A/N: YAY!!! THE NEXT CHAPTER AT LAST!!!

So hopefully it isn't too depressing, seeing as I just... well just as in like 2/3 weeks ago...... wrote a saaaad fic (Behind These Hazel Eyes AKA Wrath Of A Lady Knight) omgosh that was SO fun to write!!! Kel's fit I mean, haha.

thankyou HEAPS, SO MUCH for all the encouragement. it's just so, well, encouraging! lol. but no, thankyou. there's now 141 reviews, which makes me ecstatic.

BROWNIE POINT COUNT DOWN THE BOTTOM OF THIS CHAPTER!

Anyway...

Anonymous review replies:

mexican-girl246- lol, seriously? fanfic is probably blocked at my school... and thankyou HEAPS for taking the time to review! it is definitely weird, but I'm glad you like it that way!

Anonymous- thankyou HEAPS for reviewing! =) and thanks for the encouragement, it is AWESOME!!!

mlm- THANKYOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!! lol. I'm excited now, heehee. But seriously, thankyou (dammit! that always reminds me of the Twilight avatar... you know the one with the pic of Edward in a tightish shirt and it says "Tight shirts... Thankyou, SMeyer. No, really... THANKYOU." anyway.) thanks for the review!!

Lydia- YESS!!! incredibly convincing, LOL.. nope, a membership on this site is free... otherwise I wouldn't be a member, haha.

WOW!!!!!!!!!!! You're a year younger than me- that's AWESOME!!!!!!!! (hehehe) I thought you were like 16 or something, but YES!!! Now I feel old... lol!!!!!

I like the persuasion idea.... I think I'll use it in another Kel/Dom fic.. hehe, the ideas are overflowing....!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

yes- you can have brownie points XD. check the end of the chapter for the score. hehehe

the review dance... *looks slightly nonplussed*

well.... it mainly consists of me almost falling off my chair, then starting to jump around and squeal "I GOT REVIEWS!"

yeah...

hehe, you won't die when the story ends- you have to wait until the sequel ends!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! =D

hope you guys enjoy the second part of the chapter:

Chapter 16 (Part 2, Ending 2): I'll Save You!

The rest of the Third Company trailed behind Wolset and Kel in various groups, Dom, Neal and Yuki included.

"So, m'lady," Wolset began. "We'll be heading down to the stables."

"Yes..." Kel blinked, unsure of what to say. The huge grin on Wolset's face made her feel sure that he was up to something, but what could she do?

Wolset's smile grew even bigger as they entered the stables, everyone else still trailing behind.

"Would ya like to go riding?" he asked Kel.

"Sure," Kel agreed.

The Third Company men drifted off into the stables, but Yuki, Neal, Lerant and Dom stood with Kel.

Wolset began saddling a horse while Kel watched, still keeping up her pretence of being a fragile court lady. She wouldn't make the same mistake as she had with Dom- saddling her own horse- although all that had turned out for the better.

She smiled at the memory and Neal eyed her suspiciously. "What makes you so happy?"

"It's the last day," Kel said out loud, knowing that to anyone else it would merely seem like she was saying it was the last day of her stay in Tortall... not that it mattered, seeing as everyone present knew.

Wolset suddenly froze while saddling the horse. "I smell smoke!" he exclaimed, looking around dramatically.

"Oh no," Dom groaned, realising what part of their plan must be.

Kel also could smell a smoky odour. She looked around, confused.

"M'LADY!" Lerant stared down at the hem of Kel's skirt. Kel followed his gaze, confused. "YOUR DRESS IS ON FIRE!!!"

To Kel's complete shock, the straw behind her was burning... but her dress wasn't on fire. She stepped away from the small fire swiftly but calmly, watching Wolset's smile suspiciously.

"I'LL SAVE YOU!" Fulcher came sprinting around the corner, bucket of water in hand, the rest of the Third Company following.

Dom watched in horror, starting forward. "Fulcher! She's not-"

He stopped mid-sentence when Fulcher emptied the entire bucket of water onto Kel's head.

She stood, her hair and face dripping wet, makeup running in torrents down her face, shoulders and torso damp... but the straw was still on fire.

"Lady Kel!" Wolset exclaimed, his face one big smile.

"FULCHER, YOU IDIOT!" Dom roared angrily, running over and grabbing the bucket from him. He went running around the corner.

All of the Third Company began laughing uncontrollably. Wolset actually fell over from laughing too hard- and landed in the fire.

"OWW!" He shrieked, rolling away. His hair was on fire, and with a comical expression on his face, he began smacking his head, trying to put the fire out.

At this point, Dom came dashing around the corner with a bucket of water. He threw it straight onto the fire, and Wolset.

"Mithros! Dammit!" Wolset finally managed to put the fire on his head out, which now left the fire on the straw still burning slightly.

Dom stamped on it with his boot, and then turned to Wolset, a deadly expression on his face. "What were you DOING?!"

Wolset looked terrified, and this made the rest of the Company burst into laughter again. Wolset's hair was burnt and blackened, there was barely any left and his scalp looked slightly burnt.

"Wolset!" Lerant hooted. "The ladies'll be chasing you!"

"Yeah," another member added. "Chasing you away!"

This made them all have another fit of laughter. Even Dom couldn't resist a smile.

And then the whole Third Company remembered Kel. All of their heads turned in her direction.

Dom thought quickly and decided to be completely oblivous.

"She's gone!" Lerant groaned.

Neal, Yuki and Kel had disappeared in all the commotion.

Dom also looked in the direction where all the Company was staring. "Who's gone?"

"Lady Kel!" Wolset rubbed his scalp and then winced. "Ouch."

"Lady Kel?" Dom put a puzzled look on his face. "She's out on an assignment, boys. Did you forget?"

The look on every one of them's faces made Dom want to start laughing uncontrollably. He felt the corner of his mouth twitch up and stopped it quickly. Oh, boy, was he going to have fun confusing them.

"But.... Serg! She was right there! She was Lady Kariami!" Fulcher whined.

Dom rolled his eyes, pretending to be frustrated. "Boys, boys, been at the drink again?"

He snickered inwardly as they all began talking loudly at once.

"Kel!" Yuki hissed, as Wolset was rolling on the ground, his head on fire. "Quick! Let's go!"

Kel almost told them that it didn't matter, her identity was out, but Neal grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the stables. "Quick! Before Dom sees you!"

She felt a laugh bubbling up in her throat but held it down with difficulty. "I'm coming!" she replied, lifting her skirts and running up the hill after Neal, wondering what was happening back in the stables.

Lunch came and Kel was once again the clean, made-up Lady Kariami.

"Um, Yuki?" she asked, outside the eating-hall's doors. "Don't you think that maybe the whole Third Company knows who I am- and have told everybody?!"

"Of course not," Yuki waited while Neal opened the door and began walkin briskly. "They wouldn't risk looking like idiots. They'll have kept their mouths tightly shut."

Kel raised an eyebrow doubtfully but followed them in.

Dom appeared next to her. "Sorry, Kel," he said in an undertone. "I didn't know what they were up to... are you alright?"

Kel glanced up at him with a small, unnoticable smile on her face. "Of course I'm alright, Dom. I've been through a war, remember?"

He grinned in relief. "I pretended I didn't see you, you know. They're completely confused."

She snickered softly, letting her eyes travel over to the Third Company, all of which who were staring at her, some in complete confusion and some with narrowed eyes.

"What are you doing this afternoon?" Dom asked hopefully.

Kel let a small sigh escape. "Neal said, that since my morning with the boys was disasterous, he had... plans."

"Plans? Anything to do with me?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. He wouldn't tell me anything."

Neal rubbed his hands together in sheer glee. "Oh, this is gonna be good," he muttered.

"Neal," Kel threatened, her tone deadly. "Tell me where you are taking me!"

"No. That ruins it." His green eyes were mischevous.

"Neal... I'll joust you!"

Desperate times call for desperate measures... Not that jousting Neal was ever a desperate measure. Kel thought wryly.

He folded his arms across his chest, face smug. "Nope. Even that's not going to make me tell you."

Kel gave up reluctantly and stared out the window of the chariot. It had been about an hour since lunch; and it seemed that Neal really did have mysterious 'plans'.

"Why are we in a chariot?" she started again.

"You'll see."

"NEAL!" Kel practically began grounding her teeth in sheer frustration.

Yuki, next to Neal, smiled wickedly. "Oh look," she said, as the chariot halted. "We're here."

Kel suspiciously stood and followed Neal and Yuki out.

She stared at the landscape around her.

"Neal. Why are we at a massive house, with lots of candles, and lots of people?"

All of those things, in her head, meant one thing.

"Oh," Neal's tone was innocent. "Didn't I mention that we were going to a party, hosted by my family?"

"What exactly do you mean by 'family'?" Kel demanded, dread filling her.

Neal's grin filled his whole face. "You know. The lot. My family, Dom's family..."

"Nealan." Her tone was like steel. "I. Am. Going. To. Kill. You."

"You'll thank me one day," Neal said airily.

He took both Yuki and Kel's arms and led them towards the door.

"Oh look! What a surprise!" Yuki exclaimed, a smile plastered onto her features. "It's Dom!"

Kel relaxed slightly. At least she could spend time with Dom... Nerves filled her again as she thought of meeting his family. And thought of what they would think, if she wasn't all primped up, and was going by the name Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan.

Neal dropped Kel's arm and winked in what he thought was a subtle way. "Have fun."

Dom immediately came over when he saw her. "Wow. You look..."

He stopped, not finding a suitable word.

"That bad?" Kel asked apprehensively.

"No! You look... beautiful," Dom finished.

A thought came to Kel and she bit her lip. "Dom? Do you only, you know, like me, when I'm in a dress?"

Dom stared at her for what felt like a full minute. "What?"

"Do you only like me when I'm in a dress," Kel repeated, her voice flat.

He took her hand in his. "Of course not. Why would you even think that?"

Kel shrugged and relief flooded her.

"Come meet my family," Dom decided, and began walking.

Her nerves returned. "Who are you going to introduce me as?"

"Lady Kariami. I don't really have a choice. But you'll meet them again when you've 'come back'." He answered confidently.

"Alright," Kel murmured.

They went inside, only for Kel to discover more people. Dom led her straight over to a woman who looked like an older, female version of him.

"Mother, this is Lady Kariami, visiting from the Yamani Islands. Lady Kariami, this is my mother, Lady Felicity of Masbolle."

Kel curtseyed- or did what she hoped looked like a curtsey.

"Hello," Lady Felicity greeted her politely. Her eyes travelled slowly down to Dom's hand holding Kel's. "Well, well, Dom." She smiled hugely, seeming to take great pleasure out of her son holding a woman's hand.

Kel nearly went bright red, Dom merely chuckled lightly. "Mother, we'll see you later."

"You better." Lady Felicity smiled directly at Kel. "It was very nice meeting you." Her eyes flicked back to Dom and Kel could have sworn she winked.

Dom led her away, out onto a balcony. "Well, you've met my mother now. Don't worry, she just likes it when I introduce girls to her."

Kel laughed. It hadn't been as bad as she had expected.

"Now," Dom announced decisively. "My father. My brothers are away at the moment, but you can meet them later."

Dom's father turned out to be a tall dark haired, green eyed man. "Son," he greeted Dom, who smiled in return.

"Lady Kariami, I'd like you to meet my father, Sir Liam. Father, this is Lady Kariami. She's a visitor from the Yamani Islands."

Kel, once again, curtseyed.

"How are you?" Dom's father asked. "Are you enjoying Tortall?"

He didn't seem to notice Dom's hand tightly wrapped around Kel's.

"Tortall is very different," Kel answered truthfully. "I like it."

She fanned herself lightly with her shukusen, the air warm from so many people.

A man waved at Sir Liam and he glanced apologetically at them both. "I'm sorry. I'd better go. It was excellent meeting you, Lady Kariami."

He lifted her hand to kiss it; Kel could now see where Dom got his charm. "Be good, Domitan." He swept away, leaving both of them staring after him.

"What did he mean, be good?" Dom demanded indignantly. "I'm always good!"

Hours later, Kel returned to Yuki's room, tired but elated. She'd spent the whole evening with Dom, talking, laughing, smiling... and, she admitted ruefully, kissing. In private, obviously.

"Did you have a good night?" Yuki sprawled onto her bed, eyes shut already.

"It was alright," Kel lied.

"Saw you and Dom together."

Kel's mind froze- did she mean together as in kissing, or just, together, together?

"You met his parents then?"

Kel relaxed instantly. "Yes. They seemed nice."

The sounds of Yuki's snores alerted her to the fact that she was fast asleep and Kel smiled to herself.

The next morning was a great relief to Kel. No pretending to be what she wasn't, she could just be herself. And train, she added determindly.

She got up early, despite her late night. The story was that Lady Kariami had ridden off very early in the morning, and Kel had ridden in very early.

To her joy, when she went to the practice courts, Dom was there, his sword in hand. "I figured you'd be down early."

She just smiled. "Yeah."

"I have a plan," Dom announced, his expression satisfied.

"Are you going to share it?" Kel asked teasingly.

"Alright, O Protector. Well..."

The news passed around that there was going to be a duel that day, between the Lady Knight Keladry and Sergeant Domitan of the King's Own.

"He's going to get whipped!" Neal snickered, joyously. "This I have to see."

"What is 'e thinking?" Wolset whispered to Fulcher during lunchtime. "That's gonna hurt!"

The bell after lunch, a crowd mainly consisting of the Third Company, Neal, Yuki, Raoul, Alanna and the rest assembled at the practice courts, all placing bets.

"20 on that Dom's going to get completely SMASHED," Neal yelled loudly.

Dom, stretching, shot a glare towards him. "Thanks for the encouragement, cousin!"

George wrote down all the bets... none were on Dom winning.

"He'll last two minutes," Lerant said confidently.

Finally, the time came for the duel to actually begin.

Kel stepped into the fighting area and Dom followed her lead.

They began circling each other, eyes fixed on their opponent.

"C'mon, Kel!" someone yelled. "Whip 'im!"

Dom made a sudden lunge and Kel blocked it swiftly. They parried back and forth, neither seeming to gain an advantage.

Neal was almost frothing at the mouth. "She's holding back!" he insisted. "She could snap him!"

Dom then seemed to gain the advantage. He backed Kel up, sword flying, and she stumbled slightly and tripped.

Instantly, Dom held his sword to her throat and held back a grin at all the disappointed betters.

There was a stunned silence, everyone was staring at the two of them.

And Dom carried out his plan.

He extended his hand to Kel and pulled her up, pulling her close to him.

"Kel, you weren't trying!" Wolset yelled out furiously. Then he realised what Dom was doing and, like everyone else, his mouth dropped open.

Dom pressed his lips lightly on the second Lady Knight's, wrapping an arm around her back.

"WHAT!" Neal screeched, his eyes huge with shock.

"About time!" Alanna yelled at them both, her face breaking into a massive smile.

Dom pulled off reluctantly and stuck out his tongue childishly at Neal. "Meathead! I so got you!"

Kel was laughing at the expression on Neal's face, Dom was taunting Neal, most of the Third Company was still standing frozen in shock, Yuki was squealing loudly and Alanna, Raoul, Buri and George were smiling, happy for Kel.

Raoul went over to Dom. "You hurt her, I'll personally kill you," he said, his tone low, so that Kel couldn't hear.

"I won't, m'lord," Dom promised, his eyes honest.

His sapphire blue eyes met Kel's dreamy hazel eyes and he smiled widely. Kel left a babbling Yuki to stand next to him. He took her hand and squeezed it lightly. She smiled back, her face glowing with happiness.

Happiness that would hopefully last forever.

A/N: PLEASE READ.

I'm really sorry guys, I really personally think this chapter sucks. But it was extra long...!

The thing is, I've just had one of the worst weeks of my life. (You know you've really lost it when you almost start crying in the first bit of Madagascar 2- seriously! I nearly burst into tears!! When it showed little Alex getting taken away... I was just like AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW. I mean, I didn't even cry in Bridge to Terabithia...)... I really needed, if I was going to update anytime soon, something that would make me laugh

And trust me, it did. Don't know why.. but you know. weird giggling...

Hope it's okay.

Credit for the dumping water idea goes to..........................................: bclovr-22!! yayness!!! and thankyou!!

Reviews would be nice. I have a pretty strong idea for the next chapter so it should be up soon. Soon as possible. I'll write it as soon as I've posted this, then post it as soon as I get reviews XD

So- I'm hoping for, even though I REALLY don't deserve it, at least 10 reviews for this chapter. (And it can be bagging me out....)

The count's on 141 at the moment! (I NEVER THOUGHT I'D REACH OVER 100!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!! THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

BROWNIE POINT COUNT: [don't ask me why I'm doing this.... it's random. it's weird... you get nothing out of it..... but oh well. just my little weird thingo. not that I know what brownie points ARE....]

DomLuver- 30 (you guessed who the dirty secret dude was [20]... plus thought of a very entertaining one! [10] )

Silver-Creasent-MOON1995- 20 (the bandit idea)

bclovr-22- 20 (the water idea)

Shang Leopard- 20 (the whole Dom-telling-Kariami-about-Kel thingo)

Lydia- 30 (generally being awesome (HEHEHE), plus cool ideas i.e the epilogue! ;P)

anyone else want brownie points too?!?!?!?!!!

So- after this there will prob be another chapter

then the epilogue!