Kel woke up early the next morning, as she always had. There was so much to do, so many people to see. When she was younger, she had always told herself she would not settle when she married, that she would always be a knight. In the time since Mia had been born, she had done just that. She had not fought since her daughters conception, she had only practiced since her daughter was born. She was rusty, and glad that she was back and able to do what she had been knighted to do.
She took a bath before she did anything else. She had been travelling for days now, and needed to bathe before she could go out in public. When she emerged from her dressing room, clean and dressed, Dom and Mia were both up. "There's a young girl here who would like to see the palace." Dom said. Mia grinned at her mother.
Kel smiled. "Very well, but you need a bath first. Come on, we will go into your dressing room and give you a bath. And Dom," she said, "you need a bath too. You smell bad."
He rolled his eyes. "Fine. We'll bathe."
Mia rolled her eyes. "Mommy!" She cried, "I want to go now!"
Kel frowned and led her daughter into the other room. "I won't be spoken to like that Domia. You'll do as you're told and have a bath."
Mia glared at her mother. "Yes, mother." She said reluctantly.
Kel smiled. "Don't worry, Mia, when we are done, I will show you the palace."
Mia clapped her hands in childish joy and ran into the dressing room.
Mia was forced to wait for her tour once more, as Dom and Kel insisted that they eat before they go on their hunt. "But you said…" Mia began, but quickly stopped when Kel gave her a threatening look.
"A warrior knows to eat before going on any great adventure. And this is certainly a great adventure!" Kel said, scooping her daughter up and carrying her towards the dining hall. "Remember, Mia, you are in the halls of a king. You must respect him and his guard. Stay close to me."
Mia nodded as her mother put her down again. She took her hand as they entered the large dining hall. It was early, and there were few people eating. But they still turned and looked at her as she came in. They were knights, they knew who she was. But Kel held her head high and walked over to a table with her daughter while Dom got them breakfast.
"I don't know if this is such a good idea." Dom said, after Mia was engrossed in her breakfast.
Kel frowned. "Why?"
Dom sighed. "Well, looking around you get thinking. There are no other children here, save for the pages, and they are all about ten years older than Mia. Most knights leave their children at home. That's what Alanna did, that's what every other knight does. Didn't you ever notice that there were no noble children at the Midwinter feasts? There won't be any other children."
Kel shrugged. "There are no children her age at Mindelan any more, either. Are there at Masbolle?"
Dom shook his head with a sigh. "None. It just isn't what's normally done."
Kel smiled. "Dom, when have we ever done anything normal? I was the first girl to become a page – and be allowed to do it, you married even though you're in the King's Own, I had a daughter out of wedlock, and we lived at my manor instead of yours. What difference does it make what everyone else does?"
Dom smiled weakly. "I'm just worrying about Mia's childhood, that's all."
Kel smiled. "She'll be fine, Dom. We aren't going to stay here forever. We can go to Masbolle in a few years, but I want her to know what the palace is like, what it's like to be a noble. I never really knew. I can't teach her."
"What are you talking about?" Dom asked.
Kel shrugged. "You come from an old family, from a ducal house. You know a lot more about being a noble than I do. And while Mia is your daughter, she needs to know how to act like the noble that she is."
Dom shook his head, sighing again. "You are an enigma, Sir Keladry. Just because my family is old doesn't mean that my family is better at being nobles than yours. You are perfectly capable of teaching your daughter. If that is the only reason we are here, we can just go to Masbolle right now."
Kel shook her head. "No, that's not it. Don't worry." She smiled. "Mia, are you done your porridge?"
Mia grinned at her mother. Kel sighed and took a napkin to wipe the young girl's face. "There you are, let's go." She said, picking the girl child off of her seat to begin their tour.
Parody Queen Rora: yay!
Imogenhm: sounds great!
Goddess Usagi: glad you think so!
Alenor: thanks!
Lady of Masbolle: grin. I love it.
Allanalovingwriter: will do.
Laelai: glad you like it!
Daughter-of-faeries: aww, no fluff. Poor babies. It shall come, it shall come!
Dreamerdoll: not quite, I'm afraid. I know how you feel. I feel like I am the first reviewer if I am the first to say something intelligible… :)
PsychoLioness: yeah, she is a little wild… but she's broken in, no worries. (don't worry, I don't actually believe in 'breaking in' children).
BigBigStarr: thanks!
Kat-woman-585: well, I guess I should update then, shouldn't I? Wow. 187 Updates. Do I have to do that many too?
Queenofdiamonds1: thanks!
Allimba: yay!
HeartKel: haha, I like the whistling. What lies in store for our hero on the dark road ahead? Will he find the majestic cheese? Will he eat it? FIND OUT NEXT TIME! I don't know where that came from. I guess it was from the 'cheesy narrator' thing, but I totally just tossed out the majestic cheese thing. Maybe I should write a story with it… :)
Chazza14: ok!
Jamie Lynn: thanks!
Naruke: we've had this talk, I'm not going to respond.
I'm really sorry it took so long, guys, but I haven't known what to do for a really long time. As it is, I don't know what to do – I have part of the stuff written that takes place about two years later, and a bit of the stuff that takes place seven years later, but I don't know what to put in the middle. I mean, I know the basic outline, but that's it. I need to build that up before I can continue. Give me a few weeks, and keep reviewing!
Sorry this chapters so short…
unolimbo
