Okay, there is a bit later in this chapter about lawyers and stuff. I have been rereading the sentencing of Joren in Squire, but I am still quite confused about whether the clerks are the lawyers, or, well, clerks. Joren has a 'Master Advocate,' but it appears that clerk Hayward is asking questions as Kel's lawyer. So, I am pretending, for the sake of my sanity, that he is her lawyer. If this makes little sense, tough luck. I did my best.
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Kel didn't move for a long time. Her hearing. She had forgotten about that. How could she have forgotten about that? It was one of the most important reasons that she had refused to show herself for the whole time she had first been back at Corus.
And now she had three months before it happened. Three months before she was expelled from her home.
Slowly, Kel placed her key in it's hole and turned it. The door swung open slowly, and Kel, as if she was not even there, stepped forward slowly into her room. She sat down on her bed, deep in thought.
Dom bounded in a few minutes later. "Afternoon, Kel! You'll never guess what I did today! Went tilting with Raoul for practice, not the best idea, of course, but I didn't do too badly! I-" He looked at her. "Kel?"
Kel didn't move. Dom stepped closer to her. "Kel, what's wrong?"
She looked at him. She sat up straight and smiled as strongly as she could. "Sorry, Dom. Bad memories. I was just thinking. You were saying?"
Dom looked at her suspiciously for a second, then slowly began his story again.
Kel didn't know why she didn't tell him. She didn't know why she kept that secret from him, she didn't know why she let him continue to be happy. If she told him, he would worry about her. Since they had married, he had done nothing but worry about her. Kel didn't know if he'd ever not been worrying about her. But now that she was getting better, Dom was lively. He was bouncier and livelier than she had ever seen him, and she didn't want to ruin it for him.
She wanted him to be happy.
It didn't even occur to her that very soon, he would learn it for himself.
Kel tried to forget about it. She tried to tell herself that she didn't have to worry about it for three months, but she knew she did. She needed a lawyer, and she needed something to say. She needed an argument. Without one, there was absolutely no way that she would be able to stay.
Kel listened to what Dom had to say. She went to dinner that evening, she sat and talked with her friends afterwards. By the time she fell asleep that night, she had almost forgotten about it.
She went back to Lalasa's shop early the next day. Sure enough, when she arrived, Lalasa was practically halfway through the dress Kel had asked her for.
"It looks beautiful, Lalasa! Thank you." Kel said, fingering the cut pieces of satin as Lalasa finished the last stitches of the corset.
Lalasa smiled. "It's not a problem, Lady Kel. I've just got to sew the fabric onto the inner piece. It should be done this afternoon, I'm sure."
Kel smiled. "Thank you, Lalasa." She said.
The dress did indeed turn out beautifully, and it was ready for Kel to wear to the first night ball. She tried it on. It was a beautiful green corset and green skirt with black lace over top for decoration. It fit Kel perfectly. "Thank you, Lalasa, now I must run!" She paid her friend for the dress, though the girl protested, and was on her way.
Kel stood in front of the mirror in her room in her dress. She spun this way and that, watching herself. Dom smiled when he came in. "How long have you been standing there?" He asked.
Kel smiled and spun again. "Oh, come on. It's not that often I see myself in a dress. Let me at least enjoy it!" She wrapped her arms around him. "I love you." She whispered.
Dom kissed her. "I love you too. You seem especially happy right now."
Kel sighed. "No," she said, taking his hand, "I don't think so." She wanted to enjoy being with him. She wanted him to know that. And she wanted to forget about the fact that she would soon be pushed far, far away from him.
Dom put out his arm and bowed deeply. "My lady." He said.
Kel smiled. "Thank you, good sir," she said, taking his arm. They walked to the great hall, arm in arm.
The clerk at the door of the ballroom took their names, and the great doors opened for them.
"Sergeant Domitan of Masbolle, Lady Knight Keladry of Masbolle and Mindelan."
Dom frowned as they walked into the room. "It's not fair, you have a longer title than me. I want a better name!"
Kel laughed. "Don't worry, it gets very tedious very quickly." She said as they took their seats at the table beside Neal and Yuki.
Kel calmed down considerably when she was seated at the table. It was good to be sitting with all her friends again, good to be served by a Tortallan page, and to be eating Tortallan food. Her evening went well, and she was dead tired when she and Dom finally made it back to their rooms.
"Thank you for a wonderful evening." Kel said, stripping out of her tight corset and putting on a nightgown.
Dom grinned. "Not a problem, love." He said. "I too had a great time."
Kel lay down on the bed and stretched out. Dom joined her.
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Weeks passed. Kel found a lawyer and was preparing for her hearing – but she had still not told Dom. She didn't know how to tell him. She tried to tell him, but it was difficult.
He was happy. Truly happy. She knew it. She could see it. She saw it in his eyes, in the way he moved, in the way he spoke to her. She couldn't tell him. She had broken his heart before. She didn't want to do it again.
She practiced her glaive dances, her tilting, and her archery and sword skills more thank ever before. It was her time to think, to vent her frustration. She was practicing in her room one January morning after breakfast when Dom walked in. She didn't hear him, barely missing him when she spun around.
"Oh!" She cried. "Sorry!"
Dom grinned. "Don't worry, about it, love. I knew you'd try to kill me some time after I married you."
Kel smiled weakly. She opened her mouth to speak, but quickly closed it again. Silently, she placed her glaive back in it's place on the wall. "What are you planning on doing today?" She asked.
Dom shrugged. "No idea. I was thinking of getting some practice in. I'm falling behind. You're going to be better than me soon!"
"Excuse me?" Kel asked, scandalized. "Soon? Dom, I've been better than you since I was three."
He stepped right up to her face and grinned. Kel leaned back slightly. "Ah, but Keladry darling," he said, "what about before you were three?"
Kel rolled her eyes and punched him. "Come on, you big oaf. I'll show you my sword skills are better than yours!"
She took him by the hand and the two of them raced down to the indoor courts – one of the ballrooms in disguise. They practiced for a while, Kel beating Dom, with a few tries of Neal joining in and beating Dom terribly. Kel and Dom retired to their rooms happy and exhausted.
"Lady Keladry?" A voice came from behind them as they walked down the main hall. Kel spun around to see her lawyer, Clerk Hayward, standing a the other end of the hallway. "Lady Keladry, a word?"
Kel looked at Dom quickly, who looked very confused, and touched his arm. "Just go, Dom. I'll be back in a moment." She kissed him on the cheek and turned around and walked down the hallway to where Hayward was standing. "How may I help you?" She asked.
"Lady Keladry, I have been reviewing your case, and I have come to one dead end after another! I still do not know what your actual argument is! You have told me that when you were in Chatra, you never gave away any secrets of Tortall – what else?"
Kel sighed. "I told you, Zonta will be a witness. She was a noble in the palace while I was there. Like Tortall, their nobles know everything that happens. What else do you need?"
He looked at her. "My lady," he said slowly, "I need to know why you left."
Kel shook her head. "I would tell you if I knew, Hayward. But I don't. I just put together everything I knew and I left." She ran her hand through her hair. "I thought I was making the right decision."
Hayward nodded. "Thank you for your time, Lady Keladry." He bowed curtly, and turned and walked away.
Dom was sitting in one of the chairs when Kel returned. She smiled. "Sorry about that. I'm horridly sweaty, I'm going to have a bath."
Dom didn't move. He stared at her. "Why were you speaking to Hayward?"
Kel shrugged. "He asked to speak with me."
Dom shook his head sadly. "He's not your friend or your colleague. You had a reason for talking to him." He said, uncrossing his arms and leaning forward.
Kel sighed. "What does it matter?" She said, turning away from Dom, trying to gain composure. Not like this, not like this! She thought. This was not how she wanted to tell him about her trial! How had she been so stupid not to tell him earlier?
Dom stood up and walked over to Kel. "You have a hearing. I know you do, Kel. I thought maybe you were planning on telling me. Then I thought maybe you forgot. March 21st, Kel. Two months away, now. How long have you known? When were you planning on letting this information slip? On the morning of the trial? The night before? I had hoped maybe it would be soon. But now I know that was a false hope."
Kel shook her head quickly. "It's not true, Dom, I was going to tell you, I was!" Tears sprang to her eyes and she could not keep them down.
Dom took her arm and pulled her towards him, holding her close. "What does all of this mean to you, Kel?" He asked, his face only inches away from hers. "Does it not mean marriage? Love? Trust?" He let go of her, letting his arm drop to the side. He shook his head slowly. "I love you, Kel. You know that?" He turned and walked out the door.
Kel put her head in her hands. How could she have been so bloody stupid? She should have told him right away! She should have asked for his help, for his support. Instead, she was left with nothing. She turned and punched the wall as hard as she could, but was left with only a bruised hand, and a bruised heart.
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Well, that's all for today! Hurrah!
GrapeStarburst: umm… who knows?
Dreamerdoll: I haven't decided if this is going to be a happy story or a sad story. I mean, Aftermath was a happy story. I don't want them to turn out too similar. Of course, I like happy endings. They're so… happy. And no, I would not kill Dom. He is to pretty to die. And there is no reason to kill Neal or anyone else – at least not as a dramatic end (don't worry, I wouldn't do it anyway!), because he is just not a major enough character in this story. Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed it so much.
Mage light: run on sentences kick ass. You know what kicks even more ass? Comma splices.
Goddess Usagi: hmm… oops. Oh well. I return…from the dead! Mwaaa!
Lady of Masbolle: damn indeed! Of course I will continue. I do not believe in leaving things to the imagination. That is the suckers way out.
Alannalovingwriter: heehee… I'm evil… mwa.
Seirien: of course!
Rowenhood: 2 words. Ok! (fine, one word)
Wake-Robin: ooh, and you thought that one was dramatic! Pfft!
Laelai: aww, thanks! You know, you could just add me to that list thing (author alerts, someone just explained it to me this week…) and then you won't actually need to check, per se. meh.
PsychoLioness13: Meh, what ever. Glad you liked it – it took me about 15 minutes to write, with about fifteen minutes of reading before it. Of course, now there is so much I want to change about it – I forgot to put the name of the judge, I think I got the year wrong, and the wording just doesn't work. Meh. I tried.
Lady Crystaline of Jewel Cove: duh. Of course not! And she wouldn't be executed, I think she would be banished. Though I could be wrong – and I likely am.
Smiles28: yay!
Alanna0101: oops. Oh well, I tried. And now that I've ended Aftermath, I only have… 7 stories to deal with? No, 6! Only 6!
AJ 4EVA: course!
Cassie of Masbolle: of course, my stories are not complete without terrible, terrible cliffhangers.
Kat-woman-585: course!
Irish Violinist: thanks, I'm glad you liked it. That was my first fan fiction, you know! That's why some of the plot lines REALLY suck and it is really badly written… oh wait, that's all of my stuff!
Well, that's all. I must sleep now. It is 2 o'clock in the morning. Yawn.
"If you're a horse, and someone gets on you, and falls off, and then gets right back on you, I think you should buck him off right away."
-unolimbo