Book Two of Keladry, Lady Knight
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Chapter Three
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Midwinter, 460
Corus
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Kel's routine was soon put back into place. She rose early, and met with Princess Shinkokami and the other Yamani ladies to practice with her glaive. Occasionally they played fan toss with a shukusen. Kel was pleased to be reunited with her mother for the first time in almost a year.
After her workout, she went back to her room and roused Tobe and Lilla, who were the best of friends. She led Tobe through his staff work, with little Lilla watching curiously.
Then wherever Kel went for the rest of the day, the children would be only two steps behind her. She felt like a mother duck, with two little ducklings hanging on her every minute.
Her report to King Jonathan was not a big deal. Kel informed both him and Lord Wyldon that everything was fine, and made a request for more troops. In truth, it was a formal excuse to bring her to Corus, for Owen's sake. The King hinted at this, but he did not voice it. Wyldon, however, surprised Kel as she was about to leave.
"May I have a word with you, Lady Knight?" he asked. The king excused himself. Kel turned back to the man who had once been her training master.
"Yes, Sir?" Kel asked.
"As you know, young Jesslaw's Ordeal is only days away. The knight who was formerly to be present was called away from the palace. My squire looks up to you. I think he would be much relieved if you were to take part in his Ordeal."
"You want me to help you instruct Owen in the bath?" Kel asked skeptically.
"We'll instruct him after the bath," Lord Wyldon answered him. "Quite frankly, I think Owen would be disappointed if it was any other way."
"Very well, Sir," Kel said at last. "I would be honored."
…..
Three days later Midwinter began. To Kel's relief, Owen was first in his year of squires to take their Ordeal. Kel spent the day with him, reassuring him that he would survive. After all, he was not one of Joren's cronies. He was a genuinely good young man.
"Don't worry, Owen. You're going to be fine. And then when it's over, you'll be a spectacular, bandit-catching knight," Kel said. "You'll probably feel pretty stupid when that you fussed so much."
Kel did not tell him that she was to be there with him, at least for a little while. She left that to his knight-master.
Lilla liked Owen. For hours on end, she allowed him to read to her from a book of faerie stories. Tobe worked on a lesson in numbers that Kel had set him to. Occasionally, when she glanced at him, she saw him sending dirty looks at Owen. Tobe was jealous!
Kel smiled to her self as her eyes followed Tobe's. Lilla's head was leaning on Owen's chest, and his head was resting on hers. They were both soundly asleep. Kel decided to let Owen be, for she knew that the more he rested, the easier the Ordeal would be on him.
…..
Kel waited with Lord Wyldon while Owen scrubbed himself from head to foot. When he opened the door, he was dressed in the plain white cotton clothes that all the squires wore for their Ordeals. His brown curls were damp, and stuck to his head. He stepped solemnly aside to permit Kel and Lord Wyldon. Kel smiled warmly, and Owen seemed momentarily reassured.
Ritual dictated what each of the knights would say.
"If you survive the Ordeal of Knighthood, you will be a Knight of the Realm," Wyldon began. Kel listened as he finished, then followed with her own part.
"To wear the shield of a knight is an important thing. You may not ignore a cry for help. It means that rich and poor, old and young, male and female may look to you for rescue, and you cannot deny them."
The knights continued back and forth, reminding Owen of his duties, to keep her word, and heed the rules of chivalry.
At last Lord Wyldon opened the door to the chapel. Kel felt cold air sweeping towards her, as she had only a year ago. Owen walked into the chapel, and the door closed with a loud click.
"Thank you, Lady Knight," Wyldon said. Kel gave him a small bow, and left.
Kel only lingered for a few minutes at the first of the Midwinter balls. She supposed that her dislike for the functions had rubbed off from Lord Raoul. Not to mention that many of her friends were not present, due to the war. Face Yamani polite, Kel greeted Roald and Princess Shinkokami, and then took Tobe and Lilla back to her room. It was just an hour past sunset. The two children claimed that they were going to stay up all night, as Owen had to do. They sat on their bed, legs crossed, and hands on their knees, in mediation pose. Slowly, their stance relaxed until they were lying down.
Within a half an hour, Lilla nodded off, and Tobe was not far behind her. The excitement of life at court was exhausting for them. Kel tucked them into bed, and then went to her own room. She sat on the bed with a book, intending to read the night away by the flickering light of a single candle.
Eventually, the sun went down, and then the words became blurry.
Kel woke with a start. In the few minutes that she had slept, her candle had guttered out. The moon shone in through her shutters, casting slivers of dull light on the form of a person. It was a big person. Kel felt for the dagger that she had left on the bedside table.
"Kel?" asked a very familiar voice.
"Cleon?" Kel sat up and lit the candle, shedding light on her friend's face. He kneeled beside the bed and met her lips with a kiss. Kel pulled back. "What are you doing here? I thought you married Emilian of Aminar," she said when she recovered from her initial shock. Cleon shook his head.
"There was an accident," he said. "There was more flooding, and she was trapped. We lost a lot of our people; only two survived. Kennan is no more, so I brought Mother here."
"What will you do?" Kel asked.
"We've got a little money. Mother will be fine here until Kennan can be rebuilt. And I can survive on my own. I came to see where I will be posted."
"I'm sorry, Cleon," Kel said.
"Kel, I didn't love her," he said slowly. "I love you." Cleon kissed her again. Kel didn't fight him. Her skin felt tingly, and butterflies bounced around in her stomach. The last time she had seen Cleon, she had thought for sure that she didn't love him anymore. But now, when he was there, and her mission to stop the Nothing Man was over, Kel felt the warmth creeping back into her.
"I love you too," she whispered, leaning into his arms. "I love you so much."
Cleon moved so that he was sitting beside her legs on the edge of her bed.
"I love you too," he breathed, as she leaned in to share another kiss. Suddenly he pitched to his left, and was sprawled on the floor. Tobe stood above him, wooden practice staff in his hand.
"Oh, Tobe, It's okay. He's a friend," Kel exclaimed, jumping up.
"What on earth?" Cleon asked. Tobe smiled sheepishly at him.
"Sorry." Lilla peeked around the doorway.
"Cleon, this is Tobeis, and that is Lillan," Kel said. She introduced the children to Cleon and told him how she had acquired them.
"Protector of the Small. My night and day lily, you haven't changed a bit." Kel smiled at the flowery name. She saw Tobe scowl at Cleon.
A small trickle of blood ran down Cleon's face from where he had scraped his head on the floor. Lilla came over to the man, who, sitting on the ground, was eye level with her. She reached up and put her hand over the scrape, green light glowing around her fingers.
When she pulled away, nothing was left on Cleon's head but a small scar. He stared at Kel in wonder.
"Lilla!" Kel said. "Why didn't you tell me you could do that?"
"I din' know, m' Lady," Lilla said quietly.
"Then how did you know what to do?" Kel asked gently.
"It 'ust felt ri't," Lilla answered. "B'sides, 'twas only a li'il cut."
"She should train with Neal when we go home," Tobe suggested.
"Where is home?" Cleon asked. "Haven?"
"New Hope," Tobe corrected. "Haven was destroyed." Kel smiled at him.
"It's almost dawn. Why don't we get ready to go wait for Owen?"
"'ill be Sir Owen," Lilla said. "I kno' it."
"Go on," Kel prodded the children towards the door.
"So Owen made it to his Ordeal?" Cleon asked when they had left.
"Yep," Kel said, stretching. She was still dressed in the gown she had worn to the ball the night before. "He has such a big heart. I know he'll make it."
"Well he survived with Wyldon as a knight-master," Cleon said with a chuckle. Kel smiled as splashed cold water on her face. "Kel?"
"Yes?" she asked, looking up from the towel that she dried her face with. Cleon came towards her and took both of her hands in his.
"I hope that we can find time to talk before you leave Corus," he said. "There is much I would like to discuss with you."
"I'd like that," Kel said quietly. Cleon leaned towards her and gave her a small kiss.
"Midwinter luck, Kel," he said. Kel was blushing when she excused herself and went into her dressing room. Kel changed into a tunic, shirt, and breeches, in the colors of Mindelan.
When she came back into her room, Cleon was not there, but in the study, sitting on the chair at the desk. He was listening as Tobe and Lilla recounted Kel's fight with Walken at the inn in Videre. But Kel interrupted to say that it was nearly dawn.
…..
When the door to the Chamber of Ordeal opened, Owen stumbled out, sweaty and tired, but in one piece nonetheless.
He was knighted that night.
Sir Owen of Jesslaw.
Kel could see the pride in his eyes, as he was presented with Jesslaw's shield; a tan field with a dark red mouse, and a brown border running around it. Owen's own crest, a small scarlet star, open at the bottom, with a dot in the center, was printed underneath the Jesslaw mouse. Owen's twin sisters, who were three years younger than he, presented it to him.
Afterwards, Kel hosted a small party in her quarters, as Raoul had when she was his squire. Prince Roald came and congratulated him, as did many others, but this was not the only party that night, so many only stayed for a few minutes.
Cleon was present the whole time, as were Kel's parents, and Prince Roald. Everyone wanted to congratulate Owen.
Lilla fell asleep early, exhausted by the healing she had given Cleon, and Tobe tucked her into bed, and closed the door so that she could rest.
Before she knew it, Kel realized that it was very late. At home she never would have been up as late as she was. Oh well, it was Midwinter. Now only Owen remained in the study.
"Thank you, Kel," Owen said. He stood in the doorway, ready to clamber down the hallway and fall into his bed. "You helped me. Oh, and you were right; I do feel silly that I worried so much. It was a hard experience," Owen paused here to shudder. "But being a knight is so jolly. Thanks for believing in me."
"You're very welcome, Owen," Kel said. "Good night."
Kel started thinking about her first year as a knight. New Hope was doing well now; it was her home. She knew that when the holiday was over, she would return to New Hope, and things would go back to normal. She resolved to bring sweets for the refugees.
But for now, during the remaining days of Midwinter, she was just going to enjoy being Keladry of Mindelan, instead of a commander.
A/N: So what doyou think? I would really love to know (wink, wink) :D
To: cloverluck11,Miss Lyss, thingy of um thingynes, Kings Lioness, Ayve, queentigress, Confusedknight, and rhoda:
I'm so happy that you're enjoying it. Thank you for your much appreciated reviews.
To anyone else who is reading, I thank you as well. I am trying to finish the next chapter, but I am not sure when I will be able to get it up. For now, please R&R.
Thanx,
L. O. B.