Hi there! It is good to be posting again. I saw this on my Amstrad and finally got round to tweaking it and typing it up. Here it is! It is a Kel/Roald, please do not be shocked P I am simply toying with different pairings. There willbe a new story coming up in the up coming months, which has a very suprising pairing. Again, I am merely toying with this )

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of this story/the settingor make any money out of this. I merely own the plot.

Some Things Just Felt Right

Written by Nina King

"I wish to see Prince Roald." Kel panted, her nagita in her back holster and in full plate armour after a skirmish at the House of the Goddess. A slip of parchment was loose in her hand, forgotten. The guard nodded, noting her crest, and raised the bars of magical fire. Kel zipped through; her muscles still in fighting condition after the war with Scanra had ground to a halt.

She quietly knocked on the door of Prince Roald of Conte's bedroom, which was met only by a stifled sob and a sniffle. Sensing that nothing was going right - note something Kel was very surprised about, since she had received the summons a bell ago - and Keladry opened the door, heedless of the lack of proper reply.

The sight that met the Lady Knight's eyes was not unexpected, but indeed peculiar. The Royal Chamber currently hosted Roald, the resident, and Neal, Kel's and Roald's comrade and friend. The Prince had awkwardly wrapped his arms around the Healer, who was sobbing into his shoulder a letter long forgotten on the floor. Roald's eyes were bloodshot but distant, as if he were thinking deeply.

Prince Roald and Princess Shinkokami of the Yamani Isle's intended marriage had never been truly blissful. Roald had been defiant in marrying a complete stranger, and his mother Thayet secretly agreed, even if she had to accept her eldest son's marriage. Torn between his royal duties as King and sleeping in his study, Jon decided to wait three years until the marriage, which the Emperor of the Isles had agreed to. Shinkokami would stay in Tortall for the three years, they would then be married, and that was that.

Upon hearing someone enter the room, Roald looked up, a grimace carved into his handsome features. He nodded towards the letter. Kel nodded mutely and picked up the letter, reading the familiar, curly script:

Dear Nealan of Queenscove,

I am sorry that I cannot meet you in person but the boat leaves as swift as the bird flies and I cannot be late. I must leave the country, to follow my Lady, Princess Shinkokami.

Shinkokami's father, the Emperor, has annulled the marriage agreements. Please warn your King that the Emperor may be angry. I do not know why he has cancelled it, but it has happened and that is what the Gods have willed.

Enclosed is the ring I will no longer wear. May another Lady wear it one day. It is indeed beautiful.

I will miss your company.

Yours sincerely,

Yukimi.

Kel, although unhappy that her best friend had not foreseen her departure, was proud. Yuki had loved Neal, and vice versa, but she was still inclined to be less than completely emotionally open with him.

Neal alerted Kel to the current state of affairs by straightening up and trying to wipe away flowing tears with his tunic. Kel sighed, pulled out a clean hanky from the flap of her boot and dabbed at them for him. He smiled, and Roald looked on silently, thanking the Gods and Goddesses that he had been given one year to marry freely.

Meathead, as he was often called, was particularly aware that afternoon. It was not long before he noticed the look of yearning and compassion when the Prince's eyes landed on a certain young Lady Knight. Still snivelling, he made his excuses, and headed for the Palace Infirmary, hoping his ageing father, Duke Baird, would be there to give him some work to take his mind off things.

Kel felt a strong hand push her from behind. Forgetting all her training, she fell onto the bed, next to where Roald sat. Cursing her friend, she sat up and instinctively looked at the Prince.

Kel, here eyes locked with Roald's, subconsciously moved closer to him and felt (along with the excited shivers running up and down her spine) his arms slip tentatively around her waist. His eyes searched hers, and Kel felt herself unwilling to hide away from his bright blue gaze. Instead, she steadily returned his gaze, willing him to find and reveal something Kel had spent all her time keeping out of her life.

He must've found it, because lips gently met lips in a sweet embrace. Kel was numbed for a second, and Roald drew away. Kel suddenly had no idea why she had been so afraid of romance.

She realised, with a pang of guilt, that Roald was staring at the ground, silent and ashamed. Kel took his hand, making him look at her.

"I'm sorry, I..." Roald began murmuring.

Kel shushed him. "It's fine. I'm just... new to this."

Taking Roald's other hands in her own, Kel gently let her lips wander.

Some things just felt right.