In Which Renata Sees and Is Seen

August 30, 1196

"Father!" It was the first Renata had seen of him since her graduation and wedding--and thinking back to years gone by, it was a relief that they could reunite happily. Her grandmother and Lord Severin had come clean to her father about her training in Naroni shortly after she'd begun at the university; he hadn't been thrilled. But, given the obvious joy in all the letters she'd sent him since her relocation, he'd gotten over it, even admitted that she'd make a fine knight. Her mother hadn't been so amiable to the idea, but it was a stretch to expect her mother to amiable to much of anything, so she'd settle for her father's coming-around.

"Ah, Renata." He kissed her on the cheek, then eased out of their embrace, looking her over with a bemused grin. "You look to be doing well."

But as she studied him in turn, she didn't think she could quite return the sentiment. Not with the added bagginess of his same old clothing, the dry lips, the pale of all corners of his face save the bags beneath his eyes. She had heard from the twins that their father hadn't been in the best of health this past while, but when she'd thought that had it been serious enough, he would have asked her to come and see him--and when he'd said he was coming to see her, then surely he must have recovered!

From the look of him, she'd been wrong about that. "It's good to see you."

"And you're in good time to see your new grandson," added Falidor as he lifted the baby from the crib. He'd been the one to greet her father; one look at him and he'd probably feared this would be the only time Abrich the Elder and Abrich the Younger ever met. "I can't believe it. Four days old, and his mother's already back to handing my ass to me on the training grounds."

"An easy baby!" Her father smiled down at her son, who stared--as newborns tended to do. "The best kind to have."

Still very aware of the toll Cat had taken on poor CeeCee, Renata nodded. "Any future siblings Abrich has had better follow suit."

Her father turned his head, simply to beam at her. "You gave him my name?"

"Of course. It's not as if Falidor's father isn't swimming in Severins already, and there could very well be another if Alya's new one turns out to be a boy."

"Arydath thinks it will, according to Roddie." Falidor raised his arms to kiss the baby on the forehead, then nodded back toward Renata's father. "You must be hungry, my lord."

Hunger was surely the least of his problems--but, her father managed a grateful grimace. "Some bread and soup wouldn't be the worst thing in the world right about now."

"Then I'll see what the cooks can do for you." Falidor handed the baby over to Renata and made for the nursery door. He didn't want to be a good host so much as he wanted to give her a moment alone with her father--because he knew what was needed. Falidor always seemed to know what was needed in these situations.

Renata didn't have those sorts of gifts. "His hair seems rather reddish, don't you think?"

"What little hair he has, yes," her father agreed. "Not impossible, given your Aunt Lettie and your Uncle Karlspan. And I believe some of Falidor's siblings have red hair?"

"Yes, though Jadin and Riona would have gotten it from their own mother. But Thetis has a dark red, like Nora's sister."

"Ah. Well, the sure thing is that this little fellow has your own eyes."

"Maelle noted that the minute he opened them."

"I'm glad you and your sister have managed to patch things up. The university has been good for both of you." Her father waved his fingers, probably in some attempt to get little Abrich to follow them. "Will you and Falidor be able to get to Dovia for her wedding this November?"

Renata stifled a sigh. November was two whole months away--but, somehow, she knew he was only asking because he thought that he himself wouldn't be there. "Barring some unforeseen emergency, we do plan on going."

"I'm glad of it." Her father smiled. "And I'm glad to see you now."

Because, quite likely, it was the last he'd ever see of her.

"Tell me you plan on staying a while, at least."

NEXT CHAPTER:

In Which Renata Gets Answer Enough

January 8, 1195

"So? How was Carvallon?"

Renata's sister pushed the question out of her lips, a disinterested glaze to her eyes. Maelle didn't in slightest care how Carvallon was, nor did Renata care much about Maelle's holidays back home. But, now that they were here at the university, well out of reach of their rivalry-brewing mother, their father and brother had made them promise to make more of an effort with each other--even if that meant sitting through conversations neither enjoyed, pretending all the while that they both did.

Though, if Maelle was willing to show up on the very day of Renata's return--having barely had time to hear of her return!--then that said something more than Carvallon or Dovia could.

"Quite fun, actually--even if the house is small enough that Landus made the boys room at the inn. And then CeeCee spent the whole trip home throwing up. I blame the Carvalli wine; it's so sickly sweet." If Renata ever went to Carvallon again, she'd have to remember to bring some from home! "How were things back home?"

"Mmm... could have been worse, I suppose. Cladelia's kids are adorable, and Father and the twins seemed relieved to see Arkon and me."

"I'm not surprised." Not with Mother as the only grown woman in the house now. "How did they react to my letter?"

"Well, I'm sure they would have preferred to hearing about your engagement firsthand, but they're both pleased. Mother in particular is overjoyed to know you're marrying at all."

Of course she was. "So, they'll be here in June?"

"Father would have been anyway, with your graduation. But yes, now Mother will come to."

"I see." Renata bit her lip. She ought to have been happy to have her mother at her wedding, she supposed. But... "Would it be impossible for her to be happy about my own achievements, rather than save all her enthusiasm for the idea that some man finds me worth marrying?"

Maelle looked to her lap and crossed her hands. For Renata, that was answer enough.

She took the seat next to her sister and stared at the opposite wall. "I see."

NEXT CHAPTER:

In Which Lyssa Insists on a Visit

July 9, 1194

"You're married!" Eyes wide, Renata pulled Lyssa in for a hug. The ceremony had concluded mere minutes ago, and the guests had dispersed to prepare for the reception. As for Lyssa, she'd handed Landus off to his brother and dashed away to meet Renata and CeeCee in Nora's sitting room. Perhaps she and Landus ought to have been inseparable as newlyweds, but they'd agreed beforehand that they'd have each other in Carvallon; the rest of their loved ones would remain in Naroni. "When did we get so old?"

"I know! It's so strange--but good strange." Wonderful strange!

Even if she did hope that she and Landus would return to Naroni some day.

"Even if it means I'll be leaving next week."

"But it's not as if we'll never see you again," CeeCee assured her. "There's a whole two-month break between my graduation and my wedding. We could make the trip out then."

"Yes, let's! Falidor and Roddie and Alya might want to come too."

"I don't know if we'll have enough space for so many of you!" Her aunt and uncle's old house was just a cottage, after all--not a manor. "Plus, Roddie and Alya might have a baby on the way by then; they won't want to travel."

"Yes, but you might have a baby on the way by then, and you won't want to travel back when that happens." CeeCee winked--then grimaced. "Seriously, don't have a baby just yet. I don't want to have think about us being that old."

"Especially since Alina's about to pop any day now." And to think--this would be her grandfather's second great-grandchild.

"Dear Lord, yes. I should not be a great-aunt twice over at my age. Damn older siblings, making me an aunt before I was even thought of." She rolled her eyes--fondly, but an eye roll none the less. "But congratulations anyway, my dear niece who is older than I am."

"Thank you very much, my dear aunt who is younger than I am."

However many babies she had, she didn't think she wanted to have quite so many as to invoke that situation! "But seriously: do visit before the babies take over."

NEXT CHAPTER:

In Which Renata Forgives the Lack of Qualms

May 10, 1191

"Renata!" CeeCee barely gave her a chance to stand up and meet her. Fridays saw CeeCee off to a later class schedule than Renata, Alya, and Lyssa; she claimed not to mind normally, as some extra sleep in the morning gave her more energy for a night at the inn, but today was an exception to that rule. "Happy birthday!"

"Thank you," Renata choked as her friend eased up on the hug. "And don't worry; none of the party guests have shown up yet."

"Don't Lyssa and Alya count as guests?" CeeCee mock-glared at her nieces over Renata's shoulder. "If my memory is correct, neither served the minimum planning time required of a co-host."

"We would have if someone hadn't taken issue with all of our ideas," Alya muttered, not so quietly that she could have thought CeeCee wouldn't hear.

"If you don't want me to take issue with your ideas, you might consider coming up with some that are actually decent."

"And what, pray tell," Lyssa asked, "is so less-than-decent about making it a formal?"

"Why bother with our best clothes when half the guests will end up taking them off anyway?"

"CeeCee!"

"Oh, don't pretend you aren't at least a little envious of them." There was almost a sigh in that sentiment. Renata had to raise a brow at the un-CeeCee-ness of it. "Anyway, Renata: your present is in your room."

Present? "I thought I told everyone not to get me any presents."

"You did, but what sort of best friend would I be if I listened?" CeeCee winked. "You'll like it. I promise."

"I'd better."

With a smirk to her friends and an encouraging wave from Alya in turn, Renata spiraled up the staircase, two steps at a time in some cases. Scorpio House, like the other university residences, housed eight bedrooms on the top floor, essentially two squares with a room at each corner, one bathroom to two bedrooms forming parallels to the front door. The sitting room staircase emerged in the section of hall between the first four bedrooms, those of the three girls downstairs and Dea; Renata hurried along it and turned at the corner, crossing to half currently home to her and her cousin Celina. She fished the key to her room--Room Six--out of her pocket and slipped it into the lock, trying not to think about how few qualms CeeCee seemed to have about picking it.

But at the sight of what lay on the bed, that lack of qualms was instantly forgiven. "Oh my God!"

It took a conscious effort not to tear the fabric as she shed her dress with glee, flinging it to the floor and not much caring if it crumpled. The black shirt was a perfect match to the chausses she already wore, a subtle plaid pattern just visible enough to make it more interesting. The silver tunic slipped over it with a comfortable ease, and the longer red with more of it after. One belt later and she was quite possibly the most pleased she'd ever been with an outfit lacking chainmail.

"Best present ever!"

"What? We were supposed to bring presents after all?"

It was Falidor's voice. Renata grinned. "Your sister broke my rule--but I'll let her get away with it this time."

"Oh?"

She smoothed the front of the tunic over and opened the door. "My mother would have a heart attack if she saw this."

"If that's true, then she wouldn't know style if it danced naked in front of her." But Falidor's eyes made no effort to hide his widened horizons. "You're so beautiful."

Not a lot of people told her that. But lately, she'd decided that beauty was not so much a thing that some possessed and some didn't so much as it was a thing some simply failed to see.

"I know."

NEXT CHAPTER:

In Which Falidor Gets His Closure

January 1, 1189

"Ah-ha! There you are!" Falidor's sister spun into their mother's sitting room and kicked the door shut behind her. So much for hoping for some privacy. "You missed the stroke of twelve! I'm sure some girl would have wanted a kiss from you."

Falidor sighed. He'd be seventeen in a month. Perhaps that was still young, but he hadn't intended to kiss just anyone tonight. He'd run out of wild oats early. There was only one girl he wanted to kiss, and she'd made herself scarce throughout the party.

So, he'd done the same. But he wasn't in much of a mood to talk about it. "You know very well I can't kiss you."

"Obviously! But there would have been no need. Poor Severin was a bit out of sorts--the first New Year without his brother--so I indulged him when he asked."

CeeCee sighed. Clearly she would have preferred someone else, and Falidor suspected he knew who. But getting her to mind her own business would be difficult enough if he did mind his. "CeeCee, no offense, but I kind of wanted to be alone."

"Of course you did. That's the only reason you ever come in here."

It was. "Then why did you come in here?"

"To warn you, you ingrate." CeeCee sneered, brow arched, neck craned. Most of Falidor's friends had somehow deluded themselves into thinking that his sister was attractive. If she lived to be ninety but never aged a day, he wouldn't see it. "Xeta and Eilyssa and Meraleene have tired of the party. They plan on coming in here to do some embroidery, and you know they're bound to chat."

"Damn." Not that he had anything against any of them, but there was only one exception he cared to make to his solitude tonight. "Any chance I can sneak back to my room without being bombarded by someone asking about my training or school?"

"Not much of one--but you could use that room back there." She pointed to the only other door in the sitting room. It led to a little spare space, more of an alcove than a room if not for the walls. Not nearly so comfortable as the sitting room, but it would do.

"I guess so. Thanks for the notice." He patted her on the arm, then turned away. A little curt, but... well, no one wanted to spend the beginning hours of the New Year chatting with his sister. "Maybe you still have time to get a kiss from someone more appealing than Severin."

"I still got one more kiss than you did tonight." Not that a kid like Severin could have been much good at it yet. For CeeCee's sake--he guessed--he hoped Farilon grew somewhat bolder by next year.

"Then see if you can beat me this morning too. Happy New Year, CeeCee."

"You too."

By the sounds of the doors in near-tandem, they left the sitting room at about the same time. Only--Falidor didn't exit into an unaccompanied space. And it occurred to him that CeeCee may have been well aware of that.

But given who it was, he could forgive her. "Oh. Sorry, Renata."

"Oh, don't be sorry." Renata pushed herself up, a hint of pink in her tawny cheeks. She wasn't as he usually saw her, in a silken gown instead of a tunic and mail and with her hair long and brushed instead of bound in its hasty tail. Objectively speaking--more than one of his so-called friends had pointed it out--she wasn't the most beautiful girl in the world, with her beakish nose and skinny frame and mouse-colored hair. But frankly, she was the most beautiful girl in his world. And she looked very nice tonight.

But he had to admit: he preferred her when she looked like herself, boyish clothes and wild hair and all.

"If anything, I should apologize to you--and to CeeCee, getting her to trap you in here like that."

"We're not trapped if she lied about Xeta and them." Not that he much minded the thought of being trapped. "I was wondering where you were. I didn't see much of you tonight."

"I'm not one for parties." She picked at the laces of her dress. Somehow, the motion was not unlike an animal trying to struggle loose from a snare. "I'm sort of out of place at these fancy occasions."

"No. It's just that everyone else is out of place in your presence."

Renata's head turned. "Is that a good thing?"

Falidor nodded. "I'd say so, at least."

She smiled. Her two front teeth were a little crooked. Perhaps he was mad, but there was a certain sexiness in their imperfection, and he didn't care if he was mad. "That's reassuring. Um... look, about why I asked CeeCee..."

The pink returned to her cheeks as her eyes fell to the floor. CeeCee knew how Falidor used the sitting room, and she'd figured that he'd want to use it tonight. So she'd had Renata wait in the back room, then pounced on Falidor with the lie about Xeta when she had the chance. Such deviousness wasn't characteristic of Renata, whom he'd come to know as honest and upfront.

Though, she seemed to be having a hard time of it now. Maybe--just this once--she needed a little help. "Did you want a New Years' kiss?"

Wherever the pink had been, she was now red. She wore it well--but he liked her best her usual brown. "I--"

"No, don't be embarrassed--though I ought to be if I'm wrong." He chuckled; her coloring faded back to normal, though her eyes remained alert. "I'm sorry if I made a wrong assumption, but the truth is... well, I've kind of wanted to kiss you since I met you."

She blinked. Was that an answer? "Renata--"

She still said nothing.

But he got his closure nonetheless.

NEXT CHAPTER:

In Which CeeCee Keeps Her Voice Down

July 24, 1188

Just as CeeCee's father had said, she and Lyssa found Renata and the other squires at Cuthron and Eleara's house, and not one of them looked pleased to be here. Severin was slumped over on the couch, Donnie beside him with his arms crossed, muttering occasionally. Renata and Falidor stood, whispering about something--something serious, if CeeCee was close enough to make out their expressions. It wasn't much like any of them.

Nor had it been like her parents to make haste down to her Aunt Aerina's shop in the village, stopping on their way out of the castle only to send CeeCee and Lyssa to meet the others, and two messengers to tell Thetis to stay at Honora's house and Xeta and her younger children to stay at Lady Celina's. The others squires, her mother had said, would tell them what had happened. It would be important that they got everyone's side of the story. Sir Karlspan would give his at Aerina's, and the others would give theirs here, when they were up to talking about it.

It didn't take a genius to figure out, between the healer's involvement and the abrupt end of the training session, that someone had been injured--badly. If her brothers and Renata and Severin were here, then it had to have been Arkon.

But how? CeeCee didn't want to ask just yet. Lyssa, however, wouldn't. There were often perks to being the bolder of a pair, but this wasn't one of them. "What happened?"

Severin furrowed deeper into the couch and Donnie shook his head. Falidor and Renata traded worried glances as CeeCee and Lyssa stepped toward them. It was Falidor--not typically the bolder of that pair--who spoke first. "Arkon's horse went wild."

"His horse?" Arkon, as far as CeeCee knew, had been riding the same horse for years. And he'd always been so good with horses! "How?"

"It was a new horse. A stallion. One of the men at the stables was complaining about how he couldn't break it, so..." Her brother cringed. "Arkon said he'd give it a shot."

"It was horrible, CeeCee." Renata crossed her arms together and shuddered. Hardly a characteristic gesture of someone so fearless. "He was barely on the horse when it started bucking, and it flung him right into a post. Then it galloped around in a rage and--" She cast a wary look toward Severin, who'd taken to shaking. Her next words were whispered. "Trampled him. Thoroughly."

"So Sir Karlspan had the men cart him to Aunt Aerina's. He was still breathing when they left, but..." Falidor stopped. This too was probably for Severin's benefit.

CeeCee had seven brothers, six still living. Six was more brothers than many ever had, and even with brothers to spare, the thought of one of them having some freak accident was a nightmare even as a hypothetical.

Severin had only one brother.

So CeeCee kept her voice down too. "Do you think he'll--?"

Renata sighed. "I don't know."

NEXT CHAPTER:

In Which Renata Has No Qualms

July 20, 1184

It was a battle to appear neither resigned nor hopeful as Renata stepped into Lord Severin's study. She tried instead for a mask of invincible confidence, as if a negative decision wouldn't sting, and perhaps a last convincing gambit in defense of a positive one. If her father was also there, though, then there was little point in hoping that would work.

But instead of her father's usual drab brown or maroon, a hint of teal caught her eye in the peripheral. The person on the couch was not her father, but her grandmother. "Hello, dear."

Her grandmother smiled, but Renata struggled to take that as a good sign. If her grandmother had come to defend her, then her father hadn't budged before. "Hello, Grandmother. Lord Severin."

"Renata." Lord Severin grinned at her. "Your father is paying a call to your Uncle Searle and Aunt Valira. Your grandmother and I thought we'd take advantage of his absence and discuss some things with you."

Discuss. In Renata's experience, that word never meant anything good from the mouth of an adult. She knew that Lord Severin would break it to her gently, but that didn't mean she'd be any happier about it. Maybe that was why her grandmother was here? A shoulder to cry on?

"All right..."

"Sit down."

She did, taking the empty seat next to her grandmother. The two adults shared a quick glance, sealed with a smirk. Renata wasn't sure what to make of that. "So, here's the thing. Your grandmother paid your Uncle Karlspan and Aunt Cladelia a visit this morning. I know you don't know them too well, but you must have heard something about them growing up, correct?"

Renata nodded. Uncle Karlspan was her father's youngest brother, and Aunt Cladelia was the daughter of two of his cousins. Whenever Aunt Cladelia was brought up, she was done so as the acme of ladyhood, the pinnacle to which Renata and her sisters were supposed to aspire--as if their mother had ever actually meant Aunt Cladelia. All she knew was that she was sweet, polite, and spectacular with a needle and thread.

"Well, since your father does think it would be in both your best interests and your mother's if the two of you lived under separate roofs for a time, so your grandmother suggested that you live with them for a while. They're only about a ten minute walk from here."

Only ten minutes? Then... she would be able to continue her training? "My father agreed to that?"

"Well... he agreed to your aunt instructing you in the womanly arts, and that you would have to live with her for that to happen." Oh. Well, that sounded... awful. But her grandmother winked. "But when he's back in Dovia, he won't be able to make sure firsthand that that's happening, will he?"

Sparked, Renata's back straightened out of her slouch. That... sounded much better. "So we're tricking him?"

"Tricking?" Lord Severin chuckled. "No point mincing words: we're lying to him. Unless you have any qualms about that?"

Not if her father had no qualms about trying to stop her training! "Of course not."

"Good. No one likes a stick in the mud." Lord Severin leaned back in his chair, the heels of his boots resting on the plank that held the legs of the desk together. "Your aunt has agreed to write your parents regular reports of your progress with embroidery and music and painting, and she's promised to be optimistic, yet realistic. Meanwhile, you'll really be over here, training with me. Most of our social sphere can be trusted not to let it get back to your parents, and the rest can be blackmailed; between your grandmother and myself, we must have something on everyone in the kingdom by now."

"And if they ever visit, your aunt says she has a few practice samplers and sketches of her own that she could show them. With any luck, by the time they're any wiser, you'll be in university, preparing to be knighted," her grandmother added. "And if we're not lucky... well, by that point, you'll still be older and it will be harder for them to deny you your own decisions, and you'll have no shortage of backup when it comes to persuading them."

They made it sound much too easy. But if it was a choice between too good to be true and certainly not good at all...

"I hope you're right."

NEXT CHAPTER: