Note: in chapter 1, I said that the emperor died on their seventh day on the island. I am changing that. it was about four weeks that they were there happily. Not one.

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Kel and Dom began the long journey home the next morning. Kel was sad to leave. Other than the last two days, she had had a wonderful time. She was leaving friends, both old and new, but this trip back was the mark of something new for Keladry of Mindelan.

A new life. A life as a married woman, expected - even if not by her husband - to stay at home and produce heirs and daughters to marry off. A life where she was expected to host parties herself, without her mother, and to dress up and sit quietly with her husband at Midwinter.

But Kel pushed those thoughts to the back of her head, and proceeded to enjoy the last week of her honeymoon.

The trip back to Tortall was the only thing left. They had been planning on staying for two months, but they left almost a month early. They thought it was the most acceptable course of action.

Dom was much more relaxed on the trip home. He was not nearly as excited, he and Kel both knew that this was probably their last chance for relaxation.

"Good morning." He said, sitting down at the small breakfast table with Kel.

She smiled. "I saw you already, Dom. We sleep in the same room, remember?"

Dom shrugged. "That doesn't matter," he said, pouring himself a cup of tea, "I didn't say good morning then."

"Yes you did. But that doesn't matter." She sighed. "I love the relaxation, but there is nothing to do on this boat."

Dom smiled. "I know what you mean. I have spoken to a few men here; a lord from some southern fief I had never heard of. He was a long way from home. A few gents from Corus, I think. I can't quite remember. Either way, none of them were very interesting.

"I'd like to think that there would be more entertaining people on this cruise."

Kel frowned. "What am I, chopped liver?"

Dom rolled his eyes. "Never mind." He said.

INTERMISSION

ah ... writers block! I have been sitting at my computer for almost two hours now, and this page is all I have written. I am sorry if most of this chapter sucks. I have some great ideas, I just don't know how to lead up to them. Give me time!

END INTERMISSION

Five more days they spent, bored out of their minds, the only thing to entertain them was each other. They rarely got chances to practice; as there was not quite a large enough space. Every time Kel tried a glaive dance, it would be tight to start with, then passers-by would stop to watch, and she would be afraid of hitting them.

But the company was good.

There was no one waiting for them at the port. No one was expecting them home for weeks, but no one would bother coming to the port anyway. But one thing neither of them realized before they checked into their inn, was that they needed to find a carriage with a driver who was willing to go all the way to Corus.

They left five days later, when a carriage came into town.

Kel tried to keep on the bright side.

"Think about it. We can relax with our friends as well, have more to do, be comfortable where we are, and be there for emergencies."

Dom raised an eyebrow. "Why is this a good thing?"

Kel smiled sheepishly. "You know that's not what I meant. I meant that if they need us for anything, we are there. What if war broke out while we were away?"

"We wouldn't worry about it, because we would be on our honeymoon. When we came back, though, we could go about saving the country. That is how you do it, right?"

Kel punched him. "You're just jealous."

Dom kissed her. "You are right, oh beauteous one. I long for the power you hold in those soft, smooth hands, the strength carried in your perfect posture..."

Kel punched him again.

"Ouch!"

She bit her lip. "Sorry, Dom. The power in my hands is just too great. I can't help it." Dom glared at her. She grinned.

"Fine. I walked into that," he said, chuckling. "But it still hurt."

Kel kissed him. "Is that better?"

He looked frustrated. "No, it's not. I think you're just going to have to try again."

She laughed and kissed him again. "Wait, I'm starting to feel again..." he said. "A nice tingle there, I say. Try again, will you?"

Kel laughed. "You are going to end up digging yourself a pretty big hole, you know."

Dom shrugged. "It's worth it." He said, kissing her.

Most of the trip passed slowly. It rained, and the roads were flooded. Kel and Dom spent a lot of time trying to help the carriage driver get out of the mud.

"You don't have to help, my lady." He said. "This is my responsibility, I cannot expect this from you." He was very polite, but Kel just shook her head.

"There's no way I am staying all alone in the boring carriage. The action is out here!"

"She just wants to prove a point." Dom muttered to the carriage driver. Kel punched him.

The carriage driver shook his head. "If you say so, my lady." He went back to pushing.

"It looks like we are going to have a pretty wet season this year, don't you think?" Kel asked cheerily.

Dom looked at her. He was soaked already, and slowly sinking into mud. Kel was just as wet, and about knee deep in mud. He just shook his head in disbelief. "I don't know how you do it." He muttered.

They arrived in Corus by the end of the week.

Dom stepped out of the carriage and stretched. "I must admit, it's good to be home."

Kel smiled. "That is true. I wonder who is in the castle today. Anyone we can sneak up on, you think?"

Dom laughed. "I'm sure Meathead is around somewhere." He turned to the doorman that had come down the stairs. "Bring the bags to my rooms." He paused as the man lifted two bags. "Wait." Dom said. The put the bags back down. Dom looked at Kel. "Which room?"

Kel looked perplexed. "I'm not sure." She said. where would they stay? Kel had always loved her rooms, but did Dom feel the same way? It made sense to stay in her rooms. They were bigger, at any rate.

"We could go to mine. They are bigger than yours, and I am quite fond of them."

Dom shrugged. "Doesn't make a difference to me." He turned back to the doorman. "To Lady Keladry's rooms, please." The man nodded and scurried away, laden down with a trunk.

Kel was glad to be coming into the palace like this. She liked being pampered every once in a while, as long as it was not just because she was a woman.

"Where do you think he is?"

Kel raised her eyebrow. "I was kidding, you know."

Dom grinned. "I wasn't."

They walked down the halls in search of Neal. After wandering for quite a while, they heard his voice.

"He's around this corner." Kel mouthed to Dom. He nodded and pointed in that direction. They tiptoed over, and Kel peeked around the corner. Neal was there, chatting with Owen and Merric.

"In a few years," they heard him say. Kel caught a few words that Merric said in his quiet voice. "She will be the ruin of us."

After a few minutes, they said their goodbyes, and – thankfully – Neal turned around and walked directly towards Kel and Dom. Kel held three fingers up for Dom.

One. She dropped one finger. Two. She dropped another. Three. She dropped the third finger, and they jumped out.

"Argh! I have come to pillage!" Dom yelled.

Kel didn't get a chance to say anything, she was laughing so hard. Dom sounded terribly silly, and Neal blanched and stepped backwards, his eyes widened horribly.

He sighed a breath of relief. "My god, you two scared the life out of me. Gods!"

Kel grinned. "It was his idea." She said, pointing at Dom.

Dom looked at Neal innocently. "It was her." He said bluntly.

Neal just stared at them, not caring about who's idea it was to scare him. "What are you two doing here? You're not supposed to be back for another three weeks!"

Kel's smile faded. She glanced at Dom. "We will tell you, of course. We just need to find Yuki and Shinko first."

Neal nodded in disbelief, and they went looking for their Yamani friends.

Kel explained it to them as quickly and as carefully as she could. She really needed to tell the king, but she knew she had to tell her friends before the king did.

"I am sorry, I really do need to tell the king." She said. "I will come by later, alright?"

Yuki nodded slowly. Kel understood. They had thrown a lot at them at once. Turning up unannounced, announcing that the emperor had changed in the girls' homeland.

She told the king as soon as she got an audience with him. He nodded gravely through her story.

He sighed at the end of it. "I guess I will be needing to send someone over there to make peace with the new emperor?" He said.

Kel shook her head slowly. "I don't believe so, your majesty. The emperor is Nokuro, the last emperors son. He has the same beliefs as his father, and he thanked us. I think he understands that we are his ally."

The king nodded. "Thank you for telling me. You are excused."

Kel bowed and left.

Days passed slowly. There was little happening at the palace. All of the recent rain and floods had made it hot and humid, and everyone moved lazily. The most exciting thing that happened was the soldiers that came through so often, fresh from dealing with the floods of many valley and river towns. An old woman swore at her when she was on her way to talk to Lalasa, but she quickly put it out of her mind. It had always been a fairly common occurrence when she was a green knight, but usually just from nobles. It wasn't really that exciting to her.

Kel was getting bored. She was indeed itching for action now, though she did not think she really wanted battle.

Her wish came in the form of something she did not expect a few months later. She had been at the palace for four months now, and nothing was happening. Kel practiced twice a day, read a lot, and spent time with Dom and her friends. But something was not right. Why was it so quiet? Dom assured her she was just being paranoid, and she tried to believe it, but something deep inside of her told her it was not right.

Kel was sitting, reading her past journals, when shots ran through her head.

An old lady swearing.

"She will be the ruin of us."

"That is what you are here for. To protect me, and the people."

Memories that had not come to her in months:

"Destruction follows you, don't you know?"

Blood flowing to the ground from the wounds of unnamed men.

"You do not deserve to be here, wench."

"She will never get a husband. She looks like a cow!"

Urine on her rooms floors her first few days of school.

"What are you trying to do, get yourself killed?"

"You are going to get yourself killed!"

"You were too rash, you could have been hurt!"

Kel put down her book. Why was she thinking of these things? What had sparked these thought? Were they even connected?

She tried to push the thoughts to the back of her head like she usually did, but they kept popping back. He tried to calm herself, but they still agitated her. Finally, she went to her desk and wrote down everything in her head.

She moved them around, tried to find a connection. She gave up when the thoughts gave her peace, and went to sleep.

"What were you doing at your desk?" Dom asked the next morning. "You seemed pretty concentrated, you didn't even notice me come in and go to sleep."

Kel sighed. "I don't right know. Listen, you go to breakfast, I want to stay here and work something out. I will see you later."

She kissed him. "I love you."

He smiled. "I love you too." He kissed her again, then turned and left.

Kel walked quickly to her desk and was met with a strange surprise. Her noted were different than they had been the night before. And they all pointed to one thing.

Kel was destructive. She left a path of death and pain behind her. She was in a downward spin. She had not saved the emperor when she was with him. His children had all been fine without her. Every expedition she had been on had battle in it. There was only one thing for her to do to save Tortall from her own personal destruction.

She had to leave Tortall.

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bad a bum!

Eeppoonnaa: glad you enjoyed it so much!

Dragon shadows: sounds good. It doesn't really matter much...Its not going to show up again, as of late. No, it's not too much to ask. But that doesn't mean you'll get it. Jokes, jokes. I'm going as fast as I can. If it wasn't 11 o'clock on a school night, I would keep writing for hours... my brain is bubbling!

Gwenny Girl: thanks!

Wake-Robin: I doubt it. I was just enjoying myself SO much, I didn't really want to stop.

SeaStar: whatever, we can still chat through reviews or what not. I don't usually talk to people I haven't met outside of forums, anyway. But I'm glad you enjoy the story!

PsychoLioness13: Wow, this is a long one. Ok: they were so formal because they were being silly, at least, that's how I thought of it. And she probably still would call Kel by her title, because Kel is still a noble, and she is a guest. Also, princesses were not that high... oh well. No matter. I don't believe it is a separate sentence for the 'he said.' I tried it in this chapter, and it doesn't seem right. I think the comma is when you are interrupting the sentence with a 'he said.' As in:

"I guess," he said, "I should go talk to her now."

Get it? I could be wrong, though. That's just my thought on the matter. Oh wait. You mean the capital letter. Wow, I just realized that. I have no idea.

I feel stupid.

Mage Light: Yay indeed!

Pinky: they are indeed! It was short...there was a reason...and I had nothing left to write about!

Lady of Masbolle: argh! Jealous! There are books of gold? Eh.

A reader: ah, but if you read my first story, Good Things Come to Those Who Wait, you would understand. It is 31 chapters, so I will summarize: Raoul and the king let them get married. That's about it. I am of the belief that it is fanfiction, you can tamper to make the story go your way. If you want to add something in history, go ahead! If you want to change a minor characters personality a bit, go ahead! That is what creativity is for.

Well, that's it. I will probably have something up I a day or two. My brain is literally boiling over with stories!

"I am comforted by the octopus at night. He is all warm and cozy, but sometimes he wets the bed."

-unolimbo