Author: jessalae
Disclaimer: Not mine.
A/N: Text in / is thoughts.
Two Days
Neal's vision was very, very off. It looked as though someone had taken reality as if it were a bedsheet and given it a good shake. Now his father's face was wavering in front of him like a flag flapping in the wind, and it was giving him a headache.
Slowly his vision returned to normal and the headache disappeared. The tint of green around his father's hand disappeared as he rested his face on it. "Neal, what am I going to do with you?"
"Huh?" Neal asked, articulate as ever.
"What were you thinking?" Duke Baird. "How many times have I told you, don't use lots of glue inside unless you have a window and a door open! You don't lock yourself in your room and proceed to glue down everything in reach!"
"Is that what I did?" Neal wondered hazily.
"Yes! And then you passed out from all the fumes! You're lucky the maid was coming by to clean, otherwise who knows how long you would have been in there!" Duke Baird frowned. "Incidentally, why were you gluing things to your shelves in the first place?"
"To stop Aludra from breaking them," Neal replied, shaking the last haze from his head. "When she's mad she slams doors."
"And what have you been doing to make your sister so mad she slammed your door hard enough to knock things down?" Baird put his hands on his hips, glaring down at his son.
"It wasn't me," Neal protested, sitting up. "It was Kel!"
"So why was Aludra storming into your room?" Baird blinked. "Kel wasn't… in your room, was she?"
"What? No! Of course not!" Neal exclaimed. "She was in Dom's room."
"I… see."
"No, I didn't mean that the way it sounded." Neal waved his hands agitatedly. "She was talking to Dom because Aludra gave her some very cryptic hint that was really about me loving Kel, but I told Kel it was about Dom, and they ended up throwing Aludra's underwear all over the place."
Duke Baird closed his eyes and sighed. "I will never understand your generation. So, Aludra was mad about her underclothes being thrown around, and she slammed your door and broke things."
"Yes."
"So you decided to spend the next two days gluing down everything in sight."
"No, no. I glued most of it down on Tuesday," Neal explained. "But then on Wednesday morning I realized that I had forgotten that vase Aunt Mina sent me when I announced my engagement, and so I had to glue that too, and I left the lid off the glue jar and I must have fallen asleep because all I remember after that is waking up here."
"And why did you have to lock the door and windows?"
"So Aludra couldn't storm in again and knock things down before I was finished gluing," Neal said matter-of-factly. He frowned at the expression on his father's face. "What? It makes perfect sense!"
"Oh, nothing," Duke Baird sighed. "Speaking of you and Kel, have you decided how to tell her yet?"
Neal shifted uncomfortably. "Erm, no."
"Aludra's getting impatient, you know," Baird reminded Neal. "If you want Kel told on your own terms I would suggest you make up your mind."
"I know, I know… she hasn't said as much, but I think the ball's my deadline." Neal grimaced. "It just seems so… so cliché to ask her at the ball! That's what all those silly courtiers in stories do."
"True, but the silly courtiers always get the girl," his father reminded him. "Cliché isn't always a bad thing."
"But– but–" Neal whined.
"Enough! You sound like a five-year-old." His father scolded. He pulled back the bedcovers and offered Neal a hand. "If you have your heart set on being original, you still have tomorrow."
Neal stepped shakily out of bed. "I've got the rest of today, too."
"Oh no you don't," Baird replied. "You're spending the rest of today un-gluing everything you stuck on your shelves, and you're going to leave your windows and door wide open."
"Why?" Neal spluttered.
"Because the maids need to be able to clean those shelves. Because eventually you'll want to redecorate." Duke Baird started to walk towards the back room of the healers' wing, glancing over his shoulder at his flabbergasted son. "Because Kel is going to find out how you feel about her, and chances are you'll be moving into bigger rooms after that."
"Bigger rooms?" Neal followed his father into the back room. "So you think she feels the same way?"
"I wouldn't be surprised," Baird answered. "You'll have to tell her to find out, though." He handed Neal a chisel and some sandpaper. "Now get ungluing!"
One Day
Kel sat at her desk, staring at a piece of parchment as though she thought it might stand up and start tapdancing. Finally she picked up a quill and started writing.
Dear Yuki,
I hope your journey back to Tortall was a pleasant one. I'm glad you've decided to return. If Shinko hasn't already told you by the time you read this, all is forgiven in the matter of Dom and yourself.
I wish you had been here these past weeks. Everything has been very confusing. I met Neal's younger sister (You probably already know her, from the week you spent with his family when your engagement was announced) and she gave me some very cryptic clues. I'll spare you the details, but the end result is, I think Neal may be in love with me. Not sure, I just think.
What I'm really not sure about is whether or not I love him back. I think I could love him. I certainly thought I did when I was a page, but I'm pretty sure that was just a crush. Now, though… I'm don't know. It's not something I've given a lot of thought to, oddly enough. I was so preoccupied with Neal's feelings for me that I forgot all about any feelings I might have for him. I sort of thought I would figure it out when the time came, and that was it. And now I'm almost certain that "the time" will be the ball. I can tell something important is coming. I just wish I knew what.
- Kel
Kel stared down at her letter for several more seconds before putting it aside and taking out a fresh piece of parchment. Quickly she penned a note.
Dear Yuki,
I hope your journey went well. All is forgiven. Please come see me; I would like to talk to you.
Kel
She pulled her diary from its hiding spot in the bottom of her desk drawer and looked around for something to use to stick the first letter into it. Not finding anything, she stood up, folding the letter and sticking it under a book.
/Neal had some glue the other day. Maybe he's got a bit of extra I can borrow./
oO0Oo
Kel knocked on Neal's doorframe before stepping through the open door into his room. "Neal?"
His head popped up from behind a bookshelf. "Oh, hey, Kel. Just finishing up from yesterday." And odd scraping sound filled the room as he went back to his work.
"What are you doing?" Kel asked, walking over to take a look. Neal was on his knees, using a chisel to chip what looked to be dried glue off of a shelf. There were more patches on various flat surfaces around the room; a few had shards of pottery stuck in them. Kel gingerly poked a piece of blue porcelain, which didn't budge. "Gods, Neal, what did you do to this place?"
"Glued things to my shelves. Left the glue open and passed out." Neal's eyes never left his work as he kept chipping away at the glue. "Was reminded by my father that I may need to relocate some day." Chip, chip. "Spent all of yesterday trying to get this Gods-damned glue off my shelves, breaking about five things in the process." Chip, scrape, chip. "I managed to salvage most of my breakables, though. And I didn't much like the ones that broke, anyway." He blew away the last of the glue dust and started attacking the shelf with sandpaper. "I never was a very good sculptor."
Kel laughed. "I told you to practice your staff work instead, but would you listen? Never."
"Hey, I did after I gave up on sculpting," Neal protested. "Although I thought my bust of the Stump was pretty good."
"It looked like a pile of dung."
"Well, it was supposed to be more of an artistic representation than an actual likeness." Neal smirked at Kel's rolling eyes.
"Whatever you say." Kel glanced around the room. "I don't suppose you have any non-dried glue hanging around, do you?"
Neal shook his head ruefully. "My father confiscated it all. He said until I act old enough to use it, I shouldn't be allowed to."
"He has a point," Kel said. "Three-year-olds aren't usually allowed to have glue."
Neal brandished his chisel at her. "Unless you want this sticking in a very uncomfortable spot, I suggest you stop calling me immature."
"I never said you were immature!"
"You were thinking it."
"Hey, the truth hurts," Kel shrugged, backing to the door. "I'll just go see if the carpenters will let me have some, then." She left.
Neal glared at her fiercely. "I do not act like a three-year-old!" he muttered. "Five at the very least."
"Some might disagree," Aludra commented right behind him.
"Gaah!" he yelled, falling over backwards. "Aludra!"
"Yes?" she smirked.
"You– grr! Stop sneaking up on me!"
"But it's so amusing," Aludra complained. "Besides, I wasn't sneaky the last time I came in here."
"No," grumbled Neal. "And your oh-so-dramatic entrance is the reason I spent the entire day yesterday trying to un-glue all my breakables."
"Well it's not my fault you decided to deal with me forcefully. You could've just said, 'Aludra, please don't slam my door.'"
"Oh, like that would have worked."
Aludra considered for a moment. "True. You would do better to say 'Kel, please don't mess with Aludra's clothes.'"
"She wouldn't have been there at all if it wasn't for your little hints!" Neal returned to his work.
"That's true too. But my little hints may have made your job easier," Aludra said, backing away slightly.
Neal whirled. "What do you mean?"
"I… think Kel may have guessed."
"What!" Neal shrieked. "She knows!"
"I didn't say that, I said she might have guessed. They're too entirely different things."
Neal stood, glaring down at his sister. "Aludra, tell me what she knows, or I swear by all the Gods I will shove this chisel–"
"All right, all right!" Aludra backed up to the door. "No need to get violent. Dom guessed, I think, and told Kel. She's not sure if he's right, though."
"Oh, Gods." Neal sank onto the bed, his head in his hands. "You scared me, Aludra."
"Glad to be of service," she quipped before darting out the door. Neal scowled and moved to another shelf, resuming his work.
/She'd better not have guessed, or Aludra's going to be a very unhappy girl…/ He attacked a piece of glue a bit too fiercely, sending it flying past his head into the middle of the room. He heard an indignant "Ow!" and looked up to see whom he had wounded.
Cleon was rubbing his forehead, glaring resentfully at the bit of glue.
"Sorry," Neal called. "My hand slipped."
"I thought for a minute the room had been taken over by a vicious, glue-throwing little demon," Cleon grumbled. "But then I realized that no demon could compete with you."
"That's not nice," Neal protested. "I said I was sorry."
"Yeah," Cleon sighed. "I'm just in a bad mood." He slumped into a chair, tossing the piece of glue over his shoulder. "Neal…" he began uneasily.
"What now?"
"I think Kel knows."
"Oh, is that all. I've already heard all about Dom telling her, thank you very much, so don't try and freak me out all over again," Neal snapped.
"Um…" Cleon barely resisted the urge to start backing out of the room. "She came to me to talk about it."
"That's nice."
"I… think I may have told her too."
Neal turned around so fast his neck cracked. "You WHAT?"
Cleon's voice shrank to a whisper. "I told her."
"Now why would you do a thing like that, Cleon?" Neal's voice was dangerously calm, and the crazy grin on his face was definitely not a good sign. Cleon scooted surreptitiously away.
"I didn't mean to! She told me she thought she knew, and I panicked!" Neal was advancing on him, gripping his chisel tightly. Cleon hopped up and scurried for the door.
"I didn't tell her right out or anything," he wailed. "I just said 'since' instead of 'if'. I didn't think she would catch it!"
"Kel always catches it," Neal remarked, taking another step towards Cleon. "And you know what? I'm not going to risk that happening again. You are going to stay away from Kel. If she comes near you, make your excuses and run."
"But–"
"That's an order!" Neal roared, shoving Cleon out. Cleon squeaked and ran, crashing head-on into Lord Raoul, who was coming down the hallway.
"Whoa!" Raoul laughed, holding Cleon away from him. "Running late?"
"Yeah– yeah, um, I gotta go– yeah. Bye!" Cleon raced off, glancing warily over his shoulder. Raoul shook his head, puzzled and continued on towards Neal's room.
A rhythmic thumping made him pause at the doorway. Peering in, he saw Neal banging his head against a shelf. Alarmed, Raoul stepped in, timing himself so he could slide a hand between Neal's head and the wall. Neal felt the change in surface and opened his eyes.
"Hello!" he said cheerfully, and returned to banging his head.
"Stop it, Neal. Neal!" Neal didn't even look up. Frustrated, Raoul leaned down and roared.
"NEAL!"
"Gah!" Neal jumped back. "No need to shout, my lord. I'm fine. Oh yes, just fine." He sat back on his bed, looking slightly concussed.
"Sure…" Raoul stared at the younger man worriedly. "Speaking of which, what's this I hear about you and a certain former squire of mine?"
"Does everyone in this Gods-damned palace know!" Neal jumped to his feet and slammed his head against the wall again. Raoul grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him back to the bed.
"Neal, you've got to stop!" Raoul held him down until he stopped struggling. "What's the matter?"
"Kel," Neal gasped. "Kel is the matter. I love her, I do, and I don't know how to tell her and everyone's breathing down my neck about it and I just want to be left alone!" He wrenched himself from Raoul's grasp and dived for the wall head-first.
Raoul lunged, grabbing him around the waist, and slammed him back onto the bed. "Listen, you!" he growled, pressing down on Neal's shoulders to keep him lying down. "You are going to do as I say. You are going to stop trying to hurt yourself, calm down, and listen to me. I said stop!" he yelled as Neal thrashed. "Do you want me to tie you to the bed?"
"No!" Neal wailed. "I'll behave." He lay still. Raoul rolled off of him, keeping a hand on his arm just in case.
"Good. Now, I understand how you feel about Kel, and I understand that you feel pressured." Raoul grinned sheepishly. "Of course, none of the women that have been pushed on me have attracted me in the slightest, so I can't relate there. But I have been in love."
"Bet you didn't tell Buri your feelings at a ball, though," Neal snapped.
"No, I didn't. When I told her… well, let's just say the timing was a bit different. You and Kel wouldn't be getting into that sort of situation at the ball. After the ball, possibly. But not during." Raoul blinked. "Where was I? Oh, yes, pressure." He rearranged Neal so he was sitting cross-legged on the bed in front of him.
"I know your father's not a problem," he began, counting on his fingers. "Not your mother either, I would expect. Not Dom. Probably not your friends, from the way Cleon dashed out of here." He cocked his head to one side. "That would leave… your sister?"
"Aludra," Neal sighed. "She found out, and she's been threatening to tell Kel ever since. She's the reason everyone else knows about it."
"Sisters." Raoul shook his head. "I always thank the gods I don't have any. So, she's told you to tell by the ball or else?"
"Not in as many words," Neal replied. "But that's what I took from it. I just wish I could tell Kel on my terms!"
"So make it into your terms," Raoul suggested. "Don't think of it as a deadline from her; tell yourself that you'll tell her… by the time the minstrels play 'Before the Rising Sun', or before the pages start yawning, or when the first courtier falls over drunk." He clapped Neal on the back. "Life's what you make of it. Lying to yourself is sometimes the only way to get what you want. Otherwise you just end up going crazy." He indicated the slight dent in the wall. "Case in point." Raoul helped Neal to his feet and headed towards the door.
"I would go up and let your father have a look at your head," Raoul advised from the doorway. "Ladies don't like bruises."
Neal sighed and slumped back onto the bed.
"To hell with cliché," he muttered. "I'm telling her tomorrow and that's final!"
oO0O0Oo
A/N: And the moral of the story is, never let Neal have a chisel. I'll to the next chapter as fast as I can, but I want it to be good, so it may take a while. Patience is a virtue!