In Which Electra Learns the Meaning of Always

October 3, 1156

Electra had the prettiest wedding gown in her entire village. Her mother-in-law had made it for her, and all the other girls were terribly jealous. Alyssin had spent hours on Electra's hair as well; the Countess of Valcria wore her hair in the same fashion, as did King Farilon's niece. For once in her life, shy, awkward Electra felt confident and beautiful... but why was she hiding away in this bedroom? It didn't make any sense to her; why on earth didn't she want to get off of this uncomfortable bed?

"Electra?"

She looked up to see her young brother-in-law seated at her bedside, wearing his best clothing and his worst expression. "Electra? Can you hear me?"

"Florian?" she addressed him, somewhat surprised to find the boy in her bedroom. "Why are you here?"

He didn't answer; perhaps he couldn't hear her.

"Florian?" she asked once more.

This time, he chose to respond. "Yes?"

"Where is he?"

"He's with Arydath," answered Florian dully. "The baron and Lord Severin went to find a woman to nurse him."

Hamrick was sick? But she was perfectly capable of nursing him back to health herself; why would they need to find another woman? Who were these men, anyway? Since when did their family associate with barons and lords? And this Arydath... why was she with Electra's husband?

"Electra?"

She cocked her head slightly. "Yes?"

Florian sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I did this to you--all of this. I wish I could've loved you like Hamrick did, because you deserve it. I wish even more that you had someone you could love like you loved Hamrick. I was in your way, and I pulled you down. I'll never be able to forget that, and I... well, I'm sorry."

Electra frowned. "Florian... what are you talking about?"

Again, no answer. She knew that young boys tended to suffer from selective hearing, but this was getting ridiculous.

"Florian, will he be all right?" Electra inquired of him, glancing up at the ceiling in an attempt to prevent her tears from falling.

"He'll be just fine," he assured her. "He's a survivor... like his mama."

That was true. Alyssin was a strong woman, and Hamrick was very much like her. She had raised him well.

Hamrick was a survivor; Electra had always known that.

"You look beautiful, Ellie," he told her, his smile lighting up his handsome features; he certainly didn't look sick.

Electra returned the grin. "Hamrick."

"Hamrick?" repeated Florian, visibly confused. "Electra, what are you talking about? Hamrick's been dead for years."

If the boy was trying to make a joke, it wasn't very funny.

"I can see him, Florian," she insisted. "He's right here."

Suddenly, she was filled with the will to stand. She placed her feet on the ground and pulled herself off the bed.

"Electra!" Florian cried, a note of panic in his voice. "Electra, don't go! Stay with me! I'll try harder! I'll--I'll... I'll make myself love you! I swear it, I will! Please, just... don't go."

He sounded scared; the poor child. At first, Electra had thought he was just playing, but now it seemed as though he was going mad.

"Florian..."

"Please... stay with me," he continued to beg. "Not for me, not if you don't want. Electra, Evera needs you. And... our son. I can't do this on my own, Electra! I've never been strong like you."

More nonsense. What an unfortunate, addled youth he was! She would have to talk to Alyssin about this.

She comfortingly brushed her hand through his silky golden hair as she walked past him. Florian took no notice of this; he just placed his hands over his face and started to cry, something that the Florian she knew never did.

"You didn't think I'd really leave you forever, did you?" Hamrick asked her as she drew nearer.

Electra shook her head. "You never left me."

"That's right, Ellie--and you know what? I never will."

He kissed her with a passion she had never realized could exist. Even their wedding kiss had been nothing compared to this, this dance of tongues that held entire histories in its motions. She wanted to know this kiss forever; the only advantage to his ever letting go would be the possibility of experiencing that kiss again.

"I love you, Ellie," he whispered as he took her hands in his own. "I love you, and I promise you that I'll be with you forever."

"Forever..." she sighed dreamily. "Forever with you... I love you, Hamrick. I'll always love you."

"We'll be together, Ellie. Always."

One look into those eyes was more than enough to let Electra know that he meant every word of it. "Always."

NEXT CHAPTER:

In Which Arydath Captains a Doomed Vessel

October 3, 1156

Arydath's mother possessed an almost supernatural ability to predict the day's events based on the location of her headaches. Front of the head, and something surprising would happen; left of the head, and tragedy was inevitable. A headache in the front-left of the head, therefore, meant that some sudden, unexpected terrible thing was about to occur.

Arydath herself had never put much faith in her mother's superstitions as a girl, but that morning, as the front-left of her head continued to sear, she couldn't help but wonder if maybe there was maybe some basis to the idea.

She sincerely hoped that there wasn't.

"You all right?" asked Halford from Electra's kitchen table, big stupid grin on his big stupid face. God, Halford could be such an idiot; wasn't it obvious that she wasn't?

Oh well. After all, Arydath did like her men big and stupid. And it wasn't as if he was stupid all of the time--just most of the time.

Arydath took a moment to regain herself, removing her hand from her head and placing it instead on her hip. "I'm fine, Halford. I just have a slight headache, that's all."

In an uncharacteristically solemn manner, Halford nodded, then turned his gaze to Lyraina and Evera, who were playing together on the floor with Noah and his ark.

If nothing else went right today, at least the two of them looked very cute. Arydath, personally, was amazed at how quickly her daughter's hair had grown; it was now necessary to braid it at the side, so it wouldn't be in Lyraina's way when she played. She only wished that she and Halford could afford a prettier dress for the girl, but at least she was healthy, unlike some of their neighbors' babies.

Those arks were fast becoming the most popular toys in Naroni. They had really caught on recently in Dovia, and were now making their mark in the daughter-kingdom. The prince and princess had recieved one from their grandfather King Farilon, and Lord Severin's father had also sent one for Raia and the sibling that was expected in November. The duke and the baron had been so thrilled by the children's love of these toys that they themselves had imported a pair, and now Lord Severin had taken to having the carpenter in his nearest village make one whenever he felt the need to bestow a gift upon a peasant. He had given Evera hers, and Lyraina also had one, as a token of appreciation for Arydath's help with the women's labor.

Labor. That was why Arydath and her family were there, she remembered as Electra waddled in from behind Evera's curtains.

Electra wasn't supposed to be due for another week, but a side view of her stomach told Arydath differently. That baby was as big as he could possibly get without bursting from her abdomen. He wanted to get out, and very soon, at that.

At least the mother-to-be was looking much better than her usual, flustered self these days. The girth of the baby had required Electra to stop wearing that shapeless dress and apron she'd been walking around in before. Now, she donned a much more flattering pink and brown outfit that, even though it showcased her pregnancy, somehow made her look much slimmer. And her hair! She had taken the time to comb out her tangles, and with her now silken hair out of her face, it was obvious that she was a much more attractive woman than anyone had originally given her credit for.

Needless to say, Arydath had been somewhat reluctant to let Halford tag along, but she had a nagging feeling that it would not be the worst thing to have him around.

"How's he doing?" asked Arydath as she turned around, trying hard to mask her ailment with a smile.

"Kicking quite a bit," Electra answered promptly, "but I don't mind. Shows he's alive, right? How are you so sure it's a he, anyway?"

Halford grinned. "If Arydath says it's a boy, then it's a boy. She just knows. Every time she delivers a baby, she tells the mother what it'll be, and she's never been wrong."

"Oh, never mind that!" Arydath scolded him. "Let me listen, Electra."

She hurried to the pregnant woman's side, then pressed her ear against her belly.

"Can you really hear him?" demanded Electra in wonderment.

"Most people can't," admitted Arydath in a murmur, "but I've got good ears, I guess."

"I wouldn't say that's the only good thing you got, Arydath!" Halford laughed from his chair.

Arydath frowned. "Shut up."

The kicking sounds were both strong and frequent, even moreso than she had expected.

"He's coming today, Electra," she assured the other woman. "Definitely today. Lucky for you, it'll probably be a quick labor."

Electra smiled warmly. "So he's really coming. I still can't believe I'm going to have a baby..."

"You'll be a great mother," Arydath told her. "I'm sure little Evera will be happy to have a playmate."

"Oh, for the love of God! She's eleven months old! How the hell is she supposed to know that Electra just hasn't been eating a lot of cake lately? Jesus!"

Florian had emerged from the bedroom. Unlike his wife, he had been looking worse for the wear as of late; the bags under his eyes had darkened, and Arydath could see several ribs poking out of his torso. Also, he didn't seem to have any qualms about his guests seeing him wearing nothing but his loincloth. Great--now Halford would probably accuse her of ogling him when they got home.

"You all right, Florian?" Electra inquired of him.

Florian bit his lip. "Uh... I don't know. I'm feeling sort of... faint."

His wife shook her head. "Then go lie down, you silly boy!"

"But I heard Goodwife Diarn say the baby was coming today," he protested, "so unless you're planning on having this baby on the dirt floor, then you'll want me out of that bed."

Not wanting to take either side--she didn't want to admit that she herself did not know whether Florian or Electra had more valid reasoning--Arydath turned and stared at the clouds outside the window. She'd really hoped that her headache would be gone by this point, but it seemed that it was only worsening.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Florian suddenly stumbling forward.

"Florian?" Electra addressed him.

"I'm fine," he insisted. "I just... kind of..."

It happened both quickly and slowly. It seemed to Arydath like a series of images scratched onto some ancient temple wall; his arms flew to his core, he bent forward as he struggled to breathe, his eyes closed and widened and closed again...

And then, he fell.

"Florian!"

Electra was quick to rush to his side, to check his breathing, his pulse...

"Is he all right?" Arydath choked. "I mean... he's not..."

But now, Electra was standing, a look of panic on her face.

"Arydath..." she whispered gravely, "I think... I think he's coming. The baby."

Suddenly, that belly looked much smaller than it had moments before. It wasn't time; it couldn't have been time. The baby just wasn't ready.

Or maybe Arydath wasn't ready.

"Arydath..." Electra gasped between strangled breaths. "Arydath... help..."

Help. That was why she was there; that what she had come to do. And it was all she could do--she could not fail.

Not today.

"Halford," she addressed her husband, trying desperately to remain calm, "I need you to get to Veldora as quickly as possible. Find Laveria, and send her here. Then, I need you to alert the baron. Today is not going to be one of the easier days we've spent in this land."

NEXT CHAPTER:

In Which Florian Discovers a Butterfly

June 6, 1156

"So have you thought about what you're going to name it?" asked Thetis out-of-the-blue, ruining a perfectly good few minutes of silence.

Florian raised an eyebrow. "Name what?"

"You know; the baby."

"Oh, that," sighed Florian. "I don't know. Have you thought about knocking whenever you come over here?"

He found the girl's company tolerable, at the very least--not that he would admit it--but she did have a tendency to walk in at the most awkward of moments, such as ten minutes prior, when he had been giving himself a sponge bath. At first, he'd vaguely wondered whether or not she did this on purpose, arriving just as he was in various states of undress, but he had dismissed this on the grounds that it was self-flattery. As he was now, he very much doubted that even his mother would call him a handsome man, much less the closet romantic of a fifteen-year-old girl who inexplicably reminded him of a caterpillar.

Thetis laughed. "If you're so uncomfortable, then why haven't you gotten dressed since I've been here?"

"Oh, well at first I didn't know it was just you," he sneered at her. "I only jumped because I thought it might be someone important, like his lordship, or even the baron."

This was supposed to be an insult; she was supposed to slide herself down from atop Electra's kitchen counter and run away, crying. But instead, she simply smiled. "So you admit you feel comfortable with me?"

"Why shouldn't I?" Florian muttered under his breath. "Don't flatter yourself by thinking I wouldn't."

She shrugged. "I don't know. I guess you just seem kind of shy."

"Shy?" he repeated, thrown off entirely. Never in his life had he ever been called 'shy'. He knew he was reclusive, but 'shy' suddenly seemed a different thing in every sense, everything that he himself had never been. Someone who was shy was afraid of people. Florian wasn't afraid; he just liked his space.

"Yes," Thetis replied. "I know you're really a nice enough person, but you act all tough and mean and bitter because people scare you."

Now, Florian had to laugh. "People don't scare me--and I'm not nice."

"I don't believe that."

"Well, you should, because it's true."

She opened her mouth to protest, but was interrupted as Electra made her way through the front door. "I'm not sure if you two children realize this," she greeted them, "but we do have chairs."

"Chairs are overrated," Florian insisted, watching closely as Electra waddled over. She was still wearing that shapeless dress he hated so much, probably because she thought it hid her pregnancy. And really, for the most part, it did; she barely looked any bigger than she had six months earlier.

"And so are pants, I take it," sighed Electra. "We have a guest, you know."

Florian frowned. "It's just Thetis."

Electra rolled her eyes. "It shouldn't matter whether it's Thetis or the queen; if we have company, you greet them with your pants on."

"From what I've heard of the queen, she'd be taking my pants off anyway."

Thetis giggled slightly, but Electra's eyes widened in controlled shock. "You'd like that, wouldn't you, Florian? Anyway, Thetis, how are you?"

"Not bad, I suppose," she lied; Florian got the feeling there was something she wasn't willing to tell, probably something to do with her husband. "Yourself?"

"Likewise."

Was this how conversations between two healthy people went? Florian couldn't remember; it had been a while since he'd been around two healthy people at once, excluding baby Evera. It must have been nice to have a conversation with someone who didn't think you were in danger of keeling over any minute, he realized now.

Shame that he would probably never know that feeling again.

Suddenly, Electra blurted out, "Thetis, please let me do your hair."

"Sorry?" asked Thetis, looking somewhat surprised. Florian didn't blame her; he wouldn't have pegged a woman who didn't even bother brushing her own locks as someone who liked to play with other people's hair either.

"I'll put it back up before you go home to Norwan," the older woman promised her. "Oh! That reminds me, I found an old dress of my mother's in my chest the other day, and I'm pretty sure it's just your size."

Thetis frowned. "I don't know, Electra... your mother's dress... and my hair is a little unruly..."

"Please, I'm going to need some practice if you expect me to keep Evera looking nice when she's older," Electra continued to plead softly.

"Electra..."

"Oh for Christ's sake, Thetis!" snapped Florian. "Just let her do your damn hair, or she'll insist on doing mine instead!"

"Oh, but you wouldn't fit into her mother's dress," Thetis assured him as she hopped down from her perch upon the counter.

Electra smiled. "So you'll humor me, then?"

"I suppose there's not harm in it, yes."

The two of them then proceeded to the bedroom, Thetis in the lead, Electra following slowly as a result of the baby.

His baby. God, Florian still couldn't get his head around the thought; his baby, Hamrick's wife. Life was cruelly ironic, especially considering he didn't even like babies.

But on the other hand, it felt good to finally pay Electra back for everything she'd done for him. And this would be his mother's first grandchild--realistically, her only grandchild.

Maybe it was a girl. If it was, he would name her Alyssin, after his mother; it seemed only fitting that her first and only granddaughter be named for her. He wondered if she would look like his mother... or perhaps she'd look more like Electra. It didn't really matter, though, since he sure as hell wouldn't be with her for long.

Speaking of babies, one was crying.

"Dammit, Evera," he hissed as he pulled himself off the chest and made his way to the baby's crib. One of the few benefits of death; no whining babies to look after.

"You know," he told her as he lifted her from her bed, her wide eyes upon him, "most babies actually sleep..."

Those eyes. Thetis's eyes, that peculiar blue-green. Before he'd met Thetis, he'd never known that exact shade, but now, it was everywhere. Some of the clothing lying around the house, the wildflowers growing outside, the baron's family crest...

Evera in arm, he slowly prowled past the bedroom door, surprised to hear girlish laughter from the other side. He didn't understand it, personally; dressing up wasn't particularly fun. On her own, even Electra didn't enjoy it, but apparently, it was more pleasurable with company.

Still, Florian wasn't about to invite Goodman Diarn over and ask him to try on Hamrick's wedding tunic for no other reason than sheer amusement.

"You hear that, Evera?" he inquired of the infant as he held her to his shoulder. "That's called 'silliness'. It's a feminine trait--you'll be like that too one day."

One day... one day, when he himself would be no more.

It must have been a good twenty minutes before Evera settled down, and Thetis and Electra still hadn't returned from the bedroom.

My God, Florian thought to himself as he began to cart Evera back to the curtained enclosure, what is taking these women so long? If I want to tie my hair back, it takes me all of five seconds--and if I want it down, all of two. I daresay someone could make a career out of women's hair. Maybe some day.

"All right, you sleep now," he instructed Evera sternly as he placed her in the crib once more. "And if you absolutely can't, then at least have the decency to not start crying on me."

"Florian?" came Electra's voice from behind him.

"One second."

Florian made his way back to the kitchen, where she stood.

"Would you like to see Thetis's new look?" she asked him.

"Not particularly," he answered, "but I suppose you'll make me anyway."

Electra was unimpressed. "You know, people would like you a lot more if you actually start acting like you give a damn."

"Why should they like me? It's not like I'm going to be here much longer."

She choked slightly. "Florian..."

"Oh, it won't be too bad, will it?" he tried to reassure her; he figured she deserved it. "Just think; in a few months, you'll be able to go find a nice man and settle down with lots of babies, just like you've always wanted."

"Florian..."

"Shut up, Electra."

"Flo--"

He silenced her with a kiss... all the while wishing she was someone else. A decent man would have felt guilty, but all the same, he knew Electra herself was thinking only of Hamrick.

"Well..." she breathed as their lips parted, "I'll... just... tend to Evera while you wait for Thetis, shall I?"

"You do that."

Inwardly grumbling, Florian pulled up a chair at the kitchen table and sat. He vaguely remembered his mother and Electra parading around in their gowns the night before Hamrick and Electra's wedding; he hadn't particularly enjoyed himself, he vividly recalled.

The bedroom door opened, and suddenly, all he was capable of was staring. With all that giggling, he'd been given no idea of what to expect, but surely, most definitely... it had not been this.

"Well?" the lovely young creature addressed him, her voice that of the scrawny, rather matronly girl he'd known less than an hour ago. "What do you think?"

He'd been struck completely dumb. No longer was she the little caterpillar sitting on the counter. No, she had made that bedroom her cocoon--and now, here she stood, a butterfly, beautiful, strong, full of the life he himself lacked.

"Florian?"

He couldn't answer her. There was no way that the likes of him were even allowed to speak to the likes of her, pretty young butterfly girls with silky hair and ornate gowns. Even a frumpy little bumblebee such as Electra was above him, he who was nothing but a half-squashed spider on the soul of somebody's boot, so surely this exquisite wonder was a princess to him, a queen, perhaps even a goddess. He could hardly stand to look at her; that would be sacrilege.

"I, uh... I need to talk to Electra..." he began in barely more than a murmur, lifting his unworthy form from the chair and walking past that most divine young lady who had suddenly appeared in his humble home. He could not look at her--he simply could not bear to look at her.

A soft hand took hold of his wrist. Florian had no choice but to turn around; it was the will of what must have been more than human.

"Florian, if you don't want to be friends, you can just say so," she whispered, making a point not to meet his eye.

He didn't know what to tell her; he supposed the truth would have to do.

"I do want to be friends with you," admitted Florian, a feeling of incredible vulnerability he hadn't experienced in years suddenly coming over him. "You don't want to be friends with me. Trust me."

He'd never before noticed the subtle rose of her blush, as beautiful and distinctive as the color of her eyes. If there was a God, Florian failed to understand why He had chosen not to include those colors in the rainbow; those two hues were a symbol of a divine promise all their own.

"I wish I'd known you when I was younger," he continued, "or healthier. I would've turned out to be a better man than I am today. I'm sorry that you have to know me now."

She chose not to reply with words, but by simply taking his hands in her own.

"I'm not."

For a moment, they did nothing but stand there, until finally, she released him. Florian couldn't help but smile. His sense of security had returned to him, though at that moment, there was not a single cynical thought in his head. It was an odd feeling--the two normally went hand in hand.

"You look beautiful," he told her. "Absolutely beautiful. There is no possible way you could look any better."

Her smile, however, proved him wrong. "Thank you. You, uh..."

"...don't?" Florian finished for her, a slight grin playing on his lips.

Thetis shook her head. "I think you look better than you think you do."

He was taken slightly by surprise when she embraced him, but after the initial seconds of shock, he found a certain guilty pleasure in the interaction. She really was worlds beyond his own comprehension, this girl. How she had ended up marrying that bastard Norwan, he would never understand; a lady such as this belonged with the Duke Dalstons and Lord Severins of the world, not among angry, smelly trolls.

"Would you... maybe stay for supper?" he asked her tentatively, not sure whether it was a yes or a no that he feared more.

But the moment that color met his eyes, he was invincible.

"I'd like that."

NEXT CHAPTER: