Disclaimer: You know its not really mine......

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As Raoul and Buri guided a miserable Third Company and four squads of Riders through a dense forest and pouring rain, Raoul tried to think of happy things. The dead children they'd found in the spidrens next earlier that day were hanting his thoughts. As he tried to distract himself, an image of Jai as he'd last seen her appeared before him. She'd stopped by his study right before he'd left to get books. She'd been wearing a periwinkle dress and her hair was pinned back in a bun at her neck with a large flower the exact shade of her dress tucked behind her ear. She hadn't mentioned the chat they had at the ball, acting as though nothing new had happened. He remembered the ring of laugh, and the twirl of happiness she'd done when given the books and the last smile she'd given to him over her shoulder as she left the room. He wondered if she'd picked up the books he left for her, if she enjoyed them, if she would really marry Vinson, if she would find a way to be happy. A bolt of lightening struck a tree ten yards away, ripping his thoughts abruptly from Jai as Drum reared and nearly dumped him. Cursing, Raoul re-gained control of his gelding before turning to take a look at his drenched troops.

"Alright people. The storm is picking up. We need shelter fast. Any ideas?" Raoul shouted, barely managing to make his voice heard over the thunder.

"Sir, I grew up in a small town near hear in a small fief," a young man from Aiden's squad said. "There's a castle there that is pretty much uninhabited most of the time. We can probably stay there."

Raoul nodded. "Take the lead, Derrek."

Derrek took a sharp left and led the company through the trees. A short time later, the trees cleared and the company found itself in the midst of well-organized farmland. They followed a patch between the farms and quickly approached a large stonewall.

"How could I not have not known about this fief?" Raoul wondered allowed.

Derrek shrugged. "It does not have a noble family name specifically attached to it anymore, so no one knows about it."

When they reached the wall a man yelled, "Identify yourself."

"Lord Raoul of Goldenlake, Knight Commander of the King's Own with Buriam Tourakom the Third Company of the Kings Own and four squads of the Riders. We are looking for shelter until the storm passes."

"I'll have to check."

"Arvey, just let us in," Derrek yelled.

"Derrek is that you? Alright, alright. Come on in. The Lady's here, and she's fond enough of you that she'll probably agree to put the lot of you up."

The gates opened, and as Raoul passed through he whistled, impressed by the quality of reinforcements on the gates. He doubted he'd have to come through this town after they suffered a raid by bandits.

Arvey led them through the well-cared for roads of the town to the castle and knocked loudly on main door as the men all dismounted. A manservant opened the door. "Avery, what is going on?"

"Derrek decided to come visit with all of King's Own and the Riders. They want shelter for the night."

The manservant grimaced. "You let them in here?" he hissed at the other man. "We can't have them in here. What were you—"

"Honestly, Stevens there is no reason to get in such a huff," came a female voice from inside the castle, and Raoul smiled, recognizing the speaker instantly. "Avery, take half the horses over the castle stables. The rest can be split between the larger farm barns. Wake up a few of the stable boys to help you with that. Stevens, wake up Tamra, Callie and Mira and have them bring food in and get the fire going in the main hall. Most of the men can sleep there. I'll get the rooms set up for the officers."

As the two men scampered off to do their mistress' bidding, Jai appeared in the door way dressed only in a blue silk dressing gown that pooled below her ankles, revealing only her toes. "Lord Raoul, what a pleasant surprise," she said with a smile. "Once you get the horses taken care of, we should have everything in here ready for you."

"Thank you, Lady Jaid. We appreciate the hospitality, but I don't want to anger your father."

Jaid smiled. "This is my fief. I control it. My father never comes here. Please hurry before you all get ill from this cold."

The group quickly got the horses safely inside and rubbed them down. When they got back to the castle, a sleepy looking maid led them into the main hall, where several fires warmed the room.

"Men and women, get your bed rolls out and behave yourselves. Food is coming. No nonsense. Respect our host," Raoul said, before turning and saying more quietly to the maid, "Will you please take me to Lady Jaid?"

The maid nodded and led him into the kitchen. Jaid, now dressed in a pale pink dress, was rapidly chopping vegetables and tossing them into a large pot that was simmering over the fire. A maid was stirring the pot vigorously, while another maid chopped vegetables next to Jaid.

"We have food, Jai. You don't need to do this."

"Nonsense, when's the last time you're men had a good warm meal? You all look cold and exhausted. We'd started a large stew because I always have at least one dinner for all the people in the town whenever I come, but we can give that to you and make another one tomorrow. I just need to add these vegetables to the soup, and it's ready to go," Jai responded.

Raoul stood in the kitchen awkwardly, unsure of whether to leave or stay, and what to say next.

After a few minutes had passed, Jai said, "Are you going to help me, or just stand there?"

"I'm the Knight Commander of the King's Own. I don't chop vegetables," Raoul said haughtily.

"You do in my house. Here take this knife. Chop the carrots. Make sure they are thin so the cook quickly," Jai said, brandishing a large knife in his direction.

Sighing dramatically, Raoul took the knife and stood next to Jai, chopping the vegetables far slower than his companion.

"Did you get the books I left for you?" Raoul asked.

Jai smiled. "Yes. I loved the one on King Rander."

As the two chatted and chopped vegetables, Raoul felt the tension, anger and sadness he'd felt ever since they'd gotten to the spidren's nest dissipate as the warmth of the kitchen and Jai's chatter surrounded him.

"Jai, what is the story on this castle? I've had no idea it was here," Raoul said, when she'd finished her usual run through on her recent reading.

"My mother was my grandparent's only child, so she was left this fief. She married my father, so it became part of Stone Mountain. I was my mother's only child, so when she died, it passed to me, with my father being the guardian."

"What about Joren?"

"He's my half-brother. My mother died when I was four and my father married Joren's mother two weeks after my mother died. By the way, we are doing re-decoration of the castle since my husband and I will move hear after the marriage. Only three bedrooms besides my own are currently available, but I have an extra bed in my room. I figured you, Commander Buri and Captain Flyn could each get a bed. Your Squire is welcome to stay in the extra bed in my room, unless she needs to stay closer to you."

Raoul nodded absently, distracted from the conversation by the image of her marrying Vinson. "That would be good. I don't need her to stay near me," he added.

Silence descended as Raoul dealt with the clenching feeling that had gripped his stomach as he considered her marriage. He was about to speak when Jai said, "Here the stew's ready. Let's take it out to the men."

Once they got the stew out to the main hall, third company and the riders descended on the pot in a frenzy, shouting praises for the stew. Jai smiled, moving through the men comfortably, chatting with all them easily, making sure they had everything they needed, directing the maids, calming Stevens' antics and in everyway acting as an effortless host. Kel stood next to Raoul as they both ate their stew.

Turning to look at her knight master, Kel asked, "Do they teach you how to do that at the convent?"

Raoul looked at her in confusion. "Do what?"

Kel gestured towards Jai. "That. She just had more then a 100 men descend on her castle unexpectedly, and she has all of us fed, places for us and our horses to sleep and is making everyone happy. Plus, she got dressed, put on make up and jewelry and looks generally gorgeous despite doing all that and just waking up," Kel said, an edge of cattiness that Raoul had never heard before creeping in her voice.

"Squire, are you jealous of her?" Raoul asked, an amused smile across his features. "I have no idea what they do in the convent. I was under the impression that they curtsied and did needle point all day. Don't worry. I'm positive she can't joust as well as you do."

Kel scowled. "If she's anything like her brother, she's going to do something horrible to me while I sleep in her room."

"Trust me, Kel. She is nothing like Joren. Enjoy the soft bed."

Once everyone had eaten and cleaned up, the men began unrolling their bed rolls.

"Come with me," Jai said, gesturing for Raoul, Flyn, Buri and Kel. Leading them through the hall, she opened a door to a cozy room, recently decorated in deep red and cream. "Captain Flyn this room is for you." She direct Buri too the room across the hall. Moving further down the hall, she opened the door to her own room. This room was completely different from the neat order he'd seen everywhere in the castle and on the fief in general. A pile of books teetered on the top of a large desk, and papers were spread everywhere along it. Two beds were crammed into the bright room, and several pairs of shoes were strewn across the floor.

"You can sleep in here, Squire Keladry. You're dog is welcome as well. Please excuse the mess. Lord Raoul, you're room is at the end of the hall here."

The two walked silently down the hall until they reached the door.

"Here you are. Please let me know if you need anything," Jai said.

"Thank you, Jai. We needed some warm food and shelter."

Jai smiled. "I was glad to be able to do something for you. Good night, Lord Raoul," she added, kissing his cheek and disappearing down the hall, the gentle swaying of her hips emphasized by the movement of her dress.

Raoul watched her turn the corner towards her room before he walked into his room. Closing the door, he undressed quickly and slid into the soft sheets of the large bed. Despite the comfort of his bed, he tossed and turned unable to sleep. He kept imagining Vinson and Jai living in this house together. He told himself he was only feeling anger and fear over the future she was being forced into, but his thoughts also lingered on the picture she made as she swayed down the hallway. Finally giving up on sleep, he decided to go visit Drum. Throwing of the covers, he pulled on breeches, a shirt and boots. As he made his way downstairs, he heard noises coming from the kitchen. Figuring his men were up to no good, he silently padded to the kitchen door and slowly opened it, only to stare in absolute shock at the image that met his eyes.

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So, I'm going to write two or three more chapters of this and then if I don't like it by then I may just give up on it. I have a really cool idea for the plot, but I don't feel like I'm getting the characters right which is frustrating me. Also, I screwed up when I typed 19, I meant that Jai is 22, I changed the first chapter to reflect that.