Dom sighed. "That would be wonderful." He said, tossing the wet clothes out of the tent onto a tree branch.
Kel stretched out on her bedroll. "No matter how sunny it gets," she said, "it's still going to be wet."
Dom rolled his eyes. "Food will make it better." He said. "Come on, we've got some sausage and stuff that will warm us up nicely, if we can get a fire going."
Two days later, they arrived at Mindelan. It was sunny still, but bloody cold. Winter frost was settling in. The geese had migrated south, animals were going into hibernation. The peasants at Mindelan were almost finished making their provisions for the winter.
Kel and Dom rode past the harvest festivities towards Kel's home. The front doors were closed, and there was no one out front. Kel slipped off of her horse and walked up the stairs to the door. She opened it slightly and poked her head in. "Hello?" She called.
Dom followed her inside, as they walked towards the back of the house. Kel heard commotion out in the yard. She smiled as she slid the doors open and looked outside.
Her family was sitting in a semi-circle, her brothers, her sister in laws, he nieces and nephews. Her mother and father were in the middle of the circle, fighting with glaives.
Kel sighed. "They are competing." She whispered to Dom. "Just for fun, of course, but I always loved it when I was younger. It is one of those things that my mother always wins at."
Sure enough, by the time Kel had finished her sentence, Ilane had Piers, without his weapon, hers pointed at his throat.
Without stopping to breath, Kel stepped onto the porch looking over where her parents were fighting. Two stone staircases led down to the ground below her, starting only feet away from her at each side. She leaned against the smooth railing as her family clapped.
Kel clapped too. Everyone's heads turned quickly towards her, as she stood atop the stairs, clapping slowly.
She let her hands fall to the side and she leaned on the railing again. She smiled. "I hope I'm not intruding on anything personal. I know I haven't been home in a long while."
Ilane set her glaive lightly on the ground. "Magic clouds my vision." She said. "Either that, or the goddess has given me back my daughter."
Kel grinned. "Hello, mother."
Ilane stood up straighter, collecting herself. "Well, Keladry! It has been a long while since anyone here fought you! Come give it a try!"
Kel ran down the stairs two at a time. Dom followed her more slowly. She hugged her mother and father when she got there, trying to stop herself from crying again. "I promise, I will do my best to explain everything." She whispered as she hugged them.
Kel was glad to be home. She spent hours talking to her mother, catching up on everything that had happened to both of them. It was the first time that Kel had spoken of everything that had happened to her. She felt so comfortable with her mother. Although she did feel comfortable with her friends and with Dom, she knew it was easier to talk to her.
They talked for hours. They did not leave there room for almost a day. It was dark when they came out.
But no matter how easy it was for Kel to talk to her mother, how comfortable she was at home, Kel knew that she wanted to go back to Corus. She wanted to be back for Midwinter. It was one of the things she missed most, other than her friends. She wanted to experience the celebration, the processions, even the balls.
Kel was right in believing that her parents were staying at Mindelan. If they had been going to Corus, they would have left much earlier. Nobles always left for Corus early in the winter, hoping to avoid frost and desperate bandits.
But Kel and Dom did not. They left only days before the first snow of the year, but they did not beat it home.
The snow fell wet and thick on their second night. Their third day consisted entirely of dragging tired horses through snow banks. Kel's cloth was soaked through with the wet snow, but there was no chance of it drying. The temperature dropped that night so that they wet snow dried into a sheet of white ice, and Kel's clothes dried into a sheet of ice as well.
On the fourth night, Kel slept badly. She kicked and rolled around in the bed roll, bothering Dom immensely, broke out in a cold sweat, and went very pale.
Dom felt her forehead. "You're burning up." He said, worried. Kel tried to lie still. "We've got to get you to a healer, and dry clothes. But at the rate we are going, we aren't even going to get there within the week. We have to hurry."
Kel closed her eyes. Dom was spinning in front of her. "Go to sleep." She heard his voice. "We'll leave first thing in the morning."
Kel got worse in the morning. Her forehead was burning up, her heart was beating out of her chest, and she had almost no water left in her, she had sweat so much out.
Dom bundled her in the bedroll and sat her on Peachblossom. He shivered in the cold. He could see why Kel was sick. It was bloody cold, wet, and dry, and Kel had not been very healthy to begin with – she had not had a proper checkup with a healer in a very long time, as well as her being stressed out.
She was sick – and she was getting sicker by the hour. She swayed on her horse as Dom tried to coax Peachblossom over the snow. The gelding did not want to go. The sheet of ice broke under his feet, scraping cold over his legs. Dom's horse was lighter, nimbler, and with Dom walking Peachblossom, was light enough to walk on top of the ice.
"Peachblossom, please cooperate!" Dom hissed to the gelding. "Kel is sick! She is going to die if you do not hurry!" He said pleadingly to the horse.
Peachblossom blew on him in answer.
Dom had no more problems with him. they made good time after that. After the next day, though they were about a day behind schedule, they were close.
"We'll be home tomorrow." Dom said to Kel as she lay in the tent. He brought her a cup of tea. She gulped it down, and then proceeded to vomit it back up outside of the tent.
Dom sighed. "Maybe we should just push it today. It's dark, but we could be there by daybreak tomorrow morning, if we pushed hard."
Kel shook her head weakly as she lay back down. "Just let me sleep." She said hoarsely. "I'll be fine." She smiled. "Don't worry about me."
Dom leaned down and kissed her forehead. His lips burned with the heat coming from her, and that worried him.
He could not help but worry.
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Okay, I know it's a little short, but I am coming up to some writers block. I am running out of ideas!
Dom lvr: I don't need an epilogue, it's not over, dammit!
Wake-Robin: yay pretty things.
Mage Light: wow... so many run on sentences, so little time...
GrapeStarburst: spice it up, dude! I know it needs conflict, but stew down the trousers would possibly render Dom or Neal infertile – depending on the temperature (and who gets dumped:)). Do we really not want pretty Dom or Neal children?
Smiles28: eh, no worries! You were at camp in October? Where do you live?
Dreamerdoll: don't worry, it will not end.
Lady of Masbolle: nope, no tantrum. I like subdued Neal better.
Goddess Usagi: of course, I cannot deny it!
Laelai: hee hee... subdude. Sounds like subdued, but it's not! It is a submarine man! Mwa ha ha!!!!
Alannalovingwriter: yes yes yes
Mage Light: Dude, you hadn't reviewed when I posted, I didn't forget about you! But I am happy to be forgiven anyway.
Well, I want you all to know: THIS IS NOT THE END. IT IS ONLY A HIATUS. I am taking a break from this story. I have a hella busy weekend, and lots of work to catch up on (spending too much time here) and other stories to write. I promise, I will be back soon! (and don't worry, all you pessimists... Kel is by NO MEANS GOING TO DIE. I wouldn't do that! EVER!)
Wow, I am crazy with the caps lock right now. Hmm...
Well, no music... but I was watching Mulan. Happy!
"I'd rather be rich than stupid."
Hey, that was short, here's another one!
"If you were a poor Indian with no weapons, and a bunch of conquistadors came up to you and asked where the gold was, I don't think it would be a good idea to say, "I swallowed it. So sue me.""
Haha... keep you all happy!
-unolimbo