Court Rivalries - Chapter 8

A Talk, Some Pork, And Ladies

Summary: A brother of a certian sergeant goes to court with fancies of catching a lady knight. Dom follows his brother to the escapades of court, hoping to win over his friend before his brother snatches her away, out of his grasp forever.

Disclaimer: yada yada yada, do not own anything, excepting Sir Thaddeus of Masbolle

Not much of a chapter, just a filler of sorts :P

Dom tapped his foot impatiently on the cobble stones of the courtyard, rolling his head in agitation.

He narrowed his eyes slightly when he spotted his cousin strolling towards him slowly, hands in pockets. "Took you long enough," Dom snarled. Putting his hands up in the air as if to say that he came in peace, Neal replied. "A bit anxious aren't we?"

Ignoring his cousind jibe, Dom continued on. "Thads here to court Kel."

Neal looked at him incredulously. "Are you serious? T never would have guessed that fact, seeing as he has been ignoring me since he got here, and flirting with her, going as far as to joust with her. No, I never would have assumed," Neal finished sarcastically.

Dom scowled. "He would have jousted with any woman if she asked, simply because he is very conservative or perhaps just big headed and full of himself, in the fact that he can't accept a woman's prowess. But Neal, the thing is that he doesn't like the idea of lady knights at all, or women doing anything full stop, he sees them only as objects to amuse him. He only wants our Kel because it would win him the approval of our mother."

Neal looked at Dom sceptically. "No matter how much I would welcome an excuse to kill your brother at the moment, you have to consider the fact that Kel is not stupid, and she is Kel. There isn't much we can do to stop Thad from bothering her Dom, just let him have his fun, and when he sees that she isn't interested he will leave."

Dom looked at Neal squarely. "Kel is a woman Neal, and human. We don't know her well enough to know for sure that she won't fall for Thaddeus' handsome face. She wears that Yamani mask half the time, how do you know that she hasn't fallen for him already? Kel doesn't know Thad's intentions and motives Neal, what's to stop her becoming charmed?"

Realisation dawned on Neal's face.

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After peeking through the doors to check that they were Thad-free (and Dom-free – she had felt uncomfortable around him yesterday, what with hating his brother – she wasn't quite sure what to say to him about it) she strode into the Mess, picking up a breakfast try on her way, and headed over to where Faleron was waving.

Kel opened the small pot of lip balm that Lalasa had given her that morning. Neal looked up inquisitively at her from his pork.

"What is that?" he asked, staring dumbly at the pot as Kel dipped her finger into it and applied some daintily to her mouth. Kel raised an eyebrow at him from her space on one of the King's Own mess hall's benches.

"It's lip balm Neal. Just the same stuff that Yuki carries around with her all of the time. I would never expect you to recognise what it was," she finished sarcastically, rolling her hazel eyes.

Neal looked mildly affronted. "But why are you wearing some? Trying to attract a husband? You seem to be turning all girly on us."

It was a semi-valid point. Kel was wearing a plain summer gown in a deep forest green that day, and her hair was up in a tight bun. And now she had lip balm.

"So Yuki is trying to attract another husband too then? I hadn't heard, although I can't really blame her," Kel said lazily, scanning Neal from across the table. Their friends, who by now were eavesdropping on their conversation, cackled loudly. "Ah she's got you there Neal," put in a very amused Merric. "The dress isn't affecting her wits, or her god given talent to make you look like a fool."

"The lip balm was a gift from Lalasa, anyway, so it would be rude of me not to use it now wouldn't it? It tastes great too." Owen from his seat next to Neal, opposite Kel, piped up sceptically. "How can a balm taste good?"

Kel folded her arms. "If you don't believe me, try it," she responded, thrusting the small pot in his direction. Peering at the pot cautiously he scooped up about half of the balm (Which Kel responded to with an exclamation of 'HEY!'), and smeared it on his lips, half of it ending up in his mouth.

"Mithros, Kel, you're jolly right," Owen shouted in surprise reaching for the pot that Kel quickly snatched away possessively...