For my small fan base… another K/N. Thanks cat lady no.1 (I think that was your name), my first reviewer. I disclaim characters et cetera.
"Play"ing Around
"And if I have failed you – pray you forgive me… what a piece of crap!"
Merric chuckled as Neal complained about his current line. Kel – who was standing on the other side of the mess hall was being measured for dress sizes – glared sharply at him, something he barely noticed.
As an initiative to bring New Hope together for Midwinter, Kel had agreed to help run a play. Raoul had written commending her work – but she knew he was laughing with Buri, the married couple were inseparable.
Merric had immediately opted out picking props as his job. Tobe was badgered into being a messenger boy. Neal – the player he is – went for the main role, but received the side story, a romantic tale, of humour. Kel… well she ended up acting following the pestering of Fanche. Even worse, her role was opposite Neal.
Merric leant back on his seat. "Queenscove – just say the line – you talk like that half the time." Neal leapt off the stage and tumbled Merric off his stool.
Neal was holding his wooden sword at Merric's throat as Kel stumbled across, drawing the sword aside. She gave Merric a hand up, and shook out her dress.
"No more messing around boys. Merric – you should continue making props, and Neal, would you just learn your lines." She stumbled back to the far end of the hall, and the women began fixing her dress again.
Neal grumbled, reading through the script. "How did I end up getting the second main. I'm deserving of better – not some side story."
Merric sniggered, painting a small wooden jewellery box. "I knew this midwinter play was a bad idea."
Neal sat on the seat nearest to him, and continued to read through the script for the first time. He mumbled away to himself, circling his lines and entries with a pencil. It was about two thirds of the way through the script, when he paled and fell off the stool.
Everyone ignored him, and Merric shrugged – expecting usual antics.
He got up and walked shakily across to Merric.
"I have to… well, you know… with Kel."
Merric looked sharply at him. "What? You have to?" Merric was completely off track.
Neal looked incredibly uncomfortable. "I have to kiss Kel. Many times. Many, many times." He passed Merric the script, who flicked through.
"It's only five times," he noted, trying to be positive. "Though two are extremely passionate." Neal whacked him over the head and marched off to find Kel.
0-0-0-0
Kel sat in her room going through the script.
"Love, what is love? Have I reached a point where I have none? Did I lose it? Why, I would give anything to have it returned to me." She stopped speaking and turned to the next page. "For I would give anything, even a…"
"SHIT! Kel where are you?" Neal barged into the room.
She stepped back abruptly. "What? Do you need something?" Her eyes glowed with laughter at Neal's contemptuous air.
He blinked at her. "Do I need something? Yes, I do." His voice was getting more sinister by the sentence. "I need to know why we kiss five times – twice passionately?"
Kel passed out.
0-0-0-0
Neal swaggered into the mess hall the next day. The rest of the cast was already there, including Kel, sitting uncomfortably on a box. No amount of arguing was going to get them out of this fix – as Fanche concluded, they got themselves into this mess, and they have to see it through.
Rissa, a refugee player, was the director, and she walked to the front, to speak to them all.
"Good morning everyone. As you know this is a classic romantic comedy, written by Hertold, about twenty years ago. There is the main plot – Grace and Prince Matthew, and the two sub-plots – Francesca and Sir Alan, and the fight between Lord Edward and Lord Theyb." She cleared her throat. "I was hoping we could start with something positive, like scene 15 between Francesca and Alan. Could you please come up?"
Kel looked at Neal and stood reluctantly. He looked back at her green eyes dull. As they walked forwards, there was quiet muttering in the group.
Rissa smiled at them. "Do you know these lines?" They nodded in unison. "Good. Can you act through this, and enjoy it – don't stress."
Kel looked at Neal, and smiled reserved to the matter. He grinned back, green eyes glinting. Kel was then worried, but took on a more womanly pose.
"My Francesca, why do you hate me so?" Alan queried, circling her on a small stool.
She looked up at him quizzically. "What do you mean? Where did you hear such things? I do not hate you, I merely find you briefly agitating, but alas live with it."
He leant over her shoulder. "Grace did tell me that. She said you wanted not to look at me for fear that I should turn towards you."
"I did not mean that – more that you did say you love me so long ago – when we were young." Francesca turned towards him. "And what did you do to me – you ignored me for many a year, till you found interest in court again. Why do you do so?"
He grabbed her shoulders and raised her to full height. "My lady I did not mean to do so. And if I have failed you – pray you forgive me. I merely…"
Neal swore and walked away from Kel to the sheets. He had reached the end of the page, and drawn a blank on the next. After checking his line, he leant forwards and whispered into to Kel's ear.
"Let's make this fun."
Alan and Francesca did not remove eye contact. "I merely think you the most beautiful creature here, and have been awed and scared by your presence, for many a year now."
"You have?" Francesca seemed to circle around Alan.
"Yes." He grabbed her arm and pulled her in, leaning towards her face.
The room was dead quiet, as Neal kissed Kel warmly, straight on the mouth. And for some reason it felt right. He kissed her fervently, not wanting to let go, and Kel gripped him, giving up on sense. They stopped and floated apart. It was a pin-drop environment.
Eyes still focused on each other, Kel tried to speak normally, but only a whisper came out. "I'm… going to my rooms."
She walked out scared, nervous, and guilty.
0-0-0-0
On the ramparts, Kel took her turn at watch. Her eyes were full of tears that she didn't want to let fall. Her hands shook. No matter how much time she took away from the people around her she could only think about what she had done. She had turned acting into something else. Yuki had every right to kill her.
Footsteps behind her made her angry. "What d'you want?"
They stopped. "I'll go then." Neal's voice sounded as crazily mixed up as hers.
"No, stay." Kel mumbled slowly. Neal walked over softly and stood next to her.
There was beautiful silence for a few minutes.
Neal thought of what he did, what had been fun turned into passion. What had been passion was now growing.
"What do we do, Francesca?"
"You tell me, Alan. I'm not the one engaged."
"I'll be unengaged. Just like that." He took the ring from his finger. "Yuki – I think she guesses. I think she thinks about it already. I think she likes someone in the Own. I think we're both… not right for each other."
Kel smiled sympathetically. "I'm sorry, Neal." She placed her hand on his. "I'm here for anything. Anything at all."
Neal grabbed her hand and pulled her in staring her in the eyes. "One night, Kel, one night of letting our passions talk." She nodded and placed her hands around his neck, leaning in. Knowing that all her dreams and fears from one day were being realised in a moment.
0-0-0-0
"Neal? Neal?" He woke with a start, to a voice that seemed so amazingly diverse compared to before. The hand on his shoulder was warm and friendly, and the stomach his hand touched was smooth as alabaster.
"Neal, wake up!" He opened his eyes, seeing Kel.
He struggled, sitting half up like her, grabbing her around the waist, kissing her forehead. He looked at her face, a blank canvas, waiting for him to say something. He didn't, so she did.
"Is one night enough?"
"No – was that passion?"
"No."
The lovely silence returned. Neal stroked her hair; she slid down next to him.
A knock on the door destroyed it. With a look they both worked out that they didn't care. Kel called out.
"Who is it?"
The voice was soft. "Merric. Kel, rehearsal starts soon and Neal's disappeared."
"Hmm." Kel didn't really care. It was all ok to her. "Come in Merric, you won't see anything."
The door handle clicked and he walked in, closing it behind him. He looked across the room and found Kel in the bed. Then he found Neal in the bed.
Neal raised one eyebrow.
"What have you done? Are you crazy – this is completely… well, crazy!" Merric exclaimed in one breath. "I'm SEEING something here – you said I wouldn't see anything!"
Neal laughed. "I have no idea what I've done, but me and Kel aren't going anywhere for today." He chucked his key at Merric. "Send Yuki the letter in the top draw of my desk."
Merric left – totally incredulous. He ran the whole camp for a day, and avoided the passageway near Kel's room. He wanted nothing to remind him of it – no sounds, sights or thoughts.
Neal and Kel appeared at dinner – separately. They both ate and left quietly.
0-0-0-0
The next few weeks were ordinary. Neal and Kel were doing a great job on their script and the play was going well. No one discussed them, the camp had enough respect.
Then a letter appeared from Yuki.
Neal sat on calmly at his desk, with Kel laying on his bed, relaxing after training in the morning.
He smiled and laughed throughout the whole letter, before turning to Kel. "It's all good. Yuki is happy with a lovely man in the own. She's happy… so we can be…"
Kel jumped up and swept across the room. Her lips were on Neal's, like they were so used to – intermittently since the first rehearsal.
0-0-0-0
The Midwinter play was a huge success, Kel and Neal being standouts. Afterwards they snuggled out in the yard, happy by the gate. A trumpet call came and was answered by the sentry. In rode a squad of the King's Own.
Domitan of Masbolle was covered with dirt, and smiled, noticing the figures, sitting quietly wrapped in a blanket.
He nodded to Kel, then asked Neal, "Is Kel better than Yuki?"
"You have no idea."
"Then I'll have to try Kel one day."
"Over my dead body."
0-0-0-0
I'm not sure if people will get the hint at the end (Y/D) but, yeah. Hope you enjoyed. And to those who did read this, it would be appreciated if you reviewed.
Kelly.