Kings Game

Chapter 42 - Reunion & Chapter 43 - Custodian

(1)

Kell and Karyn passed their days in the Cataegis manor reading and spending time with Darling. They spent the evenings socializing. Ferdinand insisted on introducing Kell to more and more people while making plans for the wedding. The impending nuptials hadn't been fully announced yet, but only a handful of people needed to know and Ferdinand was the one responsible for putting everything together. Kell did her best to grin and bear it.

Her mother attempted to get her a tutor and have her take the general exams. Kell tried to insist she wouldn't be around long enough to even schedule the tests. When that didn't work, she threatened to reveal her tattoos to everyone if her mother didn't drop the topic. Rosalina let the matter go, simply commenting that it could wait until after the wedding.

Perri was a constant pain, though he did little to get in the way. He simply hovered around Darling and gave Kell disapproving glances. Kell only had two sources of comfort, the first was Karyn and her ever present support and affection. The second was her new spear.

At night, she and Karyn would sneak off to find somewhere quiet for Kell to run through her drills. She wasn't able to do a proper workout but just the act of drilling with her spear helped relieve the pent up frustrations. Unwilling to be left behind, Darling would frequently come sniff them out.

One night, Kell and Karyn had snuck off behind the stable. Once the stable hand was gone, Kell worked through her drills. She moved slowly, working her way through a long set of steps meant to sharpen her accuracy. When she was halfway done, Darling poked her head around the corner and grinned.

"Found you!"

Kell grunted and kept going.

Darling settled down next to Karyn and leaned into her. "You're always so warm. How do you stay so warm without a coat?"

"We have etchings that keep us warm," said Karyn, "We wanted to travel light and they saved our lives when we first got here."

"That's convenient. I brought something else that should help warm us up." Darling pulled out a bottle and a handful of mugs. "Spiced wine."

Karyn happily accepted a mug and they set aside another one for when Kell finished her exercises. Darling leaned into Karyn and they watched Kell dance across the snow, light as a feather and snapping her spear about as though it were another part of her body.

"Why don't you wear armor?" asked Darling.

"Too heavy," said Kell, "My etchings protect me better anyways. A normal person with a sword wouldn't be able to break my skin no matter how hard they tried."

"So you're invulnerable?"

"No, another Champion could do it with a solid blow."

"But you don't fight other Champions, right? You're all on the same team?"

Kell barked out a laugh. "I almost exclusively fight Champions, it's the only time I can fight fairly. The last time I fought normal people I had to have my etchings scrubbed off. Even then it didn't feel right, I had too much of an advantage."

Darling bit her lip. "But, wouldn't it make more sense to avoid fighting other Champions? You don't want to pick a fight you can't win."

Kell finished her routine and rolled her shoulders. "You're thinking like a soldier, not a gladiator. The stronger the opponent, the greater the glory. Picking on the weak is something only cowards do. When I was fighting in the Crucible, I only killed those that tried to kill me first, even then...even then it left a bad taste in my mouth."

"Kell..." Karyn looked up at Kell, her eyes big and round.

"Don't look at me like that, love. You know I can't stand it when you pout. I'm fine, besides, my last sojourn into the Crucible rewarded me with both you and Roran."