Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or places.

Third Company had a peaceful ride to the desert. Well... as peaceful as Third Company can be.

"I'm not their knight commander, I'm their babysitter!" muttered Kel under her breath as they rode.

"Well, you are mother!" said Dom.

"Don't remind me! And you are the worst of them!" she said.

"What? Me? Never!" he exclaimed "I've been good, well except for loosening Wolset saddle, but he deserved it"

"What about the worms in Lerant soup" she said.

"A mistake" he told her.

"And the snake in Aiden's saddlebag?"

"It fell from the trees! I swear!" he informed her.

"Dom... We're in the middle of the desert! There is no tree!" she told him patiently.

He quickly realized his mistake. "Well, if you must know it jumped!"

"The snake jumped?" she asked.

"Indeed!"

She huffed as she shook her head at his antics. He could be so childish sometimes. He bent down and nibbled on her ear. He knew perfectly well she was not very confortable with public displays of affection so she went to swat his head when he whispered in her ear. "You know you love me! And you know what I'll make it up to you! Tonight, you'll see! I have it all planned out!"

She shivered as his breath tickled her collarbone. He then started to tell her what he would do that very night to make it up to her. She was blushing furiously, to the amusement of the King's Own.

"So Lady Kel?" asked Fulcher "If I whispered charms and nightly activities in your ear, you'd forgive and not punish any of my pranks?"

"What?" she screamed

"Well you seem to have forgiven Dom!" said Wolset.

"What? I'm not mad at Dom!" she said.

"You were, before he started whispering in your ear!" said Lofren.

"Men, shouldn't you pay attention to where we are going?" asked Kel, in an effort to change the subject.

Dom turned to his men, a grin on his face. He gave the thumbs up to Wolset. It had worked, she wasn't going to punish any of them, and he the night was going to be very interesting. He was pretty sure he was going to enjoy the night. A lot.

"Now we know how to get out of trouble with my lady!" said Wolset.

That night, they set up camp close to Persopolis. They were going to reach the city tomorrow night, spend the night there and then move on to help the tribe.

As dusk fell, the men went quietly to bed. Dom was waiting patiently outside her tent. When she walked toward the tent, and him, she smiled.

"You know what Dom" she asked.

"What?"

"If you make more pranks, I'll make you sleep outside!" she said with a smile.

"You wouldn't" he said in mock-horror, knowing fully well she would not do that.

They entered her tent and stripped down to their underclothes. She then went to settle herself in the bedroll. That is when she felt it. It was squishy and clearly not a usual part of the bed. It croaked as she moved to get up again. "DOM!"

"What! I didn't do it!" he said, not knowing why she was yelling.

"There is a frog in our bed!" she told him. She reached around to grab the green amphibian and show it to him.

"So it seems" he said. "I'll go and release it to the desert"

She handed him the frog, it croaked as Dom took it. "Kel, you were joking when you said you'd make me sleep outside if there was another prank right?"

She looked at him. "I was, but I don't appreciate frogs in my bed"

"I'll give Wolset latrine duty" he told her.

"Are you sure it was Wolset?" she asked.

"No" he answered "I just want to give him latrine duty"

After 'croaky' had been release to the desert he came back in the tent to find Kel fast asleep. He slipped into the bedroll beside his fiancée and gathered her in his arms. "Oh Kel" he told the sleeping woman, kissing the crown of her head "I love you"

She snuggled closer in his chest and whispered in his neck "I love you too"

"Go to sleep love" he told her.

"You said you would..." she started. He laughed as he understood what she meant.

"Well then, I'd better do what I said I'd do" he told her.

That night was one of the most amazing nights in his entire life.

They reached Persopolis the next day, around supper time. The men were led to barracks, then to the bath house and then to the mess hall to eat. Kel was the only one who got a room. Well, Kel and Dom.

When Kel and Dom went to the mess, all freshen up from a lengthy bath, they met the wide eyes of people. Kel looked at Dom questionably. He just shrugged and kept walking.

During the meal it was eerie how they all stared. "Do they always stare?" she asked Quasim under her breath. He was partly Bazhir.

"No" he answered her.

"Do you know why they are staring?" she asked.

"No" he answered again "the last time I saw them stare so was when the Lioness was with us. But that was due to the legend. She is the burning-brightly one, and she killed the Ysandir with the Night One, the King." He told her.

"Then why are they staring at us?" she asked, again.

"Not us" said Captain Whiteford "you"

"What?"

"They are only staring at you, not the rest of us" said the captain.

"Great one?" asked a little girl. Everyone at the table turned to face her and see who she was addressing to. She was the cutest little girl of around 6 year of age. Realizing that she was speaking to Kel she said "yes" softly.

"Is it true?" she asked.

"What?"

"That you saved us all? That you killed an evil mage who stole children? That you commanded the King's army when you were twelve? That you killed a giant with a dagger?"

"What is your name?" she asked.

"My name is Farah" she said.

"Well, I did fight an evil mage" she said softly "But I do not think I saved you all. And the first time I commanded the King's Own was this year, but when I was twelve I commanded some of my friends against bandit. Does that count?" she asked. Farah nodded her head vigorously. "Well then. And I never even fought a giant" she said.

She then turned to the table "I don't even know where THAT legend comes from. I've never even seen a giant and there is a tale I fought it with nothing but a dagger"

Brad, a new men in the Own, of Volrin's squad looked slightly sheepish. "Well my lady, that might be me" he said.

"What do you mean?" she said.

"I love to fight, but I also love to sing. I compose songs. And a giant sounded better than a killing machine, and you sounded so much more heroic with only a dagger"

She sighed. She turned Farah again to find her gone. Shrugging she continued to eat. They then heard a commotion in the kitchen. They all turned to see several maids fighting over a napkin.

"It's mine!" "Leave it" "I got it first"

"Ladies!" yelled one of the cook. "What is this about?" he asked.

All three maids looked at the floor not answering. "Well?" he asked.

One maid peered under her hair at Kel and whispered. "The Protector of the Small" she said quietly.

"What about her?" asked the cook.

"It's the napkin she used, we all wanted to remember her"

Kel was stunned.

"I don't get it" she said.

"You are legendary! They all want to see you, that why they stared. They want to see the famous protector of the small. You are adored."

"But..."

"Kel, love, you have to understand. What you did, very few people could do. Who could lead a small force of knights and two squads in the middle of enemy territory and kill the most notorious mage and his dog? Who could lead a force of barely 350 men against a thousand and still be victorious?"

"Raoul?" she asked.

"I'm not sure he could. He is a great commander, but he had to learn it. You, you are natural. It comes to you like breathing. And you are the only noble I know who views every living creature as equals. And you are having an effect on people. Neal and I used to be the regular noblemen sons. Spoiled, expecting every servant to obey our whims and just little noble brats. But you changed us. You made us realized they are living people and they have feeling, dreams and hopes. Look at Tobe and Lalasaa, two people that noble wouldn't look twice at. They toss a coin at Tobe and maybe pinch Lalasaa in the wrong place. But look what they've become because you gave them a chance. Tobe is a fine young men, who is studying with the Wildmage and he will do great things. You give him something to fight for and he would do anything for you, because you believe in him. Lalasaa was just a maid, she was abused without second thought. But you took her under your wing. Where is she now? She is the most respected seamstress in all of Tortall, she teaches commoner girls how to fight. All this because of one beautiful Knight who believes in everyone. You are truly an inspiration"

"Thank you, I guess" she said.

He smiled "Don't think about it to much. Just be yourself and save the world. Rescue beautiful damsel and marry them, well in your case, help the strapping sergeant and marry him"

"Fine" she said "I'll go help Aiden"

"KEEEEL!" he whined.

She smiled as she bent her head to his and brushed her lips against his. It was always the same when they kissed. She lost herself in the sensation. All that mattered to her when his lips were whispering across hers was the man she loved. It didn't matter that she wasn't a petite court beauty, she still felt vulnerable. When his strong arms were wrapped around her she felt safe and protected. She felt beautiful when he looked at her with such adoration in his eyes.

"I don't know what I did to deserve you; but I'm glad I manage to snare you away" she told him.

He smiled. "I'm yours" he whispered "forever"

The next three months they spent in the desert, fighting against Bazhir. They lost three men in those fights. After that they spent some time in Pearlmouth to keep the spring flooding. Then, around the beginning of mat they headed back to Corus. All of Third Company could see that Kel was eager to be back. Everyone could figure why she was smiling so much. And no one could ignore the look of pure joy on Dom's face, they were going to miss him, but they were all happy he had found happiness.

The only thing dampening the happiness of Third Company was the resignation of Dom.

Thank you for all the reviews! I'd like to mention that i borrowed the idea of Dom whispering in Kel's ear from another fanfiction and the credit goes to that author. And guess what is coming up soon! :)

Give me feedback! And i'm sorry for everyone who find small errors annoying i do my best! For my next story (which will most likely be a KelxDom and most likely also pretty canon, i'll get someone to read over!)