In Which Falidor Calls at a Girl's House

February 2, 1156

So this is her house, Falidor thought to himself as he took a minute to observe the building. It didn't look too different from his own--only a little smaller, and with fewer windows. Of course, three people didn't need a big house, especially if one was only a baby; they were probably more comfortable than his own household of seven.

Oh, but he was being an idiot, thinking himself less fortunate than Thetis. It was Thetis, after all, who was only fourteen and married to an abusive man more than twice her age, as well as the mother of a pair of separated twins. Falidor had his own share of tragedies--his father had died not too long ago, and his mother was gravely ill herself--but at the end of the day, he could rest assured that all his family loved him; Thetis barely had any family at all.

He couldn't help but feel a little foolish as he approached the door. Sure, his lord had told him to do this, but all the same, it felt weird; he'd never called at a girl's house before. He barely even knew Thetis. She had lived with Lord Severin and Lady Alina for most of the time he had been Lord Severin's steward, but he'd only really ever passed her in the halls, spoken maybe a dozen words to her at most--would she even remember him?

Biting his tongue, he rapped his knuckles against the door.

"Come in," came the girl's voice from inside.

Well, that's definitely better than 'Get lost', he admitted inwardly as he opened the door.

He stepped into the house, closed the door behind him, and caught sight of Thetis standing only a few feet away, her back toward him, Byrn in her arms.

"Good morning, Thetis," he greeted her.

She turned around and grinned. "Hello, Falidor."

So she did remember him; that was a good sign.

"Hello, little Byrn," Falidor addressed the baby. "You've gotten big since I last saw you. How does your little mama carry you around?"

"Oh, he's no trouble," Thetis insisted. "Anyway, why are you here, Falidor?"

"Lord Severin sent me," he answered, trying hard not to meet those wide teal eyes; they made him feel rather nervous. "He thought you might want to visit your daughter today, so he sent me to escort you, and a woman should be along fairly soon to look after Byrn."

Thetis gave a small nod. "Well, that's very kind of him."

"He thought you would appreciate it," agreed Falidor.

"Yes, well... I'm just going to put Byrn down for his nap, all right?"

He couldn't help but watch her as she made her way to the cradle, a slight sway in her hips; giving birth, Falidor decided, had done wonders for her previously boyish, boxy figure. Now, though still thin, she did have a woman's curves--had she had this body before her marriage, she would have surely caught a better man than Norwan.

She placed the baby in his bed, then looked up at Falidor and smiled. "So, how are you, Falidor?"

"Me? I'm fine, I guess," he replied sheepishly. "How about you?"

"Not too bad, considering my husband's gone for a few days," she told him.

Falidor raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"He has some business back in Dovia. Probably went to buy a potion from some witch--see if it will make his hair grow back."

"I wonder where else he doesn't have hair," he joked--then he remembered he was talking to an innocent little girl, barely older than his sister Nora.

However, Thetis laughed. "Oh, there's hair there! He's lucky that way--it makes it look bigger than it actually is!"

"Maybe that's what the growth potion is for, then!"

Her laughter continued. Falidor had never made such jokes with a girl before, or at least never had amused her with them; it felt oddly good. Still, he never would have expected this dirty streak from sweet little Thetis.

"But seriously, though," she countered him, one eyebrow cocked. "I don't think any amount of potion can do anything about that."

If he'd been joking with some village whore, his immediate reply would have been "Well, you would know", but he didn't think Thetis deserved that sort of accusation; it wasn't her fault she had to sleep with the man. "He's just kidding himself, then," Falidor finished lamely.

Someone knocked on the door.

"Well, that'll be the woman Lord Severin sent, I guess," Thetis mused aloud. "Ready to go, Falidor?"

"Sure," he answered dully, suddenly distracted by a spider on the ground. "Whatever you want, Thetis."

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