mention), the black haired man that is a friend of Piers and Ilane and lastly, Farant.

Chapter Sixteen: The Threat of War

Jon re-read the message and seriously contemplated ripping it up and burning the pieces, but he knew that his councillors would be very upset at that. The soldier who stood guard by the door noticed the King's sapphire blue eyes flashing angrily and wished he was else where. Although the King didn't have the explosive temper the famed Lioness did, he was still quite capable of kicking up a storm if something hadn't gone the way he wanted it.

"Get a message to Lady Alanna at Pirate's Swoop telling her to get here now! I want my wife, the Duke of Naxen and his son, Lord Sir Raoul of Goldenlake and Malorie's Peak, Judge Tremont, Lord Wyldon of Cavall and any other member of the council told that they are not to leave the palace under any circumstances until I've had the chance to speak to them!" Jon snapped as he rose out of his seat and moved towards the window. "Also tell them we may have a crisis on our hands."

- - -

Jon hugged his Champion tightly and passed the reins of her horse to Stefan.

"Thanks for coming on such short notice," Jon said as he and his Champion made their way to the palace.

"Your message did say that it was extremely urgent. What's the matter?" Alanna asked.

"Messengers are gathering the rest of the council now, I'll tell you once we're all together."

"It's that serious?" Alanna knew that Jon preferred to leave his council to debate things on their own; he only called a council meeting when it was very serious.

Jon nodded and Alanna could see the worry that shone in his eyes.

- - -

Jon waited until the whole council was sat around the table before he rose.

"First of all I'd like to thank you for coming on such short notice even though I know some of you had other pressing engagements and that the Third Company was due to ride out."

Raoul scowled at that. He'd had to send the Second Company out instead and leave the Third Company to continue their lounging around at the palace.

"Also, I'd like to thank those of you that were present at the last meeting, I read the summary and it appears that you achieved plenty. Now, I called you here on a very serious note, and I'm not going to be soft about this. We are facing the possibility of war."

"The Yamani Isles?" a black haired man that Jon knew was close to Piers asked.

Jon nodded. "Three days ago, I received this message." He took it out of his chest pocket and waved it, then passed it to Gary. "I'll pass it around so you can have a look at it, but what it says is that we have to hand over Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan to them so that she can face justice or they shall declare war."

Silence fell over the council as they took in exactly what that meant.

Myles was the first to speak. "If they attacked her and her family because they thought they were traitorous, which is what my unconfirmed information coming out of the Isles suggests, their so called justice would be a public flogging and then death. I won't tell you how they would kill her, but let me tell you, the Yamani Emperor is far more imaginative than we are when it comes to inflicting pain, suffering and finally death onto someone."

"What are you saying?" Lord Burchard of Stonemountain asked. "Are you saying that we should send hundreds of men to their deaths just because some merchant's whelp betrayed her country?"

The black haired man that had spoken earlier rose with such force that his chair fell to the ground behind him. "I would like to remind you that Lady Keladry is worthy of your respect. She saved the life of our royal family at great peril to herself! And that this is her country, she was born here!" the man said icily. "You would also do well to remember that Piers and Ilane have friends on this council and we will not take kindly to you slandering them. They were not merchants! In Tortall they were nobles and in the court of the Yamani Emperor they were honoured to the highest degree!"

"Trust me when I say that Kel did not betray her country!" a cold voice snapped from the doorway. "She wouldn't do anything like that! I can only assume that you don't know her, but she was devastated when they tried to have her killed. She refused her knighthood the first time because she believed that her allegiance was to the Emperor and the Yamani Isles. She didn't betray them, they betrayed her."

"Thank-you Roald," Jon said to his son with a slight grin on his face. "Now, are you going to sit? Or will you stand in the doorway for the duration of the deliberations?"

Roald bowed to his father and came to take a seat in between his father and Alanna.

"Well said," Alanna whispered to him as Lord Burchard thumped his fist on the table.

"I mean no offence to His Highness, but I beg to differ with what he is saying. The girl…"

"She has a name," a level voice commented form the far side of the table. It was Feran. "It would be much more polite if you used it."

Burchard glared at Dom's father. The man used to be conservative and had opposed allowing Kel to train in the first place, but over the past six months he had changed and was as progressive as Lady Alanna herself. The court gossip claimed that this had something to do with the fact that Feran's only remaining son was courting the second Lady Knight, but Burchard had never believed the court gossip, until today. He gritted his teeth. "Keladry of Mindelan is surely not worth the lives of hundreds of trained men."

"And women," Alanna interrupted. "And Kel is better trained than the soldiers that you are talking of. She is invaluable to our realm, almost as much as, or maybe more than her parents were. Her knowledge of the Yamani army far surpasses that of her parents or the spies that Myles has positioned there. She speaks the language like a native and fights like one."

"Exactly!" Burchard roared. "She'll turn on us, and then we'll find ourselves in a grand mess!"

"She wouldn't turn," Roald replied, his previous anger under control. "She swore an oath, and she'll keep that oath. I know it."

"I believe she swore an oath to her Emperor as well. She turned on him!" Burchard got up and strode up and down the room. "What's to say she won't do the same to us?"

"I would like to remind you who we are talking about," Feran said quietly. "We are talking about Kel, not some untrustworthy Yamani slave! Unless we try to kill her, she wouldn't turn on us."

"And you know that how?" Burchard sneered at Feran.

"Gentlemen, please! Be civil!" Jon commanded.

"Ask my son." Feran's voice was calm. "I think he would know."

Burchard gritted his teeth. "We aren't here to discuss your son. We're here to discuss Keladry! I don't know your son, he could be as untrustworthy as Lady Keladry undoubtedly is."

Feran stayed seated, drumming his fingers loudly on the desk, but this was too much for Raoul. He jumped out of his chair. "Keep your mouth closed, Burchard. You have no business insulting his son! He is completely trustworthy."

Burchard snorted quietly. "I highly doubt that."

"Feran's son is Sergeant Domitan of Masbolle. He serves under me and if I say he is completely trustworthy, he is. He and his men help to keep this realm safe so that people like you can live the lives you want to."

"Raoul," Jon said warningly, trying to stop Raoul informing Burchard exactly what he thought of people like him. Raoul heeded the warning. With a last glare to the conservative, he sat. "Now, I believe this has got a little out of hand. We are here to consider our next move. Let us first answer this question through a vote, because I believe that it is the only way we shall get anywhere on this matter. Who here believes that the Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan is untrustworthy?"

Burchard raised his hand along with seven other members of the council. "Wyldon?" Burchard asked of the fellow conservative. "You need to put your hand up to have your vote counted."

"I know how to vote," Wyldon replied dryly. "I have done it many time before."

"That's eight who say Lady Keladry is untrustworthy. Who abstains?" Jon asked carefully. "That's one abstention," he said and marked it down as only one hand was raised. "And the rest of you believe she is trustworthy?"

There were nods all around the council table, including that of Wyldon. "Good," Jon replied. "Then the council believes that Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan is trustworthy and thereby meaning we can accept her word when she says she did not betray the Yamani Isles." He rose. "I believe we can break for lunch and we shall continue the deliberations after we have eaten."

- - -

"Father says that he doesn't know what on earth this realm is coming to!" a loud voice proclaimed from under Dom's window. "Had you heard that the council rejected his move to send the Lump home to the Yamani Isles to be killed? Apparently she's worth the lives of hundreds of brave men."

Kel grimaced as she recognised the voice. It was Joren. She turned quickly to check that Dom hadn't heard. If he had, he would have insisted in going out there and letting Joren know exactly what he thought of people who insulted his girlfriend. Whilst Kel thought that was sort of sweet, she didn't need him to risk himself in a fight when she was perfectly capable of handling things herself.

"Why would the Yamani Isles want her back?" Garvey asked.

"Didn't you hear?" Joren asked. "They want her back to face justice for betraying them or they shall declare war. The King refused to send her so we shall be at war soon enough. She has even corrupted Lord Wyldon who voted progressively!"

"Is everything alright?" a soft voice asked from behind her.

Kel turned and forced herself to grin. "I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

Dom shrugged. "You stiffened, that was all."

"I'm fine, but I probably ought to be going. I've got…things to be doing." She let him kiss her goodbye and then smiled and left.

- - -

She twisted and turned, letting her borrowed glaive cut through the air, doing one of her most simple pattern dances that was used in the Isles to meditate. What was she to do? The King had decided, without asking her, that she would stay here and hundreds, maybe thousands of men and women would die in her place. Her friends and their family could get killed. Her only remaining family could be killed. Dom could be killed. She didn't know whether she could live with that, knowing that she was responsible for more deaths than she already was. On the other hand, what could she do about it?

She switched dances to a slightly more complicated one, one that would require more concentration. She couldn't think about this now.

- - -

"Kel, are you okay?" Neal asked worriedly as he polished off a second bread roll.

Kel shook herself out of her daze. "Yes, why wouldn't I be?"

"You haven't said much," Cleon said quietly from her left.

"I didn't have anything to say."

"We'd noticed."

Kel grinned slightly and pushed her food away. "Just tired. I might have an early night." She returned her tray and walked slowly out of the hall.

"Tired?" Neal echoed. "She can't be tired! She didn't leave her room until past the noon bell today! And she went to bed early the night before last!"

Dom shrugged. "She's got something on her mind and she isn't telling anyone. She seemed like she was making a life or death decision earlier today."

Roald's eyes widened. Had she found out? His father had sworn the council to secrecy. Neither he nor Roald had wanted Kel knowing what they had decided, because she wouldn't settle for staying at home and watching men die, she'd do something about it and everyone wanted her kept safe.

- - -

"Lady Kel!" Stefan exclaimed as he scrambled out of the hay where he had been sleeping. "What are you doing here at this time of the night?"

"I've got something I need to do." She walked over to Hoshi's stall and proceeded to ready her for riding.

"This late?"

Kel said nothing, but nodded. Grabbing her saddlebags she attached them deftly to Hoshi's tack. "Do me a favour Stefan, don't tell anyone you saw me until they ask, especially not Dom or Neal."

Stefan nodded. He was used to spies coming in and out of the palace with instructions like that, but never knights. He looked at the expression she wore and bowed. She looked like she had seen death. "Goddess bless Lady Knight," he said quietly as he opened the door and Hoshi galloped out into the night.

- - -

"What?" Jon demanded of Alanna.

"Kel's missing."

Jon froze in the middle of signing some papers. "Excuse me, but I could have sworn you just said the second Lady Knight was missing."

Alanna nodded. "I did. Dom reported that he was meant to have met her in an eating house a little before noon and she didn't show up. He went to look for her and found her rooms locked. He went to his cousin, who had a spare key for her rooms and they found her room tidy and her bed looked like it hadn't been slept in. Her clothes are gone, along with her weapons and armour. I questioned Stefan and he said that Kel left on Hoshi just after midnight."

Jon swore. "Did he find out which way she was going?"

Alanna shook her head. "Although one of the gate guards remembers the clatter of hooves in the early morning and that a lone rider was heading north out of the city."

"Do you think she found out?" Jon asked, dreading the answer.

"Yes. I would say it would be in her character to give herself up if she thought she could be responsible for people being killed. I expect she's on her way to Blue Harbour now."

Cursing, Jon ran to his study door. He poked his head out and shouted for the nearest page. "Get me Commander Farant of the Ninth Queen's Riders Company." When the page hesitated, Jon yelled, "Now!"

"And how is Farant going to be able to help you?" Alanna asked from where she was leaning against the wall.

"He's and his Riders are going after her. I'm sure she meant well, but we need her too much over here."

- - -

A/N: Okay, another chapter done. Let me know what you think. I've got all the chapters up to twenty-two completed in second draft and twenty-three nearly first-drafted. I'll need to give chapters seventeen to twenty-two a final draft and then I'll update. I realised that after this chapter they'll be another seven to nine chapters. Then I'll be done!

Thanks to everyone who has read so far, the response has been overwhelming, especially considering this is my first serious fanfic that I dared to publish here.

And one other thing…this is for Robinwyn, she wanted me to give her story a shout out, so I will. Her History of Tortall story is well worth a read!

Hannah