Disclaimer: I don't own the Lioness, Immortal, or PotS series by Tamora
Pierce. She gets all the kudos for those illustrious books. So please don't
sue me. Please?
Summery: Kel's having some problems dealing with her breakup with Cleon. When she goes to her former knight-master, Raoul, for some comfort, she found more than she bargained for - and finds just the person that might be able to help her get over Cleon.
Rebound - Chapter 1 - Escaping
Kel drowned herself in the tub of hot steamy water that lay in front of her. She had been through this before with Cleon; she knew very well that someday he would have to marry some heiress, if not for love then for money. She never thought it would ever be so soon though. True, she thought, most young men were married when their brides were younger than sixteen, and Cleon's was aging near eighteen. She was a beauty, from what she heard. Long flowing hair brighter than the sun, intense icy eyes, with a rosy complexion. Kel could never match her, in looks or money, and yet she had still chosen to give her heart to Cleon.
'How foolish that was,' she thought resentfully.
Cleon had been engaged to the rich beauty for two months. Two months he had gone without telling Kel. His mother had arranged it for him; turns out that the heiress's father and her were old lovers somewhere down the line. It would be ironic that their children would end up together. And they would. Kel could do nothing to stop the wedding. Cleon had told her as much when he had said that his family would lose the fief if they lost this marriage. And he was right; Kennen was in dire need of money from an outside source, especially with its crop ratio dropping from the unusually cold winter. Money was sparse; even Cleon and his family had to ration their food and supplies.
'I suppose I deserve it, for acting like some lovesick girl.'
The day that Cleon had told her, she had cried like a baby, blaming everyone from the Stump to King Jonathan. She had insisted that it wasn't Cleon's fault; that they were all against the two of them. She had even pleaded with him to run away together, to travel the world, alone except the two of them. She had hit and screamed and fought what was coming, but the inevitable happened. Cleon had taken her in those strong arms of his, and for once allowed his passions to get the better of him. Afterwards, she had fallen into a deep slumber in his safe, protective arms. When daylight finally came, he finally did what he had come to do and told Kel that the way that would be most profitable for everyone was to just be "friends." Cold needles of truth surrounded Kel, and the protective bubble around her burst. She had demanded him to get out of her room - rather forcefully, in fact. He had left without a word, but the look he had given her just as he departed was worth more than she could ever replace.
He pitied her.
Kel, now a knight, had no real duties so far, apart from the occasional patrols around the city. Third Company had recently returned from the Scanran border; there would be no fighting for them for quite a while. Her former knight-master and his party of the King's Own had been given a reprieve from the King, being told to stay out of trouble for their brief vacation. Kel had no problem with this, and was perfectly content to stay in her rooms and wash away whatever feelings she ever had for Cleon in her tears. It was so un-Yamani like, it scared her. If one man could reduce her to this wreck of a woman, she could only imagine what her next heartbreak might be like. Nothing had ever broken her so. She had always been the strong one, the shoulder that the others cried on. Never once had she ever thought that those roles might ever be reversed. When the others had knocked on her door; she had locked it. When the birds had tried to fly into her room, the window was closed. And so it went on for two weeks.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
"Kel! Kel, open this door this instant! Kel, I swear to Mithros, I will brake down this damnable door if you don't open it right now! Kel! Damnation, woman-"
The door creaked open. Kel's swollen face peeked out of the door. Her nose was red and blotchy, her cheeks pink and tender. Bloodshot eyes darted to Neal's scowling face.
"What?" Kel's voice was scratchy and uneven.
"What do you mean what? Here, open this door so I can get inside." Neal pushed against the door that Kel was trying to hold close, but was too weak to even give a good attempt. Her hair was matted to her forehead, sweat dripped from her legs and she breathed as if she had been exercising. Neal stormed in, Kel closing the door behind him. "Now, what's this with you locking yourself up in this damnable room for two weeks?"
Kel shrugged, glaring at her friend. "So does everyone know? I suppose it's probably some big court intrigue by now. 'The Lump withers into a downtrodden wash-up of a girl because of an affair with one of her fellow knights-in-training. No, wait, they probably made it out so that it looked like I was the one who seduced Cleon, broke his heart, and is now just sitting her in my room, plotting the next way I can seduce my friends. Tell me that's not what they're thinking." She gave a sardonic grin to Neal, and sat down on her bed. Neal sighed, turned and locked the door, and sat down beside her.
"Listen to me, Kel. No one, I repeat no one, thinks that. Or if they do, they better keep it to themselves if they know what's good for them. You have more friends in court that you would think. Even Wyldon is smart enough to know that the court intrigues that people think up about you are always a spin-off of the truth. Do you honestly think that we would let them go on thinking like that, even if they did believe you to be some harlot?" Kel shrugged away from him.
"I don't care what they think. It's not them that matters anyway."
Neal creased his eyebrows. "Then who is it that matters? Certainly you don't think that Merric or Cleon or Owen would think any less of you if - "
Kel abruptly got up off of the bed at the sound of Cleon's name. Neal mentally berated himself for his slip of the tongue.
"I'm sorry, Kel. I - I know it isn't easy - "
"Damn right it isn't!" Kel hissed at him. "It just hurts. That's all. I'll get over it, and when I do, that will be that. I'll make myself forget that I ever loved him. I'll just forget! It'll be easy! Easy..." Her eyes suddenly acquired a far away look, as Neal's jaw dropped slightly. He put an arm around Kel, pulling her down to the bed and holding her tightly against him.
"Kel, you shouldn't forget that you loved him. Get on with your life, yes, but never forget-" Kel held up a hand.
"Neal, please leave." Neal released Kel suddenly and turned her to look at him. Tiny trickles of liquid flowed down her face. "Just go, please."
Neal wiped away the tears from under her eyes.
"Alright love. Just take care. And don't think like that, all right?" Neal stood up from the bed and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You don't have as many enemies as you think, Kel. People care about you, you know."
With that, he left her in her room. Kel cried herself to sleep silently.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Cleon was worried. He hadn't seen Kel up and about the practice courts in a week or two, and he was beginning to think that she really wasn't as strong as he had thought. He sighed, and concentrated on his exercises. If she was going to sulk, then so be it. Whatever she needed to help her get through these next few weeks.
"Cleon!" a strong, clear voice came from the other side of the practice court. Cleon looked around and saw Neal coming up to meet him. "Cleon!"
Cleon smiled and held up a hand to his friend. "Hey, Neal," he said as the green-eyed man came up to him. "What's going on?"
Neal smirked. Then he punched him.
Cleon was sent backwards as his landed dazedly on the ground. Groggily, he shook his head and glared at Neal. "What the hell was that for?
Neal gave him a sideways grin. "I don't know. Maybe for breaking my best friend's heart, but hey, who knows? Think for once Kennen! No one has been able to get into her room for two weeks. When I finally do get in, low-and- behold, I find out that this is all your fault. How do you expect me to react?"
Cleon got up shakily, his eyes narrowing. "Listen Nealan, I don't know what Kel told you, but whatever she's facing now is nothing compared with what I had to face in telling her. So don't you come up to me acting like you know what's going on, because you don't. Face it, all you'll ever be is a third wheel.
Neal froze up, his face contorting in white-hot fury. Emerald magic washed through him as he simmered in rage. Slowly he regained his composure and went over to Cleon. "Need a hand?" he asked the redhead simply.
Cleon looked at him suspiciously, but took his outstretched arm. Once he was up, Neal smirked again and punched him, storming off before Cleon even hit the ground.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Raoul took a sip of his grape juice, thinking complacently. He had finally been able to thwart Jonathan into not making him go to the big summer solstice ball. It had been one of the few victories he had thwarted from his regal friend.
At least, on a social scale.
If Jon had forced him to go to another dull, uninteresting social function, Raoul thought he would scream. There were few things in this world that could cause Raoul that kind of stress, and Jon was one of them. He could see how Alanna had been repulsed by the thought of marrying him. Living that life of constant balls... Raoul shuddered involuntarily.
'Now all we have to worry about was how we're going to get Kel out of her room.'
His thoughts were interrupted by a sound. It was a scratchy sort of noise, and it came from the door. It was almost as if someone knocked, but had second thoughts about it just as their knuckles touched the door. 'How odd,' he thought.
Raoul got up from the chair he was sitting on and put the glass of juice down on a nearby table. Sighing, he made his way to the door when he heard something bump up against it, softly. Frowning, he turned the handle and opened the door.
Someone fell back onto the floor next to his feet.
"Kel?"
Kel blushed noticeably as she stared up at her one time knight- master. She smiled sheepishly as she held up a hand to him. "Care to give me a hand up?"
Raoul willingly obliged, staring at her intently as he pulled her up. She had a look in her eyes that worried Raoul. It was... not right, the look she had. Granted, she had just been locked in her room for the past two weeks. Mithros only knows how she got food in there. Probably that maid, Lalasa.
Kel smiled at him warmly, sending nervous thoughts through his head. He didn't think she was exactly rational at that moment. Besides, when she smiled like that she reminded him of an unstable Alanna.
"Mind if I come in?" she asked innocently. Raoul decided right then against sending her away. This might be one of the few chances he had to help her out of her melancholy behavior. Not that she really needed it; she seemed perfectly cheerful now. He knew better though, as led her in as he closed the door behind them.
Kel smiled warmly at her former knight master as she sat down on a chair in the middle of the room. "You know, Raoul, you've always been there for me, through all my hormones and womanly fits. Why on this good earth did you put up with me?"
Raoul knitted his eyebrows, thrown a bit off track at her bluntness. She wasn't usually so forward.
"Do I really need a reason?" Raoul asked thoughtfully. Kel smirked.
"Didn't they ever tell you not to answer a question with a question?" Raoul pursed his lips together and tried to hide his smile.
"Who ever listens to those Mithran etiquette teachers?" he joked. Kel allowed herself a small snicker as she got up from off of the chair.
"You see, Raoul, I just realized that through everything I put you through, you still stayed with me. Now, that's a true friend. Not like that Kennen backstabber-" Her eyes suddenly narrowed into tiny slits of what they were, but then relaxed. "And then I wonder, would you always be there for me, Raoul? Would you be there even if I broke your heart?" She came over to him and put a finger on his chest. Raoul swallowed hard and backed away from Kel.
"Kel. Listen to me. You are not over Cleon yet. I can understand that. Goddess only knows, I haven't gotten over Buri, and we haven't been together for months now. But you are not going to make it better by trying to forget it! You can't just pretend it didn't happen! Kel-" he grabbed her arm "-you must trust me on this. Doing this won't solve anything. Please, Kel." He stared at her intently.
Kel was silent for a long time. Finally she spoke. "Don't you wish it would all just go away sometimes?"
"Of course I do." Kel looked up at the big man.
"Then why would you deny me escape?" Raoul swallowed hard for a second time.
"It's not that simple." Kel gave him a sardonic smile.
"I'm making it that simple." With that, Kel grabbed the collar of Raoul's shirt and kissed him hard. She bit his lip until it bled. Raoul stiffened, and tried to pull away. Kel held on to him tightly as she kissed him, not allowing him to get away. When Raoul finally managed to pull away, he gaped at her.
"Kel, what are you doing?" he asked her incredulously.
She came up to him once again. "Escaping," she said simply before she grabbed him again and pressed her lips roughly against his. Raoul pushed her away again.
"Kel, we can't. If we ever-ever did-" he was cut off by a kiss on his lips. He lost himself in that kiss, and picking her up, carried her to his bedroom. Throwing her on his bed, he lunged on top of her to kiss her neck. Kel held his lips up to her mouth again, and in one breathless moment, kissed him with passion and vivacity.
Hours later, she fell asleep in his arms.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
A/N: Now wasn't that interesting? I think that will be it. I might have it as an ongoing thing, if you like it... *cough hint hint* I never did this kind of thing before, so feel free to flame, critize, or whatever you young people do nowadays. I would like something like 10 reviews at least, mostly because I think I'm the first one to do something like this and that gives me originality points *hopeful look* Well, I hope you liked it!
*~KK~*
Summery: Kel's having some problems dealing with her breakup with Cleon. When she goes to her former knight-master, Raoul, for some comfort, she found more than she bargained for - and finds just the person that might be able to help her get over Cleon.
Rebound - Chapter 1 - Escaping
Kel drowned herself in the tub of hot steamy water that lay in front of her. She had been through this before with Cleon; she knew very well that someday he would have to marry some heiress, if not for love then for money. She never thought it would ever be so soon though. True, she thought, most young men were married when their brides were younger than sixteen, and Cleon's was aging near eighteen. She was a beauty, from what she heard. Long flowing hair brighter than the sun, intense icy eyes, with a rosy complexion. Kel could never match her, in looks or money, and yet she had still chosen to give her heart to Cleon.
'How foolish that was,' she thought resentfully.
Cleon had been engaged to the rich beauty for two months. Two months he had gone without telling Kel. His mother had arranged it for him; turns out that the heiress's father and her were old lovers somewhere down the line. It would be ironic that their children would end up together. And they would. Kel could do nothing to stop the wedding. Cleon had told her as much when he had said that his family would lose the fief if they lost this marriage. And he was right; Kennen was in dire need of money from an outside source, especially with its crop ratio dropping from the unusually cold winter. Money was sparse; even Cleon and his family had to ration their food and supplies.
'I suppose I deserve it, for acting like some lovesick girl.'
The day that Cleon had told her, she had cried like a baby, blaming everyone from the Stump to King Jonathan. She had insisted that it wasn't Cleon's fault; that they were all against the two of them. She had even pleaded with him to run away together, to travel the world, alone except the two of them. She had hit and screamed and fought what was coming, but the inevitable happened. Cleon had taken her in those strong arms of his, and for once allowed his passions to get the better of him. Afterwards, she had fallen into a deep slumber in his safe, protective arms. When daylight finally came, he finally did what he had come to do and told Kel that the way that would be most profitable for everyone was to just be "friends." Cold needles of truth surrounded Kel, and the protective bubble around her burst. She had demanded him to get out of her room - rather forcefully, in fact. He had left without a word, but the look he had given her just as he departed was worth more than she could ever replace.
He pitied her.
Kel, now a knight, had no real duties so far, apart from the occasional patrols around the city. Third Company had recently returned from the Scanran border; there would be no fighting for them for quite a while. Her former knight-master and his party of the King's Own had been given a reprieve from the King, being told to stay out of trouble for their brief vacation. Kel had no problem with this, and was perfectly content to stay in her rooms and wash away whatever feelings she ever had for Cleon in her tears. It was so un-Yamani like, it scared her. If one man could reduce her to this wreck of a woman, she could only imagine what her next heartbreak might be like. Nothing had ever broken her so. She had always been the strong one, the shoulder that the others cried on. Never once had she ever thought that those roles might ever be reversed. When the others had knocked on her door; she had locked it. When the birds had tried to fly into her room, the window was closed. And so it went on for two weeks.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
"Kel! Kel, open this door this instant! Kel, I swear to Mithros, I will brake down this damnable door if you don't open it right now! Kel! Damnation, woman-"
The door creaked open. Kel's swollen face peeked out of the door. Her nose was red and blotchy, her cheeks pink and tender. Bloodshot eyes darted to Neal's scowling face.
"What?" Kel's voice was scratchy and uneven.
"What do you mean what? Here, open this door so I can get inside." Neal pushed against the door that Kel was trying to hold close, but was too weak to even give a good attempt. Her hair was matted to her forehead, sweat dripped from her legs and she breathed as if she had been exercising. Neal stormed in, Kel closing the door behind him. "Now, what's this with you locking yourself up in this damnable room for two weeks?"
Kel shrugged, glaring at her friend. "So does everyone know? I suppose it's probably some big court intrigue by now. 'The Lump withers into a downtrodden wash-up of a girl because of an affair with one of her fellow knights-in-training. No, wait, they probably made it out so that it looked like I was the one who seduced Cleon, broke his heart, and is now just sitting her in my room, plotting the next way I can seduce my friends. Tell me that's not what they're thinking." She gave a sardonic grin to Neal, and sat down on her bed. Neal sighed, turned and locked the door, and sat down beside her.
"Listen to me, Kel. No one, I repeat no one, thinks that. Or if they do, they better keep it to themselves if they know what's good for them. You have more friends in court that you would think. Even Wyldon is smart enough to know that the court intrigues that people think up about you are always a spin-off of the truth. Do you honestly think that we would let them go on thinking like that, even if they did believe you to be some harlot?" Kel shrugged away from him.
"I don't care what they think. It's not them that matters anyway."
Neal creased his eyebrows. "Then who is it that matters? Certainly you don't think that Merric or Cleon or Owen would think any less of you if - "
Kel abruptly got up off of the bed at the sound of Cleon's name. Neal mentally berated himself for his slip of the tongue.
"I'm sorry, Kel. I - I know it isn't easy - "
"Damn right it isn't!" Kel hissed at him. "It just hurts. That's all. I'll get over it, and when I do, that will be that. I'll make myself forget that I ever loved him. I'll just forget! It'll be easy! Easy..." Her eyes suddenly acquired a far away look, as Neal's jaw dropped slightly. He put an arm around Kel, pulling her down to the bed and holding her tightly against him.
"Kel, you shouldn't forget that you loved him. Get on with your life, yes, but never forget-" Kel held up a hand.
"Neal, please leave." Neal released Kel suddenly and turned her to look at him. Tiny trickles of liquid flowed down her face. "Just go, please."
Neal wiped away the tears from under her eyes.
"Alright love. Just take care. And don't think like that, all right?" Neal stood up from the bed and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You don't have as many enemies as you think, Kel. People care about you, you know."
With that, he left her in her room. Kel cried herself to sleep silently.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Cleon was worried. He hadn't seen Kel up and about the practice courts in a week or two, and he was beginning to think that she really wasn't as strong as he had thought. He sighed, and concentrated on his exercises. If she was going to sulk, then so be it. Whatever she needed to help her get through these next few weeks.
"Cleon!" a strong, clear voice came from the other side of the practice court. Cleon looked around and saw Neal coming up to meet him. "Cleon!"
Cleon smiled and held up a hand to his friend. "Hey, Neal," he said as the green-eyed man came up to him. "What's going on?"
Neal smirked. Then he punched him.
Cleon was sent backwards as his landed dazedly on the ground. Groggily, he shook his head and glared at Neal. "What the hell was that for?
Neal gave him a sideways grin. "I don't know. Maybe for breaking my best friend's heart, but hey, who knows? Think for once Kennen! No one has been able to get into her room for two weeks. When I finally do get in, low-and- behold, I find out that this is all your fault. How do you expect me to react?"
Cleon got up shakily, his eyes narrowing. "Listen Nealan, I don't know what Kel told you, but whatever she's facing now is nothing compared with what I had to face in telling her. So don't you come up to me acting like you know what's going on, because you don't. Face it, all you'll ever be is a third wheel.
Neal froze up, his face contorting in white-hot fury. Emerald magic washed through him as he simmered in rage. Slowly he regained his composure and went over to Cleon. "Need a hand?" he asked the redhead simply.
Cleon looked at him suspiciously, but took his outstretched arm. Once he was up, Neal smirked again and punched him, storming off before Cleon even hit the ground.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Raoul took a sip of his grape juice, thinking complacently. He had finally been able to thwart Jonathan into not making him go to the big summer solstice ball. It had been one of the few victories he had thwarted from his regal friend.
At least, on a social scale.
If Jon had forced him to go to another dull, uninteresting social function, Raoul thought he would scream. There were few things in this world that could cause Raoul that kind of stress, and Jon was one of them. He could see how Alanna had been repulsed by the thought of marrying him. Living that life of constant balls... Raoul shuddered involuntarily.
'Now all we have to worry about was how we're going to get Kel out of her room.'
His thoughts were interrupted by a sound. It was a scratchy sort of noise, and it came from the door. It was almost as if someone knocked, but had second thoughts about it just as their knuckles touched the door. 'How odd,' he thought.
Raoul got up from the chair he was sitting on and put the glass of juice down on a nearby table. Sighing, he made his way to the door when he heard something bump up against it, softly. Frowning, he turned the handle and opened the door.
Someone fell back onto the floor next to his feet.
"Kel?"
Kel blushed noticeably as she stared up at her one time knight- master. She smiled sheepishly as she held up a hand to him. "Care to give me a hand up?"
Raoul willingly obliged, staring at her intently as he pulled her up. She had a look in her eyes that worried Raoul. It was... not right, the look she had. Granted, she had just been locked in her room for the past two weeks. Mithros only knows how she got food in there. Probably that maid, Lalasa.
Kel smiled at him warmly, sending nervous thoughts through his head. He didn't think she was exactly rational at that moment. Besides, when she smiled like that she reminded him of an unstable Alanna.
"Mind if I come in?" she asked innocently. Raoul decided right then against sending her away. This might be one of the few chances he had to help her out of her melancholy behavior. Not that she really needed it; she seemed perfectly cheerful now. He knew better though, as led her in as he closed the door behind them.
Kel smiled warmly at her former knight master as she sat down on a chair in the middle of the room. "You know, Raoul, you've always been there for me, through all my hormones and womanly fits. Why on this good earth did you put up with me?"
Raoul knitted his eyebrows, thrown a bit off track at her bluntness. She wasn't usually so forward.
"Do I really need a reason?" Raoul asked thoughtfully. Kel smirked.
"Didn't they ever tell you not to answer a question with a question?" Raoul pursed his lips together and tried to hide his smile.
"Who ever listens to those Mithran etiquette teachers?" he joked. Kel allowed herself a small snicker as she got up from off of the chair.
"You see, Raoul, I just realized that through everything I put you through, you still stayed with me. Now, that's a true friend. Not like that Kennen backstabber-" Her eyes suddenly narrowed into tiny slits of what they were, but then relaxed. "And then I wonder, would you always be there for me, Raoul? Would you be there even if I broke your heart?" She came over to him and put a finger on his chest. Raoul swallowed hard and backed away from Kel.
"Kel. Listen to me. You are not over Cleon yet. I can understand that. Goddess only knows, I haven't gotten over Buri, and we haven't been together for months now. But you are not going to make it better by trying to forget it! You can't just pretend it didn't happen! Kel-" he grabbed her arm "-you must trust me on this. Doing this won't solve anything. Please, Kel." He stared at her intently.
Kel was silent for a long time. Finally she spoke. "Don't you wish it would all just go away sometimes?"
"Of course I do." Kel looked up at the big man.
"Then why would you deny me escape?" Raoul swallowed hard for a second time.
"It's not that simple." Kel gave him a sardonic smile.
"I'm making it that simple." With that, Kel grabbed the collar of Raoul's shirt and kissed him hard. She bit his lip until it bled. Raoul stiffened, and tried to pull away. Kel held on to him tightly as she kissed him, not allowing him to get away. When Raoul finally managed to pull away, he gaped at her.
"Kel, what are you doing?" he asked her incredulously.
She came up to him once again. "Escaping," she said simply before she grabbed him again and pressed her lips roughly against his. Raoul pushed her away again.
"Kel, we can't. If we ever-ever did-" he was cut off by a kiss on his lips. He lost himself in that kiss, and picking her up, carried her to his bedroom. Throwing her on his bed, he lunged on top of her to kiss her neck. Kel held his lips up to her mouth again, and in one breathless moment, kissed him with passion and vivacity.
Hours later, she fell asleep in his arms.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
A/N: Now wasn't that interesting? I think that will be it. I might have it as an ongoing thing, if you like it... *cough hint hint* I never did this kind of thing before, so feel free to flame, critize, or whatever you young people do nowadays. I would like something like 10 reviews at least, mostly because I think I'm the first one to do something like this and that gives me originality points *hopeful look* Well, I hope you liked it!
*~KK~*