Thank you :D I hope that part of Kat's charm; on the one hand she can be very firm about her authority, but on the other, she cares little for the 'trappings' (a little like how you portray Kahlan in the 'honeyverse' perhaps :D)

I figure Honor is slightly older than Kat. They did grow up together, and he's always been the more mature and serious one of the group. My current head!canon is that his father was a guard at the palace and spent some time around Kat, thus Honor also got to know her. The king wanted to ensure that Kat had someone at her side who wasn't politicking and giving Honor a title was the surest way.

Lol, yes, Cal's a lover, not a fighter! That's one of his conflicts, I think, having to be ready to defend himself and Kat should the need arise.