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June 6, 1201
"See, Asalaye?" Adonis cooed as his newborn daughter's fussing ceased. "Uncle Sevvie may not be as handsome as Papa, but he's not that scary."
"Not the worst introduction I could have expected from you, really." Sevvie smiled as he stared into his niece's eyes, already so much like her father's. From the sounds of it, Alina had had such a quick and easy labor that only her mother and sister had been needed to attend to her--a lucky thing, as they wouldn't have had time to send for anyone else. As it figured, Sevvie's father and stepmother had been out visiting when Adonis's steward had arrived with the news, so he'd sent Alina and Viridis off to Cherry and Nythran's place to fetch them while he himself had made for Ravenhold.
In other circumstances, he might have gone for his parents himself and let his sisters see the baby straight away... but, he was only a few months shy of being a father himself. Seeing his niece wouldn't be the worst preparation for that.
Assuming, of course, everything went well. Yvanette's anxiety was such that he hadn't dared expect her to come with him--even though if Arydath had detected anything amiss yet, she surely would have said something.
"Well, when he introduced himself, he said he was 'the pretty one' of her parents," Alina snorted from the bed--not looking half-bad herself for a woman who'd just given birth.
"Yes, but that makes you the clever one--and, between you and me, the sexy one."
"Not feeling too sexy at the moment, so don't push your luck--but, then again, we are Kemorins."
As if Sevvie--never mind the baby--had just disappeared from the room for a couple of seconds, the two exchanged winks. There might have been some truth to the widespread notion that if a Kemorin found a fork in a long desert road with one arrow pointing toward the salvation of an oasis and the other marked for a conveniently-shaped rock, he'd go for the rock.
"Just don't make her any siblings too soon. She deserves to be the spoiled only child for a little while."
"Oh, Sevvie, you know me! She'll be spoiled regardless, even if we have twenty other kids to spoil."
Back on the bed, Alina gagged. "We are not having twenty-one children."
"All right, then: ten children, and eleven dogs."
"Adonis, I'm too tired to barter right now." Alina sighed. "Besides, she'll have a little cousin soon enough anyway."
Sevvie swallowed. He wanted to say he was certain that that would be the case--but, luck had never been much of a friend to Yvanette. "Lord willing."
"Don't worry, bro." Adonis lifted little Asalaye to his shoulder and rubbed her back through her blanket, kissing her tiny cheek before looking back to Sevvie. Adonis's eyes, Asalaye's eyes. Sevvie's eyes too. "Not sure how, but I know everything will be fine--and you know I'm always right."
NEXT CHAPTER:
April 28, 1200
"Um, not that I don't think you look great, but..." Sevvie bit his lip. He hated to bring this up on the day before Adonis's wedding, especially when their mother would have (perhaps rightfully so) smacked him for even thinking it--but, he'd damned if what ought to be one of the best days of his brother's life was ruined by senseless ridicule. "...do you really feel all right about wearing that?"
"It's fine, Sevvie." Adonis pushed back his hair and admired the crisp white fabric. "I'm a virgin."
That hadn't even sort of been what he was thinking. But, it wasn't as if that didn't raise its own set of questions. "Seriously? You and Alina always seem to be all over each other."
"Well, it isn't as if we haven't done other things--plus, we agreed long ago that the look on Grandfather's face if any of his descendants managed to wed in white would be well worth the wait."
"Hmm. I guess I'll grant you that." Yvanette had worn white, but she wasn't their grandfather's grandchild. Sevvie... had not been immune to the occasional bout of paid relief. Not before they'd wed, anyway--though, while he wouldn't dream of acting on it, Yvanette's dread of getting pregnant had led to some temptation on that front. "Mind you, I don't know if I got a good look at him when Lyssa got married."
"True, but Landus was in Carvallon for most of their betrothal." Adonis flipped the thought aside with a wave of his hand, but his grin didn't last much longer than that, the corners of his mouth slowly sinking to sobriety. "Speaking of people who won't be there tomorrow, though: I call Mother's name."
"Sorry?" Sevvie squinted. What did their mother's name have to do with anything?
"You know--for a baby. I call naming my and Alina's first daughter Asalaye. Obviously you'll want to use the name eventually, but I reserve the right to use it first."
"Oh." For Yvanette's sake, it was a relief to know that people weren't quite at the point where they were wondering about their lack of children yet. But--also for Yvanette's sake--he'd play along with Adonis for now. "Yes, that's all right. You were closest to Mother, plus Aunt Lettie could always get a granddaughter from Rennie before she gets one from you; I suppose our first daughter would be Yvanette's mother's first granddaughter, so she should probably have her name."
"Thanks, Sevvie. See, this is why I don't see what other sets of brothers are getting at when they think there's a problem with us never fighting." Mindful of his skirts--his wedding gown, after all--Adonis lunged in for a hug. "I love you, brother."
"I love you too." Sevvie returned the squeeze with a pat on the back--stiff, not so candid, but no less genuine. "And don't think I'll ever stop looking out for my loved ones."
NEXT CHAPTER:
November 18, 1199
"So. My brother got married."
Alina's lips twitched as Adonis joined her on the bench in his father's foyer. She hadn't smiled much in the past few months--not since she'd found out about... well, everything. It had taken her a while to tell him, even. And he was her boyfriend! Granted, some times, boyfriends were at the top of the list of people whose reactions could destroy everything. What Alina needed was understanding, and Adonis would have been one hell of a lousy boyfriend if he hadn't been able to give her that.
But, in spite of the circumstances... he hoped he could make her forget about all that every now and then too, if just for a few minutes.
"I know. It was ten minutes ago. I was there."
"Oh, so that was you; I couldn't quite tell from that angle." Adonis winked. "Could have been any beautiful woman from where I was seating. But, then again, I thought she was the most beautiful woman in the room, so I should have known."
"You should have--though, maybe don't mention that in the bride's hearing. Or the groom's."
"Lucky thing they've still got a line of well-wishers waiting to greet them, then. But next time, it'll be our turn."
Alina's pursed her lips slightly as her head shook toward the wall. "Mmmm... I'm fairly sure that Prior and Neva are getting married in two weeks."
"All right: Prior and Neva's turn next, then ours."
"Actually, I think that would be Wolf and Gennie on Christmas."
"Bah!" Too many weddings! But... at least she had mentioned Prior without any distinct hesitation? Prior, her secret twin brother who she hadn't known was her twin brother until very recently? "Well, it'll be us eventually."
"Providing you don't find a prettier woman in some other room," she teased as he slipped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her within snuggling distance. "Perhaps I ought to lock you down before that happens. When do you graduate, again?"
"The end of March, unless Aunt Raia plans to overhaul the entire university calendar in a very short space of time."
"Then I suppose I should marry you in April. I can't imagine have any other plans for your birthday?" She nudged his jawline with her nose and giggled--then pulled away somewhat, a puzzled grimace on her face as she met his eye. "All right, I just need to clarify: are we teasing here, or are we being serious?"
Adonis shrugged. "Do you want us to be being serious?"
"Do you want me to want us to be being serious?"
"Do you want me to want you to want me to--ah, I've lost track already. You do have the brains between the two of us, remember; I just got the gorgeous hair." And, if he hadn't caved to his little sisters' insistence on playing with it, he would have flipped that gorgeous hair for emphasis. But, for once in his life, his hair wasn't really what he wanted to think about. "I think I seriously just want to marry you on my birthday."
NEXT CHAPTER:
July 7, 1196
"All right, out with it: how do you manage to keep your hair so goddamn perfect after make-out session like that?"
"Why are you asking me?" Adonis pressed his forehead to Alina's with a playful smirk. "You're the brains of the two of us. I'm just the pretty face with the great hair."
"Well, if we end up having children, they'd better not all get your hair! I can't be feeling inadequate all by myself."
"Some might get my brains. They can feel inadequate about that."
"You don't have the brains to feel inadequate!"
She nipped him on the ear as he laughed, more than well enough aware that she was joking, because he did have the brains for that. And the lack of inadequate feeling, they both knew, wasn't anything to do with a lack of brains; it was merely enviable self-esteem.
"You know, it's a lucky thing none of your parents demand a chaperon."
Alina turned her head to see one of her roommates standing at the open door. Oops.
"What can I say? We're Kemorins," Adonis quipped as Yvanette made for the other bench. "All's well as long as no one's being forced into anything--and there's not much out there to which a Kemorin says no."
Yvanette's eyes narrowed. Really, the larger part of Alina was pleased to see that her housemate had grown more and more willing to leave her bedroom, but if only her timing could have been better. "Should I tell Sevvie you said that?"
"Bah, Sevvie's a prude. He must get that from whatever Indruion factor drove my aunt to become a nun."
"Adonis! There's nothing wrong with not having the Kemorin sex drive--or any sex drive at all, in your aunt's case." Alina smacked his hand in mock-scolding. "Besides, it's hardly a secret that Sevvie's not keeping it in his pants because he wants to spend his life chanting in Latin. Sevvie's in love, remember?"
"Woah, now--I think a little subtlety's in order." Adonis jerked his head Yvanette's way, aware without looking that she had leaned forward in her seat, eyes wide and lips pursed. "She's right there."
Or, perhaps only nominally aware that she was in the room at all. "Sorry?"
NEXT CHAPTER:
May 16, 1195
"All right. I'll level with you." Adonis--usually so eager to announce every thought that popped into his head--sighed. Sevvie hadn't been sure what to expect when he'd returned home to a concerned Morgan, telling him that Adonis hadn't been himself for the past while, but the thought of a withdrawn, isolated Adonis had been a little too past the bounds of belief.
"I'm in love."
"...oh."
That... made sense. Adonis was sixteen now, past the point when such a thing might be possible. And, well...
Adonis had never been... well, like other boys.
How to proceed? Normally? How had his father spoken to him, again, when he'd first told him he was in love? "And, uh, how is that going for you?"
No, that hadn't been it.
"Awful! It's only a few months before the new university term starts."
"New university term?" An older man? But surely a year or so age difference shouldn't have been Adonis's first concern! "Adonis, I don't know if that's such an issue."
"But it is! I can't compete with older men!" Adonis tugged at his hair. Not too many men at the university had those sort of well-groomed, luscious locks. "And don't try to tell me there won't be any competition, because there will be. I mean--it's Alina!"
Sevvie blinked. That... meant one hell of a wrong assumption on his part. "Alina?"
"You know, our cousin. Uncle Searle's daughter. Blond hair, blue eyes... magnificent breasts?"
Magnificent breasts. One hell of a wrong assumption indeed.
"I, uh... guess I never noticed that. Adonis, have you tried actually telling her how you feel?"
"I've thought about it. I don't want to risk our friendship, though."
And now Sevvie really could relate. If Adonis could walk around in dresses just because he liked them better, then maybe he'd have the guts to take the advice Sevvie himself hadn't managed to yet. "Adonis, as long as you don't throw a fit like some entitled prick if she doesn't feel the same way, the friendship will survive."
"And how are you so sure of that?"
"Because I've seen you two together, you idiot." Sevvie smirked, if only to distract from the other blue eyes inside his head. "She obviously benefits from having you in her life in some capacity or another, and it's clear that you'd rather have her as a friend than have nothing to do with her. Sure, it will hurt for a while, but you'll be all right in the end."
"You really think so?" His words weren't quite sure, and his lips weren't quite a smile, but Sevvie would take it.
"You know I wouldn't lie to you." Even if he was a giant hypocrite. "Just tell her, Addie. Give her the chance to think her feelings over."
NEXT CHAPTER:
October 31, 1191
"Adonis!" Alina nearly tackled her cousin right back down the stairs. "Thank God! I never get to see anybody outside of school!"
"That's not true. You see your mother and siblings."
"People I don't live with, I mean! Unless you count babysitting Cherry and Nythran's kids on occasion. Nobody ever visits me out here."
"Your brother does! And Prior said he and Neva came on your birthday."
"That doesn't count! My brother is my brother, and Prior and I always celebrate our birthday together." God. Even if it wasn't technically never... didn't he get that she just didn't have the same kind of social life that she'd had before she'd gone to live on campus?
"Do I even count, then?" Adonis laughed, tossing back that luxurious hair she privately envied. He was wearing his less-than-preferred silk tunic, as his father still didn't let him out of the house wearing dresses. Pity. People always looked better when you could tell they liked their clothes--not that Adonis ever looked bad. "I am your cousin."
"Cousins are different. They're more like friends. Hell, Rennie made out with Cousin Sev."
"Not surprising. We Kemorins are an attractive bunch." He smirked. "Figures that we'd all be attracted to each other."
"Well, Sev is a Wythleit, but I see your point." Better than ever since yesterday, when Sev had dropped by and she'd overheard him and Rennie discussing the possibility of courting once she started at the university. She hadn't told her mother, but Aunt Raia probably knew. Aunt Raia probably liked the idea of Rennie as a daughter-in-law. "But enough about my attractive sister and our attractive cousin. What shall we do today?"
"I don't know. I've never been to the inn here. Is it rowdy on a Thursday?"
To the point where it was a lucky thing her mother was so lenient with her and Rennie! "Let's just say that it's a good thing you're not wearing a skirt if you want to go there, because many a college man will chase anything in one."
Adonis shrugged. "Well, I don't care if they look so long as they refrain from touching. But if you'd be uncomfortable, we could do something else."
"No, the inn will be fine." She placed her hand to his shoulder and laughed. "We'll just stay close. They won't bother either of us if they think we're together."
NEXT CHAPTER:
May 13, 1189
Lonriad recalled his own childhood clearly enough to know that proximity in age was no guarantee that any two kids would get along, but animosity had been an unnecessary worry when it came to his Alina and her cousin Viridis. They'd seen each other often enough at school and family functions, but they'd had their own groups of friends and a lack of time alone had prevented them from bonding. Now that Lonriad was courting--he could scarcely believe it, courting!--Viridis's adoptive mother, however, the girls had forged a tight bond over a number of play dates, and had grown inseparable even among their other friends according to their Aunt Vera.
And what a relief it was. Alina was very much her mother's daughter, was a born leader with little patience, and Lonriad feared that many of her current friends would come to dismiss her as 'bossy'. Viridis, however, was always perfectly content to go along with whatever hi-jinx Alina had dreamed up. She wasn't a complete doormat, but she was easy-going and gentle, and any opposition she raised was more along the lines of persuasion than conflict. As far as friendships went, it was a match made in heaven.
So it was that Lonriad had begun to wonder if that was the case with him and Morgan. Surely it was far too early to say anything definitive, but he'd decided the minute he'd begun to feel he might attempt to find love after Asalaye that his most important measure of suitability would be his children. Alina liked Morgan nearly as much as she liked Viridis, so that made for one vote of approval. Honora, much shyer than her older sister, had been more cautious--but after a few meetings she'd opened up with some rare conversation, to the point where Lonriad could relax a little about the thought of her starting school next year. That was two.
He hadn't needed to worry about Sevvie. Sevvie got along with everyone. And besides, Sevvie had made the point to tell Lonriad before his second outing with Morgan that he'd fully accept any woman who could make his father happy. So that made for three. But it had to be unanimous.
And while he wasn't worried about Adonis disliking any woman he courted... well, there was always the worry that other people would take issue with Adonis.
"Morgan, can I have a kitten?" It was only the second thing Honora had said that afternoon apart from a quiet 'hello'. She wasn't usually so direct. Lonriad would take that as a good sign.
Morgan smiled. "I believe that would be up to your papa, sweetie."
"He says they make him sneeze."
"Oh." The smile went to a grimace as she locked eyes with Lonriad. Morgan, he new for a fact, was quite fond of cats. Had she been the lady of the house, she would have been quite pleased to gift her stepdaughter with a kitten, and even more pleased to be able to play with it herself. But she wasn't the lady of the house, and that left her between overstepping the boundaries of Honora's surviving parent and disappointing Honora herself. "Hmm."
"Maybe if you kept it in your room," Lonriad offered as a compromise. "And as long as I didn't have to take care of it."
"I'd take care of it, Papa!"
"I do believe she would," Morgan agreed with a wink. "Her siblings could help too."
Lonriad sighed--defeated, but not entirely unhappy. "I'll consider it."
"Yay!"
"What are you so happy about, squirt?"
Damn it. Lonriad looked over to corridor and swallowed.
He'd come to accept the fact that whenever possible, his second son would choose one of his cousins' hand-me-down dresses over his own tunics. Adonis was overall a well-adjusted child, friendly and enthusiastic and clever enough, and Lonriad had conceded long ago that there were far worse things he could have been doing than wearing girls' clothing.
That said: he'd wanted to mention this to Morgan before Morgan ever saw Adonis in a dress. If Morgan objected, then, well... she'd never be the lady of his house, no matter how much it pained him personally. But if she did object, he'd rather she not do so to Adonis's face.
Adonis, bless his heart, didn't think anything of it. "Hello, Morgan!"
Nervous, Lonriad glanced over at Morgan's face. If he saw any trace of disgust or ridicule, then he'd have to do something before his son got hurt.
But Morgan greeted him with a friendly grin, as if a ten-year-old boy in a dress was a thing so ordinary it bordered on the mundane. "Hello, Adonis. I hope you've been well?"
"Very! Our cook has been teaching me how to make pastries."
"Oooh! I love pastries!" Morgan bounced in delight at the mere thought. Lonriad would have to commission an extra dessert for tonight. "What have you made so far?"
"Nothing on my own yet. But I might get to make a pie next weekend."
"What kind of pie?"
"Pecan."
"That sounds delicious. You'll have to save me a slice."
"You should come over the day I make it!" Giddy, Adonis turned his grinning head to Lonriad. "Can she, Papa?"
Well. She could now. "Of course."
"Excellent! Maybe Viridis and Alina could gather some wildflowers for a centerpiece? I'd rather my first pie be served on a table worthy of the occasion."
"Maybe your Aunt Vera will allow us to bring some from her garden."
"Yes, please ask her!"
As the details continued to bounce between the two of them, Lonriad winked at his youngest daughter. "You know, Honora... I think I have a good feeling about this."
NEXT CHAPTER:
January 16, 1185
"Come on, Addie." If it wasn't in both of their best interests, Sevvie didn't make a point of telling his little brother what to do. In certain situations, maybe he had rights as the eldest, but he didn't want to abuse them, and if he thought about it--though he'd never say it aloud--Adonis's happiness was more important to him than a seat at the top of some half-imagined ladder. Normally, he took no issue with Adonis doing as he pleased.
But today was different. It wasn't Adonis's fault that he got picked on, and while a firm fist to his tormenters' noses was a more appropriate solution... well, for the short-term, for what the adults called a 'bandage solution', there were a few things Adonis could do to make himself a less obvious target. That thinking put the responsibility with the wrong person, and ninety-nine times out of a hundred, Sevvie would have clocked anyone who suggested it.
But today was their mother's funeral. Today was the one day that nobody--nobody--was going to pick on his little brother, no matter what Sevvie had to do to make sure that happened. Today, like yesterday and the day before, was bad enough.
"Please just put something else on?"
"No."
"Addie--"
"No. Mama would have wanted me to wear what I want."
Sevvie sighed. Mama wouldn't have wanted them in black. That would have meant she'd wanted to die. "Mama wouldn't have wanted you to get picked on at her funeral."
"Papa won't let any bullies come."
"He has to if their own parents make them come." As for the other thing... well, Adonis was only five. That was too young to deal with the sad truth that the parents of bullies weren't always much better than their children. "Papa can't protect you all day. He misses Mama too." And that went for Sevvie as well. Being the oldest also came with burdens; he'd had to take care of his little siblings, and he needed some quiet time.
He missed his mama too.
"But Mama wanted me to be myself."
So she had. But who could ever be themselves at a funeral? Would they ever get to be themselves again, now that their mama was gone?
"Addie..."
"Boys?"
It was their grandfather, apparently having left their papa to Aunt Raia and Yvanette's father, their sisters to their other grandfather and Aunt Nanalie. "Everything all right?"
"I'm trying to tell--"
"He won't let me--"
"Boys." Their grandfather shut the door and stepped forward, head bowed. He was so tall. He wasn't the tallest man Sevvie had ever seen--their papa was taller--but his grandfather never had to look up to meet someone in the eye. Maybe that was why he was so calm today. Tall people never had to look up to heaven, meeting the eyes of the dead. "One at a time. Addie?"
"Sevvie wants me to wear something else." Accusing. The poor kid didn't know that Sevvie was on his side. I'm always on your side, Addie. We have to stick together now. "But Mama would have wanted me to wear what I wanted."
"All right." Their grandfather nodded Sevvie's way. He took to rocking on the balls of his feet, nervous. Another problem with being the oldest was that you always took the blame. "Sevvie?"
"I..." He looked down to his grandfather's boots, to the gold trim of his brother's skirt. Death made the world so big. Or maybe it made him so small. "I just don't want him to get picked on today..."
"I see." His grandfather smiled, at least with his mouth--probably the most anyone would manage that day. "Thank you, Sevvie." But the smile didn't fade when he turned back to Adonis and bent over for a hug, with no intention of making anyone change.
"I'll tell you what; you just stick by me today. Nobody will pick on you while your scary old grandfather is around."
NEXT CHAPTER:
