Chapter 7:
~ Tyra ~
Keladry of Mindelin had traveled to Corus with Lord Wyldon and rested for a while within the realm's capital. Kel visited with her family, relished in the new gossip. Kel was pleased to find out that her older Oranie was betrothed the young man she had been eyeing for the past year. Kel renewed her morning practice with the Queen and her mother. She was shocked to see how the group had flourished; it was now quite a large group, with ten pairs, including Kel. She practiced every morning while she was there and followed it with a hot bath afterwards, knowing that once she was on the road to Tyra it might be a long time before she saw a proper bath again.
After five days of luxury Kel and Tobe packed up their things and traveled with some soldiers on the road to the Tyra border. They passed an unusual number of passing civilians, but thought nothing of it due to the weather, and the festivals that would be starting soon with Midwinter just a few fortnights away.
Kel and the soldiers that she traveled had no bad encounters as they moved southward. After a week they came to an encampment, which when given a non-ominous signal, Kel was surrounded by friends. She was shocked to see how they seemed to come out of the surroundings. They were all dressed in earth coloured clothing, blending into their surroundings. They had dirt dusted onto their faces, in different shades to makes it blend in. In a forest setting, they would have been impossible to see.
Kel looked at all the faces, but was disappointed not to see Dom. He must be back in the camp she rationalized. He was fine, just doing something else at the moment. She heard a low whistle behind her and for a moment, her heart stopped. She turned and looked into the smiling face of Lord Raoul.
"Keladry! Sorry that we didn't ride with you, but my company had to forgo the stop in at Corus." Raoul grinned and rubbed the side of his face, smudging the dirt on it.
"Sir, it's great to see you again, and I'm glad to be back with the Own." She smiled. For a moment she had been expecting Dom behind her, but her old training master was almost as nice a surprise as she could have hoped. She grinned wickedly. "But Sir, with all due respect, it seems you have missed a spot while washing." She pointed comically to his cheek. Behind her, she could hear some good-natured chuckles.
Raoul reached up and tousled her hair with his hand and made obvious that his hand was dirty. "At least now you don't have to feel so left out." He grinned, and then whistled a high note, followed quickly by a soft low one and the people of his scouting party vanished into the surrounding woods.
Kel grinned and motioned for her party to continue on the way to the encampment. They thought of hot food was driving her onwards. When they reached the camp, Kel concluded that she was spoiled. She had almost forgotten that it was going to be rougher hen she had been living lately in the means that she would be sleeping in a tent.
A stronghold surrounded the camp, but that was one of the
only luxuries already built. The tents were in neat row, and in the middle of
two rows a small fire pit was located. In the center of the tents was a large
bonfire pit, where Kel figured most of the food was cooked. A field for
vegetables was down by the end of the fort, and a pen for livestock was next to
it. A small headquarters was off to the side of the encampment wall, but it was
nothing near as big as the one back at New Hope, and Kel couldn't help but feel
proud for her people for building such a secure place to live.
Next to the headquarters, a sort of stable was set up, and by the looks of it,
it was well on its way to be completed. Kel directed her party over towards the
would-be stables and jumped down. She led Hoshi over, and a stable hand came
out and took the horse from her.
"My lady knight, don't trouble over it, I will have you things and horses taken care off." He nodded once and took the leads and moved Hoshi out of the way of the carpenters. At his notice, other stable hands took the horses of the rest of Kel's party and took them away.
"Okay…" Kel raised an eyebrow and turned back to Tobe. "I guess we should find whoever is in charge and decide what to do."
Tobe nodded, and was about to say something when he made a motion with his hand. "Lady Kel, I believe someone wants to talk to you."
Kel noticed his gaze was not towards her, but at something behind her. She half turned, just to see what it was. Then she fell in the mud.
"Ahhh! What a greeting. Nothing like falling into a pile of muck to meet the commander, but as it is, you might just have a subtle way of telling an old friend that you want to go out on scout duty. The shifts change within the next candlemark." Impish eyes led to a strong nose, which Kel's best friend Neal had inherited. Full ruddy lips came after that, followed up by broad shoulders, and a muscular chest… Kel felt the blush rise briefly to her cheeks before she made herself calm down. She was stone, unsettling.
"Maybe that old friend of mine could help me up, or would you rather roll in the muck as well?" Kel replied hotly, grabbing Dom's hand and pulling herself up. Kel heard snickers as she rose, and she knew that her bottom was now covered with fresh stable mud. "It's good to see you again."
"No, it is better to see you again." Dom replied, leaving her to think that over. "Hungry?"
Kel then realized that she hadn't eaten since early that morning when the group had set off for the day. "Very."
Dom smiled, and turned his head towards Tobe. "What about you? Want something to eat?"
Tobe nodded vigorously. "We've been traveling all day… and I know the Lady Kel hasn't been eating right." His worries over his knight mistress hadn't faded as time went on. He patted Autumn, who had traveled the journey tucked into his pocket on his tunic. "And little Autumn could use something too." He scratched the kitten's chin with his forefinger.
Dom smiled. "Shall we?" He made a motion with his hand and led them towards the center fire. "Everyone has been busy as bees around here. When my crew got down here more then a fortnight ago, the stronghold was just a tumble of sticks. We've gotten that done thanks to the villagers. If it wasn't for them, then we wouldn't have even been this far."
He scratched his chin. "Lord Raoul arrived six days ago. He's appointed me to be the commander for his stay, and afterwards of this fort." He grinned slyly. "Think I can do it?"
"You're commander? How did that honor come on to you?" Kel smiled. Dom deserved this chance to show what he could do. He was more then capable to take care of troops, and she knew that his troops respected him a lot more then some. "I'm so happy for you." Kel turned briefly to give him a one armed hug.
The brief connection allowed her to realize that she not forgotten the kiss that they had shared when Dom had left New Hope. In fact, her stomach realized it more then anything else. It tingled with the memory. Then another less fluffy thought went threw her head. "But why are we here?"
Dom looked at her, his eyes serious now. "Nobody told you?" He squinted as he looked up towards the sun. "It's not a pleasure visit that's for sure. The king of Tyra, well, the old one, died recently and his death was suspected by foul play. His heir, King Shima, is now setting down a new way of life. Either you support him or you don't. Those who don't however are been thrown off their lands without warning. So those who have no place to go are either coming into Tortall or Tusaine. Some are even going across the Inland Sea to Carthak. That isn't the problem though. We can house refugees."
He sighed, and Kel saw him shift his jaw. "But there are soldiers coming in after them, to convert them into supporting the new King. They have some harsh ways of convincing. These are the soldiers that are raiding the villages."
He was quiet for a moment, and Kel thought he was done. She was about to open her mouth when he stated; "King Jonathan wants us to shelter the refugees and try to find out who was behind the late King's murder." Dom looked at Kel wryly. "He doesn't believe it was nature that took the late King out of the picture. So with the war going on in Scanra, he hopes that King Shima will think our attention is diverted enough, meanwhile, King Jon wants us to sneak in and stir up some information. That's why we're here."
"Oh." Was all Kel could say. "So why is half the Own here if we are only here to spy? And what about Myles of Olau and his spymasters?"
"Well most of them are in Scanra still searching for King Magguar, and there are some in the Copper Isles taking notes on the luarin King, who King Jonathan does not trust completely… so there are not many to spare. George of Pirate's Swoop is coming out within the fortnight, but I doubt he can be away from the Barony for long, especially with the Lioness always gone. This is really a bad time for extra men." Dom sighed and as if not even thinking about it, touched her shoulder gently.
Kel's skin tingled at the touch. "So how can I help?" She smiled.
Dom voice changed from serious to one that Kel knew well. "Well, for starters, you might want to grab something to eat, so that you don't collapse on me. Also, unless you'd rather go out on scout duty then sleep, you might want to change your pants." He grinned cheekily. "But the mud slick is rather becoming."
Kel raised and eyebrow and grinned just the same. "You really know how to make a girl feel liked." They reached the fire pit and Dom got bowls of stew for the three of them. He handed on to Kel, then to Tobe before sitting down on a stump.
"My Lady," Tobe started. "Would you mind if I went to go check in on Hoshi and Peachblossom? I just want to see if they get the treatments they need."
"Oh… of course. You may have the rest of the day to yourself if you wish. But then we have to practice your rolls and your staff work." Kel tousled his hair affectionately. "I'll be able to manage."
Tobe managed to look the part of the younger sibling, who was embarrassed by public affection. "Alright Lady Kel." He nodded to Dom. "Make sure she eats all that."
Kel sat down on a tree stump next to Dom. And scooped a mouthful of stew up to her mouth. "He's like the younger brother I've never had, rather then a servant. I'm thinking about giving him his leave whenever he asks for it. King Jonathan has already requested his uses at the palace once I let him."
"He's lucky to have such a good caregiver as you. It's very rare that somebody who had such a rough start like him gets a chance to work for the King." Dom said dipping some bread into his bowl.
"True. But then again, it's rare for a girl to become a Knight." She raised an eyebrow in a challenge, but just in fun.
"What can I say? Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelin… you make me speechless." Dom rinsed his bowl, and then dunked it into a pot of hot soapy water. Kel did the same and followed him. "Shall I show you where you are to sleep? I figured you wanted something in the action, but still far enough away to have privacy. So I picked the best spot for you and Tobe to stay."
"Oh you didn't have to go through all that trouble…" She stated giving a half-hearted attempt to argue, but fatigue of the past few days on the road was catching up with her.
Dom led her to an already pitched tent, and when Kel looked inside she was relieved to see her bags already inside, with a cot set up. A similar tent was next to it, with Tobe's things inside. "You got all this ready…" Kel sighed, but then it turned into a yawn. "How can I repay you?"
"By getting some sleep. We don't need a cranky Lady Knight around here. I'll wake you up at dinner." Dom was turned away and took a step away. Then he stopped and turned back towards Kel. A faint flush was on his cheeks as he took a step towards Kel. He took her hand and brought his other one up to her cheek. He moved in and tilted his head, then just as he was about to kiss her, he pulled back. "I'm glad you're still in one piece."
With a lot of effort, he took a step back. He brought her hand to his mouth and brushed it softly with a kiss. "I missed you."
He turned and walked away, leaving Kel standing in the doorway to her tent. With shaky knees she walked back towards her bed and plunked down. How was it that he could do this to her? With a sigh, she lay back and fell asleep with very confused thoughts.
To Be Continued…
Author's Note: Happy Holidays!!! Have a great New Year!!! It's been forever, I know, and I hope with the holiday season you'll find it in your hearts to forgive this lowly writer. I would like to thank all you who have reviewed… IT MEANS SO MUCH! Also, I have an assignment for you guys… what is that New Year's Resolution that you'll never keep?
Mine is to think before I speak. I really need to work on that; normally I just say whatever pops into my head. That leads to very bad things.
But what have I learned this past year? People can still love you if you mess up once and a while.
Have a great holiday season!
~ Elisa a.k.a. Thee who is obsessed with Dom.
