Chapter Ten
Saleh had never been one to be easily surprised, but, when he set out for a walk along the edge of the village beneath the cloudless azure sky that afternoon, the column of scraggly soldiers he spotted trudging towards Caer Pelyn was more than a little unexpected. He was also rather startled when one hollow-cheeked man in a tattered cloak and faded doublet, a scruffy russet beard covering half his face, his right arm in a makeshift sling, staggered towards him and snagged him by the shoulder.
"Where is she?" the man snarled, his eyes wild. It took Saleh a moment to recognise his comrade of four years past.
"Sir Seth?"
"Where is my wife?" Seth demanded. "Where is Eirika?"
"Sir Seth, perhaps you should–"
He was taken aback when Seth shook him, a guttural utterance– not words; almost a growl– pouring from his throat. "Tell me!"
"The third house down the left path."
An expression passed over Seth's features as he spoke, one Saleh found difficult to pin down, but the wildness of a moment before had melted away. Seth released him and, without another word, stumbled down the village laneway. For a moment Saleh thought to follow, but, as he looked on the column of worn travellers who were embracing each other and falling to their knees, Saleh knew there was other work to be done.
ooo
Eirika turned as she heard the door swing open– and then froze in place, staring at the man silhouetted against the expanse of white outside. She did not dare believe her eyes.
"Seth?" she breathed.
In two long strides he crossed the room and swept her into his arms, crushing her against his chest. She clung to him, unbelieving. Tears streamed down her cheeks. He was trembling.
The bristle on his face rasped against her skin as she drew back to look at him. "Oh Seth," she whispered, touching his cheek. "Your arm, is it–"
"It's nothing."He looked so thin, so tired, but he smiled and she kissed his cracked lips.
He drew back and tangled his fingers in her hair, never taking his eyes off her. "I was afraid you–" His voice was rough and he broke off to cough and clear his throat. "We heard you'd been wounded, that you–"
She put a finger to his lips. "I'm fine."
His eyes shot downwards to her conspicuously flattened belly. "The baby?"
A smile spread over Eirika's face. She took Seth's hand and led him to the back room of the cottage where, next to a simple bed, rested a crib. Bending over it, she reached in and picked up the swaddled infant and cradled the child in her arms. "Seth, this is your son."
Wonder and surprise flashed over his features and his hand trembled as he reach out to touch the tiny face in the bundle of cloth. "He–" His eyes flitted to hers. He looked almost dazed. "He's ours?"
"Unless you have an identical twin brother that you haven't told me about then I think it's safe to say he is."
Seth's laugh was more glorious a song to her ears than any composed by the bards back home in Renais. Relief and joy and exhaustion were so thoroughly mingled in his expression that she hardly knew what to say first. Finally, she settled on handing their son to him for the first time. Accustomed to holding his niece and nephew, he was quite comfortable with his son, even though he only had one free arm, and the worshipful look on his face as he peered at their child warmed her heart. Their son had, by now, woken and was beginning to fuss– at being held by a stranger, Eirika realized with a pang.
"This is your father, Caradoc," she cooed to the child.
"Caradoc?" Seth breathed.
She smiled and brushed her fingers over Seth's bristly cheek. "You weren't here so I named him after your father. I thought you would like that."
"Eirika..." He returned his attention to his son as Caradoc began to wail. Seth rocked him and whispered to him and finally he settled down again. Soon Caradoc's eyelids were drooping.
"We should let him sleep," she said. With the greatest care, he handed Caradoc back to her so she could place him in the crib once more.
Seth's eyes remained fixed on Caradoc as he drifted to sleep. "He's so beautiful," Seth whispered. "And he's really ours?"
She squeezed his arm, smiling. "He's really ours, my love."
When he turned to look at her again his air was serious. "Why are you here? Why aren't you home?" He was running his fingers through her hair, stroking her cheek as if he could not believe she was real if he were not touching her.
"Sit down," she said, pushing him gently towards the bed. He sat and she took both his hands in hers. "After you went missing I had Vanessa bring me here to see if Master Saleh and the others could find some way to aid you. The day after I arrived I was feeling unwell– the mountain sickness again. I went for a walk and I ran into Haren. He's–"
"I know who he is," Seth cut in, his voice like mountain ice.
"We duelled. I was injured." Seth's hands clenched around hers. "I–" She hesitated and drew a deep breath.
"What is it?"
"I managed to disable Haren and get help, but I was bleeding and unwell to begin with and I began to have labour pains. But it was nothing. I was fine," she added hastily at the stricken look on Seth's face. "It was the effect of the fatigue and the injury, but even after Master Saleh healed my wound it was decided that I should stay here. They were worried the stress of travel could be dangerous to the baby, so I remained in Caer Pelyn. Everything was fine after that. After Vanessa got a message through to Ephraim she came back here and stayed with me. Caradoc was born two weeks ago."
Seth pulled her to him again, pressing his lips to her hair. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "I'm sorry. I should have been here. I–"
"It's not your fault. You're here now. That's all I care about." Eirika found herself crying against his chest, feeling overwhelmed by it all. She had come so close to losing everything– her life, her child, her husband– and now to have them all back, to have everything she loved, to know everything was all right again...
When, after several minutes, she managed to pull herself together and wipe her eyes, she realized several things had to be done, the first of which was cleaning him up and getting him something to eat. "I need to get a couple of things. You stay here, all right?"
He nodded. His shoulders were slumped and his elbows were propped on his knees. She had rarely seen him looking so thoroughly drained, as if he might simply nod off at any moment. "Eirika," he called out before she stepped out of the room. She stopped and turned. "Make sure the others are being cared for. Please."
"I'm sure they are," she said gently. She had not stopped to think of the others, so entirely had her attention been fixed on Seth, but now she found herself wondering about Kyle, Syrene, Garcia, and Gilliam.
When she emerged from the cottage the scene before her brought a smile to her lips. Everywhere, doors were opening and the villagers were bringing ragged soldiers into their homes or brining food and clean clothes for them. The people of Caer Pelyn had little enough, but what they had, they shared. The cottage she herself was staying in belonged to an elderly widow, Hestia, whose children had moved to the valley. She had been glad to offer Eirika the extra room during her stay and to help her with Caradoc once he'd been born.
Even as she was thinking of her, Hestia appeared and offered to take charge of preparing something to eat and keeping watch over Caradoc while Eirika tended Seth. No sooner had Eirika thanked her than she had disappeared into the cottage, seeming quite pleased to be able to help. When Eirika turned to attention back to the surrounding cot and cabins she noticed Ewan jogging down the laneway towards her.
"Hello, Lady Eirika," the young magician called out before he'd reached the cottage. His coat was opened and he wore neither hat nor scarf yet he was red in the face and, when he drew closer, she could see the sweat on his brow. "It's wonderful, isn't it? Come on. I'll get you some water," he said and walked right into the cottage.
"Ewan, what–"
"Oh sorry." He shrugged. "Mater Saleh told me to make sure there was hot water to get all the soldiers cleaned up. General Seth is here, right?"
"Yes," Eirika said, feeling a little dazed. At least Saleh had been able to remain collected in all the chaos. She herself was so heady with joy and relief that it was difficult to think clearly. All she knew was that Seth was alive and here with her and their son. She could ask for no more.
Ewan made quick work of hefting the cottage's wooden tub into the bedchamber where Seth remained in the same pose as when Eirika had left. She wondered for a moment if he'd dozed off, but he glanced up at them as they appeared.
"Good day, General," Ewan greeted him cheerfully.
Seth's eyes narrowed. "Ewan?"
Ewan nodded and turned his attention to the empty tub. He murmured a few words and then, with a flash of blue light, the tub was filled with ice. Eirika was about to question him when Ewan began another spell. A flash or orange and the ice had turned to steaming hot water– though how he had managed to melt the ice without setting the tub and the cottage aflame was beyond her.
"Thank you, Ewan. You've improved quite a bit."
He grinned and ducked his head. "Thanks, Princess, but I've still got a lot to learn before I can match Master Saleh." And then he was trotting off, ready to perform the feat in each home that sheltered one of the weather-worn soldiers. Eirika noted that Hestia had left towels and some spare clothes on the chest in the corner and she could not help but feel grateful to them all. The people of Caer Pelyn had done so much for her these past months and now they welcomed Seth and the others and cared for them without a second thought.
"Seth?" she said, sitting next to him and taking his hand in hers. His skin was like sand. "Let's get you cleaned up and then have something to eat, all right?" He nodded and heaved himself to his feet. She had to help him removed his coat, doublet, and shirt and he grimaced at every movement of his shoulder. They peeled off the layers of clothing and tossed them into the corner. They were so baldy worn and soiled after all these months that they seemed beyond further usefulness.
A sigh escaped Seth's lips as he sank into the hot water up to his nipples and closed his eyes, a look of blissful contentment on his features. Eirika was thankful he could not see the tears in her own eyes as she looked on his emaciated body. She could have counted his ribs and every notch in his spine. She wanted to throw her arms around his neck. That he should have suffered so... Instead, she reached for soap and a washcloth and began to work at scrubbing away the grime of four months.
She tried to be wary of the sores on his skin, but he winced now and then. The lines and curves of his body were so altered that she hardly recognised him as she ran her hands over his flesh. His bones seemed too close to the surface, muscle melted away from his once lean frame. But he was alive and she could feel the steady pulse of his blood beneath her fingertips.
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Seth felt as if he was caked with grime and even he could smell the reek of stale sweat that clung to him, but the touch of her fingers on his skin was a balm, easing away months of aches and cold, even as she scrubbed the dirt and sweat from his skin. His eyelids drooped and he fell into daze. In his mind's eye he was back at camp, somewhere in the mountains. It was snowing. Soldiers were bustling outside the tent; he could hear the crunch of the snow beneath their boots. The wind wailed between the cliffs and crags, but for once he could not feel its chill touch. She was with him, washing the blood from his face, her hands caressing his aching limbs.
And then it seemed he was back home in his bedchamber. It was their wedding night and she was soaking in a tub of hot water to ease the ache of the loss of her maidenhead and he was with her, holding her lithe body against him. He trailed kisses along her neck and shoulders until she turned to kiss his lips and they made love again.
His thoughts sank deeper, further, wandering paths strewn with exotic blooms, their colours so vivid they seemed alight, to glades shining with morning dew, and on to shores silvered by slanting moonbeams.
When his thoughts rose from visions of gilded wonders and, with a delectable sort of languor, he opened his eyes, he wondered all the more– for there was Eirika, smiling, speaking his name. And it was everything.