In Which Celina Sheds Light on the Odds

July 24, 1170

Celina squeezed Ovrean's hand and nestled herself against his side, glad for a rare moment of peace and quiet; Lord knew she loved her children more than life itself, but when one accumulated as many as she had over the years, one began to appreciate the slower moments. "You know, I hope those two learn how to keep themselves entertained before the new baby comes," she muttered in exasperated fondness, resting a free hand on the separate entity of her middle.

"And to think, the younger ones aren't even the neediest of them all!" Ovrean shook his head, then kissed her brow and exhaled. "Did you know that Jadin's here?"

She raised an eyebrow, but she couldn't say she was surprised; Jadin had been calling with a suspicious frequency lately. "Oh, really?"

"Indeed; in fact, I had to go break up the fight while you were tending to the little ones." He laced his arm under Celina's knees and hoisted her onto his lap; with the added girth of eight months' worth of baby, she had to marvel at his strength. "You know, my nephew is a good kid, but I can't blame Conant and Abrich for trying to beat the snot out of him just now."

Celina sighed. "Do I need to have a little talk with Xeta?"

"Not a very serious one, thankfully, but it might help." He pressed his forehead to hers and smiled; the movement of his lips, she could see, did in fact match the twinkling in his eyes. "I'm not too worried about Xeta not setting boundaries or Jadin trying to cross them once they've been established--I just don't see why the boys should ruin a perfectly good friendship over anything like this."

"Well, you know how children are." There was a knock on the door; speaking of children, it must have been one of them. "Come in!"

The door opened and inward trudged not one of the children, but Aldhein. "Your grace, Sir Ovrean; I hope I'm not interrupting anything?"

"You're not, but whoever sent you is, that's for sure!" laughed Ovrean as he pulled Celina nearer, the edge of her belly pressing well into his torso; Aldhein crossed his arms and glanced down at the floor. "Who needs to be recieved this time?"

"Your brother, sir." Aldhein's hand twitched against his opposite forearm. "He says he's been granted permission to relocate to Naroni and thought it would be best if he stopped by."

"Oh." Ovrean sunk toward the back of the bench; sensing a bit of discomfort, Celina hoisted herself off of him and stared downward--her red velvet kirtle, her wedding band, her bulge. "Might I ask which brother? I do have far too many of them."

The steward gave the barest and briefest of indulgent smiles. "Sir Tarien, sir."

Ovrean sighed. "Well, I suppose he's the least of four evils... actually, maybe not. At least he isn't Vulcran, though."

Aldhein frowned. "Is that a 'send him in'?"

"I suppose it is."

The other man nodded curtly, then left. Ovrean said nothing and appeared to have no intention of speaking without a prompt, so Celina turned to her husband and broke the silence. "Ovrean, do you have some sort of quarrel with your brothers?"

Much to her relief, he merely chuckled and slung his arm around her shoulders. "Oh, not at all! They're just a little... much, if that makes any sense. They're a bit like my sisters, only dumber--best taken in small doses, to be sure."

"Oh." She folded her hands and dug into her knuckle with her fingernail. "Do you think he'll be seeking accommodation while his castle is being prepared."

Ovrean pressed his lips into a thin line. "Probably. Also, if he makes a pass at you, just ignore him; it's like a reflex with him."

Skeptical, Celina shifted her gaze to her stomach. "I don't think that will be a problem."

"Oh, I wouldn't be too sure about that if I were--oh, Tarien. What a surprise."

Indeed, a tall blond man had made his entrance, his teal eyes--Laralita's eyes--darting between the pair of them. "Nice to see you Ovrean--and Celina! When was it last? Rudolphus and Eudocia's wedding, I believe?"

"That sounds about right." Her husband at her heels, Celina stood and embraced her brother-in-law--at least, as best she could with the added mass in front. Luckily, he had long arms, and his hand found rest on her upper back... middle back... lower back...

"Watch the hands," Ovrean snarled in warning. Startled, Celina backed away; Tarien tossed back his head and laughed. "Sorry, brother--a man just can't resist paying a lady a compliment, you know!"

"That is why the Lord gave us words." Ovrean's eyes rolled to the back of his head as his brother gave a smug grin. "Anyway, what made you decide to come to Naroni all of a sudden?"

"Plenty of reasons." Tarien folded his arms and shifted back and forth, as if he didn't feel the need to explain himself. "More land available for humble knights such as ourselves, for one. Also, you came here and found yourself a pretty young widow, so maybe I'll be in luck and find the same good fortune," he added, sending a wink Celina's way.

A half-amused glaze across his face, Ovrean snorted. "You would have been the last man I expected to be on the prowl for a wife."

The younger man shrugged. "After seeing what came down the aisle after they bound and gagged Vulcran at the altar, I figure I'm better off finding some saucy little thing for myself than letting Father pluck me some rotten apple that no one else dared pick--besides, it isn't as if I intend to be married right this second."

"And just as well, seeing as we're out of available saucy noblewomen right now," Celina informed him. She wondered what Alina might have said if her brother had come to her castle and told her he was thinking about finding a wife, but she soon chased the thought from her head; it was bittersweet to know that the only message Tarien could ever get from his sister now was the epitaph upon her tombstone.

How lucky for her that he could not read her thoughts. "Ah, well... perhaps I might start looking in the gentlewomen category, then? I've heard that hasn't worked out too horribly for Severin; hell, I'd marry a peasant as long as she was more interesting than whatever creature Father might pull from some lagoon and force upon me!"

Feeling a little devious, Celina smirked. "Tarien, if you aspire to find someone more interesting than a lagoon-dwelling beast, I hope you realize that your odds are quite slim."

"Ah! True!" He placed his hand on her shoulder and grimaced. "Allow me to rephrase: I am hoping to find someone I might consider to be the good sort of interesting."

"In that case, your odds are even slimmer." She flashed him a cheeky smile and watched as he sunk into a chuckling fit. "We'll have one of the maids prepare a room for you, if you like."

"That would be much appreciated, thank you," Tarien acknowledged her. "And if it ends up being that brown-eyed vixen I saw dusting in the front room, can you maybe ask her to stay and wait for me? There's nothing I love more than a dark-eyed woman."

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