I know…I know… This chapter took forever to get up. I just haven't had time to sit down and write. I didn't get a chance to email it to anyone for proofreading so I didn't ignore all of you who volunteered. I'll probably use different people for each story.
Anyway… as I'm thinking about this story and where I will go with it I don't imagine it being long and as for major fighting action that won't be till the last couple chapters.
I lost the flashdrive that had my second chapter to What You Let Go Part Two so that might take even longer to get up. I'm working on it though.
So on to the reviews…
Lady Knight Susan: I was thinking it would be to cliché but I'm glad you liked it. I didn't want it to be like every other story.
Geminia: I still haven't decided who to pick but I'll add you to the list. And thank you for the compliment.
LouLaBelle13: I hope you weren't waiting anxiously this who time. Sorry to keep you waiting on the edge of your seat this whole time.
Rinalashlava: I always do the Daine thing wrong because my middle name is Dianne. My computer goes crazy with all the weird spellings so I normally don't even check to see if they are spelled write. I guess that's going to be another task for my beta reader. Oh and thanks for the very undeserved complement on my writing. It made me want to write even more.
Luna A. Dust: Yup it's another one. I'm taking a creative writing class now so writing wise it is on the back burner but I'm trying to get the chapters out on time.
SarahE7191: Thanks for volunteering. I haven't had a chance to pick yet but if you are willing I might use you for What You Let Go Part Two. I'll let you know when I'm ready to post the next chapter for that.
Doms Celestial Artemis: Thank you. I'll put your name on a list for beta readers. Hope you like the new chapter.
Navigator101: LOL I'm happy you decided to read my story. And I'm happy that I have your utmost confidence in putting Kel and Dom together. I don't think I would be able to live with myself if I didn't.
Eclipsa: Thank you for the review. I finally got the new chapter up I hope you enjoy it.
Sydelle Rein: Thank you. When I first started writing on here I thought nobody would want to read my stuff and I would only get the occasional review but when people started putting me on alerts I was extremely surprised. So thank you for reading and I hope you like this new chapter.
Braidsinherhair: I'm glad you liked how I described the fortifications I was so worried that people would think they were confusing. Sometimes as an author I forget that people can't see what is in my head but I'm glad you understood.
I had a name but I forgot it: Thank you. Here's a new chapter Enjoy.
Uncertain Destiny: Well it wasn't ASAP but I at least updated.
Masked1assasin: Thank you for your compliment and review. Hope you like the new chapter.
Starzgirl: Thank you. Sometimes when i started writing this story I had an outline that was rough but now I know practically everything I want to do. Now whether I actually do it or if I come up with new ideas is a different thing.
No1 angel knight: You're addicted to my story? LOL Sorry to hold out so long on you hope this helps.
Don't forget to check out my other stories and leave reviews for them. Thanks.
Undeveloped Story Chapter 2
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When Kel woke up in the morning it was to a raging headache and sore muscles from sleeping in such an odd position. She sat up slowly in her bed and closed her eyes against the pain. She could feel her blood pulsing in her veins and every noise seemed to have intensified by ten. Kel gradually made it to her washroom grabbing clothes that Tobe had set out for her the night before. To her surprise he had already made his cot up and was gone. In her washroom she leaned over the water basin and splashed cold water on her face and neck hoping to stop the throbbing. It subsided slightly and she finished scrubbing her face and teeth. She brushed her hair out and put on the clean clothes. By the time she was ready to leave her room the headache was back in full force. Kel made her way over to her weapons rack and picked out her practice glaive. At the last moment she decided to tuck Dom's unread letter into her pocket to read when she had private time later.
Kel composed herself before she left her room doing her best not to look in pain from the headache. When she left Headquarters she made her way to the infirmary before she went to practice. The sun wouldn't be up for another half hour so there were few people outside.
This was Kel's favorite part of the day. In the early morning she was just Kel not Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan commander of New Hope. Kel stopped mid step and corrected herself, Lady Knight Keladry Baroness of New Hope. I don't think I'll ever get used to it, she thought.
Kel entered the infirmary through the back door not wanting to disturb any patients who were sick. She walked up the short staircase that led to the storerooms and Neal and Yuki's apartment on the second floor. Kel wouldn't have bothered Neal if she didn't know that he would be awake anyway because of Yuki's morning sickness. When she reached their door she knocked on it quietly. After several moments she head the lock click and the door opened to reveal Neal half in his night clothes and half dressed. He had clearly been up for awhile from the unhappy look on his face. When he saw who it was the look turned into concern.
"Kel, are you alright?" he asked anxiously.
"I'm fine Neal, I just have a bit of a headache and I was hoping you could fix it so that I can get to practice." She answered him feeling rather weak for resorting to a healing.
Neal nodded his head in understanding; ushered her into his apartment and closed the door behind her. Like many of the small apartments at the palace, Neal and Yuki's had been divided into two halves. The back area had their washroom and bedroom and the front half was a sitting room. Both rooms were decorated in a mixture of Yamani and Eastern styles and looked homely. Yuki was sitting on a pile of cushions on the floor having been confined to the rooms and only to leave when under Neal's sharp eyes. Kel took a seat next to her after she propped her glaive on the wall and waited for Neal to get her something to alleviate her pain.
"Kel, Neal told me about your new assignment. How amazing is it, are you happy?" Yuki asked ever the polite Yamani.
Kel shrugged. "Honestly I still don't know what to think. I'm happy yes that they would entrust something like this to me but my head is still spinning." Kel noticed that Neal's letter from Wyldon was sitting on a table near them. Shocked she realized she hadn't even asked Neal or Merric what their next post would be. "Did Neal tell you about Maggur also?" She asked Yuki.
"Yes. He even tried to get me to leave New Hope before the baby is born. I told him no. What kind of a friend would I be if I left at the first hint of trouble?" Yuki said to her defiantly.
"Yuki, I would understand if you left. You have a baby to think of." Kel told her reassuringly.
Yuki shook her head. "I am as much a citizen of New Hope as anyone else and if the other mothers who are pregnant or have children are brave enough to stay than I will be to."
Kel knew there was no use in arguing with her friend so she let the subject drop when she saw that Neal was finished and coming over to them with a mug in his hands. He handed it to Kel who took it apprehensively. Inside the mug was an opaque white liquid with foam swirling around the surface. Kel sniffed the concoction and found that it smelled like peppermint. She shrugged her shoulders and drank it all in two quick gulps and realized that it tasted nothing like it smelled. I think he mixes his worst tasting stuff for me Kel thought trying not to gag and keep the drink down. Neal handed her a cup of warm tea next and motioned for her to drink it as well. He sat down next to Yuki and looked at Kel concerned.
Kel glanced back over at Neal's letter then back to the couple. "You know what my next assignment is, so what is yours?"
Neal looked at her and smiled. "I am going to be staying here for another year at least. I'm to make sure that everything will be sanitary with your castle and to find and train a healer for the town and castle." Neal noticed that Kel brightened as he said it. He didn't know whether it was because he was staying or if it was because of his medicine, either way he had caused it. "Do you know what Merric's assignment is?" He asked. Kel shook her head no so he continued. "He is going to stay here and train guards for your castle, as well as a provost for the city and a provost's guard."
It sounds as if they expect New Hope to become a major city Kel thought. She gulped back the rest of the tea Neal had given her and stood up. Her headache was already completely gone and she was reassured now that she knew Neal and Merric would be with her for another year. "I've got to get going. I have to get in some practice before breakfast." She said going to the door and grabbing her glaive. "I'll see you later, thanks Neal." She was pulling the door shut behind her when Neal stopped her. She looked at him and saw that he was holding a bottle the size of her thumb in front of her face.
"This will help you if you get a headache that bad again. Put one drop of it in hot water no more than once a day." He said putting it in her hand. "If you can, drink some tea afterwards." Kel shook her head in understanding. "Now get out of here I must beautify myself so that I can face the world." Kel looked at him but decided to not say anything for the sake of time. After quietly leaving the Infirmary Kel jogged to the area behind headquarters that she used for practice.
When she got there she found that Tobe and the other young people of New Hope had not shown up that day as they normally did to practice with her. They had instead left a note scratched into the sand that explained their absence and a promise to her that they would practice their staff work later with the grownups. Kel brushed the note out of the sand with her foot and started warming up with her glaive.
After a short practice Kel felt more like herself. The headache was gone and now she was ravenous. She made her way to the mess depositing her glaive in her office on the way. After she gathered her food she sat down at the empty end of one of the long tables and started eating. Kel was deep in thought and it took her some time to notice that someone had sat down across from her. When she looked up she was Emmit was looking at her smiling. She looked down at herself conscientiously. "What?" she asked irritated.
Emmit went back to eating his porridge. "I have been sitting here for five minutes and asked you the same question three times." He looked up at her smiling again, "Can I ask you what is on your mind?"
Kel shrugged her shoulder and started tearing her roll up into small bits. "I'm sure that you will hear about it sooner or later." Kel dropped the rest of her roll onto her tray and dusted off her hands as if to rid herself from the thoughts that plagued her. "So what were you asking me?" She folded her arms and rested her elbows on the edge of the table.
"I was just asking what you were doing for the rest of the day?" he said finishing the last bit of porridge from his bowl then wiping it clean with his roll.
"I have some paperwork to do, and then I have to look over the duty roster. After that I am going to watch the guards during their afternoon training. I have a meeting with Raoul and Wyldon later and I have to inspect the work that was done on the wall this week. Oh, and I have to figure out a list of supplies to give to Wyldon so he can approve it and have them sent." Kel raddled off her list of things to do while keeping in the back of her mind the things she couldn't say out loud. Kel decided that now was as good of a time as any to ask the question that had been eating at her all of yesterday and this morning. Fiddling with her napkin she looked across the table at Emmit.
"Your squad is here as well as all of third company so where is Dom?" She asked as indifferently as she could.
"You don't know?" Emmet asked surprise written on his face.
Kel swallowed hard fearing the worse and shook her head no.
"It was about two months ago when Raoul told us. He didn't want it to get out so he commanded us not to tell anybody. Three weeks ago he left with Flyndan and second squad." Emmit told her pushing back his tray.
Kel looked at him fighting back her frustration. "So what does all of that mean?"
"He is going to take over for Raoul when he retires." Emmit told her as if it was the most natural thing in the world and she was stupid for not getting it.
Suddenly Kel realized what it was Raoul had been trying to tell her last night. She had been trying so hard to act like she didn't care that she had completely missed it. What an idiot I can be.
"Hello, Kel are you there?" Kel turned to focus on Emmit again trying to smile. He was waving his hands in front of her face and he looked worried. When he noticed that she was paying attention to him again he stopped. "Kel I think you should go see Sir Neal, you keep spacing out."
Kel stood up and picked her try off the table. Emmit stood up after her quickly. "I'm fine." She told him. "I just have a lot on my mind." She waited till he was standing to walk with him to deposit their trays. "That's good news for Dom though, I'm happy for him." She told him after they had put their trays away. Kel and Emmit walked outside then stopped by the door.
Emmit stuffed his hands in his pockets. "If you have time later would you like to come to the fires with me? I think you could use some fun. Plus I think it would take your mind off of whatever is upsetting you even if you won't tell me."
Kel looked at him narrowing her eyes. "This isn't another plan to get me to help out with a prank on Raoul is it? Because if it is I'll have you know I won't be involved. Not after what happened last time."
Emmit looked at her giving her his best innocent look. "Kel, would I do something like that?" He stopped and held up his hand when she was about to reply. "No don't answer that. I just thought that maybe you should get away from your responsibilities for awhile."
Kel looked at him closely to make sure that he wasn't lying. "Fine, I'll meet you out there tonight." Emmit bowed to Kel and she shoved him jokingly. She laughed at his hurt expression as she walked away.
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Kel sat down in her office behind her desk and let out a heavy sigh. Her desk was already piled up with papers from yesterday and the clerks who were busy early in the mornings. Getting out a quill and ink she removed her vest and rolled up her sleeves to keep them clean. She could tell that today was going to be a long day. She had only been up for two hours and she felt like half of the day had gone by. Pushing the thought to the back of her mind and picked up a paper on the top of one of the piles.
Two hours later Kel could finally see the bottom of her desk and only had one more request for building to approve. Looking over it she neatly signed her name at the bottom and placed it efficiently in a pile with the rest of the requests. She leaned back in her chair relishing in the paper free desk that was before her.
"I was beginning to think that your desk was made out of paper." She heard someone say from the door.
Kel looked up and saw Raoul standing there his arms crossed taking up the entire doorway. Kel smiled and motioned for him to enter. "It might as well be. Every time I leave and comeback there is more of it." She told him after he sat down on a chair. Kel tried not to smile when his knees came up to his chest. Frowning Raoul straightened them out so that they nearly touched her desk.
"I was going to tell you that if you don't mind I would like to write out the list of supplies for the troupes coming in. All you have to do is give me a list of anything special that you may need." Raoul told her.
Kel let her shoulders sag and she leaned back into her chair letting out a breath of air. "Thank you so much. That would have taken me a whole day in itself. I'll get the special supply list to you as soon as I can and I'll tell Neal to get the Infirmary list to you as well." She said gratefully. Raoul smiled looking at her not saying anything and seemingly unaware of what he was doing. Kel fidgeted in her seat. "Sir, are you alright?" she asked.
Raoul looked away from her slightly. "I was just thinking how proud I am of you is all. I never had any doubts that you would do great things. I'm just so happy that you proved that to the people who doubted you. To be honest if I were in your position I don't think I could have done it."
"Yes you would have. And you would have done a good job at it too. Just look what you did with the Own." Kel countered.
Raoul shrugged. "That was different. It doesn't take a genius to yell men into submission."
"Lady, the guards are starting their practice now." Tobe said from the doorway.
Kel nodded at him. "Would you like to come with me to watch the guards practice?" she asked Raoul.
"How are the convicts doing?" he asked stretching as her got up.
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After the guards were finished practicing and Kel had talked to Merric she they all went to the mess for lunch. Kel left with Tobe to inspect the building that had been done over the week then finally to the infirmary.
Neal was treating a burn on one of the cooks hands when she got there so the went into his office to wait for him. Unlike everything else in Neal's life his office was in perfect order. The shelves were stacked neatly with books, cabinets of expensive herbs and magical remedies were alphabetized and locked with several layers of magical protection. He had two sturdy chairs in front of the desk and a high backed one behind it.
Kel slumped into one of the chairs in front of the desk and waited for Neal to finish. He came in a few moments later and lightly tapped her nodding head when he walked by. "No sleeping on watch, Baroness of New Hope."
"Insubordination." She mumbled.
"So what brings you here? Twice in one day, I'm starting to think you miss me." Neal leaned back in his chair and folded his hands behind his neck.
"You wish. I need you to get your supply list turned in too Wyldon or Raoul as soon as possible. Don't make me look bad, get it in on time." She joked. "Don't forget to order enough supplies for battle." She continued in a grimmer voice.
Neal nodded his head in understanding. "I got a letter from Dom and I have been hearing some strange news from our guests about the Own." Kel looked at him wondering where his thoughts were going.
"And…?"
Neal leaned forward in his chair. "Is it true? Raoul is retiring?"
"Yes, I talked to him last night about it. Dom is taking over for him." Kel answered.
"He kept hinting about something like that in his letter. He said he couldn't tell me straight out but when he got here he would tell me." Neal relaxed again. "Now that he is going to be able to marry Auntie will be all over him to make up his mind, poor fellow." Neal looked down his nose at Kel. "You know now that you are Baroness of your own fief you are going to have to marry also."
"No I won't. I have Tobe and if anything happens to me he will become Baron. I just have to have one of the scribes amend my will." Kel told him quickly. "Besides you shouldn't be sticking your nose into other people's relationships. If I want to find someone I will do it myself and I'm sure Dom feels the same way."
Neal let the subject drop. "So what time is the meeting tonight?"
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Kel sat in the meeting room with the same people for the second evening in a row. Everyone sat around the table idly talking and sipping drinks waiting for the last person to arrive. Neal came hastily into the room rolling down his sleeves.
He bowed to Raoul and Wyldon and apologized for his tardiness. "One of the workers dropped a log on his arms, crushed the bones, it was messy but I saved it." Wyldon motioned for him to take a seat.
"To continue with our conversation from last night I would like to explain in detail our defense plan for Fief New Hope." Wyldon began. "We are going to 'fluff up' the builders." Kel and Neal looked at each other horrified to hear Wyldon use the word fluff. "We'll start by spreading out the materials and adding to them to make it look like we are building something bigger. That way it would look plausible to have as many people here as we will.
"Numair and Daine should be joining us within the next couple of days to help create illusions and scout out any of the terrain that hasn't been done yet. During the next two weeks we will be getting in squads from the Own and Riders as well as foot soldiers from the Kings Army. Knights will trickle in also so we must be prepared to house all of these people."
"I've still got half an empty bunkhouse and we can reopen the storage rooms for sleeping. We'll have to redistribute the supplies into houses but that should be fine. I'll start the builders working on other barracks. They'll be small and crude but they'll have to do." Kel said writing out the order on a piece of paper. "How many are we expecting?"
"Prepare for 1,000. We will have another 1,000 stationed at Giantkiller and Steadfast ready to strike. I don't want him to get away this time." Raoul said his voice growling in his throat. "I won't retire until I have his neck in my hands."
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A/N: I have no idea how far into pregnancy you get morning sickness but I put it in there anyway. If Brogan saw me looking on the internet for pregnancy advice he would probably fall over dead, I could ask his girlfriend but I don't feel like it right now.
Also, sorry about if the names or places are spelled wrong.