Kel awoke with a start. She'd been having a most peculiar dream. She'd been dreaming that Dom had walked her to her room, looked her head to toe when she'd only been barely clothed, then stood over her when she'd been drowsing in bed.

Sitting up, the covers fell away to reveal her breast band from the day before. As she always made it a point to change before she went to sleep, Kel had to wonder if her dream might have been a foggy recollection of the previous night's events.

She clambered out of bed, and moved to where her packs lay open against one wall. They were empty, but then this was no real surprise. Tobe always made sure her things were ready for her in the morning, regardless of how late they were awake.

Finding the necessary items to clean up with, Kel quickly dressed, reviewing how she felt after a solid day's ride and no sleep the night before.

It was as she was finished putting her soiled clothes into the bag designed to keep dirty and clean separate that she realized that it was much later than she was used to waking up. However, thanks to the afternoon hour, she was no longer tired, but there was an odd feeling inside her. One that she hadn't encountered for a long time.

"But it can't be that," Kel muttered to herself on the way to the conference rooms, "It just can't. It would be too difficult, besides what if -"

"Talking to yourself, Lady Knight? It always the quiet, pretty ones who go mad first." Dom's teasing lilt sounded from the doorway through which Kel was about to travel.

She smiled at him, then said, "Quiet, maybe, but pretty? I think you've been hitting the bottle a little too early in the day if you think I'm pretty."

Dom frowned, "Now don't say that. You're not classically beautiful, you're too tall for that, but you have a good bone structure, and a natural grace that a lot of noble ladies would love to have."

"I doubt that a man who might come a-courting would care how graceful I am, Dom. This is a ridiculous conversation. Nobody here thinks I'm pretty or even cares, so long as I can keep up my duties."

"I think you are very pretty." Dom said in a quiet voice.

Kel blinked. She was unaccustomed to this type of flattery. It made her squirm inside, and the funny feeling increased.

"Thank you." It was the only thing that Kel could manage through the lump that suddenly appeared in her throat. She could feel herself blushing slightly as she and Dom stared at each other. Steps coming down the hall in a hurry broke her gaze from his. Turning, Kel found a heavily breathing Tobe watching them with an air of suspicion and confusion. He turned fully to Dom, raised one eyebrow, and then looked back at Kel.

"Milady, did you sleep well?" Tobe voice was laid with concern.

Kel smiled at the boy, so much like a mother hen to her.

"Yes, I slept very well. In fact, I just woke up not too long ago. I was going to see if Lord Raoul was in here." Kel indicated the doorway in which Dom was standing. He stepped back into the room, bowing and sweeping his arm out in a grand gesture.

"Then, milady, please don't allow me to hinder your process. I fear, though, that your search of this room will be fruitless."

Kel laughed at Dom, his suddenly solicitous nature bringing a slight frown to Tobe face. Kel stepped over the threshold, took a quick look around, and then turned to Dom once more.

"I do believe, kind Sir, that you are indeed correct. Unfulfilled though may my traverse be, however, I shan't give up. I shall persevere. I will continue my search, and vanquish all who stand in my way!"

Applause erupted from the doorway. Raoul, Buri, Neal, and Yukimi were clapping wildly as if they were watching a Player on stage. A small, embarrassed smile spread across Kel's face at the sight of her friends' antics. Dom laughed along with the group, while Tobe smiled at Kel in a bemused sort of way. Kel propped her hands on her hips.

"Ah, I am in this grand place for naught a day, and already I am to be the laughingstock?" She questioned humor in every word. She joined in with the mild remnants of laughter, and then jumped when she heard a familiar voice cry,

"Lady Keladry!"

Lalasa, Kel's former maid, now a respected seamstress with a shop of her own, ran into the room, and threw her arms around Kel in a hug. Kel laughed again, and returned her friend's affectionate embrace.

"Lalasa, you seem to be keeping yourself well. How are things at the shop?"

"Lady Kel, things are positively wonderful, and I have hired two girls to watch over things for me while I am here."

Kel separated herself from Lalasa, and motioned everyone to enter and be seated. Kel turned back to Lalasa while everyone else was finding seats.

"That reminds me, are you here for the celebration? It seems like an awful long journey, even to see me."

Lalasa laughed, and sat next to Kel, with an open chair on her other side, as if waiting for someone. Kel noticed the strange behavior, especially when the rest of their group skirted around the same chair.

"Truth be told, Lady Kel, it's not just you I've come to see. I am working on Lady Yuki's gown, and I am visiting -" her words were stopped by the arrival of another of Kel's friends. Owen of Jesslaw had always found bandit hunting to be "jolly", and after receiving his shield, returned to the north to where they were still cleaning up Scanran raiders left and right. He smiled broadly at Kel, then came and sat next to Lalasa. He took Lalasa's hand and kissed it lightly, causing Kel to frown in confusion. Normally, Lalasa would flinch at a man's touch, even that of Neal, who was a Healer. Yet here was the self-same Lalasa, having her hand kissed by Owen, and not recoiling at all. In fact, Kel was amused to see, Lalasa seemed very much to enjoy Owen's greeting, and went so far as to pinken slightly. It all clicked together when she realized that only she, Neal, and Tobe seemed to have noticed anything out of the ordinary.

Kel watched her traveling companions for any sign of distress at Lalasa and Owen's new found relationship. Neal blinked once, shrugged, then turned to talk quietly with Yuki once more. Tobe didn't seem to realize what a big step this was for Lalasa. He just imitated Neal. As Kel's eyes swept across the room, she met Dom's gaze. He was watching her with the same dark sparkle in his eyes as the night before. When someone coughed, Kel looked away, blushing slightly.

"Now, Kel, am I to assume that you have many reports for me?" Raoul asked cordially.

"Yes sir, I have them all completed and ready to be turned in. I'll just go and get them." She made to stand, but was motioned to return to her seat.

"No rush, all is well?"

"Yes sir," Kel replied, sitting back down, "Everything is running smoothly as ever at New Hope. Quite honestly, I couldn't ask for a more peaceful village."

Raoul smiled.

"Glad to hear it. Now, as for our upcoming celebrations, I'm sure you have not previously been informed of your duties."

"My duties, sir?" Kel frowned slightly at the look on her former knight-master's face. It had that air of innocence that made her think he had some devious thought going through his head.

"Yes, Lady Knight, your duties." He nodded once, and tossed an amused glance to Buri.

Kel sat up straighter in her chair.

"I assumed I would be asked to help with the watch and guard, sir. I never realized you had special duties set aside for me."

Buri and Yuki started to chuckle, Neal joining in after a moment or two. This was not looking good, she thought, whatever they are so happy about cannot be a good thing. Not with the way they're looking at me.

"Oh yes, a very special duty is being placed upon you. And I expect you to uphold it as you would any other assignment." Raoul stared at her with the glint in his eyes that meant trouble if she didn't. Not that she was afraid of him, she'd spent far too long with him to be truly afraid of him, but that glint was another matter. It never did bode well for those who ignored that glint.

"Of course sir, I wouldn't think of shirking."

"Good," Raoul nodded again, then said, "You are going to be the bridesmaid in the wedding ceremonies next week."

Kel stared at him, shocked, surprised, and flattered. Her friends laughed at the expression on her face.

"Why me?" It was the only thought she could comprehend.

"Because it was you who introduced Neal and I," This from Yukimi, who had gathered enough composure to speak clearly. Buri was the next.

"And if you hadn't convinced Raoul to invite me to his family's house for dinner that one night, we probably wouldn't be together now."

"You were the logical choice, especially for the joint wedding." Neal looked at her with amusement.

"I don't have anything to wear." It seemed silly as soon as it left her mouth, but it was out, and Kel couldn't take it back. She flushed slightly as her friends laughed again.

"Lady Kel," Lalasa giggled, "Why do you think I found someone else to watch the shop? I'm here, not only for the brides' dresses, but yours as well."

Dom straightened at that comment.

"Lady Keladry, in a dress? Now that's something I have never seen."

Owen and Neal laughed.

"Kel used to wear a dress to supper every night," Owen explained, "I think it was to remind us that she was a girl. Not that any of us could forget. She kept doing things, like stopping the bullying and hazing of the pages, and being a teaching assistant to Master Oakbridge, who taught deportment."

Neal nodded gravely in agreement.

"I remember the first fight she ever got into, she was in a dress." He looked at her, amusement in his eyes, "Not one of your brightest moments I'll give you that."

Kel chuckled and shook her head.

"Don't go filling Dom's head with your nonsense. True, I haven't worn a dress in ages, but where's the practicality of that when you're at war? It won't do to have to hike up your skirt, in order to bludgeon somebody with a glaive or sword."
"Oh yes, and imagine trying to get the blood out of fine silk." Lalasa joked, causing more laughter to ensue. They spent a good hour discussing wedding plans and being generally light-hearted. Even so, after all that had transpired, Kel left the conference room with the beginnings of a headache.

"Too much talk of wedding paraphernalia?" Dom had caught up to her, on her way back to her rooms.

She laughed softly, and replied.

"I suppose so; I guess I never realized how much was entailed with getting married."

Dom laughed, then said,

"At least you escaped having to hear about it all week. Buri and Yuki arrived four days before you did, Lalasa one after them. Just imagine what a bear Lord Raoul was before his beloved got here."

Kel smiled, knowing exactly what Raoul was like when he was away from Buri for too long.

They arrived outside her doorway. Dom stopped her before she turned to go inside. He looked at her with a sudden and exciting seriousness.

"Kel," he started, and then stopped.

He looked down at her with such endearing confusion, and uncertainty, that Kel took the decision out of his hands, and leaned up to his kiss his lips. A sweet rushing feeling filled her veins, and the funny feeling in her stomach increased, as he swept her close to him. She could feel his heart beating a tempest against her own, rapidly racing heart. This was new to her. She'd never had this surge of feeling quite like this before. All too soon, Dom shifted backwards, pulling away slightly, and looking into her lust-fogged gaze.

"Keladry, I-"

Hurried footsteps down the hall brought their attention to the young boy who arrived quickly at their side. Tobe looked sharply at Dom, and took Kel's hand away from Dom's shoulder where it had come to rest.

"Milady, Lord Raoul would like to see your reports now. I thought maybe you had gone for a ride, but our mounts were still in the stable. What are you up to?"

Dom took a full step back, putting air space between them. She shivered at the sudden loss of his body heat against her. Tobe tugged lightly on Kel's arm, and pushed her into her room. He closed the door behind her, leaving her, alone, on the opposite side of where she wanted to be.