Dom helped Kel to the infirmary the next morning while Alanna and Neal reported to the king.

The healer looked shocked at Kel's state, but dealt with her quickly. When he was done, Kel was left feeling hungry and a little stiff. All of her bruises and scrapes were gone. Her broken rib was fixed ("Did you honestly not know you had broken it?"), but she still had raised red welts on her back and collarbone.

"They should be gone in a matter of weeks," the healer said. "and they shouldn't leave any scars after that. I don't know why, but lashes always seem to last longer. Anyway, eat. You still won't be able to handle much, so pace yourself. Start with an apple, then add some bread and then some meat. Leave milk and cheese for last – they are the most difficult to digest. And no spirits or wine."

Kel nodded. She rarely drank anyway.

"Oh, and do try to stay in bed," the healer added. "overexerting would be unwise. Give it a few days, then do the bare minimum of exercise until you're stronger. And use a cane."

Kel groaned, but agreed. Dom took her back to her room where he sat her down in a comfortable chair. "Now, what shall we do? Cards? Chess?"

Kel smiled. "Chess would be wonderful." She said.

Late into their chess game, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Kel said, not looking up.

A small head appeared at the door, and Kel looked up. "Excuse me, I'm looking – Domitan!"

Dom looked up. "Mia? What are you doing here?"

The young woman looked at Dom, then at Kel. Though she was a petite girl, she held herself well and dressed nicely. She was a proper court lady, though Kel had never seen her before. "Could I possibly speak to you in private, Domitan?"

Kel kicked Dom under the table as he stared, looking slightly nervous. Kel knew that he was not comfortable, but she didn't want them to have their conversation with her sitting there.

Dom jumped slightly, jostling their chess game. He ushered Mia quickly out of the room while Kel quietly picked up the fallen pieces of their game.

"What are you doing here?" Kel heard Dom ask again. He had left the door open in his haste, but they were hidden around the corner and Kel could not see them.

"Who's that woman?"

"What does it matter?"

"I was only inquiring, no need to get angry." Mia said. "I just came to see how you were."

"No you didn't."

She sounded impatient. "Come now, Domitan. I had to come back to the palace anyway. I must find a husband this winter, and I just thought I'd say hello while I'm here."

"Really?"

Mia didn't answer, and Kel quickly lost track of their conversation. They spoke in hushed tones for a moment, and Kel, not feeling it proper to listen in to their conversation, picked up her book and read.

Dom appeared at the door a moment later, looking rather hot and bothered. "Is something the matter?" Kel asked calmly.

Dom shook his head, waving his hand. "Not at all." He said, sitting down beside Kel. "Now, where were we?"

Kel, her Yamani mask on, searched Dom's face. He looked nervous, no matter what he said. She decided that if it was important, he would have told her. He was just surprised to see the woman he had planned on marrying. "Well," she said slowly, "I was just about to beat your sorry ass."

Dom opened his mouth. "Excuse me, o honourable knight, but I believe you cheated! And is that really a proper way for a lady to be speaking?"

Kel grinned. "You said it yourself, Dom. 'O honourable knight.' I would never cheat, nor would I lose to a mere sergeant! Besides," she said, looking sad, "I am sick and weak. I have neither the thought nor the speed to cheat."

Dom glared at her. "You have queened yourself. You had not made it to the other side yet!"

Kel grinned. "Come on, you've got to give me points for trying."

"No I don't!"

Kel giggled. "Fine, be that way." She sighed. "New game?" She said with a yawn.

"Are you sure you're not going to fall asleep in the middle of it?" Dom teased.

"Honestly," Kel said, yawning again, "I'm not too sure."

Dom smiled. "You should sleep, Kel. You had a big healing, you will feel better after. I won't be offended, honest – and my word actually counts for something."

Kel glared at him. "Fine," she said, cracking a smile. She was glad to be home. She had been scared for such a long time, and even when she and Dom were together on the road, it still didn't feel like home, like everything was back to normal – until now. It kicked in when Kel realized that Dom was in her room, kissing her, telling her to sleep. It seemed unreal.

"Kel?"

She jumped out of her stupor. "Pardon, what?" She asked quickly.

Dom shook his head, chuckling. "I said, do you want me to wake you up with some food later?"

Kel smiled. "That would be wonderful."

-----

Hours later, Kel was awoken by Dom coming through the door. "Good morning!" He said cheerily, bearing a plate of fruit and cheese. "Eat as much as you want, Kel." He said, tossing a piece of cheese in his mouth.

Kel sat up. "Food is bad," she groaned.

Dom smiled. "No it's not, it's tasty!"

Kel glared at him. "You are far too happy, Sergeant." She said, taking an apple forcefully and taking a bite out of it.

Dom sat down beside her. "How come you never wear your mask any more?"

Kel looked at him, taken aback. Where had that come from? "I don't know, Dom, I never realized that I don't use it. I mean, I have been using it, quite a lot. It made it a lot easier in Scanra."

Dom nodded. "Oh."

"But here, I think I don't use it because I'm comfortable. I don't have to prove anything."

"Why would you?"

Kel didn't say anything. She held a grape between two fingers, rolling it back and forth. "Being a knight," She said. "When I was a page, my life consisted of wearing my mask. But when I went back to my room with my friends, I didn't need it anymore. So I guess it's the same with you." She smiled. "You're officially a comfort zone."

He nodded with a smile. "It works for me," he said. "if your mask protects you, you might want to put it on right now. Nothing terrible-" he added quickly, "just a little… difficult."

Kel nodded, and Dom took a deep breath. "I guess I need your help. Do you remember Mia?"

Kel was glad her mask was fixed as she nodded. She didn't want to know what he was going to say.

"She wants me to marry her. men are suspicious of women who were left by their fiancé, and no one will have her. I don't know what to do." He paused. "I don't mean whether to marry her or not, I could never do that; I mean what to say to her now that I've ruined her life, after all."

The breath that Kel had been holding inside of her finally escaped. She frowned. "If you feel it's your responsibility, then I guess you should do something, but I don't know what."

Dom sighed. "I can't just leave her like that. She's got nothing left."

Kel shook her head. "That is never true, Dom. There is always something left. And I don't see what is so bad about not being married."

"But you have a career. Kel, you've spent your life studying and working to be a knight. She was brought up to be married. She doesn't know anything else."

Kel sighed. "Instead of helping her find a husband, why don't you help her learn how to be above needing a husband."

Dom nodded. "I guess. Look, I've got some stuff I need to do, I'll be back in a while, okay?"

Kel nodded. "I might sleep some more, after I'm done eating."

Dom left without kissing her goodbye.

-----

Kel was allowed out of bed three days later, and the first place she went was the practice grounds. She couldn't participate, of course, but that did not stop her from watching and enjoying.

Neal, when he was not fighting, stood with her, taunting the fighters and teasing Kel. Kel went back to the with her friends ready for lunch. Dom met them in the halls, also going to lunch.

"Oy! Dom! Where have you been?" Neal asked.

Dom grinned. "Avoiding you, of course, sir Meathead!" Neal scowled at Dom while everyone else laughed.

Dom sat down at the table beside Kel, and for the first time, she realized that she had not seen very much of him in the past three days. Neal had been around often, making sure that she was staying in bed, mostly; Yuki had spent many an afternoon over tea with her; there was almost always someone in the room with her, even if had not been Dom.

"How was your morning?" Kel asked.

Dom shrugged. "Not bad. Didn't get much done."

Kel smiled weakly. She knew what he was talking about, even if no one else there did. "Nothing much coming of it?"

Dom shook his head. "She won't listen to me," he said quietly. "she's still sure that she can't marry, and she can't understand working."

"Just tell her, if she wants to be married, she can have her father arrange to marry some old conservative."

Dom shrugged it off. "It doesn't matter. We can talk about this later. What did you do this morning?"

Kel smiled. "I went down to the practice courts to watch people beat Neal and to watch everyone – myself included - be taunted mercilessly by said awful, good-for-nothing knight."

Dom grinned. "He's not good for nothing!" He said in defence of his cousin. "He makes a wonderful punching bag!"

-----

Mia came back to Kel's room that day. Kel was tired after being out all morning for the first time, and she and Dom had retired to Kel's room with their books. Mia knocked on the door again, and again, Dom answered it.

"Good afternoon, Domitan." She said sweetly. She was wearing a fine dress, her hair and face made up. She had pretty jewels hanging from her throat and ears. Kel frowned. She is trying to impress him, she thought, but kept those thoughts to herself. How could someone possibly bring themselves to do something like that to someone? Mia asked Dom if he could spare a few minutes to walk with her, and would he kindly come to the garden with her? Dom, being the gentleman he was, agreed.

Kel shook her head quickly when they were gone – she was being silly; there was no reason for her to feel threatened by this girl. But Dom had been willing to give up his career for this girl – something he had never done for Kel. Of course, they had never really spoken of marriage. They both felt it irrelevant. Dom would have to give up his career for it, and then Kel would not get to see him nearly as much. Kel was not like other court women, marriage was not the most important thing to her, and so they knew they would be better off if they did not marry, at least for now.

Maybe Dom realized that. Maybe he realized that life would be easier if they did not marry. But he had asked her to marry him! When she had first come back to Corus, Dom had asked Kel. Maybe he had learned from it. He might think that Kel wasn't serious. Oh goddess, Kel thought, her heart beating rapidly in her chest, he loves me, but he's looking to the future. He knows he has to marry some day. "Oh goddess, help me." She said.

Kel couldn't bear that. She had to go get Dom. She picked up her cane and attempted to hobble out of the room. She could hear Dom and Mia when she got into the garden.

"No Mia!" She heard Dom say loudly, then he spoke in hushed tones again, and Kel waited patiently. Mia strode past her a few moments later, her head held high, her hair and jewels bouncing, her hand softly pushing in her already flat stomach.

Kel, leaning on her cane with one hand, seemed to convey more of a lost old travelling man than a court lady, but she waited for Dom nonetheless. She was well balanced on her cane and far too tired to move, so she waited for him to come out. She knew something was wrong, and she did not want to get in his way.

She could hear him pacing on the other side of the hedge, but still, she did not move. She smiled when he appeared a moment later. "Afternoon," she said.

Dom nodded slowly. "What are you doing out and about?" He asked.

"I came to see you." Kel said, swaying. "I heard you talking and I thought I would wait for you to come out."

"There's a bench on the other side, if you should like it."

Kel smiled. "Very much so."

Dom took her by the elbow and guided her around the hedge where she sat down on a cool stone bench.

Kel took a deep breath, but could not bring herself to speak. Dom did not notice her trouble; he just looked straight ahead at the creeping vines on the side of the fountain in front of him. An awkward silence sat upon them. "Do you remember that day? The one when we met?"

Dom shrugged. "When you were a squire? I had only been with the Own a year then. I think I remember."

Kel shook her head. "No, I mean the day we really met."

He looked confused, so Kel continued. "The day you asked me to marry you." She whispered.

Dom nodded slowly. "Oh."

Kel looked up at him. "I know it was a long time ago, Dom, and I know a lot of things have changed since then, but is it too late for me to say yes?"

He looked up at her in shock. "Kel, what made you say this?"

Kel sighed. "You were thinking about the future. You may not have realized it, but you were preparing yourself for marriage. It's a dream, Dom, and I wasn't part of it. So I changed it, and now I am."

Dom took her hand in his. "Kel, I would never leave you in my past because of something like that." He kissed her. "I accept your acceptance." He said with a smile. "Just not right now. I know now that I'm not ready to leave the service, Kel. And I don't think you are either. It's illogical, for now. It would not make our lives easier. If I was not in the Own, I would have asked you when you were still a squire. But I know my work is important. And I would have less of you if I wasn't out at the front with you. I could not be wherever you are."

Kel sighed. "The war is over, Dom. I would not be away."

"Run around the garden for me."

"Oh. That."

"Yes, that," Dom said. "I would not have seen you for much longer, nor would I have been the one to find you." He kissed her again. "Another time, Kel. Maybe even another place, But I still love you now."

Kel put her head on his shoulder and stared at the swirling water in the fountain. "I guess that's good enough." She said.

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That is the end. There is no more. Well, there is an epilogue that I have already written, but it is more of a summary. It will be up soon, I just have to type it. I would like to thank everyone who made this story so successful, and for all of the support and criticism you all gave me. It really helped, and I ended up with 300 reviews! Score!

Daughter-of-faeries: thanks!

Mage Light: hmm… that is true. She is all powerful, but she's also really stupid. And she was angry. People get stupid when they're angry, and this is one of those cases. And just because she's a really powerful mage doesn't mean that she has ears like a hawk.

Macko: yay! Wait… crap, there was an army, wasn't there? Hm… maybe I should do something about that. Wait, didn't I already get rid of them? They squabbled a bit when their leaders were killed, didn't they? Hm.. I should check into it. Because if they didn't than this means there might be another chapter – or at least another line in the epilogue.

Mage Light: ahh, excellent!

Dremerdoll: I know, I really do! It will happen soon… probably next week, I hope.

Nessa: oops. Sorry about that. But hey, I've got how many stories to choose from? They're all good! I mean come on, they're all the exact same thing anyway.

Lady of Masbolle: thanks! I've got the same sort of thing here… but to a lesser extent. Hmm… what was I supposed to email you, again? I can't remember, it's been too long! Just email me at , ok?

ShadowPirate: meh, not really.

Alannalovingwriter: this is getting annoying. Everyone is saying how great it is that I'm not ending it yet, and then I go and end it the next chapter. Who knows, maybe I'll write a sequel… but I doubt it. I've had just about enough of sequels.

SO/JV: ok, ok!

Laelai: I have very little up my sleeve, actually.

PsychoLioness13: I love sentences like that. They are happy sentences!

Smiles28: gad you enjoyed it so… and no worries, you did your best, and I'm happy that you are such a loyal reader!

Daisyduke947: thanks!

Horsegirl: hmm… It would have been really nice if I had thought of that. Well, that's what I get for not having read the Alanna books… though I seem to remember knowing that. Meh, blame it on a memory lapse.

Well, 'tis all for today… goodbye!

-unolimbo