Kel woke at her usual hour. She gathered her sword and slipped past Tobe. There was no need for him to be a witness to her nonsense.
As lighter filtered over the hills and onto the practice courts, Kel waited patiently for her opponent to appear. As the tip of the sun peaked over the earth's edge, Pavel strutted up to meet her. He held his head high, his back straight. Kel thought he resembled a cocky rooster. "One I might soon cook." She thought grimly. At his heels were two noblemen whom Kel recognized but could not name. His witnesses, she realized. She'd brought none of her own. She didn't need or want them, but tradition dictated.
Who could she call on, quickly and quietly at this hour? Before she could give serious thought to the question, a familiar presence materialized at her elbow.
"I like my sunrises with a side of swordsmanship." Dom confessed.
Kel regarded him carefully. "What has you awake at this hour?" She asked neutrally. Her mind was focused on the upcoming match. Her feelings were locked and buried, out of reach for the time being.
Dom cleared his throat. "I owe apologies to a certain lady. I—
"You brought your spintry as a witness. How quaint." Pavel intoned dryly. "Let's get this over with before my morning bath gets cold." He added lazily. "The coin is twenty gold."
Kel nodded; she chose not to respond with words. Rather, she readied herself and held Griffin at the ready. When Pavel began his attack, she parried the first few strikes. His speed was considerable for his age; it nearly compensated for his lack of strength. Pavel's style was clearly that of a courtiers': very fine, but not weathered by years of hard combat.
She waited for his next blow. When his sword connected with hers, she slid her blade so they met at the hilts. With a hard shove, she sent Pavel tumbling backwards and into the ground. Before he could recover, her sword tip was at his throat. "Yield." She said quietly.
Pavel's shoulders slumped, and his eyes closed. Kel waited to hear his surrender. After a moment, she realized her opponent had fainted. She withdrew her sword and motioned for his friends to come assist him. "Get him some water. Better yet, get him to that bath he mentioned, lest it get cold." Kel amended wryly. "I will receive satisfaction from him when he recovers. Are you satisfied with the outcome of our match?"
The bigger man nodded. "We'll see to it you receive your coin." He said amiably. "If you don't mind me saying so, lady, it was a pleasure to finally see you in action." He offered his hand. "Gareth of Mountain's Crest and this is my brother Gavin. Our family is long associated with Pearlmouth, even its weaker branches."
Gavin gave her a small gesture of respect. Without further comment, they lifted their fallen ally, who groaned as his neck rolled from side to side. Kel turned on her heel and went back to Dom.
"You didn't even try to give him a chance." Dom murmured so the brothers wouldn't overhear.
"I have too much to do this morning to waste time on him." Kel explained. She tucked Griffin back into his sheath and headed back toward her rooms.
Dom followed as he laughed. "Only you, Keladry of Mindelean."
The pleasant fizzing in her stomach started to bubble, but Kel quashed it with a stern thought. NO. She said sternly. The flagstones under her feet whispered as she passed over them. Most of the castle was still asleep. With any luck, she could be gone before grandmother rose.
She reached her door as her thoughts stumbled over what to pack. New Hope was a few days ride. She would need some food, fresh clothes, Tobe…
"Kel." Strong, gentle hands grabbed her shoulders and turned her around. Dom's magnificent blue eyes bored into hers. "You're plotting something." He accused.
"I'm going home." Kel announced. She met his gaze evenly, unashamed but determined. "This is not the place for me. Not weddings, not balls, not duels over petty romantic squabbles. I'm sorry for bringing you into this, Dom. I made a mistake."
"Kel…" Dom groaned and he gave her shoulders a squeeze. "Keladry, you listen here." He sounded uncannily like Meathead the week before. "Perhaps balls aren't the place for you. I know you're happiest when you're helping those in your care, and you do your job well. But don't walk away from this week believing that you made a mistake, or—Mithros forbid—that you've failed. You stayed true to your character, you upheld your honor…and over the last five years you've showed an old, scrappy cod like me that there's more to womanhood than a curved figure and rose cheeks."
"Dimples." Kel muttered. "It's the dimples."
"What?" Dom asked, confused.
Kel shook her head minutely. "Never mind. It's an old…assumption on my part. Why," she gestured to his stance in the hallway, "are you still here?"
"I told you; there's a lady who deserves my apology." Dom stepped back and locked his hands behind him. His shoulders were square, like a subordinate giving a report he said, "forgive me. I should never have put you in a situation potentially compromising to your honor. That was never my intention."
"No harm, no report." Kel replied evenly. She released a small sigh. Dom relaxed his posture. "I'll stay." She agreed. "I'll finish this ridiculous episode." She looked back into his eyes, and slowly, the warmth in her body returned. A slight smile grew on her face. The recent proximity of their bodies brought back sensations from last night when they'd briefly embraced. Her thoughts turned from this morning's duel and her courtship failure to the man in front of her: her friend, her comrade, her ally, her constant crush.
She was uncertain who moved in first. Slowly, tantalizingly, their faces drew closer. Dom's forehead gently brushed hers as he angled his head down to plant a kiss on her lips. Fire burst through every vein in her body, sweet and invigorating. She broke the kiss with a smile. "Thank you."
***********
Kel spent the final few days of Cleon's wedding celebrations quietly. She attended the balls but spoke as little as possible. Ilene seemed to have tamed the grandmother dragon, for the older woman never spoke of Kel's marriage again. Pavel left the morning of his failed duel, with a brief excuse to the hosts that he had family matters to attend.
Dom was often seen at Kel's side, equally and unusually quiet. But the gazes he saved for Kel suggested to those paying attention that the two were content in their silence.
As Kel hoisted her saddle onto Hoshi, Anders limped into the stable. "You did fall for him, didn't you?" He asked gently.
Kel peered over her shoulder coolly. "I haven't taken a fall since last time I jousted with Lord Wyldon." She replied wryly. "Even then, I think they call it flying."
Anders snorted. "I saw what you did to Pavel." He smiled at Kel's surprise. "I comfort myself in knowing I was right about one thing." He paused. "You don't need us Mindelan men folk to protect you."
Kel tightened Hoshi's cinch and patted the mare. She studied her older brother carefully. He didn't look angry or even upset. The emotion she read seemed to be pleased. "Thank you, Anders." For the first time since she was ten years old, she embraced her brother.
"Keep that scoundrel you've chosen in line. I trust you to handle yourself, but be careful." Anders warned.
Their conversation was interrupted by a pair of lovers stumbling through the stable door. Merric half-carried, half danced through the walkway with a stocky yet comely brunette who giggled as they twirled. With a start, Kel realized she'd seen very little of her friend throughout the week. As the pair drew nearer, they noticed the stables were already occupied. Merric hastily broke away from his new friend and coughed. "Hullo, Mindelans." He said brusquely. "Allow me to introduce Alice of Copperstown."
Kel bowed respectfully. "I'm sorry we didn't meet earlier." She said politely.
"No worries, Love. My Merric didn't leave me much time to spend with the rest of the guests." Alice responded coyly as Merric turned bright red. Kel raised an eyebrow. The woman had more sass than she would've expected from Merric's choices.
Kel promised to meet up with Merric again before heading out, but she made her exit from the stables as quickly as possible. Once the new couple was out of sight, Kel allowed herself to shake her head.
She found Dom and Tobe already waiting at the gates. Merric puffed to catch up with them a few minutes later. He explained, "She's a Queen's rider I met while I was a squire. Quite a woman."
"Planning to keep in touch?" Kel asked mildly.
"Maybe." Merric replied evasively. "You know warriors like me and Dom—ladies men to the last."
Dom smiled but didn't respond.