In Which Severin Witnesses Jericho Fall

February 16, 1166

The marriage of the Baron and Baroness of Hoprine was the first wedding Severin could remember attending. He'd been eight years old at the time, so it wasn't as if he'd never known either of them separately--indeed, Haldred was the brother of his stepmother, and Cladelia was Alina's sister--but somehow, he couldn't help but think of the pair as a unit. Hearing the name 'Haldred' unaccompanied by 'Cladelia', or vice versa, just didn't sound quite right for some reason.

Perhaps it was their dynamic. They were both passionate to the point of being downright stubborn, which had rendered them one of those couples who were constantly either at each other's throats or in each other's throats, exchanging screams and arguments and insults until they could no longer contain themselves and he took her in his arms and whisked her off to the nearest empty room, from which the carelessly loud sounds of wild, unrestrained lovemaking could then be heard. As soon as that was over, the cycle resumed.

Of course, on the off-chance that they did agree on something in more than the physical sense, then heaven help all who opposed.

But of the two of them, there was a more formidable one. One of them would not hesitate to take a man by the throat, or crack a vase over his head. One of them had no qualms about picking apart a person and applying insults directly to the most sensitive nerve. One of them could spend five minutes with a total stranger and find a way to make them wish they had never been born.

But for some reason, it seemed that Cladelia's thoughts were elsewhere; Severin couldn't tell if it was a ruse designed to catch him off-guard, or if she truly was distracted.

Either way, Haldred was the more verbal party at the moment. Trying to remain mindful of Cladelia, Severin shifted his focus to the baron. "Look, I told you--I was planning to send your son home as soon as his health improved. I wrote to Danthia explaining that and told her that she and Tivalia were welcome to come stay here if they saw fit; she declined the offer, since Tivalia had also been ill. He still hasn't quite recovered, so I would be reluctant to send him on his way alone, but now that you're here, you're more than welcome to take him back with you if that's what you think would be for the best."

"And rest assured that I will," Haldred snapped in response. "The boy's obviously troubled, and it won't do him any good to have bleeding hearts like you encouraging his... delusions."

Severin raised an eyebrow. "I'm not 'encouraging' him. While I know Danthia is a capable woman, Searle has a duty to her, and their daughter needs a father--however, who gets to choose who they love? I pity him, and I understand that he's hurt, but don't think for a second that I am encouraging this behavior. Now that you're here to escort him, Searle needs to go home and make things right with his family and try to move on with his life, and I can only hope you won't berate him for the whole ordeal with Riona."

He watched as Haldred grew tense, eventually lifting his boot a few inches from the floor and stomping like a child throwing a tantrum. "You can't honestly believe that he's the only one hurting, can you? I lost my daughter as a result of this twisted affair, you do realize!"

"Believe me, I'm sorry for your loss, but I don't think it's fair to pin the blame on your son. Sometimes things just... happen."

"And we were all just supposed to sit back and let it? What would you have had me do? Let them ride off into the sunset and talk Secundus into a match between Danthia and Nythran? I only did as our family has done for generations--of course, it isn't as if you would know anything about that, is it?" snarled Haldred as an afterthought. "Running off with my sister-in-law on the eve of her wedding?"

Seeing who it was he was talking to, it had only been a matter of time before that came up. He looked to Cladelia, as she had never failed to capitalize on that topic before and it seemed wise to get her rant over with--but she merely shook her head and ran a hand over her swollen middle. "Haldred, what the hell does that have to do with anything?"

Severin frowned. "Are you all right?"

"She's probably just tired from the journey," Haldred dismissed. "I told her before we left that she shouldn't be riding with a baby on the way, but as usual, she wouldn't listen."

"Shut up."

Shaking his head, Haldred turned away from his wife and back to Severin. "Look, just let me talk to my son--God knows that there are a lot of things that have to be said to that boy!"

"All of which you would be wise to leave to his wife," insisted Severin, feeling his frustration swell to dangerously near his breaking point. "You're all suffering, but she's the one with the reason to be angry with him personally. She can punish him for running off, but you can't hold a matter of the heart against the boy. You're his father, for Christ's sake! You're supposed to love him!"

Haldred's hand clenched into a tight fist, his scowl enlarged and his brows furrowing. "How dare you accuse me of not loving my son enough! My love for him has nothing to do with his disgusting obsession with his sister!"

"Perhaps not, but maybe if you had reacted more calmly this entire time, he might have been able to cope! Have you seen him lately? The poor kid is a wreck! A lost, miserable wreck! He needed your support, and all you gave him was your scorn."

"Severin?"

It was Cladelia who had spoken. Perhaps she was finally ready to make her move. He wished Alina hadn't opted to remain with the children; he could have used an ally here, particularly one who Cladelia loved.

His sister-in-law heaved her pregnant form from the couch and waddled to her husband's side. "Severin, just... just... please."

He frowned; he had never seen her so incoherent. Even when she was drunk, her words had always been a complete arsenal. "Haldred..."

She rested her head on her husband's shoulder, a tear running down her cheek. Shocked, Haldred brushed it away, then wrapped his arms around her and kissed her hair. "Lia? Angel, what's wrong?"

Her breath quivering, she buried her face in the nape of his neck. "Where... where did we go wrong?"

"Lia..."

Severin swayed in discomfort. He did not think he would ever see the day when Cladelia of Hoprine crumbled like the walls of Jericho, but now that he had, he was inclined to believe it the most tragic sight he had ever witnessed. "Cladelia, I don't think--"

"Shut up, Severin!" she choked between sobs. "The day you catch one of your sons with his t-tongue down the throat of one of your d-daughters, then you can come to me and t-tell me it wasn't you anything you did! Right now... j-just let me be! God, Haldred--we f-failed him! We... we failed both of them! We're horrible parents!"

Haldred shook his head. "Lia..."

"Don't you 'Lia' me!"

She shoved him aside with the force of a battering ram, then charged from the room at an alarming speed for pregnant woman, leaving the two men alone and thoroughly speechless. Cladelia Sadiel had always known how to catch a man off-guard, but so far as Severin was aware, this was the first time she had done so with no direct intention.

They stood in silence for several awkward minutes, until Severin muttered at last, "I'll have a room prepared for the two of you. You have every right to speak with your son, but please use your discretion. He's... delicate."

Haldred sighed, glancing over his shoulder after his wife. "He gets it from his mother."

"He's also stubborn and prone to holding grudges," Severin added. "That, I believe, he gets from you."

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