Disclaimer: I own nothing, apart from the characters that I invented for the purpose of this fic. I'll just list the ones that appear in this chapter. So, I own: Jerrad, Edvar, Lady Jalia of Queensview and the very quiet Lady Cynthia of Eagle's Tower. Not very many!
Epilogue
She smiled contentedly and lent her head on his shoulders. "It's beautiful," she commented as they watched the sun setting over the water and casting shadows through Port Caynn where she and Dom sat, feet dangled in the water at the end of an enjoyably busy day. "You know, if I had to live somewhere, I think it would be here."
"Oh?" Dom asked as he gave up studying the sunset in favour of something that he thought was much better.
"Don't look at me like that!" Kel protested at his intense stare. When he grinned and stroked her cheek, she answered his question. "Yeah, I'd like to live here. The view is wonderful and the market is great. There is a constant stream of people from different cultures and backgrounds. It's just…amazing."
Dom laughed. "Are you sure you'd like it day after day? Surely it would get boring after a while. Wouldn't you rather live in Corus and come here for the odd day out?"
Kel tilted her head on one side. "Maybe."
"After all, I'm in Corus," Dom said cheekily, causing Kel to laugh.
She stood and pulled Dom up. "Let's go get a meal. I feel like I haven't eaten in ages."
"You haven't," Dom replied dryly. "I suggested we stop for a meal, but you were too busy shopping."
Kel shrugged and they started to walk, making their way slowly to the street that they had wandered down earlier in the day, the one with all the eating houses in it.
"This one?" Dom asked, gesturing to the first house they came to.
Kel nodded. "Whatever, as long as serves edible food, I'll be happy." She let Dom take her hand and pull her through the low door.
"Mind your head," a man shouted, and they both ducked, narrowly avoiding the low wooden beam. "Good evenin', my Lord, my Lady." The man bowed low as he walked to meet them.
Kel flashed a warm smile at him as she looked around. They were the only people in the place; at this time of day, most of the trade would have migrated to the inns and taverns that were situated along the sea front. The house seemed to be only one room, with a stair case at the back. The room was decorated simply, with white walls and low beams. A large board proclaimed the day's specials and another held the ordinary menu.
"Evening," Dom replied as he pulled out a seat for Kel.
"Drinks before you order?" the man asked. "We sell some of the finest ale in the street, or if you prefer wine, we've got plenty of that too."
Kel shook her head. "I prefer not to drink. Just fruit juice, if you've got it, otherwise just water."
Dom sighed. "As much as I'm tempted, I shouldn't. Kel and I have got…" he turned to look at Kel then changed what he was going to say. "I need a clear head."
Kel studied him carefully and as the man left to get the drinks, she asked, "What are you hiding?"
"Hiding?" Dom questioned innocently.
"Dom, you're a hopeless liar!"
Dom shrugged. "A surprise. You'll like, I promise."
"I don't like surprises," Kel stated flatly.
Dom grinned and reached for hand. "You'll like this one, I know you will. Even Meathead says you will."
"Neal's in on this?" Kel asked with a hint of caution in her voice. "That doesn't sound good."
"Don't worry, nothing horrible. You'll love it."
"Why don't you just tell me and I'll decide whether I like it?" Kel asked. She thanked the bartender as he brought them their drinks and ordered some soup.
When the man had bustled off, Dom shook his head. He wore a large grin on his face and his eyes glinted with mischief. He looked oddly proud of himself. "That would spoil the fun," he replied and changed the subject completely.
About half way through the evening, Kel and Dom were startled from their meals at the sound of a loud yelp. Kel turned to see a tall man rubbing his head and glaring at the low beam at the door.
"Bloody beam," Kel heard him hiss and then he walked further into the room with another man and two women. Both men looked alike with brown wavy hair and bright blue eyes from which radiated mischief. One wore the clothes of a port guard and the other of the Provost's Army. The women hung onto the men's arms and were well made up with face paints, the perfect lady.
"Dom!" the man in the Provost's uniform cried with delight and Dom cursed then turned around.
"What's the matter?" Kel hissed to him as the foursome approached them.
"I wanted you to myself," he whispered back as he stood. "Jerrad, how nice to see you."
"My, aren't we formal!"
Dom smiled. "I guess my job could do that to you." Then, as manners dictated, he gestured to the spare chairs at their table. "Please, sit down."
"Don't mind if we do," the port guard said as he pulled out a chair for his lady and then sat himself.
Dom turned to Kel. "These are my younger brothers," he informed her. "That one is Jerrad." He pointed to the man wearing the Provost's uniform. "And Edvar works at the port, guarding it against pirates and raiders."
"I was stationed at Blue Harbour," Edvar told Kel. "I saw the raiders burn the place to the ground, even fought a few."
"So did we," Kel replied with a worried glance at Dom. He was gritting his teeth and his grip on her hand got tighter. "But I'd rather we left that topic alone."
Dom shot her a grateful glance that wasn't missed by Jerrad. He raised an eyebrow and said, "I don't believe you've introduced us to your lady."
"This is Kel," Dom told them. "And your ladies are?"
"Lady Cynthia of Eagle's Tower and Lady Jalia of Queensview," Jerrad replied.
"Lady Aria's sister?" Kel asked, remembering the lady that Thom had been infatuated with a year ago.
Lady Jalia raised a delicate eyebrow. "Yes. Do you know her?"
Kel shook her head. "No, but a friend of mine does."
"And who is this friend?"
"Thom of Pirate's Swoop," Kel replied. Dom laughed, knowing exactly how Thom knew Lady Aria.
"Ah," Lady Jalia replied with an air of distaste in her voice. "Him."
Kel glared at the lady and clenched her fists. "Dom, I believe I shall go and get myself another drink," she said tightly and stood up with such force that her chair fell back.
As she was talking with the bartender, Dom sighed and let his head drop into his hands. "Great," he murmured. "Just great!"
"What's great?" Edvar asked curiously.
Dom raised his head. "I've got a surprise planned for her for later, and now she'll be in a bad mood because your lady insulted her friend."
"Could this surprise have anything to do with the reason we ran into our dear cousin and his old knight-mistress in an eating house this lunch time?"
Dom nodded. "Don't tell Kel he's here."
Kel returned, and now she had her Yamani mask firmly in place. She looked blandly at Jalia and then continued to eat her soup.
"So…" Jerrad said slowly after the bartender had taken their order. "You didn't tell us exactly who your lady is, Dom."
"He told you my name," Kel replied. For the first time in her life, she was scared of what people might think of her. These people were part of Dom's family and she wanted to make a good impression on them, but when their ladies accompanied them, she doubted she would. As soon as she and Dom left them, the ladies would start to poison Jerrad and Edvar against her.
Dom gave her a bemused look, and Kel sighed. "Keladry of Mindelan," she replied.
"No 'lady' in front of your name?" Edvar asked. "You are modest."
Kel shook her head. "I'm no lady."
"No, a Lady Knight, just not a lady," Dom added with a wide grin at Kel and she returned it shakily. She had been trying to leave her full title out of it, hoping that they wouldn't realise who she really was.
"You're the woman who met with that filthy Yamani savage and started off the new peace negotiations!" Lady Jalia exclaimed.
"My Lady, you seem to like insulting my friends. Is this something you usually do when you meet someone new, or is this treatment reserved for me only?" Kel asked with only the slightest hint of the anger she felt.
"Friend?" Lady Jalia asked with contempt. "I wouldn't think he was capable of being friendly. Did you see what they did at Blue Harbour?"
Kel breathed deeply and glanced again at Dom. He'd closed his eyes and was tensing up. Leaning over to him, she whispered in his ear, "Go and get yourself a drink or something, I'll deal with this."
He sighed. "Thanks," he replied and kissed her head then wandered slowly over to the bar.
Kel turned on the lady. "I would appreciate it if you didn't mention Blue Harbour again," she said icily. "Neither Dom or I had particularly nice experiences there and we try not to think about it. I would also appreciate it if you could stop referring to the Yamanis as savages, Ed is my friend." Her words were ever so polite, but no one at the table could mistake that she meant exactly what she said.
"You were friends with the Crown Prince?" Jerrad asked with interest. "What was he like?"
Kel relaxed. The question didn't sound like it was designed to trap her into saying something and Jerrad seemed like a nice man. "He used to love playing jokes, his father's advisors were forever running around trying to soothe the people offended by them. There was a group of us, Ed, myself, a lad called Salin and my best friend, Ked. We always used to get into so much trouble because of Ed. I lost count of how many hours I spent running up and down mountains as punishment." She told him about one of Ed's favourite jokes to play and by then, Dom was back again.
"Are you still friends with him?" Jerrad asked, ignoring his brother's return.
Kel shrugged. "We had a…argument before I left for Tortall to guard the Princess. When I returned to fight off the immortals, we sorted it out and then I left again and he tried to kill me." She grinned at Jerrad. "He writes to me occasionally and on his request I'll be going to the Islands sometime next year to finalise the peace treaty."
"You mentioned someone called Ked? Are you still friends with him, or did the war – albeit a very brief one – cause problems?" Jerrad asked as he ate his fish.
"You are nosy," Dom drawled, trying to prevent that line of questioning.
Jerrad shrugged. "What else is there to talk about? Besides, I want to know more about this lady of yours. She's different to most people."
Dom raised his eyebrows.
"He's dead," Kel replied in answer to Jerrad's questions. "So is Salin. Could you please stop questioning me about my friends?"
Jerrad looked dumbstruck and slightly guilty to have intruded, and nodded.
Dom took up the conversation and asked his brothers about their work and Kel ate in silence.
When the port bell tolled eight times over the city, Dom's eyes widened. Hastily he got up and paid for his and Kel's meal then grabbed her hand. "My surprise," he said quickly. "If we don't hurry, we might miss it."
Shrugging, Kel gathered her cloak and sword then followed Dom out of the house. He ran down the streets, pulling Kel with him. They ran hand-in-hand down the torch-lit winding streets until they reached one of the more respectable ports. As Dom pulled her past all the buildings, Kel thought she saw two figures in the shadows, but had no time to look back as Dom ran down the wharf to the very end.
"Good, we're in time." He sounded out of breath, but pleased with himself.
"What's going on?" Kel asked suspiciously as she looked around. The port was deserted apart from a few guards patrolling. One of the guards approached them, presumably to ask what they were doing there, but then he seemed to catch a glance of Dom's face and whom he was with and turned back to continue his circuit. A few boats were anchored at other wharves, but there was no one onboard. The full moon shone down on the water and Kel could see her reflection in it.
"Just wait," Dom replied, pulling her so she stood in front of him and wrapped his arms around her waist. Resting his chin on her head, he pointed out the constellation of the Mother Goddess, or rather, the Cat.
When he had finished, Kel twisted around so she was held closely to him and turned her face up for a kiss. Grinning he bent down and was about to kiss her when he suddenly glanced over to the shadows. He sighed and kissed her quickly on the cheek.
Kel tried to twist around him to see what was in the shadows. She had thought she had seen someone there earlier, and now Dom had looked over there. He was a private person and preferred to keep his affections fairly private, was there someone there?
"Who's there?" Kel asked Dom as she gestured to the shadows.
He smiled and shook his head. Then his eyes widened as he saw something. Turning Kel around to face the water, he pointed to a boat on the horizon. "Look," he whispered in her ear.
"Yes, it's a boat. They have boats at ports," Kel replied and Dom just laughed.
As the boat got nearer, Kel could see a Yamani flag flying high off of the mast and she turned accusingly to Dom. "You knew this was coming!" she hissed.
Dom smiled widely. "Yes, guilty as charged." He raised his arms in mock surrender.
The boat sailed gently to the wharf they were standing by and behind her, Kel felt Dom tense up. "I hope you like my surprise," he muttered.
"You got me a boat?" Kel asked in surprise.
Dom shook his head. "No, what would you do with one of those? The surprise is on the boat."
Kel examined the boat carefully. Although she was no judge of boats, she could tell that it was a miracle that this boat had made it so far. It looked like it could fall apart at any minute. A young man appeared on deck. He wore no shirt and Kel could clearly see tattoos all over his torso. He vaulted over the side of the boat with a coil of rope in his hand. As soon as his feet touched deck, he started running. When he reached the end of the wharf, where the floating decking met the solid stone, he tied the rope to a post. A few more men jumped over the side to join him and together they pulled the boat the few final metres to the wharf. A gangplank was ran from the deck to the decking and two Yamani men appeared at the top and glanced at Kel. Then they disappeared, only to reappear again a few minutes later. This time there was a third person standing in between them and they started down the gangplank. The moon chose that time to hide behind a cloud, and the port fell into darkness and Kel could no longer see the three people approaching her. When the moon's rays came down again, Kel could see that the person in the middle was being supported, almost dragged along. It was a woman. Her white hair reflected the moon's light and she wore the rags of what had once been a fine kimono.
"Mama!" Kel whispered in surprise. Then she broke into a grin. She spun around to face Dom. "Thank-you!" she told him and kissed him firmly.
He laughed. "Ignore me, go see your mother for Mithros' sake!" He shoved her lightly towards the two men and her mother.
As soon as Kel had a hold of her mother, the men hurried back up the gangplank and the men on dock started to untie the boat as it prepared to leave.
"Mama." Kel was surprised to feel tears running down her face as she hugged her mother tight.
"Kel," her mother replied. "I'm home."
"I know you are Mama, I know."
Dom slipped away, into the shadows and allowed mother and daughter time to talk.
"Are you okay?" Kel asked her mother as she drew back from her.
Ilane smiled wearily. "I'm fine," she told her youngest daughter, but Kel wasn't convinced by it. However, she knew than to argue with her mother. "And how are you?"
"I'm great," Kel replied. "Absolutely ecstatic." She sounded it too. To Dom, who was listening in the shadows with his cousin and Alanna, it felt worth the effort it had taken to arrange this. Kel sounded happier than she had in months. "I thought you were dead," she told her mother and at that time, Kel sounded like a little girl again.
"I thought you were dead," Ilane replied. "At least, I did for the first few months and then I heard about the stir you had been creating. You've certainly been busy."
Kel blushed.
"Do you think we could find somewhere to sit?" Ilane asked faintly. "I'm feeling rather tired."
Kel nodded and glanced around, looking for somewhere. Walking slowly out of the shadows, she saw Neal and the short figure of Alanna. Behind them, looking rather sheepish was Dom.
"I thought your mother may need a healer," he explained as the two groups walked towards each other.
Alanna took one look at Ilane and shook her head in disgust. "I can't believe the state the Emperor keeps his prisoners in!" she sighed. She took Ilane's arm and started to lead her away, then she looked back. "You don't mind, do you Kel? Only, she could do with a healing and I've booked her room in an inn for the night."
Dumbly, Kel shook her head and Ilane was walked slowly away with Alanna and Neal holding an arm each. "I can't believe it," she whispered, more to herself than Dom.
"Can't believe what?" Dom asked quietly.
"My mother. I've got my mother back, but…she looks like an old woman. She looks nearly dead!" Kel replied and tried to wipe away her tears.
Dom wiped them away for her. "You're right," he admitted. "She doesn't look too good." He sighed. "Prince Ednar admitted to his father that he had interpreted his Tribulation wrongly, and now the Emperor's pretending that he never attacked your family. When I wrote to the Crown Prince to ask him about your mother, I got a reply from a secretary saying that no such person existed. Then a few days later I received another message from Ednar himself that explaining his father was pretending that the whole thing had never happened and that your mother wasn't on the prison records. It took dozens of letters for her release to be arranged."
Kel gazed at him. "Thank-you so much."
Dom shrugged. "No problem."
Kel laughed weakly. "From what you said, it sounded like quite a problem. When did you write that first letter?"
"The morning after you arrived back at the palace after going to meet the Chosen Warriors on the coast." Dom ran a hand through his hair, hair that Kel now realised he shared with his brothers.
Kel nodded. The morning after she arrived back, she had woken up, expecting to find Dom next to her, but instead he was sitting at her desk, busily writing. When she had asked what he was doing, he had just shaken his head and offered to buy her breakfast in the city. "That was the letter you were writing!"
Dom nodded. "I didn't want you to know what I was doing, just in case I didn't succeed or she was dead. I didn't want to get your hopes up."
"Do my brothers and sisters know?" Kel asked they started to walk slowly back to the inn where they were staying.
Dom shook his head. "No, nothing was definite until yesterday morning, the news came by messenger to the palace and then Neal came with the message here. The message was also delivered to my Lord Raoul, and he is telling your brothers who will tell your sisters. By the time we get back to the palace, the whole of Corus will have heard, you know what gossip is like."
Kel nodded, having been the victim of gossip many times, she knew exactly how fast it would travel.
They waved to the innkeeper who owned the inn where they had been staying for the last few nights and walked up to their rooms. Dom had left Kel at her door and was walking to his room when Kel called him back.
"Dom?" she whispered quietly, trying not to wake the other guests in the corridor.
He turned around and looked questioningly at her. "Yes?"
"What – What happened to Jamil?"
Dom sighed and walked back to her. Opening her bedroom door for her, he led her gently inside. Once they were sitting by the fire, he cleared his throat. "Um…"
"Just tell me," Kel replied in a voice that was unusually quiet for her. "He's dead, isn't he?"
Dom nodded. "Yes, he was hung for treason a few days after you were attacked."
"No trial?" Kel asked, more of herself than Dom. "But then again, I hardly expected one. The Emperor isn't exactly fair."
Dom shook his head. "No, he isn't." He looked around Kel's room. "Will you be okay on your own?"
Kel nodded. "I'll be fine, I promise. I just some time to…think."
Lachran grinned widely as he saw Dom leaning against the practise courts; that meant he and Kel were finally back from their little holiday in Port Caynn. Lachran had teased Kel no end about Dom, who in turn had retaliated and trounced him time and again with her sword.
"Dom!" Lachran called as he and the other pages made there way for the start of morning lessons.
Dom spun around and his eyes searched the crowds until they settled on Lachran. "Lach," he greeted back, using Kel's nickname for her nephew. "I need a word."
Lachran stopped in his tracks. "What's happened to Auntie Kel this time?" he asked bluntly.
"In private," Dom replied, with a glance to the training master, who nodded.
Slightly shakily, Lachran walked away from the practise courts to the relative privacy of archery courts. "What has she done this time?" Lachran asked, fully prepared for the worst.
Dom shrugged. "No idea, that's the problem. She just – left."
"Left?" Lachran asked in amazement. "She hasn't tried to get herself killed or rode off to fight hoards of stick wielding Yamanis?"
Dom shook his head. "No. We were in Port Caynn, the night before we were meant to come home. We'd just met your grandmother off of the boat and we went back to the inn. When I called on her in the morning, she was gone."
"She just left? Just like that?" Lachran asked, a hint of worry creeping into his voice. "That's not like her."
"She left a note," Dom replied. "Said she'd be back soon, not worry, there was just something she had to do." He sighed. "I tracked her as far as the port. She booked herself passage on a merchant ship to the Isles which left late the night before I discovered her missing."
"Not to worry?" Lachran yelled, causing some stares from the pages practising Shang drills. "When she gets back, I'm going to have some serious words with her, I don't care if she's older than me!"
Dom smiled slightly. "You'll have to stand in line behind the other people. There are plenty of people, including myself and my cousin who want a word with her when she gets back."
Lachran sighed. "Tell me when – or if – you hear from her."
Dom nodded. "Of course. I'll be seeing you then."
Lachran nodded and slowly walked back towards the practise courts.
A few months later, he saw Jak wince as their blades clashed noisily and fought hard to keep the pain he felt out of his face. Dom jumped away just in time to miss a stab at his stomach. They fought on, and a clumsy mistake allowed Jak to thrust his sword into the 'kill' position.
Dom grinned and stood back, allowing Ana to come in and fight the victor, Jak. Running a hand through his brown hair, he went to sit on the fence next to Farant.
"That mistake was a beginners mistake," Farant said slyly.
Dom shrugged.
"It seemed rather fake to me. Why did you let him win?"
"I didn't let him win. Why would I do that?" Dom drawled, fake innocence deep in his voice. He knew he let Jak win and Farant knew he let Jak win. Dom glanced over to where the newest Rider recruit was leaning on the fence. She wasn't pretty in the court sense of the word, but there was something about her that seemed to fascinate Jak.
"You let him win so he could impress Reida?" Farant asked as he caught Dom's glance.
"I told you," Dom sighed with mock frustration. "I didn't let him win!"
Farant laughed. "So when your lady gets back, do you want me to 'not let you win' as well?"
"If she gets back," Dom corrected Farant. "Even if she does get back in one piece, there are so many people who want 'a word' with her for running off, people like her brothers, Lachran, Neal, even myself, I don't think she'll stay in one piece for very long."
Farant grinned. "I think she can look after herself." He hopped down and took Jak's place opposite Ana.
"Go Farant!" Lora yelled from where she was challenging Saul.
Dom laughed as Ana glared at Lora, "Do you want to keep your head?" she demanded as she swiftly sent her commander's blade flying through the air. "Shall I duel you next?"
Lora shrugged. "Just make it quick and painless please."
"Oh no," Ana replied, her green eyes flashing with mirth. "It shall be as long and drawn out as possible."
The clatter of horse's hooves was nothing unusual in the practise yards, many people took their horses out to exercise, or even to joust. However, it was the voices that accompanied the hooves, a man and a woman's voice in fluent Yamani that caused Dom to turn around.
Kel was dismounting from Hoshi. She was dressed in Yamani fashion with a red and gold kimono and light orange obi. Her sword hung in the folds of the light silk and she carried a fine glaive. It wasn't her usual battle worn one, this one had been polished until it shone. Her hair was gathered back from her face in the same style the men wore, short braids with colourful beads on the end. All her braids were pulled back into a large clip in the shape of a sword. Her skin had become tanned again by the time she had spent in the Yamani Islands. She looked almost like she had when Dom first saw her, only her hair was a different length and Hoshi carried her shield. The man accompanying her was dressed in a vaguely Tortallan style; dark red hose and a long, armless tunic that was orange at the bottom and faded to a pale yellow by the time it reached the top. His dark eyes studied everything around him carefully. His skin was deeply tanned and his nose was slightly too large for his face to be declared perfect. Black curly hair chose that moment to fall out of its tie and he laughed, showing white teeth. Dom tried not to turn green with envy as Kel laughed and picked the tie up off of the floor and gently tied it back. Three men clattered into the courtyard behind him and it was only then that Dom thought to check the horse that the man rode. Hanging from the saddlebags was the symbol that represented the Yamani Imperial House. This was the infamous Ednar. Dom was intrigued to finally meet the man he had written to dozens of times when he was trying to secure Ilane's release.
Kel looked around, seemingly searching for someone. Her eyes lit up when she saw Dom, and she with a slightly cheeky grin she bowed to him. She said something in Yamani to Ednar and then walked slowly to meet him. Dom just stood there, watching her walk towards him.
"Aren't you glad to see me?" she teased when she stood a few metres from him.
Dom grinned and shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not."
Kel smiled it slightly, it seemed her time in Islands had brought her Yamani mask again, though not quite as firmly as before. "Well, I'm glad to see you. But I've got someone to introduce you to. Although, you already know him."
Dom grinned. "The Prince?"
Kel nodded and grabbed his hand. "Come on." She led him to where the Prince was standing, talking with his three bodyguards. "Ed," Kel called, and the Prince stopped talking immediately.
Ednar smiled warmly as he turned around to see Dom. "It's good to finally meet you," he replied in common. His grasp of the language was a lot better then Neal had described. He bowed to Dom, who bowed back and then shook his hand.
"Dom, this is the Crown Prince, Warrior Ednar of the Yamani Imperial House. Ed, this is Sergeant Domitan of Masbolle, Third Company of the King's Own. He is the cousin of the man who you met on the beach."
Ednar grinned. "I remember him."
Dom chuckled slightly. A lot of people remembered Neal, and not always for good reasons. He turned to Kel. "So what did you have to do?" he asked her with a slight edge to his voice. "There are many people who were very annoyed when you left. Neal ranted for nearly an hour and made up some quite inventive ways of getting the point across to you."
Kel sighed. "I'm sorry," she told him. "I just wanted to make sure that Jamil was buried in an appropriate fashion. I couldn't stand the idea of him lying in an unnamed grave in Traitor's Yard so that people could come by and spit where he was buried. I hadn't anticipated it taking a few months. I'd thought that I would be there for a week at the most, but I'd forgotten just how thorough the Emperor can be when he wants to pretend that someone doesn't exist."
"No one caused you any problems, did they?" Dom asked, suddenly worried.
Kel shook her head. "Not really. The ordinary folk can see through the Emperor when he says something never happened. They knew the truth about what happened and on the whole didn't give me too much trouble."
"She lived in the finest way possible in the best guest rooms at the palace," Ednar told Dom.
Kel smiled and nodded. "Everything I'm wearing is a gift from Ed, including this new glaive."
"And to thank me, she insisted on giving me a match. She won."
Dom laughed at Ednar's face. He was pretending to be upset, pulling a child's pout. For a Yamani, he was fairly free with his emotions. "Don't worry, she used to do that to me everyday. I just refuse to face her with a pole arm anymore. We do swords, so that I can beat her."
"That sounds wise," Ednar commented. "I shall have to try that."
"Shall we go see the King before you two finish scheming?" Kel asked.
"See the King?" Dom asked in surprise. "Whatever for?"
"Dom, Ednar is here to finalise the details of the peace treaty. The Emperor decided that seeing as Ednar was escorting me back here, the details may as well be finalised. However, King Jonathan doesn't even know Ed's here."
"Oh," Dom replied in surprise. "Alright, let's go see the King." He wrapped firm arm around Kel's waist and smiled to her. "It is good to have you home."
A/N: Well, that's it, all 161 pages of it. I honestly can't believe I wrote that much. I mean…I started this thing and never expected to finish it, but guess what? I did! And now, for the thank-yous (I'm sorry I haven't done this before, but seeing as it is the last chapter, I thought I should). So, a mega THANK-YOU to everyone who reviewed. That is…
Aznchiki, Lady Genevieve, Kylia Skydancer, Katana-hime, Wake-Robin, Tanydwr, Mango Sam, Dais, Dreamerdoll, Ossini, Shannon-of-tameron, Lady of lisbond, Soccerchick-08, Vi3t BaBiI, Miliko01, Emaleneangel, AJ 4EVA, Alenor, Rootless claifornian, Allimba, Escawing, VanillaChocolate, Emikae, Quick to read, Oceanspike, t-d, misk, imogenhm, Lixt66, Yamani, Redragon6662, Gwen of Helmsgrove, Tim Lin, Kassi of Stone Mountain, Steph lady, Iluvdom, Lizai, Angelique of mystique, Waterdaancer15, Lady Aioria, FBluvr, Basest-8, Rubber Duck, Norrie, Belleartiste, Kelly Masbolle, Milky way bar, Night-Owl123, Kitten daggers, Tris the weatherwitch, Sir Lady Alanna Cooper, Doe, Quent jamsen, Treanz-alyce, SaNgUiNe SiStaR, Shayley Rain, Sorrel Rowan, Smart1, Bella, MistyFox14, SaKuRa-Mina, Tiffie101, Enchantress Sun, White-wolf2, Shinadagami, Ookami Kage, Figil, Blue Roses2, NikiamysticQUEENSofFIRE, Silver Hopes, Stef Sp8, , MoonStar, QueenofConnaught, Sailacel, Kris, Ayeka Penor, Lady Knight Meg, Tears Washed Away, Mademoiselle Parfait, Queenofdiamonds1, Angel of Wind, Solar Fox, Emrisah, S.Tina, Snakefeather, DragonDaine, Linlen, Ryoko.Kilala, Kateydidnt, DaughterofDeath, Hello, Sw33t t3mtations, Anonymous, An anonymous geek, KatFay, Monsoon – Tiger of the Dr, Ladybug Jess, Dark Miko, ShnazzrySpazzy, Dupdeedub, Geminia, Ash Night8, Mage Gurl05, Devilz child, Karina, Angelo dell'inferno, Aria-nera, LoniGirl, Queerquail, White Lizard, Wow, Clare, Lady Taliana, Ti-Ti, Jazy716, , [blank], Emerald eyes22, Keledrena, Wildchartermage, Zella, Random person, Midnight Knight, Amanda, Jakalaki, Silver Goddess1, Rowana Silvakisma, Lemon Parade, Nazzy Nazzy Nazgirl, Yami no Tsuki, Crazyfanfictionfanatic, Exiledrose, Laura, Truffletruffle01, warrior of Tortall, Levaire.
Also, thank-you to the peeps below who asked questions who I felt needed answering:
TheRogueAuthor (Thanks! What colour is he then?)
Kylia Skydancer (Thanks, I've tried to improve it, but when I do the final final re-draft, I'll sort that out. Do you mean people like Lord Raoul and Jon?)
Dreamerdoll (yeah, I had problems with Alan, he seemed very Gary Stu to me, but I was having trouble making him un-Gary Stu)
White Lizard (Trebond was given to Rispah and Coram, so Alan is their son.)
Helsuzaba(Thanks, I'll correct those mistakes in the final final draft (which may be a while coming))
UniMyth (Yes, another bassoonist! Commander Farant is sort of a vague thing, he could be the same commander, he may not be. Even I don't know.)
Harry-Ginnyfan4ever (Thanks. Um…I can't think of a Briar/Evvy fic off of the top of my head, I don't even think I've read one. But yes, I've written the sum total of one CoM fic.)
PurpleNinjaWarrior (As you'll have found out, this is the last one.)
Alyios(Ooops. Thanks, I'm not doing very well with Hoshi. I've got his colour and sex wrong so far. I'll sort it out when I can.)
Vintage Sequins (Yes, and on thinking about it, I find it doubtful they wouldn't recognise her, but it was part of the plot)
Hessel(Thanks, I wouldn't know about anything like that, I've never done research into it, I'm squimish. I know, a terrible excuse.)
SurfAngel (It's kind of vague. Some time between her father's funeral and their shopping trip together.)
Spyrit Phoenyx (Welcome. I think you'll find this is a very hard area to leave. And thanks for pointing that out, let's just pretend that they sorted it out and I'll stick in an explanation when I do the final final re-write of the whole thing.)
RosieLady(Aww. Thanks!)
Numair's love (Um…just keep at it, no matter how hard it seems.)
Kurai (Alright, this reply was a long time in coming, but it was writer's license, I wanted that to happen to aid the plot, so it did.)
Frosteddarkfox (Thanks, I changed that mistake when I updated everything)
Crosseyedbutterfly (Yeah, on reading the fic again, those things bugged me too, I've tried to change them)
Sez (Thanks, I don't suppose you can explain what AU actually means, could you? I mean, I know it stands for Alternate Universe, but is that when the fic is set in a different era to the one TP wrote in, or is it what I call a 'what-if' fic, exploring what could have happened if something had occurred differently?)
Lena-jade (Thank-you. And yes, I do like Dom/Kel, but sometimes it is fun to read other things! What does OTP mean?)
Fate of Destiny (Are you sure you hate Ednar after this chapter? I know he was a horribly character last chapter, but do you like him now?)
Hannah
P.S. I suddenly realised that you might want to know what I'm doing next! I've got some random ideas for a sequel, in fact, I've written the epilogue (Yes, and I do mean the epilogue). It was originally going to be a one-shot, but it could work fairly well as a epilogue to the sequel, but that'll be a long time coming. Actually, I don't think many people will like it, owing to the fact some rather…different things will be happening.
I'd like to say thanks to anyone who has also reviewed my other stories! And as for Protector of the King's Own, I'm sure this news should make a few of you people happy! I've written...FIVE more chapters, but I've got to get in touch with my beta to check she still does want to beta for me. It's kinda confusing, because I randomly decided to add some extra things to the plot for PotKO, so that means there are going to be some chapters that you'll have to re-read or later plots may not make sense. But hey, we'll get to that when it comes.
For now, goodbye! (And mega thanks for sticking with me this far! Love you all!)