A/N: I got so many reviews for this fic that I've decided to continue it. Possible Joren/ Kel thing. Tell me what you think. Oh, and the reason i didn't update was because my computer broke down. Well, here's chapter two! Enjoy! Toodles!
Revenge
Chapter 2: Countess
By DarkDracon0
Araine, or Keladry, was in her rooms, sharpening her stiletto. Tortall was on the verge of going to war with Scanra. Again. Stupid, she thought. Write a treaty that should keep peace for a few decades and then attack unawares the moment it was over. That would be the best way to rid the Scanrans and conqueor their land. It would benefit. King Jonathan has grown lazy over his throne. Just as well.
If Tortall went to war with Scanra, she could kill the king and everyone would think it was a Scanran assassin. She would get away easily. Excellent timing, Kel thought, pleased. Once the king was dead and the prince trying to regain order, they would escape to the Yamani Islands. It was all perfect. When a knock on the door came, Kel slipped the stiletto back into its sheath and hid it in the back of the drawer by her bed. As she expected, it was Harik. He was dressed in a servants' garb and plain faced. Plain enough and insignificant enough for no one to remember his face. He was one of the best spies in the Eastern Lands. She shifted to allow him into her room. He moved quietly in as Kel closed the door behind.
"My lady, I don't think I need to brief you, but I shall." Kel looked at him steadily. "Go ahead." Harik nodded and began. They spoke in low voices, though Harik had the Gift and had protected the room from any eavesdroppers.
"You shall be known as the widowed Countess Araine de Fidar of Cebris. Your husband, Lord Rauthor, died in a storm aboard one of his ships. You have accompanied the Princess Shinkokami to Tortall and to find a husband for yourself. You have no children and was wed to Lord Rauthor for but only a year. Understood so far?"
"Yes. Continue."
"The rest about Araine, you can make up, as long as you remember all you have said. Try to kill the king in a moment when you're alone with him. Make sure you do not leave any witnesses still alive. And also be sure that-"
"I know all of that already, Harik. I was trained properly, I assure you." Harik looked pleased and smiled at her. "Forgive me my lady. Of course, Lord Rath would have trained you properly. What will you be using to kill the king?" Kel walked over to the drawer and took out the slender stiletto.
"This." She handed him the weapon. Harik studied it, he had a good eye for good toys. The stiletto was sharp and light. The handle was plain, made of sturdy wood. It lookd like any weapon a commoner or thief would have had. A good choice for an assassination. Ordinary and untraceable. He handed it back to her.
"Don't let that knife be found in your room."
"As I said, I was trained properly. Don't worry about me. I'll have my revenge." Harik was shaken when he left her room. Her eyes, he thought. They held predatory look. They resembled a hungry lion's eyes. Or lioness.
There would be a ball tonight. Kel shrugged into a kimono, really letting her maid, or comrade, do the work. Laine, her maid/comrade, nodded. "You look just like any of the other ladies. You're expected to wear the kimono the first few balls and then you can start to wear some of the Eastern fashions." Laine was to help her escape or help her anything if the
need arose.
"Laine, I really don't care what I have to wear during the stupid balls. All I want is to be the one to put a knife between the king's ribs." Laine, a very calm one and hard to anger, smiled.
"You'll get what you want soon, my lady. In the meantime, try not to mention what you want to do with the king. Someone could overhear." Kel snorted. "The walls are made of stone. You reallly can't hear anything through that stone. The door is closed too. Along with that charm we have to sound proof this room everytime either you or me are in it. Everything's fine."
"You know, you have to know the fashions. You wouldn't be a lady if you didn't know a whit about a dress and latest styles. I'm supposed to help you with that." Kel shrugged. "Alright. But I have to make sure none of the people who saw me during my time here can recognize me. Change my voice a bit, change the hair color and the way I walk." Kel rolled her eyes. "The way I walk, for Mithros' sake."
Laine laughed and started to arrange Kel's hair. "What were you thinking when you wanted to become a knight? The Lioness may have become a knight, but she disguised her own sex and was treated as a man. You knew that the other boys would have treated you differently since you don't have to pretend you're a boy."
"I really don't know what I was thinking, but I wanted to be like the Lioness. All my brothers were knights, why not I give it a try? It couldn't be as hard as training with the emperor's ladies." Laine shook her head. "No, it couldn't be harder for any lady that was trained in the Islands could easily defeat a knight if she knew what she was doing. It's not all brute force as the Eastern fighters believe that is the advantage."
"No. It wasn't that hard." Laine finished with Kel's hair and stepped back. "Kel, were you tall when you first started as a page?"
"Not overly." Laine smiled again, a litte relieved. "That's good. Your height would make you stand out more, but no one should recognize you for your height." Kel didn't bother to look at herself in the mirror. She left her room, heading toward the center of noise in which ballroom. After much wandering and asking a footman where the ballroom was, she walked through the huge doors. She didn't remember the palace that much. It should come back to her soon enough.
The herald stationed by the door ogled her for a moment before she said, "Araine de Fidar, Countess of Cebris." He announced her, still glancing back at her as she entered the ballroom.
She looked over the nobles that stood together. Several of them wore gaudy clothes that could hurt one's eyes and overdressed. She could see a few knights clustered in a small circle, the center probably being a pretty new lady. The thrones at the front of the ballroom were empty. The king and queen hadn't arrived yet. Kel walked over to a corner of the room, studying the way the ladies gossiped and their reactions to some juicy pieces of information. Kel arched an eyebrow when she heard someone saying that the Lioness was refusing all orders and didn't even want to either speak, listen , or even look at the king since the crazy Mindelan girl left. She felt a muscle pull her mouth back just for a hint of a smile before she snapped it back under control.
Kel was starting to fall asleep when she felt a hand tapping her shoulder. She straightened her back before turning to look at whoever had just tapped her. He had blond hair, nearly white, and icy blue eyes. Kel managed to stifle her gasp of surprise. Unless she was wrong, she knew who this man was. Only one man could be so devastatingly handsome: Joren of Stone Mountain.
A/N: I finished this chapter, finally. Hoped you liked it. Possible Joren/Kel, possible Neal/Kel, or Cleon/Kel (ew). You guys tell me. r/r!
Revenge
Chapter 2: Countess
By DarkDracon0
Araine, or Keladry, was in her rooms, sharpening her stiletto. Tortall was on the verge of going to war with Scanra. Again. Stupid, she thought. Write a treaty that should keep peace for a few decades and then attack unawares the moment it was over. That would be the best way to rid the Scanrans and conqueor their land. It would benefit. King Jonathan has grown lazy over his throne. Just as well.
If Tortall went to war with Scanra, she could kill the king and everyone would think it was a Scanran assassin. She would get away easily. Excellent timing, Kel thought, pleased. Once the king was dead and the prince trying to regain order, they would escape to the Yamani Islands. It was all perfect. When a knock on the door came, Kel slipped the stiletto back into its sheath and hid it in the back of the drawer by her bed. As she expected, it was Harik. He was dressed in a servants' garb and plain faced. Plain enough and insignificant enough for no one to remember his face. He was one of the best spies in the Eastern Lands. She shifted to allow him into her room. He moved quietly in as Kel closed the door behind.
"My lady, I don't think I need to brief you, but I shall." Kel looked at him steadily. "Go ahead." Harik nodded and began. They spoke in low voices, though Harik had the Gift and had protected the room from any eavesdroppers.
"You shall be known as the widowed Countess Araine de Fidar of Cebris. Your husband, Lord Rauthor, died in a storm aboard one of his ships. You have accompanied the Princess Shinkokami to Tortall and to find a husband for yourself. You have no children and was wed to Lord Rauthor for but only a year. Understood so far?"
"Yes. Continue."
"The rest about Araine, you can make up, as long as you remember all you have said. Try to kill the king in a moment when you're alone with him. Make sure you do not leave any witnesses still alive. And also be sure that-"
"I know all of that already, Harik. I was trained properly, I assure you." Harik looked pleased and smiled at her. "Forgive me my lady. Of course, Lord Rath would have trained you properly. What will you be using to kill the king?" Kel walked over to the drawer and took out the slender stiletto.
"This." She handed him the weapon. Harik studied it, he had a good eye for good toys. The stiletto was sharp and light. The handle was plain, made of sturdy wood. It lookd like any weapon a commoner or thief would have had. A good choice for an assassination. Ordinary and untraceable. He handed it back to her.
"Don't let that knife be found in your room."
"As I said, I was trained properly. Don't worry about me. I'll have my revenge." Harik was shaken when he left her room. Her eyes, he thought. They held predatory look. They resembled a hungry lion's eyes. Or lioness.
There would be a ball tonight. Kel shrugged into a kimono, really letting her maid, or comrade, do the work. Laine, her maid/comrade, nodded. "You look just like any of the other ladies. You're expected to wear the kimono the first few balls and then you can start to wear some of the Eastern fashions." Laine was to help her escape or help her anything if the
need arose.
"Laine, I really don't care what I have to wear during the stupid balls. All I want is to be the one to put a knife between the king's ribs." Laine, a very calm one and hard to anger, smiled.
"You'll get what you want soon, my lady. In the meantime, try not to mention what you want to do with the king. Someone could overhear." Kel snorted. "The walls are made of stone. You reallly can't hear anything through that stone. The door is closed too. Along with that charm we have to sound proof this room everytime either you or me are in it. Everything's fine."
"You know, you have to know the fashions. You wouldn't be a lady if you didn't know a whit about a dress and latest styles. I'm supposed to help you with that." Kel shrugged. "Alright. But I have to make sure none of the people who saw me during my time here can recognize me. Change my voice a bit, change the hair color and the way I walk." Kel rolled her eyes. "The way I walk, for Mithros' sake."
Laine laughed and started to arrange Kel's hair. "What were you thinking when you wanted to become a knight? The Lioness may have become a knight, but she disguised her own sex and was treated as a man. You knew that the other boys would have treated you differently since you don't have to pretend you're a boy."
"I really don't know what I was thinking, but I wanted to be like the Lioness. All my brothers were knights, why not I give it a try? It couldn't be as hard as training with the emperor's ladies." Laine shook her head. "No, it couldn't be harder for any lady that was trained in the Islands could easily defeat a knight if she knew what she was doing. It's not all brute force as the Eastern fighters believe that is the advantage."
"No. It wasn't that hard." Laine finished with Kel's hair and stepped back. "Kel, were you tall when you first started as a page?"
"Not overly." Laine smiled again, a litte relieved. "That's good. Your height would make you stand out more, but no one should recognize you for your height." Kel didn't bother to look at herself in the mirror. She left her room, heading toward the center of noise in which ballroom. After much wandering and asking a footman where the ballroom was, she walked through the huge doors. She didn't remember the palace that much. It should come back to her soon enough.
The herald stationed by the door ogled her for a moment before she said, "Araine de Fidar, Countess of Cebris." He announced her, still glancing back at her as she entered the ballroom.
She looked over the nobles that stood together. Several of them wore gaudy clothes that could hurt one's eyes and overdressed. She could see a few knights clustered in a small circle, the center probably being a pretty new lady. The thrones at the front of the ballroom were empty. The king and queen hadn't arrived yet. Kel walked over to a corner of the room, studying the way the ladies gossiped and their reactions to some juicy pieces of information. Kel arched an eyebrow when she heard someone saying that the Lioness was refusing all orders and didn't even want to either speak, listen , or even look at the king since the crazy Mindelan girl left. She felt a muscle pull her mouth back just for a hint of a smile before she snapped it back under control.
Kel was starting to fall asleep when she felt a hand tapping her shoulder. She straightened her back before turning to look at whoever had just tapped her. He had blond hair, nearly white, and icy blue eyes. Kel managed to stifle her gasp of surprise. Unless she was wrong, she knew who this man was. Only one man could be so devastatingly handsome: Joren of Stone Mountain.
A/N: I finished this chapter, finally. Hoped you liked it. Possible Joren/Kel, possible Neal/Kel, or Cleon/Kel (ew). You guys tell me. r/r!