A/N: First off, I'm truly sorry this update was almost a week late from the original schedule. That shouldn't happen again as I've already started chapter three. Second, it's much longer than the previous chapter, so YAY! Third, this chapter underwent more changes than the first and none of the content is from the book, which makes it just that much longer than the last. Fourth, I would like to give much thanks and praise to my beta, Lionesseyes13. Lastly, I hope you all enjoy and REVIEW! :)

That's all,

Rdr-Wrtr

Kel rose shortly before dawn with an unfamiliar feeling – she was restful and at ease with the knowledge that she wasn't responsible for an entire town. For the duration of her stay, she was a guest, not a worker. It was nice to know she could do whatever she wanted, within reason, of course.

For right now, though, she focused on getting up without disturbing Jump and the sparrows. Grabbing her Yamani glaive from where Tobe had stowed it the afternoon before, she began a moderate-level pattern dance and prepared her heart and mind for the day to come.

By the time she had completed several of the more difficult pattern dances, Kel's animals had awoken. Clamoring for her attention, they let her know of their hunger. Kel laughed to herself and set out the birds' seed. She cleaned her face and teeth with the water someone had brought while she'd been practicing then dressed in a comfortable shirt and breeches.

Kel knocked on the door connecting her and Tobe's rooms to let him know she was off to breakfast and he could do what he wanted for the day before leading Jump to the soldiers' mess.

Walking in to the mess, she saw a free spot in between Dom and one of his corporals, Wolset. Usually Kel used Roald's system of sitting with a different group for each meal, but, like Roald, she sat with her friends most often. However, this wasn't New Hope and she wasn't in command of these people – no one would care if she sat where she wanted here.

She grabbed a tray and thanked the cooks for each dish she was handed. As organized and efficient as Steadfast is, our New Hope cooks are quite a bit better, Kel thought with a wry smile. Their variety tops ours, though, that's for sure.

The breakfast rice was studded with almonds, raisons, and dried peaches. The buttery rolls were alternately filled with sweet and spicy sausage and various jellies. Hearty strips of bacon and eggs made to order topped the meal off.

Kel quickly made her way over to her friends. Their obliviousness was a testament to the cooks' talent. Even after she had sat down and begun pouring herself juice from the pitcher they still hadn't noticed her. She was beginning to be annoyed.

"Will someone pleasepass the salt!" she shouted, startling half the table.

Dom recovered first. "Good morning, Protector. Might I say you look particularly lovely on this fine day, although your evening wear, too, was…enticing."

"Enticing!" Lerant seemed peculiarly affronted. "And since when does the Lady Knight spend her nights with you?"

Kel sighed. She wasn't unused to people making such comments, but she thought her personal life was under less inspection amongst her friends, though she wasn't quite sure Lerant was a friend. "We weren't alone, Lerant. Lords Wyldon and Raoul as well as several others were present, including the Meathead. And what's wrong with me being alone with a member of the opposite sex?" she added as an afterthought.

Lerant seemed at a loss for words, as did all the men at the table. Daine and Buri, who were sitting with Dom's squad, had their wits about them. The two women exchanged knowing looks . Their silent conversation went something like this:

Just like it happened with me.Daine started off.

Oh, no,Buri corrected with a hint of mischief in her eyes. It'll be much worse for the Lady Knight. Most of these men thought she'd never be a knight. Now she's led some of them. She's spent time and shed blood and sweat with them. They've seen her as a woman for some time, though she was always off limits – either while with Cleon or just because Raoul thinks of her as a daughter.

That can't be worse than having an overprotective black robe travelling with you across the country…can it?

Of course it can! Clearly they're capable of thinking of her as a strong warrior and as a typical airy noble girl at the same time. The real question is: Do you think she knows?

Daine had to think for a moment. Buri's concern for the younger woman hadn't escaped her notice. She pursed her lips for a few moments before turning back to the older woman.No, I don't think she knows. Kel's a bright girl – she knows what most people think about her, and I think she believes her friends view her in a similar light, even if not so negatively.

Both women turned to Kel, then had to laugh at her dubious expression. Finally, Buri had enough. "Whatever are you staring at, Lady Keladry?"

Kel's look turned sour when the K'mir left out her military title. "You two just had a full conversation without even talking. It's a bit annoying. And it's Lady KnightKeladry, thank you very much. I fought hard for that title, and I expect it to be honored."

Numair, who was also dining with Dom's squad, found this particularly funny. "You think this is annoying? Better to hear no conversation than only half of one, I say." He smiled wryly at his wife. Daine blushed in return.

"You knowI've always had trouble remembering to just speak with my mind to the People. It's only ever when the talk's embarrassing that I think to keep things physically silent and just use my mental links." She'd turned indignant by the end of her retort.

His expression softened as he gazed into her eyes. "I didn't mean to hurt, dear. I was just letting her know she has it easy."

"I think we've veered way off topic," Kel tried to rein everyone in. "I want to know what Daine and Buri were saying. And I want to know why you men folk seem to think I can't be alone with a member of the opposite sex."

Wolset piped up in an apparent wish to die. "Well, 'tisn't right for a woman to be alone with a man to whom she isn't married especially when the man has been in the Own for some time and garnered a bit of a reputation."

Baron George and his wife Alanna, the Baroness, of Pirates' Swoop walked up just as the corporal was finishing. The latter's steely violet eyes did their best to burn a hole through the middle of Wolset's head. "The ability of men to maintain so many double standards continues to astound me to this day," the angry knight began. "For instance, noble females are expected to go to convent like good little pawns, and not question anyone's authority; whereas, the menfolk are permitted to bed any creature they find with two legs. Women are expected to allow themselves to be victimized, but young men are encouraged to take up arms. And now, even now, when a Lady Knight has proven herself to be a better warrior than even some of her teachers –and a more honorable one, at that – she is expected to maintain a certain 'moral code' that the men are not held to. Really, it's amazing what the human mind can accomplish when it wants what it does and prohibits others from desiring any different." The Lioness finished with a scowl.

This implication angered Wolset, and he responded with his own gale force. "If we're to discard double standards, then perhaps you should participate, Sir Alanna. Not all men have such limited viewpoints. Surely you must know that, or you wouldn't be married – a decision you made of your own free will – and you wouldn't have accepted the position as the King's Champion. What I meant before was only that noble women should strive to keep themselves pure, because they typically marry noble men, sometimes even heirs, and the legitimacy of the future heirs these women would produce wouldn't be under speculation if the women are chaste in the time before they marry. As for the men in their lives, they should also hold to their duty – protect their female counterparts, and treat them with care, not 'victimizing them' as you say, because they are above such treachery; although, I will concede that such does sometimes occur. It is simply the way of our world, and some things cannot be changed – though, certain city girls are learning to defend themselves, thanks to Kel and Lalasa. So, again, I tell you that you, too, must let your preconceived notions go." It was only after his advocatory speech that Kel remembered Wolset's father was a magistrate.

Alanna, however, wasn't thinking of Wolset's parentage in so off-hand a manner. Right now, she was cursing the soldier in the three dialects she knew and understood: noble, knight, and city-dwelling commoner talk. Most of her anger was directed at the fact that Wolset had been right. She did have some double standards of her own, just in the opposite form of her society, and she didn't normally employ such thoughts.

She was scared to think that she could be so biased and not even have realized it on her own. To think that someone else – a younger man, at that – had to clue her in…well, she wasn't called the Lioness for nothing. She was instinctively rearing up in her glorious pride at what she considered an insult.

The knight responded with an even more intense glare, "Perhaps, and only perhaps, you may have a point." She smirked to herself. "Either way, you will feel my blade tomorrow." Alanna stalked off, leaving George behind.

Wolset was less confident after her threat. He looked helplessly at George for a few minutes, and still Wolset couldn't think of a way he could make it out of that alive. Indeed, he was unsure if there even was one; the Lioness was famed for her swordsmanship.

The others at the table were shell-shocked following the verbal war, and felt the earlier festive mood was ruined by this heavy mental food. George merely shook his head at Wolset with a pitying expression on his face.

Seeing that the conversation had hit a stalemate, and with a sudden lack of appetite, Kel decided to report to Lord Wyldon.

Dom left the mess shortly after Kel. He didn't fully understand what had just happened, and it bothered him. Kel was a friend, a great one. Sure, he'd bedded his fair share of females, but he'd always considered himself a gentleman. It hurt him almost physically to learn that opinion could be andwaswrong, and to know that something he'd unconsciously done, or thought, had caused Kel, or any other female, any level of discomfort.

He sped up his footsteps as he marched to his room. Dom was starting to feel extremely ill as he looked at his track record.

He'd bedded his first back when he was fifteen, a servant girl in one of the villages of Masbolle, where he'd spent the night after aiding the locals with that year's harvest. He had met with and talked to her the previous two summers, and on each visit they'd singled each other out. They both knew it wasn't love, but they both wanted not to be alone. Now he found he couldn't even remember her name. The knowledge further depressed him.

Since he'd met Keladry, he had made what he thought were drastic changes. Now he was seeing that wasn't quite so accurate. At eighteen, he'd joined the Own. Between his first and that time, he'd only been with two other girls. His first few years in the Own, he had bedded a nameless girl in almost every village and town, just as the other men, and also courted a few respectable women, which always led to more. He had considered marrying one or two of them, but never actively pursued a serious relationship. Although, if he had, he was forced to admit that he most likely would have expected her to stay at Masbolle or the palace. The issue of an heir wasn't an issue for him personally, unless all his older brothers suffered unfortunate accidents or decided they didn't want to inherit; both scenarios were highly unlikely. Besides, none of those women had really appealed to Dom on a personal level; much like his cousin, he was only concerned with the surface appearance of the court flowers.

Then Meathead's letters stopped concerning whichever unattainable female he was pining after and began to include more and more details about Kel. When she was fourteen (and he was twenty-two), she became Raoul's squire. Like Dom told her then, he felt like he already knew her. The only flaw he could find with his informant was Nealan's words had done her no justice, as scholarly flourishing as they'd been.

As he was forced – not so unwillingly – to spend increasing amounts of time with her, her utter…goodness,for lack of a better term, compelled him to better himself. And he'd thought he had, with good reason, too – there were never justified grounds for him to consider else wise – until now.

All in all, the humorous sergeant was feeling incredibly downhearted. Here he had been, thinking he was more than a swell man, only to have to find out he was actually one of the worst, although not quite the worst. He was having a bit of trouble wrapping his mind around all this. Realizing he had been nursing the backwards conservative ideologies he'd been shunning for years was a conundrum in of itself. Now he was obligated to reinvent his mental attitude.

Dom finally understood why so many men could bring themselves to join the feminist cause: no decent human being could excusably believe the women of their society were treated fairly. That same human would be bound on a moral level to help right this egregious wrong. Women across the known world were being viewed as second-rate citizens. Now more than ever, Dom truly appreciated all that Keladry's knight training, and consequential shield-winning, had accomplished for the women of their time.

It also occurred to him that the other women he'd fought with had that same inner strength. Alanna, Buri, Daine, and even the Queen, were all strong warriors in their own suit, with an honorable record attached to each of their names. Yes, in the past he had admired them, but now he realized that even as a friend to more than half of them, he hadn't really appreciated their worth amongst mankind. In general, they were each good people, besides their physical prowess. Dom pledged to himself that from now on, he'd give everyone the credit they deserved, men and women alike.

By now, he'd reached his quarters and was sitting on his bed, facing his one window. He turned his attention to the figure making its way to the practice courts. The figure moved with such grace and unassuming nobility that it had to be Kel. Her surprisingly long hair flowed down to her broad shoulders in a most flattering manner. He couldn't help admiring her. He smiled to himself as he considered her attractive build.

Kel's shoulderswerewider than most women's, but still slimmer than a man's. They tapered done to a wonderfully narrow waist, and then flared out to a pair of blessedly wide hips. That wasn't all, though. Her hazel dreamer's eyes and sun-lightened, honey brown hair were positively lovely. All together, she was one very attractive lady knight.

Dom shook himself from his thoughts with a wry laugh and rushed to gather his sword and shield so he could meet the Protector for their friendly duel.

The two fighters, male and female, circled each other hungrily. The blue-eyed, black-haired male laughed condescendingly towards the green-eyed, honey-haired female. She responded with a downwards feint and then a sideways cut to the male. He blocked her feint, but overcompensated and felt the kiss of her blade just below his ribs. It was a minor wound, but now he was mad.

The male responded with a few slices of his own to her upper arms and thighs to the chant of half the crowd, "Dom! Dom! Dom!"

They continued to dance with their blades, dripping bucket loads of sweat, and blood. Neither noticed the roar of the crowd surrounding their intense circle. Amongst the spectators was a short, wiry woman with electric violet eyes. She smirked to herself as she saw the female's inevitable victory.

A few more minutes and the battle was over. The entire audience cried the female's name in excited triumph, "Mindelan! Mindelan! Mindelan!" over and over.

The female, more commonly known as Kel, grinned widely and reached to shake the male's hand. "I only won by a hair there, Dom. You really gave me a run for my money. Perhaps you'll cease doubting my…'prowess,' as you so cunningly put it?"

Domitan of Masbolle smiled in response. "Well, dear Protector, I do believe thou hath proven me quite mistaken. It's been a pleasure."

The pair walked out together, brushing off the flowering compliments they both received from their apparent fans. Before they could go too far, the amethyst-eyed knight stopped them. "I think I'd like a rematch, Kel. Our earlier duel was unfair to you, but I can see you now have more control over your weapon. It would be ever so nice to face a matched opponent."

Kel thought about it for a moment before responding, "Not today. I've already too many plans for a sane person. Maybe tomorrow afternoon, after you trounce my comrade, Lady Alanna?"

"That sounds fine by me, Lady Knight." Alanna the Lioness turned to Dom. "I hope my earlier words had an effect on you and I want you to know that his words also had an effect on me."

Rightfully abashed, Dom's smile faded to a look of seriousness. "They did, Baroness. I had much time to think on them." He thought maybe the Lioness perceived his feelings for Kel – if that's what they were – and was trying to look out for her. It was the only reason he could think of that she'd single him out. After all, he hadn't been the one to anger her earlier.

"Good. We'll talk more later." With that, she waved them off.

Kel and Dom separated to go to their respective rooms to wash and with promises to meet for a ride and picnic for lunch.

A/N: Next chapter will contain the picnic/ride/lunch and the rest of Kel's hectic day, including...the first part of the wedding plans. So, either chapter 4 or 5 will be the actual wedding, and then we can move back to New Hope to see just how well Kel's chicks can fare without their mother hen. Are the POv changes clear, or should I label them?

Chapter 2's title: "War Isn't All Bad, or Is It?" was chosen because of the conflicting emotions and opinions within the chapter. Everyone was looking forward to the wedding (happening in the middle of a war) when, suddenly, this deep sociopolitical dispute breaks out. You already know how it's social, but how is it political? Lady Knights were outlawed over a hundred years ago; now they're back. The conservatives are fighting with the free-thinkers to this day, and 'women's rights' (or lack thereof) are still a big issue, just lightly touched upon in the debate. How does this affect everyone? Here they were, happy-go-lucky, but now they're forced to rethink everything they've known - even the pugnacious women, so there you go: It ain't all bad, or is it? The question has yet to be answered but it will be by the end of the fic.