Sorry! I know that I haven't updated for MONTHS, and I am truly sorry, but I just haven't had time to put it up on the computer.
Am looking for a beta reader, will exchange services if wanted.
Disclaimer: I dinnae own this chapter, or those that follow, dyay got it?
Sunlight shone brightly through the canopy of trees and into Dom's face. Opening one eye blearily, holding up a hand to shield his eyes from the sun. It took a couple of seconds to register the suns position in the sky. He swore loudly. It must be almost midday by now, so he must have overslept. A lot.
His brother would be in Corus by now, surely, and if he left now Dom would be lucky to get a good meal at the Own's Mess. Dressing, packing up and saddling his horse, Dom set to the road.
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Owen stretched, touching his toes before straitening up again. Grinning broadly he looked up, panting slightly, at his friends.
Faleron was leaning against the castle's inner wall, thoroughly winded.
Neal was also leaning against the wall, although he made a sharp contrast to his friend, not even puffing.
Merric looked the worse for the wear, lying sprawled out across the floor, half lying against the wall.
An amused voice sounded from beside them. "Well, I guess we can see who has been running regularly."
Quietly Kel had come up beside Owen, startling him immensely.
Neal preened. "I know Lady Knight, I run everyday to be this good. Aren't I so very – " Kel cuffed him playfully, cutting him off mid sentence, making him emit a girlish squeak.
"You never run if you can help it Neal, you just happen to be born into a family (quite unfortunately for them, I might add) that, somewhere along the line got horse-blood." Kel snorted, completely ruining what was left of Neal's regal look.
By now their friends had recovered from the run and were standing next to them when suddenly Faleron burst out laughing, wiping mirth out of his eyes and pointing over the wall.
Gasping for breath, Faleron managed to say, "Look – at – that – guy!" before breaking down into hoots of laughter once more. Neal raised an eyebrow. "I don't get this. And everybody calls me the fool?" Neal said disbelievingly.
Looking carefully out over the edge of the wall, Owen looked for whatever Faleron found so amusing.
After searching the busy streets of Corus for a while, Owen spied Faleron's source of amusement. "What a jolly funny man!" Owen commented before he joined Faleron in laughter.
A still slightly white Merric pulled himself up, using the wall for assistance and looked over the edge. Neal joined his friend, looking thoroughly confused.
Both of them looked at each other and simultaneously burst into laughter.
Kel, still standing a fair distance from the wall, quirked her eyebrow in amusement at her friends' laughter.
"Kel you have to see this guy!" Faleron exclaimed, momentarily recovering the ability to form a legible sentence.
Highly curious, Kel made her way slowly to the edge of the wall and peered down into the bustling streets. She had to admit, the scene before her was certainly amusing. A very unhappy looking noble was riding his mare through Corus, arms crossed and a steady scowl set heavily across his face.
Kel immediately disliked him. What the boys seemed to find most funny though, was the fact that he seemed to be riding with out stirrups, causing him to bump up and down heavily. (Kel would've winced in sympathy – riding with out stirrups hurt – had she not found the situation highly amusing.)
While laughing with her friends, Kel couldn't help but think that the agitated noble bore a slight resemblance to Dom. Strange… Kel thought, tossing the thought to the back of her head for further contemplation later.
Wiping tears of mirth from his eyes, Neal ditched his friends who still lay laughing uncontrollably on the ground, favoring a seat in one of the notches in the Palace walls instead. Neal momentarily stopped laughing, frowning and narrowing his eyes at the grumpy noble, thoroughly confused.
A look of recognition played across his dumbstruck face, followed closely by a hoot of laughter.
Kel was the first to recover, brushing her tunic free of non-existent dirt and straightening to stand, arms crossed inquiringly, staring at her best friends. "What's so interesting Meathead? Care to fill me in?" Kel asked, earning her an annoyed scowl from Neal at the use of his nickname.
"Well, that, Ms High-And-Mighty-Lady-Knight, happens to be Lord Thaddeus - " Kel tapped her foot impatiently, still not seeing the further humour in Neal's statement. " – of Masbolle." Neal finished with a large smirk.
"Dom's brother? What's he like? I never knew he had a brother." Kel commented, more interested than she had been a minute ago, seemingly switching on at the word Masbolle.
"Oh, well, I don't really know him all that well, when I was little I did often play with Dom but Thad left for university with his twin sister, Clare, in tow when we were still young," Neal admitted with a shrug. "I wonder why he is here though, if he was taking a break from university, surely he would go to Masbolle to catch up with his brother who he hasn't seen since they were both still midgets and say hi to Aunt and Uncle. Not, definitely not, ride into Corus without stirrups – I do know from experience that it is awfully uncomfortable," here he shot a nasty glare at Kel who didn't look the least bit sheepish, covering a growing grin, before continuing on. "- an entrance that is surely going to get him some attention, although from what I can remember about Thad, is that he never ever took being embarrassed easily, and from his expression, I would be guessing that he is still that way. So really, i'm baffled at why hes riding into the capital city without stirrups." Neal finished his long speech with a frown.
"Well, why don't we find out then Meathead?" Kel enquired, already making her way down from the ramparts. Looking more than a little miffed at the mention of his nickname (which he still didn't forgive his cousin for telling her either) Neal stomped down the stairs quickly to catch up with the Lady Knight. Faleron, Merric and Owen followed their friends quietly.
By the time the small group of friends had reached the courtyard in front of the palace gates Thaddeus was trotting through them with pursed lips. Seeing that a party awaited to welcome him he dismounted as quickly as he could, plastered his best fake smile across his face and walked up to them, after handing the horses reins to a hostler.
"Cousin," Neal greeted, walking up with a hand out stretched which Thad promptly shook.
Kel scanned the newcomer. His clothes looked brand new and not used to traveling, the finest money could buy, although they now had a light splattering of mud. He had a couple of inches of sandy brown hair, piercing blue eyes (not quite as pretty as Dom's, but then who's were?) and a dazzling smile. Or what would have been a dazzling smile, had it not been for the fact that it was obviously 100 fake. To sum it up; very handsome, stupid enough to ride without stirrups, grumpy and hadn't quite mastered the art of fake smiling.
She saw his eyes widen. "Little Nealan? My, my, you sure have grown up! And betrothed I hear!" Thad exclaimed, his smile becoming more genuine.
Kel contemplated whether she should go jousting today, and then continued on and tried to figure out who she could rope into jousting with her. She must be getting a bit rusty after a couple of months of not having practice.
By the time that she had decided she would try and get Neal to practice with her, Dom's brother had turned his attention over to her. He bowed deeply, kissing her fingertips. "And this must be the lovely Lady Knight I have heard so much about from my Mother and my fellow university students," Thad said, straightening from his bow. Her face carefully blank, Kel politely withdrew her hand from Thads grip, nodding affirmation of his assumption. "Well then Lady Keladry who are your friends?" Thad asked, looking deeply into her eyes, making it completely clear that he didn't really care who they were at all.
Thad turned around to see her friends with their arms crossed and blank stony expressions on their faces. Neal looked thoroughly annoyed that Kel was the one getting his cousins attention and enquiries.