He rushed into the infirmary, breathless. Merric had just gotten back from patrol and he was notified about Kel's status from the moment he dismounted. The red-headed knight ran over although he was soaked in sweat and covered in what looked to be dry blood.

"What happened?" he panted. Several heads turned to see a red-headed knight who was pale from fright and worry. He recognized the faces of Neal, Dom, Fanche and Lerant of Eldorne.

"What happened to you?" Neal drawled.

Merric shook his head and swayed further into the room. "Bandits. But that's not important. Now, what happened?"

"Relax, sonny," Fanche said. "It was an arrow and a gash on the leg. Neal will have her patched up in no time." Merric bit his lip, worried. Kel didn't usually get hurt so easily. He kneeled at the foot of her bed and took her hand in his. He seriously felt like crying. Her shoulder and her left thigh were wrapped in a fresh bandage but he could see all the blood soaked bandages they'd gone through already in a basket carried by one of the refugees. Kel's hair was tied up in a messy ponytail, having grown long in the past year. Her beauty still shined for him although she wore a mask of grime.

She has to make it, he thought, squeezing her hand tightly. I can't go on if she doesn't. Tears threatened to escape his eyes but he blinked them away. Lerant put a hand on his shoulder, causing him to jump.

"You should bathe. After that, I'll tell you the whole story," he said.

Merric shook his head. "What if she wakes up?"

"She won't wake up for a while," Neal informed them. "I put quite a bit of healing magic on her and that was a lot of blood loss."

Merric let out a sigh and stood up reluctantly. He really didn't want to leave Kel here but he needed to bathe.

He washed himself slowly not only to get all of the dirt off but also to think. Hard. Maybe if... seemed to be the beginning of all his thoughts.

He dressed for comfort in a tunic and breeches and went over to the dining area with his hair still wet. The red-headed knight plopped down into the seat next to Lerant and ripped a piece of bread apart savagely. He then proceeded to devour it in the same manner.

"If bread wasn't inanimate, I'd say that you've killed it," he joked. Merric was about to throw him a glare but instead, he breathed in and out to calm himself just as Kel had once instructed him.

"So what's the story?" he prompted.

Lerant took a sip and began. "While you and your crew were out patrolling, the Scanrans attacked. Don't worry, it wasn't that bad. But we happened to have a new recruit. An archer. She was a fine shot, don't get me wrong. It was just that she had two children and they decided that the fight was the best time to create mischief. Long story, short. She lost her balance and the arrow went through Kel's shoulder."

Merric put his head in his hands. "Why couldn't it have been me?"

Eldorne laughed and stood up. "But that already happened to you, remember?" He poured the rest of the contents of his glass into his mouth, walking off to return his dishes.

Merric winced. He did remember. But the way Kel led them all through it was one of the reasons he adored her. It was also the reason he was so hard on himself. Sure, they all owed Kel their lives but he was saved twice. He wanted to repay her and it was just killing him that he had to sit there while Kel is on the verge of life and death.

He looked up to see Neal sitting across the table with a glass of juice in hand. "Kel will be inactive for a while and we need a commander," he stated plainly.

He blinked at his green-eyed year-mate. "And you suppose that I might be a good choice?"

Neal nodded. "Well you know as much as Kel does about this place –including its people. And besides, you said that you wanted to command."

"I did not!" he remonstrated. It's true, he thought. I only ever said that I didn't like the aspect of being commanded by a year-mate. I never said that I wanted to command! Even if I wanted to command, I never wanted it to be like this. The love of my life is in the infirmary night now, no one is sure that she'll make it and I can't do anything about it! "Why can't you command?" he asked.

"I already have a post and I can't leave it. Kel is under intensive care," he reasoned.

Merric wanted to bang his fists on the table in frustration. He wanted to speak with Kel about this but she wasn't available. Anyways, if she was available, then he wouldn't need to discuss it at all. He resolved to finishing his meal. "I'll think about it," he mumbled. Neal nodded and walked away in the direction of the infirmary.

Merric hastily finished his the beef and broccoli on his plate, too worried to taste the flavor. When he finished, he put away his dishes and went into the infirmary. There, he found Neal placing more healing magic on Kel's shoulder. "How is she doing?" Worry filled his blue eyes.

"She's doing fine. I just checked and she will make a full recovery. For certain." He pulled his hands away and turned to walk out of the area.

"Where are you going?" Merric asked, raising an eye brow.

"I have a few other patients," Neal reminded him. "With father gone, I can't spend all my time on Kel."

He nodded and went over to Kel's bed. Merric took her hand into his once more and knelt by the bed. After making sure that Neal was out of earshot, he began to speak to her although she was unconscious."I wish you were awake," he whispered. "I wish that I could tell you everything I want to." He let out a shaky breath. Maybe the bath tub was not a good place to think of words to use when asking permission to court someone... But that time sure seemed like the best time to practice them! "I want to be there when you fall. I want to catch you when you fall. I want you to come to me when you need help or feel scared or sad. I wish that for once, I could be your protector. " He looked up into Kel's face. Someone had washed off all the dirt along with her hair. She also had a new set of clothes on. He leaned over the bed and hesitated, wondering if what he planned on doing was a good idea. Of course it isn't, he thought. But then again, no one needed to know that it ever happened.

Carefully, very carefully, he pressed his lips against hers in a chaste kiss. Fire raced through his veins at the contact and as much as Merric wanted to continue, he knew that she could wake up any moment. He pulled away reluctantly and couldn't help but smile.

All of a sudden, her eyes flew open and she half sat up.

"Gods, Merric!" she exclaimed. "If an arrow to the shoulder and a gash on the leg was what it took for you to admit that, I should've thrown myself into war ages ago!"

Merric blinked at her, speechless. She returned his feelings! And judging by her words, she had loved him back for years, maybe ever since their page days. "You mean to tell me that you love me back?" he asked hoarsely. Kel nodded, a grin plastered to her face. "Were you awake the whole time?" Another nod.

"Duh. Do you think that Neal would change my clothes for me and brush my hair?" She laughed. "And I would love it if you would be my protector." She smiled. Kel continued in a more serious tone, however. "But you must understand that you can't always protect me. I'm still a knight at the end of the day."

Merric's eyes gleamed with happiness. "No. You're not just a knight. You're the most gorgeous lady knight of the realm and you're mine." He brought his lips back down to kiss her with all the passion that had been stored since his page days and she returned the same.

*Ahem*

It was Neal. He had been listening from the other side of the curtain. Merric suddenly got a feeling that Neal and Kel intended to prank him in some way but he brushes it off. He's too happy to care if they were about to do anything devious. "Our Lady Knight still won't be active for quite a while and she needs to rest. So if you don't mind..."

Merric broke the kiss and squeezed her hand. "Get well soon, love."

Kel snorted. "I'm fine!" She proceeded to try and sit up to prove it. Merric pushed her back down gently.

"Oh, no you don't," he said firmly. "You are going to stay here until you're fully healed. I will make sure of it."

"You're the substitute commander," Neal reminded.

"Neal will make sure of it," he corrected himself. Kel laughed weakly.

"Fine. Take care of the refugees. Don't let them intimidate you."

Merric nodded. "I promise."

"You had better not be crossing your fingers behind your back!" she warned.

He shook his head and smiled warmly. "When I make a promise to you, Mithros knows that I won't break it."

(A/N) They say that Merric/Kel is a very hard couple to write so I went ahead and accepted the challenge. :) It's set after Lady Knight if anyone's wondering. I should've written that at the beginning but since I don't usually read the first A/N, I figured not many people would be different.

Anyways, please review! I love them! They make me feel warm and fuzzy inside. ^_^ And flames count as reviews, I won't mind as long as you tell me where I need improvement. =)

Warmest Regards,

Nell