A/N: Hi guys! I am the formerly Protector of the Small author, but I haven't written any fanfiction for many years now. Please, when you review it would be very helpful if you give me constructive criticism. "I like it" or "I don't like it" doesn't help me get better; please tell me WHY. Thank you.

Adventure Follows

Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan gathered her food for supper, and sat with her friends. Their table was crowded: Neal and Yuki sat, along with Raoul and Buri, Lady Alanna, Dom, Wolset, Merric, Owen, Cleon, Faleron and his lady, and Esmond of Nicoline. Kel sighed, happy to see her friends. With the war in Scanra still full-out, it was quite rare for any more than five of them at one time to see each other.

I said I wanna touch the earth

I wanna break it in my hands

I wanna grow something wild and unruly

Kel took a bite of her stew, savoring the juicy meats and tender boiled vegetables. There was nothing like a palace-cooked meal after being at war for months. Her friends spoke to each other about the war, each silently worried about the mounting battles. Even after the death of Blayce the Gallan, King Maggur wasn't offering peace negotiations, nor accepting those offered by King Jonathon and Her Majesty of Tortall. The war seemed to be getting worse, not better, which worried Kel the most. She had thought things would go upwards after the Nothing Man was finished. Unfortunately, everything seemed to be spiraling farther and farther from her expectations.

I wanna sleep on the hard ground

In the comfort of your arms

On a pillow of bluebonnets

In a blanket made of stars

Still, Kel was surprised to see so many of her friends. New Hope was doing well, and just a few months before had been put under the command of Lord Wyldon and Neal. Kel, relieved from her post as commander, rode with the Own again, as she had when she was a squire to Lord Raoul. She had missed being with them; all the men made her laugh and treated her as another worthy warrior should be treated.

A hand in front of her face brought Kel out of her thoughts. "Kel!" She sighed inwardly.

"Neal?"

"What have you been doing lately?" Her best friend asked.

"I have…well I left New Hope in your care a few months past. I hope everything is still going well?" He nodded, though looked a bit strained. Kel knew of the refugees' tendancies to bring all of their quarrels to one person-the commander. Lord Wyldon had thought Neal could handle it though, and Kel had faith in her

friend.

"And?" He asked.

"Well, I have been riding with the Own since then. We've broke up a few skirmishes here and there, most of them located around the borders." She replied.

"The Own?" He glanced at Dom quickly. "You left me with an entire refugee camp to ride with those ragamuffin knaves?" He asked mockingly. A roll flew through the air, hitting Neal on the side of his head and messing up his hair.

"Quiet Meathead!" His cousin joked.

Neal scowled and tried desperately to save his mussed hair from the bread crumbs that encompassed it. Kel saw Yuki take his hands away from his head, and proceeded to help him rid himself of the intruding crumbs. Neal smiled at his fiancée and kissed her quickly, returning to his food. A sharp pang hit Kel's chest with such a force all at once that she thought she would be thrown backwards off of the bench. She flinched and stared at the table for a moment, trying to collect herself. This type of thing happened to her often now. They were everywhere she went. Raoul and Buri had been married, and Kel attended the wedding. Lovers sat in the courtyards, walked in the gardens, and danced at the balls. Neal pined for Yuki at New Hope, and at least half of the men from the Own stampeded when a mail-carrier arrived, each grabbing their letters and disappearing into their own tents. It drove Kel insane the way it was. It seemed as if every new day someone was falling in love.

Oh it sounds good to me I said

Cowboy take me away

Fly this girl as high as you can

Into the wild blue

Set me free oh I pray

Closer to heaven above and

Closer to you closer to you

She had gotten a letter from Faleron, informing her of his engagement to the heiress of Dunlath. Owen too had found himself a lady, and Neal and Yuki had already set a wedding date. After Raoul's wedding, Kel felt she would go crazy from it all. She seemed lost in the midst of it. She was the only one not getting married, or waiting for her lover after the war ended. Kel thought quickly of Dom, but knew better of it. He was her friend, and nothing more. She felt that there was something missing in her life, but she couldn't place what. She needed an adventure, something to focus her full attention on.

I wanna walk and not run

I wanna skip and not fall

I wanna look at the horizon

And not see a building standing tall

"Kel?" A soft voice asked. Kel looked up into the deep blue eyes of Sergeant Domitan of Masbolle. "Are you alright?"

"Umm…I..uh..yes. I'm fine. It was a bit spicier than I expected." She finished somewhat lamely, pointing at her stew. He still looked unsure, but nodded with a smile and finished eating. Kel wasn't feeling hungry anymore, and excused herself from the table. She walked out the large hall doors, relieved that she could take some time to practice and reflect on her own feelings.

I wanna be the only one

For miles and miles

Except for maybe you

And your simple smile

Oh it sounds good to me

Yes it sounds so good to me

I want everyone to know that I have no idea where this story is going. It is going to be Kel/Dom, but I need an adventure plot. Please give me suggestions and I will consider them. Thanks!

PLEASE READ: I'm having trouble with the spacing, bolding, italics and things. Could some experienced poster please tell me how to make things right? Thanks to all who even bothered to read this and reply.

Honkytonk-U (just call me Kel)

PS: CHAPTER TWO IS ALREADY WRITTEN AND WILL BE POSTED AFTER I GET REVIEWS!