In Which Garrett Does Not Have One of Each

October 21, 1180

Red Severin--both dark-haired little boys on the floor were named Severin, and both were called Sevvie by their fathers, so Garrett had taken to distinguishing them by the color of their shirts--was Valira and Searle's younger son, the only child they had brought with them as their other three were plenty old enough to spend the night with only the nurses about. He and Karlspan were less than a year apart and played together well; Red Severin was by far the more outgoing of the two, but while many children his age might have been frustrated by quieter playmates, the boy had nothing but patience for his shy, mild cousin.

Blue Severin was Lonriad and Asalaye's eldest. He wasn't mean, but he seemed to prefer animals to other boys, if the plight of poor captive Sheba was any indication. His little brother, scared of the bigger boys as year-old children often were, clung instead to his father's tunic.

Garrett couldn't be sure what he might have done with little Karlspan if his brothers-in-law hadn't had the good sense to bring their own sons along. He would have done what he could for the boy, of course--what sort of horrible father wouldn't try to comfort his son when the only mother the kid had ever known could very well be in mortal peril?--but if he'd been the one distracting Karlspan, wouldn't that bring further emphasis to his own worries? Karlspan's preoccupation with his little cousins and the presence of the other men were the only things holding Garrett's own sanity in place.

Not that the men were doing the greatest job of it.

"Maybe Nanalie's at an advantage? You know, being a midwife and all." Searle's suggestion was a misguided attempt at reassurance where distraction would have been preferred. "She knows what to expect, and how to best compose herself. And she's not the sort who's prone to panic if something goes wrong, so extra stress shouldn't be a problem."

As if to punish him, Lonriad didn't only nod in agreement, but apparently felt the need to contribute. "Plus you know how everyone listens to Nanalie. She's probably nagged the kid out already, no problem."

Garrett glowered at them both. At least his father-in-law had the sense not to make such comments. But then he remembered that Nanalie's mother had died birthing her youngest and suddenly that wasn't any better. "Er, so... surely you've heard my uncle's thinking about throwing a tournament? Planning on entering?"

He drummed on the desk, fighting to keep a grimace in place as his brothers-in-law took their sweet time answering. Too much time.

And after all that--two shakes of the head.

"If I'm going to get that messy, I'd hope to have a better reason than some vanity contest of brute strength."

"And you think I'd risk this pretty face? What does that leave my poor extended family to refresh their eyes with after a glimpse at my sister's husband?"

His father-in-law's forehead collided with his open hand. Garrett could relate to the sentiment. "Really, nobody likes winners' purses any more?"

"What's the point? It'll just go to Casimiro or Ashe or Neilor anyway. Or Isidro, if he forgets his helmet and the mere sight of his ugly face scares his opponents right off their horses." Lonriad shrugged, planting a kiss on his little son's head before steering right back to the conversation Garrett had been trying to avoid. "What about you? Is your new little mite going to be able to see his daddy fight before he has the chamberpot figured out?"

For Christ's sake, if the next phrase out of your mouth isn't--

"Oh, hello Valira."

That hadn't been quite what he was thinking. Regardless, Garrett swallowed back some misplaced nerves and turned his head. His sister had indeed emerged from the birthing room.

And not unaccompanied.

Whatever the hell they'd been talking about forgotten, Garrett scrambled to his feet. "Nanalie--"

"She's fine." Valira gestured for him with a jerk of her chin. "Get over here."

Relieved and grateful beyond the point where disagreement was possible, Garrett did as he was told. Not that he needed to be told.

A little face stared at him: tiny baby lips in a half-imagined smile, a nose far cuter than whatever horror he'd braced himself for, eyes that were his own but somehow better. He hadn't expected this calm so soon. He'd been caught off guard. He was in love.

"Hello." He stepped forward and ventured a small wave; hazel eyes followed his hand. "I'm your papa."

The baby blinked. Valira propped up the little bundle for a better look at Garrett's face; this one had missed out on big brother Karlspan's newborn fear of large noses. "You're just adorable, you sweet little... uh, what--?"

Valira smirked. "She's a girl."

"A girl!" His heart somersaulted. Not sure how he wasn't bouncing off the walls, he glanced at his little son on the floor. "Here that, Karl? You have a little sister."

Karlspan dropped his doll, beaming. "Yay!"

"'Yay' indeed! Did Nanalie name her, or...?"

Valira nodded. "She wants to name her after her mother, if that's all right with you."

"Of course! Isn't this great, everyone? Now we have one of each." And he cemented that fact with a kiss to his daughter's brow. Nanalie was alive. Karlspan was glad to be a big brother. And the baby--his little Honora--was the sweetest little girl he'd ever seen. It was nothing like Karlspan's birth, what ought to have been a celebration marred by poor Elhina's fate, what he'd kept trying and trying and failing to tell himself would not happen to Nanalie as well. He did not think he'd ever been happier. He did not think he ever could be happier. Surely this was the pinnacle of happiness. How could it not be?

What could possibly make him any happier?

"Um... Garrett?"

It was his father-in-law--still quiet but no longer tense, calm and perhaps a little amused. But of course he would be. He had a new granddaughter, after all. "I'm not sure that's quite correct."

Eh? "Sorry, I don't quite--" Behind Adonis, a mischievous Searle gestured to the door.

Huh. Perhaps it was possible to be happier. "She didn't look that big."

"She is a tricky one, my sister." Mindful of Garrett's third child--holy shit, he had three children!--Asalaye kicked the door shut behind her. "You're lucky that they don't look the same."

Garrett took a minute to glance back and forth between the babies. It was true that they weren't identical--or even alike, really, despite being equally beautiful. They both had his eyes and they both wore them better, and they both had a few wispy strands of similarly brown hair, but that was where the similarities ended. There was the tiniest hint of a bump in the bridge of Honora's nose, and perhaps slightly more definition in the other's chin, and maybe some difference in the overall shape of the face. That would be more than enough.

Well, except... "So, this one--"

His sister and sister-in-law shared a giggle before responding in time. "Girl."

"Then we'll name this one for my mother. Hear that, Karl?" Garrett didn't have to look at his son to know the little mite was smiling. "You have two little sisters!"

"Yay, yay!"

And if ever Garrett needed two words to sum up this day, he couldn't think of any more fitting than those.

Yay, yay.

NEXT CHAPTER:

In Which Nanalie Tells Someone

Hi all. Just in case you're at work or school, there's some nudity in the first few pictures. It's completely non-sexual and the most you'll see is a nipple, but regardless, maybe save this one for when you get home.

May 24, 1180

It was probably time to start telling people.

If she studied her reflection head-on, Nanalie saw little difference, but when she turned to check her profile it was sure enough: not a large bump, but significant enough that there was no longer any sense in being mum about it. It couldn't have been a great idea to stretch her usual dresses much further either; might as well make it official and start wearing something more accommodating.

Damn good thing she hadn't come to that conclusion yesterday, though. She couldn't say she'd cared for her stepsister's husband--even before he'd gotten himself drowned in a ditch, she'd figured Melria could do better--nor had she and her stepsister ever been close, but it couldn't have been appropriate to make what was effectively an announcement at a funeral.

She would visit Melria soon enough, she supposed, but perhaps she would ask Avine to break the news beforehand. As recently as a week ago Nanalie's father had said that Melria was hoping for another baby soon, and while Nanalie had no doubt that she'd marry again eventually, her stepsister's form at the funeral hadn't suggested that she agreed. It probably wasn't the best idea to show up at the door of a grieving young widow wearing something that might as well have had the word 'Baby' embroidered on it.

Ah, but what did Melria have to do with Nanalie's baby? Melria's misery didn't mean that Nanalie couldn't be happy. She'd maybe send Garrett over with some biscuits, and perhaps a little something for Melria's daughter. She'd keep a sensitive distance until Melria had had some time to adjust, but what else could she do? If that was selfish, so be it.

Nanalie thumbed through the gowns in the armoir and settled on a white silk. Technically, it was a nightdress--but the material would stretch without breaking and it was hardly as if she'd worn in the previous night. She slipped it over her head, then pulled out a front-lacing tunic that could improve the look somewhat; if nothing else, she recalled seeing Had's friend Raia in something similar?

It would do, for all the white was impractical. She grabbed some pins from a box beneath the row of hems and pulled her hair up, slipping the little wires into place, shaking her head a couple times just to make sure they held.

Yes. That would have to do.

"Nana!"

Smiling, she turned around to see her little stepson toddling into the room. He was such a sweet little boy--even if he did tend to be lazy about knocking. "Did you grow since last night, Karl? You look taller."

Karlspan beamed as he drew nearer. Nanalie took mercy on his little legs and stepped away from the armoir to meet him partway. "All that sleep must be working." He pouted--too old for naps, no doubt. Nanalie laughed softly to herself and, mindful of her womb, bent over to pick him up.

"One day, you're going to be a big tall man like your papa." She hoisted him up and he tapped his own face. The poor boy hadn't dodged Garrett's rock-crushing chin, but that wasn't what he meant. "Yes, you'll have a beard too."

Karlspan giggled. "Why don't women have beards?"

"Because women have enough to worry about without adding shaving to the list. Ever tried to lace up a corset?" He shook his head. "Lucky."

Another giggle. "That's silly."

"You're silly." She tapped him on the nose; he was a little big for her to be 'stealing' it, but she supposed she'd have another victim for that soon enough. "And big. Don't mind me if I take every opportunity to hold you, because soon you'll be too big for me to lift."

Karlspan's foot grazed her stomach. Something moved within her, as if to kick him back. "You're big too."

Nanalie swallowed. Her stepson was a polite little fellow who knew better than to comment on ladies' bodies, even in jest. More to the point, he wasn't the sort of kid who liked to state the constants; if he made note of something, it had changed.

Garrett knew, of course--seeing as he saw her naked as many nights as he didn't--and Arydath knew, as she always did... but Nanalie had yet to tell anyone. She'd supposed Asalaye would be the first, or perhaps her father. But surely Karlspan had just as much right to know? It was his little sibling, after all.

"Well, that's because you're going to be a big brother."

He blinked. He was more than old enough to understand the concept of siblings, even though he wouldn't have one himself for another five months. Garrett had siblings. Nanalie had siblings. Most of Karlspan's little friends had siblings. He'd probably figured out by now whether he'd wanted them or not. She just hoped that if he didn't--

"Really?"

A row of tiny teeth peeked out through a wide smile.

Well, so much for whatever she'd been thinking. "Mm-hmm. And you'll be a good one, too."

NEXT CHAPTER:

In Which Nanalie Gets an Invitation

September 3, 1178

"Not exactly your usual self, are you?" Nanalie teased as little Karlspan tugged at the sleeve of her tunic. She got the laugh she'd wanted, but it was hardly Garrett's usual hearty chuckle--just a forced, almost pained choke of a snicker. A dull ache throbbed within her gut. Not that it wasn't nice to know that Garrett had a serious side, but this was... confusing, to say the least. "What happened?"

"You really want to know?" She nodded. He watched as she bounced his son in her arms a couple times, his mouth caught midway toward a grin but weighted down with some bitter anchor--sort of like the way her father used to smile for her stepmother when he was thinking of her mother. "Kiddo's birthday is coming up and instead of a nice toy or something, his grandmother got it in her head to get him a new mama."

Whimpering, Karlspan clung to Nanalie's shoulder. She tousled his fine gold hair before shooting a frown toward his father. "The queen set you up?"

"Well, I'm a grown man and she's not my mother, but she's trying." And if that sigh was anything to go by, she was going to keep at it. "I guess I get it--she wants her daughter's only child to have a mother--but I wish she wasn't trying to get an alliance out of it too. The woman she brought over yesterday? Niece to the Queen of France."

For a count's second son? A mere knight? "Maybe you should have gone for it. Is she pretty?"

Garrett shrugged. "Pretty enough. She didn't seem all that comfortable around little Karl, though. And while I'd like him to have a mother, I don't think it was be much of a service to him if I married just for the sake of that. A kid should get to see what love is, you know?"

Not something she would have expected to hear from a noble who'd been set up with a queen's niece, especially if he'd already married another queen's daughter. Then again, maybe he was low enough on the ladder that politics weren't everything, or at least not for a second marriage. Lonriad was a knight, after all, and a lord's third son; God knew he hadn't married her sister for the connections. "I see."

Garrett's mouth twitched, but his eyes didn't seem to want to press the matter. Fair enough; if he'd gone out of his way to visit on a lonely day when she would have otherwise had the house to herself, she supposed the least she could do was change the subject. "So... you have a birthday coming up?" she asked the toddler, prompting a smile--a real one, she was pleased to see--from his father. The little boy nodded. "Fun! How old?"

He held up two fingers, which was a little surprising in spite of the math; most two-year-olds Nanalie had known were not nearly so reserved. Nearly a year of knowing him now and she'd only recently earned the trust required to hold him. Then again, maybe she ought to have been flattered. The only other person who ever got to hold him was his father. "Two! Practically a man!"

He flashed her a quick view of his tiny, gap-ridden teeth. Behind him, Garrett twisted his wedding band. "I think he wants to invite you to his party."

"I wouldn't have guessed this little fellow liked parties."

"He doesn't, but Grandmama insisted." Garrett shook his head, his lips settling into a sheepish grimace. God damn, he smiled a lot, and not just when he was happy. And yet... would he have looked like himself, not smiling? "He might enjoy himself a little more if you come, though. He really likes you--don't you, Karl?"

The child answered by tightening his hold on Nanalie's shoulder, a wad of cloth bunched up in his tiny fist. It had always bothered Nanalie when her little siblings tugged on her clothes, but in spite of old experience, she didn't mind so much with Karlspan. "I'll be there."

Big surprise--Garrett beamed. "Great."

NEXT CHAPTER:

In Which Nanalie Is Promised a Good Sense for Eggs

July 13, 1178

It had been a late night, but rising early enough to make everyone breakfast was a habit that died hard. Nanalie stifled a yawn as she headed down the steps, trying to keep herself awake by debating what she would cook. The kids were probably sick of porridge. They hadn't had bacon in quite some time, but she didn't think her father had butchered a pig recently enough. Perhaps she could do something with eggs? Or berries, perhaps? Plain old bread was nothing special, but if she whipped up a quick jam...

She didn't get a chance to finish that thought. "Umm... what are you doing here?"

Chuckling, Garrett turned his head and greeted her with a smile. He had no upper lip to speak of, but he more than made up for it in chin. "Kiddo here seems to like playing with your sister, so I figured it was worth a shot stopping by. Lucky for us, both Thetis and your father were up--and lucky for me that you are too, now."

Nanalie figured she'd be better off not acknowledging that last bit. "Where is my father?"

"He went to collect some eggs." The man sprung to his feet and stepped around the couch, still grinning all the while. How he kept that up without exhausting the face muscles, she couldn't guess. "He's been out there for a while, though."

No doubt weighing eggs against each other and holding them right up to his eye and changing his mind time and time again. Nanalie rolled her eyes. "He takes egg selection a little too seriously."

Garrett laughed--again. What was that, exactly? He laughed more in five minutes than Nanalie laughed in entire days. Must've had some sort of strange snickering disease. "All the better for the lot of us, I'd say. By the way, thanks for helping out with my cousin's baby last night."

Eh?

Right. Garrett was Sparron's cousin. Of course, Garrett would have still thought Camaline was the mother... "Worked out well, with both your cousin's wife and Lady Arletta laboring in the same castle. Kind of a long night, though."

"You do look tired." He glanced her over quickly, but at least he had the tact not to comment on her summer nightgown. To think--of all the days not to dress before coming down! "Good news, though--when your father brings me those eggs, I'm making you breakfast."

Umm... "You cook?"

"Oh, yes. Rather well, actually." Hardly a thing most men--much less, knights--seemed to boast about. Then again, Garrett wasn't really 'most men'. "I spent half my childhood in the kitchens, scrounging around for spare cakes. God, I was fat."

Wiry thing like him? Nanalie snorted.

"No, really. Ask any of my cousins; you should have seen me before Uncle Octavius whipped me into shape. My horse had to ride me."

Of all the images with which to plague an exhausted mind. "I can't imagine that was comfortable."

He chuckled. Now that she thought about it, his voice wouldn't have sounded right without the constant interjections of folly. "Anyway. Not the point. Point is, I picked up a few tricks from my parents' chefs, and I'm about to make you and your family a damn good breakfast."

"Really."

"Cross my heart." Yeesh. She couldn't if she tried. "Your father's not the only man around with a sense for eggs."

Hmm. Odd wording, but in all of human history, he could hardly have been the first to make that claim. "I'll believe it when I taste it."

NEXT CHAPTER:

In Which Nanalie Gives an Exit

October 12, 1177

"Everyone's fine!"

Pandora's enthusiasm was enough to make Nanalie cringe. It had felt right to let the baroness's eldest be the one to tell the rest of the family, but maybe she ought to have walked the girl through it first. Yes, the baroness was doing well--and yes, so was the baby. But the birth was barely over. There was still time for some problem to arise.

Two younger boys dropped their pretend swords and Thallie looked up from the toddler she'd been entertaining, wide grins on all three young faces, but the baron and his eldest seemed to sense that they weren't out of the clear just yet. Sparron bit his lip and stared at the opposing wall in some silent, open-eyed prayer. The baron took a second to collect himself before looking up at Pandora. "Your mother?"

"Smiling and laughing with Arydath and Camaline."

"And the baby?"

"Fat!" She practically giggled the word, as younger onlookers tended to do. Nanalie had attended enough births by now to realize that the concept of 'fat' as a positive was lost on young maidens. "The good kind of fat, though. Healthy fat."

"Boy or girl?" piped up one of Pandora's little brothers from behind Nanalie, prompting an eye-roll from their sister Thallie.

"Boy."

Nythran and Farilon raised their hands and leaned in to clap them together. The girls shared a glance and snickered--like they wouldn't have done the same thing if they'd been that age and had a new sister. "Does he have a name? Can we name him?"

"Mother wants to name him for Uncle Oswald." Pandora shot her little brothers a warning glare, then turned back to her father. "What do you think, Father?"

The baron stood, his heir following suit. "I think your mother can name him what she likes. Mistress Indruion? Is it all right if I bring the children in to meet their brother?"

"I don't see why not, although Mistress Indruion was my mother."

"Very well." He glanced toward his younger children and nodded toward the door. Thallie abandoned the small boy on the floor and took her sister by the hand, practically dragging her back into the room. Nythran and Farilon followed, a little less enthusiastic but grinning nonetheless. "Thank you for your assistance, Mist--Nanalie."

"My pleasure, my lord."

He shook her hand, then proceeded to the room, Sparron at his heels. That left Nanalie with the toddler.

Odd. She could have sworn that until today, seven-year-old Farilon had been the baron's youngest. This boy was barely more than a baby, not even old enough to get excited about the new family member. Still, she wondered why he'd just been left here. Surely someone would have thought to pick him up...

"Oh, that one's mine."

Startled, Nanalie wheeled about to find a young man sitting on the couch, an amused grin the smooth oasis between the angular nose and the rock-crushing jaw. Thick brown brows peaked to let the twinkling eyes beneath shine unobscured--hazel eyes like the baron's and the new baby's. "Just wait until he turns his head; poor boy could have taken that castle with his chin if he hadn't been taking things easy on Cousin Thallie. Isn't that right, son?" The boy edged to the side, prompting a chuckle from his father. "Don't mind him. He's a little shy around pretty ladies, but you can probably tell he didn't get it from me."

His laughed with a rich baritone that put the songs of bards to shame. Nanalie squinted. He was broad-shouldered, certainly not lacking in distinctive facial features... how on earth had she missed him? "Have you, uh... been here this whole time?"

The man stood, nodding--though that smile never left his face. "Don't worry about it. I'm pretty enough to be mistaken for a timeless statue, after all."

Nanalie sniffed. "You do realize that most timeless statues have rather small--" Wait... what was she thinking? She couldn't say that to a stranger! "...noses."

He laughed again, even more heartily than before. She had to cover her mouth; she suspected it contagious. "Only if the sculptor is stingy with the marble. Anyway, I'm Garrett. The baron is my uncle; I used to be a squire here."

"Nanalie." She held out her hand, expecting him to shake it like the baron had--but instead, he kissed it. For a man with such a craggy nose his lips were surprisingly smooth. "If you used to be a squire, wouldn't that be Sir Garrett now?"

"Technically--but for you, I'll make an exception." He let go of her hand and winked at her. Nanalie frowned. Was that appropriate behavior for a man with a son? Wary, she glanced down at his finger; sure enough, he wore a wedding band. "I don't think I've seen you around these parts before. Are you new to the area?"

That seemed innocent enough. She supposed she'd give him the benefit of the doubt for now. "I was born in Naroni, if that's what you mean. But I live in Veldorashire and I didn't get out much before I started working with Lady Arydath."

Garrett's brows arched, the line of his mouth still curved, but a little more muted, a little more thoughtful. Nanalie almost found she preferred it. "You know, I have a sister in Veldorashire. Perhaps I'll stay a little longer next I visit her?"

Hmm. That not so much, maybe. "Perhaps you and your wife ought to make a day of it."

"Perhaps we would, if she were still alive."

Well. That penis joke was looking to be good form now. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"It's all right. It's been over a year now." Regardless, he sighed. "It was an arranged marriage. We weren't quite in love, but if we'd had a while longer I think we might have gotten there."

What was she supposed to say to that? Her littlest sisters would have known. A grown woman, standing here in need of a child's help to say something about love. She swore never to let her father learn of this. "Again, I... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have--"

"It's all right. You couldn't have known." That was true, she supposed. It did little for the guilt, but it was true. "Besides, I have my son, and my sister and her family, and our family here. And--" he hesitated, untying the knotted word with his tongue "--my mother-in-law."

There was more than a hint of distaste mingled in the phrase. "You don't say."

"You might have met her, actually." He sniffed. Somehow it was not the ground-shattering noise she had expected from such a nose. "She had a baby last month. Charming woman--so our king seems to think, anyway."

Oh. Charming indeed. "Well, now I'm really sorry."

A snicker escaped him. It was oddly good to hear him laughing again, even if she'd never heard it before today. "Likewise; given how she is when she isn't shoving an infant out from between her legs, I'd hate to see her while in the process of doing so."

"To be fair, you're a man; you probably couldn't handle the sight of anyone in the process of doing so."

Garrett smirked. "True enough."

Nanalie's mouth twitched in response. What was she doing here, though? The poor man was here to meet his new cousin, after all; he shouldn't have been out here talking to her. It was rude of her to be keeping him like this. She had to give him an exit. "Well, I hate to just rush out on you, but if I don't get home soon, my family will be at the mercy of my stepmother's cooking--and believe me, they won't forgive me for that."

"Likewise, I won't forgive you if you don't invite me some time."

That hadn't been expected. Nevertheless, she nodded. "I'll get back to you on that. Anyway, it was nice meeting you."

"You as well--and I shan't forget about that invitation."

He took her hand and kissed it once again. Why he was willing to do that after she'd just helped deliver a baby, she couldn't quite guess.

NEXT CHAPTER: