Topic: Origin

Liayna · Date: 2014-05-12 13:34 EST

"I am going to say this again," Liayna sighed quietly as they rode toward the towering walls of Phalion. "This is not the most dignified way to travel." She had been complaining on and off for a few days now, since she and Conall had left the Sword in the hands of Liam and been sent on ahead to keep a close watch on what was happening inside Phalion's walls. Clinging to Conall's back, Liayna was certain she was going to slide right off the back of the horse, awkward and uncomfortable, and not at all worried about making sure he knew about it.

Conall laughed, a little amused at his lover's worries, not because he thought she was being silly but because she really had nothing to fear so long as she was with him. "You are the only woman I've ever met who didn't jump at the chance to ride with me." It wasn't a boast or a threat, but it was no big secret that he enjoyed teasing her. Now that the Sword was in Liam's hands and they had been given a task, he was feeling a little more relaxed and a little less anxious, and it showed. He was as at ease on horseback as Liayna was on foot, and that showed, too, as the horse was sure and obedient beneath them. She really had nothing to worry about as far as that was concerned.

"I prefer my riding not involve a horse," she informed her lover, lips brushing his ear as they approached the great gates. "Take the road west and north, eniro," she told him quietly. "Kari is waiting for us."

He suppressed the shudder that threatened at the soft touch of her lips against his ear, stirring desires that would have to wait until later. "You can ride me all you like later, aera," he reminded her, turning the horse toward the west road, away from the southern gate, remaining silent at the mention of Kari, wondering what - if anything - she would see in him of the Wild Ones. Was he really of nomad blood, and if so, what had happened to his parents"

"Promises, promises," she laughed huskily against his ear, feeling the tension spreading through him. He had heard a great deal about her grandmother, about the power the old woman held at her fingertips. It was only natural that he might be a little wary of actually meeting the woman. "Be easy, eniro," Liayna tried to reassure him. "She is no Skarran witch."

"I know," he admitted, the horse obeying his master and turning onto the western road. "I'm just not sure what she's going to think of me," he admitted, though it went a lot deeper than that. He had no idea of his own origins. Having been orphaned at a young age, he barely remembered his parents, only fleeting images of them remaining in his dreams. "You seem so sure that I am Goddess-born, but if that's the truth, what happened to my parents?"

"You must remember, eniro, that Goddess-touched is not Goddess-born," she tried to explain. "Kari is Goddess-born. You are Goddess-touched. Your mother, or your grandmother, was one of us. She might have left the Clan to make a life with her man, and her children would have been Goddess-touched, still holding that link to us before the dilution of blood erased it. As to what happened to them' Phalion was in flames sixteen years ago, under attack ten years before that by Skarran mercenaries. Anything could have happened. Be patient, and perhaps Kari will be able to tell you the truth."

"I'm not sure it even matters, aera," he admitted a little sadly. Finding out who his parents were wasn't going to bring them back, after all. Maybe they had loved him, but they were gone now, and he was left with the life that he'd made for himself, rising up from poverty to become the second only to Liam in command of the rebel forces. His life had not been an easy one, but he had somehow managed to rise above his meager beginnings. He was happy with his place in the world, though his past was a mystery that had never been solved and one he was a little afraid of. "We're here to keep an eye on things in the city, not chase ghosts."

"It matters to you, eniro," she pointed out softly, peering over his shoulder at the road ahead. A faint grin touched her face. "We should go on foot from here. We need to leave the road. Kari won't show herself openly where anyone from the city could see her."

He made no reply but turned the horse off the road, pulling him to a halt with an easy tug on the reins. He climbed down from the horse with the fluidity of movement that came from being well-accustomed to riding, and reached up to help her down from the saddle.

Liayna was nowhere near as graceful when it came to getting her down from the horse. And when she landed, it was with a groan of relief and aching pain, forcing herself to stand upright and stretch out her abused muscles. She grimaced comically up at Conall. "I prefer our sort of riding, eniro," she informed him, gently patting the horse's neck. "It does not make me feel as though I have been placed in a press for days."

"We will have plenty of time to ride when this is all over, aera," he replied with a smile, noting how she gave the horse a gentle pat and was rewarded with a soft nicker, as if to acknowledge her affection or even return it. He was a huge beast, a stallion bred for battle, but even so, he could be as gentle as a lamb with the right people.

She smiled, groaning softly as she rolled her shoulders once again. "It is truly a most uncomfortable way to travel," she added one last complaint, and flashed him her brilliant smile once more. "But I will cease talking about it." Gently nudging his arm with her own, she nodded toward a concealed game trail that led from the road and into the woods. "This way, eniro."

He knew Phalion and the surrounding area like the back of his hand, so it came as no big surprise to be nudged toward the trail that led into the woods. He had taken that very same trail himself a few times when he'd gone in search of food. He'd taught himself how to use a bow, how to hunt, relying on some innate knowledge and skill he was only starting to understand as having come from a bloodline he'd known nothing about. He led the horse off the road to follow behind them, remembering his youth. "I used to come here to hunt," he explained quietly, a little lost in thought.

"No one has used this trail in sixteen years," Liayna told him confidently as they stepped off the road and into the greenery. "There is something that clouds it, in the minds of Arctrans. That you can see it is more proof that you are Goddess-touched, eniro." As they walked along, it became clear that though no people had been this way in a long time, the animals had proliferated in this area, gathering themselves around a small clearing Conall no doubt recalled from his childhood.

Liayna · Date: 2014-05-12 13:35 EST

"It's always been a peaceful place," he said as he followed along beside her. Whatever might have clouded the path in the minds of the Arctrans, he could still see it as clear as day, even after many years. "Why is it hidden?" he asked, curiously, though, as she had seen, it did not seem hidden from him.

"Security," she shrugged. "Arctrans do not like us, and Kari is often judged by her appearance. They call her a witch, a hag - cruel, harsh words that have no relevance to her. It is better simply to be invisible."

"Is this where she lives then?" Conall asked, wondering if that were so, if she'd seen his younger self hunting these woods many years gone by and if so, why she had not approached him then.

"Since the vipsana was born, yes," his lover told him, pausing a moment to whistle aloud. The sound of crisp and clear, cutting through the sounds of the woods around them, and a moment later, it found an answer. Liayna's smile widened. "She is expecting us. Come." Moving a little quicker, she ducked beneath an overhanging branch and into the clearing beyond, pausing to let him catch her up.

Conall heard the answering sound to Liayna's whistle, realizing if he'd been alone when he'd heard it, he might have assumed it was only a bird and nothing more. The more he learned of the Wild Ones' ways, the more they intrigued him, wondering about his own origins and whether or not he was truly one of them as Liayna claimed, though that was not the reason for their visit. Taller than her, he pushed the overhanging branch out of his way, the horse nickering to remind him of his presence before stepping into the clearing to join her.

The clearing had been arranged to suit the living needs of just one person. Under the open sky, a bed had been painstakingly constructed from woven willow branches, padded with moss, a single thin blanket folded at one end. A fire pit had been lined with stone, a small oven build of clay beside it, a tripod to hold a cooking pot above it. Other examples of living there were background. All the clearing held were the basic essentials ....and a wizened, crabbed old woman, leaning on a staff. She was easily the ugliest woman anyone could have imagined, despite the wide grin she offered to her visitors, and it didn't take much to imagine Arctran children throwing stones at this woman who was so unlike anyone they had ever seen. But despite her ugliness, Liayna went to her with warmth, folded into a loving embrace that declared beyond any shadow of a doubt that this was the eponymous Kari.

What others might see with their eyes, Conall saw with his heart. He saw an old crone of a woman, ancient and wise and obviously fond of his Liayna. Rather than repulsed by her ugliness, he found her intriguing, wondering how old she must be and how much she must have seen in all the long years of her life. The horse wasn't so sure and tossed his head once, but Conall calmed him with a mere stroke of his hand against the horse's neck. He only stood in silent witness while Liayna greeted her kinsman, respectfully waiting until the old woman choose to acknowledge his presence.

It didn't take long. Liayna embraced her grandmother, kissed her cheek, and stepped aside, turning to draw Conall in as she spoke. "Atharae, this is Conall," she introduced him to the old woman first, before turning the introduction around. "Conall, allow me to introduce my grandmother, Kari."

Kari shuffled forward, reaching out to grip Conall's hand as she beamed up at him. "With gladness, with gladness," she said cheerfully, looking from Conall to Liayna and back again. Then she laughed, a clear sound of quiet triumph, one hand waving her finger pointedly. "I say, did I" I say you find him two moons pass, and you find!"

He looked between the two women, slightly uncomfortable with the private joke that was being shared between them, though he knew what it was about. He felt a little like a horse being examined to see if he was strong enough for battle, but he said nothing of these thoughts, allowing the elderly woman to make what she would of him. He bowed his head respectfully, as was her due, offering her more respect than he had almost anyone he'd ever met. "Lady," he greeted her, once again falling upon old habits learned in the city, at a loss as to how to greet her properly.

Gripping his hand with one of her own, the old woman patted his knuckles firmly, smiling and nodding to him. "Kari," she corrected him in her broken way, her grasp of the common tongue not so good as that of her granddaughter. "You son of Tarven, I no lady. Come, sit, eat." She gestured to the firepit, where stew was cooking in the pot, and to four tree sections that had been cut and rolled here for the purpose of sitting.

The smell of the stew stirred the hunger in his stomach, though he had to first secure his horse before he could eat. "It is an honor to meet you, Kari," Conall replied politely, allowing her to grip his hand without pulling away. "Thank you for the welcome."

"Family," she said calmly, patting his hand once again.

As Kari turned away to serve the stew - which smelt like rabbit - into three earthenware bowls, Liayna touched Conall's arm gently. "Your horse will not stray from here if you let him go, eniro," she told him softly. "Nothing ever strays away from Kari that she does not want to leave."

Conall arched a brow, wondering if that included him, but only nodded his acknowledgement. He gave the horse another pat and let go of the reins. "You heard her, boy. You're on your own for a while." The horse tossed his head in reply the way that horses do, tail swishing contentedly as he turned to find something to graze on to occupy his time. Conall had a feeling the old woman could practically read his thoughts and so he kept them to himself for now, though he was as curious about her as he was about his own past.

Liayna chose to sit herself down on the grass, accepting the bowl Kari gave her with a smile. Another bowl was offered to Conall, and a loaf of bread given to them to share before the old woman finally chose to sit down herself. She watched them both with a wide grin and bright eyes, obviously not going to be the one to begin talking.

Conall preferred to settle himself atop one of the sections of trees that had been cut for that purpose, muttering his thanks for the stew when the bowl was offered, wondering if he should skip past the pleasantries and get right to the heart of the matter. "How does the boy fare in the city?" he asked, choosing to first ask of Adare before the conversation took a more private turn. He had his priorities, after all.

Kari nodded as she answered him. "The vipsana, he is well," she promised her granddaughter's lover. "He has friend, closeness. Bled for that friend when the false queen here, deep blood on sand. Blood moon is coming."

Liayna · Date: 2014-05-12 13:36 EST

Conall paused in his enjoyment of the stew to exchange glances with Liayna, understanding some of what Kari was telling them, but not all of it. "He bled. Do you mean he was injured somehow?" he asked. She had assured them Adare was well, but that did alone did not satisfy him or explain what had happened.

Kari shook her head, frowning at her own inability to speak eloquently in a language he understood. She had been able to once, years ago, but long years alone and away from her people had dulled the edges of her skills. She spoke instead to Liayna, the old speech falling easily from her tongue, and the young woman turned to translate for Conall.

"The boy's squire challenged Valeyna to a duel and claimed first blood," she said, frowning as she worked to translate what her grandmother had said. "To stop Valeyna from hurting his friend, the prince claimed responsibility, and she cut open his arm to draw blood for blood. Does that make sense?"

Conall found that explanation far more shocking than the little bit Kari had managed to tell them, eyes widening as he lowered the bowl into his lap, looking both startled that someone had dared to defy Valeyna and that she had dared draw blood from Adare. "She cut open his arm?" he echoed in horror, remembering his own torment at the hands of Velasca's thugs. "Is he all right?"

"Vipsana well," Kari hurried to assure him, one hand extended to calm his horror. "Friend like you. Goddess-touched."

The word that erupted from Liayna's lips was obviously a startled curse on hearing this, earning her a stern look from her grandmother. "The prince's squire is one of us?"

Conall was looking between the two women again, trying to keep up. "He's one of the Wild Ones?" he asked, as if needing confirmation. "How can that be?" he asked. Shaye had shared a little of what was going on in the city, but she'd made no mention of the prince's squire being anything other than Arctran.

"He must be like you, eniro," Liayna murmured, frowning back at her grandmother as Kari nodded, encouraging them to work it out for themselves. "His mother or grandmother must have been a Wild One. But why would the prince choose one of us, even one with Arctran blood, to be his squire" It makes no sense."

Kari shook her head, drawing in a breath. "False queen choose," she tried to explain in her broken speech. "Insult. Make bad for vipsana. But not bad for vipsana. Give friend."

Conall seemed to grasp what Kari was saying, knowing the way Velasca's mind worked enough to sort it out for himself. "She was hoping he'd bring shame on Adare somehow. Make a fool of him, but if what Kari says is true, it seems Velasca's made another mistake." Which boded well for them, but not particularly well for Adare and his squire if Velasca found out what the rebels were up to.

"False queen think safe, think the vipsana dead," Kari agreed, nodding. "Fleas in city. Army coming. Bad."

Again, Liayna frowned, unhappy with what she was hearing. "You think they will try to kill Adare?" she asked her grandmother, and the old woman nodded firmly.

"Of course, they'll try to kill Adare. As soon as they know the truth about him, they'll try to kill him. If they can't get a child out of him, then there's no reason to keep him alive. We need to keep the truth about Adare secret until Liam arrives," Conall pointed out, a little annoyed with himself for not having gone straight to Phalion to protect the boy himself.

"They don't need to know the truth about him to follow orders to kill him," Liayna pointed out, just as concerned but prepared to wait until Kari grew concerned before acting on it. "As soon as it becomes clear the rebels are intent upon taking Phalion, he becomes too dangerous to be allowed to live." She frowned suddenly, catching the edge of Conall's annoyance. "What is it?"

"Nothing," Conall replied, though he was grating his teeth, obviously feeling a little on edge. "I would just feel a lot better if we were there to keep an eye on the boy, that's all. If he dies..." he trailed off, not wanting to think about what might happen then. The line of Arlan would be lost forever. What would become of Arctra then"

"Yes, but how do we get into the citadel" And once we're in the citadel, how do we convince the guard there that we're not assassins and we're actually there to help?" Liayna asked pointedly. "Those are conversations we cannot dominate, not right now."

Kari made a noise, nodding fervently as she stood up, shuffling over to a stone bowl of water. "Vipsana safe until blood moon," she said in her scratchy voice. "Army be seen after blood moon. You be in castle then."

"I should have killed Velasca when I had the chance," he muttered, though that would have been easier said than done, and Conall wasn't an assassin. He wasn't even a soldier really, not at heart. He wasn't sure what he was exactly, but he knew if anything happened to Adare, he wouldn't be able to live with himself. "So, what now?" he asked, impatiently. It wasn't that long to wait, but to Conall, it seemed like forever.

"Killing Velasca on the road would have had no bearing on what her spies will try and do when Liam's army comes into sight of the city," Liayna said, her voice harsh. She didn't like to see Conall making such black and white assumptions about the world they lived in, a world where everything was in shades of gray.

Kari, on the other hand, just chuckled and pointed at Conall's lap. "Eat," she said cheerfully. "Ride."

"And when Velasca is gone, there will be her thugs to deal with and then the Skarrans," Conall pointed out moodily. How long would it be before they'd be able to live in peace again? Not that it mattered. At least, it gave him more purpose than he'd ever had before, but he was not overly fond of war or of killing. He smiled a little at Kari's reply, however, pointing out the more immediate necessity of sustenance. He and Liayna could argue strategy all day, and it would change nothing. The decisions had already been made, and a plan put in place. "I just hope Liam knows what he's doing." And Shaye and everyone else who was playing a key role in the struggle. If only he knew what it was he was supposed to do now. He spooned up a mouthful of stew, finding it pleasanter than he'd expected.

Liayna · Date: 2014-05-12 13:37 EST

"I'm sure he does," Liayna said softly. "And in a few weeks, we will have a queen at the head of her army, and the Clans will be here to support her."

Kari grinned along with her granddaughter at the thought of getting all the Wild Ones in one place. Their numbers were going to startle the Arctrans, that was for sure. But the old woman had the immediate future in her own mind, too. "Blood moon bring vipsana here," she explained. "You go back with. You protect. I vouch."

"What does she mean?" Conall asked, looking from Kari to Liayna. Did the old woman want them to fetch the prince or would she be bringing him here" How was the boy going to react when he found out he wasn't a boy at all" Would he be relieved or horrified"

Here, at least, Liayna had some prior knowledge of what her grandmother was referring to. "As I understand it, the ones in the city who know the truth will bring the prince to Kari when he starts bleeding, so she can cut the disguise from his spirit. That way, when it comes time for him to reveal himself, he will be able to do it easily. I think what she's saying is that she'll vouch for us on that night, and we'll go back with him to the citadel to keep him safe until Liam arrives."

Conall considered a moment before nodding in agreement, satisfied that he'd have a hand in things and that he'd be able to keep an eye on the boy firsthand and make sure he remained safe, even if it meant protecting him with his own life. "Agreed," he replied, satisfied now that he knew what was expected of him. For a man who had once accused Liayna of not being able to keep still, he seemed lacking in patience these last few days, restless even.

Kari beamed at his agreement, moving to clasp his face between her hands. She bent down and kissed him, moving to do the same for Liayna, and one gnarled hand lowered to her granddaughter's midriff as she smiled knowingly. "Moon baby," she said with slightly smug pride.

Liayna's jaw dropped like a stone. "What?"

If Liayna was shocked by this unexpected development, that was nothing compared to Conall, who nearly knocked over his bowl of stew in shock and surprise, echoing his lover's exclamation almost simultaneously. "What"!" he exclaimed, eyes wide as he juggled the bowl of stew on his lap. He needed no translation for that. The old woman had been plain as day. They were having a baby' He glanced to Liayna, his gaze drifting to her midriff before lifting to catch her eyes. "When?"

Chuckling at their shock, Kari just nodded once again, patting her granddaughter's mid-section fondly. "End of winter," she told them. "Time of balance. Good time."

Liayna stared at her grandmother, torn between utter horror and absolute delight. Horror, in that this would severely limit her usefulness as the months went on; delight, in that she was carrying Conall's child. She looked at her eniro with wide eyes. "The Spring Equinox," she translated for him. "That is almost eight months away."

Conall seemed in a state of shock himself for a moment, staring wide-eyed at both Kari and his aera - the equivalent of wife or soul-mate in the Old Tongue. He didn't know to ask how it had happened - that much was obvious - but the news of a child stirred up a hornet's nest of questions in his head. Still, this was happy news, and he couldn't help but feel a surge of pride and joy to know that he was going to be a father. "Are you sure?" he asked, looking again to Liayna's middle and seeing no proof of Kari's declaration.

"Sure," Kari insisted. "Leniniya tell me, I tell you. Moon baby, lovely baby." She patted his hand once again, and shuffled off to do something busy over her fire, leaving the two of them to stare at each other.

Liayna cleared her throat, looking down at her flat stomach. "I ....I do not know what to say, eniro," she said softly. "I will not say I am not pleased, but I could have wished for better timing."

Lovely baby" Was it to be a daughter then, or was the old woman just being vague" Eight months was a long way away. How could she know all this already? Conall leaned closer to place the palm of his hand against the flat of Liayna's stomach, finding it hard to believe that a young life was growing somewhere inside there, but the old woman seemed sure and who was he to doubt her wisdom' "We're going to have a baby?" he asked aloud to no one in particular, as if he was having a hard time wrapping his head around it.

The mother of that baby was looking more than a little blindsided by the announcement herself. "It would seem so, eniro," she nodded, her hand covering his as a shy smile touched her face. Her other hand rose to gently touch his cheek. "You will be a father before our queen has been on the throne a single year."

He leaned ever closer, his heart warming as he looked into the eyes of his aera, falling ever more in love with her each day, and now there was this. She had only seen him cry once, tears of grief for a girl he thought he had wronged, but the tears that filled his eyes now were tears of happiness. "And you will be a mother," he replied, a soft smile touching his face in answer to hers. "I love you, Liayna," he told her quietly as he leaned close enough to brush a tender kiss against her soft, sweet lips.

"And I you, Conall," was the gentle whisper in answer before his lips found hers, a soft confirmation of the depth of feeling that had grown between them. A feeling that had been there all along, just waiting for them to meet and release it. She giggled softly as they parted. "She must have known," she said suddenly, glancing at her grandmother, who was carefully ignoring them as she muttered over her cooking pot. "For years, she has told me I would know you when I met you, that I was already yours. And now this. Leniniya is taking care of Kari's family."

"It would seem so," Conall replied in agreement, forgetting the bowl of stew that was resting in his lap. "We have much to be thankful for." Despite all his worries about the upcoming battle, somehow he knew in his heart that the Goddess was watching over them and that they were in her favor. "We should give thanks for all she has given us," he added, more grateful than words could say. He wasn't sure how or why his life had taken the path it had, but he was glad the Goddess had seen fit to give her this woman who had filled his life with light and love and joy.

Liayna · Date: 2014-05-12 13:38 EST

Intrigued by his turn of phrase, Liayna tilted her head curiously. "How would you do that, eniro?" she asked him, genuinely interested. Giving thanks was not a part of the Wild Ones' faith - a gift given was best acknowledged by the way you made use of it. So long as they loved one another and their child, that would be enough, in Liayna's eyes. But she wanted to know what Conall had in mind.

Conall laughed at his own suggestion and the question that followed it, the heaviness that had lain on his heart since they'd left the rebel camp lifting, feeling lighter and happier than he had in some days. "I don't know!" he replied with another laugh. "I only know that I love you and that I would be lost without you, and if it is truly the Goddess who put us together, then I owe her a debt of gratitude I can never repay."

She laughed with him, shaking her head, even as Kari returned to them. The old woman raised her sleeve, showing Conall the same mark he had seen on Liayna's skin tattooed there. "Goddess," Kari said, pointing to the middle of the triskelion. "Queen, land, people ....all with Goddess. No thanks. No pay. Just live." She smiled, and patted Conall on the head. "My little one now. Nona's child now my child, father of moon baby."

Conall's gaze was drawn to the mark that both woman bore, a symbol of their devotion to the Goddess which marked them both as Wild Ones, and he suddenly yearned to share that mark and embrace that part of him that was like them, if it was really true. He chuckled a moment when the old woman patted his head, wondering if she was claiming him or the baby or both for her own. His heart swelled with pride and joy at the thought of becoming a father, at the thought of having a child with the woman he so loved. "If I truly am Goddess-touched, then should I not bear a mark like yours, as well?" he asked, curiously.

Kari's head tilted curiously, one hand turning his arm and tapping against his sleeve where the mark would rest on his skin if it were there. "Mark, yes?" she asked, needing him to say it if he truly wanted to share the mark of the Goddess.

Liayna felt the need to make it clearer. "The mark can never come off, eniro," she explained in greater depth. "It is a sign that you are a child of the Goddess, that you will walk the fires, and dance for Her, and fight for Her. That you will renounce all belief in the Arctran gods, all but Thalan and Hano, who are Her children. The Clans will know you by the mark, but so also will Arctrans, and they do not trust us easily."

"Am I not one of you already, aera?" he countered, wanting it with all his heart, even more so now that he knew they were going to have a child together. He looked back at Kari, paying little heed to the place on his arm where the mark would be made. "I have never felt like I belonged in the city. I have never felt like I was one of them. I have always felt different, and now I know why. I don't know who my parents were or how I came to be in Phalion. All I know is that I never felt like I belonged anywhere or with anyone, until I met Liayna. I do not care what anyone thinks. The only one that matters is like a brother to me, and he will understand. I want this, Kari. My heart is no longer content to live in the city. I am one of you now, and I want to devote my life to the Goddess, in return for all she has given me."

The old woman nodded, understanding his desire better now he had made it plain. "Pain," she warned, turning away to rummage in a waxed leather sack that appeared to hold all her worldly possessions, such as they were. Liayna grimaced faintly, remember the day her own mark had been placed on her. It had been several hours of quite localized stinging, and the days following had ached, but what was a few days to a lifetime of commitment"

Pain. What did he care about pain" He had been hurt and wounded so many times he had lost count. He had been tortured in Velasca's dungeon, until he had pleaded for death. What was a little bit of pain for a very important purpose in comparison to that' "I am no stranger to pain," he told the old woman. "I'm not afraid." He looked to Liayna again, a soft smile on his face. "I do this for you and for the child of our making, so that we will truly be as one," he told her quietly.

"Eat your stew," Liayna told him, fondness in every nuance of her expression and tone. "You will not feel like eating once she has begun. Trust me." At least he could be vaguely comforted by the fact that she, and every other Wild One, had gone through the marking themselves.

"Yes, aera. I will eat my stew," he replied with a smirk, amused by her admonition of him. He wasn't sure what all the fuss was about. It was just a tattoo, wasn't it' The Goddess had already embraced him or he would not have been healed, or so he believed. The tattoo was just a formality that would show everyone he had embraced her, as well. He took up his bowl without further argument, unable to wipe the smile from his face as he finished it off, soaking up the last bit of gravy with a hunk of bread.

As he ate, Kari worked, creating the dense black ink she would use to mark him. Liayna watched with interest as the spike was sharpened - she hadn't paid that much attention the first time around. And when Conall was finished eating, both women converged on him - one to hold his hand in such a way as to keep his forearm flat facing upwards against one of the tree stumps, the other wielding her noxious smelling ink. Kari didn't give him any warning, either, simply beginning the work that needed to be done with brisk stabs of the loaded spike into his tender flesh, stopping every few presses to wipe away the excess ink and load the spike once more. It was going to take several hours, but it would be worth it, Liayna hoped.

As for his part, Conall had endured far worse than this, though he had never spoken of it to anyone, save Liam, and then only when necessary. Though he had begged for death in the dungeon, they had not broken him as they had hoped. He had not succumbed to their questions or their wishes, no matter how much pain had been inflicted upon him. The spike reminded him a little of the torments he had endured and yet, this pain was more easily endured and of an entirely different nature. All through it, he never flinched, never groaned, never stirred, enduring it with the strength and courage learned from a lifetime of hard living.

It was close to sunset by the time Kari was done, all the while murmuring to herself in the old speech with Liayna offering a running translation. The old woman had done everything from ask the Goddess to accept Conall, to swearing when she had inadvertently stabbed herself with the spike, to crooning an ancient lullabye while she worked, but finally, she was done. She grinned at Conall, patting his head once again. "Nona's child, my child," she told him, moving to climb onto her feet and tidy up after herself.

At some point during the process, Conall's eyes drifted closed, feeling almost detached from his body, as though he was somewhere else, remote and far away, while the old woman stabbed at his tender flesh over and over again. The time passed quickly in that place, and before long, she was patting his head and claiming him as hers once again. There was pain, yes, but it was bearable. His muscles ached and his flesh felt as though it had been used as a pincushion, but it was still nothing compared to other pains of the flesh. "She means me, doesn't she?" he asked, turning forest green eyes to Liayna for understanding.

"Yes, she does," his aera told him gently, spreading a soothingly cool balm over his newly marked skin to help it heal. "I never knew Nona, but she was a good friend to Kari. At one time, she might have been ....I don't know the word. Something like an apprentice, but closer, a deeper friendship." As she talked, she laid a pad over the mark on his arm, gently wrapping it there with clean linen.

"Why does she keep saying I'm..." He broke off, realizing with renewed shock what it was the old woman had been trying to tell him all along. "She's my mother?" he asked, turning eyes wide with wonder to the old woman who was moving quietly about the camp, while Liayna tended to the mark on his arm that declared he belonged to the Goddess.

"Nona was your mother," Liayna explained quietly, glancing toward her grandmother. "She was very close to Kari. She could have married my father, but the Goddess gave her another path. Kari always talks about her as if Nona was her daughter, even though she wasn't. She is very glad to have found you, Conall."

Liayna · Date: 2014-05-12 13:39 EST

Rather than comfort, this latest revelation only seemed to cause him more confusion. "I don't understand," he muttered quietly, mostly to himself. "If Nona was my mother, then what happened to her" How did I come to be..." He hesitated a moment before continuing, the word sticking in his throat, "...orphaned?"

There was a pause as Kari answered him, choosing to speak in the old speech and let Liayna translate, rather than stumble through something that was clearly important to him. "She traveled with Kari to Phalion, and fell in love with one of Lord Farus' guards," Liayna translated carefully, wanting to get this exactly right. "She chose to leave Kari and marry with him, she bore him a healthy son. But they were caught in the Skarran raid and killed before the soldiers could regain control of the streets. You were given to the blacksmith and his wife, since they had known your parents best."

He listened intently while Kari explained and Liayna translated, picking up a word here and there of the old speech, but not understanding most of it. "But why was I never told any of this before?" he asked, looking to Kari for an answer, though the explanation might require more translating from Liayna. The blacksmith and his wife had been kind to him, but he had always known that they were not his real parents, and when they had died, the truth of his parentage had died with them.

As it stood, there was no need for Kari to explain that one. She simply sighed sadly as Liayna answered his query from between clenched teeth. "Arctrans and priests," she said viciously, before calming herself. "Phalion is a seat of power, and the Temple holds a good deal of it. I don't need to know the details to know that they kept everything about your family from you so that you would not be swayed from their Nine. So that you would not go looking for your mother's people. They do it everywhere, eniro. There are more Goddess-touched than you might know, but Arctran priests intimidate their parents, their caretakers, into keeping that a secret."

"But....it's a lie. It's as if my whole life has been a lie, until now," he pointed out, turning his face away from the two women so that they wouldn't see the conflict that was brewing inside him. He was not angry at the Gods who ruled Arctra, but at the priests who sought to control the lives of those they were supposed to protect. "What was my father's name?" he asked, wishing to know more.

Liayna shook her head, not knowing the answer, and looked to Kari. The old woman looked up from her satchel, frowning thoughtfully as she searched her memory for the name. "Neal," she said finally. "Neal Riorth." She pointed to Conall. "Smith keep part of name for you. Good man."

"Neal and Nona," Conall repeated the names, committing them to memory, feeling a sadness sweep over him that he had never known them. He'd had two sets of parents then, both a soldier and a blacksmith's son, of mixed blood, both of the Nine and of the Goddess. He had lived life both as an Arctran and as a Wild One and did not regret the choice he had just made. "You are family then," he said, looking to Kari again, not just because she was Liayna's grandmother, but because she had been close to his birth-mother, as well.

"Family," she agreed, nodding as she smiled at him. Not just because he was the mate of her granddaughter, the father of her unborn great-grandchild, but because of the deep love she had shared with his mother, a very long time ago. "You family, me family, Liayna family. Much love, Leniniya gives to share."

"Yes," Conall agreed, turning to Liayna once again and reaching for her hand, a soft but tearful smile on his face, tears of mingled sorry and gladness. "Much love," he repeated, as he looked lovingly upon the woman who had claimed his heart. There was nothing that could be done about the past, but he was grateful for the understanding of it, and somehow at peace with the knowledge that his birth-parents had loved him and loved each other.

His aera curled her hands about his, drawing him close as she wrapped herself around him, warm and gentle and deeply loving in the quiet.

Kari chuckled across from them. "Much love," she agreed once again. "You ride, you sleep. I see horses, I do ....things." In other words, she was going to give them a little privacy before she settled for the night herself.

He did not argue with either of them, trusting himself to their care, wrapping himself up in Liayna's embrace, his arms going around her to hold her close. No words needed to be spoken, the two of them understanding each other perfectly in the quiet of the evening, the love they shared evident in the soft looks and gentle caresses between them. Whatever worries he had been feeling when they'd arrived seemed to have dissipated. He was without a doubt right where he was meant to be. Whatever uncertainty he'd had about the future and his place in it had been restored.

He was a Wild One, chosen and loved by a woman who had always had faith she would find him. The blood moon was coming, bringing with it all their hope for the future of the land they loved so well. And perhaps best of all ....when the next winter had passed and the spring brought the equinox, he would be a father, honoring the memory of his lost parents in the best possible way. Through him, and through his child, they would live on, a pure example of the Goddess' promise ....that no one was ever truly lost, so long as someone remembered them.

((So Conall at last knows where he came from and where he's going. A war is not the best time for a baby, but if anyone can do it, Liayna can! Many thanks to Conall's player!))