Chael's Luck (A Knights of Dorathan Novel) (18 page)

One of the horses below me nickered and I
wiped away my tears with the hem of my tunic.

“Chael, it’s me.” Harry poked his head over
the last rung of the ladder. “I mean Chaela.”

I shook my head, uncaring, and cleared my
throat. “What do you want, Harry?”

He sat beside me and picked up a piece of
straw to play with. “Don’t they always send me when you get in a
mood and hide up here?”

I glared at him. “We’re not twelve anymore,
Harry.”

“And yet, here you are.” He put a hand on my
shoulder. “Look, Chael, Jasmine told us what she’d said to you. Mac
and Hal are trying to calm Ian down…”

“He’s not mad at her, is he?”

He shook his head. “No, no, nothing like
that. For as much as he hates the Knighthood, he knows how much it
means to you. We all wondered about it last night after you went to
bed. You know, whether or not they would strip you of your
title.”

I felt the lump in my throat get bigger and I
had to swallow a few times before I could talk. “It’s my life,
Harry. I spent eighteen years proving myself for this one reason.
I… I was willing to give up the chance of ever having a
relationship, or becoming a wife, or… I gave up being me so I could
become a Knight. I’ve earned this.”

He smiled. “I know that. We know that. Mac,
Hal, and I, we stayed to talk with General Krane after you’d left
and we told him exactly that. He asked us if we’d still be
comfortable fighting alongside you now that we knew you were a
woman.”

I frowned and glanced at him. “And?”

“Well, of course we told him no way in hell.
It was one thing to get beat by a runt of a man, but to lose a
challenge to a woman, well, we won’t have any of it.” He shook his
head. “What do you think we said?” He started to laugh and I
couldn’t help but smile. “We told him we’d be honored to fight
alongside you. You may be a woman, but you embody what it means to
be a Knight. A Knight works hard, protects those they love and
those they are in charge of, and above all they are selfless.
Chaela, you continued on a quest to find a book which was going to
be used to kill those who have made your life hell since the day
you walked into the training barracks. You were willing to die for
your fellow Knights even though you thought all of us would hate
you because you were actually a woman.”

I couldn’t help but blush at the praise and I
was glad it was dark in the loft. “And what did General Krane have
to say?”

“Well, don’t get your hopes up just in case
he can’t manage, but he tends to agree with us. He just needs to
convince the Knights on the board that even though you are a woman,
you are worthy of being a Knight.”

“You mean…”

“I said don’t get your hopes up. There are
some very old Knights with very old fashioned views sitting on that
board.” He smiled. “Do you feel a bit better?”

I nodded. “I do. Thank you.”

He grinned. “See? That’s why they always send
me.”

I laughed and started to follow him to the
ladder. He stopped before heading down. “Don’t you worry, Chaela.
You won’t be fighting for this on your own.”

We walked back to my room in silence. I
opened the door and was shocked to see Mac, Hal, Jasmine, and Ian
waiting for us. Harry went to stand by his brother.

“I…” My voice caught in my throat as the
three of them stood at attention and saluted me. I swallowed hard
and returned the honor. Ian watched the display, obviously in awe
of what was being demonstrated.

Hal smiled. “To the end, Chaela.”

I nodded. “To the end.” I took a deep breath
and went to Ian who pulled me into a hug.

“Are you alright?”

“I am.” I inhaled deeply.

“Chaela, I’m sorry. You know, it’s probably
fine if you go in your tunic.” Jasmine gestured to the bed where
she’d laid out my family tunic and pants.

I smiled sadly at the sight of the black
winged horse. I looked at Ian and made my decision. “Boys, if you
don’t mind, we have a banquet to get ready for.” I stood on my tip
toes and kissed him deeply.

He smiled. “You’ll be beautiful no matter
what you decide to wear.”

I blushed which caused my friends to chuckle.
Jasmine ushered them out of the room and turned to me.

“Are you any good with a needle?” I
asked.

“Of course I am. While you were off learning
how to fight and ride horses, I was learning how to sew.” She stuck
her tongue out at me and I laughed. “What are you thinking?”

I moved to the side of the bed and pointed to
the dark green satin dress with black lacing and trim. “That
one.”

*****

Ian pulled the white tunic over his head and
tucked it into the dark brown pants. Mac walked in and nodded.

“I had a feeling my brother’s clothes would
fit.” He handed over the dark grey jacket and put on his own dark
blue one. He smiled. “What do you think Chaela will pick to
wear?”

Ian shrugged. “I’m not sure. A few months
ago, I’d have gone with the tunic, but she’s started to find
herself the past little while.” He shook his head. “You have no
idea how confused that woman was the day her father died and he
told her he’d made a mistake. She’s been finding herself a bit at a
time and I don’t imagine the process will be over any time
soon.”

“How did you come to find she was actually a
woman?”

They started toward the great hall.

“When her father was killed, Caleb stabbed
her. She ignored that fact and didn’t tell me. She helped me dig
the grave for Sir James and the next thing I knew she was passing
out from the pain.”

Mac grunted. “That sounds like Chael.”

Ian chuckled. “I was trying to take her vest
and tunic off to have a look at the cut and she was fighting me
every step of the way. She finally blacked out and I got the shock
of a lifetime when I got her stripped.”

Mac laughed. “I can just about imagine.”

They turned at the sound of quite footsteps
coming down the hall behind them. Mac smiled at Jasmine and cast a
glance at Ian to see what his reaction to Chaela might be.

Ian’s heart jumped and he gazed in wonder at
the beauty presenting herself to him. Jasmine had curled Chaela’s
hair so that it fell in ringlets to her shoulders. She wore the
chain he had given her. The dress clung to her body and flared
slightly at the waist. He smiled at the fact she’d worn her black
belt and dagger. Over the dagger, sewed into the fabric of the
dress, was her family’s emblem. Chaela curtsied, holding the edges
of the long green skirt out as she did. He bowed to her out of pure
habit, unable to take his eyes off of her.

“Do you like it?” She frowned, trying to
decipher the look on his face.

“By gods, Chaela, I’m glad you grew up as a
boy. If you’d looked like this you’d have been married off long ago
and I never would have had the chance to claim you as mine.” He
blushed at Jasmine’s giggle. What in the world had made him say
that? Claim her as his. By gods, she’d probably leave this second.
She surprised him by smiling.

“Yours, am I?”

He took a deep breath. “I like to think
so.”

Her grin widened. “I like to think so, too.”
She linked her arm with his and they followed behind Mac and
Jasmine. The closer they got to the doors, the more he could feel
the reluctance in her steps. He stopped and turned to face her.

“Nervous?”

She nodded.

“Me, too.” He held her face gently and
watched as she relaxed at the touch. “We’ve been through worse,
yeah?”

Chaela nodded though she didn’t seem sure of
her answer.

“It will be me and you, understand. I promise
not to leave you alone.”

She glanced from the doors to the opposite
end of the hallway.

“Chaela, I’ve seen you fight ogres and would
be rapists and traitors. I’ve seen you ride a psychotic horse.” He
kissed the end of her nose. “You are the most amazing woman I’ve
ever had the pleasure to meet and somehow, by the grace of some
god, you managed to stand me long enough to fall in love with
me.”

Her blush made his smile.

“I love you, Chaela, and if you don’t want to
walk through those doors, I’ll be more than happy to follow you
wherever it is you want to go. If we go in and you decide you want
to leave, then so be it. We’re here as guests; they can’t make us
stay.”

She smiled. “It’s hard to tell a dead man and
a woman who doesn’t exist what they should or should not do.”

“Exactly.” He turned toward the doors and
held his arm out to her. “My lady.”

She took his arm, but held him back.
“Ian?”

“Hmmm?”

“You’ll tell me if you want to leave, too,
alright?”

He smiled and nodded. “Take a glance at the
doors.” He gestured to where Mac, Harry, and Hal all stood. “It
looks like you’re getting your own personal escort.” He kissed the
top of her head and let go of her arm so he could take her hand.
“Let’s go make some jaws drop.”

*****

I stood at the doors, Ian’s hand in mine, and
three of my fellow Knights behind us. General Krane smiled at the
sight of us. His eyes fell on the winged horse stitched to my dress
and his smile widened.

“Nice touch.”

I grinned. “I thought so.” I frowned. “Sir?
How do you plan on announcing us?”

He chuckled. “I worked on that issue for the
better part of the morning. Truth be told, until they tell me
otherwise, you’re still a Knight and if I have anything to say
about it when the issue comes up, you’ll be one until the day you
decide otherwise.”

My throat tightened. “Thank you, Sir.”

He nodded to me then turned to face the room.
“Introducing our next guests of honor, Ian Murphy, son of Sir Gavin
Murphy, and Miss Chaela McKinney, Shadow Knight of Dorathan,
daughter to Sir James McKinney.”

The silence that followed his announcement
was deafening. Ian gave my hand a squeeze and I looked up to see
him matching his father’s glare. I squeezed him back and managed to
get his attention. We shared a smile and walked down the aisle to
stand before the king and his family. The princess’s eyes were
saucers in her head.

Ian and I bowed to the royal family. The king
stood, but didn’t respond which caused me to throw a curtsey in for
good measure. A few of the people in the crowd chuckled and the
king smiled.

“Sir Cha… um… miss Chaela.”

“Your highness.” My heart started to pound in
my chest.

“I’m curious, why did you curtsey after the
bow?”

I felt my face flush. “Honestly, you majesty,
I’m not sure if I’m supposed to bow, curtsey, or salute at the
moment.”

His grin widened. “Yes, I must say, this is a
confusing situation. I had the pleasure of talking to General Krane
this morning who filled me in on what you’ve been up to in your
absence.” He stood at attention and saluted me. Ian let go of my
hand so I could return the honor. The crowd’s murmuring grew louder
and he turned his attention to Ian.

“Sir Ian.”

Ian shook his head. “No sir, your majesty.
Just Ian.”

“Ah, yes. General Krane also enlightened me
on this subject this morning. It seems you are back from the dead
after being killed in a riding accident five years ago.” The crowd
turned simultaneously to look at his father who seemed to shrink at
the attention.

“So I’ve been told, your highness.”

“When we have a bit of time, I’d like to hear
the entire story behind these events.”

Ian nodded.

King Gale turned his gaze to the three
Knights standing at attention behind us. “Sir Harry, Sir Hal, and
Sir Mac, if I remember correctly.”

All three of them saluted smartly and
nodded.

“I’m curious as to why the three of you have
decided to escort this pair to stand before me.”

Harry took a step forward. “Sir, we wish to
show our support of these two. With everything that’s been
happening, it would have been much simpler for them to simply
disappear and forget about the rest of us. If you ask anyone here,
Ian’s already been dead for five years, and yet he took it upon
himself to aid Chaela in her quest.

“Your majesty, sir, as for Chaela, well,
she’s always been one of your most honorable Knights. One of her
highest qualities is the fact that she would never leave a man
behind. She’s helped the three of us, as well as many of the
Knights sitting here today, out of situations as innocent as
lending us a dagger if we lost ours or giving up her chance to win
the Knight’s race to get an injured friend back home safely. She’s
put herself in harm’s way to defend injured Knights on the
occasions when we would come across goblins on our patrols.

“Your highness, I’m aware I can’t go into the
details of what is occurring at the moment, but Chaela has stayed
on course, has traveled across the continent, and has risked her
life in an attempt to finish the assignment she was sent on the day
after her Knighting. She’s done all of this for people she knew
would judge her for how she had lived her life. And really, what
has she done other than to try harder, work harder than the rest of
us to become what she is today. We stand behind her to show our
support; to show that just because she is a woman, in our eyes,
this does not make her any less of a Knight.”

The king smiled as Harry bowed and stepped
back into his place behind me. I fought to keep my breathing
regular and not to let the tears well in my eyes. Ian took my hand
again and I squeezed his before we made our way to the table we had
been assigned.

“Ladies, gentlemen, Knights; we gather
tonight to celebrate Queen Margaret.” His kissed his wife’s cheek
and grinned. “Let us eat!”

I took a drink of my ale and tried to ignore
the stares as people looked over to us curiously.

“It’s like being a two headed tiger at the
rare animal park,” mumbled Ian.