(-a/n- Sorry for the slight delay in updating, school has kept me busy with various concert rehearsals, sports matches etc. Despite my Mother's frequent predictions that all my time spent on fanfiction is distracting me from my work, I managed to get A stars in all my mocks, so there! Fanfic is very good for the brain and is especially good for your English. Everyone write lots of fanfic! hehehe...Anyway...
Wow the review response has completely blown me away, I'm so mind-bogglingly happy at the way this story is going! So thanks and plentiful supplies of Smarties to all my fantastic reviewers ;D Also if you are enjoying this story I would be honoured if you added it to your favourites list :P –hint hint- anyway after that shameless bit of begging hehehe…we shall continue with the story.
Firstly two things that cropped up; the mysterious woman was the Great Mother Goddess, for all of you who didn't recognize the description. Secondly, yes Kel was raped, I'm sorry if that was a little unclear but I didn't want to make it too graphic or anything…lol )
da shiz mintHow come you haven't had sleep for three days?
BubbleGumEcstasyyeah, it was always the main idea for Kel to escape but the Convent scenes were just there to prepare for it…
Golden23lol, indeed!
EclipsaThanks ;D
Mrs. Dom Masbollethe Goddess isn't going to take any direct part in Kel's training…
SarahE7191updating…
Erynfaerthanks, it was so good to write fanfic again and concentrate on something other than exams!
nativewildmagelol, I did warn you that it wouldn't be a happy fic. Well not to begin with anyway…
queenoftheostlersthanks :D Glad you're feeling better…
On top of cloud 9yah! You are a bright little person :D tee hee… Nope she didn't get her glaive back…It would be rather conspicuous when she was travelling around so I "arranged" for her glaive to be confiscated a while back…Yeah I tried snowboarding it was soooo fun!
brezzybrezhehehe thanks!
Yabberlilong chapters may be the best but they take AGES to write…hehehe!
Yo aw thanks :D
theknightofkonahasorry :D didn't mean to leave it on a cliffie these things just sort of happen…lol
after.a.hard.daylol, no it most certainly wasn't Neal as a woman! teehee
fjk Thanks ;D
inuyashaswife12Kel ran because after what happened she would've been in shock and people tend to try to run away from bad things and go into denial or depression or something…
justanotheraddiction lol I love Dom too, and there will be more of him in later chapters…
K.D. Railol. No the Goddess won't be directly involved because…I dunno it would just be a bit cliché and Kel doesn't have the gift or anything…but that's not to say the Goddess will be oblivious to Kel…hehe I'm being evasive…I apologize…
the. dead. addict.I'm trying to update as fast as I can whilst balancing schoolwork and everything else… :D
Stoned LorikeetThanks !!
giff4088 Kel will eventually meet up with her friends…eventually she's got a long way to go before then though…
mylovelyminion thanks for reviewing :D
Pie of Doomehlol thanks for the nice long review hehehe
ErythaThanks as always ;D
x17SkmBdrchiczxxlol don't worry you were right! Mmm this has turned out as a rather dramatic story…oh well makes it more fun to write!
oirishgoddesslol it does actually looking back on it!
Grace of Masbolle thanks!
SeriliaThanks :D
Aly the SpyPlease don't die! I'm glad you liked it!
brighid's flamelol I know, but there will be a happy ending :D
alynawatloversyeah it's slightly ironic, they finally meet but it's not under very good circumstances at all…thanks for reviewing :D
Spy In TrainingThanks :D
BSGirlI know…-sniffs- I'm evil. Still…thanks ;D
darkjewelledassassinThanks :D
Me mmm… the trouble is that now I have to make all my chapters equally long and interesting which is going to mean a lot of hard work…-sighs- still it's worth it when I read all the reviews :D
Sarra's wildchildlol thanks ;D
HasamakiYup!
katiebug123Yay!! A happy reviewer! Hehe, seriously though thanks for all the tips over the past few chapters they definitely made me up my standard of writing which is one of the reasons why I write fanfic :D
Victoria Yeah, I'm definitely going to keep writing, it's just finding the time in my very hectic life…
Penny seee..reviewing isn't that hard…now you just have to do it for every chapter!
SecretatMidnightThanks…
Bertie Botts yay thanks!
ElentarielThanks for reviewing :D
Hyperbookworm Wow! Thanks for the compliments they encourage me to write more :D
Thanks yet again to all you wonderful people who find it in your hearts to review :D
Confusedknight xxx
When Dom woke up he hardly felt any better than he had when he'd fallen asleep. He had slept in fits and starts all night, waking up to escape from the horrible images being replayed over and over in his nightmares.
He struggled into a clean shirt and breeches, pulled on his boots and stepped outside his tent. A gust of bitterly cold wind tugged at his clothes and snow was still falling from the grey sky. All around him was a blanket of white, only broken by the Soldier's tents. The horses were all huddling in a makeshift paddock, trying desperately to seek shelter from the harsh Northern winter.
Glancing over at Lord Raoul's tent, he noticed that the light was on and two figures were silhouetted against the canvas. One was unmistakably the large, muscular Knight Commander and Dom had a pretty good idea who the other one was. Reaching back into the tent Dom pulled out his thick winter cloak and then buttoned up the front of his tent. He hurried across to Lord Raoul's tent, stumbling through the ever thickening layer of snow. By the time he reached the tent his eyes were watering and screwed up against the cold. His cheeks stung painfully and his fingers felt like they were about to fall off.
'Sir?' he called out, hoping that he could be heard over the wind.
The tent flap opened and Raoul beckoned him inside. Despite the fact that the tent canvas was bowing in slightly from the pressure of the wind, inside the tent it was warmer, the thick, waterproof canvas blocking out the obscene weather.
Dom's guess was accurate; it was Lord Wyldon who sat on a small portable chair in the centre of the tent. Judging by both of the elder men's tired expressions, Dom wasn't the only one who hadn't got much sleep that night.
Raoul returned to his seat and pulled out another small stool for Dom to sit on.
'It's hopeless,' said Raoul, 'We'd never find her in this.'
Dom knew exactly who they were talking about.
'But Sir, she won't survive in these temperatures, not if this keeps up much longer,' he said despairingly.
Lord Wyldon rubbed his slightly blood-shot eyes with one hand.
'But what can we do?'
'We'll just have to hope that she had the sense to find shelter somewhere. I was going to have all squads out looking for her, but frankly in this weather it would be downright idiocy to send anyone out.'
'How long do you think this weather will last?' asked Dom, eyeing the billowing tent that surrounded them.
'A couple of days at most,' said Wyldon agitatedly.
And though none of them said it, they all knew that if Kel was caught in the blizzard, there would be no way she would survive.
As the night progressed the winds steadily increased, until they tore through the forest, whipping tree branches back and forth above Kel's head. The horse which Kel had chosen shied and bucked, it's eyes rolling in terror as yet another snow-laden branch crashed down onto the path in front of them.
Kel clung to the horse in utter misery. She was colder than she had ever been before in her entire life. Every muscle ached and every move she made caused the wound across her chest to flare in agony. Snowflakes carried along by the wind had begun to settle in her hair. Every bare piece of skin burned and stung painfully as the night grew ever colder.
Finally the horse broke into a terrified gallop, Kel almost on the verge of unconsciousness, clinging on with frozen fingers. Eventually in a final squeal of terror the poor horse reared up and Kel fell onto the icy ground, rolling over several times before coming to a stop.
Blood began to leak from her wound as the sudden jerking motion had torn it open, but Kel just lay there, the last of her energy gone as a welcoming wave of blackness swept over her.
The dire weather conditions kept the King's Own holed up in their tents for two whole days. They passed the time playing cards or braving the elements to struggle to the nearby tavern. For Dom the days seemed to drag past, his every waking moment was spent wondering whether or not Kel was still alive. Lord Raoul and Lord Wyldon didn't fare much better. The feeling of helplessness overcame all three men. They were distracted and spent many hours lying in their tents trying to think of a way to improve the situation.
When the weather finally abated several feet of snow lay on the ground. Children suddenly appeared from their houses and began to play, gleefully throwing balls of snow at each other or building snowmen.
Dom looked around at the happy faces pink with cold and yet again thought miserably of Kel, to whom life had been so cruel. He picked his way through the camp, taking care not to drip in the deep snow and entered Lord Raoul's tent.
'What do we do now Sir?'
Lord Raoul looked up, his eyes full of anguish.
'I don't think there is anything we can do Dom. It was discovered this morning that one of our horses went missing. I know for a fact that those horses have been guarded day and night ever since it began to snow, meaning that the horse was stolen before then, whilst we were all out hunting for Kel.'
Dom swallowed, it was as they had feared. Instead of seeking cover in the city it seemed that Kel had headed out into the forest. Raoul sighed heavily.
'This morning the stolen horse was found in the forest, dead. It was saddled and the possessions the in saddle bag were hers.'
Dom's heart plummeted.
'And Kel?'
Raoul sighed again, 'There was no sign of her. Dom I think we're going to have to assume the worst. If a horse couldn't survive for two days out there, then I doubt an eleven-year-old girl could.'
Dom felt sick, if he'd only managed to catch up with her before she had run into the forest…
'You musn't blame yourself,' Raoul said gently. 'Mithros knows I blame myself, but there is nothing we can do. We have to rejoin Flyndan and head south; we've been away from Corus for too long.'
When Kel awoke the first thing that she experienced was pain. Every inch of her body felt bruised, stiff and sore. She was intolerably cold and soaked to her skin. She tried to move and bit back a cry of pain. Steeling herself she sat up and glanced around. A thick layer of snow had carpeted the forest floor and had removed all evidence of where she had come from or the path which she had been following.
She flexed her frozen fingers, gradually working heat into the sore flesh. She looked down at her blood-stained shirt; although her chest wound throbbed it seemed to have stopped bleeding. She began to stumble forward through the woods.
Kel had no idea of how long she had been unconscious for, or how she had come to be in the sheltered hollow under the tree. The last thing that she remembered was giving in to the blackness, welcoming death.
The sky had cleared and was now brilliant blue in colour and overall it was a beautiful day, but Kel barely seemed to notice her surroundings. She stumbled on, ignoring the pain and her overwhelming desire to give up, pushing herself onwards.
The beautiful woman of the forest watched her go with her bright green eyes full of unshed tears.
'Good luck my daughter,' she whispered before blending back into the forest.
Kel battled on for what seemed like hours and the exercise meant that some warmth returned to her limbs. She settled into a rhythm and the pain helped to distract her mind from what had happened. Suddenly, around mid-morning her foot got caught in a hidden tree root and she tripped, sprawling awkwardly. Kel lay there in the snow, her ankle twisted horribly and the tears began to fall. They splashed onto the snow-covered ground and her body shook with sobs.
After a while her tears gave way to anger and she shouted obscenities to the silent forest. When her rage had burned up she was left lying there, cold and unprotected, crying in despair. By now she had eased herself upright and propped herself against a tree. She had no idea where she was or what she should do. Her stomach growled with hunger and her mouth was dry with thirst. Kel ate some snow to satisfy her thirst although it made her stomach ache even more. Hours later still, as the light dimmed, she caught sight of a movement in the trees ahead.
'Help me,' she called out desperately. At that moment she didn't care who it was who was walking through the trees towards her. It could be a bandit or a murderer and she wouldn't mind, if she was going to die then let it be a quick death, rather than dying out here, alone in the cold.
The man turned out to be neither a bandit nor a murderer, but the son of a miller from a nearby village. He hoisted Kel onto his strong, muscled shoulders and set off again. Gradually the trees thinned out and gave way to a small village, cosy and welcoming, smoke rising from the chimneys of the sturdy-looking buildings.
Somewhere in the back of Kel's pain-filled mind, she thought that she couldn't possibly have crossed through the Great Northern forest, but she was so relieved to have found help Kel thought no more of it.
The young man entered one of the buildings and called out,
'Mother, quickly help me.'
A short, stocky woman with brown heavy-lidded eyes and reddish-brown hair hurried down the stairs and into the main room. She gestured that the young man lay Kel down on the kitchen table. She gripped Kel's small, frozen hand and felt for a pulse.
'I found her in the forest,' explained the man, 'She was just lying there.'
'Alright I'll take care of her now. Can you put on a pan of water to warm and fetch me my bag?'
The man did as he was told. Kel meanwhile, drifted in and out of consciousness. It was warm in the room and she had an overwhelming desire to drift off to sleep.
'Come on lass, stay with me,' murmured the woman.
When the man had warmed a pan of water and fetched the required things, he left his mother to tend to Kel. The woman wetted a piece of cloth and dabbed at Kel's tear-stained, scratched face. She cut away what remained of Kel's shirt and gasped in horror at the large gash that ran across Kel's chest, just below her collarbones.
When the wound was clean, she gave Kel a flask of herbs, which finally rendered Kel unconscious so that the lady could stitch and bandage the cut without Kel crying out with pain. When that was done, she sponged the rest of Kel clean and splinted up her swollen ankle. Finally she dressed Kel in a nightshirt and wrapped her in a warm blanket.
As Kel came around she could hear voices and snippets of a conversation.
'…Geran found her in the forest…'
'…No idea who she is or where she came from…'
'…Bruised, verging on hypothermic, great gash across her chest, twisted ankle, it's a miracle she's alive. How she survived through that blizzard I'll never know…'
Kel feebly opened her eyes. Warmth had seeped slowly back into her limbs and she felt far better than she had done before. Kel was lying in an armchair in front of a roaring fire. The house was small but homely, the stone floors covered in colourful rugs and the walls equally decorated by weavings or small paintings. She twisted round gently and saw that the man who had rescued her was sitting at the table along with the woman who had cleaned her up, two younger girls and a man who was unmistakably his father.
The woman with reddish-brown hair stood up and hurried over to Kel.
'You gave us quite a shock lass when Geran bought you in, I've never seen anything of the sort, a young girl like you out in the woods like that…'
Kel tried to get up but the woman held her down. 'Don't be over-doing it now; we've got some soup and bread here for you…' One of the younger girls bought over a bowl of soup and a slice of bread.
'You mustn't eat too much to begin with,' said the woman, carefully balancing the bowl in Kel's lap and helping her to tear of some bread to dunk in it, 'It looks like you haven't eaten for a while.'
Once Kel had finished the meal, the rest of the family gathered around, sitting on assorted chairs or stools.
The woman, who seemed to be the mother of the family, introduced herself.
'My name's Fanche Weir, this is my husband Gothar, he's a miller. That's our son Geran and our two daughters Layla and Fern.'
Geran looked to be in his late teens, tall as he was broad with hair as dark as his father's. Gothar was an older version of his son; they shared the same pointed nose and beetle black eyes. Layla was the elder of the two girls and was stunningly beautiful, her reddish brown hair came down to her waist and her dark eyes had a mysterious quality about them. Fern was a plainer girl and looked to be just older than Kel and her hair was a much lighter brown despite the fact that she shared the family's dark eyes.
Kel hesitated for a moment, looking round at the concerned faces, 'Kel,' she managed to croak out.'
'Alright Kel, you're welcome to stay with us for as long as you need. In fact I insist that you stay here for at least a week, just so I can make sure that you're alright…Do you live near here? Is there any family we can contact?' Fanche asked gently.
Kel shook her head, allowing two tears to slide down her cheeks. Fanche didn't pursue the question. Instead Kel was helped to a pallet in the corner of Fern's room. She lay in the dark for a while, just letting the tears stream silently down her face. She was still in shock over the events that happened in the temple three days previously. Kel was also scared for what lay ahead. She was completely alone in the world. She had no money and the only possessions which hadn't been lost when the horse bolted was her sword and dagger, which Geran had tactfully returned to her just before she went to bed.
After an hour of agonised memories and thoughts Kel finally drifted into slumber, her body needing the time to repair itself.
Within a few days Kel's sprained ankle was feeling a lot better and with the aid of a stick, Kel could hobble around quite proficiently. The gash across her chest was also healing, although it still twinged and ached. Most of the bruises and smaller cuts that she had obtained during her flight had also healed. If only the mind could heal as quickly.
Kel was not the same girl that had entered the temple on that fateful day. Despite months of oppression at the Convent, Kel had still been there to defend her friend, fighting until the end. But since the incident, Kel had rarely talked. Of course she hadn't been particularly loquacious at the Convent either, but instead had tended to spend hours thinking things over in her own mind, planning any way to achieve her dream. Now she spent her hours idly wandering, her mind blank, almost denying what had occurred. She cried regularly as an outlet for her misery, an all the built up emotion from her time at the Convent poured out in a steady stream until she could cry no more.
Fanche was constantly at Kel's side, trying to help heal the emotional scars and memories that plagued Kel. Although Fanche didn't know anything about Kel, it was clear that the traumatized girl needed constant love and support, all of which Fanche gave to her fullest ability.
Whenever Kel cried, she allowed her a while to get things off of her chest, but then she was always there with a cloth to dry Kel's tears and administer a motherly hug. She tried to keep Kel's mind off obviously painful thoughts and enlisted her aid in cooking. Fanche noticed that during the time when Kel was asked to shell peas or salt meat, Kel seemed a little more focused on her surroundings and less prone to absent minded wanderings and instantaneous floods of tears.
The family seemed to accept that Kel was going to be around for a while and Geran and Gothar made her a proper bed to sleep on. Fanche adjusted some of Fern's old clothes for Kel, although she soon realised that Kel objected to wearing anything but breeches. Layla and Fern were highly curious of Kel's background but their half spoken questions were quickly overridden by a hurried remark or a suggestion by Fanche. Although Kel didn't say anything, the grateful look in Kel's eyes spoke volumes to Fanche.
Fanche was determined to help the scrawny, lost girl who had fallen into her care and was determined that one day Kel would smile again.
(-a/n- I'm sorry this took a bit longer to update than previously expected, but I hope that this chapter was worth the wait. And so Kel has met Fanche :D Bet you weren't expecting that! Hehehe…Please, please, please review, I really love to know what you think :D)
Confusedknight xxx