Chapter 1: Wake Up Call

In her dream, Keladry of Mindelan was doing her practice dances with her birds around her. One of the birds landed on her nose and poked her.

"Ouch!" she exclaimed in a far-away voice, as if it weren't her own. The bird kept poking. "Stop.." Kel muttered half-heartedly.

Suddenly, it occurred to Kel that it might be a dream. She opened her eyes.

She was in her room at the palace of Conte. In the next room was her knight-master, Lord Raoul of Goldenlake and Malorie's Peak. A handful of tiny sparrows were perched on her stomach. One of them pecked her nose again.

"Alright, alright, I'm getting up," grumbled Kel. She got out of bed and went to her window, tripping over Jump in the process. She grumbled, rubbing her sore toe. Jump rolled over and continued to snore.

Complaining about dogs who slept too much, Kel opened her shutters. Outside, the air was brisk and cool. The sun had already topped the buildings of the city.

Kel blinked.

I must have slept longer than usual, she thought. Oh well, it doesn't really matter, I suppose.

Kel turned towards her bag to get dressed. Ever since she had started traveling with the King's Own, when hadn't bothered to unpack her bags when she got back to the palace from traveling. It was completely pointless, because she normally had to just repack the next day.

Kel pulled on a pair of loose, tan breeches from her bag and a cool, light blue tunic over a cream shirt. She wrestled on some comfortable leather boots. She didn't bother even trying to do anything with her short blond hair. It never stayed in its place long anyway.

After she was dressed, a loud rap came on the door between her room and her knight-master's. "Come in," Kel replied to the knock. Raoul stepped into her room, ducking under the doorframe.

"Ah, I see your up," Raoul said cheerily. "Not that I mind of course. I would have liked to let you sleep the entire day away, but that's just me."

Kel resisted the urge to ask the big man what he wanted, just to get it over with. She was feeling rather grumpy because of the growing ache in her toe.

Stupid dog, Kel thought, imagining horrible things to do to it when Raoul was gone.

Although Raoul couldn't read Kel's smooth expression, he knew that she was not in her best mood, and would like to know why he had come, and get the news over with as quickly as possible.

"Kel, I need you to come with me to see Jon," he confessed.

"King Jonathan, my lord?" asked Kel, wondering why in Mithros's name the King would want to see her.

"Yes," Raoul said gloomily. "He sent someone this morning to 'request' to see us this morning. Both of us."

Kel sighed, rubbing her head. This was her first day back in the Palace from a cleanup of a bandit raid. She had wanted to spend the day in relaxation, not jabbering with royalty.

"I know you'd rather spend the day with your friends Kel, but we have to go," Raoul said apologetically. "Plus," his teeth flashed wickedly. "I don't think we have much of a choice."

"I know, my lord," Kel said, wondering what would happen if she refused to come.

Raoul smiled. "Now that's my squire. Okay, you go have breakfast now and meet me back here at the next bell, alright?"

Kel nodded, incredibly unenthusiastic.

"Right then, off you go," Raoul said, his happy mode resumed.

Kel opened the door and walked down the corridor to the breakfast room, thinking horrible things about monarchs who ordered people around and dogs that hurt squire's toes.

TO BE CONTINUED

Hey everyone! This is the new RurouniMarion, RurouniMarionu. I'm not sure why, but stupid fanfiction kicked me off... Sorry that the chapter is so short. If I continued any more, it would be like 25 pages long... Not literally, of course. Hehe. Newayz, R&R!!!! Tell me how you liked it.