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Lady Shang Keladry
Sorrel Rowan
Chapter Twenty: Cherish
�What was that all about?� Dom said, his face ashen, watching the two women stare at each other.
�We�ve got everything she said in writing,� Gareth of Naxen - Totallan Prime Minister - stated, looking up from the piece of parchment he had been scribbling on.
Everyone sat, unsure of what to say now. �Well,� Numair said, breaking the silence, �We might as well try to decipher this.�
About an hour later, they were all staring at the paper in front of them, wishing it said something else. It was almost a prophecy, and it did not predict sweet cakes and green tea.
Everyone else was silent. Kel was staring at the glaive in front of her, thinking about how the curved blade slightly resembled a scythe. And how I could die before my eighteenth birthday - I only just turned seventeen! Then she looked at Dom. I have to live, for his sake more than anything.
Jodai was staring into the depths of the crystal on her sceptre, full of fear for her unborn child. I can�t die before I give birth - I can�t!
Neal was ranting. �So basically, what you�re saying is that Kel and Jodai have to kill Blayce, who is-�
�Possessed.� Laila supplied when Neal hesitated.
�By whatever possessed your King, and it somehow has a problem with the universe existing,� Neal finished, taking a deep breath.
�Not necessarily,� Numair disagreed. �It may not know that creating the machines is tearing the fabric of life into bits. Blayce doesn�t know.�
�And its up to them to kill this thing, and they may get killed in the process,� Dom continued, his blue eyes flashing dangerously. He was not happy. Kel took his hand and tickled his palm. He looked at her and tried to force a smile, but it wasn�t working very well.
�it�s the timing that�s got me puzzled,� Kel said softly. �She said I have to �complete my path� first. That would mean that I have to take the Ordeal before we can kill Blayce. By January, Jodai will be heavily pregnant. I don�t know what they�re expecting of her, but she is not going on a military campaign weeks from labour.�
�Uh, Kel? I�m right here, and if I have to, I�ll fry Blayce while I have contractions,� Jodai murmured. Kel looked apologetically at her, and Jodai nodded. �But I don�t get it either - I�m due in March. It does seem like awkward timing.�
�That�s not the only thing I�m confused about. She said that Kel hadn�t �followed the path she was meant to.� What was that about?� Shinko asked.
Alanna, Gary and Raoul exchanged glances. Alanna sighed. �You know how Jon is the voice of Tribes for the Bazhir?� They nodded. �As the Voice, he has a small Gift of Prophecy.� They all looked a little surprised. �He had a vision about you, Kel when you were - oh I don�t know - three-ish, but he saw you become the next Lady Knight. That�s why he was so shocked when you went to Shang - the Voice�s visions have never been wrong before, and there�s been over four hundred of them.�
Laila turned to Jodai. �How does that tie in with what she said to you before your ordeal of Mastery?�
Jodai struggled to remember it, then it was as though someone had planted it there for that very moment. The entire speech came to her mouth, as though it was someone speaking through her, an older version of herself - the voice of the mother she would become.
�Destiny always remains the same. No matter what the road, the destination is always equal. You have enough fire to do what you must, but it will be painful and it will push you further than even you can imagine.�
�Whoa!� Jodai exclaimed. �That was not me talking!�
�At the edge of an apocalypse, everyone seems to be turning into a prophet,� Myles remarked.
Jodai suddenly stopped. When she spoke, it was quietly, almost trance-like. �She wasn�t telling me about it for my ordeal. For both of us, not just for me, it was for me and Kel and for now.�
She turned to Kel, her blue eyes snapping and bright. �She was telling you that taking then wrong path didn�t matter, this would have happened anyway!�
Kel nodded, stunned. �Where do we go? What do we do now?�
December - six months later
Jodai was indeed heavily pregnant. Laila was with her at all times, just in case. So far, their seemed to be no problems with the child, but they had both been on the lookout - especially considering the expectant mother was a main figure of an impending prophecy.
Those touched by the Gods rarely had simple events in their life.
They were in Corus now, Laila, Maggur and Jodai, as guests of the Conte�s. The peace accords had been signed, securing a permanent truce, with no loss of face on either side, and provided a great public excuse for the Scanran King and Queen to be present.
The general public knew nothing of the prophecy or the end of the world, hardly anyone did. Both Kings had said that there was nothing that could be done and it would only cause unnecessary panic.
Now they fought on both sides of the border against the killing machines - which had been mysteriously silent since October. In the meantime, the barriers were becoming thinner with a frightening speed. Mages were able to talk across longer distances, the number of immortals in the mortal realm was slowly increasing, despite the Gods trying to keep them in the Divine realms.
They had enough of a problem as it was keeping Chaos in check - the chaos Queen would not help them stop the realms bleeding into each other, but as she did not actively do anything to aid it, she was not breaking any rules.
Ghosts and Dream Creatures were also finding their way into the other realms. Ghosts were no problem, they understood what was happening and simply waited to be returned to the realms of the dead, often taking the opportunity to catch up with loved ones while they were there. This had happened at Mindelan, and Kel was pleased she wasn�t the only one who got a chance to say goodbye.
Dream creatures were different. They couldn�t harm anyone, but they caused panic wherever they went until Gainel summoned them back to his realm, often helped by the Black God, whose subjects returned after a time automatically.
Taking advantage of the lull in hostilities and a new peace treaty, Shinko and Roald were finally married on the sixth of December, snow lightly gliding down to bless the service in a picture from a fairytale. Raoul and Buri followed suit, then it was Neal and Yuki�s turn.
Dom was escorting Kel through the gardens on the way back to her room after the reception, Dom parodying his cousin�s �meathead� expression of earlier. He had simply seemed dazed, the love struck healer and his new wife gazing into each other�s eyes for an embarrassingly long time - the others had got up and left, yet they hadn�t noticed.
Kel noticed Dom seemed on edge, slightly overplaying things. She knew he hadn�t been drunk - the King had asked that all those who knew about the prophecy to stay sober in case they let anything slip.
The gardens were beautiful on the clear night, the snow of the previous week forgotten. It was a wonderland of crystal and emerald, the evergreens shining in the night. Unknown to the laughing couple below, two figures watched from the window of the hall where the reception was being held, one very tall, the other shorter by over a head.
�Do you think he�ll ask her?�
�I hope so, they�ve been together long enough. Besides, they both deserve a bit of happiness, and he�s been hinting as much.� Standing on tiptoes to get a better view, the other person tartly said, �And aren�t you poking your nose where it doesn�t belong?�
Taking on a mock-stern expression, the other looked down at his outspoken companion. �It is the duty of a King to observe his subjects.� The stern expression vanishing, he replied, �And aren�t you being insubordinate?�
The woman in the violet dress smiled smugly, her purple eyes sparkling as she retorted, �Sire, you forget the first duty of a King�s Champion; to be honest, even when others lack the courage to be.�
Jon smiled warmly at Alanna. �Don�t I know it? That will never be one of your flaws, lady knight. Now, shall we go to the dancing and wait until tomorrow to hear if young Domitan got over himself and popped the question?�
Alanna laughed and took the offered arm of her friend, heading down the stairs from the balcony.
Dom knew he sounded jumpy, but he just couldn�t seem to keep calm. He knew what he wanted to ask Kel, but he couldn�t think of how to ask her. They were strolling hand in hand through the palace gardens, Kel looking stunning in a russet red dress. Dom himself had hardly noticed what he was wearing until his cousin had forced him to wear this deep blue outfit as his best man. The blue cloak that matched it was wrapped around Kel�s shoulders, her own cloak had gotten lost amongst the masses of material that were piled up in the cloakroom. Her hair was gently wavy, falling to just above her waist - Kel had had it trimmed as soon as they returned to the palace.
He was noticing every detail about her, the way she looked and walked, almost gliding across the grass. As they came to a bench, he touched Kel�s wrist. �Sit, please?�
Kel was stunned by how tense he sounded, and sat without a word to look at him. Neither Kel nor Dom knew the unique history that particular bench had, when two others had met there by accident and found each other.
Suddenly Dom looked at Kel, his blue eyes wide and vulnerable. Now Kel was worried. �Dom, what�s wrong?�
Dom looked at her. �Nothing, I�m just a little� never mind.�
After a minute, Dom decided he couldn�t really wait any longer, or else he would never do it. He sank onto one knee in front of Kel and took a small box out of his pocket. When he opened the box, it held a thin gold band with a diamond and two small sapphires that winked and shone in the moonlight.
�Kel, I love you. Will you marry me?� Dom said in a rush, breathing suddenly an effort.
Kel was simply looking at him, totally caught off guard. Oh no, am I a fool? Did I ask too soon? Does she not want to? Oh, gods, I can�t lose her. His mind was babbling, overflowing with thoughts, trying to think of what to say so he didn�t lose Kel right there and then, but what could he say, because she would be awkward around him and wouldn�t want to be near -
�Yes.�
Dom�s head snapped up. Had she just said -
�Of course I�ll marry you.�
She had! She had just said yes! The astonishment on her face had given way to a small smile that widened when he grinned in return. Her eyes were filling, she seemed to be fighting tears.
Dom slipped the ring onto the offered hand, struggling to keep his hands steady. Kel was doing the same.
He stood up, offered Kel his hand. She took it and stepped into his arms, holding him tightly then raising her lips to his and the they were kissing for what felt like forever.
Dom couldn�t believe it. Every vein in his body was pulsing with sheer happiness, his heart racing with the nearness of her, feeling her heart thudding in perfectly matching time. Everything else in the world melted away.
They finally broke the kiss, both gasping for air. �I should walk you to your room now,� Dom said reluctantly. He didn�t want to let her go.
Kel nodded mutely, with the same reluctance, even though it felt like fireworks were going off in her mind and heart.
As they approached Kel�s door, they stopped. Kel suddenly felt her heart speed up again to twice what it had been before.
Dom gently pushed a strand of stray hair behind her ears, drawing her into his embrace again. When they parted this time, it was to be enfolded into each others arms. Kel let her head rest against him, feeling his head gently sit on hers.
When Kel looked at him, his very blue eyes earnest, her breath caught in her chest again. �Dom?�
She opened the door with one hand, the other still wrapped around Dom�s waist.
�Come in.�
He looked at her then, his eyes asking if she was sure. She kissed him then, feeling the same thing that she felt in him. He smiled and closed the door behind him.
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