Thanks to the people who reviewed! As for the shortness of the last chappie, that was a bit of an introduction. Just so that people would realize that it was Neal's wedding day and everything. Anyway, here goes! Oh, and BTW, this is a KelNeal. Woo!
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Tamora Pierce, lucky woman.
Keladry of Mindelan's limp figure was quickly dragged inside the closet. No one else had been in the hallway at the time, so no one had seen what had happened.
Inside the closet, a person bent over Kel. In a husky voice, he? she? said, "Oh, you'll regret what you did. You'll feel the same pain, the same sadness, the same sorrow." He or she waved a hand that glowed blood-red.
Kel sat up. Her eyes had glazed over. She looked the essence of a zombie, although I doubt many zombies looked like Keladry of Mindelan.
"Don't worry, girl," said the person. "The spell will wear off after a certain – event - has occurred. Then you'll be back to normal. At least, as normal as you can be after I'm done." He or she gave a short, slightly high-pitched laugh, strange with such a husky voice, and slightly insane. "Although, after what you'll have gone through, you couldn't possibly feel at all normal." He or she gathered her up in his arms to carry her.
Yuki looked in the mirror once more, just to make sure everything was perfect. She could barely contain her excitement, Yamani mask or no. Her handmaidens had left to give her a few last minutes to think. She breathed deeply, meditating. Today was one of the most exciting days of her life. She didn't know full well what that meant.
Yuki looked in the mirror and saw the door open. She saw a woman come in. "Who might you be?" she asked.
"That doesn't matter. I was sent to bring you to somewhere." the lady replied.
"Where?" said Yuki.
"It's a surprise. Nealan of Queenscove sent me." Yuki figured that it had to be all right if Neal had sent him. She didn't know what a lie that was. She didn't know that this could be the biggest mistake of her life.
She followed the stranger into the hall. She led Yuki to a small room. Once they had gotten inside, she said, with her back turned, "Surprise." Then she turned around.
Neal shifted nervously from foot to foot. The ceremony was about to start, and he didn't see Yuki anywhere. "Where's Yuki?" he asked one of the bridesmaids.
"We left her for a few minutes, to give her some time to meditate before the wedding," said Lady Yoshiko. She smiled at him, or as much as a Yamani can smile, and said, "Don't worry. She'll be here when the ceremony starts."
To pass the time, Neal scanned the crowd. He saw his parents; his mother looked like she was about to cry. Alanna the Lioness and her husband George were there, and so were Raoul of Goldenlake and Malorie's Peak and Commander Buri, Esmond of Nicoline, Prosper of Tameran, Merric of Hollyrose, Faleron of King's Reach, Cleon of Kennan, Dom, Fanche, Kel's parents, Irnai, Numair and Daine, Owen of Jesslaw, Saefas, Seaver of Tasride, Tobe, Lord Wyldon…. Wait! Lord Wyldon?
What was the Stump doing here? The Stump detested Neal. The Stump disliked Neal. The Stump despised Neal.
Neal decided it must be some sort of thing ex-training masters do. He continued scanning the crowd. Yes, that looks like everybody, he thought, but it was with a feeling of unease that he realized that Kel wasn't here. He passed it off as helping Yuki, giving her a pep talk or something, but the feeling of unease was still there. Something was not right here.