Over the months since the True Queen's army had begun to march south, it had become increasingly obvious that Clan Tarven - the first of the Wild clans to join them - enjoyed a position of prominence over the other clans. There was deference given to those of Clan Tarven from the other clans, especially to the Domus and his daughter, for their close blood tie with one very special, if hideously ugly, woman. Kari was the Goddess-born of the Wild Ones, the only one of her kind, and though to the Arctrans she seemed to embody every caricature of the witch, the hag, and the crone, they had learned very quickly not to offer her any kind of insult. She kept mostly to herself among her own kind, but there were days when she moved into the camp proper.
On the afternoon that followed the assassin's attempt to kill their young queen, Kari made her way to the tent set aside for the Commander of the Armies and the First Blade, letting herself in without so much as a cough to announce herself. And there she stood, leaning comfortably on her staff, waiting patiently for the inhabitants of the bed to realize she was there.
A few short hours of sleep was hardly enough to make up for all the sleep they'd lost over the weeks and months of travel and battle - years even. Years spent struggling and fighting both separately and together, and their life-long goal was finally in sight. Just a few more weeks, and they'd have victory. Liam refused to consider any other alternative. These few short hours of solitude he had with Shaye were precious, and he'd given orders not to be disturbed, unless it was absolutely necessary. Apparently, the old woman either hadn't gotten that order or didn't feel she needed to abide by it. Either way, Liam was snoring like a bear hibernating for the winter.
Shaye, on the other hand, was something of a lighter sleeper than her husband, though she'd adapted to be able to sleep through Liam's truly epic snoring. It was worse when he was drunk, admittedly, but even sober, he could be heard from a distance. Under Kari's grinning gaze, Shaye stirred against her husband, blinking her eyes open briefly only to have them snap open at the realization that they were not alone. She sat bolt upright, thumping Liam soundly in the chest to wake him up as the Wild woman cackled happily, thumping her staff against the rug in amusement.
"Happy man sleep sound!"
Startled by the thump to his chest, Liam jerked awake, eyes popping open and instinctively reaching for the dagger he kept close at hand before realizing there was no danger. He fell back against the bed when he saw it was only the old crone - er, Wise Woman - come to pay them a visit and very likely offer a lecture of some sort. He groaned, every muscle in his body stiff and sore. The Commander was not what one would call a morning person. "If you haven't brought breakfast, why are you here?"
Kari eyed him through her grin, ambling over to the bed and making herself comfortable on the edge as she looked at the pair still waking up. "Strong man," she nodded approvingly to Liam. "Strong woman. Two moons, strong baby." She reached over and patted the Commander's crotch, at which point Shaye dissolved into snorts of laughter. The First Blade had never met anyone like Kari, but in close proximity, she could definitely see where Liayna got some of her mischief from.
That startled him even more than the rude awakening, enough that he rolled off the bed to get away from her and ended up sprawled on the ground. "I've got two balls, too, but I'm not letting you count them!" he shot back, stumbling to his feet. "Did you just come here to give us the weather report?" he asked, moving over to the brazier to add some wood to the fire and put a kettle on to boil.
Kari merely grinned, watching him stumble and sprawl his way out of bed. Her wise eyes found Shaye who, despite her amusement, had sobered as she absorbed what had actually been said. "Two months?"
Kari nodded, reaching over to pat the First Blade's midriff affectionately. "Two moons," she confirmed, twisting to look at Liam expectantly. "We stay two nights more," she told him firmly, in a tone that didn't exactly brook much discussion. "Goddess moon, we stay."
"What?" he asked, as he turned to face them both, still feeling a little groggy but starting to waken. What was all this talk about two moons and ....babies" He arched a brow, scowling with curiosity. "Are we talking about us or the Queen and her Consort because as of last night, those two were still trying to figure it out."
Kari waved a hand, dismissing his concern there. "Goddess moon, they know, they make," she assured Liam with a warm nod, rising to her feet with an almost audible creak of her old bones. "We stay, army, two nights more. Two, not one." She prodded Liam in the chest to make sure he understood her. "You go, no vipsana child."
He glanced to Shaye as the old woman prodded his chest, a quizzical look on his face. Did she mean them' But they couldn't have a child yet, could they' Shaye was still the First Blade, and her fate was tied to Arlan's Sword and the True Queen. "Speak plainly. Are you talking about us or them?" he asked. Or perhaps both"
Kari rolled her eyes. If her grasp on the common tongue were a little more complete, these misunderstandings wouldn't happen, and for once, she hadn't dragged her granddaughter along with her to translate. The old woman sighed, moving to take Shaye's hand and pull her out of bed. "Two moons," she said firmly, and patted the First Blade's womb once again. "You, two moons." Releasing Shaye, who sank down onto the bed again as she caught Liam's eye, Kari then planted her staff firmly. "Army stay here two more nights, not one," she informed him. "Goddess moon this night. Vipsana make baby on Goddess moon. Yes?"
There went that brow of his again, arching upwards curiously, but despite his annoyance at being rudely awoken, he knew better than to question the old woman's wisdom. If she said they were staying two nights, they were staying two nights. "Very well," he replied, without argument. He was smart enough to know that there were those around him who knew things he did not, and he was not so stubborn or egotistical as not to listen when they advised him. He looked over at Shaye again, watching as Kari touched her mid-section. He didn't really need a translation to know what it was she was trying to tell them.
Pleased she'd finally got her point across, Kari patted his chest, paused, and then quite deliberately squeezed one of his impressive biceps with an almost girlish giggle. Her grin turned to Shaye. "You lucky woman," she informed the First Blade cheerfully, and took her leave, squeezing Liam's backside for good measure on her way past. "Come night, vipsana be with us. No look."
The old woman's squeezing of his bicep and backside didn't do much to improve Liam's demeanor, scowling at her as she made her way past. He didn't understand everything she was telling them, but he understood enough to know what she wanted from them. "You lucky woman," Liam echoed with a smirk now that they were alone. "It looks like we're supposed to make a baby."
Shaye laughed, shaking her head at the old woman's exit. "It looks as though I'll be passing on the Blade sooner than we thought," she admitted, glancing down at her flat stomach. "How does she know?" Of course, she wasn't going to argue with the announcement. They'd both heard by now how Conall and Liayna's meeting had been predicted by the old woman, and how they had discovered they were expecting a child.
On the afternoon that followed the assassin's attempt to kill their young queen, Kari made her way to the tent set aside for the Commander of the Armies and the First Blade, letting herself in without so much as a cough to announce herself. And there she stood, leaning comfortably on her staff, waiting patiently for the inhabitants of the bed to realize she was there.
A few short hours of sleep was hardly enough to make up for all the sleep they'd lost over the weeks and months of travel and battle - years even. Years spent struggling and fighting both separately and together, and their life-long goal was finally in sight. Just a few more weeks, and they'd have victory. Liam refused to consider any other alternative. These few short hours of solitude he had with Shaye were precious, and he'd given orders not to be disturbed, unless it was absolutely necessary. Apparently, the old woman either hadn't gotten that order or didn't feel she needed to abide by it. Either way, Liam was snoring like a bear hibernating for the winter.
Shaye, on the other hand, was something of a lighter sleeper than her husband, though she'd adapted to be able to sleep through Liam's truly epic snoring. It was worse when he was drunk, admittedly, but even sober, he could be heard from a distance. Under Kari's grinning gaze, Shaye stirred against her husband, blinking her eyes open briefly only to have them snap open at the realization that they were not alone. She sat bolt upright, thumping Liam soundly in the chest to wake him up as the Wild woman cackled happily, thumping her staff against the rug in amusement.
"Happy man sleep sound!"
Startled by the thump to his chest, Liam jerked awake, eyes popping open and instinctively reaching for the dagger he kept close at hand before realizing there was no danger. He fell back against the bed when he saw it was only the old crone - er, Wise Woman - come to pay them a visit and very likely offer a lecture of some sort. He groaned, every muscle in his body stiff and sore. The Commander was not what one would call a morning person. "If you haven't brought breakfast, why are you here?"
Kari eyed him through her grin, ambling over to the bed and making herself comfortable on the edge as she looked at the pair still waking up. "Strong man," she nodded approvingly to Liam. "Strong woman. Two moons, strong baby." She reached over and patted the Commander's crotch, at which point Shaye dissolved into snorts of laughter. The First Blade had never met anyone like Kari, but in close proximity, she could definitely see where Liayna got some of her mischief from.
That startled him even more than the rude awakening, enough that he rolled off the bed to get away from her and ended up sprawled on the ground. "I've got two balls, too, but I'm not letting you count them!" he shot back, stumbling to his feet. "Did you just come here to give us the weather report?" he asked, moving over to the brazier to add some wood to the fire and put a kettle on to boil.
Kari merely grinned, watching him stumble and sprawl his way out of bed. Her wise eyes found Shaye who, despite her amusement, had sobered as she absorbed what had actually been said. "Two months?"
Kari nodded, reaching over to pat the First Blade's midriff affectionately. "Two moons," she confirmed, twisting to look at Liam expectantly. "We stay two nights more," she told him firmly, in a tone that didn't exactly brook much discussion. "Goddess moon, we stay."
"What?" he asked, as he turned to face them both, still feeling a little groggy but starting to waken. What was all this talk about two moons and ....babies" He arched a brow, scowling with curiosity. "Are we talking about us or the Queen and her Consort because as of last night, those two were still trying to figure it out."
Kari waved a hand, dismissing his concern there. "Goddess moon, they know, they make," she assured Liam with a warm nod, rising to her feet with an almost audible creak of her old bones. "We stay, army, two nights more. Two, not one." She prodded Liam in the chest to make sure he understood her. "You go, no vipsana child."
He glanced to Shaye as the old woman prodded his chest, a quizzical look on his face. Did she mean them' But they couldn't have a child yet, could they' Shaye was still the First Blade, and her fate was tied to Arlan's Sword and the True Queen. "Speak plainly. Are you talking about us or them?" he asked. Or perhaps both"
Kari rolled her eyes. If her grasp on the common tongue were a little more complete, these misunderstandings wouldn't happen, and for once, she hadn't dragged her granddaughter along with her to translate. The old woman sighed, moving to take Shaye's hand and pull her out of bed. "Two moons," she said firmly, and patted the First Blade's womb once again. "You, two moons." Releasing Shaye, who sank down onto the bed again as she caught Liam's eye, Kari then planted her staff firmly. "Army stay here two more nights, not one," she informed him. "Goddess moon this night. Vipsana make baby on Goddess moon. Yes?"
There went that brow of his again, arching upwards curiously, but despite his annoyance at being rudely awoken, he knew better than to question the old woman's wisdom. If she said they were staying two nights, they were staying two nights. "Very well," he replied, without argument. He was smart enough to know that there were those around him who knew things he did not, and he was not so stubborn or egotistical as not to listen when they advised him. He looked over at Shaye again, watching as Kari touched her mid-section. He didn't really need a translation to know what it was she was trying to tell them.
Pleased she'd finally got her point across, Kari patted his chest, paused, and then quite deliberately squeezed one of his impressive biceps with an almost girlish giggle. Her grin turned to Shaye. "You lucky woman," she informed the First Blade cheerfully, and took her leave, squeezing Liam's backside for good measure on her way past. "Come night, vipsana be with us. No look."
The old woman's squeezing of his bicep and backside didn't do much to improve Liam's demeanor, scowling at her as she made her way past. He didn't understand everything she was telling them, but he understood enough to know what she wanted from them. "You lucky woman," Liam echoed with a smirk now that they were alone. "It looks like we're supposed to make a baby."
Shaye laughed, shaking her head at the old woman's exit. "It looks as though I'll be passing on the Blade sooner than we thought," she admitted, glancing down at her flat stomach. "How does she know?" Of course, she wasn't going to argue with the announcement. They'd both heard by now how Conall and Liayna's meeting had been predicted by the old woman, and how they had discovered they were expecting a child.