Just a little notice: this chapter is slightly gruesome. I don't want to have to raise the rating for this one chapter, and I don't think I will have to, but be warned. It does get a little bit vicious.

Kel wandered around the palace early in the morning, while Dom was still sleeping. She did not feel like practicing quite yet, but she dressed in light breeches and a tunic anyway.

She paused in front of one of the tapestries in the front hall. It was very large; it covered from only a foot or so from the ground up far above Kel's head. It was incredibly intricate. Persons in it had tiny stitched eyebrows and Kel could even make out the sun reflecting off of the Yamani women's dark hair, even on such a faded tapestry. She tried to make out the story. As far as she could tell, a beautiful young woman was being romanced by a young man.

Kel leaned her head over to examine it carefully.

"The young woman is Yama, goddess of fire, in her human disguise. She was the most beautiful of all the women, wooed by Tryanaki, a young peasant boy."

Kel spun around. "Your Majesty Tokiyama!" She said, bowing deeply.

The emperor ignored her, but stood beside her, looking at the tapestry. "Yama was wooed by many men, but she saw through them all. Tryanaki was the only man who was truly pure, so she made him the first emperor of the Yamani people." He looked at Kel and smiled. "Their ancestors still rule. I do not know how many generations it is. Thousands of years, though. This is only a weak replica of the original. It hangs in the royal temple, for all who wish to pray to the image of Yama."

Kel stared at it. "I never noticed it when I was young. I as too busy running around it."

The emperor nodded. "It matters not. You could stare at it for hours at a time and still not learn of all the secrets woven into it. I have a few favourites." His eyes sparkled. He pointed to the largest picture of Yama's face. It was barely tow inches tall. "If you look closely, gold thread is woven into her hair. Legend says that it looked like the sun was always shining off of her, even at nighttime, but really, it was her fire inside, shining through her skin.

"The original is even more intricate. An entire season of my studies as a prince was to look at it. Every morning at sunrise, I would sit down in front of it, and stare into it's depths, and not move until I had too little light to see it. I still do not know even half of it's secrets."

"Wouldn't you get sick of it?" Kel said, shocked.

The emperor chuckled. "Never. Every person sees something different in it. I understood the power of Yama, but not many notice that. Tell me what you see."

Kel peered into the depths of the tapestry. Her eyes hurt from focusing on stitch after stitch.

"The water." She said.

The emperor did not say anything.

"When Yama is close to the water, it pulls away from her. But when Tryanaki stands in the same place alone, his feet almost touch the surf." Kel said. She was not sure whether that was important or not, and she did not quite understand what it meant.

The emperor clapped slowly. "Wonderful. You saw that the water was scared of Yama. It means a few things. For one, even when disguised, there is always someone who can see through you. The water knows she is made of fire, and draws away from her, so not to hurt her."

Kel felt a shiver through her as he said it. "Secondly," he continued, not noticing Kel's shiver, "it shows that everyone has weakness, but that that weakness can be used to your advantage. Yama probably can control the water, it is not known. I believe she can, as she built her world on the water, but that does not matter. The water believes it will hurt her, but it also believes that she has power over it. Thus, the water will try to protect her from it hurting her. She uses her weakness to her best advantage."

Kel nodded thoughtfully. They looked deep into the painting in silence for a few moments.

Boom!

The ground beneath them shook; plaster crumbled from the walls.

"Was that supposed to happen?" Kel asked quickly, knowing she did not really need to ask.

The emperor shook his head. "Come on," Kel cried. "We've got to get you to safety!" She lead him down the hall, away from where they could hear more crashes and screams. She reached to her side. She had no weapon. All she had was a small knife tucked into her boot for emergencies.

"This could get messy." She mumbled. "Your majesty! Where can I find a glaive?" She did not have time to go back to her rooms. She needed something fast.

"There is a ceremonial glaive down the hall in front of the throne room." He said. "But it is covered. And we must run fast, I hear footsteps approaching!"

Kel nodded. They sped down the hall, but the emperor was old, and laden down with robes. Kel was not five feet from the glass case housing the glaive when the enemy caught up with her. She ducked underneath a swinging sword and pulled out her knife as she did it. her enemy thought she was unarmed, and did not rear back. She jabbed her knife in his face and turned to swipe at one behind her. A third man was about to lift his axe to the emperor. Kel threw her knife, and it landed in the dark shadows under the mans helm. He was dead before he hit the ground.

"Are you alright?" Kel asked, breathlessly. "The emperor nodded, pulling off his outer robes so he could run.

Kel looked up at the glass case. She didn't have time to get the key, or even find the clasp. She picked up a sash the emperor had dropped to the ground and wrapped it around her hand. She punched the glass and watched as it fell to the ground. She discarded the sash and pulled out the glaive. It was an old glaive, heavy, but balanced. It would have to do.

They ran down the hall towards the back gardens. Where were the guards? Why had none come to rescue their emperor? Was he not their first priority?

"Where are your guards?" She asked.

"They are at the door, or with my children."

"What?" Kel snapped. "They should be with you! Those three men could have killed you!"

"That is what you are for, then." He said. "My heirs are more important, that is what I told them. They find the children first, then me. They are probably on their way."

Kel grunted as she ran. She made a few wrong turns, but the emperor called her back. They were almost out, when four men ran in from that very exit.

"Well, well!" One snarled.

Kel gripped her glaive. More men came and circled them, until they were outnumbered eight to one. She spun slowly on the spot, trying to find the weakest link. She had to start somewhere.

She lunged forward and stabbed a man. He fell to the ground. The men started to close in on her, and she swung and stabbed faster. But her glaive was heavy and dull, and it was weakening her. She slowed down unwillingly, but somehow still kept the men at bay.

But somehow, without her noticing, a man slipped towards the emperor. He raised an axe, and Kel saw it glint in the light pouring in from the gardens.

She ran towards him to stop him, but her fighting had moved her to far from the emperor. She leapt forward at the man, but she was too late. The axe came down on the emperors head. The blunt side of it hit him on the skull, and he fell to the ground, bleeding from the head. The floor was wet with blood.

Kel screamed as she stabbed the man. She swung her glaive again, striking the next man, but it seemed as though more came and replaced them. There were still ten men in front of her. There were eleven bodies on the ground, not including the emperor. Three more men ran in the entrance as she counted.

She heard someone cry out behind her. The men all looked away from her, and she swung, chopping the heads off of two men in one stroke. They rolled to the floor. She hooked her glaive around particularly covered mans armour, pulling it off of him. She then hooked her glaive on the armour on his back, and pulled. He cried out as she pulled, splattering herself with blood and flesh.

She looked to see who had come. Dom was running towards her, holding his sword in one hand, her glaive in the other, and her sword in his hilt at his waist.

She nodded to him, and he threw the glaive over the men. She caught it in one hand and threw her glaive, blade first, into a man. It ricocheted off of his armour, and he doubled over, winded. Dom brought his sword down on the mans back.

"Where are the guards?" Kel cried.

As if on cue, five guards came rushing in. Kel was thankful for it. Dom had given her sword to her, and she used that now. Her arm was exhausted from holding up the heavy glaive, and she needed a different weapon, but event that was not enough. As soon as the last man was dead, Kel collapsed against the wall.

Dom instantly came over and kneeled beside her. "Kel, are you alright?"

She nodded slowly. "I haven't been practicing enough. I'm already tired."

Dom smiled and held her. "You were wonderful."

Kel shook her head. "I could not protect him." She said. "I fought sloppily, I could have saved him."

Dom shook his head. "No, Kel. There are twenty seven bodies here, and there were nineteen when the guards got here. No more could be expected of anyone."

Kel wiped the sweat from her brow. She found blood on her sleeve when she did. There was a small gash on her cheek, directly on the apple. She had not felt it happen, but it was bleeding now. She looked down. Her tunic was speckled with blood and flesh, and there were pools of blood on the floor around her. Frantic guards were putting the now quite dead emperor onto a stretcher to be taken to a healer.

Kel had failed to protect him.

She retreated to her room to bathe. Dom had to search for a maid to fill the bathtub, but finally, Kel soaked in its warm depths.

Talking in the rooms drew her out of the tub. She dried off and slipped into the darkest, most demure dress she had brought with her. She was not prepared for a funeral, but she had a simple, charcoal grey dress with a v-waist and not very low cut neck. The sleeves were tight right up to her hands, covering the base of her palms. It brushed along the floor around her. It looked heavy and uncomfortable, but it was not.

Kel brushed her hair and stepped out into the study. Nokuro and Yokimi were standing there. Kel curtsied to them. She walked up and kissed Yokimi on the cheek. "I am sorry, Yokimi. I have failed you."

Yokimi shook her head. "Do not say that, Kel. I do not blame you, nor did my father. He knew his time as ruler would soon end, and he will watch from the heavens as his son is crowned emperor.

Kel turned to Nokuro and curtsied deeply. "Your majesty." She said.

Nokuro nodded gravely. "Please, Keladry," he said, "I am not emperor yet. I am still Nokuro."

Kel nodded. "Of course."

Nokuro and Kimi did not stay long, as they had many things to do, and many people to speak to.

Kel and Dom were left alone in their rooms to reflect upon how horribly askew their honeymoon had been.

"I think it would be appropriate to leave a few days early." Kel said. "Take the first boat that departs after Nokuro's coronation."

Dom nodded glumly. "I guess that would be proper. How long do they wait before they crown him?"

"He will be king at sundown tomorrow."

A desolate air hung over the palace. The people did not look different, they looked as emotionless as always. They spoke differently, though, and they did not dress in the normally bright colours of the Yamani people. It became a dark place.

The coronation was a dark affair as well. Not a smile, not a congratulations before Nokuro entered the throne room. The coronation was long and complex, but Kel sat through it all with a high head and a heavy heart. Barely an hour after he became emperor, Nokuro was attending his fathers funeral, which was also a sad affair.

But there was something different that afternoon. Kel did not notice it right away, but people were smiling. They smiled when they were in the presence of the emperor. And they were wearing brightly coloured sashes again. Their cloth was still black, but they were slowly bringing back the brightness of the Yamani way.

A great ball was planned for that night, in celebration of the coronation. Kimi paid a visit to Kel's room barely an hour before the grand dinner began.

"I have come to make sure you do not continue wearing black," she said. "I know it is your way to mourn for long periods of time, but we do not mourn after the funeral. We believe that life continues after death, and there is no need to mourn, as once he has been buried, he has moved onto the godly world, and there is no need to feel sorry for him. we have lives to live!

"We actually dress more brightly." She held out a bouquet of flowers to Kel. "I realized that I did not give you a wedding present. I give you flowers from the imperial gardens, the most sacred of flowers. I thought you could adorn you hair with them for the ball. If you wish, of course."

Kel smiled and thanked her. "They are beautiful." She said.

Kimi nodded. "You can not find them anywhere but these gardens. At least, the ones I picked. That way, everyone will know that you are held in the royal family's highest regard."

Kel smiled. "Thank you, Princess Yokimi Yamani."

Kimi curtsied and smiled back. "You are ever so welcome, Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan and Masbolle."

Kel showed Kimi out and went to get dressed. The flowers Kimi had given her were small orange blossoms, not unlike forget-me-nots, but orange. Kel wore a bright yellow corset dress that Lalasa had made for her that she had not worn yet. The dress was canary yellow, with a slimming corset and sleeves that only attached to the dress under the arm, with a floor length, slightly puffy skirt. She assembled the flowers in her hair, and the smell of them was a strong and as sweet as any perfume.

Dom had left the room to wander around much earlier, and Kel did not wait for him to return. He was waiting for her at the doors of the ballroom, so that they could make a proper entrance.

"You look beautiful." He said, holding out his arm.

Kel kissed him. "Thank you." She said.

Dom told the doorman their names, and the great doors swung open.

"Sergeant Domitan of Masbolle and Lady Knight Keladry of Masbolle." The doorman called out.

Kel mingled in the party for a little while, greeting old friends of both hers and her fathers.

She was called to the throne later in the night. She was not surprised; many people in the court were called to the throne when the emperor wished to speak with them.

Nokuro nodded at her when she got there. "Sergeant Domitan," he said, first to Dom, "I am forever indebted to you for your bravery for a country that is not even your own. You fought off Scanran hordes alongside Yamani people, and we could not have done it without you. Thank you."

Dom bowed and stepped back.

"Lady Knight Keladry." He said. He smiled. "Kel. Thank you. You defended our emperor better than our greatest warriors have ever done. You fought through over twenty Scanrans, and my father failed to survive, you continued to fight off the cretins that wished to destroy our simple kingdom. Those Scanrans were headed directly towards the throne room, where we were hidden. The five guards that ran to help you were almost all of the guards with us at the beginning of the attack. They would not have been able to protect us from those men, they were just not strong enough.

"You attempted to save an emperor, but you ended up saving a kingdom. I thank you."

Kel was about to curtsie, when Nokuro rose. "I bow to the both of you." He said, and he bowed deeply. Kimi, standing beside and behind the throne, bowed as well. The guards around them bowed. The people in the room all noticed and bowed as well.

Kel looked at Dom uneasily. She reached over and intertwined her fingers with his.

Nokuro rose. "May you have a safe trip home tomorrow, and live long and prosperous lives." He said, and pinned a small gold medal on each of them. "You get these only for defending our country as well as your own. Your other acts can not be rewarded, as they are priceless.

"I'm sure they're not completely priceless." Dom mumbled as they walked back down the aisle away from the emperor.

Bum bad a dum! Second chapter, yay!

Mage Light: thanks, I've got so many good ideas, I just have to make sure I haven't used them before... hee hee.

Wake-Robin: so true!

Dragon shadows: Well, I did not know that the emperor was her uncle not her father, but it doesn't really matter, as it really doesn't affect anything, except maybe Kel telling Shinko that her dad has died...no big deal, right? And I don't think they have rice paper walls, because in the flashback where Ilane fights off those people in the Yamani Islands, she is in a real palace, isn't she? Either way, I don't think it really makes a difference. If I had read this review before I wrote this entire chapter, I would have changed, it, but alas, I've written 3000 words already!

Lady of Masbolle: yay enthusiasm! I agree, school does not deserve enthusiasm.

Lady Crystaline of Jewel Cove: cool... glad you like it.

PsychoLioness13: I'm sorry. Don't worry, this chapter didn't have a cliffie!

Gwen: ho hum? Was it that bad? And I don't know about a mini Kel...I have too many other ideas, and I kind of did that in my other story, After the Deed...though that was different.

SeaStar: Haha...I'm sorry, I was going to put fluff in, but I forgot...I absolutely promise there will be fluff soon. And no, I don't have aim. I don't really know, is that any instant messaging?

Laelai: thanks...

Dreamerdoll: thanks!

Warrior of Tortall: nh, they can figure it out. You guys all did!

Legofiance: haha...tru dat.

Smiles28: glad you like it.

Alannalovingwrite: haha, I've done that with stories before. It is hard with such long stories! The good thing is you don't have to worry about cliffhangers, though!

Lady Helada: hmm...alright, then. So if I look for a story, it will be under your other name?

Well, that's it for today! No notes...that's it!

'Fear can sometimes be a useful emotion. For instance, let's say you're an astronaught on the moon and you fear that your partner has been turned into Dracula. The next time he goes out for the moon pieces, wham!, you just slam the door behind him and blast off. He might call you on the radio and say he's not Dracula, but you just say, "Think again, bat man."'

-unolimbo