The next morning, after a troubled sleep (full of nightmares about what was happening in a certain other tent), Kel had breakfast with the men of the Own. Dom, as he had hinted the previous night, was absent.
Raoul had laughed himself silly when Kel stammered out Dom's request for a later meeting time. She still wasn't sure if he had been laughing at his sergeant's audacity or his squire's obvious shock. She fervently hoped it hadn't been the latter.
The day dawned cold and gray, typical of autumn, but in stark contrast to Kel's emotional climate. She was boiling with jealousy and confusion. She sat like a lump on a rock near the cooking fire, nibbling at her bacon and stubbornly ignoring the men's loud company.
"Well, hello there my friend... my wonderful knight-mistress has decided that it isn't time to rise until the sun begins to set, so I've come to beg for food."
Neal. Talkative Neal. Why Goddess, why! Kel nearly growled when he sat down on the unoccupied stone between her and Raoul.
Neal looked at her, green eyes piercing.
"My, but you're a grump this morning. I'd almost rather wake the Lioness than sit by you. Almost." he added, digging into a plate of oatcakes.
A few minutes later, when Neal had finished eating and Kel was still silent, he grabbed her by the elbow and dragged her to her feet.
"Let's take a walk."
Once they were well away from camp, Neal turned to her and said, "Alright, I heard what happened. But I don't see what the big de... oh."
She scowled at him; he turned red.
"You, um, so... you like him. I see, well..."
When she finally spoke, Kel's voice was hoarse. Yamani training let her control her face, but her voice was another thing entirely.
"He flirted with me. He was so nice, and handsome and I thought... I'm so stupid."
"No, you're not. But didn't you notice, he flirts with everyone. He likes pretty girls, and he's good at getting them to, erm, like him back." he patted her shoulder awkwardly.
"You mean that girl wasn't, you know..." or at least, she hoped he knew.
"Mithros, Kel, did you think Dom was a virgin!" Neal stepped back, flabbergasted.
"No... I never thought about it like that. I never saw him around other girls, just the men. I guess I figured he was all pretty talk and no, um, action, like..." Kel trailed off, embarrassed.
"Like who?" he asked, eyebrows raised. She shuffled, looking at her feet.
"Well, like you."
"Me! You think," Neal realized he was on the verge of shouting and lowered his voice, "you think I'm a virgin!"
"You're not?"
"NO!"
This conversation had gone from merely uncomfortable to painfully embarrassing. Kel stepped back, surprised.
Neal said, "Kel, it's okay, I'm sorry." at the same time she blurted, "When?"
He stared at her for a moment, then blinked and said, "Before I was a page. I'm five years older than you, Kel. It's not a big deal."
Kel was quiet. It was all too much. Walking in on Dom; learning this new truth about Neal; and the irrational feeling of betrayal rising up in the back of her mind. She muttered a goodbye and walked away. Neal didn't stop her.
Kel walked past rows of tents, heading back to the cook fire. She was about to pass Dom's tent when the flap moved. Quickly, she ducked behind a neighboring tent, peering around the corner.
Dom stepped out, looking sleepy, and murmured something back into the tent. With a rustle of her rose-colored skirt, the girl ducked out of the tent. Dom pulled her to him, finger combing her messy golden tresses.
"I'm sorry I couldn't find a brush..."
"It's alright," her voice was soft and playful, "I'll just tell them I went for a ride this morning."
She smiled, showing dimples on either side of her small pink mouth.
"In the same dress you wore yesterday?" he wanted to know. She giggled in reply and stood on her toes to kiss him. He closed his eyes, looking like he wanted to carry her back into the tent.
Finally, she walked away, leaving Dom and Kel to, respectively, envy and admire her slender figure. She glanced back once, gray eyes sparkling. Dom grinned and strolled off toward the cook fire.
After waiting a minute, Kel followed him, fighting the urge to grab her glaive and hunt the girl down.
Author's Note: I hope you don't all hate me. I've created what I think Kel's worst nightmare would be, because she funny in awkward situations. This is my first story, and I'm not really sure where it's going, so review and offer suggestions!