Dom's palm was rough against Kel's, the calluses caused by strenuous, hard work easily felt. As he dragged her out of her seat, Kel noticed that Dom's hand was sweaty and that his grip shook a little, as though he was nervous.

A thunderstruck Neal watched, seemingly too stunned to move, as his friend raced away, but the moment didn't last long. Jumping up, Neal charged after the two, only about thirty seconds behind.

Recklessly, Dom ran through the open mess hall door, Kel trailing by an arms length. Neal had a more difficult time leaving the building, as his fellow warriors had begun to congregate in front of the door right after Dom and Kel left, but he forced his way through the throng and gained the air outside just in time to see Kel whip around the corner of the infirmary, still following Dom.

"Trying to sneak onto my turf, are they? We'll see about that," Neal whispered as he continued the chase and headed towards the opposite end of the building, intent on cutting Dom and Kel off.

"Sir Meathead's still after us, isn't he Kel?" Dom asked. He had pulled Kel through the back door to the infirmary, and was now holding her in both arms as they stopped for a momentary breather.

Smiling, she replied, "I believe so, I think I saw him come out of the mess right before we went around that last corner." A small part of her laughed at the situation. Here she was, in the arms of one whom it seemed she had loved forever, yet it looked as though they were doing nothing more than making small talk about his relatives.

Well, we're just going to have to shake him off then, aren't we?" With a cunning smile, Dom grabbed Kel's hand again before taking off.

"That slug-brained, annoying, festering, rat of a cousin of mine!" Neal murmured as he reentered the gates of Fort Steadfast. How Dom had managed to give him the slip Neal did not know, but it was evident that he had.

Neal had scoured the entire fort, both inside and out, looking. It had taken him the better part of two hours to go everywhere he could think of, but luck wasn't with him, and he could find no trace either Kel or Dom.

Mumbling unintelligible, but most likely obscene, things under his breath Neal walked back into the mess hall. It was still about an hour until midday, but all he wanted was to sit and rest his head on a table.

Laughter drew his attention to the corner where he had been sitting earlier. After a quick glance and an angry growl, Neal dragged his aching body in the direction of what he hoped would be the last confrontation with these two he would have for a long while.

Full of the pleasant sensation of laughter, Kel looked up when she heard the door open. The laughter died slightly in her throat as she saw Neal standing there with a look of pure chagrin on his face, and she knew this time there would be no escape.

Neal saw the look of momentary surprise in Kel's eyes as she glanced up. With purposeful strides, he closed the distance between them in a few quick steps, and claimed a chair between Dom and the door.

Deliberately and without any hurried movement, Dom turned until he was looking directly at Neal. A sigh, followed by a quick flick of Neal's head, led to the three of them leaving the mess hall, to get away from prying ears and prying eyes.

Feeling a bit forlorn at the prospect of the coming discussion, but knowing it did have to be done, Kel led the way to the barracks situated by the east wall.

Standing in front of the open window, she turned her face west, toward the distant, invisible ocean and into the slight breeze as she waited for Neal to begin.

"Kel…" Even after all this time, Neal still seemed to have trouble figuring out what to say. A moment passed, and Kel heard Neal turn to his cousin, "Dom, um… Why?"

"Why what?" Dom's voice was edged in ice as he spoke.

Kel, feeling overwhelmed already, had to pull in a cry. As quiet as she had tried to be, Neal heard. It seemed to stiffen his resolve, as he said, "Dom, you told me yesterday that you would never hurt Kel. Well, look at her now."

Upset beyond words, and stunned almost to tears, Kel felt completely lost. It seemed as though her world, which had moments before been so amazing, was now tumbling down about her, and she had no control over it.

Dom moved until he was standing behind Kel. Gently, he reached up, placed a hand on her left shoulder and gave it a small squeeze. In response, Kel leaned her head down until it was resting on his hand. It was then she gave way to a flood of tears.

"Kel, no." Neal, distressed, tried to reach out and comfort her. With a shrug, she kept him at bay and then turned fully into Dom's hold. The solider encompassed her with his arms, and held her head to his chest as she wept.

Neal was taken aback by this, and he wasn't sure what to do. A conversation he had hoped would solve the last of his problems was now turning into just the beginning of them.

---------------

Day gave way to a gorgeous torch lit night. The bright, blindingly pure, silver moon was full and shining, lending to the earth a pearly glow. The night was clear, stars glinting in all their celestial glory, winking like nothing so much as thousands of eyes all gathered to watch the coming proceedings. It was the perfect night for a K'miri wedding.

A small three-tiered dais sat in front of the main gate, with a podium situated in the center. Chairs surrounded it in a semi-circle, with space left for two isles that ran parallel to the dais from opposite directions, then joined together and turned, running straight to the base.

The open paths were strewn with petals of red poppies and white roses, K'miri symbols for the joining of both blood and soul, forever, between two people. Covering the wood dais was a pure white silk cloth, with fine embroidery done around the edges in intertwining red and white.

The stage was set.

Kel walked out of her room, dressed as a knight in her finest armor, newly scoured and buffed, with a polished Griffin resting in its leather sheath at her left hip. Her hazel eyes were level, but a hint of excitement was visible in their depths.

A light touch on her elbow caused Kel to turn around. Neal was standing there, clothed as Kel in dress armor, with a strikingly attractive Yuki clasped tight to his right side, and a huge smile plastered across his features. He offered Kel his left arm, which she laughed at, then accepted. The three of them then proceeded to meandered toward the door, talking animatedly the whole way.

Outdoors, they headed to some of the seats set close to the dais where the ceremony would take place. The torches and sky bathed the entire fort in more than enough light to see everything with clarity, it was a perfect night.

People were coming out of many buildings, all headed for the seats. Their clothing was either a military dress uniform or a formal outfit, depending. In a short span of time all the chairs were filled, and a few stragglers were still left standing around the edges.

The moon was fifteen minutes away from it zenith when a horn call shot through the air. An expectant hush settled over the crowd, and all attention turned to the back two paths.

Raoul appeared at the foot of the right path. The lord of Golden Lake and Malorie's Peak was in full knight regalia, his complete suit of plate armor polished so much that it caused the moonlight to leave a reflective haze around his form.

A large broadsword hung at Raoul's left hip, suspended by a baldric that cut diagonally across his chest from the right shoulder. A double edged war ax was clipped to his opposing hip, and a mace was wedged into his belt at the small of his back. All of the weapons were live, and they shone almost as much as his armor.

His eyes were fixed on the end of the path directly across from him. The door by the end of it opened, and a collective gasp arose as Buri stepped out.

Haha, yea, you know, I love Neal right to bits, I really do, but he always seemed a tiny bit pompous. Just a tiny bit. That's why Dom ignored him at the end of the last chapter, and he had a little trouble in this one, but I really do love him. He's a good guy.

Well, you know, I'll ask for the usual R&R. I love all my reviewers! (Not like that, but you know what I mean.) So, yea, read and review please!

Later, Sull89