Disclaimer: Tamora Pierce owns it all except for a few unfamiliar characters that I might add later in the story.

Summary: What if Keladry of Mindelan was bolted in the castle after killing Blayce not allowing anyone acsess to the keep, what happens when a surving Scaren soldier stumbles across her uncouncious form. Both sides of the story (Dom and Derek(and eventually Kel))

A/n: this is my first story please review and constructive criticism is welcome as well as any suggestion what so ever.

Derek put down the limp body in his hands before sitting down himself, panting hard. The weight of the knight was absorbing his energy quicky. If he had not had the glaive to steady himself he would not have been able to stay upright while nagivating the castle.

After a few minutes he regained his breath, and was able to wobble once again to his feet. As soon as he stood straight the world went out of focus and he staggered attempting to remain standing. As soon as the dizzy spell passed he lent against the wall trying to figure out the best method of transportation to the nearest town.

As if luck was finally on his side for the first time that day, He saw a brown blob near the woods that surrounded the keep on three sides. As he approached it, the blob slowly came in to focus revealing a horse, a large horse at that, most likely a war horse. As he approached even closer, still holding the glaive in his hands, he saw that the saddle was in fact a war horse saddle, made to keep the rider in the saddle despite any sudden movements the horse might make.

As soon as he got within range of touching the large beast it whipped around and attempted to bite him, only to be stopped by the rope that tied him to the tree, for what reasons Derek could only guess, but was certainly grateful.

He had jumped back when he saw he horse attempting to grab onto him. When he saw, however, that he was out of range, Derek once again started to approach the horse, this time with a little more caution. The horse's head swiveled around and stared him in the eye as if challenging Derek. He approached the horse's lead which was quite thick, and grabbed at it, the same time that the big strawberry roan lunged forward. His hand throbbed with pain and the gelding's large teeth made their mark on his thin leather gloves, and created bruises on the hand below on it. Derek yanked down hard on the lead with the hand not in the gelding's hand.

It snorted with surprise and released his hand quickly. As soon as the horse had recovered from the sharp yank he once again leaped forward. This time Derek was ready and whipped his hand down hard, yanking down the rope, stopping the beast in mid-lunge. He grinned, he had tamed the beast! As its head came forward again he revised his previous mental victory to - "well sort of".

After about five minutes of the horse attempting to bite, and Derek stopping him, the gelding calmed down enough to look at him carefully without trying to bite him. Derek then tried something new he pulled as hard as he could on the rope that he had untied from the tree. The gelding took a step forward before realizing what he was trying to do to him, and backing up and pulling Derek with him. Derek wouldn't give up yet! Using all of his strength to yank down the rope, he managed to get the gelding to stop. He then pulled again and the same thing happened.

After about another five minutes, man and beast had reached a truce, Derek wouldn't yank as long and the gelding followed his gentle tugging. With that in mind he set back off quickly towards the castle and the dying knight. The horse followed slowly, hoofs dragging and head hanging with sadness. As the walls came closer and the knight within sight the horse picked up his head with his ears pricked up with interest.

The closer they got the more the horse seemed to perk up. When they were within 100 yards the horse started to pull Derek along attempting to reach the unconscious knight against the wall quicker.

Derek realized that this must be the knight's horse, for the beast seemed to react to him. Besides only animals from Tortall would react in the type of manner that the horse had upon sight of his master. Derek grabbed the horses rein and tied him to a very short rein about five feet away from the knight. He pushed the wounded man on to the horse and laid him against the gelding's neck before mounting the horse himself.

He kicked the stubborn beast into a steady, though a bit slow, canter, heading to what he hoped was the nearest town with an experienced healer.