Disclaimer: None of the characters belong to me. Italic text indicates it has been written by Tamora Pierce.
Kel stood ringing her hands outside Neal's room. She had never been this nervous to see him, Lord Wyldon had reacted surprisingly well but she was sure her best friend would demand answers from her. What made things worse, Neal had always looked at Kel as "one of the boys" – this was one conversation she knew he wasn't expecting with her, ever.
Kel finally reached up to knock after loitering outside Neal's door for almost twenty minutes now. She wanted to leave, to find a healer she would never have to see again, but it wasn't like Kel to run away from any of her problems, and certainly not this one. She reached up and swiftly rapped three times on the hard wood.
Neal answered quickly, calling out for her to come straight in.
"Hi Kel." Neal looked up and saw her Yamani mask firmly in place, "What's wrong? You hardly ever wear that look anymore. You know you can talk to me about anything… I know you haven't talked to anyone about Cleon yet."
"It's not exactly about that, Neal." Kel's voice sounded uncharacteristically uncertain, "I need to talk to you as a healer and a friend." Kel paused and Neal nodded for her to go on. "You remember when Cleon came to visit us all about three months ago?"
"He came to visit you Kel. Lets not pretend your relationship never happened." Neal was looking at Kel so calmly and it gave Kel an extra boost of confidence to continue.
"We… we decided to further our relationship." Kel was watching Neal closely, she new that he was prone to overreactions, so far he seemed to be trying his best to imitate a Yamani mask. "And now there seem to be … complications." Kel watched as Neal's mask slowly crumpled, revealing confusion and doubt.
"What do you mean by 'further our relationship', Kel?" Neal's voice was carefully smooth, even if his mask had broken, Yuki had managed to rub off on him, Kel thought. "And what kind of 'complications'? Did Cleon ever hurt you Kel?"
"We slept together! Happy Neal, that's as blunt as I can put it." The stress of telling Lord Wyldon and now Neal had finally snapped Kel. Kel continued a little quieter, worried about the colour Neal's face was now turning, "I'm pregnant."
"You're pregnant, Kel! Pregnant!" Neal's voice was outraged, "And you're here preparing to march into battle? Does Wyldon know? He can't know, only a lunatic would send a pregnant woman into war." Neal paused to breath, "And you say you need a healer? You haven't seen a healer yet?" Kel shook her head slightly, "Gods Kel, Cleon visited three months ago! Three months! You must have known before we set out. How could you be so stupid!"
Neal stopped when he saw the tears now streaking down Kel's face. He had never seen Kel cry and the sight of his best friend caused him physical pain. 'I told her she could tell me anything, and now look what I've done.' Neal mentally berated himself. Outwardly his expression softened and he took Kel into his arms, reassuring her that everything was going to be okay.
When Kel had calmed down she told him, "I told Wyldon, Neal. I told him before we were given assignments, that's why I'm being shut away in a refugee camp instead of boarder patrol…. It's better than being sent home. This way I don't have to give up my shield and shame my family."
Hearing Kel talk about shame, Neal wondered where Cleon was through all of this. Cleon was the perfect knight: brave, skilled, and most of all chivalrous. The Cleon Neal knew would not have left Kel alone to deal with this. Cleon would have dragged her home with him, made an honourable woman out of her, floods or not. He would never desert her.
"Kel," Neal started slowly, he didn't want to shock her, "Does Cleon know about this baby?"
"No." Kel's voice was soft and Neal could hear in it exactly why she didn't tell him. Because Kel was also the perfect knight, and she had made this sacrifice to protect Cleon's people. Now that she sat in his arms, Neal could see every sacrifice she had made to be a good knight. Everything she had given up and every bruise she had been given. All towards being the perfect knight she was today.
Neal put that behind him. He couldn't deal with that and be a healer. Neal pulled up her shirt slowly and placed a glowing green hand over a belly that only just showed the slight curve of pregnancy. Kel looked into his face nervously, 'she knew she should have visited a healer as soon as she suspected anything, what if something was wrong with the baby, what if riding, or weapons practice had harmed it in any way. She was still not sure what she thought of this baby, but she had an overwhelming urge to protect it.'
"He's perfect, Kel." Neal smiled warmly up at her. "He's going to be just fine."
"It's a boy, then?" Neal nodded in confirmation, as Kel's face lit up, just a little, at the news of her baby.
"Kel," Neal paused, he knew this topic would be sensitive, "Kel, Cleon deserves to know. He's a good guy and he should get the choice to be in the baby's life."
"I can't tell him Neal. He as a duty to his people. I'll tell him someday, but not now. I can't stand between him and his people, I can't let them starve."
Neal nodded, this was as he had suspected. "Don't worry Kel, your boy will have more big brothers than he can cope with, what with your year mates and the Own."
"We'll all look out for him Kel. He won't grow up fatherless."