Shuck slept in a bit later every day they stayed. It was strange and disorienting to wake up after Joseph had gone, but he was never far. In spite of the sheer amounts of food the men shoved at her after Joseph had informed the camp of her expected child, abstaining from fresh blood took its toll. Yaste's tea helped -- immensely -- and nobody seemed willing to berate her for sleeping until the sun was well and up.
She spent the first part of the second day in the kitchen again, but was sent to the stables to help with the horses for the latter half. She brushed the pretty half-unicorn mares and got a rudimentary lesson in a continuous braid that began at the forelock and ended at the withers.
That evening, they surprised her with a small party -- a "shower", they called it. She didn't know what to say to all of their gifts, and was promptly informed that they weren't intended to be repaid, were just... gifts. Shuck thanked them in what words she could, ate too much cake, and generally spent the evening between blushing and beaming proudly.
Heinrich's gift surprised her. The rapier wasn't like the other gifts, and she understood its purpose the moment her hand curled around the grip. She devoted her full attention to his instruction, her natural grace lending well to the weapon. There was, once more, a strange familiarity to it, and a look toward Trahaearn confirmed the strange feeling.
The third day she spent with Joseph, watching him work and very, very slowly learning to patch garments. It was the quietest of their days, and a peaceful close to their visit. Joseph was all but healed and Shuck was happy.
She hugged the men, delivering more than a few thwarting slaps to the back of straying hands but was in too in high of spirits to take them seriously. She hugged Heinrich tightly, and when he held her at arm's length she assured him that they would see him again on their way back -- and that she still remembered her promise. He passed her the bottle while Joseph was preoccupied, a knowing look causing her to avert her eyes in a rare show of shame. At least this time it was venison. She hid it in her things, tucked Joseph into his sled, and swung onto her gelding. With a wave over her shoulder, they departed once more from Heinrich's.
The going was easier as the landscape changed. Hilly woodlands were giving way to grasslands. Shuck did her best to ignore Trahaearn and Joseph's mounting tension, busying herself with camp chores and foraging, practicing her rapier with her warlock, and tending to her lover with a gentle hand.
Joseph had healed and had begun riding again, but she watched him like a hawk, unafraid to tell him when she thought he was pushing himself too hard and asking him to rest in the sled. She filled their evenings with talk, asking him random things about himself and his family. What were his favorite books? What was he like as a child? What were his other brothers' names?
Working with Trahaearn at the rapier was proving that, though she had lost her name, her body still remembered various reflexes. Shuck didn't know how many of her victories were feigned to help build her confidence, but by their third night she was pretty sure there was a moment of real fear in his eyes when she only narrowly avoided skewering him through an opening in his defenses. It was satisfying payback for the smattering of mild burns she had from touching his sword.
The fourth day was a challenge. They had steered well and clear from the hamlet where they had met the clurichaun, but she had felt restless as the road followed a creek the evening before, and she couldn't shake the strange sense that she knew where she was. When they came upon the rise that following morning, however, and she looked down at the little village by the creek, it all made sense. She wanted to see the place that had been her home and the only life she'd known for hundreds of years, but she ultimately steered them away. Asking Joseph the name of it was enough.
They reached Alliria that evening and opted for an inn on the outer fringes of the city. Shuck wasn't interested in attracting Saturninus' attention, and crossing the city with a full day to get beyond it sounded safer than passing through before settling in.
They let a couple of rooms above a tavern, Trahaearn slapping down the silver for the rooms, baths, and proper meals. Shuck gave him a cutting look when he was smug about flaunting his coin. Joseph had been riding a knife's edge with Trahaearn every day since their dance, and the warlock wasn't helping matters. She had done her best to ply their tempers, unwilling to choose a side; both were being unreasonable, in her opinion.
"I'm going to go take a bath," she said curtly. The bath was in its own room, and she hoisted her pack over her shoulder and pointed herself in that direction. Joseph was free to stay or go as he saw fit; she was mildly irritated with them both, and after days stuck between them she was rather eager to find a moment's peace with her growing bump, which had nearly doubled in size in the last week.
// Joseph Meier // Trahaearn //
She spent the first part of the second day in the kitchen again, but was sent to the stables to help with the horses for the latter half. She brushed the pretty half-unicorn mares and got a rudimentary lesson in a continuous braid that began at the forelock and ended at the withers.
That evening, they surprised her with a small party -- a "shower", they called it. She didn't know what to say to all of their gifts, and was promptly informed that they weren't intended to be repaid, were just... gifts. Shuck thanked them in what words she could, ate too much cake, and generally spent the evening between blushing and beaming proudly.
Heinrich's gift surprised her. The rapier wasn't like the other gifts, and she understood its purpose the moment her hand curled around the grip. She devoted her full attention to his instruction, her natural grace lending well to the weapon. There was, once more, a strange familiarity to it, and a look toward Trahaearn confirmed the strange feeling.
The third day she spent with Joseph, watching him work and very, very slowly learning to patch garments. It was the quietest of their days, and a peaceful close to their visit. Joseph was all but healed and Shuck was happy.
She hugged the men, delivering more than a few thwarting slaps to the back of straying hands but was in too in high of spirits to take them seriously. She hugged Heinrich tightly, and when he held her at arm's length she assured him that they would see him again on their way back -- and that she still remembered her promise. He passed her the bottle while Joseph was preoccupied, a knowing look causing her to avert her eyes in a rare show of shame. At least this time it was venison. She hid it in her things, tucked Joseph into his sled, and swung onto her gelding. With a wave over her shoulder, they departed once more from Heinrich's.
The going was easier as the landscape changed. Hilly woodlands were giving way to grasslands. Shuck did her best to ignore Trahaearn and Joseph's mounting tension, busying herself with camp chores and foraging, practicing her rapier with her warlock, and tending to her lover with a gentle hand.
Joseph had healed and had begun riding again, but she watched him like a hawk, unafraid to tell him when she thought he was pushing himself too hard and asking him to rest in the sled. She filled their evenings with talk, asking him random things about himself and his family. What were his favorite books? What was he like as a child? What were his other brothers' names?
Working with Trahaearn at the rapier was proving that, though she had lost her name, her body still remembered various reflexes. Shuck didn't know how many of her victories were feigned to help build her confidence, but by their third night she was pretty sure there was a moment of real fear in his eyes when she only narrowly avoided skewering him through an opening in his defenses. It was satisfying payback for the smattering of mild burns she had from touching his sword.
The fourth day was a challenge. They had steered well and clear from the hamlet where they had met the clurichaun, but she had felt restless as the road followed a creek the evening before, and she couldn't shake the strange sense that she knew where she was. When they came upon the rise that following morning, however, and she looked down at the little village by the creek, it all made sense. She wanted to see the place that had been her home and the only life she'd known for hundreds of years, but she ultimately steered them away. Asking Joseph the name of it was enough.
They reached Alliria that evening and opted for an inn on the outer fringes of the city. Shuck wasn't interested in attracting Saturninus' attention, and crossing the city with a full day to get beyond it sounded safer than passing through before settling in.
They let a couple of rooms above a tavern, Trahaearn slapping down the silver for the rooms, baths, and proper meals. Shuck gave him a cutting look when he was smug about flaunting his coin. Joseph had been riding a knife's edge with Trahaearn every day since their dance, and the warlock wasn't helping matters. She had done her best to ply their tempers, unwilling to choose a side; both were being unreasonable, in her opinion.
"I'm going to go take a bath," she said curtly. The bath was in its own room, and she hoisted her pack over her shoulder and pointed herself in that direction. Joseph was free to stay or go as he saw fit; she was mildly irritated with them both, and after days stuck between them she was rather eager to find a moment's peace with her growing bump, which had nearly doubled in size in the last week.
// Joseph Meier // Trahaearn //
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