Hey! This is the first FanFic I've written in a year, and I haven't read Tamora Pierce's books for much longer than that, so please bear with me. Enjoy! =)

Kel had always been a generally reserved person. About her own feelings, that is, towards a certain handsome, blue-eyed sergeant. From her seat next to Raoul, she had a clear view of him conversing cordially with his dinner partner two tables down. She observed him as he smiled that familiar grin, his eyes containing their usual mischievous glint. Though, she doubted that the wizened lady cared for that look the same way she did.

Unaware that she was actually gazing at Dom for far longer than was necessary, Kel was taken aback when he actually glanced over at her. He must have registered the look of surprise on her face, because he winked at her with that crooked smile that made her heart skip a beat, and then slowly turned back to his chattering dinner partner. Kel tried to cover the blush rising to her cheeks with her Yamani mask, but only managed to conceal it slightly.

Raoul had noticed the odd exchange. He had never seen Kel react in such a way before, and almost attributed it to Dom's ordinary flirting antics until he caught a glimpse of Kel's face, which was still red as a beet. Strange, he thought. In all the time I've known Kel, she has only ever blushed for maybe a few seconds, but it's been much longer. Could she possibly…? No, he thought with resolve. Dom and Kel have known each other for years. If they fancied each other, surely they'd be courting by now. And with this mindset, he dismissed the matter for now, perhaps to be pondered on later. I'll ask Buri.

Kel sincerely hoped that Raoul hadn't caught sight of her blush. He'll probably think I've gone soft like all those dainty court ladies. But in reality, she knew that Raoul would never think something so trivial about her. He was like a second father to her, and he knew her about as well as her biological one. But if he did see it… She just had to remain on her guard from now on, in case any questions about her romantic interests arose.

Glancing over at Dom again, she noticed that he was frowning slightly. Listening as hard as she could, Kel heard snippets of the conversation.

"…understand how a girl in her right mind would wield a metal rod instead of a needle! Why, in my day, girls were good and proper, none of this rebellious nonsense. 'Tis a disgrace, I say, for a woman to dally about with the men like a doxy on the street corner."

At this, Dom's frown deepened. Kel could tell that he was deeply disturbed by the elderly woman's opinion. Obviously attempting to keep voicing anything disrespectful, Dom tightened his lips into a line and waited for the lady to finish her rant. Her loose tongue hinted that she had been a little too into her cups.

"That Mindelan girl is no better than a flower seller in the Lower City, if you ask me. I'll bet this whole 'knighthood' thing was just a scheme to be forever surrounded by men," she continued.

Kel had heard all of this before: from the lord of Stone Mountain, Joren himself, and countless other conservatives at court. But she had never been affronted in such a public event such as a palace dinner. At this point, the lady's voice was slightly slurred and quite a bit hysterical, to the point that everyone within a 10-foot radius could hear, including Kel and Raoul, who had begun to pay attention.

Upon hearing the woman's jibes, Raoul almost stood up to set her straight, but refrained, and instead clenched his hand tightly. Kel just sat still as she waited to see how Dom would respond.

"My lady," he answered formally, his previous tone of humor absent. "I would remind you that we are at a court function, in the presence of the King and Queen as well, and I ask that you not speak about a much-loved person of this realm in such a manner."

Kel was as shocked as the woman who had been on the receiving end of Dom's forcibly polite request.

'Much-loved'? Could he…? No, he was only defending me as a friend, nothing more, she thought with resolution. Besides, Dom? Loving me? She laughed at the thought, but at the same time pushing down the butterflies that threatened to flap frantically around in her stomach.

Dom. If only…