In Which Ellona Is Prey to the Omens

August 23, 1180

It was about damn time that Neilor fired that steward. The man showed up late if he showed up at all, then spent half the day fraternizing with the maids and the other half napping at his desk. Any news that reached one of his ears wasted little time echoing off the walls of his hollow skull before bouncing out the other, and if someone called... well, that varied. Male caller? Possibly he'd get out of his seat, and possibly not just to pick a losing fight like he did if he'd started drinking a little early that day, but the odds of him announcing the guest's presence before he was distracted by some pretty young servant girl? Not exactly high. Female caller? Well, harassment was inevitable, so the poor woman would have to either leave, or push through and announce herself--or, if she was Raia, slug him across the face and tell him he must have lacked the required size for whatever feat he'd been implying.

But now, the one time he'd actually bothered to do his job, the person who'd shown up was...

...well, frankly the first person she would have preferred he'd drive away.

"Daughter." Ellona glowered. Her mother brushed some hair out of her face, other hand reaching behind her back as if for a hidden dagger. "You know, I've traveled quite far to be here. You could at least offer me a drink."

She would begin with the guilt. Elarys didn't even drink. "Neilor's not here."

"Never mind where your brother is." The edge of the violet eyes slipped beneath those practiced lashes. "I'm here to see you."

"Of course you are." Because why wouldn't she be, when she hadn't paid Ellona a shred of attention since she'd learned she was pregnant with Kaldar? Even if Elarys was the type to pay international social calls at whim, this would have been suspicious. "What do you want?"

"You assume I need some selfish ulterior motive to visit my own child?" She adorned her lips with a teasing curve and her brow with an offended twitch, but not even Elarys could mask her eyes. She knew as well as Ellona did that the assumption was not unfounded. "It's been a while since I last saw your pretty face, dear. And I've never even met my grandchildren."

And you won't, Ellona wanted to spit back in her face. Good thing Kaldar had a playdate with Sev, and Ella with Rennie. "They're not even here."

"That's quite all right. It's not as if I'll have any shortage of time with them."

"Sorry?" That couldn't have been right. Her mother hadn't been any more loving with Neilor growing up than she had with Ellona--less so, perhaps, as Neilor was a boy and as far as Elarys was concerned, no one with a penis could be anything but a pawn on her chessboard--but with that in mind, surely she wasn't foolish enough to think Neilor would let her stay with him long-term? Neither he nor Landus seemed at all starved for her love...

"Oh, perhaps I should have mentioned. Here." Her hand folded back behind her once more and returned this time with a scroll in hand--reasonably fresh parchment, perfectly curled, tied with a ribbon. "This will explain more thoroughly than I can. Even if it couldn't, it's best that you see it anyway.

"This is official business, after all. Can't leave any windows for legal liabilities now, can we?"

Official business? Legal liabilities? Ellona tugged at the bow and unrolled the document to be greeted by a black wax stamp at the bottom, a mark she vaguely recognized as that of a Dovian ambassador. Frowning, she snapped to the top of the paper and processed word by word, letter by letter, each bold stroke an omen in itself. If any part of her had dared hope for good news...

Well, no part had. But even knowing Elarys could not have prepared her for an edict such as this.

"What is this?" She dropped the scroll and jumped back, half-expecting it to explode in flames, the gates of Hell itself born of its ashes. "What the hell is this?"

"It's exactly what it claims to be: an intervention of guardianship." The words might have been honey on Elarys's tongue. "You see, dear... your children's father is a Dovian by blood, as is their maternal grandmother, and you live in a kingdom that has made little change to the law of its motherland. And while Dovian law does not outright prohibit an... unwed woman--" Her mouth sneered in some private joke. "--from raising her children alone, the right to seek custody belongs to any well-meaning relative of higher repute."

"Well-meaning?" If phrases had flavor, she'd just tasted bullshit. "Higher repute? You dare declare yourself my better when Landus is walking around with Sir Searle's stupid face on his head? And 'well-meaning' my ass! You just want a signature on Ietrin's stupid document, don't you? You want Kaldar to be king one day, never mind whether it's what's best for him. Hell, that's why you sent us to court, isn't it? You always wanted one of us to be Ietrin's mistress! You always wanted one of us to give him a son! You always wanted--"

"Oh, please. Consider all the factors I can't account for; nothing's stopping Princess Jedaline from having a son of her own, at least nothing I can influence." But Elarys held herself with the triumph of knowing even biology dared not stand in her way. "I am simply doing what any loving grandmother would do. Most don't bother with this law, lacking the spare affection to waste on bastards, but I wouldn't dream of standing idly by while my own flesh and blood are stifled under the thumb of a loose cannon of a woman such as yourself."

"Better a loose cannon than a scheming, lying bitch!" The blood in her eyes cast the world in red tint. She couldn't take this. She wouldn't take this. Her children, her babies. No. Not Elarys. "My children aren't going anywhere with you! I'll beat you at your own game. I'll have Neilor--"

"Invoke the same right I have?" It sounded much worse when practically laughed. "Pointless, I'm afraid. This is one law where 'first come, first served' can be and typically is applied. Now, if you were to find a husband, he could legally block my intervention, but... well, that doesn't seem too likely at this point, does it?"

Ellona scowled. One more barb and she swore she'd start breathing fire. "Shut up! You can't take my children. I won't let you! I don't care about any fucking laws!"

"Is that so?" The words could have been said innocently, but Elarys hadn't bothered to try. She'd even taken to grinning. This was how hyenas looked with bits of zebra in their teeth. "In that case, you might want to work on your choice of wording. I doubt you'll find a judge who allows for cursing in court."

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