The last leg of the journey had been oddly subdued. The Arctrans were blissfully unaware of the reason, and though Conall could be absolutely sure that Liayna had not shared the events of their red dawn, the nomads seemed to know without needing to be told. On top of which, they were heading deeper into the mountains, to a place where the Wild Ones knew they would be utterly surrounded by Arctrans, not all of whom would be as accepting as the friends they had made on the march. Thus, as Conall's company grew more relaxed, Liayna's people grew more tense, until finally they entered the rebel encampment itself in silence, walking together in the midst of their Arctran friends. It took several minutes for Liayna to convince her people to go with their companions and find a place where they could set up a more permanent camp for themselves - they did not want to leave her with only Conall at her side when she entered the tent of the rebel war leader.

As it happened, the rebel leader was expecting them, killing time by going over maps and reports and planning strategy. He had grown even taller and broader over the years, with blond hair that reached past his shoulders and a slightly darker blond beard. He was nearly a match for Conall's height, just an inch or so shorter than his second in command.

There was a slight altercation at the entrance to the main tent. The guards there seemed to think that Liayna was going to voluntarily give up her weapons to them, just because she was a nomad. She was quick to disabuse them of that impression, though with Conall there, she didn't actually commit any bodily harm to do so. Tempting, though it had been. It was Conall who convinced the guards to allow her to enter the rebel leader's tent bearing her weapons, just as he was. He assured them there was no threat and that he would take full responsibility for her.

Admitted, finally, into the presence of Liam O'Connor, rebel leader and loyal to the line of Arlan, Liayna came to a halt at Conall's side, eying the other man thoughtfully for a long moment before she spoke. "The stupidity of your guards should be addressed, Liam O'Connor."

"My guards get a little carried away when it comes to my safety," the tall blond warrior replied, as he moved to his feet to greet the two of them. "Well met, Liayna na'Kari. Your reputation precedes you." He did not bother to introduce himself, as she had already named him. "Welcome home, brother. You have been missed," he told Conall, moving forward to give him a brief brotherly embrace.

"I was not aware I had a reputation," she mused, watching as the two men greeted one another. The affection they shared was obvious, bringing a faintly relieved smile to her face. It seemed that Arctrans were as capable of forming those tight bonds as her own people were. It boded well for the future. Cocking her head for a moment, she considered whether or not the guards were listening, and lowered her voice accordingly. "I come to you with blood on my hands, Liam O'Connor. I have broken the alliance. Should you choose to kill me for my crime, the Goddess-sworn of Clan Tarven will not stop you."

Liam glanced briefly to Conall at the woman's confession, but before he could say a word, the other man was quick to interject, "Reena was the one who broke the alliance. She has not been well since..." He broke off, as if reluctant to explain further. "I should have sent her back as soon as I knew she'd tagged along. I take full responsibility for her death. Liayna is not at fault."

Liam sighed, a thoughtful frown on his face. "What did she do' Did she attack you?" he asked them both. He was well aware of Reena's state of mind, though he had been hoping she would not be a problem.

Liayna's eyes strayed to Conall with a frown as he tried to take responsibility for a death she had meted out. "There was hostility between us," she told Liam firmly. "Two days ago, she came upon us while we slept, armed. I did not think, I simply reacted. I slit her throat."

"That is not quite true," Conall interjected as he glanced to Liayna. "She tried to kill you, and she would have kept trying." He turned back to appeal to Liam's sense of honor and justice. "She was defending herself and me. Reena had a knife, and if I hadn't gotten in the way, she would have killed Liayna."

Liam glanced between the two again. "So it was self-defense then."

Liayna raised a brow, torn between feeling insulted at Conall's implication that she and Reena had been evenly-matched, and feeling grateful that he was trying so hard to make her seem justified. "I do not know the Arctran definition of self-defense," she conceded mildly. "Among my own people, it would not be called that, because I am Goddess-sworn."

It wasn't a matter of being evenly-matched. It was a matter of Reena's questionable state of mind and determination to get rid of the woman she considered to be her rival. "What would it be called among your people?" Liam asked curiously, in an attempt to find a solution to the situation that would not end in any more deaths and would keep the alliance intact, and yet not ignore what had happened.

She met his gaze solemnly. There really was only one answer there. "Murder," was her reply, but she knew he was unlikely to accept that without knowing what it was that made the Goddess-sworn so terrifying. She sighed softly, glancing at Conall before looking back to his friend and commander. "Attack me. I will draw no weapons. But you should know what it is you are judging."

"Murder is what Reena intended. You were only defending yourself and me from further attack," Conall argued, the tone of his voice both insistent and irritated. "Why do you insist on blaming yourself" Do you want to be killed?" he asked, clearly agitated.

"No, eniro, I am not asking for death," she assured him, her gaze shamelessly intimate, despite Liam's presence so close to them. "But I will not lie. I have killed one of your people, who could not have defended herself against me even in her right mind. I acted without thinking. The sight and scent of your blood put me into a rage - if I stopped to consider, I would not have killed her."

"She spilled your blood?" Liam, who had remained silent while the other two debated, asked, turning a pointed look at his friend.

Conall shrugged. There was no wound he could show the other man to prove what had happened. "Yes, but..." he glanced to Liayna, as if at a loss for words, but Liam sensed there was a lot more to the story than he was being told.

"Eniro," the rebel leader echoed, looking between them. It wasn't difficult to figure out what was going on between the pair. He had Reena's own words to back him up there. She had explained things from her point of view upon her return, but Liam thought there was a much simpler explanation than sorcery at work here. "You are lovers, yes?"

"Kari was there when the babes were born," Liayna went on, allowing him his excitement at what he did not yet know. "Lord Farus asked her to protect the line of queens, to sow the seeds for a future that did not include Velasca or her line on the throne. The magic she wove was of bone and blood. She denied the boy child's spirit entry into his body - he never took a breath. But she used his body to create a disguise for his sister, who I am told will be the image of her mother when that disguise is stripped away. She bears a piece of his bone, beneath her own skin, beneath a crescent shaped scar on her chest. A scar you would be able to see, if Adare - as he is known - were to allow you. The wizard, Gyre, he could not tell what had been done. He assured his usurper queen that the dead child was female, that the living one was male, and he never knew. Arian's daughter lives. She does not even know herself that she is female, and only three remain living who know that truth within Phalion. But we are running out of time."

Liam's brows rose, unable to hide the look of shock and surprise on his face. Though he had already guessed she was going to tell him that some sorcery was involved where the twins were concerned, he had never expected to learn that it was the girl who had lived and was somehow masquerading as a boy, the magic so powerful, it had fooled even Velasca's pet wizard. "Three. Who else knows?" he asked, glad he'd been wise enough to dismiss his guards. Though he trusted them, one could never be too careful.

"The two who were there to see it done, who witnessed the deaths of Farus and Arian," the nomad woman told him quietly. "Mila, the nurse and guardian. Dalan, the captain of the guard. They keep watch, and they will take Adare to Kari when the blood moon comes."

"You are sure of this?" he asked, though for some reason, he believed her. All these years, he'd thought they'd have to wait for the boy to marry and produce a female heir to take the throne, but all of that had changed in a heartbeat. Liam's mind was racing now with strategies and possibilities and plans. "If only we could steal the Sword," Liam mused. That had long been a goal of his, for personal reasons. Liam crossed one arm against his chest, tapping a finger against his chin, as he paced thoughtfully.

"I am certain." Liayna paused, turning fully to face him, urgency sparkling in her eyes. "We must have Phalion before the day of the hidden sun. The blood moon will bring her first bleeding, and from that moment, she will be a girl trapped within a boy's form. On the day of the hidden sun, she must take the bone from her chest, before witnesses, or that bone will kill her. You have heard the tales of the demon ghost that haunts Adare" That ghost is the boy who never lived. If his bone is not taken from her chest on that day, he will kill her for it. There is no time for grand schemes. If we lose her, we lose everything."

Liam came to a halt, turning his face toward the clan leader, narrowing his eyes, his expression darkening if only for a moment at her rebuke. "You think I do not know how important this is?" he countered. "I have been fighting against Velasca's rule for sixteen years. I have lost everything and everyone who I once held dear, save one. I will defeat her, one way or another. We will return the rightful queen to the throne and set things right, but we must plan it carefully. We cannot lose." In the end, despite his temper and stubbornness, they were essentially in agreement. "We cannot do it without your help, nor you without ours."

She didn't rise to the flare in his temper. War, especially long campaigns, did strange things to even the most mild-mannered man. "That is why we are here," she told him, her tone gently neutral. "Clan Tarven travels to Phalion as we speak - they will be in place to aid the taking of the city, and to make certain that those in power know the truth. I do not believe it will be an arduous fight; once Velasca and her daughter have left the walls, the city will be Adare's, and he will know the truth by then."

"Then we will take Phalion, but there is still the matter of Velasca. So long as she holds the Sword of Arlan, she will be a force to reckon with, no matter who is in charge in Phalion." It wasn't just the fact that so long as Velasca held the sword, she held sway over Shaye, but over all of Arctra. The flare of temper quickly subsided as his mind once again gave way to thoughts of strategy. He could feel them nearing their goal, so close, and yet it would take perfect planning.

"There will always be some who will rally to her banner," Liayna pointed out. "Many men have grown rich under her rule; they will support her. But many more will rally to the true Queen's banner, to set the daughter of Arian on the throne." She paused, considering Liam with a very faint smirk. "If you would take the Sword of Arlan, first you must capture the First Blade. One word from Velasca will see her dead in defense of that sword, so naturally you must separate the Usurper from her reluctant protector."

"Velasca's army is a band of mercenaries who care only for money and power. They care nothing for the true Queen or the people." Liam quieted a moment, turning his back to Liayna as he was momentarily lost in thought, lost in memory, while he considered her words. "There is only one way to capture the First Blade," he mused aloud.

"Without defeating her," Liayna murmured with a flicker of a grin. "But these are thoughts to be shared with your generals, with your captains. Plans to be put into effect should not be discussed with me before they are put to the men and women who follow your banner, Liam O'Connor. The last thing you need is to be accused of being bewitched by a Wild One."

He turned back to face her with a darkly serious look on his face. Perhaps she did not know who he was or how he came to be the leader of the rebel faction. Perhaps she did not know who the First Blade was to him or why it was so important she was taken alive and unharmed, but those who knew him did, especially those who had been with him from the beginning. "They will not challenge me, but you are right. This is a plan that must be put before them, if it is to be successful."

She inclined her head to him once again. "Then I will leave you, and join my people in their camp," she told him with a faint smile. "The Goddess-sworn are yours to command, but we will not kill the First Blade. That is a bond that cannot pass to us, and we will not break it. You have my word."

He studied her as she agreed to help them and to follow his command, never knowing how important it was to him that the First Blade not be harmed, never knowing how dear that one life was to him and how he had vowed to protect it. "I will hold you to your word," he replied. "I am in your debt, Liayna na'Nari," he told her in return.

Her expression flickered, mischief and solemnity warring on her face. After all, she knew who was listening. "Give me Conall Riordan, and the debt will be paid," she told Liam, a laugh in her voice. Conall would not take it seriously, but perhaps his friend and commander would. It would be good for this solemn, world-weary man to relearn his own smile.

But that suggestion did not bring a smile to Liam's solemn, world-weary face. Perhaps when it was all over and the throne was returned to the rightful Queen, and the people could live in peace, and Shaye was once again his, perhaps then he would smile, perhaps then he could live. "I do not own Conall's mind or heart, and his life is not mine to give, but I believe he has already made his choice where you are concerned. You have my blessing and my vow of friendship. I wish you both much happiness together."

"Commander." She bowed to him, the first time she had offered any such obeisance, and turned to make her way to the tent flap. Just before she reached it, she turned back to him. "A word of advice, Liam O'Connor. The man who lives fights better for his queen. A man who simply exists is no loss when he dies."

"I fight to live, Liayna na'Kari," Liam replied as she turned to leave. She could not possibly know what he meant by that, and he did not offer any explanation, but he knew she was right.

For the last sixteen years, he had merely existed, living for the day when he could have his vengeance. He had fought hard these sixteen years, and he had done more good than even he could know. He had saved many lives, including that of one Conall Riordan. He had proved himself as a leader and a soldier. He had tried to live his life according to the code of honor that had been instilled in him as a young recruit in the Queen's Guard. He had made his mother proud and honored the memory of his father. He had fought hard and bravely in the struggle against Velasca's rule, but he had not really lived, nor would he live until it was finished. He did not explain any of this to her or to anyone, but those who knew him, those who loved him knew he was more than just a soldier. They knew the heart of the man who lead the rebellion, the man who had taken charge and given them hope when all was lost. His cause was their cause. That was all they needed to know.

((The plot thickens, like the very best kind of gravy. :grin: More to come soon! Huge thanks to the awesomesauciness of my partner!))