Disclaimer: All characters and recognizable places belong to Tamora Pierce.
AN: I had hoped to get this up yesterday, but clearly it did not happen, enjoy!
The purple fire slowly returned to Alanna's outstretched hand as Dom watched with worried eyes. A smile crossed her face when she looked at him, "She's sleeping now, whatever it was that she was searching for she found it." Her smile grew even bigger. "I believe it was you that brought her back Captain. If it was anything else she wouldn't have called out your name."
Dom gave a sigh of relief. "She's back?" At the nod of Alanna's head he gave a small smile. "How long before she truly wakes? When can we ride out?" The questions flowed out, the mix between a worried lover and the captain that he was.
"She should sleep all day tomorrow; she has been through an exhausting mental journey to come back to you. I would recommend that you wait until the following day after she awakes before riding out; she may need that first day to loosen stiff muscles. If she doesn't she runs the risk of injuring herself again."
Dom gave a curt nod to show he understood. Alanna rose from her position with a slight groan, "Now, I would suggest that you get some sleep, it is late and your lady love won't be waking for quite a few hours. Goodnight captain. Goddess bless." And with that she left the tent.
Dom sat there for a few more minutes looking down at the woman he loved. Tomorrow he would tell her animals that she was doing better. Tomorrow he would inform Lord Raoul that she would be waking soon. Tomorrow he might be able to talk with his Kel. Tomorrow he might finally be able to share a kiss with his lady. But tonight he needed to sleep and dream about the only woman he has ever loved.
The next morning dawned bright and clear. Dom woke up feeling more himself than he had in days. He quickly got ready mentally going over the list of things he needed to do. Talk to Raoul, talk to the animals, train with the men and finally end the day by staying with his lady in the healer's tent in hopes that she would wake up before the sun rose.
Walking out of his tent he noticed that the additional camp set up by Alanna and her men was already packed away and their horses were already gone. Alanna had left earlier than planned, she must really want to get the men who ambushed Kel seeing as she was in no way a morning person. He whistled to himself as he made his way to the fire to collect whatever breakfast they had.
After getting his bowl of mystery breakfast which he thought tasted like soup and tea mixed together with his fresh roll, thank the Gods Alanna took pity on them, he sat down and dug in. His grin grew when he saw Raoul and Buri emerge from their tent, just as colorful as they had been the day previous, he couldn't wait until Kel saw her former knight master.
Having finished his meal he went to Raoul and whispered that he needed to talk to him as soon as possible. He repressed a grin at the worried light in the older man's eyes and refused to answer any questions he saw on the man's face.
As they were leaving the fire and heading towards the commander's tent Raoul frowned, "Where in Mithros' name is Alanna? She promised to check on Kel before she left."
"She had already left by the time first light. To my knowledge she left without checking on the lady knight this morning." Dom stated in a tone that he hoped would not give away his exciting news. Obviously Alanna had left it up to Dom to inform Raoul about Kel's improved condition.
Raoul cursed, slamming his large hand into his open one. "She's always good on her promises! How could she just leave like that?"
Dom smiled wide at Raoul's outburst. "Careful Raoul, if I didn't know better I might become jealous," he teased the large knight winking at him. He held back a chuckle at the confused look on Raoul's face.
"What aren't you telling me Captain Domitan?" Raoul nearly growled.
Dom sighed dramatically, "Alanna most likely just wanted to make sure those men were brought to justice. They have almost a two day lead on her and her men. Even with the beating Kel and her men gave them; they would be fools to stay in the area. She came into the healer's tent last night before she went to bed. We talked, she checked on Kel. She followed through on her promise my lord."
Dom gave Raoul a reassuring pat on the arm. He turned and started to walk out of the tent. He paused just before he left. "We should expect to ride out in two days' time. Lady Keladry is estimated to awaken sometime between late tonight and early tomorrow. Alanna suggested we give her till the following day before she rides." He looked behind him at the shocked face of the knight commander. "My Kel did it Raoul; she broke free of whatever it was that held her captive."
Raoul broke out into a huge grin then laughed. "Thank Mithros." He looked at Dom and motioned him to sit. "I think we have a route to discuss if we'll be leaving in two days. I wouldn't dream of keeping you away from Kel once she's awake."
They were joined shortly by Buri, Daine and Numair. The discussion of all possible routes home was discussed. They all agreed to return to Pearlmouth, which was a three day journey from their current location. After a few days they would take a royal vessel to Port Caynn and make the three day ride over to Corus. All in all it would take a little under two weeks before they arrived home, only riding for six days. That was better than the land route which would have had them on the road for three weeks almost four.
Throughout the meeting Dom could not keep a small grin off of his face. Upon its conclusion he quietly asked Daine if she could join him on a visit to Kel's animals. She quickly agreed, curious as to why he wished to speak to the animals. Raoul and Dom had kept the news of Kel to themselves; they didn't want the whole camp disturbing her by checking to make sure she was ok. Even the healers didn't seem to detect the change in Kel as they had not reported back to Raoul.
They found the group of animals in the same spot as the day before. But this time they appeared to be more alert. Jump actually gave a slight wag of his tail, the sparrows fluttered around his head before landing on his shoulders and even Peachblossom stepped forward to greet him.
With a huge smile Dom informed them that Kel had finally stirred. She was now asleep and it was expected that she would wake up soon. He quickly told them that once she was awake and cleared from the tent that he would bring her over for their inspection. He and Daine stayed with the animals until the sun was high in the sky, indicating that lunch would be served.
The remainder of the afternoon saw Dom drilling the men. When they had complained, he was quick to remind them that it had been days since they last fought, and that those who were well enough had to regain some strength if they were to fight in the event of another ambush. He kept an eye on the men and when he noticed those who had been recovering tire he sent them on their way and kept those still able.
After a hard afternoon, Dom was more than happy to join the men around the fire as they joked and told stories. He even supplied a few stories of his youth.
He was relieved when he was finally able to enter into the healer's tent. He had known that she wouldn't wake up before night fell so he felt confident enough to stay away. Now he questioned how he could have stayed away for so long. He quickly talked to the healer, relieved that she had yet to wake.
Dom made his way over to her cot and took her hand. He was going to wait for her to open her eyes. He hoped that the healer would let her leave tonight.
Kel knew that she was dreaming now. Everything had that slightly hazy look to it unlike the crystal clear images that had been all she knew. She looked around, she remembered this location. It was in the Royal Forest, Third Company had finished hunting the bandits that had attacked Haresfield and now they were sweeping the forest to insure the villages were doing well and getting rid of the unwanted immortals. She was down by a stream; she had decided to clean a few items, who knew when she would get the chance again.
She turned as she heard someone approach, her hand going to the hilt of her sword. She relaxed when she saw it was just Dom. She smiled at him, Gods he's handsome she thought.
"There you are lady squire! I've been searching for you. One of the men thought you had been eaten by that griffin of yours!" He looked at her bandaged hands and the visible scratches that covered her.
Kel chuckled, "Not from lack of trying I can assure you Dom. You were looking for me?" She looked into his sparkling blue eyes. She watched as he got a boyish smile on his face.
"I wanted to show you something." He quickly reached down and took her hand, helping to pull her up. To her surprise he did not drop her hand; instead he started to pull her along behind him.
She laughed at his quick pace, "What is it?"
She hid her blush as he winked at her, "It's a surprise."
They continued walking for a few more minutes, Dom gently leading Kel by the hand. Suddenly he stopped. To her disappointment he dropped her hand. She suppressed a shiver when he instead took her by the shoulders and stood behind her. Stop it! She silently scolded herself.
Dom bent over and pointed to the tops of some trees. "Look over there," he whispered in her ear. She looked and gasped at the sight before them. There was a giant nest resting upon a small cliff. Not far away Kel could see two adult griffins and a yearling.
They just stared back at the two mortals. Kel shuddered at the thought of having to care for the griffin in her tent. Dom chuckled in her ear. "Thinking of the little one?"
Kel nodded. "I'm just glad that he's not that big yet. Then he could really do some damage."
They stood and watched the griffins in quiet for ten minutes. Slowly they made their way back to Kel's spot by the stream, her supplies still there. Dom turned to leave, Kel stopped him. "Thank you Dom."
He flashed her a quick smile before he started to walk back towards the camp whistling a joyful tune.
The dream faded gently and Kel looked around as the scene changed once again. She was in her squire room at the palace. Looking around she noticed that all her belongings were spread out, separated into piles. She gathered that they had just returned from a mission. She heard the sound of hissing and looked to find the griffin sitting on her bed clawing his way through her possessions.
She was in the middle of trying to stop the pesky young immortal when there was a knock on the door leading into Raoul's study. She called that it was unlocked. She had just grabbed the immortal when the door opened, that second of distraction was all that the griffin needed to sink his beak into her hand and turn to dig his claws into her arm.
She swore causing a slight chuckle to sound behind her. "I'd lend you a hand Kel, but I don't want an angry griffin, or two after me."
Kel gritted her teeth as she replied, still trying to work her arm and hand free. "Thanks for the sentiment Domitan, but we all know that you just don't want to be mauled. It would ruin all your chances with the pretty court ladies."
She heard a separate chuckle, "Lady Keladry, if anything he would try to gain favor from them, claiming that he fought a deadly griffin single handedly," Qasim supplied.
Kel turned in time to see Dom scowl; she had finally freed herself and managed to wrap the testy beast in a blanket. "Sorry sergeant, but I must tell you, it's not nearly as glorious as it sounds." She quickly grabbed a bottle and a stack of bandages.
Moving to the next room she closed her door just as she heard the sounds of ripping. She smiled gratefully as Dom took the supplies from her and began to help her clean the wounds. Qasim came back with a shallow dish full of warm water.
"My lord wants us to take you on a lovely tour around the Own's facilities." Dom supplied as he efficiently patched Kel up. He squeezed her hand when he was done, winking at her, "Can't say having an uncle as the chief healer isn't useful."
Kel smiled, "It was also useful to have his son as my best friend. Not that I let him help much."
Dom snorted, "It nearly drove him crazy at how stubborn you were about that. 'Keladry has no reason to be walking around with all those bruises; I could easily patch them up. But no, she has to wear them like some kind of medal for getting beat up by three third years.' He made it sound as if you lived for the pain."
Kel snorted as she stood up, "I don't like pain more than the next sane person, but the Yamani always made a point to say that a warrior never knows when help will come, so it is better to work through the pain then letting it get you killed."
The trio walked out into the hall. "Well whichever philosophy you live by, it won't help you know your way around. Shall we begin?" Qasim lead the way to the Own's barracks.
Once again the scene changed around Kel. She was now on the northern border, she shivered. It was the day that she first fought a killing device. This dream passed by quickly. And so did so many others, all of which included Dom.
Finally her dreams began to change, it all seemed to start with the dream of Raoul's and Buri's wedding. She was wearing a gown of Lalasa's creation, the first one she'd worn in years. She was joking with the men when she felt an arm being slung over her shoulder. She looked up into the dancing eyes of Dom.
"Well Kel, I must say you do clean up nicely." He seemed to think very hard. "Last I recall you only wore blood stained shirts, dirty tunics and breeches. Never heard of a dress?" His chuckle fell short as she elbowed him in the ribs, hard.
"When, pray tell, have I had a chance to even wear one?" She raised an eyebrow. "Last I looked we've been at war and I've been running a camp."
Dom sighed dramatically, "I guess you're correct milady. I should take this time to fix this image in my head. Who knows when such an occasion will occur again?" Kel fought the blush that threatened to escape as his eyes slowly looked her up and down.
She playfully smacked him upside the head with a scowl. He winked before giving her a slight bow, "May I have this dance?"
Kel accepted, thankful to dance with him. The dream faded as alarm calls sounded, effectively ending the dance they shared.
The next dream was of their first kiss. The one following was of the first and only night they explored each other's bodies. Kel felt her face warming up at the dream. Before she wanted, her eyes opened to see the canvas of a tent. She opened her mouth to talk but instead a cough escaped.
Strong familiar hands helped Kel to sit up and hand her a cup of water. As she drank she felt Dom gently kiss her temple before he went to get the healer. She watched him return, looking into his eyes. She nearly jumped when the healer told her that she could go to her own tent.
They didn't say anything as Dom helped Kel up to her feet. He just held her tight and led her to a tent. When they entered she had no time to look around before his lips were on hers. She lost herself in the kiss. When they needed to breathe she reluctantly moved back to look into his eyes.
Before she could say anything, he placed a gentle kiss on her lips before pulling her down to the bed roll. "Sleep love, we'll talk in the morning."
Feeling safe for the first time since they had left Pearlmouth, Kel didn't fight him. She slept.
The sun was up when Dom awoke the next morning. He felt better than he had in a long time. When he opened his eyes he smiled when he saw Kel cuddled into him still sleeping peacefully. He moved some hair off of her face. He held his breath as she stirred.
As soon as her hazel eyes met his blue ones he kissed her soundly, taking his time to convey all of his feelings. When he broke away, he rested his forehead against hers and told her quietly, "Never do that to me again Kel! I love having you in my arms, but not from you fainting from your wounds." He kissed her again.
Kel buried her face in his chest; he could barely hear her response. "I don't remember much from the fight. All that I kept thinking was that I would never see you again." Dom kissed the top of her head, rubbing his hands in soothing circles on her back.
"You're back with me now Kel. Where were you sweets? Alanna said you were searching for something."
Kel looked up into his eyes and gave a small smile. "I was. I was…living through my memories." Kel suddenly sat up in his arms. "Gods how long was I out?"
Dom gently pulled her down giving her a chaste kiss. "Only three days sweets. You were only lost for two of them." He felt her relax.
"I lived through them all Dom." She gave him a shy smile, "I learned something."
Dom nuzzled her ear, "What's that sweets?"
She giggled, "We met once before, while we were young, before you gave me that turnover my first day." She giggled once more when he raised his eyebrow, clearly not believing her. "I was three; it was before we left for the Yamani Islands."
Dom chuckled, "You'll need to tell me more than that dear. I highly doubt I would be able to think of how you even looked at that age. I was 10 after all and more interested in learning to fight, not playing with little children."
Kel grinned, "I was in the nursery. We were playing a game. You and Neal burst into the room." She chuckled at the memory, "He was only eight but he could still bore a room."
Dom's memory started to work in overdrive. He could almost remember this. He and Neal had been walking around the palace, they were meant to stay in his uncle's suit, but they had gotten bored and left. Eventually, only slightly lost, they decided to open a door. Prince Roald and Princess Kalasin were there with other children. They came in right as Kalasin had asked why she couldn't play the queen. His eyes lit up as he kissed Kel. "You were the queen that was chasing me!"
Kel nodded a smile appeared on her beautiful face. "I continued to live through everything. It only stopped when I met you that first night, as soon as I got a better look. Your handshake left me breathless and tingly. I didn't even get that far into the memory before I was ripped out. Then I just dreamed of you."
Dom gave her one more kiss. "As much as I would love to hear about these dreams, I think we'd best get up milady." Dom helped Kel up then handed her her pack. "I'm sure Lord Raoul would like to have several words with you. And I know that Peachblossom and Hoshi would like to see you." He gently kissed her temple before walking out towards the fire for food.
"Ye know Captain, there's a rumor spreadin' round that Lady Kel t'was stolen in the night. She has not been found in the healer's tent." Wolset winked at Dom as he grabbed two helpings of breakfast.
"Really? I'm sure she couldn't have gotten very far, after all she has been asleep for three days." Dom chuckled remembering how difficult it was to remove her from the healer's tent last night.
Dom had just sat down on a log and was waiting for Kel to join him when he saw Raoul and Buri emerging. He knew that this was going to be good.
"Domitan! Couldn't you have given me my other pack? I thought these were left behind." Kel had emerged wearing one of the dresses that he and conveniently left in the wagon. He grinned.
"I'm sorry my dear Protector, but you look too lovely in your dresses and besides your other clothes have yet to be washed." He watched her face turn to one of amusement as she looked past him; he knew she had spotted Raoul and Buri. She raised her eyebrow in question at them.
He heard Raoul's voice behind him, "Blame your beloved captain Lady Knight."
AN: Till next time.