Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. Well.at least not yet. ^_^
Tamora Pierce, the absolute genius of fantasy writing, owns all the
characters you see before you. HOWEVER, while I do not actually OWN Neal's
daughter, I'm taking ownership of her name, personality, and STORY. So xP.
You don't like it, I'll sic the Flaming Green Jello on ya. =^_^=
Kidding. Read on, and please review!! This is a joint effort on my part
and my friend's, and we like reviews. Thanks!!
Keladry of Mindelan scowled slightly as she slouched in her seat. This was one of the few times she would allow herself to be grumpy over something so trivial as another request for her company, she promised herself.
Although it had been almost four years since Kel had killed Blayce the Gallan, little had changed. She was still up north, still at New Hope, still taking refugees into her care. And thankfully, she still looked the same. Same dreamer's hazel eyes; same light brown, earlobe-length hair; same full lips; same griffin-scarred hands. All in all, the same unmistakable Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan, Protector of the Small.
Picking up the letter on her desk, she skimmed through it again, weighing the consequences in her mind. Quite honestly, there weren't many. Still, she thought tiredly, there must be some way out of it.
The door opened suddenly, without any warning. Kel looked up quickly to see who it was, and smiled slightly.
"Tobe, what is it?" she asked, sitting up straighter.
Tobe grinned, shaking his head. He, too, hadn't changed incredibly much. He was taller now, for sure. An average size for a boy of thirteen, but taller nonetheless. His eyes were as blue as ever, and his blond hair was slowly turning a tawny color. And, thankfully, age had not changed the little old man in Tobe.
Tobe placed a new letter on the desk before Kel. "Sorry to bother, lady, but I figured you'd want to read this'n." He tapped the seal with a finger, then turned and shut the door behind him as he left.
Kel glanced at the seat, immediately recognizing it. Queenscove...Neal! The one person she had been waiting anxiously to hear from, and here was a letter! Hurriedly she ripped it open, hunched forward excitedly as she read the letter quickly. After a brief moment, she let out an excited cry and laughed loudly, nearly dropping the letter as she clapped a hand over her mouth.
"A girl!" she exclaimed, finally removing her hand. "Neal and Yuki have a GIRL!" Immediately another voice echoed her words outside the headquarters, only MUCH louder.
"Neal had a girl!!" Tobe shouted, followed by a near explosion of cheers from the entire refugee camp.
Kel leaned against the back of her seat, grinning as she shook her head. She should have known Tobe would listen in on her. The entire camp had been waiting anxiously to hear the news and here it was.
Grabbing the letter, she left her office to see what kind of mischief everyone was up to now. The refugees were dancing, clapping, laughing, and making as much noise and as loud as possible. Children ran after each other, laughing hysterically as the dogs chased them around. Some were singing, while others were talking excitedly about who they thought the baby would look like.
Kel was nearly lifted off her feet as Merric ran over and gave her an enormous hug. "Isn't it great?" he yelled happily over the noise, before rushing off to celebrate. Another person came up to Kel, smiling broadly.
"Another surprise for our friend, Nealan," Irnai said happily. The child seer, no different from years before other than height, had enjoyed every surprise that made its way into Neal's life. Her favorite so far had been five months after Neal and Yuki were married.They had found out Yuki was five months pregnant. Four months later, they had a baby boy. And now, a girl.
Irnai smiled up at Kel, her eyes alight. "Do you remember what I said about Neal four years ago?"
Kel looked at her, puzzled for a moment. Then her eyes widened. "About his daughter trying for knighthood?" she whispered, though no one would have heard her speaking in a normal voice.
The young seer nodded, visibly pleased and excited. "She is this one. This is the lady knight."
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Almost a week had gone by since Neal's letter had arrived at New Hope. Kel was on her way to Steadfast, where Neal and Yuki were staying. She rode Peachblossom, partially to make herself feel like it was the old days, and partially to see if the temperamental gelding liked Neal's children any better than Neal himself. Tobe rode beside her on Hoshi, still reluctant to let Kel travel anywhere without him. Merric had come as well, thrilled to death about Neal having his own little girl. All three were eager to reach Steadfast and the new baby.
As they came into view of the fort walls, horn blasts told them they had been spotted. Several of the sparrows, taking naps on various shoulders, woke up with a start at the sound. They took flight, and Kel could see that they were just as eager to see the baby.
Merric responded with his horn, and as they neared the fort entrance, the gate was lifted for them. They rode into the fort, and the gate closed.
As they dismounted, all looked up to see Neal hurrying toward them. He would start to run, then force himself to slow down and walk, for dignity's sake. But he soon would grow impatient, and begin running again, starting the pattern over. Kel grinned, despite a small attempt to discard the urge to do so. Neal had been equally excited when their son, Trevon, was born.
Finally, Neal couldn't stand it anymore and ran the rest of the way. "It's about time!" he exclaimed, coming to a stop before them. In his excitement, he almost forgot to stay a safe distance from Peachblossom. He beckoned to a few boys playing nearby, and they immediately came over. "Would you boys take care of these horses?" He then spoke specifically to the oldest one, a boy of about ten years. "Make sure all of them are fed and brushed."
"But Peachblossom-" Tobe and Kel began worriedly.
Neal shook his head with a crooked smile, resting a hand on the shoulder of the oldest boy. "Carsen here can handle that beast."
Peachblossom snorted at Neal, but gently lipped the hand Carsen extended. Tobe smiled, nodding his approval of the younger boy's horse magic. And with that, the horses were taken away and Neal led his friends to the quarters his small family occupied. He walked quickly, talking all the while. "We're actually not that far. I figured you would want to get there as quickly as possible to see the baby."
Merric laughed. "More like you couldn't wait to show off you brand new baby girl," he teased.
Neal grinned a bit sheepishly, then stopped in front of the nearest building. As he opened the door, a small figure came bounding out and wrapped itself around Neal's leg.
"Fahder!" it shouted joyfully, tugging on the hem of Neal's shirt. Neal, grinning, reached down and scooped up his 2 year old son. The boy giggled, his brown hair tousled and sticking up in odd places. His brown eyes sparkled, much like his mother's, although they seemed to be the only likeness between the two.
Kel smiled, tousling the boy's hair even more. "Well hello, Trevon! How are you doing?"
Trevon just smiled, choosing not to reply. Neal shook his head slightly, though still grinning, and entered the room he and his growing family occupied. Kel and the others followed.
It was a rather comfortable room, large enough to accommodate a small family like Neal's. The spot of interest, however, was the bed where mother and baby sat together. Neal set Trevon down on the floor, the little boy scurrying to sit as close to his mother as possible, then crossed the room to sit by his wife, who smiled at him before turning to their visitors.
"Please do come as close as you like. I'm no mother bear, and I certainly won't bite," she spoke teasingly.
Kel smiled broadly at her Yamani friend, then followed Neal's lead and sat at the end of the bed. Tobe leaned against the bedpost nearest Kel, while Merric took the spot by Neal.
"Can I.?" Merric asked sheepishly, holding his arms out. Yuki nodded, carefully placing the baby girl into Merric's open arms. Merric swallowed nervously, as if he were worried he would drop her, then smiled at the little girl. Quite awake and alert, she responded by reaching for his flaming hair, and squealed happily.
Neal grinned, pride in his daughter plainly evident on his face. "One thing's for sure, she's an active little thing," he remarked happily, putting his finger out for her to grab onto. She promptly stuck it in her mouth, gurgling loudly.
Merric laughed, then shook his head. "I feel like I'm going to drop her at any moment. Kel, you hold her."
With that, he placed the baby into Kel's arms. Smiling, Kel put her own finger out for the baby to suck on. Instead, the tiny girl sat quite still, gazing at Kel intently. A bit taken aback, Kel studied her carefully.
She was a rather big baby, but not as chubby as others Kel had held. Kel couldn't quite tell if she would look more like Neal, or Yuki. However, for a baby only a week old, she had quite a bit of hair. It was almost Yamani-black, but the brown was still visible. Her hair was straight at the top, but curled into tiny ringlets at the bottom. Her eyes were too gray to tell what color they would be, but the lashes were unmistakably long and dark. As for everything else, time would tell.
Kel suddenly realized the others were staring at her. Looking up at the parents, she gave them a puzzled look. "Has she acted this way with anyone else?" she asked curiously.
Neal shook his head, looking as confused as Kel felt. Yuki looked at her daughter, who had just reached out to grasp Kel's finger in her tiny hand. "She's never acted this way, Keladry. I wonder." Her voice drifted off and she shook her head quickly, dismissing whatever thought had entered her mind.
Tobe reached out and took the baby from Kel's arms. Immediately, the girl was squealing with delight as she tried to grab his nose. This lightened the mood considerably, and Tobe laid her on the bed so he, Merric, and Trevon could play with her kicking feet.
Kel turned her attention back to Neal and Yuki. "Have you decided on a name?" she asked, smiling to see the look of happiness return in her friends' eyes.
Neal nodded, his old crooked smile returning. "Since we gave our first boy a Tortallan name, we decided we would give our first daughter a Yamani name."
Yuki beamed. "We've decided to name her Akarii."
Kel grinned as Merric started to tickle the baby's toes, creating a chain reaction as the little girl let out several loud giggles. Akarii of Queenscove, Kel thought. An excellent name for a future lady knight.
Keladry of Mindelan scowled slightly as she slouched in her seat. This was one of the few times she would allow herself to be grumpy over something so trivial as another request for her company, she promised herself.
Although it had been almost four years since Kel had killed Blayce the Gallan, little had changed. She was still up north, still at New Hope, still taking refugees into her care. And thankfully, she still looked the same. Same dreamer's hazel eyes; same light brown, earlobe-length hair; same full lips; same griffin-scarred hands. All in all, the same unmistakable Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan, Protector of the Small.
Picking up the letter on her desk, she skimmed through it again, weighing the consequences in her mind. Quite honestly, there weren't many. Still, she thought tiredly, there must be some way out of it.
The door opened suddenly, without any warning. Kel looked up quickly to see who it was, and smiled slightly.
"Tobe, what is it?" she asked, sitting up straighter.
Tobe grinned, shaking his head. He, too, hadn't changed incredibly much. He was taller now, for sure. An average size for a boy of thirteen, but taller nonetheless. His eyes were as blue as ever, and his blond hair was slowly turning a tawny color. And, thankfully, age had not changed the little old man in Tobe.
Tobe placed a new letter on the desk before Kel. "Sorry to bother, lady, but I figured you'd want to read this'n." He tapped the seal with a finger, then turned and shut the door behind him as he left.
Kel glanced at the seat, immediately recognizing it. Queenscove...Neal! The one person she had been waiting anxiously to hear from, and here was a letter! Hurriedly she ripped it open, hunched forward excitedly as she read the letter quickly. After a brief moment, she let out an excited cry and laughed loudly, nearly dropping the letter as she clapped a hand over her mouth.
"A girl!" she exclaimed, finally removing her hand. "Neal and Yuki have a GIRL!" Immediately another voice echoed her words outside the headquarters, only MUCH louder.
"Neal had a girl!!" Tobe shouted, followed by a near explosion of cheers from the entire refugee camp.
Kel leaned against the back of her seat, grinning as she shook her head. She should have known Tobe would listen in on her. The entire camp had been waiting anxiously to hear the news and here it was.
Grabbing the letter, she left her office to see what kind of mischief everyone was up to now. The refugees were dancing, clapping, laughing, and making as much noise and as loud as possible. Children ran after each other, laughing hysterically as the dogs chased them around. Some were singing, while others were talking excitedly about who they thought the baby would look like.
Kel was nearly lifted off her feet as Merric ran over and gave her an enormous hug. "Isn't it great?" he yelled happily over the noise, before rushing off to celebrate. Another person came up to Kel, smiling broadly.
"Another surprise for our friend, Nealan," Irnai said happily. The child seer, no different from years before other than height, had enjoyed every surprise that made its way into Neal's life. Her favorite so far had been five months after Neal and Yuki were married.They had found out Yuki was five months pregnant. Four months later, they had a baby boy. And now, a girl.
Irnai smiled up at Kel, her eyes alight. "Do you remember what I said about Neal four years ago?"
Kel looked at her, puzzled for a moment. Then her eyes widened. "About his daughter trying for knighthood?" she whispered, though no one would have heard her speaking in a normal voice.
The young seer nodded, visibly pleased and excited. "She is this one. This is the lady knight."
--------------------------------------------
Almost a week had gone by since Neal's letter had arrived at New Hope. Kel was on her way to Steadfast, where Neal and Yuki were staying. She rode Peachblossom, partially to make herself feel like it was the old days, and partially to see if the temperamental gelding liked Neal's children any better than Neal himself. Tobe rode beside her on Hoshi, still reluctant to let Kel travel anywhere without him. Merric had come as well, thrilled to death about Neal having his own little girl. All three were eager to reach Steadfast and the new baby.
As they came into view of the fort walls, horn blasts told them they had been spotted. Several of the sparrows, taking naps on various shoulders, woke up with a start at the sound. They took flight, and Kel could see that they were just as eager to see the baby.
Merric responded with his horn, and as they neared the fort entrance, the gate was lifted for them. They rode into the fort, and the gate closed.
As they dismounted, all looked up to see Neal hurrying toward them. He would start to run, then force himself to slow down and walk, for dignity's sake. But he soon would grow impatient, and begin running again, starting the pattern over. Kel grinned, despite a small attempt to discard the urge to do so. Neal had been equally excited when their son, Trevon, was born.
Finally, Neal couldn't stand it anymore and ran the rest of the way. "It's about time!" he exclaimed, coming to a stop before them. In his excitement, he almost forgot to stay a safe distance from Peachblossom. He beckoned to a few boys playing nearby, and they immediately came over. "Would you boys take care of these horses?" He then spoke specifically to the oldest one, a boy of about ten years. "Make sure all of them are fed and brushed."
"But Peachblossom-" Tobe and Kel began worriedly.
Neal shook his head with a crooked smile, resting a hand on the shoulder of the oldest boy. "Carsen here can handle that beast."
Peachblossom snorted at Neal, but gently lipped the hand Carsen extended. Tobe smiled, nodding his approval of the younger boy's horse magic. And with that, the horses were taken away and Neal led his friends to the quarters his small family occupied. He walked quickly, talking all the while. "We're actually not that far. I figured you would want to get there as quickly as possible to see the baby."
Merric laughed. "More like you couldn't wait to show off you brand new baby girl," he teased.
Neal grinned a bit sheepishly, then stopped in front of the nearest building. As he opened the door, a small figure came bounding out and wrapped itself around Neal's leg.
"Fahder!" it shouted joyfully, tugging on the hem of Neal's shirt. Neal, grinning, reached down and scooped up his 2 year old son. The boy giggled, his brown hair tousled and sticking up in odd places. His brown eyes sparkled, much like his mother's, although they seemed to be the only likeness between the two.
Kel smiled, tousling the boy's hair even more. "Well hello, Trevon! How are you doing?"
Trevon just smiled, choosing not to reply. Neal shook his head slightly, though still grinning, and entered the room he and his growing family occupied. Kel and the others followed.
It was a rather comfortable room, large enough to accommodate a small family like Neal's. The spot of interest, however, was the bed where mother and baby sat together. Neal set Trevon down on the floor, the little boy scurrying to sit as close to his mother as possible, then crossed the room to sit by his wife, who smiled at him before turning to their visitors.
"Please do come as close as you like. I'm no mother bear, and I certainly won't bite," she spoke teasingly.
Kel smiled broadly at her Yamani friend, then followed Neal's lead and sat at the end of the bed. Tobe leaned against the bedpost nearest Kel, while Merric took the spot by Neal.
"Can I.?" Merric asked sheepishly, holding his arms out. Yuki nodded, carefully placing the baby girl into Merric's open arms. Merric swallowed nervously, as if he were worried he would drop her, then smiled at the little girl. Quite awake and alert, she responded by reaching for his flaming hair, and squealed happily.
Neal grinned, pride in his daughter plainly evident on his face. "One thing's for sure, she's an active little thing," he remarked happily, putting his finger out for her to grab onto. She promptly stuck it in her mouth, gurgling loudly.
Merric laughed, then shook his head. "I feel like I'm going to drop her at any moment. Kel, you hold her."
With that, he placed the baby into Kel's arms. Smiling, Kel put her own finger out for the baby to suck on. Instead, the tiny girl sat quite still, gazing at Kel intently. A bit taken aback, Kel studied her carefully.
She was a rather big baby, but not as chubby as others Kel had held. Kel couldn't quite tell if she would look more like Neal, or Yuki. However, for a baby only a week old, she had quite a bit of hair. It was almost Yamani-black, but the brown was still visible. Her hair was straight at the top, but curled into tiny ringlets at the bottom. Her eyes were too gray to tell what color they would be, but the lashes were unmistakably long and dark. As for everything else, time would tell.
Kel suddenly realized the others were staring at her. Looking up at the parents, she gave them a puzzled look. "Has she acted this way with anyone else?" she asked curiously.
Neal shook his head, looking as confused as Kel felt. Yuki looked at her daughter, who had just reached out to grasp Kel's finger in her tiny hand. "She's never acted this way, Keladry. I wonder." Her voice drifted off and she shook her head quickly, dismissing whatever thought had entered her mind.
Tobe reached out and took the baby from Kel's arms. Immediately, the girl was squealing with delight as she tried to grab his nose. This lightened the mood considerably, and Tobe laid her on the bed so he, Merric, and Trevon could play with her kicking feet.
Kel turned her attention back to Neal and Yuki. "Have you decided on a name?" she asked, smiling to see the look of happiness return in her friends' eyes.
Neal nodded, his old crooked smile returning. "Since we gave our first boy a Tortallan name, we decided we would give our first daughter a Yamani name."
Yuki beamed. "We've decided to name her Akarii."
Kel grinned as Merric started to tickle the baby's toes, creating a chain reaction as the little girl let out several loud giggles. Akarii of Queenscove, Kel thought. An excellent name for a future lady knight.