Second chapter here! Thank you guys so much for all your wonderful reviews, favorites and follows! You have no idea how happy I was to see them :)


"Did you hear?" Kenna asked him one afternoon, eyes plastered to the novel in her hand. Bash looked up from polishing his sword, gaze curious.

"Hear about what?"

"Francis may be coming back in another week," she said, glancing up to look at him.

Bash's eyes widened. "When did you hear that news?"

"This afternoon," she replied. "From Catherine."

Brows furrowed and he gave her an apprehensive look. "Why does Catherine know and Mary not?"

"Because he's her son, and I think that Francis is still mad at her," Kenna remarked, marking her novel and setting it down on the chaise lounge.

She fixed her husband with a quizzical look, one that was calculating as it was contemplating.

"What are you thinking?" he asked, noticing the questions swirling in her brown eyes.

She shrugged her delicate shoulders, twisting a strand of brown hair between her fingers. "It's just...I feel bad that Francis had to find out that way."

Kenna had previously never expressed any sentiment regarding to his half-brother, her only emotions for him ranging from quiet disbelief to nonchalant neutrality. It made him surprise, if he were honest, to see her feeling sorry for him.

"What Lola did wasn't right, Francis deserved to know that she was carrying his child," Bash argued, always coming up to Francis' defense.

"I said I felt bad, not that whatever Lola did was in the right or wrong," she replied, narrowing her eyes. "She was planning to leave, court, you know. Get out and live a quiet life with Julian and never let the babe find out their true heritage."

Bash gave a short bark of laughter, shaking his head. "Good luck with that. I've tried and trust me, politics just can't seem to leave the uninterested alone."

Kenna sat up straighter, intrigued by her husband's mention of his brief absence from court. "You never did tell me what happened during those months."

The young man shrugged, resuming the steady motion of running a cloth over the already shining metal. "There wasn't anything to tell you about that didn't make me want to forget about it."

His green eyes were hard, concentrating on the light that refracted from his sword, the sword which should have been able to save his friends from the Darkness; protect them from the derange needs of their own belief which he too had grown up learning due to his mother's original religion.

Even to this day, the memories of Rowan's screams, her mangled body and the ever present trail of blood made him shudder. He hated it; hated it when he couldn't save the people that he cared about.

But mostly, he hated himself for not saving an innocent young girl.

"Hey." Soft hands stopped his ministrations and he looked up to find Kenna gauging his reaction with concerned brown eyes. She had seated herself next to him, her touch turning into a hold which encompassed his in their loving warmth.

"Whatever that happened in those woods, it's over now," she said, voice unwavering with hopeful confidence. "The Darkness is gone, Paschal is with another family and we are safe here."

He quirked a half-smile at her, squeezing her hand. Ever so optimistic, his lovely wife was. Alas, if he were to tell her exactly what he had encountered in that abandoned village, he wasn't so sure she would be.

Crude drawings and depictions of death and horror, drawn and embedded in earthen walls swam behind his mind. Bash wondered if not a single day would go by when he would stop recounting the look on that mad man's face, the way how his sharpened teeth drew into a sneer as he uttered the words: The Gods must always be pleased, a new Darkness must be chosen.

That was before his axe had ended the man's life.

And that was what the Darkness actually was: a man who did nothing but instill terror and fear in the hearts of the villagers. He should be stopped. No, Sebastian amended. He must be stopped from choosing another successor. This reign of terror would not end until the belief of blood sacrifices to appease a god's wrath have ended.

"You're right," he said quietly, smiling at Kenna. "Although I still miss Paschal, successor of Darkness and what-not," he joked.

She rolled her eyes but grinned. "As I do too."

A strange look overcame her features then. Bash saw that her brown eyes had assumed a faraway look, as if she was recounting something in her mind.

"Hey," he said, frowning. "Are you alright?"

His voice shook her out of her reverie and she nodded, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry, I just got worried wondering if Paschal would be comfortable in his new home."

Bash returned her smile, the corners of his eyes crinkling. He wouldn't admit it, but Kenna would make a terrific mother if they ever decided to have children. Which he hoped would probably not be that soon.

"What are you smiling at?" she teased.

"Nothing," he reiterated. "Just that you would be an amazing mother when the time came."

She giggled and smacked his arm gently but another thought flashed behind her steady gaze. "Alright, mister, no funny thoughts."

He held up a hand to his heart, setting his mouth in a solemn line but his green eyes were twinkling with mirth. "I swear, on the soul of my favorite stead that I meant milady no hoax."

Kenna rolled her eyes again, hiding her smile. "Come on then, I'm starving and breakfast is nearly over."

Bash nodded, placing his sword to one side and stood up. As he did, the strangest sensation overwhelmed him. It felt as if the world were tilting on its axis, pushing him sideways. Bash threw out an arm, grabbing hold of the lounge's headboard as he scrunched his eyes tight, trying to dispel the dizziness.

"Bash!"

Kenna's voice sounded as if she were calling from underwater, like a mermaid had stolen her vocal box and locked it up under the watery depths. The room heaved again and he tightened his grip, desperate to stay on his feet.

"Sebastian! What's happening? Guards, call the castle physician!"

As soon as the dizzy spell appeared, it dissipated, leaving him nauseous in its wake.

The door burst open and Bash opened his eyes in time to see two guards storming in, swords out. When they saw there was no threat, they glanced at Kenna in confusion.

"Milady?" one of them asked.

"It's Sebastian, he-"

The dizzying spell came back again, this time much more stronger than the previous one. Sebastian tilted, nearly falling if it hadn't been for Kenna's grip on his shoulder, holding him up. He opened his mouth, to tell her that he was fine but all that escaped was a pained groan.

"Take him, please!" she cried. The guards didn't hesitate, grasping him under each arm. Sebastian smelt blood and briefly he wondered who was bleeding when-

"Oh my god," Kenna whimpered.

Something trickled down his nose, to the bow of his lip. Bash numbly swiped his finger, silently stunned to find blood. The guards immediately let him go, each one of them hastily backing away.

"Bash-"

"Stay back," he warned, getting a hold of himself, trying to ground his feet on the floor and ignore the whirling in his head. "I'm surely infected."

Kenna didn't listen (when did she ever listen to him?) and drew him next to her, taking his arm and wrapping it around her shoulders. She paid no heed to the guards as she guided him out of the room, down the hallways.

"Kenna-"

"Hush," she said. "And try to conserve your energy, I'm taking you to Nostradamus."

"I feel fine," he said even if he wobbled slightly. "See?"

His wife didn't say no more as she proceeded, tight lipped to the seer's headquarters. She pushed open the door, not even caring to knock, catching Nostradamus with a vial and a surprised expression on his clean shaven face.

"Milady?" the seer asked.

"It's Bash," Kenna huffed, setting him down on the bed. "He caught a dizzying spell and blood ran down his nose."

Nostradamus immediately set the vial down on a nearby table and rushed to Sebastian's side. His long fingers pinched and prodded the skin, checking his pulse and asking him to open his mouth.

The seer shook his head, mouth set in a tight line. "It would appear that the sickness has not yet cause swelling in your throat but I would advice you to stay here until I can determine for sure that you are well," he said, in a deep and somber voice.

"I told you," Bash argued, "I feel fine, it's nothing, I-"

"Bash." Kenna's voice cut through his worked up rant that she knew he would deliver to the physician. He turned to her, frustration written plainly on his features.

"Maybe Nostradamus is right, maybe you would benefit from the rest." She hesitated before leaning in, trying to not be overhead by the other man. "Do it for me," she said quietly. "Please, you can't leave me now."

There was something in her voice, a distress that was so tangible that Bash could do nothing but nod. Kenna bit her lower lip, leaning back. The young lord knew that his wife wasn't good at keeping secrets for he could see that something was truly bothering her. He could see it in the way how she refused to meet his eye, the way how she wrapped one arm around herself, as if it would stop her from falling apart.

She was keeping something from him and Bash earnestly hoped that she would tell him.

But she didn't. Kenna spared him a small smile before asking Nostradamus if he would speak to her outside. She brazenly placed a kiss on his forehead before telling him to rest and he had no choice but to watch as his wife steered the physician outside, the door closing with a reverberating finality, separating him from the other castle inhabitants.

~~O~~O~~

"Lady Kenna, is something bothering you?" Nostradamus inquired, once they were out of Bash's earshot.

"Yes," Kenna replied without hesitation. "I believe I'm pregnant but I'm not so sure."

The seer glanced at her in subdued surprise. "Really? What made you think you are expecting?"

"I'm late," she replied curtly. "And my dresses are starting to not fit anymore. Adding up to that, the morning sickness is worsening – it's practically still happening up till the afternoon."

Nostradamus narrowed his eyes quizzically. "Well, if that's so, then being here will not be good for you or your baby."

"I know," Kenna replied simply. And she did. She knew what the repercussions were for having a baby during this time. The young woman was well aware that her child would probably even not survive the first few hours.

"Could you do me a favor?"

The physician nodded.

"Please don't tell Bash about this," she said, brown eyes wide with apprehension. "I don't think I could handle it if the news gives him hope only to have it extinguished because of the plague.

Nostradamus tilted his head to one side, studying her. "And how should I help him convince that nothing is off?"

This was the part of the plan that Kenna hadn't thought over. How was she going to hide the fact from Bash and still maintain his trust?

After how he had reacted to Lola keeping the identity of her child from Francis, she wasn't so sure that he would want a repeat of that. He wouldn't want her, his own wife, to do that to him.

Nostradamus must have seen the despair on her features for he cleared his throat, giving her a kind smile. "I may know of one part of the castle that could keep you...from harm's way." That could keep you safe from the plague. He didn't say that but she was pretty sure that was what he meant.

She nodded earnestly. "Alright, I'll come along with you."

"What would you like me to say to Bash if he should inquire about you?" he asked, hands folded behind his back.

Kenna hesitated. "I...I don't know. I don't want him to worry but at the same time I wouldn't want him to find out."

"What if I tell him that I didn't allow you to visit because you contracted the smallpox before and you're much more suspectible to the Black Death?"

She didn't know if Nostradamus was medically correct since she had never gotten smallpox but right now she was desperate. Kenna would do anything to keep herself and her baby safe.

Even if it meant staying away from her husband.

~~O~~O~~

Days had past by with nothing for him to do but stare at the walls and read a bible that Nostradamus had left for him ("I was out of adventure novels since it got burned years ago so this is all I have," the seer said, smiling softly.) He had only managed a few pages before his eyes started to droop and he did the one thing which he had doing pretty oft now that he was under quarantine.

Bash slept. Sometimes it would be in fits, others it would be as if he were entering into the land of Nod, unconscious for most of the day.

Nostradamus had told him that was one of the side effects to the medicine had he had prescribed.

Sebastian just thought that the seer wanted to keep him drugged and dozy.

Nostradamus would appear everyday with the sunrise to administer the herbs and medication to him, bringing him food sporadically throughout the day but he never saw the older man for more than three times.

He had once asked the castle physician if he was the only patient to be in quarantine and he just gave a shake of his head, saying that he wasn't the only one but he wanted to keep the patients as far separated as possible.

It wasn't as if Bash was sick, he was sure of that. Nostradamus had claimed that he wanted to keep him here, to observe him and see if any more symptoms appear.

Something had piqued his instinct and it told him that the seer was not telling him the truth.

From time to time he would notice a look of consternation on the physician's face, as if he were faced with a tough choice and had no idea how to remedy it. Seeing as Nostradamus was the only person in the castle that had knowledge of medicine and seemed immune to the plague, Bash wasn't surprise if the older man was up on his feet till night fell, trying to save more people from dying.

Once, during Nostradamus' busy days, he asked if he would be allowed to visit Kenna. The seer's face had changed, settling into one of panic before composing himself with a smile.

"Until you're better."

That never happened.

Coupled with his wife's absence, Nostradamus' silence and the queer feeling in his gut that something was wrong, it did nothing but to make him worry more.

That was why the young lord had devised a plan.

A plan to see what exactly the seer was hiding from him.


A/N: Anyone else think that Bash would get himself into a sticky predicament?

Review, please?