I don't own any of the characters except for Gwynyth. The former are owned by Obsidian Entertainment.

In keeping with the theme of this little story of mine, this chapter is devoted to illustrating a point I'd like to make about pregnant Knight Captains. Hope you enjoy.

Coveya Kur'gannis

Gwyn and her team slogged through the recently-drained Skein at Coveya Kur'gannis. During their entire stay there, they had been plagued by the voice of an insane, cackling woman on top of the disgusting stench of the Skein's stagnant waters and rotting bodies. Gwyn had been battling her nausea the entire time and couldn't wait to get out of there.

They finally came across Gulk'aush's lair and went in to confront her. Gwynyth was hoping to try talking to the hag, but her hopes were dashed when Gulk'aush screamed and attacked. The spell casters slapped on extra spell protections as Okku charged at their enemy.

Gwynyth chanted the spell for Meteor Swarm, but was interrupted by an overwhelming urge to throw up. After she had finished doing so, she began chanting the words to a different spell. She figured she was likely done being sick, but she was very wrong. Her second spell was interrupted when she heaved a second time. Worried about how this was affecting the battle, she looked up to see that her friends were barely holding their own against the hag.

After Gwyn threw up a fifth time, Gulk'aush stopped the battle. Addressing Gwynyth, she said, "Oh dear, are you with child?"

"Yeah," Gwyn said as she swayed.

"Well shoot. I had this whole, elaborate attack planned. I was going to make you kick my ass until almost all my hit points were gone, and then possess your bald friend over there," she said pointing to Safiya. "After you had beaten up on her for awhile, I was going to unpossess her and make you fight me a third time," Gulk'aush said sighing. "I can see this really isn't a good time for you, though. Poor dear."

"Yeah, you can say—blargh—you can say that," Gwyn mumbled.

"How about this, I'll just cut straight to the speech I had planned to make at the end of the fight," the hag said.

"Go for it. The sooner I get out of here, the better I'll feel," Gwynyth replied weakly.

"Okay then, let's begin," Gulk'aush said. She cleared her throat. "Enough! This blood you have spilt has loosened insanity's grip on me for now." Never mind that she's barely scratched, Gwynyth thought. "I do not wish to die, though it would bring an end to the punishment I've endured for my crimes, my crimes!" She threw her head back and laughed madly.

"What were your crimes?" Gwyn mumbled unenthusiastically.

"I violated the sisterhood, broke the sacred laws of Kurg'annis. I took a man as my lover and I loved him. Oh how I loved him." Gulk'aush sounded like she was on the verge of tears. "I kept this love hidden, told my sisters I was just toying with him--just toying a little longer. But I let him escape and fooled my sisters with the desiccated corpse of some other man. They remained ignorant of my terrible crime until I birthed the product of our love. Then they found my beloved and made me devour him alive in front of his son! Even as they forced chucks of his flesh down my throat, he smiled at me, at our child. So beautiful like his father, was my son Gannayev."

"You. You are my mother," Gann said, his voice positively shaking.

"So . . . my son has returned, and he has brought violence against me. Will you murder your mother? Is this the homecoming you have sought?"

"You abandoned me! Cast me to the wilds of Rashemen!" Gann said menacingly.

"'Abandoned'" implies I had a choice in the matter, my child. I had but one choice, and it was to love your father."

"What does a hag such as you know of love?" Gann asked.

"More than you think, child. Have you not drifted from creature to creature, spirit to spirit, finding no dream that has touched you? Or, have you done so at last with this one you follow? And perhaps . . . not yet realized it?" asked Gulk'aush. Gwynyth turned toward Gann looking extremely perplexed. "You know what I speak of is true, Gannayev, Gann-of-Dreams, spirit of Rashemen," Gulk'aush continued. "Do not waste what little time we have together with protests and accusations."

"You speak as if your words are true, but you know nothing--of me, of my life," Gann replied, although with less passion this time.

"I know you have dreamed of this city beneath the waves, and your travels have circled this place until now . . . until the time has come to destroy it. It was ordained we speak this one last time, my dear Gann. It is the one hope that has cradled me in this prison," said the hag.

"You . . . you are a creature of lies, spawned from lies," Gann went on, unwilling to believe what he had been hearing.

"And you, my beautiful child, are far more terrible. To be spawned from the love of a hag--by such things are cities and nations laid to ruins. Do you wish to see the proof of my claims?"

"I think we should hear her out Gann," Gwynyth said wanly.

"All right. I admit I have my doubts, but if you do not, that is enough for me," Gann said. Really? Gwyn thought. 'cause I've been such a bitch lately.

"My words you should hear," Gulk'aush continued. "There are others who deserve your hatred far more. The coven that sleeps here--they must be awakened. And with violence. Send the Coven to join your father, who drifts in the rivers of the dead. Show them, at last, the horrors that the love of a mother and her son can bring to their dreams." The hag paused and shook her head. "The voices echo through my mind and insanity will soon reclaim me. Take from me my eye. I will need it no longer."

Great, Gwyn thought as the hag handed her the eye. She gives me an eyeball. Stomach, please behave.

"Use it in your travels, use it against the Coven," Gulk'aush said. Oh, it's a magical eyeball, Gwynyth thought. Silly me. "Now leave me," the hag went on. "The escape you seek is ahead. I do not know how much longer I can maintain my sanity. The voices in my mind are a cacophony . . ."

"Then hear my voice this last time, mother. Where I walk, you shall be with me until the end days. We shall be together again," Gann said.

"My son, my precious son. Can he--does he—dream . . . of me? My son?" Gulk'aush said as she walked away.

Gann turned to Gwynyth with a sad look on his face. "Gulk'aush is gone . . . and I feel loss. All that time, wastedin judging her for something she hadn't done. She did the exact opposite of what I had believed all my life, felt the exact opposite. She loved me. And loved my father."

"I believe she did, yes," Gwynyth said as fast as she could. Please get this speech over with soon Gann, I need to get out of the Skein before I puke again.

"How much of such dreams and hopes are left unsaid between others?" Gann asked. "And how many could be saved--or healed--by such knowledge? If I am ever to love, I will speak of it. This is my promise, and the first vow I've ever made. And if I am loved in return, then it shall only be the first vow of many."

Oh boy, Gwyn thought. "Are you, uh, in love, Gann?"

"Can one be in love without it being reciprocated, or does that make it something else? I say it is still love. I do not know, but I shall know in time--you have already shown me one part of my world and allowed me to make peace with it . . . perhaps you will show me something else," Gann said. "My mother held too much, too long, in silence. So this is my promise, and the first vow I have ever made. I love you."

"Really?" Gwyn asked in complete shock. "But I've been treating you like shit ever since I found out you walked in my dreams. Don't you remember when we were in Immil Vale?"

Gwynyth and her merry band of weirdo's stood at the entrance to Immil Vale. She had no idea what to expect in this place, but if Ashenwood was any indication (with its blighted trees and weakened Wood Man) she should likely expect the worst here as well.

"Gann," she said as she turned toward the hagspawn. "I need you to scout out this trail so we know what it expect."

"What? Why me?" he asked.

"Well you were raised in the wilds of Reshemen so I imagine you have some tracking experience," Gwyn explained.

"Yes but Okku could . . ."

"Come on Gann, there is no 'I' in 'team,' now are you a team player or not?" Gwyn asked enthusiastically.

"Well, I guess, I just don't agree that it has to be me."

Gwyn sighed. "Bishop would have done it. Really, that man just loved danger. He'd do just about anything."

"But I'm not Bishop," Gann said.

"I know," Gwyn said. "I mean, Bishop had some serious balls. Best tracker I've ever seen, wasn't afraid of anything . . ."

"I get it! Good spirits, you're a bitch!"

"Less talking, more scouting," Gwyn said, magic crackling around her hands. Gann ran off down the trail. A couple minutes later he came back chased by a wyvern.

Gwynyth, Safiya and Gann pelted the wyvern with spells. They killed it before it could close in and poison them.

"I fucking hate you," Gann said to Gwyn.

"Aw, I hate you too!" Gwyn replied in the sweetest voice she could muster. "Any more wyverns?"

"Yeah, a whole fuck ton of them!" Gann said angrily.

"Good to know, I'll have to summon a lot of pets to keep them away while we kill them with spells."

"Yes, I remember what happened in Immil Vale," Gann said. "I also remember I deserved it."

"Wow, so, I guess you're not totally hopeless," Gwynyth said smirking.

"Thanks," Gann said sarcastically.

"But look, Gann, I had three boyfriends before I came to Rashemen. One of them is the father of my baby, and I just . . . I just can't . . ." Gwynyth said as she burst into tears.

"Shh," Gann said. He held Gwynyth to him as she cried on his shoulder. "I don't expect you to be with me, not right now. I just had to tell you how I feel. I hope we can be friends, no matter what happens." Gann whispered into her hair.

"I'd like that," Gwyn said sniffling. "But first I have to get out of this place before I throw up again." Gann laughed. She and the rest of the party left the Skein to confront the Slumbering Coven.