crosses eyes I know you'll forgive me. I think. I hope. OKAY I'm begging you! Please forgive me! I haven't updated in… counts on hands. Isn't enough. Takes off shoes. Gets lost at… 30 something Okay! A long time! At least I provide good and filling chapters!
Thank you all for reviewing. It was encouraging during the first half of this chapter.
Please note: I notice that I made a serious mistake that I cannot just laugh off. The Tortallans were at war with SCANRA not, as I had said in the past, CARTHAK. I appologize for my serious unworthiness. And I applaud those of you who did notice with knowledgeable Protector of the Small supremeness. (and for believing the load of cream I just pushed out. Lol) I have also corrected those mistakes.
Protecting the Head – Chapter 3
When the foursome arrived back at the palace, it was almost supper time.
The only thing that the boys had eaten the whole day was the small amount of jerky and dried fruit that Kel had given them. And Kel herself was hardly any better, having only eaten a small portion of breakfast that morning.
It was their wish, though, and if they wanted to starve themselves
So naturally they were all ravishing. Kel could not only feel it in her own stomach as she smelled the cooking meat of the kitchens waft over the yards they were walking across, but she could see longing on the boys' faces as well.
But then, a peculiar thing happened. Tomas turned to the lady knight as they were walking and said, "Um, we're not very hungry tonight. Might you just show us a piece of rug where we could rest?"
He then gulped down, and Kel knew that he was trying to suppress his hunger. The other two did the same kind of gulp, and then nodded their heads at her.
This puzzled her. Why did they want to sleep when they've been tracking through the forest all day, instead of getting a good filling meal? Surely they were not too tired to pick up a fork and shove something in their mouths?
But if that was their wish, who was she to stop them from starving themselves.
Rather quietly, she replied. "If that is what you wish. I can have food sent to your rooms, after I ask Master Umbrage about securing some, of course."
This sentence made them even more on their heels. "Oh, we wouldn't want to bother you, making you pay for rooms for us," Eric replied for the three of them. "We will just lodge with you."
Even more peculiar. They wanted to be cramped and stay in the same rooms as her, even though they somehow already knew that she was going to pay for extra ones.
"Nonsense," Kel said. "It's no bother to me. My purse has been fattening lately from my work in the north. You all need rooms of your own."
"No, we don't, Lady Knight," Arthur replied. "Please just take our words for this: we would be much more comfortable with you."
Kel thought about it for a moment, then dismissed it. They were being secretive again. They probably won't tell her unless they thought was necessary. So she'd just have to accept that.
"Very well, then boys," Kel supplied. "I'll take you up, but then I'M going back to the dining hall to get myself some supper. And no messing around while I'm gone either."
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When she finished showing the boys her rooms, dropping off her weapons, and asking a servant to bring an abundance of food to her rooms as soon as it could be managed (Kel couldn't exactly fit her mind around the idea that they would want to rest rather than eat), she was 15 minutes late for the meal.
This meant, as she grabbed a hearty bowl of the meaty stew that had played games with her nose earlier, that all of the other men in the knights dining hall were finishing up with thirds and going up for desserts. Kel grabbed a still warm loaf of bread and went over to sit with her friends.
The dining hall that she had used as a page and a squire had a specific set of rules. You have to be there at a certain time. Outsiders always sat at the head table with Lord Wyldon. You cannot talk as loud as you want. There are NEVER animals in there.
But that was the dining hall that was used for pages and squires. The dining hall that the knights ate in was completely different.
Their wives, children, cousins, aunts, and anybody else who might think to visit them eat in here and at the side of that particular knight. If you're late, oh well. Nobody will give you a hard time because you can take care of yourself. First come first serve.
The hall is often filled with noise, be it happily munching middle aged men that are trying to hide from a prospective mother in law two tables away, or younlings shouting for fun insults at their best friends so those two can have a good go at each other in a duel.
During the non meal hours, men playing strategic games and happily gambling their coppers away fill the room along with theological knights that debate each other on the harsh issues that the kingdom has to deal with every day.
And if you try to stop the men's dogs from coming in after their masters? You'd get a sword at your throat for trying to mess with a knight's prized hound. They often follow the men everywhere, sleeping during long talks, and begging during meals. In fact they probably think themselves as knights themselves, they are given so much free reign.
So this was the spectacle that Kel walked into as she set her filled dishes down at her friends' usual table. Mostly it was herself and all of the people that had gone through training with in the same years (if they were at the palace at the time). There was also the occasional drop in by men of the King's Own (who had their own dining arrangements, but liked to visit Kel because she had recently been their commander's squire) and of relatives just "dropping in" to check on their young nephews (or in Kel's case niece). Also were the betrothed and married of the members of the table and maybe a courtier. Kel preferred not to think of the ones that showed up sleepy in the mornings, trying to keep her associations with her friends platonic.
Kel blessed her meal and began to devour her food, preferring to listen to her friends rather than join in their conversations. Neal and Yuki were arguing with each other about wedding plans… Merric and Esmond were discussing the advantages and disadvantages of hanging (Kel tried to turn a deaf ear to these, preferring to keep her meal down) while Esmond's wife (he had gotten married right after he achieved his shield), Syrene formerly of Darroch, tried to engage her husband and his friend in a different topic of conversation… Owen (who had just gotten his shield about 2 months ago) was trying, unsuccessfully, to construct a... well Kel really didn't know what it was, just that he was working very diligently on it and he was using the stew, apple slices, a ornate gravy tureen, and weird looking pieces of walnuts.
Kel smiled to herself as she scraped the last bits of her stew up from her bowl. That was Owen of you: always doing something different, and always as unsubtle as a person could be. That's part of his charm though.
As her dinnermates started to get up to leave, she stopped Neal. The boys in her room looked weary, and Kel thought that it would be a good idea for him to check them over, because he was a healer. Not only that, but she needed to tell somebody of what happened and Neal was a good secret keeper (if she told herself over and over, it might become true…).
Neal turned as she called him and Yuki stayed at his side. "What's the matter, Kel?"
Kel thought about asking him if Yuki could leave for a moment, but decided better. Yuki can keep secrets too, and Neal would end up telling her anyway (no amount of wishful thinking could make that fact go away). "I have something that you need to see."
"What is it?" he said looking genuinely worried. Yuki, too, had a concerned face on.
"It's…well its sort of hard to explain. I think you'll need to come to my rooms to see for yourself."
Neal looked puzzled but obliged. "Yuki?" he asked. "Are you coming along with us?"
Yuki shook her head. "I have a date with your Lalasa, Kel, to get measurements for my wedding dress. I'll hear about it later. There is a feeling I have that Neal won't find a loss for words where you do." She giggled at her little joke while Neal gave a soft chuckle.
Kel told Neal that she would be waiting right outside when he was ready to come along. She knew what every one of their partings were like, and for some reason she didn't like those long passionate good-bye kisses that Neal and Yuki gave each other.
Soon Neal came out and they began their trek to her rooms.
"Is this about those 'Them' that you were so excited about meeting this morning, Kel?"
Kel thought for a moment. "Yeah, but it's different. They're better at explaining than I am."
" 'They' ?" Neal asked as they ran up a stairway. "You've got people in your rooms!"
"Kind of," Kel replied. "Maybe… Yes. Neal, you just have trust me. They're not dangerous. For the most part anyway. In fact… I think that they slightly remind me of a younger you."
Neal shot her a perplexed look as they arrived at her door. "A younger me? Who are they exactly."
Kel opened her door to peer inside her room. "Hello? Are you boys really sleeping?"
"Sleeping!" Neal asked. "We just ate supper. Why would they be sleeping?"
Kel responded with a bit of annoyance in her voice. "I don't know. All I know is what They told me."
"Lady Knight?" Arthur asked from… somewhere. "Is that you?"
"Yes it is, Arthur. Where are you guys?" Kel asked, making only her head viewable through a crack in the door on the room, while Neal mumbled under his breath, "Is that a kid!"
"We're uh… hold on Lady Knight Keladry…"
And then, from nowhere, and yet somewhere, the three of Them appeared on the ground beside the window. They were in a circle, like they were discussing something, with rolls of papers in front of them.
"What are those?" Kel inquired, focusing her gaze upon the sheaves of paper.
Kel saw all three pairs of eyes widen as they vanished back into the nowhere and three voices chimed "Nothing." The papers vanished almost like…. Almost like how the boys had reappeared in the forest. Not for the first time that day, Kel dismissed it in her mind. She reasoned with herself that They would tell her in the future. They would have to, if they expected her to be able to help them.
"Kel?" Neal asked from behind the door. "What. is going. on?"
"Lady Knight, is that a MAN behind you?" Tomas interrogated.
"Yes, he's my friend. Neal you need to meet the Head."
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Argghhhghghgh! I'm so sorry! These cliffies just make themselves. I did so good on the last chapter, I know. But my writing…. It just seemed to lead to a cliffie! Please to comment on your opinion of cliffies, review, and I will DEFINITELY update sooner than this.
P.s. Don't you just love my Owen paragraph and a half! Yay for the jolly Owen lovers!
