A/N: I know I tend to update fairly quickly by fanfiction standards so I feel it's worth telling those that have come to expect it from me that I may not post another chapter for a week or two. I'll be out of town all weekend and away from computers. Also right now I've written some later chapters that will change the rating of this story. Not that I view what I've written as explicit but I do more than elude which will require a change in rating at that time. If you want to know when I update after that point, please follow or favorite, or remember to switch the filter to M. I'll be giving a warning in an author note before I switch the rating.
Dom sat at his desk frowning at the information he had gotten from his short conversation with Kas earlier that day before Kel had suddenly appeared. After a bit of small talk about the dinner the night before and how it had gone, Dom had inquired about the future of the relationship.
"I'm working on figuring that out," Kas had admitted. "Gods, I couldn't imagine letting her go without a fight now that I've gotten a chance to know her, but I need to figure out how to go about this."
"What's there to figure out?" Dom had asked calmly. He hadn't been surprised there was something holding Kas back from rushing in full force and he knew the surprise hadn't showed in his question either.
"I'd like to treat her properly if she wants me to court her, and proper outings cost money. I can work more hours to compensate but it means less time with her and thus, not treating her properly," Kas had explained. "So I need to figure out a balance."
"You know she doesn't expect you to spend much on her, or anything at all, actually," Dom had pointed out being completely honest. He knew Kel wouldn't insist on anything that cost money, especially if she knew he was working longer hours just to cover her.
"I do know that. She's not demanding in the least," Kas had sighed and shook his head. "How has no one snatched her up and treated her properly? I just can't figure that out."
Dom had bit his own lip to stop from reminding the man about Cleon. He had never wanted to be reminded of the large redheaded knight again, let alone remind someone else of him. Instead he had turned the conversation back to the topic at hand. "Just, hear me out, please. If I were to fund your piece you present for your mastery, would you feel less strained for money?"
"I am not taking your coin," Kas had started to turn back to his work. "Even if I have to forgo midday for the rest of my life and work double shifts most days to be able to afford making her happy, I wouldn't take your coin."
Dom had stared at Kas and then had glanced around at the other journeymen avoiding looking at them though they were clearly eavesdropping. It had been around midday and likely about the time they would all be getting ready to eat something. The other journeymen had small packs or covered baskets near their stations. Kas hadn't had anything about to indicate there was food anywhere near his station. The reality of what Kas had said had hit Dom then. He was skipping midday to save some money either to treat Kel with or to save for his masterpiece."
"This isn't the line of work to be skipping meals in," Dom had frowned. "Let me fund your masterpiece. It will ease things for you."
Before Kas had truly been able to answer, one of the other smiths had announced Kel's arrival. It was a conversation he hadn't wanted her to hear and he had guessed that Kas wouldn't have wanted her to hear it either. Dom had made his retreat then but not before he had noticed what had been on Kel's arm. Whether she knew she had likely made Kas' day in more ways than one, he wasn't sure.
But now he had to think of something. Kel was happy. The fact she had made some sort of effort to visit Kas and bring him something had told Dom she was exceptionally happy with Kas. The hug she had given him the night before and the smile that had been on her face even throughout their morning duel had told him how happy she was. And it had only been one outing. Yes, Kas was trying to figure out how to keep such a relationship going, but he didn't have to do it alone. Dom would give anything to keep that smile on Kel's face.
"Dom?" Kel's voice made him want to curse silently as he turned to face her in his open doorway. Not that he didn't want her to visit him, but he wanted time to figure this out for her. "Your door was open and you didn't answer when I knocked. Is it not a good time?" Her face had the smallest etchings of a frown. While they had broken her of most of her mask for displaying when she was happy or pleased, she often masked her more negative emotions.
"I'd never turn down a visit from you," he gave her a smile. She entered cautiously like she expected to be ejected. "I'm just trying to figure something out."
"How to approach Kas again without him getting defensive?" Kel asked mildly.
Dom snapped his attention completely to Kel. If Kas had informed her of their conversation, he had underestimated how honest Kas would be with Kel about their visit. Kel set herself carefully on the edge of his bed, and absently touched at a smudge of soot on her breeches likely left from her visit to the Raven Armory. There was a chance she was bluffing for information. He had taught her how to do that himself with the men of the Own. It didn't take much to guess that Kas had been defensive about their conversation when Dom had left.
"How much did he tell you?" Dom asked finally. He wouldn't show his hand completely until she showed hers.
"That you wanted to fund his masterpiece but he didn't want to accept that from you," Kel murmured. "He's a proud man. He's working hard to do this on his own. Likely he's still at the forge right now." She glanced out of the window and Dom knew she was thinking about Kas. "How are you planning to approach him a second time?"
"I don't know," he sighed. "He's going to get defensive no matter what I do."
"He works extra hours for Master Reeves to earn a few more coins from commissions that Master Reeves gets," Kel started.
"That makes sense as Kas is focused as a swordsmith and Master Reeves is one of the two master swordsmiths at the armory," Dom interrupted her. Kel nodded at the information.
"If I were to do something to assist him in his attempt to become a master swordsmith, I'd sneak around him to Master Reeves. The man strikes me as someone that would enjoy lying to help a valued employee." Then Kel stood and smoothed out her tunic. "If I were to do something, but that would look odd for me to fund my sweetheart in such a way. It might even be commented on how he slept with a noblewoman to get her to fund him."
"You haven't slept with him though," Dom pointed out mildly. He knew Kel was a maiden. He knew Kel and Cleon had only shared kisses because he and his men had made sure nothing had gone beyond that. Once it had become clear that Cleon would never have been able to do anything about his impending betrothal, Dom had decided Kel had deserved better than that. She and Cleon had gotten close once or twice, but he had ensured they had always been interrupted. She hadn't had time to bed anyone as the commander of Haven or New Hope and since they had returned, her friends had all been idiots about her. So he knew she was a maiden.
"Does that truly matter to anyone else? Already his friends were quick to comment in front of me that he had bedded me twice. Also, apparently, I am just looking for someone to bed and he offered himself to me." She shrugged as Dom fought back a growl. He hated when people spoke of her like that. "It won't matter to anyone else if we've shared a bed or not. They'll see the two of us together and guess we bed. Then he gets his masterpiece funded by me? They'll talk. He would be too proud to take it even from me, but a few extra supplies or a few extra coins being supplied for all of his extra hard work from Master Reeves?" She gave a small smile and turned to walk towards the door.
Dom stared after her. She had given him an idea worth pursuing. He wasn't sure her exact goals in this but he guessed it had something to do with how much she liked being with Kas.
"Kel," Dom called her name before she reached the door. "He's not bringing midday with him to work to try and save money to take you to nice places." He wasn't sure what had possessed him to tell her but he did catch the glint in her eye as she turned and the still slight smile on her lips.
"Well, that simply won't do," she winked at Dom and then left.
Dom was left wondering when Kel had become such a mischievous creature. Perhaps her years in the Own had spoiled her with the prank wars he and his men often had with each other and other squads to lighten the mood from time to time. She had never participated but she had always observed. Perhaps she had learned too much. But, despite his worry he had somehow taken part in creating a new kind of monster in Kel, he found himself oddly pleased and intrigued. If Kel was indeed a prankster, she would be worth watching.
The next day just after midday, Dom found himself outside of the Raven Armory once more. It was busy once again but he found much less resistance from the clerks as he asked to speak with Master Reeves. He had made sure to bounce his belt purse a little for the clerk to hear the coins clink about.
"Sergeant Domitan, you are back," Master Reeves grinned wildly at him. "Not searching for Kas today?"
"I thought I'd speak with you first," Dom grinned at the master as he was led back to the man's private forge. As one of the main master weaponsmiths and owners of the Raven Armory, his forge was at the front and staffed with several apprentices all sitting about happily eating turnovers and drinking from mugs. It was certainly a different view than he had gotten the day before.
"So you noticed how proud Kas is," Master Reeves grinned and then looked to his apprentices. "Go eat outside in the breeze and don't tell Kas he's being discussed."
"Yes, Master Reeves," the boys all gave bows and rushed out of the door leaving a half picked over basket of turnovers and a cask of juice behind.
"The damndest thing," Master Reeves announced when he noticed where Dom was looking. "Half an hour ago this man from one of the eating houses here in Corus turns up and says he has orders from an important investor to deliver baskets of food and the casks of juice to us. Hands me a note written with instructions that each private forge was to receive a basket and a cask while the outdoor forge was to receive two." He shrugged. "My men work better fed so who am I to complain."
Dom fought back a grin. Kel had found a solution without singling Kas out in her own way. It was also fairly easy to believe she had likely felt bad for the apprentices that lived on the mercy of their masters and what was spared to them. She had effectively adopted the Raven Armory.
"Perhaps you impressed the right customer," Dom turned his attention back to Master Reeves.
"Perhaps. I can only hope we continue to impress her," Master Reeves chuckled. "And what brings you to me? I know you aren't looking for some sort of commissioned piece after the ranting Kas did last night."
"It was mentioned I might need to take a less direct approach. I know he does excellent work or you wouldn't stand behind him so or let him help with your commissions so much." Dom took a seat as Master Reeves offered it to him. "Is there any way I could convince you to take coin that can be distributed to him in a way he'd accept without him knowing it comes from anyone other than you?"
"That depends on why you are truly doing this for him," Master Reeves took his own seat.
"I'm sure you are aware that Lady Kel is a dear friend of mine," he pressed. "I like seeing her happy and it seems that your employee makes her exceptionally happy." Dom settled back in his chair. "I'm sure you've heard the story of the Protector of the Small taking down Blayce the Necromancer," he waited for Master Reeves to nod. "While most of the original story that's floating around is true, it misses the fact Kel almost died in that tower. She told us to go on without her if she didn't come back out, but I refused to leave her behind and I know I wasn't alone in that. I carried her out of the tower covered in her own blood. Eighteen, the weight of that damned task on her shoulders, and she was dying of blood loss from a battle ax wound to the shoulder far behind enemy lines. Even if she survived the blood loss, she was facing a possible death on Traitor's Hill for abandoning in the face of the enemy. She faces death whenever she's called out, same as any of us."
He frowned at his own words. He hadn't even told Neal why he was working so hard to make Kel happy. He had dealt with his own men dying before. He had held the hands of men covered in their own blood and dying. Yet, nothing had struck him like Kel propped up against the wall, pale from blood loss, a stunned cat draped over her legs. For a long moment he had stared at her until he had felt the weak pulse from the vein at her neck. He had carried her out of the tower and had done a field assessment of the wound to her shoulder. Neal had been the one that had saved her life with his Gift but Dom had promised he'd make sure Kel would make sure she had a full life even if she came close to death again.
"It's important to me that she gets to know what that sort of happiness is before the Black God takes her," he admitted to Master Reeves as he pulled himself from his thoughts.
"And you didn't believe you could do it yourself? You clearly love her," Master Reeves raised an eyebrow at him.
"No,she deserves someone she doesn't need to worry will catch an arrow through the eye or be run through by a spidren in his line of work," Dom sighed. He would certainly give Kel all of the love she deserved if he knew he could provide some sort of stability for her, but the truth was he knew he couldn't. He was rarely at the palace for more than a few weeks at a time when they weren't resting from three years at the border in wartime. He was gone for months or years and often unable to write or stay out of danger. She deserved what every other warrior hoped for, someone to return home to, someone they didn't have to fear would face death every minute they were gone.
"So you found a substitute," Master Reeves chuckled.
"Well, he found me, and he is doing exceptionally well. I would like him to continue to do well," he grinned. "In order for him to do that well, he needs to be able to give her some of his time. He doesn't feel he can do that without a little extra coin though Kel wouldn't care if he took her out to a nice eating house or whisked her away to some quiet place just to talk."
"Alright, you've made your point. You're being a gallant friend, not insinuating that I don't pay my journeymen enough or that young Kas can't provide for his sweetheart." Master Reeves stood. "In order for him to believe this isn't you interfering, I'd suggest we work through a proxy or through letter. Leave yourself completely anonymous just like your dear friend Lady Keladry."
"I'd better go make another case to Kas so he thinks I'm following through with my threat from yesterday," Dom stood and walked to the door. "Maybe he'll save us the secrecy." His retreat down the hall was followed by Master Reeves' laughter at the suggestion.
Kas was polishing a freshly sharpened broadsword when Dom stepped out into the open air forge. The other journeymen glanced at him and returned to their own work. They would eavesdrop but they wouldn't try to interact with him. After the comments he had heard Kel repeat the night before from them, he wasn't sure it was a good idea for them to try to speak to him either.
"I told you 'no'," Kas informed him when he stepped up to his workspace without even a glance up at Dom. Dom was impressed but not enough to let it go. He had no intentions of making things easy for Kas in this particular conversation even if he did have another plan in place.
"And I told you that we'd discuss it further," Dom informed him faking his serious expression. "My pitch to you is simply based completely on Kel. I want her to be happy. If you believe you can make her happy, then you need to have available time to do that. You don't have that time when you are here every waking moment."
"We spoke yesterday about all of this, she and I. She understands and that's the person that matters here, not you. I don't need you interfering in my work because you don't believe I can treat her properly now," Kas didn't look up from the sword.
Dom bit back a retort about Kel's visit to him the night before. If he admitted that Kel had sought him out to help him come up with a plan, then it would destroy that plan altogether. There was little else he could do then.
"She cares for you already," Dom sighed. "Normally she's so level headed, and practical to a fault, but you make her question what type of clothing she should wear to impress you. You make her run to my room to thank me for simply telling you to be at that tavern. You make her blush when few can break her mask for more than her smiles. But, Kel is still Kel. She's going to tell you she understands because she doesn't see that sometimes she deserves a little more consideration. She doesn't believe she deserves to be put first."
"She really questions what to wear simply for me?" Kas breathed out after a long moment. Dom looked up from the patch of grass he had been looking at to see Kas was watching him now.
"Some idiot friend told her you had only approached her because she had wore a gown and had made herself up that first night. She has so little trust in how beautiful she truly is that she might have believed him," Dom shrugged. "All I'm asking of you, for Kel, is to give her a little more of your time, so she can see that she holds some value to you."
"I'll find some way to make it work, but not with your help. I don't need some investor to take pity on me," Kas squared his broad shoulders and stood, holding the broadsword as if it weighed almost nothing.
Dom had nothing more to say so he turned to walk back to the door that would lead him back through the armory and out of the store front. Kas' hand on his shoulder stopped him just before he entered the back door.
"Why are you so concerned with how much she cares for me already?" He asked after a moment.
Dom thought his answer over for quite some time before he looked up at Kas and noted the anxiety on the man's features. Somewhere in the conversation Dom had touched more than the nerve about him not being able to afford his mastery on his own yet.
"Because you're Kel's first real chance at something no other man has offered her, not even her former sweetheart. You're the first chance she has for a man to treat her as more than just a comrade in arms. The first chance for her to feel truly like a woman deserving of the romantic sort of love. I'm not saying it's the case, but even if this courtship of yours goes nowhere, she'll take away some memory that she's a worthwhile woman when all she hears daily are insults about her gender and jabs that make her feel like she might appear weak for wanting to show she's a woman."
He turned to start to walk through the door and stopped himself again. Likely he would regret the comment about to come from his lips at some point but since he was already talking it wouldn't hurt him to make one further comment. He turned to look back, not at Kas, but at the other smiths that all seemed to have one eye on him.
"I just have to say to the rest of you, that men have turned up with broken bones for making the sort of comments about Kel that you made yesterday in her hearing. Certainly, not by her hand, but Third Company does not take well to hearing she was slandered in any way." Dom saw at least one man flinch and watched Kas turn to glare at his friends before he turned to follow Dom through the door.
"Was she upset by what those clay-brained idiots said?" Kas murmured as they moved towards the shop front.
"I never know how much something like that bothers her. I do know she is expecting to hear it again and again from more than just them for courting you," Dom sighed.
"And yet she still cares for me," Kas hesitated a moment.
"She'd expect to hear it even if a man of one of the most noble lines decided to court her, and she'd be right." It was wrong that she had to face that sort of commentary simply for wanting love but that was what she faced.
"I'll find more time for her," Kas' voice was quiet at his back right before Dom turned through the door that led to the shop. That alone was enough to make him smile. There would be more time for Kel simply because Dom was going to make it so by working with Master Reeves. That Kas would see the extra coin and likely take a few moments more with Kel rather than push to work even harder for more meant Kel at least ranked fairly high in his books.
With a cheery whistle Dom turned to walk back up to the palace. He had some letters to write and coin to have delivered directly to Master Reeves. All he had left to figure out was which man would be best to deliver it all without causing some sort of blunder, and that was a task that would require some careful thought.
