Especially for TheWackedOne! Now I can sleep safely without any fear of suffering the consequences. =) Thanks so much for your review and CrimsonDahlia too! You guys rock!

Okay, so I'm in the middle of huge exams (only a week left, yay!) so it's only when I get reviews that I rather update my stories. So, if you like it and want me to update quickly PLEASE REVIEW! Or threaten me like TheWackedOne, that works too. =P

Chapter 5

The Grace of Marriage

Throughout the journey Kel had carefully prepared herself for what the village would look like. She knew that Darkwood would be far different from her home fief Mindelan and had expected the village to look almost like Haven had when she had first taken charge. Scanra was, after all, in the middle of a war and Darkwood was situated right at the border. Surely it would be filled with people rushing about to ensure the safety of their country. As the guards noted their arrival and signalled for the gates to be opened she hoped that the village would not be too much of a wreck. She took a deep breath…

And had to clench her jaw shut to stop it from falling open as the gates swung open. This was no war camp! Instead of roughly build houses made to be put up with speed rather than accuracy there were strong huts made of thick wood and carefully erected to withstand any force except fire. They were also much larger than any of the houses they had build in New Hope. Houses made for leisure and ease. Not even one of them was comically falling sideways as Kel had seen some of the houses build by inexperienced convicts do.

Kel glanced sideways at Dom, but he too looked surprised at the extravagance of the village. As the gates closed behind them Kel felt strangely like they were shutting off the war behind them and welcoming the two visitors into its rich interior.

Kel suddenly knew why they needed warriors so badly. By the look of things they were refusing to partake in the war, meaning that even their country men might now be their enemy. Kel couldn't feel any sympathy. If there was a village like this in Tortall she would happily have been the one banging on the gates in fury and dragging the people outside and shove their faces in the harsh reality.

"The new arrivals are here!" A voice squeaked from nearby and suddenly a plump middle aged woman was rushing towards them. Kel's horse stepped back anxiously, his big brown eyes studying the woman who was charging at them with such speed. Kel was sure he was wondering just what exactly he had gotten himself into. Pondering the exact same question Kel dismounted.

The woman stopped right in front of the two of them, a large grin of delight spread across her face. She ignored Dom and instantly moved to Kel whom she seized in a friendly hug. Kel, who had never been hugged by a stranger before, stood shell-shocked as she was squeezed with surprising strength. "You must be the Winters!"

Kel took two deep breaths before forcing a smile. "Yes, I'm Sarah and this is my husband Robert."

Once again she brushed Dom off like he was merely there by chance. "I'm so pleased to meet you Sarah, I'm Grace Smith – my husband is the blacksmith here in town. I'm your neighbour! Isn't that exiting? I've been wondering when we'll have some young people living nearby again. They wanted to put old Cain and his cloths pin stealing wife in that house, but I refused! I told them Jeffrey and I needed some young people around to keep us young, not some old coot that'll have us in the grave before our time! Naturally Sally – that's the wife – threw a tantrum, said I just didn't want her living in the fancier houses but I knew if I let her near my house she'd come back for more things to steal. I know it was her even if she insists she knows nothing! Why else would she be hiding every time she sees me coming?"

Grace went on and on, speaking rapidly and loudly about topics and people Kel didn't even care about but every time Kel tried to open her mouth to reply Grace simply went on. She was stating an in dept discussion of her other neighbour's secret affair with the fish seller's wife when a rescue mission finally arrived.

"Grace!" The deep voice echoed across the ground. Kel's head shot up to see a large commoner make his way towards them. He was dressed like all other commoners in a worn out shirt and breeches but he didn't give off the same vibe as other did to Kel. He seemed to carry authority with him like a cloak and his light hair and beard was neatly trimmed, something Kel was unused to seeing. Oddly enough the man reminded her vaguely of her old training master Lord Wyldon. As the man came closer Kel could see that despite his cloths being well worn they were still neatly pressed. Something here was not right.

"You're on duty in the kitchens Grace," the man said when he was close enough for them to hear without him raising his voice.

Grace looked a little nervous but seemed unable to keep her mouth shut. "I came to greet the visitors Marcus, surely that is more important than doing the dishes?" Her tone was sour and Kel caught the hint that she thought herself too important for trivial tasks. Yet it was clear that she was afraid of the man in front of them. Kel spared the man another quick glance. His cloths were not the only odd thing about him. His eyes were ice cold as they bore into Grace's, his mouth pulled into a harsh frown. His expression showed no joy at the extra help that had arrived in the form of Dom; instead he just looked annoyed like he would rather have happily shoved the two of them out the gate. She was going to have to keep an eye on him, Kel realised.

"Sally will show our new residents to their home, Grace. You may therefore return to the kitchens without any worries." He stood there glaring at the talkative woman until she left, muttering angrily under her breath. He turned to leave before suddenly stopping dead in his tracks. "Perhaps you should come with me soldier. It would be easier to get to know the rest of the men now while your wife unpacks." He smiled. "If she's anything like my wife you'll simply be in the way." Kel could feel herself tense. Something about this man made the hair on the back of her neck stand up and she knew without a doubt that there would never in her life be a time when she would feel like she could trust him.

"That's the most likely scenario, I'm afraid." Dom's tone was light and friendly but as he turned to Kel she could see that wasn't what he truly felt. It was only because she knew him so well that she could tell that his body was more ridged with tension and that the mischievous glint that was usually in his eyes was gone. He leaned down placed a soft lingering kiss on Kel's cheek. She thought at first that he was simply keeping with the charade but then she heard his soft whisper. "Be careful, Kel," His fake cheerful smile was back. "Enjoy unpacking dear!" I'd rather be there with you than with them. His eyes said the words before he turned around to join Marcus.

Kel watched them go, her mind in turmoil. Was this the man they that she had been warned about or was he just another pawn in evil's plan? Kel shook her head. Never mind Marcus, what was she going to do about the unpacking? She wasn't a wife! She didn't know the first thing about making a home liveable!

"Hello!" the voice behind Kel was so unexpected it made Kel jump. Behind her stood a young woman of roughly the same age, with long black hair and friendly brown eyes. She was at least a head shorter than Kel, which wasn't really that unusual since Kel was usually taller than most of the woman, and even some of the men, Kel knew. She knew she was lucky that Dom was so tall and therefore stood a few inches higher than her. She knew how strange it looked when the man was shorter as him wife – her parents were a living example after all.

"I'm Sally." The woman said as she took the reins of Dom's horse. "Marcus asked me to take you to your house. I don't mean to sound stupid but do you know which one that is?"

Kel was about to reply that she had absolutely no idea when she remembered Grace. "I'm afraid I don't know where it is but I know we're going to be Grace's new neighbours."

Sally's smile wavered slightly. "Oh, you're in Secret Villa, that's were Cain and I would have been if the neighbours were… different."

Kel mind remembered the words. "Oh, so you're Cain's cloth pin stealing wife!" The words were out before she could stop them.

Sally stared at her in shock eyes wide in surprise. Kel opened her mouth to apologise, appalled at her inability to keep quiet, when Sally suddenly burst out laughing.

"Yes, it appears I am." She confirmed as she wiped a tear out of her eye.

Dom had been unsure what to expect from the men he was going to have to work with, had feared that they would be a mirror image of Marcus who had simply led him to the barracks and left him to fend for himself, but his fears were all for nothing. They were a loud and friendly bunch, much as the men he had worked with in the Own. Dom didn't know how, but they all knew that he was Robert Winters and that he was a newlywed. Naturally that made him the target of various lewd comments. Dom didn't mind the attention; it was nice being treated as an equal instead of an outsider and besides, he knew he would do exactly the same had he been in their shoes. So he sat there with his new comrades laughing and joking, and carefully studying those around him. No one looked like a danger; they all looked too friendly to secretly be building killing machines. Instead Dom got to know his new neighbours. The sweet lovable over-talkative Grace's husband the blacksmith was there, a little shy and definitely not talkative. In fact, he never said a word the entire time Dom was there. The most interesting character by far was an old man named Cain, whose name Dom had to admit suited him extremely well. Every time someone said something rude or offensive, or mentioned his wife Sally, he instantly jumped up, raised his cane, and whacked them either on the head or in the stomach. Dom made sure he stayed as far away as he possibly could.

"Alright," Dom laughed as he saw that it was starting to get dark, "time to go. I don't want to keep the wife waiting after all. Maybe she needs some help with the unpacking."

"Don't help her for too long Robert!" one of the men called, "Dinner's in an hour!" Dom shook his head as he left, the room behind him ringing with laughter. The blacksmith, Greg Smith, followed him outside.

"I'll show you where your house is." It was the first words he had uttered that entire night. He was already a few steps ahead when Dom got over the surprise and had to jog to catch up.

"Thanks," he told the older man who simply nodded and kept going to silence. Dom knew better than to pressure him into talking so instead he kept his eyes on the road and the surrounding so that he wouldn't get lost on the way to dinner. He wondered what his wife was up to at the moment and couldn't help but smile. His wife, the mere words still made him wonder how all of this had happened in the first place. He was lucky, very lucky that Lord Raoul thought him good enough to keep Kel safe. His Kel. Or at least she was his for the duration of the mission. Dom sighed at the harsh reality. She would never really be his Kel. He could pretend that things with Kel would always be like this and enjoy the sensation of publicly stealing a kiss or two for now – and he knew he would – but when the mission was over it was back to the Own, back to life without the brave woman by his side. He had liked her since she had become Lord Raoul's squire – he was sure he would have liked her had he known her before that – and had admired her for her strength and her belief of always doing the right thing, but all that had changed when she had fled to Scanra to safe her people. When they had found her in the ruins of Giantkiller he had wanted to shake her for making them worry so much, he had wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her senseless until she promised she would never leave his sight again. He had done neither. It was better that Kel didn't know about the new feeling Dom had for her, she had enough to worry about it as it was.

"Here we are," Dom blinked as Greg's voice roused him form his daydream. In front of him stood a house that, Dom noted with some horror, looked exactly like all the other houses in the area. The village was on a personal mission to confuse the living daylight out of him. Dom raised his hand in salute to Greg before slowly making his way into his new home.

The first thing Dom noticed was how fancy the house was. He and his men had helped Kel build many homes in Haven and none of them had ever looked like this. The front door led to a large room filled with furniture that had to serve as the house's lounge. This would be where he and Kel would spend their off time to relax or entertain guests. He heard giggling in the next room and found Kel and another young woman hanging curtains. The stranger was standing on the large bed on one side of the window and Kel was standing on a rickety stool on the other as the carefully put the curtains in place.

"Almost got it," Kel muttered. She took a small step forward and the stool rattled in protest. Without even thinking about what he was doing Dom strode forward and wrapped firm arms around Kel's waist. The curtain fell in place with a snap as Kel's head swung around in surprise. "D… dear!" she stopped herself just in time as her companion's head swung around. The young woman smiled at the two of them as Kel rested him hands on Dom's shoulders and he scooped her into his arms to deposit her on the floor.

Kel stood there for a second, her hands still resting on Dom's shoulders before she suddenly remembered that Sally was still there.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Rob, this is Sally, Sally, this is my husband Robert."

Sally smiled slyly. "Oh, don't apologise Sarah, I remember what it was like to be a newlywed. It's hard keeping your hands off each other." She giggled as Dom playfully pulled Kel against him, his lips running down the side of her neck.

"You have wise friends dear," he said in a flirtatious tone. Kel could feel her face turning bright red. She knew Dom was playing the roll of loving newlywed husband and that she should be flirting back, but she wasn't ready, she needed more time, she needed…

Dom's lips found her jaw line. She needed to think! She was turning into a heap of melted mush right there in front of Sally! Luckily the other woman seemed to understand.

"I'll leave you two alone for now. See you at dinner Sarah!" With a wink she exited the room. Kel let out a sigh of relief and tried to move out of Dom's arms but he twisted her around to face him, before returning to tracing the lines of her face with his lips.

"Dom," it was difficult for Kel to find her voice when he was so intent on making her lose it, "she's gone."

"Window," Dom muttered before claiming her lips in a fierce kiss. Kel almost lost herself in the moment, the taste of Dom on her lips more potent than any drug, when she remembered that as far as she knew this particular crush was one-sided. Kel felt herself tense up. Was Dom taking advantage of her? She knew they had to work undercover but was that really necessary? She had just made up her mind to ask him when he whispered against her lips, "Are they gone?" Feeling foolish Kel realised the new position was giving her a clear view out the window. She saw two women giggling before moving away.

"I think so,"

"Good," Dom stepped back giving Kel some room. They stood in silence, both fully aware that their little scene would most likely have to happen again shortly in the future. Dom opened his mouth, probably to lighten the mood with a joke when they heard a voice calling.

"Sarah, you in here?" Grace appeared in the doorway. "Goodness, you haven't even finished unpacking! Luckily I'm here to help!" She cast a glare at Dom for distracting Kel before dragging her off to unpack. Dom discretely slipped from the room before they could ask him to help.

It was only an hour until dinner time but by the time that hour had passed Kel wanted to murder Grace. She had not kept silent for a single second nor had she actually been any help. Instead she had sat on the bed and ordered Kel around while she talked. When Dom called them for dinner Kel was so glad she could have kissed him – again. Grace left with great reluctance and a lot of encouragement from Dom.

"I don't think she likes me," he said happily as the two of them set off in the direction of the mess hall.

"That's suppose to make you sad not happy," Kel scolded him.

Dom leaned down until he was nose to nose with Kel. "I do believe you're jealous." Kel rolled her eyes and walked on fuming on the inside because she was jealous. Grace had instantly disliked Dom but seemed to love Kel like a long lost child. What made him so special? Dom easily caught up and wrapped an arm around her so that the two of them looked like a young couple in love strolling down the lane. Without realising she was doing it, Kel leaned her head on his shoulder. She was going to have to be careful or she was going to get too use to this.

They had nearly reached the mess hall when Kel spotted something out of the corner of her eye. A figure was slipping through the building dressed in pure black clothing. Kel didn't hesitate for one second. Taking hold of Dom's arm she set off in hot pursuit. The houses turned into storage building but Kel pushed on. She was right on the figure's tail, she could see him, she… couldn't see him. He had vanished right before her eyes. She and Dom noticed the no entry sign just as the hear voices nearby. Kel looked up at him in panic and saw the mischievous look return in his eyes.

"Well, this is an emergency."

He didn't even give her time to take in his words before he backed her into the nearest wall and proceeded to kiss her senseless. As the voices grew closer Kel accepted her role in this play. She knew what was expected of her this time and wasn't going to act like deer in the middle of a hunt. Kel wrapped her arms around Dom's shoulders, pulling him as close to her as she could before returning his kiss with as much passion as she could. The people who found them were going to find exactly what she wanted them to: a young couple desperately in love with each other and unable to keep their hands off each other. Kel was almost reluctant when the people appeared, she was enjoying Dom's kiss far too much.

"Eh hem," The voice behind them had them splitting apart instantly. "What are you two doing here?"

Dom was the first to catch his voice. He smiled at the guard sheepishly. "Sorry, we got lost,"

The guard's grin was large and filled with understanding. "Ah, I can see that. The mess hall's the other way. This part is off limits."

Dom nodded. "We're sorry; we were just a little…"

"Caught in the moment?" the guard added hopefully.

Dom smiled at Kel. "Yes."

The guard shrugged it off. "I understand. Young love and all. Just make sure you don't come here again." Dom nodded and the guard waved them off. Kel didn't have to pretend to be embarrassed when they fled the scene.

"That's twice Dom," she scolded him when they were out of ear shot. She didn't see Dom behind her, his smile matching the gleam in his eyes. That comment assured that he was going to try for three times.

Behind them on the roof of the building they had just left, his black cloak camouflaging against the dark roof, George Cooper smiled. Alanna was going to be very happy with the news he had for her.

Mmm, this story is finally picking up, isn't it? Please remember to review!