New Hopes, PG-13 (14 chapters)

[bebeschtroumph]

Chapter 12

Three days later, Yuki left for the coast. With her went Loey and the other five children who wanted to go to the Queen's Riders. The good bye had been tearful, on most parts. Kel had hugged Loey fiercely and whispered in her ear that she had better look after herself or there would be trouble, then pushed her to her horse, hoping Loey didn't see her full eyes. All of her orphans had cried a bit, though they'd been happy for their friend, and everyone wished all six children the best of luck.

Neal and one of the squads of soldiers had escorted their group as far as Steadfast, where they would meet Buri and two groups of Riders, then head to Frasrlund and take ship for Corus. When Neal had returned four days later, Kel had taken one look at him and dragged him to the practice yards.

For two hours, they fought with swords, then hand to hand and finally with spears, just for completeness. It reminded her of her page days, and kept Neal distracted. Then, once they'd both cleaned up, Neal had followed her to her office and started reading, and lecturing, to her from a book on tactics written by his famous grandfather. She'd let him, even though she'd read the book numerous times. It was obvious he needed the distraction.

Head quarters had felt odd, without Loey. Keon had taken to sleeping amongst the woodworkers, and most nights Rena and Dortie stayed with the weavers. Even Barrabul was with the trappers six nights out of seven. With Loey gone as well, the once crowded building felt startlingly empty.

When orders had come in to report to Steadfast, a week after Neal had returned from there, she'd been glad. Neal had been moping pretty constantly in the week since he'd been back, and even her best efforts were failing to pull him out of his misery. Merric had given up after dinner that first night, wishing Kel luck and finding somewhere else to be whenever he found himself near Neal.

Still, leaving New Hope did some good. She'd gotten Merric to move into her headquarters while they were gone, to keep an eye on Peytar, Rhyl and Irnai. Tobe came with her. Fanche had offered to take in Peytar and Rhyl, but Irnai made the refugees uncomfortable, as any great mage did. Kel had thanked Fanche for her offer, then told Merric to shift his things.

They rode out early in the morning, with a squad of New Hope's soldiers. Kel worried about that, as she didn't know if her camp would need the men while she was gone. There was still snow on the ground, but it was spring, and the fighting would start soon. In the end, Merric had given her a very long look and she'd led the soldiers out of her camp with a sigh. By early afternoon, they'd arrived at Mastiff. Alanna had taken one look at her former squire, threatened to dose him and then dragged him into the practice yard.

It was interesting to see Alanna and Neal practice sword work together. They obviously knew each other's style so well, it was if they were practicing against themselves. Alanna chastised Neal for falling back into his habit of shifting left before attacking right, and he reminded her that once in a while, she should not follow a high feint with a low strike from the left. She'd rewarded that comment by disarming him.

Neal had been a fair hand with a sword during their page years, mostly because he'd had several more years with the weapon than his younger counterparts. Studying under Alanna for four years had taught him quite a bit, though Kel could usually beat him if she concentrated. Neal had never cared enough about weapons to be truly excellent, and it didn't particularly bother him; he'd become a knight due to a feeling of familial duty, not true desire. It had always baffled Kel slightly, but it was what it was.

Kel was surprised when Alanna revealed a practice glaive. The lady knight had mentioned her desire to learn the weapon when Yuki had passed through, and Yuki had said she could get a new practice glaive when she got back to Corus, so Alanna had accepted the training weapon happily. Now, she demanded that Kel show he a bit more with the weapon. At Raoul's wedding, she'd shown Alanna some basic sweeping cuts and blocks, but without a weapon to practice with, Alanna hadn't been able to keep up with the moves.

Kel taught her three pattern dances that afternoon, ones she could so on her own, as well as one that was done with a partner. The moves were simple, and overlapped between the four sets, but learning them in different sequences kept you from falling into the trap of always following one move with the next from the sequence. Alanna was entertaining to teach. She had no patience for her own mistakes, and seemed to want to be at the same level as she was with her sword as soon as she picked up the pole arm. Kel laughed, shook her head and fixed Alanna's grip.

They left Mastiff early the next morning, hoping to make Steadfast by mid-afternoon. It was colder than it had been in a week or two, a grey and blustery day. Tobe was huddled in his coat on Charm's back, being much quieter than normal. Kel called a halt well before the sun had hit its zenith and got one of the soldiers to build a small fire. They needed a hot drink. While tea was brewing, she dug through Tobe's saddle bags and pulled out a second woolen shirt. With a sigh, the lad put the layer on.

Shortly after they'd set out again, one of the scouts came riding in and Kel signaled a halt. "What is it, Marran?" she asked, hoping for anything but trouble.

Of course she was wrong. "I think we've got signs of unicorns, my lady." The man was frowning, and Kel could understand why. Unicorns could be peaceful, or not, and there was no way to tell by their tracks which it was.

Kel glanced at Neal, who was looking at her for a decision. "Everyone carry bows, I want them strung." She wasn't going to make the same mistake she'd made with the spidrens. "I don't know of any peaceful unicorn herds in these parts, but they could be new arrivals. Let's proceed with caution." Kel hoped they were simply new enough to the area that none of Mastiff's patrols had seen them yet, but she didn't think her luck was that good.

Bow strings were unwrapped and bows were strung before their group rode out. When Marran pointed out what he'd seen to Kel and Jacut, she sighed and glanced at the sergeant who nodded. The tracks definitely belonged to unicorns, a herd of perhaps ten of the things. Whether they would be friendly or not remained to be seen.

Kel flexed her hands in frustration. She wanted to head straight for Steadfast, but it was their duty to investigate any signs of immortals they came across. After her mishap with the spidrens, part of her wanted to prove that she wouldn't make the same mistakes too frequently, wanted to give Raoul a reason to be proud of her. There was no thought of shirking their duty.

This time, at least, the ground they tracked immortals over was better. There was still snow on the higher ground, but the path they followed snaked along valley floors and was mostly clear of snow. The mud was fairly miserable, but it made tracking easier, and the path was wide enough for them to ride two abreast, and the trees thin enough for her to have scouts out.

They ate lunch in the saddle, dried meat, bread and hard cheese, and Kel wished for more tea. The wind was constant and bitter. Jump huddled down in his basket on Peachblossom's rump, along with several of the dozen sparrows that had elected to accompany Kel to Steadfast. Those that were scouting for her didn't go far; fighting against the wind tired them quickly.

An hour after noon, they came across the first sign that the unicorns were not the shy, harmless kind. Three does and a fawn lay dead, gored and trampled, in a small clearing. Jacut examined the bodies before looking to Kel. "No more than a few hours dead, my lady. There's still some warmth to the beasts."

Her mouth set in a frown. Killer unicorns were a problem. Not only did they kill animals and humans indiscriminately, but they were carriers for unicorn fever, which could be deadly, especially among the old, young and infirm. It was not something you wanted spreading amongst wounded soldiers, or a camp of refugees. Their bite was made worse by their poisonous saliva, which caused a slow and painful death to any it touched.

She signaled her group to move out. They alternated between a brisk trot and walking, trying to preserve the energy of the big war horses she and Neal rode. For the first time in her career as a knight, she actually wished she had a lance; against a unicorn, it would actually be quite useful. Still, half the group had bows, herself included. They would make do.

With the spring equinox nearly upon them, the short days of the winter were at an end, though the light was still fading when her forward scouts fell back to join the group. They'd spotted five unicorns. They'd gotten close enough to see the red eyes and sharp teeth the flesh-eating ones did not share with their docile cousins. Kel's orders were brisk. "We need to find a better place for an ambush." She pulled out her roll of maps and spread them out on the saddle of Jacut's horse. She would have used Peachblossom's, but her gelding was far too testy to have that many people crowding him. She, Neal, Jacut and his two corporals looked over the map she'd pulled to the front.

It showed the border lands between Mastiff and Steadfast, marked out in fairly decent detail. Neither she nor Jacut's squad knew this area that well, as they never patrolled here, and they didn't know, off hand, where a good place to back the unicorns into might be. They weren't on the main road between the two forts, but a bit south, closer to Steadfast than Mastiff, and they were fairly close to a river that ran down into the Vassa. She pointed to it. "If we can drive them to here, and get them surrounded, we'll have a better chance of finishing them off with no escapes."

Neal nodded, indicating a bend in the river. "We could work with this, a narrower spot to back them into."

Kel nodded, as did Jacut. "Very well," she announced. "We'll break up into three groups and wedge them towards the river."

The men around her nodded, and then she divided the thirteen of them. She got one of Jacut's corporals, Tobe and two of the soldiers, Grestin and Marran. She'd made sure two in each group had bows, and in her group that was her and the corporal, Hamar. Tobe, Marran and Grestin carried spears. She assigned her group the left flank, put Neal in the center and gave the right to Jacut. With terse nods, they fanned out into the woods.

The good thing about being in the trees was that the wind was cut dramatically, so her sparrows could fan out with them. Another good thing was that two of the men of Jacut's squad had a decent amount of experience as beaters during hunts.

The drive was slow, with the light fading in the mountainous terrain. They alternated between walking in front of their horses and riding at a slow walk. It was difficult to quash the urge to just charge into the immortals and have at them, but they managed it. It was full dark when they finally heard the noise of the river ahead. The sparrows had retreated to roost on her saddle bags some time before, being near blind in the darkness. She was thankful for the light of the waxing moon.

She heard the low whistle that was Jacut's signal; his group had reached the river. Neal's response came two beats later, and then she made her own. With a quick thought to Mithros and the Goddess, she dismounted, to better use her bow, and moved her group forward.

Her first arrow took a large unicorn in the flank, dropping it as it pierced the lung and heart. Arrows flashed in the moonlight, as did unicorn horns. Eight of the things had been caught in their net. The immortals erupted into motion, charging outwards. She took another with a second arrow, then whirled when she heard a terrified whinny.

Tobe's charm was rearing, her hooves flashing at a white blur, another unicorn, and her charge was flying through the air, landing hard on his back. She heard herself shouting his name, and then she was near flying through the air herself, shouting for the others in her group to hold position.

Her first arrow buried itself in this unicorn's shoulder, as its silver hooves flashed above Tobe's limp form. With a wordless scream, she pulled her sword from its sheath, not having the time to pull another arrow from the quiver at her back.

She threw herself between Tobe and the beast, parrying a horn strike with her sword. She felt the horn slice the outside of her thigh and ignored it; she had more important things to focus on. Her first thrust cut deeply into its neck, blood turning its shining white pelt black in the moonlight. She could see dark blood in the froth of its mouth, silver teeth glinting as it screamed at her. That sound, one that should never have come from a horse, froze her blood in her veins.

She felt more than saw Tobe shift slightly behind her and a knot in her chest loosened slightly. She needed to finish this so that Neal could have a look him. With a grimace, she charged forward.

Grestin later described her charge like something out of a ballad, lacking only trumpets blaring as she flowed through the sequence of thrusts and parries, driving the unicorn backwards before finally coming up as it reared, slitting its belly open and being soaked in a rain of blood, a shining spray of blackness in the moonlight.

It didn't feel like that to Kel, and when she stood there, dripping, the dead unicorn laid out at her feet, she felt ill. The stupid beast had been following its nature, and she couldn't hate it for that. It had, however, hurt Tobe, and that had filled her veins with a white hot anger that had driven her forward so mindlessly she struggled to remember exactly what had brought her to this point, drenched in unicorn blood in the light of an almost full spring moon.

Tobe's crying brought her back to the moment, and she turned to him, taking the few steps back and crouching down. She reached out to brush his face with her fingers, saw the filth she was covered in, and thought better of it. "What hurts?" she demanded.

He took a deep breath in, struggling to get his shaking under control. "My… I think my leg's broke. And I hit my head fair hard."

She didn't bother to correct his grammar. "Neal will patch you up." She stood, he knees shaking slightly, and looked over to the rest of her group. When she swayed, she found Peachblossom there and leaned against his saddle. "No other surprises?"

"No, my lady," Marran replied.

"Whistle the other up. I need Neal to have a look at Tobe." She pulled her water bag off of Peachblossom's tack, and washed some of the blood off her face and hands. Peachblossom snorted at her, obviously unimpressed with the state of her. She patted his neck.

Neal looked from her to Tobe when he arrived, and she saw the whites of his eyes flash as he rolled them at her. Tobe had broken his leg, and rib as well, along with rattling his brain pretty badly. It took her friend a fair bit of time to patch the young boy up and then he turned to Kel. "Any of that blood yours?"

She looked at him slightly ruefully and nodded. "Not much of it," she said before gesturing to her thigh. "Just a slash. I don't think I need you to heal it."

Her friend snorted. "I shall be the judge of that, Lady Knight."

She shivered as she felt his magic delve her. Neal ignored her and then set about healing the slash. It wasn't bad, and she really didn't think it needed healing, but she didn't argue Being covered in unicorn blood couldn't be good for her. She was more annoyed about the fact that her favorite breeches were ruined. These ones fit just right, and were well broken in. Maybe a laundress at Steadfast would be able to get the blood out, but she doubted it.

No one else had suffered any injuries, and putting down the group of unicorns had been relatively straight forward. They gathered the bodies into a pile and set them alight. They didn't want to take any chances with unicorn fever.

They stayed in the small clearing until the pyre had burned down a bit, and then headed for Steadfast. With the ground being soaked, they weren't worried about it spreading. It was about an hour's ride to the fort, and if they hadn't been so close, if the moonlight hadn't been strong, they would have slept out. Tobe was nodding off as he rode, and, after a word from Kel, Neal pulled the small lad into his saddle. She would have taken him, if she wasn't still covered in tacky blood.

She thought, as she rode, trusting Peachblossom to carefully pick his way over the moonlit ground. She thought about the battles that would come, about the things that could happen to her over the next few months, about Dom.

She thought about Cleon, about how they'd waited for an opportunity that had never come, about the pregnancy charm she still wore around her neck. She was tired of waiting for something that she had no reason to wait for. Anything could happen, and she didn't want to go to the peaceful realms without knowing what it felt like to have that closeness with another person. She wanted to have that closeness with Dom.

With a grin, she made a decision, and urged Peachblossom to walk a little faster.

[bebeschtroumph]

A/N: This chapter is rated PG-13. There's an 'M' rated version of this chapter here, if you're so inclined to read it.

---

She reached up to Dom's window and tapped gently against the glass. After a few seconds of silence, she tapped again. Just when she'd been ready to give up, his window slipped open, and his familiar head, his hair disheveled, poked out. He grinned when he saw who had been tapping. "You're late, Lady Knight. We expected you this afternoon."

She smiled back at him. "Yes, well, we ran into a group of very frisky unicorns on our way here, and had to go and keep them entertained. We got in about two hours ago, but I had to get Tobe fed and settled in my room." And she'd had to wash. That had made her feel worlds better. She extended a hand, obviously wanting his help to clamber through his window. "Well? Are you going to leave me out in the cold?"

Dom grinned and leaned out to pull her up. The barracks for the Own were built with a few feet of dead space between the ground floor and the actual ground, to provide an insulating cushion of air. Luckily Dom's rooms were on the 'ground' floor, or she'd have had to wait until the morning to see him. Once she was back on her own two feet, he kissed her warmly, a gesture she returned. "Gods, Kel, it's good to see you," he murmured into her hair once they broke apart, his eyes glinting in the faint moonlight that shone through the window. "I'm sorry I didn't wait up for you. I traded for the dawn watch, so I could have this afternoon free. Once it got to be past dark, we assumed you'd been held up at New Hope or Mastiff and wouldn't be in until tomorrow, and I was tired."

"It's fine, Dom." She shucked off her quilted coat and deposited it on his chair. For all it was spring already, the weather didn't show it. It was still bitterly cold, even if it hadn't snowed for a few weeks. "If we hadn't been close to here when we tracked down the last of the unicorns, we would have slept out."

Dom shivered theatrically. "Much better to ride through the dark and sleep in the warm. I'm flattered you're giving up your much deserved rest to come and visit me."

She chaffed her cold hands against the sleeves of her shirt. "Stop being so… you. I've had a very long day, I just washed off a fair bit of unicorn blood, as well as some of my own, and I haven't seen you in weeks."

Dom grinned and opened his arms, which she fell into. "Gods, I missed you, Kel," he breathed in her ear. His lips found hers, warm against the chill she felt had seeped into her bones, and his fingers twisted into her hair. He pulled away just enough to speak. "How do you taste so good?"

"Shut up and kiss me, Dom." He did. She pushed him backwards until they could collapse on his bed and it was some time before they pulled apart to breathe and calm down. Dom stood, and she heard him moving around in the dark. After a few seconds, she saw a spark in the darkness and then a candle flame steadied.

"That's better," he sighed. "I can see you properly now." He sat down on the bed with her and brushed his finger tips across her cheek. "You were hurt?"

She shook her head. "Not too bad. Tobe got separated and knocked off his horse, and I had to go pull him out of the fire. Neal patched me up. My favorite pair of breeches are ruined, but Neal says I won't even have a scar."

Dom rolled his eyes. "At least my meathead cousin is good for some things. Anyone else injured?"

"Tobe needed healing. That's why I felt fine coming here once he was in bed. He was out before his head hit the pillow."

"You were the only ones idiotic enough to get close to one of the things?" With a rueful smile, she nodded. He tugged a lock of her hair. "You never could stand by if one of your chicks was in danger. Aren't you tired after a day in the saddle and a healing of your own, not to mention whatever fighting you got up to?"

She shook her head, even though she was. "I wanted to see you."

"I'm glad you came. Do you want me to find something to drink? I've got water, but I'm sure there's a pitcher of something in the common room."

She shook her head. "I just need you, Dom." Without another word, he pulled her close and started kissing her again. She didn't know if it was the setting, being in his room, on his bed, late at night, or the fact that she'd decided she really did want to do this, with him, but she felt like she needed to spell out the extent of her experience with men, which she hadn't actually done. "Dom, I…" she hesitated, trying to give voice to her tumultuous thoughts. "I've never…"

His lips pressed to hers silenced her. "I know, Kel. Your hints last fall about what you and Cleon had and hadn't gotten up to were about as subtle as a staff to the gut." Again, he kissed her softly. "We don't need to do anything you don't want to do."

She was glad that the light of the single candle probably hid the worst of her blush. "What if I do want to?"

His grin was obvious, even in the low light. "I would be lying if I said I wasn't delighted by the prospect." Her smile felt hesitant, but Dom's thumb brushing across her cheek tenderly reassured her slightly. She hoped he couldn't see every bit of the vulnerability she felt spelled out in her eyes, as she feared he might. "We can take things as slowly as you like, Kel. We don't need to do everything all at once."

"I'd rather just get it over with, honestly." She would have bitten her tongue if she could have had the words back, once she heard them in her ears.

Dom stared at her for a long moment, shock written large in his blue eyes, before he laughed, long and hard, struggling to stay quiet enough for the lateness of the hour. Once he'd wiped the tears from his eyes, he managed to say, "Obviously, the legend of my skill has spread far and wide, if that's the way you feel about it," before laughing again.

Kel smiled slightly before she, too, laughed. "Don't be mean, Dom. You know I didn't mean it like that." She pushed his shoulder with a hand, then was surprised to find her wrist gripped and Dom not laughing anymore. He pulled her close and kissed her again, her mouth opening under the persuasion of his lips.

For long minutes, her only focus was the feel of his lips on hers, the taste of him on her tongue, the rasp of his cheeks against the smoothness of her own. When he broke the kiss, leaning his forehead against her own, she struggled to get her breathing under control. "How did you mean it, then?"

His question caught her by surprise. Any previous train of thought had been obliterated by his kiss. "What?"

"How did you mean your comment about 'getting it over with', if not to malign my skill as a potential lover?"

She sighed out a small breath. "Oh, this is too embarrassing for words." Since he was only inches from her face, he heard her mutterings.

"Kel, if you're too embarrassed to talk to me about this, we shouldn't even consider going to bed together." When she met his eyes, she could tell he was sincere. Even though there had been no hint of humor in Dom's voice, she'd never known the sergeant to not be making a joke.

She supposed he was right. Even if she wasn't thinking about marriage, or babies, this was still an important decision, and if she didn't feel comfortable discussing her thoughts about it with him, he was probably the wrong man for her to be considering doing it with. With a sigh, she lay back on his bed. She might be willing to discuss this with him, but that didn't mean she wasn't embarrassed. "It's a few things, really." Out of the corner of one eye, she saw him wave her to continue. "Well, I don't want to get married, not any time soon, anyway."

Now she could hear laughter in his voice. "An attitude to do any member of the Own proud. I say again, you've spent far too much time with us."

She resisted the urge to stick her tongue out at him, barely. "Yes, well, be that as it may, Sergeant Domitan, it is still true. I've worked so hard for my shield, I don't want to be some noble wife, shut up in my husband's fief and expected to give him heirs. The work I do, the work we do, it's important, and I'm not ready to put it to one side yet. I don't know if I ever will be." Dom's hand was a comfort, and she gripped it fiercely before letting go enough to play absently with the joints of his fingers. "I don't like the idea of being courted like some noble lady, having to wait until I'm married, putting everything on hold until some day that may never come." She glanced at Dom, a slight smile teasing the edges of her lips. "And, well, I know you won't insist on waiting for marriage. I know you won't want to marry me, or think it's what I want."

Dom's smile was lopsided. "I don't know if I should be pleased or offended, Lady Knight." Now it was his turn to toy with her finger tips. "I understand that you don't see yourself wanting marriage for the foreseeable future, but it might be something you want eventually. I've seen you with your orphans and the other refugee children; you will be an incredible mother some day, if you choose to be." Kel could feel herself blushing again, trying to ignore thoughts of babies with her brown hair and Dom's blue eyes. He continued, and she focused on his words. "I want to stay with the Own. I know that I could get a position with the regular army, if I decided to leave; most of the lads that do go that route get good situations, usually with a promotion. There aren't too many command roles in the Own, just corporal, sergeant or captain. I think I have the skills to become captain of one of the companies, and Lord Raoul knows me, and my capabilities, well enough to one day give me that chance. Unless I think I get unfairly passed over, I'm staying in." Kel nodded. Raoul was a joy to serve, and she certainly wished there was a way for her to be directly under his command again.

"You'll be an excellent commander, and my lord would be a fool not to see it. If he could see my potential, you know he sees yours twice as easily."

"Don't be so self-deprecating, Kel. I'm not one of your strays, to need protecting." Still, he seemed pleased by her compliment, his thumb massaging her palm. "I was trying to say that I don't know how long I'll be with the Own, but I'm not leaving any time soon."

She knew what he was saying. "Dom, we haven't even… I wouldn't ever ask you to give up your career for me, as I hope you'd never ask me to give up mine for you. What if in six months time we find we don't suit? I'd feel pretty foolish if you'd resigned, only for things not to work out between us." She sighed, wishing she didn't have to confess her feelings like this, but he was right; if she couldn't talk to him, she had no reason for being in his bed. "I've had a crush on you for a long time."

One of his eyebrows arched, and she knew she was flushed again. Where was her Yamani coolness when she needed it? She thought, mostly fruitlessly, of a calm, clear lake, wind gently rippling the surface before the small ripples faded to nothing and only stillness remained. "Since when?" he asked, and it was like a rock had been thrown into her calm lake.

"I don't really know." She couldn't tell him that it had practically been since the first time she laid eyes on him. That was just too embarrassing. "Since my squire days, certainly. But I always thought of it as an unrealistic thing, just finding you handsome and feeling a bit giggly when you decided to flirt with me. I don't know how my feelings will develop, with the reality of this," she waved a hand back and forth between them, "whatever this is. I don't want to rush into something when I'm not even sure of what I feel."

Dom smiled, his fingers brushing her cheek. "I am flattered, Kel. I can't say I've been thinking about you in that way since Lord Raoul took you on. You were, what fourteen then?"

"Thirteen," she corrected. "I turned fourteen that first summer, when we were after the bandits and centaurs."

"Yes, well, I know I have a reputation, but I don't go quite so far as lusting after children, thank you very much. I suppose it took me some time to see you as a grown woman, for all your height. Neal and I used to share letters, you know, and the ones from his page days were filled with tales of a spunky young girl who never let an injustice go unpunished or vegetables go uneaten." She tried to fight her smile and failed. "I felt like I already knew you, once you joined the Own, and I'd promised Neal I'd keep an eye out for you. I always liked flirting with you, trying to make you blush or laugh, but it wasn't until you and that Kennan irritation were hanging about together that I really thought of you as a grown woman." Dom scrubbed a hand through his thick hair. "If I'd looked at that a bit more closely, I might have realized that my dislike of him didn't stem from brotherly affection for you. But it took me until you'd gone down south to face the Ordeal to realize that. The long winter, building your future command, and making a flag for you, gave me many hours to think. And some of the teasing I got hit a little too close to the bone for me to ignore. Of course, when you came back, I didn't know if you'd resolved things with Kennan, and we had other things to focus on." He sighed softly, then leaned back to join her against his pillows, turning her chin so that she faced him. "We don't have to rush. I'd be happy to just take things as they come, see how we progress on our own. We both know what we want for now. If your wants change, I know I can trust you to tell me."

She nodded. "I just don't want this to affect our working relationship, Dom. I enjoy working with the Own, with Third Company. My lord warned me, when he was my knight-master, of the problems women in command faced when they took lovers."

She could see the sparkle of amusement as Dom's eyes glinted in the candlelight. "What I wouldn't give to have been a fly on the wall for that conversation! Did our lord die from blushing?"

Kel found herself giggling. "Not quite. If I'd let him explain the mechanics to me, as he'd offered, instead of going to Mama, I think we both might have."

Dom's grin went from amused to wicked. "If you need any help in that direction, I'm sure I could prepare a thoroughly illuminating lesson."

She managed to smile while she blushed, struggling to control her breathing as one of his hands traced over her hip. "I've always felt I learned better through practical examples, rather than discussions of theory." Pushing her fears to one side, she closed the slight gap between them and pressed her lips against his.

---

He wet a wash cloth and passed it to her, apologizing for the lack of hot water. She really didn't mind. With a sigh, she stretched and stood, quickly cleaning herself up. Dom looked surprised when she started hunting for her clothes and getting dressed. "What are you doing?" He seemed confused.

She smiled, puzzled by his confusion. "I'm getting dressed. I really don't want to dash naked back to headquarters. I think the men on the walls would notice that, at least."

While she was trapped in the action of pulling on her shirt, strong hands wrapped around her waist and pulled her back into bed. "No leaving, Kel. I want to cuddle."

Kel giggled, but accepted his arms around her for the moment. "I can't stay all night, Dom. Soldiers are the worst gossips, and I don't want to be caught sneaking out of here in the morning. I've already pushed my luck with Tobe, being gone as long as I have. Besides, aren't you used to sneaking out of ladies bedchambers in the night? The reversal of the situation can't be too awful for you."

Dom looked surprisingly hurt by her statement. "You know, I didn't bring it up because you didn't ask, but my reputation is a bit exaggerated." She raised an eyebrow. "I am a flirt, yes, but I don't sleep with that many women. I certainly don't sleep with the court ladies I flirt with, as they're all saving themselves for husbands, and I certainly wouldn't, well, it doesn't matter. There were many young widows after the immortals war, and, yes, I kept a few of them company. I've never even…"

When Dom trailed off, Kel tilted his face back towards hers. "Never even what, Dom?"

She had to ask him to repeat whatever it was he muttered. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Never even slept with a virgin before." Kel laughed, then clapped a hand over her mouth when he looked affronted. "I would never sleep with a girl who thought she could use sex to make me marry her, and well, those are the only virgins that tend to want to sleep with me."

Kel brushed his cheek with her fingertips. "Well, you were wonderful." She brushed a soft kiss across his lips. "Thank you." She sighed, happy. "I really do have to go, though. It's a miracle Tobe hasn't mounted a search party for me, with me being gone this long." She glanced at the one candle, which had burned down considerably. "Goddess, it must be two bells past midnight."

Dom sighed, but with one last kiss, he released her. "I wish I didn't care so much about your reputation, or I'd keep you here until dawn."

Kel smiled. "Yes, I'm sure Raoul's potential reaction has nothing to do with it." She slipped out of bed and pulled on her breeches before hunting for her stockings.

Dom observed her casually, his arms folded behind his head, his bare chest glinting in the candlelight. "You must be relaxed, to be calling him Raoul. Perhaps for that, he'd let me off with only a few broken bones. But I do see your point. Even the men of my squad would be put out. When I think of some of the things we did to that Kennan lout when he was sniffing around you during the progress, well…"

Kel looked up sharply from tying one boot. "What did you do to Cleon?"

Dom looked panicked. "Nothing." She folded her arms and waited. "Oh, nothing too extreme. Put nettles in his bed roll, stink weed in his tooth cleaning powder, that kind of thing. Just small annoyances, so he knew we had an eye on him."

Kel rolled her eyes, then leaned in to kiss him goodbye, escaping before he could drag her back into bed. Third Company really were a bunch of children. Dom would have to sort them out on his own, if they ever found out. She stamped her other foot down in her boot, then bent to tie it. With a sigh, she opened his window, looked out to make sure the coast was clear, then swung her legs into the darkness. She blew him a quick kiss before dropping the few feet to the ground, happy again that Dom's room was on the ground floor of the barracks, even if that ground floor was raised a bit off the actual ground. Sneaking out through a company of the Own would have been difficult; while she was good at sneaking through enemy territory, most of what she'd learned had been from them.

With a start, she nearly tripped, then saw the orange and white cat twining around her ankles. She crouched down to pet the creature, who started purring. "Psst, Dom!" She whispered as loud as she could.

After a second, the sergeant's head poked through the open window. "Miss me already? I do think a bit more time to cuddle would be appropriate." Kel held up the cat without a word. "Oh, Duchess. I'm surprised she didn't demand to be let in earlier."

Kel smiled and passed up the cat. Dom managed to deposit the feline inside and grab Kel's wrist, hoisting her slightly off the ground, so he could give her one last kiss. "Sweet dreams, Lady Knight." She smiled as she snuck back into her room in headquarters, fairly sure Dom's prediction would come true.

[bebeschtroumph]

Chapter 14

Kel was smiling to herself as she swung her glaive in a short practice dance. She already missed having Yuki to practice with, but with the passes open and fighting due to start at any time, she was safer in the south. Still, nothing would spoil Kel’s mood today. Her body was sore, in new, different ways, and she was completely and utterly exhausted, but none of that seemed to matter. She felt wonderful.

Tobe and Jump had both still been asleep when she’d slipped into their room, and so far her young charge hadn’t said anything to make her think that he’d noticed her vanishing act. Perhaps she really could keep things secret after all.

After her pattern dance was complete, Tobe fetched hot water and she retreated to the small dressing room to wash and get dressed for the day. Once that was accomplished, and the birds were fed, she and Tobe, Jump trotting at their heels, went down to the mess to seek out breakfast. They were halfway through bowls of porridge, studded with raisins and dried apricots, and drizzled with honey and cream, when Neal plopped himself down at their table, looking a bit sorry for himself. Kel took pity on him. “Rough night?”

His response erased any pity she’d felt. He snapped out, “What has you so gods-curst cheery this morning, Mindelan?” before sticking his spoon into his porridge as if he were wishing it was a sword.

Kel glanced at Tobe, who rolled his eyes. “I’m awaiting my orders on a lovely spring morning. What could be wrong in the world?”

“Kel, have you even looked outside?” She had. It was, perhaps, a bit miserable to have called it ‘a lovely spring morning’. It was cold and raining and the training yards were already turning to mud. That had been her reason for doing her pattern dance in her small bedroom. She shrugged, with a smile. “Your entire outlook on life disgusts me, Lady Knight. I feel it quite important that you know that.”

She patted his shoulder. “Cheer up, Neal. We might actually get to do something actual knights are supposed to do.” He shook his head and returned to pushing his porridge around in the bowl. Kel sighed and finished her breakfast. When he still hadn’t made any effort to lift out of his funk, she decided to leave him to it. Better he be miserable here than on a battle field, where it could get him and others killed. He’d get it out of his system. “Don’t forget, you need to report to Lord Raoul in two bells for your orders.” She clapped him on his shoulder and went to see the man herself, hoping for good news.

When she was shown to his office, she nodded to her former knight-master, who indicated that she should take a seat. After a few moments of watching her, the big man spoke. “I suppose you’ve heard some rumors, to look as cheerful as you do.”

“Sir?” Her activities the evening before, along with the prospect of a few weeks away from New Hope, had made it harder for her to completely mask her emotions, but she hadn’t thought her former knight-master would notice.

“Imrah of Lagann is coming north to help us out. He’s a good, solid man, but he’ll be wasted commanding active troops. He’s good with the common folk, and he isn’t some young buck who will do something stupid trying to prove himself. We’re giving him your former command.” Raoul handed her a sealed letter, and she took it, feeling numb, being given news she’d wanted for months and had had no expectation of receiving. “You’re going to be based here, at Steadfast, with four squads of regulars to do your bidding. We want you to train them, Kel. We need more troops who are able to move quickly, like the Queen’s Riders, but who are more able to act like normal soldiers in a fight. Capable of hitting and running, but also able to integrate themselves into normal companies in ways the Riders can’t. When the fighting gets going, you’ll be out in the thick of it.”

For a few seconds, Kel was speechless. “But, sir, you’d said…” She took a breath and started over, noting the amusement in Raoul’s eyes. “Thank you sir. I hope I can make you proud.”

He stood and stepped around his desk to clap her on the shoulder. “No danger there, Kel. You always make me proud. There’s a list in there,” he gestured to the papers he’d given her, “of your sergeants. The rest of your men have today at leisure, but the sergeants know to expect to hear from you.” Now, he hesitated. “The regular army is different from the Own, or the Riders, Kel. They have their fair share of conservatives.”

She nodded. He wasn’t telling her anything she didn’t already know. “Yes, sir. I know I’ll have to prove myself to them before they feel they can trust my leadership.”

“Good. Well, I know Buri has said to send word to her to her if you need any advice, and I’ll be available in the evening, if you need to chat. I’ll leave you to it, then.” Once again, she got a hearty clap to the shoulder.

She rolled her eyes, and in an odd display of emotion, she reached out and hugged her former knight-master. He hugged her back just as fiercely. “Thank you, sir,” she murmured in his ear, before breaking away and exiting his office with a bow.

Jump had waited for her outside Raoul’s office, and she patted her dog before setting off down the corridor, grinning as she went. She was being given a proper command! Of course, she worried about New Hope, but surely she would be able to see her people there not too infrequently, and Imrah of Lagann had an excellent reputation, both as a lord and as a knight. He’d been Roald’s knight-master, and the prince had had nothing but good to say of him.

She’d have to explain some things to the man, of course, especially when it came to her orphans. That gave her some pause. What would she do about the children still living in her headquarters?

As she emerged into the main yard of Steadfast, she gnawed a thumbnail in thought, and was distracted enough to be surprised when it was removed from her mouth. She glanced up into blue eyes bordered by wide, arched eyebrows and smiled. “Good Morning, Sergeant Domitan. Did you sleep well?”

She was amazed, and slightly gratified, to see a faint blush color the sergeant’s cheeks. “Quite well, Lady Knight. Yourself?”

“Well, we didn’t get in until quite late; trouble with unicorns, you understand. But once I was in my bed, I slept quite well. I’ve just seen my lord.”

He fell into step beside her. “Did he have new orders for you then?”

Kel frowned at him slightly, and lowered her voice, even though no one was close enough to hear. “You could have warned me, you know.”

His voice was equally low, though the yard was practically deserted in the freezing drizzle. “And force my esteemed commander to miss surprising you like that? Not a chance. I have other opportunities to see joy on your face.” She kept her face calm and impassive, though it took some effort. Dom’s voice returned to a more normal volume. “Come to the mess and have a hot drink with me. I’ve spent several hours in the freezing rain and need warm up.” He grinned at her. “I’ve seen my cousin, and he’s moping about and isn’t fit company for a Stormwing. We can see if I know any of the sergeants you’ve wound up with.”

She glanced up at him sideways, through her lashes. For a moment, she worried; would he try and interfere with her men? Then she remembered, this was Dom. When she’d been Raoul’s squire and he’d explained to her about natural commanders, Dom’s name had been listed right alongside Buri’s and Queen Thayet’s. Plus, he knew her worth, as a soldier and commander. He might give her advice, but it would only be what he would give to any other warrior he liked and respected, helpful things he’d learned through his own mistakes, not condescending advice she neither needed nor wanted. “A hot drink would not be unwelcome.”

Jump nudged Dom’s leg, and the soldier stooped down to give her dog a pat. “Don’t worry, Jump. I’m sure I can charm a bone off one of the cooks for you.” He glanced up at her, and then rose, pressing a cloth into her hand. She recognized it as one of her handkerchiefs, one of the ones he’d given her at Midwinter, with her initials embroidered on in blue and cream. She fought back a blush. “You left this in my room,” he whispered. “How many of the things do you carry? I swear I saw you pick up at least two.”
She paused for a minute to think. She had one tucked into the top of one boot, one up each sleeve, two in her belt pouch and one tucked into her breast band. “Five or six, usually.” She frowned at his grin. “They’re useful!”

He grinned at her. “Of course, Protector. Let’s get your dog that bone I’ve promised him.”

He was as good as his word, and when they sat down with Neal, who was still pushing about his now cold porridge and sighing, they had mugs and a steaming tea pot, and Jump was happily gnawing his bone, which was surprisingly meaty for a ‘scrap’. Dom clapped his cousin on the back and poured him a mug. “Cheer up, Neal. You’ve still got,” he glanced at Kel and she held up one finger, “an hour before you go talk to Lord Raoul. And you get to listen to Kel’s wonderful new orders.”

Neal glanced up at that, at least. “You actually got new orders? You were convinced we’d be heading back to New Hope in a week or two.”

Kel nodded. “I’ve been given four squads from the army to command. My lord wants me to turn them into something like a cross between the Riders and regulars.”

Neal whistled, impressed. “That sounds like hard work.” He nodded at the papers she was still holding. “Do you know who he’s giving you?”

She shook her head, and broke open the seal. “I’ve never worked much with the regular army, besides the squads that have passed through New Hope, so they’ll be new to me, I’m sure.”

She arranged the papers so the two men, who were sat on either side of her, could read as well. She was pleased to note that these squads had been newly assembled. Some of the soldiers would likely have worked together before, but they wouldn’t have the bonds that she knew men of the Own had within their squads. This was good, in that they wouldn’t automatically see her as an outsider. She already had enough riding against her on that front, being a female, a noble and a knight.

Still, she was equally happy that she had a decent mix of new recruits and seasoned veterans of the past few summers of fighting. She hoped they would all have relatively open minds when it came to falling under the command of a female.

“I know Sergeant Breem. He’d a decent sort, though I don’t know how he’s going to take to being under the command of a woman,” Dom announced. Kel kept her face still, for all she wanted to frown. “I think he’ll be fine once he sees what you’re capable of.” She nodded, still reading.

She didn’t know any of the names, but it also gave a quick overview of their backgrounds. All four sergeants had a good amount of experience, both during the current conflict and beforehand. The youngest was Gunnar Smithesson, and he was still twenty-three. Well, she hoped they didn’t have an issue taking their orders from someone younger than they were, and if they did she was going to have to show them the error of their ways.

“I think I worked with Breem when I was Alanna’s squire.” Neal’s comment was a surprise; Kel hadn’t thought he’d been paying much attention, for all he’d been looking over her shoulder at the papers. “If he’s who I’m thinking of, Alanna set him straight eventually, though she had to save him from an ogre before he believed she could fight.”

That made Dom laugh into his fist. This was shaping up to be a grand beginning. She sipped her tea and flipped through the other pages in the packet Raoul had given her. She had letters of rights for supplies and equipment, the list of watch and duty rotations members of her command were expected to undertake at Steadfast, and notes about what should be included in the reports she would be presenting to Lord Raoul every week. She sighed, already missing her clerks at New Hope.

She only realized she’d been staring off into space for some time, while she thought about training exercises and duty rosters, when a hand was waved in front of her eyes. Neal was saying, “Don’t bother, cousin Domitan. When our Kel gets that far away look in her eye she’s fantasizing about armies of clerks. You’ll never get her attention, unless you’ve got a scribe or two tucked under your tunic.”

She elbowed him in the side, but managed a slight smile. She was glad Neal seemed to have snapped out of his mood, even if it was to make jokes at her expense. “Clerks are very useful. So is the very nice office I used to have. I’ll have to see if I can get some space somewhere, as I don’t think I can really meet with my officers in my quarters.”

Neal’s grin was almost back to normal. “Now that would send the court gossips into apoplexy. Though I don’t know if they’d admit you have the stamina to handle four men at once.”

Kel laughed and shook her head. “Yes, that might imply I could actually keep up with men on the battlefield, which is obviously impossible.” She knew if Neal ever caught someone making such a joke about her, he’d probably rearrange their face for them, but she was glad he could at least find it slightly amusing to consider the ridiculousness of it all. Dom, however, was frowning slightly at his cousin. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “You’re due with Lord Raoul soon, Neal.”

With a start, Neal jumped up and, grabbing his still full bowl, rushed off. Dom watched him go. “Sometimes, he’s a bit too insolent for his own good.”

“Coming from you, that’s a bit rich.” His hand squeezed her inner thigh before she could push it away. “Dom,” she muttered, “go sit across from me or something.”

“Where would the fun in that be? No one is going to think anything of me sitting next to you and looking at some papers, Kel.” His hand went back to her thigh. “Relax, Lady Knight. Now, tell me some of the grand plans you’ve got swirling around in your head.”

She glanced at him sideways, but left his hand where it was. They were both leaning over the papers, so their closeness on the bench wasn’t suspicious, and the mess was nearly empty, since it was still a few hours until the noon meal. “Well, I’ve been thinking about the way we attacked Stenmum’s forces, when we were behind enemy lines.” Part of the problem with this war was that the border was sprawling. If the enemy attacked without warning, they were back into their territory before the Tortallan troops could engage them. The Riders could move quickly, but they were more suited to dealing with bandits, not men trained to operate as a unit. “We need to use some of the same tactics, to harry the enemy until they can be engaged with larger forces, and to be able to keep up with the enemy while they’re on the run. The regular army, as it is, can’t do it, and it means we’re always trying to play catch up.”

For a good hour, they sat discussing tactics, through several cups of tea, before she sighed and stood, squeezing his hand under the table before she did so. “I need to send messages for my sergeants to meet me after lunch. Haven’t you got duties you should be seeing to?”

Dom shrugged one shoulder. “Lerant lost a bet to me, so aside from training this afternoon and the early watch shift I did, I’m at liberty.”

She raised an eyebrow. “What bet was that?”

“Well, I dressed Wolset up in a dress, to see if Lerant could tell the difference, from behind, between him and the girl he was trying to talk into his… well, it doesn’t matter. He owes me three duty shifts, still, from that little wager.”

Kel kept her face straight, with some effort. Wolset, in a dress? “Is there anything you lads won’t bet on?”

Dom’s smile was mysterious. “A few things.” She decided not to inquire. She knew they never bet on the outcome of a battle, for one, but anything else seemed fair game. “I’ll help you find a corner you can carve some office space out of.”

She smiled and offered him a hand up. “Thanks. Any chance someone owes you a clerk or two? I could certainly find use for them!”

Dom shook his head, and led her out of the mess.