General Disclaimer: Probably all the characters of any importance in this
fic are property of Tamora Pierce (a truly excellent author). The plot is
mine. I keep very good track of what I've read and where, but in the
unlikely event that you feel I've copied your work, please let me know, so
I can either remove the offending material or offer explanations.
My first fic, but no going easy. Flame at will!
* * * * *
Oh someone was going to pay, and pay very, very dearly indeed.
The Yamani training in her was long forgotten as Kel stormed the fort looking for Neal, Merric or whichever of her friends she ran into first. She was going to kill the first one she saw. Her teeth hurt from clenching them together in an effort not to make a bigger scene than she already was. She wanted to scream out their names until they came running. Actually, no, she wanted to bellow their names in the way often used by mothers' who've just found the snake their child had caught in her wash. She wanted them cowering under her rage!
Gods have mercy on her for the murderous thoughts that were running through her head at that moment – each was more violent and more appealing than the last! It was plenty fine for her friends to be concerned about her, but this was going too far. This was going WAY too damn far!
Where were they? These mutinous, traitorous so called friends of hers. She silently vowed to track down every last one of them until one of them admitted to the treachery she'd been victim of. How dare they take her off the list of duties! She'd made the thing up that morning. The whole point of the thing is that people had set duties that they couldn't change, not even the nobles and commanders were safe. None but her had the authority to change anything on it. It was meant to keep the peace between commoner and noble in place, since the last thing she needed right now was a rebellion. And now someone had crossed out her name and replaced her with several different King's own men, none of which were at New Hope.
She took the corner fast, cutting the curve in a very time-efficient and collision inspiring way and was rewarded by slamming into the chest of a soldier.
"Get out of my way," Kel snapped without looking up to even see who she'd bumped – okay crashed, she admitted – into. If she looked up now she was either going to gut the man or flush with embarrassment, neither of which was in today's master plan.
The man's hands had gone to her shoulders to steady her, and now rubbed up and down her arms with slow soothing motions. Her embarrassment tripled. Because she felt her face redden, she refused to lift her eyes to his, which stood significantly above hers. Strange, not many men were that much taller than her.
She repeated her order while glaring straight into the man's well- muscled chest, and the rubbing stopped. But that was the only reaction she got. Did the man not understand common speech?
Hissing her disapproval, Kel prepared to tear the soldier to shreds, and was stopped as his fingers tapped her chin up. Still unwilling to face him, she closed her eyes. If it was just some tall recruit or Lord Raoul she'd be fine, but if it wasn't – if it was ...
"Mithros Kel! What have you done to yourself?"
"Crap." It was a resigned mutter. Domitian of Masbolle, Neal's cousin, her friend, and her current crush. He was truly quite handsome with his bright blue eyes. Of course it had to be him of all people. Anyone else witnessing this would have been a pleasant mark on a day which was turning out to have more rot than the old outpost, and that was saying something.
"Kel? Kel, at least look at me." Dom pleaded.
She opened her eyes. He was standing close, VERY close to her. His gorgeous eyes searching hers.
"Kel where are you rushing off to?" He thought he knew, but why offer yourself to pain.
This at least I can answer, she thought. "I have to go kill some friends."
One eyebrow rose in a perfect mimic of his cousin. "Any friends in particular? Or just which ever ones you find first?"
"The ones who changed the list of duties. No one is allowed to except me and you and you weren't here so... Dom, why are you here? I was under the impression you were at Steadfast." Kel looked at him suspiciously.
"Umm... hmm... well you see I was. But I'm part of the convoy that's supposed to take you back to Steadfast."
"Great." She was stepping around Dom when he muttered something else. She spun on him. "Could you repeat that for me? I don't think I heard that right."
"That would depend on what you heard." He leaned casually against the wall, but she knew he was braced for attack.
Nerves forgotten in her fury she glared at him. "I could have sworn I heard you say I was 'getting colder'. Care to explain? Because as I see this there are two possible ways you could have meant that comment, and neither of those are complimentary."
"Why do you assume the list was changed unlawfully?" It wasn't an answer per say.
"Unless you changed it, no one else has the authority to... DOM! YOU PIG-HEADED, MERCHANT TONGUED, SCANRAN SNAKE IN THE GRASS! YOU DESERVE TO BE STRANDED IN MAGGUR'S PALACE WITH THE TORTALAN FLAG STITCHED TO YOUR BACK AND YOUR HANDS AND FEET SHACKLED TO A FENCE OVERGROWN WITH THISLES!"
* * * * *
Dom tuned out and let her rant. She needed to get it out of her system; although some of the things she was threatening him with made him wince. He was not going to back down on this though.
Kel who always insisted that everyone do their fair share, seemed to forget to apply said rule to herself. Without fail, she signed herself up for twice or sometimes three times the duties she gave to others. Often she took the jobs of people who were sick or pregnant to ease the burden from them to her. Even now when she was the one too ill to work; she continued the pattern. Never had he been so sure that overriding her orders was so just. The own had taken one look at her and threatened to sign themselves up for her duties if he didn't.
Couldn't she see what they did when she looked in the mirror?
He'd been glad when she didn't look up at him immediately. She wouldn't have understood the anger and pain that had been plain on his face for a moment. Neal had told him it was bad, but not THIS bad.
It almost pained him physically to look at her. Her skin was chalk so pale she looked almost ghostly. Normally dreamy hazel eyes were dulled and bloodshot; underlined with dark smudges that were not the result of smudged face paint. Her body had slimmed from sturdy to alarmingly thin, even by court lady standards. Even through her clothes he could see the sharp angles that were all wrong on his lady knight.
What was she doing to herself? And why in the goddesses name hadn't anyone done anything about it! It wasn't as if they were lacking healers around here!
He realised he was scowling and quickly schooled his features.
"I'D LIKE TO TEAR YOU UP LIKE THE ORDERS I GOT FROM WYLDON, DROWN YOU IN STICKY PASTE, AND BEAT THE PULP LEFT AFTER INTO TINIER PIECES THAN THE HOLES BETWEEN THE CHAIN MAIL THAT ALANNA WEARS! THEN I'M GOING TO FEED YOU TO PEACHBLOSSOM AND ..." Kel was still shouting.
At least she hadn't noticed his slip. That could have been awkward to explain. He could just imagine it. Shuddering lightly at that mental image Dom started ferverently wishing for a servant, a stranger, a friend, hell even an enemy to interrupt the seemingly endless flow of insults slipping from her tongue. But with her being this loud it was unlikely anyone would be braving this hall any time soon.
Suddenly, the lady knight was onset with a wracking cough that expelled all the air from her lungs and let her draw precious little in. Dom instinctively reached out to steady her, ending up supporting her weight almost completely. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. She should be resting in bed, not lecturing him.
It was minutes before the fit subsided. When they did, she pushed him away from her then; even though the room was spinning and the nausea was turning her stomach. She wasn't weak and she wasn't going to let herself be seen as such. Particularly not in front of me, Dom noted with growing frustration.
"I'm taking you to the hospital wing." He held up a hand to her protest that she was fine, and her rather rude suggestion that he go jump off a cliff and land in a very shallow lake. "As I see it you have two options," he continued, "you can either come willingly with my support, or you can be stubborn and get yourself carried there. Either way, that's where you're going."
His voice was eerily calm, like someone who is trying desperately not to lose his temper, which he'd acknowledge was the case. He wanted to yell at her for getting herself so sick, but he also wanted to hug her and tell her everything was alright.
"I can walk by myself," she announced. She took a step and ruined it by fainting.
"Oh hell, Kel." Dom said as he caught her and scooped her up. He'd thought she had lost too much weight. Now he was dead sure. He'd carried her before while she was unconscious from blood loss after killing Blayce, and she hadn't been heavy. She'd been appealingly rounded and in sleep reminded a man of how fragile she really was. He'd been too worried at the time to affected by her physical beauty, but he was reminded of it full force his dreams.
Now she weighed less than some of his young nieces and nephews and was all angles. It sickened him, angered him, and (if he was being honest with himself) in scared the crap out of him.
People in the hall offered help but waved away their assistance. He could take care of his lady knight without them.
They let her get like this, he thought. They didn't deserve her! What was he thinking now?
The stupidity behind his thoughts reminded him of a comment Neal had made. They had been discussing Kel's victory over Blayce when Dom had come to the part about her scaring him to death by lying there bleeding to death. Neal had retorted, "Living with our Kel has been such an education. Sometimes when she comes in for healing and explains how she got hurt I'm not sure whether I want to yell at her or just shake my head and laugh. She gets you out of hellish situations, but makes life hell for you."
Now Dom added, "She makes life hell for you, but she makes hell worth living."
My first fic, but no going easy. Flame at will!
* * * * *
Oh someone was going to pay, and pay very, very dearly indeed.
The Yamani training in her was long forgotten as Kel stormed the fort looking for Neal, Merric or whichever of her friends she ran into first. She was going to kill the first one she saw. Her teeth hurt from clenching them together in an effort not to make a bigger scene than she already was. She wanted to scream out their names until they came running. Actually, no, she wanted to bellow their names in the way often used by mothers' who've just found the snake their child had caught in her wash. She wanted them cowering under her rage!
Gods have mercy on her for the murderous thoughts that were running through her head at that moment – each was more violent and more appealing than the last! It was plenty fine for her friends to be concerned about her, but this was going too far. This was going WAY too damn far!
Where were they? These mutinous, traitorous so called friends of hers. She silently vowed to track down every last one of them until one of them admitted to the treachery she'd been victim of. How dare they take her off the list of duties! She'd made the thing up that morning. The whole point of the thing is that people had set duties that they couldn't change, not even the nobles and commanders were safe. None but her had the authority to change anything on it. It was meant to keep the peace between commoner and noble in place, since the last thing she needed right now was a rebellion. And now someone had crossed out her name and replaced her with several different King's own men, none of which were at New Hope.
She took the corner fast, cutting the curve in a very time-efficient and collision inspiring way and was rewarded by slamming into the chest of a soldier.
"Get out of my way," Kel snapped without looking up to even see who she'd bumped – okay crashed, she admitted – into. If she looked up now she was either going to gut the man or flush with embarrassment, neither of which was in today's master plan.
The man's hands had gone to her shoulders to steady her, and now rubbed up and down her arms with slow soothing motions. Her embarrassment tripled. Because she felt her face redden, she refused to lift her eyes to his, which stood significantly above hers. Strange, not many men were that much taller than her.
She repeated her order while glaring straight into the man's well- muscled chest, and the rubbing stopped. But that was the only reaction she got. Did the man not understand common speech?
Hissing her disapproval, Kel prepared to tear the soldier to shreds, and was stopped as his fingers tapped her chin up. Still unwilling to face him, she closed her eyes. If it was just some tall recruit or Lord Raoul she'd be fine, but if it wasn't – if it was ...
"Mithros Kel! What have you done to yourself?"
"Crap." It was a resigned mutter. Domitian of Masbolle, Neal's cousin, her friend, and her current crush. He was truly quite handsome with his bright blue eyes. Of course it had to be him of all people. Anyone else witnessing this would have been a pleasant mark on a day which was turning out to have more rot than the old outpost, and that was saying something.
"Kel? Kel, at least look at me." Dom pleaded.
She opened her eyes. He was standing close, VERY close to her. His gorgeous eyes searching hers.
"Kel where are you rushing off to?" He thought he knew, but why offer yourself to pain.
This at least I can answer, she thought. "I have to go kill some friends."
One eyebrow rose in a perfect mimic of his cousin. "Any friends in particular? Or just which ever ones you find first?"
"The ones who changed the list of duties. No one is allowed to except me and you and you weren't here so... Dom, why are you here? I was under the impression you were at Steadfast." Kel looked at him suspiciously.
"Umm... hmm... well you see I was. But I'm part of the convoy that's supposed to take you back to Steadfast."
"Great." She was stepping around Dom when he muttered something else. She spun on him. "Could you repeat that for me? I don't think I heard that right."
"That would depend on what you heard." He leaned casually against the wall, but she knew he was braced for attack.
Nerves forgotten in her fury she glared at him. "I could have sworn I heard you say I was 'getting colder'. Care to explain? Because as I see this there are two possible ways you could have meant that comment, and neither of those are complimentary."
"Why do you assume the list was changed unlawfully?" It wasn't an answer per say.
"Unless you changed it, no one else has the authority to... DOM! YOU PIG-HEADED, MERCHANT TONGUED, SCANRAN SNAKE IN THE GRASS! YOU DESERVE TO BE STRANDED IN MAGGUR'S PALACE WITH THE TORTALAN FLAG STITCHED TO YOUR BACK AND YOUR HANDS AND FEET SHACKLED TO A FENCE OVERGROWN WITH THISLES!"
* * * * *
Dom tuned out and let her rant. She needed to get it out of her system; although some of the things she was threatening him with made him wince. He was not going to back down on this though.
Kel who always insisted that everyone do their fair share, seemed to forget to apply said rule to herself. Without fail, she signed herself up for twice or sometimes three times the duties she gave to others. Often she took the jobs of people who were sick or pregnant to ease the burden from them to her. Even now when she was the one too ill to work; she continued the pattern. Never had he been so sure that overriding her orders was so just. The own had taken one look at her and threatened to sign themselves up for her duties if he didn't.
Couldn't she see what they did when she looked in the mirror?
He'd been glad when she didn't look up at him immediately. She wouldn't have understood the anger and pain that had been plain on his face for a moment. Neal had told him it was bad, but not THIS bad.
It almost pained him physically to look at her. Her skin was chalk so pale she looked almost ghostly. Normally dreamy hazel eyes were dulled and bloodshot; underlined with dark smudges that were not the result of smudged face paint. Her body had slimmed from sturdy to alarmingly thin, even by court lady standards. Even through her clothes he could see the sharp angles that were all wrong on his lady knight.
What was she doing to herself? And why in the goddesses name hadn't anyone done anything about it! It wasn't as if they were lacking healers around here!
He realised he was scowling and quickly schooled his features.
"I'D LIKE TO TEAR YOU UP LIKE THE ORDERS I GOT FROM WYLDON, DROWN YOU IN STICKY PASTE, AND BEAT THE PULP LEFT AFTER INTO TINIER PIECES THAN THE HOLES BETWEEN THE CHAIN MAIL THAT ALANNA WEARS! THEN I'M GOING TO FEED YOU TO PEACHBLOSSOM AND ..." Kel was still shouting.
At least she hadn't noticed his slip. That could have been awkward to explain. He could just imagine it. Shuddering lightly at that mental image Dom started ferverently wishing for a servant, a stranger, a friend, hell even an enemy to interrupt the seemingly endless flow of insults slipping from her tongue. But with her being this loud it was unlikely anyone would be braving this hall any time soon.
Suddenly, the lady knight was onset with a wracking cough that expelled all the air from her lungs and let her draw precious little in. Dom instinctively reached out to steady her, ending up supporting her weight almost completely. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. She should be resting in bed, not lecturing him.
It was minutes before the fit subsided. When they did, she pushed him away from her then; even though the room was spinning and the nausea was turning her stomach. She wasn't weak and she wasn't going to let herself be seen as such. Particularly not in front of me, Dom noted with growing frustration.
"I'm taking you to the hospital wing." He held up a hand to her protest that she was fine, and her rather rude suggestion that he go jump off a cliff and land in a very shallow lake. "As I see it you have two options," he continued, "you can either come willingly with my support, or you can be stubborn and get yourself carried there. Either way, that's where you're going."
His voice was eerily calm, like someone who is trying desperately not to lose his temper, which he'd acknowledge was the case. He wanted to yell at her for getting herself so sick, but he also wanted to hug her and tell her everything was alright.
"I can walk by myself," she announced. She took a step and ruined it by fainting.
"Oh hell, Kel." Dom said as he caught her and scooped her up. He'd thought she had lost too much weight. Now he was dead sure. He'd carried her before while she was unconscious from blood loss after killing Blayce, and she hadn't been heavy. She'd been appealingly rounded and in sleep reminded a man of how fragile she really was. He'd been too worried at the time to affected by her physical beauty, but he was reminded of it full force his dreams.
Now she weighed less than some of his young nieces and nephews and was all angles. It sickened him, angered him, and (if he was being honest with himself) in scared the crap out of him.
People in the hall offered help but waved away their assistance. He could take care of his lady knight without them.
They let her get like this, he thought. They didn't deserve her! What was he thinking now?
The stupidity behind his thoughts reminded him of a comment Neal had made. They had been discussing Kel's victory over Blayce when Dom had come to the part about her scaring him to death by lying there bleeding to death. Neal had retorted, "Living with our Kel has been such an education. Sometimes when she comes in for healing and explains how she got hurt I'm not sure whether I want to yell at her or just shake my head and laugh. She gets you out of hellish situations, but makes life hell for you."
Now Dom added, "She makes life hell for you, but she makes hell worth living."