In Which Riona's Pride Remains

**Trigger Warning

November 7, 1176

"...so after that, it's really no wonder that he's been unable to get out of bed for three days now. There are certain ways a man's back simply won't bend and we learned that the hard way--the fun way, mind you, but the hard way."

Riona wound up her tale with a devilish smirk and a nudge of her eyebrows. She'd taken a few liberties with the story--Isidro hadn't had that much trouble getting out of bed after an hour, much less three days--but she hardly could have resisted; there was a deliciously naughty pleasure that came from sharing sexual anecdotes in a chapel, and the dirtier the better.

Especially when one's audience happened to be a virgin. "Is... is he going to be all right?"

"Oh, he's fine." She dismissed Rona's concerns with a careless wave, taking a guilty delight in her friend's resulting confusion. "After all, just because a man's back gives out doesn't mean the other parts of him stop working. Just a quick switch of positions and we managed to finish quite well, thank you very much."

Rona's mouth dropped even further agape. Odd; Riona hadn't thought that possible. "No, I meant--"

"What? Oh, of course--how silly of me. Izzy should be back on his feet soon enough." Sooner than you think. In fact, now that she thought about it, her story might be thrust into suspicion when Isidro showed up with the girls that evening. She'd have to tell him to play along.

A troupe of traveling performers that were always in the area at this time of year had arrived in Naroni--and in a more recent tradition, Lorn and Leara were throwing a banquet, followed by a show from the mummers and minstrels. There was one old bard in particular who never failed to steal the show with his musical mythological accounts. He had a series of songs about the Argonauts which had enthralled Riona since she was a little girl; Rona, on the other hand, preferred his love ballads--Paris and Helen, Iphis and Ianthe, Hades and Persephone. He had a song for everyone, that bard, and it was no wonder few of the nobles ever missed him when he passed through.

Of course, such an event meant that the servants were preparing every corner of the castle for all the expected guests, which meant that the two of them had been exiled to the only room with any privacy left--the chapel. But Riona didn't mind at all; she was looking forward to this year's show even more than usual, since it would be a first for both of her girls as well as her husband. "Who knows? Maybe if Alya begs hard enough, he'll be able to will himself up."

It was only now that Rona looked at all skeptical--even if she did look more puzzled than anything else. Ah well, the fun had to end eventually. "Must be a persuasive little girl."

"Oh, you have no idea." She could just picture it now--invalid Isidro, summoned to his feet by Alya's rhythmic pleas of 'Up, Papa, up!'. The girl would have dragged him out of bed herself if he tried to ignore her. "She's loud and stubborn, like me. And then we've got Shahira, who's quiet and runty like Izzy."

Rona folded her hands in her lap and looked down. Riona half-expected some sort of mumbled protest about referring to her daughters as such things--as if they weren't terms of endearment!--but all she got was a melancholy sigh. "I wonder who my daughters will be like."

Riona could hardly claim it as a first language, but she'd been speaking Rona long enough to translate: I wonder what my husband will be like. "Ah, you'll nab yourself a good man."

Her friend stared up at her, a little disbelieving but somewhat hopeful nonetheless. "You think?"

"I don't 'think'; I know." She tried to mimic one of those sweet smiles her sister Viridis was known for; it probably looked disastrous, but at least the sentiment would stand. "I mean, look at yourself. You actually have breasts."

Rona's eyes bulged. "...eh?"

"Think about it. I had nothing going on there until I had Shahira--and even now it's not much." She got the sense that the other girl wasn't quite following. Why not? Simple math, really. "That's why I couldn't get anyone better than Izzy. You? You've got those on your side; you can have anyone you want."

"I couldn't have Lonriad."

"Lonriad's a banana-brain."

"He's your brother!"

"Doesn't make him any less of a banana-brain." And yet, Rona still looked a little hurt. At least there was one way to cheer her up--even if Riona kind of liked Asalaye. "But if it makes you feel better, they say girls with big noses are like statues in bed."

Finally--a hint of a smile. Pity that the slam of the door cut it short.

"You dare profane the House of the Lord with such filth?"

It was the new clergyman, that Brother Remiel. An icy surge shot through Riona's spine. The monk's anger was of the compressed, contained variety that somehow made it that much more intense, that much more alarming. He was not a raging volcano but he was steaming at the top, threatening to burst; each second he simmered gave the pressure time to mount and what hell would break loose when it could build no more. "Come here, girl."

Girl? Was that how he addressed her? His underlying rage was lessened by the biding of her own; she snapped to her feet and strode up to him, a hesitant Rona trailing behind. "That would be Lady Girl to you. My husband is a knight and my father is a lord."

"And you dishonor them both--hair loose and uncovered, cleavage peeking out like you're asking for someone to grab it, discussing the willingness of bedfellows in a chapel!" The flames rising in his strange eyes, he rose his hand. Riona braced herself for the blow, but it never came; instead, he pointed sternly to the cross above the altar. "Have you no respect for that? For Him? And to think--you're hardly the first I've seen these past months! This entire kingdom is a moral cesspit and everyone here is going straight to hell."

The smoke and ash spewing forth were as clear a warning as any. Riona briefly entertained the thought of grabbing Rona by the arm and dashing to the safety of Lorn's study, but it didn't fester long. It may have been the smart thing, but it was not in her nature to back down and nobody had ever taught her how to run. Her only instinct was to fight. "Well, at least you won't be there."

"Riona..." moaned Rona from behind her. "Riona, don't..."

Don't. She hardly knew the meaning of the word. "Or will you?"

Rona gasped--even Riona had to cringe at her own daring. Had she just-- had she really-- did she just ask if--?

Her panic sparked and melted to a perplexed disbelief. Brother Remiel wasn't saying anything. He'd only moved to cross his arms. It was like he hadn't even heard her. "Well, I'll be..."

He wasn't speaking to her but to himself. Riona glanced back at Rona, whose face matched well with her own thoughts. What on earth is going on here?

"Why didn't I sense it earlier? I never figured..."

This was too much confusion for her curious self to handle; against her better judgement, she had to ask. "Figured what?"

Without warning, he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her close, her brow inches from his shoulder. His hand crawled past her elbow like some overgrown spider as he leaned to whisper in her ear. "Don't you know, girl? You're not something that should exist. And yet--you do. What devilry is this, I wonder?"

His fingers jumped from her arm to the laces of her bodice, the tips of the outermost three grazing the exposed beginnings of her breast. She felt something inside her seethe, some untapped energy brought to life and bursting forth--only to flow right through the channel of his finger tips. The room began to spin. Colors faded and blurred and her eyelids struggled to remain upright. As the last of it drained, he released her; she felt like she was drowning and coming up for air all at once. "It's not much, I see--but it is something. Now, be a good girl and keep yourself out of trouble. You're a valuable specimen; can't risk anything happening to you, can we?"

She fell petrified as he pressed a stinging kiss to her forehead, then turned around and strode into the corridor, shutting the door quietly behind him. She wanted her daughters. She wanted Isidro and she wanted her father. More than anything, she wanted to lie down. She didn't think she'd ever been so weak.

"Riona?" She'd almost forgotten that Rona was there. How much had she seen? She couldn't have seen where he had touched from her angle... could she? "Riona? Are you all right?"

Riona swallowed. She thought she had a bit of breath left in her but she had to be careful with it. She didn't want to trip or stumble or faint. Whatever he'd taken from her, it wasn't her pride. "Let's... let's just keep this between ourselves, all right?"

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