Chapter 2

Buri found Yuki and Neal sitting in the Yamani's room. Neal was deep into recounting his adventures. "She just picked herself up, with her bleeding mess of an arm all wrapped in thread..." Neal looked up to see Buri's stocky frame in the doorway.

"I need to talk with your bride-to-be, Neal. Woman's stuff." Buri informed him curtly.

Yuki pulled out her fan to cover her smile, but stopped herself. She was in Tortall now. "This should only take a few minutes. I'll come get you after and we can take a walk around the grounds together." Yuki offered her fiancé.

He managed to nod without adding a sarcastic comment; all those years squiring for the Lioness had taught him a thing or two about "woman's stuff." He would be much safer if he left immediately. Buri closed the door behind him.

"I need you to help me study Kel. I could be wrong, but I think she and Dom are…interested in each other."

Yuki titled her head thoughtfully. "Kel's heart is difficult to decipher, even by Yamani standards. I doubt even she knows she loves with him."

"What makes you so sure it's love?"

"Keladry will look any man in the eye. She's not afraid of anyone or anything. However, with Dom, she has a tendency to always look slightly over his shoulder or above his head. As every Yamani knows, emotions are clearest in the eyes. She's afraid to let Dom see her eyes when she looks at him."

Buri frowned. "That's very vague evidence."

"Did you expect any more from her? She didn't become the second female knight in the century by seducing her way to the top--despite what some of the conservatives say."

Buri sighed. "Domitan might be easier to break. I'll ask Raoul talk to him."

Yuki bowed as Buri turned to leave. The K'miri couldn't resist adding, "by the way, I already talked to Kel about being my maid of honor."

Yuki stiffened slightly, but didn't comment. The weddings weren't over yet.

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Raoul invited Dom upstairs to talk, though he refused to reveal the topic. "Can I get you a something to drink, Dom?" Raoul asked.

"We were just in the mess hall sir, I'm fine. What's this about?"

Raoul sighed. "Look, this wasn't my idea, but you know how women are…"

"Oh no, did my mother send another letter about an eligible bachlorette?" Dom moaned. "Send me back to Scanra, please!"

"Relax, solider, all I want to ask is that you act as the best man for my wedding."

Dom breathed a sigh of relief. "That's it? With all due respect sir, don't play with a man like that. I thought you were about to give me my walking papers along with a bunch of white muslin and wedding vows." No man, except Raoul, could be married and stay in the Company.

"You'd be okay working together with Keladry then?" Raoul asked.'

Dom nodded. "More than okay. She's one of the few women—one of the few people, in fact—that I'd trust not to lose their head at a wedding. Imagine combining her tactical skills with my…roguish charm; it'll be the smoothest wedding to ever take place in a battle fort."

Raoul snorted. "Just wait 'til the Lioness gets here, then we'll need all of Kel's strategic genius. Yuki's wedding party is a bunch of Yamanis who specialize in throwing insults with a straight face. I wish you luck, Masbolle." He clasped his second in command on the shoulder, then left to go find his fiancée. Dom rubbed his chin; he'd half expected Neal to ask him first. But Dom's loyalty went 'first and foremost' to his commander."

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Neal and Yuki walked, hand in hand through the fort grounds. After a few moments of silence, Neal glanced sidelong at his beloved. "You know, I might be crazy, but I've got this dreadful feeling that you're plotting something."

"You are crazy, sir knight, it's one of the things I love about you. But your instincts are working well. I do have something hidden up my kimono's sleeve."

"Does it have anything to do with our wedding night?" Neal asked slyly.

Yuki slapped him lightly with her fan. "No, more like our wedding ceremony. Kel doesn't know it yet, but she's going to be my maid of honor—despite what Buri thinks." Her lips twitched into the barest hint of a smile and then she changed the subject. "Doesn't the Lioness arrive today?"

Neal gulped. The women were about to go to war over wedding plans. "Alanna and George should be here tomorrow, I think."

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The Lord and Lady of Pirates Swoop arrived the next morning, and everyone turned out to greet them. Somehow, in the crowd, Dom and Kel were smushed together as they waited and watched the Champion and her husband dismount. Kel couldn't help but notice that Dom felt just as solid and delightfully warm as Cleon. Tobe was near the gate to take the horses; he was keen to see what the Kingdom's other Lady Knight was like up close.

Alanna greeted Kel enthusiastically, but her attention was soon claimed by other friends. With her purpose fulfilled, Kel edged out of the crowd. She wanted to utilize this time for sword practice. Dom caught up with her.

"Kel, after supper tonight, Buri wants to go over some of the wedding details, I know you haven't technically said yes yet, but the experience could be…enlightening." Dom watched her cheeks reddened. Who'd have thought white lace and flowers could make Kel cringe?

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Late in the afternoon, Buri found herself confronted by a furious Lioness. "What's this about me NOT being your maid of honor? The Yamanis have been insinuating all day that you picked someone else."

"We asked Kel." Buri said calmly. "She hasn't said yes yet." Inwardly, Buri berated herself. She should have asked Alanna, the Lioness had been Raoul's best friend since he was twelve years old. "I didn't think you'd even be coming to the wedding, what with everything else you've got going on."

Alanna's rage dissipated and she sighed. "I'm sorry I lashed out like that." Her face turned pink with embarrassment. "Please don't ever tell Thayet—

"The queen surely too much on her mind to think about wedding gossip." Buri cut in smoothly. "Besides, you must be mad if you think I'll ever bring up our wedding details with her. I'd rather not give her an opening to gloat."

The women shared a sheepish look. "I used to tease her…" Buri murmured,

"We swore we'd never make the same mistake" Alanna added. "At least you waited another ten years."

Alanna clapped her hands, business-like. "Now, this is your wedding, your choices. Don't mind me, especially since I plan to be a bit hard to find. I've already had enough of Yuki's family. All those blank faces and polite voices trying to slip in insults like I'm a barbarian who wouldn't notice…" she shook her head. "Kel's a good choice though. Raoul said she was the one that pushed you towards each other. Excuse me while I go hide in my room. George made me promise not to duel anyone for another month. I may have a better chance of keeping that promise if no one can find me."

Buri smiled and excused her friend. She went to find her fiancé pouring over supply lists for the Company. She knocked and stood in the doorway, waiting for him to notice. Raoul looked up. When he saw her, his face lit up with a boyish grin. That look still gave her wonderful goosebumps. Ignoring those for now, she asked, "Why didn't you suggest the Lioness be my maid of honor? She wasn't happy when she found out we'd asked Kel."

Raoul shrugged. "I've been in command long enough to know when I'm NOT in charge. I figured I'd leave all tactical decisions up to you—and I don't mind having Kel as your temporary second in command either." The boyish grin widened. "Maybe I also think it'd be good for Dom and Kel to have some extra time together. After all the matchmaking she's done for us…"

Buri rolled her eyes. "You know I'm going to ask Alanna now, don't you? If I don't, the Yamani group will ride her about it until she cracks, and she promised George she wouldn't duel anyone for another month. Some plans need to be revised."

She stretched, wrapping Raoul into a hug and giving him a quick peck on the cheek, thinking. They were going to have to ask George to be the best man now; it would be odd not to. Raoul seemed to read her mind and he offered to talk to Dom. Buri smiled gratefully and wandered off.

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For all the Dom and Neal sniped at each other, they were cousins; and as kin, they felt it was time to catch up. While they patched together a hole in the roof of the barracks, they talked.

"For my wedding present, I'd appreciate if you stopped calling me Meathead." Neal drawled.

Dom raised an eyebrow. "That's like asking you to stop calling Lord Wyldon the Stump." In a single tap, he set the nail in the wood completely. He was as good a woodsman as any born Northerner.

"Please don't ever compare me--or my nicknames--to that…Stump, ever again." Neal retorted. "He made Kel's years as a page a living nightmare—

"And she lived through it. If she can forgive the man, so should you."

Neal hrmphed and was silent for a moment, looking for a comeback. Dom didn't give him enough time. "So, are you excited for the wedding…Meathead?"

Neal let out a long-suffering sigh. Would Dom ever grow up? "Yuki is plotting something, though I shouldn't be telling you about it. She plans to have Kel serve as her maid of honor; but I got the impression Buri has the same idea." The two men paused as they watched the Lioness stalk across the courtyard, obviously in a temper. "Good thing we're up here. That's one cat that doesn't normally climb up rooftops." Neal smiled at his own joke.

Dom chuckled. "I know Buri already asked Kel, but she hasn't answered yet." He made short work of a second nail. "Pardon the personal question, but how did you ever figure out Yuki returned your feelings? The Yamanis never let any of their emotions show."

Neal gave Dom a sidelong glance; the mage was a little surprised. Dom usually avoided serious conversation, especially with the cousin he referred to as 'Meathead'. Neal decided to answer seriously. "It was in her eyes. After I went through the chamber of Ordeal, I saw her waiting for me…even as tired as I was…I knew." He braced himself for another of Dom's jokes.

The older man simply nodded and set up another nail. Something sparked in Neal's brain. "If you ever want to know what Kel's thinking, try looking her in the face." Dom missed the nail entirely and almost dropped the hammer. As he scrambled to collect himself, Neal had enough time to hide a smirk. Yuki had taught him well.

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Buri met Kel at the mess hall the evening, and Buri drew her young friend aside. "Kel, it kills me to have to say this, but may I withdraw my plea for you to serve as my maid of honor? The Yamanis have already aggravated Alanna once, if she isn't sufficiently distracted…"

Kel smiled in relief. "Alanna can be your maid of honor with my blessings. She and my Lord have known each other since they were pages, if anyone is going to replace me, it should be her." Kel leaned in a little closer to the Queen's Rider. "To tell the truth, I was afraid I'd ruin your ceremony anyway. I'm not usually the wedding type."

Buri clapped her hand on Kel's tall shoulder. "You would have been great with us—but don't think you're off the hook yet, Yuki wants you too remember? You would have been mine if not for her relatives yapping at the Lioness…" Buri swore softly. "The little wench pulled one over on me." She whistled. "Never you mind. I know when I've been beat. Though, mark my words, I'll repay her for this one."

Kel winced. There was no way these weddings would end easily.

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Before dinner was over, George and Alanna were declared the best man and woman at Buri and Raoul's wedding. Sometime after desert, Kel was chosen by Yuki to be her maid of honor, and Neal surprised everyone by asking Dom. There was a wicked glint in Neal's eyes that Kel couldn't interpret. She wasn't even sure she wanted to.

She and Tobe settled down for bed that night, and the Lady Knight's head spun with information. And they hadn't even planned the reception yet. Tobe looked at his mistress with concern. "Did som'at whack you too hard with them wooden sticks today?"

Kel shrugged. "I guess spending all that time in New Hope has made me forget all the intricacies of nobility. I can't imagine how my father survived all those years as a diplomat. The older I get, the wiser he seems."

Tobe rolled his eyes. "All old people say that."

"Good night Tobe. Practice tomorrow at dawn."

"Yes, Milady mother." Tobe's voice held a combination of amusement, respect, resignation, and love.

Kel fell asleep with a smile on her face. She'd never need children of her own as long as she had Tobe.

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Yuki found Kel at dawn the next morning; she joined Tobe and Kel in their exercises, and afterwards, she hustled Kel off to discuss seating. Kel was good at math, and she'd learned a thing or two from her parents about diplomacy, plus Raoul had taught her extensively about military strategy. So, all things considered, the experience could have been worse. Yuki kept a cool head about everything, though Kel could sense her friend's excitement.

"It's almost your day, Yuki." Kel said quietly. Yuki beamed as only a Yamani could.

"I waited so long."

Kel grinned. "Neal mentioned that once or twice." She said dryly.

Yuki opened her fan and played with it casually. "What about you, Kel? When's your day?"

Kel's mask was up before she decided to put it there. She'd never told anyone about her ongoing crushes on Dom, and she wasn't ready to admit she was falling for him all over again. Even IF he returned her feelings, he could never settle down and marry her; he'd have to leave the company; and what would she do with her own assignment? New Hope still needed her, and she remembered the talk Raoul gave her when she was canoodling with Cleon.

I hear from women of the queen's riders, the ones who want command. The women say is that if they take Rider men as lovers, and it's found out, they encounter trouble…Jealousies spring up, particularly if the man and women are in the same Rider group…It's not fair, but I think you know by now the world isn't.

She and Dom were both commanders, in different sects, but still, they would face the same problems. She'd been silent for a while, and Yuki added, "I'm sorry if I've embarrassed you."

Kel snapped out of her thoughts. "I'm not embarrassed," she assured her friend. "I'm just…confused. I think it's time for a lunch break." Kel stood and made a strategic retreat. In the hall, she bumped into Dom; she noticed one of his fingers was wrapped in cloth. She stared. "What have you done now?"

"Nothing, Meathead was distracting me while I repaired the roof and…" he held out his wounded digit.

Kel turned his hand over critically. "Neal didn't fix this on the spot? What else could he possibly need his gift for right now?" She was going to have a long talk with Meathead next time—

"I didn't give him a chance to fix it. I can handle a bruise or two on my own, Mother. Besides, mayhap I'd rather have you kiss it to make it better."

"And what would you do if I took you up on that offer?" Kel asked, only half joking.

"Let's find out." Dom offered her his hand graciously.

Stifling a nervous giggle, Kel took his hand and placed a gentle courtiers' kiss. "Better?"

"Perfect."

Dom's voice sounded deeper than normal, Kel could've sworn he almost purred. Unthinking, she looked up into his eyes. Their sparkling blue color was deep and inviting. Searching, Kel saw uncertainty, wariness…and hope. Dom took a half step closer, reaching for her cheek. She caught his good hand, placed a kiss on that one too, and then fled.

She ended up in the stables. She no longer felt like eating. Tobe was there, of course, gossiping with the horses. The Lioness was there too, grooming her warhorse and humming softly. There was a sight Kel had never expected to see. The stocky warrior maiden grooming her own mount while humming to a bawdy tune. Hoshi whickered greeting to Kel and Alanna looked up to see the Protector of the Small. Tobe waved, but was caught up with a medium chestnut mare who lipped his hands lovingly.

"Am I interrupting?" Kel asked.

"Gods no, youngling, so long as your not about to challenge me to a duel, feel free to stick around and talk."

Kel picked up a brush and approached the nearest horse—a piebald gelding, about fifteen hands. Kel looked at Tobe to make sure he was safe to approach, and Tobe nodded. Gently, Kel starting rubbing down his neck. The horse rolled his eyes in gratitude, leaning on three legs and letting out a little sigh of happiness.

"I wish my life was as simple as yours." Kel whispered to him.

"What's that Kel?" Alanna asked, looking up again.

"Nothing. Just wishing my life was simpler."

The Lioness let out a hearty laugh. "Don't we all. What's wrong?"

"Men, or rather, one man in particular."

"It only takes one. Who?"

"If it's all the same to you, I'd rather not say."

The Lioness nodded. "Anything I can do to help?"

Kel paused, not wanting to pry, but the Lioness had asked. "What…what was it like for you, trying to have sweethearts when you were the first female knight in a century?"

Alanna shrugged, remembering. "If you want to talk about personal history, let's go upstairs to my room. The way animals are nowadays, I'd rather only the walls could hear us."

Together, Tortall's two female knights headed toward the visitor's rooms. Once they were inside, Alanna used her gift to seal the walls. "It's not that anything I have to say is dangerous, it's just that the Yamanis don't need anything more to throw at me."

The Lioness's grin was lopsided. "So, what was it like having sweethearts when I was a knight? For the first eight years, as a squire and page, most people didn't even know I was female. Only Jonathan and George. I loved them both, sometimes at the same time. For a while, I was involved with the Shang Dragon, but that was only for a few weeks."

Kel gaped. The Lioness and King Jonathan?! A Shang Dragon?! Why wasn't this in the history books? "What made you decide to marry George?"

"Jonathan is my king, I still love him as that way, but he was never just Jonathan. He was always a prince, always the man I took orders from. He loved me because I was his friend, his ally; because if he married me he would show everyone he could do as he pleased."

Kel couldn't help but think that last part sounded a lot like Cleon.

Alanna continued, "George loved me because I was me. He was the first person in Corus to know I was a girl, and he never acted as if that was a handicap. He helped even when I didn't ask; once or twice he came halfway across the country to check in on me when I visited the Bazhir."

Kel remembered waking up to breakfast her first night on the road to Scanra. Dom.

"But, how did that work? How did you live as the Goddess's chosen while George…?"

"George was King of the Rogue when I first knew him."

Kel wondered if her jaw would ever close properly again.

Alanna continued, "Don't think it was easy, falling in love. It took me the better part of a decade to decide to marry him, bless his crooked heart for waiting so long."

"Thanks, Lioness, I think you just put my problems in perspective."

"Any time, Protector of the Small."

Kel groaned; she needed a new nickname. Now she was hungry, and she had more wedding plans—more of Yuki's wedding plans—to worry about. If George could wait 'for the better part of a decade', Dom could wait half a week until all their friends affairs were in order. All Kel had to do was avoid him.

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Tobe munched on an apple, thinking. His mistress could handle any man he'd ever heard of, which one could possibly be bothering her? He hoped she wasn't gonna have nightmares again. Last time that happened, they all wound up on the road to Scanra, fighting killing devices and necromancers. Back then, the only person able to talk any sense inta her had been Master Dom. Finished with his apple, he offered the core to Hoshi. Standing up, he went to find the old soldier.

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Dom watched Kel's hasty retreat, and he grinned. He did have a chance with her, even if she wasn't ready to admit it. He'd secretly hoped she would have figured it out by now, he didn't flirt with every lass who worked with the King's Own. He'd met plenty of Rider women, all formidable in their own right, but there was no one in the world like Kel. Stubborn as a mule, fierce as a mother griffin. He'd never noticed before now how soft and dream-like her hazel eyes could be. And those lashes…

Dom straightened, trying to pull himself together. Tobe came trotting up to him, worried. "Who put a burr under your saddle?" Dom asked the boy.

"Milady is all upset abou' somethin' an' I think yer the only one she'd listen to. She said somewha' about a man botherin' her, and then she and the Lioness went off to talk about sweethearts. Lady Keladry doesn't have any sweethearts, and she don't have time to go a-lookin' fer one." Whenever Tobe got upset, he reverted to his old way of speaking.

Dom thought quickly. The boy was right, in a sort of roundabout way. Kel didn't have time for sweethearts—and neither did he. Not while he was still second in command of the King's Own. Kel would never turn her back on the residents of New Hope; last year's adventures were a testimony to that fact. Tobe watched him expectantly. Dom knew Kel better than anyone, except Tobe.

Dom looked down at Kel's young charge. "I think Kel can be trusted to know her own heart. She'd never leave you or New Hope."

Tobe snorted, horse-like. "I ain't afeard of Milady leaving, I'm afeard she'll do somewha' silly and get her heart broke. She has…feelings—I saw 'er cry once—she just hides 'em most times real well."

"You saw Kel cry?" Dom asked, taken aback.

Tobe nodded seriously. "Not 'cause she was scared or nothin'," he assured the solider, "but she said one of her friends was in trouble and she couldn't help. You gonna talk some sense inta her, or am I?"

"Don't worry. I know just what to say." Dom had no idea what he was going to say.