Kel sighed and sat down at one of the tables, spreading her legs out before her as she watched the pretty ladies and handsome men whirling about on the dance floor. Behind her, Raoul was chatting with his newly wed, both hiding from the mob of well-wishers. Kel had been at the wedding for three hours already and had eaten several plates of cake and other dishes. She'd actually given a speech, which she'd rehearsed a few hours earlier, and now she was ready to go to her room and sleep.

Dom came over to sit next to her. He'd brought a pretty young lady as a dinner partner, though Kel could see how annoyed he was by her as she begged him to dance over and over again.

"You're done for the night?" he asked with a chuckle. He looked back at Raoul and Buri behind them and winked.

"Yeah," she replied with a yawn.

"You look nice in that," he said with a lop-sided smile. "It really brings out those beautiful eyes of yours."

Kel frowned at him, hoping he wouldn't notice her blush, and hit his arm. "What has happened that you dare mock me so?" she demanded.

Kel wore a blue, velvet tunic with a golden hem, a cream-colored silk shirt and grey hose, tucked into knee-high polished boots. The colors rather clashed with her hazel eyes. Dom, on the other hand, wore a dark blue silk tunic, a white cotton shirt with full sleeves and black breeches tucked into calf-high leather boots. These colors were dazzling against his fully muscled body and blue eyes… she hardly dare look at him for fear that he would see the hairs rise on her neck and the goosebumps on her skin.

"We of the Meathead tribe find it satisfying," he said airily, his nose held high in the air. Suddenly, his face changed… "He told me that you're fighting Garvey of Snotnose tomorrow," he said quietly, his humor hardly reflecting in his voice or face.

"Yeah. So what? I've fought plenty before," she retorted—she was getting tired of her friends being so worried for her.

"I've seen you in a fight Kel—you're a true commander, it's very plain. And I've seen you joust, and there's no doubt that you're one of the best. Truth to tell, I can't say that you're bad with a sword, though I've only seen you with a glaive, lance and bow. I can say that you won't to kill Garvey, if you get to that," he said, his eyes soft as they looked into her own. Kel decided not to interrupt him –he wasn't completely wrong. "You hate killing the enemy, Kel. How can I be sure that you'll finish him off when you've the chance?"

Kel looked away from those beautiful blue eyes. "Just because I don't want to doesn't mean that I won't," she said with false confidence. How was he making her tell him all of this? Kel was a private person; this was something she didn't normally share with others. "Was that all that Neal talked to you about?"

"Well, no…" he stuttered, taken by surprise. I could look into her eyes forever, he thought, and frowned. "I actually wanted to apologize… you know, for what I said. I really didn't mean to hurt your feelings, Kel. Did you think I took you because—well, because of…"

"No!" she said in shock. "Of course not. I know that we're just friends. I was just kind of… you don't normally say things like that."

"I didn't mean that you were undesirable or anything—"

"I know, Dom," she said, smiling a little. "But I'm glad that you made an effort to apologize."

He returned her smile, and she felt her insides melt. He was such a handsome man… she bit her lip. She couldn't be so fickle, could she? Dom's own insides warmed as she smiled. It always had, which was why he always sought to bring it about.

"Come on… I'll take you back to your room—you've got to get some sleep for the duel," he said after a moment. His insides cringed even as he acknowledged the fact that she was going to duel tomorrow. He believed what he'd told her earlier, but it had cost him his very essence to tell her.

She giggled a little before blushing. "No—I'm very capable of walking back to my own rooms," she said hoarsely.

He paled a little. He hadn't expected her to turn him down. "Okay, then, Lady Knight," he said, using an enormous amount of effort to sink back into his normal, slightly flirtatious manner.

She was grateful that he was back to normal now. She stood and turned to Raoul and Buri who were talking quietly. "If you'll excuse me, sir, ma'am?"

Raoul laughed quietly. "Begone! Oh, how I wish we could leave with you."

She shook her head and turned away, ignoring the feeling of Dom's eyes on her back as she walked away.

Kel shook out her arms and legs, stretching as she watched Garvey joking with his friends as his squire polished his sword and helped him stretch. Kel preferred to be left alone before she fought—the peace and quiet was soothing. On the bleachers were many of her friends and family: Neal, Yukimi, his father Baird, Dom, who's face looked like a block of wood, Raoul, Buri, Shinko and Roald next to the king and queen, her mother and her father, Anders, one of her brothers, Faleron, one of her year-mates, and Qasim, a man of the King's Own that she'd befriended way back when she was a page.

Kel took a deep breath of air. She wore a padded cotton shirt and quilted hose. Her shoes were slippers favored by the Yamanis. She removed her sword, Griffin from her sheath, admiring the tempered blue steel and plain black hilt—it was Raven Armory and styled in the Yamani way, her prize beneath her glaive. She stepped toward Garvey, putting on her Yamani mask. He strutted forward and moved into guard position.

"The challenge is put by Garvey of Runnerspring to Keladry of Mindelan. She has accepted this challenge, a battle to death by means of swords," said the field monitor, his voice carrying easily over the silent viewers. "Let the match begin!"

Kel stepped back a little, eyes on Garvey's arms and legs. She kept her sword up, her feet constantly moving so that he could not catch her off guard. He was smiling hungrily, looking her in the eye.

"Why don't you attack?" he cackled. "Too afraid, girl?"

She kept her mouth shut—such easy tricks as provoking your opponent would never work on her. She could wait until evening for him to attack.

There—a muscle twitched and she blocked swiftly as his arm slithered out to cut her. Quickly, she switched the block into an attack and chopped at his side… he stumbled back, enough to have time to recollect himself.

Dom balled up his fists. How could he bare watch this when he was afraid for his friend even as she attacked? He'd seen her fight many times before, so how was this different. Kel was strong—she couldn't die, and besides, she'd probably promised to Raoul. He bit his lip so hard that it bled as she dodged a clean sweep at her head, ducking and coming up under Garvey to nip a little cut in his leg. The knight was not to be fooled by this—leaped back, barely preventing her from cutting through his entire leg, switching hands and bringing his sword down on her head. Dom closed his eyes as she blocked and performed a butterfly cut, or a half figure eight on either side of his head, cutting his cheekbone and a few strands of hair off in the process. Dom could see the fear on Garvey's face, though he tried to disguise.

"Are you okay, Dom?" Neal leaned over to him, his emerald eyes worried.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's Kel you should worry about," he said hoarsely, trying his hand at Kel's Yamani mask.

"Kel will be fine," Neal said, although he glanced back at his friend while he said it.

"I'm not worried that she's capable of beating him. But can she kill him?" he asked Neal, his mask faltering. He couldn't be dishonest around his cousin.

"Do you really think she'll allow herself to get killed?" Neal said sharply.

Dom didn't reply… Kel had yelped, ever so quietly. He saw it immediately—a gash on her shoulder that she now clutched, switching the blade to her other hand. If she didn't finish the fight quickly, she'd begin to feel light-headed and might even faint from the blood loss. Dom clenched his jaw. She can't die on me now, he thought passionately. Why did he feel so strange? He'd never cared so much before. He'd been quite content to let her fight her own bouts…

Garvey his her with his hilt and stumbled to the ground. He brought his sword up…

Oh… he thought to himself. I never thought about it that way. Dom stared at the young woman as she blocked him with newfound strength, her eyes burning with a new light. It had become apparent to him now, why he'd been feeling so strangely about Kel, at least he thought so. A crush? He chuckled slightly to himself as Kel engaged Garvey in a flurry of attacks. Since when, I wonder.

Kel felt Dom's eyes on her as she knocked Garvey's sword out every position that he brought it into, forcing herself not to smile as his expression quickly changed from confident to afraid for his life. She swiped at his legs, causing him to jump and stumble onto his knees as she flicked the sword from his hand She brought her sword to a rest by his neck. This is what she'd been afraid of—Garvey had done nothing to deserve death. She couldn't kill him, just as Dom said. She heard the audience shift nervously. Could she kill an innocent man?

"Do you plead mercy?" she asked quietly.

He frowned at her… he seemed to have remembered that he was a conservative and far better then her. "Ask for mercy from a cow like you?" he hissed.

She nodded impatiently. "I won't stay my blade all day."

He glanced at his friends. "Are you afraid to kill me—just like a girl, isn't it?" he snapped.

She decided not to answer. Maybe it was because she was a girl, but she didn't think that Neal would have killed him either.

"Is something wrong, Lady Knight?" the field monitor yelled, clearly puzzled.

The only way that she could avoid killing him was to forfeit, and that would simply attract more conservatives to do the same as he, and she would have to kill every single one of them. If she killed him, she might lessen those numbers.

"Mithros forgive me," she whispered, and slit his throat, closing her eyes as she felt his blood splatter onto her.

She left quickly, pausing only to give her sword to Qasim as well as her padded clothing before she ran to her room. She threw-up. Several times, knowing that it would not ease her disgust with herself. Finally, she sat down on her bed, letting herself cry out a few tears—she had killed someone who'd done nothing to her but insult her, and that because of peer pressure most likely. Garvey had never been much of a conservative, much less aggressive.

Someone knocked on her door, but she neglected in answering. After a few minutes, Ilane entered the room.

"Oh my… what is that stench?" she gasped.

Kel blushed a little. "I… don't worry about it. How about we go take a walk?"

Kel's mother frowned, but followed her out of the palace into the grounds.

"Are you alright, my dear?" Ilane asked, concern creasing her brow.

"I killed him, mama," she whispered.

Ilane nodded in understanding. "If I didn't know better, I'd say that it's alright. But I agree with your perspective—he didn't doanything to you or anyone else, and therefore did not deserve to die. But there was nothing you could've done my child."

Kel looked up at her mother. "It doesn't ease the feeling in my gut. I'm not even sure if he meant what he said."

Ilane hugged Kel to her. "I noticed a young man looking more afraid for you then yourself."

Kel frowned. "You did? Anyone you recognize."

"Oh, I've seen him with you—handsome man—"

"I don't know any handsome men," Kel said hastily. She had an idea of who it might be, but she preferred it remain unconfirmed.

"Sure you do. Your friend, Neal, certainly is. To tell the truth, he did look a bit like him," her mother continued ruthlessly.

"Ma—please. I'd rather not know," Kel said firmly.

"Well, okay then. Speaking of men, how are you doing without Cleon?"