the Leathermines

Back to Chapter 47

A few words to Adelmar and a few of his performers and the entertainment for the tea was established.  A few requests of the kitchen and the food was set.  A few invites to a few of the officers, and escorts were arranged.

Laun was the last to arrive under the tent, Sergeant Hunter supporting her hand on his fist and keeping a slow pace to match hers.  She smiled, mostly feeling what she showed and enjoyed that the officers had already paired up with the women under the tent.

A chair had been set aside for Laun within the group and Laun sat, thanking her escort before he stepped back.  He excused himself, Laun having to pull her eyes from him as he went towards the stables.

Food was on the table, hot water kettles on several of the brasiers waiting to be poured into the waiting mugs.  Entertainers were warming up on the other end of the tent, at least one of them looking as though her head was spinning more than her body.

“Lady Laun!  This is delightful.  I hadn’t known we had officers from Henrich’s Vale in the ranks,” the noble mother smoothly crowed as one of the Sergeants nodded to Laun.

Laun nodded back to him and smiled a closed lipped smile before saying, “I wanted to make sure you were entertained before I arrived.  I seem to have much to attend to and I knew something would pop up to be handled before I could get here.  I hoped that our soldiers have been keeping you well amused?”

One of the girls giggled.  Laun glanced her over and realized that she was older than this adult dressed girl by a good few years.  “They have been telling us stories of adventures on the road.”

“Oh?  Please continue.  I enjoy hearing about other adventures.”  Laun leaned back in her chair and the tea was poured while the officer wove a decent story about trying to get to a post in the South through several groups of bandits or rain or locusts.  It could have been an earthquake as far as Laun was concerned.  She was smiling and nodding and sighing when she felt it was appropriate, but she was watching the women and officers more than listening.

The mother was encouraging the one officer she seemed to approve of.  Not for any one daughter in particular, as she still had the King in her sights.  She disapproved of one of the officers completely and cut him off several times.  Laun had invited him in particular because, even though he was from a merchant family, he had been granted a small plot of land and had bought his commissions himself.  The officer the Mother liked was far in debt and was close to having to sell off property to keep his military career going.  It was the title that the noble mother saw.

The eldest of the girls was eyeing the officer who Laun knew was not interested in women.  He had been one of Laun’s runners while she was forcibly laid up.  She liked him, and he had mentioned that his mother was thinking that he needed to marry.  Laun did not want to force him to pair off with one of these women, but she wanted to see how he dealt with pretending to be interested.  He was doing a decent job of it, though he threw a few looks at Laun as the eldest tried to throw herself onto him.

The one girl Laun was most interested in was being quiet.  She was sitting next to one of the men that Laun hadn’t been able to talk with over the few weeks she was there.  Hunter said that he was a decent fellow, and that he had pulled far too many bad doxies over the years, breaking his heart and fleecing him for his pay.  With the way she seemed to be polite, but cool towards him, he should have been getting the hint.  He was trying to catch the girls eye, but what he was catching was not what he thought he was fishing for.

The tea and some sweet smallbreads were served, Laun being served first, but waiting until all the rest had some before tasting.  Several of the officers saw Laun waiting and followed her example as the highest ranked noble there.  Lady Beatia did not notice until she had taken several bites, and by that time, Laun had shown a noble restraint she could not match.

The story was over and Laun motioned towards the troupe.  Music started and several bodies were flipping in the air.  Laun was tempted to boo and hiss, but she clapped and laughed and showed her appreciation as any crowd should.  Laun did try to catch the eye of the acrobat she knew would like a little female companionship, but not for herself.  Laun used her eyes to show the acrobat the girl who might be interested, receiving a nod and smile.

Partway through the entertainment, Charel came through and was juggling, using the silks.  Laun had not seen him do that in public before, but smiled and clapped as he created a rainbow floating through the air.  He did a few more tricks and then moved to Laun.

“Lady, would you help me with something?”  He bowed slightly as the silks floated around his head.

Laun was weary, but she stood, saying, “What do you need, my fine Charel?”

He moved the silks in the air and created a pattern that he put his hand through to beckon Laun from amongst the nobles and officers.  “I seem to have more silks than I have hands, and I was hoping to put even more in the air.”

She moved to where he indicated and she started to do one of the simple patterns she knew.  Charel pulled more silks out of one of the pouches and soon there were more than ten silks being tossed and moved through the air between them.  Laun was keeping up and feeling it in her shoulders.

Then Charel backed off and she had to manage all of the silks as he reached into another pouch and brought out some of the small balls.  Laun wanted to say something that would have scorched the ears of the noble women watching.  He stepped further back and started to toss the balls around.  He kept an eye on Laun, but moved around for the audience to see him.

There just were too many silks.  Laun could not keep up with all of them.  So she started to pick a few out of the air and stuff them down her cleavage.  Charel smiled and almost fumbled a catch when he saw the bright silks where Laun had put them.  Laun took the remaining silks out of the air and made a flower in her hand as he had at her first lesson.  Laun thought she would just put the silks on the table and sit, but she found a ball being tossed to her without any warning.  She grabbed it from the air and tossed it back.

Charel had a big grin on his face.  He managed the balls in the air with one hand and brought out more balls from his pouch.  Laun put the flower of silks into her cleavage with the others and moved a bit more away from the other people watching.  Charel took a step back and there was a good three paces between he and Laun.

“What are you up to, juggler?”  Laun saw his eyebrow go up and then the cascade of balls changed as some of them started towards her.

They were heavier than the little lacquer balls.  One stung when it hit her palm.  She had one in either hand and had to toss one away when Charel forced another towards her.  They were sharing balls and tossing back and forth, Laun’s eyes going wide.

One of the acrobats started to do some floorwork under the balls being tossed back and forth, distracting Laun so that she dropped one of the balls.  But Charel had more in his pouch.

The acrobat had to have balls tossed around her, but Laun was keeping up.  She then saw a signal from Charel and was not sure what he was going to do next.  When he kept the balls she was tossing back to him, she took in a deep breath.  He turned to the audience with the balls hiding his face with the number of balls cascading through the air.

He finished by putting the balls one by one back into the pouch they had come from and bowing, his hands empty.

The daughters were the first to applaud, the officers next and Lady Beatia last.  Laun gratefully sat and let her sense of embarrassment show after Charel took the wadded silks from Laun’s hand.  She drank her tea, keeping the mug in front of her face even when she was not drinking.  Her face was red and she knew how blotchy she now got when there was a flush on her face.

“I did not know you had such...common skills, Lady Laun.”

Laun turned to Beatia and stared.  She was torn between leaping over the arm of the chairs and bursting out in laughter.  She took a slow breath in as she looked at the smug Lady.  She slowly breathed out as many of her daughters twittered behind their hands.  She saw one of the officers flinch as Laun smiled.

“Yes, I have common skills, dear Lady Beatia.  They may not be as honed as yours, but I get by.  I am just happy that you deigned to sit with me today.”  Laun looked down at her hands and then back up at the gleefully superior woman.

The daughters who were sitting next to each other were whispering and giggling between themselves.  Laun took another sip of the tea and swallowed the tea with just a little bile.

There were hoof beats and then someone dismounted.  “Princess?  The King needs you.”  There was the form of Lieutenant Senri under the tent and beside Laun, his hand out to her.

Lady Beatia’s face fell.  Laun smiled and nodded to the gathering, saying, “It seems the afternoon is ruined by needs of state.”  She stood and took Senri’s hand.

Senri only had the one horse, but this was one of the Kell’s Arena trained mounts.  The Lieutenant clicked and the horse went down to it’s knees.  Laun was helped on first, her skirts going up around her hips and the weapons being plainly seen in their holsters on her legs.  Senri went behind the usual saddle and gripped with his legs and his hands.

Laun saw the outraged face of Lady Beatria as she rode away, a warm flash of something hateful and yet comfortable going through Laun.

Falmir was outside the manor, pacing.  He saw the warhorse coming and started walking towards it.  “Thorn!  Where the hell...?”

The Lieutenant called out, “The tent, your Majesty.  Entertaining some Ladies and officers.”

Falmir held out his arms as the horse came up to him and Laun unhooked her legs from the saddle, dropping into his arms.  He held her in the air for a moment and then put her down.  He took her head in his hands and looked into her eyes.

“Lady Engrid is gone.  She just left and then we could not find you.”  He put his arms around her and held her.

Laun felt safe.  She also felt slightly smothered in his arms after a moment.  She started to poke at him until he loosened his grip.

“I am here, and I am safe.  I was just testing the goods for you...”

Falmir had a lopsided grin, but his voice was serious as he said, “She threatened to take this all to her King as a break in our contract.  She also said a few other things about Ithian being a traitor and you being a tongueless whore and grasping for nobility.  I couldn’t find you and panicked.”

“She is gone for now.  That is all I care about.”  Laun put her hand on her Father’s cheek.  “And thank you for sending Senri in such a hurry.  I think Lady Beatia was going to eat her jewelry when he called me Princess.”

There was a hearty laugh from Falmir before he said, “She can go looking somewhere else.  I would have loved to see that.”  Falmir motioned to inside and they walked into the cool of the manor, Falmir’s arm around Laun.

“Father, when can I go back to Salam-Dir?”

Falmir looked at her from his height and nodded.  “I know you want to go.  I still haven’t found that damned seal and the order needs it.”

“I know where it is.  In the desk in the Library.  It is even still in it’s case.”

He frowned.  “I looked.  And I mean I looked.  If it is there, I completely missed it.”

Laun tilted her head and looked up to Falmir.  “Why don’t you just go to the front line and tell them to stop?”

Falmir hesitated in his next step but continued to walk.  “You cut to the heart of things, don’t you.  Perhaps I should.”  He pulled her hand to his lips as they walked.  “Keep me thinking, Thorn.”

“Yes, Sire.”

They walked to the Library and Laun could tell that a search had been made of the room.  Perhaps several searches.  Dust and fingerprints and smears...  Laun was sure that Falmir was not the only one who had been in the room.

She walked to the desk and opened the drawer.  The paper was still under the things that she had placed there, the case with the seal under that.  She held it up and Falmir’s face scrunched up.

His large hand took the delicate lacquer case and opened it, showing the brass seal of state.  “I swear, I looked in that drawer!” “I will not be around to look after you, sire.  That is the last time I save you.”  Laun smiled and watched the smile on his face.  It warmed her.

“Manipulative bitch.  Thank you.”

Falmir escorted Laun the rest of the way to her room, leaving her at the door.  He put her knuckles to his lips and then his forehead before turning away, throwing and catching the small case as he strode back down the hall.

Laun knocked three times on the door and there was a glad cry from inside.  Gem opened the door and looked like she wanted to hug Laun right there.  Laun saw Hazalam coming into the sitting room from the bedroom and Laun was also feeling happy.

“I am glad you were not needed, my quail.”  Laun held out her hand to him and he took it in a warrior’s embrace before he was pulled into another sort of embrace.  Laun kissed him and hugged him.

Hazalam looked like he had not really slept for several days, and if he had done as his Mistress had asked, he had not.  “I saw Lady Engrid leave and I thought it would be best if I came out of hiding.  Those inner ways are crampt and tricky.”

Laun headed, as usual, for the bathing chamber and privy.  She stepped through the curtain and almost expected to see Ithian in there.  She did not and kept going until she was on the seat of the privy.

“I didn’t know she was coming.  I just wanted to see if you could get any information.”  Laun leaned against the tiled shelf as her innards tried to rebel slightly and not release what was putting pressure on her.  She was able to pee, the other side had seemed to become full, but did not want to move.

Hazalam knelt facing away from the open door to the privy and gave a report of what he heard and saw while he was within the walls of the manor.  A few minor things from the Bishop, including which of the entertainers he had enticed back to his room.  Bits and pieces from some of the nobles as he had found his way between the occupied rooms.  He had found the room Lady Engrid was in and he had stayed there.

“She was in a state this morning.  She took out some willow canes and beat the crap out of one of her apprentices without warning.”

Laun was trying to breathe around the constipation pain her bowels were giving her.  “That must have been after she signed as a witness.  Oh, Hazalam, you will be coming back to Salam-Dir and I will introduce you to the actual workings of the household.  At least, whatever is left of it.”

Laun saw his head bow sightly.  “Yes, Mistress,” came out quietly.

Laun was not sure how to read that.  She was starting to have more pain below without anything coming out, distracting her from reading anything but the light cracks around the door.  “Water.  Could I have some water?”

There was a mug of cool water in her hand within seconds.  Laun drank and concentrated on her insides, listening to the pain, hearing the need for the healer.  Gem was sent to find Kell and Hazalam continued with giving the tidbits of information he had.  It was not much, but listening to how angry Lady Engrid was gave Laun a rush of pleasure.  She tried to push that down as the assassin told of names she said she needed to contact, places she needed to send messages to.  Hazalam could not get much more than that, but he did see her take things from the rooms she had been put into that were not hers.

It took a moment for Laun to respond to Hazalam’s last comment, making him turn to see if she was well.  “I am still here.  Just thinking what a spiteful woman she is.  I hope I am not on the journey to become her.”

Hazalam shook his head.  “Mistress, you have love in you where she has hate.  You have concern where she has contempt.  You have a wish to have pleasure and she denies all pleasure.  You two are opposites.”

“And she has at least sixty years on me.  I could still turn into her.”  Laun felt something move in her that was not the babies.  A little came out but not enough to make her more comfortable.  “This is annoying.”

“Mistress?”

Laun waved Hazalam away.  “Lucaris warned me this would happen.  I just had not thought it would since it hadn’t, yet.  I hope that the healer has something to help things move because I will not want to travel if my innards are full.”

He nodded.  “Is there anything I can do for you while we...wait?”

There was a sigh from the private room.  “I don’t know.  I feel as though my mission has been accomplished and that I will be going home.  But...  There is something not right in how Lady Engrid left.  No ceremony.  No...dramatics.  Without Ithian as her pawn, she has lost some of the standing and strength she needs.  She is still Her.  Once she finds another way to go through with her plan, she will start pushing again.”

“What is her plan, Mistress?”

“I don’t know.  But the goal is to wrap the Midlands within an expanded Rosemond border.  They almost have it, too.”  Laun shifted and she felt more try to come out.  She started to say a catra under her breath of, “hate this hate this hate this-” which continued for several minutes.

Kell was escorted in and went right past the kneeling servant.  “Lady?  Your servant said you were in distress?”

“Nice way to put it.  I seem to have developed constipation.  I knew it would happen, I just had not been watching for it.”

The healer maneuvered into the smaller room and put her hands on Laun.  She started with the upper belly and moved down, feeling and listening.  Then, without any warning, her hands went under Laun’s belly and started to probe more sensitive bits.  Laun was gasping already from the effort of trying to push.  When Kell’s hand went down and started putting fingertips on and then in places, Laun’s head started to gray out from lack of air.

There was just a little more pressure, a little pain and then a great relief as things suddenly moved.  Laun was leaning against the healer, trying to breathe deeply as the relief was replaced by a different cramping pain.

“Lady, I am glad I did not have to give you something to make you move.  That can give you problems with it not stopping.”  The healer withdrew her hand and found that Gem had a cloth ready.  “More water will help, and I suggest a bowl of oat porridge every morning to help push things through.”  Kell stepped out and Gem helped to wipe and wash the healers’ hands.

It took a moment for Laun to be able to stand.  There had been too much built up, her innards had a feeling of having been torn out.  She knew she was going to be well, but standing was an adventure.  She was not pleased with the smell that had been released with her shit, but she was glad it was out of her.

“I can imagine my household was full of that over the last few months.”  Laun stood against the wall, holding her belly as if it were going to fall off.

Kell turned, asking, “Another pregnancy in your household?”

Laun nodded.  “Six or seven?  Right now, I don’t remember.  All at least two months before me.”

“It sounds like you may need a doc-a healer to go with you.”

Laun’s eyebrow went up.  “Word spreads.  I don’t know when I will be able to get out of here, but it would be good if you would do me the honor of traveling to Salam-Dir with me.  With the siege, Pillar and Lucaris are dealing with more than they really need to, I’m sure.”

Kell nodded.  “I’ll talk to Adelmar and make arrangements.  It has been a while since I was a midwife.”  She did not make any acknowledgments and left.

Hazalam and Gem helped Laun to the bed.  She had cramping and her energy had left her.  She laid on top of the covers and tried to relax.  Hazalam found some oil and Laun tried to ignore the smell as he smoothed the oil over her belly and gently rubbed.  It helped.

Something occurred to Laun as she was coming down from pain to just uncomfortable.  “Hazalam, did you see or hear Ithian at all?”

“I was at his suite, but he was not.  One of the apprentices of the Blue Master was there for a while, but left before the Ambassador came back.”

“I wonder if he talked with her...  He must have.  She would not have been in such a rage and calling him traitor if not.”  Laun moved slightly and Hazalam pulled up the skirt slightly higher to get to the top of her belly.

The uncomfortable was changing to comfortable and Laun felt the rhythm lulling her to sleep.  She forced her eyes open and looked at her man.  “Thank you.”  He smiled and she closed her eyes and let sleep take her over.

The next night becomes a turning point in Chapter 49 .