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August 10, 1203
"Happy birthday, sis." Running as late as she'd been--unsurprisingly, given that she was a newlywed herself--Alina wasted no further time in greeting Viridis with a tight hug. "And happy wedding day! You look stunning. Sorry for my tardiness."
"Thank you--and don't apologize! The ceremony won't start if key family members aren't accounted for, or at least Reyes and I wouldn't let it."
"That, and Galahan bought you some time," Morgan added with a sigh. It seemed that six wasn't yet old enough to go anywhere without a spare outfit on hand. Thank God for Honora and her ability to make an obscuring accessory out of anything. "At least when the other children sneak off for pastries, they don't return with jam all down their fronts. Your sister is working on that now."
"As if she didn't have enough of a job with Viridis here! But I see she at least had help, even if it wasn't mine." Alina nodded over to the twins, but without much resulting response. Lysi blushed somewhat in the acknowledgment, but said nothing; Lythe, somewhat bitter about being cooped up inside on such a nice day, only pouted. "Hmm. Well, shy and bored as some may be, everyone involved did splendidly."
Shy, bored, covered in jam. That was three of her children who'd made a terrible start to their sister's wedding day. Morgan hoped that Kay, at least, was behaving himself.
But of course, the younger four weren't the focus of day. Lysi could be shy and Lythe could be bored and Galahan could be covered in jam, but the way Viridis's smile echoed in her eyes assured Morgan that nothing could possibly ruin this day for her.
Morgan's powers didn't extend to the realm of the dead--that was the domain of Vera's abilities--but somehow, she knew with an intimate certainty that Viridis's birth mother took the same delight in those eyes.
"You do look lovely, darling." Morgan took her daughter in her arms and kissed her on the cheek. Viridis's face was just as soft and warm as it had been when she'd been new, bundled in a blanket in her ailing father's arms. "My beautiful girl. I'll always be so proud of you."
"Thank you, Mother." Never mind that she was now the taller of the two, Viridis rested her chin on Morgan's shoulder. "Thank you for everything."
NEXT CHAPTER:
August 27, 1201
"Yvanette!" Morgan kicked the door shut in case any prying eyes were about as she found her stepdaughter-in-law curled up on the bedroom floor. One of her gut feelings again. Given the progress of Yvanette's pregnancy, she'd thought it had to have been labor--a little earlier than expected, perhaps, but nothing unheard of. As she'd approached, however, it hadn't been moans or panting or half-constrained screams that greeted her. It hadn't even been sobbing.
Just silence.
"What happened? Did you fall? Are you all right?"
Yvanette shook her head--in keeping with her shivering, in contrast to her eerie stillness. Somehow, she was both rain and stone at once.
"Yvanette?"
She thought she heard some ghost of a gasped syllable, but it was faint enough that any content was lost. It was faint enough that it might have been in her own head.
"Darling, talk to me." Morgan dropped to her knees and settled on the rug across from Yvanette. Upon further scrutiny, the young woman's tight fetal position concealed her middle well--too well. Even if she'd already birthed the baby, evidence would linger for some time yet.
Somehow, though, Yvanette looked like she'd never been pregnant at all.
"I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong."
Yvanette hugged her legs close, her form smaller still. She didn't say anything--but, she did tug at her nightgown as a small dark tail peeked out from beneath it.
NEXT CHAPTER:
January 12, 1201
"Morgan, what's the matter here?"
There clearly was a matter here. Rona and Morgan got along well enough, but not to the point where it wasn't odd if just Morgan--not Lonriad or Yvanette or Sevvie--invited just Rona--not Ashe or any of the children--to come over. Certainly not to the point where the messenger delivering said invitation had to leave his exhausted horse at the trough in the stables and was panting and sweating by the time he himself had scaled the front stairs, or to the point where the message included the words 'at once'. Not 'at your convenience', not even 'as soon as possible'...
At once.
"Thank God you're here." Morgan sighed. She was otherwise as composed as ever, but there was an air of helplessness about her that Rona hadn't seen before--and that, clearly, Morgan herself didn't have to cope with often. "It's Yvanette."
"She's not still sick, is she?" Rona bit her lip as she pulled off her hat and let her hair fall from its hasty side buns. Yvanette had been ill the past few weeks, but it had been the creeping and wanting fatigue-and-nausea sort of ill, more of a nuisance than an actual concern. Besides... if it were that, surely Ashe would have been summoned too?
"No--well, yes, but that's not it. She won't come out of her room. Not for me, not for Lonriad, not for any of the children. She might have come out for Sevvie, but he left at the crack of dawn on some mission for Lord Severin and he's not back yet. But I figured that if there was anyone else she'd be willing to see, it would surely be her own mother..."
"I hope you're right." Rona untied her cloak, only to have Morgan take hold of the back and help her slip out of it. "Do you have a key to her room?"
"Yes, on the desk." Morgan jerked her head toward the steward's table as she folded Rona's cloak. "Neither Lonriad nor I thought it right to intrude if she didn't want to see us; I hope that was the right call."
"It probably was." Knowing Yvanette, at least. Rona made for the desk and took the key, then shot Morgan a last look. The other woman remained collected, yet alert; Rona doubted her own capacity to keep herself to the former quality. "I'll let you know how it goes."
As best I can, anyway, she added to herself in afterthought as she hurried down the halls to Yvanette and Sevvie's room. Morgan would have been told about Yvanette's transformations by now, but it was uncomfortable enough for the girl to know that even her own parents talked about them amongst themselves.
She reached the door, a chorus of sniffles sounding from the other side. In inept mimicry of her mother's gentle touch, Rona knocked. "Yvanette? Yvanette, sweetheart?"
A choke. "M-mother?"
It was the closest to permission she would get. She unlocked the door to the sight of her daughter--still in her nightgown, face in her hands, tears streaming from behind them. Her baby. She's been melancholy most of her life, but a scene like this was another thing entirely.
"Yvanette, what's wrong?" She pulled her daughter into her arms, rubbing her shoulder with what aimed for a soothing motion but probably just made it worse. "Everyone's worried about you."
"Mother, I don't--" Yvanette gasped back another sob and dragged one sleeve across her eyes. "I think I--I can't--"
"Yvanette." Rona laced a hand through her daughter's soft curls and brushed them from her face. "Take your time."
"I... I..." She haltered, fighting a sob--and losing. "...I'm late..."
Rona froze mid-stroke. That... had not been a thing Yvanette had planned on. And not without reasonable concerns--concerns that weren't likely to be quelled. How could she comfort her? Was comfort even possible? "That... doesn't always mean anything."
"But it could! And with my luck--" Yvanette's shoulders pulled together, boxing her body to a shaking, shrinking mass. "I mean, I don't even know how long... What if I've already hurt it? I can't go nine months without--"
"I know. Just... remember that you don't know for sure yet, all right?" Was there no other comfort to be found? Not in her mind, anyway. Not in her heart. People were too optimistic when they said that everything always turned out in the end. "We could send for Arydath, if you like. She'll know right away whether or not you need to be concerned--and if something's amiss, she'll probably notice that too."
"M-maybe..." Yvanette bowed her head in resignation, no doubt in shambles at the thought of yet another person having to learn her secret. "I guess there's not much ch-choice, is there?"
Not much choice. A dismal thought at the best of times, and downright agony in the worst of them. "Let's just... see what she says."
NEXT CHAPTER:
July 15, 1191
Morgan had no idea what had possessed her to wander into the forest in the middle of the night with her year-old son in tow. By the time she'd realized they'd left the bedroom, she'd been surrounded by trees. At least it was a warm evening, with no need of a coat for Kay.
The eerie quiet had not been confined to the castle. No owls called from their perches, no wolves howled at the moon. Not even the chirp of a cricket or the rustle of the wind. The world was a frozen stillness, sound no exception.
"So we finally meet." That voice, in some unfathomable way, did not fit the criteria of sound. "Welcome home."
She hadn't seen the woman before she'd spoken, but the figure hadn't appeared from nowhere. She'd been waiting, and waited still--staring amongst the trees rather than at Morgan and Kay.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that the world has waited a long time for your line to return to this place." Her head didn't move, but her eyes met Morgan's. Violet, even in the night. "Do you know the significance of this forest?"
Hadn't Naroni been a no man's land? Morgan bit her lip--but let go when she caught sight of a second figure. Her husband's former ward. "Searle?"
"He can't hear you." The woman glanced back at the still, seated figure--with a thing oddly akin to fondness. "No one in this kingdom can, no one and nothing. Think of time and space as a lover's body. If one knows what secret places to touch, they are clay in one's hands."
"You... stopped time?"
"I bent it. For all the world but the two lines immune to such distortions: yours, and mine." The woman smiled--or smirked, more like. "But you didn't answer my question. What is the significance of this forest?"
Morgan shook her head. "I don't know."
"Not many do. The world is rough place--rougher once than it was now, if you believe it. Rogue angels wondered about, mercenaries of a false god while the true creator watched their chaos spread, helpless in a cage of stars. Their lies nearly drove humanity to the brink of extinction. Brother fought brother, friendships were squandered, strangers were judged. Women were vilified and men became monsters. We set the world aflame with our backstabbing and raping and killing, destroyed ourselves as thoroughly as we destroyed anyone else. We were pawns in a game of deities, but how easily we took to such vile paths was equal to knowing and willing terror. Had we succeeded in killing off our entire species, we would have been well served.
"But the caged creator could take no more. Still, the Master Architect of the Universe, Being of All Creatures, Man and Woman and Both and Neither, sits imprisoned at the origin of the universe, where all began and all will end--but the decay of the earth was enough for them to launch from their bars a single shard of star. Where do you think that shard landed?"
Forest. Trees. "Here."
"Very good. Here, exactly where you stand now." The woman stepped closer--but still maintained a distance. "You're not the first to stand there. Another woman stood there, all those years ago. One of the a precious few decent people left on the planet. The blast of the shard engulfed her but she did not perish. A wave of calm tamed the beast of a world--not permanently, but just long enough. The magic of the shard took root in this forest and this land became the fountain from which all the magic of the planet springs. The descendents of the angels were drawn to this place, though their numbers dwindled in the absence of chaos."
Absence of chaos? "This is the most chaotic place I've ever lived!"
"It is chaotic by the laws of man. By the laws of nature, it is man who is chaotic, and this land bends for no man. That was why only the Nephilim dwelt here until recently. Humanity could only dwell here under the rule of one who defies corruption--someone who is more nature than man."
"You can't mean King Roderick. Or King Ietrin."
"No. I mean your father-in-law. It's hardly a secret who's really been pulling the strings all these years--though perhaps that will change, if the royal line manages to produce someone worthy." If she had any belief as to whether or not that would happen, her face didn't say. "But the magic has been waning for many years now. When the shard struck that woman--your ancestor--pieces of it vanished within her, tucked away in her blood. Your blood. Your son's blood.
"That is why you exist. The bloodline of your ancestor had dwindled until only your biological mother remained, and she was a sickly virgin dying in a convent. Had I not called in some favors from some otherworldly friends, you never would have been born, and it would have only been a matter of time before we once again plunged ourselves into darkness."
She thought she followed--logically. But, logically... what? "I don't know if I quite understand. Who are you?"
"My line serves your line. That is all you need to know." She would never even know this woman's name. "That, and that the magic of the world--the light of the world--is strongest when you are in this kingdom. How beyond fortunate it is that you married a son of Severin, as that family will always make its home in this land. Because you are this land. You, and your son, and any other children you may have and children they may have until the creator breaks from their prison and creates the world anew.
"At least one of you must be in this kingdom at all times, for all of time. If you understand nothing else of what I told you, do you understand at least this?"
In her arms, Kay squirmed. For his sake, Morgan tried. "Yes."
"Good." The woman's hands dropped from her hips to her sides--the first they'd moved this whole time. "Now, go back to your castle. Put your son to bed and return to your husband. Expect a rough morning; the rest of the world needs to catch up to you."
NEXT CHAPTER:
October 2, 1189
"Feeling better, Mama?"
Viridis skidded to a halt to avoid a collision. Her poor mother was having a rough enough morning, what with all the trips to the privy.
Though, this wasn't the first morning where that was the case. "You're not dying, are you?"
"Dying?" Her mother laughed, though she still looked a little green around the cheeks. "Of course not, sweetie. I'm fine."
"Then why do you keep getting sick?"
"Because--" Her mother swallowed. For her sake, Viridis hoped she'd cleared out all the vomit before then. "--I'm going to have a baby."
"Oh." Babies made women sick? She supposed that made sense. Living with another person inside you couldn't have been easy. "When?"
"The second half of April, most likely." That was still a long way off. That explained why her mother wasn't big yet, like women were with babies on the way.
"Do you think it'll be a girl?" Her stepbrothers were nice, but she sometimes suspected they were exceptions as far as boys went.
Her mother snickered. "I couldn't guess either way at this point."
"What will it look like?"
"I couldn't guess that either."
Surprises, then. Surprises were overrated. Viridis had always found herself more excited if she had a sure detail to cling to. "Can I name it?"
Her mother blinked. Maybe she hadn't gotten around to thinking of names yet. "We'll see."
NEXT CHAPTER:
July 15, 1189
"So." Lonriad pried his lips off of Morgan's cheek and ran his hands down her back. "We're alone."
It wasn't the first time they'd been alone. But it would be the first time... well, actually, Morgan's first time since her first husband had died. "Looks like it."
"Alone. On our birthday." The girls had been delighted to discover that Lonriad and Morgan had the same birthday. "And our wedding night."
"You do realize this means you'll never have an excuse to forget our anniversary."
"Hmm. If I remember correctly, Vera and Lucien came home with a present last year to find that you had forgotten your own birthday."
"Hey! I was very busy! My senior composition class had just turned in their final project proposals."
"Then perhaps I'll submit a project proposal this time next year too." He winked. "A dirty one."
"Romantic." Though, so long as they were in the right place at that time, she supposed she didn't mind. "So... I guess we should..."
"Well... only if you want to. I know this progressed kind of quickly. But first, let me make a point in my favor." His sheepish grin disappeared beneath his tunic as he pulled it over his head. It reemerged when he flung it to the floor.
Oh, my.
"So." He pulled himself close again. She found herself looking down, mesmerized by the distinct muscles of his core. Her poor Lonan had been skin and bone even in his better days. Much as she hated to compare... it seemed there was at least one perk to marrying a knight. "What do you think?"
"I think I didn't know there were six muscles there."
"And each firmer than the last, if I do say so myself. You can name them if you like."
Morgan smirked. "I just might."
NEXT CHAPTER:
June 25, 1189
"Mama!" Viridis sprung from her bed, her plush cat hitting the floor as Morgan approached. God, how she loved her daughter--and how her daughter loved her. She couldn't let her down. "Mama, how was your day?"
"It was good." I think. She'd made the right choice, waiting to tell Viridis first. She thought she'd known that from the start, but her daughter's eyes confirmed it now. "But I need to talk to you."
"Oh?" Viridis frowned. "Am I in trouble?"
A girl of her age would ask that! Morgan chuckled. "Of course not, sweetie.
"You see... your Uncle Lonriad has asked me to marry him."
"Oh!" Viridis strained her neck, feet raised to her toes. "What did you tell him?"
"See, that's it: I told him I'd have to check with you first."
Her daughter blinked. "Me?"
"Yes. I know I didn't give birth to you, Viridis, but I am still your mother. My first priority is what's best for you. I've grown very fond of your uncle, but if you have any objections to our marriage, or to the two of us going to live at his castle, I will listen."
"What objections?" Viridis grinned, more of her teeth visible than Morgan remembered ever seeing. Inside her chest, her heart matched her daughter's mouth. "I love Uncle Lonriad! And Alina and the others."
Thank God. "You do?"
"Yes! Please marry him!" Her daughter bounced, but caught herself just in time. "If you want to, that is."
"I do want to." Morgan scooped Viridis into her arms and twirled her about. Her little girl was getting rather big for such a gesture, but this time, she didn't notice. "I'm so glad you agree."
NEXT CHAPTER:
May 19, 1189
"So." Lucien sat down on the couch by the window. It was an awkward thought, asking Morgan about Lonriad, especially when she surely considered Vera a closer friend than he, and Vera was right upstairs. But Lonriad was Vera's brother, which complicated things. Vera wouldn't want to hear anything too terrible about Lonriad--nor would she want too hear anything too favorable. "Before I bring the the birthday girl breakfast in bed, I hope you don't mind my asking about your new suitor."
Morgan blinked as she looked up, but managed a snicker quickly enough. "I never took you for a gossip."
"I'm not--but I'm curious."
"And you probably want me out of your house."
"That's not a pressing concern, though I sometimes wonder if you feel somewhat stifled here." If she did, she was too polite to say. But while it was a comfortable family house, it was a little tight for three adults of the same generation, and Morgan probably felt it more than the happy couple did. "But back to Lonriad: do you like him?"
"I do. Very much. And Viridis likes him, and we both adore his children. And it's not as if I'm still freshly widowed."
All true, and she'd know it better than he did. He heard another word she didn't say. "But?"
Morgan sighed. "But... well, the family life wasn't kind to me the first time. I loved my husband, but he died so soon, and my baby never even lived. My raising Viridis alone may not be conventional, but it's worked out so well, and I don't want to jeopardize it. It's a silly thought, I know. I'm sure I'm worrying about nothing, but..."
She trailed off, leaving him to finish the thought for her. "But the first time hurt."
"It did. Very much." He didn't know that particular hurt, but some hurts never healed. "I need a little more time to think about what's best for me and Viridis."
"Of course."
"But I will say that Lonriad's the only man I've felt anything for since Lonan."
"And that may be a good sign."
Morgan smiled. "I should hope it's not a bad one."
NEXT CHAPTER:
