Chapter 9: Heart and Home

Sian did indeed look as if she were very close to giving birth, but still managed to move across the small cottage towards Hunith quickly enough, enfolding her friend in a big hug.

"Oh, I missed you and have been so worried," she said.

"I was fine," Hunith replied. "We just had to take the long route here."

Sian turned bright blue eyes on the new arrival standing rather awkwardly at the doorway. "Ah, Balinor, I assume?"

"Yes. How do you do?"

"Oh, you know?" She grinned. "Terribly uncomfortable; happy one moment, crying the other." Balinor just raised an eyebrow. "Emotions all over the place," she explained, waving a hand towards her stomach.

"Gaius wrote Owen a letter," Matthew said, pushing past Balinor in the doorway. "But he said that you had to go out the Western Gate rather than the Eastern and would only take a few extra days. What happened?"

"Ah..." Hunith paused, wondering how much to say. "Balinor was recognised and so we had to run. That meant going even further west and making lots of detours before we were convinced it was all clear." She tried not to make eye contact with Balinor at this point, but was sure she could feel his eyes on her, all the same.

"But, you sound so calm about it," Sian said, wide-eyed. "You must tell me everything. You've no idea how frustrating it is to be stuck here with this stomach and no longer be part of the action."

"And, where is Owen?" Hunith asked.

"Off east with our last visitor," Matthew replied. "Although he didn't really want to leave Sian at this time."

"And I wasn't here to do that job for him – sorry," Hunith apologised.

"Nonsense," Sian scolded. "It's you I need here at the birth not him. Can you imagine how hopeless he'd be?"

"Man of action, our Owen is, it's true," Hunith replied with a grin.

"And how are you holding up, Balinor?" Sian continued. "I admit you look better than many of our honoured visitors have."

He shrugged. "It's not been easy, but being outside has helped somewhat. I never was that comfortable in a big city – never mind in a tiny cell."

"Yes," Hunith agreed. "That's how I feel about Camelot too. It's a beautiful place to visit but..."

"...you wouldn't want to live there," Matthew finished and grinned as the girls laughed in response.

Balinor just smiled fondly and Hunith worried about how awkward this situation must be for him – an outsider here despite the very close relationship the two of them now shared.

"Anyway, Owen is due back in a day or two," Sian continued. "Assuming he doesn't 'get delayed'." She folded her arms and glared at Hunith who laughed again, knowing she wasn't serious. "Matthew, be a dear and show Balinor to the safe house, would you? Hunith and I urgently need to girl-talk without you boys hovering around."

"Sian!" Hunith scolded with a laugh. Her friend was always so refreshingly blunt and to the point.

Balinor tuned immediately with barely a nod at the two ladies and Hunith fought with the urge to run over to him, hug him or even leave with him. They had not been more than a few paces apart from each other for a long time and it was already feeling very odd.

"Sooo..." Her friend began as soon as the two men had left, a wicked smile suddenly appearing on her face. "Out in the wilds on the run for a couple of weeks with just one ruggedly handsome man for company. Come on, girl, I need all the gossip."

"Sian, do behave."

"Why? I'm quite certain that you didn't."

Hunith folded her arms. "We are not having this conversation. This is my job and I've accompanied many men and women before. This is no different."

Sian's grin got even wider. "Don't believe you," she countered in a sing-song voice and Hunith couldn't help but smile, even as she shook her head. "Well, your acting will fool most, I'm sure, although poor Matthew is already an unflattering shade of green just from seeing you two walk in together."

"The boy needs to move on. I like him but not in that way."

"I know that, you know that, but he's still convinced you'll view him differently when he's fully grown."

"Yes," Hunith agreed. "But his age really has very little to do with it." She smiled gently. "So how are you, really?"

"Much as I said to that sorcerer who was practically undressing you with his eyes. Emotions all over the place."

"Sian, would you be serious, for once."

She smiled. "I'm fine. Ffion says everything's progressing as normal but we assumed it would be here by now. She just says it'll come when it comes." She shrugged. "I admit that I am missing Owen though."

"Of course you are. Hopefully he won't get delayed as we were." She held up a hand to stop her grinning friend from attempting some other comment about her and Balinor. "And no more jokes. He's a Dragonlord, Sian - the last Dragonlord - and Gaius had almost decided that he was going to be too difficult to rescue because he was considered so important. Uther won't let this one go easily."

"Huh, what can the paranoid King of Camelot do? Ealdor's not in his Kingdom and so your Balinor is quite safe here." Hunith shook her head sadly, wishing it was quite that simple. "Sorry, you know I like to tease but I am right, aren't I? You do have feelings for each other."

"Yes." Hunith decided to keep it simple. "We want to continue to build our relationship, Sian but … we just don't know if that will be possible."

"Not easy, perhaps. See what Owen has planned when he comes back from the city, but I understand the dilemma and you're right that it might be too risky for Balinor to stay here, so close to the border."

"And I'm not sure about leaving with him either. Ealdor is my home and this trip has made it even clearer to me just how much I want to stay here."

"But you are considered it?" Sian asked, surprised by the idea.

"Yes," she admitted.

"Well, there's no need to rush into any decisions quite yet. You can both stay here for a little while longer, I'm sure."

~o~0~o~

It was great to be home and to talk with her friend and, after some general catching up, Sian gave her a letter from Gaius that he had sent with the one to Owen. After she'd read that, Hunith walked down to the safe house to check on Balinor and he visibly jumped as she entered, quickly hiding something behind his back.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

"Yes," he said, picking up the discarded red cloth and obviously wrapping his carving up in it. "This is a good set-up you have here."

"Yes, this house wasn't needed immediately after loosing a few of the villagers to the sickness. Although, that was a blessing in some ways as we've certainly put it to good use since."

"So I gather. And this Owen I'm already hearing so much about?"

"Sian's husband and one of my dearest friends." She smiled. "The three of us were inseparable as children and quite a trial to our parents with none of us content on living a quiet life. Owen was the worst, of course. Always looking for adventure."

"Ah, so an easy recruit for the cause. How many has Gaius got out of Camelot now?"

"From the cells? Five or six. Indirectly, more than that just by letting a few citizens know they were on the 'suspicious' list. It's getting harder now though, as Gaius hinted when we were last there. We'll probably not do any more big escapes for a while."

"And you?"

She waved the letter at him. "Gaius has pretty much ordered me to stay here for the time being. He says that a large number of citizens have taken Uther up on his offer of a reward and are giving evidence of suspicious activity." She pulled a face. "So far none of it is especially accurate, but he worries about me and doesn't want to take the chance I'll be discovered."

"Probably best, although I can understand your need for adventure."

She grinned at him. "I'm sure you can."

He moved forward to kiss her and they got a little carried away, the passion starting to return after the nervousness of the last days of travel.

"You live on your own, you say?" Balinor asked as he pulled away, giving her a wicked grin.

"Yes?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Seems a shame for us to have a cottage each when we could just as easily share?"

"I'm right at the other end of the village, Balinor. Someone would see."

"Right," he said sarcastically, "because I have no special skills at my disposal, whatsoever."

"Idiot," she replied fondly. "Anyway, Sian already suspects something of our relationship."

"So does Matthew. I think the boy's fond of you."

"You think correctly."

"So, about tonight …?" Balinor asked, but she just grinned at him in lieu of an answer, before turning around and leaving the safe house, making her way back home.

~o~0~o~

Balinor sneaked in at some point during the night – undressing quickly and quietly and joining her under the furs. On the last part of their journey they hadn't indulged in anything other than some kissing and mild cuddling but it was quite obvious he had something more serious in mind tonight, his hands quickly finding their way to her hips, lifting up her shirt.

"Why are you dressed?" he complained.

"It's not that warm in here," she replied, quickly taking the hint and allowing herself to be undressed.

"Quite happy walking around the cave with nothing on though," he continued, now getting more serious, ducking under the covers to kiss her breasts, his hands moving even lower. She gasped and relaxed under his touch, her own hands caressing him in turn.

"That was different. Anyway, I have to be ready in case Sian calls for me."

"That baby better not decide to come yet," he complained. "I have serious plans for you tonight."

~o~0~o~