A/N: HI! Omg, I missed u guys! Anyways, I am back with two new chappies, as an apology for leaving u all summer. I'm gonna answer reviews for chappies 10 and 11 now instead of at the end, cause today I just wanna get it over with. So……
MysticMist: I am soooooo sorry! I was trying to get everything done fast and totally missed the way I screwed your name up! And of course that doesn't make you seem picky, I would be annoyed too. sniff but why can't I have kenshin? Are yu sure he's taken? Oh all right, I get Soujiro then…
Ossini: sorry to mislead you, but this won't be k/r. at one point, I thought it might work, especially since I'm the terrible kind of writer who doesn't plot ANYTHING and just sort of goes where the words take her, but the words have pulled me elsewhere…so, sorry, but not this time.
Silverspirit737: lol, yeah, forgot that part. And of course, it WOULD be you who knows that, since Arra is the nanashi shang. I'm glad you thought my ordeal was interesting. Sorry, but I don't have time for Kel to wander around, I think that would make things too complicated for my already poorly plotted story…lol.
Thing of um thingyness: first of all, lol. I like your pen name. . Secondly, sorry if the fight wasn't long enough, I'm actually dreading all the fights I keep inducing because I'm scared they'll get repetitive, but I don't know what to say! TT anyways, I hope the fact that you can't find much to review means it was good….
Jasmineb: yep, Malaysia. Ohmigod, it was sooo HOT! And bugspray is a must there….
Silverspirit737: grrrrrrrr….i don't know what to say, I did the best I could to keep alanna on at least equal footing, there's nothing more I can do. They won't want a re-match though because they both know what the results would be, and they've come to an, um, understanding. Yeah. Lol.
WitchyMage: you misunderstood me, but that's fine. I think I said that kel can win nine bouts out of ten against kylaia. Which I'll assume is better than the shang dragon. I love alanna, but in this story, since I've said kel is the strongest and all that, I couldn't let alanna win. But I also couldn't bear to let her lose, so I settled for an interruption.
Ok, now that that's over, onwards!
Keladry of Shang
Chapter 12—Prequel to Revenge
After her duel with the Lioness, Kel slowly made her way to her room and fetched clean clothes before trudging slowly halfway back down the hill to the women's baths, where she immediately stripped off her sweaty clothes and clambered eagerly into the steaming water. She sighed contentedly as the hot liquid surrounded her, loosening tired muscles and washing away sticky sweat.
She reflected on the recent bout, critiquing her actions in her mind. All in all, it had been an exciting and enjoyable match, and she was very impressed with her opponent's skill. She had no doubt that Alanna could have defeated Kylaia, and that was no mean feat. Still, she wasn't all that surprised, both she and the Unicorn had always had immense respect for the realm's only Lady Knight. After all, she had bested Liam Ironarm, the former Shang Dragon in a duel of swordmanship.
Kel sighed wistfully. She wished she could know the outcome of a battle between herself and a younger Alanna…
The Shang Goddess once again blushed beet red as she followed this train of thought back to the memory of her earlier bluntness.
In an effort to forget her embarrassment, she hastily wet her hair and ducked under water. She stayed there, holding her breath as she let the calmness of the water soak into her. Soon she began to feel dizzy with lack of oxygen, and rose towards the surface. She gasped for air, but her body was so desperate to breathe that reflex caused her to breathe in too soon, and she inhaled a lungful of water. She broke the surface, coughing and spluttering. Thumping her chest, she spat the water out and finally managed to get fresh air into her lungs.
Humiliated, she glanced around, and was relieved to see that no one was watching her. She calmed herself and signaled for an attendant to bring her a towel. She scrubbed herself vigorously before getting out and toweling herself dry. She dressed, quietly tipping the maid who had brought her the towel before she left.
Her stomach growling hungrily, she walked briskly toward the mess hall, where the pages, squires and knights were to eat. She had been feeling nostalgic lately, and was eager to see the hall where she'd happily talked and eaten with her friend. She fondly remembered the many times that they had thrown rolls at Neal's head, and made a mental note to do it again for old time's sake.
When she entered, she saw that everyone had risen to say the prayer, and as they turned to look at her, she suddenly doubted the wisdom of coming there. Still, she resolutely settled her face into the customary example of Yamani politeness by wiping all emotion from her face as she internally calmed herself. Having trained for most of her life in the art of hiding emotions, she refused to flinch under Lord Wyldon's cold and piercing stare. Her only reaction in regards to the knight standing by Wyldon's side was a hurriedly suppressed flash of anger in her eyes, hidden so fast that no one noticed it.
Standing proudly next to Lord Wyldon was Joren of Stone Mountain.