Kel called out for a healer, holding Dom's head steady. One of the men of the Own appeared at her shoulder, sending his magic though Dom.
"Lady Knight, the arrow was magicked. He's dead." Kel heard a roaring as the world was thrown into sharp relief. Screaming her rage, Kel picked up Griffin and mounted Peachblossom, attacking the Scanrans that had killed her friend, her husband, her love.
"Why do we have to learn this stupid thing anyway?"
"Yeah, it's not like you can actually kill anyone with it." Kel heard the whispers of the pages as she strode toward the practice course, both live and practice glaives in hand.
"I am Lady Knight Keladry of Masb--Mindelan," she leaned her practice glaive against the fence. "I am going to teach you all how to fight with the glaive. Have any of you see it in use?" The boys shook their heads. "Then step back. The edge of the glaive is razor sharp." Kel plucked a hair from her head, laying it on the weapon's edge. It split in half. She hefted the glaive as the boys formed a semi-circle around her. Kel began one of the more complex pattern dances. She smiled inside as the pages watched the blue steel in admiration. Finishing the dance, Kel had the pages pick out practice glaives and began leading them in drills. She let them leave when the fourth bell after lunch rang. Returning to her room, Kel planned on spending time by herself, but found Neal waiting for her.
"Yuki wants to see you," he said, lounging in Kel's chair.
"Why are you here, then?"
"Well, Yuki decided it would be good for you to join us for dinner in the city. I was sent to collect you."
"I need to bathe and change first, I just got back from working with the pages."
"Then I shall come for you in one candlemark." Neal bowed mockingly and left Kel alone. She didn't feel like calling a maid to bring hot water, so she collected clean clothes and headed to the public baths. Soaking in the warm water, Kel had time to think. She didn't want to go to the city with her friends, but knew they would not allow her to stay at the palace. Kel looked at her wrinkled hands, deciding she had been in the water long enough. Kel captured the eye of one of the attendents, who brought her a robe. Kel ducked into a stall made for changing, emerging with clean clothes on. Pulling her wet hair inot a horsetail, she realized it needed cutting.
When Kel returned to her rooms, she found Yuki there, a green kimono over one arm.
"We are going somewhere nice, so I'm going to dress you up." Kel sighed, she wasn't sure she was ready for this. Yuki made Kel feel like a children's doll, dressing her up and doing her hair. When she had finished, Kel stared at herself in the mirror. If only Dom was around to see her....Yuki steered Kel toward the door, leading her to a carrage to take them into the city. Kel would have prefered to ride, but found it quite impossible in the tight skirts of a kimono. They made their way to a respectable eating place, finding Alanna, George, Raoul and Buri waiting for them. Kel realized this must have been a plan to get her out of the palace, since so many of her friends where there.
"Well, Kel, I hear you are taining the pages," Raoul began, "Good luck to you. You'll need it. Pages are always a handful."
"We weren't," Neal interjected.
"Oh, yes you were. From what I hear, you and Kel were especially troublesome." Kel smiled. She had forgotten the days when she was a page, insistent on protecting those less defiant than her. It looked like she still hadn't changed.
"That's not true," Neal exclaimed, "Those fights were all Kel's fault...she started the patrols!" Kel laughed for the first time since Dom had been taken, the unfamiliar expression feeling strange on her face. She quickly covered her feelings, ashamed that she could be happy so soon afterwords. Both Alanna and Yuki noticed.
"Kel, he would want you to be happy," Alanna began, but was left talking to air. Kel had stood and left abruptly, not telling anyone where she was going. Kel didn't know herself, she just wanted to get away from the people that reminded her constantly of her husband. Kel found herself walking in a daze, not paying attention to where she was going.
"Here's a pretty one..." she heard someone snarl from the shadows. Kel whirled to face her opponent. He had dark hair, looking more like a weazel than a man. "Come here, pretty. I won't hurt you...much," he laughed evily, reaching out to grab Kel. Her training took over as Kel threw the man over her hip. Kel cursed the narrow skirts that inhibited her movement, she would have a hard time fighting. One swift punch to the jaw was all it took to knock the weazel-man out, but he had friends lurking nearby. They circled Kel, watching to see what she would do next. Kel swore and ripped her skirt up one side. She knew it wasn't proper to show so much leg, but what she cared about right now was staying alive. Kel didn't even notice when men began to go down that she didn't hit. Soon, she felt a comforting presence at her back. Her rescuer and she circled, dealing with the last of the gang. George turned around, shocking Kel.
"Didn't know I could do that, didn't ya?" Kel stared at him in disbelief. "I used to be a rouge like them. In fact, I used to command the likes of them."
Kel gasped, "You were the King of Thieves?" George laughed.
"I was once, but turned respectable years ago. Come, let's go back to our friends. They're worried about you."
AN: Please review...please please please! Also, I don't own the characers, they belong to Tamora Pierce....who happens to be one of the best authors ever...Please review!
alannalovingwriter