Title: Awkward
Author: Sangi
Word Count: 433
Rating: PG/K
Disclaimer: I do not own Tamora Pierce’s books. All those rights belong to her.
Author's Notes:

EDIT: 8/26/07

This fic is cute, but in my eyes, it’s really horrible. I’m glad everyone enjoyed this, though, so I’ll keep it up! So, enjoy, even though this is old and icky.

---

She had left her sword behind. It was no big deal, but to her it was important. She wanted her sword, just in case of the enemy attacking. These days, during the war, you could never tell what happened to anybody. It was really a very erratic time, the reign of Queen Thayet and his majesty King Jonathan.

She had told them that she would rush back to her room quickly, and grab something that she had forgotten. She didn’t really want to admit to everybody that she still felt insecure without her sword. The Yamanis had said weaknesses were bad, and she had grown up with most of their customs.

Kel had rushed in very quickly into her small room at Fort Steadfast that she shared with Tobe. She looked around the room until she found her sword laying against the wall in the far corner. She went over and picked it up, but was interrupted in the process of attaching it to her when a cough came from the doorway.

She turned around to see none other than her old – and new – secret crush, Domitan of Masbolle. She almost blushed, but stopped herself. It wouldn’t do her any good for him to know she liked him, even if she knew that he already suspected something like that from the way that she had been acting since she had arrived.

“I was just checking in to see if you wanted to train with me and the guys,” he said, not taking his eyes off her, leaving them dancing in delight.

“Well, I am going to dinner,” she replied, almost stuttering over the words. “With the lioness. We are going to see the refugees…” In her awkwardness, her sword fell to the floor.

They both reached for it at the same time, and a tingling feeling went through her whole left arm.

She looked up at him slowly, then accepted the sword that was held in his arms. Kel glanced at his face, and for the first time in quite a long while, Keladry of Mindelan was sure of what she wanted to do.

“Well,” she said, “There is always room for one more. You could always join us.”

He smiled his beautiful smile at her as she attached her sword Griffin to her waist, and then looked back up at him and tried out a smile of her own. He put his arm around her shoulders as they walked away, seeing as he was still a couple inches taller than she was.

Realizing something, Kel asked, “What about the guys?”

“They’ll deal.”