Dedicated to my beta, WarriorKnight. Thank you for getting me back on track and such a wonderful job polishing this chapter. You're the best and you know it!

The rest of the A/N is at the bottom. Please check it out!

Chapter 14

The Chamber's Promise

The wind blew softly through her hair and tugged at her cloths as she slowly wandered through the crop field. She felt calm and happy, more at ease with herself and where she was than she had in ages. In the distance she saw New Hope, walls towering into the sky as her own flag waved in the breeze. Her face broke into a smile, one of surety, one of hope. This was her home, these were her people. She had expected to hate it when they had originally posted her here, sure the purpose was simply to keep her out of the fight. But the inhabitants of the camp had crept up on her, slowly and surely digging their way into her heart. She loved it more than she could ever care to admit. She loved the town and its people, felt like she was one of their own, like she belonged there. They treated her with respect not because of her title, but because they had fought alongside her in battle, had worked with her doing the most basic chores. They knew her as a person too.

Kel turned her face to the heat, enjoying the sunlight while it lasted. She missed it. She didn't despise the cold like Alanna did, but everyone needed a little bit of warmth every now and then. She closed her eyes, soaking in the warmth and her happiness.

"Having fun dear?"

She opened her eyes to find Dom watching her, his mouth curved in a content smile. He was dressed in his King's Own armor, his hair and clothes windswept and muddy, indicating he had just arrived in town.

She returned the smile. "Dom, what are you doing here?"

Still grinning he made his way towards her, stopping right in front of her before placing a gentle yet lingering kiss on her lips. "Do I need an excuse to come visit my wife?"

His words surprised her, distracting her for a second as he dropped to his haunches. His hands gripped the edge of her shirt, slipping it out where it was tucked into her pants and slid it over her belly. Kel gasped as she realized her stomach was no longer flat and fit. It was as round as a ball – and a rather huge one at that. She was heavily pregnant and the loving kiss Dom bestowed right above her belly button made it obvious whose child it was. She gazed down in wonder, her heart aching for something so unfamiliar. Dom spread his hands on the surface of the rounded skin, his smile growing wider as they both felt the tiny jolt of a baby's kick.

"He knows daddy's here," she whispered in awe.

Dom looked up sharply. "He?"

Kel nodded. "I don't know why but I'm sure it's a he. Maybe I've been spending too much time with the men."

"Not exactly something a husband wants to hear," Dom murmured playfully.

Kel held out a hand for him to take. It was like she had a script to follow, because even before her mind could take in the situation she already knew what she was going to do and say. She pulled him to his feet, tugging him at her so he could wrap his arms around her and she could rest her head on his shoulder. "Well this husband doesn't mind. He knows there's only one man for his Lady Knight."

His lips settled on her temple. "That he does, my dear."

She pulled back to smile up at him, her heart overflowing with what she was pretty sure was love.

But Dom was no longer smiling, instead he had turned a milky white, his eyes widening in panic. As she pulled back further she saw blood slowly starting to soak his clothes where he had been stabbed in Darkwood.

"Dom, Dom can you hear me?"

He fell to his knees, his breaths coming in a strangled gasp.

"Please, no Dom! No, you can't die! Please!" Her voice was strangled and panic ridden. She needed to get help, to get him to safety. He couldn't die, please Goddess don't let him die.

"You can't always get your way Lady Knight."

Her head shot up, her hands automatically reaching for where her sword was suppose to be. It wasn't there of course. Dom may have been clad in his armor, but she was dressed casually in working clothes. She grabbed Dom's sword from his side, swinging it into a defensive position with lightning fast precision born from years of practice.

He didn't seem to mind. He was casually sitting on a huge branch in a nearby tree, his body covered in a black cloak. She could just make out his chin and flashing white teeth under the hood. Whoever he was, he didn't match the appearance of a common thug.

"You're world will soon fall to pieces, Lady Knight Keladry." His voice was cool as ice. "And I will make sure he is the first to go. You have been warned, Protector of the Small."

His voice turned deep and dark at the last sentence. It was no longer his but the eerily familiar tone of the Chamber of Ordeal.

And just like that, everything vanished – the cloaked figure, Dom, New Hope, and the field. She was left there alone as the darkness closed in on her.

"No!"

She came awake with a start, her body covered in sweat. She clawed the covers off her body, desperate to get out of the darkness, desperate to clear the dream from her mind. But it remained, her mind persistently pushing for her to remember every last excruciating detail. She wrecked open the door, not caring that she was still dressed in her sleeping attire as she headed down the hall. Her feet automatically carried her to his door, her body knowing where she needed to be before her mind did. Carefully and silently she opened the door and peaked inside his room. He was sleeping like a baby, lying on his stomach with one arm draping off the bed and scraping the floor. He looked content and safe. Kel took a second to memorize this moment, knowing she would have to make a plan soon and having a sinking feeling that neither of them were going to like the outcome.

Alanna narrowed her eyes as she stared into the fire, her lips pursed dangerously as she glared at the young man mirroring her expression in its depths. The problem with spies, she was starting to realize, was that none of them ever chose to listen. She knew what she was doing, for goodness sake; how dare he question her orders? Okay, there was the small incident that had nearly cost them Dom's life, but he was okay now, wasn't he? And how the heck had she been supposed to know things were going to take such drastically weird turn? She wasn't a seer; she didn't know what the future held and never pretended that she did.

"Listen to me closely Colin: I'm not giving you an option and I didn't ask for your opinion. Get it done and do it fast. Time is of the essence and the longer you glare at me, the more time we're wasting." Her voice was stern and the tiniest bit of her temper could be heard in it.

Colin's frown deepened. "Oh, but you have the full right to do as you please?"

"I'm a knight, for goodness sake!" Okay, it was more than a tiny bit. "I think I've earned the right to make important decisions."

"Important? Alanna, this is just plain crazy. You're asking me to go fetch a man and ask him to just forget the fact that he's supposed to be on his honeymoon just because you couldn't resist playing matchmaker. He's not going to simply come running like your personal lapdog. Heck, if it was me, I'd have laughed outright at the suggestion."

Her eyes narrowed further. "Colin?"

He let out a sigh of frustration, knowing full well what was coming next. "Yes?"

"Shut up and do as you're told. I know what I'm doing."

"I sincerely hope so." His voice was a mutter loud enough for Alanna to hear. "Is there anyone else you'd like me to get for you while I'm at it? Your father, perhaps? Or a head doctor, I'm sure you'll find one very useful at this stage. Oh, wait, I know, how about King Jonathon? Don't you think he aught to be very interested in why most of his loyal followers are vanishing like snow in the summer?"

"You're spending too much time with George," she grumbled. She could see his reacting smirk and knew that despite his complaints he would do as she had asked him. "Just be careful, boy. This mission is taking an interesting turn and we'll need to be ready for whatever they can throw at us. If you have to threaten lover boy, feel free to do so. I'm sure you'll find something to use as bait. And for Mithros sake, make sure Jon doesn't get a whiff of this. I've had more of his lectures than I care to admit and another one doesn't sound all that enticing."

Colin just shook his head in amusement. "I'm on my way. Try and make it more than one day in Darkwood before all hell breaks loose this time."

Alanna's resulting grin was slightly evil. "I can't make any promises, kid."

The air was far more than chilly, the wind howling mercilessly as Kel crept outside. The dawn had not quite greeted the sky yet, leaving her enough time to squeeze in a training session. She needed to relax, badly, and this was one of the only ways she could think of. She didn't have her trusty glaive or even Griffin but she had been able to borrow a large sword from George's friend, the owner of the inn they were currently staying in.

Exhaling slowly, the air around her mouth transforming to white smoke, she lifted the sword until it was parallel to the ground. Slowly turn, slice, turn a little faster, slice, even faster, slice. Her movement steadily increased its pace as her swinging turned into a pattern dance. Her short time off hadn't affected Kel's ability in the least, but it did make it difficult to clear her mind. Every time she tried to clear her it, Dom would once more dominate her thoughts. His smiling face, his soft kisses, his bleeding on the ground. The sword cut down in a dangerous arc, forcing her attention back to the familiar pattern.

It couldn't go on like this. She had to stay in complete focus. This mission had just gone from difficult to hell and Kel knew she was powerless to change anything about it. As the dance sped up Kel's mind disobeyed her once more, showing her exactly the image she was trying so hard to avoid. She was standing in the fields of New Hope again. Dom was there with her, smiling as he kissed her, then her oversized belly. She felt the same instant joy when she saw the image again in her mind's eye. Then he was falling to the ground, the cloaked figure laughing at her as the voice swept through her again.

You have been warned Protector of the Small. A shudder ran through her.

She closed her eyes, pretending everything could be okay, if only for one second. She imagined her perfect little world in her mind. Here, she wasn't a knight devoted only to the kingdom she loved so much, but also a woman who was loved by a man. And he was just a man in her eyes, not a sergeant in the King's Own, sworn to his King and never allowed to marry.

Her eyes fluttered open, her hands now gripping the sword in mid-air. Her breath was coming only a little quicker from the exercise, but her mind was working a mile a minute. It was doomed; there was no way around it, no way to sugarcoat it. She was going to have to talk to Dom, tell him how futile this whole thing was and that they were simply going to have to accept it. She couldn't loose him. Telling him things were over would push him away but at least he would be alive. That would have to be enough for her. From now on, the mission was her main priority. She let the pain of the idea sweep through her, knowing that accepting the heart break now was better and safer. Because her heart did feel like it was breaking in two at her own accord. She was the one doing this to herself, the one accepting defeat before the war had even begun, but she wasn't a fool. She wasn't going to get the two of them killed. Hell, she'd already come close enough. The Chamber was rarely wrong and this time it was aiming at something she wound far too importantly into her life.

Swinging her arm, she rapidly pulled into a new pattern, willing the speed and exercise to rob her of all thoughts, of all the pain, of all the love she felt. Faster and faster she moved, ignoring her muscles as they began to tire, refusing to let any tears escape as she froze her face in her Yamani mask, working until the first streaks of light lit the sky.

Alanna and George were already deep in discussion as she entered the dinning hall for breakfast. She nodded her head in their direction, getting her food while she let them finish. She wasn't in a very talkative mood anyway, her talk with Dom after breakfast laying heavily on her mind. She filled her plate despite her stomach not wanting a single bite just to give her a reason not to talk. She had already taken her place at the table when Dom entered the room.

His gait was almost smooth, only a tiny hint escaping to reveal he had had some form of ordeal recently. He was smiling though, his normal cheery nature never staying down for long. He greeted the others with a smile and her with an added wink. Kel forced her attention to her food, fighting the wave of regret that was washing through her. She had to do this, she had to. It was for her own good, for their own good. If only she could convince herself of that. He sat down next to her, his leg coming to rest against hers just so he could form some kind of contact. Kel should have jerked away but she couldn't help but grant herself one more opportunity to enjoy the feel of him. After today all their touches would be simply to portray a role, and somehow she knew she wanted to die inside.

She felt her fist clench around her fork. No, she had to do this; she had to be strong, for both their sakes. Dom looked over at her, his smile wavering slightly in concern as he took in her posture. She forced herself to relax and smile at him. Here and now wasn't the right place to do anything. She would have to wait until they were alone.

"So Dom, how're you feeling today?" George's voice cut into her thoughts.

Dom moved his gaze from her to the couple now sitting opposite them. "Much better, thank you."

"The wound giving you any trouble?"

He shook his head. "No, not really. It's a little awkward to move at times, but it's not really pain, just a little discomfort. Considering the circumstances, I figure it's best not to complain too much." He grinned at the thought, a movement George mirrored. Kel on the other frowned harder. The reminder that he had already been injured was not something she needed at that moment.

"So you'll be okay with heading back tomorrow?"

The question jerked Kel awake. "Tomorrow?"

"Why delay the necessary?" Alanna said nonchalantly as she dug into her own breakfast.

"I guess." Kel forced herself to swallow. "I just thought we'd wait until Dom's ready to travel."

"He's ready Kel. The longer we stay here, the longer our enemies have to figure out we fooled them. We need to make our move and we need to do it fast. We're not going to let these bastards get the best of us."

Kel nodded. There was little else she could do. She'd hoped to have a few days to recover from her discussion with Dom before they were pushed together again but it seemed she wasn't going to be so lucky.

They ate the rest of their breakfast in silence, each person with his own thoughts and plans to deal with. As Alanna and George excused themselves Kel grabbed Dom by the hand to stop him. She took a deep breath as he looked down expectedly. "Can I talk to you for a second? Somewhere private?"

He looked confused but nodded. "Sure Kel."

She got up slowly, dreading what was to come as she led him to the closest room, which just happened to be his bedroom. She swallowed, once more remembering how pale he'd been when he first laid there, how happy she'd been when he woke for the first time even thought he had fallen asleep instantly again. Just knowing he was alive had been enough by that stage. Then there were the passionate kisses they'd shared the previous evening – no, now wasn't the time to think about that. She had to be strong. Her expression must have betrayed her because he was suddenly cupping her cheek, his eyes filled with worry.

"Kel, what's wrong?"

She closed her eyes for a second, her courage seeming to seep from her body. "Dom… I – I can't…" she opened her eyes, looked straight into his blue depths and wished she could simply stand there and drown in them, "I can't do this," Her voice was a soft, almost broken, whisper.

Her words confused him. "Can't do what Kel?"

"I can't…" Deep breath. "I can't do this… us… I don't know what to call it."

He looked even more baffled. "Kel, you can't pull out of the mission now. Why didn't you tell Alanna that you have worries? If you want me to call her…"

"Dom, stop! Please, please just listen." Her lip quivered the tiniest bit as she saw the panic in his eyes. He knew what she meant, knew that she was stopping the romance between the two of them before it got too far but couldn't bring himself to accept it. She couldn't blame him. She didn't want things to end either. "What happened between us shouldn't have happened. There's no future for us, no way we can be together. You can't stop being a sergeant in the King's Own just as much as I can't stop being a knight." She had to stop, had to get this over with so she could get out of there. Her heart broke into a thousand pieces as a mixture of realization and horror crossed his crossed his face.

"Kel, no, you can't do that…"

"Dom there's no other way. We're kidding ourselves if we think there's any chance for us…"

"Why are you running, Kel? What are you scared of? Are you afraid I'll fall in love with you? Because I'm sorry sweetheart; it's too late for that. I've been loving you from afar for far too long to suddenly let you go just because you're too scared to give us a chance."

Oh Mithros how she wanted to grab him, kiss him like her life depended on it and never ever let him go.

"There is no us Dom. Don't you see, the second we get too close, something bad happens, and it'll just keep happening. I can't be distracted Dom. I can't allow what happened in Darkwood to happen again."

"So you think by pushing me away you're magically going to keep me safe. Kel, listen to yourself, listen to how utterly ridiculous you sound. You're really afraid of sticking around because you think I'll hurt you…"

"Don't you dare tell me what my own feelings are! I know my own emotions Dom, I don't need you to interpret them for me!"

"Admit it then, Kel. Admit you're scared as hell because you love me and have no idea how to deal with it."

"Did you maybe consider it's because I don't love you?" Oh Goddess, had she said that? Her eyes widened as she took in his shell-shocked expression. It was the biggest lie she had ever told but if that was what it took to convince him, then she had no choice. "I'll understand if you want to pull out of the mission." She turned to walk out of the room before her own emotions betrayed her.

She didn't even make it to the door before Dom had her pinned to the wall. There was a feral look in his eyes as he glared down at her. "Don't lie to me, Kel. You can't lie to me. Tell me you love me too."

"I don…" Before she could finish his mouth covered hers in a rough kiss. She fought against it – not him, a mere push could have gotten Dom to back off. It was his kiss that she fought against instead. The need to return his hungry kiss with equal passion and desire overwhelmed her senses until she couldn't think anymore, only respond.

His head only moved back a few inches. "Tell me you love me, Kel." His voice was still angry but now laced with a healthy dose of seduction.

"I don…" He kissed her again, still hard but also filled with passion and teasing. Without noticing, she was meeting him in equal measures in each department.

Back a few inches again. "Tell me you love me." Rough but sweet.

"I don…" She was fully aware she was meeting him in equal amounts of desperateness this time.

"Tell me you love me, Kel. Please." His voice, pure and utterly seductive, still held a desperate edge, a need for her not to reject him but confirm what he hoped with all his soul was true. His lips brushed against hers as he spoke, his fingers gently curling around her cheeks. As much as she knew this could never be, that they would never be allowed to be together, she couldn't deny him the truth. He deserved better than lies. She looked up into his blue eyes, eyes which were filled with love and hope and just the smallest drop of pleading.

She grabbed him by the front of the tunic and yanked him as close as she could, her lips finding his in a hungry kiss that spoke more than words ever could. But she needed words, both of them did. "Oh Mithros, Dom, I love you. I love you too darn much…" He cut her off again, his lips sure and firm, his body molding against hers as his movements became frantic. She felt it too, the need to be close to him, the need to be as close to him as she possibly could. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulling him even closer as their movements became a blur of lips, tongue and hands.

His hand shot out to the side, his fingers desperately running along the wall until they reached the lock of the door and smoothly slid it in place. The second he was sure no uninvited guests would interrupt them this time, he slowly drew Kel away from the wall. He herded her backwards towards the bed, his lips never leaving hers, his hands unable to leave the smoothness of her skin. They fell onto the mattress in a bit of a tumble but neither seemed to care too much. All they cared about was each other, showing the other just why separation couldn't be an option.

She couldn't do it, Kel realized as she threaded her fingers through his thick hair. She couldn't leave this man even if it was ultimately doomed. She had fought the chamber's predictions before and had proven him wrong. Why should this time be any different?

As his lips traveled to the base of her throat, Kel knew she could never love anyone as much as she did this sergeant. He had made her admit it and she could never deny the truth her words had held. She had said it – but he never had.

"Dom?" Her voice was hoarser than she expected. She swallowed hard while his lips left her neck so that he could look down at her. She had been afraid, almost embarrassed, to ask the question at first, but seeing the truth in his eyes gave her the strength to reach up with one hand to cradle his face and whisper, "Tell me you love me too."

His face broke into a wide grin, one filled with humor, seduction and love. An expression she had never seen before. She'd seen him flirt with countless ladies at court, always the rogue and the charmer, but never had she seen him like this. It was just for her. For the first time in her life Kel felt sure of herself, not just as a knight, but also as a woman.

Moving his head slightly to the side he placed a small kiss on her palm and whispered, "I love you, Kel." She thought he would lean down and reclaim her lips. Instead he followed the path down her arm, kissing her wrist, her elbow, her shoulder, her neck, her chin, the shell of her ear, her nose and eyelids before finally returning to her lips, each kiss followed by a small, "I love you."

She knew as the kiss turned passionate again that she didn't have much of a choice in the matter. Her heart had chosen for her and her brain hadn't even been given a vote. She could do this, she could fight for this. She now understood why her sisters had been so fond of romantic tales. She had always been more interested in stories of warriors and knight fighting to save their kingdom, but love, she was discovering, was just as worthy a cause.

She felt his fingers tugging at the buttons of her shirt and hastily reached down to stop him.

"Dom, no, you're still hurt."

"As long as you don't knee me in the stomach, I'll be fine, Kel. But if you're not ready…" he started to pull back but she brought him straight back down.

"I didn't say that. Just… warn me if I hurt you, okay?"

She couldn't stop the blush that crept across her cheeks as he chuckled and murmured. "Aren't I the one who should be saying that?"

"Don't push your luck, sergeant," she warned him playfully.

"But I enjoy pushing it so much, Lady Knight." Another soft kiss. "My Lady Knight." His hands returned to work, slowly sliding each button out of its perch. Kel on the other hand was practically tearing his shirt as she yanked at the buttons.

"Patience, my Lady Knight," He leaned forward to try and keep her calm with another deep kiss.

It only made matters worse. Lucky for her, it appeared to make matters worse for him as well because suddenly he seemed to share her overwhelming need. Clothes practically flew through the air, and suddenly Kel found herself naked as the day she had been born, her body pressed against an equally naked Dom. If anyone had told her even a week ago that this would happen, she would have laughed at them. There was no way such a generous, friendly, marvelous man like Dom could ever love her. Yet through some miracle he did, now ready to share in something she was sure would be one of the greatest experiences of her life. She had never been so glad that things hadn't gotten this far with Cleon, because now she could share it with someone who was truly worth the wait. She pulled him close, kissing him sweetly, delicately. He would be her first, and he would be her only.

She looked him in the eyes, her heart filled with love and trust. He returned the gaze with equal intensity before suddenly pausing and pulling back slightly. He eyed the area around them, winced slightly before he suddenly jumped down onto the cold floor.

"Dom?"

Before her eyes, he suddenly dropped to his knees, right there on the ice cold floor without a stitch of clothing on, and took her hand in his. "Kel, I know now is probably not the best time considering the mission, but I can't let this go. I've loved you for so long that it seems like it's now or never and I won't be able to live with myself if I don't try. I know I'm not the type of man you need. I don't have a fief, I don't have a title and I have very little money. In other words, I have almost nothing to offer you. All I can give you is love and promise that I'll find a way to support you. Maybe there's a fief in Tortall that needs warriors like Darkwood. I don't know, but I'll find something, I promise."

"Dom, what are you talking about?"

"Kel – no Lady Knight Keladry of Minderlan, I'm asking you for the honor of your hand in marriage."

Kel felt her eyes widening. "But Dom, you can't, the Own doesn't allow…"

"I'm going to quit the Own as soon as we finish here Kel."

"But you love being in the Own!"

"But I love you even more. You're all I need Kel, all I ever wanted. I'll find another job."

"I can't let you do that Dom,"

"And I can't live without you, Kel. Please." He looked up at her, his gaze firm, sure, so perfectly heartbreaking. "Please, will you marry me Kel?"

Her throat went dry, her palms beginning sweating, but when she looked him in the eye she knew there wasn't any other way. He wasn't going to let her get away, and she had absolutely no wish to get away either.

Her voice was whisper soft yet completely certain as she said, "Yes,"

He stayed on the floor for a few seconds in disbelief. "Yes?"

She nodded. "Yes," It was crazy, it could never happen, but she said it anyway because she wanted it more than anything else in her life – except for becoming a knight.

In less than a second, Dom was on the bed with her again, his lips desperate and searching, his hands everyone at once. She wasn't any better. She couldn't stop touching, couldn't let go even for a second. And when they joined in the most intimate act known to man she knew he was every bit hers just as she was his.

Where do I even start? I've really taken my time with this chapter and I'm not blaming anyone if they have their torches and pitchforks ready for attack. I'm sorry. Between studies and writer's block I never though I'd get back into the groove, so here's to hoping.

Thank you all for actually staying and believing in this fic. I haven't given up on any of my fics and I will finish them all I promise. I've also realised the benefit and support a beta offers and would definitely recommend you get one if you're story is more than a handful of chapters. Believe me, they spot mistakes we think we're way too smart to make.

So once more, thank you to all who alerted, favorited and, of course, who reviewed: Stella Celeste Taylor, readingobsessed, stormwinglover, TheWackedOne, Kiki1forest, celiabobelia96, Books-Are-My-Only-Love, RealGirlsHaveCurves, somebody's sister, Mythical Words, Persona-Aya, Lexi 'The Viper' Salvatore, raineorshine, theoriginalmeathead, Lady Light, Padfootkicksbutt, Elisel32, roseflorintine, Neko Tiger, beary, MelaineMae, maka loves chocolateee, WarriorKnight, RoyalLady9099 and fire dragonheart.

So, thoughts, comments, threats to pull out my toenails one by one if I ever take this long to update again? =P