Chapter 8: Snow

A/N: Hello everyone! It has been a VERY long time! In fact, I'd be flattered if anyone even remembers this story. I've been kind of busy, and also very lazy. Plus I have a new-found obsession with Naruto. As this is the chapter in which Kel visits the Islands, I must warn you of the OCs to come. It was a little hard to fit any of the originals into this chapter. After all, the only Yamani people mentioned in Squire who were close to Kel were Yuki and Shinko, and they are in Tortall. I hope it isn't too OOC, or confusing…

Keladry of Mindelan settled her body into the familiar fighting stance, watching her opponent carefully as they circled each other cautiously. It had been months since she'd had actually fought anyone in hand-to-hand combat, although she'd practised diligently every day for years.

Kel spun away as Nariko suddenly struck at her side, sliding into a position where she could toss the Yamani arms mistress. Nariko, however, twisted out of her grasp with practised ease, then pivoted on her heel, kicking out at Kel's unprotected back. The result sent the Lady Knight flying for the first, and definitely not last, time that morning.

Kel had arrived in the Yamani Islands barely a week ago, leaving Tortall to visit the country where she'd spent six years of her life. Unfortunately, it happened to be the coldest time of the year in the Islands, with howling blizzards and snowstorms keeping the Emperor's court indoors. It would have been much better to go in the milder spring, but with celebrations for Shinko's and Raoul's wedding finished, Prince Eitaro and the Yamani envoy were anxious to return home. And as diplomats for Tortall, it was the duty of the Baron and Baroness of Mindelan to escort them home. However, with Oranie's first child due in the spring, Kel's parents had decided to return to Tortall by the end of winter. This meant that Kel would be spending her entire time in the Islands in the freezing winter. And like most people, Kel was not particularly fond of the cold.

Still, Kel had to admit that her time so far had been relaxing. She had time to herself, for one thing – she didn't have to dash around a refugee camp checking that everyone was doing their job, nor did she have to be responsible for anyone's life. She was also free from any paperwork, although she had an inkling that there would be a large pile stacked up on her desk when she got back. (Yuki had also said that being away from Neal was a holiday in itself. Though Kel was quite sure she was joking, she could never be sure.)

This did not stop her from training, however. The day after she arrived in the Islands, Kel resumed training with Nariko, her old teacher and Emperor's arms mistress, who, despite being at least twice as old as Kel, still beat her soundly every day they practised together. And she was not pleased about it.

"Soft," she snapped furiously, towering over Kel as she slowly pulled herself to her feet. "You've gone soft, girl! You've spent too much time fighting those barbarians in the north, and not enough time practising your combat! What have you been doing in Tortall, wasting your time away?"

Kel had always hated bullies, yet this was one whom she could never stand up to.

Nariko continued in this vein for quite a while, finally sending her to practise with one of the younger women, much to Kel's relief. Another two hours later, Kel was actually permitted to leave the training hall, feeling thoroughly berated and sporting several new bruises. Kel sighed as she remembered that Nariko was going to test her glaive skills the next day. She should have asked Alanna or Neal to brew her up some more bruise balm. She was going to need it.

Reaching her chambers, Kel stripped off her practise kimono and soaked in a hot bath, relaxing tense muscles and washing off the sweat and dirt she had managed to acquire from the practise halls. When she finally stepped out of the bath, Kel dried herself off and dressed herself in a more formal kimono worn by the Yamani nobles. It was a present from Shinko and the Yamani ladies in Tortall – a deep blue kimono, stitched with cranes and pines in white for January.

She was about to head down to the library when someone knocked on the door. Kel opened it to find her mother Ilane, and Yoko noh Daiomoru, Yuki's younger sister. They had been introduced some time before, but Kel was still surprised to see her with Ilane.

"Kel, I can't stay long," Ilane said. "We have an audience with the Emperor soon, and your father and I are attending dinner with Prince Eitaro and his family, so you know where to find us." She motioned towards Yoko. "I met Yoko on the way here. She was wondering if you would like to take tea with her and her friend."

Yoko smiled and bowed. She looked the mirror image of her sister, and shared her optimistic nature. "Myself and Hanabi noh Ajikuro would be glad to have you, if you would like to come."

Kel hesitated, then agreed. She had no great love for formal teas – they usually involved the tea ceremony and the complicated turning and pouring of tea – but it would be an insult to turn down the offer. But she did enjoy Yoko's openness, even though it was supposed to be inappropriate for a Yamani, and was interested in meeting Hanabi.

Lady Ilane kissed Kel's cheek, then left to get ready for the audience with the Emperor. Kel followed Yoko through the palace until they reached Hanabi's rooms, which were much bigger and more elaborately furnished than Kel's. Wall hangings and paintings hung from the walls. A low table was located in the middle of the room, where a pot of green tea and several plates of cakes, rolls and dumplings were already set out. The room was also a lot warmer than Kel's, though the only source of heat Kel could see was the fire.

Hanabi noh Ajikuro was waiting for them by the door. Her long hair was tied into a bun at the back of her head, and she was dressed in a deep green kimono secured with a jade obi. Kel bowed low when she was introduced – she was a member of the Ajikuro family, one that was older than the Emperor's. She later discovered that she was the niece of Lady Haname, whom she'd met in Tortall.

"Yuki writes a lot about you in her letters," Yoko stated as maids poured the tea. "How is she doing in Tortall? What's her husband like?"

"Yuki is doing fine," Kel replied. She waited till Hanabi and Yoko had chosen a cake before she selected one herself. It was filled with red bean, Kel's favourite. "Her husband…" she wondered how to describe Neal without causing Yoko any alarm, "is an honourable man. Yuki is considering bringing him back here, as you know."

Yoko nodded, though she looked troubled. Kel hesitated before she asked, "What did your parents think of the marriage?" Most Yamani did not like to discuss family issues with outsiders, but Yoko seemed to be more talkative than any Yamani she'd met so far.

"Hmm…well, Father grumbled at first, but there wasn't much that he could do about it," Yoko said. "Yuki and Haname were staying with Shinkokami after the marriage anyway. It was unlikely that she could come back here to be married. Eventually Father said that it was one less daughter to marry off." Yoko sipped her tea thoughtfully. "Mother said that Yuki was old enough to make her own decisions, though Neji and Yumi thought that she was crazy to marry a foreigner." It seemed that Yuki's older brother and sister had no trouble expressing their opinions either.

They finished their tea a short while later. Hanabi produced a set of flower cards, or hanafuda from a drawer. There were forty-eight cards in a set, four for each month and twelve for each season. Each card contained a picture of flowers, animals or trees. Simple cards were worth zero, whereas the more colourful, complicated pictures were worth more. Kel had played occasionally with Yuki, Shinko and Haname in Tortall, though like the fan toss game, she did not have much confidence in her skills.

"Why is this room so warm?" asked Kel as she tried to decide on her next move. It was as warm as an oven in the room, though from the draught from the door she knew it must be freezing outside.

"The Emperor has his own private heating system provided by the mages, who devised a method to channel heat through the palace," Yoko replied, tapping on her own cards. "It's an idea they got from Carthaki mages, though of course they use cool air instead of warm. Hanabi's rooms are under that heating system, so it's much warmer than anywhere else in the palace, apart from the kitchens or the Emperor's room. Though it might have something to do with her being an Ajikuro as well," Yoko added as she paired up two phoenix cards. "Thirty points."

To her surprise, Kel won a couple of games, though in general it was dominated by Hanabi.

"I used to play a lot with my cousins," she explained after she won the fifth game in a row. "But most of them are married now, and have children, so I usually just play with Yoko. Though I probably won't be playing much more myself, if my parents decide that the Yamazaki boy is good enough for the Ajikuro family."

A few games later, both Yoko and Kel tired of losing to Hanabi and they finished the game. They talked for a while longer, until Yoko and Hanabi had to leave for calligraphy lessons with Lady Akizuki. In addition to learning how to defend themselves, Yamani noble ladies were also drilled in proper etiquette, learnt to play several instruments and learnt many of the household skills required by women of their station. Before they left however, Yoko handed Kel a thick envelope accompanying a very large package.

"Letters and gifts from my entire family," Yoko explained. Just because Yuki got married to a foreigner doesn't mean that they won't congratulate her on her marriage, Kel thought in amusement. "And also the new shukusen she ordered before she left the Islands. Would you give them to her when you see her, please? We had worried that they might be damaged if we sent them some other way."

Hanabi handed Kel the hanafuda cards. "You don't have a pack, do you? Then this is for you. I have plenty more, and besides, I can always have more made."

Kel bowed and thanked Hanabi, and assured Yoko that she would give the package from Yuki. She farewelled the two girls as they left, then walked slowly back to her rooms.

Kel rose early the next morning to practise glaive skills with Nariko. At the end of the session, Nariko grunted and said that her glaive skills were not nearly as bad as her unarmed combat was. Kel knew this meant that her skills were satisfactory, which was just as well since the glaive was her primary weapon even in Tortall.

Nevertheless, Kel decided that it couldn't hurt to visit the armoury. It was a short distance from the palace, which was logical considering the great stock of weapons contained within the structure. The Emperor trusted few of the nobles in his palace and did not want to tempt them by having a large stock of weapons within easy reach.

The armoury itself was huge, and possessed every sort of weapon one could ever need, from the long swords used by the Emperor's warriors, to the war fans and shukusen, to the smaller, but equally deadly weapons used by assassins and the fighters hired by the nobles to protect their households. Most warriors scoffed at there weapons, saying they were used only by the lower classes who couldn't afford proper weapons, but Kel found them useful. She bought two new sets of throwing stars, since her own had somewhat been depleted, as well as a set of kunai – razor sharp weapons that that were hung on the belt and could be used to slash, throw or stab.

Kel paid for her weapons, which were good quality but sadly, not at all cheap. She was passing through the yard for target practise when she saw two figures practising a short distance away, on the ground that had been cleared of snow. When she looked harder, she saw that one was a man, and one a very small girl. The man looked to be teaching the girl the basic strikes and blocks of hand-to-hand combat.

"That's the Hatori, the Shang Snake," said the armourer quietly, coming out from behind her. "He came back to Yaman last year, and wandered through the country, helping villages to fight off raiders from Jindazhen. I guess he picked out the girl from one of the villages and is planning to take her to Maren."

"She can't be more than five," murmured Kel in surprise.

The armourer shrugged. "They start young there. I think the oldest that they ever took was about ten." He stumped back through the snow as a couple of men entered the shop.

Kel watched the two for a while longer. Though she had started to learn to how defend herself by the time she was five, and had spent another eight years of her life training to be a knight, Kel had no intention of spending her entire life dedicating herself to fighting. Eventually she wanted a home and a family, to have children and grandchildren. But Shang training lasted from the time they left home to the day they died. Once they left, they rarely saw their homes again and wandered till the day they died. Kel shook her head as she returned to the palace. The Shang path might have appealed to her if Wyldon had refused to take her, but it held no interest for her now. If she hadn't become a knight, she wouldn't have met Neal, or Raoul, or Dom, or any of the others that made her life as it was today. And she had no idea what sort of person she would be without them.

Her mother was waiting for her when she reached the palace. "Your father is reading in the library," she told Kel as they walked. "Shinkokami and Lady Haname asked me to send them a set of lucky cats for the new baby, so I was going to see if I could buy them from one of the craftsmen in the palace." She noticed Kel's troubled look. "What's the matter, Kel?"

Kel shook her head. She had been given a lot to think about.

A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed for all the previous chapters! I now have 100 reviews! A milestone!

The card game of hanafuda was based on a real card came brought to Japan by the Dutch. I got the idea from the book Hannah's Winter.

Although I know this chapter was …ahem…less than satisfactory, please let me know how I can improve it. I hope you all weren't disappointed! hangs head Reviews are welcomed with open arms.

The ORIGINAL Meathead: Thank you for your review. Anyway, ages ago you asked what Dom would have written to Neal to have to send it in a letter. I hadn't thought of that And all the excuses I can make up are lame. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Heartdamoose: Wahh! Thank you for your poem! It's good! I'm so touched!

FanFictionFantom: You're right. If Dom sent Neal something meant for Raoul, then Raoul got something meant for Neal. Hehe. It would probably be a lot of insults.

Atlanta Enchanted: Thanks for reviewing!

Nebulia: I love Meathead torture too

Jennyvre Moss: Neal didn't have much part to play in this chapter, sadly.

Pheep: Thanks for saying that Dom wasn't too OOC. And your idea about Neal being behind the tirade or Court women…hehe. It was also a good idea about Tobe joining the Riders when he was older. Maybe he wouldn't be in for the fighting, though he did seem enthusiastic about the staff/spear training at Haven. Or maybe he could be one of those pony-choosers, like Onua. Full Moon is finally finished! Though I can only find translations up to Volume Three, which was very sad for me. TT And yes, sadly I do understand about the really annoying otaku thing Especially after hearing someone pronounce "hokage" "hokaj." That was more than a little disturbing, I have to say. When you said "Take your time with updating" I think I stretched it a little too far.

Lena-jade: I guess you're right about Kel testing Dom for his love. But she's worried because he seems like player. Thanks for your very good advice – I'll try to keep it in mind.

Eclipsa: I'm so happy you liked chapter 7. Though my writing skills (whatever little I possessed before) seem to be deteriorating…

Wake-robin: I think I have a problem with updates. I think the shortest I have ever taken to update would have been about one month sighs

Lady Angelique of mystiqu: Thank you for being so involved in the story, and for reviewing. Hmm…come to think of it, a watermelon sized foot is rather huge…perhaps a better comparison would have been a football.

Raeorein: Thanks!

Knight Queen: Thanks for reviewing! And for saying you liked it!

Daydream24: Thanks very much!

Books4Me: Thank you so much for your review. I was considering writing about Kel coming back to Tortall for this chapter, but your idea was so much better. I hoped you liked this chapter.

Jollyrancher-j2k: Thanks so much for your review! I also like KelDom, especially if they're to my interests.

Aevum: I'm sorry that you think that was a bad place to stop. But thanks for saying it was a good story.

Annmarie Aspasia: Thanks for saying how everything seems canon. Though with me posting this chapter, I somehow doubt that you'll think that any more…

Pearli: Thank you so much!

HeartKel: Thank you very much!