Author's Note: Sorry for such a long wait, I've been busy with ISUs and preparing for my exams. But I'm glad that you're liking this story so far, and want me to continue so without further ado.

Chapter Three – Comfort

Kel sat in a chair, on one side of her was Raoul, on the other was Alanna. Dom and Neal stood at her back. The king and queen sat in grand chairs on the other side of a desk, Roald stood next to his mother.

"Keladry, I know you don't want to, but you must tell us what happened," King Jonathon said carefully, not wanting to cause any outbursts.

Raoul gave Kel a nudge. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth to speak, except nothing came out. The horrible images of that night kept playing in her head. Her eyes filled with tears. She stood and bolted to the door.

Someone stepped in front of the door. Kel refused to look at who it was.

"Kel," he said kindly, "I know you don't want to tell us, but we need to know.

Kel allowed him to escort her back to her seat. He held her hand like a brother would and gave a light squeeze. She squeezed back and began her tale. Neal who stood behind Kel got more and more upset as she continued on. Queen Thayet asked him to step out so that Kel could continue uninterrupted.

Kel told them how her evening had started off.....

"Kel! Kel we know you're in there, and we know Raoul excused from lessons tonight!" Wolset called from the other side of the door.

Kel wondered if she could just pretend that she wasn't there. If she stayed silent long enough they'd just go away, right?

She quietly stood and crossed towards her dressing room, intending on preparing for bed. She stubbed her toe rather loudly on her chest of drawers. She knew that the men outside had heard her and that her scheme was up. She crossed to the door, muttering curses under her breath.

Yanking the door open, "What do you want at this hour?"

"Pff, the night is still young Kel!" Lerant mocked.

"We wanted to know if you'd like to come down to the Jugged Hare for a drink," Dom cut in, before she could reply he added, "And what I really mean is let's go."

Dom grabbed one of Kel's arms and Wolset grabbed the other. Kel had to convince them that she would join them if they'd let her go get her cloak and gloves. Jump slept soundly on the bed, not even raising an eyelid when Kel called him.

The men of the Own joked as they made their way through the palace gates. A few snow balls were lobbed haphazardly. Kel was surprised to see that Neal had joined their group. Some of the newer men were introduced to Kel by Dom and Wolset.

Once inside the Jugged Hare most of the men went to town on the alcohol. Dom, Neal, Kel and Wolset found a table near the back where they could talk and actually hear each other. Most of the jokes were geared towards Meathead, who cried about how they were insubordinate curs. The men slowly began to become drunk. Dom seemed to be the only one who could make any rational replies. The hours seemed to pass, and Kel could barely keep her eyes open.

"Dom, I'm going to head back, I'm absolutely exhausted," Kel told Dom, standing up.

Dom made to get up, but Kel told him that she was quite capable of making it back to the palace safely. She said goodbye to him, not bothering with anyone else as they were so incredibly drunk. Kel knew Neal would be very grumpy tomorrow morning when Alanna forced him to practice.

As she stepped out of the pub, the cold night air knocked some life into her. She began her walk back to the palace. The night was a quiet one, most people exhausted of parties after the seven days of midwinter. She fumbled to pull her gloves out of her pockets. Kel dropped one of them by accident, and as she bent to pick it up a cool wind blew it towards an alley.

Thinking nothing of it, Kel trotted to pick up her escaped glove.

Someone slammed her into a wall, shoving a sweet smelling substance under her nose. She recognized it as dream rose. Master Numair had taught the pages about it, and its powers. Before she even had the chance to struggle, her body began to lose consciousness.

Kel could feel the tears forming in her eyes. She couldn't bring herself to say their names. She was terrified of them now; nothing anyone could say could make her stop the terror that the thought of them brought to her. She would not say their names, she couldn't.

"Kel, can you continue please," Jonathon asked firmly, yet still kindly.

She didn't know who they were. It was too dark for her to see their faces, and when she woke up she'd been blindfolded. Kel had heard voices that were not familiar. She knew that there were at least two men holding her captive in some sort of cellar. It was cool, but cold in they room they kept her in. She lay there feeling lifeless as they beat her.

Dom sat there and listened as Kel told her story. When she came to the part about being held hostage, something didn't add up. She'd said that she'd been blindfolded and had no idea who her kidnapper attackers had been, but when he'd found her she hadn't been blindfolded, she hadn't even been tied up.

No one interrupted her; they could see the tears beginning to trickle down her cheeks. Kel had to whisper something Alanna; she couldn't bring herself to say it in front of the men. Alanna promised she would relay it once Kel had left the room.

After hearing everything Jon dismissed Kel, Dom, Neal and Roald. He felt that Kel would not appreciate her friends hearing what she'd had to whisper to Alanna.

"Jon," Alanna said solemnly, "they, well, they raped her."

Thayet was speechless. Raoul was turning a deep shade of red. Jon was put his head in his hands. This was not good.

"Someone is going to have to check her," he told his Champion, "and you know what I mean Alanna."

Alanna nodded, she left in search of the poor girl. Hoping beyond she should that her greatest fear was not about to come true.

Kel sat in her room. An awkward silence had fallen upon her, Neal and Dom. She had nothing to say to them. She felt awful, she felt terrified, she felt like a child who had done something terribly wrong and couldn't bring herself to say it.

Dom and Neal felt like it was their fault. If one of them had just stayed with Kel, gone back with her, none of this would have happened. They watched as Kel began to drift.

"Kel, you look tired why don't you sleep," Neal asked her.

"Only if you two stay," Kel whispered, barely even audible.

Dom and Neal nodded as they watched her cross her room and fall asleep fully clothed on her bed. The two passed time by playing chess. Neither could help but let their gazes drift to the sleeping from on the bed. Dom could see the brotherly love in his cousin's eyes. Neal couldn't quite figure out what his cousin saw, could it possibly something more than friendship?

Author's Note: Please REVIEW!!! I don't know how far I'm going to continue this story, and I'm not quite sure what kind of relationship I'm going to have Kel and Dom develop, nor am I sure what Alanna figures out. Review and you shall find out!