In Which Searle Anticipates Yesterdays and Tomorrows

April 7, 1167

"Look, I know you aren't too keen on the idea," Searle's uncle sighed, his arms crossed and his eyes narrowed, "but please try to keep an open mind in regards to Valira. You must realize that she has just as little choice in the matter as you yourself." He raised the crook of his elbow to his face and coughed; a brief spell of illness had spread throughout the east side of the kingdom, and only Searle and a handful of servants had remained unaffected out of all the castle residents. Fortunately, the others seemed to be on the mend.

Or unfortunately. Maybe if they'd still been ill enough--and if the baron's family had still been ill enough as well--then he would have been able to sneak off to the pond to see that girl again. Never before had he been kissed just like that, as if their two pairs of lips had been molded for each other, their tongues fibers of the same tight thread. She had been willing, but not easy; when he had reached for her laces, she'd smacked his hand away, giggling as she told him, "Not yet, you silly boy!" Yet--that betrayed an intention.

What if this 'yet' had been meant to happen today? What if she was waiting for him at the pond right now? If he didn't meet her there, would he ever see her again?

His aunt gave him a quick hug, then stepped back and looked him over. "You seem a little edgy. Nervous?"

That seemed like a safe explanation. "I guess so."

In the next corner of the room, his cousin Jadin snickered. "Oh, come off it, Searle. She's just a girl--it's not like you've never seen a girl before."

Searle groaned; Jadin was not quite at the age where he should have started discovering girls, but much to everyone else's misfortune, he was rather precocious in that regard. "And if you really don't like her, just picture her naked. I know that always makes me feel more comfor--ow!" He cringed as his older sister delivered a swift kick to his shin. "What the hell was that for?"

Raia tapped her foot impatiently. "Stop being such a pig--unless of course you want me to tell Camaline you've been undressing her with your eyes?"

"And why should she have a problem with that? It's not like she's the only girl I--"

"Jadin, do yourself a favor and stop talking," urged his father, an unimpressed frown tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Miraculously--or perhaps with the help of a threatening glare from Raia--Jadin shut up. Satisfied, Searle's uncle turned back to him and offered a brief twitch of a smile. "She really is a spirited little thing; I'm sure the two of you will have a lot of fun together if you give each other a chance."

He wanted to believe him, but since he hadn't seen the evidence himself, he found he could barely even nod.

"Papa?" asked Viridis from the couch out-of-the-blue, Vera squirming beside her. "Will I get a party when my betrothed comes to call?"

Searle's uncle smirked. "Got anyone in mind at this point, angel?"

The eight-year-old nodded, her pin-curled hair bouncing about every which way as her head bobbed. "A prince!"

Shaking her head, the girl's mother laughed. "Ah yes, of course--a prince."

Searle caught sight of Riona and the two younger boys making faces on the couch--the idea of their sister's prince was quite the object of ridicule for them, no doubt. He glanced to little Vera to see if she shared their sentiment, but she only stared at the floor, the heel of her slipper rising and falling as she moved her little foot. Was she all right? She wasn't usually so quiet. "Vera..."

Before he could say anything else, someone knocked on the door. "We're here!" came the lilting voice of the baroness from the front room. Searle swallowed; his imminent doom had finally arrived.

"Come in," his uncle bade her and her party--this was it. Searle counted the seconds in his head: one, two, three...

The door swung open and in stepped the pretty baroness, little Thallie in her arms. The baron followed with Pandora, then Sparron and Jeda entered at his heels, flashing smiles around the room before proceeding to Raia and Jadin. "Sorry we're late," the baron apologized. "Holladrin had a bit of a coughing spell just before we left."

Searle's aunt frowned, her head tilting in concern. "Are you all right, Holladrin?"

"Oh yes, thank you," the baroness assured her. "It was just a slight delay--nothing to worry about at all, really."

Thallie writhed in her mother's arms, grabbing one golden curl in her fat little fist and proceeding to gum it. It was a rather nauseating sight; was this what he had to look forward too? Restless babies with nothing better to do than ruin his hair? What sort of a future was that?

His contempt must have shown, for as soon as the baroness turned away, his uncle cuffed him across the arm. "Be nice."

Defeated, Searle put on the largest, most obvious grimace he could muster and waved to each of the newcomers. His uncle didn't look amused, but he was past caring at this point. What did it matter what anyone thought of him? His life was effectively over anyway.

After a minute or so, the baron's squire trailed in, sending a nod Searle's way. "Searle."

Searle squinted; he normally got along fine with Garrett, but right now he was not so much his friend as he was the brother of his betrothed. "Garrett."

"My sister will be here in a second," the younger boy promised. "She's just looking at the tapestry in the front room."

She can take her time, Searle thought to himself. "I see."

"Oh, I'm sure you do."

It wasn't Garrett's voice--or even a man's voice--but it was familiar, and coming from near the door. Searle peeled his eyes from the other squire and glanced toward the source of the sound. He didn't expect his gaze to linger much longer than a minute, but...

Oh my God!

"What's the matter, Sailor? Feeling a little green around the gills?"

He could not believe it. He simply could not believe it.

"Searle, Valira; Valira, Searle," his aunt introduced them hastily before crossing the room to her younger two sons. "Lonriad! Stop purposely bouncing into your brother!"

That was probably the last thing he heard from anyone else for the rest of his stay in the room; whatever else was going on, he found he could only focus on Valira as she made her way toward him. "You knew it was me, didn't you?"

"That I did," she insisted, gesturing to her brother. "Garrett met my father and I at the border, and we rode back to my uncle's castle in a carriage. You and your cousin Raia were riding nearby and we could see you through the window, so Garrett pointed you out. I was out for a ride myself yesterday when I caught sight of you, so I decided to follow you for a little ways and not introduce myself."

In spite of himself, Searle couldn't fight the small smile any longer. "And what a non-introduction it was. Would you like to talk in private?"

She nodded. He took her by the hand and pushed past the crowed, leading her into his uncle's study and closing the door behind them. The exit probably hadn't looked good from the adults' point of view, but as far as he was concerned, they could think what they wanted; this was his betrothed, after all.

As soon as they were alone, Valira's features came alight with a blend of ease and relief. "I hate parties."

"Me too," agreed Searle.

"They're so stifling."

"And intrusive. When we have our own castle, let's never throw a single one."

"Agreed."

She leaned toward him, her white teeth revealed as her grin widened. "I don't see how so many people like them. There are much more effective ways of having fun--take yesterday, for example."

Was she reading his thoughts? "Yesterday was certainly the most fun I've had in some time."

Had that been the right thing to say? He got a wink for a reply--that was a good thing, correct? "Well, I suppose we're just going to have to make a whole hell of a lot of yesterdays, then."

Well, at least one of them knew what to say. Desperate to prove himself, Searle wracked his brain for something clever. "You know... we could make today a yesterday."

Valira blinked. Twice. Thrice. Perhaps it had not been the wittiest thing he could have come up with.

Then again, perhaps it had.

"You know what's got me even more excited than all the yesterdays?" he muttered as they parted after several minutes.

Valira raised an eyebrow. "What?"

He grinned. "All the tomorrows."

Her hazel eyes dazzling, she opened her mouth to respond, only to be interrupted by the frenzied, nervous arrival of Searle's youngest cousin. "Vera?"

"Are you all right, honey?" Valira asked the girl, turning around, her brow furrowed.

The little girl gave neither of them any heed--they may as well have been back in the other room with everyone else. She skitted a few feet inward, then let out a soft cry, shaking uncontrollably. "It's everywhere..."

"Vera?"

Her sister Riona had rushed in, the door swinging shut behind her. She too seemed oblivious to Searle and Valira, but for a completely different reason. "Vera, are you all right? I saw you come in here, and you're all shaky..."

She trailed off, as if expecting Vera to fill in the blank--she didn't. "It's all over everywhere. I can't see anything else--"

Thud!

The aftermath of the crash--for Searle, at least--was made entirely of sound. A woman's scream. A man cursing. A girl muttering the phrase 'Oh God' over and over. Voices blurred together--'What happened?'--'Check for a pulse!'--'Someone go for Laveria!'

Someone had fallen. On the other side of the wall, someone was lying on the hard floor, and Searle's boots would not move. All he knew of the scene was the sound.

His eyes, meanwhile, rested on Vera, wailing as her frightened sister tried in vain to soothe her. She lifted her head only once, and only slightly--just enough so that Searle could see her mouth the words "It's everywhere."

NEXT CHAPTER: