the Leathermines

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There were several messages and a box waiting for her when she awoke the next morning.  It was later than she was used to, the sun having been over the horizon for at least an hour.  She delayed looking at any of them until she had used the privy and did one of the open hand katas.

The screen was still across the door and allowed the male servants to be discreet as Laun was doing her morning routine naked.  Except for Hazalam.  He was kneeling by the bed watching her.  One of the women servants was still asleep herself, the comfort of the bed having drained all her willpower and ability to wake.  The other one had excused herself when the sun had come up, a frightened look on her face.  The men, except for her assassin, had been used and went away in the night, leaving Laun to play with the women.

Laun had to stop and start her kata over when she missed several moves because her mind was on the night before.  She forced focus, thought of killing Bregnan and did the kata swiftly and accurately.  Her legs were still a little sore from the night activities, but it told her that she needed to do more.

She wrapped a saddle blanket around her and sat at the table that had become her desk.  The food and plates had been taken away sometime while she had been playing with Ithian.  Her books and papers and the damnedable sewing was back on.

The envelopes were placed before her, one with the box under it.  Two of the envelopes had names of who they were from and she did not recognize them.  She put those to the side.  One had just her name on it.  She put that in it’s own pile.  The one with the box had the writing she recognized already as Ithian’s.

Laun opened the envelope, not as cleanly or carefully as the first one.  The message was simple and to the point.  “I always send something the next morning.  I always ask for another meeting.  Please enjoy the gift and please let me know when you will be available.  No business, just pleasure.  Ithian.”

Inside the small box was a small bouquet of cut flowers in a small jar.  She removed it from the box and set it on the table.  They were all spring flowers and in the peak of their bloom.

She opened the message that had just ‘Lady Salam-Dir’ on it.  It was roughly sealed with plain candlewax, the stain from the tallow spreading on the outside paper.  A small lock of black hair fell out with the paper folded inside.  It was a list.  A list of goods, materials, oils.  A list of armor, barding and weapons.  A list of personnel, horses, cows.  At the bottom, “Your Prince.”

She started to cry.  Hazalam was at her feet in a heartbeat.  He put a hand on her leg below the horse blanket.  She wrapped the blanket closer around her and let the tears flow.  She was homesick and lonely and frightened, but the missive brought her hope and love and knowing her people were being taken care of.

She calmed her tears and took in several breaths.  She smiled and just said softly, “My contract was paid off.”  Louder, she said, “I’m pregnant.  I do this.”  That let the rest of the servants relax.

Hazalam did not move from her, but did go back to kneeling and looking at the floor.  He said in a low voice, “Your Master has let you go, My Lady?”

She reached for one of the remaining envelopes.  “It looks like Falmir is the only one holding my chain at this point.”

The name on the envelope was written in a flowing, elegant style.  She opened the envelope that had been sealed with a pinkish wax with a flower of some sort as the impression.  She was very careful of the seal and it came off in one piece.  She opened the envelope and she was overwhelmed by a sickeningly sweet rose/violet/lavender scent.  Inside was a message from one of the women of the court, inviting Laun to have tea with her.  It was at a residence outside the Palace, so Laun would need to send a ‘not right now’ message back.

The other message was from a man who seemed to be intrigued with her and wished to meet over a meal.  Not much more than that.  Laun would need to talk to Falmir...

He was the enemy.  She had to remember that.  She could see the pressures that he had been under, and the expectations he had that had not come to pass.  But he was her Father.  He had accepted it.  She accepted it.  He knew the people, the politics.  He had not killed her outright or imprisoned her.  Though, as she looked around, he had.

For the front, she would need to send messages back.  But not right then.  She was tempted by the bed, going back and just sleeping more, but she also could smell herself above the smells of the stable embedded in the horse blanket.  She did not have any food before her and knew that she could order some easily.  Very easily.

“Please...”  Laun scooted forward on the bench.  “Can I have some food sent up?  I am very hungry.  Something with meat?”  She saw a nod and a face disappeared.  She wanted to know their names, but that was going to take more time.

Time seemed to be in great supply.  She smiled and thought that if she interpreted the message right, Silar had used her ransom to outfit the household.  With the numbers that had been listed, they would be able to withstand quite an onslaught, if Falmir sent troops North against them.

She shifted and looked out the window on the awakened Capitol City.  There were clouds coming from the West now.  It was going to start to be rainy towards afternoon, if the weather pattern was anything like it was around Salam-Dir.  The grey was going to threaten her mood, but she was feeling more and more lightness as she thought of how that one message from Silar had relieved so many of the pressures that had leadened the back of her mind.

She had to survive.  Not just for her.  For the Household.  For the baby.  For the kingdom.

Laun took a moment to think about the last thought.  For the Kingdom.  She truly could do nothing real from where she was.  But she would do as much as she could to make her thorn hurt in the right places.

A plate came to the table quietly, a new pitcher of milk being placed next to it.  Laun was ravenous.  She drank most of the milk and ate the sliced bread and preserves in a few minutes.  Fast enough that she was having burps from the air she swallowed.

Falmir had the timing to come around the screen just as Laun let loose one of the burps.  “That kid really does a job on your stomach.”

Laun nodded to him with her mouth covered until she felt there were no imminent burps on the way.  “In more ways than one.”  She took a sip of milk and motioned Falmir to the bench.

He sat and then looked at the horse blankets on the bench and on her.  “Silk not good enough for you?”

Laun smiled.  “I’m hard on things.  Anything having to do with clothing is going to have problems around me.  I even tore the cover on the bed last night.”

Falmir sat perhaps a little too close on the bench and leaned even closer.  “I am assuming that you had a...good time last night?  The Ambassador usually does not take as long as he did last night to leave.”

Laun flushed slightly.  “I am not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing, sire.”

“It depends on if our wager was met.”

Laun waved at the servants standing close and they went to behind the screen.  Falmir finally saw the servant at her feet and raised an eyebrow to her.

Laun took another sip of milk and put the vessel on the table.  She drew in a breath and let it out before looking him in the eye.  “Which part of the wager would you like to know about?”

Falmir narrowed his eyes at her.  “Let’s start with the hair.”

Laun nodded.  “He has said and confirmed that he pays someone one hundred gold crown plate to do his appearance.”

Falmir’s eyes went wide.  “Gods!  I can’t see paying that to anyone for anything.”

Laun tilted her head.  “You paid twenty times that for me.”

He looked away.  “You are a special case.”

Laun put her hand on Falmir’s knee.  “So I have been told.”

His hand went over hers and he looked at their hands for a few minutes.  He was wearing a long tunic, so there was only the skin to skin of the hands, but he was not sure if it was appropriate for the touch.  It was somehow comforting, though.

“And the second part?”  He looked up at Laun’s face and saw that she had been watching him.

She nodded.  “I am not sure why he may have been pursuing you about your old love.  He knows that the boy is not yours.”

Falmir nodded.  “It was a safe bet, but he has asked every woman I have had in the Palace.”  He patted her hand and moved his.

“I feel honored.”  The sarcasm in her quiet voice was blatant.  “I have to say that I enjoyed his company, but that I am not sure if I would be able to get more out of him than I have.”  She colored slightly.  “I am not used to here and I feel like I am at the edge of a pitfall.”

Falmir reached to the table and picked up one of the books and idly looked at it.  “Laun, getting anything out of Ithian was unexpected.”  He opened the book and scanned the page, not really reading.  “You have disturbed the anthill around you, and I heard from several people that they want to be introduced to you.”

Laun motioned to the open envelopes.  “I had some direct messages, too.”

“And the usual gift from Ithian.  The boy likes his flowers.”  Falmir tossed the book back onto the table, scattering a few things onto the floor.

Hazalam quickly started to pick up the envelopes and papers that had fallen, but Falmir had the eye to catch the list of names that had been copied and he snatched it from the assassin’s hand.

“How do you know my advisor’s names?”

Laun shrugged, feeling a rush of adrenaline go through her.  “I need to know who to answer how with the messages I have received, don’t I?”

Falmir threw the paper at the table and missed.  It was picked up and placed away from Falmir by Hazalam.  Falmir had a partial eye on the kneeling man even after he had settled and was just looking at the floor next to Laun

Laun reached and picked up the two actual invites that she had received.  “These were the most interesting.  I cannot leave to meet with the Lady.  The man, I have no idea how to answer.  Should I use the book to tell me how?”

Falmir’s eyes went to the etiquette book and a smirk was on his lips.  “I never liked all that crap.  Let me see those, Thorn.”

He looked at the two messages, smiling at one and frowning at the other.  “If you want to have Binnet to your chamber...  He is one of the weakest of my commanders.  I have no idea how he thought this was a good idea.  You would break him.”

Falmir caught the small smile and the way Laun looked away.  “Another one of your hobbies?”  All Laun did was smile.

“With the Lady Myrin...  No.  Not only for leaving the Palace, she...  Even before I took the throne...  There is no way to say it nicely.  She is a manipulative bitch.”  Falmir handed the envelopes back to Laun.  “You have caught the attention of the nobles.”

“Not my intention, sire.  If I am causing you too many problems, I could just go back to my household.”  Laun glanced at Falmir who had a series of looks go through his face.

“You are tempting me.  But no.  Again, no.”

Laun took a sip of milk.  “Did I meet the wager?”

Falmir nodded.  “An hour on the greens.  And the tour of the kitchens.”  Falmir leaned back.  “I may have to go with you into the kitchens.  Since our meal the other night, I have been wondering about many things.”  He pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes at Laun.  “You have made it difficult for me.  Asking questions I do not have the answer to.  Making me think of things I have never thought about.”  He motioned to the table.  “Getting messages from people who should not even know about you.”

Laun just sipped on her milk.  She did not really respond to what he was saying.  The lists that she would go through at the keep were being replaced with lists that had started up there at the Palace.  She was paying attention to Falmir, but she just did not feel the need to say anything.

“You don’t care about this stuff, do you.”  Not a question.  A statement.

Laun shook her head.  “I was not brought up with this.  My training was not for this aspect of noble life.”  Laun wanted to keep as much of the illusion she had created for Hazalam intact, but knew that it was melting away as he spent time at her side.  Or feet, to be more precise.

The lighting changed for a moment as a flock of water fowl flew across the sky.  Laun glanced out and then down.  The clouds were closer than when she had woken, the Western sky covered with thick grey clouds.  And the green below the Palace...

Falmir turned as Laun’s gasp.  He followed her gaze and exclaimed, “What are they doing?”

There were soldiers in the blue and grey who seemed to have surrounded a couple.  There was some sort of a scuffle and when the people moved, there were two bodies on the ground.

“Not the first time I have seen that since I have been here, sire.”

Falmir rounded on Laun.  “What do you mean?”  His voice was loud, but not the blast he could come out with.

Laun’s hand was tired of holding the saddle blanket to her but she kept her grip on it as she leaned over to the table to put the milk down.  “I have seen your soldiers patrolling and attacking people from this window.  I do not know if they are keeping the greens clear or just harassing the people.”  Laun turned to Falmir.  “What has your order been to them?”

Falmir stood.  He leaned forward until his forehead was touching the widow.  “As far as I know, there are no orders.  At least not from me.”

Falmir did not leave with anything more than a nod to Laun, but there was an angry stride and set to his shoulders as he pushed through the servants at the door to the room.

Laun was suddenly very tired.  No bath, no walk on the green, no more food.  She just wanted to sleep.

 

Onto the storm, in the palace and out, in Chapter 18.