In Which Severin Tells Most

November 11, 1157

"Well," Roderick began as Severin stepped into the study and closed the door behind him, "has anyone found any trace of her anywhere?"

Severin took a moment to study his cousin's face. Roderick appeared worried, but there was no doubt that he was more concerned about what this would do to his reputation than Geneva herself--and, given everything Geneva had done, Severin couldn't bring himself to blame him.

"Nothing," he replied at last. "We've searched the entire kingdom numerous times and we have yet to find any sign of her. I'm sorry, Roderick."

Roderick's gray gaze did not shift. "You've searched the forests?"

"Yes."

"The mountains?"

"Yes."

"The peasant homes?"

"Every last one of them. I'm sorry."

Pulling himself to his feet, the king sniffed. "Don't you be apologizing. I suppose in the end, I haven't really lost her--she never was fully mine to begin with, was she?"

"I suppose one could argue that," Severin mused aloud.

Roderick nodded. "Indeed. Now, Severin, I must know... did you know about any of her... gallivanting, shall we say?"

As cruel as the truth was, he'd been lying long enough; if he wasn't honest about this now, then who would be? Surely not Dalston, still overrun by the guilt of having slept with Geneva himself, and definitely not Octavius, who probably would have rather been kept in the dark had he been in Roderick's position. Perhaps Alina would, but he did not wish Roderick's wrath upon her--no, he would do this himself.

"Yes," he admitted. "We all did. But in all honesty... we never knew much. We all knew about her misadventures from before she married you, and then the affair with Aldhein came out in the open, but that was when she was pregnant with Leara. We all figured it was just the hormones, and that she would stop after that, and for all we knew, she did... until Cambrin and Lileina's wedding, that is."

"What happened at the wedding?" demanded Roderick.

"Well, she was caught with... my father," Severin admitted, settling on a sort of half-truth. Now that Dalston and Celina's relationship was finally mending, he felt no need to renew the whole issue by informing Roderick. No, he could not quite tell all--but perhaps he could tell most.

"Your father," Roderick groaned. "I should have figured. You must have been rather worried during her pregnancy--for all you knew, it could have been your sibling."

"Exactly," lied Severin. "Anyway, Roderick... I'm sorry no one told you sooner."

He was fully prepared for Roderick to start yelling, but to his great surprise the king merely shook his head. "Don't be. Had I known, I would have stopped sleeping with her earlier, and perhaps my babies would have never been born--and where would I be without them, really? Besides, she's probably dead anyway."

"Dead?" repeated Severin, rather shocked. "Roderick... I understand she humiliated you, but you can't seriously be wishing her dead, can you?"

"I am not wishing her dead," the king assured him. "I'm just saying that it's unlikely she's survived on her own this long. She isn't some sort of ranger--she's an earl's daughter, and she has no idea how to take care of herself."

"Fair enough."

"And besides," Roderick added as an afterthought, "she's dead to me anyway."

It was then that Severin caught sight of his cousin's left hand; he had to squint to be sure of what he saw, but in the end, his eyes had been right all along.

"Roderick," he addressed him cautiously, "what happened to your wedding band?"

Surprised, Roderick lifted the hand to his face and stared at it for a moment. "Oh. I took it off while I was bathing, and I suppose I just... never put it back on," he finished lamely.

Severin got the idea. "I see."

"Indeed," sighed Roderick, closing his eyes. "Now, I'm sure you realize that it is highly improbable that I will ever have any more children. God knows I don't ask nearly as much of you as a king should of a lowly lord, but I command you to go home and make love to your wife--and name me the godfather, because your next baby, cousin, will be the closest thing I ever have to my own fourth child."

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