The next few weeks passed in a blur of constant activity, with Kel and Neal rotating their energy between training in hand-to-hand combat and dagger work each morning and spy work each afternoon in the city. Neal, staying true to his intentions, had continued to read up on the history of Scanra, pressuring Kel into forming a two-person book group in which they discussed and quizzed each other on the details of the nation. This filled the hours before bed, leaving little time between supper and darkness for Kel to enjoy freedom from her labors. Even during this break she rarely rested – choosing instead to take to the practice courts to further her skill with the blade. Despite her love for her glaive, Kel knew that there would be no glaives to be found on her mission, and any conflict would call for what she could steal from a downed opponent. The most common Scanran weapon, Myles had instructed her, was the sword, and thus each night Kel drilled herself into exhaustion, often with the help of the men of the Own and occasionally Alanna if she was without meetings to attend.

"Switch hands," the fiery redhead barked, and Kel complied, switching the deadly weapon into her left hand. It felt awkward, although less so than when she had first begun to train it. Eying her opponent, Dalthe, she looked for any openings in his guard. Sure enough, as he made a butterfly cut towards her he exposed his left side, allowing her to dart through and press the cool steel to the soldier's neck.

"I yield," he complied, stepping back and bowing to her. Kel returned the gesture, just now taking register of the clapping behind her. Perched on the fence a few meters from Alanna was floppy haired Dom, grinning from ear to ear as he gave her a thumbs up.

"Looking good, Lady Knight," he called across the practice courts, winking and allowing for a double entendre.

Alanna turned to glare at him, but decided against it, rolling her eyes instead. She had grown accustomed to such tactics in her time with Neal as a squire.

"He's right, you looked good, Kel. Still a bit rough with the left though. Keep practicing."

Kel nodded at the other lady knight and took a swig of water from the flask she kept next to her weaponry. "Are you ready?"

Alanna nodded, seizing her newest weapon, and coming to stand across from her new friend, who had exchanged her sword for her weapon of choice.

"Begin," called Kel, and immediately the women went to work, swinging the lethal weapons in attacks and steadfast blocks. Kel swung her glaive hard to the right, only to be blocked by Alanna's strong arms. She disengaged, then chopped towards her legs, causing the other woman to jump, losing position. Alanna was not entirely thrown off, though, and continued her attack, showing the mastery she was beginning to develop under the direction of the younger knight. The two had made a deal a few weeks prior – Alanna would teach Kel sword work and Kel would teach Alanna the use of the glaive. As they battled, Kel holding back slightly to allow Alanna a longer duel, Dom watched with interest, taking in the grace with which the two women moved. His gaze lingered on Kel, watching how her lean muscles flexed time after time in a way that no court flower's could. It was with a jolt that he realized the duel had ended and his muse had won, and was now looking at him questioningly.

"Dom?" she questioned, striding across the frozen dirt to lean against the fence on which he squatted.

"What?"

"You were staring at me."

Dom shrugged. "You had mud on your face."

Kel's puzzled look dropped and she reached up a hand to brush at her face. Although there was in fact no mark of dirt, Dom directed her as if there was.

"To the left a little… No, right again. There, you got it."

Kel smiled at him. "Thanks."

"No problem," Dom responded, about to question if she wanted to join him in a stroll down to the stables when he was interrupted by Raoul beckoning him to the archery station. He sighed, yet made his way over, offering Kel a smile over his shoulder.

"You know, there wasn't any dirt on your face," Alanna stated wryly, laughing at the blush that spread across the younger woman's cheeks.

"Wha-what?"

"Just saying," Alanna said, before slipping off into the palace and leaving Kel to question the sergeant's motives and stares.

"Keeeel," a voice whined from behind the door. "Open up already, these books are heavy!"

Kel rolled her eyes and purposely took her time to open the door for her friend.

"You can wield a sword yet you cannot hoist a stack of books? You, Meathead, are ridiculous."

"Hey, now, that's Sir Meathead to you!" Neal cried, plopping the novels down on the foot of Kel's bed as she pushed the door shut behind him.

"Oh so improper!" Neal exclaimed, now in Scanran. "Me, a married man, alone in a woman's room!"

Kel smacked him upside the head.

"Ouch!"

"You deserved it."

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Did not."

Kel groaned. "We are not going down this path, Nealan."

"But, fair lady, are you not so sensitive about your reputation?"

Kel laughed outright at his words. "As if. The whole castle has heard your constant wallowing after your beautiful Yamani flower. The thought of you so much as even looking at another woman is incomprehensible."

Neal tried his best to disagree, yet was unable to hide the grin that spilled out upon his cheeks. "Oh, I do love her, Kel."

Kel smiled and patted her friend's hand. "Of course you do."

"I don't know how I'll ever leave her in the Spring," Neal murmured, turned somber. Kel was silent, unsure of how to respond. "I can't imagine parting from her so soon. She's with child, you know."

Kel's eyes widened. "What? Neal? Congratulations!" She clapped him on the back heartily but felt her stomach clench. "That's amazing… But Neal, the mission. You can't go."

Neal scrunched up his face, head in his hands. "I don't know what to do. I can't let you go alone, Kel."

She shook her head. "You can't abandon Yuki and the baby. I will be fine."

"You need a mage. This country… it needs a mage. I must go."

Kel peered into her friend's eyes and saw her concerned face mirrored back among tears. "You are so brave, Neal," she said softly. "Because of you your child will be brought into a Tortall without war, without strife. He will not know the horrors of bloodshed."

Neal nodded and grasped his friend's hand in his own. "So mote it be."

The two friends remained side by side for the next few hours, silently thinking of the future that lay ahead. In all the hurry to train they had neglected the serious consequences the mission brought, and in Neal's revelation the wall separating them from their fears had tumbled down and left them vulnerable. A fear of never returning, of never seeing Corus and their loved ones again plagued their souls. It was a primal instinct that no matter the amount of stubbornness could not be controlled, and instead the two buckled into it, accepting it and quietly letting their stress unwind.

It was not until late at night that Neal roused himself from the bed where he had fallen asleep, his back flush against the lady knight's. Silently, he rose, disregarding his books, and stumbling through the darkness to the door. He pulled it open and nearly yelped in shock as a body tumbled in and landed upon him, waking with a start.

"What in the name of Mithros?" Neal hissed, nudging his cousin with the toe of his boot.

Dom looked sleepily up at him, then seemed to register his settings and remember why he was there. "What were you doing in Kel's room?" he questioned.

"What were you doing sleeping outside of it?" Neal responded, eyebrow raised.

Dom flushed, and looked behind Neal to see that Kel, too, had woken in the noise.

"Dom?" she questioned, her face barely illuminated in the darkness. She pulled a cord and the room was suddenly filled with light, causing all three to blink as their eyes adjusted. "Oh, come in," she beckoned, not wanting to wake the rest of the castle nor stir any rumors in regards to the sight of her with two men at her door at late hours.

Dom filed in behind Neal, who sat down in the wooden desk chair and eyed his cousin with interest. "So, why are you here?" he prodded.

"You two," the sergeant looked from man to woman, "retire early nearly every night. I wanted to know what you were doing."

"I swear to Mithros it's not what you think," Kel exclaimed, blushing intensely at the thought of her and her best friend in bed together, let alone the topic being breeched in front of the man she had so long harbored feelings for.

Dom laughed, "I know that. No way Meathead here could ever win the attention of such a wondrous lady."

Neal made a face, but dismissed the insult. "Nothing in comparison to Yuki," he stated, only to be kicked sharply in the shins by one agitated lady knight. "Oof, sorry, you're lovely, too, Kel."

"Anyway, since clearly you two aren't… active, what have you been doing?"

Kel and Neal exchanged a glance. "Book club."

Dom let loose a smooth, deep laugh. "A book club? Why ever have I not been invited?"

Again the two friends exchanged a glance, not liking lying to their companion. "You just aren't intellectual enough," drawled Neal, hoping to distract him with good natured bantering.

"Oh you think so, do you?"

Dom strode across the room, grabbing one of the large leather bound books and opening it to a random page in order to glimpse at the words within. With a start, he realized that the symbols were not those of their realm, but squiggles and marks that could only be one thing – Scanran.

"What is this?" he asked, raising the book high.

"A book, dear cousin. And you call me Meathead."

Dom shook his head. "I know it is a book. But what I do not know is why it is in Scanran? Since when have either of you spoken such a language?"

Kel sucked in a breath. She had not expected for their mission to be revealed, let alone suspected, so soon. Neal, though, had other ideas, and revealed a knack with words that would soon prove to be very helpful indeed.

"Well, that's what we've been up to each night. Learning Scanran. We didn't want to cause a stir among the castle, you know, with them being such recent enemies and all."

Dom raised an eyebrow but seemed to accept the answer, coming to sit on the bed beside Kel. "Can I join you?" he asked, looking from friend to cousin.

Kel sighed, feeling uneasy about the decision, but decided it would cause little harm. "Of course, Dom, you are welcome to join us. But do not tell anyone, like Neal said, we mustn't cause a stir."

With that and goodnight hugs all around, the men departed and Kel slipped into her night clothes, happy to be rid of the situation and the lies that it brought.

A/N: Alright, how was that for a quick update? Bit of a short chapter but I think that once the action picks up a bit so will the length. Anywho, just wanted to do a quick shout out to my one and only ever so fantastic reviewer, SwirlingEpiphany! Please continue to review and I look forward to hearing from you, and, hopefully, others!