Hi guys, another chapter is up! Finally, I know, I'm taking WAY too long but I am so overworked and tired nowadays that you'll have to forgive me. Please! Uni live is one word – BUSY!

Thanks again to my favourite people! – EmiRose, Sora Ajax, lady of copper isles, bookworm032, imakittycat, SarcasticLoner, HeadBoyProngs, hi, TopazDragon, stormwinglover, Mythical Words, somebody's sister, smileysgoboing, EmiRose (again =D), RealGirlsHaveCurves, Aria657, JollyLass, Books-Are-My-Only-Love, m0rganosity, TheWackedOne and spazzysassyangel. You guys totally and complete ROCK!

***NB*** VERY IMPORTANT! If something happens in the beginning of this chapter that you don't like, PLEASE keep reading! It works out, just keep reading! No, it's not what you're thinking! =P Remember, keep reading!

*bonus NB* For anyone who reads my HP story, I'm going to scrap the current story and rewrite it with completely a completely new storyline and characterisation. So please keep your eyes peeled for that. I appreciate the support!

On with the chapter…

Chapter 12

Kel's Worst Nightmare

Kel lifted one shaky hand to wipe the tears from her face but it was hopeless, they just kept coming, large drops of heartbroken tears that streamed past her cheeks and down her chin. Her other hand pressed the piece of cloth she had torn from her nightgown to the open wound with a mix of firmness and gentleness. She had to be firm or the blood would continue to flow from the open wound, but even though her mind knew this, her body was finding it difficult to obey. This wasn't simply a wounded knight, warrior or commoner she was tending to, this was Dom! Somehow it made all the skills she had been taught from her first moment as a page fade into the darkness. For one thing, she had been taught to be calm and collected, but even she knew that not even her Yamani training could ever achieve that. She never cried, not even in the most dreaded of situations, she was a knight for goodness sake, but suddenly she couldn't stop.

She watched as Dom grew paler and paler, the cloth in her hands staining darker by the second. As his body grew stiller she scrambled forward and pressed her ear against his heart. He was still breathing, but it was getting slower by the second.

"Don't die Dom," her voice was a mere whisper, broken and mixed with a sob of despair, pressed tightly against his heart. "Please, not now, not when everything's falling in place. Please Dom, stay. I lov…" her voice broke again, but she pressed forward, knowing what she wanted to do most of all and wishing she had had the courage to do so earlier. "I love you Dom," It was a soft whisper but it was the truth. Hope was fading fast, she couldn't leave him and run to find Alanna because that would mean letting go of the wound that was slowly bleeding out, despite the pressure she was placing on it.

She closed her eyes, willing some control to return, when she felt a soft pressure against her hand. Her eyes flew open to meet Dom's blue ones, his hand gently clenching her own. A soft smile spread across his lips as he looked at her and then the pressure fell away and he was gone.

The thump of galloping hooves echoed through the air before the sound of wood clashing with wood followed. Raoul leaned against the fence, his eyes carefully following the young pages and squires. He couldn't hide the smug smile that came from knowing that his own squire could have thumped each and every one of them. And she had, managing to obtain her shield just as easily (or just as difficult depending how one looked at it) as any boy could have. Kel was one in a million, she was an inspiration and a legend in her own right. Raoul watched the young girls present. There were three of them now, coming to earn their shield just as their hero Lady Knight Keladry of Mildelan had. His smile grew even smugger as one of the girls charged by on a high strung horse, lost her balance and quite accidentally hit the target dead centre. Encourage by her friend's success, another girl followed, only to nearly be whacked out of the saddle by the spinning sandbag.

Just the thought of Kel had him back to worrying. What was going on, was her mission a success – or more importantly, was his and Alanna's plan a success?

It had to be, he just couldn't imagine that it could possibly be a failure. It was foolproof! He was so confident that he had Dom's royal pardon in a desk at his home.

Then why did he have this feeling that everything was just the opposite of perfect. The plan was foolproof, he and Alanna had made sure of that, yet the niggling feeling was glued to the back of his mind.

Raoul shook his head. No, he had to assume that everything was going great, that right now Kel and Dom were falling completely and utterly in love, and quickly too so they could come home and he could stop worrying.

"Be careful my lord, if you keep frowning like that much longer it might just freeze on your face." Turning around in surprise he was astounded to discover Colin dressed in cloths so old, dirty and worn that he looked exactly like a farmer. One that had rolled in pig muck, but nether the less a farmer.

"Colin, what are you doing here?" he kept his voice low to avoid being overheard. He was one of the very few people who knew just who and what Colin was and the appearance of the gifted spy meant only one thing. Trouble. Suddenly Raoul's worry ten folded.

Colin, never one to waste time, did a quick scan of the area before he replied in a low voice. "We have a bit of trouble. Intruders have managed to infiltrate. George says move onto stage B,"

Raoul's eyebrows rose slightly at the words. He himself had formed plan B, but George had been so unimpressed that he had formed a plan C, D, E and F, all of whom he had assured Raoul and Alanna he would rather follow before doing plan B. George had something up his sleeves, but for the life of him, Raoul couldn't figure out what.

Colin must not have been aware what plan B was because he looked perfectly calm about asking Raoul to do it. Either that or he was an excellent actor.

Raoul cleared his throat. "Eh, alright, if that's what George wants. Will you be joining me?"

Colin shook his head. "I have orders." Raoul understood. Travelling with him was a threat and losing Colin was not something that George could really afford right now. With a nod of his head, Colin turned and stepping into the shade of the trees and disappearing into the darkness like a shadow.

With a sigh Raoul turned towards the castle, his mind mentally running over the things he needed to prepare. One things was for sure – neither Buri nor Jonathan was going to be too pleased about his fleeing the country just as the next ball was about to begin. A small grin spread across his face. Now that he thought about it, this journey was a wonderful idea!

Alanna hands curled tightly against her sides, her nails digging into her palms as she thought the urge to slap the man in front of her all the way to the Black God. He was a bear of a man, bigger even than Raoul, who had always been almost a small giant himself. It had taken more energy than Alanna had wanted to spend on the piece of filth but she and George had managed to heave his unconscious body all the way to the bedroom before chaining him to a table they had dragged in as well. Where George had gotten the thick chains Alanna didn't know, but at that moment in time she couldn't have cared less. All she knew was that this man, this scumbag, this good for nothing idiot was going to pay for what he had done.

Giving the chain a quick yank to ensure they would hold, Alanna grabbed a nearby pitcher of water and coldly dumped the lot over his head. He came awake spluttering, his hands automatically rising to cover his face, only to be yanked back down by the chains. Instantly his attention flicked to Alanna and he lunged for her. Alanna didn't even flinch. He couldn't reach her, there was nothing to fear. And if by some weird twist of fate he did manage to loosen the chains, it would be he that would have reason to fear, not her. It was becoming more and more difficult to keep her anger in control. But she had to stay calm for Kel's sake. She was the cause of all this trouble, and she was going to have to do her best to ensure that she got them out of it again.

"Who are you?" her voice was calm, low and filled with loath and hate. She sounded like someone to be feared.

Unfortunately the man in front of her didn't seem to share that opinion. He laughed loudly, settling his broad back against the table like he was lounging in the most relaxing place in the world. "Lady, what does it matter who I am? Why don't you unchain these things before you get hurt? This isn't any place for a tiny ol' lass like you," His words were followed by an annoying smirk.

Alanna clenched her hands even tighter. The need to smack him was becoming more persistent and she didn't know how long she could hold on before succumbing to the need. Instead she took a deep breath and forced herself to concentrate on the matter on hand.

"How bout we let me worry about where and where not my place is and you just answer the question, hmm?" she tried to sound sweet but there was an edge to her voice that even he noticed.

His smirk was suddenly replaced with a deep frown, his eyes narrowing to dangerous slits. "Who do you think you're dealing with?" His voice was deep and cold, a technique Alanna figured he was using to try and cow her into obeying his orders. Unfortunately for him Alanna didn't follow orders from anyone but Jonathon and she even fought against those sometimes.

"Why don't you tell me who I'm dealing with," she asked sweetly.

The man's face was slowly turning red with anger as Alanna smile taunted him. He yanked at his chains again, his eyes warning her that she wouldn't be smiling if they broke. "What difference does it make who I am?" he growled, "When I get loose from here you're not going to live long enough to make use of that knowledge. And I will get out of here, I promise you that. Besides," he turned smug again, "no one knows who I am. You're not going to get any information from anyone even if you did know my name. I'm just a hired hand who was paid to insure some people didn't live to see the next day. Happy?"

Alanna's temper flared and before she could stop herself she leaped forward, grabbed the man by the collar of his shirt and pulled him as far as the chain allowed him to go so that she could glare straight into his eyes. "No, I'm not happy. You came in here and attacked an innocent man who was only here because I begged them to be. You think that'll make me happy?"

He must have seen the change in her and realised she was more dangerous than she looked because his eyes widened and he tried to squirm away.

"Listen lady, I think there was a misunderstanding…"

Somehow this only made Alanna angrier. "A misunderstanding? This was no misunderstanding and you made pretty sure I knew that! Who paid you?"

He was getting frightened, desperately trying to get away. "I can't tell you!" His voice had taken on a desperate tone that had been absent seconds earlier. His answer only infuriated Alanna further.

"Who paid you?" Her cry was followed by an unexpected burst of magic which instantly set the cloth she was holding aflame. She might not have planned it, but her action ended up being the best possible action she could have done. The man yelped out in surprise and fear, smacking at the flames with his large hands. Alanna had let go of him the second he caught fire and he now used it to his advantage to move as far away from her as possible, his eyes filled with unmistakable fear.

He's afraid of magic, she realised joyfully. He looked like he wanted to use his oversized hands to dig a hole in the ground in desperation just so he could get away from the gifted woman and she was going to use that to her advantage.

She just had to use it sparingly, there wasn't that much left…

"Let's try that again," she strode closer, her hand filling with a ball of purple light as she advanced. "Who. Are. You. Working. For?" Each work was accompanied by her moving a little bit closer. The man tried getting away but there was nowhere let to go. As Alanna took one more step towards him he broke apart.

"I don't know his name!"

Alanna stopped. "Fine, what did he look like?"

"I don't know!"

Alanna frowned, the light in her hand glowing fiercer.

"I couldn't see how he looked; he was wearing a black cloak. He didn't say who he was, and truthfully I had a little too much to drink at the time to ask. All I know is that he desperately wanted me to take out a man named Robert Winters. He said Robert was a spy who was here to make sure the treaty between Darkwood and Tortal failed. I didn't care if the treaty succeeded or failed but he offered me so much money I couldn't resist."

Typical, Alanna thought bitterly, this person used a drunk who cared for nothing but enough coin to buy his next drink. The bad part was there were so many people willing to do that that it wouldn't have made it hard to find someone stupid enough to kill just for another drink.

"Where did he find you?"

"In a tavern three hours ride from here."

Alanna thought for a moment. That was close enough to mean that the man could have been watching them for some time. He even knew Dom's fake name, which means he would have had to have been in Darkwood within the previous few days. Something about this confused her however.

"You said he wanted you to take care of Robert Winters, what did he say about his wife?"

He shook his head. "He didn't want me to do anything to her; he just wanted Robert out of the way."

Alanna shook her head. "So you were doing this just to kill an innocent man."

Her words seemed to make him even more desperate. "I didn't know! I didn't know he was innocent! I didn't know I killed an innocent man!"

Alanna's frown turned into an evil smirk.

"Oh, you didn't kill him. But that's what you're going to tell the man when you collect your money."

Kel felt a small movement that brought her from her sleepy state, but her tired mind refused to focus. Her back and neck felt stiff, but from what she couldn't remember. She couldn't even remember why she was sleeping in the first place. The movement repeated and slowly her mind managed to take in one word.

"Kel?"

Her eyes flew open and the memories of the past day flew back in a rush. It was Dom that had moved and was now staring down at her in confusion. She had fallen asleep next to him on the bed that was surprisingly softer than the one she had slept on the previous night. The confusing part was that she had fallen asleep on the edge of the bed and was now somehow snuggled tightly against Dom who had been laying on the complete other side. Somehow she must have sought him out while she had been sleeping.

"Kel?" Dom asked again. "Where are we? And what exactly happened?"

Slipping out of his arm – it looked like she wasn't the only one that had been looking for someone in their sleep – she sat up on the bed. Dom's blue eyes were filled with a mixture of confusion and fear and Kel couldn't stop herself from reaching out and giving him a deep kiss. Dom didn't seem to mind, even though she hadn't answered a single one of his questions. Unconsciously he pulled her closer, relishing in the joy that came with realising he wasn't dead after all. He only stopped when he felt small tears slowly sliding down her cheeks.

"What's wrong Kel?" He rested his forehead against hers, him eyes fixed on her hazel ones.

"You were dead Dom," she said softly. "You were really dead for two minutes. If Alanna hadn't returned when she did…" Her voice broke and two more tears slid down her cheeks. "I thought you were gone," Her voice seemed to break more with every word.

Dom swiftly swooped down and kissed away the tears before moving up and kissing each eyelid as well. "I'm still here Kel," he whispered and pulled her closer. Kel allowed him to pull her to his chest and stayed there for a minute, relishing the feeling of being in his arms, imagining what it would be like to stay there forever, feeling safe and wanted. She closed her eyes, trying to block the memories that were pushing forward, but she couldn't. The memory of Dom laying there, his heart still and lifeless. She had never been someone who cried easily, sometimes not even crying when it was the best thing to do, yet this past day she had cried more than she had in her entire life put together. She had felt broken, defeated and defenceless, but she couldn't stop. It was like her life had come to a complete and utter stop and that her reason for living had gone with him. She had sat there, her hand still pressed against the gaping wound, her head tucked tightly into the curve of his neck while tears streamed from her eyes like a waterfall when Alanna had appeared at a run. Someone had heard the door being smashed open and had come looking for help. George had pulled Kel back while Alanna leaned over Dom and blasted some form of magic into him. She had repeated the process twice more, finally stopping and looked up them in defeat when Dom had suddenly started breathing again. George had had a small smile on his face as he looked down at her.

"He wants to live lass, there's no other way he could have survived. Remember that." His cryptic tone suggested he knew about Kel and Dom, but he moved towards the stranger before she could ask him.

"We're in a tavern about an hour's ride from the village," Kel finally told him. "One of George's friends owes the place. They want to keep us here until they can come up with another plan." She looked up at him, concern in her eyes. "I think we failed the mission Dom,"

He shook his head. "No, we aren't done yet Kel. If they wanted us to stop we'd have been on our way already. No, they're planning something else."

Kel had to agree that Dom had a valid point. "But what?" she asked thoughtfully.

She felt Dom shrug. "That love, is the question."

'K, what do you think? Please review and let me know! =)

Oh, I hope you guys don't think Kel's a little too pathetic in this chapter but I wanted to show just how much she loves Dom. And Liam was a Shang yet he was afraid of magic, so why can't the thug be?