the Leathermines

Back to Chapter 45

 

When Falmir had shown up as Laun had predicted, she had not considered that he had fully planned the day for her.  He ordered food and drink to be brought to her rooms, ate with her as she bathed and dressed her in what he picked out.  He made the others get up and clean up.  Falmir marched them through the Palace, only a few guards trailing behind.  He had the horses saddled and waiting at a side entrance, the morning drizzle not putting him off of his plans.

Laun had said that she had gotten lost in the Capitol City and he was going to show her the city so it would not happen again.

They had caused a bit of a ruckus as they went through the streets, some people recognizing the King and surging towards him, some recognizing him and moving away.  Silar, Gem and Evan surrounded Laun at one point as a tankard went past her head, stale mead spattering her leathers.

It was now several hours since they had stopped at an Inn called the Frightened Maid to have a noon meal.  The innkeeper had been honored, moreso when the gold plate came from Falmir’s pouch.  Laun saw how people looked at them, seeing the nobility, the crowns, not the people beneath them.  Laun had been able to stuff a few of the soggy rolls into her leather jerkin before Falmir had prodded them all out of the Inn and into the street again.  She was tearing parts off and eating while Falmir pointed out yet another landmark that he deemed important.

“... And over there is where the first Hawkwell estate was.  It is covered in low squalor now, but the walls of the city were closer in at that point.  Basically the harbor and the two hills.”  His horse even seemed tired as it’s head bent down, not looking where it was going in the parting crowds.

Laun finally had enough.  “Father.  I am tired.  I have not been getting enough sleep and I don’t think the meat in that stew was good.  Or what he said it was.”

Falmir laughed.  “Shall we go back to the Palace, then?”

Laun looked at Verat and rolled her eyes.  “Sir, I had been hoping to go to a little place I have interest in today.  I had chance to talk to the last owner and I think I would like to have a place of my own in the Capitol City.”

  Falmir slowed his mount down and stared at her.  “Not be in the Palace?  When did you have time to talk with anybody?”

Laun just smiled before saying, “I believe it is just a few streets up from here.”  She kneed Grace and led the group, Falmir catching up only after he forced his mount to follow.

Verat was beside Laun, navigating the streets for her.  They had been close and within a few minutes, they had gone from a busy merchant street to a quieter residential street lined with walls.  Laun recognized the place they were going and had a few shivers go through her.

It was a sizable group that dismounted and waited for the slaves inside to come and open the gate for them.  Verat still was the closest thing to a Master the slaves had.  Even so, he had to do the call and response with them to get them to open.

It was not the same.  The building was the same, but the grounds had already changed, degraded slightly.  The neat and tidy walled in yard had dead leaves and pits in the gravel, moisture still from the morning rain in the bottom.  There was an emptiness that Laun saw in the faces of the naked people standing still around them.  There were slaves on either side of the doorway, waiting for Verat and his guests to come in, but they did not venture more than a look at the noble’s feet.

Falmir held onto the lead of his horse as he walked towards the path between the gravel and stone gate area and the steps to the front doors.  “This is a shit hole.”

“It is my shit hole, Father.”  Laun looked over to Verat and saw the nod.

Laun led the way in, the afternoon light coming in sideways to the hall from high windows.  She did not see slaves she had seen before, but she did not know how many had been there.  Laun turned to Verat and asked her apprentice, “A suitable place to sit for a few minutes?”

Verat led the way through the place to the back garden.  It had started to overgrow, but the seating and the flowers were still there.  Laun sat on a stone bench that backed into a few low and fragrant hedges.  Others sat or stood as they wished around similar benches in the gravel and grass area.

Verat disappeared into the building and a few minutes later, most of the slaves followed him out, some with water and tankards.  The cool water was poured and passed around.  Each slave there was directed to Laun, stood before her and then went away.  None of them looked directly at her.

“Mistress, they know you now.”

Laun nodded.  She looked around and saw Erin’s eyes darting here and there.  “What would you do with it?”

“Huh?  Oh, Highness.  It has good structure, the layout is a little crampt.  It is late in the season for much...”  He looked at the others in the group.  “I like growing things.  It’s a passion.”

“He brought peaches to Nestwood.”  She saw the looks both Hunter and Fount gave the Rosemond noble.

“I doubt if they have survived without watering, Highness.”  There was a small wistfulness that went through him.

Laun leaned forward and took another sip of water.  “That brings up a bit of a sticky subject.  Erin, will you be going back to Rosemond?”

His eyes went wide and he shrugged.  “I don’t have much to go back to.  With my Aunt’s planning and manipulations, I cut many ties to be brought here.  I...hadn’t been thinking of anywhere to go.”  He rubbed his thigh on the healing assassin’s wound.

“Father, what are your plans in deciding the fate of Nestwood?”

“It’s a small part of the Kingdom.  I have thought of it, with Hunter coming to us as your messenger, but not as much as I possibly should have.”

Laun used the hand with the tankard to gesture to the gardens.  “The Sand Castle is falling in on it’s self.  Erin, at least until you find a way home, may I ask for your help with this place?”

Falmir stood and took the attention of the group.  “Wait.  Sand?  This is Sand’s place?”

Laun nodded and said, “Sand Master is not going to be using it for a while, so we made arrangements.  I need to see if there are any taxes or such due, but until Sand wishes it back, this is my property.”  Her eye went to Verat and she read a mixture of sadness and gratitude.

“This is sudden, isn’t it?  Why would you wish to be here and not in the Palace?”

Laun stood, the tankard being placed on the bench where she had been.  She looked at the people with them, with her.  “Father, I am still a complication for you and one that I am trying to lessen.  With a place to go to that is not the Palace, you do not have to worry about who is with me or where I will be.”

“Fuck that.  You are staying in the Palace.  You are safer there than this place.”  His voice was rising and his face was getting red with the anger welling up in him.

“I like having rooms there, but I would rather stay in a house with ties to the clapperless bells than rooms where She slept.”  Laun crossed her arms and leaned towards Falmir, no fear on her face.

He clenched his teeth together.  “Thorn, you will not stay here.  She could have her assassins climb these walls and be at your throat before you would know it.  I will not allow you to do this.”

Laun’s voice dropped into her command tone, louder than Falmir had heard her since she had arrived at the Palace.  “No!  It isn’t just about you!  It isn’t just about me!  There are the slaves of the house who would be sold if someone didn’t step in.  It is about Erin and Hunter and Fount having places that are theirs.  It is about keeping the eyes of the nobles off what is really none of their business.  It is about having a place that I can have that isn’t going to be taken away from me again!”

Falmir snorted.  He was not going to be backed down by his daughter.  “Taken away?  What the hell has been taken away from you?  I have given you everything you want-”

“Then give me my Lord and Lady back!”  Laun was at full voice, making some of the people around them jump.

He stepped forward, his hands going to fists.  “Bring that up one more time...”

Laun leaned back, but not in fright.  She dropped her arms from her chest and pointed.  At her jaw.  She raised her head slightly, challenging him to hit her where he had struck her before.

He had to turn away.  He walked to under an elm tree, the tall thing shading some of the overgrown vegetable garden but not much else.  He thought of hitting the tree, but he knew that would hurt.  Not as much as not having her in the suite next to him.  Being able to see her when he wished.  Talking to her, touching her-

“Sire.”  She was behind him, her voice quiet.

“You had already decided this.”

He did not see her nod.  “Things change so quickly that I had to make a decision right when I heard about it.  Sand needed my help-”

He turned, red still covering his face, but a different tone in his voice.  “He’s the one who sent you to me.  Why would you even talk to him?”

Laun fingered the bell on the end of her braid as she said, “Respect.  He for me and I for him.  There are enemies and then there are adversaries.  We were once adversaries.”

They looked at each other for a moment.  “Fuck you, Thorn.”

“Go to Hell, Father.”

She stepped close and he put his arm around her, tight and unflinching.  They held each other in the late summer sun, the others of the group trying to not intrude as they stood there.  Falmir let his arms loosen around her but not drop.

“You have become important to me, Thorn.  I want to be able to provide for you what I didn’t when I was younger.  When you were younger.”  He kissed her on the forehead and put his hand behind her head, cradling her as he held her.  He whispered, “I don’t want to loose you.”

“You won’t,” she whispered.  Louder, she said, “And I will let you provide.”  There was a snort from Falmir.  “When I am in the Capitol City, I will be available, but you cannot surprise me with council meetings and late night presents.  There has to be some... distance between us.”

He glanced up and saw the people in the garden with them.  Only Dougal knew what she could be talking about and his head was slightly turned to give the seeming of privacy.  “I wish you could have met his mother.  You two would have been running the Kingdom.”  He gave one last kiss to her forehead and let her go.

Laun held onto one of his hands as she stepped back.  “The place needs some work.  It has not had the attention it deserves for a while.  Depending on how things go this trip, I do not see staying here this time.  I do need to get back to the Salam-Dir lands, too.”

He nodded.  “Talk to Lucas about your stipend.  It should more than cover this.”

“Thank you.”  She tightened her grip on his hand and felt his hand tighten in response.  Laun turned and looked at the group, catching the eye of one of the slaves in the background for a second.  “I hope that we didn’t make too much of a scene...”

Silar was the first to chuckle.  He heard one of the slaves with a waist bell move behind him.  “Mistress, what will we do with the slaves?  You are not used to having them.”

Laun pulled Falmir to the bench her tankard was still on and sat.  “If Erin would like to leave instructions for them for the outside, I think that would be best.  I haven’t decided for sure, but I would like to let them have their freedom, if they can have it.”

Verat came forward and said, “Most have been here for a very long time.  I don’t think they would know what to do outside of his house.”

Laun nodded.  She dumped the last of her water on the dry dirt behind the bench and held the tankard out.  One of the slaves came forward with a pitcher of water.  She watched it get carefully filled and then put a hand on the arm of the naked man.  “Thank you.”

The slave looked frightened and backed off.  He glanced up before backing further away and turning to go back into the building.  Laun hung her head slightly and sighed.

“It will take time.”

Laun led a small discussion about The Sand Castle and Nestwood until she knew she could not put off finding the privy.  She stood and stretched.  “I am not sure I will be able to find the privy on my own.  Silar?”  He stepped forward and motioned for Laun to proceed him.

It was not difficult to find the privy.  She needed some time to talk to the dark man away from the others.  As well as relieving herself.

“Love, now I’m not sure this was a good idea,” Laun said quietly as they made their way through the hallways.

“You did it.  I think you can handle whatever comes next.”

They were at the bathing chamber that Laun remembered.  There was a slightly musty smell in the air as it was opened.  A slave bowed and scurried through, lighting lanterns in the white tiled room.  It needed cleaning, a slight darkness starting between some of the tiles near the sunken tub.  The privy was there and working.

“Who from the household do you think should be here?”

Silar shook his head.  “Possibly Disa, but the shamen would miss her and we need them for the rest of the babies coming.”

Laun smiled, at a thought and the pressure that was leaving her body.  “Perhaps Orgia and Geralk could be here for a month.  She would whip this place into shape, and I don’t think she has been away from the keep for more than a week in the last decade.”  She looked at Silar and winked.  “I think Klemner would enjoy having her closer, too.”

The dark man laughed.  “I thought she was so closed until he came to visit.  She was like a teenager.”

“I think that was when they last saw each other.”  There weren’t any of the paper flowers near when Laun looked.  She shrugged and Laun stood to pull her leather pants up when the slave who had been invisible in the room stepped forward, going down to his knees and opening his mouth in front of her.  Laun looked at the man and then to Silar.

“I think he is there to clean you.”  There was an amused sound to him.

Laun looked at the man and had to make a hard for her choice.  “I am your Mistress now.  Do you really wish to do that for me or is it what you have been ordered to do in the past?”

It took a moment for it to sink in that she had been talking to him, had asked a question.  He blinked and closed his mouth.  His eyes darted around and he looked at the tile on the floor as he roughly said, “I don’t know, Mistress.”

“Then, until you want to do it without being ordered, you will not do it.  Hand me a cloth and I will wipe myself.”

Laun was back together and looking at some of the things along the tiled bench along one wall as Silar made use of the privy himself.  She saw a few things that were still good, a few things that were questionable.  She also saw a few places that were probably peek holes and wanted to see the places connected, just not right then.

There was not much she could really do in the Sand Castle with Falmir there.  She wanted to open every room, look through every peep hole.  With him there, it made it difficult to even consider it.  Laun turned and saw the slave looking confused as he stood near Silar, the dark man shaking his manhood to get the last drops from himself.

“We should rejoin the others.”

“Yes, Mistress.”  Silar was behind her as she reached the door and she turned when he made a sound.  He gave her some warning and she nodded before he pressed her to the wall and kissed her, his hands going to her hips.  He held onto the dark brown leather and pressed his leg between her thighs, leaning into her.  “I have wanted to do that since we got to the city,” he panted into her neck.

“Things have become so complicated.  I want you to just fuck me right now, but we can’t.  There are people waiting, and with Falmir with us, I don’t feel comfortable even having a push and sigh.  Then whatever is waiting for us back in the Palace.”  Laun sighed.  “I have messages to send out, delaying people even more.”

Silar kissed her again and put his hands on the wall on either side of her head.  He looked deep into her eyes and said, “I’ll just save this for later.  I hope your hips are up to it.”

Laun giggled and then sighed.  “If I haven’t over scheduled myself.”

Verat was escorting several of the others to the same room as Laun led Silar out.  Hunter nodded to them and was the first to head to the privy.  Laun had a few low words to Verat and started to walk towards the front of the building.  She could still see the signs of struggle from the first time she was there in the bad repairs and the scrapes in the floor.  Not much more had been done, and if Sand had already been ill when she had been brought to the Capitol City in the Spring, it was a wonder that things had been taken care of at all.

The visit felt incomplete, but Laun could feel a place inside of her telling her it was time to get back to the Palace.  She needed to talk to Lucas.  About many things.  She still did not know what the supposed plan to get Lady Engrid out of the Myrned embassy was. Too many things to do.

Slaves were standing in the shadow of the building in the front yard.  The horses were munching on some of the grass contentedly.  Laun walked along the wall, seeing slits in the stonework that allowed some glimpses out to the road.  It was much better defended in that way than Laun had thought.

Several of the men came out and started to check saddles and tack on their horses.  A good thing to do after a long day of riding through the city.  Laun clicked her tongue and both Grace and Thunder came to her.  She did not have anything for them other than the crumbs of rolls stashed in the jerkin, but the horses both gladly took what was in her hands, tickling her with their soft mouths.

Hunter came to Laun and watched as she held the harness of Grace and leaned her head against Thunder’s neck.  “I feed him, curry him, oil his hooves and what does he do?  Goes soft and follows you around like you’re his brood mare.”  Hunter took the charger’s harness and put a hand on Laun’s shoulder.

She looked up into his face and said, “I would rather you could follow me around like that...”

His hand slipped down her back and held her to his chest.  “Love, I have been waiting for time with you.  I have missed being beside you.”

Her head went back and they briefly kissed.  “I hope that with Nestwood sorted out, and after Engrid is dealt with, that we have the time, and privacy to do so.”

Hunter looked up before nodding.  “I like the crowd, but just you and I would be nice.”

Laun pushed away slightly and said, “Patience.”  She smiled and counted people.  They were all there, all ready to mount.  “Sire, back to the Palace?”

“As you wish, Thorn.”  Falmir mounted up and the rest followed his lead.

On the way back to the Palace, Falmir motioned to a large stone building surrounded by walls, oak and maple trees topping the wall on the inside.  “Myrned,” was all he said.  Laun looked and saw a few symbols in the wall, the black and gold flag above the gate.  She nodded and knew that would be difficult to get into in any circumstance.

 

Onto Chapter 47 A Bell tries to force his way into Launs rooms, bringing a message from a high ranked Bell