Anyways. I would go through and do personal thankyous again but it's getting late, I'm exhausted and want to get this up before I go to bed. So just thank you to all who have reviewed- it really means a lot to me! And I'm really sorry this has taken so long.
I'm really stuck on the next chapter. I had it all worked out originally you see apart from the ending. So I asked my mate and she gave me the best ending EVER and I was writing the next chapter last night and suddenly realised that I'd forgotten 2 very important events from the original plan and they wouldn't work with the new plan. So now I'm trying to re-plan it again to get the special two events in!
Anywho. Do you know what I'm singing? The Court of Miracles! It's from the Hunchback of Notre Dame (Disney) and I suddenly started singing it in History today for no apparent reason! 'The justice is swift in the Court of Miracles/ I am the lawyers and judge all in one! / We like to get the trial over with quickly/ Because it's the sentence that's really the fun!' lol! Anyway, bye for now.
Dedicated to: Lauziek and Snow*flake- Luv ya guys!
Chapter 18-The Confusing Old Lady Lends A HandKel sighed. All that was around her was water. Blue-green water for miles in every direction. How boring. She had managed to find a boat to take her back to the Copper Isles but had wasted a lot of time. Having good intentions to leave Corus before dawn was not enough- she had overslept. The road down to Port Caynn had been busy and she had not got to the port in time to catch a leaving vessel that day. She had been forced to rent a room in an inn and book a place on an early leaving boat the next day. But this boat did not have mages she could bribe to speed the journey up and it could take somewhere between twenty and twenty-three hours if the weather was co-operating. So far, it was.
Kel thought back to what had happened in Corus. Again, she was disgusted at herself for so easily loosing her temper but then, remembering how she had felt at the time and the King's cool detachment, she wasn't completely surprised at herself. She thought of what had happened the next morning just before she left.
~flashback~
Kel walked out of the palace into one of its many courtyards. She headed towards the stables, noticing a group of the King's Own at the other side of the cobbled yard. Once she had her hired horse from yesterday saddled up, she led the stallion out into the yard, his hooves smacking loudly on the cobbles.
Kel looked over. The number of men was reduced now- there was only about ten. A squad, she realised. She recognised a lot of them… Of course! They were Dom's squad! Determinedly, she marched over to them, dragging the stallion behind.
'Lady Kel!' someone exclaimed. Kel didn't smile or reply.
'What are you doing here?' she demanded. A couple of the men glanced nervously at each other- this didn't seem like the usual calm, easy-going Kel they knew. 'Do you know about Dom?'
Again, the men looked at each other. 'Yes, Lady Knight,' murmured one.
'And you're standing around here doing nothing?'
'We have had orders, Lady Kel,' said Corporal Wolset stepping forwards determinedly. 'Orders from the King. We are to wait here, at the palace, until further notice.'
Kel pursed her lips, trying hard to keep a reign on her emotions. 'And so you'll just sit here like good little children and wait until you're given a new sergeant? You disgust me. After all Dom's done for you over the years.' She shook her head, resolved to say little more. 'Well, I won't sit back and let him die.' She mounted her horse. 'Even if I do die on Traitor's Hill afterwards for disobeying the King.' She turned her stallion to face the gates, mounting him as he moved. Then she raced out without a last look back or a final good bye.
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a certain lithe, brown-haired, green-eyed young man watching and listening.
~end flashback~
So… thought Kel. Neal had probably seen her little outburst. Oh well, she didn't care anymore. She only cared about Dom… Dom and her love for him. Since seeing him again, she had finally admitted to herself that, yes, she did love him. And genuine love- not just like her feelings for (the now deceased) Cleon.
And Neal had been right: love did open your eyes and put everything in a different perspective. Right now, she was giving up everything for Dom. She didn't care if she died in the process- or afterwards for going against Jon's wishes- she just wanted Dom safe. She had finally surrendered to her feelings and now she was breaking free of her fear… she had to live the truth. Even if a serious relationship between them seemed a bit more like a dream than reality, she was quite willing now to believe- to live- a thousand dreams if it meant she could hold Dom… hold him and never let go. And know that his hold on her would remain just as steady for all time. And then she'd be able to live with love again- yet this time it was real true love, not an illusion of love...the real thing. And nothing the King or anyone else could do would take that away from her.
She just had a new fear. What if she didn't get there in time? What if they ended his life before she reached him? Or what if he didn't think she was truly serious about him and he gave up on her? No, she mustn't think like that- she would reach him, he would be alive, they would get out all right and he would love her. And everything would be fine. And perfect.
But nothing was ever perfect, said that tiny yet incredibly infuriating voice in the back of her head.
There are always exceptions she tried to convince herself. A wet splodge {suddenly} dripping on to her nose made her jump back in shock. Kel looked up. While she had been lost in her thoughts and memories, large unfriendly-looking clouds (A/N: Yes, I know, in most universes clouds can't even look friendly, let alone unfriendly but this isn't most universes. It's mine!) had glided across and seemed to be following Kel's boat. Now the dark clouds had started to shed their heavy, wet burden.
Go away! Kel thought menacingly, glaring at the storm clouds. I don't need you now! You'll just delay things and I have to get to Dom in time! If there are any weather gods up there listening to my plea, please stop this on-coming storm and I will be eternally grateful. Gods, I sound like Neal!
It only appeared to rain harder. Or Kel noticed that the Gods obviously weren't listening as the now darkened clouds were raining harder.
The waves were getting larger, starting to throw themselves at the ship with much more force than the gentle lap lapping of before. Kel realised she must have been contemplating for longer than she had thought- storms didn't just blow over in a matter of minutes.
Kel heard soft footsteps and glanced over. The captain had come to stand next to her and he leant against the railings, staring out to sea. Kel looked out miserably and angrily her emotions mirroring the weather.
'You ever been in a sea storm before, lass?' he asked in his rough sailor accent. Kel didn't mind him calling her "lass"- it was just his way and he didn't mean it in disrespect.
'No.'
He nodded and looked at her. 'We could be in for a rough few hours.' Kel glanced at him, silent. 'Just thought I'd warn you.' He shrugged and walked off. Kel watched him retreat, then turned back to her view of the sea and sky. She glowered at the storm clouds and clenched her hands into fists. Not now! This is not what I need now! Kel closed her eyes, fighting back her overwhelming emotions and also the tears that were beginning to form.
The deck rocked violently, causing Kel to open her eyes and grab hold of the railing running round the ship.
'You might want to go below deck for a while, milady,' suggested one of the nearby crew. 'Let us sailors deal on deck now- we're used to the sea and her ways.' After a moment's hesitation, Kel nodded and headed down to her room in the ship's hull. Once there, she laid on her soft bed and curled up into a ball, squeezing her eyes shut, hoping that all of this commotion was just a bad dream.
~*~
Kel realised she must have fallen asleep while the storm blew itself out. She straightened her tunic and breeches out and pulled a comb through her shoulder length hair before making her way on to the deck. It looked like luckily the storm had caused very little damage.or she noticed the ship had only received little damage from the storm. She easily found the captain and joined him behind the helm.
'Captain, have we passed the storm completely now?' Kel asked.
He nodded. 'Aye. Was quite a rough 'ne. Surprised you slept though it really.' The Captain looked at her out of the corner of his dark eye; Kel shrugged. 'Thrown us off course a bit,' he continued. 'Which'll delay us.'
'By how long?' asked Kel, crossing her fingers and praying to all her Yamani Gods.
The Captain shifted his weight to his right foot and chewed on his lip, calculating in his head. Kel could almost see the cogs turning. 'A couple of hours- four at the most.'
Kel groaned- was everyone against her?
~*~
Keladry thanked the Captain and left the ship, disappearing almost instantly into the crowds. She hurried through the streets, trying to reach the fort quickly but without seeming suspicious. But she had come on a good day- it was market day and the Copper Islanders seemed to go for it in a big way. People rushed around from stall to stall and shoved past each other roughly in order to get the best deals. Almost everyone was making a lot of noise and there were quite a number of people around that looked like they didn't have the best intentions.
Every now and then, Kel would pause at a stall, gazing at but not seeing, the goods for sale. Once or twice she even engaged in conversation with some of the stall owners- all just in case she was being watched.
Once she had got past the market, she realised she was going to have difficulty getting into the fort. This was the part of her plan she hadn't, well, planned. Luckily, Dom's prison didn't seem as heavily guarded as the last time she was here.
Kel noticed some people with wagons and carts heading up behind the fort. Curious, she followed them.
Kel got close enough to the commoners to not be noticed much by them but to be thought as one of them by the watching guards. The commoners were delivering food and other supplies to the fort. They started to pass, unquestioned through the back gates up ahead and Kel speeded up, coming in line with an old blind woman carrying three heavy baskets of fruit.
'Here,' whispered the woman, shoving two of the baskets at Kel. 'Take these and keep your head down.'
Kel, shocked, stunned and surprised could do little more than wipe her face clean of emotions, shuffle along and do as she had been instructed.
As Kel and the old woman came up to the gate, Kel's heart beat faster and faster. She refused to let herself think of what could happen- of what could go wrong, allowing herself to only concentrate on getting past, getting to Dom and getting him out.
They had passed the guards at the gate before she realised and, noticing that they were near enough alone, shuffling towards the kitchens and storerooms a few metres behind the others, Kel turned to the old woman.
'Who are you?' she whispered.
The blind woman smiled slightly but did not look at Kel. 'I'm just an old woman with little left in life now. I've worked for these brutes since I was your age- things won't change.'
'Why did you help me? Not that I'm ungrateful.'
'I have the Sight. You were so open- I saw everything that's happened to you lately. And I saw something that may come to pass. I knew I was to help you. Maybe it has been the point of my life.' She turned to Kel. 'You must have faith, young one. If you find love, don't throw it away. I did and look where it got me.' She paused. 'He's still alive. Here, give me those baskets.' She tried to take them off of Kel but the Lady Knight wouldn't let her.
'No,' said Kel. 'It's the least I can do. Give me the third as well.'
'Well, young one, I would advise you to give both of those to me since this is the passage down to him. And as I said, he's still alive.'
Kel looked to where the woman indicated. Sure enough, there was the opening doorway leading down to Dom's cell. Gods, what if they had moved him? Kel gave the woman the baskets and thanked her profusely, then slipped into the dark passage.
Kel thought her heart would burst out of her chest as she sped down the passages. Once or twice, she had to stop and hide from approaching soldiers. At these times, she squeezed her eyes shut so hard it hurt and clenched her hands into such tight fists that her fingernails dug into her palms. Remembering the correct turnings- right, right, left, right, left, left- Kel finally made it down to Dom's cell.
The soldier that was supposed to be guarding the door to Domitan's prison was typically asleep. Kel crept up to him and bent down, searching for the keys. She found them. Luckily, they were lying on the floor next to the guard; Kel picked them up and inserted one into the keyhole.
She tried to turn. It wouldn't- it just made a grating noise. Cursing under her breath, Kel tried another key. And another. And another. At each failing attempt, the Lady Knight became more and more worried. Eventually, she used the right key and she let out a small sigh as the door swung open.
Cautiously, Kel stepped into the cell. It was dark- very dark. 'Dom?' she whispered. There was movement and a groan from an especially shadowy corner of the small room. Kel raced out and grabbed a torch from a bracket on the wall and came back again, holding the flickering light up to Dom. He groaned again, squinting in the light.
'Kel?' he whispered hoarsely. Then, realising it really was her, he repeated her name- more as an exclamation. Kel ran a hand over his face. 'Dom, Dom- it's ok, it's me- it's really me. I'm going to get you out of here. Everything will be fine.'
Kel noticed a dark patch on his forehead. She held the light closer to it and gently ran her fingers over it. Blood. Her mouth went dry. Her hands shaking, Kel put the torch down and set to work releasing Dom from his restraints. It didn't take as long as the door had and Kel was soon rubbing Dom's wrists and ankles.
'Can you walk?' she asked him. He grimaced.
'I don't know- my right leg's broken and-' he broke off with a gasp of pain as Kel shifted him into a standing up position.
'Dom- I'm sorry!' exclaimed Kel. 'Oh Gods, Dom, I'm sorry.'
He drew in a ragged breath. 'It's- it's okay, Kel.' He gave her a shaky smile as he swayed on his feet. 'We better get a move on,' he said but Kel could see the pain in his face. She opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted by a triumphant cry from the door.
'Ha!' There was a loud crash- the door slamming shut. 'Got you!' A click- the key turning in the lock. Leaving Dom leaning against the wall, Kel rushed over to the door. Yep, it was locked. Peering through the small, barred window, she saw the guard she had thought was asleep wandering off down the corridor in the opposite direction from which she had come.
Kel ran over to Dom, putting his arm around her shoulders, her arm around his waist and letting him lean fully on her. 'Come on,' she said as she helped him to the door. 'If we're quick, we can get away before he calls the alarm.'
'But Kel-' gasped Dom as he sagged once again against the wall. 'Door's- locked-'
Kel grinned. 'I have his spare set of keys. And he was walking really slowly.' She jammed the proper key into the lock, twisted it and then yanked the door open. 'Anyway, I could have picked the lock.' Dom managed a shaky smile as Kel helped him out into the passage.
Hobbling down the corridors was slow going and painful for Dom. Kel helped him as best she could but she was no healer and the pain he felt was evident every time he took a step. She could not even begin to comprehend the agony he was going through. She knew this since luckily, the only factures she had received through eight years of training had been cracked ribs- no broken bones. But it hurt her just as much to witness the pain she was putting him through. It wasn't as if she had a choice though.
They came out into a courtyard and Kel had to pause so that Dom could get his breath back and become accustomed to the bright light he had survived without for what seemed like an eternity. An eternity of never ending hell.
As soon as Dom was ready, they were off again, Kel desperately trying to remember the best way out. They entered a small, cobbled, high-walled courtyard. Kel frowned. She must have gone wrong somewhere- she had never been in here before. Apologising to Dom and encouraging him, Kel turned around only to be confronted with quickly approaching Copper Isle's soldiers.
Her heart sped up. She spun around, painfully dragging Dom with her. They made for a doorway in the opposite wall but had gone no more than three paces when Copper Isle's guards broke through that entrance as well. Kel let out a string of curses as she backed up. There was no other way out. They were trapped.
Even if Dom had been himself the odds would have been ridiculous but this was worse than even being alone. It was just as Dom had said- he was no help, he was a hindrance. She not only had to watch her back, she had to watch his too.
Determinedly, Kel drew Griffin with an encouraging ring of metal. She attacked the men as they came at her- beheading one, maiming another two, damaging a fourth, blinding the next. But it was no use- there were too many of them. Dom had nearly lost consciousness. The soldiers backed Kel against the wall. She dropped Dom to the floor, standing over him. She swung at her enemies, blind to what she was doing, filled with anger at them for causing Dom- her love- pain.
But however hard she tried Kel never seemed to clear a space. More men pressed around her and how she managed to go unscathed was a completely mystery. She knew she would fight until the end, fight until she died for Dom.
'No!' yelled Kel as the forest of enemies seemed to thicken. 'No!' But it was absolutely no good. They leered and grinned at her but that just fed her anger. She was starting to tire.....
Suddenly screams and cries burst out from the Copper Islanders around her. Men started to drop dead around her feet before she could get her blade to their necks. What in the Mother's name was going on here?
~*~
A/N: Singing Kiss From A Rose now! Bad, bad- I won't stop singing it! There is so much a man can tell you, so much he can say/ You remain/ my power/ my pleasure/ my pain!…
: )